Transparency, quality of institutions and performance in the Italian Municipalities

In this paper, we aim at evaluating from an economic perspective the recent Italian legislation on transparency to investigate whether the potentialities of transparency as a tool to improve performance and integrity are fully exploited. We first construct a synthetic indicator (CTI) consisting of two sub-indicators, CTI Integrity and CTI Performance, which are able to describe in numerical terms the overall degree of transparency of Italian public administrations as well as the two different aspects of the public activity’s transparency. Then, using as a sample of Italian municipalities, we address the question whether there is a relation between the fulfillment of transparency obligations and both the institutional quality and the performance of the public administration activity. Our preliminary results suggest that our transparency indicators show a satisfactory correlation with widely used measures of the quality of institutions as well as with the official data on municipalities public spending performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Differential identities of finite dimensional algebras and polynomial growth of the codimensions

Let $A$ be a finite dimensional algebra over a field $F$ of characteristic zero. If $L$ is a Lie algebra acting on $A$ by derivations, then such an action determines an action of its universal enveloping algebra $U(L)$. In this case we say that $A$ is an algebra with derivation or an $L$-algebra. Here we study the differential $L$-identities of $A$ and the corresponding differential codimensions, $c_n^L (A)$, when $L$ is a finite dimensional semisimple Lie algebra. We give a complete characterization of the corresponding ideal of differential identities in case the sequence $c_n^L (A)$, $n=1,2,\dots$, is polynomially bounded. Along the way we determine up to PI-equivalence the only finite dimensional $L$-algebra of almost polynomial growth

Fluorescent naphthalimide-imidazolium hydrogels for biomedical applications

Bioimaging and in vivo imaging are cornerstone technologies in support of biomedical diagnosis. However, in some cases imaging methods have increased cancer risks for patients. Moreover, the most widely used diagnostic medical imaging technique, X-ray imaging, is the largest man-made source of radiation exposure to the general population. Thus, the research of new efficient and less invasive materials for imaging is quite urgent. Supramolecular hydrogels have recently proved to be promising biological carriers to load versatile bioimaging agents for in vitro or in vivo bioimaging, thanks to the ability to undergo reversible swelling and gel–sol transition in response to various physiological stimuli. In addition, the biodegradability and biocompatibility allowed the use of supramolecular gels also for cancer diagnosis, as they can be facilely endocytosed into cells [1]. Remembering the good biological response of some imidazolium derived hydrogels [2], fluorescent imidazolium organic salts, that should own the double function of gelator and bioimaging agent, have been synthesized. New fluorescent hydrogels with interesting physico-chemical properties (rheology, gel-sol temperature transition and optical properties) have been tested for anti-proliferative activity, in vitro bioimaging on cancer cells and controlled release of gelator in physiological medium. Results evidence how these hydrogels can be potentially investigated as new theranostic media for anticancer researc

Poluentes atmosféricos associados a condições meteorológicas de superfície na região do ABC em São Paulo

Air pollution is one the main environmental problems in urban areas like the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) in Brazil, where millions of inhabitants are exposed to pollution concentrations above the standards, with potential health impacts. Exposure is unequal throughout MASP, relying on the dynamics of local emission sources interplaying with weather and climate in a regional scale. The ABC region — ABC standing for Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo and São Caetano do Sul, the cities the area originally comprised of — is MASP’s largest industrial center, sitting in its southeast border, and encloses environmental protection areas. That leads to a unique emission profile that differ from the metropolis center. This study aims to characterize the variability of atmospheric pollutants in the ABC region in 2015, investigating possible sources and associations with surface meteorological conditions. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied to data from seven air quality monitoring stations and surface meteorological variables. Results show that São Bernardo do Campo stood out, with O3 concentrations 20% higher (43±19 μg.m-3) than the other sites, while São Caetano do Sul had the highest annual mean PM10 concentrations (39±19 μg.m-3), mostly related to vehicular emissions. Relative humidity was negatively correlated with primary pollutants, while temperature and radiation correlated with O3. Unusually high O3 concentrations were observed in January of 2015, concomitant with negative anomalies of precipitation and relative humidity, likely associated with the 2014/2015 summer drought event in Southeast Brazil. Overall, results show that local emission sources significantly impact air pollution loading and its diurnal variability, particularly in the case of primary pollutants. Climate modulates the seasonal concentration variability, and regional scale weather phenomena may impact air quality conditions. To reach concentration standards everywhere, policy makers must be aware of processes occurring in different spatial scales that determine air quality.A poluição atmosférica é um dos principais problemas ambientais em áreas urbanas como a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP), no Brasil, onde milhões de habitantes estão expostos a concentrações acima dos padrões, com potenciais impactos à saúde. A exposição à poluição atmosférica é desigual na RMSP, dependendo da dinâmica de fontes emissoras locais e da influência do tempo e do clima em escala regional. A região do ABC — sigla originada a partir das iniciais de suas cidades originais: Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo e São Caetano do Sul — é o maior centro industrial da RMSP, localizada em sua fronteira sudeste, e inclui áreas de proteção ambiental. Essas características resultam em um perfil de emissões singular, que difere do centro da metrópole. Este estudo visa caracterizar a variabilidade na concentração de poluentes atmosféricos na região do ABC em 2015, investigando possíveis fontes e associações a condições meteorológicas de superfície. Análises estatísticas multivariadas foram aplicadas a dados de qualidade do ar de sete estações de monitoramento e variáveis meteorológicas de superfície. São Bernardo do Campo se destacou, com concentrações de O3 20% maiores (43±19 μg.m-3) do que as outras estações, enquanto São Caetano do Sul apresentou a maior média anual de PM10 (39±19 μg.m-3), relacionada principalmente a emissões veiculares. A umidade relativa apresentou correlação negativa com os poluentes primários, enquanto a temperatura e a radiação se correlacionaram ao O3. Elevadas concentrações de O3 foram atipicamente observadas em janeiro de 2015 (59±19 μg.m-3), simultaneamente a anomalias negativas de precipitação e umidade relativa, possivelmente associadas ao evento de seca no Sudeste do Brasil no verão de 2014/2015. Os resultados mostram que fontes emissoras locais podem impactar significativamente a carga de poluição e sua variabilidade diurna, especialmente no caso de poluentes primários. O clima modula a variabilidade sazonal das concentrações, e fenômenos meteorológicos de escala regional podem impactar a qualidade do ar. Para atingir os padrões de concentração em toda a parte, o poder público deve ficar atento aos processos que ocorrem em diferentes escalas espaciais e que determinam a qualidade do ar

Task-Specific Organic Salts and Ionic Liquids Binary Mixtures: A Combination to Obtain 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural From Carbohydrates

The increase in energy demand and depletion of fossil fuels are among major issues of modern society. Valorization and transformation of raw materials in products of industrial value represent a challenge. This justifies the growing interest of scientific research toward the identification of suitable media and methodologies able to pursue above goals, paying attention to matter of sustainability. On this subject, we studied sulfonic-acid functionalized diimidazolium salts as catalysts for the conversion of fructose and sucrose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in an ionic liquid mixture. In general, using these salts allowed us to obtain 5-HMF in good yields from both substrates in mild conditions. Indeed, at 60°C and in the presence of 20 mol% of catalyst, 5-HMF yields of 60 and 30% were obtained from fructose and sucrose, respectively. The catalytic system was recycled and used up to six times observing no appreciable loss in yield for the first four cycles. Moreover, we gathered mechanistic information by in situ1H NMR monitoring the dehydration of fructose. To dissect the role of acidity on the reaction, we determined the Hammett acidity function of each salt. Comparison of these results with yields and reactivity observed in the presence of related monocationic salts and with a dicationic salt bearing only one sulfonic acid group, allowed stating that the reactivity observed is the result of the combined action of acidity and structural features of the catalysts. Overall, the approach proposed here could contribute to pave the way to increase sustainability in the raw material valorization processes

Polyhydroxyalkanoates production by an advanced food-on-demand strategy: The effect of operational conditions

Despite the increasing number of studies related to the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from sewage sludge of wastewater treatment plants, there is still a gap in the correlation between the operational conditions, such as the organic loading rate (OLR), and the intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) content, productivity and final recovery of the polymer. Therefore, this work aims to provide experimental data on PHA productivity and purity in view of scaling up the process to an industrial level taking into account process parameters. In view of that, three OLR were applied during the selection of PHA-accumulating bacteria in sewage sludge. Then, the biomass was harvested and subjected to batch accumulation experiments at two organic loads per dosage by employing a tailor-made software to adopt an automated feed-on-demand strategy, which allowed for 30–56 h of accumulation tests in stand-alone mode. Finally, an improved protocol for PHA extraction has been applied. Experimental results show that the maximum PHA content (60% w/w) was achieved using the highest organic load per dosage during the accumulation test with the biomass selected at the highest OLR (1.8 g COD L−1 d−1). Also, the extraction protocol efficiency was proven with four samples with different PHA content, achieving recovery yield as high as 78 ± 3 % with a purity of 89 ± 2 %, thus demonstrating that the adopted strategy might be beneficial for industrial use