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While mastering technology and industry convergence are essential for firms across a growing number of industries, convergence is often rapid and abrupt, challenging firms to develop appropriate strategic responses. Focusing on the historical convergence between information technology and communication technology, we examine the microlevel behaviors of scientists initiating and driving convergence. Analyzing a bibliometric dataset of 257 641 scientific articles, we demonstrate how industry convergence manifests in a microlevel scientific convergence, preceding industry convergence by several decades. Our article contributes to the literature on convergence by developing new bibliometric measures for scientific convergence, and by contrasting microlevel behaviors that underpin convergence. Based on our findings, we offer a set of methods and strategies to assist managers in technology-based businesses with anticipating and responding to convergence in a timely manner., IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70 (4), ISSN:0018-9391, ISSN:1558-0040

Over the last decades, rapid technological and scientific advances have led to a merge of molecular sciences and clinical medicine, resulting in a better understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of novel therapies that exploit specific molecular lesions or profiles driving disease. Precision oncology is here used as an example, illustrating the potential of precision/personalized medicine that also holds great promise in other medical fields. Real-world implementation can only be achieved by dedicated healthcare connected centers which amass and build up interdisciplinary expertise reflecting the complexity of precision medicine. Networks of such centers are ideally suited for a nation-wide outreach offering access to precision medicine to patients independent of their place of residence. Two of these multicentric initiatives, Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) and the Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM) initiative in Germany have teamed up to present and share their views on core concepts, potentials, challenges, and future developments in precision medicine. Together with other initiatives worldwide, GMS and ZPM aim at providing a robust and sustainable framework, covering all components from technology development to clinical trials, ethical and legal aspects as well as involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including patients and policymakers in the field.

Stirling engines represent a technologically important solution in combined heat and power systems. Their use enables the achievement of over 90 percent efficiency in the management of the primary energy source with a very high durability of the device, mainly due to the lack of contact of the working gas with external factors and a very small number of mechanical components. The use of a Stirling engine may be equally important when applying renewable energy sources or waste heat from other processes. The first part of the work presents an overview of available commercial Stirling engine solutions. The second part of the work presents an overview of numerical models of Stirling engine operation, which enable the correct selection of the main geometrical features of the devices and the improvement of the structure in order to maximize efficiency or power.

The object of this article is to present the innovative technology system for the deep mining of metal mines in China. Based on the current situation and major problems of deep mining of metal mineral resources in China, the key engineering technology development strategies to solve the problems, such as the green intelligent mining modes, are proposed, which is conducive to ensuring the safety of mineral resources supply and the sustainable development of the national economy in China.

This paper presents benefits from using suborbital rockets in safety & defense applications. The paper describes suborbital rockets and their contribution to modern science, research and technology development. A historical view of suborbital rockets and their applications in safety & defense roles is discussed. Chosen research & development activities, military exercises and air defense systems’ tests performed using suborbital rockets in various countries are listed and described based on a literature review of publicly available sources. The paper presents capabilities of Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation in the field of suborbital rockets. A development of ILR-33 AMBER 2K rocket reaching flight speeds over Mach 4 and optimized to reach 100 km altitude is described with comment regarding its applicability in safety & defense applications supported by flight simulations.

In this study, the environmental impacts of three ibuprofen production routes, namely, the BHC, the Bogdan, and the newly developed enzymatic synthetic routes (modified Bogdan process), are assessed and compared by the application of life cycle assessment (LCA). Based on the data obtained through literature and laboratory-based experiments, a pilot-scale production with a capacity of 500 g/day of ibuprofen was simulated to generate inventory data for the LCA study, using Aspen Plus V11. The well-established BHC process was chosen as the benchmark to quantify the operational and environmental benefits of the innovative enzymatic Bogdan flow synthetic process. The comparison highlights the benefit of adopting the modified Bogdan synthesis route via an enzymatic catalyst. Results show that a general reduction of environmental impact is achievable across the whole set of impact categories of the analysis, and the magnitude of such reduction depends on the efficiency of recycling in the production system. Considering a 50% efficiency of recycling, the modified Bogdan system achieves lower environmental impacts in some impact categories like Acidification, Ecotoxicity of freshwater, Human toxicity, Particulate matter, and Resource depletion (mineral, fossils, renewables) while having higher impacts on the rest of the impact categories. Yet, the new process proposed here scores better environmental performances in all of the impact categories when the enzyme recycling is close to 100%, which is promising for future technology development.

Food is the most fundamental demand for human beings and the key factor that determines social development. In the future, world food security is still facing challenges. Molecular design breeding is an important approach to solving the problem of future food security. However, there are still many bottlenecks and problems in the theory, technology and standardization of molecular design breeding. To face the demand of future agriculture and food safety production, we summarized the food security problems that China and the world are facing, the development course of breeding technology and the achievements of molecular design breeding in China. We also pointed out the development trend of molecular design breeding in the future, and discussed the bottlenecks and countermeasures faced by molecular design breeding in China. In the end, focusing on the key questions in the scientific and technological innovation in future molecular design breeding, we laid out suggestions on the strategic planning of molecular design breeding towards 2035. The review provides important insights for future agricultural science and technology development.

A revolution in the energy sector is crucial for achieving environmental sustainability since almost three-fourth of global carbon dioxide emissions is generated from the energy sector. It is believed that combustion of unclean energy resources is the major contributor to the multifaceted environmental adversities experienced across the globe. Thus, the development of clean energy technologies, to elevate their shares in the global energy mix, is deemed necessary to reinstate environmental well-being worldwide. Against this background, this study aims to explore the symmetric and asymmetric impacts of public research and development investments for nuclear and renewable energy development and economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions in the context of Japan over the 1974–2017 period. As opposed to the conventional approaches, this study contributes to the literature by specifically scrutinizing the environmental effects associated with public investments in clean energy development projects; whereas the majority of the preceding studies have either considered the environmental impacts associated with the overall research and development investments in the energy sector or that made by firms in general. However, evaluating the effects of such investments for clean energy development is more appropriate for policy-making purposes. The results from both the symmetric and asymmetric analyses reveal that higher public investments in clean energy research and development-oriented projects help to curb carbon dioxide emissions in Japan. Besides, such investments for nuclear energy development are evidenced to be relatively more effective in facilitating the nation's carbon emission-abating agenda. In contrast, economic growth in Japan is evidenced to trigger higher carbon dioxide emissions. In line with these key findings, this study offers several policy-level suggestions in respect of undergoing clean energy transition and achieving environmental sustainability in Japan.

University–industry collaboration (UIC) is an important source of knowledge and innovation for firms but is often challenging due to the partners’ different goals. Thus, formal research centers have become a key policy instrument to foster stronger UIC whereby strong mutual relationships are created. This study investigates the establishment of a university–industry research center to gain insights into the coordination activities the focal firms used to achieve their goals with UIC. We find that the firms with goals related to specific innovations and technology development took a more active role by using structured coordination activities in the preformation phase of the research center, whereas the firms with goals related to general knowledge development mainly coordinated through unstructured activities when the center began operations. We map the specific coordination activities used in UIC and theorize on how the partners’ different organizational goals influenced their use of these activities. Our findings have important implications for how activities in UIC, particularly in research centers, can be designed to strengthen the collaboration between universities and their firm partners to enhance knowledge development and innovation.

The papers in this special section focus on nanobiophotonics. This is an emerging field of modern science and biomedical nanotechnology. This new field continues to vastly expand with state-of-the-art developments across the entire spectrum of biomedical applications ranging from fundamental studies of light-nanobiomaterial interactions to clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. In nanobiophotonics research areas, there has been a great impetus recently for the development of noninvasive imaging and sensing of intracellular structures and cellular functions as well as obtaining quantitative information for light-tissue interactions at the cellular, intracellular, and molecular level. Existing photonics technologies provide unique capabilities for investigating these scientific questions in terms of using non-ionizing optical radiation for providing noninvasive intracellular, cellular, and tissue imaging, and in-vivo sensing with ultrahigh resolution in the subwavelength nanoscale range (smaller than 100 nm). Furthermore, recent technology development efforts leverage the advanced features of photonics to move beyond the diffraction limit, providing sub-nanometer resolution into cellular processes.

In the era of healthcare digitalization, automation of some medical processes becomes extremely crucial, especially in situations where it is not possible to receive support quickly enough, for example, due to long wait for a specialist (queues) or absence of the needed specialist. This approach will help to use healthcare resources effectively. Automated audiometry is an example of automated diagnostic procedure based on algorithms and technical means for recording acoustic threshold in order to determine the hearing conditions. This review describes the process of automated hearing testing technology development in detail and several other system components (software, equipment, acoustic stimulation sources). The authors describe their own experience of using the automatic audiometry system. The results of comparative study of automated and clinical tests are presented.

PurposeOver the years, technology development has rationalized supply chain processes. The demand economy is disrupting every sector causing the supply chain to be more innovative than ever before. The digitalization of the supply chain fulfils this demand. Several technologies such as blockchain, big data analytics, 3D printing, Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), etc. have been innovated in recent years, which expedite the digitalization of the supply chain. The paper aims to analyse the applicability of these technological enablers in the digital transformation of the supply chain and to present an interpretive structural modelling (ISM) model, which presents a sequence in which enablers can be implemented in a sequential manner.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employed the ISM approach to propose a various levelled model for the enablers of the digital supply chain. The enablers are also classified graphically based on their driving and dependence powers using matrix multiplication cross-impact applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis.FindingsThe study indicates that the enablers “big data analytics”, “IoT”, “blockchain” and “AI” are the most powerful enablers for the digitalization of the supply chain and actualizing these enablers should be a topmost concern for organizations, which want to exploit new opportunities created by these technologies.Practical implicationsThis study presents a systematic approach to adopt new technologies for performing various supply chain activities and assists the policymakers better organize their assets and execution endeavours towards digitalization of the supply chain.Originality/valueThis is one of the initial research studies, which has analysed the enablers for the digitalization supply chain using the ISM approach.

The advance of technology development today brings an innovation in the financial industries, especially in the sector of payment. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of personal innovativeness, security concerns and perceived enjoyment into customer adoption of digital payment services using trust as mediating variable. As a quantitative research, the studydistributed questionnaires to 186 respondents who are customers who used digital payment platform in settling their business transactions. The data collection was furthered processed statistically using Structural Equation Method (SEM). The study showed that the customer decision to using the digital payment services had significantly influenced by trust variable, in which security concerns had the highest influence in creating the borrower’s trust.

PurposeWith the fierce competition in a knowledge economy, knowledge-intensive enterprises (KIEs) make technological progress in their catching-up processes through implementing product innovation and process innovation. In this study, the aim is to understand the determinants of enterprise innovation type in China's catch-up environment. Further, this paper intends to deal with two related questions. First, what effect does the internal knowledge base have on KIEs' technology innovation activities? Second, considering the technology gap and technology development speed, what are the different impacts of the knowledge base on the type of technology innovation activities?Design/methodology/approachThis paper collected data from 212 KIEs in China through a two-stage questionnaire survey, combined with statistical data for research. The hypothesis was tested by regression analysis. Specifically, descriptive statistics and regression analysis are introduced to test the hypothetical relationship between the knowledge base and technology innovation. Meanwhile, multiple regression is used to test whether there is any difference in the influence of technology gap and technology development speed on enterprise knowledge base and technology innovation. Finally, the corresponding robustness tests are done.FindingsThis study finds that in a sample of Yangtze River Delta KIEs, firms' knowledge base influences innovation types. Specifically, the knowledge base width (KBW) and knowledge base depth (KBD) positively influence process innovation, and KBD positively affects product innovation. Regarding the effects of catch-up context factors on KIEs’ innovation choice, a wide technology gap tends to positively influence product innovation in industries with high levels of KBW. Moreover, when technology development speed is high, its potential positive influence on process innovation will be more significant for industries with deeper knowledge bases.Originality/valueThis paper fills the research gap that existing studies ignore the relationship between types of technology innovation and knowledge base dimensions, especially for KIEs. First, this paper deepens the understanding of the impact mechanism of KIEs' existing knowledge base on innovation activities; the unique use of resources by enterprises is the basis of enterprises' competitive advantage and will become enterprises' competitive advantage. Second, this study indicates that against different backdrops of technology gap and technology development speed, enterprises with different knowledge bases will adopt different types of technology innovation activities. Third, this paper shows that a wider technology gap provides broader innovation space, so the technology gap plays a pulling role in KBW and product innovation, thus pushing forward enterprises' technological catch-up.

Background Optimized drug delivery systems are needed for intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to develop a technology for applying pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) under hyperthermic conditions (hPIPAC). Methods This is an ex-vivo study in an inverted bovine urinary bladder (IBUB). Hyperthermia was established using a modified industry-standard device (Humigard). Two entry and one exit ports were placed. Warm-humid CO2 was insufflated in the IBUB placed in a normothermic bath to simulate body thermal inertia. The temperature of the aerosol, tissue, and water bath was measured in real-time. Results Therapeutic hyperthermia (target tissue temperature 41–43 °C) could be established and maintained over 30 min. In the first phase (insufflation phase), tissue hyperthermia was created by insufflating continuously warm-humid CO2. In the second phase (aerosolization phase), chemotherapeutic drugs were heated up and aerosolized into the IBUB. In a third phase (application phase), hyperthermia was maintained within the therapeutic range using an endoscopic infrared heating device. In a fourth phase, the toxic aerosol was discarded using a closed aerosol waste system (CAWS). Discussion We introduce a simple and effective technology for hPIPAC. hPIPAC is feasible in an ex-vivo model by using a combination of industry-standard medical devices after modification. Potential pharmacological and biological advantages of hPIPAC over PIPAC should now be evaluated.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the capabilities of blockchain technology as a tool for enhancing the security in management and protection of intellectual property rights in additive manufacturing. The study is research-oriented and is an introduction to the use of blockchain technology for intellectual property protection. The following methods are used in the study: the analysis of documents on the use of blockchain technology in industrial asset management and the protection of content creators' rights, as well as the expert survey to assess the reliability of the selected sources. The authors introduce the term blockchain and discuss the capabilities of this technology for intellectual property protection in the field of design and production. A digital platform is proposed to enable the file exchange. Moreover, the authors describe the three main steps for developing a digital platform based on blockchain technology: the development of specialized tokens to reward users, the definition of conditions that should be included in smart contracts and the size of awards and incentives for each interested party that gains access to the platform.

The Sugar Milling Research Institute NPC (SMRI) has developed a simple to use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) transmission-based analysis method as an alternative to conventional methods for analysis of sugarcane factory stream samples. The technology provides rapid, simultaneous analysis of refractometric dry substance (rds), polarimetric sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose, conductivity ash contents as well as colour and pH for all streams and additionally, dry solids for final molasses and eliminates the need for sample clarification chemicals. The analyte prediction equations were developed using conventional results of samples from 14 South African factories, analysed at SMRI using SANAS/ISO17025 accredited test methods, and NIRS scans of the same samples using up to 16 different NIRS instruments. The NIRS analyte prediction equations were validated against more than 1,500 independent factory samples that had been analysed by conventional methods of analysis, including samples from factories outside South Africa. The reproducibility of the NIRS results were equivalent to existing conventional analysis reproducibility values (juice and final molasses) and previously undocumented values determined for this study for conventional raw house analysis methods. Correlation coefficients of greater than 0.97 were recorded for all major analytes and greater than 0.9 for minor analytes when predicted results were compared against conventional results. A maintenance protocol was also developed to ensure that the prediction equations remain robust and can account for sample matrix variations that can occur from season to season. The SMRI-NIRS technology was installed at all 14 South African factories and found to be robust and give equivalent results to conventional methods of analysis.

Purpose This study aims to develop and empirically examine a model that investigates the mediating role of technology development capability (TDC) on the relationship between customer focus (CF) and technology leadership (TL). Design/methodology/approach The analysis and interpretation of a partial least square model include the following two stages: the first stage focuses on assessing the reliability and validity of the measurement model, while the second pertains to evaluating the structural model. Findings The general understanding prevailing in practice and literature is that management sponsorship (MS) has a positive impact on the relationship between CF and TDC. It is also generally understood that MS has a positive impact on TL initiatives. However, the findings of this study contradict these assumptions. Specifically, the study indicates that MS has a negative moderating effect on CF and technology development capabilities, and has no impact on CF and TL relationships. Originality/value CF, TDC and MS, and their interplay and impact in enhancing firms’ TL position, have not been explored thus far in an integrated manner in the context of the automobile industry in developing countries. The research relating to CF, technology development capabilities, technology innovation capabilities, MS and TL reported in the literature has drawn inferences from case studies, anecdotal evidence and experiences of industry leaders, experts and consultants. This study attempts to fill the gaps mentioned above by presenting and testing a new moderated mediation model that shows the relationship between CF, TDC, MS and TL.

Among many nanoparticle-based delivery platforms, liposomes have been particularly successful with many formulations passed into clinical applications. They are well-established and effective gene and/or drug delivery systems, widely used in cancer therapy including breast cancer. In this review we discuss liposome design with the targeting feature and triggering functions. We also summarise the recent progress (since 2014) in liposome-based therapeutics for breast cancer including chemotherapy and gene therapy. We finally identify some challenges on the liposome technology development for the future clinical translation.

The spinal cord injury (SCI) research community has experienced great advances in discovery research, technology development, and promising clinical interventions in the past decade. To build upon these advances and maximize the benefit to persons with SCI, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted a conference February 12-13, 2019 titled "SCI 2020: Launching a Decade of Disruption in Spinal Cord Injury Research." The purpose of the conference was to bring together a broad range of stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians and healthcare professionals, persons with SCI, industry partners, regulators, and funding agency representatives to break down existing communication silos. Invited speakers were asked to summarize the state of the science, assess areas of technological and community readiness, and build collaborations that could change the trajectory of research and clinical options for people with SCI. In this report, we summarize the state of the science in each of five key domains and identify the gaps in the scientific literature that need to be addressed to move the field forward.

In the current era, where information is absorbed and moved as fast as it is today, every effort needs to keep up with technology development. This program can help existing efforts to help build brand awareness in the public's eyes, find new markets or customers, and increase sales. GAIA Daily and Zuist Leather, as one of the MSMEs in Bandung Indonesia, need this program to increase brand awareness and find new markets. This optimization activity by (1) Providing training on the Internet and its benefits for marketing purposes by doing marketing planning; (2) Provide social media management training such as Instagram and Facebook; (3) Provide training on advertising on social media through Instagram Ads and Facebook Ads. GAIA Daily and Zuist Leather Genuine Leather have been proven by the Go Online System that has been done through Social Media. The results are very good, where Gaia Daily and Zuist Leather Genuine Leather social media has gained market reach and new potential consumers as many as 1,157,119 people from the online platforms used today. This can help MSMEs GAIA Daily and Zuist Leather Genuine Leather increase sales turnover while raising brand awareness in the eyes of its regular consumers.

This contribution is a brief technology retrospective but mostly a look forward at the trajectory of technology development for the manufacture of acrylonitrile. An analysis is presented for the criteria that would enable the displacement of the current dominant commercial SOHIO Process for selective propylene ammoxidation catalysis. These criteria reveal that significant opportunity exists for both fundamental and applied research directed toward the design of new catalysts for the current commercially dominant propylene ammoxidation process but also for novel catalysts that can enable the use of lower cost feedstocks for acrylonitrile manufacture. These feedstocks include propane and biomass derived sources. The ability to retrofit a new catalyst technology into existing propylene ammoxidation plant infrastructure is likely key to achieve displacement cost advantage of the magnitude that was realized by propylene ammoxidation catalysis decades earlier.

Digital literacy in nursing students is necessary in this case where the rapid technology development. Knowledge and skills of digital literacy can be improved by the lecture integrated and combined with increasing skill. Increasing digital literacy aims to enable students to access, understand information technology and make digital innovations that are useful for nursing. This innovative design provides an overview of the innovations made by nursing students and which services can be utilized. The innovative design is carried out in several stages: first, students analyze the situation in the nursing environment so that students make innovation that can help nurses work: second, determine the innovation design; third, making innovations and being presented. The method used is quantitative by distributing questionnaires to participants who tried the innovation designs on display and students were divided into 10 groups with 10 innovation designs. This innovative design was carried out for two weeks. The results of this activity was 90% of the designs made have applicative value and useful for nurses. The application of digital literacy in designing this innovation becomes a medium for improving nursing student technology. This activity is expected to be input and support nursing students and increase digital literacy in Indonesia.

Мета. Узагальнення теоретичних знань, вітчизняного та зарубіжного досвіду в галузі використання технологій зберігання та коригування здоров’я у процесі підготовки юних спортсменів, а також у визначенні перспектив їхнього застосування за сучасних умов. Методи. Аналіз і систематизація данихнауково-методичної літератури, інформаційних ресурсів мережі Інтернет. Результати. На сучасному етапі методика спортивної підготовки позначена втіленням низки радикальних змін, спричинених посиленою конкуренцією на найбільш визнаних у світі змаганнях і актуалізацією тренувальних програм, виконання яких здебільшого вимагає перевищення адаптаційного потенціалу людського організму. Найбільш нагальною щодо розв’язання означена проблема постає на початкових етапах багаторічної підготовки дітей і підлітків, специфіку яких складає інтенсивне витрачання резервів їхнього організму на природний ріст і розвиток. Перспективи подальших досліджень убачаємо передусім у розробленні технології профілактики та корекції порушень просторової організації тіла юних спортсменів. Тому навчально-тренувальні заняття таких спортсменів набудуть не тільки спортивно-результативної, а й оздоровчої спрямованості за умов: урахування під час програмування та конкретного планування засобівспортивного тренування індивідуальних характеристик просторової організації тіла юних спортсменів, рівня їхньої фізичної підготовленості та послідовності виконання ними завдань фізичного вдосконалення. Висновок. Виконання тренувальних навантажень, які перевищують адаптаційний потенціал організму підлітків, інтенсивне витрачання резервів їхнього організму на природний ріст і розвиток й диференціацію фізіологічних систем висуває цілу низку проблем щодо збереження їх здоров’я. Складність вирішення цієї проблеми посилюють такі фактори, як: рання спеціалізація в спорті та негативний вплив на організм щоденних тренувань з граничними (піковими) фізичними навантаженнями. Відтак, виникають суперечності між підвищеними вимогами до підготовленості юних спортсменів, пов’язаними з потребою систематичного зростання результатів, і обмеженими функціональними можливостями їхнього організму на ранньому етапі онтогенезу.Ключові слова: порушення просторової організації тіла, юні спортсмени, корекційно-профілактичні заходи.

The traditional maritime logistics industry is facing an industry transformation created by technology development. Along with industry transformation, the maritime logistics research field is also...

The technology has been developed for the production of low-carbon and microalloyed steel for the production of strips in order to manufacture small and medium-diameter pipes for the extraction and transportation of petroleum products. The developed technology allows to obtain stable corrosion properties, according to the NACE Standard TM 0284 technique, in a hot-rolled condition from slab with thickness more than 200 mm and with a content of more than 0.03% of carbon, which is very difficult in terms of ensuring the availability of inclusions and heterogeneity in the structure - as the main reasons for the reduced fracture toughness of steels working in acid media (in environments saturated with H2S). The obtained results allowed, with minimum costs, to prepare the previously developed integrated computer model (STAN 2000) for calculating the structure and mechanical properties. Calculations using the model made it possible to select such temperature-deformation regimes, which would be the minimum structural inhomogeneity over the section of the thickness of the hot-rolled strip. The results obtained: corrosion resistance repeatedly confirmed by the absence of cracks at the beginning after testing in accordance with the procedure Standard TM 0284.

The blockchain is a technology with high growth potential that increases social benefits by streamlining procedures, reducing costs, and innovating the way we work. Considering the growth potential of blockchain technologies, countries around the world are attempting to graft into various fields such as finance, logistics, and healthcare, and actively promoting technology development. Tracing and analyzing the developmental trajectories of blockchain technology can give great insight for R&D direction and strategies. We developed an improved knowledge persistence-based main path approach to identify technological trajectories of the blockchain technology. In addition, future technological directions for each sub-technology under blockchain technology were identified by the knowledge unconventionality metric. The results show that the blockchain technology can be divided into five sub-technologies, and each sub-technology has evolved with high technological interactions among other sub-technologies. Based on the last knowledge streams of the main paths, this paper suggests potential future directions for each sub-technology in the blockchain technology.

Climate-smart agricultural technological innovations have the potential to reduce climate change impacts on agriculture. Due to several barriers, their current rate of adoption and diffusion is low. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have the potential to facilitate technology development and dissemination to smallholder farmers. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of the water efficient maize for Africa (WEMA) project in enhancing technology adoption by smallholder farmers in South Africa. This study explores how PPPs enhance technology adoption and highlights the challenges faced within PPPs using WEMA case. A critical analysis, involving iterative process helped to construct a comprehensive narrative. We found that disputed outcomes, stakeholder concerns, shortage of seeds, disinclination of local companies to market new seeds, upkeep of previous relationships, contractual arrangements and high level of expertise and skills required from farmers were the main factors that affected the efficacy and impact of WEMA on the targeted output and beneficiaries.

Research and Development becomes one of the main pillars to build knowledge based economy nowadays. In highly competitive market, there is a real need for efficient mechanisms to have a successful technology development model. Open Innovation through University Industry Collaboration (UIC) is one of promising mechanisms to develop new technologies that can seed national knowledge economy. UIC model brings valuable benefits to both academia and industry in order to have efficient technology development processes. In addition, UIC offers university researchers an opportunity to have an exposure to industry and creates training and internship opportunities for university students. Trilateral collaboration model, which adds end-user to UIC arrangement, could bring an additional advantage to align the product development with actual customer needs making introduction of new product more successful. This paper gives an overview about the main aspects of trilateral collaboration and shows a real trilateral collaboration case between academia, technology provider and end-user to develop an actual product that serves end-user needs showing advantages and challenges of proposed model.

This article discusses role of field artillery on battlefield and the current state of field artillery. The purpose of this article is to outline development directions of artillery capability. Army surface-to-surface indirect fires will have a crucial part on the future battlefield. Essential trends in field artillery include: increase in range of fires systems; develop and disseminate of multi-sensor active-seeker munitions; advancement automated command and control; develop and implementation systems order to protect ground forces and forward operating bases from the threat of rockets, artillery, and mortars (C-RAM).

Advancements in technology are inextricably bound to our society and the natural environment. However, how the development process of a technology system interacts with both remains unclear. We propose a process model to understand the complex dynamics among technology, society, and the environment via seven interactive elements: technologies, actors, receiving bodies, natural contexts, social contexts, temporal–spatial contexts, and outcomes. The model was applied to agricultural and water technology development in China from 8000 bc to 1911 ad. Our findings show that these elements did not play equally important roles in different periods of the development in ancient China, with social contexts most dominating during the earlier periods and both social and environmental concerns arising towards the later periods. The proposed model, by identifying the elements in the technology development that should be strengthened, can act as an analysis device to assist in reconfiguring a more sustainable socio-technological system. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01424-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This article examines the empirical relationship between electricity consumption, economic growth, energy prices and technology development for India by taking annual time series data from 1981 to 2017. By using the ARDL bounds testing approach to co-integration, the study found long-run equilibrium relationship does exist among the variables. The article reports the existence of positive and significant impact of economic growth on electricity consumption, whereas technological development negatively affects electricity consumption in both the long run and short run. The Granger causality results reveal the presence of unidirectional causality from economic growth and technological development to electricity consumption in India. Therefore, the present study suggests policy makers in India to increase investment in electricity infrastructure to support high economic growth in the country. Further, the policy makers and the government should encourage more technological innovation to minimise usage of fossil fuels and support the use of green energy. This action could help the economy achieve a sustainable economic growth with better environmental quality. JEL Codes: C22, O4, O13, Q43, Q48

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used in waste management for the last two decades and hundreds of journal papers have been published. The use of LCA in waste management has provided a much-improved holistic view of waste management including waste flows and potential environmental impacts. Although much knowledge has been obtained from LCA studies, there is still a need to use LCA models in integrated waste management. This paper describes six areas where LCA is expected to play a role in waste management in the future: 1) understanding an existing waste management system; 2) improving existing waste management systems; 3) comparing alternative technologies/ technology performance; 4) technology development/prospective technologies; 5) policy development/strategic development; and 6) reporting. Illustrative examples are provided for each application area.

Power networks, especially distribution networks, have been undergoing substantial changes since the application of new technologies. Technology development in the early part of the 21st century has opened up new horizons for automated, efficient and reliable power grids. New technologies, while enhancing the capability of the electrical networks and providing opportunities and innovative solutions to the challenges of future networks, can also cause drawbacks that should be investigated and taken into account. Distributed generation (DG) is one of the new technologies that improves the operation of power grids. Despite tangible benefits that integration of DG units brings to electrical grids, their notable impacts on protection systems of power networks raise many challenges and concerns on how a fault should be detected and isolated in active distribution networks. Many attempts have been made to investigate the downside of the interconnection of DG units and methods to mitigate their impacts have been proposed. This study reviews the impact of DG integration on protection systems addressed in other research works and recapitulates suggested methods provided by scholars.

Thermal Protection System (TPS) is an essential component of space vehicles to protect them against the aerothermal heating imposed on them during the atmospheric entry. Different types of TPS, including passive, semi-passive and active systems, have been developed and utilized in the last few decades. With the increasing demand for reusable launch vehicles (RLV) as well as new goals for interplanetary manned missions, the quest for developing effective TPS has been accelerated. This paper provides a comprehensive survey on the technology development of different classes of TPS from mid twentieth century to the present time. Application of different types of TPS for various RLVs is reviewed and the current state of the art of TPS technology is presented. Three major aspects, including mass efficient TPS materials and technology, modeling and simulation tools and techniques and TPS sensors and measurement systems are identified as current challenges pertaining TPS for future space missions, according to the most recent NASA Technology Roadmap. A detailed discussion on these challenges as well as insights regarding future prospects for different classes of TPS are presented in detail.

Since Industry 4.0, there is a growing interest in smart manufacturing across all industries. However, there are few studies on this topic in the garment industry despite the growing interest in implementing smart manufacturing. This paper presents the feasibility and essential considerations for implementing smart manufacturing in the garment industry. A systematic review analysis was conducted. Studies on garment manufacturing and smart manufacturing were searched separately in the Scopus database. Key technologies for each manufacturing were derived by keyword analysis. Studies on key technologies in each manufacturing were selected; in addition, bibliographic analysis and cluster analysis were conducted to understand the progress of technological development in the garment industry. In garment man ufacturing, technology studies are rare as well as locally biased. In addition, there are technological gaps compared to other manufacturing. However, smart manufacturing studies are still in their infancy and the direction of garment man ufacturing studies are toward smart manufacturing. More studies are needed to apply the key technologies of smart man ufacturing to garment manufacturing. In this case, the progress of technology development, the difference in the industrial environment, and the level of implementation should be considered. Human components should be integrated into smart manufacturing systems in a labor-intensive garment manufacturing process.

The textile and apparel industry have been fundamentally changed due to technology development. However, developing countries, such as China, are falling behind for adopting new technologies. The literature suggests firm managers’ perceived benefits and costs of new technology are key variables for their motivation to adopt new technology. However, no reliable and valid scales existed to measure these constructs within the developing country context—specifically in China. Thus, the study aimed to develop scales for measuring Chinese textile and apparel firm managers’ perceived benefits and costs of new technology adoption, using the psychometric method of item response theory. After item generation, item bank development, and psychometric evaluation tested by 599 Chinese textile and apparel firm managers, the two scales were created. These scales provide an opportunity to measure Chinese textile and apparel firm managers’ perceived benefits and costs of new technology adoption, offering tools for additional technology adoption motivation research.

Competence of human resources on the quality of public services in the Maddenra Village Office, Kulo District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency and to determine the factors that influence human resource competence in the Maddenra Village Office, Kulo District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency. The population of this study was 2,095 people. Samples were 95 people. The sampling technique used is Purpossive Sampling. This type of research is quantitative descriptive. Data collection techniques used were observation, interviews, questionnaires and literature study. The data analysis technique used is descriptive statistics and with the help of SPSS application version 21. The results showed that the Human Resources Competence at the Maddenra Village Office with a percentage of 58.16% was in the unfavorable category. The quality of public services at the Maddenra Village Office with a percentage of 58.30% is in the poor category. Based on the value of t count> t table or 9,855> 1,989, then H0 is rejected, it means that Human Resources Competence has a significant effect on the Quality of Public Services in the Maddenra Village Office, Kulo District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency with a percentage contribution of 51.1% influence. Factors that Influence Human Resources Competence: a. Internal factors: 1) Employees in improving service capability 58%. 2) The ability of employees to anticipate public complaints 59%. 3) Increased employee use of computers 56%. b. External factors: 1) Government attitudes towards human resource support 59%. 2) Community involvement in improving services 57%. 3) employee training to support technology development 51%. Based on the description above, it can be concluded that the factors that influence the Competency of Human Resources in the Office of Maddenra Village with a percentage of 56.67% are in the unfavorable category.