Molecular marketing, personalised information and willingness-to-pay for functional foods: Vitamin D enriched eggs

Increasingly, the health claims made by food products focus on the marketing of specific molecular enrichments. Research exploring consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for health claims assumes that individuals hold perfect information on the benefits of the enrichment, and that their valuations depend solely on whether or not they need to improve their health. While health interventions are aimed at individuals at higher health risk, consumers may be unaware of the health risks that they face, limiting the effectiveness of a generic targeting strategy. Using an orthogonal experimental design, we explore the impact of two factors on the WTP for vitamin D enrichment in eggs: whether the information is person-specific or generic; and the presence of a health claim explaining the vitamin D enrichment. Results indicate that it is the provision of information, not the health claim, that influences WTP. Both generic and personalised information lead to similar increases in the WTP for vitamin D enrichment. While we only observe a direct effect of generic information on the WTP for vitamin D enrichment, personal information may also operate by increasing the perceived risk of vitamin D deficiency. Our results support the use of personalised health information during the choice task as a means of increasing the sales of healthy products

Follicular dynamics in synchronized Italian Mediterranean buffalo cows

The aim of this study was to evaluate the length and the characteristics of the oestrous cycle in Italian Mediterranean buffalo cows, undergone synchronization of ovulation. The trial was performed on 32 buffaloes synchronized by the Ovsynch Program, which consists of an injection of GnRH on day 0, PGF2α on day 7 and GnRH on day 9. Starting on day 10 (Day 0 of the new cycle). Buffaloes undergone ultrasound examination of the ovaries on alternate days until the following heat. Follicular growth and corpus luteum formation and dimensions were recorded as well as the number of follicular waves. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA. Four animals (12.5%) did not show signs of oestrous and were excluded from the trial. The mean length of the oestrous cycle was 23.7±3.4 days. In particular, 1 animal (3.6%) showed an oestrous cycle characterized by 1 follicular wave with a length of 16 days, 17 subjects (60.7%) showed 2 follicular waves with a cycle length of 22.4±2.3 days and 10 buffaloes (35.7%) showed 3 follicular waves with a cycle of 26.8±2.0 days. These results confirm previous reports performed in buffalo species, although the cycle resulted longer in the 3-waves group

The long way to innovation adoption: insights from precision agriculture

The adoption of innovations may boost the transition to sustainable agricultural models. Among these innovations, precision farming offers a fundamental contribution to sustainable soil management and the improvement in product quality. The work is set against this background and aims to analyse the rate of introducing precision farming tools and the variables that prevent/facilitate this adoption. Although adoption rates in Italy remain relatively low, it is vital to underline the obstacles that limit the broader use of precision agricultural technologies inside farms. To this end, the literature has highlighted various elements of complexity (farm characteristics, socio-economic and psychological), which can hinder or generate perceived complexity and significantly reduce the potential for technology adoption. In this context emerges the increasing importance of public and private activities related to knowledge transfer. The paper focuses on agricultural knowledge and innovation systems, which are also relevant in light of the recent proposal for the new regulation on rural development. The awareness-knowledge-adoption-product (AKAP) sequence was used to reveal the gap between the potential and actual adoption of innovation on Italian farms to comprehend the adoption process and identify relevant barriers and the role knowledge systems played. Empirical findings show that AKIS has a critical mediating function in promoting innovation uptake. Strengthening knowledge systems, acting on the different phases of the AKAP sequence, could allow a greater understanding of precision agriculture techniques and bottlenecks to adoption

Ultrasound in the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease. A systematic literature review and a meta-analysis

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FABBRICAZIONE E RAFFREDDAMENTO DEL LINGOTTO A87 IN ACCIAIO F22+V

Il lingotto A87 in acciaio F22V è tra tutti i lingotti prodotti da ABS, quello che viene utilizzato per la realizzazione di grossi reattori per il campo petrolchimico. Date le dimensioni e la particolare composizione chimica che lo caratterizza, la produzione del lingotto A87 risulta particolarmente delicata. Infatti, gli acciai utilizzati nella produzione di reattori in campo petrolchimico devono essere in grado di sopportare carichi elevati in difficili condizioni operative, ambienti corrosivi ad alte temperature. Quindi, vanno tenuti sotto controllo tutti gli elementi della chimica che possono produrre iinfragilimenti del materiale ad alta temperatura, motivo per il quale vanno tenuti sotto controllo il J e l’X factor. Inoltre, data la mole del lingotto, risulta molto importante controllare sia il tenore di idrogeno nella chimica dell’acciaio, per evitare i difetti per fiocchi, che gli elementi che hanno maggiore tendenza alla segregazione per tenere quanto più possibile omogenea la composizione chimica tra le varie parti del lingotto. In questo articolo vengono descritte le principali problematiche connesse al raffreddamento del lingotto in cassone coibentato e viene presentato lo studio compiuto in collaborazione con il C. S. M. atto ad ridurre tali problematiche. Il processo di raffreddamento dei lingotti è caratterizzato dall’interazione non lineare tra il campo termico e meccanico, con l’ulteriore complicazione dovuta alla presenza della trasformazione di fase allo stato solido da austenite a ferrite e alla formazione di componenti microstrutturali, come perlite, bainite o martensite. Le proprietà finali del materiale, la distribuzione di tensioni residue e quindi l’insorgere di cricche sono fortemente dipendenti dalle reciproche interazioni tra questi aspetti

Preclinical and clinical aspects of P2X receptors as a common route in different diseases: a meeting report

PRESTO was established in 2022 and is a concerted effort by leading European experts in the field of P2XRs and extracellular ATP to promote and advance the transition to the clinic of P2XR-targeting therapies. Following the inaugural meeting in Ferrara which set the foundations of the action and generated interest from many groups and institutes, the second meeting covered the preclinical and clinical aspects of P2XRs as a common route in different diseases, recognising the multidisciplinary and collaborative approach required for a number of medical conditions

Heart rate, pr, and qt intervals in normal children: A 24‐hour holter monitoring study

A dynamic electrocardiographic Holter monitoring study was performed in 32 healthy children (20 males and 12 females, age range 6-11 years old), without heart disease, according to clinical and noninvasive instrumental examination. We evaluated atrioventricular conduction time (PR), heart rate (HR), and QT interval patterns defining the range of normality of these electrocardiographic parameters. The PR interval ranged from 154 +/- 10 ms (mean +/- SD) for HR less than or equal to 60 to 102 +/- 12 ms for HR greater than or equal to 120 (range 85-180). The absolute mean HR was 87 +/- 10 beats/min (range 72-104), the minimum observed HR being 61 +/- 10 (range 51-79), the maximum 160 +/- 20 beats/min (range 129-186). Daytime mean HR gave a mean value of 93 +/- 10 (range 71-148), while during night hours it was 74 +/- 11 (range 54-98). The minimum QT interval averaged 261 +/- 10 ms for HR greater than 120 and the maximum 389 +/- 9 ms for HR less than or equal to 60; the corresponding mean value of QTc (i.e., QT corrected for HR) ranged from 388 +/- 8 for HR less than or equal to 60 beats/min to 403 +/- 14 ms for HR greater than 120 beats/min. The results of the present study provide data of normal children which can be readily compared against those of subjects in whom cardiac abnormalities are suspect or patient.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

EU COST Action CA21130 PRESTO ‘P2X receptors as therapeutic targets’ inaugural meeting report

The inaugural meeting of the EU COST Action CA21130 PRESTO was held in February 2023, at the University of Ferrara, Italy. Our meeting report provides an overview of PRESTO, a tribute to Professor Jim Wiley, overviews of the talk, and a speaker synopsis that discusses the resources, models, equipment, and techniques available in different lab groups throughout Europe, increasing the prospect of collaborative research

A direct search for the CP-violating decay Ks->3p^0 with the KLOE detector at DAFNE

We have searched for the decay Ks->3p^0 with the KLOE experiment at DAFNE using data from e^+ e^- collisions at a center of mass energy W= m(phi) for an integrated luminosity L=450 pb^-1. The search has been performed with a pure Ks beam obtained by tagging with Kl interactions in the calorimeter and detecting six photons. We find an upper limit for the branching ratio of 1.2x10^-7 at 90% C.L.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. To be submitted to Physics Letter