In recent decades, States have concluded numerous regional investment treaties, even as the feverish growth in bilateral investment treaties worldwide continues apace. This increasing regionalism within international investment law is a double-edged phenomenon. On the one hand, the risks of fragmentation and incoherence increase exponentially as a regional layer is added to the already-messy "spaghetti bowl" of investment treaties. The noble dream of a uniform, multilateralized set of investment-protection standards thus looks ever more unattainable. On the other hand, a regional investment treaty affords an opportunity for a group of States to balance, in a particularistic manner, between investment-related obligations and other non-investment priorities. This essay focuses on the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement signed in 2009, arguing that it is a region-specific bargain embedded within ASEAN's wider normative and institutional framework. The potential conflicts between ASEAN Member States' investmentrelated obligations and their commitments under two other regional projects are explored, and recommendations are made as to how arbitral tribunals can manage such conflicts.

Summary Increasing variable renewable energy (VRE) is one of the main approaches for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. However, we find a GHG increase risk associated with increasing VRE: VRE crowds out nuclear power (VRECON) but cannot fully obtain the left market share, which is obtained by fossil energy. We developed an integrated dispatch-and-investment model to estimate the VRECON GHG-boosting effect in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. In the above two markets, VRECON could increase the annual GHG emission by up to 136 MTCO 2 eq totally. Furthermore, we find that the VRECON GHG-boosting effect can be mitigated by combining wind and solar power. We argue that, for GHG abatement, policymakers should require the proper mix of wind and solar power in renewable portfolio standards and control nuclear power’s retirement pace to match the progress of VRE growth.

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Background. A relevant study found that allergic rhinitis (AR) may be related to the imbalance of nasal flora. Therefore, if the nasal flora of AR patients can be detected quickly, it is of great significance to study the distribution law of nasal flora in AR patients and explore its correlation with AR. Objective. To design a new and convenient nano-DNA sensor for quick screening of nasal flora in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients, so as to provide experimental basis for the prevention and treatment of AR. Methods. We create a synthesized nanostructured DNA biosensor called Nano-TiO2-DNA sensor which can be combined with samples from nasal mucosa or secretion with high efficiency and detect certain flora in situ without DNA extraction or RNA sequencing. In a physical property test, firstly, we tested the permeability, solubility, and storage temperature of nano-TiO2, so as to provide experimental basis for the synthesis of Nano-TiO2-DNA sensor. Subsequently, the permeability of Nano-TiO2-DNA sensor in Staphylococcus aureus was further tested. In a clinical experiment, we selected 60 AR patients treated in our hospital from September 2020 to September 2021 as the AR group and 60 healthy people who underwent physical examination at the same time as the control group. The Nano-TiO2-DNA sensor was used to detect typical nasal flora in AR patients, and Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between nasal flora with serum IgE and eosinophils. Results. As for physicochemical characteristics, this sensor can permeate into certain bacteria directly and specifically. It has high affinity ability with a target, and the combination can be detected by evaluating the released fluorescence qualitatively and quantitatively. It can be stored at −20°C in ethyl alcohol stably. By this sensor, we have successfully detected Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and viridans streptococci in AR patients compared with healthy people, which will help these patients in the prevention of acute sinusitis and acute or subacute pneumonia. Furthermore, we found Proteus had the strongest positive correlation with AR while Actinomyces had the biggest negative correlation. Conclusion. The Nano-TiO2-DNA sensor will help an outpatient doctor more for quick screening certain nasal flora in AR patients and improve the prevention of AR-related complications.

In recent decades, States have concluded numerous regional investment treaties, even as the feverish growth in bilateral investment treaties worldwide continues apace. This increasing regionalism within international investment law is a double-edged phenomenon. On the one hand, the risks of fragmentation and incoherence increase exponentially as a regional layer is added to the already-messy “spaghetti bowl” of investment treaties. The noble dream of a uniform, multilateralized set of investment-protection standards thus looks ever more unattainable. On the other hand, a regional investment treaty affords an opportunity for a group of States to balance, in a particularistic manner, between investment-related obligations and other non-investment priorities. This essay focuses on the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement signed in 2009, arguing that it is a region-specific bargain embedded within ASEAN's wider normative and institutional framework. The potential conflicts between ASEAN Member States' investment-related obligations and their commitments under two other regional projects are explored, and recommendations are made as to how arbitral tribunals can manage such conflicts.