Factors affecting purchasing process of digestate: evidence from an economic experiment on Sicilian farmers' willingness to pay

Abstract In this study, we evaluate from the perspective of the theory of commitment costs if the level of farmer understanding about digestate attributes could influence the willingness to pay (WTP) for it. For this purpose, we carried out a research on a sample of 223 Sicilian farmers to correlate their WTP for digestate with a set of eight attributes which usually characterise organic soil conditioners. An experimental design was set up so that participants were given different waiting times to decide on their WTP and different levels of information on the attributes of organic soil conditioners. The results highlight a positive WTP, but farmers are strongly influenced by how much information is available on digestate. Without it, farmers' WTP decreases drastically probably due to phenomena correlated to what economic theory calls commitment costs

Exploring Consumer's Propensity to Consume Insect-Based Foods. Empirical Evidence from a Study in Southern Italy

While admitting that neophobia and sociocultural factors negatively affect consumers' propensity to consume insect-based foods, other aspects related to food values that consumers attach to these foods could have an influence on consuming decision. In order to identify the motivations and determinants that influence the propensity to consume insects and then to explore the drivers behind consumers' willingness to consume insect-based foods, the data collected through the questionnaire were processed. After a descriptive analysis of the data, ANOVA was performed. Moreover, Student's t test and pairwise correlation indices were estimated in order to determine statistically significant correlation. Our findings show that information about edible insects brought about an increase in food neophobia and appearance affected the expected liking levels. In addition, we have shown that respondents' propensity to consume insect-based foods also depends on consumers' subjective beliefs about food values such as healthiness, naturalness and environmental impact. We also found that respondents' beliefs about food values associated with insect-based foods do not depend on the degree of information provided but are probably due to pre-existing prejudices about them

Geochemical Proxies and Mineralogical Fingerprints of Sedimentary Processes in a Closed Shallow Lake Basin Since 1850

AbstractLake systems are essential for the environment, the biosphere, and humans but are highly impacted by anthropogenic activities accentuated by climate change. Understanding how lake ecosystems change due to human impacts and natural forces is crucial to managing their current state and possible future restoration. The high sensitivity of shallow closed lakes to natural and anthropogenic forcing makes these lacustrine ecosystems highly prone to variations in precipitation and sedimentation processes. These variation processes, occurring in the water column, produce geochemical markers or proxies recorded in lake sedimentary archives. This study investigated specific proxies on high-resolution sedimentary archives (2–3 years resolution) of the Trasimeno lake (Central Italy). The Trasimeno lake underwent three different hydrological phases during the twentieth century due to several fluctuations induced mainly by human activities and climate change. The Trasimeno lake, a large and shallow basin located in the Mediterranean area, is a good case study to assess the effects of intense anthropogenic activity related to agriculture, tourism, industry, and climate changes during the Anthropocene. The aim is to identify the main characteristics of the main sedimentary events in the lake during the last 150 years, determining the concentrations of major and trace elements, the amount of organic matter, and the mineralogical composition of the sediments. This type of work demonstrates that studying sediment archives at high resolution is a viable method for reconstructing the lake's history through the evolution/trends of the geochemical proxies stored in the sediment records. This effort makes it possible to assess past anthropogenic impact and, under the objectives of the European Green Deal (zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment), to monitor, prevent, and remedy pollution related to soil and water compartments. Graphical abstrac

Is the information sufficient to create a new market for digestate?

Unfamiliarity with a good reduce the chances to be used by consumers. This is the case of digestate which is an organic soil conditioner obtained as by-product of biogas chain. The use of digestate as alternative to traditional manure is still not very widespread due to the lack of knowledge among farmers. In our survey, we explored whether providing farmers with information about the digestate can affect farmers' willingness to pay for buying it instead of the traditional manure used by farmers as soil conditioner. By conducting a hypothetical multiple-price list experiment we show that information positively affects farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for digestate but information alone is not sufficient to create a new market for it because at the same price farmers always continue to buy manure. This finding raises some questions when estimating the effect of information, which while positive does not shift farmers' decisions to use an unfamiliar good. This result suggests that information provided to farmers elicited a WTP not sufficient to replace traditional manure with digestate

Assessing the Effects of the Environment on Consumers' Evaluations for Wine

In the wine sector, experiential marketing is becoming increasingly important since the success of a wine hinges on "experiential" attributes that include hedonic and symbolic values associated with emotions. An aspect not yet fully explored in the scientific literature concerns the extent to which emotions aroused by the environment where wine is consumed are able to influence consumers' evaluation of wine. To this end, we conducted an economic experiment in Italy in the territory of Mt Etna, Sicily and through a non-hypothetical experimental auction we assessed the effects of 10 emotions related to the environment of Mt Etna on consumers' Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Etna wine. The results of this study show that the values of consumers' WTP for wine are affected by emotions aroused by the experiential environment of Mt Etna

Iron Speciation of Natural and Anthropogenic Dust by Spectroscopic and Chemical Methods

In this work, we have characterized the iron local structure in samples of two different types of atmospheric dust using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and selective leaching experiments. Specifically, we have investigated samples of long-range transported Saharan dust and freshly emitted steel plant fumes with the aim of individuating possible fingerprints of iron in the two cases. Findings include (1) prevalence of octahedral coordinated Fe 3 + for all samples; (2) presence of 6-fold coordinated Fe 3 + , aluminosilicates and iron oxy(hydr)oxides in Saharan dust and (3) of Fe-bearing spinel-like structures in the industrial fumes; (4) general predominance of the residual insoluble fraction with a notable difference: 69% for Saharan dust and 93% for steel production emissions, associated with aluminosilicates and non-reducible iron oxy(hydr)oxides, and Fe spinels, respectively. The remarkable differences between the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectra and leaching test results for the two sample types suggest the possibility to exploit the present approach in more complex cases. To this aim, two additional case studies of mixed aerosol samples are presented and discussed

Simultaneous evaluation of dairy farmers’ behaviour and intention to adopt technological devices

Society's awareness of livestock production conditions has increased interest in animal welfare (AW), prompting farmers to consider it in their strategies. However, the adoption of digital devices and sensors to ensure AW is still relatively low. The aim of this study was to assess simultaneously the stated behaviour and intention of dairy farmers towards adopting technological tools for AW. The extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (e-TPB) was selected as theoretical base. It is “extended” since new predictors are integrated in the standard framework of the TPB. The research questions were addressed using a partial least squares structural equation modelling. The findings suggest the existence of a gap between farmers' intentions and behaviour. Perceived Behavioural Control plays a significant role in behaviour, indicating the predominant influence of self-confidence in farmers' choices. Operating margin and technological specialization of the farms are significant predictors of farmers' behavior

Use of Larval Morphological Deformities in Chironomus plumosus (Chironomidae: Diptera) as an Indicator of Freshwater Environmental Contamination (Lake Trasimeno, Italy)

The mentum deformity incidence in Chironomus plumosus larvae to assess the environmental contamination level in Lake Trasimeno, Central Italy, was investigated. The survey lasted from May 2018 to August 2019. Fifty-one samplings were carried out: 34 in the littoral zone and 17 in the central zone. The deformity assessment was based on 737 and 2767 larval specimens of C. plumosus collected from the littoral and central zones, respectively. Comparison of the larval morphometric variables between normal and deformed specimens highlighted that the deformities did not cause alterations of the larval growth. The deformity incidence amounted to 7.22% in the whole Trasimeno's ecosystem, reaching 8.28% in the littoral zone and 6.94% in the central zone. Among the different seasonal cohorts, the spring cohort had overall the highest deformity value (11.41%). The deformity type assessment protocol highlighted that the most common deformity type was "round/filed teeth" (64%). The results of this 2018–2019 survey revealed a low deformity incidence, within the background range of relatively low-impacted freshwaters. Comparison with previous investigations (2000–2010) of the same habitat showed a clear decrease of the deformity incidence. This study further contributes to the evaluation of the mentum deformity in chironomids that represent an indicator endpoint of the anthropogenic contamination level in freshwaters

Malignant PEComa: a case report with emphasis on clinical and morphological criteria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malignant perivascular epitheliod cell tumor (PEComa) is a very rare entity composed of distinctive perivascular epitheliod cells with variable immunoreactivity for melanocytic and muscle markers. At present this neoplasm does not have a known normal cellular counterpart and the natural history is often unpredictable. Up to now, few cases of PEComa have been described and treatment modalities are still controversial, particularly in advanced conditions.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We handled the case of a 42-year-old man with unresectable PEComa of the abdomen. A 7 cm hepatic hypodense lesion between segment V and VIII of the liver and diffuse intraperitoneal nodules of 0,3-3,5 cm along the right subcapsular hepatic region, were documented by a CT scan. Radiological images showed abnormal lymph nodes of the right internal mammary chain and anterior mediastinum. The patient underwent an explorative laparotomy for uncontrolled intrabdominal hemorrhage without a well-defined preoperative tumor diagnosis. At surgery, multiple lobulated nodules containing hemorrhagic fluid on the liver surface, peritoneum and omentum were confirmed. The procedure had a palliative intent and consisted of hemostasis, hematomas evacuation and omentectomy. The diagnosis of PEComa was made after surgery on the basis of morphological and immunohystochemical criteria. Radiological and intra operative findings suggest that the mass has an hepatic origin with diffuse involvement of hepatic capsule and suspensory ligaments. The patient received medical support care with blood and plasma transfusions. In our experience, PEComa was clinically malignant, leading to a fatal outcome 25 days after hospital admission of patient.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Here we report and discuss the peculiar clinical, radiological and morphological presentation of unresectable PEComa. Although in the majority of the reported series, PEComas show a more better prognosis, our case presents with a particular aggressive biological behaviour. The importance of a correct preoperative diagnosis, the need for more effective targeted therapies based on tumor molecular knowledge and evidence-based clinical studies are emphasized together with a revision of the concerning scientific literature.</p