1,720,963 research outputs found
Evaluating Tier 1 sox emission estimates for a petroleum refinery: a case study
No full textAccurate quantification of sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions from petroleum refineries is essential for regulatory compliance, environmental impact assessment and air quality management. In the absence of site-specific data, the EMEP/EEA Tier 1 methodology is often applied, using generalized emission factors derived from EU-27 averages. While this approach provides harmonized estimates for largescale inventories, its applicability at the facility scale is limited, as it does not capture refinery-specific variables such as crude sulphur content, process configuration and abatement technology performance. This study evaluates the reliability of Tier 1-derived SOx emissions for a refinery in the Marche Region (Italy) by comparing them with operator-reported emissions and with ambient concentrations measured at the nearby FS_obs monitoring station. Gaussian dispersion simulations using AERMOD were performed for both emission datasets and the resulting monthly mean concentrations were compared against observations. Results show that Tier 1 estimates overpredicted measured concentrations by approximately 35% but reproduced seasonal trends with good agreement, whereas refinery-reported values significantly underestimated observations. Both scenarios exhibited high correlation with monitoring data, highlighting that temporal patterns can be captured even when magnitude biases occur. The analysis also reveals that the FS_obs station, despite its proximity to the refinery, is influenced by multiple sources, including maritime traffic from the Port of Ancona
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Evaluating the cooling potential of urban greenery: an envi-met simulation case study in Italy
No full textIn recent decades, the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon has become one of the main environmental challenges in urban areas. The intensification of temperatures in city centres, compared to surrounding rural areas, represents a concrete threat to public health, thermal comfort and urban sustainability. This paper discusses the use of the holistic three-dimensional software ENVI-met to evaluate how vegetation can mitigate UHI, focusing on a case study involving a parking lot near a supermarket in a municipality in the centre of Italy. It details the simulation process, including the selection of appropriate tree species, and two different arrangements within the parking area to enhance cooling effects. Simulations were carried out starting at 6:00 am for a duration of 24 hours, with the aim of evaluating the potential air temperature at 2:00 pm and the PMV and PPD comfort indices for the statistically representative summer and winter day; a comparison with the state-of-the-art with no greenery was then performed. The study emphasizes the importance of creating realistic models to assess temperature and comfort indices effectively. Results indicate that strategic planting can significantly lower temperatures and improve comfort levels in urban settings; it can be stated that the most suitable tree for the creation of a green parking lot is the Acer Campestre, thanks to its ability to lower the temperature by approximately 1.5°C and improve comfort indices; moreover, it is shown that the optimal arrangement of trees can significantly influence the microclimatic conditions of the parking lot
Impact of odour emissions on public health: a review of regulatory framewoks and epidemiological evidence in Italy
No full textOdorous emissions, primarily originating from industrial activities, livestock farming and waste management facilities, represent an increasing source of environmental disturbance and health concerns for exposed communities. Although odours are often perceived as subjective annoyances, recent scientific evidence suggests a possible association between chronic exposure to odoriferous substances and the onset of respiratory symptoms, sleep disorders, psychological stress and reduced quality of life. This review analyses the epidemiological literature of the last 20 years, assessing the strength of the association between exposure to odorous emissions and health impacts. The results highlight significant methodological gaps, including variability in exposure measurement and a lack of standardization in assessment protocols. However, consistent signals of negative health effects are emerging in populations residing near odour sources. The paper concludes by emphasizing the urgency of implementing shared guidelines and integrated monitoring strategies, as well as regional regulations, and the need for further longitudinal studies to clarify the causal mechanisms underlying the observed effects
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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