186,337 research outputs found
Ecosustainable biomethane and fertilizerproduction through anaerobic co-digestionof animal manure and energy crops
No full textIn Italy and many European countries energy production from biomass is encouraged by strong economic subsidies so that renewable energy plants, anaerobic digestion plant producing biogas in particular, are getting large diffusion. Nevertheless, it is necessary to define the environmental compatibility as well as technological and economic issues dealing with the emerging renewable energy scenario. This evaluation should take into account global parameters as well as environmental impacts at regional and local scale coming from new polluting emissions. The environmental balances regarding new energy plants are of primary importance within very polluted areas such as Northern Italy where air quality limits are systematically exceeded, in particular for PM10, NO2 and ozone. The most important environmental shortcomings that should be solved or at least minimized as far as biogas production and utilisation are concerned are: 1. macro-pollutants emissions from biogas engine at the local scale and low fuel utilization index (biogas plants generally don't recover all thermal energy at disposal); 2. indirect GHG emissions, mainly involving post-methanation emissions from the digestate storage; 3. ammonia emissions from the storage and land spreading of digested materials, low fertilising efficiency of manure and digestate, nitrate contamination of groundwater. The described emissions and energy inefficiency could involve negative environmental balances at the local scale, conflicting with the possible benefits arising from biomass energy production. An alternative technological choice for biogas valorisation could be biomethane production (also called green gas) through biogas purification and upgrading processes in order to remove CO2 and trace components. Biomethane production and its injection into natural gas grid (or its use as a transport vehicle fuel) could bring about strong energy and environmental benefits such as higher energy efficiencies and lower specific emissions (district heating CHP units, combined cycle gas turbines, methane powered vehicles). The present study mainly aims at analysing biogas upgrading techniques under the aspects of energy consumptions and environmental sustainability, with a specific focus on minimizing methane losses from the process by means of suitable design and operative choices (temperature, pressures, sorbents, recirculation strategies, etc.) that are fully described and simulated. The considered upgrading techniques are based on the principles of physical and chemical absorption and pressure/vacuum swing adsorption (PSA). The analysis highlights that there are strong differences among the examined upgrading techniques, as far as specific sorbent flows, absorbing tower dimensions, methane losses, power required, recoverable heat and environmental impacts (use of resources, gaseous releases of odorous and polluting molecules, GHG balances) are concerned. In particular, all the analysed upgrading techniques could be designed in order to achieve very low methane slip, below 0.1%, except PSA for which methane losses are hardly reducible below 2%, even at very high energy consumptions. The actual range of methane slip for the considered technologies is 0.1÷5% whereas the energy consumption to upgrade biogas lies in the range 0.05÷0.54 kWhe/m3 of raw biogas. The following analysis reports also some economic evaluations including electric energy costs, thermal energy requirements, biomethane sale incomes and external costs due to environmental impacts of biogas production+upgrading techniques. Within the described cost-benefit approach, the best overall balances seems to be assured by absorption with DEPG and chemical absorption with MEA. Finally, the last part of the present work shows a technical analysis of a specific digestate treatment process that could help reaching both the reduction of GHG and ammonia emissions and, at the same time, the production of fertilizers. The present analysis therefore confirms that biogas/biomethane technology is absolutely ready and suitable to reach very high levels of productivity, efficiency and environmental performances at sustainable costs and the right technological approach could solve many environmental problems regarding nitrate contamination of groundwater, ammonia emissions and global warming issue
Methodological approach for recognition of species from 0 kHz – 12 kHz nocturnal PAM recordings: the case of Orthoptera
No full textLa scoperta fortuita di Acheta pantescus Massa, Cusimano, Fontana, Brizio, 2022, nata dall’osservazione di un canto di grillo non riconosciuto durante la revisione di registrazioni di monitoraggio acustico passivo (PAM), ha rivelato il potenziale dei registratori non supervisionati come strumenti per la valutazione della diversità degli ortotteri. Questo studio, basato su una campagna PAM notturna di un mese in due località pugliesi, copre le problematiche del riconoscimento delle specie di ortotteri mediante mezzi bioacustici e delinea un flusso di lavoro di analisi e diagnosi per paesaggi sonori contestati, con particolare riferimento a registrazioni di media qualità (frequenza di campionamento di 24 kHz, banda 0 kHz - 12 kHz), scelte come il miglior compromesso tra qualità e capacità di archiviazione. Al prezzo di un significativo impiego di tempo, il metodo si è dimostrato adatto per una valutazione preliminare della diversità degli ortotteri a canto notturno. I risultati includono diverse lezioni apprese, un elenco delle specie osservate e alcune nuove osservazioniThe fortuitous discovery of Acheta pantescus Massa, Cusimano, Fontana, Brizio, 2022, born from the observation of an unknown cricket song during the review of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) recordings, disclosed the potential of unsupervised recorders as tools for the assessment of orthopteran diversity. This case study, based on a one-month, nightly PAM campaign in two Apulian locations, covers the issues of orthopteran species recognition by bioacoustical means and outlines an analysis and diagnosis workflow for contested soundscapes, with special reference to the medium-quality record settings (24 kHz sampling frequency, 0 kHz - 12 kHz band), chosen as the best compromise between quality and storage capacity. At the price of substantial labour, the method proved suitable for a preliminary assessment of the diversity of the night-singing orthoptera. Results include several lessons learned, a list species observed and some novel observation
Anna Maria Brizio e i suoi studi su Leonardo
No full textUna rassegna dei contributi più significativi scritti da Anna Maria Brizio su Leonardo, con un resoconto delle sue attività scientifiche svolte nell'ambito della Commissione Nazionale Vinciana, nell'Ente Raccolta Vinciana e nelle istituzioni milanesi, dagli Amici di Brera alla Fondazione Corrente
Annuario per l'anno accademico 1952-53
No full textAnnuario per l'anno accademico ... / Università degli studi di Torino. - Torino : Tipografia Arigianelli, [1953] . - 385 p ; 25 cm. ((Annuario dell'Università degli Studi di Torino (1952-53). - Contiene il discorso inaugurale "L'architettura barocca in Piemonte" della Prof.ssa Anna Maria Brizio. - Cenni biografici su Giovanni Battista Allaria, Carlo Arnò, Corrado Barbagallo, Mario Chiò, Vittorio Cian, Adolfo Faggi, Gino Fano, Giovanni Marro, Gioele Solari, Angelo Taccone
A study of melanoma in Eastern European migrants in Italy.
No full textCancer survival rates are lower in Eastern Europe. To describe, based on a single-centre database in northern Italy, clinical, histopathological, and prognostic features of melanoma in a migrant population from Eastern Europe.
MATERIALS & METHODS:
We retrospectively analysed data from 18,190 consecutive foreign patients who visited our institution, with 49 cases of melanoma from Eastern Europe. The control group was represented by 1,003 Italian melanoma patients diagnosed and followed at our centre during the same time period. Patients from Eastern Europe were mainly females with lower median age, without significant differences regarding primary melanoma site, relative to the control group. Diagnosis was made at the place of birth in 30.6% and in our centre for the remainder. Median Breslow thickness was greater (p = 0.0178), and aggressive histotypes (p = 0.0017) and ulcerated melanomas (p = 0.002) were significantly over-represented, particularly when diagnosed in the patients' native country. Disease was more advanced at diagnosis (p = 0.0001), regardless of the place of initial diagnosis (51% had a progressive disease within one year which rose to 80% if diagnosed before admission to our centre), and the percentage of patients who died within one year was significantly higher (p = 0.022), relative to the control group. Our study shows a poor prognosis for melanoma patients diagnosed in Eastern Europe. Moreover, for migrant populations moving from Eastern to Western European countries, financial difficulties, poor social integration, and language barriers, with consequent late access to healthcare facilities, may account for a worse prognosis
A new voice from Sardinia: Uromenus annae (Targioni-Tozzetti, 1881) (Insecta: Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Bradyporinae: Ephippigerini)
No full textRecent findings of the Sardinian endemic Bushcricket Uromenus annae (Targioni Tozzetti, 1881) allowed the authors to retrace the nomenclatorial history of the species. The rearing of living specimens resulted in the recording of the male song, previously unknown. Since the Neotype previously established by Fontana & Buzzetti (2001) is lost, a new Neotype is here designated. Affinities with other congeneric species are discusse
Gyllotalpa cossyrensis Baccetti & Capra, 1978 microinsular endemism of the Lago di Venere in Pantelleria (Orthoptera Gryllotalpidae)
No full textNew Unexpected Species of Acheta (Orthoptera, Gryllidae) from the Italian Volcanic Island of Pantelleria
No full textIn late April 2022, while listening to audio files from an unsupervised bioacoustic assessment of the shearwater populations (Aves, Procellariiformes) on the coast of Pantelleria island (Sicily, Italy), a cricket song of unknown attribution was heard. The first bioacoustic analyses, including FFT-based spectrograms and sound pressure envelopes, confirmed that it could not be attributed to the known sound of any Italian nor Mediterranean species of cricket. In the ensuing weeks, field research at the original station and further localities on the southern coast of Pantelleria provided photographs, living specimens, and further audio records. As soon as the photos were shared among the authors, it became clear the species belonged to the genus Acheta. Further bioacoustic analyses and morphological comparison with type specimens of Mediterranean and North-African congenerics in relevant collections and the scientific literature were conducted: they confirmed that the findings could only be attributed to a still undescribed species that escaped detection due to its impervious and unfrequented habitat. Acheta pantescus n. sp. is apparently restricted to the effusive coastal cliffs of the island of Pantelleria, a habitat whose scant extension and vulnerability require environmental protection actions such as the inclusion in a special Red List by the IUCN Italian Committee
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