Barriers to energy efficiency measures and the role of industrial sustainability

Energy efficiency is largely recognized as a major contributor for industrial sustainability. In order to improve their energy efficiency and thus industrial sustainability performances firms should implement energy efficiency measures (EEMs), that are not largely diffused yet. Hitherto, EEMs have been evaluated exclusively by looking at barriers from an energy efficiency decision maker’s viewpoint, thus not accounting for a broader sustainability perspective. When considering the latter, the Triple Bottom Line could be taken: within an industrial context, it can be identified with the areas of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Eco-efficiency (in which energy efficiency is gaining increasing relevance). For this reason, the present work is aimed at better understanding barriers to EEMs adoption, by analyzing them through different perspectives and insights offered by several responsible of single areas of industrial sustainability within a firm. To address this research gap, we have investigated through explorative case studies some firms within Northern Italy with a specific model on barriers to industrial sustainability measures,. The results seem to show that an EEM should be analyzed under different perspectives. New with respect to previous literature, a more proper perspective for analyzing an EEM should be that of industrial sustainability, and not just that of energy-efficiency, since it may result limited. Energy and Environmental managers may have a different perspective on barriers than the OHS’s one, highlighting barriers not perceived by just one area’s responsible. Moreover, an EEM may be stopped by reasons not knowledgeable to energy efficiency, rather to other areas, such as, e.g. OHS. Lastly, an EEM may have positive effects (co-benefits) on other areas of industrial sustainability, that may be perceived only by such areas. The study concludes with some remarks for policy and industrial decision- makers, and advice for further research

Barriers to Industrial Sustainability Measures: A Proposal for a Novel Integrated Framework

The present work is aimed to offer a contribution in the field of industrial sustainability, by indicating relevant elements for developing an integrated taxonomy of barriers to industrial sustainability measures. To do so, a thorough literature review has been carried out, taking into account contributions on barriers to Eco-efficiency, Energy efficiency and OHS. The studies have been classified according to four main features. Firstly, how barriers have been aggregated, i.e. namely by examples of barriers (single ones or a list of them), classification or taxonomy. Secondly, the empirical nature of the study, i.e. whether studies were theoretical, empirical, or theoretical followed by an empirical application. Thirdly, the origin of the barriers, internal or external with respect to the firm organization. Finally, the different nature of the barriers considered in each study. Stemming from the literature review, the bases for a novel integrated theoretical framework are drawn

Robot swarms as an educational tool: The Thymio’s way

Robotics provides useful tools for educational purposes, allowing to engage students in learning within disparate domains, from computer science and artificial intelligence – traditionally the main domains for educational robotics – to general education, human and social sciences and arts. Robots can be used with different purposes, from being simple tools to be programmed with some specific behaviour, to being peers with whom to engage in a fruitful interaction for a collaborative learning purpose. In this sense, they can also foster learning of transversal skills such as communication and cooperation. In this article, we propose robot swarms as a novel educational tool to target exactly those transversal skills that are difficult to account otherwise. The usage of multiple robots interacting to solve a common problem can support the learning of concepts related to cooperation and collective actions and can make accessible notions about complex systems that are common in physical, biological, economic and social sciences. Additionally, the possibility to interact and participate in the collective behaviour displayed by the robot swarm can strongly increase the comprehension and engagement with the proposed concept. Motivated by this picture, we propose a roadmap for the utilization of swarm robotics for educational purposes, which is hinged on the Thymio robot, a simple but powerful educational robot that presents all the features required for swarm robotics experimentation. We propose two case studies and we substantiate the proposal with preliminary results from a demonstration of robot swarms performed during a recent robotics festival

Values, preferences and current hepatitis B and C testing practices in low- and middle-income countries: results of a survey of end users and implementers

Background: Access to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) diagnostics remains a key bottleneck in scale-up of access to HBV and HCV treatment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that lack laboratory resources and skilled personnel. To inform the development of World Health Organization (WHO) testing guidelines on who to test and how to test, we performed a “values and preferences” survey of end users and implementers of hepatitis testing in LMICs on current hepatitis B and C testing practices and acceptability of diagnostic approaches, as well as preferences for the future. Methods: The survey consisted of a four-part, 28 question online survey tool using SurveyMonkey software. The invitation to participate was sent via email to a network of contacts in hepatitis clinical care, research, advocacy and industry. Results: The survey collected responses on current testing practices from 48 respondents in 23 LMICs. Only a small proportion of hepatitis testing is currently funded through government-supported programmes. Most limit their testing programmes to blood donor screening and although testing is recommended in several populations, this is not well implemented. Also, there is still very limited access to virological testing. Conclusions: The survey showed that HBV and HCV testing programmes in LMICs are inadequate and/or scarce. Lack of affordable diagnostic tests; lack of funding, public education and awareness; absence of national policies and guidelines; and a dearth of skilled health professionals are the most important barriers to scaling up HBV and HCV diagnosis and treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-017-2769-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Metabolic response to glatiramer acetate therapy in multiple sclerosis patients

Glatiramer acetate (GA; Copaxone) is a random copolymer of glutamic acid, lysine, alanine, and tyrosine used for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Its mechanism of action has not been already fully elucidated, but it seems that GA has an immune-modulatory effect and neuro-protective properties. Lymphocyte mitochondrial dysfunction underlines the onset of several autoimmune disorders. In MS first diagnosis patients, CD4+, the main T cell subset involved in the pathogenesis of MS, undergo a metabolic reprogramming that consist in the up-regulation of glycolysis and in the down-regulation of oxidative phosphorylation. Currently, no works exist about CD4+ T cell metabolism in response to GA treatment. In order to provide novel insight into the potential use of GA in MS treatment, blood samples were collected from 20 healthy controls (HCs) and from 20 RR MS patients prior and every 6 months during the 12 months of GA administration. GA treated patients' CD4+ T cells were compared with those from HCs analysing their mitochondrial activity through polarographic and enzymatic methods in association with their antioxidant status, through the analysis of SOD, GPx and CAT activities. Altogether, our findings suggest that GA is able to reduce CD4+ T lymphocytes' dysfunctions by increasing mitochondrial activity and their response to oxidative stress

OLFACTORY PERCEPTION AND OLFACTORY EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS IN NEWBORNS WITH 3M SYNDROME

3M syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive dwarfism syndrome. The distinctive features of this syndrome are related to a limitation of prenatal growth, facial dysmorphism, the absence of microcephaly and absence of mental impairment. The subjects affected by this form of disorder often have respiratory problems and present different facial morphology (i.e., fleshy nose, antero-verse nostrils) [1]. The aim of this research was to investigate how the 3-M syndrome could have implications in the olfactory system. No study has so far been conducted on 3M to evaluate the use of olfactory event related potentials (OERP) as tools for investigating the functional response to chemical stimulation. Materials and Methods 3 male siblings, diagnosed as 3M syndrome, [2 newborns twins of 4 months old (3M-N) and a 3M 18 months old (3M-O)], were compared with two controls couple of twins (HS), matched by age and sex. The subjects performed an olfactory recognition task. The scent was administered through the device US2017127971 (A1) [2], with 20 μL of Eucalyptus. The paradigm of presentation corresponds to the stimulation of OERP. The analysis considered the olfactory components N1 and LPC [3], the wavelet and the connectivity values. Results The subject 3M-O shows, on N1, greater amplitudes (average amplitude 3M V -45 vs HS V -25) e delayed latencies (average latency 3M 440 ms. vs HS 200 ms) and on LPC greater amplitudes (3M-O V +17,5 vs HS V +5) and faster latencies (3M-O 260 ms vs HS 380 ms). The LPC data concern the response obtained in the right fronto-lateral area. Through the brain mapping it appears that the 3M-O subject shows a greater left lateralization. The 3M-N twins show, on both N1 and LPC, smaller amplitudes (N1: 3M-NV-17,5 vs HS V18,5; LPC: 3M-N V10 vs HS V 22,50) and delayed latencies (N1:3M-N 350 ms. vs HS 225 ms; LPC: 3M-N 220 ms vs HS 340 ms). Within the range between 70ms - 250ms, there is almost minimal activation of the parietal area in the case of 3M-N twins. In the range between 250ms to 420ms, 3M-N and 3M-O subjects showed an activation of part of the left hemisphere, of the parietal and of the left occipital area; while the HS showed an activation of parietal, left frontotemporal and right occipital areas. The wavelet analysis shows greater connectivity in alpha and delta in the case of the subject 3M-O and 3M-N vs HS. Conclusions In 3M syndrome, the olfactory processing seems to be clearly diversified (see Fig.1). In particular, the differences in the N1 and LPC components indicate substantial differences in 3M syndrome that can modify the pattern of olfactory processing. Moreover, the 3M subjects, in addition to greater connectivity, show different localizations of arousal due to olfactory stimulation, highlighting the implication of much larger areas ranging from the left hemisphere to the right hemisphere including occipital localizations