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Pregnancy is a high-risk event in women with essential thrombocythemia (ET). This observational study evaluated pregnancy outcome in ET patients focusing on the potential impact of aspirin (ASA) or interferon alpha (IFN) treatment during pregnancy. We retrospectively analyzed 122 pregnancies in 92 women consecutively observed in the last 10 years in 17 centers of the Italian thrombocythemia registry (RIT). The live birth rate was 75.4% (92/122 pregnancies). The risk of spontaneous abortion was 2.5-fold higher than in the control population (P < 0.01). ASA did not affect the live birth rate (71/93, 76.3% vs. 21/29, 72.4%, P = 0.67). However, IFN treatment during pregnancy was associated with a better outcome than was management without IFN (live births 19/20, 95% vs. 73/102, 71.6%, P = 0.025), and this finding was supported by multivariate analysis (OR: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.013-0.846, P = 0.034). The JAK2 V617F mutation was associated with a poorer outcome (fetal losses JAK2 V617F positive 9/25, 36% vs. wild type 2/24, 8.3%, P = 0.037), and this association was still significant after multivariate analysis (OR: 6.19; 95% CI: 1.17-32.61; P = 0.038). No outcome concordance between first and second pregnancies was found (P = 0.30). Maternal complications occurred in 8% of cases. In this retrospective study, in consecutively observed pregnant ET patients, IFN treatment was associated with a higher live birth rate, while ASA treatment was not. In addition, the JAK2 V617F mutation was confirmed to be an adverse prognostic factor.

For almost 10 years imatinib has been the therapeutic standard of chronic myeloid leukemia. The introduction of other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) raised a debate on treatment optimization. The debate is still heated: some studies have protocol restrictions or limited follow-up; in other studies, some relevant data are missing. The aim of this report is to provide a comprehensive, long-term, intention-to-treat, analysis of 559 newly diagnosed, chronic-phase, patients treated frontline with imatinib. With a minimum follow-up of 66 months, 65% of patients were still on imatinib, 19% were on alternative treatment, 12% died and 4% were lost to follow-up. The prognostic value of BCR-ABL1 ratio at 3 months (⩽10% in 81% of patients) was confirmed. The prognostic value of complete cytogenetic response and major molecular response at 1 year was confirmed. The 6-year overall survival was 89%, but as 50% of deaths occurred in remission, the 6-year cumulative incidence of leukemia-related death was 5%. The long-term outcome of first-line imatinib was excellent, also because of second-line treatment with other TKIs, but all responses and outcomes were inferior in high-risk patients, suggesting that to optimize treatment results, a specific risk-adapted treatment is needed for such patients.

In a randomized, phase 3 study, superior complete/near-complete response (CR/nCR) rates and extended progression-free survival were demonstrated with bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (VTD) versus thalidomide-dexamethasone (TD) as induction therapy before, and consolidation after, double autologous stem cell transplantation for newly diagnosed myeloma patients (intention-to-treat analysis; VTD, n = 236; TD, n = 238). This per-protocol analysis (VTD, n = 160; TD, n = 161) specifically assessed the efficacy and safety of consolidation with VTD or TD. Before starting consolidation, CR/nCR rates were not significantly different in the VTD (63.1%) and TD arms (54.7%). After consolidation, CR (60.6% vs 46.6%) and CR/nCR (73.1% vs 60.9%) rates were significantly higher for VTD-treated versus TD-treated patients. VTD consolidation significantly increased CR and CR/nCR rates, but TD did not (McNemar test). With a median follow-up of 30.4 months from start of consolidation, 3-year progression-free survival was significantly longer for the VTD group (60% vs 48% for TD). Grade 2 or 3 peripheral neuropathy (8.1% vs 2.4%) was more frequent with VTD (grade 3, 0.6%) versus TD consolidation. The superior efficacy of VTD versus TD as induction was retained despite readministration as consolidation therapy after double autologous transplantation. VTD consolidation therapy significantly contributed to improved clinical outcomes observed for patients randomly assigned to the VTD arm of the study. The study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01134484.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2) is frequently found constitutively activated (p-ERK1/2) in hematopoietic diseases, suggesting a role in leukemogenesis. The aim of this study was to assess the expression and clinical role of p-ERK1/2 in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In 131 primary samples from adult de novo ALL patients enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano per le Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto (GIMEMA) Leucemia Acute Linfoide (LAL) 2000 protocol and evaluated by flow cytometry, constitutive ERK1/2 activation was found in 34.5% of cases; these results were significantly associated with higher white blood cell (WBC) values (P = .013). In a multivariate analysis, p-ERK1/2 expression was an independent predictor of complete remission achievement (P = .027). Effective approaches toward MEK inhibition need to be explored in order to evaluate whether this may represent a new therapeutic strategy for adult ALL patients.

The iron status of 10 patients with beta-thalassaemia intermedia has been investigated in order to assess whether the liver iron overload could be constantly predicted through the patients' S-ferritin levels. Our data have shown that only when the iron overload is in the far advanced stages do the S-ferritin concentrations appear to be strongly raised, whilst in the early stages of the disease the levels fall to normal ranges with consequent underestimation of the expanding iron stores. Thus, in the early stages of the iron overload the liver iron burden of such patients is only reflected by both chemical and histochemical investigations performed on the liver biopsy specimens long before the rise in their S-ferritin levels.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) increases with age, but it is unclear how the characteristics of the disease vary with age. In children, where CML is very rare, it presents with more aggressive features, including huge splenomegaly, higher cell count and higher blast cell percentage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: To investigate if after childhood the disease maintains or loses these characteristics of aggressiveness, we analyzed 2784 adult patients, at least 18 years old, registered by GIMEMA CML WP over a 40-year period. RESULTS: Young adults (YAs: 18-29 years old) significantly differed from adults (30-59 years old) and elderly patients (at least 60 years old) particularly for the frequency of splenomegaly (71%, 63% and 55%, P < 0.001), and the greater spleen size (median value: 4.5, 3.0 and 1.0 cm, P < 0.001). According to the EUTOS score, that is age-independent, high-risk patients were more frequent among YAs, than among adult and elderly patients (18%, 9% and 6%, P < 0.001). In tyrosine kinase inhibitors-treated patients, the rates of complete cytogenetic and major molecular response were lower in YAs, and the probability of transformation was higher (16%, 5% and 7%, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of CML or the host response to leukemia differ with age. The knowledge of these differences and of their causes may help to refine the treatment and to improve the outcome. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBERS: NCT00510926, NCT00514488, NCT00769327, NCT00481052. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Background: The phase 3 GIMEMA-MMY-3006 trial, which compared bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTD) combination therapy with thalidomide and dexamethasone (TD) as induction therapy before and consolidation therapy after double autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, showed the superiority of the triplet regimen over the doublet in terms of increased complete response rate and improved progression-free survival. We report the results from the final analysis of the study. Methods: In this randomised, open-label, phase 3 study, patients aged 18–65 years with previously untreated symptomatic multiple myeloma and a Karnofsky Performance Status of 60% or higher were enrolled at 73 centres in Italy. Patients were randomised (1:1) by a web-based system to receive three 21-day cycles of thalidomide (100 mg daily orally for the first 14 days and 200 mg daily thereafter) plus dexamethasone (total 320 mg per cycle; 40 mg on days 1–2, 4–5, 8–9, and 11–12 in the VTD regimen, and 40 mg on days 1–4 and 9–12 in the TD regimen), either alone (TD group) or with bortezomib (1·3 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1, 4, 8, and 11; VTD group). After double autologous HSCT, patients received two 35-day cycles of either the VTD or TD regimen, according to random assignment, as consolidation therapy. The primary outcome was the rate of complete response and near complete response after induction (already reported). In this updated analysis we assessed long-term progression-free survival and overall survival (secondary endpoints of the study) with an extended 10-year median follow-up, and analysed the variables influencing survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01134484. Findings: Between May 10, 2006, and April 30, 2008, 480 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive VTD (241 patients) or TD (239 patients). Six patients withdrew consent before start of treatment. 236 (99 [42%] women) in the VTD group and 238 (102 [43%] women) in the TD group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The data cutoff date for this analysis was May 31, 2018. Median follow-up for surviving patients was 124·1 months (IQR 117·2–131·7). The 10-year progression-free survival estimate for patients in the VTD group was 34% (95% CI 28–41) compared with 17% (13–23) for the TD group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·62 [95% CI 0·50–0·77]; p

Today, strategies for emergency preparedness, in presence of accidental scenarios in high-risk plants with releases into the atmosphere, have become a priority. To achieve this goal, it is important to have forecast meteorological data in local areas to use in dispersion and transport models and so to respond in advance emergency situations. The paper reports results of research performed to develop a new tool, called FORCALM that is capable to elaborate European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts (ECMWF) forecast data to use for simulations by CALMET/CALPUFF modeling system. A case study, relevant to an accident occurred in Mediterranean Refinery at Milazzo (Italy), has been examined to validate the procedure and the capacity to evaluate the transport and depositions pollutant in terms of forecast information. The results were compared with those obtained using CALMET/CALPUFF simulations based on measured meteorological, covering the area under study.

Energy efficiency is a key element in the pursuit of sustainable development. This dissertation provides a comprehensive narrative of how energy efficiency and the technologies related to energy efficiency evolve over time. The results show energy consumption increases caused by development can be roughly offset by reducing the energy intensity and lowering energy intensity within sectors is the overwhelming factor behind the decline in aggregate energy intensity. Based on a statistical approach on big data of individual vehicles and their owners in Massachusetts, the importance of reallocation of new vehicles for the growth of aggregate vehicle energy efficiency and the convergence of aggregate vehicle energy efficiency between municipalities, is confirmed. Using big data on patents the results show that latecomer countries tend to contribute less to the main technological trajectories related to energy efficiency.The optimal path method using patent citation networks may inspire studies in any other technological fields, and enable policymakers and investors to monitor technological development and discover business opportunities.

In this paper we report our efforts to develop an inter-temporal model for the evaluation of the impact of organic farming on greenhouse gases emissions, that we called BIOSUS-MAD. The model focuses on the maximization of farmer's net income though different crops rotations constrained to the use of resource inputs; outputs of this optimization process are numerical values for key variables useful to estimate a set of social, economic and environmental indicators. These indicators will feed a multi-criteria model providing a synthetic and comparable sustainability overall index. This approach makes MAD a potentially useful tool for policy-makers to get an ex-ante assessment of the effects of agro-environmental policies. The model can manage different scenarios and could provide useful information to policy makers by running simulations incorporating European economic and/or environmental policies.

Patients who relapse after an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) have a very poor prognosis. We have retrospectively analyzed diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients who underwent an allo-SCT after an auto-SCT relapse reported in the Gruppo Italiano Trapianto di Midollo Osseo (GITMO) database. From 1995 to 2008, 3449 autologous transplants were reported in the GITMO database. Eight hundred eighty-four patients relapsed or progressed after transplant; 165 patients, 19% of the relapsed patients, were treated with allo-transplant. The stem cell donor was related to the patient in 108 cases. A reduced intensity conditioning regimen was used in 116. After allo-SCT, 72 patients (43%) obtained a complete response and 9 obtained a partial response with an overall response rate of 49%; 84 patients (51%) experienced rapid progression of disease. Ninety-one patients died, 45 due to disease and 46 due to treatment-related mortality. Acute graft-versus-host disease was recorded in 57 patients and a chronic GvHD in 38 patients. With a median follow-up of 24 months (2-144) after allo, overall survival (OS) was 39%, and after a median of 21 months (2-138) after allo, progression-free survival (PFS) was 32%. Multivariate analysis indicated that the only factors affecting OS were status at allo-SCT, and those affecting PFS were status at allo-SCT and stem cell donor. This retrospective analysis shows that about one-fifth of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma who experience relapse after autologous transplantation may be treated with allogeneic transplantation. Moreover, the only parameter affecting either OS or PFS was the response status at the time of allo-SCT.

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 337 patients with cytogenetically normal (CN) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), aged ≤ 65 years (training set). A prognostic index score (PIS) was calculated by totaling the score derived from the regression coefficients of each clinical variable, significantly associated with prognosis by multivariate analysis. The variables that were independent prognostic factors for event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in the training set were: age ≥ 50 years, secondary AML and white blood cell count (WBC) ≥ 20 × 10(9)/L. The patients of the training set were stratified into three groups: low-, intermediate- and high-risk. The median EFS was 25, 12 and 7 months in the low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups (p < 0.0001), respectively. The median OS was not reached in the low-risk group and was 19 and 10 months in the intermediate- and high-risk groups (p < 0.0001). This PIS was validated in a series of 193 patients with CN-AML. The median EFS was 66, 16, and 3 months (p < 0.0001) and the median OS was 66, 16, and 5 months in the three risk groups, respectively (p < 0.0001). This PIS may be useful for clinical decision-making in CN-AML and may be prospectively integrated with the newest biological markers which at present are not routinely assessed and need prognostic validation.

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) has greatly modified the prognosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia; however, the role of maintenance in patients in molecular complete remission after consolidation treatment is still debated. From July 1993 to May 2000, 807 genetically proven newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia patients received ATRA plus idarubicin as induction, followed by 3 intensive consolidation courses. Thereafter, patients reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction–negative for the PML-RARA fusion gene were randomized into 4 arms: oral 6-mercaptopurine and intramuscular methotrexate (arm 1); ATRA alone (arm 2); 3 months of arm1 alternating to 15 days of arm 2 (arm 3); and no further therapy (arm 4). Starting from February 1997, randomization was limited to ATRA-containing arms only (arms 2 and 3). Complete remission was achieved in 761 of 807 (94.3%) patients, and 681 completed the consolidation program. Of these, 664 (97.5%) were evaluated for the PML-RARA fusion gene, and 586 of 646 (90.7%) who tested reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction–negative were randomized to maintenance. The event-free survival estimate at 12 years was 68.9% (95% confidence interval, 66.4%-71.4%), and no differences in disease-free survival at 12 years were observed among the maintenance arms.

Past climate change literature paid great attention to the welfare analysis of international agreements that stabilize emissions over time on the basis of the New Welfare Economics approach claiming “objective” measures of well-being and excluding interpersonal comparisons. In this paper, by using non-New Welfare Economics approaches we show that the involvement of developing countries is not a desirable policy option. On the other side the implementation of a “Kyoto forever” scenario including only developed regions is recommended because it improves both environment and welfare but does not generate a turning point in the Pollution-Income Relationship (PIR). The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis implies that a bell shaped PIR would induce policy-makers to pursue economic growth in order to overcome the air pollution issue. Our analysis shows that when we introduce a welfare analysis, policy implications based only on the turning point existence and consequently on the EKC hypothesis could be misleading. In our study a “win-win” policy as the Kyoto Protocol is recommended and emissions stabilizing policies generating a turning point including developing countries could be heavily paid in terms of welfare. However results are sensitive to the choice of the welfare measure.

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis implies that a bell shaped relationship between income and pollution would induce policy makers to pursue economic growth in order to improve environment. Empirical evidence does not support the EKC hypothesis for CO2 emissions. The reason would lie in the global nature of such pollutant so that countries have no sufficient incentive to regulate emissions. Past literature paid little attention to the EKC investigation by integrated assessment models. In this paper we will use the popular climate change model DICE in order to consider a more generalised version of the social planner utility function and we will investigate the relationship between income and pollution for different values of the elasticity of the marginal utility of consumption (α). Results do not provide evidence in favour of the Environmental Kuznets Curve existence for CO2 emissions in the optimal path. However the EKC decomposition factors explaining the relationship between income and pollution over time (scale and technological effect in DICE) are affected by variations of the α parameter.

Organic food products are an example of quality food products, i.e., products possessing a particular feature (attribute) that distinguish them from other products of the same type and may make these products preferred on the market. When talking about quality and product attributes, economists distinguish between “search goods” for which the quality attributes are apparent and can be verified before purchase, “experience goods” for which the quality attributes are difficult to observe in advance, but they can be ascertained upon consumption and “credence goods” for which consumers cannot easily ascertain the quality attributes even after they have consumed/used the goods (Nelson, 1970; Darby and Karni, 1973). Markets are able to easily manage quality differences when they are defined by search attributes, since people may simply choose the product they prefer and/or pay a higher price for it. Experience attributes are more difficult to manage, but mechanisms linked to product/producer/distributor reputation help to solve the problem. With credence goods sellers know the actual quality of the good while buyers do not, and this may give rise to market inefficiencies and fraud. With credence goods the market may not be able to optimally allocate the resources (a situation that is usually addressed as “market failure”) because of asymmetric information and moral hazard. Asymmetric information is the situation in which one side of an economic relationship has more information than the other. Moral hazard is defined as the behaviour of agents who do not bear the full cost of their actions and thus are more likely to take such actions (OECD glossary). In other words agents are characterized by opportunistic behaviours to enjoy an advantage when they can skip the negative consequences. In this chapter, we discuss the nature of credence goods of organic food and we illustrate the mechanisms underlying the need to establish certification systems in order to provide quality signalling tools in this kind of market. In the following section, we offer a double perspective of the issues concerning the organic certification systems. First, we briefly discuss the development of international standards for organic agriculture in different world areas and the ways by which they affect international trade of organic food. Then, we discuss the case of Italy, where we investigate the performance of certification bodies in a domestic market perspective.

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 measuri...

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 (ict) 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 ecommerce). B2B e-commerce demonstrated to be able to bring key advantages and potentials for European consumers and the European food sector, for instance easier traceability, cost-efficiency in supply chain management processes, better competitiveness, lower transaction costs, etc. In recent years, the availability of sophisticated B2B e-commerce technology improved tremendously and the applications became more powerful, flexible, and user-friendly. However, the "European e-Business Market Watch" initiative from the Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry from the European Commission showed that only large multinationals exploit the potentials of B2B e-commerce. smes instead, which create the largest share of turn over in the European food sector and therefore create jobs and welfare in Europe, are reluctant to take up existing B2B ecommerce technologies into their supply or selling operations. Trust issues were identified as one of the factors hindering adoption of this new technology among smes. In this paper, different food chain scenarios with their transaction processes and risks regarding food quality and food safety and related trust elements are analysed and differences in trust in several European food chains need to be considered within the context of the existing scientific literature. We 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. The results are useful to identify relevant trust issues within the food supply chains, which can be addresses by innovative and trust building features of the B2B e-commerce tools. JEL Codes: M15, M16 Key words: e-commerce, transaction risks, trust, trade stream analysis

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.

We explain how international spillovers affect the distribution of abatement shares and abatement costs. We develop a model in which the spillover effects among countries in different economic sectors affect the level of emissions.

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.

This study is an analysis about the connection of communities to the countryside. In particular we analyze rural areas which do not present favourable social and economic features. This paper is based on a specific case study about the economic activities developed in rural areas in North Italy that were promoted by local policy makers. We derive qualitative and quantitative analyses by phone interviews to farmers and decision makers. The final outcome is the identification of factors that are critical for implementing coherent development strategies in this territory.

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.

The recent stand by in post – Kyoto negotiations highlights the difficulties arising at the international level in agreeing on policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Developed countries complain that mitigation actions implying a disproportionate abatement effort on their part, while not involving emerging economies would be ineffective. Developing regions, on the other hand, refuse to join international agreements claiming that they are not responsible for the today’s CO2 concentrations and defending their right to fast economic growth. In this context, distributional aspects of climate change are becoming more and more relevant. However, the existing literature mainly focuses on the distribution of emissions rather than on that of damages . In this paper we use CGE models to asseess the robustness of the result by Tol et al. 2004 that inequality in the distribution of impacts:”will deteriorate for more than a century before becoming more equalitarian”.

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 products (e.g., fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, meat, grain) and international food chains from Brazil and the US to Europe and to analyse the these food chains with their transaction processes along the food chain and typical risks regarding food quality and food safety. This WP mainly builds on expert interviews with food chain business leaders and food chain business associations from the advisory board. It is therefore an essential part of the communication with the stakeholders of the project’ results and will create awareness and sensibility towards the topic. It includes the analysis of the transaction process phases and the analysis of particular risks involved in the food product distribution chains, respectively. Risks regarding food quality and food safety provide hints for the necessity of B2B trust elements to compensate the risks. 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 product groups meat, grain, olive oil, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruits and the particular risks regarding food quality and safety along the chains.

L’evoluzione politica degli accordi internazionali sul cambiamento climatico dipende fortemente dalla disuguaglianza nella distribuzione dei costi per la messa in atto delle politiche, dei danni derivanti da riscaldamento globale e delle emissioni di CO2 dei Paesi maggiormente responsabili di attività inquinanti. Con particolare riferimento alla distribuzione internazionale delle emissioni atmosferiche, i Paesi in via di sviluppo rifiutano di ratificare il Protocollo di Kyoto perché ritengono che i Paesi ricchi siano i maggiori responsabili dell’attuale livello di concentrazione globale di anidride carbonica, mentre i Paesi ricchi lamentano che politiche internazionali che non includano uno sforzo di riduzione di inquinamento da parte dei Paesi ad economia emergente sarebbero inefficaci. Il problema dell’equità nella distribuzione internazionale delle emissioni atmosferiche assume dunque un marcato rilievo politico. Il presente studio si prefigge di analizzare: 1. Il livello di disuguaglianza nella distribuzione delle emissioni atmosferiche. 2. La natura della disuguaglianza nella distribuzione delle emissioni atmosferiche per verificare che la maggior porzione di disuguaglianza nella distribuzione delle emissioni dipenda dalle differenze (in termini di attività inquinanti) che emergono tra Paesi ricchi e Paesi poveri. 3. Le fonti della disuguaglianza nella distribuzione delle emissioni atmosferiche, per verificare se la diversa distribuzione delle emissioni atmosferiche tra Paesi ricchi e Paesi poveri derivi da: differenze in termini di intensità di carbonio (IC), intesa come rapporto tra emissioni e quantità di energia consumata; differenze di intensità energetica (IE), intesa come rapporto tra quantità di energia consumata e Prodotto Interno Lordo (PIL); differenze in termini di PIL. Gli obiettivi sopra enunciati sono raggiunti attraverso l’uso di modelli integrati di cambiamento climatico che rappresentano il legame tra attività economica e variabili ambientali. Dai risultati emerge con chiarezza, pur nelle diversità e peculiarità che caratterizzano i diversi scenari e modelli, che le differenze in termini di PIL pro capite esistenti a livello internazionale appaiono come la causa principale della disuguaglianza nella distribuzione delle emissioni atmosferiche. In altre parole, i dati sembrano confermare che uno squilibrio di ricchezza tra i Paesi ricchi e quelli più poveri rende responsabili le regioni più industrializzate non solo di ingiustizie sociali ma anche dell’aggravamento del problema ambientale. Sembrano dunque trovare riscontro quegli studi che non individuano, per quanto riguarda le emissioni di CO2, un legame virtuoso tra crescita e qualità ambientale.

Nella considerazione globale delle prospettive connesse allo sviluppo dell’agricoltura biologica, la certificazione delle produzioni merita particolare considerazione. In qualità di strumento di attestazione di conformità, la certificazione assume rilievo in quanto consente di pervenire alla qualificazione delle produzioni, sottintende una sostanziale uniformità dei prodotti certificati (in quanto ottenuti da processi produttivi realizzati in rispetto di precisi disciplinari di produzione) e favorisce una maggiore riconoscibilità degli stessi. All’interno del comparto delle produzioni biologiche, contraddistinto da precise peculiarità, la certificazione si pone a raccordo tra un sistema di produzione disciplinato e gli utilizzatori finali dei prodotti derivanti da tale sistema (consumatori); la funzione da essa svolta all’interno della filiera delle produzioni biologiche come strumento di controllo, quindi, si configura come elemento di criticità. L’analisi relativa alla certificazione delle produzioni biologiche si è sviluppata seguendo due linee di ricerca, volte ad analizzare la certificazione nella prospettiva del consumatore e nella sua collocazione all’interno della filiera delle produzioni biologiche.