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In apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), fruit quality at consumption and shelf-life potential are strictly related to the ripening stage reached at harvest. As a result, definition of the optimal harvest time is a crucial issue and, nowadays, this is performed on the basis of fruit size, skin color and some internal quality traits, such as flesh firmness (FF), soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA), that are determined by standard techniques that require destruction of the fruit sample. Recently, extensive research has focused on the development of non-destructive visible/near-infrared spectroscopy (vis/NIRs) techniques that allow the ripening stage to be expressed as a new maturity index, called the index of “absorbance difference” (I(AD)). The I(AD) is used to establish, under field conditions, the optimal harvest time related to the ripening stage at harvest with a portable DA meter. More recently, a stationary DA machine prototype has been realized, allowing the grouping of fruits in classes of homogeneous ripening at the packing-house level. Preliminary results obtained with this prototype on some apricot cultivars grown in Valais (Sion, Switzerland) are reported. The results obtained showed that the I(AD) values obtained with the stationary DA allow fruit to be grouped according to their ripening stage. The data were comparable with those obtained with a portable DA meter, and correlate with standard internal quality traits.

Green roofs are a resource for the city: they mitigate pollution, decrease the urban heat island effect (UHI), and regulate storm runoff. Within a climate change scenario, green roofs might instead become an issue, and in particular, in mitigating UHI at mesoscale level. The aim of the contribution is to define the water balance and thus the water consumption of a typical green roof, considering its variation when immersed into different climate scenarios that took place in the past five years (Linked with the following research projects: (1) Research title: 2016, Fondazione Minoprio/Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento ABC (ongoing), Research type: Convention, Responsible: Matteo Fiori. (2) Research title: 2018, Harpo Contract (ongoing), Research type: Funded by third parties, Responsible: Matteo Fiori. (3) Research title: 2018, Soprema Contract (ongoing), Research type: Funded by third parties, Responsible: Matteo Fiori. (4) Research title: 2018, ASSIMP T-dry Contract (ongoing), Research type: Funded by third parties, Responsible: Matteo Fiori).

Background: Understanding the level of patients’ satisfaction with treatment and its determinants have the potential to impact therapeutic management and clinical outcome in chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A national, multicenter, longitudinal, observational study of COPD from 20 Italian pulmonary centers to explore patients’ satisfaction to treatment [assessed by the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, 9 items (TSQM-9)] and association with clinical parameters [including dyspnea score, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score, exacerbation rate], adherence to treatment [Morisky Medication-Taking Adherence Scale (MMAS-4)], illness perception [evaluated by Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ)] in a 1-year follow up. Results: A total of 401 COPD patients were enrolled [69.4% group B Global Initiative for COPD (GOLD), considering 366 patients with available GOLD 2017 classification at enrollment]. At enrollment, satisfaction with treatment was moderate, being TSQM-9 mean scores for effectiveness 64.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 62.5–65.9], for convenience 75.8 (95% CI 74.2–77.3), and for global satisfaction 65.7 (95% CI 64.0–67.4). Global satisfaction was negatively associated with disease perception (β = −0.4709, p Conclusions: The results of this real-life study showed that the patients’ satisfaction with treatments is only moderate in COPD. A high grade of patients’ satisfaction is associated mainly with a low perception of the disease, high adherence to treatment and lower level of dyspnea. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02689492 The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

The ripening stage reached by the fruits at harvest is linked to the fruit quality traits at consumption; it influences the postharvest management affecting storage length and fruit disease susceptibility. As a consequence, the knowledge of the ripening stage at harvest becomes essential, as well as the monitoring of the fruit ripening changes during cold storage. The index of absorbance difference (IAD) can follow the fruit ripening along the supply chain starting in the orchard, provided by the DA-Meter, a non-destructive device operating in VIS-NIR wavelenghts, and during cold storage, with the DAFL (difference absorbance fruit logger) that measures automatically the IAD at fixed intervals. The DAFL remote devices are positioned on a given number of fruits kept in cold storage and the IAD values are transmitted by radio to a server. The real time monitoring of these values gives indication on the management of the fruit as related to the ripening during storage.

Purpose The chapter builds on the literature of Agency and Signalling Theories to analyse the corporate governance factors associated with the voluntary decision to prepare an Integrated Report according to the International Framework promoted by the IIRC. Methodology/approach The chapter is based on the results of a probit regression run with regard to a sample of 35 companies that joined the Pilot Programme in 2011 and 137 similar companies that did not. Findings The analysis of two samples of European companies reveals that adhesion to the IR Pilot Programme is positively related to the gender diversity and size of the board. Research limitations Further research is required in order to study the differences between listed and non-listed companies in terms of variables affecting the adoption of the Framework and to increase the time range of our study. In addition, it would be interesting to include other variables capturing different aspects other than corporate governance, since the decision to join the Programme, as the results of our analysis have shown, may also be influenced by other factors, such as strategy decisions and communication policies. Originality/value The chapter adds to the existing literature by showing the main governance characteristics that impact the decision to adhere to the IR Pilot Programme. It is also important to the existing literature regarding the role played by gender diversity in corporate governance mechanisms and CSR policies.

Maturity at harvest greatly affects kiwifruit storage potential and quality at consumption: if fruits are picked too early, they undergo a precocious softening during storage, and do not reach full flavour and aroma when ripe. In Actinidia deliciosa, soluble solids content and dry matter has been proposed as maturity indexes. In Actinidia chinensis, the optimal harvest time is determined on the basis of flesh colour (Hue Angle= °H). In the last decade, non-destructive techniques, such as NIRs (Near Infrared Spectroscopy) have been used for evaluating kiwifruit quality. However, these devices require time consuming calibrations and they are used to measure the same parameters which are determined by traditional techniques (SSC; DM, °H). As a consequence, they do not give any added values as compared to the traditional methods to assess fruit quality. Recently, the University of Bologna patented innovative and simplified NIRs equipment (DA-Meter and Kiwi-Meter) which allows to define fruit maturity stage by means of an index based on the difference in absorbance between specific wavelengths (IDA). This index correlates with the main traditional parameters as well as with changes in flesh colour. In addition the availability of simple and portable instrument allow their use on the fruit attached to the trees to monitor the maturation and the ripening evolution, and determine the best cultural management practices (such as pruning, thinning, nutrition, etc) that allow to reduce the fruit ripening heterogeneity and simplify post-harvest management of the fruits. In the present work, results on different cultivars of Actinidia deliciosa and Actinidia chinensis are reported.

The new generation of seaweed extracts, such as Actiwave®, may represent a promising strategy to reduce the use of phytochemicals in agriculture. Actiwave® is a metabolic enhancer derived by the algae Ascophillum nodosum, but differently from some older seaweed extracts, it has a constant and balanced formulation containing kahydrin, alginic acid and betaines which synergistically contribute to the efficacy of the product. Actiwave® has been proposed to increase the mineral nutrient uptake and the abiotic stress tolerance. The aim of this work was to evaluate, under a multidisciplinary approach, the effect of the biostimulant on the vegetative and productive performances of strawberry plants grown on a lime inducing iron chlorosis substrate. This biostimulant increased the vegetative growth (10%), the leaf chlorophyll content (11%), the stomata density (6.5%), the photosynthetic rate and the fruit production (27%) and berry weight. The most significant result was the increase of the plant biomass: the shoot dry matter was increased up to 27% and root dry matter up to 76%. Finally, preliminary experiments showed that Actiwave® positively influenced also the root-associated microbial biocoenosis. These results are discussed in relation to the physiological and ecological mechanisms proposed to explain the beneficial effects of this seaweed extract. Finally, the effects of Actiwave® and sequestrene were significantly similar, thus showing that this biostimulant may represent an environmental-friendly substitute of the iron chelates.

In apricot fruit (Prunus armeniaca L.), establishing the optimal harvest time is crucial since fruit quality and shelf-life potential are closely related to the ripening stage at harvest. In order to develop a non-destructive index for monitoring the progression of ripening in apricot, the difference in absorbance between two wavelengths near the chlorophyll-a absorption peak (670 and 720 nm; Index of Absorbance Difference, I AD ) was related to the time course of changes in fruit quality parameters (flesh firmness, soluble solids content, flesh elasticity) occurring during ripening. Four-year trials on two cultivars ('OrangeRed' and 'Bergarouge') showed that the I AD was able to segregate fruits according to their ripening stage. Moreover, the index value corresponding to the optimal harvest time remained constant in different years, independently of quality parameters (soluble solids content, flesh firmness or elasticity). Fruit graded according the I AD also showed different consumer acceptance, the fruit with the lowest index score being the most appreciated.

In peach fruit ( Prunus persica L. Batsch), establishing the optimal harvest time is a crucial issue, since fruit shelf-life potential and quality are closely related to the ripening stage at harvest. In order to develop a non-destructive index for monitoring the progression of ripening, the difference in absorbance between two wavelengths near the chlorophyll- a absorption peak (670 and 720 nm; index of absorbance difference, I AD ) was related to the time course of ethylene production during on-tree ripening of peaches (cv. ‘Fayette’) and nectarines (cvs. ‘Laura’ and ‘Stark Red Gold’). For each variety, consecutive stages of ripening, as defined according to ethylene production (pre-climacteric, climacteric, post-climacteric), occurred in the same ranges of I AD in different years (2003 and 2004). In 2005, the relationship I AD /ethylene production was used to classify fruit at harvest according to their ripening stage (class 0: pre-climacteric; class 1: onset of climacteric; class 2: climacteric). For each cultivar, the transition from class 1 to 2 was marked by increased ethylene production, and reduced flesh firmness (FF) and titratable acidity (TA). In contrast, fruit quality traits did not discriminate between fruit belonging to classes 0 and 1. In ‘Stark Red Gold’ nectarines, the robustness of the I AD was further corroborated by changes in transcript levels of genes which are either up- or down-regulated during peach fruit ripening. Class 0 fruit had the lowest transcript amount of the up-regulated genes and the highest of the down-regulated ones, while the opposite occurred in class 2 fruit. Moreover, mRNA abundance of some marker genes discriminated class 0 and 1 fruit. Peaches and nectarines graded at harvest according to the I AD also differed in their postharvest ripening behaviour: fruit with higher I AD produced lower amounts of ethylene, began to soften later, and maintained higher TA than those with lower I AD . Present data demonstrate that the I AD identifies physiological changes occurring during ripening regardless of the fact that they might have or not led to appreciable modifications in fruit quality. Therefore, the I AD can be regarded as a very promising tool both for practical and scientific applications, since it allows to monitor on-tree fruit ripening, to establish accurately the optimal harvest time, and to reduce the variability which is present in fruit batches.

Data on puberty development are available for several countries but not for Central Asia.Using data collected during the Kazakhstan Health and Nutrition Survey (KHA-ES), we evaluated the relationship between the living environment (rural vs. urban), ethnicity (Russians vs. Kazakhs) and pubertal status in children living in Kazakhstan.Genital (G1-G5), breast (B1-B5) and pubic hair (PH1-PH5) development were evaluated in a sample of 2389 boys and 2416 girls using Tanner's criteria. Age at menarche was evaluated using the 'status quo' and 'recall' methods.Rural children were older than urban children at stagesor =G2 for males andor =B2 for females, and this difference was more evident for Russian males. Differences levelled out at later stages of development in Kazakh males and in the pooled girls. The living environment was slightly but significantly associated with median age at menarche (12.89 years for urban Kazakhs to 13.43 years for rural Kazakhs). Male and female Kazakhs were older than Russians at stages 4 and 5, especially in the urban area.A relationship between pubertal status and the living environment was present in a rapidly modernizing country such as Kazakhstan.

This chapter has three main aims. First, it discusses the concept of Integrated Report (IR) as a privileged instrument of companies’ voluntary disclosure practices that answers to the investors and regulators’ call for a greater focus on companies’ strategy, governance, future performance and risks, overcoming a great part of the traditional financial statement’s limitations. Second, it introduces key issues currently being debated relating to the IR Pilot Program and the main characteristics of the companies that decided to adhere to it. Finally, it shows some empirical first results about the corporate governance factors associated with the voluntary decision to prepare an Integrated Report according to the IR International Framework. In so doing the authors draw some conclusions about how Corporate Governance structure and mechanisms—such as legal environment, composition of the board of directors or ownership structure—are related to company’s disclosure policies and the decision to adopt Integrated Report.

To date non-destructive techniques, such as Near Infra Red Spectroscopy (NIRS) and the electronic nose, are used only to segregate fruit based on pre-selected quality attributes. Since these techniques allow rapid and easy determination of a wide range of internal attributes related to fruit quality, the collected data could be used in the field to establish proper harvesting time or, in packing houses, to optimise storage strategy. In addition, analysis of volatile compounds performed via e-nose allows early diagnosis of important fruit diseases such as “grey mould” and Sclerotinia rot. This report presents preliminary results on the use of NIRS and e-nose techniques for fruit quality determination and as an alternative approach for early diagnosis on asymptomatic fruits. The research was carried on Actinidia deliciosa (‘Hayward’ and Summerkiwi™) and Actinidia chinensis (‘Hort16A’). Fruit quality studies were performed on all cultivars in the field as well as in the packing house. The diagnostic studies were performed under controlled conditions on fruit experimentally inoculated with pathogenic fungi. The olfactory profiles of control and inoculated fruits were compared by means of PCA.

This article presents a summary of the discussion which took place during the works of PRIER II in the session dedicated to the methodology of registries. Following a thorough analysis of the possible methods and the limits which deal with the collection of clinical data through the registries, the different points of view were compared, perhaps the most relevant, related to this activity. All this has been done by taking advantage by the possibility to observe aspects from different points of view. In particular, the exercise considered those who have to deal with the methodological aspects of the registries as an operator of public health or as a private operator who creates services for companies. The final goal, again, was to line up a few essential points accompanied by reasoning and comments useful to anyone who wants to address the issue of registries from the methodological point of view.

Fruit quality is influenced by cultural management in field, by the fruit picking time and by the storage strategy. The choice of the best techniques and strategies to enhance fruit quality is difficult, and even more complicate is the definition of the internal fruit quality changes occurring in pre- and post-harvest conditions. In fact, internal fruit quality is strictly related to the changes occurring during the ripening and maturation syndrome. Define them with accuracy would allow to verify the techniques adopted validity, to monitor the evolution of the ripening in field and in storage and finally to offer a uniform fruit quality to the consumers. Fruit internal quality is represented by the fruit texture, the sugars and organic acids content, the flavour, etc. Although a precise definition of the quality would require equipped laboratory and knowledgeable personnel, the standard techniques for assessing fruit quality are quite simple (refractometer and penetrometer for flesh soluble solids content and flesh firmness; titration for acidity, etc). These determinations are carried out on samples of a limited number of fruit, often not representative of all the fruit, but give the possibility to have real-time information. However, recently, the availability of non-destructive techniques to assess fruit quality, also offer real-time information, allow to determine quality traits on a high number or even on all the fruit, to repeat the analyses on the same samples monitoring their physiological evolution, to determine with the same measurement a number of information on several fruit quality parameters. Here are reported examples on how the internal fruit quality can be influenced (harvest time, 1-MCP applications, storage strategy) and the possibility offered by NIRs (near infrared spectroscopy) and electronic-nose non-destructive devices to monitor and define fruit quality changes of some fruit specie in pre- and post-harvest situations.

A validation of two rating scales is presented. We first translated the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) and the Nurses' Observation Scale for In‐patient Evaluation (NOSIE), which cover different aspects of psychopathology, into Italian. We then tested their validity and reliability in terms of inter‐rater and internal consistency. For validity, both cases and controls were included: for the MOAS we compared patients who were aggressive (cases) to those who were presumably non‐aggressive (controls). For the NOSIE, cases were acute inpatients and controls were subjects with expected stable behaviour. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was also administered to cases in order to test convergent validity. Either the NOSIE and/or MOAS scales were administered to 358 psychiatric inpatients. A subset of these patients (131 for the MOAS and 226 for the NOSIE) was also used to test the inter‐rater reliability. Both scales showed good psychometric properties. The correlation coefficients between raters were much higher than 0.75 (for the NOSIE) or 0.90 (for the MOAS), while the discriminant power between cases and controls was confirmed for both scales and good concordance with BPRS was observed. The NOSIE showed good internal consistency for all domains except neatness. In general the MOAS showed better results than the NOSIE for all psychometric properties, although both scales are suitable for monitoring the behaviour and aggression of acute ward inpatients. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

A reflecting mulch patented in New Zealand (Extenday®) was tested on a ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit vineyard to enhance light reflection and to study the effect of the mulch on gas exchange, yield and fruit quality. The mulch was positioned in one section of 3 alley-rows, so that it surrounded 2 rows on both sides and the results were compared with those obtained on uncovered row sections serving as the control. The mulch was laid down at shoot emergence and left up to a month after harvest. Data on vegetative and fruiting performance were collected throughout the vegetative season and at harvest. Whole-vine gas-exchanges were continuously monitored for two weeks during the summer using an original device. At harvest fruits were weighed, the average fruit weight determined and the main quality traits were assessed for the control- and the mulched-vine fruits. The reflecting mulch promoted higher photosynthesis during the day; with transpiration being higher in the morning and lower in the afternoon in the mulched vines as compared to the control. Yield and average fruit weight were positively affected by the mulch.

This study investigates the impact of Corporate Social Performance on stock prices of Italian listed companies. The main stream of literature focuses on the relation between CSR and financial performance, showing contradictory results that still feed a debate, which has not yet reached a unanimous and widely shared position. Concerning the selection of the measure of performance, we chose stock prices as a proxy for financial performance, in order to measure the perception and reaction of financial markets to the companies’ socially responsible behaviors. Using different social performance indicators concerning environment, community and employment activities, we found evidence that a good social performance has a negative influence on stock prices in the Italian Stock Exchange Market. This phenomenon is particularly evident if the environmental strategies of the Italian listed companies are considered. Hence, the Italian investors perceive these practices as avoidable expenses reducing shareholders’ income and companies’ value and recognize a negative market premium, in terms of lower stock prices, to socially responsible enterprises. This evidence is consistent with the peculiarities of the Italian capitalism structure, which, because of its backwardness in CSR topics and related issues, seems to be not yet mature enough to evaluate appropriately the value of these policies

Objectives Clinical practice guidelines represent a key tool to improve quality and reduce variability of cancer care. In 2004, Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) launched the RIGHT (research for the identification of the most effective and highly accepted clinical guidelines for cancer treatment) program. The third step, RIGHT-3, evaluated the concordance between AIOM lung cancer guidelines and Italian clinical practice. Materials and methods RIGHT-3 was a retrospective observational study, conducted in 53 Italian centers treating lung cancer. Sampling from AIOM database of 230 centers was stratified by presence of thoracic surgery and geographic distribution. To describe the adherence to AIOM guidelines (2009 edition), 11 indicators regarding diagnostic and treatment procedures were identified. Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosis who had first visit in 2010 were divided into 3 groups, based on TNM stage: I-II-IIIA (5 indicators), IIIB (3 indicators) and IV (3 indicators). Results 708 patients were enrolled; 680 were eligible: 225 patients in stage I-II-IIIA; 156 patients in stage IIIB; 299 patients in stage IV. Cyto-histological diagnosis was available in 96%, 97%, 96% of stage I-II-IIIA, IIIB, IV respectively. Positron-emission tomography was performed in 64% of stage I-II-IIIA and 46% of stage IIIB. 88% of stage I-II patients eligible for surgery underwent lobectomy; after surgery, 61% of stage II and 57% of stage IIIA patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Among stage IIIB patients who received combined chemo- radiotherapy, sequential approach was more common than concomitant treatment (86% vs. 14%). Among stage IV patients, 87% received platinum-based first-line treatment, and 70% received second-line. Conclusion The RIGHT-3 study showed that, in 2010, adherence to Italian NSCLC guidelines was high for many indicators (including those related to treatment of stage IV patients), but lower for some diagnostic procedures. Guidelines adherence monitoring can be useful to reduce variability in cancer care.

In order to focus the situation of Kazakhstan today in relation to the processes of modernization and transition to a market economy and to evidence their effects on the biology and health status of the population of Kazakhstan, we have reviewed recently available data for this region (1993-1999). Kazakhstan is still characterized by a pyramid shaped age distribution of its population and by a high incidence of not communicable diseases and lack of nutrient and micronutrients, especially among children. However, the population of Kazakhstan seems to be not immune to the diseases of the modernization. I.e., among women obesity is more frequent than underweight, especially in the urban areas. In rural populations the frequency of clinically relevant hypertension resulted low in the more isolated and traditionally living communities but it increased to 20% in the less isolated one. Although it is expected a strong increase of urbanized population in the next 25 years, currently, modernization is probably influencing life style and nutritional habits of almost only a minority of the inhabitants of Kazakhstan.

To evaluate adaptive responses to high-altitude environment, we examined three groups of healthy adult males from Central Asia: 94 high-altitude (HA) Kirghiz subjects (3,200 m above sea level); 114 middle-altitude (MA) Kazakh subjects (2,100 m), and 90 low-altitude (LA) Kirghiz subjects (900 m). Data on chest size (chest perimeter and chest diameter), lung volume (forced expiratory volume (FEV) and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1)), and hematological parameters (hemoglobin, erythrocytes, hematocrit, and SaO(2)) are discussed. The results show that 1) chest shape is less flat in the samples living at higher altitude. In the HA sample, chest perimeter is lower but chest excursion is high. 2) In the highlanders, forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1 are no higher than in the other samples, even when corrected for stature and body weight. The negative correlation between FVC-FEV1 and age decreases with increasing altitude. 3) The HA and MA samples have higher values of hemoglobin, erythrocytes, and hematocrit. The HA sample has lower SaO(2) and higher arterial oxygen content than the LA sample. No association between hematocrit and age was detected in the four samples. The results indicate that the high-altitude Kirghiz present features of developmental acclimatization to hypobaric hypoxia which are also strongly influenced by other major high-altitude environmental stresses.