1,354,214 research outputs found
Development and validation of novel methods and technologies for sustainability and health risk assessment in circular urban water management
Full text linkLe soluzioni tecniche proposte, indirizzate verso un approccio circolare del servizio idrico, includono: i) gestione del rischio e supporto digitale per il riutilizzo delle acque reflue in agricoltura e per le acque di balneazione; ii) valutazione della sostenibilità del servizio idrico integrato; iii) determinazione dei composti emergenti nelle infrastrutture connesse a bacini idrici strategici. È stata condotta un'analisi per il riutilizzo delle acque per l'irrigazione in agricoltura. Sono state effettuate valutazioni del rischio in tre casi di studio, sia con approcci semi-quantitativi che quantitativi. Inoltre, sono stati eseguiti test su sensori per la determinazione microbica e sono state analizzate metodologie per valutarne le prestazioni. Modelli per le previsioni della qualità delle acque di balneazione sono stati integrati per lo sviluppo di un sistema di allerta precoce. È stato utilizzato un modello deterministico per ottenere simulazioni sulla futura configurazione del sistema fognario nella località balneare di Pont d'Iena, mentre è stato implementato un modello statistico per ottenere previsioni sulle concentrazioni di E.coli. La sostenibilità dell'approccio circolare alla gestione dell'acqua è stata valutata attraverso la definizione delle connessioni tra riutilizzo dell'acqua, impronta di carbonio, energia e agricoltura. Una metodologia per la valutazione dell'impronta di carbonio del servizio di depurazione è stata sviluppata e testata in quattro società idriche italiane. Una valutazione LCA è stata condotta per esaminare diverse strategie di gestione. Sono state valutate la sostenibilità delle tecnologie di recupero del fosforo e la valorizzazione dei relativi prodotti nel mercato. La presenza di contaminanti emergenti, come le microplastiche, in infrastrutture connesse a bacini lacustri strategici, è stata analizzata ed un protocollo per la determinazione e la quantificazione delle microplastiche nelle acque potabili e reflue è stato sviluppato.Technical solutions addressed towards a circular approach of urban water systems are presented, including: i) risk management and digital support for water reuse in agriculture and safe bathing water; ii) evaluation of the sustainability of the integrated water service; iii) determination of compounds of emerging concern in the infrastructures connected to strategic water basins. A detailed analysis was conducted for water reuse for irrigation in agriculture. Risk assessment was performed in three case studies in Italy both with semi-quantitative and with quantitative approaches. Tests on innovative sensor for microbial determination were conducted, investigating methodologies to assess sensors performances against standard lab analyses. As concern safe use of bathing water, models for bathing water predictions were integrated to evaluate their applicability in the development of an early warning system. A deterministic model was used to obtain simulations on the future configuration of the sewer system in the bathing site of Pont d’Iena, while a statistic model was implemented to obtain predictions on E.coli concentrations. The sustainability of the circular approach to urban water management was evaluated through the definition of the nexus among water reuse, carbon and energy footprint and agriculture irrigation. A methodology for parametric carbon footprint assessment of territorial wastewater service has been developed and tested in four Italian water utilities. An LCA was conducted to evaluate different scenarios and management strategies. Sustainability of phosphorus recovery technologies and the valorisation of the related products in the market were evaluated. The presence of emerging contaminants, such as microplastics, in in drinking water and wastewater infrastructures connected to strategic lake water basins, was analysed. A protocol was developed for the determination and the quantification of microplastics
Risk management and digitalisation to overcome barriers for safe reuse of urban wastewater for irrigation – A review based on European practice
No full textDespite their multiple benefits and several successful case studies, water-reuse practices are still not systematically implemented Europe-wide and globally mainly owing to the lack of social trust and high governance complexity in water-reuse techniques and practices. Non-homogeneity in the water-reuse regulations is also highly relevant. To overcome these challenges, the European Parliament has recently approved the Regulation 2020/741 on minimum requirements for water reuse to standardise the legal requirements of wastewater to be considered fit for reuse. This regulation also requires elaboration of Water Reuse Risk Management Plans (WRRMPs) for all reclamation facilities of the Union. This review aims to provide a general overview of the current limitations and gaps in systematically applying water-reuse practices, as well as recommendations that could overcome them. To this end, WRRMPs and digital solutions can play a crucial role because they can ensure the safe use of reclaimed water in agriculture and support communications to stakeholders, end-users and citizens. Guidelines to develop risk management plans and the current regulations regarding water reuse in Europe have also been extensively analysed in this study together with examples of digital support to risk management in water reuse
Validation of an evidence-based methodology to support regional carbon footprint assessment and decarbonisation of wastewater treatment service in Italy
No full textIn this paper, a new regional methodological approach for determining direct and indirect emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is proposed. Additionally, an entire territorial wastewater treatment service located in the northern Italy and serving 411,484 PE was assessed. The most accurate emission factor identification is presented using appropriate on-site measurements, monitoring different aerated operational units and sampling several streams in 12 relevant WWTPs of different treatment capacities, ranging from 3000 to 73,000 PE. Dissolved greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations from 0.2 to 24 mgN2O/L, 0.1 to 1 mgCH4/L and 1.8 to 52 mgCO2/L in effluent flows were detected. Specific carbon footprints resulted in the emissions of 0.04–0.20 tonCO2eq/PE/y, varying as per the size of the plants. The most impactful categories were identified for indirect emissions, associated with dissolved GHGs discharged in the surface water body and due to energy consumption, which accounted for 13–70% and 10–40%, respectively. The overall territorial carbon footprint of the wastewater treatment service was also quantified to provide evidence-based decision support system (DSS) and prepare systemic mitigation strategies
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
Giacomo Maria Radini Tedeschi e il Seminario di Bergamo a inizio Novecento: un progetto di riforma
No full textIl saggio presenta il rinnovamento degli studi seminaristici impostato da Radini Tedeschi dopo il suo ingresso come vescovo nella diocesi di Bergamo. In particolare, il progetto, attraverso una complessa riorganizzazione di tutto il quadriennio seminaristico, cui sarebbe stato affiancato un biennio di specializzazione, intendeva governare le crescenti pressioni provenienti dalla società moderna attraverso un aggiornamento che valorizzasse la cultura cattolica al servizio della pastorale. Il nuovo percorso di studi, che guardava soprattutto a esperienze come quella di Lovanio, era proposto a tutti i Seminari lombardi ma fu fermato dalla riforma imposta dalla Santa Sede nel 1907
The Application of 3D Modelling and Spatial Analysis to the Study of Groundstones Used in Wild Plants Processing.
No full textIn recent years, several works have proved the reliability of the application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of
stone tool use. Monitoring surface morphometry resulting from the use of lithic tools has the potential to objectively quantify and
identify patterns of modifications associated to specific activities and worked materials. In particular, the combination of surface
morphometrywithasystematicexperimentalframeworkandusewearanalysishasthepotentialofforeseeingresidue distribution
areas over the groundstone surfaces, hence providing a key aid in establishing sampling strategies applied to archeological
specimens. Here, we propose an approach that applies 3D modeling, performed through a close-range photogrammetry, and
the use of GISsoftware to investigate surface modifications and residue distribution on groundstones used to process wild plants.
Our work comprises a dedicated experimental framework in which modern tool replicas have been used to process different
species of wild plant foods through grinding, crushing, and pounding. By applying 3D modeling and spatial analysis, we were
able to characterize patterns of surface modifications related to each of the worked substances and activities performed.
Moreover, we monitored the distribution of starch granules over the experimental groundstone surfaces and its variation in
relation to the state of the worked substance and the action carried out. Our results provide one of the first experimental dataset
focused on the use of groundstones for wild plant processing, and a reliable methodology for further studies related to the
exploitation of stone technology and wild vegetal substances in the past
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
Bridging the gap between micro and macro data: Ontologies to the rescue
Full text linkWe describe a new methodology for modeling aggregate data and explicitly connecting them to the individual-level data from which aggregates are generated. The approach makes use of OWL2 ontologies that formalize both the application domain and multidimensional constructs, such as data cubes, measures, dimensions, and hierarchies. This contribution stems from a collaboration among ISTAT, Sapienza University of Rome, and OBDA Systems, within the project INTERSTAT
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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