987 research outputs found
Social innovation for energy transition: activation of community entrepreneurship in inner areas of Southern Italy
No full textSustainable Development Goal no. 7 of the UN 2030 Agenda refers to changing the route of energy production and consumption to contrast climate change. One way to reach this objective is to foster the development of the renewable energy sector by promoting community entrepreneurship in rural and remote areas endowed with relevant environmental resources and containing important cultural assets. The European Union (EU) legislative framework already formally acknowledges and defines specific types of community energy initiatives that can reinforce positive social norms and support the energy transition. However, there are some concerns regarding the economic feasibility and sustainability of these initiatives in difficult contexts, such as the case of inner areas of Southern Italy, which are affected by progressive abandonment and desertification, and where the recent widespread implementation of large-scale renewable energy plants has occurred without the engagement of the local community. This has led to limited social acceptance of new investment projects in renewable energy. In light of these premises, the aim of this chapter is to propose an operational approach for developing community entrepreneurship where the renewable energy sector will provide the financial flow needed to activate initiatives for the valorization of cultural assets, tourism initiatives and civic revitalization. In this way, the energy transition may represent a unique opportunity to spur economic growth in less developed regions across the EU, capable of exerting a multiplier effect on local development and the social revitalization of local communities
Running coupling constant and masses in QCD, the meson spectrum
No full textIn line with some previous works, we study in this paper the meson spectrum in the framework of a second order quark-antiquark Bethe-Salpeter formalism which includes confinement. An analytic one loop running coupling constant alphas(Q), as proposed by Shirkov and Sovlovtsov, is used in the calculations. As for the quark masses, the case of a purely phenomenological running mass for the light quarks in terms of the c. m. momentum is further investigated. Alternatively a more fundamental expression mP(Q) is introduced for light and strange quarks, combining renormalization group and analyticity requirements with an approximate solution of the Dyson-Schwinger equation. The use of such running coupling constant and masses turns out to be essential for a correct reproduction of the the light pseudoscalar mesons
Assessing the Impact of Alternative Water Pricing Schemes on Income Distribution
No full textThe reform of water pricing policies may represent an effective instrument for enhancing the efficient use of water resource. However, policy makers fear that a change in the pricing methods may cause income loss for some farmers, and that this income inequality may generate public discontent and policy inertia. The aim of this paper was to compare some pricing methods in order to measure their effects on income distribution. The analysis focuses on the income distribution among different types of farms, and the income distribution between different social groups (landowners, capitalists and workers) in the short term. A linear programing model based on expected utility theory is used to take into account the effect of commodity prices and rainfall variability, which are among the most relevant factors affecting farmers' income. According to the findings, water pricing schemes do not affect the income distribution among farm types, although a significant impact emerges on the distribution among social groups, and in particular on the wages of temporary workers. Copyright (c) 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2010 The Agricultural Economics Society.
District-scale numerical analysis of settlements related to groundwater lowering in variable soil conditions
No full textThis study presents a novel framework in which numerical modelling contributes to the performance of district-scale, subsidence-induced damage assessment in cities where ground settlements affect entire quarters. Therein, the implementation of expeditious procedures offers geotechnical engineers the possibility of contributing beyond the typical site scale. For this purpose, several “typified” hydro-geomechanical-loading (HGL) models, which represent (simplified) scenarios of masonry buildings undergoing settlements, were set up to account for different predisposing or triggering factors (i.e., soil heterogeneity, loading conditions, and groundwater variations) of settlement occurrence in built-up areas. These models exploit multi-source, wide-area input datasets encompassing the hydro-mechanical properties of geomaterials, in situ investigations and measurements (e.g., groundwater levels in wells), and innovative remote sensing data (i.e., DInSAR techniques). With reference to a district in Rotterdam City (the Netherlands), which was built on “soft soils”, the numerical simulations of different scenarios (i) provide an overview of the comparative role of predisposing or triggering factors on settlement occurrence and (ii) allow assessments of the expected induced damage to masonry buildings over 30 years with the exploitation of fragility curves. Considering the widespread diffusion of such geohazards, the proposed approach could help prioritise (rather expensive) maintenance work to the built heritage within sustainable strategies for subsidence risk mitigation.Applied MechanicsGeo-engineerin
Le meraviglie di Roma antica e moderna: vedute, ricostruzioni, progetti nelle raccolte della Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte; catalogo della mostra
No full textSaggio su Rodolfo Lanciani archeologo e collezionista di disegni. Cura scientifica degli 80 disegni su Roma più significativi esposti nella mostra (Pirro Ligorio, G. B. Piranesi, A. Specchi, G. B. Nolli)
.: Exponential modelling of Ultrasound fetal growth and computer evaluation of significant parameters.
No full textStatistics of continuous trajectories in quantum mechanics: Operation valued stochastic processes
No full textPolitiche di tariffazione idrica per un utilizzo efficiente dell’acqua in agricoltura
No full textL'articolo mette a confronto i metodi indiretti di tariffazione dell'acqua irrigua con quelli diretti. I metodi indiretti si basano su una stima dei consumi fondata su variabili che sono correlate con l’utilizzo dell’acqua e per questo non consentono di determinare con elevata precisione i consumi reali. Essi sono i più diffusi nel mondo, in quanto si rivelano i più semplici sul piano operativo rispetto ai diretti. Da un punto di vista teorico, i singoli utilizzatori, per esempio gli agricoltori, non pagando in maniera corrispondente ai volumi effettivi, dovrebbero tendere a utilizzare in eccesso la risorsa, rispetto ai metodi diretti. Ciò determinerebbe una riduzione di efficienza dell’utilizzo dell’acqua, ovvero del valore di produzione agricola ottenibile per unità di volume di risorsa idrica.
La stima della perdita di efficienza dell’acqua dovuta all’applicazione di metodi indiretti rispetto a quelli diretti è un tema poco affrontato in letteratura. A questo proposito, si presentano i risultati di un caso di studio del bacino della Capitanata, in provincia di Foggia, in cui sono state
poste a confronto le misure dell’efficienza di utilizzo dell’acqua in
agricoltura. Da questa analisi le differenze con i metodi indiretti
in termini di efficienza di utilizzo appaiono poco significative.
Inoltre, dal momento che i metodi diretti mostrano difficoltà di
funzionamento su alcune fonti di approvvigionamento - come
per esempio le acque sotterranee - emerge l’opportunità di
riconsiderare anche i metodi indiretti
Analisi dell'efficienza tecnica ed ecologica dei metodi di tariffazione diretti ed indiretti dell'acqua irrigua
No full textLa progettazione e la programmazione di interventi e misure finalizzati ad utilizzare in maniera efficiente le scarse dotazioni idriche disponibili, sono al centro del nuovo corso segnato dalla Direttiva CE 60/2000. La direttiva raccomanda al decisore pubblico di incrementare l’efficienza di utilizzo dell’acqua attraverso l’applicazione di tariffe che tengano conto del costo pieno. L’obiettivo del presente lavoro consiste, nel valutare l'efficienza di tre sistemi di tariffazione indiretta, confrontati con una tariffazione diretta, ed in particolare mettendone in evidenza le implicazioni dal punto di vista ecologico. Per la stima dell'efficienza di impiego della risorsa idrica è stata adottata la tecnica della Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)
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