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Copyright of TECHNE: Journal of Technology for Architecture & Environment is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effects of quality management practices (QMPs) on innovation in higher education (HE), and how organizational innovation (OI) may influence technical innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses were tested with partial least squares structural equation modeling on a sample of 449 valid responses by faculty members in Naples (Italy) public universities. Findings: The findings support the interdependent relationships between QMPs and their positive impact on innovation. It was found that some QMPs impact on innovation through people and process management, and that OI predicts the technical one. Practical implications: Directors should recognize the differences between QMPs to implement effective quality management (QM) strategy. Furthermore, they should combine technical and OIs. Originality/value: Despite the existence of several studies on QM and innovation in manufacturing and services, there are only a few in HE. Based on a multi-dimensional QM approach, this paper investigates the different effects each QMP has on both the other QMPs and innovation in HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a discussion developed by one of the thematic working groups at the Biennial International Workshop Advances in Energy Studies (BIWAES) 2017 hold in Naples, Italy. The topic was the role of technology in energy transition and global problems. Owing to the heterogeneity of the participants in the working group, different viewpoints were put together, leading to some shared conclusions. In particular, the role played by the different narratives used in discussing the role of technology in facing global problems was pointed out as the origin of cognitive dissonance. The presented reflections address some conceptual weaknesses in the current debate on technology and global issues, framed in global policies that appear incapable to obtain tangible results. The technology optimism seems, in fact, to be based on the elusive use of both the concepts of technology and sustainability, that are put together for narrative purposes without an explicit conceptual assessment. On one hand, the factual role of technology and its beneficiary are almost never clearly addressed in the debate. On the other hand, the fact that any new technology will serve the cause of sustainability is not questioned whatsoever, without taking into account the social, political and ethical framework in which technology is supposed to be operated. • Thematic working groups at the BIWAES 2017 Conference. • Conceptual weaknesses in the current debate on technology are addressed. • The questions "Technology for what?" and "Technology for whom?" are mandatory. • There is a strong need for a correct contextualization of technology debate. • A shared and openly-described narrative is mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is an accredited technology used in many fields in the last decades, but represents a relatively new technology for civil infrastructures monitoring. It allows to measure displacement along the line of sight (LOS) of the sensor with a millimetric precision. This study was conducted to show the potential of SAR sensors, mounted on satellite platforms, in detecting displacements induced by the excavations of tunnels in urban areas. Advances in remote sensing, such as the development of Multi‐Temporal InSAR algorithms, have overcome the limit of InSAR due to spatial‐temporal decorrelation of the phase measurement, thus improving the precision of the outcomes. Here the COSMO‐SkyMed satellite constellation acquired data over a small area in the city of Naples, affected by the excavation of twin tunnels. Data were processed with the SARPROZ software, while tunnel induced settlement were predicted with empirical methods. To allow comparison, displacements along LOS were projected in the vertical plane. Results indicate a good agreement between the monitored data and the predicted profile of settlement, further confirming the potential of MT‐InSAR in detecting displacements induced by tunneling excavation in urbanized area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]