Search results for "natural resource"
showing 10 items of 482 documents
Network of small towns. Themes and projects in the territory of Tindari
2019
The protection of natural and cultural resources in small towns is a topic of growing interest within the European context and aims to enhance the local heritage toward an interaction consciously balanced between human activities. The project Tindari 2030: Natural emotion led by the research group LabCity Architecture aims to indicate and enhance the territory of Tindari with regard to its natural, cultural and religious resources, such as the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna, an archaeological site (396 BC), the sandy naturalistic system of the 'Laghetti di Marinello',the 'Coda di Volpe' trail, which is the remaining part of the 'Via Francigena Palermo-Messina per la marina'. This project in…
Rete di centri minori. Temi e progetti nel territorio di Tindari
2019
The protection of natural and cultural resources in small towns is a topic of growing interest within the European context and aims to enhance the local heritage toward an interaction consciously balanced between human activities. The project Tindari 2030: Natural emotion led by the research group LabCity Architecture aims to indicate and enhance the territory of Tindari with regard to its natural, cultural and religious resources, such as the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna, an archaeological site (396 BC), the sandy naturalistic system of the 'Laghetti di Marinello',the 'Coda di Volpe' trail, which is the remaining part of the 'Via Francigena Palermo-Messina per la marina'. This project in…
Evaluating hazardous waste generation in for-profit outpatient haemodialysis centres
2015
SUMMARYBackground “Green” haemodialysis management to reduce the environmental impact of haemodialysis is growing. Objectives Dealing with hazardous waste production could heighten healthcare professionals’ awareness of this problem, and improve their healthcare involvement in environmental sustainability and environmental-friendliness. Design and Measurements A list of for-profit outpatient haemodialysis centres in the Valencian Community (E Spain) was compiled. Data on their hazardous waste production from 2008 to 2012 through the annual waste reports issued by official organisations competent in environmental issues were collected. Results There are 22 for-profit dialysis centres, that m…
Airborne bio-aerosols and noise in a dry waste treatment plant in Pietarsaari, Finland
2001
Ewapower Ltd in Pietarsaari, Finland produces pellets from paper and plastic waste for burning. During 1998 and 1999, several measurements were made to determine the dust, particle, microbe and endotoxin concentrations, and also the noise level in the hall where the waste is received and pre-crushed. The noise level exceeded the Finnish recommended level of 85 dBA. The dust and the particle concentrations were low, but the microbe concentrations, especially in the summer and in the autumn, were at a level which may be harmful to health. The total concentration of microbes (both dead and alive) was high - approximately 4.8 million particles m-3. The concentrations of endotoxins was high in …
Pedotechnique applications in large-scale farming: Economic value, soil ecosystems services and soil security
2019
Abstract Since ancient times Humans and Soil have experienced interwoven links. Nowadays soil scientists continue to stress such links highlighting the importance of soil in: i) satisfying the ever growing Human demand for food, water and energy, and ii) providing ecosystem services that mitigate climate changes, influence human health and improve biodiversity. Pedotechniques are recently used to generate soils suitable for table grape cultivation in order to increase productivity and grape quality, thus to get substantial financial returns. We show one emblematic study case of pedotechniques applied in Sicily (Italy). Aims of the investigation were: i) stressing threats to soil security de…
Toxicological and bioactivity evaluation of blackcurrant press cake, sea buckthorn leaves and bark from Scots pine and Norway spruce extracts under a…
2021
Aqueous extracts from blackcurrant press cake (BC), Norway spruce bark (NS), Scots pine bark (SP), and sea buckthorn leaves (SB) were obtained using maceration and pressurized hot water and tested for their bioactivities. Maceration provided the extraction of higher dry matter contents, including total phenolics (TPC), anthocyanins, and condensed tannins, which also impacted higher antioxidant activity. NS and SB extracts presented the highest mean values of TPC and antioxidant activity. Individually, NS extract presented high contents of proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, and some phenolic acids. In contrast, SB contained a high concentration of ellagitannins, ellagic acid, and quercetin, exp…
Foreign Direct Investment in oil-abundant countries: The role of institutions
2019
The present work reassesses the impact of good governance and democracy on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in oil-abundant countries. To this end, we estimate the effect of host countries’ institutions on greenfield FDI, using a gravity equation for a dataset that covers 182 countries during 2003-2012. Our findings confirm that compliance to rule of law, lack of corruption, political stability and democracy could boost new FDI links through the extensive margin. Our results could not rule out the “oil curse”, meaning that oil producers attract fewer new greenfield projects than similar countries without oil. Unlike other studies, we show that the impact of institutions is not necessarily un…
Vernacular and bioclimatic architecture and indoor thermal comfort implications in hot-humid climates: An overview
2018
Abstract Sustainable urban development, especially in disadvantaged regions, has increasingly gained a major strategic priority. New settlements and urban regeneration programs have to achieve an improvement of social life quality, promote economic growth and increase environmental protection practices and proper use of local resources. In this framework, building environment development must exploit natural resources with responsible approach by using local materials and traditional techniques. In this end, indoor comfort and energy consumption have to match the territories needs. Low energy and passive heating/cooling techniques should be considered as a valid option in many building proj…
Temperature-related mortality impacts under and beyond Paris Agreement climate change scenarios.
2018
The Paris Agreement binds all nations to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change, with the commitment to hold warming well below 2 degrees C in global mean temperature (GMT), relative to pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C. The 1.5 degrees C limit constitutes an ambitious goal for which greater evidence on its benefits for health would help guide policy and potentially increase the motivation for action. Here we contribute to this gap with an assessment on the potential health benefits, in terms of reductions in temperature-related mortality, derived from the compliance to the agreed temperature targets, compared to more extreme warmin…
Cold recycling of reclaimed asphalt pavements
2018
Pavement engineers have in front of them multiple challenges linked to addressing issues related to social development and society’s expanding needs. One of the most substantial of these issues is perhaps how to effectively rehabilitate and/ or maintain the existing road network while preserving and sustaining limited natural resources. The re-usage of existing pavement materials to reconstruct/ rehabilitate our future pavements is the solution that is now more and more selected by the different road administrations around the world. However, upon closer inspection, one can find many areas and details, not negligible issues, that are simply extensions of HMA technology (i.e. mix design proc…