ENVIRONMENTAL LAW IN CHINA BETWEEN MODERNIZATION AND LEGAL TRANSPLANTS: THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL COOPERATION

La ricerca si propone di ricostruire i pi\uf9 recenti sviluppi nel regime giuridico cinese di tutela ambientale, esaminando in particolare l\u2019influenza sempre pi\uf9 importante esercitata dalla cooperazione giuridica internazionale. A tal fine, si esamineranno i principali programmi di cooperazione, illustrandone gli obiettivi e l\u2019impatto sulla formulazione e sull\u2019implementazione della legislazione in materia ambientale nella Repubblica Popolare Cinese. L\u2019indagine proceder\ue0 di pari passo con un\u2019analisi dei principali trapianti giuridici promossi dai programmi di cooperazione internazionale e delle criticit\ue0 (di ordine linguistico, culturale e giuridico) incontrate da tali programmi. L\u2019indagine si soffermer\ue0 quindi sulle iniziative implementate da numerose organizzazioni internazionali al fine di assicurare l\u2019accesso alla giustizia per le vittime di danni ambientali e di promuovere l\u2019adozione di strumenti privatistici per la tutela dell\u2019ambiente. Infine, si trarranno le conclusioni dell\u2019analisi condotta, sottolineando l\u2019impatto dei programmi di cooperazione esaminati sullo sviluppo del diritto dell\u2019ambiente in Cina e prospettando le sfide future.The objective of this research is to assess the role which international legal cooperation initiatives have played in the development of environmental law in the People\u2019s Republic of China. To this end, the most significant cooperation programmes shall be examined, outlining their targets and scope and their impact on the drafting and implementation of Chinese environmental law. The analysis shall proceed in lockstep with an inquiry on the legal transplants which may have been channeled through these cooperation projects and on the tensions caused by the introduction of foreign models whenever insufficient attention was paid to the pitfalls of legal translation or to the existing legal and institutional framework. I will then try to show how, over the last decade, international actors have relied on legal cooperation projects to ensure access to justice for environmental tort victims and to carve out a bigger role for private enforcement mechanisms. Finally, I will draw some conclusions as regards the effectiveness of legal cooperation as a tool to influence policy and to channel foreign legal models into the Chinese legal system and I will examine some of the challenges which lay ahead

Climate adaptive urban measures in Mediterranean areas: Thermal effectiveness of an advanced multilayer green roof installed in Palermo (Italy)

Several nature based and climate adaptive solutions have been proposed to improve cities resilience to the effects of global warming and restore natural processes in strongly anthropized areas. Green roofs are among the most efficient nature based solutions to address recurrent urban challenges, such as pluvial floods and urban heat islands. Various benefits offered by green roofs are rather known, such as their capacity to enhance buildings thermal insulation; green roofs also favor urban biodiversity, improving buildings aesthetic value and human well being. Multilayer green roofs (MGRs) are green roofs with an additional layer that increases their water storage capacity. Deep analyses on MGRs are still lacking due to their recent development, and the few works in literature are prevalently focused on their stormwater retention primary function. This work explores the thermal function of an experimental MGR prototype installed in Palermo (Italy), comparing its response to local climate with that of an unaltered portion of the rooftop through the analysis of surface temperature time series collected over a two years monitoring period. Performances are evaluated thought various daily thermal indices, also analyzing the role of the water stored into the system. Results contribute to raise awareness about the benefits arising from the use of MGRs in semi-arid Mediterranean urban areas, confirming, as main thermal advantage, their cooling effect, with mean daily surface temperature reduced by 8.4% outdoor and 5.8% indoor; performances increases with water storage and are particularly evident during the hot and dry summers that typically characterize such regions

On the morphology of Anisakis pegreffii: a comparative analysis of three microscopic techniques used to build a new parasite atlas

BACKGROUND: Human anisakidosis is a parasitic anthropozoonosis caused by larval nematodes of the family Anisakidae. Here, we report a detailed description of the morphology of Anisakis pegreffii third-stage larva performed using a conventional light and confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that provide a basis for both phenotypic studies and genetic mutations. METHODS: The collected larvae from fish were morphologically identified as Anisakis larvae Type I, and they were characterized by PCR-RFLP to identify the Anisakis pegreffii specie. Using NC5/NC2 primers, ribosomal genomic regions ITS1, 5.8 SrRNA and ITS2 of DNA were amplified and PCR products were sequenced. Fifteen larvae belonging to Anisakis pegreffii were fixed, sectioned, and examined with a light and confocal microscope and by SEM. RESULTS: In our studies, have been acquired detailed ultrastructural images, which have been integrated with those derived from the dissection of the parasite, obtained with light and confocal microscopy. The structural and ultrastructural images concerning the third stage larvae of Anisakis pegreffii have been studied, analyzed and compared among them. The derived overall view has allowed detecting new interesting details of a well-known parasite and has been schematically showed. CONCLUSIONS: The aim of this study is to furnish an updated atlas of Anisakis pegreffii. Confocal microscopy, as well as the light and electron microscopy have played a pivotal role in the accumulation of new scientific data regarding the anatomical structures of this nematode. This work is the result of one year of engagement by the Authors and the outcome is a comprehensive atlas on Anisakis pegreffii microscopy

Modulation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Digestibility through Oleogelation

Background. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) represents a key player in the Mediterranean diet for its health-promoting capacity. Although its use as a functional ingredient would be particularly interesting, the direct addition of EVOO to food is challenging due to its liquid state. EVOO conversion into a solid-like material through by oleogelation could enlarge its possible applications. Methods. EVOO was gelled by adding 10% (w/w) of saturated monoglycerides (MG), rice bran waxes (RW), sunflower waxes (SW) or a β-sitosterol/γ-oryzanol mixture (PS). Oleogels were characterised for their structure and subjected to static in vitro digestion. The fatty acid release and destructuring behavior were assessed. Results. The resulting oleogels differed for rheological properties and firmness due to the differences in gel network structure. PS oleogel was the firmest sample followed by SW, RW and MG ones. During in vitro digestion, the fatty acid release was significantly lower for all oleogels compared to unstructured oil. The different network provided by the four oleogelators not only influenced FA release, but also the intestinal micellar size. Conclusion. Acquired results could open new horizons for EVOO application through oleogelation to obtain novel EVOO-based fat replacers and better deliver the EVOO health functionalities

La Vegetazione marina bentonica sciafila del Mediterraneo: 3.: Infralitorale e Circalitorale: proposte di aggiornamento

Sono stati esaminati criticamente 19 Aggruppamenti vegetali sciafili dell'Infralitorale e del Circalitorale; di questi 10 (9 Associazioni ed 1 Subassociazione) sono stati ritenuti validi. A phytosociological revision of 19 sciafilic algae assemblages located in the infralittoral and circalittoral zones is presented. At all 9 associations and 1 association can be recognized

Sulfur-based copolymeric polyamidoamines as efficient flame-retardants for cotton

The polyamidoamine derived from N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (M) and glycine (G), M-G, has been shown to be an effective flame-retardant (FR) for cotton in horizontal flame spread tests (HFST), extinguishing the flame at 5% add-on. Its activity was attributed to its intrinsic intumescence. In vertical flame spread tests (VFST), M-G failed to extinguish the flame even at 30% add-on. Conversely, in VFST, the polyamidoamine derived from M and cystine (C), M-C, inhibited cotton combustion at 16% add-on, but in HFST failed to extinguish the flame below 12% add-on. Its activity was ascribed to the release of sulfur-containing volatiles acting as radical scavengers. In this work, the FR effectiveness of M-Gm-Cn copolymers with different G/C ratio was compared with that of the M-G and M-C homopolymers and of M-G/M-C blends of the same compositions. In HFST, both copolymers and blends extinguished the flame. In particular, M-G50-C50 and (M-G/M-C)50/50 extinguished the flame, even at 7% add-on. In VFST, the copolymers with 6550% M-C units, similar to M-C, inhibited cotton combustion at 16% add-on. At the same add-on, the M-G/M-C blends failed to extinguish the flame. It may be concluded that, in contrast to blends, copolymers combined the merits of both homopolymers in all tests

Polyamidoamines derived from natural α-amino acids as effective flame retardants for cotton

In this paper, bioinspired polyamidoamines (PAAs) were synthesized from N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide and nine natural α-amino acids: L-alanine, L-valine, L-leucine (M-LEU), L-histidine, L-serine, L-asparagine, L-glutamine (M-GLN), L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid (M-GLU) and their performance as flame retardants (FRs) for cotton were determined. The aim was to ascertain if the ability to protect cotton from fire by the process of intumescing, previously found for the glycine-derived M-GLY, was a general feature of α-amino acid-derived PAAs. None of the PAAs ignited by flame impingement, apart from M-LEU, which burned for a few seconds leaving 93% of residue. All of them formed carbon-and oxygen-rich, porous chars with a graphitic structure in the air at 350◦C, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. All samples were tested as FRs for cotton by horizontal flame spread tests. At a 5% add-on, M-GLU and M-GLN extinguished the flame. The same results were obtained with all the other PAAs at a 7% add-on. The α-amino acid residues influenced the FR performance. The most effective were those that, by heating, were most suitable for producing thermally stable cyclic aromatic structures. All PAA-treated cotton samples, even when burning, left significant residues, which, according to scanning electron microscopy analysis, maintained the original cotton texture

Linear Polyamidoamines as Novel Biocompatible Intumescent Flame Retardants for Cotton

Since the middle of the last century, many industrial and academic researchers have devoted a lot of effort to the development of safe and effective flame- retardants (FR). As regards cotton, phosphorylated compounds were the predominant FR for several decades [1] despite many of them had been shown to be bioaccumulative.[1] Recently, biomolecules including proteins have been proposed as FR.[2] Many linear polyamidoamines (PAAs), a family of synthetic polymers with exceptional structural versatility,[3] have high thermal stability coupled with chain structure and side substituents reminding those of proteins.[4] These features suggested that PAAs could act as FR. This presentation reports on the results obtained with a library of eight PAAs applied as coatings on cotton fabrics from aqueous solutions. All tested PAAs warrant remarkable potential as surface-confined intumescent FR. In ignitability tests, six of them exposed to direct flame for 10 s do not burn, but produce carbonaceous crusts sheltering the underneath sample. Thermogravimetric analyses show that at T 65 400 \ub0C all PAAs leave in air substantial char residues that oxidize at T > 500 \ub0C. At 450 \ub0C they form porous carbonaceous structures indicating the tendency to intumesce. In horizontal flame spread tests, cotton stripes impregnated with most PAAs extinguish flame at add-ons ranging from 4 to 20%, whereas untreated cotton vigorously burns without leaving residues. Upon 35 kW/m2 heat flux, all PAA-treated samples significantly reduce the main combustion parameters. References [1] R. A. Horrocks, Polym. Degrad. Stab. 2011, 96, 377. [2] L. Costes, F. Laoutid, S. Brohez, P. Dubois, Mater. Sci. Eng. Report, R. 2017, 117, 1. [3] P. Ferruti, J. Polym. Sci, Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2319. [4] F. Danusso, P. Ferruti, Polymer 1970, 11, 88

Flame retardant multilayered coatings on acrylic fabrics prepared by one-step deposition of chitosan/montmorillonite complexes

Multilayered coatings deposited using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique have attracted great interest in recent years as a sustainable and efficient solution for conferring flame retardant properties to fabrics. The unique structure and interaction established upon the coating assembly are the key factors for successful flame retardant properties. In this study we aimed at the deposition of multilayered coatings comprising chitosan and montmorillonite with a LbL-like structure and interactions by the simple processing of compacted chitosan/montmorillonite complexes obtained by the direct mixing of an oppositely charged solution/suspension. Upon drying, the prepared complex yielded a continuous coating characterized by a brick-and-mortar multi-layered structure, in which oriented clay nanoplatelets were held together by a continuous chitosan matrix. When deposited on acrylic fabrics these coatings were able to suppress the melt-dripping phenomenon, and at 10 and 20% add-ons achieved self-extinguishing behavior within a few seconds after ignition. Cone calorimetry testing revealed an increase in time to ignition (up to +46%) and considerable reductions of the rates at which heat is released (up to -62 and -49% for peak of heat release rate and total heat release, respectively). A reduction in the total smoke release (up to -49%) was also observed

Chiral recognition in D-, L-arginine derived polyamidoamino acids and sodium deoxycholate solutions

Nowadays the spontaneous self-organization of a polymer into an ordered structure is a sought-after property of many smart materials, whose applications might range from catalysis1 to drug-delivery2. However, literature regarding the role played by these specific conformations in chiral recognition remains scarce. In this context, polyamidoamino acids (PAACs) are an emerging class of stimuli-responsive bioinspired synthetic polymers able to self-assemble into pH depend conformations.3,4 Arginine based PAACs, named ARGO7, were obtained in water at pH 8-9 from the stepwise polyaddition of L- or D-arginine to N,N\u2019methylenebisacrylamide. Results indicated Mn 8500, PDI 1.4 and Rh of 1.2 nm.3 Molecular dynamics (MD) and circular dichroism (CD) showed ARGO7 folded into a rigid structure, reminiscent of the hairpin conformation, solely driven by the polymer main chain. Due to its ability to self-assemble in solution forming chiral structures, L- and D-ARGO7 may selectively interact with biological components. To assess chiral recognition, sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), one of the components of bile salts, was chosen as a chiral model surface. In aqueous solution, NaDC showed three different pH dependent behaviour: homogeneous solution (pH>8), gel phase (pH 7-8) and aggregation/flocculation (pH<6.5). Notwithstanding the ability of NaDC to self-assemble into different conformations at each pH interval, signs of chiral recognition were found in NaDC gel phase only. Conformational modifications were probed by circular dichroism spectroscopy: both D- and L-ARGO7 changed shape and magnitude of the CD pattern, whereas D,LARGO7 did not modify the CD spectra of NaDC. After 8 days, NaDC compact structure loosened, ended up being fluid and the CD pattern were completely modified due to NaDC and D- or L-ARGO7 interactions. Incoming SANS studies will probably highlight the mechanisms and dynamics of the chiral interactions in these polyelectrolyte-micelle systems. (1) Luo, R.; Zhu, M.; Shen, X.; Li, S. J. Catal. 2015, 331, 49. (2) Qui\uf1ones, J. P.; Peniche, H.; Peniche, C. Polymers. 2018, 10, 3, 235. (3) Manfredi, A.; Mauro, N.; Terenzi, A.; Alongi, J.; Lazzari, F.; Ganazzoli, F.; Raffaini, G.; Ranucci, E.; Ferruti, P. ACS Macro Lett. 2017, 6, 987. (4) Lazzari, F.; Manfredi, A.; Alongi, J.; Mendichi, R.; Ganazzoli, F.; Raffaini, G.; Ferruti, P.; Ranucci, E. Polymers 2018, 10, 1261