1,721,001 research outputs found
Framework for selecting manufacturing simulation software in industry 4.0 environment
Full text linkEven though the use of simulation software packages is widespread in industrial and manufacturing companies, the criteria and methods proposed in the scientific literature to evaluate them do not adequately help companies in identifying a package able to enhance the efficiency of their production system. Hence, the main objective of this paper is to develop a framework to guide companies in choosing the most suitable manufacturing simulation software package. The evaluation framework developed in this study is based on two different multi-criteria methods: analytic hierarchy process (AHP) integrated with benefits, opportunities, costs, risks (BOCR) analysis and the best-worst method (BWM). The framework was developed on the basis of the suggestions from the literature and from a panel of experts, both from academia and industry, trying to capture all the facets of the software selection problem. For testing purposes, the proposed approach was applied to a mid-sized enterprise located in the south of Italy, which was facing the problem of buying an effective simulation software for Participatory Design. From a practical perspective, the application showed that the framework is effective in identifying the most suitable simulation software package according to the needs of the company. From a theoretical point of view, the multi-criteria methods suggested in the framework have never been applied to the problem of selecting simulation software; their usage in this context could bring some advantages compared to other decision-making tools
An unusual satellite DNA from Zamia paucijuga (Cycadales) characterised by two different organisations of the repetitive unit in the plant genome
No full textHigh haplotype diversity with fine-scale structure in a recently established population of an endangered orchid
No full textNew populations of endangered plants may establish outside of protected areas if a suitable habitat becomes available. However, it is unclear whether such populations are genetically uniform, as a result of a founder effect, or whether they contain genetic variation resulting from continuous gene flow from source populations, and subsequent recruitment after establishment. We addressed this by examining haplotype variation in the endangered orchid, Anacamptis robusta, which has formed a new population outside of its protected area within the past 20 years. To assess population growth, the number of A. robusta flowering plants were counted every year for 22 years in both the new population and populations within the reserve. Haplotype diversity and fine-scale structure were examined with spatial autocorrelation analysis, both in the new population and representative populations from the protected area. The number of flowering individuals in the new population increased from 9 to 2,277 between 2003 and 2012, whereas within the reserve flowering population sizes varied between years. Seventeen of 23 haplotypes detected for A. robusta were detected in the new population, with seven of these occurring more frequently in the new population than reserve populations. In the new population, there was strong fine-scale spatial structure of haplotypes, similar to patterns found in large populations from the protected area, suggesting multiple colonization events and subsequent local recruitment. This highlights that ongoing demographic and genetic monitoring of plant populations is vital to improve our understanding of population colonization and the conservation of narrow endemics
Genetic relatedness of insular segregates of Mediterranean orchid species as inferred from ITS sequences analysis.
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