177,182 research outputs found
Renewable Energy Community: Opportunities and Threats towards Green Transition
No full textThe European Union faces a complex economic conjunction where different factors affect and reduce the number of feasible and sustainable projects according to the legislation and the available resources. In this context, one of the available solutions to the current energy crisis could be the implementation of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) to support the European dual transition targets. The idea of an energy community is still being defined in the literature and from a legislative perspective. The increasing REC dimension and numerosity demand in-depth studies on opportunities and threats in a still unexplored market. To clarify the Italian and European state of the art of these communities, this study in the first section addresses the socioeconomic and policy conditions needed for the foundation and development of energy communities by analyzing the in-force legislation. The analysis of the current regulation has been conducted to verify how RECs affect local communities and their degrees of freedom and action in regions. The second part of the study aimed to define threats and opportunities in creating new professional profiles and local job opportunities in this new thriving market. In this study, we collected interviews and surveys with market operators, both on the service providers' side (ESCo) and the communities' side (promoters), to identify conflicts and advantages associated with establishing communities. The participants were initially selected through publicly available lists, and after verifying the contact correctness, they were contacted by email or phone. The results of the interviews have been processed into a SWOT analysis, showing how national policies currently need to catch up in implementing this efficiency tool and how the restricted number and the variety of the existing communities increase the difficulty in creating cohesive and universal guidelines. Finally, local markets can still not correctly manage this innovative tool's uncertainty despite being interested in it
Chromosome analysis of spontaneous abortions after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
No full textThe Reflect-OR project: Background to the special issue
No full textThe article introduces the path, the actors and the contexts of the Reflect-OR Project. Reflect-OR is a Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation (TOI) project developed in the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) and promoted by the European Commission. Reflect-OR aimed at sustaining the empowerment processes of career guidance practitioners by supporting a major awareness and use of their individual, organizational and networking resources. The Reflect-OR project is the transfer of a previous Leonardo da Vinci project called Reflect which experimented with reflective methodologies with teachers and trainers. The path was characterized by an active process of transfer of innovation, constantly constructed and negotiated with the various life-long career guidance (LLCG) practitioners and agencies and based on a creative methodological approach called Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection (PAAR). Another important aspect was constituted by the peculiarities of the different contexts involved in the transfer process (Italy, Switzerland and Bulgaria) which allowed a deep reflection on LLCG systems and created a common background for reframing and empowerment. © 2011 Taylor & Francis
Sarcina Organisms in the Gastrointestinal Tract
No full textSarcina organisms were first observed in and recorded from the stomach contents of a patient suffering from vomiting by John Goodsir in 1842. Since that time, their fine structure, phylogenetic classification, and biochemical characteristics have been described. Although numerous cases of fatal disease have been attributed to this organism in the veterinary literature, only a few human cases have been documented. As a result, whether this organism causes disease in humans has not been definitively established. We report the clinicopathologic findings in a series of 5 patients with Sarcina-like organisms identified in upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsies with molecular confirmation. Our findings have shown that the organism is most commonly found in patients with a history of gastric outlet obstruction or delayed gastric emptying. Although many of the patients do not demonstrate direct mucosal injury from the organism, the presence of a concurrent gastric ulcer puts the patient at increased risk for complications such as emphysematous gastritis or perforation. The finding of Sarcina organisms should prompt further investigation for functional causes of gastric outlet obstruction and delayed gastric emptying, such as occult malignancy
Three-dimensional evaluation of upper airway in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome during oral appliance therapy
No full textObstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) represents a frequent and common respiratory disease characterized by repeated episodes of complete and/or partial obstruction of upper airways during sleep, normally associated with reduction of oxygen saturation in blood. The oral appliances (OAs) are considered to be an effective treatment modality thanks to the upper airway enlargement. Lateral cephalometry has been used for the 2-dimensional evaluation of upper airway form with several limits. We obtained an accurate 3-dimensional (3D) volume analyses with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans to confirm the effects of OA on the upper airway in patients with OSAS.
Ten Italian patients with moderate or severe OSA (3 males and 7 females, 53.4 ± 11.3 years of age, and BMI 24.5 ± 2.7), who cannot tolerate continuous positive air pressure therapy and rejected a surgical approach, were treated with non-adjustable customized OAs and evaluated with CBCT and polysomnography. Upper airway form was examined in the presence and absence of OA and the volume was measured and compared in 2 different areas. Specific planes have been considered to match the data and calculate the benefit obtained with therapy.
Nine out of ten patients showed an improvement of total upper airway volume and an improvement in apnea-hypopnea index. Volume increased both in the posterior soft palate region and in the posterior tongue region. In the inferior area, we observed greater differences.
3D image reconstruction accurately confirmed morphological changes in the upper airway during OA therapy. The use of this 3D evaluation is expected to improve the results of OA therapy in the future
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe 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
Promoting business excellence at local level: the case of Guangdong Province, China
No full textPurpose
Explore the relationship between medium-large firms’ industrial performance, territorial factors and local development policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical econometric investigation based on a panel dataset of county-level data , carried out in the Guangdong Province for the period 2000-2008.
Findings
Results suggest a positive and significant relationship between policies at the local level and business performance. The most important determinants of industrial performance appear to be development zones and specialized towns - on the policy side – as well as the presence urban areas, investment in innovation and FDI. Given the complexity of the relationships further research is called for in order to build more evidence for this and other Chinese provinces.
Research limitations/implications (if applicable)
The analysis confirms the initial hypothesis that business excellence can be influenced by the specific characteristics of the territories where firms are located, among which there might be government policies aiming at local development and encouraging a better business environment.
Implications for the society
Relevant to the policy-making process, results suggest that business excellence should not be viewed as only a matter of business strategies. It can be result of territorial excellence and effective local development policies.
Originality/value
In the international debate there are very few papers testing the relationship between policies and industrial performances in China. Even fewer explore this relationship at the local level. This paper offers a unique county-level perspective and in-depth view on local industrial policies
Cultural heritage preservation and conservation of archived materials: gamma radiation processing and characterization at the Calliope facility (Casaccia R.C., Rome - Italy)
No full textIl presente Rapporto Tecnico riguarda le attività condotte presso la Facility di irraggiamento gamma Calliope (C.R. ENEA Casaccia, Roma, Italia) nell’ambito del IAEA Coordinated Research Project ‘F23032’-Research Agreement No. 18922/R0 (“Radiation Processing for Bio-Deteriorated Archived Materials and Consolidation of Porous Artefacts”). In particolare, la pubblicazione riguarda gli aspetti più critici relativi all’applicazione delle radiazioni ionizzanti per la conservazione ed il trattamento dei materiali archivistici e librari, soggetti ad attacco da parte di organismi bio-deteriogeni. Nel corso delle attività di ricerca, sono stati condotti studi su: 1) analisi microbiologiche in diverse condizioni di irraggiamento; ii) caratterizzazione chimico-fisica degli effetti indotti dalla radiazione gamma sui materiali trattati.The present Technical Report is related to the activities performed at the ENEA Calliope gamma irradiation facility (Casaccia R. C., Rome, Italy) in the framework of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project ‘F23032’-Research Agreement No. 18922/R0 (“Radiation Processing for Bio-Deteriorated Archived Materials and Consolidation of Porous Artefacts”). In particular, the publication is focused on the discussion of the most critical topics related to the application of ionizing radiation on archived materials preservation. The research activities are performed on: i) microbiological investigations to study the effect of dose rate and ambient irradiation conditions on the typical microbes present on archived materials; ii) instantaneous and post-irradiation effects on paper irradiated by gamma radiation using chemical and spectroscopic techniques
Sarcina ventriculi: A Rare Case of Life-Threatening Perforated Gastric Ulcer and Review of Literature
No full textSarcina ventriculi is a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium reported rarely in patients with a history of gastrointestinal surgery and delayed gastric emptying. Sarcina has been implicated in the development of gastric ulcers, emphysematous gastritis, and gastric perforation. So far, less than 30 cases of Sarcina isolated from gastric specimens have been reported, including 3 cases associated with life-threatening illness:emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation. Herein, we report a case of a 58-yearold woman with history of gastric surgery who presented for evaluation of persistent gastric pain and incurable ulcer. She underwent total gastrectomy, and the resected stomach demonstrated a perforated ulcer with the presence of Sarcina microorganisms.We also report a second case of a 56-year-old woman with history of NSAID use who presented with gastric outlet obstruction. The gastric biopsy identified concurrent Helicobacter pylori and Sarcina. Given Sarcina's association with emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation, its identification on gastric biopsies should be clearly stated in pathology reports and, depending on the clinical scenario, prompt clinicians to add adjunctive antimicrobials to anti-ulcer therapeutic regimens
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