Advances in statistical methodologies for mid-long term simulation of oil spills in the sea

RESUMEN: Con esta tesis se pretenden aportar nuevas metodologías para mejorar las herramientas disponibles actualmente para la lucha contra la contaminación marina por derrames de hidrocarburos. Por un lado, se propone una metodología para predecir de forma probabilística derrames en el medio-largo plazo. La parte más innovadora de esta metodología consiste en la simulación estadística, mediante modelos de regresión logística, de aquellas variables ambientales que afectan la evolución de un derrame en el mar. El modelado basado en regresión logística es aplicado en el golfo de México y en el Golfo de Vizcaya. En este segundo caso, los patrones ambientales obtenidos son empleados, posteriormente, para la predicción en el medio-largo plazo de derrames. Los resultados obtenidos en cada caso, demuestran el potencial de las técnicas propuestas. Por otro lado, se propone otra metodología enfocada al análisis de peligrosidad asociada a derrames profundos, basada en la extracción de patrones ambientales espacio-temporales. Esta metodología ha sido aplicada en el Mar del Norte y los resultados obtenidos comparados con metodologías tradicionales de estudio de peligrosidad, evidenciando las capacidades de la metodología propuesta, habiendo reducido enormemente los costes computacionales respecto a las técnicas tradicionales. Se ha demostrado como las metodologías propuestas en esta tesis pueden mejorar y ampliar los beneficios de las herramientas existentes para la lucha contra la contaminación marina.ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is the improvement of existing tools for the fight against oil spill marine pollution. On the one side, we developed a methodology for the probabilistic forecast of oil spills at the mid-long term. The core of the methodology is the statistical simulation of oil spill met-ocean forcings, using a logistic regression model. Logistic regression modeling of met-ocean patterns is applied in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Bay of Biscay. In the second case, mid-long term prediction of oil spill is achieved considering the statistically simulated met-ocean conditions. On the other hand, we proposed a methodology for deep oil spill hazard assessment, based on the selection of spatio-temporal met-ocean patterns. This methodology was applied in the North Sea, and the obtained results were compared with the ones achieved with a traditional hazard estimation technique, highlighting the benefit of the proposed method. The methodologies presented in this thesis have shown their ability and the benefits they could bring to the tools for the fight against marine pollution

Business Alignment Strategies for Middle East Real Estate Construction Projects

In the Middle East real estate industry, 46% of projects fail in terms of strategic dimensions. Based on the dynamic capabilities approach and contingency approach, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to identify the successful strategies project leaders used to improve the alignment of projects with business strategy. Data were collected from 7 Skype semistructured interviews with real estate construction project leaders from 3 real estate organizations ranked among the top 10 in the Middle East. Public organizational documents were used for methodological triangulation. A thematic coding approach was adopted following a nonlinear sequential process that involved four stages: (a) reading and preparing the collected data, (b) coding, (c) abstracting the codes into conceptual categories, and (d) identifying the themes\u27 relationships and patterns and creating a thematic map. The 4 themes identified were the (a) flow of strategy, (b) governance of projects during the development phase, (c) governance of projects during the delivery phase, and (d) measurement of project performance and strategic success. The results confirmed the idiosyncratic nature of the selected contexts and the need to increase some dynamic capabilities\u27 dimensions. The contribution of this study to positive social change includes improved community lifestyle and environmental quality

Algunas consideraciones en torno a las categorías de politicidad, inserción territorial y espacio barrial para el estudio de la política en los sectores populares

El estudio de la política en los sectores populares ha sido abordado preferentemente por la sociología y la antropología, disciplinas que, a partir de la década del '90 y, posteriormente, en el escenario de la postconvertibilidad, han utilizado como soporte y epicentro de sus estudios al "espacio barrial", a través de categorías como "inscripción territorial" y "territorialización de los sectores populares", para analizar la especificidad de la condición política de estos sectores. Habida cuenta de la historicidad de estas categorías, la presente ponencia tiene como objetivo problematizar, a través de la revisión bibliográfica de estudios etnográficos y del análisis de un territorio barrial específico, cuáles son los alcances y limitaciones que presentan las nociones de politicidad, inserción territorial y espacio barrial en cuanto recortes analíticos que permiten dar cuenta (o no) de la condición política de los sectores populares. Este trabajo constituye una de las líneas de investigación enmarcada dentro de un trabajo de mayor alcance que, bajo la modalidad de tesina, estoy realizando para la obtención del título de Licenciatura en SociologíaFil: Huaracallo Chiri, Gisela. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina

Studies and projects for the archaeological park of the Nuraghe s’Urachi (Sardinia, Italy). From knowledge for heritage conservation to project for the community

This piece of research regards the archaeological area of the Nuraghe s'Urachi in San Vero Milis (OR- Sardinia, Italy). The site is probably one of the most significant and complex testimonies of the so-called "Nuragic civilization" in Sardinia (18th–11th century BC). Among the approximately eight thou-sand currently surviving "nuraghi”, the s'Urachi complex stands out for its pivotal role in the vast and important network of territorial relations that characterized central-western Sardinia during the Archaic period. Its crucial role in terms of its political, economic, social, and military importance is displayed by its considerable size. Today only seven of the ten perimetral towers are still visible, and of the cen-tral tower — originally over twenty-five meters high — only the base remains. However, from an ar-chaeological point of view, the Nuraghe still constitutes one of the most interesting artifacts of the re-gion. As part of a renewed collective interest in Nuragic sites, the area of the excavations of s'Urachi is a candidate to host a new archaeological park whose formal and organizational characters are still to be defined (section 1.1). In August 2021, a workshop was organized and promoted as part of Accademia Adrianea in Rome Master's degree program on Architecture and Archaeology. The workshop focused on the site to envision four possible scenarios (section 2.1) for implementing and stimulating the preserva-tion and conservation processes, as well as to enhance the archaeological area in accord with the munic-ipal administration and the local community. The process of rediscovery, participation, sharing, and fi-nal "reappropriation" of this heritage's tangible and intangible value represents one of the fundamental objectives this article intends to outline

La bilancia dei pagamenti di parte corrente Nord-Sud (1998-2000)

In this paper we estimate the current account of the balance of payments of ItalyÂ’s Southern and Northern regions for the period 1998-2000. In our scheme the General Government is considered as a non-resident institution; fiscal revenues and expenditure generate credits and debts in the balances of payments of the South and the North. We find that the wide deficit on goods and services of the Southern regions - as estimated by the Regional Accounts - is counterbalanced by income and transfers of the same order of magnitude, mostly originated by the re-distributive activity of General Government. A large part of this re-distribution depends on personal income inequality, even if it has distinguishing territorial marks because of smaller employment rates and the concentration of lower income households in the less developed regions. The re-distribution increases disposable income in Southern regions, raising consumption expenditure and investment. Over the years the Southern deficit on goods and services has markedly shrunk; the reduction is correlated with the slowdown in the rate of capital accumulation. The balance of the current account of Southern regions, though subject to measurement errors, turns out to be nearly zero in the examined period. Thus, net financial inflows or outflows should be of limited amount.bilancia dei pagamenti, Mezzogiorno

The Environmental Dimension of Urban Design: A Point of View

International research on sustainable architecture ascertained the responsibilities of urban forms for buildings’ energy‐environmental performances, highlighting the necessity to broaden the field of intervention in urban design. Furthermore, goals concerning the sustainable city increased design complexity, due to the involvement of different interrelated disciplines, which modified design processes by incorporating external contributions. In particular, environmental analyses are growing in importance and need to be reintegrated into the urban project at the conceptual stage. This ‘environmental awareness’ accompanies the history of the city, and numerous pieces of evidence clearly show the mutual and in‐depth relationship between urban form and local microclimates. Lessons from the ancients constituted the fundamentals in urban design until the Modern Movement, during which knowledge of the past also influenced the work of G. Vinaccia, an Italian pioneer in microclimatic urban design. After the World War II, most of the lessons had been forgotten in favour of technology systems that have since revealed their failures. The current design condition requires a discovery of past abilities, coupling them with contemporary scientific advances. This work introduces a methodology through which to integrate current urban design processes with environmental data and analyses. It is illustrated through a case study and is supported by software

Gaetano Vinaccia’s (1881–1971) Theoretical Work on the Relationship between Microclimate and Urban Design

Because of his classification as a minor architect, Gaetano Vinaccia’s (1881–1971) role in the history of architecture has not been studied in depth. Despite the fact that his impact on the debate about rational architecture was limited, the depth and scientific accuracy of his theoretical contribution to the field of microclimatology in relation to urban design issues deserve to be highlighted, especially today when environmental and bioclimatic questions arise strongly in architecture and planning. Thus, this work aims to reconsider this figure by describing the—unfavorable—context in which his work evolved, by bringing to light his most brilliant statements, by reading his scientific productions, and by starting to consider the validity of some of Vinaccia’s intuitions and their actual correspondence with contemporary research. The question of whether Vinaccia can be considered as an innovator (or not) largely derives from the point of view of architectural criticism and the fact that he did not have a well-defined discipline in which to be classified. Despite the fact that his The City of Tomorrow (1943–1952), which is the first complete treatise on the subject, reveals that he was an absolute pioneer, he has had no chance to influence architecture and urbanism until today

Studies and projects for the archaeological park of the Nuraghe s’Urachi (Sardinia, Italy). From knowledge for heritage conservation to project for the community

[EN] This piece of research regards the archaeological area of ​​the Nuraghe s'Urachi in San Vero Milis (OR- Sardinia, Italy). The site is probably one of the most significant and complex testimonies of the so-called "Nuragic civilization" in Sardinia (18th–11th century BC). Among the approximately eight thousand currently surviving "nuraghi”, the s'Urachi complex stands out for its pivotal role in the vast and important network of territorial relations that characterized central-western Sardinia during the Archaic period. Its crucial role in terms of its political, economic, social, and military importance is displayed by its considerable size. Today only seven of the ten perimetral towers are still visible, and of the central tower — originally over twenty-five meters high — only the base remains. However, from an archaeological point of view, the Nuraghe still constitutes one of the most interesting artifacts of the region. As part of a renewed collective interest in Nuragic sites, the area of ​​the excavations of s'Urachi is a candidate to host a new archaeological park whose formal and organizational characters are still to be defined (section 1.1). In August 2021, a workshop was organized and promoted as part of Accademia Adrianea in Rome Master's degree program on Architecture and Archaeology. The workshop focused on the site to envision four possible scenarios (section 2.1) for implementing and stimulating the preservation and conservation processes, as well as to enhance the archaeological area in accord with the municipal administration and the local community. The process of rediscovery, participation, sharing, and final "reappropriation" of this heritage's tangible and intangible value represents one of the fundamental objectives this article intends to outline.Chiri, GM.; Novelli, F. (2022). Studies and projects for the archaeological park of the Nuraghe s’Urachi (Sardinia, Italy). From knowledge for heritage conservation to project for the community. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 823-830. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1567482383