Parthenope University of Naples
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Emergy-based environmental decision making: H.T. Odum ́s heritage for appropriate use of resources and environmental services
No full textEconomies still rely on a “user value” concept, i.e. value depends on market competition (demand vs offer) as well as work potential (exergy) within technological and economic processes. Howard Odum ́s innovative Emergy concept (Odum, 1994) reverses the assessment, by pointing out that the value of a good or commodity relies on the biosphere ́s work to generate and make available (“donor value”) resources and services needed within an economic process. Such an assessment is performed by converting all driving flows of available energy (exergy) into flows of solar equivalent energy (Emergy), in so identifying a new value-assessment currency. This value
depends on Nature, not on market. According to this reversed framework, an appropriate evaluation of the sustainability of economic and social processes should take into consideration the renewability of resources within biosphere and therefore their future availability. Odum ́s “donor-side” approach is a real innovation in policy-making, in that it includes space and time scales assessments for the evaluation of the value of a resource. Developing and comparing emergy-based economic, environmental and social evaluations of human-dominated and natural processes allows a comprehensive evaluation of costs, performance, resilience and sustainability of
individual activities, technologies, regulatory decisions, investments, trade, by means of a unique and comparable
currency. The Emergy approach could be a tool for policy makers and stakeholders to realize that a new
science-based and nature-based pattern is possible and to figure out how this pattern could be. This study aims at
showing the applicability of the emergy approach as policy-making tool by means of case studies in different sectors of society and economics
Recent developments in ITER magnetic control algorithms
No full textAxi-symmetric magnetic control functions are an important part of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) which is now at an advanced design stage. They are aimed at plasma current control, plasma shape control, and vertical stabilization. In principle, these control actions could be decoupled using different sets of active CS/PF coils as in many existing tokamaks. However, in large tokamaks with superconducting coils the controller design becomes more challenging given the high level of coupling among control circuits, the long control fields penetration time, and the use of the same actuators for different control purposes (the so-called actuator sharing). The objective of this paper is to make evidence of ITER PCS flexibility with an illustration of the architecture of the axi-symmetric magnetic control. Important features are (i) the capability to implement both a current-driven and a voltage-driven control scheme, (ii) the capability of controlling the plasma current either at the shape control level or at the circuit current control level, (iii) the concurrent use of both in-vessel and ex-vessel coils to tackle the vertical stabilization problem, (iv) and the capability to manage coil current limits and other exceptions in real-time. To guarantee satisfactory performance over all the operating envelope, a scheduling of the controller parameters is implemented at the control functions level, whereas a magnetic control local supervisor is in charge of the interface with the higher level supervisor, as well as of control algorithms selection. The design is carried out according to the general philosophy of the PCS design including also test assessments on the PCSSP platform
Convergence culturelle, plurilinguisme et empreinte francophone dans le rap italien : dynamiques identitaires et linguistiques
No full textTackling negative externalities in well-being efficiency analysis: accounting for socio-economic and environmental costs
No full textThe concept of well-being has emerged as a promising alternative to GDP for assessing countries’ progress, yet its multidimensional nature poses diverse measurement challenges. Among these challenges lies the treatment of negative externalities, representing socio-economic and environmental costs that substantially impact countries’ performances in well-being production. This study aims to investigate the implications of different methodological approaches in managing bad outputs within an efficiency analysis encompassing the 38 OECD countries. Four distinct approaches, well-established in existing literature, are initially implemented using the DEA methodology and subsequently through Bootstrap DEA to quantify biases arising from limited data usage. The findings carry a dual perspective. Methodologically, the approaches differ in the emphasis they place on discrimination power – when bad outputs are treated as inputs – versus accuracy – when bad outputs are transformed before analysis. Empirically, the results suggest that high absolute well-being levels might not necessarily align with efficient production, suggesting potential improvement even in the wealthiest countries by using national resources more efficiently
Unmet healthcare needs and volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic in the European Union: Exploring heterogeneity in age classes
No full textThis paper investigates the relationship between volunteering and unmet healthcare needs (UHN) during the COVID-19 pandemic in EU countries, focusing on different age groups. Previous studies have shown that younger people are more likely to report UHN than older people in the EU. To investigate UHN, the paper uses data from Eurofound's ‘Living, Working and COVID-19’ e-survey and estimates probit models using several control variables and robustness checks. The results reveal a positive and statistically significant correlation between volunteering and a higher probability of reporting UHN among both younger and older groups of the population. Significant differences in UHN across age groups emerge when considering self-perceived health and unemployment
Sea state reconstruction based on the Spearman rank correlation using full-scale data from a containership
No full textSea state estimation plays a fundamental role in the maritime sector, as it provides essential information for the onboard decision support system. The employment of the wave buoy analogy to estimate the sea state conditions experienced by a ship is a widely investigated topic. The paper applies a recently developed parametric algorithm to a ship motion dataset, measured onboard a 2800 TEU containership. After a brief review of the procedure, the dataset is preliminarily analysed to discard all time-series not fulfilling the stationarity criterion. Subsequently, the sea state assessment procedure is applied to the post-processed dataset and compared with the reference sea state parameters provided by the onboard wave radar and the ERA5 data. The statistics of errors are determined to investigate the effectiveness of the wave buoy analogy method. A reasonable agreement is recognized between the sea state parameters obtained by the sea state reconstruction algorithm and corresponding ones provided by the onboard wave radar and ERA5. Moreover, the robustness of the method is tested by perturbing the entire transfer function dataset with an amplitude variability from ±1 to ±20 %. Finally, a novel criterion is presented to classify unimodal and bimodal sea state conditions
Source apportionment of key air pollutants in Naples using a high-resolution WRF-CAMx-PSAT modeling framework
No full textThis study quantifies the contributions of major emission sources of road transport, maritime activities, and residential heating to air pollution in Naples using a high-resolution WRF-CAMx-PSAT modeling framework. Refined emission inventories and model validation against Environmental Air Quality Agency of Campania Region (ARPAC) monitoring data ensured robust simulation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. The model was applied over a domain covering the Campania region, in Southern Italy, simulating key atmospheric pollutants, including NO2, PM2.5, PM10 and SO2. The source apportionment analysis revealed distinct spatial patterns in pollutant contributions across the five receptor sites. Road transport and residential heating consistently emerged as dominant sources of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5, particularly within urban and suburban contexts. Maritime emissions were found to significantly impact SO2 and NO2 concentrations at coastal sites, especially near the Port of Naples. Natural sources with sea salt, and secondary organic aerosols also played a non-negligible role in PM10 and PM2.5 levels, especially at inland locations. These findings provide actionable insights for targeted emission reduction strategies and evidence-based air quality management in complex coastal urban settings
Le società benefit: oltre la massimizzazione del profitto
No full textLa tesi, intitolata “Le società benefit: oltre la massimizzazione del profitto”, analizza l’evoluzione del ruolo dell’impresa alla luce della crescente integrazione tra dimensione economica, responsabilità sociale e tutela ambientale. Muovendo dall’esame del concetti di sostenibilità, l’elaborato ricostruisce il progressivo consolidarsi di un modello imprenditoriale orientato alla creazione di valore durevole e condiviso. Particolare attenzione è dedicata all’analisi del modello italiano della Società Benefit, introdotto con la legge 28 dicembre 2015, n. 208, quale prima formalizzazione in Europa di una forma societaria che integra stabilmente scopo lucrativo e finalità di beneficio comune. Vengono esaminati in chiave sistematica i principali profili dell’istituto, con riferimento alla struttura dell’oggetto sociale, ai doveri degli amministratori, agli obblighi di rendicontazione dell’impatto e al ruolo degli standard esterni. In tale ambito, viene altresì affrontato il tema della natura delle certificazioni, distinguendo tra qualificazioni normative e attestazioni private di sostenibilità. L’elaborato include inoltre l’analisi di un caso applicativo, quello della I.B.G. S.p.A., al fine di verificare in concreto le modalità di attuazione del modello benefit e le sue ricadute operative. In conclusione, la ricerca si apre a una prospettiva comparata con l’esperienza spagnola, evidenziando le principali linee di convergenza e differenziazione nel contesto europeo. La tesi sostiene che la Società Benefit rappresenti un’evoluzione significativa del diritto societario, capace di integrare stabilmente dimensione economica e interesse generale nella struttura dell’impresa
Enhancing productivity and work engagement: the mediating role of intrinsic motivation toward generative AI knowledge management
No full textPurpose
This study aims to investigate how organizational support – comprising training, work environment and communication – fosters intrinsic motivation toward artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled knowledge management among information technology employees. It further explores how intrinsic motivation influences work engagement and, ultimately, employee productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a quantitative research methodology and comprises data from 116 software engineers employed by Fortune 500 companies across the USA, France, Germany, the UK and India. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and test the research hypotheses.
Findings
Organizational support significantly enhances intrinsic motivation toward AI-enabled knowledge management. While intrinsic motivation does not mediate the link between support and work engagement, work engagement fully mediates the relationship between intrinsic motivation and productivity. This highlights engagement as a key pathway from motivation to performance.
Practical implications
The findings provide actionable insights for managers, human resources leaders and digital transformation teams in knowledge-intensive firms. To implement generative AI effectively, organizations should go beyond technical training by fostering a supportive environment and open communication, critical enablers of employee engagement and performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on AI-enabled knowledge management by applying self-determination theory to explain how support mechanisms shape motivational and behavioral outcomes in generative AI contexts. It deepens understanding of intrinsic motivation in digital work settings and emphasizes the role of engagement in driving productivity