The EU’s Proposed Reform of Directors’ Duties and the Missing Link to Soft Law

In this paper, we investigate whether reform of EU company law is needed to make corporate governance more sustainable. We also consider some issues to which the EU proposals on company law and sustainability paid scant attention, such as the role of corporate governance codes and other types of soft law, mainly of international origin, in promoting sustainable governance. In addition, we underline that in recent years the EU has adopted several measures which offer better prospects for sustainable governance than the reform of directors' duties the EU is currently debating. We conclude that the failure to take corporate governance codes and the existing regulatory framework into account could seriously impair pending reforms of directors' duties and their link to sustainability

From rods to helices: evidence of a screw-like nematic phase

Evidence of a special chiral nematic phase is provided using numerical simulation and Onsager theory for systems of hard helical particles. This phase appears at the high density end of the nematic phase, when helices are well aligned, and is characterized by the C$_2$ symmetry axes of the helices spiraling around the nematic director with periodicity equal to the particle pitch. This coupling between translational and rotational degrees of freedom allows a more efficient packing and hence an increase of translational entropy. Suitable order parameters and correlation functions are introduced to identify this screw-like phase, whose main features are then studied as a function of radius and pitch of the helical particles. Our study highlights the physical mechanism underlying a similar ordering observed in colloidal helical flagella [E. Barry et al. \textit{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{96}, 018305 (2006)] and raises the question of whether it could be observed in other helical particle systems, such as DNA, at sufficiently high densities.Comment: List of authors correcte

The Thermal Diffusivity of Biochar Coating Deposited on a Heat Exchanger †

Biochar is a charcoal-like material obtained by burning organic wastes, coming from agricultural and forestry, in a controlled pyrolysis process. In this application, it is deposited on an aluminum foil of thickness 100 μm, which is used as a part of an heat exchanger. The thickness of the deposition of biochar on the aluminum foil ranges from 75 to 250 μm. The result coating is rough and, therefore, it is supposed to improve the heat exchange with the ambient environment, depending on the granulometry of the deposit. One key feature of the deposit is its thermal conductivity. In this work, it is determined by means of IR thermography used as a detector in a Laser Flash configuration. This allows us to evaluate the out-of-plane thermal diffusivity. Such measurements are complemented by density obtained by hydrostatic balance and specific heat by a differential scanning calorimeter

Periodic thermal behavior of walls: an experimental approach

The need for testing methods that could verify the performance of building components is continuously increasing, as it is mandatory to reduce the overall energy need of the buildings. This work provides a method that determines the dynamic behavior of walls. The time-shift due to the thermal and physical properties of the component is measured using infrared thermography. A case study on a typical wall sample is proposed, validating the technique

High prevalence of patent foramen ovale in migraine with aura

In this study we evaluated the presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in a cohort of 25 consecutive patients suffering from migraine with aura (MA) during an attack presenting to the emergency ward of an Italian hospital. Patients underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast medium, routine coagulation tests, contrast transcranial echocolour–coded sonography (c–TCCS) and transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Of the enrolled patients, 88.7% showed a PFO according to the c–TCCS test, whereas only in 72% TEE confirmed the presence of PFO. This discordance could be due to the fact that c–TCCS is more sensitive even with shunts with minimal capacity also located in the pulmonary vasculature. After surgical treatment of the PFO, MA disappeared within two months. Also, the treatment with warfarin as well as with acetylsalicylic acid and flunarizine was able to dramatically reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. These data indicate a higher prevalence of PFO in MA vs. normal population (OR=2.92) and could suggest that the presence of arteriovenous (AV) shunts could represent a trigger for MA attacks as well as for stroke, but more studies are needed to confirm this preliminary hypothesis

Exploring the Role of Cell-Free Nucleic Acids and Peritoneal Dialysis: A Narrative Review

Introduction: Cell-free nucleic acids (cf-NAs) represent a promising biomarker of various pathological and physiological conditions. Since its discovery in 1948, cf-NAs gained prognostic value in oncology, immunology, and other relevant fields. In peritoneal dialysis (PD), blood purification is performed by exposing the peritoneal membrane. Relevant sections: Complications of PD such as acute peritonitis and peritoneal membrane aging are often critical in PD patient management. In this review, we focused on bacterial DNA, cell-free DNA, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microRNA (miRNA), and their potential uses as biomarkers for monitoring PD and its complications. For instance, the isolation of bacterial DNA in early acute peritonitis allows bacterial identification and subsequent therapy implementation. Cell-free DNA in peritoneal dialysis effluent (PDE) represents a marker of stress of the peritoneal membrane in both acute and chronic PD complications. Moreover, miRNA are promising hallmarks of peritoneal membrane remodeling and aging, even before its manifestation. In this scenario, with multiple cytokines involved, mtDNA could be considered equally meaningful to determine tissue inflammation. Conclusions: This review explores the relevance of cf-NAs in PD, demonstrating its promising role for both diagnosis and treatment. Further studies are necessary to implement the use of cf-NAs in PD clinical practice

Perenniality, more than genotypes, shapes biological and chemical rhizosphere composition of perennial wheat lines

Perennial grains provide various ecosystem services compared to the annual counterparts thanks to their extensive root system and permanent soil cover. However, little is known about the evolution and diversification of perennial grains rhizosphere and its ecological functions over time. In this study, a suite of -OMICSs - metagenomics, enzymomics, metabolomics and lipidomics - was used to compare the rhizosphere environment of four perennial wheat lines at the first and fourth year of growth in comparison with an annual durum wheat cultivar and the parental species Thinopyrum intermedium. We hypothesized that wheat perenniality has a greater role in shaping the rhizobiome composition, biomass, diversity, and activity than plant genotypes because perenniality affects the quality and quantity of C input – mainly root exudates – hence modulating the plant-microbes crosstalk. In support of this hypothesis, the continuous supply of sugars in the rhizosphere along the years created a favorable environment for microbial growth which is reflected in a higher microbial biomass and enzymatic activity. Moreover, modification in the rhizosphere metabolome and lipidome over the years led to changes in the microbial community composition favoring the coexistence of more diverse microbial taxa, increasing plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite the dominance of the perenniality effect, our data underlined that the OK72 line rhizobiome distinguished from the others by the increase in abundance of Pseudomonas spp., most of which are known as potential beneficial microorganisms, identifying this line as a suitable candidate for the study and selection of new perennial wheat lines

Early Effects of No-Till Use on Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): Productivity and Soil Functioning Vary between Two Contrasting Mediterranean Soils

The diffusion of no-tillage (NT) is to be encouraged because of the benefits it can provide in terms of improving soil fertility and counteracting global warming and climate change as part of climate-smart agriculture practices. However, the introduction of this management can be difficult, especially in the first years of application, and can lead to unpredictable yield results depending on the soil type. Therefore, the aim of this experiment was to evaluate the early effect of NT use, compared to the conventional mouldboard ploughing (CT), on two different soils, a clay-loam (GAL) and a sandy-clay-loam soil (SMA), by monitoring a set of 43 different soil and plant variables that were expected to vary with tillage and/or soil type. At both experimental sites, NT showed lower wheat total biomass (−29%) and grain yields (−17%) than CT with a more pronounced decrease in GAL than in SMA. Yield differences were accompanied by modifications in nutrient, microbial community and soil enzyme activity dynamics which highlighted higher stress in GAL, than in SMA soil, attributable to lower crop residues decomposition and substrate availability. Therefore, our findings suggest that the negative consequences due to the transition to NT depend on specific soil characteristics, like texture and organic matter concentration, with different repercussions on soil quality as well as on wheat growth and productivity