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The reduction of electrical energy consumption in buildings is a subject of great interest in the international scientific community. In buildings with a lot of available natural light, designed with large glazed surfaces, the artificial lighting system is often oversized and cannot be divided into segments to meet lighting demands during daylight hours. This article presents an experimental study, conducted in a university lecture hall that has a glazed surface covering the whole wall at one end, which provides a level of internal illumination that is only sufficient for the area next to the window itself, even when the outside lighting conditions are very bright. It is therefore necessary to turn on the artificial lighting system. The mathematical approach used in this paper has been successfully applied by the authors in other fields of science [1-2]. Using an automatic dimmer system, the calibration of which is based on experimental measurements, the lighting is arranged in such a way as to illuminate the most disadvantaged areas of the room, and then to extend itself gradually to the whole of the room, over the period of time that the lecture hall is in use.

Essa pesquisa é um estudo sobre o desastre ambiental ocorrido em abril de 2010 no Golfo do México, após explosão da sonda petrolífera Deepwater Horizon, operada pela BP. Diante da pergunta de pesquisa que questionava qual teria sido a resposta do mercado perante do acidente, foi estabelecido como objetivo geral a avaliação da reação do mercado ao desastre, examinando como os stakeholders acionistas, Governo e imprensa responderam ao acidente, buscando assim avaliar o quanto as falhas na gestão da sustentabilidade podem impactar as empresas. Essa pesquisa inicia-se com uma revisão da literatura sobre a importância da sustentabilidade para as empresas, a teoria dos stakeholders e suas aplicações no contexto da sustentabilidade empresarial e a evolução, importância, riscos e futuro da indústria petrolífera. O método utilizado foi o estudo de caso, com método misto, agregando análises qualitativa e quantitativa para a avaliação do incidente. O Governo respondeu ao acidente estabelecendo a maior multa aplicada a uma empresa na história dos Estados Unidos, que somada a outros custos relacionados ao acidente, reduziram o lucro antes dos impostos da BP em 45% em média, entre os anos de 2010 e 2012. Também foram encontradas indicações de forte correlação entre a marca e termos negativos ligados ao acidente. Por fim, o modelo de regressão linear múltipla desenvolvido nesse estudo indica que a recuperação total das ações da BP dos efeitos de queda provocados pelo acidente se daria em torno de 7 anos This research is a study on the environmental disaster which occurred in April, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico after the explosion of Deepwater Horizon oil rig, run by BP. The research question asks how market reacted to the accident establishing as a general objective the assessment of the market reaction to the disaster. It was reviewed how stakeholders government, the press and shareholders reacted to the accident, trying to assess how failures in sustainability management can impact businesses. This research begins with a review of the literature on the importance of sustainability for businesses, the stakeholder theory and its applications in the context of corporate sustainability and evolution, importance, risks and future of the oil industry. The method used was a case study with mixed methods, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis for the assessment of the incident. The Government responded to the accident by establishing the largest penalty applied to a company in U.S. history, which added to other costs related to the accident, reduced BP s profit before tax by 45% on average between 2010 and 2012. There are also indications of a strong correlation between the brand and negative terms related to the accident. Finally, the multiple linear regression model developed in this study indicates that full recovery from the effects of BP shares drop caused by the accident in the Gulf of Mexico would happen after approximately 7 years

Building occupants are important factor in giving information on indoor conditions such as comfort, productivity, building performance and occupants ́ health. Even that, being their appraisal mainly based on subjective judgments, it is difficult to set up a standard and objective method for this purpose. The present work aimed to describe, analyze and compare the most common tests on this topic, in order to highlight critical, failings and strengths.

The diffusion of technologies supplied by Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is contributing to the challenge of reduction of energy dependence from fossil fuels, avoiding the emission of several polluting substances and greenhouse gases (GHG). Already today, global warming caused by human activity is estimated at around 1∘C; energy consumption attributable to human habits is no longer sustainable. To date, energy production is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. To reverse the negative trend, it is necessary to invest in new technologies and improve the efficiency of energy production plants in general. In particular, a wave energy converter will be presented, consisting of a buoy connected by ropes to a mechanical motion converter with the aim to turn an electric generator.

To increase food availability, optimizing production systems and reducing burdens related to human activities is essential in a scenario of population growth and limited natural resources. In this context, the life cycle methodology can represent a valuable asset for assessing the environmental performance of agricultural products and services. This study sought to investigate and characterize potential impacts of an experimental tomato field at the University of Perugia and evaluate if the production increment obtained using high-reflective mulching compensated for the emissions caused by this extra component. The first-year crop campaign was the baseline reference to measure the system’s efficiency. A CML baseline method applied demonstrated that the covered field (F1) was associated with more than 23 kg CO (Formula presented.) eq emissions (25% attributed to the mulch) in comparison to about 18 kg CO (Formula presented.) eq of the non-covered sector (F2). In addition, electronic components and drainage systems were linked with most toxicity indicators. However, the F1 field’s higher productivity compensated for the mulch impact, resulting in 9% lower CO (Formula presented.) equivalent emissions per kg yield in the first year and 18% lower each year for 30 years. The results encourage application of this approach in urban contexts with several benefits.

The importance of renewable energy exploitation reduces the energy dependence on fossil fuels. Despite technological progress, in several remote areas and small islands the energy production is nowadays dominated by the utilization of fossil fuels. With new, increasingly stringent laws on polluting emissions and the need to lower production costs, it is necessary to exploit as many renewable sources as possible. In order to implement these considerations, it was decided to study renewable energy production. The study was carried out by estimating the energy production on a monthly and annual basis considering a mix of three plants, namely marine, solar, and wind. Simulations on wave production were carried out on a new device developed by the research team at the University of Palermo. In order to be able to perform these simulations, input climate data are required. These data are normally available in literature or obtainable by using specific GIS tools. As criterium, the Levelized Cost of Energy, normally applied to a single technology, is extended to the entire energy mix. Minimizing this parameter, the best solution is individuated, and capable of supplying 50% of the summer electrical load with renewable energy sources. The results carried out from a case study based in aeolian islands show that the solar production reaches 10.2%, the wind production reaches 45.47% and sea wave production reaches 3.04%. In this way, the diesel production decreases to 41.29%. This method can be easily applied for several small islands, estimating for several sites the ability to reduce the energy production from fossil fuels.

This study presents the retrofit acoustic dq1esign of the Italian theatre “Cavallino Bianco”. In its historical configuration, the hall had a curved roof with a pressed-plant fiber ceiling, which was demolished and replaced with a wooden roof without a false ceiling, leading to an increase in volume and a worsening of the reverberation time. This study proposed the realization of a wave ceiling and the application of sound-absorbing and reflecting panels on the walls, which have already been implemented. These modifications have affected the acoustic characterization of the theatre, as shown both through on-site measurements during the main construction phases and through numerical simulations. The reverberation time, clarity index, and speech transmission index (STI) are evaluated considering all the variations in the hall over different construction times, and the optimal solution is identified with regard to different specific uses. The final configuration with the new roof, by reducing the volume of the hall and using sound-absorbing materials, significantly reduces the reverberation time (e.g., at 2000 Hz, this reduction is from 2.33 to 1.47). In addition, the hall at full capacity with chairs and people shows evident improvement in terms of the clarity index, allowing the theatre to be used for a wide range of musical genres such as instrumental, symphonic, and opera performances. As regards the Combos 00 (concrete roof without vertical sound acoustic panels) and 01-a/b/c (wooden roof with draped curtains), the STI values are never lower than 0.42 and never higher than 0.70; therefore, the room never experiences poor or excellent conditions at any point. The Combos 01-a and 01-b, which have a non-performing C80, have a good STI index, confirming the difficulty of achieving a configuration that can be optimal a variety of uses. Combo 01 (wooden roof without vertical sound acoustic panels and no draped curtains), which has a good C80 value, presents a lower STI value, with an average performance. The STI values of Combo 02-a (characterized by wave false ceiling and vertical sound acoustic panels) are never lower than 0.52 and never higher than 0.60; therefore, neither poor nor excellent conditions are experienced in the room, but there is still a slight improvement over the combos 00 and 01.

During the last decades, attention to energy and environmental problems has significantly grown, along with the development of international and national policies addressing sustainability issues. In the construction sector, one of the most widespread energy efficiency strategies consists of thermal insulation of buildings thanks to external insulating panels. Among these, wood fiber is an insulating material characterized by a natural, eco-sustainable and biodegradable structure, coming from the recycling of waste wood from sawmills. The present study aimed to characterize small test building insulated with wood fiber panels from the thermal point of view, comparing the results with those of an identical, non-insulated reference test building. The experimental campaign highlighted several advantages and an excellent thermal performance provided by the eco-sustainable solution of wood fiber insulating panels: Lower values of the thermal transmittance (−57%), thus ensuring greater stability of the internal air temperature and better values in terms of attenuation (−60% in summer and −74 % in winter) and phase shift (+2 h in summer and +2.28 h in winter) compared to those obtained from the reference building. The material is also equipped with an Environmental Performance Declaration (EPD) that certifies its environmental benefits.

Purpose: The objective of this investigation is to study prosthodontics and internal components resistance to the masticatory stress and considering different force directions by using Finite Element Method analysis (FEM). The structural materials of the components are usually Titanium alloy grade 4 or 5 and thus, guarantee the integration of the fixture in the bone due to the osteointegration phenomena. Even if the long-term dental implant survival rate is easy to be obtained and confirmed by numerous researches, the related clinical success, due to the alteration of the mechanical and prosthodontics components is still controversial. Methods: By applying engineering systems of investigations like FEM and Von Mises analyses, it has been investigated how dental implant material was held against the masticatory strength during the dynamic masticatory cycles. A three-dimensional system involved fixture, abutment and the connection screws, which were created and analyzed. The elastic features of the materials used in the study were taken from recent literature data. Results: Data revealed a different response for both types of devices, although implant neck and dental abutment showed better results for all conditions of loading while the abutment screw represented aweak point of the system. Conclusion: The data of this virtual model showed all the features of different prosthetic retention systems under the masticatory load. Clinicians should find better prosthetic balance in order to better distribute the stress over the component and to guarantee patients’ clinical long-term results. Purpose: The objective of this investigation is to study prosthodontics and internal components resistance to the masticatory stress and considering different force directions by using Finite Element Method analysis (FEM). The structural materials of the components are usually Titanium alloy grade 4 or 5 and thus, guarantee the integration of the fixture in the bone due to the osteointegration phenomena. Even if the long-term dental implant survival rate is easy to be obtained and confirmed by numerous researches, the related clinical success, due to the alteration of the mechanical and prosthodontics components is still controversial. Methods: By applying engineering systems of investigations like FEM and Von Mises analyses, it has been investigated how dental implant material was held against the masticatory strength during the dynamic masticatory cycles. A three-dimensional system involved fixture, abutment and the connection screws, which were created and analyzed. The elastic features of the materials used in the study were taken from recent literature data. Results: Data revealed a different response for both types of devices, although implant neck and dental abutment showed better results for all conditions of loading while the abutment screw represented aweak point of the system. Conclusion: The data of this virtual model showed all the features of different prosthetic retention systems under the masticatory load. Clinicians should find better prosthetic balance in order to better distribute the stress over the component and to guarantee patients’ clinical long-term results.

Among renewable energy resources, wind energy became more attractive in the last decade. Wind farm installations dramatically increased in areas where climatic conditions, topography, and environment have allowed their development. The installation of wind turbines, usually carried out in remote areas, recently began to cover areas identified by a complex terrain such as urban and suburban zones. Although these new plant choices are characterized by lower productivity, there is increasing interest in wind energy production in both urban and suburban areas. In this work the authors have carried out an energy analysis developed from a sample of small wind turbines available on the market. This study shows how variable the energy production of a small wind turbine can be according to many design and context parameters: wind profiles, installation height, land use, and characteristics of the turbine.