Consumer Perception and Willingness to Pay for Local Food

A growing number of empirical studies recently investigated consumers' valuation for local food products. However, different aspects related to the local food consumption still remain vague or unexplored. As such, the objective of the present research is to fulfill the existing literature using a mixed methodological approach for the investigation of consumers' preferences and Willingness to Pay (WTP) for local food products. First of all, local food is still a blurred concept and this factor might be source of individuals' misperception for the local origin meaning. Therefore, a qualitative research has been performed in order to investigate the meaning and the perception of the local food in the Italian food market. Results from this analysis have been used as inputs for the building of a non-hypothetical Real Choice Experiment (RCE) to estimate consumers' WTP for locally and organically produced apple sauce. The contribution of this study is three-fold: (1) consumers' valuation for the local origin is interpreted in terms of regional borders, over the organic food claim in case of an unusual food product in the area of interest, (2) the interaction between individuals' personality traits and consumers’ preferences for local and organic foods is analyzed, (3) the role of Commitment Cost creation in consumers' choice making in case of uncertainty due to the use of a novel food product and of an unconventional food claim is investigated. Results suggest that consumers are willing to pay a higher price premium for organic over locally produced apple sauce, possibly because of the presence of a regulated certification. In accordance with Commitment Cost theory, the organic label might thus decrease consumers' uncertainty for the features of the product in question. Results also indicate that individuals' personality can be source of heterogeneity in consumers' preferences.

"Love you two" di Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli: Tradurre un romanzo Young Adult di un'autrice italo-australiana

Lo scopo di questa Tesi di Laurea è quello di offrire una proposta di traduzione in italiano del romanzo LGBTQ per Young Adults Love You Two, di Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli. Quest'opera esplora temi delicati, come la bisessualità e il poliamore, dal punto di vista di una adolescente che scopre la propria identità e quella della sua famiglia italo-australiana. Questo studio fornisce inoltre una panoramica del contesto socio-culturale e letterario in cui il romanzo è stato pubblicato. Oltre ad esaminare le caratteristiche del libro, come genere letterario e tipologia, intenzionalità dell'autore, tematiche, funzione, stile e pubblico, si offre un'analisi dettagliata della strategia applicata nel processo traduttivo, che tende a conferire al testo un leggero effetto straniante, tale da evidenziarne le specificità culturale. La presente ricerca è stata condotta in parte in Australia presso la University of Melbourne e la Deakin University e si configura come un tentativo di mostrare la necessità e la possibilità di tradurre e pubblicare letteratura LGBT per ragazzi e ragazze in Italia.

"Wish you well": proposta di sottotitolaggio e analisi dell'adattamento cinematografico

L'obiettivo di questa tesi è avanzare una proposta di sottotiolaggio del film "Wish you well" (2013), tratto dal romanzo omonimo di David Baldacci. Nel primo capitolo viene fatta una breve introduzione alla Traduzione Audiovisiva, dalla sua nascita, alla sua evoluzione e alle varie tipologie presenti al giorno d'oggi. Nel secondo capitolo viene affrontato nei dettagli il sottotitolaggio, concentrandosi in particolare modo sulle norme che lo regolano. Nel terzo capitolo viene trattato il genere cinematografico rappresentato dal film, ovvero la trasposizione cinematografica, facendo riferimento alle varie teorie che trattano l'argomento, così come ai metodi pratici con cui i testi letterari sono adattati per il cinema. Nel quarto capitolo viene analizzato il sottotitolaggio del progetto, prima presentando il prodotto a partire dal romanzo da cui è tratto e dal rapporto dell'autore con l'opera, per arrivare ad una analisi precisa sia della caratterizzazione dei personaggi, sia delle difficoltà tecniche affrontare e di come abbiano influito sulle scelte di traduzione. Infine nel capitolo 5 vengono tratte le conclusioni sull'esperienza del processo di sottotitolaggio.

Intracellular imaging of nanoparticles: is it an elemental mistake to believe what you see?

In order to understand how nanoparticles (NPs <100 nm) interact with cellular systems, potentially causing adverse effects, it is important to be able to detect and localize them within cells. Due to the small size of NPs, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an appropriate technique to use for visualizing NPs inside cells, since light microscopy fails to resolve them at a single particle level. However, the presence of other cellular and non-cellular nano-sized structures in TEM cell samples, which may resemble NPs in size, morphology and electron density, can obstruct the precise intracellular identification of NPs. Therefore, elemental analysis is recommended to confirm the presence of NPs inside the cell. The present study highlights the necessity to perform elemental analysis, specifically energy filtering TEM, to confirm intracellular NP localization using the example of quantum dots (QDs). Recently, QDs have gained increased attention due to their fluorescent characteristics, and possible applications for biomedical imaging have been suggested. Nevertheless, potential adverse effects cannot be excluded and some studies point to a correlation between intracellular particle localization and toxic effects. J774.A1 murine macrophage-like cells were exposed to NH2 polyethylene (PEG) QDs and elemental co-localization analysis of two elements present in the QDs (sulfur and cadmium) was performed on putative intracellular QDs with electron spectroscopic imaging (ESI). Both elements were shown on a single particle level and QDs were confirmed to be located inside intracellular vesicles. Nevertheless, ESI analysis showed that not all nano-sized structures, initially identified as QDs, were confirmed. This observation emphasizes the necessity to perform elemental analysis when investigating intracellular NP localization using TEM.

Stab or throw? Biomechanical studies on the injuring potential of glass fragments

During a Christmas party, two male guests started fighting. The perpetrator was allegedly pushed onto a glass table by the victim or fell into the table together with that man so that the glass top broke and caused a cut wound on the perpetrator's back. According to his statement he then threw a fragment of the broken glass table in the direction of the other man hitting him accidentally in a way so that the subclavian artery was severed and he died from exsanguination. Tests on the breaking characteristics of the glass table, the flying behaviour and the kinetics of thrown glass fragments conducted on various models supported the conclusion that the fatal injury on the victim's neck could not have been caused by a thrown glass fragment. It was much more likely that a stab with a blade-shaped glass fragment was the cause of the fatal injuries.