Search results for " Emerging"
showing 10 items of 77 documents
Micropollutants throughout an integrated urban drainage model: Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis
2017
Abstract The paper presents the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of an integrated urban drainage model which includes micropollutants. Specifically, a bespoke integrated model developed in previous studies has been modified in order to include the micropollutant assessment (namely, sulfamethoxazole – SMX). The model takes into account also the interactions between the three components of the system: sewer system (SS), wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and receiving water body (RWB). The analysis has been applied to an experimental catchment nearby Palermo (Italy): the Nocella catchment. Overall, five scenarios, each characterized by different uncertainty combinations of sub-systems (i.e…
The transition from agricultural to Biosystems Engineering University Studies in Europe
2011
This paper describes the main result produced by the ERABEE (Education & Research in Biosystems Engineering in Europe) Thematic Network. The ERABEE Thematic Network was a follow-up of a previous Thematic Network called USAEE (University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe) and both were co-financed by the European Community in the framework of the LLP Programme (Lifelong Learning Programme). The innovative and novel goal of the ERABEE Network was to promote the critical and inevitable transition from the traditional discipline of Agricultural Engineering to the emerging discipline of Biosystems Engineering, exploiting along this direction the outcomes accomplished by the the earli…
HOME COUNTRY INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTS ON INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
2023
La qualità delle istituzioni di un Paese ha un effetto significativo sulla sua performance economica. Istituzioni forti possono garantire un'allocazione efficiente delle risorse, ridurre l'incertezza e gli attriti e favorire il coordinamento tra gli agenti economici. Al contrario, istituzioni deboli determinano una riduzione degli investimenti, un rallentamento della crescita della produttività e una minore crescita del PIL. Buone istituzioni favoriscono le sinergie tra gli investimenti diretti esteri e le imprese locali, nonché le ricadute di produttività. Al contrario, istituzioni poco sviluppate possono interferire con le attività produttive e impedire lo sfruttamento delle ricadute di c…
Internationalization via strategic alliances in family businesses.
2004
It has been observed in previous studies that certain characteristics of family businesses may impede internationalization. These characteristics include the concentration of decision-making in the hands of a single shareholder or small group of shareholders, delays in the succession process, aversion to internationalization, etc. Despite these obstacles, a large number of family businesses have chosen to internationalize as a means of revitalizing themselves. The results of the study reported here indicate three important pre-requisites for family businesses that are seriously considering internationalization as an aid to growth: they need to have a market-leading product, adequate financi…
IMF lending arrangements in emerging and developing countries – participation and prediction
2016
AbstractThe literature on determinants of International Monetary Fund (IMF) interventions in emerging and developing countries shows that the IMF’s decisions are determined by political and economic causes. This article empirically investigates economic factors, showing that a country’s probability to sign an IMF arrangement can be predicted by looking at a core group of macroeconomic variables. Using discriminant analysis we develop a score function that allows us to predict a country’s future participation in IMF programmes. The study covers 153 emerging and developing countries, over more than 30 years (1980–2011) and 654 agreements, for both non-concessional and concessional loans. The …
Emergence of tularemia in France: paradigm of the Burgundy region
2011
International audience; We report three consecutive cases of tularemia occurring in Burgundy, France, a region previously considered not endemic for tularemia. The patients presented with varied and unspecific clinical manifestations. The epidemiological circumstances, especially the mode of contamination, were not particularly suggestive of tularemia. Serological diagnosis was delayed in two cases because of the lack of significant antibody titers at the time of admission. In contrast, a diagnosis could readily be obtained in all three cases by detection of Francisella tularensis DNA from clinical samples using PCR-based methods. These cases highlight the increased incidence and geographic…
Prevention of nosocomial infections and surveillance of emerging resistances in NICU
2011
Neonates hospitalized in NICU are at risk for healthcare associated infections because of their poor immune defenses, related to gestational age, colonization of mucous membranes and skin with nosocomial microorganisms, exposure to antibiotics, invasive procedures and frequent contacts with healthcare workers (HCWs). Healthcare associated infections are the major source of morbidity and mortality in NICU in the developed world. Most infections are caused by Gram-positive organisms, fulminant sepsis are often associated to Gram-negative organisms, fungal sepsis occurs frequently in ELBW infants. Hand hygiene is the most important preventive procedure, nevertheless hand hygiene compliance amo…
The socio-ecology of zoonotic infections
2011
The resurgence of infectious diseases of zoonotic origin observed in recent years imposes a major morbidity/mortality burden worldwide, and also a major economic burden that extends beyond pure medical costs. The resurgence and epidemiology of zoonoses are complex and dynamic, being influenced by varying parameters that can roughly be categorized as human-related, pathogen-related, and climate/environment-related; however, there is significant interplay between these factors. Human-related factors include modern life trends such as ecotourism, increased exposure through hunting or pet owning, and culinary habits, industrialization sequelae such as farming/food chain intensification, globali…
Viaggi nell’immaginario: il turismo virtuale nel sito UNESCO di Tarragona
2023
Le nuove tecnologie hanno trasformato in modo radicale non solo la geografia come disciplina, ma anche le geografie del mondo. Il digitale ha assunto, infatti, un ruolo di mediazione sempre più pervasivo nella produzione dello spazio, come delle conoscenze e degli immaginari geografici. Le possibilità offerte dal virtuale, in particolare, offrono oggi un contributo decisivo nella comunicazione dei significati attribuiti ai luoghi e rispondono in modo sempre più efficace ai bisogni emergenti del settore turistico. Le esperienze di visita mediate dal digitale mirano a coinvolgere i sensi e risultano efficaci quando promuovono immersioni rigorosamente realistiche. Nel quadro di queste riflessi…
Cultural institutions as agents of urban and community regeneration in the (post-)pandemic city. The case of the «Laboratorio Zen Insieme» in Palermo
2022
Although all cities in the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, its impacts on the territories, yet to be understood, are unevenly distributed, revealing extremely varied imbalances depending on the places. However, it is clear that the virus and its variants have aggravated pre-existing socio-spatial inequalities, creating new ones and bringing attention back to those implications between space, planning, public health and citizenship that are at the origins of contemporary urbanism. In a reference framework in which the crisis is globalized but unequal and in the absence of a welfare system capable of responding to the urgencies of the most marginalized social contexts and g…