Publications
You can also find all the articles on my Google Scholar profile.
Healthcare studies
Daraio, C., Di Leo, S. & Orsini, J. (2025). An Integrated and Flexible Review Framework to Evaluate the Evolution and Barriers of Digital-Twin Technologies in Industrial and Healthcare Domains. Global Journal of Flexible System Management.
Abstract
Digital-twin (DT) technologies are revolutionizing both industrial and healthcare domains, albeit at different stages of maturity and application complexity. This paper presents a novel Integrated Flexible Systematic Review (IFSR) framework to analyse the DTs adoption across these two sectors. Through two domain-specific systematic literature reviews comprising 133 rigorously selected articles, we identify key trends, enablers, and sector-specific barriers. Our findings reveal that while industrial DTs are widely applied in predictive maintenance, supply chain resilience, and smart manufacturing, healthcare DTs are still emerging, showing promise in personalized medicine, surgical simulation, and patient-specific diagnostics. A critical result is the identification of cross-domain spillover effects, where industrial innovations like real-time analytics, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and federated learning are beginning to influence healthcare practices. Conversely, healthcare’s high demands for precision and ethics are enhancing DTs development in industry. The analysis uncovers interoperability gaps, regulatory constraints, and computational challenges as primary adoption barriers, particularly in healthcare. This study contributes both methodologically, by proposing a dynamic, cross-sectoral review model, and substantively, by highlighting how DTs flexibility, when aligned with flexible system management principles, can foster adaptive, secure, and interoperable solutions. Future research directions are proposed to enhance DTs autonomy, privacy, and integration in both fields.
Available at GJFSM
Waste Management studies
D’Adamo, I., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S. et al. (2024). A Flexible and Sustainable Analysis of Waste Efficiency at the European Level. Global Journal of Flexible System Management.
Available at GJFSM
Abstract
This paper analyses the waste management efficiency of European Union countries using a flexible nonparametric methodology known as directional data envelopment analysis (DEA). The study evaluates performance at the macro (country) level, considering waste generated as input, landfilled and incinerated waste as bad output and recycled waste as output. The analysis incorporates the heterogeneity and specificities of each country, with respect to social and economic sustainability, establishing specific and realistic targets for each country to achieve efficiency. The research introduces a flexible and innovative method for assessing waste management efficiency and provides new empirical evidence on European waste management, considering economic and social sustainability. The results reveal a significant disparity among European countries in both waste generation and waste recycling. Countries are categorised into five groups according to their level of efficiency, and Central European nations are observed to exhibit generally better performance. A pragmatic approach, based on clear collaboration among countries, could optimise the unique waste management characteristics of individual nations to enhance the overall efficiency of the European waste management system, contributing to a circular economy and sustainable development.
Daraio, C., Di Leo, S. & Simar, L. (2024). Viable eco-efficiency targets for waste collection communities. Sci Rep 14, 15038.
Available at SCI REP
D’Adamo I., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., Gastaldi M. & Rossi E.N. (2024). Driving EU sustainability: Promoting the circular economy through municipal waste efficiency. Sustainable Production and Consumption 50, 462-474.
Available at SUS PROD
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Daraio, C., Di Leo, S. & Simar, L. (2024). Impact of a regulatory target and external factors on the waste efficiency of Italian municipalities. Waste Management & Research 0734242X241262698.
Available at WM&R
Electricity market studies
Di Leo, S., Chicca, M., Daraio, C., Guerrini, A., & Scarcella, S. (2024). A robust benchmarking of direct margin in Italy’s energy retail markets. Utilities Policy, 86, 101701.
Available at UP
Di Leo, S., Chicca, M., Daraio, C., Guerrini, A., & Scarcella, S. (2022). A Framework for the Analysis of the Sustainability of the Energy Retail Market. Sustainability, 14(12), 7320.
Full text (open access) available at Sustainability
Higher education studies (Universities)
Di Leo, S., Avenali, A., Daraio, C. et al. (2024). Climbing university rankings under resources constraints: a combined approach integrating DEA and directed Louvain community detection. Annals Oper Res
Available at ANOR
Avenali, A., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., & Wolszczak-Derlacz, J. (2024). Heterogeneity of national accounting systems, world-class universities and financial resources: What are the links?. Journal of Informetrics, 18(2), 101502.
Full text (open access) available at JOI
Machine Learning Tool presented in the article available at ARWU Estimator
Bruni, R., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., Ghamiloo, O., & Bianchi, G. (2023). An integrated dataset providing a landscape of the Italian Universities. Data in Brief, 48, 109163.
Full text (open access) available at DIB
Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., Iazzolino, G., & Laise, D. (2023). DEA, balanced scorecard and intellectual capital including the gender dimension: A comprehensive list of indicators. International Transactions in Operational Research.
Full text (open access) available at ITOR
Daraio, C., Di Leo, S. & Leydesdorff, L. A heuristic approach based on Leiden rankings to identify outliers: evidence from Italian universities in the European landscape. Scientometrics 128, 483–510 (2023).
Full text (open access) available at Scientometrics
Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., & Scannapieco, M. (2022). Accounting for quality in data integration systems: a completeness-aware integration approach. Scientometrics, 127(3), 1465-1490.
Full text (open access) available at Scientometrics
Daraio, C., Iazzolino, G., Laise, D., Coniglio, I. M., & Di Leo, S. (2022). Meta-choices in ranking knowledge-based organizations. Management Decision, 60(4), 995-1016.
Full text (open access) available at MD
Methodological Articles
Daraio C., Di Leo S., F. Ferazzoli (2025). Pitfalls, benefits, and comparative analysis of artificial intelligence ChatBots in the systematic review process. International Transactions in Operational Research
Full text available at ITOR
Daraio C., Di Leo S., L. Simar (2025). Conical Free Disposal Hull estimators of directional distances and Luenberger productivity indices for general technologies. European Journal of Operational Research
Full text available at EJOR
Bruni R., Daraio C., Di Leo S.(2024). Flexible Techniques to Detect Typical Hidden Errors in Large Longitudinal Datasets. Symmetry 16(5):529.
Full text (open access) available at Symmetry
Avenali, A., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., Matteucci, G., & Nepomuceno, T. (2023). Systematic reviews as a metaknowledge tool: caveats and a review of available options. International Transactions in Operational Research.
Full text (open access) available at ITOR
Datasets
Bruni, R., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S., Ghamiloo, O., & Bianchi, G. (2023). A multiperspective view of the Italian Universities. Mendeley Data, 48, 109163.
Dataset available at Mendeley Data
Bruni, R., Daraio, C., Di Leo, S. (2024), “A detection tool for longitudinal data specific errors applied to the case of European universities”, Mendeley Data.
Dataset available at Mendeley Data
Phd Thesis
Di Leo, S. (2024), Performance evaluation of public services with nonparametric frontiers.
Full text (Under emargo) available at IRIS
Working papers
Contribution in University Course book
Realization of Chapter 23 and Chapter 24 and support for the correction of the other chapters for the book Daraio C, Lopresto L. (2023), I nobel per l’economia (1969-2022).
Possible new Research projects
In this section I enter which possible new ideas and projects I would like to develop. If you would ever like to collaborate on these topics/projects please write to me!
- Frontier analysis of the Electricity and Natural gas retail market in Italy
- Frontier analysis in the Waste sector
- Frontier analysis in the Water sector