Municipal Building Regulations for Energy Efficiency in Southern Italy

The building sector is still one of the most energy consuming sectors in Italy, like developed countries in Europe. At European level, the main policy driver related to the energy use in buildings is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2002/91/EC) and its recast. Through the EPBD in- troduction, requirements for certification, inspections, training or renovation are now imposed in Member States. In order to fulfill the expected changes, local regulations are a key factor aiming at sustainable territorial planning. It is thus required support the issue of local rules at municipal level in order to guide local administrators and technicians and to limit discretional power of bureaucracy. In this paper, a review of the most common practices for building regulations in Europe and in Italy is proposed, then the role and the framework of a municipal building regulation for the Southern European area accounting for sustainability features is discussed

Rapporto energia 2013: monitoraggio sull’energia in Sicilia

L’obiettivo della politica energetica europea è quello di abbassare le emissioni di CO2 e di operare una trasformazione del sistema che privilegi un'economia a basse emissioni di carbonio ed estremamente efficiente sotto il profilo energetico. A tal fine, l’U.E. ha allungato l’orizzonte temporale entro cui raggiungere questi virtuosi risultati e, con il Libro verde della Commissione «Un quadro per le politiche dell'energia e del clima all'orizzonte 2030», del 27 marzo 2013, ha aperto una consultazione sulle modalità con cui coniugare il soddisfacimento della sempre più crescente domanda di energia con le necessità di riduzione dei gas inquinanti e di fornitura di energia a prezzi contenuti, data l’attuale fase di crisi economica e finanziaria. I pilastri della politica energetica dell'U.E. sono la sostenibilità, la sicurezza dell'approvvigionamento e la competitività, elementi che, dapprima, hanno orientato la definizione del Pacchetto Clima 2020 (i cui obiettivi sono la riduzione del 20% delle emissioni inquinanti, la riduzione del 20% dei consumi finali energia prodotta da fonti rinnovabili, e l’incremento del 20% dell’efficienza energetica), e che ora ispirano la nuova strategia elaborata dalla Commissione europea per il post 2020 e contenuta nell’Energy Roadmap 2050. In aderenza al nuovo orizzonte temporale preso in considerazione dalla politica energetica europea, anche quella nazionale si prefigge il raggiungimento ed il superamento degli obiettivi del Pacchetto Clima-Energia 2020. Successivamente alla consultazione pubblica effettuata nel periodo compreso tra il 16 ottobre ed il 30 novembre 2012, con D.M. 8 marzo 2013, è stato approvato, il documento contenente la Strategia Energetica Nazionale (S.E.N.), che esplicita l’impegno italiano al raggiungimento, entro il 2050, dell’obiettivo di decabornizzazione dell’economia fissato dalla politica energetica europea. La Strategia enuclea quattro finalità principali che devono ispirare le azioni da intraprendere nel settore energetico: 1) ridurre significativamente il gap di costo dell’energia per i consumatori e le imprese, allineando prezzi e costi dell’energia a quelli europei al 2020, e assicurando che la transizione energetica di più lungo periodo (2030-2050) non comprometta la competitività industriale italiana ed europea; 2) raggiungere e superare gli obiettivi ambientali e di decarbonizzazione definiti dal Pacchetto europeo Clima-Energia 2020, ed assumere un ruolo guida nella definizione ed implementazione della Roadmap 2050; 3) continuare a migliorare la nostra sicurezza ed indipendenza di approvvigionamento; 4) Favorire la crescita economica sostenibile attraverso lo sviluppo del settore energetico. Dalla realizzazione delle iniziative previste nella S.E.N., si prevede di conseguire una progressiva e significativa trasformazione del sistema, dal punto di vista sia economico sia ambientale

Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant in Patients Who Did Not Complete Anti-VEGF Loading Dose During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction To compare the functional and anatomic outcomes between eyes in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who underwent a complete anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) loading dose with aflibercept and those who were switched to dexamethasone intravitreal (DEX) implant after an incomplete anti-VEGF treatment regimen during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods This was a retrospective and comparative study conducted on patients with DME. Main outcome measures were mean change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) from baseline to month 4. Results Forty-three eyes (23 eyes in the anti-VEGF group and 20 eyes in the DEX group) were included. Mean BCVA significantly improved from 37.7 +/- 25.3 and 35.7 +/- 22.0 letters at baseline to 45.4 (23.9) (mean adjusted BCVA improvement 7.6 +/- 20.8 letters, p = 0.033) and 46.1 +/- 26.0 (mean adjusted BCVA improvement 10.6 +/- 15.9 letters, p = 0.049) at month 4 in the anti-VEGF and DEX groups, respectively, with no significant differences between study groups (mean adjusted BCVA difference 2.8 letters, 95% CI - 9.4 to 14.9 letters, p = 0.648). There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of eyes that achieved a BCVA improvement of >= 5, >= 10, and >= 15 letters between groups. CRT was significantly reduced from baseline to month 4 in both DEX (mean adjusted CRT reduction 167.3 +/- 148.2 mu m, p = 0.012) and anti-VEGF groups (mean adjusted CRT reduction 109.9 +/- 181.9 mu m, p < 0.001), with no differences between them (mean adjusted CRT difference 56.1 mu m, 95% CI - 46.0 to 158.2 mu m, p = 0.273). Of 20 eyes in the DEX group, 16 (80.0%) and 9 (45.0%) eyes achieved a CRT reduction of >= 20% from baseline at 2 months and at 4 months, respectively. Conclusions Our results seem to suggest that DEX implant can significantly improve both functional and anatomic clinical outcomes in patients who were unable to complete anti-VEGF loading dose during the COVID-19 pandemic

protective effect of a new hyaluronic acid carnosine conjugate on the modulation of the inflammatory response in mice subjected to collagen induced arthritis

Abstract Several studies demonstrated the pharmacological actions of carnosine as well as hyaluronic acid (HA) during joint inflammation. In that regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of a new HA -Carnosine conjugate (FidHycarn) on the modulation of the inflammatory response in mice subjected to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). CIA was induced by two intradermal injections of 100 μl of an emulsion of collagen (CII) and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) at the base of the tail on day 0 and 21. At 35 day post CIA induction, the animals were sacrificed. CII injection caused erythema and edema in the hind paws, histological alterations with erosion of the joint cartilage as well as behavioral changes. Oral treatment with FidHycarn starting at the onset of arthritis (day 25) ameliorated the clinical signs, improved behavioral deficits as well as decreased histological and radiographic alterations. The degree of oxidative damage evaluated by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitrotyrosine, poly-ADP-ribose (PAR) expressions and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, was also significantly reduced in Carnosine+HA association and FidHycarn treated mice. Moreover, the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and cyclo-oxygenase COX-2 enzyme were also more significantly reduced by Carnosine+HA and FidHycarn compared to carnosine alone. However, interestingly, in some cases, the effects of FidHycarn were more important than Carnosine+HA association and not statistically different to methotrexate (MTX) used as positive control. Thus, the conjugation of Carnosine with HA (FidHycarn) could represent an interesting therapeutic strategy to combat arthritis disorders

The GRETA project: the contribution of near-surface geothermal energy for the energetic self-sufficiency of Alpine regions

The Alpine regions are deeply involved in the challenge set by climate change, which is a threat for their environment and for important economic activities such as tourism. The heating and cooling of buildings account for a major share of the total primary energy consumption in Europe, and hence the energy policies should focus on this sector to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction targets set by international agreements. Geothermal heat pump is one of the least carbon-intensive technologies for the heating and cooling of buildings. It exploits the heat stored within the ground, a local renewable energy source which is widely available across the Alpine territory. Nevertheless, it has been little considered by European policies and cooperation projects. GRETA (near-surface Geothermal REsources in the Territory of the Alpine space) is a cooperation project funded by the EU INTERREG-Alpine Space program, aiming at demonstrating the potential of shallow geothermal energy and to foster its integration into energy planning instruments. It started in December 2015 and will last three years, involving 12 partners from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. In this paper, the project is presented, along with the results of the first year of work

Acute Delta Hepatitis in Italy spanning three decades (1991–2019): Evidence for the effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccination campaign

Updated incidence data of acute Delta virus hepatitis (HDV) are lacking worldwide. Our aim was to evaluate incidence of and risk factors for acute HDV in Italy after the introduction of the compulsory vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1991. Data were obtained from the National Surveillance System of acute viral hepatitis (SEIEVA). Independent predictors of HDV were assessed by logistic-regression analysis. The incidence of acute HDV per 1-million population declined from 3.2 cases in 1987 to 0.04 in 2019, parallel to that of acute HBV per 100,000 from 10.0 to 0.39 cases during the same period. The median age of cases increased from 27 years in the decade 1991-1999 to 44 years in the decade 2010-2019 (p < .001). Over the same period, the male/female ratio decreased from 3.8 to 2.1, the proportion of coinfections increased from 55% to 75% (p = .003) and that of HBsAg positive acute hepatitis tested for by IgM anti-HDV linearly decreased from 50.1% to 34.1% (p < .001). People born abroad accounted for 24.6% of cases in 2004-2010 and 32.1% in 2011-2019. In the period 2010-2019, risky sexual behaviour (O.R. 4.2; 95%CI: 1.4-12.8) was the sole independent predictor of acute HDV; conversely intravenous drug use was no longer associated (O.R. 1.25; 95%CI: 0.15-10.22) with this. In conclusion, HBV vaccination was an effective measure to control acute HDV. Intravenous drug use is no longer an efficient mode of HDV spread. Testing for IgM-anti HDV is a grey area requiring alert. Acute HDV in foreigners should be monitored in the years to come

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer, studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory, a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), it aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over an hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR, browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters. Finally we briefly discuss on the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, and touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation, and finally on the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. (abridged).Comment: 48 pages, 29 figures, Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy with minor editin