THE RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT: LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF THE ANTHROPOCENTRIC LEGAL APPROACH AND THE RIGHT OF ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY

The present article focuses on the theoretical issues around the recognition of the right to a healthy environment, with a particular focus on its anthropocentric character. The article will do so by focusing at first on international and global perspectives, and then on the Italian case study. The article will demonstrate that despite in Italy there is no formal recognition of the right to a healthy environment, this has been de facto realized through the application in the jurisprudence of the conjunction of Articles 2 and 32 of the Constitution. Moreover, the article will present an analysis of the recent amendment of the Italian constitution, discussing the future prospects for the right to a healthy environment in Italy. Finally, the article will analyse the theoretical critical aspects connected to the anthropocentric nature of the right to a healthy environment. It will do so through a critical discussion on the contemporary polarization of the academic debate around the notions of “anthropocentric” and “ecocentric”. The objective of the article is to propose a middle position in such debate, arguing for the need of a new type of environmental human right, the right of ecological integrity. This right would synthesize the dichotomy anthropocentric-ecocentric (or human/nature), promoting a meaningful recognition of a relational ontology in an existential continuum based on the interconnectedness of human beings, animals, and non-living environmental manifestations (such as the atmosphere, rivers, seas, mountains and all the other parts of terrestrial ecosystems)

Photometric LiDAR and RGB-D Bundle Adjustment

The joint optimization of the sensor trajectory and 3D map is a crucial characteristic of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) systems. To achieve this, the gold standard is Bundle Adjustment (BA). Modern 3D LiDARs now retain higher resolutions that enable the creation of point cloud images resembling those taken by conventional cameras. Nevertheless, the typical effective global refinement techniques employed for RGB-D sensors are not widely applied to LiDARs. This paper presents a novel BA photometric strategy that accounts for both RGB-D and LiDAR in the same way. Our work can be used on top of any SLAM/GNSS estimate to improve and refine the initial trajectory. We conducted different experiments using these two depth sensors on public benchmarks. Our results show that our system performs on par or better compared to other state-of-the-art ad-hoc SLAM/BA strategies, free from data association and without making assumptions about the environment. In addition, we present the benefit of jointly using RGB-D and LiDAR within our unified method. We finally release an open-source CUDA/C++ implementation.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

Enhancing LiDAR performance: Robust De-skewing Exclusively Relying on Range Measurements

Most commercially available Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)s measure the distances along a 2D section of the environment by sequentially sampling the free range along directions centered at the sensor's origin. When the sensor moves during the acquisition, the measured ranges are affected by a phenomenon known as "skewing", which appears as a distortion in the acquired scan. Skewing potentially affects all systems that rely on LiDAR data, however, it could be compensated if the position of the sensor were known each time a single range is measured. Most methods to de-skew a LiDAR are based on external sensors such as IMU or wheel odometry, to estimate these intermediate LiDAR positions. In this paper, we present a method that relies exclusively on range measurements to effectively estimate the robot velocities which are then used for de-skewing. Our approach is suitable for low-frequency LiDAR where the skewing is more evident. It can be seamlessly integrated into existing pipelines, enhancing their performance at a negligible computational cost.Comment: 6 pages , 5 figure

Ca2^2Lib: Simple and Accurate LiDAR-RGB Calibration using Small Common Markers

In many fields of robotics, knowing the relative position and orientation between two sensors is a mandatory precondition to operate with multiple sensing modalities. In this context, the pair LiDAR-RGB cameras offer complementary features: LiDARs yield sparse high quality range measurements, while RGB cameras provide a dense color measurement of the environment. Existing techniques often rely either on complex calibration targets that are expensive to obtain, or extracted virtual correspondences that can hinder the estimate's accuracy. In this paper we address the problem of LiDAR-RGB calibration using typical calibration patterns (i.e. A3 chessboard) with minimal human intervention. Our approach exploits the planarity of the target to find correspondences between the sensors measurements, leading to features that are robust to LiDAR noise. Moreover, we estimate a solution by solving a joint non-linear optimization problem. We validated our approach by carrying on quantitative and comparative experiments with other state-of-the-art approaches. Our results show that our simple schema performs on par or better than other approches using complex calibration targets. Finally, we release an open-source C++ implementation at \url{https://github.com/srrg-sapienza/ca2lib}Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure

Il MUVISS, MUseo VIrtuale di Scienze Spaziali, dell’IAPS - Report anni 2018-2019

Il progetto della costituzione di un MUseo VIrtuale di Scienze Spaziali (MUVISS) dell’INAF - Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (IAPS) è nato nel 2018, con l’obiettivo di far vivere al pubblico l’esperienza della scienza e dell‘esplorazione spaziale grazie a tecnologie quali la realtà virtuale e aumentata, strumenti estremamente efficaci per la comunicazione, divulgazione e didattica dell’Astronomia e in particolare per l’esplorazione del Sistema Solare e dello spazio. Nel 2018/2019, il MUVISS è stato avviato con una prima dotazione hardware e software e la sperimentazione di alcuni progetti multimediali all’interno dei locali dell’IAPS, includendo anche progetti preesistenti come Pianeti in una stanza. I primi due anni di attività per il pubblico, raccontati in questo report, hanno incluso sia attività in sede che in manifestazioni esterne e hanno raggiunto un pubblico di circa 6000 persone. Come studio per la realizzazione del primo prototipo del MUVISS è stata anche pubblicata una tesi del Master in Scienza e Tecnologia Spaziali dell’Università di Roma Tor vergata, riportata come allegato a questo Report

Time to change the single-centre approach to management of patients with tuberculosis: a novel network platform with automatic data import and data sharing

Time to change the single-centre approach to TB http://ow.ly/lCeM30hBcbB

Frequency and type of domestic injuries among children during COVID-19 lockdown: what changes from the past? An Italian multicentre cohort study

: Accidents are the main cause of injury in children, more than half events happen at home. Aims of this study were to assess if SARS-CoV-2 lockdown influence emergency department (ED) visits due to children domestic accident (DAs) and to identify factors associated with hospitalization. This was a multicentre, observational, and retrospective cohort study involving 16 EDs in Italy and enrolling children (3-13 years) receiving a visit in ED during March-June 2019 and March-June 2020. Risk factors for hospitalization were identified by logistic regression models. In total, 8860 ED visits due to domestic accidents in children occurred before (4380) and during (4480) lockdown, with a mean incidence of DA of 5.6% in 2019 and 17.9% in 2020 (p < 0.001) (IRR: 3.16; p < 0.001). The risk of hospitalization was influenced by the type of occurred accident, with fourfold higher for poisoning and twofold lower risk for stab-wound ones. In addition, a higher risk was reported for lockdown period vs 2019 (OR: 1.9; p < 0.001), males (OR: 1.4; p < 0.001), and it increased with age (OR: 1.1; p < 0.001).    Conclusions: The main limitation of this study is the retrospective collection of data, available only for patients who presented at the hospital. This does highlight possible differences in the total number of incidents that truly occurred. In any case, the COVID-19 lockdown had a high impact on the frequency of DAs and on hospitalization. A public health campaign aimed at caregivers would be necessary to minimize possible risks at home. What is Known: • In Italy, domestic accidents are the second leading cause of paediatric mortality after cancer. • During the first SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in 2020, a sharp decrease in the total number of Emergency Departments visits for all causes was observed, both in children and in adults. What is New: • During the first SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in 2020, domestic accidents involving children increased threefold from the previous year. • Higher risk of hospitalization was showed in minors accessing during 2020 vs 2019, in males than in females and it increased with advancing age. Considering the type of injury, a significant higher risk of hospitalization for poisoning was observed

First analysis of the size-frequency distribution of boulders ge 7m on comet 67P

Images of the surface of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the OSIRIS camera on board the Rosetta spacecraft have been used to study the statistical distribution and morphological properties of both cluster and isolated roundish structures ('boulders') scattered all over the surface. We used NAC images taken on Aug 5-6, 2014, at a distance between 131.45 - 109.76 km, with a spatial resolution ranging from 2.44 - 2.03 m/px (Fig. 1). Such data cover a full rotation of 67P, providing the first ever full size frequency distribution coverage of boulders ≥ 7m visible on a cometary illuminated side. Boulders are ubiquitous on the head, neck, and body of 67P \citep{thomas15}. The initial count of 4,976 boulders was reduced to 3,546 for statistical purposes taking into consideration only those with a diameter larger than 7 m \citep{pajola15}

The right to a healthy environment: lights and shadows of the anthropocentric legal approach

The “theory of the convergence” suggests that “[i]f two theories have exactly the same practical implications, we shouldn’t spend our time worrying about what other differences there might be between” regarding the difference between non-anthropocentric and anthropocentric approaches in law. This chapter starts with considering the legal meaning of the right to a healthy environment in an anthropocentric perspective, and whether protection of the environment can be indirectly achieved through the protection of a human right. The chapter will draw upon Italian legal system and case law, in a comparative perspective with other countries where relevant examples can be drawn. The chapter will argue for the need to critically rethink the right to a healthy environment. The applicability of rights of Nature presents several obstacles at the practical level because of issues related to legal personhood. We will argue that a new set of rights is needed, rights that deal with the ecological integrity of ecosystems and that would replace the anthropocentric right to a healthy environment. The right of ecological integrity would present an ideal balance between the rights of Nature and the right to a healthy environment. It would recognize that human beings should have a mutually enhancing ecological relationship with the environment. The ecological integrity approach would go beyond the human-centred legal paradigm connected to the protection of ecosystems and the right to a healthy environment

Environmental, social and governance controversies: the role of European bank boards

Purpose – In recent years, European banks have been required to integrate environmental and social objectives into their business practices. At the same time, they have become increasingly exposed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) controversies. This paper empirically examines the relationship between the board characteristics of banks (i.e. size, gender diversity, meeting frequency, sustainability compensation incentives and the presence of a sustainability committee) and exposure to ESG-related controversies. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis focuses on a sample of 61 European banks between 2012 and 2021. Employing generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation, the authors examine the relationship between board characteristics and ESG controversies. Findings – The results of the study indicate that banks featuring certain board characteristics (i.e. larger and more gender-diverse boards, facing sustainability compensation provisions and having sustainability committees) experience lesser exposure to ESG controversies. Additionally, the authors ascertain that prior instances of ESG controversies play a role in influencing current levels of such controversies. This result highlights the relevance of a bank’s historical trajectory. Research limitations/implications – The authors’ sample contains banks based in the European Union (EU). Future research should broaden the analysis to encompass banks operating in other advanced countries, as well as in emerging countries. This expansion would offer more insights into the relationship between board characteristics and ESG controversies under different regulatory frameworks. Practical implications – The authors’ findings provide relevant implications for several stakeholders, including shareholders, regulators and supervisors. Certain board characteristics should be taken into consideration to limit exposure to ESG controversies. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first attempt to provide evidence of the link between strong corporate governance standards and reduced exposure to ESG controversies