Search results for " INGEGNERIA"

The magnitude of a product recall: offshore outsourcing vs. captive offshoring effects

2018

The escalation in product recalls in recent years is attributed to the rise of globalisation and associated challenges of offshoring. Extant SCM research suggests that product recalls have a significant negative impact on financial performance, but gaps exist relative to the managerial actions to minimise their impact. Recall response strategies have become more important in the press, given that a single recall may result in the mandatory withdrawal of millions of products from the market, with firms incurring enormous logistics costs and brand damage. In this study, we address this gap in the research, and using a measure of product recall defined as the volume of products withdrawn from …

How selection of collaborating partners impact on the green performance of global businesses? An empirical study of green sustainability

2020

In recent days, both collaboration and sustainability have become an integral part of many global supply chains to achieve business excellence. Although previous literature and actual practices confirmed the successful implementation of sustainability practices through supply chain collaborations, it is not clear how collaborating partners can support financial and environmental performance, and hence strengthen the partnership performance in the global supply chains. To address this practice-based research question, we test the theoretical underpinning of suppliers and logistics partners in relation to required skills selection. We capture the depth of interdependencies in collaborations f…

The role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on aerobic granules formation: comparison between a case of synthetic wastewater supply and anot…

2017

The paper focused on the evolution and the comparison of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) content during the granulation process in two Granular Sequencing Batch Airlift Reactors (GSBAR) (3,5 L) fed with synthetic (R1) and industrial wastewater (R2). The results showed that in both the reactors the EPSs, in particular proteins (PN), were mainly produced during the feast phase because of the high substrate availability, especially under conditions of metabolic stress. Then, the EPSs content reduced during the famine period, because of biodegradation by bacteria. More in detail, during the granulation process, a greater polysaccharides (PS) consumption occurred in both reactors, …

Bacterial community structure and removal performances in IFAS-MBRs: A pilot plant case study

2017

Abstract The paper reports the results of an experimental campaign carried out on a University of Cape Town (UCT) integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) membrane bioreactor (MBR) pilot plant. The pilot plant was analysed in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nutrients removal, kinetic/stoichiometric parameters, membrane fouling and sludge dewaterability. Moreover, the cultivable bacterial community structure was also analysed. The pilot plant showed excellent COD removal efficiency throughout experiments, with average value higher than 98%, despite the slight variations of the influent wastewater. The achieved nitrification efficiency was close to 98% for most of the experimen…

A poly-L-lactic acid/ collagen/glycosaminoglycan matrix for tissue engineering applications

2017

Adhesion of tissue cells to biomaterials is a prerequisite of paramount importance for the effectiveness of a tissue engineering construct (cell and scaffolds). Functionalization of polymeric scaffolds with organic polymers, such as collagen or proteoglycans, is a promising approach in order to improve the cytocompatibility. As a matter of fact, organic polymers, isolated directly from the extracellular matrix, contain a multitude of surface ligand (fibronectin, laminin, vitronectin) and arginine–glycine–aspartic acid-containing peptides that promote cell adhesion. In tissue engineering, the combination of organic and synthetic polymers gives rise to scaffolds characterized simultaneously …

Sterilization of macroscopic poly(l-lactic acid) porous scaffolds withdense carbon dioxide: Investigation of the spatial penetration of thetreatment …

2016

Abstract In this work the sterilization with dense carbon dioxide of poly( l -lactic acid) (PLLA) porous scaffolds intended for tissue engineering applications was investigated with the main objective of confirming the three-dimensional efficacy of the treatment and of analysing the scaffold properties after CO2 treatment. For this purpose the scaffold was contaminated with a conventional bacterium (Escherichia coli) and with spores (Streptomyces coelicolor), a species more fascinating and difficult to inactivate. Contamination was performed in such a way to soak the whole matrix with bacteria and spores. The effect of pressure and treatment time on the efficacy of the sterilization was eva…

Effect of a co-substrate supply in a MBR treating shipboard slop: Analysis of hydrocarbon removal, biomass activity and membrane fouling tendency

2018

The paper reports the main results of an experiment carried out on a membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant designed for the treatment of shipboard slops. With a view of a co-treatment process of the slop with other wastewaters, sodium acetate, as external co-substrate, was supplied (high dosage – Period 1, low dosage – Period 2) to evaluate its effects on hydrocarbons removal. The MBR pilot plant enabled approximately 99% of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal during the entire experiment, confirming the robustness of the MBR technology for the treatment of slops. The chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis showed that the removal efficiency for each alkane was close to the value observed…

Groupthink and Project Performance: The Influence of Personal Traits and Interpersonal Ties

2015

Contains fulltext : 166103.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) This study explores whether the negative impact of “groupthink concurrence-seeking behavior” (GTB) on business process reengineering (BPR) projects is affected by group members personal traits and interpersonal ties within the group. To this purpose we conduct and present the results of a longitudinal controlled field experiment over 18 BPR projects lasting 3 months and involving 18 teams comprising 71 first-year MBA students. The main contribution of this study is twofold. First, we explicitly consider and measure the core construct of groupthink phenomenon: that is, GTB. Existing organizational behavior literature has, …

A 3D‑scaffold of PLLA induces the morphological differentiation and migration of primary astrocytes and promotes the production of extracellular vesi…

2019

The present study analyzed the ability of primary rat astrocytes to colonize a porous scaffold, mimicking the reticular structure of the brain parenchyma extracellular matrix, as well as their ability to grow, survive and differentiate on the scaffold. Scaffolds were prepared using poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) via thermally-induced phase separation. Firstly, the present study studied the effects of scaffold morphology on the growth of astrocytes, evaluating their capability to colonize. Specifically, two different morphologies were tested, which were obtained by changing the polymer concentration in the starting solution. The structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and a…

3D cultures of primary astrocytes on Poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds

Tissue engineering is an emerging multidisciplinary field that aims at reproducing in vitro tissues with morphological and functional features similar to the biological tissue of the human body. Polymeric materials can be used in contact with biological systems in replacing destroyed tissue by transplantation [1]. Several biopolymers, including poly L (lactic acid) (PLLA), have been used in biomedical applications to set scaffolds with ductile proprieties and biodegradation kinetics [2]. In particular, the PLLA scaffold topography mimics the natural extracellular matrix and makes it a good candidate for neural tissue engineering. We report about of 3D system the PLLA porous scaffolds prepar…