Development of a Dynamic Model of a Palladium Membrane Reactor for Water Gas Shift

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On the environmental impacts of voluntary animal-based policies in the EU: Technical and political considerations

The livestock sector has a large influence on direct and indirect (via land use change) greenhouse gas emissions, with potential negative impacts on climate change. We quantify the environmental impacts related to the introduction of a voluntary animal-based policy supported by the European Union (EU), the Measure 14 of Rural Development Programmes 2014–2020 on animal welfare. In particular, we focus on methane and nitrous oxide emissions (direct impacts), and on carbon-based and nitrous oxide emissions from land use change (indirect impacts). Our case study is the dairy sector of the EU Member States. We found that the animal-based measures have (on average) limited environmental impacts, although marked differences exist across Member States

On the Drivers of Global Grain Price Volatility : an empirical investigation

A vast number of studies examined the determinants of price volatility in agricultural markets. It is clear that the joint influence of several causes may generate market instability, but the partial contribution of different factors is still debated. We investigate how market-based drivers influence the global price volatility of three major grains: wheat, corn, barley. We adopt a Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equations model, in order to investigate potential common patterns and to control for the influence of external drivers. We compare inter-annual, intra-annual, and global volatility, to conclude on short-run and long-run dynamics of markets instability. We quantify the negative relationship linking (temporal) arbitrage and grain price volatility and conclude on the effects of supply movements on price volatility

How are compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction affected by quality of working life? Findings from a survey of mental health staff in Italy

BACKGROUND: Quality of working life includes elements such as autonomy, trust, ergonomics, participation, job complexity, and work-life balance. The overarching aim of this study was to investigate if and how quality of working life affects Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction among mental health practitioners. METHODS: Staff working in three Italian Mental Health Departments completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale, measuring Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction, and the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire. The latter was used to collect socio-demographics, occupational characteristics and 13 indicators of quality of working life. Multiple regressions controlling for other variables were undertaken to predict Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction. RESULTS: Four hundred questionnaires were completed. In bivariate analyses, experiencing more ergonomic problems, perceiving risks for the future, a higher impact of work on life, and lower levels of trust and of perceived quality of meetings were associated with poorer outcomes. Multivariate analysis showed that (a) ergonomic problems and impact of work on life predicted higher levels of both Compassion Fatigue and Burnout; (b) impact of life on work was associated with Compassion Fatigue and lower levels of trust and perceiving more risks for the future with Burnout only; (c) perceived quality of meetings, need of training, and perceiving no risks for the future predicted higher levels of Compassion Satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: In order to provide adequate mental health services, service providers need to give their employees adequate ergonomic conditions, giving special attention to time pressures. Building trustful relationships with management and within the teams is also crucial. Training and meetings are other important targets for potential improvement. Additionally, insecurity about the future should be addressed as it can affect both Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction. Finally, strategies to reduce possible work-life conflicts need to be considered

Italian subsidised crop insurance: what the role of policy changes

Risk management in agriculture is crucial and policymakers are implementing policy reforms to foster farmers’ adoption of ex-ante risk management tools such as crop insurance: their effectiveness is the core of policy evaluations exercises. The Italian subsidised crop insurance market has been interested by major reforms in 2013 and 2015. The 2013 reform removed subsidies to the mono-risk insurance contracts, whereas the 2015 reform replaced the multi- and pluri-risks contract schemes with packages, devoted to providing coverage over different set of adversities, thus altering the framework that has been used for several years. We highlight a correlation between the first reform and a drop in the quantity of insurance purchased, and between the latter reform and an increase in the value of the purchased insurance

On the effects of bilateral agreements in world wine trade

During the last decades there have been significant changes in trade regulations that are modifying the global trade of wine. The number of non-tariff measures (NTMs) adopted in the wine sector is relevant. Similarly, a large number of bilateral trade agreements have been adopted. Despite the regulation is heavy, the impact of these policy instruments on trade is not always clear, nor quantified at global scale. We investigate the effects that bilateral NTMs are showing on global imports of wine. In particular, we estimate a gravity model to explain how bilateral NTMs influence wine trade, and we disentangle these effects for different segments of the international market of wine. Our results suggest that bilateral NTMs tend to favour imports of wine. Differences emerge across market segments and types of regulations. In particular, the Technical Barriers to Trade favour (friction) bottled (bulk) wine; pre-shipment inspections enhance imports of bottled wine; the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards are the most trade-enhancing NTMs, regardless of the market segment

On the use of 3D camera to accurately measure volume and weight of dairy cow feed

The paper discusses the challenges facing the dairy industry due to increased farm sizes and reduced staff-to-animal ratios, which are impacting animal welfare. The development of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies has gained momentum to address these challenges. PLF technologies can assess animal welfare and health status by monitoring animal behavior and biological changes, and alerting farmers of any issues. However, the applicability of PLF tools in other productive phases of the dairy cattle is still limited. The article focuses on the challenges of managing unweaned dairy calves, particularly the variability in relation to when calves start consuming solid feed, and how PLF technologies can be used to monitor individual calf intake and manage weaning at the individual level. The attention is mainly focused on the advantages of using automated feeders for unweaned dairy calves, including labor savings, greater precision in measurement and control of individual intake of liquid and solid feed, and higher preweaning growth rates. In particular, a method is proposed, involving a 3D depth camera and a proper algorithm to measure the volume and weight of eaten feed. The method is preliminarily assessed in tests conducted in laboratory, which highlight a remarkable concurrence (differences as low as 2 %) with respect to nominal values

Prototype gluten-free breads from processed durum wheat: Use of monovarietal flours and implications for gluten detoxification strategies

gluten-free; detoxification strategies; sourdough; celiac disease; epitopes; in-vitro simulated human gastroduodenal digestionIn this investigation, we reported the production of prototype breads from the processed flours of three specific Triticum turgidum wheat genotypes that were selected in our previous investigation for their potential low toxic/immunogenic activity for celiac disease (CD) patients. The flours were subjected to sourdough fermentation with a mixture of selected Lactobacillus strains, and in presence of fungal endoproteases. The breads were characterized by R5 competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in order to quantify the residual gluten, and the differential efficacy in gluten degradation was assessed. In particular, two of them were classified as gluten-free (<20 ppm) and very low-gluten content (<100 ppm) breads, respectively, whereas the third monovarietal prototype retained a gluten content that was well above the safety threshold prescribed for direct consumption by CD patients. In order to investigate such a genotype-dependent efficiency of the detoxification method applied, an advanced proteomic characterization by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry was performed. Notably, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first proteomic investigation which benefitted, for protein identification, from the full sequencing of the Triticum turgidum ssp. durum genome. The differences of the proteins’ primary structures affecting their susceptibility to hydrolysis were investigated. As a confirmation of the previous immunoassay-based results, two out of the three breads made with the processed flours presented an exhaustive degradation of the epitopic sequences that are relevant for CD immune stimulatory activity. The list of the detected epitopes was analyzed and critically discussed in light of their susceptibility to the detoxification strategy applied. Finally, in-vitro experiments of human gastroduodenal digestion were carried out in order to assess, in-silico, the toxicity risk of the prototype breads under investigation for direct consumption by CD patients. This approach allowed us to confirm the total degradation of the epitopic sequences upon gastro-duodenal digestion