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Information technology poses many challenges both to general management and to the IT industry itself. After extrapolating some of the technological trends that could have significant impacts on commercial and public sector IT in the 1990, the paper reviews four major challenges. These are the need to develop IT strategies, both nationally and for individual organisations; the need to create alliances: the need to avoid misalliances; mechanisms for converting ideas into action. A considerable emphasis is placed on the need to understand the managerial environment within which IT is used, and to see IT as only one element within wider organisational systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: A number of food quality schemes may be associated with dairy products, promoting specific production methods (e.g., organic) as well as products obtained from a narrow area of origin (e.g., protected designation of origin, PDO). The coexistence of multiple labels is less investigated in the literature, even if its role in consumer studies could reveal interesting hints for both the stakeholders in the production chains (e.g., to target marketing strategies) and for consumers, who could access more precise information about the origin and the production processes. In this study, we provide evidence of consumers' preferences and willingness to pay for cheese products (Comté and Parmigiano Reggiano) in two EU countries (France and Italy, respectively). We found how consumers' choices varied by combining the PDO label with other quality features (i.e., the organic label in France, and the Mountain Product label in Italy). Still, price remained the most important factor influencing consumers' decisions; however, we found how combined food quality labels could influence consumers' choices. We found different market segments in the two countries presenting more positive attitudes towards quality-labeled food products, thus providing stakeholders with helpful information on how to develop tailored marketing strategies. The paper examined the potential demand for a food specialty dairy product, cheese, with alternative multiple labels. A random-parameter logit model was applied to interpret the results of online discrete choice experiments (DCE) for the elicitation of the preference of the cheese consumers surveyed in two European countries, France (n = 400) and Italy (n = 408). We analyzed consumers' choices of quality-labeled cheeses, i.e., protected-designation-of-origin (PDO)-labeled Parmigiano Reggiano and Comté. Other features were tested, such as organic (Comté) and Mountain Product (Parmigiano Reggiano) labels, companies' brands and price. The paper contributes to the literature on credence attributes by examining consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for differentiated cheese products in two EU countries, and by identifying the effects of personal characteristics, in terms of socio-demographics and level of product involvement, on the differences in preferences. The results show that price was the most important attribute in both countries, followed by the PDO quality label, particularly when paired with the second quality feature. Two cheese consumer segments were identified via latent class models in each country, helping producers to improve their marketing of agri-food products with a high gastronomic value and differentiation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspiracy Beliefs (CB) are a key vector of violent extremism, radicalism and unconventional political events. So far, social‐psychological research has extensively documented how cognitive, emotional and intergroup factors can promote CB. Evidence also suggests that adherence to CB moves along social class lines: low‐income and low‐education are among the most robust predictors of CB. Yet, the potential role of precarity—the subjective experience of permanent insecurity stemming from objective material strain—in shaping CB remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we propose for the first time a socio‐functional model of CB. We test the hypothesis that precarity could foster increased CB because it undermines trust in government and the broader political 'elites'. Data from the World Value Survey (n = 21,650; Study 1, electoral CB) and from representative samples from polls conducted in France (n = 1760, Study 2a, conspiracy mentality) and Italy (n = 2196, Study 2b, COVID‐19 CB), corroborate a mediation model whereby precarity is directly and indirectly associated with lower trust in authorities and higher CB. In addition, these links are robust to adjustment on income, self‐reported SES and education. Considering precarity allows for a truly social‐psychological understanding of CB as the by‐product of structural issues (e.g. growing inequalities). Results from our socio‐functional model suggest that implementing solutions at the socio‐economic level could prove efficient in fighting CB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars (1796-1801), several epidemic outbreaks sparked acrimonious aetiological debates: were the fevers spread by soldiers and prisoners of war, or produced by environmental factors? This debate was not only a scientific issue, but also a political one, for causation was linked to accountability. Looking at a series of medical investigations written by French military practitioners, this paper argues that theories of contagion were used by civilians to accuse the army of spreading disease, in what I describe as an "aetiology of blame." Likewise, military officials attempted to absolve themselves of responsibility for the spread of disease by focusing on unwholesome environments, depicting diseases as unavoidable fatalities. Military doctors thus supported French imperial endeavours by obscuring the army's responsibility for the spread of diseases, putting forward aetiologies of fate and blaming individual behaviour. Even when they did not radically dismiss contagionist perspectives, military practitioners insisted on a wide range of pathogenic causes. Their discourses were in line with medical theories of the time, but they downplayed the responsibility of the army for the spread of diseases, which they depicted as a factor among others. Military doctors were thus not always involved in the direct and deliberate production of ignorance, but they did sustain controversies and uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the problem of the determination of yearly maximum energy producibility in terms of optimum tilt angle for solar surfaces is addressed with reference to 216 locations in France and Italy. Original correlations are proposed to calculate the optimal surface slope as a correction parameter to be applied to the local latitude angle. The correction factor formulas are based on local climate conditions and have been inferred from local monthly insolation data (12-year global and diffuse irradiance, PV-GIS-SARAH platform). An optimization problem is solved aimed at maximizing the yearly collectable energy by a sloped surface, in a range of azimuth values (from South Facing to East Facing), for all the selected locations. Different equation forms have been investigated and compact and accurate formulas have been developed able to provide the optimal tilt as a function of latitude, surface azimuth and clearness parameters. The accuracy of the proposed formulas resulted in a correlation coefficient with respect to the "exact" tilt angles higher than 0.93 for azimuth angles till 60°. Proposed formulas allow up to a 4% increase in collectable solar energy, corresponding, as an example, to a virtual increase in PV module efficiency from 21% to 21.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long bone breakage for bone marrow recovery is a commonly observed practice in Middle Palaeolithic contexts, regardless of the climatic conditions. While lithic technology is largely used to define cultural patterns in human groups, despite dedicating research by zooarchaeologists, for now butchering techniques rarely allowed the identification of clear traditions, notably for ancient Palaeolithic periods. In this paper, we test the hypothesis of butchery traditions among Neandertal groupsusing the bone assemblages from three sites in southwestern Europe. These sites are located in southeastern France and northern Italy and are dated to the Late Middle Palaeolithic: Abri du Maras (Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 4–3, Ardèche), Saint-Marcel (MIS 3, Ardèche), and Riparo Tagliente (MIS 4–3, Verona). The detection of culturally-induced patterns of bone breakage involves differentiating them from intuitively generated patterns. To tackle this issue, we used a zooarchaeological approach focusing on the percussion marks produced during the bone breakage process. Statistical analyses as the chi-square test of independence were employed to verify if percussion mark locations were randomly distributed, and if these distributions were different from the intuitive ones. For femurs and humeri, our results demonstrate that Neandertal groups occupying the Abri du Maras (levels 4.1 and 4.2) and the Saint-Marcel Cave (levels g and h) sites in France applied butchery traditions to recover yellow marrow. However, the traditions developed at each site were different. On the contrary, in Riparo Tagliente, in Italy, several groups or individuals of a same group did not share the same butchery traditions over time. Regarding the Abri du Maras and Saint Marcel Cave assemblages, our research demonstrates that Neandertal groups applied intense standardized bone breakage, far from the intuitive practice observed experimentally and related to bone density and/or skeletal morphology. These standardized patterns, which are systematic and counter-intuitive, can be interpreted as culturally induced for the Abri du Maras and Saint Marcel Cave. The diversity of Neandertal traditions should be considered by taking into account the butchery, in particular the practice of bone marrow extraction, and not only technological behaviours and types of tool kits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature has often used the term "populism" as a sensitizing concept to inquire the increasing relevance of right‐wing political organizations in Western countries, specifically in rural areas and marginalized territories (e.g., deindustrialized districts). The spread of populism appears as a consequence of the multidimensional failure of globalized neoliberal capitalist promises of prosperity. In this frame, the current climate agenda is challenged because it is perceived as a source of socio‐territorial marginalization and depletion. Local oppositions against green facilities in rural areas and right‐populist political forces seem to converge in a common discursive frame. The paper proposes some considerations on the "energy populism" by exploring the phenomenon in France (in Occitanie) and Italy (in Basilicata). The comparison allows us to discuss and problematize the possible links between the reception of renewable policies in rural areas and the attempt of populist movements to become spokesmen for local resistance. The main hypothesis is that the sense of dispossession and non‐involvement perceived by the rural population on renewables finds in the populist rhetoric a coherent and effective discursive framework to represent their issues. However, research suggests that the link between local opposition to renewables and populist organizations is weak and instrumental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 13rd October 2016 the Chiostergi-Tuscher archive and library, originating from the heirs' house located in France (Saint-Cergues Les Voirons), was transferred to the Centro cooperativo mazziniano "Pensiero e Azione" in Senigallia. The paper reports about how this remarkable heritage of Chiostergi-Tuscher was retrieved and returned to Italy after thirty years. The collection includes correspondences, letters, diaries, documents, journals and papers, pictures, books, posters and other archival and bibliographic materials of great historical value to learn about the political, civic and cultural activities of Giuseppe Chiostergi (1899-1961), anti-fascist, member of the Italian Constituent Assembly and of Parliament, ambassador, pro-European and statesman, friend and correspondent to leading Italian and European personalities in the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the media are ascribed much power in discussions about far-right politics, to date the communicative dimension of extreme right mobilization received little rigorous scholarly attention. To address this gap, this paper addresses the media practices of the extreme right, offering an empirical study of two emerging social movement organizations of this area: CasaPound Italia in Italy and Les Identitaires in France. Rather than treating them as incidental beneficiaries of media populism, the paper disentangles the various ways in which these groups interact with the mass media, discussing the forms and meaning of their activism in relation to extreme right political culture, and differentiating between inward-oriented and outward-oriented media practices. Based on ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with far-right militants, the paper shows that media practices not only try to respond to the demands of the media environment in which the groups are embedded, but also seek to reinforce the groups' internal organization and hierarchy, building collective symbolic imagery, and ensuring ideological consistency among activists and sympathizers. In so doing, the paper offers initial insight on how protest movements of the extreme right consolidate their profile and become recognizable in the public sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines young people's experiences of open access youth work in settings in the UK, Finland, Estonia, Italy and France. It analyses 844 individual narratives from young people, which communicate the impact of youthwork on their lives. These accounts are then analysed in the light of the European youth work policy goals. It concludes that it is encouraging that what young people identify as the positive impact of youth work are broadly consistent with many of these goals. There are however some disparities which require attention. These include the importance young people place on the social context of youth work, such as friendship, which is largely absent in EU youth work policy; as well as the importance placed on experiential learning. The paper also highlights a tension between 'top down' policy formulation and the 'youth centric' practices of youth work. It concludes with a reminder to policy makers that for youth work to remain successful the spaces and places for young people must remain meaningful to them 'on their terms'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What part do food practices have in gender identification processes? How do they reveal wider reconfigurations of masculinity models? This article is based on findings from a sociological qualitative research on men (40–63 years old) living in France and Italy. This paper examines how men regard their food practices as a core activity to prevent or cure illness and delaying the aging process. In adopting healthy food practices regarded by the interviewees as "alternative" or "dissident" (e.g., fasting, vegetarianism, veganism) men viewed their masculinity as being challenged – especially by other men. Thus, they seek new strategies to assert dominant profiles in gender hierarchies by negotiating new forms of masculinities through monitoring their health and wellbeing. Interestingly, the findings show that, by doing this, men both adhere to eating habits that themselves may define as feminine and use these supposedly feminine food practices as a tool for shaping dominant masculinities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In France and Italy – like all the countries of the European Union – the proportion of higher education graduates in the working population has continued to increase. At the same time, the number of jobs requiring this level of education has not grown as quickly. In France and Italy, this has meant a decrease in the proportion of tertiary graduates who occupy managerial positions, and a growing share of these graduates hold jobs as middle and low ranking employees. Several studies have investigated the phenomenon of professional downgrading, focusing on its structural determinants and socio-economic implications at the national level and examining international differences. Nevertheless, only a few studies explore disparities in over-education and compare nations at the regional level. By addressing the need for a spatial approach to this subject, which is so far lacking in the scientific literature, this paper examines the downgrading of higher education graduates in Italy and France at the regional level and discusses the real occupational returns for high levels of education. Using data from the Italian and French censuses, the findings of this analysis show significant sub-regional heterogeneities regarding access to managerial positions for graduates according to the territorial unit observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three European countries included in the northwest littoral of the Mediterranean region – Italy, France and Spain – reported their first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus early in 2020. The subsequent epidemic strongly impacted these countries, challenging the healthcare systems efficiency, and the capacity and transparency of their public statistics structures. Because public statistics were not fully adapted to such a new health situation, the available official data could not wholly describe the epidemic correctly. This paper developed an indicator derived from the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 aiming to describe the time and spatial dynamics of the epidemic. Although the analysis was not applied to France due to the lack of data available, the comparative analysis among Spain and Italy highlighted some similarities and certain divergences, partially attributable to the features of each country‘s national demographic patterns and the peculiarities of applied health protocols. Finally, mortality during the first wave of the epidemic has been analysed for the three countries, demonstrating higher mortality index in Spain, although the reported number of SARS-CoV-2 declared deaths does not explain a portion of this mortality excess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is accumulating of the negative impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and related public health measures on mental health. In this emergent field, there has been little research into the role of risk perception on depressive symptoms and the contribution of health‐care resources to model risk perception and mental health. The aim of this paper is to describe the relationship between individual‐level perception of risk and depression, controlling for a set of confounders and for country‐level heterogeneity. A cross‐sectional and observational online survey was conducted using a non‐probability snowball sampling technique. We use data on 11,340 respondents, living in six European countries (Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Poland, Czech Republic) who completed survey questionnaires during the first months of the pandemic. We used a fixed‐effect approach, which included individual and macro‐level variables. The findings suggest that a high proportion of people suffering from depression and heightened risk perception is positively associated with reporting depressive symptoms, even if this relationship varies significantly between countries. Moreover, the association is moderated by contextual factors including health‐care expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, hospital beds for acute care, and number of medical specialists per head of population. Investment in health care offers a concrete means of protecting the mental health of a population living under pandemic restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains the lecture notes of the short courses given by one of us (F.Z.) at the summer school Fundamental Problems in Statistical Physics XV , held in Brunico, Italy, in July 2021, and, just before that, at the summer school Glassy Systems and Inter-Disciplinary Applications , held in Cargese, France, in June 2021. The course was a short introductory overview of the dynamics of disordered systems, focused in particular on the equilibrium dynamics (with the associated glass transition), and on the simplest case of off-equilibrium dynamics, namely gradient descent. A few selected topics (and references) are chosen, based on the authors' own taste and competences, and on pedagogical reasons, without aiming at a complete review of the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the role played by knowledge spillovers in the firm productivity of two European countries, namely France and Italy. A quantile regression approach has been used to investigate the spillovers-productivity nexus across countries and quantiles. Moreover, in order to distinguish between the different sources of knowledge spillovers, a distinction is made between R&D spillovers from firms in the same sector and geographical region, same sector but different regions and the same geographical area but different sectors. Results suggest heterogeneity across countries and quantiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) is the method of choice for men with lower urinary tract symptoms who need to drain retained urine from the bladder. It is preferred to using an indwelling urinary catheter as it has lower risks of complications and catheter-associated urinary tract infection. Learning ISC can be challenging for men initially but, with the support of knowledgeable nurses experienced in teaching ISC, the technique can be learned, accepted and normalised, improving symptom control and quality of life. This paper discusses the results of a survey exploring men's experiences of learning ISC with the Hydrosil Go™ (C.R. Bard Inc—now part of Becton, Dickinson and Company) silicone catheter and to highlight issues important to men when learning and living with ISC. The survey collected data from four countries: UK, France, Netherlands and Italy. It aims to help nurses who teach ISC and inform them to discuss what matters to men when learning and living with ISC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to contribute to a more nuanced discourse on vaccination policy. Current polarization between either mandatory and entirely voluntary is misleading, as virtually all immunization programs feature a combination of instruments that comprise mandatory and voluntary elements. We develop this argument by presenting five case studies from the European Union (EU). By systematically acknowledging the nuances of political and institutional varieties, we build the case for reframing the terms of the debate in the EU and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A MIMO GB-SAR system called MELISSA was put in place to monitor landslides in Italy and the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise liner in France. It comprises 12 pyramidal horn antennas placed in a linear geometry for transmission, and these are used in the detection of the motion of a target (for example a landslide or other terrestrial deformation). The low half power beam width (19.76° at θ = 90°) of the transmitting radiation pattern of MELISSA results in low coverage area of the target. This paper proposes two alternative types of horn antenna for the current transmitter module of MELISSA, namely the cantenna and coaxial cavity horn antenna, for installation in a 2×6 planar antenna array. A higher value of the 3 dB beamwidth is observed using these arrays (38.320 at θ = 90° and 104.80 at φ = 0° for the cantenna array and 410 at θ = 90° and 140.40 at φ = 0° for the coaxial cavity horn antenna array). The overall gain of the proposed systems is around 10 dBi, and the efficiencies are between 85% and 90%. Using the Dolph Chebyshev beamforming technique on the proposed antenna arrays yields a zero sidelobe level, which improves the overall peak sidelobe ratio of the system and in turn the quality of the images obtained. Our proposed design for the transmitting section of the MELISSA system has applications terrestrial deformation monitoring with higher area coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper proposes an analysis concerning the impact of the reduction of the net electricity flow between France and Italy due to the phase out of French nuclear power plants. The analysis is performed by using a bid stack model which offers an approximate, but reliable representation of the Italian power system, as shown by extensive validation on historical data. The study takes into account sixteen scenarios given by the combination of different assumptions on the operating life of French nuclear reactors, fuel price, renewables development and demand level. Furthermore, a Business As Usual scenario is implemented as reference case. The results have shown that some scenarios determine tight conditions for the Italian power market and provoke an increase of the clean spark of 13 €/MWh with respect to the Business As Usual scenario. At the same time, an increase of the load factor of gas turbines from 0.5% to 4% is also detected. This situation requires substantial interventions in order to re-balance the system. On the contrary, scenarios which imply a more aggressive development of renewables and low increase of the demand, even in the case of a relevant phase out of nuclear capacity in France, do not determine tight conditions on the Italian power market, therefore it is not necessary to adopt particular measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Sarcoma Policy Checklist was created by a multidisciplinary expert group to provide policymakers with priority areas to improve care for sarcoma patients.Main Body: This paper draws on this research, by looking more closely at how France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are addressing each of these priority areas. It aims to highlight key gaps in research, policy and practice, as well as ongoing initiatives that may impact the future care of sarcoma patients in different European countries. A pragmatic review of the published and web-based literature was undertaken. Telephone interviews were conducted in each country with clinical and patient experts to substantiate findings. Research findings were discussed within the expert group and developed into five core policy recommendations. The five identified priority areas were: the development of designated and accredited centres of reference; more professional training; multidisciplinary care; greater incentives for research and innovation; and more rapid access to effective treatments. Most of the countries studied have ongoing initiatives addressing many of these priorities; however, many are in early stages of development, or require additional funding and resources.Conclusion: Gaps in access to quality care are particularly concerning in many of Europe's lower-resourced countries. Equitable access to information, clinical trials, innovative treatments and quality specialist care should be available to all sarcoma patients. Achieving this across Europe will require close collaboration between all stakeholders at both the national and European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In many countries, important features of municipal government (such as the electoral system, mayors' salaries, and the number of councillors) depend on whether the municipality is above or below arbitrary population thresholds. Several papers have used a regression discontinuity design (RDD) to measure the effects of these threshold‐based policies on political and economic outcomes. Using evidence from France, Germany, and Italy, we highlight two common pitfalls that arise in exploiting population‐based policies (compound treatment and sorting), and we provide guidance for detecting and addressing these pitfalls. Even when these problems are present, population‐threshold RDD may be the best available research design for studying the effects of certain policies and political institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews observational courses developed for teachers and social workers in Italy and France over the past 10 years, with a view to gaining a more nuanced understanding of how these professionals are helped to observe and hold in mind and process what a child and they themselves may be experiencing in a given situation. The paper uses examples to illustrate what has been gained by these initiatives and discusses the results in a way that is intended to inform future training and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Public health and preventive medicine (PHPM) has been recognized internationally as a physician specialty, but national parallels and differences exist between training contexts. This paper reviews PHPM training and employment in Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Methods: Information gathered from relevant accreditation bodies and literature searches was used to create descriptive profiles of national training demographics and structure and a narrative outlining trends and challenges facing the specialty. Results: Notable similarities and differences exist between national contexts. Key themes were differences in training strategies and practice scope, specialty stakeholders, certification structure, and funding. Recognition challenges faced the specialty across all six countries. Other challenges included unclear competencies and training strategies and a need for PHPM specialists to highlight their role in combating population health threats. Additional differences existed between comparator countries on the structure of training, funding sources for training programs, availability of training posts, and linkages with other physician specialties. Conclusion: Highlighting these themes is a first step to fostering training collaborations between PHPM specialist physicians to augment transnational action on global public health challenges and also supports PHPM physician educators with innovative solutions from abroad that might address domestic specialty challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The protective properties of organic coated galvanised steel for outdoor applications are generally evaluated by means of accelerated laboratory tests, including electrochemical techniques. An open question is how these accelerated tests can be correlated with natural exposure in different environments. It is well known that many papers did not found any significant correlation between the natural exposure and laboratory tests. In this paper we propose a different approach. The starting point is the consideration to define the natural weathering by monitoring a few different environmental parameters affecting the organic coatings properties (energy from UV radiation, wet time, temperature, etc.), and not just considering the time of exposure. We studied two different galvanised materials: Zn and Zn–Al coatings, three different primers and one top coat. The samples were exposed for 12 months in three different natural environments: Trento (Italy), alpine region, Marseille (France) by the Mediterranean sea and Daytona (USA), a humid tropical environment. At the same time all the meteorological parameters were collected. The coatings weathering was evaluated in the laboratory after some different accelerated tests (salt spray chamber, UV exposure, cyclic test) and after natural exposure. A correlation between the “natural stresses” and the “artificial stresses” was investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spain is one of the main truffle-producing countries in the world, and truffle (Tuber spp.) cultivation in this country is currently undergoing a considerable surge. This work describes the Spanish research history and we list the Spanish references. Until 1993 the Spanish bibliography on truffles was very limited (28 references). However in the last 12 years, Spanish research has produced 200 references on truffles, developed in 13 centres (6 doctoral theses, 67 papers in international scientific congresses, 49 papers in Spanish scientific congresses, 7 documents on websites, 51 published Spanish papers, 12 published articles, and 8 papers submitted to international journals listed in the Journal Citation Report). Moreover, a comparative analysis of truffle research production in Spain, France, and Italy has shown how truffle research in Spain is now on a par with that of France, although it is still lower than Italian truffle research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to investigate the role assigned to state schools in France and Italy in constructing social cohesion and a common citizenship. The theme will be treated by individuating three different stages of a process of progressive mutual rapprochement between state and civil society. From the separatist phase, passing through an intermediate time denoted by a ‘totalitarian’ reaction, to the present time, the paper illustrates the dynamics and the substance of the action of the state as an ‘educative’ actor. In particular, the different characteristics of the French and Italian approaches to civic education will be pointed out by emphasising the different role attributed to the Catholic Church in nation building in the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thesis of this paper is that governments of some otherwise enlightened states are increasingly fearful of acknowledging the restraints imposed on them by existing international law. They are also reluctant to enter into new commitments by way of international conventions that would expand the reach of international law. The paper asks whether these fears are based on a true understanding of international law or on some distorted view of it. It will draw comparisons and some contrasts between Australia and the United States in their reactions to a number of recent events as well as to some enduring situations of contemporary relevance. Had time (and the limits of my research) permitted, one might also have examined public attitudes toward international law in China, Japan, and Russia in this context, where similar fears appear to be entertained. France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, also enlightened states, appear by contrast to belong to a group more dedicated to international law. As Robert Kagan has recently remarked, the experience of two world wars at close quarters, and the formation of the European Union, have made the European countries more dedicated to process, where the United States is more interested in results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Career decisions are amongst the most important we make. Unsurprisingly, much published research exists on this particular aspect of career behaviour. However, the overwhelming majority of studies have been carried out on young people making initial career decisions. This paper extends our understanding by examining how mid-career adults in three European countries (Denmark, France and Italy) actually make career decisions. Characteristic patterns of behaviour recur when individuals approach points of transition or of crisis; each of these transitioning styles is illustrated by an iconic case. Emergent findings support the growing body of evidence that challenges the dominant policy and practice orthodoxy, which places rationality at the centre of the process, by recognising the importance of emotion and context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Food traceability standards aim to reduce the risk of food-borne disease by facilitating the withdrawal of food and feed products and to provide consumers with targeted information. This paper analyses consumers' attitude and behaviour towards traceable food in two different European countries: Italy and France. A survey has been conducted on two samples of Italian ( n = 503) and French ( n = 501) consumers, aiming to explain the intention toward purchasing traceable food using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The predictive power of the TPB model significantly increases in both countries when new variables are added: habits, trust, past behaviour and socio-demographics. The results show that attitudes drive the intention to purchase traceable chicken and honey in France. Trust affects the intention to purchase traceable chicken and honey in Italy. These findings may serve to target public interventions and private strategies towards food traceability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been medicalized in the United States since the 1960s. Primarily used in North America until the 1990s, ADHD diagnosis and treatment have increasingly been applied internationally. After documenting the expansion of ADHD in a global context, this paper presents five brief international examples examining ADHD usage and expansion: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Brazil. We then identify and describe several vehicles that facilitate the migration of the ADHD diagnosis: the transnational pharmaceutical industry; the influence of western psychiatry; moving from ICD to DSM diagnostic criteria; the role of the Internet including the related advent of easily accessible online screening checklists; and advocacy groups. Finally, we discuss what this globalization of a diagnosis reflects about the potential global medicalization of other conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we seek to unveil the intricacies of Roma migration in the north of France and the shift in the public discourse calling for the protection of human rights. In the first part of the article, we will establish the general framework for the migration of the Roma population in the region of Lille, France and Romanians' perception regarding this matter. In this paper, we attempt to present, in a concrete manner, how the faults in the management of immigration and politics have influenced the alleged relationship between ethnicity and crime, taking into account concepts such as Roma population exclusion, poverty and marginalisation at home and abroad. Moreover, we will show the important changes presented by the public opinion, taking into consideration several highly publicized events that cast a shadow upon the situation of the Roma population in the region. After the Romanian integration in the European Union, the issue of the Roma people has been discussed by the media from all parts of the continent, sliding from a tone of disapproval to proclaiming the need to take political measures. The migration of Roma Romanians in the north of France is a result of an influx of immigrants that grew in the last five years. The dramatic changes happened, especially after 2007, and were followed by a stabilization of migration flows after Romania joined the European Union. As expected, the latest statistics on Romanian immigrants into the French community continue to indicate their important presence in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outside of its national boundaries, studies regarding twentieth-century Italian occultism have been sorely lacking. While the role of occultism and occultists in nations such as England, Germany, France and the United States has been studied in detail, the events and main characters that influenced the esoteric circles in early twentieth-century Italy have been mostly neglected or relegated to very cursory enquiries. It is my intention in this paper to focus on the theme of a Pagan new beginning for the newly reunited Italy, first sketching a historical portrayal of the influence that the idea of Ancient Rome had on both artists and occultists, then utilizing recently discovered archival material, to focus on poet and playwright Roggero Musmeci Ferrari Bravo and his tragedy on the birth of Rome, Rumon Sacrae Romae Origines, viewing the play as an attempt to mass-initiate the audience to the alleged palingenetic virtues of Roman traditionalism, in view of a new Italian renaissance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past two decades in Western European societies have been marked by a decline in fertility rates together with an increase in women's work-force participation. This has given rise to a massive transformation in traditional patterns of relationships, especially in gender roles and family size. This paper will examine the outcome of the birth of a child and link this outcome to specific family policies in Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The outcome of the birth of a child will be measured in the data by comparing the pre-child-birth income and its sources to the post-child-birth income and its sources. How does the financial impact of having a child differ in different countries? What is the impact of the compensation provided by the state in terms of transfer benefits for families? What is the impact on women's labor force activity? What are the changes in the wage income of the family members? This research uses the Consortium of Household panels for European socio-economic Research (CHER) longitudinal panel from 1990 to 2001 in the 10 European countries. Data provide for a detailed cross-national comparison before and after the birth of a child for market work, wage income, and public transfer income, including family benefits. The results indicate that there are important differences among the European countries studied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Historians have underlined the importance of Italy's history from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance in shaping the republican paradigm. The sources examined in this paper reveal something different. Eighteenth-century writers – especially those from the Kingdom of Naples – drew their republican ideas from other models: the republics of the Ancient World and, above all, from the Italian peoples of the era before they were colonized by Rome. They regarded the republics of early modern Italy, by contrast, as examples of domestic discord, aristocratic rule and weakness in the international arena. First the American Revolution and then, above all, the French Revolution reinforced the connection between the republic and democracy, especially representative democracy. Between 1796 and 1799, Italy experienced a multitude of republics in both the institutional and political meaning of the term, but although the French Revolution gave birth to a new form of republicanism, it was one that would not flourish in Italy in the age of the Risorgimento. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Studying long term-evolution of gravitational slope evolution is a key to understanding deep-seated landslide processes. This paper deals with three large Deep-Seated Landslides (DSLs) at a front of a subalpine meridional chain, on the “La Marbrière” slope near the town of Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes, France). The geological framework controlling the stability and morphology of the DSLs is associated with thick and tamped Triassic layers of mudstone with gypsum overlain by highly faulted Jurassic limestone. Gravitational deformation affects the entire slope, involving a movement of about 1.1×108 m3 of rock material. It creates large disturbances in landscape morphology, such as scarps, counter-slope scarps, trenches and other typical gravitational morpho-structures. Geomorphological mapping coupled with deep electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) reveals a strong correlation between these morpho-structures and inherited brittle tectonic features. This observation relies on spatial and geometrical relations (on the surface and at the depth of more than 150m, checked by ERT) between the most persistent fault and the gravitational morpho-structures. The specific distribution of the morpho-structures on the basis of their morphological typologies and variations in the stage of evolution of three DSLs provides an interpretation of their kinematics during the last 400ka. It appears that soft substratums combined with inherited persistent anisotropies are key factors in the development of the DSLs. Indeed, outflow of mudstone due to the lithostatic pressure imposed by individual limestone compartments has led to general slope subsidence. Then, a progressive toppling of a rock mass may have led to the catastrophic rock collapse along bedding planes. The evolution of the DSLs can be divided into three distinct stages represented by three zones: a young collapse stage (zone 1), a pre-collapse stage (zone 2) and an old mature stage (>400ka, zone 3). As the DSLs occur on the same slope and in the same geological context, this area offers interesting perspectives for understanding factors controlling the long-term gravitational evolution of slopes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The University as an institution is a central actor of the knowledge economies. It has now become, in most developed societies, an actor entitled with a large autonomy within the national higher education and research system, in the context of national policies and public management rules. In this sense, the University is a strategic actor, i.e. in a position to develop a vision of its future, based on its missions and taking into account its strengths and weaknesses as well as the threats and opportunities of its environment. From there establishing short and medium terms operational objectives, making organisational choices and allocation of resources – in short, developing a strategy. It is the role of the governance' of a University to elaborate such a strategy and to implement it through a variety of managerial processes and instruments. Among them the evaluation function is of major importance, since it is fundamentally the feed-back loop linking the governance to the real world. But if evaluation is a key-function for strategic actors, it makes it an issue for all the strategic actors of the Higher Education and Research (HER) system, beyond the universities – in particular the ministry in charge of Higher Education and Research (MHER) and the Departments in a University2. Those three levels – National, University, Departmental – are admittedly highly inter- connected and having asymmetrical (hierarchical) relationships, yet their strategic capability must be recognised – hence their legitimate involvement in – and use of – evaluation activities. The objective of this paper is – focussing on the University as an evaluation actor – to identify and discuss the question of its relationships, in terms of evaluation activities, with University Departments on one side and with the MHER on the other – which are both evaluation actors as well. Our standpoint is to refer to evaluation methodologies and our examples will mostly be based on the evaluation activities of the UNIMIL, as well as those taking place in France, at various levels. We also make some references to the evaluation implications of the Bologna process. In a first paragraph, we give an overview of the relationships among the evaluation actors of the different levels; in a second and third paragraph, we focus on the relationships of a university with the departmental and national level, respectively, discussing some methodological issues, concluding then on the stakes which a university faces as an evaluation actor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper studies the relations between bilateral FDIs and immigrant networks of France, Germany, UK, Italy and Spain, and the emigrant diasporas of Italy and Spain. It focuses on skilled and unskilled immigrants and on ties with developing and developed countries. Results evidence two different network models: FDIs of UK, Germany and France are prompted by the ties of skilled immigrants, while those of Italy and Spain are only influenced by their respective diasporas. The disparity may stem from history. Differently from the findings of previous literature, the effects of networks with developing countries are similar to those with rich economies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa (Phasianidae), is a game bird hunted throughout its range (Italy, France with Corsica Island, Iberian Peninsula). The release into the wild of farmed birds of unknown origin coupled to the hybridization with the exotic chukar Alectoris chukar (East Mediterranean to East Asia) has led to the reduction of the spatial component of genetic variability and to the pollution of the genome of A. rufa, respectively. On the mainland, A. chukar genes occur according a decreasing gradient from Italy to the Iberian Peninsula. Corsica hosts a number of A. rufa× A. chukar hybrids, but at a much lower incidence than nearby Italy. We sampled 97 red-legged partridges in different habitats of Corsica [lower-Mediterranean: Desertu di l'Agriate; rural: Nessa-Felicetu; mountainous: Vivariu-Venacu and Fium'Orbu-Taravu (FT)]. We investigated kinship between Corsican and continental A. rufa populations by sequencing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Cytochrome- b gene in a subset ( n=60) of island specimens as well as in 105 partridges sampled on mainland Europe. All 97 Corsican partridges were genotyped at eight microsatellite DNA loci in order to estimate intraspecific relationships at a finer scale. We also used microsatellite data from previous studies to compare the genotypes of A. rufa reared in the only island farm with those of wild conspecifics. Corsican partridges grouped in the only statistically reliable and diverging mtDNA clade. Microsatellites provided evidence for the genetic isolation of the FT mountain population, whose low level of hybridization with A. chukar had been unveiled in a former paper. Both mtDNA and microsatellite markers revealed that released captive partridges did not enter the wild breeding populations to any great extent. We suggested banning A. rufa translocation from Corsica to the continent to comply with the disclosed genetic kinship, and vice versa to contain the spreading of A. chukar genes in to the A. rufa population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important working lines of EU Social Law is the building of common ways of dealing with the workers' representation within the undertaking. Directive 2002/14/EC was a decisive step, being a global text that regulated the issue as its main question, and not in a fractionated way as before. Its impact, nonetheless, has been very different. This paper wants to make a comparison of its influence in several Laws: French (missing), British (decisive) and Italian (very small). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The special tax regime for Spanish cooperatives has been called into question by a recent European Commission decision regarding state aid. The decision is one of a series of proceedings and rulings by the European authorities concerning this subject in Italy, France, Norway and Spain. This paper examines the criteria used by the Commission and the Courts to define the presence of elements of the state aid concept in the cooperative tax regimes under scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights a significant connection of radical ideas between France and Italy arising from the political and social upheavals, respectively of May '68 and the 'hot autumn' of 1969. Italian students' success in forging links with militant workers around the giant Fiat factories in Turin spurred a number of their French counterparts to visit and witness the strikes and workers' assemblies. The Mao-libertarian group Vive la Révolution was particularly inspired by the example of the student–worker collective Lotta Continua, lifting Italian slogans and imagery to adorn their publications. Italians had themselves rationalised the French May as an event of revolutionary potential, and assimilated much of the symbolism of the Paris uprising into their propaganda. Drawing on interviews conducted with both French and Italian ex-militants, as well as texts and images from their late 60s/early 70s publications, the article underlines the significance of international, indeed transnational, references in informing political ideas and practices, certainly for an important part of the European far left in this period. Cet article souligne une convergence significative des idées radicales entre la France et l'Italie, à travers les soulèvements sociaux et politiques de Mai 68 et de 'l'automne chaud' en 1969. On vit des étudiants italiens jouir d'une forte liaison avec des ouvriers militants autour des énormes usines Fiat à Turin, ce qui amena nombre de leurs homologues français à rendre visite et à témoigner des grèves et des assemblées ouvrières. Le groupe mao-libertaire Vive la Révolution s'inspira beaucoup de l'exemple du collectif ouvrier-étudiant Lotta Continua, puisant dans les mots d'ordre et images italiens pour embellir ses publications. Les Italiens avaient déjà interprété le mai français comme un événement potentiellement révolutionnaire et intégré dans leur propagande la symbolique du mouvement. À partir d'interviews faites à la fois avec des ex-militants français et italiens, et de passages tirés de leurs journaux, ce travail souligne l'importance de références internationales, voire transnationales, dans la formation d'idées et de pratiques politiques, au moins pour une bonne partie de l'extrême gauche européenne de cette époque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: Erkoreka A. (2010) The Spanish influenza pandemic in occidental Europe (1918–1920) and victim age. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(2), 81–89. Background Studies of the Spanish Influenza pandemic (1918–1920) provide interesting information that may improve our preparation for present and future influenza pandemic threats. Methods We studied archives from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, obtaining high-quality data that allowed us to calculate mortality rates associated with the Spanish flu and to characterize the proportional distribution of influenza deaths by age in the capital cities of these countries. Results French and American troops who fought in the First World War began to be affected from April 1918 onwards by a benign influenza epidemic, which hardly caused any deaths. The first occidental European country in which the pandemic spread to large sectors of the population, causing serious mortality, was Spain. The associated influenza provoked in Madrid a mortality rate of 1·31 per 1000 inhabitants between May and June (1918). In the following months of June and July, the epidemic spread to Portugal, but did not reach the Pyrenees. In September 1918, the influenza pandemic spread with tremendous virulence, presenting itself simultaneously during the month of October in South Western European countries. In Madrid, the 1918 excess mortality due in large part to the influenza pandemic is estimated at 5·27 per 1000. In Paris, the 1918 mortality rate provoked by the influenza and pathologies of the respiratory system was 6·08 per 1000. In South Western European countries, mortality rates oscillated between 10·6 and 12·1 per 1000 inhabitants. A study of the age distribution of deaths due to influenza between 1916 and 1921 reveals that the Spanish influenza principally affected men and women between 15 and 44 years of age. Deaths associated with the seasonal influenza of 1916, 1917 and 1921 represented 19·7%, 12·5% and 21·0% of all deaths respectively, whereas during the rawest moments of the Spanish influenza, in 1918, the proportion of deaths due to flu for those aged between 15 and 44 years of age reached 68·2% in Paris and 66·3% in Madrid. Conclusion Victim age is an important criterion that can be used to evaluate the phase and evolution of pandemic influenza. The Spanish Influenza affected particularly the 25- to 34-year-old and 15- to 24-year-old age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock farming systems are major sources of trace gases contributing to emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), i.e. N2O accounts for 10% and CH4 for 30% of the anthropogenic contributions to net global warming. This paper presents scenario assessments of whole-system effects of technologies for reducing GHG emissions from livestock model farms using slurry-based manure management. Changes in housing and storage practice, mechanical separation, and incineration of the solid fraction derived from separation were evaluated in scenarios for Sweden, Denmark, France, and Italy. The results demonstrated that changes in manure management can induce significant changes in CH4 and N2O emissions and carbon sequestration, and that the effect of introducing environmental technologies may vary significantly with livestock farming practice and interact with climatic conditions. Shortening the in-house manure storage time reduced GHG emissions by 0–40%. The largest GHG reductions of 49 to, in one case, 82% were obtained with a combination of slurry separation and incineration, the latter process contributing to a positive GHG balance of the system by substituting fossil fuels. The amount and composition of volatile solids (VS) and nitrogen pools were main drivers in the calculations performed, and requirements to improve the assessment of VS composition and turnover during storage and in the field were identified. Nevertheless, the results clearly showed that GHG emission estimates will be unrealistic, if the assumed manure management or climatic conditions do not properly represent a given country or region. The results also showed that the mitigation potential of specific manure management strategies and technologies varied depending on current management and climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Various transformation mechanisms can generate turbidity currents from subaqueous debris flows. Different transformation mechanisms have been described and interpreted in the past from laboratory experiments and from deposits, but the two approaches have not generally been linked. This has made the genetic interpretation and comparison of deposits difficult. In this paper a generic classification scheme of debrite–turbidite couplets is proposed based on transformation mechanisms inferred from laboratory experiments. Five different flow types (called A–E herein) and their resulting deposits are detailed, but they are all part of a continuous spectrum, and a mixture of types is likely to be found in the field. Type A flows are strong, dense debris flows that undergo little transformation. Their deposit will be a debrite overlain by a thin turbidite, which is separated from it by a clear grain size break. Type B flows are weaker and can develop waves at the debris flow-turbidity current interface. The deposit will be a debrite with a wavy top overlain by a turbidite that is thicker than for type A flows. For type C flows, the interfacial waves will grow so much that the debris flow disintegrates into separate parts. The deposit will consist of debrite lenses encased in a turbidite. Type D flows will undergo even more mixing than type C flows so that the debrite parts will be mixed. Their deposit will be a turbidite with laterally varying areas of debrite characteristics near the bed. Type E flows will be so transformed that the debris flow character has disappeared and the flow is a turbidity current with high sediment concentration. The deposit will be largely turbiditic. The flow types and deposits will be illustrated with some examples from two field areas: the Polish Carpathians and the French Maritime Alps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Archaeolacerta bedriagae is a rock lizard endemic to Corsica and Sardinia. Four subspecies have been recozied to date on the basis of morphological traits. Previous allozyme investigations revealed high genetic differentiation among populations of the species. Based on these results some authors hypothesized that more than one species of Archaeolacerta may occur on Corsica and Sardinia. In this paper we investigated allozyme variation at 19 gene loci in 5 populations belonging to all subspecies of A. bedriagae in order to study genetic differentiation among populations from Corsica and Sardinia, and to compare our results with those obtained in previous studies carried out on allozyme variation and taxonomy of the species. Low levels of genetic differentiation (average Nei's D = 0.026) and heterogeneity (mean FST = 0.147) were found comparing the A. bedriagae populations, and there was no evidence of interruption or restriction of gene flow. This is in agreement with the available molecular and morphometric data, while it is not in accordance with allozyme data reported in the previous studies. Our data do not support the hypothesis of an unrecognized criptic species of Archaeolacerta in Corsica and Sardinia, and indicate that the definitive assessment of the taxonomic status of the A. bedriagae populations requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to maintain small ruminant grazing systems it is necessary to know precisely how they work and what actions can be taken to improve them. The objective of this paper was to characterize, classify, analyse and propose improvements for the dairy goat grazing systems in three countries from the western Mediterranean area: Spain, France and Italy. A multivariate analysis was conducted with 21 indicators obtained from the data collected from 45 farms. As a result of the multivariate analysis, 82.5% of variance was explained by two principal components. The first component included proportion of cultivated pasture area and cultivated pasture area per goat. The second included goats present and forage supply per goat. After conducting a cluster analysis based on these two principal components, farms were classified into four groups. Group 1 was made up of French and Italian farms, which had a smaller territorial base but a high cultivated pasture area per goat, contributing to greater self-sufficiency in feed. However the concentrate per goat was too high in relation to milk production, which was medium. The difference between milk income and feed cost is also medium. Group 2 was basically made up of Italian farms. The farms in this group had the most extensive management systems, with a low use of inputs. However, the milk production was low, meaning that the difference between milk income and feed cost was also low. Group 3 was mainly made up of Spanish farms. On these farms the concentrate supply was excessive and the forage supply was low. The milk production per goat was medium and the difference between milk income and feed cost was small. Group 4 was made up mainly of French farms. The farms of this group had a moderate supply of concentrate although the forage supply was very high. They had a high milk production, which lead to a large difference between milk income and feed cost per goat. The main weaknesses observed are related to feeding management, particularly grazing, and to the goat productivity. In the former case research on the nutritional utilization of rangelands and pastures and correct feed supplementation is to be encouraged. In the latter, the production capacity of the goats present in these systems should be improved, without forgetting the balance between hardiness and general productivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper illustrates the phylogeographical structure of Saxifraga callosa in order to describe its genetic richness in refugial areas and to reconstruct its glacial history. S. callosa is a species spread throughout south-east France and Italy with a high distribution in the Maritime Alps. Four chloroplast microsatellite and AFLP markers were analyzed in populations of S. callosa. The size variants of all tested loci amount to 11 different haplotypes. Intrapopulational haplotype variation was found in two of the populations analyzed: on the Mt. Toraggio in the Maritime Alps, and in the Apuan Alps. On the other hand, no intrapopulational variation was found in 25 populations, most of which were sampled from isolated areas. Analysis of the haplotype distribution showed that population subdivision across all populations was high ( GST = 0.899). Moreover, its genetic structure was studied using AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis. The study legitimated inferred conclusions about the phylogeographical structure of the species and identified centers of diversity. Considerations concerning genetic structure and divergence among three major clades (Maritime Alps, Apuan Alps and Apennines), the patchy distribution of haplotypes, and the high number of private haplotypes support the proposal that S. callosa survived in some refugia within the Italian Peninsula refugium, and that mainly northern populations of refugia were involved in postglacial recolonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rock avalanches are common in the Mont Blanc massif, which is bordered by valleys with large resident and tourist populations and important highways. This paper combines historical data with detailed geomorphological mapping, stratigraphic observation, and absolute and relative dating, to interpret several deposits resulting from rock avalanching onto glaciers. Nineteen rock falls and rock avalanches are described, ranging in volume from 10,000m3 to 10×106 m3. They occurred between 2500 BP and AD 2007 at six sites. The events at three sites (Miage and Drus Glaciers, and Tour des Grandes Jorasses) are characterised by short travel distances; those at Brenva, Triolet, and Frébouge Glaciers exhibit excessive travel distances. Interactions between rock avalanches and glaciers are of four types: (i) rock-avalanche triggering, where glacial and paraglacial controls include debuttressing of rockwalls due to glacier thinning and retreat, oversteepening of rock slopes by glacial erosion, and effects of glaciers on permafrost; (ii) rock-avalanche mobility, in which mobility and travel distance are modified by channelling of rock-avalanche debris by moraines and valleys, incorporation of ice and snow (often >50% for large events), and irregularities on the glacier surface; (iii) deposit sedimentology, where melting of incorporated ice transforms the final deposit by reducing its thickness typically to <5m, and debris of variable thicknesses is juxtaposed in a hummocky deposit with chaotic piles of angular rock debris; and (iv) glacier dynamics where insulating debris deposited upon a glacier produces a debris-covered glacier of different dynamics, and high elevated scars can favour the formation of small glaciers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this paper is to examine how current techniques for flashflood monitoring and forecasting can meet the needs of the population at risk to evaluate the flood severity and anticipate its danger. To this end, the social response time for different social actions in the course of two well studied flash flood events which occurred in France and Italy is identified. The event management activities are broadly characterized into three types according to their main objective information, organisation and protection. The activities are also classified into three other types according to the scale and nature of the human group involved individuals, communities and institutions. The conclusions reached relate to 1 the characterisation of the social responses according to watershed scale and to the information available, and 2 to the appropriateness of the existing surveillance and forecasting tools to support the social responses. Results suggest that representing the dynamics of the social response with just one number representing the average time for warning a population is an oversimplification. It appears that the social response time exhibits a parallel with the hydrological response time, by diminishing in time with decreasing size of the relevant watershed. A second result is that the human groups have different capabilities of anticipation, apparently based on the nature of information they use. Comparing watershed response times and social response times shows clearly that at scales of less than 100 km2, a number of actions were taken with response times comparable to the catchment response time. The implications for adapting the warning processes to social scales individual or organisational scales are considerable. At small scales, and for the implied anticipation times, the reliable and highresolution description of the actual rainfall field becomes the major source of information for decisionmaking processes such as deciding between evacuations or advising to stay home. This points to the need to improve the accuracy and quality control of real time radar rainfall data, especially for extreme flash floodgenerating storms. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]