SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
It May Be Cheaper to Manufacture at Home

Conventional financial tools can lead to supply chain mistakes. Most managers use the discounted cash flow (DCF) model to help them make decisions such as where to locate a new manufacturing plant or whether to use a foreign or domestic supplier. But DCF typically undervalues flexibility and as a result, companies may end up with supply chains that are low cost as long as everything proceeds according to plan but extremely expensive if problems arise.
De Treville, of the University of Lausanne, and Trigeorgis, of the University of Cyprus, argue that you can avoid this pitfall by complementing a DCF analysis with a real options valuation. This technique lets you put a dollar figure on flexibility in the supply chain and helps you assess the value of having direct control.
The authors explain how a real options approach helped the Swiss company Flexcell decide whether to Locate a new plant at home or abroad. The CEO was able to show his board that the flexibility afforded by a factory near company headquarters would more than make up for the 15% per unit cost savings that would have been realized at a factory elsewhere. He also demonstrated that the costs resulting from a disruption to a Swiss plant would be much lower than those resulting from a disruption to a foreign plant. The decision to manufacture at home has paid off handsomely, especially in view of the uncertainties created by the current economic crisis.
Neural computations underlying social behavior in complex sensory environments

Animals often interact in groups. Animal groups constitute complex sensory environments which challenge the brain and engage complex neural computations. This behavioral context is therefore fruitful for understanding how sophisticated neural computations give rise to behavior. However, it is also technically difficult since many of the relevant sensory cues arise from the members of the group and are therefore hard to quantify or control. Consequently, we only incompletely understand how the brain drives complex social behaviors in naturalistic contexts. To uncover the neural computations underlying social behavior in groups, we are using Drosophila, which provides unprecedented experimental access to the nervous system via genetic tools. Drosophila gathers on rotten fruit to feed and mate. Courtship and aggression dominate social interactions and rely on the recognition of sex-specific chemical cues and the production of context-specific acoustic signals. How are these multi-modal cues integrated to control and switch between courtship and aggression? How is unstable and conflicting sensory information resolved to promote stable behavioral strategies? How does sensory processing adapt to socially crowded environments in order to efficiently target behavior at individual members of the group?  These issues will be addressed by combining computational modeling and genetic tools. Using machine learning, we will quantify and model the fine structure of social interactions to identify the social cues that drive behavior. Closed-loop optogenetics and calcium imaging in behaving animals will allow us to test the models and to ultimately reveal how the brain integrates, selects and combines social cues to drive social interactions. This multi-disciplinary approach will uncover the computational principles and mechanisms by which sensory information is processed to drive behavior in the complex sensory environment of animal groups.
Adaptation of a network of 16 cafeterias located at transport stations in Lisbon to ensure compliance with the recommendations of the competent authorities to resume their activities,

The REDESPAÇO project aims to adapt a network of 16 cafeterias installed at transport stations in Lisbon, in view of the new conditions of physical detachment in the context of COVID-19, ensuring compliance with the standards and recommendations of the competent authorities in the resumption of the activity.
ELECTRONIC POSITION CONTROL SYSTEM

An electronic control system for selectively positioning a controlled member (16) at one of a plurality of predetermined positions, the system including a reciprocating member (20) for driving said controlled member (16), a reciprocating drive member (22) for driving the reciprocating member (20) in one direction and being movable relative to said reciprocating member (20) in the other direction, said reciprocating member (20) being biased in said other direction, the reciprocating member (20) having a series of formations (26) spaced along the direction of reciprocation to correspond to said plurality of predetermined positions, an electronically controlled detent (25) mounted at a fixed position along the path of reciprocation, the detent (25) being movable between first and second positions, the detent (25) in said first position being arranged to engage a selected one of said formations (26) to arrest movement of the reciprocating member (20) in said other direction, and in said second position being arranged to reside at a remote position whereby it does not engage any of said formations, electronically operable means for controlling movement of the detent (25) to said first position such that engagement with one of said formations can be selected.
Schienengüterverkehr an der Schnittstelle zum Seeschiff: Integration in der Transportkette

At the interface between two logistic subsystems, goods as well as information have to pass through barriers. By linking the subsystems, a transport chain is created. It has been found out that processes between the intermediaries of the transport chain seaport - rail are not well adjusted. A low level of communication between the intermediaries (ports, freight forwarders, railway transport companies, etc.), leads to conflicts in rail freight transport. Additional time buffers which are planned by railway companies and freight forwarders due to insecurities in transport flow make it slow and untimely. That makes it difficult for the intermediaries to plan own activities in an optimal way. The untimely trains let transhipment processes in ports consume more time than needed since transhipment works are not adjusted to freight train flows. With a better integration of railway processes the transport chain shall be better adjusted and the ship-to-rail transhipment flow becomes smoother.
Phase transformations in air plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings

Phase transformations in air plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings composed of ZrO 2 – 8 wt.% Y 2 O 3 (zirconia - 8 wt.% yttria) are studied using X-Ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement measurements. Samples of TBC deposited onto Inconel 625 substrate were fabricated and heat treated at two different conditions: exposition to 1100oC up to 1000 hours and exposition to temperatures between 700oC and 1100oC during 50 hours. According to Rietveld refinement measurements, the content of the cubic phase in the top coat increases with time and temperature; it starts at 7.3 wt.% and reaches 15.7 wt.% after 1000 hours at 1100oC. The presence of a cubic phase in high amounts is undesirable due its lower mechanical properties compared with the tetragonal phase. After 800 hours of exposure to high temperature, the amount of Y 2 O 3 in the tetragonal phase reduces to 6.6 wt.% and a fraction of this phase transforms to a monoclinic structure during cooling. The monoclinic phase reached 18.0 wt.% after 1000 hours. This phase is also undesirable, not only due to its higher thermal conductivity, but also because the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation implies a volume change of circa 5%, which favors crack formation and propagation and compromises the coating integrity.
SEMAFORUM: www.semaforum.si

The operation is the development and marketing of the Semafum platform, which enables the integration of the social network and the offer of activities in the surrounding area, tailored to the individual.
Cultural heritage and the planning of european landscapes

European countries have a long and successful history of conserving their rich heritage and landscape assets in town and country, and of capitalising on them culturally and economically. Throughout the 20th century, great progress was made in creating structures and promulgating principles to guide heritage and landscape conservation, but as the 21st century proceeds, society is challenged by new far-reaching changes. These include various forms of migration, greater digital connection, environmental degradation and climate change, shifts in the public/private balance in society at large, and a renewed pressure for growth. Confronted with such a fast-changing context, heritage management needs new ideas, tools and training to ensure that interdisciplinary, research-based heritage, landscape management and spatial planning are positively integrated with business activity, development and democratic decision making. Through HERILAND, a consortium of 7 key academic and non-academic organizations, with 21 partners in civil society and business,  aims to empower a new generation of academics, policy makers, practitioners, professionals and entrepreneurs. Our research design positions heritage in the frame of five transformation processes which we identify as key challenges to the heritage management of the 21st century: The Spatial Turn, Democratisation, Digital Transformations, Shifting Demographies and Contested Identities, and Changing Environments. Using this framework, 15 PhD researchers will be provided with advanced training combining theoretical and instrumental knowledge in a series of research seminars, living labs and secondments with our public and private partners. By doing this, HERILAND will establish a new pan-European, trans-national, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research and training standard, which will be codified in a HERILAND Handbook for Heritage Planning  and instrumentalised through an ongoing HERILAND College for Heritage Planning.
Force-Responsive deformable user interfaces

Touch input is the universal approach for communicating intention to interactive computing systems. However, touchscreens are flat, solid surfaces that fail to reproduce the qualities of real-world object interaction (e.g. deformation, stiffness, springiness). Further, their expressivity is fundamentally bounded by a single measurable dimension: contact with a solid, touch-sensitive surface. This project will radically increase the expressivity of touchscreen-based interaction by co-locating three force modalities into a single visual display surface (force input, resistive- and kinetic- force feedback). This will create a new paradigm for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI): Force Responsive Deformable User Interfaces (FRUI). FRUIs will allow users to ‘push through’ a display and for the display to ‘push back’.

To achieve this ambitious goal, I will combine innovative hardware prototyping with experimental computer science and psychophysical study methodologies to complete four key research objectives: (1) Develop novel engineering approaches to construct FRUI; (2) Empirically characterise humans’ capabilities and responses during interaction with FRUI; (3) Construct conceptual models, metaphors, and principles for user interaction with FRUI; (4) Evaluate the expressivity, efficiency, and user satisfaction of FRUIs.

I am considered an international leader in the development of shape-changing interfaces (interfaces whose physical geometry adapts to underlying digital content), as evidenced through my strong research track record (including two recent agenda-setting papers at the premier HCI conference), international community leadership, and external grant success. This background ideally places me to conduct all aspects of this highly ambitious programme of work. FORCE-UI has the potential to revolutionise touch input, and in doing so will have a significant impact on society’s use of interactive systems.
Eco-Hydrodynamics of cold water coral habitats across integrated spatial scales

Cold water coral (CWC) are fragile biodiversity hotspots in the deep-sea and are recognized as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, heavily endangered by human activities (e.g., industrial fisheries, marine littering). HABISS proposes a multidisciplinary approach to study the interactive processes between the seafloor complexity of specific geo-forms (canyons, reefs) and the surrounding ceanographic/hydrodynamic paterns, and quantify the consequent maintainence mechanisms on CWC, both in pristine and human-impacted settings. These innovative studies (geology vs hydrodynamics vs. ecology), still relying on poor information, will be implemented across interconnected spatial scales, using from regional oceanographic data to in situ observations with cutting-edge seafloor observatories. Final outcomes will be ultimately delivered to support decision makers in the management of marine natural resources. HABISS will be carried out at the Marine Science Institute of the Spanish National Research Council, which together with two secondments will ensure high level training on integrated studies of hydro- and sedimentary dynamics, environmental advocacy, project management and transversal aspects within the European network. I will also provide training based on my skills on developing cross-cutting research topics, previously gained at the National Oceanography Centre (UK), a top-ranked European research institute. Specific dissemination and communication actions are planned in line with the public engagement policies of the EU Responsible Research and Innovation. HABISS will ensure the restart of my career, resuming my activities within the wide scale European network on Marine Sciences. At the end of the project, the acquired knowledge would re-enforce my scientific profile, further widening its multidisciplinary aspect. This would finally increase my chances for applying for permanent research positions and for funding within highly competitive European calls (e.g., ERC grants).
3° CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE DI DESIGN: HOME DESIGN COMPETITION

Nel febbraio 2006, a seguito della mostra “Arte e Progetto. Il pensiero sull’abitare nel sistema delle arti” la giuria si e riunita, definendo il tema specifico del progetto: “Le nuove dimensioni espressive dei materiali innovativi come interfacce intelligenti tra prodotto e fruitore”. L’intenzione era quella di proporre alla riflessione progettuale la definizione di manufatti (oggetti, attrezzature, elementi di partizione spaziale, componenti edilizi) in grado di interpretare le valenze espressive e tecnico-costruttive di materiali innovativi, naturali o artificiali, e capaci di generare nuove relazioni negli ambienti domestici e nei luoghi della vita collettiva. A chiusura del bando c’é stata la cerimonia di premiazione, avvenuta nel marzo 2006 presso La Triennale di Milano. Si e proceduto quindi all’individuazione di aziende utili e disponibili per la realizzazione dei prototipi di alcuni oggetti ritenuti particolarmente interessanti in vista di un’ipotetica commercializzazione. Insieme alla realizzazione dei prototipi ci si e attivati per la raccolta di ulteriore materiale utile per la realizzazione della mostra finale. Tavole di progetto, prototipi e approfondimenti sui materiali, hanno costituito il materiale della mostra finale proposta in momenti successivi in varie sedi. Gli ultimi mesi del progetto sono dunque stati dedicati alla presentazione al pubblico dei risultati finali, di tutto il materiale e i dati raccolti nella lunga fase di ricerca, raccolta e valutazione del materiale progettuale, premiazione dei partecipanti, realizzazione di ulteriori approfondimenti e dei prototipi. La presentazione di tutto questo materiale e avvenuta in due diverse occasioni alla Biennale Internazionale di Design a Saint- Etienne (Lione) e al museo Galleria del Design e dell’arredamento di Cantu (Como) Ciascuna esposizione e stata accompagnata da catalogo in lingua.
Noise-induced hearing loss and combined noise and vibration exposure

While there is a wide body of literature addressing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) independently, relatively few studies have considered the combined effects of noise and vibration. These studies have suggested an increased risk of NIHL in workers with vibration white finger (VWF), though the relationship remains poorly understood.To determine whether hearing impairment is worse in noise-exposed workers with VWF than in workers with similar noise exposures but without VWF.The Quebec National Institute of Public Health audiometric database was used in conjunction with work-related accident and occupational diseases data from the Quebec workers' compensation board to analyse differences in audiometry results between vibration-exposed workers in the mining and forestry industries and the overall source population, and between mining and forestry workers with documented VWF and those without VWF. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7029 standards were used to calculate hearing loss not attributable to age.15751 vibration-exposed workers were identified in an overall source population of 59339. Workers with VWF (n = 96) had significantly worse hearing at every frequency studied (500, 1000, 2000 4000 Hz) compared with other mining and forestry workers without VWF.This study confirms previous findings of greater hearing loss at higher frequencies in workers with VWF, but also found a significant difference in hearing loss at low frequencies. It therefore supports the association between combined noise and hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure and NIHL.
Cloud protection: centralized encryption technology for file sharing

The goal of CLAPPRO project is to create a world-class security standard for file sharing and file management in the cloud based on Data-Centric encryption, centralized access rights control and cross-platform accessibility. 

Protección Online SL (from now on, Prot-On) has devised for this project the development of a prototype of the complete version of their product, Prot-On SaaS. The solution is an Information Rights Management (IRM) Software-as-a-Service that aims at becoming the first cross-platform software that acts as a centralized protection layer for file encryption and permissions management and usage auditing. 

As a result, the solution ensures the protection of the information even when the file has been shared in a Cloud Storage service or downloaded in a local computer. More than 35 corporations are already using the prototype of the product, which is generating annual revenues of over € 200k.

The company has already developed the core technology, a strong Data-Centric encryption module with access right management. The testing conducted on this technology, both by Large Companies and SMEs, have concluded that this solution is potentially fit for a mass and global market implantation, aiming at the B2C channels. However, while the current local expansion of the Company and the backing by VCs have sustained the development of Prot-On quite successfully, the scaling-up to the B2C, in order to establish a world-class security standard for Cloud sharing, requires additional development of features focused on usability, such multi-Cloud aggregation and UX interfaces, and funding for achieving a global reach and the optimal go-to-market speed.
All News Media System

The project includes a series of integrated initiatives relating to information and communication  involve the use of ICT to improve information services for citizens.  Starting from actions aimed at developing inter-connectivity and tools  transfer of data, promote and strengthen services and timely update  communication with the technological support to enable and encourage the collection,  the issuance and dissemination of information.  The tools and technologies developed will deliver greater  cross-border cooperation, which, thanks to the networking of local media, both Swiss  and Italian, can facilitate the exchange of information but also the promotion of  peculiarities of each territory, and the promotion of the same  mountain system through co-production.
Family Background, School-Age Trajectories of Activity Participation, and Academic Achievement at the Start of High School

Applying latent class and regression techniques to data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 997), this study explored the potential academic advantages of time spent in out-of-school activities. Of particular interest was how these potential advantages played out in relation to the timing and duration of activity participation and the family contexts in which it occurred. Participation closer to the start of high school-including consistent participants and latecomers-was associated with higher grades at the transition into high school, especially for youth from low-income families. Sensitivity analyses indicated that this link between school-age activity participation and adolescent academic progress was unlikely to be solely a function of selection. It also tended to be more pronounced among youth from lower-income families, although without varying by other aspects of family status or process.
Low temperature heat / solar driven air conditioning system for heating, cooling, dehumidification and ventilation of buildings

Freescoo is the first plug and play, economically viable mass product for small scale (residential and small tertiary) heat/solar driven air conditioning system providing: heating, cooling, dehumidification and ventilation in a single unit. It is based on patented heat driven Desiccant Evaporative Cooling (DEC) open cycle, working with low temperature heat (55°C). This makes it possible to install the product in substitution of existing radiators / fan coils using the existing heat distribution network as heat source.  Freescoo is the highest performing heat driven cooling solution (100% more efficient) and has Energy Efficient Ratio of 13 against max 8 of electricity driven solutions. It is 60% cheaper compared to Exhaust Air Heat Pump (EAHP), the only alternative solutions providing complete air conditioning solution in one device. 
The target product is freescoo 2.5 kW cooling – 4,5 kW heating power unit, for a price of 3.600 Euro, margin of 45%. The market addressed is the substitution of 2 existing market solutions: EAHP mainly applied in passive and nearly zero energy consumption buildings; reversible and high efficient split units (room air conditioning), providing the add on ventilation. Preliminary market plan foresees 3.500 units sold after 5 years, with turnover of 12 M€, cumulated profits of about 8.7 M€, Internal Rate of Return of 41%. The manufacturing will be realized in agreement with a company involved in manufacturing of air conditioning plants and distribution in collaboration with manufacturers of solar thermal components, both already identified.
The technology was validated in relevant environment and recognized as one of the most promising heat driven cooling solutions by the expert group on Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) Programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Objective of SME Instrument is to support product engineering, optimization of manufacturing, validation of the technology, definition of the commercial agreements.