Building Integrated Photovoltaic System for a Solar Infrastructure: Liv-lib' Project

Abstract The growing importance of sustainability and passive house design requires the reconsideration of integrating the solar PV modules in both buildings and architectural design processes. The architectural integration of photovoltaic systems is one of the fundamental themes of contemporary architecture to optimize efficiency while taking into account the proportions, morphology and aesthetics of the project. The direct conversion of solar energy into electrical energy using photovoltaic systems appears to be a consolidated technology of exploitation of renewable energy sources. In addition to the availability of the source, its characteristics are its reliability and that it needs low maintenance. In this paper, we present, as a case study, a solar canopy specially designed for the Liv-lib' project at Solar Decathlon Europe 2014. Canopy's shape was designed to maximize the performance of the solar conversion by integrating in series two innovative solar technologies, Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSC) and Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar cells. LSC are constituted by slabs of transparent materials (PMMA) doped with a fluorescent dye that captures a fraction of the sun rays passing through the panel. The dye molecules then re-emit light at a longer wavelength inside the slab which, due to the total internal reflection, traps and guides this light toward its edges. Strips of solar cells are optically coupled to the edges and convert into electric energy the light gathered by the slab. Liv-lib' is a self-sustainable passive house run by University Paris-Est, thanks to the joint work of staff and students from "ENSA Paris-Malaquais", "ESTP", "ESIEE Paris", and "Chimie ParisTech" with academic and industrial partners, among which, for the LSC, the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences of the University of Ferrara

GPR and seismic surveying in the World War I scenario of Punta Linke (Ortles-Cevedale Group, Italian Alps).

The Ortles-Cevedale Group was the setting of repeated clashes occurring under extreme conditions and at the highest altitudes of all fightings in the Great War (WWI). The research scenario associated with the group is very challenging because modern research faces a series of logistical and climatic obstacles. The gradual retreat of glaciers has unearthed several archaeological remains of WWI such as barracks, barbed wire, military ammunition, weapons and other materials. The study site is the saddle between M. Vioz and Punta Linke, where the Historic War Museum of Pejo, under the direction of the Archaeological Service of the Province of Trento (Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali, Ufficio Beni Archeologici), started an archaeological excavation in the year 2009 of some of the infrastructure of the cableway station, which also includes a tunnel section in the bedrock. The saddle is placed at the head of Forni Glacier. GPR and seismic imaging was the best survey choice to characterize the glaciological and geo-archaeological context and to find structures or remains within the ice mass. Geophysical imaging spanned two campaigns in the years 2010 and 2011. The ice-rock interface was reconstructed in detail to depths greater than 45-50 m. The surface of the bedrock reveals a complex morphology, with several undulations and two rocky ridges elongated in the NNW-SSE direction. They identified some anomalous reflectors within the ice mass located near the western edge of the saddle of Punta Linke. The interpretation of radar profiles seems to indicate the presence of a tunnel in the ice, whose geometry and position is similar to others excavated in alpine glaciers during the Great War

Direct-acting antivirals and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C: A few lights and many shadows

With the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA), the rate of sustained virological response (SVR) in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has radically improved to over 95%. Robust scientific evidence supports a beneficial role of SVR after interferon therapy in the progression of cirrhosis, resulting in a decreased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a debate on the impact of DAAs on the development of HCC is ongoing. This review aimed to analyse the scientific literature regarding the risk of HCC in terms of its recurrence and occurrence after the use of DAAs to eradicate HCV infection. Among 11 studies examining HCC occurrence, the de novo incidence rate ranged from 0 to 7.4% (maximum follow-up: 18 mo). Among 18 studies regarding HCC recurrence, the rate ranged from 0 to 54.4% (maximum "not well-defined" followup: 32 mo). This review highlights the major difficulties in interpreting data and reconciling the results of the included studies. These difficulties include heterogeneous cohorts, potential misclassifications of HCC prior to DAA therapy, the absence of an adequate control group, short follow-up times and different kinds of follow-up. Moreover, no clinical feature-based scoring system accounts for the molecular characteristics and pathobiology of the tumours. Nonetheless, this review does not suggest that there is a higher rate of de novo HCC occurrence or recurrence after DAA therapy in patients with previous HCV infection. \ua9 2018 The Author(s). Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

ILLUMINATION LENS FOR AN OPTICAL CODE READER

An optical code reader of the imager type is disclosed, having an illumination lens associated with a light source. In a first direction, a main face of the lens has a plurality of elementary regions, each having a slope with respect to the optical axis of the reader that is individually calculated to that said elementary region deviates the light fraction coming from the light source and incident thereon towards a specific elementary region of the illumination pattern. It is thus possible to create any desired irradiance profile

ILLUMINATION LENS FOR OPTICAL CODE READER

An optical code reader of the imager type is disclosed, having an illumination lens associated with a light source. In a first direction, a main face of the lens has a plurality of elementary regions, each having a slope with respect to the optical axis of the reader that is individually calculated so that said elementary region deviates the light fraction coming from the light source and incident thereon towards a specific elementary region of the illumination pattern. It is thus possible to create any desired irradiance profile

Le scelte di struttura finanziaria e valore nel settore immobiliare

Con questa pubblicazione Confindustria Assoimmobiliare affronta le principali questioni della regolamentazione e della fiscalità degli strumenti di investimento e di finanziamento dell’industria del Real Estate in Italia. Il volume, giunto alla settima edizione, rappresenta il punto di riferimento per coloro che intendano operare nell’immobiliare attivamente (come investitori, finanziatori, legislatori, intermediari, affittuari, consulenti ecc.) chiarificando e fornendo indicazioni su quelle che sono le tematiche più importanti del settore

LASER LIGHT BEAM SCANNING DEVICE FOR READING CODED INFORMATION AND SCANNING OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR SUCH DEVICE

A laser light beam scanning device for reading coded information comprises an emission source of a laser light beam, an optical element for scanning the laser light beam on a support containing coded information, an optical element for collecting the light coming from the support and photodetector means sensitive to the light collected by the collecting optical element so as to generate a representative signal of the information contained in the support. The collecting optical element is spatially distinct from, and integrally oscillating with the scanning optical element and comprises at least one transmissive input surface of the light coming from the support. In particular, the scanning optical element and the collecting optical element are part of a single scanning and light collecting optical element