Search results for "ingegneria"

Simulation of Fatigue Delamination Growth in Composites with Different Mode Mixtures

2007

A numerical model, obtained by implementing a cyclic damage model in the framework of an interface element, is here proposed to reproduce the crack growth in laminated composites subjected to cyclically repeated loads. This model, which differs from the few studies in the literature on the topic, applies not only to single fracture modes but also to mixed modes, and to constant or variable crack growth rates. The applied load (in terms of force or displacement) is assumed to oscillate between a minimum and a maximum constant value. The Paris curve can be reproduced with accuracy once some parameters in the numerical model are tuned with experiments. These parameters are preliminarily found…

Cooperation and competition strategies in advertising

2009

MODELLING BIOGAS GENERATION AND RELEASE FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILLS

2015

MSW sanitary landfills represent nowadays one of the most important issue related to the waste management cycle. In particular, knowledge about biogas production is a key aspect for a proper exploitation of this energy source, even in the after-care phase. In the present study, a simple mathematical model was proposed for the simulation of biogas production. The model is based on 1st order biodegradation kinetic and takes also into account the temperature variation in time and depth and the landfill settlement. The model was applied to a real landfill located in Sicily (ITALY) and its simulation result was compared with experimental data (volumes of biogas collected by the recovery system a…

Experimental Investigation on the Performances of Innovative PV Vertical Structures

2019

The sustainable development of our planet is considerably related to a relevant reduction of CO2 global emissions, with building consumption contributing more than 40%. In this scenario, new technological conceptions, such as building-integrated photovoltaic technology, emerged in order to satisfy the requirements of sustainability imposed by the European Union. Therefore, the aim of this work is to provide a technical and economical comparison of the performances of different vertical-mounted innovative photovoltaic systems, potentially integrated on a building instead of on traditional windows or glass walls. The proposed investigation was carried out by means of experimental tests on thr…

Analysis of Biomass Characteristics in MBR and MB-MBR Systems Fed with Synthetic Wastewater: Influence of a Gradual Salinity Increase

2014

The paper presents the results of a field gathering campaign carried out on two different pilot scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems, treating synthetic wastewater subject to a gradual increase of salinity. One was a conventional MBR system, while the other was a moving bed biofilm membrane bioreactor (MB-MBR), which combines suspended biomass and biofilm. Indeed, the presence of suspended carriers inside the bioreactor seems to give benefits due to the collisions between the circulating media and the membrane. The aim of the study was the comparison of two configurations in terms of biomass activity characterization and performance (pollutants removal and hydraulic behaviour). The resul…

Biological Approaches to the Treatment of Saline Oily Waste(waters) Originated from Marine Transportation

2012

Oily wastewater generated, in amounts of millions of tons per year, by ships mainly in engine-rooms (bilge waters) and by washing oil tanks (slops) create a major disposal problem throughout the world because of the persistence and accumulation of xenobiotic compounds in the environment. The high salinity levels (up to 25.000 p.p.m.) and the pollutants concentration limit the chances of discharge into the sewer systems and address the disposal of these waste(water)s to the sea. Tightening effluent regulations and consequent high energy and management costs has generated interest in the introduction of biological phases in the treatment of these wastewater. The objectives of this study were …

Enhancing a Transition to a Circular Economy in the Water Sector: The EU Project WIDER UPTAKE

2021

A novel approach for resource recovery includes forward osmosis (FO) as a concentration step in municipal wastewater treatment. The current study investigates different pre-treatment strategies including biological treatment with a moving-bed bioreactor (MBBR) at different loading rates and particle removal by filtration and sedimentation. Membrane performance and recovery potential for energy and nutrients were investigated in laboratory-scale FO experiments in batch mode using pre-treated municipal wastewater as feed and 35 g/L NaCl as a draw solution. Initial water fluxes were in the range of 6.3 to 8.0 L/(m2·h). The baseline fluxes were modelled to account for flux decline due to concen…

Image Segmentation Techniques for Healthcare Systems

2019

The present special issue of the Journal of Healthcare Engineering collects articles written by researchers scattered around the world who belong to the academic and industrial environments. The papers of this special issue have been selected by a rigorous peer-reviewing process with the support of at least two reviewers per paper, along with the opinion written in the final decision by a component of the editorial staff. Different methods on biomedical image segmentation dedicated to healthcare systems have been developed regarding, for example, the fields of machine learning, deformable models, fuzzy models, and so on. Such methods have been applied on different biomedical image modalitie…

Leisure Boating Environmental Footprint: A Study of Leisure Marinas in Palermo, Italy

2022

Ports have played a significant role in the touristic development and further economic growth of Italy. It is the country with the highest number of berths among the nations in the Mediterranean Sea; over time, Italy has created ports with a range of functions. Therefore, it is of vital importance to evaluate the potential pollutants generated from these docks and propose ways to eliminate those problems. A survey that asked about the carbon footprint and the quality of the water in the water footprint calculation was created and distributed to the management of the marinas’ operations. After receiving the completed surveys, the data were analyzed and translated using emission factors into …

Pairwise and higher-order measures of brain-heart interactions in children with temporal lobe epilepsy

2022

Abstract Objective. While it is well-known that epilepsy has a clear impact on the activity of both the central nervous system (CNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS), its role on the complex interplay between CNS and ANS has not been fully elucidated yet. In this work, pairwise and higher-order predictability measures based on the concepts of Granger Causality (GC) and partial information decomposition (PID) were applied on time series of electroencephalographic (EEG) brain wave amplitude and heart rate variability (HRV) in order to investigate directed brain-heart interactions associated with the occurrence of focal epilepsy. Approach. HRV and the envelopes of δ and α EEG activity re…