The impact of military downsizing on two Italian communities: a counterfactual approach using the synthetic control method

In this paper, we propose a quasi-experimental approach to assess the effect that downsizing of the largest experimental military base in Europe, located in Sardinia, Italy, had on local economies. The study shows the fruitfulness of the Synthetic Control method for assessment of socioeconomic impacts on a single treated unit when other standard methods for impact evaluation are not feasible. It is shown that the local communities analysed have been characterised by different levels of frailty, which should be attentively considered if further downsizing of the base will be placed on the political agenda

The Impact of Military Downsizing on Two Italian Communities: A Counterfactual Approach Using the Synthetic Control Method

In this paper, we propose a quasi-experimental approach to assess the effect that downsizing of the largest experimental military base in Europe, located in Sardinia, Italy, had on local economies. The study shows the fruitfulness of the Synthetic Control method for assessment of socioeconomic impacts on a single treated unit when other standard methods for impact evaluation are not feasible. It is shown that the local communities analysed have been characterised by different levels of frailty, which should be attentively considered if further downsizing of the base will be placed on the political agenda

Contestation en ligne dans la Tunisie prérévolutionnaire. L'expérience de SfaxOnline

At the beginning of the '90s, Tunisia became the first Arab and African country to connect to the Internet. Ben Ali’s regime invested heavily in new technologies, working on two fronts. On the one hand, it adopted policies aimed at promoting technological development. On the other hand, it enforced a rigid and articulated system of control. Nevertheless, by the end of the '90s, the first signs of politicization of the Net started emerging. The story of the SfaxOnline helps us to gain a deeper knowledge of the use of the Internet for political contestation in pre-revolutionary Tunisia.Au début des années 90, la Tunisie devient le premier pays arabe et africain à se connecter à Internet, faisant de la diffusion du réseau en ligne un motif d’orgueil et un instrument de propagande. Le régime de Ben Ali investit avec conviction dans les nouvelles technologies en agissant simultanément sur deux fronts. Si d’un côté, des politiques visant à leur promotion sont adoptées, de l’autre, un système de contrôle rigide se met en place. Le régime tunisien deviendra rapidement l’un des plus répressifs au monde en ce qui concerne le contrôle de la toile. Malgré cela, à la fin des années 90, les premiers signes de politisation, utilisée à des fins de contestation, apparaissent sur Internet. L’expérience du site SfaxOnline, qui apparait en 2008 et donne forme à cette contribution, concourt à l’approfondissement de la connaissance de l’utilisation de la toile à des fins contestataires dans la Tunisie prérévolutionnaire. En effet, ce n’est pas la Révolution qui a transformé Internet en outil de contestation. Le cas de SfaxOnline présenté dans cette recherche témoigne de l’antériorité du phénomène tout en contribuant à faire comprendre comment Internet a réussi à conquérir un espace qui deviendra par la suite fondamental dans les dynamiques révolutionnaires. L’histoire de SfaxOnline contribue par ailleurs à corriger l’idée –qui ne correspond pas à la réalité- d’un peuple tunisien apathique et totalement passif face au régime dictatorial. Jusqu’à la Révolution de 2011, cette image a caractérisé différentes analyses sur les Tunisiens et sur le monde arabe en général

LAS OPORTUNIDADES DEL DIÁLOGO INTERCULTURAL Y EL DESARROLLO DE LAS COMUNIDADES MARGINALES A TRAVÉS DEL TURISMO CULTURAL. UN CASO DE ESTUDIO: SOUTH-EAST ARCHERITAGE

This article analyzes, through a case study, the potential of cultural / archaeological tourism as an engine of development and intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean marginal areas. In this scenario the role of cultural heritage and the specific routes or itineraries of cultural and tourist potential use turn fundamental in an environment of diversity in dialogue and exchange of north-south balance. The case study presented in this article refers to the experience of the project South - East Archeritage (project funded by the EU through the program ENPI-CITY) and the enhancement of the common historical heritage and knowledge derived from the persistence Roman legacy

Desarrollo de un cemento de base silicatada a partir de rocas volcanicas vitreas alcalinas: interpretacion de los resultados preindustriales basada en la composicion quimico-mineralogica de los precursores geologicos.

El proyecto GEOCISTEM intentó hallar un substituto vítreo alcalino natural, económico y viable industrialmente, a los reactivos químicos empleados en un cemento silicatado patentado. Se realizó una completa prospección de los recursos consistentes en rocas volcánicas vítreas ricas en álcalis (Na2O+K2O > 10 %, K>>Na), preferentemente fragmentarias (piroclásticas) en diferentes regiones volcánicas europeas (Italia, Grecia, España). Unas 100 muestras fueron analizadas (elementos mayores mediante FRX; caracterización, petrográfica y mediante DRX) y 10 fueron empleadas en la fabricación (en laboratorio y escala semiindustrial) del cemento silicatado. Se obtuvo toda una familia de cementos (diez) con alta resistencia a la compresión (50-60 MPa a los 28 días), resistentes a la corrosión y que no desarrollan reacción alcalina-agregados, muy adecuados para el encapsulado de residuos especiales; todo ello con una notable reducción del consumo de energía en el proceso de fabricación y en el consumo de silicato de K (hasta 1/3-1/4 del requerido en la patente original). El estudio químico-mineralógico desarrollado demuestra que la formulación original del cemento era excesivamente restrictiva, y que la mineralogía producida en los procesos de desvitrificación naturales controla estrictamente el rendimiento de estos nuevos recursos durante el proceso de fabricación del cemento. Las rocas anhidras con feldespatos alcalinos y fases silíceas cristalinas predominantes obtenidas a temperaturas inferiores a las magmáticas (desvitrificación) son más interesantes que las zeolitizadas naturalmente, ya que no requieren calcinación previa con el consiguiente ahorro energético

Elective Transumbilical Compared with Standard Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

To compare the transumbilical technique of laparoscopic cholecystectomy with standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. DESIGN: Randomised open study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Italy. SUBJECTS: 90 patients who required elective cholecystectomy under general anaesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy through 4 ports or transumbilical cholecystectomy through 2 ports. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Amount of pain and analgesia, cost, side effects, and cosmesis. RESULTS: 25 patients were excluded from analysis (8 in the standard group because relevant data were not recorded; and 17 in the transumbilical group in 4 of whom relevant data were not recorded, and 13 for technical reasons). 32 patients who had standard, and 25 who had transumbilical cholecystectomy had operative cholangiograms. There were no complications, no side effects, and no conversions to open cholecystectomy. Those who had transumbilical cholecystectomy had significantly lower pain scores (p<0.05) and required significantly less analgesia during the first 24 hours (p<0.05) than those who had standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. CONCLUSION: Once the learning curve has been completed, transumbilical cholecystectomy is possible without some of difficulties associated with standard laparoscopic cholecystectom