Structure of Starch-Sepiolite Bio-Nanocomposites: Effect of Processing and Matrix-Filler Interactions

Sepiolite clay is a natural filler particularly suitable to be used with polysaccharide matrices (e.g., in starch-based bio-nanocomposites), increasing their attractiveness for a wide range of applications, such as packaging. Herein, the effect of the processing (i.e., starch gelatinization, addition of glycerol as plasticizer, casting to obtain films) and of the sepiolite filler amount on the microstructure of starch-based nanocomposites was investigated by SS-NMR (solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance), XRD (X-ray diffraction) and FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectroscopy. Morphology, transparency and thermal stability were then assessed by SEM (scanning electron microscope), TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and UV-visible spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that the processing method allowed to disrupt the rigid lattice structure of semicrystalline starch and thus obtain amorphous flexible films, with high transparency and good thermal resistance. Moreover, the microstructure of the bio-nanocomposites was found to intrinsically depend on complex interactions among sepiolite, glycerol and starch chains, which are also supposed to affect the final properties of the starch-sepiolite composite materials

La Dissipatio H. G. di Guido Morselli: le carte, il sistema narrativo, la lingua

Dottorato di ricerca in italianistica. 11. ciclo. Coordinatore Franco SuitnerConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome; Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - P.za Cavalleggeri, 1, Florence / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Pianificazione portuale in Italia alla luce dei riflessi della politica europea dei porti

Il lavoro analizza l’evoluzione della pianificazione portuale in Italia verso un sistema multilivello, improntato sulla specializzazione e sul decentramento. Partendo dalla riforma operata dalla legge 84/94, che ha istituito le Autorità portuali quali enti di gestione degli spazi portuali, e dalla riforma costituzionale del 2001, che ha coinvolto le Regioni e i Comuni nelle scelte relative alla gestione degli spazi portuali, lo studio evidenzia i limiti del sistema sia nel garantire la coerenza tra gli strumenti di pianificazione sia nell’assicurare la comunicazione e il collegamento fra gli enti. Il lavoro evidenzia, altresì, l’influenza esercitata sul sistema portuale italiano dal processo di integrazione europea. Attraverso il progressivo inserimento delle infrastrutture portuali nelle TEN-T, il controllo sulle risorse allocate dagli Stati ai porti, l’investimento di fondi europei per l’ammodernamento delle infrastrutture e il coinvolgimento di agenzie e stakeholder privati, l’UE è riuscita a rendere i porti funzionali ai propri obiettivi di efficace gestione degli spazi, liberalizzazione dei servizi, tutela ambientale, efficienza energetica. Affinché il sistema italiano possa contribuire alla realizzazione di tali obiettivi, si rende necessario, da un lato, armonizzare le scelte di pianificazione portuale con le altre scelte di governo del territorio, dall’altro, orientare la pianificazione a tutti i livelli agli obiettivi europei di modernizzazione, liberalizzazione e sostenibilità. Ciò diventa più evidente alla luce dell’emergenza Covid-19, che sta facendo emergere l’urgenza di orientare tutte le scelte pubbliche e private relative ai porti ad obiettivi di sicurezza sanitaria, tracciamento dei movimenti nel rispetto della privacy e velocizzazione delle operazioni di logistica ed handling.The research analyses the evolution of port planning in Italy towards a multilevel system, based on specialisation and functional decentralisation. Starting from the Reform enacted by law 84/94, which instituted the ‘Port Authorities’ as the managing bodies of port spaces, and from the 2001 Constitutional Reform, which involved regional and municipal government in the choices related to port space management, the study underlines the system’s limits in assuring consistency among planning instruments and in warranting dialogue and connection among institutional entities. The study also highlights the influence exercised on the Italian port system by the European integration process. Through the gradual inclusion of the port infrastructures in the TEN-T, the control on public financial resources allocated to ports, the investment of EU funds in the modernisation of infrastructure and the involvement of agencies and private stakeholders, the EU has tailored ports to its objectives of effective space management, the liberalisation of services, environmental protection and energy efficiency. To assure that the Italian system can contribute to the EU objectives, it is necessary to harmonise port planning choices with the other land-use decisions, and to steer the planning elaborated by all government levels towards the EU objectives of modernisation, liberalisation and sustainability. This necessity is becoming more evident after the Covid-19 emergency, which is bringing out the urgency to drive all public and private choices concerning ports towards health and safety, and the tracking of people’s movements while respecting privacy and streamlining logistics and handling operations

Health services after COVID-19 emergency: toward a multilevel system?

The paper aims to analyze how the administrative organization has affected the retention of the guarantee levels of social rights (i.e., health, education and local social services) following the impact of coronavirus on the various systems. In particular, the analysis aims to understand how the organizational structures deriving from different balances (public/private; center/periphery; entity of the cost/minimum levels of services; quality “excellence” in the service/quantitative enlargement of the service) have impacted on some section of the population, affecting freedoms in general. The analysis will draw useful information for the post-emergency which must be based on a new interpretation of the principles of efficiency and effectiveness to understand the space of social and territorial cohesion in the reorganization of services and to make this reorganization structurally efficient in relation to rights and freedom

Efficient self-cleaning treatments for built heritage based on highly photo-active and well-dispersible TiO 2 nanocrystals

The present study reports on the preparation and characterization of innovative “self-cleaning” nano-TiO2 treatments to be used in cultural heritage, based on dispersion of solar-light activated TiO2 nanocrystals. The semiconductor has been prepared by an easy and low-cost non-aqueous procedure, providing anatase (NA_TiO2) nanoparticles photo-active not only under UV-light but also under solar irradiation. NA_TiO2 allows obtaining very stable dispersions either in water or in ethylene glycol used to produce homogeneous nano-TiO2 treatments on Noto stone and Carrara marble, which display excellent aesthetic compatibility, do not remarkably affect the capillary water absorption of the stones and slightly increase their wettability. The new treatment exhibits higher photocatalytic activity compared to that based on commercial TiO2 (P25_TiO2). This behavior has been attributed not only to the morphological properties of the treatments and of the stones, but also to the presence of residual benzyl alcohol molecules anchored on the anatase NP surfaces. This provides solar light absorption and partially improves the charge trapping, thus increasing the photoefficiency. The overall results suggest that the positive combination of high dispersion, solar-light absorption and reduced recombination effects in NPs plays a key role in the development of efficient photocatalytic treatments for stone restoration

Diagnosis-related differences in the quality of end-of-life care: A comparison between cancer and non-cancer patients.

BACKGROUND:Cancer, chronic heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the advanced stages have similar symptom burdens and survival rates. Despite these similarities, the majority of the attention directed to improving the quality of end-of-life (EOL) care has focused on cancer. AIM:To assess the extent to which the quality of EOL care received by cancer, CHF, and COPD patients in the last month of life is diagnosis-sensitive. METHODS:This is a retrospective observational study based on administrative data. The study population includes all Tuscany region residents aged 18 years or older who died with a clinical history of cancer, CHF, or COPD. Decedents were categorized into two mutually exclusive diagnosis categories: cancer (CA) and cardiopulmonary failure (CPF). Several EOL care quality outcome measures were adopted. Multivariable generalized linear model for each outcome were performed. RESULTS:The sample included 30,217 decedents. CPF patients were about 1.5 times more likely than cancer patients to die in an acute care hospital (RR 1.59, 95% C.I.: 1.54-1.63). CPF patients were more likely to be hospitalized or admitted to the emergency department (RR 1.09, 95% C.I.: 1.07-1.10; RR 1.15, 95% C.I.: 1.13-1.18, respectively) and less likely to use hospice services (RR 0.08, 95% C.I.: 0.07-0.09) than cancer patients in the last month of life. CPF patients had a four- and two-fold higher risk of intensive care unit admission or of undergoing life-sustaining treatments, respectively, than cancer patients (RR 3.71, 95% C.I.: 3.40-4.04; RR 2.43, 95% C.I.: 2.27-2.60, respectively). CONCLUSION:The study has highlighted the presence of significant differences in the quality of EOL care received in the last month of life by COPD and CHF compared with cancer patients. Further studies are needed to better elucidate the extent and the avoidability of these diagnosis-related differences in the quality of EOL care

The indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of the emergency medical services during the first pandemic wave: A system-wide study of Tuscany Region, Italy.

BackgroundUtilization of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) declined during COVID-19 pandemic, but most of the studies analyzed components of the EMS system individually. The study aimed to evaluate the indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of all the components of the EMS system of Tuscany Region (Italy) during the first pandemic wave.MethodsAdministrative data from the health care system of Tuscany were used. Changes in utilization for out-of-hospital emergency calls and emergency vehicle dispatched, emergency department (ED) visits, and patients being admitted from the ED to an inpatient hospital bed (hospitalizations from ED) during the first pandemic wave were analyzed in relation with corresponding periods of the previous two years. Percentage changes and 95%CI were calculated with Poisson models. Standardized Ratios were calculated to evaluate changes in in-hospital mortality and hospitalizations requiring ICU.ResultsSignificant declines were observed in the utilization of all the EMS considered starting from the week in which the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Italy till the end of the first pandemic wave. During the epidemic peak, the maximum decreases were observed: -33% for the emergency calls, -45% for the dispatch of emergency vehicles, -71% for ED admissions. Furthermore, a decline of 37% for hospitalizations from ED was recorded. Significant decreases in ED admissions for life threatening medical conditions were observed: acute cerebrovascular disease (-36%, 95% CI: -43, -29), acute myocardial infarction (-42%, 95% CI: -52, -31) and renal failure (-42%, 95% CI: -52, -31). No significant differences were found between the observed and the expected in-hospital mortality and hospitalizations requiring ICU during the epidemic peak.ConclusionAll the components of the EMS showed large declines in their utilization during COVID-19 pandemic; furthermore, major reductions were observed for admissions for time-dependent and life-threatening conditions. Efforts should be made to ensure access to safe and high-quality emergency care during pandemic

Il dialogo tra diritto ecclesiastico e diritto costituzionale

Fifty years after the conference in which Law and Religion Scholars held a dialogue with Constitutional Scholars in Siena, central issues of that discussion are recalled, and those of a future debate are envisaged, with the hope that both disciplines might benefit from i