Price Fairness of Processed Tomato Agro-Food Chain: The Italian Consumers' Perception Perspective

Food consumers are increasingly searching for emotions and values when purchasing and consuming food. They search for products that ensure social and environmental sustainability, in addition to more common extrinsic product attributes, such as price, packaging, origin, and brand. In particular, there is increasing interest towards product price fairness. The current study aims at exploring consumers’ perception and understanding of price fairness, focusing on the processed tomato products agro-food chain. The study interviewed 832 people. Data were collected through an online questionnaire with the support of Qualtrics software, and data elaboration was carried out with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The elaboration includes an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to identify existing latent factors in the consumers’ perception of enabling agro-food system elements influencing farmers’ reception of fair prices. Then, factor mean values were cross-analysed with socio-economic characteristics and processed tomato consumption habits with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results support the idea that consumers are limitedly aware of the processed tomato agro-food chain dynamics and consider farmers as the most unfairly remunerated partner. Women and frequently purchasing consumers of processed tomato products believe farmers should be treated more fairly. There is a difference between what consumers perceive as fair price distribution and actual price distribution among processed tomato chain actors. Further studies may focus on how fairness attribute impacts on consumer purchasing behaviour

High performance parallel numerical methods for Volterra equations with weakly singular kernels

Non-stationary discrete time waveform relaxation methods for Abel systems of Volterra integral equations using fractional linear multistep formulae are introduced. Fully parallel discrete waveform relaxation methods having an optimal convergence rate are constructed. A significant expression of the error is proved, which allows us to estimate the number of iterations needed to satisfy a prescribed tolerance and allows us to identify the problems where the optimal methods offer the best performance. The numerical experiments confirm the theoretical expectations

Finite element modeling of microstructural changes in hard machining of SAE 8620

Surface and subsurface microstructural characterization after machining operations is a topic of great interest for both academic and industrial research activities. This paper presents a newly developed finite element (FE) model able to describe microstructural evolution and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) during orthogonal hard machining of SAE 8620 steel. In particular, it predicts grain size and hardness variation by implementing a user subroutine involving a hardness-based flow stress and empirical models. The model is validated by comparing its output with the experimental results available in literature at varying the cutting speed, inser0000-0001-6268-6720t geometry and flank wear. The results show a good ability of the customized model to predict the thermo-mechanical and microstructural phenomena taking place during the selected processes

Innovative manufacturing process of functionalized PA2200 for reduced adhesion properties

This work proposes an approach to fabricate micro patterned surfaces on PA2200 polyamide in order to improve its performance in terms of wettability and adhesion. In more detail, the present work aims to change the wettability of the surface and decrease their bacteria adhesion tendency. The experimental procedure consists of imprinting a set of different micro patterned structures over the polymer in order to verify the effectiveness of the methodology to change the contact angle of the surface, and in turn, reduce the occurrence of bacteria adhesion. Four different surface patterning were produced by laser ablation of a commercially pure titanium alloy, and then imprinted over the polyamide by surface stamping. The resulting surfaces were analyzed by topographical characterization and scanning electron microscopy. The wettability was probed by contact angle measurements while the bacteria adhesion was analyzed by adhesion test. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method to modify the surface characteristics and to obtain a reliable patterned surface without using chemical hazardous material; opening to the possibility to replicate more complex structures and to obtain graded engineering surfaces

Contributions to the linear and nonlinear theory of the beam-plasma interaction

We focus our attention on some relevant aspects of the beam-plasma instability in order to refine some features of the linear and nonlinear dynamics. After a re-Analysis of the Poisson equation and of the assumption dealing with the background plasma in the form of a linear dielectric, we study the non-perturbative properties of the linear dispersion relation, showing the necessity for a better characterization of the mode growth rate in those flat regions of the distribution function where the Landau formula is no longer predictive. We then upgrade the original-body approach in O'Neil et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 14, 1971, pp. 1204-1212), in order to include a return current in the background plasma. This correction term is responsible for smaller saturation levels and growth rates of the Langmuir modes, as result of the energy density transferred to the plasma via the return current. Finally, we include friction effects, as those due to the collective influence of all the plasma charges on the motion of the beam particles. The resulting force induces a progressive resonance detuning, because particles are losing energy and decreasing their velocity. This friction phenomenon gives rise to a deformation of the distribution function, associated with a significant growth of the less energetic particle population. The merit of this work is to show how a fine analysis of the beam-plasma instability outlines a number of subtleties about the linear, intermediate and late dynamics which can be of relevance when such a system is addressed as a paradigm to describe relevant nonlinear wave-particle phenomena (Chen Zonca, Rev. Mod. Phys., vol. 88, 2016, 015008)

Caspase-independent programmed cell death triggers Ca2PO4 deposition in an in vitro model of nephrocalcinosis

We provide evidence of caspase-independent cell death triggering the calcification process in GDNF-silenced HK-2 cells

Cell death in the kidney

Apoptotic cell death is usually a response to the cell’s microenvironment. In the kidney, apoptosis contributes to parenchymal cell loss in the course of acute and chronic renal injury, but does not trigger an inflammatory response. What distinguishes necrosis from apoptosis is the rupture of the plasma membrane, so necrotic cell death is accompanied by the release of unprocessed intracellular content, including cellular organelles, which are highly immunogenic proteins. The relative contribution of apoptosis and necrosis to injury varies, depending on the severity of the insult. Regulated cell death may result from immunologically silent apoptosis or from immunogenic necrosis. Recent advances have enhanced the most revolutionary concept of regulated necrosis. Several modalities of regulated necrosis have been described, such as necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and mitochondrial permeability transition-dependent regulated necrosis. We review the different modalities of apoptosis, necrosis, and regulated necrosis in kidney injury, focusing particularly on evidence implicating cell death in ectopic renal calcification. We also review the evidence for the role of cell death in kidney injury, which may pave the way for new therapeutic opportunities

Usefulness of (13)C-urea breath test in the diagnosis of gastric helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori chronically infects half of the human population and is associated with gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. C-13-urea breath test (UBT) is the main in vivo tool for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. In this study, the safety and the accuracy of UBT were evaluated.A group of 492 dyspeptic patients was studied by UBT, the results were expressed as the difference over baseline at 30 min (DOB30). All patients were evaluated for systemic, gastrointestinal or allergic-type adverse reactions after ingestion of 75 mg C-13-urea and citric acid in aqueous solution, The first 256 patients enrolled also underwent endoscopy and gastric biopsy. Patients positive on histology were considered infected.UBT was well tolerated and none of the 492 patients had any systemic or allergic-type adverse reaction. Among the 256 patients studied with histology, 116 were H. pylori positive on biopsies. Using 4 %o as cut-off value for DOB30, 115 out of the 256 patients were positive on UBT, with only 2 false positive and 3 false negative, With this threshold, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the UBT were 97.4 %, 98.5 %, and 98.0 %, respectively.C-13-UBT has proven to be a safe and simple, yet accurate, test for the non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of H. pylori infection