1,720,956 research outputs found
A protocol for sustainable building interventions: Financial analysis and environmental effects
No full textThe economic evaluations conducted by the public operator require to estimate not only the financial effects generated by the investment project, but also the social, cultural and environmental results. This study proposes a model that, starting from the collection and processing of data which characterise the thermodynamic building's behaviour, allows the correct selection of energetic requalification interventions, both under technical and financial issue. Moreover the model allows to take into account in monetary terms the extent of the lower CO2 emissions as a result of the proposed design solution. The criterion for the quantification of the value corresponding to the avoided emissions of CO2, follows analysis of the main models proposed in the literature. We examined the results of the protocol applied to a real case
Costs and Benefits in the Recovery of Historic Buildings: The Application of an Economic Model
Full text linkUntil now, the policies on sustainability relating to regeneration interventions on historic buildings have dealt with the casing of the buildings in order to regulate and control the flow of air, light and energy from outside to inside and vice versa. However, recent technological developments in home comfort and energy savings highlight the efficiency of the plants and the proper management of the building-plant system, while respecting the
criteria of integrated conservation and the multiple constraints that characterize historic buildings. This study proposes a methodological process that identifies the optimal steps from a technical and economical point of view, by providing a combination of traditional architectural conservation interventions with innovative technology systems. The calculation algorithms are developed with a specific software based on UNI TS 11300 regulations, which allows for the thermodynamic modelling of the structure. The preparation of the feasibility plan allows testing the cost-effectiveness of the work proposed, considering the environmental benefits resulting from the reduced CO2 emissions. The impact of the financial results of the evaluation is also analyzed. This protocol provides industry operators a useful instrument for selecting the least expensive initiatives among those compatible with the multiple constraints that affect the design choices
A Model for the Economic Evaluation of Energetic Requalification Projects in Buildings. A Real Case Application
No full textThe study is part of the current debate on the selection of costeffective interventions to ensure the energy efficiency of buildings. It is generally considered a major issue for the conscious exploitation of environmental resources and, in particular, the economic sustainability of the management processes of buildings.
In accordance with the provisions of the relevant legislation, a model for the quantification of energy audits and the verification of the cost effectiveness of energetic requalification projects in buildings is proposed. There is also the aim to provide professionals, agencies and operators within the sector a standardised methodology for the selection of useful and practicable steps for the reliable estimation of the relevant costs and revenues. The model is structured on a logical sequence of operational steps that range from the simulation of the thermodynamic behaviour of the building up to the implementation of a Cost-Benefit Analysis, a technique traditionally used to express judgements of convenience of the implementation of investments. The reliability of the model is tested through the application to a real case
Historic buildings and energetic requalification: a model for the selection of technologically advanced interventions
No full textThe recovery and enhancement of historic buildings require interventions aimed also at the energetic requalification. Indeed, on one side there is a growing attention to the reuse of these buildings not only for conservative purposes, but even for economic and environmental aims; by forcing to include in the project even the energy efficiency improvement. On the other side, the current legislation on environmental sustainability in construction gives clear guidelines in energetic improvement object regarding the entire real estate assets, including historic buildings. The paper aims to define a technical-economic model for the selection of technologically advanced interventions useful to improve the buildings energy performance of historical and architectural interest. This can happens by respecting the needs and regulations on the protection of the valued property. The software implementation for the energy characterization of the historic building and the use of cost-benefit analysis, allow to drawing up an analysis protocol to support investment decisions. The issues research about the low thermal and acoustic insulation of the building envelopment and inefficient plants leads to outline intervention strategies and corresponding technical solutions, listed in detail in the article. The research appears important on the theoretic side because rationalizes the various phases necessary for the selection of the energetic requalification interventions, for which the cash flows analysis is essential to ensure the financial sustainability of the initiative. It’s also true in operative terms since it provides an easy instrumentation to professionals and operators in this sector to lead towards technologically efficient interventions, profitable in management phase and respectful of the historical and architectural values of the built heritage
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Variations on the Author
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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
Full text linkWe 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
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