• Energy Research
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Le reti d’impresa che operano nel campo dell’efficienza energetica e dell’eco-sostenibilità del territorio possono innescare uno sviluppo sostenibile, innovativo e inclusivo e, per questa via, lo sviluppo locale. È questa l’ipotesi che ci si propone di verificare sulla base dei risultati di un’analisi econometrica che mostra i benefici della presenza di reti tra imprese in termini di riduzione dell’intensità energetica, di potenziamento della capacità innovativa e di impatto occupazionale, sempre a livello regionale. The inter-firm networks that operate in the field of energy efficiency and eco-sustainability of local territories can trigger sustainable, innovative and inclusive development. We aim to check this hypothesis through an econometric analysis for Italy at the regional level. Empirical results show a positive impact of green inter-firm networks in terms of reduction of energy intensity, enhancement of innovative capacity, and increase in the employment rates. JEL codes: D85, O44, Q56 Keywords: inter-firm networks, sustainable development, innovation, social inclusion, energy efficiency Moneta e Credito, Vol 71, No 281 (2018): Marzo

This brief contribution aims to apply sociological imagination to the issues that emerged with the Covid- 19 crisis and suggests some possible topics and methodologies of research. In the first section I describe three relevant themes, among the many possible ones: 1) the new role of personal data (especially those related to our health); 2) the "mediatisation" of distance; 3) the environmental impact of digital media. In the second section, I conclude with a note on how to set the sociological imagination in motion. Among the possible methods, I suggest the rediscovery/adoption of ethnographic methods, and among them, in particular, auto-ethnography. I maintain that it might be useful to study with an ethnographic approach the sociality produced during these days of confinement, instead of using the usual online questionnaires, which often represent a lazy way, for the researcher, to delegate the work of data production to others. Instead, it would be more interesting to return to participant observation and study media as a practice (Couldry 2004). In the conclusions I briefly sketch how it could still be possible to do ethnography in the field in the age of physical distancing and new possible lockdowns.

Lo studio si propone di determinare processi di simulazione con strumenti IT di Parametric e Computational Design quale supporto nell’analisi ambientale degli spazi aperti e nell’analisi energetica degli edifici. Lo scopo è quello di definire strategie di regenerative climate adaptive design, quale risposta agli stimoli ambientali dovuti ai cambiamenti climatici con ripercussioni sullo spazio aperto costruito, in particolare all’aumento delle temperature in città. Tale approccio stabilisce un avanzamento metodologico rispetto ad esperienze analoghe nella definizione controllata, mediante strumenti IT, delle possibili scelte da operare all’interno di processi edilizi complessi, offrendo la possibilità di descrivere molteplici scenari d’intervento in base all’evoluzione e al raffinamento degli scenari climatici futuri. Parole chiave: computational design, environmental analysis, energy analysis BDC. Bollettino Del Centro Calza Bini, Vol 20 No 2 (2020): Public Spaces, Nature-based Infrastructures and Common Goods

Due to industrial revolution and the heavy use of fossil fuels, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased dramatically during the last hundred years, and this has lead to an increase in mean global temperature. The environmental consequences of this are: the melting of the ice caps, an increase in mean sea-levels, catastrophic events such as floodings, hurricanes and earthquakes, changes to the animal and vegetable kingdoms, a growth in vectors and bacteria in water thus increasing the risk of infectious diseases and damage to agriculture. The toxic effects of the pollution on human health are both acute and chronic. The Kyoto Protocol is an important step in the campaign against climatic changes but it is not sufficient. A possible solution might be for the States which produce the most of pollution to adopt a better political stance for the environment and to use renewable resources for the production of energy.

Alcohol septal ablation is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective procedure for the treatment of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) who remain symptomatic despite maximal medical therapy. Originally performed by Ulrich Sigwart in 1994, the procedure causes a iatrogenic infarction - through the injection of absolute alcohol - of the basal portion of the interventricular septum and aims at reducing LVOT obstruction in order to improve patient's hemodynamics and symptoms. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of the procedure, making it a valid alternative to surgical myectomy. The success of alcohol septal ablation depends upon the selection of the patient and the experience of both the operators and the center where the procedure is performed. In this review, we summarize current evidence on alcohol septal ablation, describe its procedural aspects and propose a multidisciplinary approach that involves a team of clinical cardiologists, interventionists, and cardiac surgeons, the Cardiomyopathy Team, with high experience in the clinical management of these patients.