Organic certification systems and international trading of agricultural products in gravity models

Recent literature about gravity models points out the importance of institutional frictions in the international market of agricultural products beyond the traditional economics variables as transport costs reducing the mass of trade in bilateral relationships. In particular, previous contributions stress that harmonization of food standards could decrease transaction costs in trading relationships by stimulating international market. In a previous work we hypothesized that the acknowledgment of equivalence in organic standards may represent a reliable signal of affinity in bilateral relationships which may be useful to identify areas in which transaction costs for both conventional and organic standards are lower. This article represents a step forward, since it assumes that the acknowledgment of equivalence in identifying areas with lower transaction costs in trading relationships for the whole produce could be a strong assumption that may be relaxed through the hypothesis that affinity in market exchange could be simply signaled by the presence of organic standards for the involved countries. Therefore, in our analysis we test if countries setting specific rules for organic standards are more “affine” in trading relationships because of a low common cultural, law and political distance but also if differences in organic standards themselves can be useful to differentiate the level of affinity among regions. Interesting insights for policy makers about the identification of relevant variables for international business arise from an econometric analysis.Gravity models, organic standards, transaction costs, international market, agricultural trade, food products, Agricultural and Food Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Q11, Q13,

Factors explaining farmers’ behaviours and intentions about agricultural methods of production. Organic vs. conventional comparison

We investigate the factors explaining behaviours and attitudes of farmers towards organic practices. Among a wide set of motivational, economic and environmental variables, we focus on those factors related to ethnocentrism of farmers and the importance of local origin labels. We find that ethnocentrism cannot explain neither the present status of farmers (organic vs. conventional) nor their future intentions about the adoption of agricultural methods of production. However, the absence of local origin labels is significantly affecting the choice of conventional farmers who do not convert to organic farming

Commercio elettronico per la dinamica delle catene agro-alimentari internazionali: un’analisi del potenziale [E-commerce for the dynamics of international agri-food chains: an adoption potential analysis]

Business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce is an innovative use of information and communication technologies and refers to the exchange of goods and related information between companies supported by Internet-based tools such as electronic marketplaces (also called electronic trade platforms) or online shops. It provides opportunities for cost-efficiency in supply chain management processes and access to new markets. With regard to the food sector with its chain levels input – agriculture – industry – retail – consumer, B2B e-commerce would take place in the exchange of food products between all levels except retail to consumer (business-to-consumer e-commerce). It is evident and widely known that B2B e-commerce brings key advantages and potentials for European consumers and the European food sector: - The affordability of high quality, traceable food for European consumers is supported as the innovation potentials from e-commerce technologies for cost-efficient processes along the food chain. The healthy choice of quality food will become the easy and affordable choice for European consumers. - The competitiveness of the European food sector with the majority of SMEs increases as B2B e-commerce technologies support cost-efficient transaction processes in food supply chains. In recent years, the availability of sophisticated B2B e-commerce technology has improved tremendously. The “European e-Business Market Watch” initiative from the Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry from the European Commission has shown that only large multinationals exploit the potentials of B2B e-commerce in the food sector for their supply chain management with their business partners. SMEs however, which create the majority of turn over in the European food sector and therefore create jobs and welfare in Europe, are reluctant to take up existing B2B e-commerce technologies into their food supply of selling. The crucial barrier to adoption is that trust between companies is not mediated appropriately by existing e-commerce technology. Currently, the barrier for food sector SMEs towards B2B e-commerce come from - the difficulty to examine the quality and safety of food products. This refers to all kinds of transactions in the food sector, whether supported by e-commerce or not. However, when it comes to e-commerce, the difficulty of physical product examination plays a much larger role as physical product inspection is not possible; - the (perceived) risk of performing a transaction via e-commerce. This includes concerns regarding secure transfer of data, or the possibly unknown transaction partner. Elements for the generation of trust between companies in the food chain and therefore of trustworthy B2B e-commerce environments for the food sector include guaranties regarding food quality, multimedia food product presentations to signal their quality, secure e-commerce technology infrastructures, third-party quality signs to be provided. As trust is highly subjective and depends on culture, food chains in different European countries with a different cultural background require different combinations of trust generating elements regarding the quality and safety of food. Different food chain scenarios with their transaction processes and risks regarding food quality and food safety and related trust elements need to be analysed and differences in trust in different European food chains need to be considered. It is the objective of this paper to identify food chains with trans-European cross-border exchange of food and international food chains in order to analyse the transaction processes and typical risks regarding food quality and food safety. The analysis focuses on trans-European cross-border and international food chains with their chain levels (e.g. production to wholesale trade, wholesale trade to industry, or wholesale trade to retail). In particular, it regards the food categories meat, grains, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruits and the particular risks regarding food quality and safety along the chains.e-commerce, B2B transactions, agri-food trade

Summary report on sensory-related socio-economic and sensory science literature about organic food products

Organic food’s initial attraction to the public was that it was perceived to be healthier and tastier, but scientists and policy makers have mainly stressed the benefits to the environment of organic and sustainable farming. Scientific support for marketing actions addressed to those who want to be healthier and who want to enjoy better taste, and are willing to pay more for these benefits is scarce. Past research has produced little clear evidence about the importance of sensory characteristics such as taste, smell, appearance etc in consumers’ preferences with regard to organic food. The Ecropolis project, funded by the E.U., was set up with the aim of investigating the role of the senses in consumers’ preferences regarding organic food, and leading to research into how best to satisfy those preferences. This deliverable is aimed at providing a solid basis for such research with an in-depth review of, and two reports on, the relevant scientific literature. The first report (Annex I) regards what consumers expect from organic products in terms of taste, smell, appearance, etc and how these expectations are (or are not) met; the second is about the science of the senses (Annex II). The first project tasks included creating and agreeing on a glossary of terms, deciding on search criteria (key words, etc.), setting up a bibliographical data base, preparing then circulating the above-mentioned reports, and finally preparing a summary of the reports. The report on consumers expectations highlights the suggestion that while organic food has traditionally been marketed through specialized retailers, its market share will only grow significantly if it is promoted by multiple retailers. Research literature from all over the world seems to agree in indicating that consumers’ choices are largely motivated by health, the environment, price and social status. Other considerations include ethics, the localness of the product and lifestyle choices. The literature also indicates that the organic market will expand significantly only if consumers are more willing, and able, to recognize quality, but this presents serious issues. When buying the product they cannot personally verify its quality and genuineness and thus must rely on regulation and inspection bodies. The recognition of quality can also be encouraged by effective communication by producers and retailers through appropriate branding, labelling and presentation. There are connections between this information and questions of sense perception, but researchers disagree about how important the latter is in influencing the customer, and in which ways it does so. The following report focuses, in fact, on the science of the senses, which tries to analyze in detail people’s responses to food, despite the many potential pitfalls in carrying out the research which might influence the reliability of the results. There is broad agreement on two points: - there is no proof that organic food is more nutritious or safer, and - most studies that have compared the taste and organoleptic quality of organic andconventional foods report no consistent or significant differences between organic and conventional produce. Therefore, claiming that all organic food tastes different from all conventional food would not be correct. However, among the well-designed studies with respect to fruits and vegetables that have found differences, the vast majority favour organic produce. Organic produce tends to store better and has longer shelf life, probably because of lower levels of nitrates and higher average levels of antioxidants. The former can accelerate food spoilage, while antioxidants help preserve the integrity of cells and some are natural antibiotics. The first conclusion may, however, depend on factors not directly connected to organic farming, such as harvesting and storage methods and the type of land used for growing the food. About the second finding it must be considered that measuring organoleptic quality is difficult and inherently subjective and evaluations may be clouded by the influence of numerous factors on the consumer’s perceptions of the food and not just its appearance and taste. Experimental research indicates that the information that a food is organic confers upon it a “halo effect” (making it seem better sense-wise simply because it is organic) which might make consumers like it more. Ecropolis researchers will analyze in detail which senses are indeed impacted on, and how, and try to match them to consumer needs and expectations in order to be able to offer suggestions for future policy, including how the food is stored, transported and presented, which is also essential for maintaining sensory properties. The workpackage WP1 has also produced a specific report on how organic food sensory aspects are regulated. International standards, with some important exceptions, are largely in line with European ones. Differences in standards usually regard whether there is orientation towards freshness “per se” as opposed to increasing shelf-life, or quality standardization as opposed to quality differentiation. Differences in regulations regard such aspects as ingredients, additives, processing aids and methods, packaging, storage and transport. The lack of harmony among the different regulatory systems often reflects different traditions and market conditions, however, more complicated compliance procedures result in higher costs for importers. Greater homogeneity would not only reduce such costs but would also increase consumer confidence in international standards. Ecropolis will also investigate the effect of different regulations on how people perceive organic goods sense-wise. The work done to date is seen as a starting point for future research aimed at producing practical results in the organic food market. Ecropolis will try to bring together separate strands of research concerning how organic goods are regulated and marketed with regard to taste, appearance, etc., and how consumers themselves are affected by such factors. The aim is to find optimal matches between the two, and thus to greatly increase organic food’s share of the food market

Perceived risks in cross-border transactions in agri-food chains

Nowadays, agri-food chains are more global than ever and are characterized by increased imports and exports and global sourcing of products, resulting in increased cross-border transaction risks. The objective of this paper is to identify the typical risks regarding agri-food supply chains involved in cross-border transactions and to assess their importance as perceived by agri-food managers. The analysis takes into consideration four different agrifood value chains (meat, grain, olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruits). Following an explorative approach and a qualitative technique, a series of face to face in-depth interviews was conducted. Results indicate that risk perception may be quite different across countries, value chains, tiers of the supply chain, as well as across respondents. The prevalence of Market dynamics risks was pointed out in most of the interviews, yielding the impression that many operators identify the market as the most difficult environment. Differences in risk perception between fresh produce (fruit/vegetables and meat) and processed food chains (grain and olive oil) are probably interrelated to the different degree of integration within these supply chains, the different level of standardization achieved and the different causes of risks that are inherent to the nature of the product.Perceived Risks, Cross-Border Transactions, Agri-Food Chains, Risk and Uncertainty,

Discovery of novel mutations in the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene associated with toxicity of fluoropyrimidines and viewpoint on preemptive pharmacogenetic screening in patients

Background: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the initial and rate-limiting enzyme of the metabolic pathway of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and other fluoropyrimidines to inactive compounds. For this reason, severe, life-threatening toxicities may occur in patients with deficient DPD activity when administered standard doses of 5-FU and its prodrugs. Materials and methods: We selected three patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma who displayed unexpected severe adverse reactions after treatment with 5-FU and capecitabine. To investigate the possible involvement of deficient variants of the DPD gene (DPYD), a denaturing HPLC (dHPLC) approach followed by target exon sequencing of DPYD was performed on DNA extracted from peripheral blood. Results: Three novel non-synonymous mutations of DPYD, c.2509-2510insC, c.1801G>C, and c.680G>A, were detected in these subjects. Due to the absence of other deficient variants of DPYD and the compatibility of adverse reactions with fluoropyrimidine treatment, the novel variants were associated with a poor-metabolizer phenotype. Conclusions: Stratification of patients on the basis of their genotype may help prevent toxicity, and the large body of evidence about the pathogenesis of fluoropyrimidine-induced adverse reactions strongly encourages the adoption of best practice recommendations to appropriately address this important clinical issue. This approach is of utmost importance within a preventive, prognostic, and personalized approach to patient care in the oncology setting

Perceived risks in cross-border transactions in agri-food chains

Nowadays, agri-food chains are more global than ever and are characterized by increased imports and exports and global sourcing of products, resulting in increased cross-border transaction risks. The objective of this paper is to identify the typical risks regarding agri-food supply chains involved in cross-border transactions and to assess their importance as perceived by agri-food managers. The analysis takes into consideration four different agrifood value chains (meat, grain, olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruits). Following an explorative approach and a qualitative technique, a series of face to face in-depth interviews was conducted. Results indicate that risk perception may be quite different across countries, value chains, tiers of the supply chain, as well as across respondents. The prevalence of Market dynamics risks was pointed out in most of the interviews, yielding the impression that many operators identify the market as the most difficult environment. Differences in risk perception between fresh produce (fruit/vegetables and meat) and processed food chains (grain and olive oil) are probably interrelated to the different degree of integration within these supply chains, the different level of standardization achieved and the different causes of risks that are inherent to the nature of the product

Seismic noise cross-correlation in the urban area of Benevento city (Southern Italy)

This article has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Journal International ©: The Authors 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.In the last decade the use of passive methods has become appealing in reconstructing the properties of the propagation medium by seismic ambient noise data, without the use of localized natural or artificial sources. A temporary seismic network was installed in the urban area of Benevento (southern Italy) in order to characterize the shallow structure of the city using stable methods for the analysis of the seismic noise continuously acquired by stations. The city of Benevento is one of the italian areas with highest seismic hazard, and at present the region is affected by low energy swarms and sparse events (Ml ≤ 4.1). It has been struck by several destructive historical earthquakes, the strongest of which occurred in 1456, 1688, 1805 with associated MCS intensity up to X–XI. We used the sixteen seismic stations installed in Benevento to record ambient noise for about 1 month. The stations were equipped with different seismic instruments: (i) digitizers Quanterra Q330 connected to Le3d-5 s short-period sensors; (ii) Nanometrics Centaur digitizers coupled with Trillium Compact 120s broad-band velocimeters; (iii) one station with Episensor force balance accelerometer connected to a D6BB-DIN Staneo digitizer. Interstations Green's functions were reconstructed by the cross-correlation of continuous ambient noise data, and surface waves signals were extracted from Green's Functions (GFs) for investigating the elastic properties of the subsurface structure. In this regard, we performed the beamforming analysis to test the hypothesis of isotropy distribution of noise sources on which the cross-correlation method is based, and the particle motion analysis to confirm the presence of surface Rayleigh waves in the GFs. We analysed the temporal stability of the cross-correlated signals and the results show that 2 weeks of continuous measurements are sufficient to stabilize the surface waves signal extracted from the GFs. The phase velocity dispersion curves are computed for 115 station pairs through the use of a far-field representation of the surface-wave GFs and an image transformation technique. Our strategy based on cross-correlation analysis provides robust phase-velocity dispersion curves that vary approximately from 1.4 km s–1 at 0.7 Hz to 0.6 km s–1 at 5 Hz. Different pairs were selected for the inversion of phase-velocity dispersion curves aimed to derive 1-D shear-wave velocity (Vs) profiles (up to a maximum depth of about 500 m) representative of some areas of the city characterized by different soil deposits.Published1524–15425T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismicaJCR Journa

Prognostic factors in gemcitabine-cisplatin polychemotherapy regimens in pancreatic cancer: XPD-Lys751Gln polymorphism strikes back

: The use of platinated agents in combination chemotherapy regimens for advanced pancreatic cancer is controversial owing to the lack of an outstanding impact on the outcome and a substantial increase in hematologic and extra-hematologic toxicities. Pharmacogenetic studies to identify patients who could benefit most from such therapies are urgently needed. The Xeroderma-Pigmentosum group-D polymorphism at codon-751 (XPD-Lys751Gln) emerged as the most significant independent predictor for death- and progression-risk in our previous study on functional polymorphisms in 122 advanced pancreatic cancer patients treated with cisplatin-docetaxel-capecitabine-gemcitabine and cisplatin-epirubicin-capecitabine-gemcitabine (or EC-GemCap). To confirm the prognostic role of this variable, we further evaluated the correlation of XPD-Lys751Gln with outcome in another 125 patients treated with the same regimens, and 90 treated with gemcitabine monotherapy. Genotyping was successfully carried out in the vast majority of DNA samples. Genotype frequencies followed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and XPD-Lys751Gln was associated with differential progression-free and overall-survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed its prognostic significance in platinum-based regimens. In particular, XPD-Gln751Gln was significantly associated with risk of death (hazard ratio, HR = 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.6, p = 0.011) and risk of progression (HR = 1.7, 95% CI, 1.1-2.5, p = 0.013). No correlation was observed in gemcitabine monotherapy-treated patients. The analysis of DNA damage using extra-long-PCR in lymphocytes supported the association of XPD-Gln751Gln with greater resistance to cisplatin-induced damage. The increasing evidence of XPD-Lys751Gln impact on the outcome of gemcitabine-cisplatin-based polychemotherapy leads to plan prospective studies to validate the role of this polymorphism as a new tool for optimization of the currently available treatments in pancreatic cancer

Geometry and evolution of a fault-controlled Quaternary basin by means of TDEM and single-station ambient vibration surveys: The example of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake area, central Italy

We applied a joint survey approach integrating time domain electromagnetic soundings and single-station ambient vibration surveys in the Middle Aterno Valley (MAV), an intermontane basin in central Italy and the locus of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. By imaging the buried interface between the infilling deposits and the top of the pre-Quaternary bedrock, we reveal the 3-D basin geometry and gain insights into the long-term basin evolution. We reconstruct a complex subsurface architecture, characterized by three main depocenters separated by thresholds. Basin infill thickness varies from ~200–300m in the north to more than 450m to the southeast. Our subsurface model indicates a strong structural control on the architecture of the basin and highlights that the MAV experienced considerable modifications in its configuration over time. The buried shape of the MAV suggests a recent and still ongoing predominant tectonic control by the NW-SE trending Paganica-San Demetrio Fault System (PSDFS), which crosscuts older ~ENE and NNE trending extensional faults. Furthermore, we postulate that the present-day arrangement of the PSDFS is the result of the linkage of two previously isolated fault segments. We provide constraints on the location of the southeastern boundary of the PSDFS, defining an overall ~19 km long fault system characterized by a considerable seismogenetic potential and a maximum expected magnitude larger than M6.5. This study emphasizes the benefit of combining two easily deployable geophysical methods for reconstructing the 3-D geometry of a tectonically controlled basin. Our joint approach provided us with a consistent match between these two independent estimations of the basin substratum depth within 15%.Published2236–22597T. Struttura della Terra e geodinamica2TR. Ricostruzione e modellazione della struttura crostaleJCR Journa