1,722,481 research outputs found
Advanced technology, new spatial dynamic and urban competition: a procedure for evaluating of the italian districts’ competitive potential
No full textThe global change of economy and production determined by the impact of advanced communication technology are re-launching the role of cities and regions from local to global scale. Global competition among cities induces new spatial dynamic, modifying the traditional territorial hierarchies and concentrating the management of economic, technological and cultural relationships in a few metropolitan areas.
Starting from this assumption, this paper gives a contribution for setting up strategies targeted to the promotion of competitive take-off of Italian districts –considered as the most suitable reference unit for this work– closely connected to the strategic resources of each district.
In order to pursue this aim, the research work has a twofold goal:
- to identify the strategic resources enabling regions to gain a competitive advantage at different territorial levels (international, national, local);
- to evaluate the Italian districts’ competitive potential in the international, national and local context.
The research work deals with the problem of the international competition among cities with a focus on the territorial aspect of the competition. Therefore, in order to set up a procedure for determining the competitive potential of the Italian districts, we consider apart from variables related to economy and production, also variables related to infrastructure equipment, settlement’s quality, human resources, etc.
The main finding of the research work is a subdivision of the 95 Italian “districts” into five classes, according to their present or potential role in the global, national or local competition
Helicobacter pylori. Benedetto il giorno che ti ho incontrato
No full textSolo in Italia circa venticinque milioni di persone sono affetti dall’infezione da Helicobacter Pylori.
L’unica via di trasmissione a tutt’oggi nota pare sia il contagio dalla mamma al piccolino, senza che questo contagio
sia “scontato”. In questo agile saggio, in un’alternanza di voci, il gastroenterologo Dino Vaira e il medico di base Carlo Gargiulo, rispondendo alle domande più ricorrenti dei pazienti e sfatando i luoghi comuni sul fenomeno, spiegano cos’è questo batterio, perché è così pericoloso e quanto si è “fortunati ad averlo”... in quanto una volta sconfitto si ha la quasi certezza che non insorgano “brutti mali” allo stomaco. L’ulcera e la gastrite sono state davvero le malattie del secolo, grazie alla scoperta dell’Helicobacter, che è valso un premio Nobel nel 2005, l’ulcera, in particolare è stata sconfitta definitivamente. I sintomi dell’ulcera (dolore, cattiva digestione, pancia gonfia, nausea) e le sue terribile complicanze (emorragia) scompaiono completamente, inoltre, altro dato assolutamente rilevante, non si è più costretti ad assumere farmaci per il resto della vita... come avveniva solo venti anni fa. Il destino o ancor meglio l’intuizione di chi studia una vita intera un determinato argomento ha portato a questa incredibile scoperta. Infatti, se uno dei due vincitori del Nobel non si fosse “dimenticato” le colture in ospedale (mentre faceva beatamente surf sull’Oceano Pacifico) ancora oggi il pensiero dominante identificherebbe nello “stress” la causa dell’ulcera e della cattiva digestione, così come è stato negli ultimi cento anni. D'altronde questo “incidente” è stato davvero l’evento scatenante per la scoperta di questo
batterio e non virus, che ha radicalmente cambiato la storia dell’ulcera migliorando in maniera “radicale” la qualità di vita
di milioni e milioni di pazienti. Grazie alla scoperta di una terapia “made in Italy” detta sequenziale di dieci giorni è
possibile sconfiggere questo batterio con la quasi certezza di non ammalarsi mai più di ulcera
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Where can the elderly walk? A spatial multi-criteria method to increase urban pedestrian accessibility
Full text linkIn terms of residual physical activities suitable for most elderly individuals, walking is also the favoured form of mobility in this group, in particular for those aged 75 and over. For this segment of the population, walking represents the main means of accessing urban services and actively participating in community life. It is thus essential to improve both the physical and functional organization of urban areas to develop comfortable and safe walking paths for the elderly and the other weak segments of population. Therefore, this study provides a methodology for classifying a neighbourhood as more or less accessible for the elderly to reach urban services on the basis of its favourable characteristics. Based on the results of a literature review and Delphi analysis, the fuzzy technique was applied to evaluate the security and urban context characteristics, both in terms of the pedestrian network and built environment. The obtained weights, validated by a sensitivity analysis, were then used to calculate a walking attractiveness index for the elderly using a GIS tool. The methodology was then tested in two neighbourhoods of Naples; the outputs show the areas that local decision-makers should prioritise to improve the safety and attractiveness of routes to access urban services
Coastal areas and climate change: A decision support tool for implementing adaptation measures
Full text linkClimate change will be one of the main global challenges in the future. In this context cities play a key role. If, on the one hand, cities cause climate change, on the other hand, they are the places where climate change impacts are most evident, as it deeply affects the quality of life of its inhabitants. Climate change impacts are particularly relevant for coastal areas. These are characterized by a higher concentration of buildings and people in comparison to inland areas. In particular, one of the forecasted effects of climate change in these areas is the increase in coastal flooding due to rising sea levels and storm surges. The implementation of strategies and actions for the adaptation of urban areas to the impacts of coastal flooding is essential to ensure the liveability of coastal communities. Urban planning plays a key role in cities’ adaptation. However, even though the interest in this topic has been increasing, operative support and tools for planning urban adaptation in cities are in short supply, especially in coastal cities. In light of this, it has become necessary to focus on the definition of new tools responding to the needs of urban planning. Based on these observations, this paper, starting from the existing literature on coastal vulnerability indices, has developed a new index: the Coastal Resilience Index (CoRI). Thanks to the CoRI and to the use of technological innovations applied to urban planning (in particular, Geographic Information Systems), a decision support tool has been developed to identify adaptation measures aiming to reduce the impacts of coastal flooding, caused by rising sea levels and storm surges
Variations on the Author
Full text link“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
The investments of NextGenerationEU vs urban competitiveness of Italian metropolitan areas
No full textThe social, economic, and environmental challenges imposed by the complexity of the ongoing phenomena require the rapid transformation of cities into resilient, competitive urban systems. The recent European program NextGenerationEU is oriented in this direction. It allocates the resources to turn the Covid-19 pandemic into a trigger of development through the implementation of recovery plans aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the territories involved. Hence, it is urgent to find a way not only to manage the available resources but distribute them effectively, identifying priorities of interventions. This paper examines Italian metropolitan areas to support decision-makers in the prioritization/management of urban transformations in the framework of the Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). 53 variables belonging to five macro-areas of competitiveness were identified and elaborated. Two composite indexes were developed to compare the cities’ actual competitive performance with the distribution of resources defined by the PNRR. The aim is to understand if the PNRR investments are consistent with the case studies assets and vocations that, if boosted, may determine their competitive development. Among the main findings, it emerged a substantial deviation between competitive performance and allocated resources, especially for southern cities which received a greater boost from the PNRR than their actual competitive potential in order to overcome the North-South existing disparities
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe 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
Planning, Nature and Ecosystem Services – Proceedings of the International Conference on Innovation and Urban and Regional Planning INPUT aCAdemy 2019
Full text linkThis e-book contains the Proceedings of the INPUT aCAdemy 2019 Conference held at the University of Cagliari on 24-26 June 2019, titled “Planning, nature and ecosystem services.” Input aCAdemy follows the tenth INPUT Conference, held in September 2018 at Tuscia University, in Viterbo and, in some way, it breaks the biennial tradition of the INPUT Conferences. The reason for the frequency increase of the INPUT Conferences is that the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture of the University of Cagliari is involved in a project funded by the Programme INTERREG Marittimo–Italia France–Maritime 2014–2020, Axis 2. In the context of the project, entitled “GIREPAM–Integrated Management of Ecological Networks through Parks and Marine Areas”, the Department and the Office for Nature Protection and forest policies of the Regional Autonomous Administration of Sardinia are studying and defining an experimental methodology to integrate conservation measures concerning Natura 2000 Sites into marine protected areas regulations. The methodology is implemented to build the new regulations of two marine protected areas of Sardinia, namely the Island of Asinara and of the Island of Tavolara and Cape Coda Cavallo. Since GIREPAM allocates a considerable amount of funds to the organization of an international conference on protection of nature and natural resources, ecosystem services and their relationship with spatial planning processes and practices, green infrastructure, and integrated management of protected areas and Natura 2000 Sites, and these funds must be spent by December 2019, the research group at the Department proposed to the INPUT Community, during the 2018 Viterbo Conference, a 2019 INPUT Conference focussing on these themes. The INPUT Community responded enthusiastically and, that being so, the research group has made every effort to make the event come true. The Conference develops through plenary sessions and parallel tracks. The scope of the plenary sessions is to propose distinguished points of view concerning research and implied planning ideas and policies on important and significant issues which feature the ongoing scientific and technical debate on nature and natural resources. The questions proposed and discussed in the Conference are three central topics which are characterized by several studies available in contemporary literature, and by vibrant debates as well, both from the theoretical and technical points of view. These questions are presented and discussed in the three plenary sessions which are the starting points of the three days of the Conference. Each plenary session is organized as follows: first, a speaker, a distinguished scholar, proposes the findings of his theoretical and/or applied research work and derived implications for spatial policy; secondly, a discussant, a distinguished scholar as well, critically analyzes the positions expressed in the first place and identifies open or unresolved questions and outstanding issues; thirdly, the public enters the discussion, through questions, observations, critical positions. Finally, the speaker replies to the discussant’s and to the public’s statements. The first plenary session is on “Valuing ecosystem services in money: A necessary evil for protecting biodiversity?”; the speaker is Erik Gomez-Baggethun (Faculty of Landscape and Society, Norwegian University of Life Sciences); the discussant is Andrea Arcidiacono (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Polytechnic University of Milan). The second plenary session concerns “Managing urban ecosystems for goods and services”; the speaker is Kevin Gaston (Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter); the discussant is Bernardino Romano (Department of Civil, Building-Architecture and Environmental Engineering, University of L’Aquila). The third plenary session is related to “Mapping and modeling ecosystem services: A cascade ES modeling approach applied to the Flemish Natura 2000 Network”; the speaker is Jan Staes (Department of Biology, University of Antwerp); the discussant is Beniamino Murgante (School of Engineering, University of Basilicata at Potenza). The topics presented in the plenary sessions are the background of the discussions which characterize the parallel tracks. These tracks are featured by studies which consider protection of nature and natural resources, ecosystem services and their relationship with spatial planning processes and practices, as regards the following topics: 1. Ecosystem services and spatial planning; 2. Integrated management of marine protected areas and Natura 2000 sites; 3. Rural development and conservation of nature and natural resources; 4. Geodesign, planning and urban regeneration; 5. Green and blue infrastructure; 6. Smart city planning; 7. Water resources planning, ecosystem services and nature-based solutions in spatial planning; 8. Conservation and valorisation of architectural and cultural heritage; 9. Accessibility, mobility and spatial planning; 10. Tourism and sustainability in the Sulcis area; 11. Ecological networks and landscape planning. The closing plenary session of the Conference proposes a roundtable discussion on “Planning Nature 2000 Network and protected areas: The integration of conservation measures into regulations.” The roundtable will involve panelists from several institutions who participate in the GIREPAM Project
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