Key performance indicators of ‘good practices’ of energy efficiency in industry: application to real cases in Italy and in the European Union

With the publication of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) in 2012, energy savings in the Industry processes have gained more and more importance in the European Union (EU). Industry (with building and transport) is one of the three main sectors where Energy consumption and efficiency play a fundamental role, to accomplish the EU energy objectives. Many countries in EU have already adopted schemes and mechanisms to implement the Directive: however deep differences of approaches still remain among the Member States (MSs), especially with respect to the identification of the real benefits of measures and to the assessment of their efficiency and sustainability. As a consequence, a huge amount of the efficiency potential still remains untapped. This paper proposes some criteria for the evaluation of the applied Energy Efficiency measures, leading to the identification of Good Practices of Energy Efficiency. These criteria are taken from the ‘real world’ of industry, and are susceptible to be replicated in other contexts (e.g. different sectors or other countries). The proposed criteria have been developed in the EU H2020 project EU MERCI (nr 693845) and through a national research (part of the ‘Ricerca di Sistema’ national funding system) both coordinated by RSE. The starting point is the harmonization of data sets related to projects developed in different EU countries within local efficiency implementation schemes. The second step is the definition of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) reflecting the impact of measures against Energy, Environment and Economic aspects. The last step is the extraction of efficiency ‘Good Practices’ ranked according to the identified KPIs and other factors, including social elements. The real added value of this approach is that it is full based on tangibly implemented projects, in opposition to similar attempts, essentially theoretical. Ultimately, it offers a key of assessment of the effectiveness of efficiency measures implementing local and EU policies

Valutazione degli effetti di scavi in falda sui cedimenti strutturali di edifici mediante utilizzo di tecniche satellitari SAR

none3A. Ferretti; G. Franchioni; L. JurinaFerretti, Alessandro; G., Franchioni; Jurina, Lorenz

Effects of carbamazepine on cortisol levels and behavioral responses to stress in the fish Jenynsia multidentata

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an anticonvulsant drug, prescribed worldwide for the treatment of epilepsy, bipolardisorder and trigeminal neuralgia, which has been frequently detected in aquatic environments. The objectiveof this study was to analyze if CBZ modifies scototaxis and shoaling behaviors and/or whole-body cortisol levelsof the one-sided livebearing fish Jenynsia multidentata under stress condition. Female adults of J. multidentatawere exposed to 0, 10, 50 and 200 μg CBZ/L during 14 days. After CBZ exposure, fish were subjected to restraintstress during 15 min. Control animals were not exposed to CBZ or stress. In the light/dark preference test(scototaxis), the individuals under acute restraint stress (without CBZ) exhibited a significant increase in themean speed and in the time spent both in the light compartment and in the bottom of the tank with respect tocontrols. They also showed a tendency to stay longer frozen in the light compartment. Fish exposed to 10 and50 μg CBZ/L showed a significant reduction in mean speed compared to stressed fish without CBZ. A reductionin the time spent in the bottom of the tank was also observed in fish exposed to 10 μg CBZ/L. Fish exposed to200 μg CBZ/L showed a decreasing tendency in all behavioral endpoints (time spent in the light compartment,mean speed, time spent at the bottom and freezing) in comparison to stressed fish not exposed to CBZ. Consideringwhole-body cortisol results, fish under acute restraint stress (without CBZ) significantly increased theirhormone levelswith respect to the control group,while fish exposed to CBZ and acute restraint stress, significantlydecreased their whole-body cortisol levels. There were no significant changes in shoaling behavior due toeither stress or CBZ exposure and no significant differences in whole-body cortisol levels between experimentalgroups. Considering that the light/dark and shoaling tests measure different stress response behaviors regulatedby different neuroendocrine systems, these results could indicate that CBZ has a differential effect on fish behavioralstress response and cortisol levels, depending on the behavioral test used and stressor applied.Fil: Calcagno, Emilia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Durando, Patricia Evelina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; ArgentinaFil: Valdés, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Franchioni, Liliana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; ArgentinaFil: Bistoni, Maria de Los Angeles. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentin

Long-term effects of maternal separation on chronic stress response suppressed by amitriptyline treatment

The early-life environment has many long-term effects on mammals. Maternal interaction and early stressful events may affect regulation of the HPA axis during adulthood, leading to differential glucocorticoid secretion in response to stressful situations. These adverse experiences during postnatal development may even sensitize specific neurocircuits to subsequent stressors. Later in life, the overreaction of the HPA axis to stress can constitute a risk factor for metabolic and mental diseases. As tricyclic antidepressants are known to correct glucocorticoid hypersecretion during depression, we treated maternally separated animals with amitriptyline, at a lower dose than habitually used in depression models, to prevent the response to chronic stress during adulthood. Male Wistar rats were separated from the mother for 4.5 h every day for the first 3 weeks of life. From postnatal day 50, animals were subjected to chronic variable stress during 24 d (five types of stressors at different times of day). During the stress, protocol rats were orally administered amitriptyline (5 mg/kg) daily. We observed that maternal separation caused a reduction in plasma ACTH levels (p < 0.05), but evoked hypersecretion of corticosterone (p < 0.05) when it was combined with stress in adulthood. This rise was completely prevented by antidepressant treatment with amitriptyline.Fil: Cotella, Evelin Mariel. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiologia Animal; ArgentinaFil: Mestres Lascano, Ivan. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiologia Animal; ArgentinaFil: Franchioni, L.. Hospital de Niños de La Santísima Trinidad; ArgentinaFil: Levin, Gloria Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas; ArgentinaFil: Suarez, M. M.. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiologia Animal; Argentin