Using bibliometric analysis to map innovative business models for vertical farm entrepreneurs

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the literature on vertical farming to define key elements to outline a business model for entrepreneurs. The research aims to stimulate entrepreneurship for vertical farming in a smart cities' context, recognising urban agriculture as technology to satisfy increasing food needs.Design/methodology/approachThe research conducts a structured literature review on 186 articles on vertical farming extracted from the Scopus. Moreover, the bibliometric analysis revealed the descriptive statistics on this field and the main themes through the authors' keywords.FindingsDifferent perspectives showed the multidisciplinary nature of the topic and how the intersection of different skills is necessary to understand the subject entirely. The keywords analysis allowed for identifying the topics covered by the authors and the business model's elements.Research limitations/implicationsThe research explores a topic in the embryonic stage to define key strands of literature. It provides business model insights extending George and Bock's (2011) research to stimulate entrepreneurship in vertical farming. Limitations arise from the sources used to develop our analysis and how the topic appears as a frontier innovation.Originality/valueOriginality is the integration of literature strands related to vertical farming, highlighting its multidisciplinary nature to provide a holistic understanding of the themes. In smart cities' context, innovations allow traditional business models to be interpreted in a novel perspective and revealed the elements for transforming vertical farming from innovative technology to an effective source of food sustenance. Finally, the paper suggests a new methodology application for the analysis of word clusters by integrating correspondence analysis and multidimensional scaling analysis.

Building on ‘Hollow Land’ : Skill and Expertise in Foundation-Laying Practices in the Low Countries in the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Centuries

Foundation-laying practices for marshy conditions have received comparatively little attention in architectural history; however, in the seventeenth century Netherlandish specialized skill and knowledge for the construction of pile foundations was recognized as being exceptional and garnered international esteem. Based on new archival material, this article provides insight into the rigorous processes of foundation design, and draws attention to its multidisciplinary nature. In addition, it sheds new light on the introduction of deep foundations, which was a major engineering innovation, providing greater stability because of the use of longer piles that reached the first solid layer deep below the surface. While Dutch expertise was directly related to the landscapes they inhabited, other factors that fostered innovation in foundation design are considered as well.

Mass Atrocities and Their Prevention

Counting conservatively, data show about 100 million mass atrocity-related deaths since 1900. A distinct empirical phenomenon, mass atrocities are events of enormous scale, severity, and brutality, occur in wartime and in peacetime, are geographically widespread, occur with surprising frequency, under various systems of governance, and can be long-lasting in their effects on economic and human development, wellbeing, and wealth, more so when nonfatal physical injuries and mental trauma also are considered. As such, mass atrocities are a major economic concern. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the subject matter, the pertinent conceptual, theoretical, and empirical literatures are voluminous and widely dispersed, and have not been synthesized before from an economics point of view. We address two gaps: a “mass atrocities gap” in the economics literature and an “economics gap” in mass atrocities scholarship. Our goals are, first, to survey and synthesize for economists a broad sweep of literatures on which to base further work in this field and, second, for both economists and noneconomists to learn how economic inquiry contributes to understanding the causes and conduct of mass atrocities and, possibly, to their mitigation and prevention. In drawing on standard, behavioral, identity, social network, and complex systems economics, we find that the big puzzles of the “how” and “why” of mass atrocities, and mass participation therein, are being well addressed. While new research on such topics will be valuable, work should also progress to develop improved prevention approaches. (JEL D72, D74, K38, N40, Z13)

COVID-19: The Impact on Cardiovascular System

SARS-CoV-2 has been circulating in population worldwide for the past year and a half, and thus a vast amount of scientific literature has been produced in order to study the biology of the virus and the pathophysiology of COVID-19, as well as to determine the best way to prevent infection, treat the patients and eliminate the virus. SARS-CoV-2 binding to the ACE2 receptor is the key initiator of COVID-19. The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect various types of cells requires special attention to be given to the cardiovascular system, as it is commonly affected. Thorough diagnostics and patient monitoring are beneficial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and to ensure the most favorable outcomes for the infected patients, even after they are cured of the acute disease. The multidisciplinary nature of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic requires careful consideration from the attending clinicians, in order to provide fast and reliable treatment to their patients in accordance with evidence-based medicine principles. In this narrative review, we reviewed the available literature on cardiovascular implications of COVID-19; both the acute and the chronic.

Theoretical Research on Circular Economy and Sustainability Trade-Offs and Synergies

Circular economy (CE) and sustainability are interrelated, without being exchangeable. While sustainability tries to reconcile the management of productive resources with their increasing consumption, CE aims to make the productive process more efficient, reducing, reusing and recycling the results of the productive process as much as possible. The aim of this paper is to ascertain the systemic structure of interactions between sustainability and CE through the analysis of the existing literature from 2004 to 2021. For this purpose, a computational literature review and a content analysis of the main contributions of CE and sustainability, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were conducted. The results show that there is a positive impact of the synergy between CE strategies and certain SDGs. Specifically, the circular strategies that generate the greatest synergies have to do with preserving materials through recycling, downcycling, and the measurement of indicators or reference scenarios. This is what has led to the inclusion of these concepts in the formulation of policies and strategies, as their multidisciplinary nature allows them to have an impact on areas such as agriculture or innovation, which currently lack specific measures. Therefore, the knowledge derived from this study will contribute favorably to future decisions and actions to be considered, as there is still the potential to legislate in favor of an even more sustainable framework.

Barriers and wellbeing-oriented enablers of intergenerational innovation in the digital age

So far, researchers have used a wellbeing-centered approach to catalyze successful intergenerational collaboration (IGC) in innovative activities. However, due to the subject’s multidisciplinary nature, there is still a dearth of comprehensive research devoted to constructing the IGC system. Thus, the purpose of this study is to fill a research void by providing a conceptual framework for information technology (IT) system designers to use as a jumping-off point for designing an IGC system with a wellbeing-oriented design. A systematic literature study was conducted to identify relevant terms and develop a conceptual framework based on a review of 75 selected scientific papers. The result consists of prominent thematic linkages and a conceptual framework related to design technology for IGC systems. The conceptual framework provides a comprehensive overview of IGC systems in the innovation process by identifying five barrier dimensions and using six wellbeing determinants as IGC catalysts. Moreover, this study discusses future directions for research on IGC systems. This study offers a novel contribution by shifting the technology design process from an age-based design approach to wellbeing-driven IGC systems. Additional avenues for investigation were revealed through the analysis of the study’s findings.

Enhancement of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Dental-Maxillofacial Images by Sampling Kantorovich Algorithm

In this paper, we establish a procedure for the enhancement of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) dental-maxillofacial images; this can be useful in order to face the problem of rapid prototyping, i.e., to generate a 3D printable file of a dental prosthesis. In the proposed procedure, a crucial role is played by the so-called sampling Kantorovich (SK) algorithm for the reconstruction and image noise reduction. For the latter algorithm, it has already been shown to be effective in the reconstruction and enhancement of real-world images affected by noise in connection to engineering and biomedical problems. The SK algorithm is given by an optimized implementation of the well-known sampling Kantorovich operators and their approximation properties. A comparison between CBTC images processed by the SK algorithm and other well-known methods of digital image processing known in the literature is also given. We finally remark that the above-treated topic has a strong multidisciplinary nature and involves concrete biomedical applications of mathematics. In this type of research, theoretical and experimental disciplines merge in order to find solutions to real-world problems.

Tracking the Workforce 2020-2030: Making the Case for a Cancer Workforce Registry

Existing literature has described the projected increase in cancer incidence and the associated deficiencies in the cancer workforce. However, there is currently a lack of research into the necessary policy and planning steps that can be taken to mitigate this issue. Herein, we review current literature in this space and highlight the importance of implementing oncology workforce registries. We propose the establishment of cancer workforce registries using the WHO Minimum Data Set for Health Workforce Registry by adapting the data set to suit the multidisciplinary nature of the cancer workforce. The cancer workforce registry will track the trends of the workforce, so that evidence can drive decisions at the policy level. The oncology community needs to develop and optimize methods to collect information for these registries. National cancer societies are likely to continue to lead such efforts, but ministries of health, licensing bodies, and academic institutions should contribute and collaborate.

Competent Approach To Training Future Speech Therapists

A high-level professional can be considered a speech therapist who knows the norm! speech therapy correctional pedagogical activity, changes and develops his personality in the process of professional activity, the specificity of which is its multidisciplinary nature: a speech therapist works at the intersection of pedagogy, medicine, speech therapy, psychology and other scientific areas.

Developing Industrial CPS: A Multi-Disciplinary Challenge

Industrial Cyber–Physical System (CPS) is an emerging approach towards value creation in modern industrial production. The development and implementation of industrial CPS in real-life production are rewarding yet challenging. This paper aims to present a concept to develop, commercialize, operate, and maintain industrial CPS which can motivate the advance of the research and the industrial practice of industrial CPS in the future. We start with defining our understanding of an industrial CPS, specifying the components and key technological aspects of the industrial CPS, as well as explaining the alignment with existing work such as Industrie 4.0 concepts, followed by several use cases of industrial CPS in practice. The roles of each component and key technological aspect are described and the differences between traditional industrial systems and industrial CPS are elaborated. The multidisciplinary nature of industrial CPS leads to challenges when developing such systems, and we present a detailed description of several major sub-challenges that are key to the long-term sustainability of industrial CPS design. Since the research of industrial CPS is still emerging, we also discuss existing approaches and novel solutions to overcome these sub-challenges. These insights will help researchers and industrial practitioners to develop and commercialize industrial CPS.