Sustainability in energy production

The requirement of energy in different human activities is continuously increasing; from the energetic production, chiefly by thermal systems, important and worrying environmental problems are generated: there are concerns about climate change, local air quality worsening, exhaustion of resources and land use change. To limit these negative aspects, policies of reduction in energy use must be first proposed; besides different technological, economic and planning solutions can be considered; their effect must be carefully assessed, as concerns effectiveness and practical implementation. The final political decision must consider the different tools that are at disposal, in order to define the best approach for the satisfaction of necessities with the minimum consequent impact

Sustainability in energy production

The requirement of energy in different human activities is continuously increasing; from the energetic production, chiefly by thermal systems, important and worrying environmental problems are generated: there are concerns about climate change, local air quality worsening, exhaustion of resources and land use change. To limit these negative aspects, policies of reduction in energy use must be first proposed; besides different technological, economic and planning solutions can be considered; their effect must be carefully assessed, as concerns effectiveness and practical implementation. The final political decision must consider the different tools that are at disposal, in order to define the best approach for the satisfaction of necessities with the minimum consequent impact

Involvement of Norepinephrine in the Control of Activity and Attentive Processes in Animal Models of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Functional and morphological studies in children affected by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suggest a prefrontal cortex (PFc) dysfunction. This cortical region is regulated by subcortical systems including noradrenergic (NEergic), dopaminergic (DAergic), cholinergic, serotonergic, and histaminergic pathways. A wealth of data in humans and in animal models demonstrates altered dopamine (DA) regulation. Drugs that modulate norepinephrine (NE) transmission are also effective in ADHD patients, thus leading to the hypothesis of a NEergic disorder. This review covers the regulation of PFc functions by NE and the interaction between the NE and DA systems, as suggested by pharmacological, electrophysiological, morphological, and gene knock out (KO) studies. A negative feedback between NE and DA neurons emerges from KO studies because KO mice showing increased (NE transporter (NET) KO) or decreased (DBH and VMAT2 KO) NE levels are respectively associated with lower and higher DA levels. Locomotor activity can be generally predicted by the DA level, whereas sensitivity to amphetamines is by NE/DA balance. Some animal models of ADHD, such as spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), show alterations in the PFc and in the DA system. Evidence about a correlation between the NE system and hyper-locomotion activity in such animals has not yet been clarified. Therefore, this review also includes recent evidence on the behavioral effects of two NET blockers, reboxetine and atomoxetine, in two animal models of ADHD: SHR and Naples High Excitability rats. As these drugs modulate the DA level in the PFc, certain effects are likely to be due to a rebalanced DA system. We discuss the significance of the results for theories of ADHD and make suggestions for future experimentation

A model independent and rephase invariant parametrization of CP violation

The phenomenological description of the neutral B meson system is proposed in terms of the fundamental CP-violating observables and within a rephasing invariant formalism. This generic formalism can select the time-dependent and time-integrated asymmetries which provide the basic tools to discriminate the different kinds of possible CP-violating effects in dedicated experimental B-meson facilities.Comment: 19 pages, Plain Te

The WKB Approximation without Divergences

In this paper, the WKB approximation to the scattering problem is developed without the divergences which usually appear at the classical turning points. A detailed procedure of complexification is shown to generate results identical to the usual WKB prescription but without the cumbersome connection formulas.Comment: 13 pages, TeX file, to appear in Int. J. Theor. Phy

Evolution and chemical consequences of lightning-produced NOx observed in the North Atlantic upper troposphere

Airborne observations of NO during the Subsonics Assessment Ozone and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment (SONEX) reveal episodes of high NOx in the upper troposphere believed to be associated with lightning. Linkage to specific periods of lightning activity is possible through back trajectories and data from the National Lightning Detection Network. Lagrangian model calculations are used to explore the evolution of these high NOx plumes over the 1-2 days between their introduction and subsequent sampling by NASA's DC-8 aircraft. Simulations include expected changes in HNO3, H2O2, CH3OOH, HO2, and OH. Depending on the time of injection and dilution rate, initial NOx concentrations are estimated to range from 1 to 7 ppbv. Similar to many previous studies, simulated HNO3 concentrations tend to be greater than observations. Several possible explanations for this difference are explored. H2O2 observations are shown to be consistent with removal in convective activity. While it is possible that upper tropospheric CH3OOH is enhanced by convection, simulations show such increases in CH3OOH can be short-lived (e.g., < 12 hours) with no perceptible trace remaining at the time of sampling. High NO levels further prevent elevated levels of CH3OOH from propagating into increases in H2O2. HO2 is suppressed through reaction with NO in all cases. Simulated increases in OH exceeded a factor of 2 for some cases, but for the highest NOx levels, loss of OH via OH+NO2 offset production from HO2+NO. Additional increases in OH of 30-60% could result from convection of CH3OOH. A final point of discussion concerns how the chemistry within these plumes, their long-range transport, and their potential importance in sustaining background NOx far from source regions present a challenge to global and regional model simulations. Copyright 2000 by the American Geophysical Union

Sustainability in automotive transport: Russian and Italian experience concerning actual situation and intervention tools

The air quality in metropolitan areas of Russia and Italy, although with different distribution and intensity, raises similar concerns for the respective public authorities about vehicle emissions, as well as about the stagnation of toxic pollutants in urban areas. This article discusses some typical situations in both these countries. In order to obtain suitable solutions to diminish this form of impact, different tools that are based on different approaches can be proposed. It is necessary to consider both the practical possibility of application and the cost-benefit balance that takes into account the realization cost and industrial system transformation on one side, and the results in terms of air quality improvement on the other. The different instruments (technological intervention on engines, chemical modification of fuels, mobility and road infrastructural planning) are presented for the considered countries, and also in more developed European and American areas, with a concentrated interest in areas of applicability, costs and obtained results. The externality of this form of pollution is presented and discussed, and the aspect of limitation of impact and consequent external costs is evaluated in comparison with monetary and infrastructural costs for emissive system modification. © 2016 WIT Press, www.witpress.com