Transformation Process Research Articles

Examination of the effects of artificial intelligence readiness on lean sustainability and value creation in the mediation variable effect of organizational flexibility in technology-focused companies

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how the level of readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) affects the overall performance of companies, determine the role of organizational flexibility in adapting to new technologies and business models and assess the importance of lean sustainability and value creation for technology-focused companies.Design/methodology/approachTechnology companies working in technoparks in Istanbul were determined, and a questionnaire was applied to senior employees such as experts, engineers and managers working in these companies. The results were processed with a sample of 456 units. SmartPLS program was used for analysis.FindingsAs a result of the analyzes, it is supported by hypotheses that AI readiness and organizational flexibility have positive effects on lean sustainability and value creation.Research limitations/implicationsWhen evaluated in terms of the limitations of the research, it would not be correct to evaluate the results of the analysis in general, since the data were collected from technology-focused companies in technoparks in Istanbul.Practical implicationsExamining the variables that make up the research model in technology-oriented companies helps to understand the critical factors for the future success of companies. At the same time, this research is important for companies to make more informed decisions in their strategic planning, technological transformation processes and value creation strategies.Originality/valueThis research topic offers a unique approach in terms of bringing together topics such as AI readiness, organizational flexibility, sustainability and value creation. These issues play an important role in the strategic planning of technology-focused companies, and when considered together, they are important in terms of examining the critical factors that affect the future success of companies.

Японские письменные предсказания в виртуальном пространстве

The article presented to your attention addresses the problem the virtualization of the well-known traditional Japanese divination practice — “omikuji” (translated from Japanese as “divine lot”), and also touches upon more global issues such as how Japanese religious practices are currently developing on the Internet. A significant portion of the research is dedicated to analyzing the transformation process of a religious tradition that used to be practiced exclusively “in person” and examining how contemporary Japanese people of different age groups and social status relate to the phenomenon of web religiosity. The study is based on data collected from an online survey conducted in July 2023. A total of 32 people responded to the survey (almost all informants are either Japanese or long-time foreign expatriates residing in Japan). The article includes screenshots of digital omikuji and their translations made by the author. The results of the study indicate that virtualization has made the practice of omikuji more accessible to laypeople, especially for people with disabilities. The texts of the predictions were significantly simplified during their virtualization. However, as the survey results suggest, the accessibility of the practice has led to a certain degree of loss of trust among believers. While omikuji had previously been perceived by the Japanese as a kind of entertainment within the temple or shrine grounds, the transition of the practice to the online space has further “simplified” it. Moreover, virtualization has turned the practice of traditional divination into another tool of promoting and advertising Japanese commercial companies, which negatively affects the perception of the omikuji tradition among believers.

Innovation in Local Digital Media: The Case of Sevilla Directo

The journalistic industry is undergoing a process of continuous transformation in response to an ongoing crisis. In this scenario, marked by disruptive technological changes and shifts in audience and advertiser behaviour, a new communication ecosystem is emerging that facilitates the rise of novel media outlets. Community social media, data journalism, and specialisation are some of the key features present in these emerging business models. This research aims to identify and understand the role of innovation in media adaptation to the current communication paradigm. Methodology: We employ a case study approach, analysing Sevilla Directo, a native digital medium in a city of approximately 700,000 inhabitants. Data collection techniques include observation, website analysis, in-depth interviews, focus groups with journalists, and analysis of sector reports and databases. Results and Discussion: Our findings indicate that technological advancements and the reach of social networks are fundamental to the growth of local media. However, we observe that adaptive changes predominate with little disruption and minimal focus on R&D&I. The organisation under study lacks a business model that guarantees its long-term sustainability and relies primarily on traditional income streams. Concurrently, social capital emerges as a key element in financing.

Understanding Transformative Learning and Transformative Tourism

This study focuses on two major areas of transformative learning and transformative tourism. The study aims to understand how transformative learning theory developed by Jack Mezirow was first introduced to the academia and then adopted in the field of tourism. Transformative travel and tourism is an emerging paradigm in the travel industry, characterized by travel experiences that lead to profound personal growth, self-discovery, and societal benefits. This paper explores the intersections of transformative learning theory and transformational tourism experiences through a qualitative research approach. By synthesizing secondary data from diverse contexts and empirical studies, the study examines how transformative learning processes manifest in the context of travel and tourism. The theoretical framework draws on Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, emphasizing critical reflection and perspective learning. This study is based on a general review through thematic analysis of narratives. The research identifies mechanisms that facilitate transformative experiences during travel. The literatures highlight on novelty seeking, escapism, freedom, self-efficacy, the transformation of consciousness, self-development and personal growth, and subjective wellbeing which is an outcome of transformative travel. This study explores the concepts of transformation, transformative learning, transformational tourism, tourism motivation, tourism destination image, marketing, authenticity, satisfaction, and transformative experiences.

Association of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) Polymorphism with Osteosarcoma in a Mexican Population.

The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene 677C➔T polymorphism is capable of altering folate metabolism and can modify certain neoplasia risk. Reports have suggested that folate can have an influence on bone development and so it is of interest to know if the MTHFR 677C➔T polymorphism is associated with the malignant transformation process of this tissue. The polymorphism was determined in 55 patients with osteosarcoma and in 180 healthy individuals. Compared with C/T+C/C genotypes, a 3.7-fold reduction in osteosarcoma probability is possible with the T/T genotype (OR 0.27, CI 95% 0.07-0.82). Undoubtedly, further studies, utilizing large samples and carried out on different populations, are necessary to confirm these results.

Upscaling ecological restoration by integrating with agriculture

Transformative change is needed to align common small‐scale ecological restoration approaches with expectations to restore millions of hectares of degraded lands globally. Currently, most restoration projects target small areas using costly manual methods that cannot be scaled up to meet global commitments. We propose that a judicious integration of agricultural practices into ecological restoration offers an opportunity to address this issue. This transformative process relies on three sequential and interconnected steps: (1) ensure that sufficient land is truly available for restoration; (2) compensate for the loss of agricultural production, income, or land value to encourage landholders to opt for restoration; and (3) develop scalable, affordable, and effective methods for restoring native ecosystems across the pledged hundreds of millions of hectares to deliver benefits to both nature and people. Large‐scale terrestrial restoration will require incorporating agronomic practices into the restoration toolbox to go beyond vague, ambitious promises and wishful thinking.

Early Hotspot Detection in Photovoltaic Modules using Deep Learning Methods

Photovoltaic (PV) energy systems have been widely used in energy production especially in recent years due to their clean, reliable, environmentally friendly and resource continuity. The electrical energy to be obtained must be uninterrupted and of high quality. For this reason, faults that may cause production losses in PV power plants should be detected quickly and accurately. In this study, an approach that can automatically detect hotspot fault in solar PV modules is presented. In the proposed approach, firstly, Jet colormap based colored image transformation process is applied to gray scale infrared image data. Then, using three different deep learning models such as MobilNetV2, ResNet-18, InceptionV3, both original grey scale data and Jet colormap data are detected and evaluation metric values are obtained. The importance of this research lies in the potential of deep learning-based effective detection, especially in the early and rapid diagnosis of PV hotspot faults.

Optimal Battery Storage Configuration for High-Proportion Renewable Power Systems Considering Minimum Inertia Requirements

With the continuous development of renewable energy worldwide, the issue of frequency stability in power systems has become increasingly serious. Enhancing the inertia level of power systems by configuring battery storage to provide virtual inertia has garnered significant research attention in academia. However, addressing the non-linear characteristics of frequency stability constraints, which complicate model solving, and managing the uncertainties associated with renewable energy and load, are the main challenges in planning energy storage for high-proportion renewable power systems. In this context, this paper proposes a battery storage configuration model for high-proportion renewable power systems that considers minimum inertia requirements and the uncertainties of wind and solar power. First, frequency stability constraints are transformed into minimum inertia constraints, primarily considering the rate of change of frequency (ROCOF) and nadir frequency (NF) indicators during the transformation process. Second, using historical wind and solar data, a time-series probability scenario set is constructed through clustering methods to model the uncertainties of wind and solar power. A stochastic optimization method is then adopted to establish a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model for the battery storage configuration of high-proportion renewable power systems, considering minimum inertia requirements and wind-solar uncertainties. Finally, through a modified IEEE-39 bus system, it was verified that the proposed method is more economical in addressing frequency stability issues in power systems with a high proportion of renewable energy compared to traditional scheduling methods.

THE APPROACH TO LIBERATION AND SALVATION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BUDDHIST NIRVANA AND CHRISTIAN REDEMPTION: Understanding the Philosophy of religion in Buddhism and Christianity

This study offers a comparative analysis of liberation in Buddhism, focusing on Nirvana, and salvation in Christianity, emphasizing redemption. It explores how Buddhism and Christianity address the fundamental human quest for spiritual fulfillment. The analysis reveals that Buddhism views Nirvana as the cessation of suffering through the extinction of desires and ignorance, rather than simply a state of bliss. Christianity, on the other hand, presents redemption as a transformative process involving faith, repentance, and spiritual rebirth, rather than solely relying on divine grace. The study highlights that while Buddhism emphasizes personal effort through ethical conduct and meditation, Christianity combines divine grace with personal commitment and adherence to Christ’s teachings. By emphasizing the nuanced interplay of personal effort and spiritual guidance in both traditions, the study provides a more balanced understanding of how each religion addresses the quest for liberation and salvation.

The spatiotemporal patterns and regional characteristics of extreme heat disaster risk in China at the county level

Under the compound effect of continuous global warming and rapid urbanization, China is experiencing extreme heat events with increased intensity, frequency, and duration, which pose a significant threat to human society. Nonetheless, research on the spatiotemporal patterns and regional characteristics of extreme heat disaster risk (EHDR) at the county level in China remains scarce. To address this gap, we have developed an analytical framework for extreme heat disaster systems and an evaluation system for EHDR indicators. This framework measures the extent of EHDR and examines the dominant subsystems and their transformation processes across different regions. The results show that: (1) The spatial clustering types of EHDR in China's counties are mainly "High-High" and "Low-Low", forming a significant northeast-southwest low-value belt and a northwest-southeast high-value center; (2) In China, 91.49% of counties exhibited an increasing trend in EHDR from 2000 to 2018, while the counties experiencing reduced disaster risk are predominantly located in northern China; (3) The average values of EHDR and its subsystems are significantly higher in the Northwest and the Middle and Lower reaches of the Yangtze River compared to other regions, establishing these areas as high-value clusters; (4) The transformation of dominant subsystems across regions reveals significant geographic differences. In Western China, the environment predominates; in the northern regions, environment-exposure is dominant; and in the southern regions, the hazard is the primary factor. Notably, the causes of disaster risk in the Middle reaches of the Yellow River and the Lower reaches of the Yangtze River are more complex. These findings enhance the understanding of EHDR dynamics within the framework of rapid urbanization and climate change.

The Integrated Analysis of Territorial Transformations in Inland Areas of Italy: The Link between Natural, Social, and Economic Capitals Using the Ecosystem Service Approach

This paper examines how spatial dynamics have impacted natural capital and the provision of ecosystem services. The units outlined by the National Strategy for Inland Areas (SNAI) have been used as the territorial units for this study. The SNAI is a public policy focused on enhancing the quality of services to citizens (such as transportation, healthcare, and education). It proposes the economic revitalization of inland areas undergoing processes of marginalization. Our focus on inland areas stems from two primary reasons: first, no previous studies in Italy have analyzed the changes in ecosystem services in SNAI areas; and second, SNAI areas are well-suited to providing ecosystem services that are in demand by urban areas. Although this study does not cover all aspects inherent to the topic, it represents a starting point aimed at understanding the links between environmental and socio-economic dynamics and ecosystem service changes. This is essential for both current and future generations. By analyzing the processes of permanence and transformation, modifications in the supply–demand balance have hereby been studied, as well as the economic variations in ecosystem services. The period considered runs from 1990 to 2018. These findings could help governmental institutions in developing sustainable governance models, in line with spatial policies and strategies.

Design and characterization of a wind-adaptable piezoelectric energy harvester utilizing a rigid-flexible compound blunt body

In response to the challenges posed by uncontrolled amplitude during galloping and narrow effective bandwidth during vortex-induced vibrations in current energy harvesters, a novel wind-adaptable piezoelectric energy harvester utilizing a rigid-flexible compound blunt body (W-APEH) is proposed. The rigid-flexible compound blunt body improves environmental adaptability and power generation capacity. During the transformation process of the rigid-flexible compound blunt body from a Y-shape to an r-shape, a vibration pattern changes from galloping to coupled vibration, then to vortex-induced vibration. The feasibility of the structure and principle of the W-APEH were proved through a series of simulations and experiments. The higher proportion of rigid wings within a blunt body increases the susceptibility to galloping. A larger windward angle will delay the occurrence of galloping in the W-APEH, shorten the time of coupled vibration, and reduce the output voltage. In the case of the flexible wing thickness remains below 0.3 mm, an increase in thickness leads to an extended galloping time, with vortex-induced vibrations occurring later. Specifically, the onset wind speed is only 3.5 m/s, and the working wind speed range is 5–21 m/s with appropriate structural dimensions. Furthermore, the W-APEH provides a maximum output power of 3.78 mW at an optimal load resistance of 250 kΩ.

Assessing digital transformation using fuzzy cognitive mapping supported by artificial intelligence techniques

The digital transformation process aims to align people, machines, and technologies in interactive systems, prompting businesses to adapt their models for competitiveness. Understanding and implementing digital transformation becomes crucial for organizations to integrate physical and virtual systems throughout their operations. The study presents a comprehensive model emphasizing intelligent technology, organization, and manufacturing as essential criteria. Integrating fuzzy cognitive maps and fuzzy DEMATEL methods, the study captures complex relationships and employs a dynamic analysis involving three firms in the defense industry. Results showcase the companies' diverse digital transformation levels, assessed through scenarios and predictive analyses. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis underscores the impact of adjustments to the top three criteria, aiding businesses in deciding their transformational starting points. This integrated method, underpinned by fuzzy cognitive maps and artificial intelligence, emerges as a decision support system and a roadmap for enterprises navigating digital transformation.

Agile leadership and employee outcomes: A bibliometric analysis for future research agenda

BACKGROUND: Agile leadership is a critical factor in contemporary organizational dynamics, significantly influencing employee outcomes. Despite its growing importance, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the impact and the research trends. OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis to explore the existing literature on agile leadership and its relationship with employee outcomes. METHODS: Data was collected from the Scopus scientific database, focusing on publications from 2010 to May 2024. Using the keywords “agile”, “leadership”, and “agile leadership”, 278 relevant documents were identified and analyzed with VOSviewer software. The data on publications, years, subject areas, authors, journals, institutions, and countries were examined by applying bibliometric analysis. RESULTS: The analysis showed a steady increase in publications on agile leadership, particularly in the last decade. The key research clusters included the impact of agile leadership on interpersonal communication, trust, teamwork effectiveness, job satisfaction, decision-making process, and sustainable innovation in digital transformation. Prominent journals, influential authors, and frequently cited articles were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Agile leadership was increasingly recognized for its valuable impact on employee outcomes. Agile leadership became a catalyst for enhancing interpersonal communication, building trust, improving teamwork effectiveness, increasing job satisfaction, streamlining decision-making processes, and enhancing sustainable innovation for successful digital transformation.

Co-composting of tail vegetable with flue-cured tobacco leaves: analysis of nitrogen transformation and estimation as a seed germination agent for halophyte.

Resource utilization of tail vegetables has raised increasing concerns in the modern agriculture. However, the effect and related mechanisms of flue-cured tobacco leaves on the product quality, phytotoxicity and bacterially-mediated nitrogen (N) transformation process of tail vegetable composting were poorly understood. Amendments of high-dosed (5% and 10% w/w) tobacco leaves into the compost accelerated the heating process, prolonged the time of thermophilic stage, increased the peak temperature, thereby improving maturity and shortening composting duration. The tobacco leaf amendments at the 10% (w/w) increased the N conservation (TN and NH4-N content) of compost, due to the supply of N-containing nutrient and promotion of organic matter degradation by tobacco leaves. Besides, tobacco leaf amendments promoted the seed germination and root development of wild soybean, exhibiting the feasibility of composting product for promoting the growth of salt-tolerant plants, but no dose-dependent effect was found for tobacco leaf amendments. Addition of high dosed (5% and 10% w/w) tobacco leaves shifted the bacterial community towards lignocellulosic and N-fixing bacteria, contributing to increasing the compost maturity and N retention. PICRUSt 2 functional prediction revealed that N-related bacterial metabolism (i.e., hydroxylamine oxidation and denitrifying process) was enhanced in the tobacco leaf treatments, which contributed to N retention and elevated nutrient quality of composting. To the best knowledge, this was the first study to explore the effect of tobacco waste additives on the nutrient transformation and halophyte growth promotion of organic waste composting. These findings will deepen the understanding of microbially-mediated N transformation and composting processes involving flue-cured tobacco leaves.

One Health Approach Necessity in the Control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: An Integrated Analysis of Decision Makers’ Perspectives in Ivory Coast, Using Peter Checkland’s Soft System Methodology

Abstract The control of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) requires an integrated strategy. In Ivory Coast, it is decentralized and included in the health policy (as all tools, including SOPs, for managing disease prevention and control) but would lack a common vision and stable bridges for intersectoral exchanges and major health challenges joint planning. Thus the need to identify levers for action through the key sectoral decision makers’ perspectives in integrated HPAI control. A cross-sectional retrospective qualitative study, respecting ethical considerations, was carried out in May 2023 with national decision makers from the human, animal, environmental and community health sectors in Ivory Coast. Purposive sampling was guided by seven respondents based on the saturation principle. An open-ended, semi-structured interview grid based on the CATWOE components ( C : Clients, A : Actors, T : Transformation process, W : Weltranschauung, O : Owners, E : Environment; Smyth D. and Checkland P. en 1975) were used to analyse the surveyed decision makers’ perspectives, using QDA Miner4Lite software. Findings showed four emerging perspectives, depending on the decision makers’ profile: (i) Veterinarians advocated a world better prepared to deal with HPAI, with simulation exercises (as one of the four components of the International Health Regulations monitoring framework to enable the lessons learned from a simulated public health event that can be capitalized on while strengthening the response system), joint investigations and training, creation of reactive and autonomous regional centres with enhanced technical facilities; (ii) Poultry industry (private sector) is also moving in the same direction, with the idea of common funds pre-mobilized through poultry farmer contributions to facilitate future compensation; (iii) Physicians prioritized the cross-sector sharing of digitized information in real time, the mutualization of resources and the integration of existing surveillance networks; and (iv) Environmentalists were keen to integrate aspects of other key sectors into their sectoral monitoring tools in order to be more alert and proactive in an ecological dynamic. Information © The Authors 2024

Living Hybrid Exciton Materials: Enhanced Fluorescence and Chiroptical Properties in Living Supramolecular Polymers with Strong Frenkel/Charge‐Transfer Exciton Coupling

AbstractA family of chiral perylene diimides (PDIs) was newly developed as excellent circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials. They are asymmetrically derivatized with a double‐alkyl‐chained L‐ or D‐glutamate unit and a linear or branched alkyl chain. When water is added to the tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution of glutamate‐PDI‐linear‐alkyl chain compounds, kinetically formed H‐aggregates are formed in globular nanoparticles (NPs). These NPs undergo spontaneous transformation into thermodynamically stable nanotubes via helical nanostructures, which showed structured broad spectra originating from the strong coupling of delocalized Frenkel excitations (FE) and charge transfer excitations (CTE). Significant enhancement of circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence quantum yield, and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with luminescence dissymmetry factor (glum) are observed during the transformation of NPs to the FE/CTE‐coupled helical and tubular structures. This transformation process is significantly accelerated by applying physical stimuli, i.e., ultrasonication or adding helical aggregates as seed crystals, a feature unique to living supramolecular polymerization. Meanwhile, the branched chain‐containing PDIs only form H‐aggregates and did not show FE/CTE hybrid exciton states with living supramolecular polymerization properties. This study unveils that suitably designed chiral PDI derivatives show FE/CTE coupling accompanied by high fluorescence quantum yields, enhanced chiroptical properties, and supramolecular living polymerization characteristics.

Multifaceted formal methods and their interdisciplinary role — From the cathedral of ‘components as coalgebras’ to the HCI context and the open source software bazaar

In this article we revisit the history of formal methods with a focus on important aspects that contribute to their interdisciplinary role. We consider: the variability of mathematical representation techniques on which the theoretical foundations of formal methods are based; formal methods multidisciplinarity; their capability to serve at a meta-level in providing the semantics of programming languages, specification and modelling languages as well as higher-level and domain-specific formal notations; and, finally, how some of these higher-level and domain-specific notations may be lifted at an interdisciplinary level.Within this historical review, we are inspired by Luís Barbosa's “components as coalgebras” approach in seeing that the duality data-process is underlying all those aspects of formal methods. We also see that such a duality may not only be expressed in universal terms within category theory, but may also be characterised in practical terms and focused applications by two distinct logic paradigms, equational logic for the data and rewriting logic for the process, by two modelling directions, forward process definitions and backward data-driven process transformations, and by the distinction between syntax, defined by the data structures, and semantics, provided by rewrite rules. We use the Maude modelling language to illustrate the application of the data-process duality. In fact, Maude use equational logic to define data types and rewriting logic to express system evolution. Illustrative examples are from the areas of cognitive science and human-computer interaction (HCI).We then define a data-driven model transformation, which we call elaborative mining, which adopts a backward perspective to recover a behaviour that was observed in real life but was not predicted forward by the original model. Finally, we see how the “open source software bazaar”, which is a metaphor for the apparently chaotic open source development process, offers us a big data context to lift the driving process for model transformation from deterministic to statistical.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE TRANSFORMATION IN DEVELOPING DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AT ALFAGIFT COMPANY

This research aims to contribute to changes in an organizational culture that is influenced by certain factors, such as in this research, namely due to factors developing communication strategies and changes towards digitalization. This research is descriptive qualitative research using direct observation methods and in-depth interviews in Alfagift. This research uses phenomenological research with the Kurt Lewin Model (unfreezing, changing, and refreezing), and based on the results of this research it shows that the unfreezing process is a process of acceptance of the transformation that will be carried out in an organizational culture by all its members, then in the transformation process to its implementation is carried out by all members of the organization by carrying out their duties and obligations and being ambitious about the change process, and the last is the process of refreezing or mixing/merging attitudes and behavior towards the new culture. Therefore, the role of management is very important to provide support for every process of transformation that occurs carried out to increase the chances of success in creating a new organizational culture towards digitalization.

Statistical analysis of digital transformation and its incidence in reducing the use of paper in a higher education institution: A case study

Reducing the carbon footprint of higher education institutions has become a global trend in recent years, as they are the axis of society's scientific and technological transformation that must be carried out with a sustainable approach. Among the many approaches that can contribute to this problem are the digital transformation of academic and administrative processes and its impact on reducing paper use. This study details the statistical analysis of the digital transformation process based on the modules and computer services implemented by the ICT department in a higher education institution and its incidence in reducing the use of paper by its teaching and administrative staff. For this purpose, an initial instrument was proposed, consisting of 18 ordinal, three categorical and two numerical variables. After applying statistical data processing and validation techniques, it was reduced to 13 ordinal variables, three categorical and two influential numerical variables. In addition, this study has proposed an appropriate statistical protocol for the design and extraction of information applicable in the context of higher education institutions, consisting of the techniques: Mahalanobis distances, confirmatory factor analysis, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney's U and Wilcoxon tests. The results showed the power of confirmatory factor analysis as a technique for obtaining models to measure indirectly observed latent variables, such as perceptions of digital transformation and paper reduction. In addition, it was found that the modules, systems, and computer tools implemented in the institution significantly reduced the execution times for performing administrative and teaching tasks in the institution, and significant differences were identified in the perception of digital transformation and reduction of paper use among staff.