Long term impact of a major infrastructure project: the port of Gioia Tauro

This paper illustrates the story of the Port of Gioia Tauro, a major infrastructure investment co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund in the period 1994-1998, but whose origin dates back to the beginning of the 1970s. It draws from a recent ex-post evaluation carried out for the European Commission aimed at assessing the long term effects produced by a sample of ten major infrastructures in the Transport and Environment sectors and interpreting the key determinants of the observed performance. The analysis shows an emblematic story of great business success and unexploited potential for local development: the overall assessment of the economic impact of the project is mixed, stressing the multi-faceted dimensions of development plans. Although a significant effect in terms of job creation, the expected long term development effects, in particular in terms of industrial development in the surrounding area, did not materialise despite much effort (and money) being spent to that end. Wider effects of efficiency on the Italian and Mediterranean port system are additional benefits of the project, but they did not materialise at the local level and did not affect the living conditions of the local population. A key determinant of the past, present and even future performance of the port is the governance structure of the port and the broader area of Gioia Tauro (including in particular two industrial zones located close to the port area), which has been always characterised by fragmented actions and lack of coordination and clear political will. The number of actors, poor strategic direction, vested interests at national, regional and local level and, finally, conflicts between local public authorities are responsible for the current state of play and are the main difficulty to be resolved going forward. In addition, the weakness of the overall transport (and more specifically port) strategy at national level has exacerbated the existing governance problems. The paper discusses to what extent factors such as governance, managerial response and social acceptability can be key determinants of long term effects of a large infrastructure project, more than forecasting capacity or project technical design. It also offers a pilot case testing an innovative evaluation exercise combining cost-benefit analysis with qualitative assessment and adopting a long-run perspective (30 years), which extends into both the past and the future, and requires a mix of retrospective and prospective analysis

Reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interactions : (RECONCILE) ; activities and results

The international research project RECONCILE has addressed central questions regarding polar ozone depletion, with the objective to quantify some of the most relevant yet still uncertain physical and chemical processes and thereby improve prognostic modelling capabilities to realistically predict the response of the ozone layer to climate change. This overview paper outlines the scope and the general approach of RECONCILE, and it provides a summary of observations and modelling in 2010 and 2011 that have generated an in many respects unprecedented dataset to study processes in the Arctic winter stratosphere. Principally, it summarises important outcomes of RECONCILE including (i) better constraints and enhanced consistency on the set of parameters governing catalytic ozone destruction cycles, (ii) a better understanding of the role of cold binary aerosols in heterogeneous chlorine activation, (iii) an improved scheme of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) processes that includes heterogeneous nucleation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) and ice on non-volatile background aerosol leading to better model parameterisations with respect to denitrification, and (iv) long transient simulations with a chemistry-climate model (CCM) updated based on the results of RECONCILE that better reproduce past ozone trends in Antarctica and are deemed to produce more reliable predictions of future ozone trends. The process studies and the global simulations conducted in RECONCILE show that in the Arctic, ozone depletion uncertainties in the chemical and microphysical processes are now clearly smaller than the sensitivity to dynamic variability

Toward the strengthening of enabling technologies in Italy: results of the second survey on Procurement 4.0

Purpose of the paper: This paper presents the results of the second survey on Procurement 4.0 in Italy, focusing on the skills needed for digital transformation. Methodology: The study is conducted through an online questionnaire (CAWI), transmitted by ADACI via email to its members. The results are presented in a comparative format relative to the first survey developed in 2018. Results: The survey suggests that enabling technologies have evolved, at least in the larger companies, from an infancy phase to a real introduction phase with greater involvement of the procurement function, called to act as a gateway for innovation. Limitations: Our second survey has a low participation, though higher than the first. As with the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of enabling technologies in ensuring business continuity has been pushed to the fore, we hope that the third wave of the survey will involve more enterprises. Practical implications: This study provides useful information to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners also suggesting the most appropriate skills to invest in. The findings indicate a strong need for a new training paradigm toward a new integrated mindset. Originality of the paper: The surveys carried out in the framework of this research project are the first to be developed in Italy on Procurement 4.0. The results contribute to illuminating a phenomenon that remains underexplored. Through a university-business partnership, the study can feed decision-making processes at different levels to support the digital transformation of the Italian economic system

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Application for <i>Candida auris</i> Outbreak Typing in a Referral Intensive Care Unit: Phylogenetic Analysis and Clustering Cut-Off Definition

Recently Candida auris has emerged as a multi-resistant fungal pathogen, with a significant clinical impact, and is able to persist for a long time on human skin and hospital environments. It is a critical issue on the WHO fungal priority list and therefore it is fundamental to reinforce hospital surveillance protocols to limit nosocomial outbreaks. The purpose of this study was to apply Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to investigate the phylogenetic relationships among isolated strains from a C. auris outbreak at the University Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary University hospital in Turin (Italy). To calculate a clustering cut-off, intra- and inter-isolate, distance values were analysed. The data showed the presence of a major Alfa cluster and a minor Beta cluster with a defined C. auris clustering cut-off. The results were validated by an external C. auris strain and Principal Component and Linear Discriminant Analyses. The application of FT-IR technology allowed to obtain important information about the phylogenetic relationships between the analysed strains, defining for the first time a “not WGS-based” clustering cut-off with a statistical–mathematical approach. FT-IR could represent a valid alternative to molecular methods for the rapid and cost-saving typing of C. auris strains with important clinical implications

Cost analysis and outcome of endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal lesions in an outpatient setting

Background and study aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), a minimally invasive treatment for early gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, is considered challenging and risky in the colorectum. As such, most patients undergoing ESD are hospitalized due to the perceived increased risk of adverse events. The aim of this study was to compare the costs, safety and efficacy of colorectal-ESD in an outpatient vs inpatient setting in a tertiary level center. Methods: This is a retrospective study on consecutive patients admitted for colorectal-ESD. Patients were divided into outpatients (Group-A, same-day discharge), and inpatients (Group-B, admitted for at least one night). Data on overall costs, outcomes and adverse events were assessed for each group. Results: A total of 136 patients were considered. Fourteen were excluded because ESD was not performed due to intraprocedural suspicion of invasive cancer. Eighty-three patients were treated as outpatients (Group-A, 68%) and 39 (Group-B, 32%) were hospitalized. R0-rate was 90.4% in Group-A and 89.7% in Group-B(P = 0.98). One perforation occurred in Group-A (1.2%) and 2 in Group-B(5.1%, P = 0.2). Mean Length of stay (LOS) was 1 day for outpatients and 3.3 days for inpatients. Management of Group-A as outpatients produced a cost savings of 941\u20ac on average per patient. Conclusions: Outpatient colorectal-ESD is a feasible, cost-effective strategy to manage superficial colorectal tumors with outcomes comparable to inpatient colorectal-ESD. By using proper selection criteria, outpatient ESD could be considered the first-line approach for most patients