Academic literature on the topic 'Stand-Alone Risk'

Purpose This study investigates the risk-taking behavior of financial institutions in the USA. Specifically, differences between taking risks that affect primarily the shareholders of the institution and risks contributing to the overall systemic risk of the financial sector are examined. Additionally, differences between risk-taking before, during and after the financial crisis of 2007/2008 are examined. Design/methodology/approach To analyze the determinants of stand-alone and systemic risk, a generalized linear model including size, governance, charter value, business cycle, competition and control variables is estimated. Furthermore, Granger causality tests are conducted. Findings The results show that systemic risk has a positive effect on valuation and that corporate governance has no significant effect on risk-taking. The influence of competition is conditional on the state of the economy and the risk measure used. Systemic risk Granger-causes idiosyncratic risk but not vice versa. Research limitations/implications The major limitations of this study are related to the analyzed subset of large financial institutions and important risk-culture variables being omitted. Practical implications The broad policy implication of this paper is that systemic risk cannot be lowered by market discipline due to the moral hazard problem. Therefore, regulatory measures are necessary to ensure that individual financial institutions are not endangering the financial system. Originality/value This study contributes to the empirical literature on bank risk-taking in several ways. First, the characteristics of systemic risk and idiosyncratic risk are jointly analyzed. Second, the direction of causality of these two risk measures is examined. Moreover, this paper contributes to the discussion of the effect of competition on risk-taking.

Abstract. One of the quickest means of tsunami evacuation is transfer to higher ground soon after strong and long ground shaking. Ground shaking itself is a good initiator of the evacuation from disastrous tsunami. Longer period seismic waves are considered to be more correlated with the earthquake magnitude. We investigated the possible application of this to tsunami hazard alarm using single-site ground motion observation. Information from the mass media is sometimes unavailable due to power failure soon after a large earthquake. Even when an official alarm is available, multiple information sources of tsunami alert would help people become aware of the coming risk of a tsunami. Thus, a device that indicates risk of a tsunami without requiring other data would be helpful to those who should evacuate. Since the sensitivity of a low-cost MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) accelerometer is sufficient for this purpose, tsunami alarm equipment for home use may be easily realized. Amplitude of long-period (20 s cutoff) displacement was proposed as the threshold for the alarm based on empirical relationships among magnitude, tsunami height, hypocentral distance, and peak ground displacement of seismic waves. Application of this method to recent major earthquakes indicated that such equipment could effectively alert people to the possibility of tsunami.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between risk management committees (RMCs) and risk management disclosure (RMD) quality. Specifically, the existence of stand-alone RMCs and a number of RMC characteristics, including RMC size, RMC independence, number of RMC meetings and RMC members’ human capital is investigated. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprises top 100 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed companies during the period between 2010 and 2012, when RMD began to be guided by detailed recommendations in Australia. Following the RMD framework used by Jia et al. (2016), RMD quality is measured based on its quantity, relevance, width and depth. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to test the relationship between stand-alone RMC, RMC characteristics and RMD quality. Findings The results show that the existence of a stand-alone RMC, the human capital of RMC and RMC size are positively associated with RMD quality. In contrast, RMC independence and the number of RMC meetings are not found to have a significant association with RMD quality. Originality/value This study contributes to the current RMD literature by investigating whether a stand-alone RMC and different RMC characteristics are associated with RMD quality. The results of this study provide useful and new empirical evidence about the relationship between RMCs and RMD quality for researchers, companies, and regulators.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate the number of subsidences of inserted cervical carbon fiber cages and to define predictive factors for subsidence. METHODS: All patients treated for a cervical herniated disc and fusion with a cervical carbon fiber cage between January 2002 and December 2003 were retrospectively identified. The radiological examinations were reviewed, and, especially, the presence of subsidence was noted. Possible predictive factors for subsidence were determined before the investigation. RESULTS: In 69 patients, there were 96 cages inserted, of which 29.2% subsided. Of all factors investigated, only smoking seemed to be predictive for subsidence, whereas insertion at C6 to C7 clearly had a higher risk at subsidence. Subsidence was not related to outcome or fusion. CONCLUSION: Although the high number of subsidence of cages has never been described before, clinical outcome and fusion rate is comparable with the literature.

Electronic monitoring (EM) in Germany is used only exceptionally in cases of high-risk offenders released from prison after fully having served a prison sentence or after release from the preventive detention measure (added to a prison sentence in cases of “dangerous” violent or sex offenders). About 70 cases on a daily total of more than 36,000 supervision of conduct cases are under global positioning system (GPS)-EM. Only in one federal state (Hesse) EM on radio frequency technology is also used to avoid pre-trial detention or in regular probation/parole cases. Numbers remain very low also in this context. EM is always combined with a probation or supervision of conduct order, which means that it is embedded in the rehabilitative work of the probation services. The German judiciary and crime policy are very reluctant to expand EM, as there is no pressure from the prison system (no overcrowding) and the “ordinary” probation service (without EM) works quite efficiently.

Purpose This empirical study aims to examine two areas: first, the characteristics of the audit committee and their relationship with corporate financial crime so as to ensure that their effectiveness as a corporate governance mechanism is still relevant; and second, the effectiveness of having a risk committee which is separated from the audit committee in the prevention of corporate financial crime. Design/methodology/approach This empirical research was carried out by using a Web-based data collection for corporate financial crime cases. Findings While the results for audit committee characteristics are not supported, the findings, however, indicate a significant relationship between the existence of a stand-alone risk committee with corporate financial crime incidences. Practical implications The result of the study serves as an empirical indicator of a firm’s consideration in deciding on the implementation of a stand-alone risk committee from its audit committee. Originality/value Both the descriptive and correlation analyses produced by this paper provide new insights into the extent of corporate financial crime, as well as the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of having a stand-alone risk committee.

Coastal ecosystems, such as salt marshes, mangrove forests and reefs, can contribute to flood risk reduction by surge attenuation, wave energy dissipation and erosion reduction (Temmerman et al. 2013). Such ecosystems can work stand-alone, but here we consider hybrid engineering solutions, where ecosystems are utilized as vegetated foreshores along engineered structures (Fig. 1).

Allocation to private infrastructure debt investments has increased in the recent years [15]. For managers of multi-asset portfolios, it is important to be able to assess the risk of the total portfolio and the contribution to risk of the various holdings in the portfolio. This includes being able to explain the risk of having private infrastructure debt investments in the portfolio. The modelling of private infrastructure debt face many challenges, such as the lack of private data and public indices for private infrastructure debt. In this thesis, two approaches for modelling private infrastructure debt in a parametric risk factor model are proposed. Both approaches aim to incorporate revenue risk, which is the risk occurring from the type of revenue model in the infrastructure project or company. Revenue risk is categorised into three revenue models; merchant, contracted and regulated, as spread level differences can be distinguished for private infrastructure debt investments using this categorisation. The difference in spread levels between the categories are used to estimate β coefficients for the two modelling approaches. The spread levels are obtained from a data set and from a previous study. In the first modelling approach, the systematic risk factor approach, three systematic risk factors are introduced where each factor represent infrastructure debt investments with a certain revenue model. The risk or the volatility for each of these factors is the volatility of a general infrastructure debt index adjusted with one of the β coefficients. In the second modelling approach, the idiosyncratic risk term approach, three constant risk terms for the revenue models are added in order to capture the revenue risk for private infrastructure debt investments. These constant risk terms are estimated with the β coefficients and the historical volatility of a infrastructure debt index. For each modelling approach, the commonly used risk measures standalone risk and risk contribution are presented for the entire block of the infrastructure debt specific factors and for each of the individual factors within this block. Both modelling approaches should enable for better explanation of risk in private infrastructure debt investments by introducing revenue risk. However, the modelling approaches have not been backtested and therefore no conclusion can be made in regards to whether one of the proposed modelling approaches actually is better than current modelling approaches for private infrastructure debt.
Investeringar i privat infrastrukturskuld har ökat de senaste åren [15]. För βägare av portföljer med investeringar i samtliga tillgångsslag är det viktigt att kunna urskilja risken från de olika innehaven i portföljen. Det finns många utmaningar vad gäller modellering av privat infrastrukturskuld, så som den begränsade mängden privat data och publika index för privat infrastrukturskuld. I denna uppsats föreslås två tillvägagångssätt för att modellera privat infrastrukturskuld i en parametrisk riskfaktormodell. Båda tillvägagångssätten eftersträvar att inkorporera intäktsrisk, vilket är risken som beror på den underliggande intäktsmodellen i ett infrastrukturprojekt eller företag. Intäksrisk delas in i intäksmodellerna "merchant", "contracted" och "regulated", då en skillnad i spreadnivå mellan privata infrastrukturskuldinvesteringar kan urskiljas med denna kategorisering. Skillnaden i spreadnivå mellan de olika kategorierna används för att estimera β -koefficienter som används i båda tillvägagångssätten. Spreadnivåerna erhålls från ett dataset och från en tidigare studie. I det första tillvägagångssättet, den systematiska riskfaktor-ansatsen, introduceras tre systematiska riskfaktorer som representerar infrastrukturskuldinvesteringar med en viss intäktsmodell. Risken eller volatiliten för dessa faktorer är densamma som volatiliteten för ett index för infrastrukturskuld justerat med en av β -koefficienterna. I det andra tillvägagångssättet, den idriosynktratiska riskterm-ansatsen, adderas tre konstanta risktermer för intäktsmodellerna för att fånga upp intäktsrisken i de privata infrastrukturinvesteringarna. De konstanta risktermerna är estimerade med β -koefficienterna och en historisk volatilitet för ett index för infrastrukturskuld. För båda tillvägagångssätten presenteras riskmåtten stand-alone risk1 och risk contribution2. Riskmåtten ges för ett block av samtliga faktorer för infrastrukturskuld och för varje enskild faktor inom detta block. Båda tillvägagångssätten borde möjliggöra bättre förklaring av risken för privata infrastrukturskuldinvesteringar i en större portfölj genom att ta hänsyn till intäktsrisken. De två tillvägagångssätten för modelleringen har dock ej testats. Därför kan ingen slutsats dras med hänsyn till huruvida ett av tillvägagångssätten är bättre än de som används för närvärande för modellering av privat infrastrukturskuld.

Les progrès technologiques et la mondialisation du transport font que le flux de voyageurs ne cesse d’augmenter. Cependant, dans le domaine de l’automobile, des problèmes techniques ou humains entrainent des accidents causant encore aujourd’hui des milliers de blessés et de décès par an. De ce fait, les instances gouvernementales et les constructeurs automobiles travaillent sur de nouvelles règlementations et des avancées techniques afin de garantir la sécurité́ de chaque usager de la route. Afin de garantir la diminution du nombre de décès, une voie de recherche intéressante consiste à fusionner les informations provenant du véhicule, du conducteur et de l’environnement afin de prévenir le conducteur du risque qu’il prend ou même d’agir directement sur le véhicule. Ainsi, après avoir défini le risque que nous considérons, nous nous intéressons ici à sa modélisation et son estimation en temps réel. Dans ce contexte, le cas d’usage de décélération du véhicule suivi est étudié et nous analysons et traitons les données par un réseau Bayésien afin d’évaluer le risque de télescopage qui sera partagé à travers une communication inter-véhiculaire de type VANet
Technological advances and the globalization of transport have led to an increase flow of passengers. However, in the automotive sector, technical or human problems lead to accidents that still cause thousands of injuries and deaths each year. As a result, government authorities and car manufacturers are working on new regulations and technical advances to ensure safety of every road user. To ensure that cut of deaths and injuries, an interesting research approach is to merge information from the vehicle, the driver and the environment in order to warn the driver of the risk he is taking or even to act directly on the vehicle. Thus, after defining the risk we consider, we are interested here in its modelling and estimation in real time. In this context, the deceleration of the leading vehicle is monitored and studied then we analyze and process the data through a Bayesian network in order to evaluate the rear-end risk that will be shared through vehicular communication thanks to VANet

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the law on state intervention into family life where a child is considered to be ‘in need’ or at risk of significant harm. It discusses the competing approaches to state intervention and the principles underpinning the Children Act (CA) 1989; the legal framework governing local authority support for children in need under Part III of the CA 1989; the law and procedure regulating compulsory intervention into family life by means of care proceedings under Part IV; and the various emergency and interim measures available to protect a child thought to be at risk of immediate harm.

This chapter considers the organization and delivery of care for osteoarthritis (OA) within the broader context of chronic condition management, and with a specific focus on the current OA literature. It describes factors that have influenced healthcare reforms for people with chronic conditions such as OA, and the development and characteristics of chronic condition models of care. The chapter also examines existing models of care for OA, which are commonly multidisciplinary in nature and situated within primary care, community care, or secondary/tertiary care settings. It summarizes current evidence for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of OA models of care, acknowledging that limited data are available regarding access and efficiency outcomes. Barriers to the successful development, implementation, and sustainability of OA models of care are discussed, as well as enablers that could facilitate the success of models of care. The chapter also presents points to consider when planning the implementation and evaluation of models of care, such as the development of a program logic, use of theoretical models or frameworks, and careful selection of appropriate research designs (including mixed-methods approaches). Finally, it considers future challenges for OA models of care, particularly the rise of multi-morbidity among patient populations that will necessitate integrated chronic condition management rather than stand-alone OA services. Future models of care may require the design of specific OA modules that can be integrated with generic chronic condition models that address risk behaviour modification and optimize self-management and mental health outcomes.

This chapter discusses some of the short fictional forms that persisted in as well as alongside the novel. These short fictional forms include chapbook and bluebook abridgements, religious tracts, and what would come to be called—by the end of the period covered here—the tale. Together, these forms highlight the dynamic field of writing that comprised the years that span the novel's rise and canonization. As it appeared in stand-alone collections, magazines, and literary annuals, the tale pushed the novel to consolidate its boundaries even as it developed its own mix of features to challenge the novel on its established ground. In the end, however, the novel won out in its generic competition with half-told and mangled tales.

In this chapter, the focus shifts from numbers to sets. Again, no first-order set theory can hope to get anywhere near categoricity, but Zermelo famously proved the quasi-categoricity of second-order set theory. As in the previous chapter, we must ask who is entitled to invoke full second-order logic. That question is as subtle as before, and raises the same problem for moderate modelists. However, the quasi-categorical nature of Zermelo's Theorem gives rise to some specific questions concerning the aims of axiomatic set theories. Given the status of Zermelo's Theorem in the philosophy of set theory, we include a stand-alone proof of this theorem. We also prove a similar quasi-categoricity for Scott-Potter set theory, a theory which axiomatises the idea of an arbitrary stage of the iterative hierarchy.

Nationalism: Past as Prologue began as a single volume being compiled by Ad Akande, a scholar from South Africa, who proposed it to me as co-author about two years ago. The original idea was to examine how the damaging roots of nationalism have been corroding political systems around the world, and creating dangerous obstacles for necessary international cooperation. Since I (Bruce E. Johansen) has written profusely about climate change (global warming, a.k.a. infrared forcing), I suggested a concerted effort in that direction. This is a worldwide existential threat that affects every living thing on Earth. It often compounds upon itself, so delays in reducing emissions of fossil fuels are shortening the amount of time remaining to eliminate the use of fossil fuels to preserve a livable planet. Nationalism often impedes solutions to this problem (among many others), as nations place their singular needs above the common good. Our initial proposal got around, and abstracts on many subjects arrived. Within a few weeks, we had enough good material for a 100,000-word book. The book then fattened to two moderate volumes and then to four two very hefty tomes. We tried several different titles as good submissions swelled. We also discovered that our best contributors were experts in their fields, which ranged the world. We settled on three stand-alone books:” 1/ nationalism and racial justice. Our first volume grew as the growth of Black Lives Matter following the brutal killing of George Floyd ignited protests over police brutality and other issues during 2020, following the police assassination of Floyd in Minneapolis. It is estimated that more people took part in protests of police brutality during the summer of 2020 than any other series of marches in United States history. This includes upheavals during the 1960s over racial issues and against the war in Southeast Asia (notably Vietnam). We choose a volume on racism because it is one of nationalism’s main motive forces. This volume provides a worldwide array of work on nationalism’s growth in various countries, usually by authors residing in them, or in the United States with ethnic ties to the nation being examined, often recent immigrants to the United States from them. Our roster of contributors comprises a small United Nations of insightful, well-written research and commentary from Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, China, India, South Africa, France, Portugal, Estonia, Hungary, Russia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and the United States. Volume 2 (this one) describes and analyzes nationalism, by country, around the world, except for the United States; and 3/material directly related to President Donald Trump, and the United States. The first volume is under consideration at the Texas A & M University Press. The other two are under contract to Nova Science Publishers (which includes social sciences). These three volumes may be used individually or as a set. Environmental material is taken up in appropriate places in each of the three books. * * * * * What became the United States of America has been strongly nationalist since the English of present-day Massachusetts and Jamestown first hit North America’s eastern shores. The country propelled itself across North America with the self-serving ideology of “manifest destiny” for four centuries before Donald Trump came along. Anyone who believes that a Trumpian affection for deportation of “illegals” is a new thing ought to take a look at immigration and deportation statistics in Adam Goodman’s The Deportation Machine: America’s Long History of Deporting Immigrants (Princeton University Press, 2020). Between 1920 and 2018, the United States deported 56.3 million people, compared with 51.7 million who were granted legal immigration status during the same dates. Nearly nine of ten deportees were Mexican (Nolan, 2020, 83). This kind of nationalism, has become an assassin of democracy as well as an impediment to solving global problems. Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times (2019:A-25): that “In their 2018 book, How Democracies Die, the political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt documented how this process has played out in many countries, from Vladimir Putin’s Russia, to Recep Erdogan’s Turkey, to Viktor Orban’s Hungary. Add to these India’s Narendra Modi, China’s Xi Jinping, and the United States’ Donald Trump, among others. Bit by bit, the guardrails of democracy have been torn down, as institutions meant to serve the public became tools of ruling parties and self-serving ideologies, weaponized to punish and intimidate opposition parties’ opponents. On paper, these countries are still democracies; in practice, they have become one-party regimes….And it’s happening here [the United States] as we speak. If you are not worried about the future of American democracy, you aren’t paying attention” (Krugmam, 2019, A-25). We are reminded continuously that the late Carl Sagan, one of our most insightful scientific public intellectuals, had an interesting theory about highly developed civilizations. Given the number of stars and planets that must exist in the vast reaches of the universe, he said, there must be other highly developed and organized forms of life. Distance may keep us from making physical contact, but Sagan said that another reason we may never be on speaking terms with another intelligent race is (judging from our own example) could be their penchant for destroying themselves in relatively short order after reaching technological complexity. This book’s chapters, introduction, and conclusion examine the worldwide rise of partisan nationalism and the damage it has wrought on the worldwide pursuit of solutions for issues requiring worldwide scope, such scientific co-operation public health and others, mixing analysis of both. We use both historical description and analysis. This analysis concludes with a description of why we must avoid the isolating nature of nationalism that isolates people and encourages separation if we are to deal with issues of world-wide concern, and to maintain a sustainable, survivable Earth, placing the dominant political movement of our time against the Earth’s existential crises. Our contributors, all experts in their fields, each have assumed responsibility for a country, or two if they are related. This work entwines themes of worldwide concern with the political growth of nationalism because leaders with such a worldview are disinclined to co-operate internationally at a time when nations must find ways to solve common problems, such as the climate crisis. Inability to cooperate at this stage may doom everyone, eventually, to an overheated, stormy future plagued by droughts and deluges portending shortages of food and other essential commodities, meanwhile destroying large coastal urban areas because of rising sea levels. Future historians may look back at our time and wonder why as well as how our world succumbed to isolating nationalism at a time when time was so short for cooperative intervention which is crucial for survival of a sustainable earth. Pride in language and culture is salubrious to individuals’ sense of history and identity. Excess nationalism that prevents international co-operation on harmful worldwide maladies is quite another. As Pope Francis has pointed out: For all of our connectivity due to expansion of social media, ability to communicate can breed contempt as well as mutual trust. “For all our hyper-connectivity,” said Francis, “We witnessed a fragmentation that made it more difficult to resolve problems that affect us all” (Horowitz, 2020, A-12). The pope’s encyclical, titled “Brothers All,” also said: “The forces of myopic, extremist, resentful, and aggressive nationalism are on the rise.” The pope’s document also advocates support for migrants, as well as resistance to nationalist and tribal populism. Francis broadened his critique to the role of market capitalism, as well as nationalism has failed the peoples of the world when they need co-operation and solidarity in the face of the world-wide corona virus pandemic. Humankind needs to unite into “a new sense of the human family [Fratelli Tutti, “Brothers All”], that rejects war at all costs” (Pope, 2020, 6-A). Our journey takes us first to Russia, with the able eye and honed expertise of Richard D. Anderson, Jr. who teaches as UCLA and publishes on the subject of his chapter: “Putin, Russian identity, and Russia’s conduct at home and abroad.” Readers should find Dr. Anderson’s analysis fascinating because Vladimir Putin, the singular leader of Russian foreign and domestic policy these days (and perhaps for the rest of his life, given how malleable Russia’s Constitution has become) may be a short man physically, but has high ambitions. One of these involves restoring the old Russian (and Soviet) empire, which would involve re-subjugating a number of nations that broke off as the old order dissolved about 30 years ago. President (shall we say czar?) Putin also has international ambitions, notably by destabilizing the United States, where election meddling has become a specialty. The sight of Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump, two very rich men (Putin $70-$200 billion; Trump $2.5 billion), nuzzling in friendship would probably set Thomas Jefferson and Vladimir Lenin spinning in their graves. The road of history can take some unanticipated twists and turns. Consider Poland, from which we have an expert native analysis in chapter 2, Bartosz Hlebowicz, who is a Polish anthropologist and journalist. His piece is titled “Lawless and Unjust: How to Quickly Make Your Own Country a Puppet State Run by a Group of Hoodlums – the Hopeless Case of Poland (2015–2020).” When I visited Poland to teach and lecture twice between 2006 and 2008, most people seemed to be walking on air induced by freedom to conduct their own affairs to an unusual degree for a state usually squeezed between nationalists in Germany and Russia. What did the Poles then do in a couple of decades? Read Hlebowicz’ chapter and decide. It certainly isn’t soft-bellied liberalism. In Chapter 3, with Bruce E. Johansen, we visit China’s western provinces, the lands of Tibet as well as the Uighurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang region, who would most assuredly resent being characterized as being possessed by the Chinese of the Han to the east. As a student of Native American history, I had never before thought of the Tibetans and Uighurs as Native peoples struggling against the Independence-minded peoples of a land that is called an adjunct of China on most of our maps. The random act of sitting next to a young woman on an Air India flight out of Hyderabad, bound for New Delhi taught me that the Tibetans had something to share with the Lakota, the Iroquois, and hundreds of other Native American states and nations in North America. Active resistance to Chinese rule lasted into the mid-nineteenth century, and continues today in a subversive manner, even in song, as I learned in 2018 when I acted as a foreign adjudicator on a Ph.D. dissertation by a Tibetan student at the University of Madras (in what is now in a city called Chennai), in southwestern India on resistance in song during Tibet’s recent history. Tibet is one of very few places on Earth where a young dissident can get shot to death for singing a song that troubles China’s Quest for Lebensraum. The situation in Xinjiang region, where close to a million Muslims have been interned in “reeducation” camps surrounded with brick walls and barbed wire. They sing, too. Come with us and hear the music. Back to Europe now, in Chapter 4, to Portugal and Spain, we find a break in the general pattern of nationalism. Portugal has been more progressive governmentally than most. Spain varies from a liberal majority to military coups, a pattern which has been exported to Latin America. A situation such as this can make use of the term “populism” problematic, because general usage in our time usually ties the word into a right-wing connotative straightjacket. “Populism” can be used to describe progressive (left-wing) insurgencies as well. José Pinto, who is native to Portugal and also researches and writes in Spanish as well as English, in “Populism in Portugal and Spain: a Real Neighbourhood?” provides insight into these historical paradoxes. Hungary shares some historical inclinations with Poland (above). Both emerged from Soviet dominance in an air of developing freedom and multicultural diversity after the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union collapsed. Then, gradually at first, right wing-forces began to tighten up, stripping structures supporting popular freedom, from the courts, mass media, and other institutions. In Chapter 5, Bernard Tamas, in “From Youth Movement to Right-Liberal Wing Authoritarianism: The Rise of Fidesz and the Decline of Hungarian Democracy” puts the renewed growth of political and social repression into a context of worldwide nationalism. Tamas, an associate professor of political science at Valdosta State University, has been a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and a Fulbright scholar at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. His books include From Dissident to Party Politics: The Struggle for Democracy in Post-Communist Hungary (2007). Bear in mind that not everyone shares Orbán’s vision of what will make this nation great, again. On graffiti-covered walls in Budapest, Runes (traditional Hungarian script) has been found that read “Orbán is a motherfucker” (Mikanowski, 2019, 58). Also in Europe, in Chapter 6, Professor Ronan Le Coadic, of the University of Rennes, Rennes, France, in “Is There a Revival of French Nationalism?” Stating this title in the form of a question is quite appropriate because France’s nationalistic shift has built and ebbed several times during the last few decades. For a time after 2000, it came close to assuming the role of a substantial minority, only to ebb after that. In 2017, the candidate of the National Front reached the second round of the French presidential election. This was the second time this nationalist party reached the second round of the presidential election in the history of the Fifth Republic. In 2002, however, Jean-Marie Le Pen had only obtained 17.79% of the votes, while fifteen years later his daughter, Marine Le Pen, almost doubled her father's record, reaching 33.90% of the votes cast. Moreover, in the 2019 European elections, re-named Rassemblement National obtained the largest number of votes of all French political formations and can therefore boast of being "the leading party in France.” The brutality of oppressive nationalism may be expressed in personal relationships, such as child abuse. While Indonesia and Aotearoa [the Maoris’ name for New Zealand] hold very different ranks in the United Nations Human Development Programme assessments, where Indonesia is classified as a medium development country and Aotearoa New Zealand as a very high development country. In Chapter 7, “Domestic Violence Against Women in Indonesia and Aotearoa New Zealand: Making Sense of Differences and Similarities” co-authors, in Chapter 8, Mandy Morgan and Dr. Elli N. Hayati, from New Zealand and Indonesia respectively, found that despite their socio-economic differences, one in three women in each country experience physical or sexual intimate partner violence over their lifetime. In this chapter ther authors aim to deepen understandings of domestic violence through discussion of the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of theit countries to address domestic violence alongside studies of women’s attitudes to gender norms and experiences of intimate partner violence. One of the most surprising and upsetting scholarly journeys that a North American student may take involves Adolf Hitler’s comments on oppression of American Indians and Blacks as he imagined the construction of the Nazi state, a genesis of nationalism that is all but unknown in the United States of America, traced in this volume (Chapter 8) by co-editor Johansen. Beginning in Mein Kampf, during the 1920s, Hitler explicitly used the westward expansion of the United States across North America as a model and justification for Nazi conquest and anticipated colonization by Germans of what the Nazis called the “wild East” – the Slavic nations of Poland, the Baltic states, Ukraine, and Russia, most of which were under control of the Soviet Union. The Volga River (in Russia) was styled by Hitler as the Germans’ Mississippi, and covered wagons were readied for the German “manifest destiny” of imprisoning, eradicating, and replacing peoples the Nazis deemed inferior, all with direct references to events in North America during the previous century. At the same time, with no sense of contradiction, the Nazis partook of a long-standing German romanticism of Native Americans. One of Goebbels’ less propitious schemes was to confer honorary Aryan status on Native American tribes, in the hope that they would rise up against their oppressors. U.S. racial attitudes were “evidence [to the Nazis] that America was evolving in the right direction, despite its specious rhetoric about equality.” Ming Xie, originally from Beijing, in the People’s Republic of China, in Chapter 9, “News Coverage and Public Perceptions of the Social Credit System in China,” writes that The State Council of China in 2014 announced “that a nationwide social credit system would be established” in China. “Under this system, individuals, private companies, social organizations, and governmental agencies are assigned a score which will be calculated based on their trustworthiness and daily actions such as transaction history, professional conduct, obedience to law, corruption, tax evasion, and academic plagiarism.” The “nationalism” in this case is that of the state over the individual. China has 1.4 billion people; this system takes their measure for the purpose of state control. Once fully operational, control will be more subtle. People who are subject to it, through modern technology (most often smart phones) will prompt many people to self-censor. Orwell, modernized, might write: “Your smart phone is watching you.” Ming Xie holds two Ph.Ds, one in Public Administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha and another in Cultural Anthropology from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, where she also worked for more than 10 years at a national think tank in the same institution. While there she summarized news from non-Chinese sources for senior members of the Chinese Communist Party. Ming is presently an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, West Texas A&M University. In Chapter 10, analyzing native peoples and nationhood, Barbara Alice Mann, Professor of Honours at the University of Toledo, in “Divide, et Impera: The Self-Genocide Game” details ways in which European-American invaders deprive the conquered of their sense of nationhood as part of a subjugation system that amounts to genocide, rubbing out their languages and cultures -- and ultimately forcing the native peoples to assimilate on their own, for survival in a culture that is foreign to them. Mann is one of Native American Studies’ most acute critics of conquests’ contradictions, and an author who retrieves Native history with a powerful sense of voice and purpose, having authored roughly a dozen books and numerous book chapters, among many other works, who has traveled around the world lecturing and publishing on many subjects. Nalanda Roy and S. Mae Pedron in Chapter 11, “Understanding the Face of Humanity: The Rohingya Genocide.” describe one of the largest forced migrations in the history of the human race, the removal of 700,000 to 800,000 Muslims from Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh, which itself is already one of the most crowded and impoverished nations on Earth. With about 150 million people packed into an area the size of Nebraska and Iowa (population less than a tenth that of Bangladesh, a country that is losing land steadily to rising sea levels and erosion of the Ganges river delta. The Rohingyas’ refugee camp has been squeezed onto a gigantic, eroding, muddy slope that contains nearly no vegetation. However, Bangladesh is majority Muslim, so while the Rohingya may starve, they won’t be shot to death by marauding armies. Both authors of this exquisite (and excruciating) account teach at Georgia Southern University in Savannah, Georgia, Roy as an associate professor of International Studies and Asian politics, and Pedron as a graduate student; Roy originally hails from very eastern India, close to both Myanmar and Bangladesh, so he has special insight into the context of one of the most brutal genocides of our time, or any other. This is our case describing the problems that nationalism has and will pose for the sustainability of the Earth as our little blue-and-green orb becomes more crowded over time. The old ways, in which national arguments often end in devastating wars, are obsolete, given that the Earth and all the people, plants, and other animals that it sustains are faced with the existential threat of a climate crisis that within two centuries, more or less, will flood large parts of coastal cities, and endanger many species of plants and animals. To survive, we must listen to the Earth, and observe her travails, because they are increasingly our own.

This chapter describes the Alternatives to Self-Harm (ASH) program and its follow-up program, PHOENIX—programs that complement STEPPS and STAIRWAYS. ASH was developed for those individuals whose self-harm behaviors put them at imminent risk and those whose self-harm is likely to increase if they find therapy too emotionally challenging in the beginning. Data supportive of ASH are presented and show that the program leads to a reduction of self-harm risk for people with emotional dysregulation. ASH can stand alone or be adjunctive to STEPPS. ASH is an approach that reduces the risk of self-harm and increases participants’ confidence in their ability to acquire and maintain more effective coping strategies, as well as progressing to other therapies (e.g., STEPPS) as needed.

Sudden cardiac death is a major cause of death in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and mostly caused by ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Risk stratification has become of paramount importance especially after the development of implantable cardioverter defibrillators that terminate life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmic episodes very reliably. Numerous attempts have been performed to identify accurate risk stratification tools. Unfortunately, the success of these attempts has been rather limited. A severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction has been convincingly shown to be associated with significantly increased mortality and risk for sudden cardiac death in ischaemic cardiomyopathy. For this reason, it is the main parameter used for risk stratification and for the decision to implant a cardioverter defibrillator for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. However, left ventricular ejection fraction has several limitations as a stand-alone risk stratifier and has limited sensitivity and specificity. Several other tools have been proposed to improve risk prediction such as the patient’s clinical profile, ventricular ectopy, microvolt T-wave alternans, signal-averaged electrocardiogram, markers of autonomic tone, and also invasive programmed ventricular stimulation. However, none of these techniques has managed to establish itself in clinical practice as a major method for risk stratification.

The Body Project targets toward young women with body image concerns because they are at elevated risk for eating pathology, and prevention effects tend to be larger for individuals at higher risk for eating disorders. The intervention is characterized as a body acceptance class, rather than an eating disorder prevention program, to facilitate recruitment and avoid stigmatization. We recommend a multi-pronged approach to recruitment, with at least one form of individual/direct contact. One question can screen for the presence of at least a moderate degree of body dissatisfaction. The Body Project is not intended as a stand-alone treatment, particularly for individuals with anorexia nervosa, whom should be referred to a clinic or therapist for treatment.

This chapter makes the case for teaching landmark cases through a stand-alone seminar, with particular focus on reviewing the cases chronologically. In making this case, the authors highlight important principles and themes that readers can look for in the specific cases to follow, including the relationship between psychiatry and broad social and legal trends, in areas such as civil rights, federalism, law enforcement, and the role of government in serving or supporting underserved populations with and without mental illness. In addition, legal understanding of and opinions about clinical issues including diagnosis, treatment and risk assessment are highlighted.

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the law on state intervention into family life where a child is considered to be ‘in need’ or at risk of significant harm. It discusses the competing approaches to state intervention and the principles underpinning the Children Act (CA) 1989; the legal framework governing local authority support for children in need under Part III of the CA 1989 and the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014; the law and procedure regulating compulsory intervention into family life by means of care proceedings under Part IV; and the various emergency and interim measures available to protect a child thought to be at risk of immediate harm.

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter explores three defences to negligence which are also defences to other torts: volenti non fit injuria or willing assumption of risk, the illegality defence (also known as ex turpi causa), and contributory negligence. In relation to contributory negligence, the chapter considers responsibility, which involves questions both of causal influence and of fault, before turning to a discussion of apportionment of responsibility between the parties, and proportionality. In relation to illegality, recent decisions of the Supreme Court are examined.Relevant provisions of the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945 are extracted, together with further extracts from significant cases.

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines some of the most challenging problems of causation, all of which concern multiple potential causes. It first considers issues relating to ‘material contribution to damage’, and whether a given breach has materially contributed to the risk of injury. It then discusses the idea of loss of chance as well as the controversy surrounding uncertainty, single agents, and apportionment and non-tortious sources with respect to causation. A number of relevant cases are considered, including Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd [2002], Barker v Corus [2006], Durham v BAI (the ‘Trigger’ Litigation) [2012], IEG v Zurich (2015), and Gregg v Scott [2005].

In this chapter, Mariana Valverde offers a historical overview of the discourses underlying modern criminal theory. Modern criminology is rooted in a long tradition of “miserology,” the study of that “hybrid of moral degradation, physical ill health, spatial marginality, and collective despair . . . found among the new urban proletariat.” That history spans Engels’s focus on the “nameless misery” of British factory workers, great 19th-century novelists like Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo, Christian anti-poverty activism, modern welfare dependency discourse, and The Wire. Criminology, however, has lost touch with those deeply situated inquiries. Valverde points to the mid-20th century as a moment of schism between the professional study of crime and crime rates—what we now call criminology—and the study of housing, alcoholism, public health, mental health, and other poverty-related phenomena. But those early miserologists in many ways anticipated today’s resurgent interest in risk, race, social control, and the framing of crime, not as a stand-alone phenomenon, but as one aspect of social marginalization and disadvantage.

The prospects of increasing access to electricity for the population of rural areas of Africa are considered. The main international funds and organizations aimed at sustainable energy development in Africa are described. An analysis of the state and possible options for using renewable energy sources for this purpose in decentralized energy supply through the creation of mini-grids or stand-alone systems is given. The risks by developing renewable energy sources in rural areas and modern mechanisms for financing in solar energy are presented.

The prospects of increasing access to electricity for the population of rural areas of Africa are considered. The main international funds and organizations aimed at sustainable energy development in Africa are described. An analysis of the state and possible options for using renewable energy sources for this purpose in decentralized energy supply through the creation of mini-grids or stand-alone systems is given. The risks by developing renewable energy sources in rural areas and modern mechanisms for financing in solar energy are presented.

Given the rapidly proliferating varieties of nanomaterials and ongoing concerns that these novel materials may pose emerging occupational and environmental risks, combined with the possibility that each variety might pose a different unique risk due to the unique combination of material properties, researchers and regulators have been searching for methods to identify hazards and prioritize materials for further testing. While several screening tests and toxic risk models have been proposed, most have relied on cellular-level in vitro data. This foundation enables answers to be developed quickly for any material, but it is yet unclear how this information may translate to more realistic exposure scenarios in people or other more complex animals. A quantitative evaluation of these models or at least the inputs variables to these models in the context of rodent or human health outcomes is necessary before their classifications may be believed for the purposes of risk prioritization. This paper presents the results of a machine learning enabled meta-analysis of animal studies attempting to use significant descriptors from in vitro nanomaterial risk models to predict the relative toxicity of nanomaterials following pulmonary exposures in rodents. A series of highly non-linear random forest models (each made up of an ensemble of 1,000 regression tree models) were created to assess the maximum possible information value of the in vitro risk models and related methods of describing nanomaterial variants and their toxicity in rat and mouse experiments. The variety of chemical descriptors or quantitative chemical property measurements such as bond strength, surface charge, and dissolution potential, while important in describing observed differences with in vitro experiments, proved to provide little indication of the relative magnitude of inflammation in rodents (explained variance amounted to less than 32%). Important factors in predicting rodent pulmonary inflammation such as primary particle size and chemical type demonstrate that there are critical differences between these two toxicity assays that cannot be captured by a series of in vitro tests alone. Predictive models relying primarily on these descriptors alone explained more than 62% of the variance of the short term in vivo toxicity results. This means that existing proposed nanomaterial toxicity screening methods are inadequate as they currently stand, and either the community must be content with the slower and more expensive animal testing to evaluate nanomaterial risks, or further conceptual development of improved alternative in vitro screening methodologies is necessary before manufacturers and regulators can rely on them to promote safer use of nanotechnology.

This paper will give an overview of the history of PiMS and the new developments within Gastransport Services regarding the implementation of an integral Pipeline (integrity) Management System and especially and also in more detail the implementation, testing and verifying of a Risk Assessment tool, as an obvious part of PiMS. The design of the pipeline network in the Netherlands was based on the ASME B31G guidelines, as a sound engineering practice. The construction started early 1960 in a very rapid tempo. The control and maintenance in those years was executed on a paper based system with steady state frequencies of measurements uniformly distributed all over the network. With the nowadays databases and computer systems all kind of analyses beyond the capacity of a pipeline engineer can be carried out. These analyses have been made possible by outstanding Research of different companies, Joint Industry Programs and international investigations executed by a variety of different well known groups. At that time however an integration of all the data and stand-alone models into one single (PiMS-)system with one or more linked databases and controlled by one process control system was not a major option due to a lack of IT-possibilities and management objectives. Due to very fast developments in IT, recent incidents in the industry all over the world, the change in management objectives to have a faster and a better control over the pipeline safety, reliability and associating costs a strong desire for a PiMS-process control system was born.

When the Norwegian government introduced the CO2 tax for hydrocarbon fuels, the challenge became to improve the performance of off-shore power systems. An oil and gas platform typically operates on an island (stand-alone system) and the power demand is covered by two or more gas turbines. In order to improve the plant performance, a bottoming cycle unit can be added to the gas turbine topping module, thus constituting a combined cycle plant. This paper aims at developing and testing the numerical model simulating the part-load and dynamic behavior of a novel power system, composed of two gas turbines and a combined gas turbine coupled with an air bottoming cycle plant. The case study is the Draugen off-shore oil and gas platform, located in the North Sea, Norway. The normal electricity demand is 19 MW, currently covered by two gas turbines generating each 50% of the power demand, while the third turbine is on stand-by. During oil export operations the power demand increases up to 25 MW. The model of the new power plant proposed in this work is developed in the Modelica language using basic components acquired from ThermoPower, a library for power plant modelling. The dynamic model of the gas turbine and the air bottoming cycle turbogenerator includes dynamic equations for the combustion chamber, the shell-and-tube recuperator and the turbine shafts. Turbines are modelled by the Stodola equation and by a correlation between the isentropic efficiency and the non-dimensional flow coefficient. Compressors are modelled using quasi steady-state conditions by scaling the maps of axial compressors employing a similar design point. The recuperator, which recovers the exhaust heat from the gas turbine, is modelled using correlations relating the heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop at part-load with the mass flow rate. Thermodynamic variables and dynamic metrics, such as the rise time and the frequency undershooting/ overshooting, are predicted. Considering a load ramp of 0.5 MW/s, an undershooting of 4.9% and an overshooting of 3.0% are estimated. The rise time is approximately 30 s. Moreover, findings suggest that decreasing the core weight of the recuperator leads to limiting the frequency fluctuations, thus minimizing the risk of failure of the power system.

Abstract In conjunction with the industry and basin-wide paradigm shift to drilling and completing extended laterals, Matador Resources Company (the operator) made significant plans in 2018 that would focus activity toward wells with laterals greater than one-mile. One operational hurdle to overcome in this shift change was the effective execution of removing frac plugs and sand at increased depths during a post-stimulation frac plug millout. Utilization of coiled-tubing units (CTUs) had been proven to be a successful millout method in one-mile laterals, but not without risk. Rig-assisted snubbing units coupled with workover rigs (WORs) provided for less risk with higher pulling strength capabilities and the ability to rotate tubing, but would often require operational time of up to twice that of typical coiled-tubing unit millouts. The stand-alone, rigless Hydraulic Completion Unit (HCU) was ultimately tested as a solution and proved to alleviate risks in extended lateral millouts while providing operational time and cost comparable to coiled-tubing units. The operator has since performed post-stimulation frac plug millouts on ∼45 horizontal wells in the Delaware Basin using HCUs. The majority of these wells carried lateral lengths of over 1.5 miles. Results and benefits observed by the operator include but are not limited to the list below: 1.) Ability to safely and consistently reach total depth (TD) on extended laterals through increased snubbing/pickup force and the HCU's pipe rotating ability 2.) Ability to pump at higher circulation rates in high-pressured wells (>3,500 psi wellhead pressure) to assist in effective wellbore cleaning 3.) Smaller footprint which allows for the utilization of two units simultaneously on multi-well pads 4.) Time and cost comparable to a standard coiled-tubing millout, particularly on multi-well pads.

Under certain greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation scenarios, older coal-fired units may be faced with the prospect of shutdown before reaching the end of their useful life. Repurposing this existing asset for 100% biomass fuel is a more efficient use of capital than compared to building a new stand-alone unit. Biomass co-firing is an alternative for an owner to consider to address GHG regulation impacts on older coal-fired power boilers and the growing demands of pending legislation. “Direct” co-firing is a baseline approach where finely divided biomass is injected directly into the boiler furnace. Direct co-firing experience is typically less than 5% heat rate, and technical upper limits have been described in EPRI literature (1) as approximately 10% of boiler heat. Direct co-firing also does not enhance the opportunity to co-fire biomass with natural gas. Direct biomass co-firing may require extensive renovations and emissions/particulate control devices. “Indirect” co-firing is an alternative process that mitigates process risk by first converting the biomass into a fuel gas and then cleaning this gas to remove alkali and chloride contaminants prior to combustion in the power boiler furnace. Indirect co-firing may be a superior approach from an operations perspective because it protects against forced outages and repair costs expected with direct co-firing (2). Gas cleaning to remove alkali metals from the fuel gas prior to combustion reduces process risk by reducing fouling and slagging potential. Removing chloride from the fuel gas dramatically reduces the corrosion potential. Beyond reducing process risk, separating biomass ash before combustion retains the value in separate co-product ash streams, as it prevents intermingling with the coal ash. This paper describes technical and economic considerations for indirect co-firing, contrasted with direct co-firing approaches. The renewable energy ratio of a co-fired unit could be significantly increased by employing biomass gasification of the solid fuel with gas cleanup, in contrast to process risks, added emissions control costs, and technical limitations of direct co-firing of the solid biofuel.

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems utilize solar thermal energy for the generation of electric power. This attribute makes it relatively easy to integrate CSP systems with fossil-fired power plants. The “solar-augment” of fossil power plants offers a lower cost and lower risk alternative to stand-alone solar plant construction. This study ranked the potential to add solar thermal energy to coal-fired and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants found throughout 16 states in the southeast and southwest United States. Each generating unit was ranked in six categories to create an overall score ranging from Excellent to Not Considered. Separate analysis was performed for parabolic trough and power tower technologies due to the difference in the steam temperatures that each can generate. The study found a potential for over 11 GWe of parabolic trough and over 21 GWe of power tower capacity. Power towers offer more capacity and higher quality integration due to the greater steam temperatures that can be achieved. The best sites were in the sunny southwest, but all states had at least one site that ranked Good for augmentation. Geographic depiction of the results can be accessed via NREL’s Solar Power Prospector at http://maps.nrel.gov/.

The Thermochemical Power Group (TPG) is building at the laboratory of the University of Genoa, Italy, a new high temperature fuel cell - micro gas turbine physical emulator based on commercial machine technology. The aim of this new test rig is the experimental analysis of the coupling of commercial machines with fuel cell stacks focusing the attention on the critical phases of start-up, shutdown and load changes. The experimental facility is composed of a Turbec T100 micro gas turbine package modified for the fuel cell emulator connection, a set of pipes designed for by-pass, measurement or bleed reasons, and a high temperature volume designed for the RRFCS stack dimension physical emulation. This experimental approach is essential for model validations, and to test different transient operative procedures and control systems without any risk for an expensive real fuel cell stack. This paper shows the preliminary experimental data obtained with the machine in stand alone configuration, focusing the attention on the comparison of these results with the tests performed with the external pipes. Furthermore, a theoretical transient model of this new experimental facility has been developed with the TRANSEO tool. It is essential for the rig design and to perform preliminary results necessary to prevent dangerous conditions during the tests. This paper reports a preliminary verification of this model performed with the facility.

Lower-limb amputation affects the ambulation ability and quality of life of about 600,000 individuals in the United States alone1. Individuals with transfemoral amputation typically walk slower, expend more energy, and have a higher risk of falls than able-bodied individuals2. Ambulation activities such as climbing ramps or stairs or standing up from a seated position are much more difficult than for able-bodied persons. Advances in prosthetic technologies are needed to improve the ambulation ability of above-knee amputees. Passive knee prostheses are lightweight, robust, and quiet, but can only perform activities with dissipative dynamics. Powered prostheses3 overcome this limitation by motorizing the prosthetic joints throughout the entire day, thus enabling the achievement of more activities. However, the prosthesis actuator must then accommodate a wide range of speed and torque to support the various activities, plus provide power over the course of the entire day. Consequently, powered prostheses provide the ability to perform more tasks at the expense of substantial weight, noise, and battery life, which in turn affect their acceptability and clinical viability. To address these shortcomings, we propose a hybrid actuation design for prosthetic knees. The proposed hybrid actuation system uses a motor, transmission, and control only for those activities requiring net-positive mechanical energy, such as climbing on stairs and ramps or performing sit-to-stand transfers. For non-positive mechanical energy tasks, such as standing and walking, the motor and transmission are mechanically disconnected, and passive knee components are used alone, thus achieving improved joint dynamics, and avoiding any electrical energy consumption.

Abstract In an era of reduced profit margin and high market uncertainty, more than ever it is important to meet operational excellence as a key factor for business sustainability. This is common to most technical applications, but it is particularly true for the drilling operations, where considerable investments and associated risks are involved. During last four years, as part of its digital transformation process, Eni has equipped itself with several digital tools for the diagnosis and the monitoring of drilling and completion operations. Goals and reached benefits can be summarized in risk reduction, operational efficiency and performance optimization. Based on a wide case history started in 2019, a Digital Drilling Package was developed for operations support, from the design to the construction phase. Three main tools are now available to be applied to the most complex wells, either stand-alone or in parallel, covering drilling operations non-productive time (NPT) prediction, performance advanced analytics and real time simulations. This last simulation tool was deployed for the first time in late 2020 on some wells and is now being included in the engineering and operation workflows. Attacking operational NPT and invisible lost time with the aim to increase safety and to reach the technical limit is not only a matter of processing tools. It requires a deep integration with headquarter (HQ), geographical units and field locations, with the definition of a strong data management infrastructure. This paper describes Eni's experience both on-site and in office, showing how the portability and integration of big data systems, suitable data lake architectures and human factor synergies can create effectiveness at all levels. An Africa Offshore field case history is reported to show how predictive and data analytics modelling and tools interact. In addition, the way in which these tools have been managed to support optimum decision-making processes is highlighted. Next development steps will target an even higher level of integration of all available digital tools to have a single diagnostic approach based on univocal dashboards and in-house data server infrastructures.