Recent studies have reported on the utility of audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) in surveys of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors that involve a single assessment. This paper reports the results of a test of ACASI within a longitudinal study of HIV risk behavior and infection. Study participants (gay men (n = 1,974) and injection drug users (n = 903)) were randomly assigned to either ACASI or interviewer-administered assessment at their second follow-up visit 12 months after baseline. Significantly more of the sexually active gay men assessed via ACASI reported having sexual partners who were HIV antibody positive (odds ratio = 1.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.08, 1.72), and a higher proportion reported unprotected receptive anal intercourse. Among injection drug users (IDUs), our hypothesis was partially supported. Significantly more IDUs assessed via ACASI reported using a needle after another person without cleaning it (odds ratio = 2.40, 95% confidence interval: 1.34, 4.30). ACASI-assessed IDUs reported similar rates of needle sharing and needle exchange use but a lower frequency of injection. Participants reported few problems using ACASI, and it was well accepted among members of both risk groups. Sixty percent of the participants felt that the ACASI elicited more honest responses than did interviewer-administered questionnaires. Together, these data are consistent with prior research findings and suggest that ACASI can enhance the quality of behavioral assessment and provide an acceptable method for collecting self-reports of HIV risk behavior in longitudinal studies and clinical trials of prevention interventions.

Recently, to obtain biogas from biomass, an innovative system based on both sustainable intensification of crop rotation and use of by‐products was developed. This system derives from BIOGASDONERIGHT concept, which was put forward with the aim of making more sustainable biogas production. Among the by‐products that could be considered for the anaerobic digestion within this new concept, olive pomace (OP) has been the object of research studies aimed at evaluating its possible reuse for energy purpose in terms of economic sustainability. This possibility is of relevant importance to reduce the environmental burden caused by disposal processes of the residues of olive oil industries. However, to the authors’ knowledge, the amount of processed olives in olive‐producing areas, as well as the correct planning of OP use for energy purposes, has not yet been the object of research activities. Therefore, the aim of this research study was to compute the availability of OP, the main waste from the olive oil industry to be disposed of, by following a methodology which included a geographic information system (GIS) based model that allowed the computation of indicators suitable to describe OP potential production within geographical areas. In the first phase of the study, the spatial distribution of the olive‐producing areas in Sicily, a geographical area of the Mediterranean Basin highly representative of olive oil production, was analyzed. Then, a GIS‐based model, previously defined and applied to evaluate the amount of citrus pulp production, was applied to this case study to estimate OP potential production by the computation of a suitable index. The model required information about olive oil industries, which was gathered by performing specific surveys, and included the computation of indicators regarding olive‐producing areas, the amount of olive oil produced, and the amount of OP obtained. In the second phase of this study, the quantification of OP that can be available for biogas production was carried out at a provincial level in an area described by the highest potential of OP production. The total amount of OP available for biogas production corresponded theoretically to 1.9 million Nm3 biogas. This result proved that OP has a high potential to be converted into a resource for renewable energy production, such as biogas. Therefore, it constituted a potential solution to issues related to the environmental burden of OP disposal. Furthermore, the GIS‐based model applied in this case study, by giving the potential production of OP, could contribute to build an information base aimed at improving the sustainability of biogas sector. In this context, by considering the availability and distribution of other agricultural biomasses, the results of this study could be useful for applications in geographical areas where biogas sector is still developing. In fact, the obtained results could help identifying the best location of new biogas plants in terms of optimization of the logistics of biomasses supply. © 2017...

In recent years, biogas from biomasses has increasingly been considered a feasible alternative to energy from fossil fuel. The utilization of biomasses obtained from citrus processing for juice extraction is being investigated for energy purposes, as a biofuel or organic matrix for bioethanol or biogas extraction, besides for the extraction of high added‐value by‐products and animal feed. In citrus producing areas, uncertainty often exists as to the amount of processed product and, therefore, correct planning of the use of ‘citrus pulp’ for energy purposes has not yet been carried out. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial distribution of the citrus fruit production area and the amount of processed citrus in order to quantify the citrus pulp available for biogas production. It could contribute to build an information base suitable for multi‐criteria analysis aimed at finding optimal locations for biogas plants and increasing their number in a territory. The GIS‐based methodology, which was applied to the case study of citrus pulp production in Sicily, included official statistics data and information derived from specific surveys and the computation of indicators regarding citrus‐producing areas, citrus production, processed production, and the amount of citrus pulp obtained. The results showed that the index that describes the level of availability of citrus pulp for biogas production is suitable to provide information on the potential production of citrus pulp in the different areas of the whole territory analyzed. Furthermore, the total amount of available citrus pulp corresponded theoretically to 15,204,775.8 Nm3 biogas. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

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In this paper, we apply the principles of Biogasdoneright ® to agriculture in Sicily (Italy), or more generally to Mediterranean agriculture. We propose new potential crop rotation schemes using Sorghum spp. drip irrigated second harvest and Italian sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium L.) between two cycles of durum wheat to produce biogas and perhaps biomethane subsequently under the Biogasdoneright system. The Biogasdoneright system is a new model for sustainable biogas production based on sequential cropping and integration with food production. In Sicily, as in other Mediterranean countries, sequential crops and some perennial crops such as Opuntia spp. might be cultivated in environmentally critical areas prone to erosion, desertifi cation, and fi res. Therefore, biogas produced according to the crop rotation schemes as illustrated in this paper avoids competition with food and feed crops, while offering to the Sicilian agricultural sector many agronomic, economic, environmental, and social benefi ts.