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Scientific evidence regularly guides policy decisions1, with behavioural science increasingly part of this process2. In April 2020, an influential paper3proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to efforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams finding evidence supporting 16 (89%) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy effectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed effects and there were no effects for highlighting individual benefits or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct differences in effects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientific evidence in policy formulation and prioritization.

The adoption of agriculture in several parts of the world during the early Neolithic period led to a fundamental change in human migration. By introducing newly domesticated crops into new environments, pathogens and parasites were also inadvertently transferred from their regions of origin and underwent a considerable population growth. In the newly settled regions, some pests of indigenous plants adapted to new crops by host switching. This review is limited to three basic migration events and mainly to agricultural crops of the temperate zone: (1) the migration of the first farmers from SE Asia to Europe, (2) European expansion from the 16th century onward, (3) modern globalization since the 20th century. Molecular analyses offer the opportunity to study the evolutionary history of pest populations, their origin and dynamics and their spread around the world. Cereals’ rusts and powdery mildew, storage insects were the first to spread with wheat species, barley, and pulses from the Levant across Eurasia. The Columbian exchange of crops to and from the Americas brought entirely new pests to Europe while old world pathogens spread to the Americas and subsequently to all other regions colonized by Europeans. Modern globalization further facilitated the spread of pathogens and insects worldwide, as previously inconceivable amounts of agricultural products, business travelers, and maybe tourists have elevated global accessibility. This is illustrated by case studies based on fungi and insects. In the near future, pests will have colonized all crops in all countries where they can exist according to their agro-climatic requirements.

We revisit the analyses by Sheremeta (2013) and Chowdhury and Moffatt (2017), who pool experimental data from 30 Tullock contests to explain the phenomenon of overbidding. The authors find that the overbidding rate is positively related to the number of contestants and has an inverted U-shaped relationship with the relative endowment. We reuse their data and extend the analysis in the direction of cross-cultural differences, focusing on ethno-linguistic-religious fractionalization as a country-level measure. The results suggest an increased explanatory power of the model, with fractionalization negatively relating to overbidding. In addition, the extended model shows that in the one-shot game the overbidding rate is significantly higher than in the case of repeated interactions. We discuss possible interpretations of our findings.

In recent decades, the concept of the gut microbiota as a potential novel therapeutic strategy for mental health has emerged. The tiny microbes inhabiting our gut communicate through a bidirectional communication signaling with the brain that influences gut physiology, brain function and behavior. Accumulating evidence suggests that perturbation of the gut microbiota contributes to the pathophysiology of mental illnesses including autism, depression and anxiety as well as neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. This review will highlight recent findings in both human and animal studies indicating how changes in the gut microbiota can impact the pathophysiology of such diseases. The current work will also provide an understanding of the efficacy of microbiota-targeted therapies on psychiatric disorders.

Transplantation of hematopoietic cells from a healthy individual (allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT)) demonstrates that adoptive immunotherapy can cure blood cancers: still, post-transplantation relapses remain frequent. To explain their drivers, we analyzed the genomic and gene expression profiles of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts purified from patients at serial time-points during their disease history. We identified a transcriptional signature specific for post-transplantation relapses and highly enriched in immune-related processes, including T cell costimulation and antigen presentation. In two independent patient cohorts we confirmed the deregulation of multiple costimulatory ligands on AML blasts at post-transplantation relapse (PD-L1, B7-H3, CD80, PVRL2), mirrored by concomitant changes in circulating donor T cells. Likewise, we documented the frequent loss of surface expression of HLA-DR, -DQ and -DP on leukemia cells, due to downregulation of the HLA class II regulator CIITA. We show that loss of HLA class II expression and upregulation of inhibitory checkpoint molecules represent alternative modalities to abolish AML recognition from donor-derived T cells, and can be counteracted by interferon-γ or checkpoint blockade, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the deregulation of pathways involved in T cell-mediated allorecognition is a distinctive feature and driver of AML relapses after allo-HCT, which can be rapidly translated into personalized therapies.

This article unveils Italy’s exceptionalism in recognising and protecting same-sex couples by adopting a three-dimension analysis: constitutional, comparative and supranational. It maintains that, compared to other countries whose courts were sympathetic with the legal claims raised by lesbian and gay people, Italy’s Constitutional Court adopted a totally different approach, reinforcing the heteronormativity of marriage in a way that delayed all efforts to pass a law on same-sex registered partnerships. The Constitutional Court, in particular, interpreted the Constitution, the experience of other nations and supranational law according to heteronormativity, an example that is unique in the comparative context. As an illustration, this article addresses the case Bernaroli vs Ministry of the Interior. In Bernaroli, a male-to-female transgender person wanted to remain married to her wife notwithstanding the transition. The case ignited a heated debate among scholars and questioned the courts’ opinions as to the human rights dynamics surrounding same-sex marriage and, more importantly, about the current role of heteronormativity in marriage law. This article concludes that the legal existence of Bernaroli’s marriage represents a constant challenge to the status quo and highlights the permanent crisis of heteronormativity. After the Austrian Constitutional Court’s recent ruling that declared the law on same-sex domestic partnership to be discriminatory, heteronormativity’s defence became even more untenable, making Italy’s a true exception in the continent’s legal landscape.

T cells reorganize their metabolic profiles after being activated, but the systemic metabolic effect of sustained activation of the immune system has remained unexplored. Here we report that augmented T cell responses in Pdcd1−/−mice, which lack the inhibitory receptor PD-1, induced a metabolic serum signature characterized by depletion of amino acids. We found that the depletion of amino acids in serum was due to the accumulation of amino acids in activated Pdcd1−/−T cells in the lymph nodes. A systemic decrease in tryptophan and tyrosine led to substantial deficiency in the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which resulted in behavioral changes dominated by anxiety-like behavior and exacerbated fear responses. Together these data indicate that excessive activation of T cells causes a systemic metabolomic shift with consequences that extend beyond the immune system.

•Food waste reduction interventions are implemented in staff cafeterias in Macau•Actual food waste data captured by smart bins and self-reported survey data are used•Framing environmental feedback with anthropomorphism works better than pure feedback•Efforts to reduce food waste at work are positively associated with efforts at home•Findings suggest a positive spillover from workplace interventions to the home

Using the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS), we found periodic longitudinal variations in CO2density in the Martian atmosphere. These density variations are derived from observations of the CO2+( B2Σ+→X2Π) emission from limb scans in the 100–190 km altitude range. The variations exhibit significant structure with longitudinal wave numbers 1, 2, and 3 in an effectively constant local solar time frame, and we attribute this structure to nonmigrating tides. The wave‐2 component is dominated by the diurnal eastward moving DE1 tide at the equator and the semidiurnal stationary S0 tide at the midlatitudes. Wave‐3 is dominated by the diurnal eastward moving DE2 tide, with possibly the semidiurnal eastward moving SE1 tide causing an amplitude increase at the midlatitudes. Structure in the wave‐1 component can be explained by the semidiurnal westward moving SW1 tide. MAVEN/IUVS observed periodic longitudinal variations in CO2density in the Martian atmosphereWe identify nonmigrating tides from the structure of density variations in constant LST frameWave‐2 is dominated by DE1 and S0, wave‐3 by DE2 and SE1, and wave‐1 by SW1

We used the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiting spacecraft to construct images of the hydrogen coma of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) days before its close encounter with Mars. We obtain a water production rate of 1.1 ± 0.5 × 1028molecules/s and determine the total impacting fluence of atoms and molecules corresponding to the photodissociation of water and its daughter species to be 2.4 ± 1.2 × 104kg. We use these observations to confirm predictions that the mass of delivered hydrogen is comparable to the existing reservoir above 150 km. Furthermore, we reconcile disparity between observations and predictions about the detectability of the hydrogen perturbation and thermospheric response. We determine Comet Siding Spring's water production rateWe determine the mass of gas that impacted MarsWe revisit and reconcile predictions with our observations

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosais invasive or cytotoxic to host cells, depending on the type III secretion system (T3SS) effectors encoded. While the T3SS is known to be involved in disease in vivo, how it participates remains to be clarified. Here, mouse models of superficial epithelial injury (tissue paper blotting with EGTA treatment) and immunocompromise (MyD88 deficiency) were used to study the contribution of the T3SS transcriptional activator ExsA to epithelial traversal. Corneas of excised eyeballs were inoculated with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing PAO1 or isogenic exsAmutants for 6 h ex vivobefore bacterial traversal and epithelial thickness were quantified by using imaging. In the blotting-EGTA model, exsAmutants were defective in capacity for traversal. Accordingly, an ∼16-fold variability in exsAexpression among PAO1 isolates from three sources correlated with epithelial loss. In contrast, MyD88−/−epithelia remained susceptible to P. aeruginosatraversal despite exsAmutation. Epithelial lysates from MyD88−/−mice had reduced antimicrobial activity compared to those from wild-type mice with and without prior antigen challenge, particularly 30- to 100-kDa fractions, for which mass spectrometry revealed multiple differences, including (i) lower baseline levels of histones, tubulin, and lumican and (ii) reduced glutathione S-transferase, annexin, and dermatopontin, after antigen challenge. Thus, the importance of ExsA in epithelial traversal by invasive P. aeruginosadepends on the compromise enabling susceptibility, suggesting that strategies for preventing infection will need to extend beyond targeting the T3SS. The data also highlight the importance of mimicking conditions allowing susceptibility in animal models and the need to monitor variability among bacterial isolates from different sources, even for the same strain.

Two varieties of grapes, white grape and red grape grown in the Campania region of Italy were selected for the study of drying characteristics, moisture diffusion, quality changes (colour) and shrinkage behaviour. Comparisons were made with treated and untreated grapes under constant drying condition of 50o C in a conventional drying system. This temperature was selected to represent farm drying conditions. Grapes were purchased from a local market from the same supplier to maintain the same size of grapes and same properties. An abrasive physical treatment was used as pretreatment. The drying curves were constructed and drying kinetics was calculated using several commonly available models. It was found that treated samples shows better drying characteristics than untreated samples. The objective of this study is to obtain drying kinetics which can be used to optimize the drying operations in grape drying.

Electroactive polymers represent an attractive alternative to the current inorganic-based materials for electrochemical energy storage systems as they allow eliminating the need for expensive transition and rare-earth metals. This is particularly relevant for all polymers that can be obtained by direct oxidative polymerization of the corresponding monomer. We investigate the energy storage properties of electroactive polymers based around the concept of attaching a redox-active core to a highly electronically conductive backbone. In this paper we describe the synthesis and characterization of physical and electrochemical properties of the naphthalene-bisimide (NPbIm) core coupled with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). We find that the composite polymer shows two distinct monoelectronic redox peaks attributed to the reduction of naphthalene-bisimide to radical anion and dianion near 2.5 V vs. Li+/Li, as well as the standard PEDOT electrochemistry. The polymer shows excellent charge retention capabilities with more than 90% capacity maintained after 1000 cycles as an electropolymerized film. Composite electrodes prepared with 73 wt% of powders of active material exhibit good high rate capabilities by retaining more than 70% of the original capacity measured at C/10 when cycled at 1C rate. To the best of our knowledge this is one of the highest performances so far reported for organic materials.

Two families of thiophene‐based 2‐arylpyridines, in which aryl is phenyl and 2,4‐difluorophenyl, have been developed. The pyridine ring of the new compounds is substituted at the 4‐position with π‐conjugated electron‐rich and electron‐poor thiophene‐based fragments to tune the optical and energetic properties. The high‐yielding synthetic access, which consists of two sequential Suzuki coupling reactions, the first of which is completely regioselective, is of wide applicability and allows access to a large variety of derivatives. The absorption/emission and redox features, as well as the HOMO and LUMO energy levels, have been investigated; the results show that the optical and electronic properties can be tuned over a broad range. The diversity of the characteristics may be effectively exploited by using the thiophene‐substituted 2‐arylpyridines as ligands in cyclometalated sensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells and other optoelectronic applications.

The article reports that the Italian government approved the Act on Same-Sex Civil Unions and De Facto Partnerships, allowing full legal recognition of same-sex couples. Topics discussed include legal acceptance of same-sex couples in Italy started in 2007 through an approved bill allowing their access to rights like registration, inheritance and health benefits, and a Constitutional Court decision on April 15, 2010 allowing same-sex couples to acquire due recognition from the Parliament.

The well-conserved protein Hfq has emerged as the key modulator of riboregulation in bacteria. This protein is thought to function as an RNA chaperone and to facilitate base pairing between small regulatory RNA (sRNA) and mRNA targets, and many sRNAs are dependent on the Hfq protein for their regulatory functions. To address the possible role of Hfq in riboregulated circuits in Neisseria meningitidis, we generated an Hfq mutant of the MC58 strain, and the knockout mutant has pleiotropic phenotypes; it has a general growth phenotype in vitro in culture media, and it is sensitive to a wide range of stresses, including those that it may encounter in the host. Furthermore, the expression profile of a vast number of proteins is clearly altered in the mutant, and we have identified 27 proteins by proteomics. All of the phenotypes tested to date are also restored by complementation of Hfq expression in the mutant strain. Importantly, in ex vivo and in vivo models of infection the Hfq mutant is attenuated. These data indicate that Hfq plays a key role in stress response and virulence, and we propose a major role for Hfq in regulation of gene expression. Moreover, this study suggests that in meningococcus there is a large Hfq-mediated sRNA network which so far is largely unexplored.

ABSTRACTThe well-conserved protein Hfq has emerged as the key modulator of riboregulation in bacteria. This protein is thought to function as an RNA chaperone and to facilitate base pairing between small regulatory RNA (sRNA) and mRNA targets, and many sRNAs are dependent on the Hfq protein for their regulatory functions. To address the possible role of Hfq in riboregulated circuits in Neisseria meningitidis, we generated an Hfq mutant of the MC58 strain, and the knockout mutant has pleiotropic phenotypes; it has a general growth phenotype in vitro in culture media, and it is sensitive to a wide range of stresses, including those that it may encounter in the host. Furthermore, the expression profile of a vast number of proteins is clearly altered in the mutant, and we have identified 27 proteins by proteomics. All of the phenotypes tested to date are also restored by complementation of Hfq expression in the mutant strain. Importantly, in ex vivo and in vivo models of infection the Hfq mutant is attenuated. These data indicate that Hfq plays a key role in stress response and virulence, and we propose a major role for Hfq in regulation of gene expression. Moreover, this study suggests that in meningococcus there is a large Hfq-mediated sRNA network which so far is largely unexplored.

Background: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) chaperone a wide array of peptides generated in cells. Association of HSPs with peptides is critical for loading of MHC I with epitopes, and has been suggested to be essential for cross-presentation. HSP–peptide complexes purified from cancer cells have been shown to chaperone tumor-specific antigenic epitopes, and have been used in experimental immunotherapy of human cancers. Two randomized Phase III trials have been completed recently. Objective: To summarize the lessons learned from the Phase III studies and to opine on the path forward. Results/conclusion: Immunization of human subjects with HSP–peptide complexes derived from autologous tumors mediates substantial clinical benefit in subjects with relatively early stage disease, consistent with results seen in animal models of cancer, and with an immunological mechanism of action. Additional clinical studies are essential for further development of this personalized medicine.

This paper is a follow-up investigation to the aggregate data meta-analysis by Marini (2022), the latter being designed to detect what study characteristics moderate the effect of emotions on risk preferences. Our work purports to strengthen the findings of Marini (2022) by taking into account gender as a moderator, as well as to extend the analysis along the dimension of country-level individualism. These goals are pursued by pooling individual participant data from the subset of studies that make use of multiple price lists as risk elicitation method. We find that gender does not moderate the influence of emotions on risk propensity and subjects take greater risks when studies are conducted in individualist countries, supporting the evidence of a positive link between individualism and risk-seeking even with respect to participants experiencing no emotion.

We characterize in situ grown parallel nanowires bridged by a superconducting island. The magnetic-field and temperature dependence of Coulomb blockade peaks measured across different pairs of nanowire ends suggest the presence of a subgap state extended over the hybrid parallel-nanowire island. Being gate-tunable, accessible by multiple terminals, and free of quasiparticle poisoning, these nanowires show promise for the implementation of several proposals that rely on parallel nanowire platforms.

Workers scheduling in not highly automated production lines is an important task, especially when in a production line the number of operators is less than the number of workstations. Finding an optimal distribution plan can increase the line throughput, managing the workforce and the workload in a better way. This work focuses on the operator-scheduling problem for an electromechanical assembly line. Workforce distribution on the workstations has been made with a centralised scheduling based on a mathematical model which, through constraint optimisation principles, is able to find the optimal distribution of workforce optimising fundamental parameters, such as man-hours, throughput, makespan and work in process.

The impact of globalisation and worldwide competition has forced firms to modify their strategies towards a real-time operation with respect to customers' requirements. This behaviour allows the top management to move towards the concept of an extended enterprise in which a collaborative link is established among suppliers, commercial partners and customers. When the information flows involve each actor of the chain, from suppliers to the final distribution centres, the extended enterprise becomes a virtual firm, which can be defined as a set of stand-alone operational units that acts to reconfigure themselves as a value chain in order to adapt to the business opportunities given by the market. The present work is intended to verify through a simulation approach the quantitative advantages obtained by the introduction of the value chain concept into the Supply Chain Management (SCM). The paper, after a description of the two most well-known SCM models – the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) and Value Chain Operations Reference (VCOR) – makes a comparison from the customer's point of view. In the second part of the work, a simulation model is developed to verify the advantage that the VCOR model is able to obtain, validating it on an industrial case study.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is caused by a purine metabolic dysfunction, leading to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and multiple organ damage. To investigate the efficacy of ex vivo gene therapy with self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (LVs) in correcting this complex phenotype, we used an ADA–/–mouse model characterized by early postnatal lethality. LV-mediated ADA gene transfer into bone marrow cells combined with low-dose irradiation rescued mice from lethality and restored their growth, as did transplantation of wild-type bone marrow. Mixed chimerism with multilineage engraftment of transduced cells was detected in the long term in animals that underwent transplantation. ADA activity was normalized in lymphocytes and partially corrected in red blood cells (RBCs), resulting in full metabolic detoxification and prevention of severe pulmonary insufficiency. Moreover, gene therapy restored normal lymphoid differentiation and immune functions, including antigen-specific antibody production. Similar degrees of detoxification and immune reconstitution were obtained in mice treated early after birth or after 1 month of enzyme-replacement therapy, mimicking 2 potential applications for ADA-SCID. Overall, this study demonstrates the efficacy of LV gene transfer in correcting both the immunological and metabolic phenotypes of ADA-SCID and supports the future clinical use of this approach.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is caused by a purine metabolic dysfunction, leading to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and multiple organ damage. To investigate the efficacy of ex vivo gene therapy with self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (LVs) in correcting this complex phenotype, we used an ADA–/– mouse model characterized by early postnatal lethality. LV-mediated ADA gene transfer into bone marrow cells combined with low-dose irradiation rescued mice from lethality and restored their growth, as did transplantation of wild-type bone marrow. Mixed chimerism with multilineage engraftment of transduced cells was detected in the long term in animals that underwent transplantation. ADA activity was normalized in lymphocytes and partially corrected in red blood cells (RBCs), resulting in full metabolic detoxification and prevention of severe pulmonary insufficiency. Moreover, gene therapy restored normal lymphoid differentiation and immune functions, including antigen-specific antibody production. Similar degrees of detoxification and immune reconstitution were obtained in mice treated early after birth or after 1 month of enzyme-replacement therapy, mimicking 2 potential applications for ADA-SCID. Overall, this study demonstrates the efficacy of LV gene transfer in correcting both the immunological and metabolic phenotypes of ADA-SCID and supports the future clinical use of this approach.

Combinatorial binding studies revealed that the di(trans-4-aminoproline)diketopiperazine is an ideal template for two-armed receptors with highly selective binding properties towards peptides. It is not only superior to structurally very different diamines but also to the diastereomeric di(cis-4-aminoproline)diketopiperazine. These empiric results are rationalized by the analysis of the conformation of the diastereomeric diketopiperazines in the solid state, by X-ray crystal structure analysis, as well as by NMR studies in solution: to observe highly selective binding, the template needs to be not only conformationally rigid but it must have a specific turn geometry. The combination of combinatorial binding studies, X-ray crystal structure analysis, and NMR spectroscopy gave insight into why the trans,trans-diketopiperazine is a superior template compared to other diamines. Additionally, the results provide a guide for the rational design of two-armed receptors with good binding properties towards peptidic guests.

Combinatorial binding studies revealed that the di(trans‐4‐aminoproline)diketopiperazine is an ideal template for two‐armed receptors with highly selective binding properties towards peptides. It is not only superior to structurally very different diamines but also to the diastereomeric di(cis‐4‐aminoproline)diketopiperazine. These empiric results are rationalized by the analysis of the conformation of the diastereomeric diketopiperazines in the solid state, by X‐ray crystal structure analysis, as well as by NMR studies in solution: to observe highly selective binding, the template needs to be not only conformationally rigid but it must have a specific turn geometry. The combination of combinatorial binding studies, X‐ray crystal structure analysis, and NMR spectroscopy gave insight into why the trans,trans‐diketopiperazine is a superior template compared to other diamines. Additionally, the results provide a guide for the rational design of two‐armed receptors with good binding properties towards peptidic guests.

Activation of protein kinase A (cAMP-dependent protein kinase; PKA) triggers insulin secretion in the β-cell. Adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT), a bacterial exotoxin with adenylate cyclase activity, and forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, both dose-dependently increased insulin secretion in the presence, but not the absence, of glucose in insulin-secreting βTC3 cells. The stimulation of cAMP release by either agent was dose-dependent but glucose-independent. Omission of extracellular Ca2+ totally abolished the effects of ACT on insulin secretion and cytosolic cAMP accumulation. ACT and forskolin caused rapid and dramatic increases in cytosolic Ca2+, which were blocked by nifedipine and the omission of extracellular Ca2+. Omission of glucose completely blocked the effects of forskolin and partially blocked the effects of ACT on cytosolic Ca2+. PKA α, β and γ catalytic subunits (Cα, Cβ and Cγ respectively) were identified in βTC6 cells by confocal microscopy. Glucose and glucagon-like polypeptide-1 (GLP-1) caused translocation of Cα to the nucleus and of Cβ to the plasma membrane and the nucleus, but did not affect the distribution of Cγ. In conclusion, glucose and GLP-1 amplify insulin secretion via cAMP production and PKAβ activation.

Physicochemical and sensory fruit characteristics were studied to assess the effects of cool storage on quality attributes of sweet cherries of the Sciazza variety, widespread in the Campania region and Ferrovia variety, marketed in Italy and abroad. The major sugar and organic acid constituents, anthocyanin composition, colour (CIE L *, a *, b *), firmness, volatile neo-formation compounds (acetaldehyde, ethanol and methanol) and sensory attributes were determined at harvest and after 15 days of fruit storage at 1 °C and 95% RH. The ANOVA and PCA plots showed that both cherry varieties and storage conditions affected sensory/chemical quality but the variation caused by cool storage seemed to be dependent on the varieties under study: Ferrovia cherries apparently varied less than Sciazza . The total anthocyanin and its qualitative composition were confirmed to be distinctive of the cherry varieties and important indicators of cool storage.

Abstract: An investigation was carried out on virgin olive oils of the Gentile (Larino), Gentile (Colletorto), Coratina, and Leccino varieties, harvested at different times, to assess their oxidation stability. The olive oils were analyzed by means of peroxide, K232′ and K270 values at 1, 6, 12, and 18 mon of storage in green bottles, in the dark, at temperatures ranging from a mean of 6°C in winter to 12°C in summer. A subsample was also oven-tested at 75°C and then analyzed on a weekly basis using the same oxidative parameters. The less ripe the olives (harvested in the same area during 1 mon), the more resistant the olive oils were to forced oxidation. The amount of total phenols in the oils was found to be directly related, even if to a low degree, to the oleuropein content in the olives and inversely related, to the same degree, to (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol. The latter is a derivative of oleuropein; (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol content increases as the olives ripen, but it is very low in fresh virgin olive oils, owing to the hydrophilic nature of the phenolic alcohol, which goes mainly into the waste-water during processing. Among the varieties considered, Coratina oils showed the highest resistance to forced oxidation because of their high total phenol content.