Italian organisations within the European nanotechnology network: presence, dynamics and effects

Nanotechnology is an emerging interdisciplinary field that, according to the European Commission, represents one of the world’s new technological frontiers. Nanoscience and nanotechnology play a key role in European Union research policies; they have been included among the “seven priority thematic areas” of the Sixth Framework Programme and the “nine themes” of the Cooperation Programme of the Seventh Framework Programme. The purpose of this study is to assess the role of Italian organisations in the existing European nanotechnology innovation network and to illuminate several aspects of relational and geographical dynamics as well as the scientific and economic effects of these partnerships in Italy. Using an official document issued by the European Commission entitled “Mapping Portal for Nanotechnology Research” and adopting social network analysis techniques, statistics and qualitative interviews, it is determined that Italy plays a central role in the European nanotechnology network, that Italian organisations have tended to replicate satisfactory prior collaborations, that other factors have been more significant than geographical proximity in creating research groups and developing projects, and, finally, that scientific effects have been substantially more significant than economic effects at the national level

Not all peripheries are the same: The importance of relative regional innovativeness in transnational innovation networks

This paper aims to test the hypothesis according to which “relative” innovativeness (regions scoring higher than the national average in innovation rankings, such as the Regional Innovation Scoreboard) is more important than “absolute” innovativeness (regions scoring higher than the European Union [EU] average) in determining the centrality and key positioning of EU regions in highly selective and competitive international innovation networks. The combined adoption of various social network analysis techniques and econometric models in the specific arena of the EU nanotechnology network created within the Horizon 2020 program confirms this hypothesis. However, additional graph visualization and brokerage analysis highlight how such relative innovators, holding key positions in the targeted network, hardly act as gatekeepers in the respective national contexts. A major implication of this study is that although relatively innovative regions may play a key role in transnational innovation networks, their inadequate action as gatekeepers represents a negative aspect for peripheral regions in general and especially in marginally innovative countries. This finding raises doubts about the actual increasing and more effective knowledge circulation between the surveyed regions to which the EU explicitly aspires.publishedVersio

An overview of the impact of additive manufacturing on supply chain, reshoring, and sustainability

The paper provides an overview of the impact of the integration of additive manufacturing (AM) within the supply chain, the correlation with the reshoring phenomenon, and its effect on environmental sustainability. Implementing AM technologies simplifies the traditional supply chain and significantly reduces costs related to transport and warehousing. Furthermore, it allows for a considerably reduced production of waste. However, the high price of machinery and the lack of current knowledge prevent it from spreading widely

Increasing innovativeness of SMEs in peripheral areas through international networks?: the case of Southern Italy

Strengthening innovation capacity of European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by means of their participation in the Sixth (FP6-SME) and Seventh (FP7-SME) Framework Programmes was an important objective of the European Union policies. Since SMEs form the backbone of the Italian economy, their strong presence in an international network such as the one fostered by the European Union represent a great opportunity, particularly for firms located in southern Italy -the marginal macro-area of the country in terms of innovation- to increase their competitiveness. Based on the major literature on topics such as knowledge exchange, innovation networks and disparities, and on descriptive statistics and a cluster analysis in a dynamic perspective, our study aimed to assess the actual intra-regional, extra-regional and transnational links established by the Italian SMEs and public research establishments (PREs). In a next step we aim at assessing if knowledge flows fostered by the FP6-SME and FP7-SME were mainly concentrated in the traditionally winning macro-regional areas (North and Centre) or led to more widespread benefits in favour of SMEs located in the marginal South. The findings of our study revealed a very limited number of connections -with a related weak knowledge exchange- involving the southern regions, implying a reinforcement of innovation activities in the traditionally most dynamic industrial areas of the country

Computer Aided Morphological Analysis for maxillo-facial diagnostic: a preliminary study

This article compares most of the three-dimensional (3D) morphometric methods currently proposed by the technical literature to evaluate their morphological informative value, while applying them to a case study of five patients affected by the malocclusion pathology. The compared methods are: conventional cephalometric analysis (CCA), generalised Procrustes superimposition (GPS) with principal-components analysis (PCA), thin-plate spline analysis (TPS), multisectional spline (MS) and clearance vector mapping (CVM). The results show that MS provides more reliable and useful diagnostic informatio

“I want to shake your hand before …”: The role of clients, knowledge exchange and market dynamics in southern Italian software firms

This study aims to assess the importance of clients in multi-scalar networks leading to learning competence and knowledge exchange. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered by firms located in a peripheral and marginally innovative area in signing commercial agreements with partners located in distant regions are tackled. Our findings, based on qualitative interviews, reveal that clients are considered to be the most important partners by the founders, owners and professionals of software firms located in the marginally innovative province of Lecce (southeastern Italy). Furthermore, being located in a peripheral area is not seen as a limitation from the technical–infrastructural viewpoint thanks to the opportunity offered by new technologies (e.g. the Internet) and computer-mediated communications. Conversely, the contracting of business agreements with partners located in distant markets is negatively influenced by the geographical distance from potential clients due to the need for previous acquaintance or face-to-face contact engendering trust.publishedVersio

Palmitoylethanolamide is a disease-modifying agent in peripheral neuropathy : pain relief and neuroprotection share a PPAR-alpha-mediated mechanism

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From Powders to Dense Metal Parts: Characterization of a Commercial AlSiMg Alloy Processed through Direct Metal Laser Sintering

In this paper, a characterization of an AlSiMg alloy processed by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is presented, from the analysis of the starting powders, in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition, through to the evaluation of mechanical and microstructural properties of specimens built along different orientations parallel and perpendicular to the powder deposition plane. With respect to a similar aluminum alloy as-fabricated, a higher yield strength of about 40% due to the very fine microstructure, closely related to the mechanisms involved in this additive process is observe