Reconfigurable Manufacturing: Lesson Learnt from the COVID-19 Outbreak

Manufacturing organizations need reconfigurability in their manufacturing systems to complete the unpredictable and volatile demands of the market. Reconfigurable manufacturing systems require fewer implementation efforts as compared to other types of manufacturing systems. COVID-19 pandemic has changed the manufacturing scenario and also twisted the customer requirements. At present, manufacturing industries need to meet customer expectations as well as maintain the market value of their organization with low efforts. Industries are now reconfiguring their manufacturing plants to satisfy the surge demands of specific products from the customer. To practitioners, reconfigurable manufacturing systems require less reconfiguration effort during the dynamic changes in the market and help to complete the market demands in minimum time. In early 2020, when the world is hit by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) there was a sudden increase in the demand for sanitizer gel, PPE kits, ventilators and masks many industries in India reconfigured their manufacturing systems with low reconfiguration effort. This study analyzes the reaction upheld by the Indian manufacturing sector to the COVID-19 pandemic, to drive practical insights that how manufacturing industries responded to the market demands with reconfiguration efforts. Additionally, we have provided an insight into how the linkage between dynamic capability theory with reconfigurable theory will be helpful for industries.

Digital health technology use among people aged 55years and over: Findings from the 45 and up study.

The relevance of the research topic is due to the need to obtain comprehensive information on the use of digital management technologies in social organizations, existing trends, and potential effects of digitalization. The purpose of the study is to form methodological approaches to assessing the use of digital management technologies in the social sphere and to test these approaches using the example of education and healthcare in Russia. A threevector approach to collecting and analytical processing of information was used as a research method, including obtaining insights about consumer activity in terms of receiving services from social organizations in digital format, infrastructural and competence readiness of social organizations to implement digital technologies, and assessing digital maturity. The results obtained allow concluding that consumers are developing a sustained interest in using the services of social organizations in digital format, high infrastructural and competence readiness of social organizations to implement digital technologies, and the fragmented use of digital technologies in social sectors, primarily related to data collection, processing, and accumulation. Reducing the use of digital technologies aimed at developing inter-organizational interaction is relevant for all the surveyed industries. Based on the presented study results, it can be concluded that there is a low uniformity of the use of certain types of digital technologies in the spheres of education, healthcare and social services and cultural and sports services provision, which indicates the low digital maturity of these industries.

The article examines the current state of motor transport enterprises. An analysis of the e-commerce information portal based on Digital technologies was carried out. It has been established that the number of Internet users is increasing every year. Since Statista predicts that it will reach 17.5% in 2021 and 22% in 2023. Given that a quarter of the world's population currently makes purchases via the Internet, these forecasts seem reasonable and even a little conservative. In this regard, forecasting market behavior to create a flexible system of adaptation to new conditions becomes the most relevant. The study of scientific works shows the interest of the scientific world in the innovativeness of conducting modern business. Many authors determine that the use of digital technologies is the key to effective enterprise management. The article defines the main features of modern digital technologies that help the management and development of motor transport enterprises. Fundamental research was conducted directly on the level of use of modern digital technologies in motor transport enterprises. The analysis showed that the modern activity of motor transport enterprises is not fully aimed at the use of digital technologies in management and information development. Data storage, privacy and data storage received a higher percentage of 19%, which have been used in many enterprises since the advent of PCs. On the basis of the conducted research, the main directions of innovation in the application of Digital technologies were established, which will help the effective management of the motor vehicle enterprise. A study of the use of Digital devices by customers was conducted. A study was conducted on the intensity of use by consumers of various types of technological Digital devices. The study showed that 74% of consumers use smart technologies as the main means of communication. That is, the main aspect of conducting modern business, which is based precisely on the use of modern digital technologies, can be traced from the conducted research.

Rapid digitisation of health occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. In October 2020, we conducted a survey on digital health technology use in Germany. This study aimed to conduct a second survey to investigate in more detail the internet use in health context and digital technology use for health promotion and disease prevention in Germany. A cross-sectional, nationwide telephone survey was conducted in November 2022. Anonymous data on internet and digital technology use, digital health literacy, and sociodemographic characteristics were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regressions. The 1020 participants were aged 18-92 years, 53% were male, 62% completed primary or secondary education, 71% resided in large cities, and 45% reported a country-average net household income. Overall, 61% reported internet use in health context via 1-4 devices. Among those, more than 50% used the internet and apps to obtain general health information and less than 50% used digital technologies for physical activity promotion or cancer prevention. Overall, 34% were confident in using the internet for health decisions and 71% preferred to receive health information non-digitally (e.g. on paper). Internet, app, and digital technology use were associated with higher digital health literacy and income, and residence in larger cities. Digital technologies were used for physical activity promotion by younger and for cancer prevention by older participants. The internet and digital technologies were predominantly used to obtain health information, but less often for health promotion and disease prevention in 2022 in Germany. While health app and digital technology use for physical activity promotion increased, the confidence in using online information for health decisions decreased in 2022 relative to 2020. Factors that promote confidence in online health information and digital technology use for health promotion and disease prevention need to be investigated in future studies.

Digital Technology Use in US Community-Dwelling Seniors With and Without Homebound Status

The effective use of digital technologies in the organization of distance education plays an important role in the rapid assimilation of new information introduced into science. It will also be possible to quickly enter additional information within the virtual subject being studied. Therefore, the study of methods for introducing digital technologies and their effective use in distance learning processes, the creation of distance learning courses belongs to the group of topical scientific and technical problems. At present, the importance of using digital technologies in improving the quality of education is very high. The purpose of the research work is the effective use of digital technologies in distance education and the theoretical basis for testing its effectiveness. The article mentions the possibilities of the Moodle system, the advantages of course elements, effective methods of teaching science. The use of modern digital technologies and means of communication in distance education will also be discussed. The article outlines the stages of development of digital technologies, defines the meaning and content of the concepts “Digital technologies”, “Digital educational technologies”. Description of information about the Kahoot and Quizizz software platforms for an interesting organization of the educational process. The advantages of this platform in developing the intellectual and creative abilities of students and increasing their enthusiasm for learning are emphasized. Regardless of whether the educational process is traditional or distance learning, it is necessary to increase students’ interest in the lesson, encourage them to work on themselves, and form independent learning skills. Organization of the educational process on gaming platforms, creation of a set of electronic tests and its use in teaching, increasing the effectiveness of the lesson and increasing the independence of thinking of students, interest in the lesson, and a high level of mastery of the subject being taught. It is advisable to use digital technologies in the educational process to develop students’ interest, to develop the skills and abilities to use additional literature outside the textbook, to direct students to scientific research, as well as to constantly transfer knowledge to students.

The article attempts to identify the difficulties associated with the use of digital learning technology at a technical university in the context of a pandemic. The research is based on the use of such methods as content analysis of modern publications on the problem under study, their logical analysis, generalization and systematization of published information, as well as understanding the experience of using digital technology at the technical university. A survey of polytechnic students was conducted regarding the timely identification of problems related to the use of digital learning technology. The findings revealed that awareness of the thoughtful use of digital learning technology, as well as thoughtful regulations in the access of students to digital equipment can open up new opportunities for their application. The relevance of digitalization for the technical university is shown. Prospects for further research of problems related to the use of digital technology of education at a technical university are outlined in order to identify its further directions and features of their development in domestic and foreign educational institutions. The novelty of the study consists in substantiating the relevance of analyzing the experience of using digital learning technology at the technical university, identifying problematic aspects of its use. The limitation of the study is that all the responses are from just one educational institution and, in future studies, it is necessary to take into account the experience of using digital learning technologies on a more global scale.

As digitalization is progressively permeating all aspects of society, how can be it employed to sustain the public health goals of quality, accessibility, efficiency and equity in health care and prevention now and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic? In this session jointly presented by WHO and EUPHA, we examine the extent to which technology is contributing positively or negatively to strengthening the resilience of health systems and empowering individuals and communities. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the WHO Regional Office for Europe had already identified the empowerment of people and transformation of health services through digital technologies as one of its four flagship areas in the European Programme of Work 2020-2025. Digital technologies can enable progress towards universal health coverage by improving access to quality person-centred services and complementing the efforts of the health workforce. Resilience of individuals and communities to prepare and respond to emergencies can be enhanced through the effective use of data and digital technologies. Empowerment of people to lead healthier lives and prevent disease through the appropriate use of digital technologies can transform our approach to health. In 2019 EUPHA published its manifesto for Public health digitalization in Europe, premised on the ability for digital technologies to support a transition from curative care to prevention, to support the empowerment of people and patients in taking ownership for their health and to render health care delivery more efficient, safer and cheaper. Prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak WHO Euro and EUPHA had already joined efforts towards shaping the debate around the ‘Beautiful Marriage’ where the digital health and public health communities work to co-create a healthy and fair future COVID-19 has brought a new impetus for the use of digital technologies, both for disease control as well as to support access to care in times of emergency. This presents an opportunity for critical reflections as we transition into a post-pandemic crisis future. The session which will be organised as a round table discussion will open by taking a candid look at how digital technologies have been harnessed to support the public-health response to COVID-19. Panellists will critically discuss how applications have been used in population surveillance, testing, tracking and tracing, in rolling out vaccinations as well as the controversial uses of smart vaccination certificates. They will be asked to reflect on infodemics and how these have hindered an optimal global pandemic response. In a second round, following a brief overview showing how the use of digital technologies has accelerated to support continuity of essential health services in a safe way at the peak of the pandemic, panellists will be asked to discuss and debate what this means for the sustained transformation of health services delivery and health systems in the future. They will be asked to discuss barriers to digital health implementation, including legal, ethical and privacy barriers, as well as organizational and workforce barriers Finally, panellists will be requested to respond to the criticism that the global health community is still using analogue tools in a fragmented manner to combat health threats in a digital era by proposing one key action that needs to be undertaken at supra-national level to ensure pan-European interoperability of health data that provides timely information on health and disease distribution within populations in Europe. Speakers: Iveta Nagyova EUPHA Naomi Lee The Lancet Ran Balicer Clalit Health Services, Israel

BackgroundModern family planning (FP) methods allow married couples to discuss and determine the number of children and years of spacing between them. Despite many significant improvements in FP services in Jordan, there are still many issues related to the uptake of FP services for both host communities and Syrian refugees, due to limitations in the health care system based on public health facilities. Digital technologies can provide opportunities to address the challenges faced in the health system, thus offering the potential to improve both coverage and quality of FP services and practices.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of Jordanian women, Syrian refugees, and midwives in Jordan toward the use of digital health technology to support and enhance access to FP services.MethodsWe employed a qualitative study based on semistructured, face-to face key informative interviews with 17 midwives (providers) and focus group discussions with 32 married women of reproductive age (clients). Both midwives and clients were recruited from 9 health centers in 2 major governorates in Jordan (Irbid and Mafraq), where 17 in-depth interviews were conducted with midwives and 4 focus groups were conducted with the women. Each focus group included 4 Syrian refugees and 4 Jordanian women. The transcribed narratives were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsThree major themes were derived from the narratives analysis, which covered the pros of using digital technology, concerns about digital technology use, and the ideal app or website characteristics. Ten subthemes emerged from these 3 main themes. Overall, midwives and women (Syrian refugees and host communities) agreed that digital technology can be feasible, cost-effective, well accepted, and potentially beneficial in increasing woman’s awareness and knowledge regarding the FP methods and their side effect. Furthermore, digital technology can assist in enabling women’s empowerment, which will allow them to make better decisions regarding FP use. No harmful risks or consequences were perceived to be associated with using digital technology. However, several concerns regarding digital technology use were related to eHealth literacy and the accuracy of the information provided. Midwives were mainly concerned about the patients who would rely mostly on the technology and choose to avoid consulting a health care professional.ConclusionsAs perceived by midwives and women, incorporating digital technology in FP services can be feasible, cost-effective, well accepted, and potentially beneficial in increasing woman’s awareness regarding the FP methods and their side effect. It may also empower the women to play an active role in the shared (with their husband and family) decision-making process. Therefore, digital technologies are recommended to address the challenges faced in health system and to improve both the coverage and the quality of FP services and practices.

This study aims to examine the longitudinal association between digital technology use and dementia among U.S. older adults by integrating comprehensive measures of technology use and assessing the moderating role of activity limitations. Using 12 waves of data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS, N = 5,469), we employed mixed-effects ordered logistic models to examine the relationship between digital technology use and dementia. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was applied to adjust for selection into the group of digital technology users at baseline. We further examined whether three types of activity limitations (i.e., mobility, self-care activities, and household activities) moderated these associations. Everyday technology use was associated with a higher probability of no dementia [Average Marginal Effect (AME) = 0.08, 95% confidential interval (CI): 0.07, 0.09] and lower probabilities of both possible dementia [AME = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.04, -0.03] and probable dementia (AME = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.05, -0.03). Similar patterns were found for digital health technology use. Activity limitations significantly moderated these associations, with stronger associations observed among older adults with limitations than among those without. Our findings highlight digital technology engagement as a scalable strategy to mitigate dementia risk among older adults. Policy efforts should prioritize inclusive digital programs to promote accessibility and digital literacy. Stronger associations observed among older adults with activity limitations suggest digital engagement as a promising strategy to mitigate the dual burden of disability and dementia.

Today, digitalization, in particular working with big data, is highly popular and deeply embedded in all economic processes. In the context of our time, it is considered digital technologies that improve business processes in the field of automation, computer computing, and data digitalization. Using these technologies, it is possible to accurately design, manage, control and change processes in the virtual space, which can be carried out with greater speed and efficiency. The article deals with the issues of digitalization of the oil and gas industry. The main levels of the digital economy are given. Statistical data on the business digitalization index by country is provided. The focus is on the revolutionary trends in the oil and gas industry. The “industry 4.0” project for oil and gas companies is presented, which reflects the concepts of smart wells and fields. The analysis of projects on digitalization of oil companies that have been implemented and are planning to be implemented in the near future, as well as the companies studied the level of prospects for the use of digital (smart) technologies. The rating of the most expensive oil and gas companies in terms of capitalization for 2013–2018 is presented. The analysis of data with the use of digital technologies in companies is made. The main issues of digital products that are not widely used in the oil and gas sector are considered. The practical application of digital products in the oil and gas sector of the economy is analyzed. The main results and prospects of digitalization of the oil production complex business are revealed. KeywordsDigital economySmart wellsInternet of thingsSmart fieldsDigital doublesBig dataEconomic transformationInternet technologies in the oil and gas industry

Interorganizational collaboration and the use of new digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, internet of things (IoT), or blockchain technology, are regarded as key enablers in implementing sustainability and circular economy‐oriented practices. While this is reflected in a few conceptual and case studies, statistical analyses on the topic are rare. No study so far has focused on collaboration, and digital technologies have only been studied in isolation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of interorganizational collaboration practices on a firm's circular economy practices and on outcomes (sustainability performance and economic performance), as well as the potentially facilitative role of new digital technologies on both. The research is based on a deductive approach, using a random sample of 112 Austrian manufacturing companies. The study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM), features a multiple‐respondent design, and uses the dynamic capabilities view as a theoretical foundation. The study finds that interorganizational collaboration practices have a strong positive effect on the implementation of sustainability and CE practices, while the use of new digital technologies and general dynamic capabilities do not. The use of digital technologies positively affects only interorganizational collaboration, while general dynamic capabilities serve as an antecedent for both the use of digital technologies and interorganizational collaboration. Regarding the outcomes of CE implementation, the study finds a positive impact on firm‐level sustainability and economic performance. From a theoretical point of view, the study provides a new perspective on the prerequisites for successful CE implementation, highlights the importance of collaboration, and contextualizes the role of new digital technologies and dynamic capabilities. From a practical point of view, based on the positive outcomes found, the study supports arguments in favor of company engagement in CE activity. It also serves to motivate purposive digitization and systems thinking in order to create efficient CE collaboration networks.

The purpose of this research is to get the opinions of future mathematics teachers on the development of logical thinking skills through the use of digital educational technologies. This research was created by using the qualitative research method. The participant group of the research consists of 50 teacher candidates studying in the mathematics teaching department of various universities in Kazakhstan in the 2021–2022 academic year. Research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. As a result of the research, it was determined that the majority of pre-service mathematics teachers had moderate logical thinking skills. The majority of pre-service mathematics teachers stated that they found the use of digital technologies effective in the development of logical thinking skills. The suggestions of the majority of pre-service mathematics teachers regarding the use of digital education technologies in the development of logical thinking skills are creating and developing logical thinking skills through digital education technologies, developing logical thinking skills through digital education technologies and providing complex problem-solving skills through digital education technologies. Effective course content should be created in order to enable pre-service mathematics teachers to gain logical thinking skills through digital education technologies.
 Keywords: Digital education technologies, logical thinking, pre-service mathematics teachers;

The article reveals the specifics of the use of digital technologies in political campaigns. In particular, based on a comparative analysis, the experience of using these technologies in the political process of the USA, the EU and the Russian Federation is compared. It is noted that artificial intelligence technologies are most often used in political campaigns, namely targeted advertising, Big Data and the use of cryptocurrency based on blockchain technology to finance political campaigns. It is in this direction that the development of regulatory legal acts regulating the use of digital technologies is also underway. Insufficient elaboration of the issues of the use of digital technologies in the political sphere provides significant opportunities for research. The purpose of the article is to identify the main directions of using digital technologies in political campaigns. The following general scientific methods were used to analyze the results obtained: description, analysis, synthesis. An important role was played by the method of comparative analysis, which allows comparing the use of digital technologies in the USA, EU countries and Russia, as well as obtaining the most representative indicators. The authors have developed criteria and indicators for comparing the use of basic digital technologies by different countries and evaluated them on a 5-point scale. The article also used SWOT analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the introduction of digital technologies in political campaigns, as well as to demonstrate the opportunities and threats of their use. The results of comparative and SWOT analysis showed that the use of digital technologies in the Russian Federation and the European Union are approximately at the same level, with the exception of the introduction of Big Data - it is much higher in the EU. The highest degree of implementation of digital technologies is typical for the United States. The article reveals a direct relationship between the degree of regulatory regulation of end-to-end technologies and the level of their dissemination, which indicates the need to maintain a reasonable balance in the legislative regulation of innovative technologies. There is also a tendency to increase the use of digital technologies in Russian political practice, which increases the responsibility of political actors for ensuring the security of personal data of citizens. The article concludes that the development and implementation of digital technologies in modern Russian political life requires the development of a regulatory framework to protect the privacy of citizens and ensure the ethics and transparency of their application. The state should act as a coordinating intermediary between political actors and IT campaigns in order to develop and integrate digital technologies into political campaigns at various levels.