Improvement of Aroma in Transgenic Potato As a Consequence of Impairing Tuber Browning

Sensory analysis studies are critical in the development of quality enhanced crops, and may be an important component in the public acceptance of genetically modified foods. It has recently been established that odor preferences are shared between humans and mice, suggesting that odor exploration behavior in mice may be used to predict the effect of odors in humans. We have previously found that mice fed diets supplemented with engineered nonbrowning potatoes (-PPO) consumed more potato than mice fed diets supplemented with wild-type potatoes (WT). This prompted us to explore a possible role of potato odor in mice preference for nonbrowning potatoes. Taking advantage of two well established neuroscience paradigms, the “open field test” and the “nose-poking preference test”, we performed experiments where mice exploration behavior was monitored in preference assays on the basis of olfaction alone. No obvious preference was observed towards -PPO or WT lines when fresh potato samples were tested. However, when oxidized samples were tested, mice consistently investigated -PPO potatoes more times and for longer periods than WT potatoes. Congruently, humans discriminated WT from -PPO samples with a considerably better performance when oxidized samples were tested than when fresh samples were tested in blind olfactory experiments. Notably, even though participants ranked all samples with an intermediate level of pleasantness, there was a general consensus that the -PPO samples had a more intense odor and also evoked the sense-impression of a familiar vegetable more often than the WT samples. Taken together, these findings suggest that our previous observations might be influenced, at least in part, by differential odors that are accentuated among the lines once oxidative deterioration takes place. Additionally, our results suggest that nonbrowning potatoes, in addition to their extended shelf life, maintain their odor quality for longer periods of time than WT potatoes. To our knowledge this is the first report on the use of an animal model applied to the sensory analysis of a transgenic crop

Predicting Spatial Patterns of Plant Recruitment Using Animal-Displacement Kernels

For plants dispersed by frugivores, spatial patterns of recruitment are primarily influenced by the spatial arrangement and characteristics of parent plants, the digestive characteristics, feeding behaviour and movement patterns of animal dispersers, and the structure of the habitat matrix. We used an individual-based, spatially-explicit framework to characterize seed dispersal and seedling fate in an endangered, insular plant-disperser system: the endemic shrub Daphne rodriguezii and its exclusive disperser, the endemic lizard Podarcis lilfordi. Plant recruitment kernels were chiefly determined by the disperser's patterns of space utilization (i.e. the lizard's displacement kernels), the position of the various plant individuals in relation to them, and habitat structure (vegetation cover vs. bare soil). In contrast to our expectations, seed gut-passage rate and its effects on germination, and lizard speed-of-movement, habitat choice and activity rhythm were of minor importance. Predicted plant recruitment kernels were strongly anisotropic and fine-grained, preventing their description using one-dimensional, frequency-distance curves. We found a general trade-off between recruitment probability and dispersal distance; however, optimal recruitment sites were not necessarily associated to sites of maximal adult-plant density. Conservation efforts aimed at enhancing the regeneration of endangered plant-disperser systems may gain in efficacy by manipulating the spatial distribution of dispersers (e.g. through the creation of refuges and feeding sites) to create areas favourable to plant recruitment

Is it time for integrated reporting in small and medium-sized enterprises? Reflections on an Italian experience

In recent decades, several contributions have addressed the debate on the diffusion of the integrated reporting. Why a company decide to combine financial, social and environmental performance into a single report? Does the integrated report represent the best tool of accountability and the best solution? If so, why and for which companies? Studies and empirical research in this area have been mainly addressed to large enterprises, neglecting the integrated reporting of small and medium-sized business (SMEs) and the factors that may facilitate the adoption and its effectiveness. Departing from these premises, the work focuses on the relationship between financial reporting and social, environmental and sustainability reporting both through a literature review and the empirical analysis, relative to a case-study and based on the action research methodology, which has been recently developed in the context of social and environmental research, through the direct involvement with the company under investigation. The paper aims contributing to fill the afore mentioned gap and to offer lines of reflection on the benefits deriving from the adoption of integrated report (greater clarity about relationships and commitments, deeper engagement with all stakeholders, better decisions with economic, social and environmental merit and lower reputational risks) and their relationship with specific SMEs’ attributes. The empirical analysis - referred to an Italian SME, not listed, which is among the first to have introduced the global report- allows us to identify the benefits of integrated reporting and verifying how these stem from the orientation to sustainability and to the level of responsibility of the entrepreneur. The findings of the study suggest that when an authentic commitment to social responsibility, sustainability and transparent disclosure exists, the integrated report improves corporate disclosure and acts as a driver for stakeholders dialogue and stakeholders commitment