375 research outputs found
REKON Method Step 1: Clarification of Task and Reconfigurability Requirements
No full textWatch Alessia Napoleone, postdoc. researcher at Aalborg University, introduce the first step of the REKON method, which focuses on clarifying needs and requirements of reconfigurable manufacturing systems
The Core Concepts of Reconfigurable Manufacturing
No full textIn this video, Alessia Napoleone, postdoc. researcher at Aalborg University, introduces the concepts of changeability, reconfigurability, and changeability - the core concepts of reconfigurable manufacturing systems
REKON Method Step 4: Implementation and Utilization of Reconfigurability
No full textIn this video, Alessia Napoleone, postdoc. researcher at Aalborg University, introduces the fourth and last step of the REKON method. This Step focuses on how to successfully implement and exploit a reconfigurable manufacturing system during the operating part of its life cycle
Economic factors affecting obesity: an application in Italy
No full textThe World Health Organization has stated that obesity is spreading around the world like a “global epidemic”. In 2004 the percentage of obese people in the Italian population was 9%, but the trend s increasing in recent years. Focusing on this country, the purpose of the paper is to analyze the socio-economic variables affecting obesity by means of a survey conducted in a consumer sample. Our analysis is based on a survey conducted in Italy, and the sample was composed of 999 consumers. We used a binary logit model and the dependent variable is body mass index (BMI), expressed in a dichotomic way (seriously overweight and obese, value 1, and normal weight, value 0). The results show that the condition of the seriously overweight and obese increases with age, especially in people over 65 of age. Also gender is correlated with the pathology: being seriously overweight and obese is far more likely for men than for women. An inverse relation was shown between obesity and education, and between obesity and the level of food knowledge. The results highlight that disadvantaged social categories are more susceptible to the problem of overweight and obesity. A policy implication of the analysis, to limit the spread of obesity, could lie in programs aimed at improving health and food awareness and focused on these minority groups.economics of obesity, BMI and consumer, logit model, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,
A framework to manage reconfigurability in manufacturing
No full textNowadays, manufacturing firms are dealing with the unpredictability of market requirements and the frequent changes induced by technological innovation. For this reason, firms are more and more addressing the need to be responsive at an affordable cost. To do so, they are required to develop a capability called reconfigurability. This paper is a review of the existing literature because the current need makes interesting to reflect on the state of the art of reconfigurability as a concept. This reflection has led to focus on reconfigurability characteristics for both their relevance and their relationships with managerial decisions in manufacturing. To this end, a framework has been proposed. It is based on system lifecycle and production levels. These two elements have been deduced from literature and identified as relevant dimensions for decision-making
Planning the reconfiguration of manufacturing systems: A literature review
No full textThe diffusion of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMSs) is envisioned as a potential lever for manufacturing firms to gain competitive advantage. In fact, responsiveness is required in the current context characterized by unpredictable frequent market changes and demand for increasingly individualized products with shortened life cycles. Reconfigurability is a well cited capability because it promises to allow high responsiveness. Many authors point out that, to be really market-able, RMSs need to have convenient reconfiguration time and cost. To this end, a great synergy between the reconfigurability and the process of planning the reconfiguration should be exploited: this is the main reflection that the present paper is bringing based on a literature review. More in details, the paper describes the characteristics of reconfigurability; besides, it elaborates on the reconfigurability as a capability, having a particular focus on the scalability characteristic and its relationship with the planning process. The reflection provided in the paper allows to get an overview of the need to structure the process of planning the reconfiguration within RMSs
The implications of condition monitoring on asset-related decision-making in the Italian power distribution sector
No full textThe aim of this paper is to investigate the implications of the adoption of advanced condition monitoring solutions on the asset-related decision-making process in the power distribution sector. Due to the characteristics of such an industry and the challenges of the current competition scenario, proper asset lifecycle management is of vital importance to guarantee the efficiency and the reliability of the grid, and maintenance function, featuring a proactive approach, has a critical role within it. Thanks to the latest advancements in technology innovation, condition monitoring solutions represent a valid tool to support maintenance to implement proactive decision-making. Evidences from the scientific literature confirm the important role of the monitoring process within the asset lifecycle management. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to understand whether adopting advanced condition monitoring solutions can be sufficient to support asset-related decision-making during the life cycle, or if other “tools” are required, together with condition monitoring, to achieve an effective management. To reach this goal, an exploratory investigation based on three case studies was developed. The analysis of the results allowed concluding that the monitoring process can have strong impacts on decisions related to assets, only if it is supported by an appropriate level of maturity of the maintenance management process, and the implementation of a proper risk management process
How the technologies underlying cyber-physical systems support the reconfigurability capability in manufacturing: a literature review
No full textNowadays, manufacturing firms need the reconfigurability capability to be responsive in the current context characterised by unpredictable and frequent market changes and the reduction of product life cycle. Despite the relevance of the subject, a challenge for practitioners is the development of a strategy aimed to increase the level of reconfigurability with long-term goals of customisation and responsiveness. Moreover, traditional manufacturing paradigms are disrupted by the transformation of manufacturing systems in cyber-physical systems (CPS), thus introducing innovative means also to increase the level of reconfigurability in manufacturing systems. This study investigates how the technologies underlying CPS support the reconfigurability capability along system life cycle. Thus the technologies underlying CPS are classified into seven categories and it is shown how they enable the sequence of utilisation of the reconfigurability characteristics (modularity, integrability, diagnosability, scalability, convertibility and customisation) along the system life cycle. The results of the study can guide practitioners in developing reconfigurability as a strategic capability. Moreover, different directions for future research can be considered, as discussed in the conclusion
Core Characteristics of Reconfigurability and their Influencing Elements
No full textThe unpredictability of market requirements is more and more pushing manufacturing firms to be responsive. To this end, reconfigurability is needed. Reconfigurability is composed of six core characteristics: modularity, integrability, diagnosability, scalability, convertibility and customization. These characteristics are related with each other. This paper - exploiting the available literature - aims at identifying and analyzing elements influencing the core characteristics. As a result, characteristics, influencing elements and relationships have been located in a comprehensive framework. The novelty of this research is that the relationships between characteristics have been taken into account. For this reason, this research is considered a first step to understand how manufacturing firms can achieve reconfigurability, by fully exploiting the core characteristic
Author response
No full textDetecting pathogens and mounting immune responses upon infection is crucial for animal health. However, these responses come at a high metabolic price (McKean and Lazzaro, 2011, Kominsky et al., 2010), and avoiding pathogens before infection may be advantageous. The bacterial endotoxins lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are important immune system infection cues (Abbas et al., 2014), but it remains unknown whether animals possess sensory mechanisms to detect them prior to infection. Here we show that Drosophila melanogaster display strong aversive responses to LPS and that gustatory neurons expressing Gr66a bitter receptors mediate avoidance of LPS in feeding and egg laying assays. We found the expression of the chemosensory cation channel dTRPA1 in these cells to be necessary and sufficient for LPS avoidance. Furthermore, LPS stimulates Drosophila neurons in a TRPA1-dependent manner and activates exogenous dTRPA1 channels in human cells. Our findings demonstrate that flies detect bacterial endotoxins via a gustatory pathway through TRPA1 activation as conserved molecular mechanism.sponsorship: Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie Alessia Soldano Luis Franco Guangda Liu Natalia Mora Emre Yaksi Bassem A Hassanr Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0702.12 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0077.15 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0680.10 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0681.10 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0503.12 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0654.15 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0761.10N Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0596.12 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G.0565.07 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Alejandro Lopez-Requena Natalia Mora Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar KU Leuven GOA/14/011 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Luis Franco Alejandro Lopez-Requena Guangda Liu Natalia Mora Emre Yaksi Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar European Commission IUAP P7/13 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Luis Franco Alejandro Lopez-Requena Guangda Liu Natalia Mora Emre Yaksi Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekensr KU Leuven OT/12/091 Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Luis Franco Alejandro Lopez-Requena Guangda Liu Natalia Mora Emre Yaksi Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talaverar KU Leuven PF-TRPLe Alessia Soldano Yeranddy A Alpizar Brett Boonen Luis Franco Alejandro Lopez-Requena Guangda Liu Natalia Mora Emre Yaksi Thomas Voets Rudi Vennekens Bassem A Hassan Karel Talavera (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0702.12, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0077.15, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0680.10, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0681.10, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0503.12, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0654.15, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0761.10N, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek|G.0596.12, KU Leuven|GOA/14/011, KU Leuven|OT/12/091, European Commission|IUAP P7/13, KU Leuven PF-TRPLe)status: Publishe
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