1,721,071 research outputs found
Approcci innovativi per la classificazione delle aree rurali: dagli indirizzi europei all’applicazione locale
Get PDFThe rurality index has been explored using Spatial Statisti- cal Techniques, Multicriteria Decision Support System and Cluster Analysis to obtain areas with homogenous charac- teristics. The profile outlined is an effective tool to support decision-makers in defining actions aimed to the develop- ment of rural areas, in view of a global rationalization and optimization of resources. To check the consistency of re- sults, the model was tested within Basilicata region, which is well-known to the authors and which has been exten- sively investigated with regard to its levels of rurality. The results show eight homogeneous areas, classified in rela- tion to the Rural Index. The results obtained enable locat- ing resources based on specific needs
A SPATIAL ANALYSIS MODEL TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF SHORT ROTATION FORESTRY FERTIGATED WITH URBAN WASTEWATER: BASILICATA REGION CASE STUDY
No full textThe large-scale cultivation of energy crops irrigated with non-conventional water resources could reduce the negative impacts of fossil fuel use, while still saving potable supplies and decreasing pollution in surface water, particularly in water-deficient environments, like the Mediterranean region. Energy planning is a complex process involving multiple decision makers and criteria. Given the spatial nature of the problem, the research proposes a spatial analysis model to assess the agronomic and economic feasibility of vegetation filter systems in Basilicata region, southern Italy. The model chosen for land suitability analysis is the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) with the use of linguistic quantifiers. The suitability map obtained from the OWA model was used as input in the spatial analysis functions to quantify the productivity and irrigation needs of the species, the potential irrigable service area of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as well as the distances between them and SRF, which are all key elements in the economic evaluation. The results show that the distance is the main element that influences the feasibility: only 25 out of 163 WWTPs are cost-effective and can actually irrigate 864 ha of SRF. The research demonstrates that there is a great potential for bio-energy development in the region with significant economic advantages; in fact, there is a large number of sites with positive NPV up to 50,876.43 €/ha and payback period between 3 and 10 years. The implementation of vegetation filter systems could create chains with a high number of local actors (farmers, intermediaries, forest nurseries, etc.) and contribute to promoting territorial development and employment
Artificial neural network for multifunctional areas
Get PDFThe issues related to the appropriate planning of the territory are particularly pronounced in highly inhabited areas (urban areas), where in addition to protecting the environment, it is important to consider an anthropogenic (urban) development placed in the context of sustainable growth. This work aims at math- ematically simulating the changes in the land use, by implementing an artificial neural network (ANN) mod- el. More specifically, it will analyze how the increase of urban areas will develop and whether this development would impact on areas with particular socioeconomic and environmental value, defined as multifunctional areas. The simulation is applied to the Chianti Area, located in the province of Florence, in Italy. Chianti is an area with a unique landscape, and its territorial plan- ning requires a careful examination of the territory in which it is inserted
A Plackett-Burman Design to Optimize Wood Chipper Settings
Get PDFThe wood-chipping process is affected by several factors, notably chipper settings and wood characteristics. It is often difficult to test all of these factors in a full factorial experimental plan, due to the large number of trials required. On the other hand, a screening design of the experiment makes it possible to manage a large number of variables in a small number of trials. Hence, this approach is used to test six factors, in order to optimize the productivity and chip quality of a drum wood-chipper. These factors are: feeding speed, screen size, PTO-speed, wood species, wood moisture content, and wood diameter. Productivity was significantly affected by screen size, while chip quality was related to feeding speed, screen size, PTO-speed, and wood species. The results suggest that the optimal configuration can be achieved by adjusting feeding speed, the PTO-speed, and the wood species, as these settings maximize chip quality. Screen size requires further analysis, as larger sizes increase productivity but reduce quality, while the opposite is true for smaller sizes. Thus, the optimal screen size requires a consideration of costs and benefits that may change according to the retail price of premium and regular wood chips, and production costs
Approcci innovativi per la classificazione delle aree rurali: dagli indirizzi europei all'applicazione locale/Innovative approaches to the classification of rural areas: from the european addresses to the local application
No full textThe rurality index has been explored using Spatial Statistical Techniques, Multicriteria Decision Support System and Cluster Analysis to obtain areas with homogenous characteristics. The profile outlined is an effective tool to support decision-makers in defining actions aimed to the development of rural areas, in view of a global rationalization and optimization of resources. To check the consistency of results, the model was tested within Basilicata region, which is well-known to the authors and which has been extensively investigated with regard to its levels of rurality. The results show eight homogeneous areas, classified in relation to the Rural Index. The results obtained enable locating resources based on specific needs
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
SWOT-AHP dynamic approach to define medium term strategies to develop forest quality chain and forest energy chain in Tuscany
Get PDFThe aim of the study is directed to define medium-long term political strategies that focus on the qualitative and quantitative improvement of the Tuscany wood productions, at the same time guaranteeing a profitability to the forest workers, as well as revitalization of the quality woods productions. The proposal approach is based on a dynamic SWOT-AHP analysis: the criteria of the analysis have been examined considering three different situations: the existing one, medium and long term scenarios. This integrated application led to the definition of extremely efficacious strategic analyses. In this case the formalization through a dynamic model, able to quantify the relevance of each component, gives to the final beneficiaries an exhaustive tool for territorial plannin
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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