Road safety analysis of urban roads. Case study of an Italian municipality

Attention to the most vulnerable road users has grown rapidly over recent decades. The experience gained reveals an important number of fatalities due to accidents in urban branch roads. In this study, an analytical methodology for the calculation of urban branch road safety is proposed. The proposal relies on data collected during road safety inspections; therefore, it can be implemented even when historical data about traffic volume or accidents are not available. It permits us to identify geometric, physical, functional, and transport-related defects, and elements which are causal factors of road accidents, in order to assess the risk of death or serious injuries for users. Traffic volume, average speed, and expected consequences on vulnerable road users in case of an accident allow us to calculate both the level of danger of each homogeneous section which composes the road, and the hazard index of the overall branch. A case study is presented to implement the proposed methodology. The strategy proposed by the authors could have a significant impact on the risk management of urban roads, and could be used in decision-making processes to design safer roads and improve the safety of existing roads

Thermal barrier coating life prediction model development

The objective is to develop an integrated life prediction model accounting for all potential life-limiting thermal barrier coating (TBC) degradation and failure modes, including spallation resulting from cyclic thermal stress, oxidation degradation, hot corrosion, erosion and foreign object damage

A Comparative Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in Commerical Banks: Case Studies from the United States and the United Kingdom

This study investigates the effectiveness of public sector roles in facilitating corporate social responsibility (CSR) in commercial banks in the United States and the United Kingdom and the role of national context in CSR activities of commercial banks. It examines CSR as measured by MSCI ESG (environmental, social and governance) Global Socrates ratings across five categories of ESG (environment, employee & supply chain, customers, corporate governance & ethics, and community & society) in six commercial banks. The study compared differences in ESG rankings to categorized CSR-related government bodies, legislation and policies according to four possible public sector roles as outlined by the World Bank: mandating, facilitating. endorsing or partnering for CSR. The principal conclusion is that national context seems to play a role in CSR activities of commercial banks and that certain CSR-related public policy tools appear to be more effective at supporting CSR than others

The Impact of a California Clean Air Regulation on Infant Birth Weight: The Case for a Check Engine Light

This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of California\u27s Clean Air regulations. Using historical data on infant birthweights from the NCHS, a Difference in Differences (DID) model will demonstrate changes in birthweight after the enforcement of a 1988 regulation. The regulation analyzed affected new cars, mandating that manufacturers install on board diagnostics (OBD) systems on all new vehicles in the state. In the case of the DID, California acts as the treatment, and the neighboring states will act as controls. This is due in part to limitations in the data with regional variables. The analysis also aims to measure the effectiveness of the policies on the basis of environmental indicators as well. This data was made publicly available by the EPA. These variables measure levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) levels. The findings of this research conclude that the enactment of this regulation may have had positive short-term effects on air quality as well as infant birthweight. There exist further opportunities to delve into this research looking at either a longer period or using more specific regional variables than made publicly available in the aforementioned data sets

Civic Capture: How Criminal Organizations Exploit Commercial Ecosystems to Subvert Democracy

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of civic capture, wherein organized criminal groups infiltrate and monopolize municipal governments through non-coercive means. Unlike the widely studied techniques that involve threats and violence or collusive bargains, civic capture is achieved through criminal clans developing monopolistic control over territories and leveraging grey market synergy within a contained commercial environment. Grey market synergy leads to acquiescence, dependency, and in some instances outright legitimacy for the criminal organization that manifests itself in local governance. This study introduces the concept of civic capture to describe the subtle yet pervasive influence these groups exert on municipal governments. Employing a qualitative approach, this research combines firsthand interviews with legal officials, former mafiosi, and anti-mafia activists with investigative reports and public decrees to map the dynamics of state capture throughout Southern Italy, Northern Italy, and Sicily. The findings reveal that criminal clans use economic incentives, social influence, and culturally relevant market sectors to instigate synergy between itself and commercial actors. This synergy manifests itself in a municipal government body accountable to the local criminal clan, duly elected not despite these relationships but, often, because of them. By advancing the concept of civic capture, this dissertation provides a new lens through which to understand the infiltration of governments by organized crime. It offers a novel understanding of an evolved and more sophisticated criminal element that has adapted to a modern and globalized economy, leveraging democratic norms and principles to achieve illicit goals