1,721,400 research outputs found
Mapping the Multifaceted Patterns of Industrial Districts: A New Empirical Procedure with Application to Italian Data
No full textCanello J. and Pavone P. Mapping the multifaceted patterns of industrial districts: a new empirical procedure with application to Italian data, Regional Studies. This paper illustrates an innovative algorithm to map and classify industrial districts. The theoretical framework uses the Sforzi procedure as a basis for the analysis, revising the main criteria proposed by the original approach. The methodology is tested on the 2001 Italian Census of Industry and Services to allow comparison between the two algorithms. The results show the effectiveness of the new method in identifying industrial districts, without causing distortions to the original framework. The classification proposed allows one to discriminate the areas identified by the procedure according to their structural characteristics, contributing to the unveiling of the diversity underlying the industrial district phenomenon
Coronary CT Angiography: Evaluation of Stenosis and Occlusion
No full textOnce an atherosclerotic plaque has been identified and properly characterized by means of coronary CT angiography (CTA), the next step is to define the extent of atherosclerotic involvement, i.e., significant reduction of the lumen by stenosis or complete occlusion of the vessel. A reduction in the caliber of the vessel lumen is associated with a reduction in blood flow and may have significant hemodynamic consequences; however, an important and clearly evident parietal atherosclerotic plaque may be present without significantly reducing lumen caliber. Thus, an exact definition of the extent of lumen reduction by means of coronary CTA is very important from a clinical point of view. In most cases, this diagnostic procedure is employed in not highly symptomatic patients (in patients in whom there is strong clinical suspicion of coronary disease, catheter angiography is directly performed); then, depending on the results of the clinical examination, a decision is made as to whether a more invasive approach (catheter angiographsy) is required. This decision depends at least in part on the significance of the vessel stenosis. Both the aim and the key role of coronary CTA are to differentiate patients with normal coronary vessels from those with limited atherosclerotic involvement without evidence of stenosis (who may benefit from supportive drug therapy) and from those with significant stenosis. In this latter group, catheter coronary angiography may confirm the significance of the disease and define the therapeutic approach.
The direct evidence of arterial stenosis provided by coronary CTA yields additional information. For example, a stenosis > 70% causes a significant hemodynamic reduction of vascular flow. Completely asymptomatic patients, with negative treadmill tests, may present with important and significant stenosis of one or more coronary arteries but with an overall reduction in flow that is less than the 70% threshold.
In clinical practice, a stenosis is considered significant when the vessel caliber is reduced by > 50%. Thus, the goal is to interpret coronary CTA images such that the level of stenotic vascular involvement is precisely determined
X-Ray Exposure in Coronary CT Angiography
No full textIn coronary CT angiography (CTA), X-ray radiation is delivered through an X-ray tube from which the amount of radiation emitted can be carefully controlled. Recently, the use of X-rays for diagnostic purposes has been the subject of important and renewed attention, with the aim of limiting radiation exposure and thus its negative consequences on human health. The potential oncological impact of X-rays is well-known. Earlier generations of radiologists used diagnostic equipment often without the protection that has since become routine. Consequently, they often suffered dermatological problems on their hands as well as an increased frequency of tumors, mostly of the hematopoietic series. In the following, we focus on the unintentional exposure that occurs during a diagnostic evaluations, i.e., for coronary artery disease
Clusters of specializations in the automotive supply chain in Italy. An empirical analysis using text mining
Full text linkThe wide literature exploring supply chains is polarized on two perspectives: micro analyses focusing on management strategies of companies, and macro assessment of cross-country interdependences. In order to explore the ongoing innovation paths, this paper adopts a third perspective on the supply chain, focusing on the internal structure of specializations within the automotive supply chain in Italy. If we compare the degree of fragmentation across global value chains, the automotive supply chain has the highest degree of fragmentation. With regard to Italy, its structural characteristics (number, size of companies, location) and dynamics of change deserve attention both for its large share in domestic production and for its interconnections with other supply chains. In this paper, we explore a strategy to identify a classification of specializations within the automotive supply chain grounded on the textual description of activities provided by companies when they register their business. Pending the acquisition of the database for the other years of the Observatory, in this work the analysis refers only to 2017 data
The experience of social reporting in Italian judicial offices. The laboratory of the public prosecutor’s office in Naples
No full textPurpose: The paper aims to reach a better understanding of accountability and social reporting in the Italian justice system, by examining the state of the art of both literature and practice. The case study highlights the critical elements in drawing up the social report of one of the most important Prosecutor Offices in Italy. Design/methodology/approach: The case study analyzes the activities of the actors involved in the report building process by detailing all the steps involved in a research diary, in order to examine such process from the inside, thus reversing its perspective. Findings: The study shows that both the lack of guidelines for judicial administrations and a consolidated trend of transforming administrative facts into documents useful to stakeholders slow down the evolution of practices, which are stuck in a perpetual trial stage. Research limitations/implications: The limitations are mainly related to the adoption of a single case study, which does not include any comparison with other reporting experiences in the justice sector. Originality/value: This paper adds evidence to the theoretical debate on social reporting in the justice sector which has so far received the attention of a limited number of scholars. Furthermore, unlike other studies focusing exclusively on the final report while overlooking the process that turns input into output, this research deals with the core of the social reporting process and practices in their development, capturing their most intimate and controversial aspects from the inside
Strategie, pubbliche e private, in azione per ri-costruire meglio. Analisi dei testi di quattro interviste
Full text linkIn this paper we present the methodology and results of the automatic analysis of the transcripts of the interviews carried out under the project "ideas and projects for better reconstruction" (Esposito et al., 2017). Four strategic areas are considered: the Territorial Cohesion Agency, the Casa Italia Plan, the Civil Protection, and that of a community model of action in the community. The goal is twofold. On the one hand, it is intended to offer a systematic reading of the specificities and elements common to the various aspects considered in the interviews. On the other hand, we want to explore some methodological ideas in the automatic analysis of the texts on the following issues: integration of analytical tools, constraints resulting from the size of the corpus, interpretative potential of graphical representation of results, integration between automatic information retrieval, auto-coding of a corpus and expert reading
WPTIP 1993-2017: a longitudinal analysis of issues, connections and impact of the discussion on technology and innovation policy at Oecd
Full text linkThe occasion of the 50th plenary meeting of the OECD Working Party on Innovation and Technolo-gy Policy (TIP) is being taken to elaborate a reflexive analysis of the WPTIP activity to ground a discussion for future activities, particularly in view of the discussion of the next budget plan and for a future mandate after that of 2014-2019. This analysis aims at providing an overview of the theo-ries and analyses grounding the recommendations proposed by WPTIP on technology and innova-tion policy, in a period in which 'innovation' has become the catchword for any discussion on poli-cies to support economic development and social inclusion. To place this analysis in a historical perspective, this paper adopts a systematic automatic text analysis to organize figures and facts over 25 years. The analysis considers text documents on WPTIP events (such as conferences, workshops, plenary meetings) and activities (such as reports on specific topics)
Identification and Characterization of the Atherosclerotic Plaque Using Coronary CT Angiography
No full textCoronary CT angiography (CTA) is the first diagnostic modality that allows simultaneous evaluation of the lumen and wall of these small, rapidly pulsating arteries. Catheter coronary angiography, by contrast, only evaluates the internal, patent lumen of these vessels, without providing direct information on the vessel wall or the extent of vascular parietal involvement by atherosclerosis. While it identifies areas of stenosis or obstruction, it does not show details of the plaque itself, unless heavy calcifications make the atherosclerotic plaque evident on the X-ray image. Intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) is an excellent method to obtain high-resolution images of the vascular wall, with identification of the different layers and proper characterization of the atherosclerotic plaque; however, it is an invasive procedure, performed in the course of catheter coronary angiography, and does not simultaneously evaluate the vessel lumen. Coronary CTA is therefore the first non-invasive imaging technique that allows evaluation of the lumen and walls of the coronary arteries, a particular advantage in determining the atherosclerotic burden in these arteries. Since atherosclerosis is a disease of the vessel wall, obtaining proper and direct evidence of a coronary plaque is an important new diagnostic possibility. The technique provides morphological information and CT density measurements, with important prognostic and therapeutic implications
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