Italian Standards Research Articles

Sustainability assessment of a farm in the Chianti area (Italy)

In the study of agricultural systems, where land fertility and environmental conditions are primary factors, it is essential to consider both the efficiency and the environmental sustainability of processes. Emergy analysis, introduced by H.T. Odum [Science 242 (1988) 1132], is an approach developed at the interface between thermodynamics systems ecology. It was here used to obtain sustainability indicators and to assess the efficiency of a complex agricultural system, a farm in the Chianti area. The results for different crops were compared with Italian averages to obtain an idea of the long-term sustainability of this agricultural system. The cultivation of all the crops on the farm, except grapes, was more efficient and had less impact on the environment than the Italian standards. The Chianti grapes were compared not only with the Italian average but also with grapes of similar high quality, ‘Brunello di Montalcino’ and ‘Nobile di Montepulciano’, both grown in the same region. The production of grapes in the Chianti vineyard was more efficient and had an intermediate environmental impact, in the emergy sense, with respect to the other two systems. The proportion of emergy inputs to the farm that are local or renewable is quite high. Thus the emergy analysis demonstrated that the Chianti farm has a relatively good long-term sustainability considering both the whole system, and its individual crops.

Influence of organic chlorine on emissions from sludge incineration by a pilot fluidised bed furnace

To demonstrate that sewage sludge incineration could be a safe operation if well conducted and that hazardous compounds could also be disposed of without problems in sludge incinerators plants, a research program has been set up by the Italian Water Research Institute on a demonstrative scale plant where a completely circulating fluidised bed furnace and a rotary kiln furnace can operate alternatively. In this paper results of tests performed by a fluidised bed furnace on sewage sludge spiked with highly chlorinated compounds under different operating conditions are presented. A deep investigation on micropollutants formation has been made at different sampling points: before and after bag house filter, and at the chimney. The experimental data show that concentrations of PCDDs+PCDFs (TE) and of PAHs do not strictly depend on the operation of the afterburning chamber and that a complete compliance with the European and Italian standards on the emissions were always achieved even in the most critical conditions investigated.

Assessment of the industrial utilization of scoria materials in central Harrat Rahat, Saudi Arabia

Although basaltic volcanic scoria deposits are widespread in and around the scoria cones present in the Harrats, very few occurrences have been evaluated and still fewer have been exploited. The scoria from a quarry in central Harrat Rahat was investigated and assessed for its industrial utilization. Cubes were prepared from several concrete mixes using scoria as lightweight coarse and fine aggregates in different percentages. The compressive strength values of the cubes were found to be acceptable and satisfy the ASTM (1995) requirement for structural concrete. The scoria was also assessed for its utilization as a cement additive. Pozzolanic activity was tested according to the Italian standards and found to be acceptable. The strength activity index with Portland cement and the effectiveness of scoria admixture in controlling alkali-silica reactions were tested according to ASTM (1995) standards. Mortar cubes were specially prepared for these studies using different mixes and different storage procedures. The results satisfied the ASTM (1995) requirements as cement additive. The utilization of scoria as a heat-insulating material was tested and the results were found to satisfy the ASTM (1995) requirements. This fact suggests it could be utilized in the manufacture of the building blocks. It is recommended to evaluate the other scoria deposits, exploit the economically feasible ones and utilize them for different industrial applications. The manufacturing of heat-insulating concrete or building blocks using scoria is of prime importance as an energy saver.

Probabilistic analysis of Italian extreme winds : Reference velocity and return criterion

Applying and extending some preceding researches, this paper proposes a map of Italian extreme winds assigning the reference velocity, i.e., the wind velocity averaged over 10 minutes, at 10 m height, in a flat open terrain, with 50 years mean return period, depending on the site and the altitude. Furthermore, an objective criterion is formulated by which the actual values of the local wind velocity are given as a function of the reference velocity. The study has been carried out in view of the revision of the Italian Standards dealing with safety and loads and the introduction of the aeolic Italian map into Eurocode 1.

Effectiveness of a home-made meat based formula (the Rezza-Cardi diet) as a diagnostic tool in children with food-induced atopic dermatitis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a home-made meat based formula (the Rezza-Cardi diet), as a diagnostic tool for children with atopic dermatitis and suspected multiple food hypersensitivity. Severity scores for atopic dermatitis, body weight and serum lipid profile were evaluated at baseline and four weeks following the feeding with the home-made meat based formula in 16 children with atopic dermatitis and suspected multiple food hypersensitivity. The severity score of the skin lesions improved considerably in all the children; no significant difference was observed in the serum lipid levels before and after one month following the feeding with the home-made meat based formula. All children gained weight according to the Italian Standards. The results of this study indicate that the home-made meat based formula is a useful elimination diet in children with atopic dermatitis and suspected multiple food hypersensitivity.

First 10 000 chorionic villus samplings performed on singleton pregnancies by a single operator

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was performed in 10,000 consecutive singleton pregnancies by a single principal operator, working in two institutions. The procedure was performed between 8 and 32 gestational weeks: transabdominal (TA) sampling was carried out in 8479 cases and transcervical (TC) in 1521. Patients were referred for chromosomal risk in 89.1 per cent of cases, Mendelian disorders in 10.5 per cent, and DNA investigations for paternity or infectious agents in 0.4 per cent of cases. The sampling success rate for both TA and TC techniques by the second insertion was 99.8 and 99.2 per cent, respectively. TA sampling succeeded in a higher number of cases at the first insertion (98 per cent vs. 86.8 per cent) and was associated with smaller samples (< 10 mg) in fewer cases (3.2 per cent vs. 4.9 per cent). Cytogenetic analysis was highly successful (99.4 per cent) and accurate; however, in one case a de novo structural rearrangement of chromosome I was not recognized. Mosaicism or rare trisomies were reported in 1.30 per cent of cases. Five diagnostic errors in DNA investigation (0.51 per cent) ended with the birth of affected fetuses. Fetal loss through 28 weeks' gestation in the pregnancies intended to continue was 2.58 per cent; the rate increased with maternal age (1.22 per cent at less than 30 years to 3.8 per cent at 40 years or more), while gestational age affected the abortion rate only at 8 weeks (odds ratio=2.22, P<0.05). Rates of premature delivery, low birth weight, and perinatal mortality did not differ from the Italian standards. By comparison with the Italian Birth Defects Registry data, no differences were found for the major malformations, including transverse limb reduction defects (TLRDs) (4.34 vs. 3.28 x 10,000). Total malformations and TLRDs did not show any pattern relation to either maternal age or gestational age.

Ultrafiltration plant for olive vegetation waters by polymeric membrane batteries

Within the reconversion activities of the industrial complex of S. Eufemia Lamezia (Cz, Italy) into an environmental service plant system, a vegetation water treatment plant was started in November 1995 suitable to treat a nominal capacity of 300 m 3/d flowing from olive-oil mills. The treatment plant is based on the following steps: 1) Dirty water storage, 2) oil removal system, 3) Settling of suspended solids, 4) Tangential filtration on polymeric membrane, 5) Eluate treatment by means of polymeric membranes in a double-step biological process complying with Italian standards. The final reconversion of the industrial complex into an environmental service plant system will be composed of a sewage treatment line, an oil vegetation treatment line, a solid waste incineration line, and a compost solid waste line.

Skeletal maturity of the hand and wrist of healthy Argentinian children aged 4–12 years, assessed by the TWII method

SummaryOne previously trained observer assessed skeletal maturity in a representative sample of 388 and 387 healthy girls and boys respectively from La Plata city, a predominantly university and administrative urban centre in Argentina. The staging system used was TWII and the scores were calculated from three sources: British, Spanish and Italian standards. Our sample showed a marked advancement in bone age with regard to chronological age when using British standards and, to a lesser extent, when applying the Spanish standards. Local mean bone ages were very similar to chronological ages when the Italian scores were used. Second-degree polynomials were adjusted to log10 scores for boys and girls, in order to obtain local values for bone age (BA) transformations. The same staging system should be used in clinical work in Argentina, with the corresponding changes in BA trans-formations. A marked advancement of carpal BAs with regard to RUS BAs was found, from age 5 onwards, in both sexes. Mean differences and SD of RUS-minus-carpal BA were 1·28, SD 1·08 and 1·18, SD 1·09 years for girls and boys respectively. These differences have not been described before, and require further investigation.

Treatment of silk and lycra printing wastewaters with the objective of water reuse

This paper concerns the treatment of wastewaters produced during printing matrix washing and by dyestuff leakage in the silk and Lycra printing industry. The objective was to obtain effluent of a quality that would allow water reuse. The raw wastewaters contained a high concentration of ammonia nitrogen (from urea, ammonium sulphate and tartrate used for the dyestuff preparation together with organic compounds. A high BOD5COD ratio determined the possibility of a biological treatment of the wastewaters by nitrification-denitrification. To achieve complete denitrification, however, it was necessary to add an external carbon source. A mixture of methyl and ethyl alcohols from pharmaceutical industry wastes was used to achieve a BOD5N ratio of about 3.5. High temperature (23-26°C) and low inhibition enabled good rates of treatment to be achieved in a single-sludge system, equal to 0.042 kgN/kg MLVSS × day and 0.12 kgN/kg MLVSS × day, respectively for nitrification and denitrification. After this stage the effluents were characterized by COD &amp;lt;120 mg/L, BOD5 &amp;lt;25 mg/L, N-NH4 &amp;lt;10 mg/L, N-NHO3 &amp;lt;12 mg/L, N-NO2 &amp;lt;0.3 mg/L values which meet Italian discharge standards. A subsequent quartz filtration and UV sterilization allowed the wastewaters to be reused for washing purposes within the factory. At the final stage of the wastewater treatment it was possible to economize by reusing industrial wastewaters by 30-40%. No problems connected with a gradual accumulation of the recalcitrant or toxic compounds were encountered in the reuse of treated wastewaters and their subsequent biological treatment during 10 months of full scale plant operation. Residual colour removal was however necessary if the wastewaters were also to be used for the preparing of dyes. Laboratory experiments to remove colour using ozone treatment were conducted. A dose of 20 mg/L of ozone was introduced prior to filtration. This step eliminated not only the residual colour but also the residual non-ionic surfactants. As the final result of the treatment it will be possible to use wastewaters not only for washing purposes but also for preparation of the printing colours; it is calculated that economies of 60-70% of process water will be possible.

Evaluation of early concrete strength

With a view to verifying the feasibility of evaluating early concrete strength, an extensive experimental program was developed for testing the strength of steam-cured 8 cm concrete cubes after 17 hours (Ra) and comparing the results with the strength of 15 cm cubes at 28 days (Rs). The relationship of Ra to Rs depends on the steam curing cycle, on the maximum aggregate size and its influence in relation to sample size, and on the rate of loading during the test. The Ra-Rs regression line was calculated for different concrete mixes using various types of cement (to Italian standards), i.e., Portland 325 and 425, pozzolana 325 with fly ash and Portland 325 with a superplasticizing admixture. A linear relationship generally proved reliable as Rs=mRa+c, where m and c are constants depending on the type of cement, the curing cycle and the maximum aggregate size. The coefficient of variation was about 4–5%, reaching 6% when all concrete mixes tested were considered.

Intrauterine growth in the offspring of epileptic mothers.

The present paper concerns the fetal growth of 315 newborns of epileptic mothers prospectively followed from the beginning of pregnancy. In comparison with Italian standards, neonatal weight, length and head circumference at birth were below the 10th percentile in respectively 15.7%, 1.1% and 19.2% of the newborns. Weight at birth was above the 90th percentile in 8 cases. Observed frequencies were significantly higher than expected frequencies for both weight and head circumference. The percentage of newborns with a small head circumference increased significantly according to the number of drugs taken by the mother during the first three months of pregnancy: 7.1% with no drug, 16.8% with one drug, 23.6% with two drugs and 50% with three drugs. A statistically significant correlation was found between gestational age-adjusted head circumference and drug-level scores during the first trimester. Head circumferences below the 10th percentile were fewer among newborns treated with CBZ than among newborns treated with either PB or VPA.

Air pollution trends in the town of Turin in the years 1973–1986

In Turin since 1973, a pollution control network (subsequently enlarged), to monitor sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, together with major meteorological parameters has existed. Pollution measurements carried out so far show changes through the years. Comparison of data between different monitoring stations, related also to different periods of the year, permits the calculation of the contribution of the different sources with respect to each pollutant. Although improvements have been achieved, values for carbon monoxide and particulate matter exceeding the Italian national air quality standards are frequent near streets with a high volume of traffic streets. The problem of high concentrations of sulphur dioxide seems to have been solved.

Italian standards for crown-heel length and head circumference at birth.

Cross-sectional standards for crown-heel length and head circumference at birth are presented, based on 16336 reference neonates born in six towns in North, Central and South Italy, between 1973 and 1981, and included in a multicentre survey of perinatal preventive medicine. Single liveborn infants, with no congenital anomalies, of mothers with no risk factor for pregnancy, such as diabetes, hypertension, vaginal bleeding, previous stillbirths or abortions, were considered as the reference group. These were treated as a sample drawn from one reference population, regardless of birthplace. Large differences in social and environmental conditions typical of the six towns appeared to exert negligible effects on the reference neonates' dimensions. Unlike intrauterine growth charts published previously in Italy, these standards apply to any Italian neonate born between 32 and 43 weeks of gestation. Cross-sectional standards derived from anthropometric measurements of infants having different gestational ages should be regarded mainly as a tool for assessing size and proportion of neonates, rather than as growth charts for monitoring fetal development. This latter task should be fulfilled by longitudinal growth charts: to date, intrauterine ultrasonography has not provided data sufficient to replace cross-sectional standards.

Energy balance of a climatized building: Comparison between simulation and experiment

The heating energy required for the winter climatization of a small apartment has been measured; it results in good agreement with the figures obtained by a recently reported simulation procedure. The comparison with the usually adopted calculation code, which was taken as basis from the Italian standards, is discussed.