Is (also) Magna Carta an ecclesiastical document? The preeminent role of the Church in the development of English Legal System

Recent studies suggest that Magna Carta could have been published mainly by the Church, which had a specific interest in spreading copies of the charter, and the technical ability to write, distribute and preserve them. These researches confirm the special sway of the Church on the formation of English legal system. First, thanks to the action of the Ecclesiastical Courts, which had a jurisdiction larger than that possessed by any other Ecclesiastical Courts in Europe. Then, in the decisive importance of the cultural background, based on canon law, of the holders of administrative and judicial offices of the kingdom. Finally, for the concrete contents of rules transmitted to the Equity system, and generally to English law. The influence of ecclesiastical jurisdiction was indeed decisive in marriage, in defining rights and interests in estates, in the development of contracts; but it was paramount even in the concrete shaping of rules and institutions nowadays surrounded by «an aura of Englishness», like wills and trusts. The role of the Church in the history of Common law tradition is so evident, that «any account of English legal development that does not take account of ecclesiastical jurisdiction is therefore an incomplete account».Recenti studi dimostrano che la Magna Carta sarebbe stata pubblicata soprattutto dalla Chiesa, che aveva uno specifico interesse nel diffondere copie dello statuto, e le abilità tecniche per scriverle, distribuirle e conservarle. Queste ricerche confermano la speciale influenza della Chiesa sulla formazione dell'ordinamento giuridico inglese. In primo luogo, grazie all'azione delle Corti ecclesiastiche, che ebbero una giurisdizione più ampia rispetto a quella che possedevano tutte le altre Corti ecclesiastiche in Europa. In secondo luogo, per la decisiva importanza del background culturale, basato sul diritto canonico, dei titolari degli uffici amministrativi e giudiziari del regno. Infine, per i contenuti concreti delle regole trasmesse al sistema di Equity, e in generale al diritto inglese.L'influenza della giurisdizione ecclesiastica fu, infatti, decisiva in tema di matrimonio, nella determinazione dei diritti e degli interessi nelle proprietà, nell'evoluzione della disciplina dei contratti; ma è stata fondamentale anche nella concreta elaborazione di regole e istituzioni tutt'oggi circondate da un'aura di «Englishness», come il testamento e il trust. Il ruolo della Chiesa nella storia della tradizione del Common law è così evidente che «any account of English legal development that does not take account of ecclesiastical jurisdiction is therefore an incomplete account».Ciencias ReligiosasDerech

Lignocellulosic Biomass Feeding in Biogas Pathway: State of the Art and Plant Layouts☆

Abstract The traditional pathway for biogas production consists in the anaerobic digestion of starchy and sugar biomass mainly from dedicated energy crops, needing agricultural land and heavy irrigation. A retrofitting of the existing biogas plants is proposed in order to reduce competition with food crops and to increase the sustainability of the whole chain in terms of land and water consumption; moreover the use of the lignocellulosic biomass is evaluated. The biomass after physical, chemical or biological pretreatment can be digested in a biogas plant to reduce the current diet without affecting the biogas production. The present study analyzes the state of the art in the lignocellulosic biomass feeding into biogas plants and describes a preliminary techno-economical study of the pathway and the layout to be adopted, including the efficiencies and energy yields of the involved processes

Experimental Evidence of the Speed Variation Effect on SVM Accuracy for Diagnostics of Ball Bearings

In recent years, we have witnessed a considerable increase in scientific papers concerning the condition monitoring of mechanical components by means of machine learning. These techniques are oriented towards the diagnostics of mechanical components. In the same years, the interest of the scientific community in machine diagnostics has moved to the condition monitoring of machinery in non-stationary conditions (i.e., machines working with variable speed profiles or variable loads). Non-stationarity implies more complex signal processing techniques, and a natural consequence is the use of machine learning techniques for data analysis in non-stationary applications. Several papers have studied the machine learning system, but they focus on specific machine learning systems and the selection of the best input array. No paper has considered the dynamics of the system, that is, the influence of how much the speed profile changes during the training and testing steps of a machine learning technique. The aim of this paper is to show the importance of considering the dynamic conditions, taking the condition monitoring of ball bearings in variable speed applications as an example. A commercial support vector machine tool is used, tuning it in constant speed applications and testing it in variable speed conditions. The results show critical issues of machine learning techniques in non-stationary conditions

A new method for motion synchronization among multivendor’s programmable controllers

This paper is aimed at increasing the number of possible architectures of distributed control systems by investigating and developing novel methods for the synchronization of axes between PLCs and iPCs of different vendors. In order to find a global solution to this problem, particular attention has been focused on programmable controllers that can manage axes by means of point-by-point control or motion instructions. Two synchronization algorithms have been developed and validated for real and virtual axes; they differ in computational load so that they can be used with programmable controllers having high or low computational performances

An Innovative Tool for Technical, Environmental and Economic Design of Building Energy Plants: A Case Study in Umbria

Abstract The European goals on environmental sustainability and carbon footprint reduction should be reached by the installation of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) plants. However, the massive development of RES plants has inevitably caused new relevant problems and critical situations due to their low energy density, their social acceptance and the non-programmability of some sources. A smart tool is proposed to evaluate the integration feasibility of different energy plants; this tool is also able to estimate the environmental impacts caused by the several proposed plants for building energy production in terms of land usage, carbon footprint and water consumption. A case study, a rural tower shaped building in Umbria, is analyzed to validate the innovative tool: environmental, energy and economic parameters are calculated to allow the designer to define the best energy plant configuration

Mass and Energy Flows of Cardoon Oil in a Prototype System for Seeds Milling and Vegetable Oil Treatment and Cogeneration

Abstract The experimentation was carried out in a prototype for the production of vegetable oil from seeds. The system consists of seeds storage, mill, filtration system, oil tanks and diesel engine for combined heat and power production. The vegetable oil tested is cardoon oil; cardoon biomass is the main topic of BIT3G project, that aims to develop biorefineries integrated in the territory through the use of biomass residues or sustainable energy crops (cardoon, black locust, miscanthus) in marginal lands. In this study the milling step was monitored in order to evaluate mass and energy flows; input biomass was separated into biomass residues and seeds, and each part was evaluated in terms of mass, moisture, low heating value. The milling products, vegetable oil and solid panel, were evaluated in terms of mass, moisture and energy content, estimating oil efficiency in the press and main characteristics. Finally an energy balance was performed monitoring the process energy consumption and energy potential using all obtained products, oil, panel and residues for power, heat and cooling purposes

Development of a Methodology for Condition-Based Maintenance in a Large-Scale Application Field

This paper describes a methodology, developed by the authors, for condition monitoring and diagnostics of several critical components in the large-scale applications with machines. For industry, the main target of condition monitoring is to prevent the machine stopping suddenly and thus avoid economic losses due to lack of production. Once the target is reached at a local level, usually through an R&D project, the extension to a large-scale market gives rise to new goals, such as low computational costs for analysis, easily interpretable results by local technicians, collection of data from worldwide machine installations, and the development of historical datasets to improve methodology, etc. This paper details an approach to condition monitoring, developed together with a multinational corporation, that covers all the critical points mentioned above

architectural and energy refurbishment of the headquarter of the university of teramo

Abstract The recent seismic events, which distressed the population of the Central Italy, have caused the incompliance with national safety standards of several historical buildings. In particular, the headquarter of the University of Teramo revealed some structural damages which make necessary to operate a restoration of the buildings. It represents a rare opportunity for investigating possible applications of a cluster of technologies and approaches largely recognized as efficient and high-performing to such particular buildings in order to achieve an upgrading in terms of energy efficiency. The proposal includes the improvement of the exploitation of renewable energy sources through adequate systems, which do not modify the visual perception of the pavilions. In that regards, the required electricity could be produced by a PV roofing installed on the parking area, while a biomass boiler and an absorption chiller could allow supplying the thermal and cooling needs. Furthermore, the rain water recovery system permits to reduce the exploitation of potable water for uses which do not require a high quality, such as irrigation. On the other hand, the envelope energy efficiency could be enhanced by applying passive strategies for reducing the heat losses ( winter conditions ) and gains ( summer conditions ) through facades and roof. The results confirmed the reliability of those interventions and the consequent advantages from an economical and energy point of view

A Batch Digester Plant for Biogas Production and Energy Enhancement of Organic Residues from Collective Activities

Abstract An innovative little-sized batch biogas plant has been recently developed by the Italian Biomass Research Centre. It was fed by the residual biomass (agriculture residues and zootechnical wastes) produced by a farm located in the countryside of Perugia, Italy. The successful experience allowed the research group to design an upgrade of the existing plant, making it replicable to every communitarian activity such as Conference Halls, Schools, Condos, where organic biomass is produced as waste. Biomass recovery from markets, canteens and little food companies represents an opportunity for the installation of new residues-powered plants, achieving the production of both electricity and thermal energy for house heating and industrial processes. The collected biomass could also be integrated with pruning or residual biomass from the maintenance of the green and the neighbouring municipal wastewater from a septic tank. The simplicity, automaticity, and the cost-effectiveness of the plant, together with the incentives from electric energy injection to the grid, made the investment payable in a few years, allowing the operator to gain from renewable sources. Little sized biogas plants solves the problem of harvesting and disposal of the organic waste, reducing its transportation costs and producing green energy. The paper presents the preliminary design of the plant