1,721,125 research outputs found
Industry 4.0 and business models: a bibliometric literature review
No full textPurpose: Following an increasing interest in the area that merges digital/I4.0 technologies and business models (BMs), which led to a proliferation of articles in this domain, the purpose of this article is to systematize this body of literature by means of a structured literature review. Design/methodology/approach: After a careful selection of articles, we carried out the analysis with the support of bibliometric techniques, using the bibliographic coupling approach complemented with factor analysis and the content analysis of articles. Findings: The results of the literature review analysis allow us to organize the literature around four main research streams, namely digital technologies and business model innovation, digital strategy and BMs, digital platforms and BMs, and IoT, servitization and BMs. On such a basis, we outline gaps and provide promising avenues for further research in this research area. Research limitations/implications: This study has implications for academics in terms of conceptualization of relevant constructs, integration of two streams of research and specific technologies whose relationship with the BM still deserves attention. Practical implications: This study has implications also for managers, who may take advantage of the description of some BM archetypes driven by digital/I4.0 technologies and also appreciate the relevance of taking a strategic approach, with a particular focus on the BM, toward the use of digital technologies. Originality/value: This study merges two relevant streams of research in an attempt to see how they have developed synergically and what potentials their merge could offer for future research
Predicting the response of small-scale near-wall turbulence to large-scale outer motions
No full textThe paper deals with the question of how to determine – or “predict” - the near-wall-turbulence statistics from a Reynolds-number-independent, “universal”, small-scale signal, and the Reynolds-number-dependent large-scale outer motions in the log layer. An empirical model is proposed, which is intended to take into account the effect of “splatting”, not previously considered, thus offering an improved representation of the near-wall-turbulence field
Paving the way for inter-organizational management control mechanisms in innovation contexts
No full textInter-organizational relationships involving SMEs: A bibliographic investigation into the state of the art
No full textThe theme of inter-organizational relationships involving SMEs (SME IORs) has generated a relevant body of knowledge that has not been systematized yet. This article carries out a systematic literature review on SME IORs using bibliometric techniques, aiming to provide an overview of the main subfields of research and to identify promising paths for future research that can contribute to develop a more comprehensive body of knowledge around SME IORs. Four factors of thematically connected research emerge, which represents the main subfields of inquiry within the field of SME IORs. Insights regarding the content of these topics, the different theoretical foundations of the literature on SME IORs, and potential paths for future research are discussed
Study of the role of the DOF transcription factor DAG1 in the control of seedling development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Full text linkSeedling development relies on environmental conditions; indeed, once seeds have germinated, they undergo photomorphogenesis or skotomorphogenesis, depending on the presence or absence of light. Photomorphogenesis is a multi-traits process characterised by inhibition of hypocotyl elongation, open and expanded cotyledons, and chloroplast development, whereas skotomorphogenesis is characterised by long hypocotyls and small unfolded cotyledons. Hypocotyl elongation is influenced by both environmental and hormonal cues and it has been extensively studied as a model for cell expansion. Nevertheless, the molecular network underlying this process is not yet fully elucidated.
The Arabidopsis Dof protein DAG1 (Dof Affecting Germination1) is a repressor of seed germination, and a key player of the seed-to seedling transition, a crucial developmental phase positively controlled by light, as well as by the phytohormones ABA (abscissic acid) and GA (gibberellins). Indeed, DAG1 controls the ratio of ABA and GA, which play opposite roles, as ABA represses germination whereas GAs promote it.
We have previously shown that inactivation of DAG1 affects inhibition of hypocotyl elongation. Indeed, light-grown dag1 mutant seedlings show significant shorter hypocotyls compared to the wild-type, suggesting that DAG1 is a negative component of this light-mediated process. To gain some insight into the molecular network in which DAG1 is involved, we have analysed the transcriptome profile of both dag1 and wild-type hypocotyls and seedlings. We have identified more than 250 genes that are differentially expressed in dag1 hypocotyls, and the analysis of this data suggests that DAG1 is mainly involved in promoting hypocotyl elongation. In addition, a number of the DE genes identified are correlated to the
response to ABA stimulus. ABA plays a role in inhibition of hypocotyl elongation, although the molecular mechanism remains unclear.
Therefore, we investigated the effect of ABA on hypocotyl development, and our results showed that ABA negatively controls cell expansion in hypocotyls, by acting on GA metabolism, and repressing auxin biosynthesis. Consistently, addition of exogenous ABA can revert the hypocotyl phenotype of dag1 mutant seedlings.
In conclusion, our results prove that DAG1 is likely to be an element of a molecular network which controls cell expansion by modulating hormonal response, namely auxin, ABA and GAs
Toward increasing affective commitment in SME strategic networks
No full textPurpose
To hinder the high failure rate of strategic networks, recently scholars have concentrated on behavioral aspects such as trust, conflict management, resolution and commitment as fundamental antecedents of strategic network performance. Within this context, this paper focuses on the antecedents of affective commitment, based on the rationale that an increasing affective commitment cannot occur naturally during network evolution. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand how affective commitment is achieved along the development process of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) strategic networks.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the aim of the paper, a qualitative approach based on multiple case studies was used. Two case studies of Italian SME strategic networks having an increasing and decreasing level of affective commitment were selected to have a base of comparison, following a “polar types” theoretical sampling approach.
Findings
By comparing two cases in which partners show a different affective commitment along the network development process, this study allows providing a twofold contribution. The former is to unveil the most relevant elements partners may rely on to achieve an increasing affective commitment and the latter is to propose a dynamic approach toward the study of affective commitment in SME strategic networks.
Research limitations/implications
Considering the limited generalizability of this exploratory study due to the analysis of two cases, future studies with a larger number of strategic multipartner networks can expand the understanding of the dynamics leading to increasing commitment.
Practical implications
The paper provides a series of practical guidelines for managers to create a trusting environment with a high level of affective commitment within the context of SME networks, which can contribute to their survival.
Originality/value
The originality of the study consists in having adopted a dynamic approach toward studying affective commitment in the context of SME networks, which resulted in the identification of relevant factors that can lead to increasing affective commitment
Modeling of static reliability assessment in dielectric elastomer transducers subject to electric loads
No full textIn recent years, Dielectric Elastomer Transducers (DETs) have been of top-notch interest as an alternative solution to conventional mechatronic transduction systems, thanks to their features as low-cost and affordable materials, silence operation, low-power consumption, and high level of energy density. Generally, in their most uncomplicated layout, these devices form an electrostatic system, composed of a Dielectric Elastomer (DE) membrane, embedded between two opposite compliant electrodes, constituting a highly deformable capacitor capable of transforming electrical energy into mechanical and vice versa. However, DETs applicability is strongly affected by several engineering constraints. One of their principal failure modes is related to the electrical breakdown of the DE membrane, which occurs when an applied input electrical load exceeds the dielectric strength of the DE. In order to address this problem, the materials and the input load conditions must be chosen appropriately to assure a desired lifetime of operation. For this purpose, this work proposes a preliminary static reliability assessment procedure to evaluate the failure probability of a DET for static events as the electrical breakdown, with specific electric input load conditions. The resulting reliability model comprises the stochastic comparison of the dielectric strength of the DE material with the extreme values distribution of electrical loads in a specific period, aiming to forecast the reliability evaluation for a more extended period, multiple of the original one
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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