102128 research outputs found
Sort by
Fostering Social Connection Responsibility in Value Creation: Lessons From the Assessment of a Local Participatory Guarantee System
No full textThis paper builds on the call for further research on stakeholder engagement as a relational and contextual process for value creation by examining a Participatory Guarantee System for organic agriculture in Lombardy (Italy). It emphasises that value creation is a collaborative effort within a stakeholder network, requiring the shared and ongoing responsibility of all actors beyond their specific interests. To explore how such shared responsibility unfolds, data collected through participant observation are analysed using Iris Marion Young's social connection responsibility approach. Specifically, the study investigates factors shaping stakeholder relationships, focusing on four parameters: power, privilege, interest and collective ability. Findings reveal that while the project aimed to foster a sustainable agricultural system, differing stakeholder positions complicate the engagement process, highlighting contradictions between collective goals and individual decisions. Power dynamics and privileges significantly shape stakeholder involvement, affecting motivations and commitment. Additionally, the analysis illustrates tensions between stakeholders' economic roles and their contributions to a shared purpose, revealing how functional or self-interested logics can overshadow relational goals. Theoretically, the study extends stakeholder theory by empirically applying Young's social connection model, demonstrating how power, privilege and interest operate both within and across stakeholder groups, shaping responsibility and collective value creation. Practically, it offers insights for designing and managing multi-stakeholder initiatives through inclusive, deliberative processes that balance power asymmetries, strengthen mutual understanding and sustain engagement across diverse contexts and settings. Indeed, the study underscores the importance of contexts and places in fostering effective engagement and responsibility
Patent-Based Prospective Life Cycle Assessment and Eco-Design of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Full text linkLithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are a promising emerging technology due to their high energy density, low-cost materials, and safety. However, their environmental sustainability is not yet well understood. This study conducted a prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) on two patented LSB models, using data from patents as the inventory: one with a standard sulfur cathode and another with a graphene–sulfur composite (GSC). The assessment is conducted for a functional unit of 1 Wh of produced electricity, adopting a cradle-to-gate system boundary and a prospective time horizon set to 2035. The LSB GSC model battery showed significantly better performance in terms of climate change and fossil depletion, with a 42% lower impact, mainly due to a reduction in the lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) content from 1205 mg Wh−1 to 250 mg Wh−1. However, the GSC model also had significant drawbacks, showing a 93% higher metal depletion and 49% higher water depletion than the standard sulfur battery. Building on an established patent-based prospective LCA approach, this work applies patent-derived quantitative inventories and patent-informed eco-design analysis to support environmentally informed design decisions for emerging LSB technologies prior to large-scale commercialization
Lo zio-stregone, l’isola fatata e la prigioniera senza nome
No full textEsperimento surrealista di «female Gothic», L’oca di Ermogene è diviso in dodici tableaux sontuosi e allucinatori, dove la posta in gioco è il possesso di gioielli dai quali ricavare un elisir per sconfiggere la morte: uscì nel ’61, ora da Atlantid
The Role of Operators’ Learning in Enhancing Lean Benefits: Evaluation of Setup-Time Reduction with SMED
No full textLean practices are shown to enable the optimization of production processes. However, the true meaning of Lean extends beyond the mere application of practices, emphasizing people’s involvement and respect and acting as a robust learning approach rooted in Gemba. It enhances creativity and autonomy in problem-solving. Nevertheless, the importance of the human-centred aspect of Lean in the era of Industry 5.0 often remains theoretical as many managers and practitioners focus solely on Lean practices to achieve immediate results, neglecting the role of operators’ learning. This paper presents a methodology that integrates continuous learning into production optimization through use of a Plan-Do-Check-Act improvement cycle, placing employee learning at its core. The case company ElecTech specializes in the manufacturing of electric pylons, involving multiple fabrication and assembly operations. The paper examines various production setup-time configurations and Single-Minute Exchange of Die applications at ElecTech, where operators’ roles and interventions differ across scenarios. The results underscore the critical role of employee engagement in enhancing Lean outcomes, demonstrating the significant impact of operators’ learning on reducing lead times during production changeovers in which workers were involved. This paper reinforces the concept that Lean is not just about optimization; it is more fundamentally about continuous improvement – through the continuous development of people
The neural basis of sequence learning: A neuroimaging meta-analysis across social, cognitive and motor domains
No full textDespite its importance, sequence learning has been mostly studied in the visuo-motor domain and its neural underpinnings are debated. Here, we present a novel coordinate-based meta-analysis of brain areas involved in deterministic sequence learning across social mentalizing, cognitive, visuo-motor and motor domains, under both implicit and explicit conditions, focusing primarily on acquisition. The analysis revealed a central network including frontal areas, cerebellum, and basal ganglia, with domain-specific specializations. At the cortical level, the medial prefrontal cortex appears to be specifically involved in the sequential order of social inputs that support and elicit representation of others’ mental states. In addition, the primary motor cortex is more engaged during motor-only tasks to ensure accurate motor sequential action execution, while the premotor cortex and the superior parietal areas are particularly active during visuo-motor sequence tasks likely supporting visuo-motor integration. Within subcortical regions, a functional gradient was observed in the cerebellum along the anterior to posterior axis, while the basal ganglia showed a functional specialization from lateral to medial regions, both reflecting a shift from motor-only and visuo-motor processing to more complex cognitive and social functions. The different domains highlight distinct integrated functional circuits involving the sensorimotor, ventral/dorsal attention and mentalizing/default mode networks. Within the visuo-motor domain, at the subcortical level, implicit learning relies on basal ganglia, while explicit learning involves the cerebellum. The cerebellum may contribute to the early acquisition stage in implicit learning, though evidence remains limited. This study shows how the brain shapes sequence learning, crucial for motor and social-cognitive behavior
From Digitalisation to Artificial Intelligence: The New Frontiers of Entrepreneurial Finance
No full textDigitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are driving entrepreneurial finance into new frontiers. This manuscript delineates pivotal innovations with transformative implications for access to financing. We focus on the ascent of financial technology (fintech) to shed light on how AI-based startups are financed, with a specific focus on innovative financing channels like equity crowdfunding and initial coin offerings. Our findings reveal that, along with traditional finance, AI-based startups increasingly rely on alternative financing instruments. We document that digital finance provides a valuable source of financing for AI-based startups, especially where the traditional equity market is less developed. At the geographic regional level, the number of digital financing rounds is negatively correlated with the equity market development. For instance, while the United States leads the ranking of private and venture capital investments in AI-based companies, the European Union has the largest number of equity crowdfunding and initial coin offering rounds
Le nuove Indicazioni Nazionali: tra competenze, conoscenze e relazione educativa
No full textIl contributo propone una prima rilettura delle nuove Indicazioni Nazionali per la scuola dell’infanzia e il primo ciclo d’istruzione (2025), mettendone in evidenza l’impianto culturale e pedagogico. Dopo una breve ricostruzione del percorso che ha condotto alla revisione, l’articolo analizza il passaggio dal trinomio «cultura, scuola, persona» a «persona, scuola, famiglia», valorizzando la centralità della persona in chiave relazionale e il rilancio dell’alleanza educativa scuola–famiglia. Alla luce del Piano d’azione europeo per le competenze di base e del dibattito internazionale, viene discussa la presunta contrapposizione tra “scuola delle competenze” e “scuola delle conoscenze”, mostrando come solide competenze richiedano conoscenze disciplinari fondamentali, nel tentativo di coniugare rigore dei saperi, cura dei talenti personali e responsabilità educativa condivisa. Infine, il contributo mette a fuoco la figura del docente come magister, figura dotata di autorità, che opera collegialmente nella comunità educante.This contribution offers a critical analysis of the new National Guidelines for pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education (2025), examining their cultural and pedagogical framework. After briefly outlining the revision process, the article analyses the shift from the triad “culture, school, person” to “person, school, family”, emphasizing the centrality of the individual within a relational framework and the reinvigorated focus on the educational alliance between schools and families. In light of the European Action Plan on Basic Skills and the ongoing international debate, the text explores the perceived conflict between a “competence-based school” and a “knowledge-based school”, shows how solid skills require fundamental disciplinary knowledge, combining rigorous learning with care for personal talents and shared educational responsibility. Finally, the focus is on the role of the teacher as “magister”, someone with authority who collaborates within the educational community
La demolizione con ricostruzione nell'ambito della fattispecie della "ristrutturazione" edilizia tra esigenze di rigenerazione e riqualificazione urbana e nuovi limiti rispetto alla categoria della "nuova costruzione"
No full textIl contributo, muovendo dal commento ad una sentenza del Consiglio di Stato intervenuta sull'attività edilizia nel Comune di Milano, ha cercato di ricostruire la linea di demarcazione tra i concetti di “ristrutturazione ricostruttiva”, ovvero di demolizione con ricostruzione (c.d. “demoricostruzione”), da un lato, e di “nuova costruzione”, dall’altro lato. La distinzione tra le figure predette risulta decisiva in ordine ad un aspetto fondamentale, ossia l’individuazione del titolo legittimante a svolgere la rispettiva attività edilizia tra Segnalazione Certificata di Inizio Attività (SCIA) e permesso di costruire, con i conseguenti risvolti penali relativi al reato di abuso edilizio ove si ricorra alla prima nel caso in cui, però, sia necessario il secondo. Nel corso della trattazione si è evidenziato come a fronte di un dato normativo che nel corso del tempo ha progressivamente ampliato la nozione di "ristrutturazione", la giurisprudenza penale ed amministrativa risultano ancora rigorose nel delimitare, invece, la predetta categoria rispetto a quella di "nuova costruzione". In particolare, la giurisprudenza amministrativa ha introdotto dei nuovi limiti alla categoria della "ristrutturazione" consistenti nel nesso di continuità con l'edificio preesistente nonchè nella neutralità volumetrica e morfologica dell'intervento edilizio