Search results for "Economic analysis"
showing 10 items of 95 documents
A novel thermoeconomic analysis under dynamic operating conditions for space heating and cooling systems
2019
Abstract Thermoeconomic analysis allows for a deep understanding of the cost formation process within an energy system, providing insights into the possible routes for improvement. Several thermoeconomic approaches are well-established for application in systems with steady operating conditions, such as power plants, while a limited number of applications to air-conditioning systems in buildings have been proposed, due to the difficulties in dealing with very irregular load profiles and unsteady plant operating conditions. This study investigates the potential of Thermoeconomics as a support for decision making in building energy systems, proving its capability to identify trade-offs betwee…
Organised Crime and the Economy: a Framework for Policy Prescriptions
2014
In this paper we discuss policies to combat organised crime from the perspective of economic analysis. We introduce concepts such as supply and demand for Mafia and the implied notion of equilibrium to build a framework to classify the contexts in which organised crime interferes with the economy. We then use this framework to discuss policy interventions, distinguishing between policies implemented by the State and mobilisation of civil society. We show that using the economic approach helps understand the aspect of persistence of criminal organisations and identify vicious circles of different nature. The broad spectrum of State policies identified includes norms on competition, on the ef…
The community structure of the global corporate network.
2013
We investigate the community structure of the global ownership network of transnational corporations. We find a pronounced organization in communities that cannot be explained by randomness. Despite the global character of this network, communities reflect first of all the geographical location of firms, while the industrial sector plays only a marginal role. We also analyze the network in which the nodes are the communities and the links are obtained by aggregating the links among firms belonging to pairs of communities. We analyze the network centrality of the top 50 communities and we provide the first quantitative assessment of the financial sector role in connecting the global economy.
Least-squares community extraction in feature-rich networks using similarity data
2021
We explore a doubly-greedy approach to the issue of community detection in feature-rich networks. According to this approach, both the network and feature data are straightforwardly recovered from the underlying unknown non-overlapping communities, supplied with a center in the feature space and intensity weight(s) over the network each. Our least-squares additive criterion allows us to search for communities one-by-one and to find each community by adding entities one by one. A focus of this paper is that the feature-space data part is converted into a similarity matrix format. The similarity/link values can be used in either of two modes: (a) as measured in the same scale so that one may …
Partial spatial equilibria with fuzzy constraints
1981
It is implicitly accepted by spatial economic analysis that the economic behaviour of agents located in given spaces (market areas, regions, etc.) is precise, that is to say, their behaviour is such that a possible action (consumption, production) is, or is not, preferable to another. In otherwords, economic agents are assumed to make accurate economic calculations and optimise the objective functions under strict constraints of resource limitation. These objective functions have clearly defined arguments and well-controlled parameters.
Dynamic reconfiguration systems for PV plant: Technical and economic analysis
2020
Solar plants suffer of partial shading and mismatch problems. Without considering the generation of hot spots and the resulting security issues, a monitoring system for the health of a PV plant should be useful to drive a dynamic reconfiguration system (DRS) to solve bottlenecks due to different panels’ shading. Over the years different DRS architectures have been proposed, but no suggestions about costs and benefits have been provided. Starting from technical subjects such as differences of the topologies driving the hardware complexity and number of components, this paper identifies the cost of DRS and its lifetime, and based on these issues it provides an economic analysis for a 6 kWp PV…
Feasibility study of biogas project development: technology maturity, feedstock, and utilization pathway
2023
STRATEGIE PENALI ED ANALISI ECONOMICA DELLA CRIMINALITÀ D'IMPRESA
The cost-effectiveness of neonatal versus prenatal screening for congenital toxoplasmosis
2019
BackgroundCongenital Toxoplasmosis (CT) can have severe consequences. France, Austria, and Slovenia have prenatal screening programs whereas some other countries are considering universal screening to reduce congenital transmission and severity of infection in children. The efficiency of such programs is debated increasingly as seroprevalence among pregnant women and incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis show a steady decrease. In addition, uncertainty remains regarding the effectiveness of pre- and postnatal treatments.MethodTo identify cost-effective strategies, prenatal and neonatal screenings were compared using a decision-analytic model based on French guidelines and current knowledge …
Desalination of oilfield produced waters via reverse electrodialysis: A techno-economical assessment
2023
Produced waters (PWs) are oilfield waste streams rich in minerals and hydrocarbons whose production rate is largely increased in last decades following the corresponding increase of energy demand. The high salinity level of PWs inhibits the adoption of cheap biological treatments. Also, desalination techniques based on osmotic membranes would require severe pre-treatments. As an alternative, Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) and Assisted Reverse ElectroDialysis (ARED) are here proposed for the first time to reduce the salinity level of PWs. RED may also guarantee an operation cost reduction thanks to its energy generation. An ad-hoc model for RED and ARED is here developed in order to deal suit…