Abstract The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is one of the most important starchy foods worldwide due to its low fat content and high nutritional value. This study is the first analysis of the sweet chestnut fruit in forest plantations where the morphological properties are characterized, in terms of caliber, size, shape, and internal cracking, damage, and cavities. The study was based in three sites in Chile, Los Rios Region (39°S), where most of the forest chestnut plantations are located. Scott and Knott test of variance and contingency tables were used as statistical methods for site comparisons. In general, no significant differences in size were found among sites. Moreover, the Chilean forest sweet chestnut can be defined as a small-caliber fruit with slight internal cracking and internal damage and almost no cavities. Therefore, due to its morphological characteristic (especially caliber), it has the potential to be used for secondary food products.

Resumen El castaño (Castanea sativa Mill.) es uno de los frutos almidonados más importantes a nivel global dado su bajo contenido de grasas y alto valor nutricional. En el presente estudio, se caracterizó morfológicamente al fruto del castaño en términos de su calibre, su tamaño (i.e. largo, ancho y grosor), su forma (R1 como la relación entre el ancho sobre el largo y R2 como la relación entre el ancho y el grosor), y también su partición interna, el daño interno y su cavidad interna. El estudio se desarrolló sobre tres rodales ubicados en la Región de Los Rios, Chile (39°S), lugar que concentra la mayor superficie de castaño en Chile. Los rodales se compararon estadísticamente usando la prueba de prueba de Scott y Knott, además de tablas de contingencia. En general, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre rodales. Asimismo, el fruto del castaño estudiado puede ser definido como de calibre pequeño, con una baja partición y daño interno, además de casi nula cavidad. Por lo tanto y dado los resultados (especialmente el de calibre), el fruto analizado proveniente de rodales con fines madereros, tiene un alto potencial como productos secundario, como por ejemplo para mermelada, puré de castañas y harina.

This study analyzed the physical characteristics, number of seeds per kilogram, seed weight, germination characteristics, germination percentage, germination energy, germination period and the germination vigor of sweet chestnut seeds from two forest plantations in the Los Ríos region of Chile. No significant differences were found in any of the characteristics related to the collection zone. Following the international classification systems for seeds of this species, the values of the physical characteristics allow us to classify these seeds as a small caliber or "chestnut". The values of the germination characteristics (>80%) demonstrate a good germination for chestnut seeds of forest origin.

Castaño es una especie que ha despertado interés en Chile como productora de madera y fruto, siendo considerada sujeto de bonificación forestal. Debido al alto costo de una plantación, es necesario disponer de material vegetal de calidad para asegurar el éxito de la inversión, por ello es fundamental conocer antecedentes de las semillas a fin de dimensionar la cantidad requerida para una determinada superficie y la eficiencia en el proceso de producción de plantas. En esta investigación se analizaron para semillas de castaño (Castanea sativa Mill.) provenientes de dos plantaciones forestales de la región de Los Ríos en Chile, las características físicas; Número de semillas por kilogramo y peso de semillas, y las características germinativas de acuerdo a la metodología establecida por la Asociación Internacional de Análisis de Semillas, ISTA (1996), capacidad germinativa, energía germinativa, periodo germinativo y vigor germinativo, a través de siembra y registros diarios de germinación durante un periodo de 91 días. Para el vigor germinativo se utilizó el valor máximo de Czabator. Los análisis se realizaron en el Centro Tecnológico de la Planta Forestal del Instituto Forestal. No se encontraron diferencias significativas atribuibles al efecto de las distintas zonas de colecta en ninguna de las características analizadas. Los valores obtenidos de las características físicas, permiten clasificar estas semillas como de calibre pequeño. Los valores obtenidos para las características germinativas muestran la excelente respuesta a la germinación de las semillas de castaño de origen forestal.

Cancer incidence was investigated in an area which has been affected by the illegal practices of dumping hazardous waste and setting fire to mismanaged waste. For the 35 municipalities of this area that are served by a Cancer Registry, municipal standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and hierarchical Bayesian estimators (BIR) were computed. Moreover, municipal spatial clustering and a Poisson regression by municipality index of waste-related exposure were performed for 10 cancer types. Increased municipality SIRs were found for some cancer types. The BIRs confirmed the increases for liver cancer in two municipalities. Statistically significant clusters were detected for liver, lung, leukaemia and soft tissue sarcomas. In the regression analysis, testis cancer showed significant trend with the index of waste-related exposure (RR = 1.18).

È stata investigata l'incidenza oncologica in un'area interessata da pratiche illegali di smaltimento e di combustione incontrollata di rifiuti. Per i 35 comuni di quest'area serviti da un Registro Tumori sono stati calcolati i rapporti standardizzati di incidenza (standardized incidence ratios, SIR) e gli stimatori bayesiani (BIR). Per 10 sedi tumorali sono state eseguite, inoltre, analisi di cluster spaziali e di regressione con un indice municipale di esposizione a rifiuti. SIR in eccesso sono stati osservati per diverse sedi tumorali; i BIR hanno confermato gli eccessi di tumore epatico in due comuni. I tumori epatici e polmonari, le leucemie e i sarcomi dei tessuti molli hanno mostrato cluster significativi. Nell'analisi di regressione il tumore del testicolo ha mostrato un trend in eccesso significativo (RR = 1,18).

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible association between occurrence of soft tissue sarcomas in Verona (Italy) and residence near a steel foundry, whose emissions of dioxin-like compounds may be relevant. Exposure to total suspended particulate (TSP) emitted from the plant as estimated by ADMS-urban dispersion model was used as an indirect index of exposure to dioxin-like compounds. Verona municipality was divided in six subareas according to the decreasing levels of estimated TSP exposure, and soft tissue sarcomas cases were mapped according to residence at time of diagnosis. Standardized incidence ratios were computed. No statistically significant departures between observed and expected cases were detected as illustrated by trend-test results.

Lo scopo dello studio è stato di valutare la possibile associazione tra l'incidenza dei sarcomi dei tessuti molli a Verona (Italia) e la residenza in prossimità di una fonderia le cui emissioni di sostanze diossino-simili possono essere rilevanti. L'esposizione al particolato sospeso totale (TSP) emesso dalla fonderia, stimato secondo il modello di dispersione ADMS-urban, è stato usato come un indicatore indiretto dell'esposizione alle sostanze diossino-simili. Il comune di Verona è stato suddiviso in sei sottoaree secondo i livelli decrescenti di esposizione stimati tramite il TSP e i casi di sarcomi dei tessuti molli sono stati mappati secondo la residenza al momento della diagnosi. Sono stati stimati i tassi standardizzati di incidenza. Non è stato osservato uno scostamento significativo tra gli osservati e gli attesi come dimostrato dai risultati del trend-test.