Identification Of Synergies Research Articles

Develop fundamental principles for a strategic framework that incorporates the combination and integration of business ecosystems

This study aimed to investigate the fundamental strategic principles necessary for achieving a competitive advantage by promoting business growth through the identification of synergies within the business ecosystem and the comprehensive integration of the business environment. A qualitative research methodology was employed, with a design focused on an extensive literature review. The analysis was based on 32 pertinent scholarly articles related to the primary themes of interest. Data analysis was performed using NVivo software to facilitate the literature review process. The findings underscored the theoretical enhancement of business strategies among stakeholders to secure a competitive edge. This included an assessment of the impact of policies on strategic consolidation within the holding company, while highlighting the significance of the business ecosystem in bolstering competitiveness. The research emphasized the creation of synergies as a means to achieve a competitive advantage and the alignment of members through the integration of the business ecosystem.

Identification of Synergies in Fe, Co-Coordinated Polyphthalocyanines Scaffolds for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Reaction.

The synergistic interaction between the isolated metal sites promoted the electrocatalytic activity of the catalysts. However, the structural heterogeneity of the isolated sites makes it challenging to evaluate this effect accurately. In this work, metal-coordinated polyphthalocyanine molecules (Fe-PPc, Co-PPc, FeCo-PPc) with long-range ordered and precise coordination structures are used as a platform to study the synergies of different isolated metal sites in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. The combination means of experimental and theoretical calculation clearly reveal that the coexistence of Fe and Co sites in PPc significantly enhances the conjugation effect of the macrocycle. This enhancement subsequently causes the metal sites to lose more electrons, thereby improving their adsorption of CO2 and facilitating the formation of intermediate *COOH on them. As a result, FeCo-PPc achieves a CO partial current density of about 57.4 mA/cm2 with a high turnover frequency of over 49000 site-1 h-1 at -0.9 V (vs RHE).

Sources of synergy in the financial and environmental regulation of the state

At the present stage of the development of economic science, the identification of synergy in it involves the study of patterns occurring in the production relations of society involving the production of public goods using the productive forces of nature. All this presupposes the formation of some kind of social system of production. Thus, the economy allows humanity to find the most optimal way of its development. All this presupposes the identification of objective patterns in the process of economic development in a particular country as an economy. At the same time, we should not forget that within each individual country, as a separate economy, the same laws operate that are not different from the basic and general laws of the natural sciences, presupposing objective reality itself, despite the fact that each individual country is not without its own particular features of formation, formation and development, taking into account environmental processes.

Синергія управлінських ефектів в аспекті забезпечення оптимального рівня транспарентності розвитку промислових підприємств на основі тестування наявності ß-конвергенції

It is determined that the implementation of a qualitative analysis of the formation of strategic guidelines for the convergence of investment processes makes it possible to ensure the appropriate strategically relevant level of financial and economic sustainability of industrial enterprises and investment and innovation development; target strategic level of profitability; creation of an information-adaptive platform for the flexibility of the system for management of the investment processes. The dominant strategic directions for achieving the conditions for convergence of investment processes of industrial enterprises are the timely identification of synergy of managerial effects of development transparency on the basis of testing the presence of ? convergence. At this, a strategically important factor of synergistic influence is both external one, which is aimed at checking the compliance of transparent economic results of enterprises and a certain ? level of convergence of investment processes with the current adaptive-established norms, and the internal factor, the purpose of which is to ensure the implementation of transparent decisions, as well as to prevent undesirable consequences when changing the strategic and economic norms of the level of transparency of development. It is concluded that the economic identification of structuring the synergetic relationship of managerial effects and ? convergence covers their strategic dominants, which form the integrity of the transparency of development, their relations with other dominants of convergent influences and the external environment. Synergy of managerial effects and testing of ? convergence are taken into account as factors that can increase the level of competitiveness, the level of price/quality ratio and the level of cost/quality (the former is determined by consumers, we are talking about the price they are willing to pay and the quality they trust, the latter is production), and the level of efficiency of the process organization, which defines them as the highest priority criteria for transparency in the development of enterprises in terms of vector and rank orientation. Thus, in order to increase the level of variability of the impact of the synergy of managerial effects of transparency in the development of industrial enterprises on the level of ? convergence, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the industry and the real conditions of industrial enterprises, to develop and implement a strategically relevant set of measures, among which the strategically dominant directions are, as a matter of course, increasing the level of profitability in the context of convergence of investment processes.

Using different matrix factorization approaches to identify muscle synergy in stroke survivors.

Over the past several decades, many scholars have investigated muscle synergy as a promising tool for evaluating motor function. However, it is challenging to obtain favorable robustness using the general muscle synergy identification algorithms, namely non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), independent component analysis (ICA), and factor analysis (FA). Some scholars have proposed improved muscle synergy identification algorithms to overcome the shortcomings of these approaches, such as singular value decomposition NMF (SVD-NMF), sparse NMF (S-NMF), and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). However, performance comparisons of these algorithms are seldom conducted. In this study, experimental electromyography (EMG) data collected from healthy individuals and stroke survivors were applied to assess the repeatability and intra-subject consistency of NMF, SVD-NMF, S-NMF, ICA, FA, and MCR-ALS. MCR-ALS presented higher repeatability and intra-subject consistencies than the other algorithms. More synergies and lower intra-subject consistencies were observed in stroke survivors than in healthy individuals. Thus, MCR-ALS is considered a favorable muscle synergy identification algorithm for patients with neural system disorders.

The Measure of Motion Similarity for Robotics Application.

A new measure of motion similarity has been proposed. The formulation of this measure is presented and its logical basis is described. Unlike in most of other methods, the measure enables easy determination of the instantaneous synergies of the motion of body parts. To demonstrate how to use the measure, the data describing human movement is used. The movement is recorded using a professional motion capture system. Two different cases of non-periodic movements are discussed: stepping forward and backward, and returning to a stable posture after an unexpected thrust to the side (hands free or tied). This choice enables the identification of synergies in slow dynamics (stepping) and in fast dynamics (push recovery). The trajectories of motion similarity measures are obtained for point masses of the human body. The interpretation of these trajectories in relation to motion events is discussed. In addition, ordinary motion trajectories and footprints are shown in order to better illustrate the specificity of the discussed examples. The article ends with a discussion and conclusions.

The role of online platforms to enable the process of industrial symbiosis: An analysis of tools available in the market

The Circular Economy is driven by sustainable strategies of management and the reuse of materials and power to try to decrease the demand of resources and minimize the environmental impacts. Aligned to said perspective, the Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is opposite to the linear production's logic, enabling the sharing of resources, waste, and by-products, that is, the circular flow of power, water, materials, and information. In the last few years, to improve these IS strategies, platforms and tools were created to intermediate this process and facilitate the match between those who demand and offer waste and resources, such as the online waste markets or e-marketplaces. From this perspective, the objective of this study is to evaluate how these tools contributed to the IS process, going beyond the problem of the local factor. For this purpose, ten online platforms, found in the literature, were selected. The analysis was made based on the identification of key elements, which enabled the creation of a list with different types of traded materials, sectors and areas served, how wide was the service, the year when the activities started and, ultimately, the business model adopted. As a result, the evaluation shows that these tools enhance the symbiosis process because they approach the parties and facilitate the identification of synergies. Generally, the use of online platforms widens the geographic scope of the IS processes, enabling the interaction of parties from different places and regions. Was observed that these tools are characterized by the use of intelligent systems, based on algorithms that identify and recommend relations, providing greater assertiveness and speed to the decision-making process. Among the research's findings, we must stress that the IS potential extends much beyond the reuse of waste. There are opportunities for other synergies, such as infrastructure and service sharing. Finally, it was highlighted that, although they present many benefits in the social, economic, and environmental scopes, to be implemented on a wider scale, these tools still need to overcome challenges such as the lack of data on available materials and generated waste, the reluctance of some parties to establish synergetic relations, and the prejudice of working with repurposed materials.

Systems-thinking for environmental policy coherence: Stakeholder knowledge, fuzzy logic, and causal reasoning

Environmental policies are often chosen according to physical characteristics that disregard the complex interactions between decision-makers, society, and nature. Environmental policy resistance has been identified as stemming from such complexities, yet we lack an understanding of how social and physical factors interrelate to inform policy design. The identification of synergies and trade-offs among various management strategies is necessary to generate optimal results from limited institutional resources. Participatory modeling has been used within the environmental community to aid decision-making by bringing together diverse stakeholders and defining their shared understanding of complex systems, which are commonly depicted by causal feedbacks. While such approaches have increased awareness of system complexity, causal diagrams often result in numerous feedback loops that are difficult to disentangle without further, data-intensive modeling. When investigating the complexities of human decision-making, we often lack robust empirical datasets to quantify human behavior and environmental feedbacks. Fuzzy logic may be used to convert qualitative relationships into semi-quantitative representations for numerical simulation. However, sole reliance upon computer-simulated outputs may obscure our understanding of the underlying system dynamics. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present and demonstrate a mixed-methods approach for better understanding: 1) how the system will respond to unique management strategies, in terms of policy synergies and conflicts, and 2) why the system behaves as such, according to causal feedbacks embedded within the system dynamics. This framework is demonstrated through a case study of nature-based solutions and policymaking in Houston, Texas, USA.

Enhanced Toxicity of Bisphenols Together with UV Filters in Water: Identification of Synergy and Antagonism in Three-Component Mixtures.

Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) localize in the biome in variable combinations of complex mixtures that are often environmentally persistent, bioaccumulate and biomagnify, prompting a need for extensive monitoring. Many cosmetics include UV filters that are listed as CECs, such as benzophenone derivatives (oxybenzone, OXYB), cinnamates (2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate, EMC) and camphor derivatives (4-methylbenzylidene-camphor, 4MBC). Furthermore, in numerous water sources, these UV filters have been detected together with Bisphenols (BPs), which are commonly used in plastics and can be physiologically detrimental. We utilized bioluminescent bacteria (Microtox assay) to monitor these CEC mixtures at environmentally relevant doses, and performed the first systematic study involving three sunscreen components (OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and three BPs (BPA, BPS or BPF). Moreover, a breast cell line and cell viability assay were employed to determine the possible effect of these mixtures on human cells. Toxicity modeling, with concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) approaches, was performed, followed by data interpretation using Model Deviation Ratio (MDR) evaluation. The results show that UV filter sunscreen constituents and BPs interact at environmentally relevant concentrations. Of notable interest, mixtures containing any pair of three BPs (e.g., BPA + BPS, BPA + BPF and BPS + BPF), together with one sunscreen component (OXYB, 4MBC or EMC), showed strong synergy or overadditive effects. On the other hand, mixtures containing two UV filters (any pair of OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and one BP (BPA, BPS or BPF) had a strong propensity towards concentration dependent underestimation. The three-component mixtures of UV filters (4MBC, EMC and OXYB) acted in an antagonistic manner toward each other, which was confirmed using a human cell line model. This study is one of the most comprehensive involving sunscreen constituents and BPs in complex mixtures, and provides new insights into potentially important interactions between these compounds.

Mutant IDH Inhibits IFNγ-TET2 Signaling to Promote Immunoevasion and Tumor Maintenance in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Mutant IDH1 inhibition stimulates cytotoxic T-cell function and derepression of the DNA demethylating enzyme TET2, which is required for tumor cells to respond to IFNγ. The discovery of mechanisms of treatment efficacy and the identification of synergy by combined CTLA4 blockade provide the foundation for new therapeutic strategies. See related commentary by Zhu and Kwong, p. 604. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 587.

The ResourcePlan—An Instrument for Resource-Efficient Development of Urban Neighborhoods

In Germany, the current sectoral urban planning often leads to inefficient use of resources, partly because municipalities lack integrated planning instruments and argumentation strength toward politics, investors, or citizens. The paper develops the ResourcePlan as (i) legal and (ii) a planning instrument to support the efficient use of resources in urban neighborhoods. The integrative, multi-methodological approach addresses the use of natural resources in the building and infrastructural sectors of (i) water (storm- and wastewater) management, (ii) construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure, (iii) urban energy system planning, and (iv) land-use planning. First, the development as legal instrument is carried out, providing (i) premises for integrating resource protection at all legal levels and (ii) options for implementing the ResourcePlan within German municipal structures. Second, the evaluation framework for resource efficiency of the urban neighborhoods is set up for usage as a planning instrument. The framework provides a two-stage process that runs through the phases of setting up and implementing the ResourcePlan. (Eco)system services are evaluated as well as life cycle assessment and economic aspects. As a legal instrument, the ResourcePlan integrates resource protection into municipal planning and decision-making processes. The multi-methodological evaluation framework helps to assess inter-disciplinary resource efficiency, supports the spatial identification of synergies and conflicting goals, and contributes to transparent, resource-optimized planning decisions.

Inter-muscular coherence and functional coordination in the human upper extremity after stroke

<abstract><p>Muscle coordination and motor function of stroke patients are weakened by stroke-related motor impairments. Our earlier studies have determined alterations in inter-muscular coordination patterns (muscle synergies). However, the functional connectivity of these synergistically paired or unpaired muscles is still unclear in stroke patients. The goal of this study is to quantify the alterations of inter-muscular coherence (IMC) among upper extremity muscles that have been shown to be synergistically or non-synergistically activated in stroke survivors. In a three-dimensional isometric force matching task, surface EMG signals are collected from 6 age-matched, neurologically intact healthy subjects and 10 stroke patients, while the target force space is divided into 8 subspaces. According to the results of muscle synergy identification with non-negative matrix factorization algorithm, muscle pairs are classified as synergistic and non-synergistic. In both control and stroke groups, IMC is then calculated for all available muscle pairs. The results show that synergistic muscle pairs have higher coherence in both groups. Furthermore, anterior and middle deltoids, identified as synergistic muscles in both groups, exhibited significantly weaker IMC at alpha band in stroke patients. The anterior and posterior deltoids, identified as synergistic muscles only in stroke patients, revealed significantly higher IMC in stroke group at low gamma band. On the contrary, anterior deltoid and pectoralis major, identified as synergistic muscles in control group only, revealed significantly higher IMC in control group in alpha band. The results of muscle synergy and IMC analyses provide congruent and complementary information for investigating the mechanism that underlies post-stroke motor recovery.</p></abstract>

Have the cats been herded? An evaluation framework for simultaneous public interventions

The evaluation of activities, programmes, and projects is key to learning about the impact of interventions, including public policy initiatives. This also helps in establishing accountability of the organisations that run those programmes and projects. Though there has been significant research interest in impact evaluation, literature has focused on firm outcomes, and measuring the impact of individual interventions or competitions. The evaluation of the impact of simultaneous public interventions, considering the collective impacts and the potential interactions among outputs has received little consideration. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by developing a framework to evaluate the impact of simultaneous public interventions with the same overarching goals. A theory-based approach is proposed for the identification of synergies between interventions. A pathway-based analysis to understand the influence of interventions is also proposed. Interventions by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in smart energy innovation are used as a case study to showcase the proposed method. Inferences from the developed Theory of Change highlight the interventions that are expected to make the greatest and the smallest impact, and the end benefits that are the most likely and the least likely influenced by the interventions. Such analysis is beneficial for planning future interventions, as it enables the development of more focused interventions, and for planning an evaluation, as it highlightsresearch focus and data collection efforts. The approach, though detailed for the smart energy innovation theme, is suitable for replication and reproduction across multiple interventions by any public agency.

Industrial symbiosis platforms for synergy identification and their most important data points: a systematic review

Background: Industrial symbiosis (IS) primarily involves interfirm utilization of industrial residual resources. An important factor determining the success of IS is the identification and matching of cooperation opportunities. Digital tools, including IS platforms, are considered facilitators of this process. This systematic literature review addresses the research question: ‘Which are the most important data points of an IS platform and how can they be used for the promotion of IS?’. Methods: The review is based on scientific publications from the following academic research databases: ScienceDirect, Scopus, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, AISel and IEEE (via Google Scholar), and grey literature obtained through a customized Google search technique, last performed on 9/3/2021. Records were included according to their scientific content, namely if the document: i) examined the identification of synergies utilizing ICT tools, ii) data requirements or platform related information were presented or iii) the impact of a digital tool in promoting IS was discussed. Exclusion criteria were: articles not written in English, not peer-reviewed, published before 2016 or document type other than scientific article, conference paper or EU project deliverable. Two independent reviewers performed title scanning and abstract reading of the documents to reduce the risk of bias. Results: The total number of records included after abstract and full text reading was 32. The main results of this review suggest that two significant types of data points are encountered in IS platforms; i) data required for synergy identification and ii) platform related information. Conclusions: A possible limitation of the study is a minor risk of bias due to one reviewer performing full text reading and synthesis of results; however, they reported to and consulted with the supervising reviewer. Overall, the results indicate that several types of data points are required for effective matching and successful promotion of IS through digital tools.

Identification of Synergies and Conflicts in Coastal and Marine uses in Colombian Pacific: a Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis

The increasing demands for physical space towards diverse maritime activities call for coherent planning and scientific knowledge to support the management of the marine the environment. Using secondary multi-scale geographic information gathered from national institutions, expert judgment and a multi-criteria analysis integrated with GIS tools, we aimed to identify potential synergies and conflicts between human activities occurring in the jurisdiction of the master harbor of Buenaventura in the Valle del Cauca department (CP01) in the Colombian Pacific coast. We identified 105 overlaps in which 5.04% were categorized with high CNI (Conflict Normalized Index), while 13 interactions were evaluated with the highest conflict value, representing 14 sectors/groups. Additionally, 12.97% of the overlaps were categorized with a medium number of overlaps (4-6 overlays use), specifically distributed inside the Buenaventura Bay. Conservation uses (Protected Areas – SINAP in Colombia) was consistent within all 13 incompatibilities and conflicts distribution along the study area was not homogenous. The methodological approach used in this study can be used to identify conflicts and synergies in human uses and activities in the marine and coastal environment through the implementation of a methodology adapted to the context of the area. It presents a technical contribution to future processes of Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning and the Integrated Management of the Coastal Zone of Colombia.

Re-enterprising the unplanned urban areas of Greater Cairo- a social innovation perspective

Purpose This study aims to develop an innovative and comprehensive framework to address water-related challenges faced by communities located in urban settlements in the area of Greater Cairo. It is commonly accepted that such global challenges that border issues of resilience, community development, social equity and inclusive growth, call for a collaboration of disciplines. Such collaboration allows for the identification of synergies in ways that can enlighten and enrich the space of potential solutions and create pathways towards robust solutions. Design/methodology/approach The research process has been participatory, and it involved, apart from site interviews, engagement via a photographic exhibition, during an outreach and engagement event, of the researched sites in one of the academic institutions of the authors. A total of 12 women were interviewed and the expert’s workshop was attended by 12 experts. Findings Social innovation can promote agile processes to prototyping services, involving multiple sectors and stakeholders through open ecosystems. For urban settlements undergoing rapid expansion, social innovation can help communities and governments to build resilience in the face of resource gaps – often making use of advancements in technology and improvements from other disciplines (Horgan and Dimitrijevic, 2019). For the unplanned urban areas around Greater Cairo, input from different knowledge areas can offer valuable contributions; in terms of the project and the study that we report on in this paper, the contributing areas included architecture and urban planning, as well as women-led entrepreneurship targeting economic growth, social and community impacts. Originality/value In this paper, we demonstrate the significance of a transdisciplinary framework based on social innovation, for the study of women-led entrepreneurship as a response to water-based challenges within an urban settlement. The creation of such a framework can be a significant contribution to conceptualise, examine and respond to “wicked challenges” of urban sustainability. This paper also believes that the readership of the journal will be subsequently benefitting from another way to conceptualise the interplay of theoretical perspectives at the level of organisations and the individual to support the inquiry into such challenges.

Taxing food consumption to reduce environmental impacts – Identification of synergies and goal conflicts

This study analysed the environmental impacts of taxation on Swedish food consumption and sought to identify potential synergies and goal conflicts between environmental aspects. This was done by analysing various taxation scenarios to reduce environmental impacts of food, including taxation based on: climate impact; a score based on weighting of several environmental impacts; and adjusted rates of value-added tax (VAT).A net decrease in food consumption was seen for most taxation scenarios, resulting in reduced burdens for climate change and most other environmental categories. An exception was found for a scenario simulating reduced VAT rates for plant-based products, where a net increase of food consumption was seen, resulting in an increased burden for all environmental categories. Many of the scenarios resulted in a decrease in beef consumption, and hence a decline in pasture use. This is positive from a global perspective by limiting expansion of agricultural land, but on regional level in Sweden it could cause a goal conflict with maintaining biodiversity-rich semi-natural pastures. To avoid this, beef production on semi-natural pastures could be further incentivised by production-side measures. With regard to biodiversity loss, the overall burden could increase if taxation leads to an increase in products from biodiverse regions.

Approaches to revealing the neural basis of muscle synergies: a review and a critique.

The central nervous system (CNS) may produce coordinated motor outputs via the combination of motor modules representable as muscle synergies. Identification of muscle synergies has hitherto relied on applying factorization algorithms to multimuscle electromyographic data (EMGs) recorded during motor behaviors. Recent studies have attempted to validate the neural basis of the muscle synergies identified by independently retrieving the muscle synergies through CNS manipulations and analytic techniques such as spike-triggered averaging of EMGs. Experimental data have demonstrated the pivotal role of the spinal premotor interneurons in the synergies' organization and the presence of motor cortical loci whose stimulations offer access to the synergies, but whether the motor cortex is also involved in organizing the synergies has remained unsettled. We argue that one difficulty inherent in current approaches to probing the synergies' neural basis is that the EMG generative model based on linear combination of synergies and the decomposition algorithms used for synergy identification are not grounded on enough prior knowledge from neurophysiology. Progress may be facilitated by constraining or updating the model and algorithms with knowledge derived directly from CNS manipulations or recordings. An investigative framework based on evaluating the relevance of neurophysiologically constrained models of muscle synergies to natural motor behaviors will allow a more sophisticated understanding of motor modularity, which will help the community move forward from the current debate on the neural versus nonneural origin of muscle synergies.

A Systemic Approach for Sustainability Implementation Planning at the Local Level by SDG Target Prioritization: The Case of Quebec City

The success of the 2030 Agenda hinges on mobilization at the local level. The localization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their targets involves adapting them to local contexts. This case study of Quebec City, Canada, illustrates how the use of a systemic sustainability analysis tool can help integrate SDGs in the building of a sustainable development strategy at the local level. Our approach focuses on the use of an SDG target prioritization grid (SDGT-PG) and begins with the mobilization and training of a group of officers representing various city services. We first used an original text-mining framework to evaluate SDG integration within existing strategic documents published by the city. The result provides a portrait of existing contributions to SDG targets and identifies potential synergies and trade-offs between services and existing policies. A citywide prioritization workshop was held to assess the relative importance of SDG targets for the city. Priorities were then identified by combining the importance of the targets as viewed by stakeholders, the current level of achievement of SDG targets as determined by the analysis of existing documents, and the jurisdiction and responsibilities given to Quebec City in regard to federal and provincial legislation. We identified the main focus areas and related SDG targets. Furthermore, we observed whether actions needed to be consolidated or new actions needed to be implemented. The identification of synergies and trade-offs within the city service actions provides information on the links to be made between the different municipal services and calls for partnerships with other organizations. The use of the SDGT-PG allows the vertical and horizontal integration of the SDG targets and demonstrates how participation and inclusion facilitate stakeholders’ appropriation of the applied sustainable development strategy.

Synergy identification for optimizing demulsifying formulations

Synergy identification for optimizing demulsifying formulations