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A call for papers and panels is presented in regards to the International Society for Public Law's Inaugural Conference which is scheduled to be held on June 26-28, 2014 in Florence, Italy, and it also provides an introduction to the journal and acknowledgments for contributors such as Asli Bali

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the evolution of Chinese industrial ethnic clusters in Italy, by focusing on the role of social networks and the processes behind the phenomenon of Chinese worker exploitation and entrepreneur "self-exploitation". Design/methodology/approach: The case study is a sub-cluster of micro and small enterprises owned by Chinese entrepreneurs within the leather industrial district of Florence, Italy. This research adopts the following mixed methods: a small-scale survey to capture the characteristics of the sub-cluster and a social network analysis to describe cluster evolution, complemented by life-course interviews conducted with key informants and entrepreneurs. Findings: Migrant social capital and social networks play a central role in the evolution of the case study sub-cluster. Social networks play a supportive role in migration, job creation, entrepreneurship formation and the creation of business opportunities. Simultaneously, they enhance the phenomenon of worker exploitation and entrepreneur self-exploitation. Furthermore, the more the business community grows, the more the economic performance of ethnic enterprises depends on agglomeration forces produced by the cluster. Practical implications: The findings suggest a series of potential policies to upgrade the ethnic enterprises' capacities, to increase their formality and inclusion in the Italian social and economic systems and sub-cluster. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to examine the evolution of social networks in relation to the phenomenon of Chinese worker exploitation and entrepreneur self-exploitation in an ethnic industrial sub-cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This paper establishes the assemblages, material and mechanical parameter of the Bargello' masonry; these data can be used for the seismic assessment of this historical building. This study defines the assemblage, materials, and mechanical parameter of the XIV century Bargello Palace at Florence (Italy). For this purpose, according to the rule in force, NDT and LDT had been performed on the Bargello walls, namely: direct observations, georadar, ultrasonic, thermic, DAC-test, and endoscopy. The results outline that the Bargello masonries are well done, as use in Florence in the XIV–XV centuries; they are solid walls, made in tightly sealed flat quoins, with external facing and internal plastering, and with a percentage of stones to mortar equal to about 70%. The results allow assigning of the Bargello's masonry to one of the categories provided by the rules in force, with the relative mechanical parameter values for the need of a seismic verification assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the 10th Specialist Meeting on Microwave Radiometry and Remote Sensing of the Environment (MicroRad'08) held in Florence, Italy from March 11 to 14, 2008. The opening speech by organizer Paolo Pampaloni was dedicated in memory of Professor Giovanni d'Auria of the University of Rome in Italy. A session on the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) for Earth Observing System (EOS) was conducted. The meeting ended with a wine and cheese reception.

The seismic vulnerability of masonry building aggregates is very difficult to determine, since it is affected by many uncertainties. The most uncertain quantities concern the historical periodization of structural aggregates. Moreover, the studies made at the urban scale can hardly be thorough, and usually the knowledge achieved on the single units is not fully satisfactory, so that the structural designer has to deal with uncompleted architectonical surveys and partial data; one of the most important problems concerns the lack of knowledge about the boundary conditions between adjacent structures. In order to perform mechanical analyses, an extensive knowledge of materials and techniques adopted is required. In this paper, an integrated methodology for the seismic assessment of building aggregate is presented. It concerns a multidisciplinary knowledge-based approach calibrated over the historical centres and the urban aggregates; the procedure joins different aspects, such as the use of modern technologies for an integrated knowledge, plans reconstructions through archival documents, laser scanner digital survey of urban fronts, non-destructive investigations of the materials. GIS and BIM platforms have been used to implement and collect data in order to perform detailed analyses. The information allowed to assess the seismic vulnerability of the building aggregates and the expected damage scenarios through empirical methodologies. The city of Scarperia, founded a few kilometres from Florence during the Medieval Age and characterized by a medium seismicity, has been chosen as a case study for the presented procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary study carried out on Brunelleschi's Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, one of the most emblematic masonry domes in the world. The cupola has been affected since the beginning of its construction by a widespread cracking phenomenon, and several studies were done over the centuries to clarify its safety conditions. To have a direct and indirect record of the cracks opening or closing, a complex monitoring system was installed on the monument during the last century. An accurate analysis of crack widths and global displacements, performed considering both historical and recent monitoring data, has allowed for the identification of the movements developed in the monument, evaluating their relationship with environmental and seismic events. In line with the interdisciplinary approach strongly recommended in the field of assessment and conservation of monumental heritage, this paper reconsiders some issues concerning the causes of the actual damage to the cupola. In particular, in light of the obtained results, the famous seventeenth century Viviani's conclusions about the cupola's damage, confirmed by Chiarugi in the 1980s, are compared with other hypotheses, such as the differential settlement of pillars (Cecchini in 1698 and Ximenes in 1757) and the influence of temperature variations (Nervi in 1934). The large amount of measured data and the results of the last numerical models of the cupola, combined with recent dynamic measurements, allowed the updating of some previous conclusions on damage causes and trends. Starting from these conclusions, a more reliable forecasting model of the monument can be set up that could be useful in identifying effective conservation strategy for this outstanding monument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decades, shared mobility systems have become an integral part of inner-city mobility. Modern systems allow one-way rentals, that is, customers can drop off the vehicle at a different location to where they began their trip. A prominent example is car sharing. Indeed, this work was motivated by the insight we gained in collaborating closely with Europe's largest car sharing provider, Share Now. In car sharing, as well as in shared mobility systems in general, pricing optimization has turned out to be a promising means of increasing profit while challenged by limited vehicle supply and asymmetric demand across time and space. Thus, in practice, providers increasingly use minute pricing that is differentiated according to where a rental originates, that is, considering its location and the time of day. In research, however, such approaches have not been considered yet. In this paper, we therefore introduce the corresponding origin-based differentiated, profit-maximizing pricing problem for shared mobility systems. The problem is to determine spatially and temporally differentiated minute prices, taking network effects on the supply side and several practice relevant aspects into account. Based on a deterministic network flow model, we formulate the problem as a mixed-integer linear program and prove that it is NP-hard. For its solution, we propose a temporal decomposition approach based on approximate dynamic programming. The approach integrates a value function approximation to incorporate future profits and account for network effects. Extensive computational experiments demonstrate the benefits of capturing such effects in pricing generally, as well as showing our value function approximation's ability to anticipate them precisely. Furthermore, in a case study based on Share Now data from Florence in Italy, we observe profit increases of around 9% compared with constant uniform minute prices, which are still the de facto industry standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the Italian Renaissance painter Caravaggio's two versions of the Conversion of Saint Paul (1600/1601) with two modern models of organization. These comparisons show how organization is produced in art through 'aesthetic landscaping' (Gagliardi 2006), and in particular how these artistic reproductions convey certain images of the appropriate modern, entrepreneurial self and regimes of organization. The painting was originally commissioned by the Catholic Church, but it rejected the first and accepted the second version. The paper claims that this strategy strengthens the given organization of the Church and the Church's strategic influence on the believers that adore the painting. But this all comes with a price, namely, the production of a number of strict divisions: in the accepted version, Paul becomes a pure transcendent spirit. Isolated from his surroundings, his servant and his horse, he is cut off from the very event of conversion. The rejected version harbours radically different, transgressive images of subjectivity, collectivity and entrepreneurship. By identifying these images, the paper contributes to the development of a critical approach to organizational aesthetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent urban growth of Florence was mainly oriented northward, thus determining the urbanization of the flatland and the inclusion within a unique conurbation of a number of pre-existing urban nuclei. Over time, the congestion of the inner core has caused more and more prominent activities to shift towards this developing area, which is today one of the most attractive parts of the whole settlement, counterbalancing the representativeness and the touristic attractiveness of the historic center of Florence. This paper is concerned with the use of space syntax in order to reconstruct the genesis of the configurational geography of Florence. Configurational values at different dates will be cross-referenced with vehicular traffic data, so as to pinpoint the actual inclusion of the motorway A1, touching Florence on its western side, within the urban grid of Florence and its influence in the distribution of local traffic flows. Aside from this case study, this method can be extended to the general issue of the management of motorways in metropolitan areas. More in general, this approach is proposed as a suitable tool for interconnecting spatial issues and traffic questions, so as to concur in bridging the gap between urban design, focused on the morphologic features of blocks and buildings, and transport analysis, strictly concerned with the distribution of movement flows on the street network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Everything has already been written and said about Lev Nikolaevič Tolstoj. His memoirs open up us for us a window into his personal and private world. Together with his autobiographical works, Tolstoj's diaries and letters represent almost half of the complete works in 90 volumes. It may, therefore, seem surprising that a trip to Italy around 1891, which in his book Firenze Sacra (1990) Maurilio Adriani refers to for the first time, is mentioned by Tolstoj neither in his diaries nor in his correspondence. In Firenze Sacra, Adriani describes an "extraordinary event" as it unfolded in the context of late nineteenth-century Florence: the inter-confessional meeting Conference of all Christian Churches, held in the autumn of 1891. According to Adriani's account, among others also Count Lev Tolstoy attended the meeting. Adriani drew this information from the booklet I tre papi, ossia la pace tra le Chiese cristiane, written by Giovanni Guidotti and published in Palermo in 1893. Some later Italian scholars, assuming historical accuracy, reproduced the author's visit to Italy in their studies on Tolstoj and in the introductory section in the Italian editions of Tolstoj's works. In this paper, I emphasise that Tolstoj never left the Russian Empire after 1861 and, by analysing archival data, I demonstrate that the 1891 Florence Ecumenical Conference was but the figment of a mathematician's lively imagination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lien Social et Politiques is the property of Institut National de Recherche Scientifique (INRS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A full electrification of many local railway lines is often not feasible or sustainable in terms of construction and maintenance costs or alternatively for the presence of additional constraints and limitations deriving from environmental or infrastructural limitations. Battery Operated or other kind of hybrid solutions powertrains are currently proposed as sustainable alternatives to Internal combustion engines for the propulsion of rolling stock on not electrified lines. In this work, authors propose the adoption of a partial electrification of lines to assure higher performances and reliability of battery-operated rolling stock designed to be recharged and feed using standard technologies such as pantographs gathering power from suspended catenaries. This innovative solution is designed and sized for a vehicle inspired from an existing one and simulated for two different existing lines, also proposing an optimal distribution of electrified sections dedicated to train recharge. This Case Study is simulated considering some possible applications to some existing railway lines in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the advent of new technologies for massive and automatized digitization, together with the availability of new methods for DNA sequencing, strongly increased the interest and relevance of herbarium collections for the study of plant biodiversity and evolution. These new approaches prompted new projects aimed at the creation of a large dataset of molecular and phenological data. This review discusses new challenges and opportunities for herbaria in the context of the numerous national projects that are currently ongoing, prompting the study of herbarium specimens for the understanding of biodiversity loss and habitat shifts as a consequence of climate changes and habitat destruction due to human activities. With regard to this, the National Biodiversity Future Center (active in Italy since 2022) started a large-scale digitization project of the Herbarium Centrale Italicum in Florence (Italy), which is the most important Italian botanical collection, consisting of more than 4 million samples at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the events during two congresses in 1988 concerning art libraries. Annual meeting of the Southeastern College Art Conference in Florida; European Conference of the International Federation of Library Associations' Art Libraries in Florence, Italy.

The paper reports the results of a research aimed at analyzing and interpreting the cracking pattern on the Cappella dei Principi (Prince's Chapel, the Medici's mausoleum) in the Basilica of San Lorenzo (Florence, Italy). The research was motivated by the sudden collapse of a keystone of an internal barrel vault sustaining one of the lateral apses. After a brief description of the geometry of the structure, the principal results obtained from in situ surveys (flat-jack tests and cored samples) are described; then the numerical analyses developed both to obtain the static identification of the monument and to assess the possible causes leading to the observed failure are illustrated. The numerical modeling operation has been performed step by step, from linear and quite simple models built with plane elements up to a nonlinear model with three-dimensional elements. The nonlinear FEM, which has been tuned by utilizing the results of the in situ measures, is allowed to both qualitatively and quantitatively reproduce the behavior of the structure and its static problems in the area of the barrel vault over the side apses, allowing for justification of the manifested damage. The comprehension of the structural behavior allows identification of a proper retrofitting strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the Microwave Specialist Symposium on Microwave Remote Sensing 2010 of the Earth, Oceans, Ice, and Atmosphere of the URSI Commission F held in Florence, Italy from October 4-7, 2010. It was focused on the scientific aspects of the microwave interaction with land surfaces and atmosphere. The Institute of Applied Physics was one of the organizers of the symposium. Professor Martti Hallikainen of the Technical University delivered two keynote talks.

Copyright of Ámbitos: Revista de Estudios de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades is the property of Asociacion de Estudios de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Redes is the property of Redes-Revista Hispana para el Analisis de Redes Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Redes is the property of Redes-Revista Hispana para el Analisis de Redes Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents 5 years of detailed intra-urban thermal measurements carried out in Florence (Italy) by a network of 25 air temperature stations. Daily, hourly, and degree-day indices were applied to hourly data to evaluate the difference within the complex urban environment of Florence. Stations were grouped in four clusters with similar thermal regimes in each season. Our results evidence a mean difference of almost 2°C between the hottest and the coolest cluster in all seasons. Furthermore, the coolest cluster had on average more than ten frost days in winter and the hottest cluster more than 12 summer days in summer. The intra-urban difference of tropical nights was even more evident, with values of 42 versus 10 days between the hottest and the coolest cluster during the summer period. The results of this study contribute to quantify the thermal intra-urban differences in the city of Florence, suggesting important applications in plant phenology, aerobiology, human health, urban planning, and biometeorology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the stone monumental assets, artistic fountains are particularly affected by microbial colonization due to constant contact with water, giving rise to biodegradation processes related with physical–chemical and aesthetical alterations. In this paper, we make an overview of reported biodiversity of the phototrophic patina developed in various fountains of Italy and Spain. The microbial composition of four fountains (two from Florence, Italy and two from Granada, Spain) was investigated using traditional and/or molecular techniques. The results indicated many common similarities with regard the phototrophic biodiversity for all the investigated fountains. Automated ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA), a molecular fingerprint tool, was used to examine the eubacterial and cyanobacterial community for two of the investigated fountains. The principal component analysis of ARISA profiles strengthens the results obtained by traditional methods and revealed separate clusters, as a consequence of the differences of micro-environmental conditions for each fountain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emilio de Fabris's completion of the west front of Santa Maria del Fiore is the best known of the architectural interventions carried out during the nineteenth-century in the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza di San Giovanni in Florence. But this initiative was preceded by an earlier one that was more radical in character, insofar as it transformed the area around the Campanile and Duomo. A proposal of November 1823 by the architect Gaetano Baccani resulted in the demolition of a large part of the late medieval cathedral canonry and the creation of an extensive new piazza on the south side of Santa Maria del Fiore. This intervention introduced two issues that were to become fundamental to the notion of urban patrimony. On the one hand, it prompted consideration of the relationship between a historic monument and its ambience; on the other, it brought into focus the tension that was likely to exist between conservation and the creation of a modem urban environment. The present study Publishes Baccani's formal submission to the Deputazione Secolare sopra l'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and draws on other documents preserved in the Archivio dell'Opera to construct a detailed history of the project. The study also introduces other literary and visual materials to establish the nature of Baccani's "systematization" of the Piazza del Duomo. Baccani's project is linked retrospectively to a Napoleonic plan for the modernization of Florence, but it is discussed also as a harbinger of later programs of urban renewal in Florence and in other Italian cities. The paper outlines the history of the canonry compound and places Baccani's reorganization of it in the context of the development of a new relationship between church and state in Florence. The piazza likewise is considered in relation to-the transformation of Florence into a modern, orderly city, well-suited to the growing tourist industry. From Baccani's proposal to the Deputazione Secolare it is apparent that he wished it to be believed that his project was in keeping with the intentions of the original architects of the Duomo. The present study considers Baccani's project in this light, while also assessing the extent to which his plans were rooted in his own time. In particular, Baccani's conception of the area around the Duomo is discussed in relation to other urbanistic projects that were planned in Florence, Milan; and Rome during the Napoleonic period. Finally, Baccani's scheme is considered in relation to recent studies of the area around the Duomo by Piero Sanpaolesi, Margaret Haines, and Marvin Trachtenberg. The paper establishes that Baccani's intervention fundamentally changed the manner in which Santa Maria del Fiore and the Campanile could be seen, revealing an "ideal" view of the two buildings in juxtaposition. Baccani's vision is discussed in relation to a widespread nineteenth-century wish to consecrate the individual monument. The study concludes by introducing a number of unfamiliar images of the Campanile and Duomo and proposes that they lent authority to Baccani's concept of a "best" general view of these monuments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at the Human Dimension of International Law Symposium at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy in October 2008 is presented. Topics focused mostly on the contemporary international law. The event was attended by several distinguished international lawyers including Andrew Clapham, Christian Tomuschat and Francesco Francioni.

The article offers information on issues and events related to Poe Studies Association (PSA). It offers details on the international conference of POE to be held on June 8-10, 2012 at the La Pietra Conference Center in Florence, Italy, co-sponsored with the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society and the Ralph Waldo Emerson Society. Moreover, several calls for papers (CFPs) for the 2012 Modern Language Association (MLA) and the 2011 American Literature Association Conference are presented.

Copyright of Economic History Research / Investigaciones de Historia Económica is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Historia Economica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Redes is the property of Redes-Revista Hispana para el Analisis de Redes Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Redes is the property of Redes-Revista Hispana para el Analisis de Redes Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: The over time a knowledge of atmospheric aerosol composition near monuments has become an increasingly important issue in preservation strategies. Concerning the protection of outdoor monumental heritage against urban air pollution, scientific works have mainly focused on the composition of background urban aerosol. In the literature the importance of atmospheric pollutant monitoring close to monuments is not yet sufficiently emphasized. In order to fill this gap, the atmosphere in proximity of the Florence Baptistery was monitored throughout 2003. Aerosol samples were collected close to two of the three doors, characterized by different exposures to pollutant sources. The non-carbonate carbon and soluble ions in the total suspended matter were measured. The paper presents and discusses the comparison between the analytical data obtained from the different sampling sites on the same monument. The results obtained may provide a contribution to the formulation of guidelines for a suitable safeguard of cultural heritage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cats are the key species in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection, even if the proportion of subjects excreting oocysts is low. The aim of the present paper was to obtain information about seroprevalence, oocyst shedding rate and presence of T gondii DNA in faeces collected from an urban population of colony cats in Florence (Tuscany). Fifty European shorthair feral cats were examined for anti-T gondii specific antibodies by a modified agglutination test (MAT), and for oocysts by microscopic examination and for faecal protozoal DNA, by means of a nested polymerase chain reaction (n-PCR) protocol. Twenty-two out of 50 serum samples (44%) were MAT positive. T gondii oocysts were not detected in any of the examined faecal samples. Eight out of 50 faecal specimens (16%) were n-PCR positive and sequencing of the bands was specific for T gondii. Detection by combination of the two methods was higher than single techniques and enhanced the detection of T gondii up to 48%. Our results suggest that the use of MAT plus PCR in faeces may be the best choice for diagnosis of feline toxoplasmosis. Further studies to ascertain the real infectivity of the copro-PCR positive subjects are required. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Information about several papers discussed at the meeting on antiphospholipid antibodies, sex hormones, pregnancy and rheumatic diseases which was held in Florence, Italy on April 18-21, 2007 is presented. The meeting has focused on the pregnancy planning through widely validated therapeutic regimes and administration of safe drugs to the rheumatic patients. In addition, the effects of autoimmune diseases to the pregnant women are also presented.

Saint Cecilia's iconic status as patron saint of music is universal, although she is principally associated with Rome, where her basilica was founded in the fifth century. The revival of her cult in the seventeenth century resulted in renewed interest on the part of poets, musicians, and painters, many of whom were in the Roman orbit. After reviewing her legend (based on the thirteenth-century Golden Legend and scenes from her life depicted in the early fourteenth century) and describing her relationship to music explored are connections between Saint Cecilia and Florence, where the Accademia degli Elevati adopted her as patron at the time of its founding in 1607. Under Medici rule, Florence was dominated by male saints; but with the renewed interest in the cult of Cecilia, her image began to proliferate among Florentine artists (Artemisia Gentileschi and Carlo Dolci) and specifically for female Medici patrons (the archduchesses Maria Maddalena and Vittoria della Rovere). The paper highlights a special connection between Saint Cecilia and a young Florentine virtuosa singer Arcangela Paladini (d.1622), who may have been the model for one of Artemisia's paintings of the virgin martyr. Through the examination of these representations and verbal descriptions, traced is Cecilia's transformation from virginin ecstasy (established principally by Raphael's 1513/14 painting) to the allegorical figure (celebrated by seventeenthcentury artists) of La Musica herself - from exalted saint to inspirational muse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to monitor the ornithic community of the forest of Vallombrosa Biogenetic National Nature Reserve, in the Florence area. The forest covers about 1273 hectares, at an altitude of 470 to 1440 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The main forest types are coniferous woodland, mixed woodland of coniferous and deciduous trees with a prevalence of beech, and open areas. The bird monitoring was carried out using the point count method. Forty-one listening points were considered. The results of the counts allowed the calculation of abundance per station (n), richness (S), Shannon–Wiener diversity (H'), evenness (J') and non-passerine incidence (NP). The data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric test and principal component analysis, considering the forest type, season and altitude as sources of variability. Forty-seven bird species were identified. Abundance was higher in open areas, in the pre-reproductive period and at 800–1000 m a.s.l. Richness was higher in open areas, in reproductive and pre-reproductive periods and at lower altitudes. Diversity index was higher in open areas, in the reproductive period and at lower altitudes. Evenness was greater in the reproductive period, lower in the broadleaved-tree woodland and lower at higher altitudes. Non-passerine incidence was lower in deciduous areas, higher in the pre-reproductive and reproductive periods and higher at lower altitudes. Seventeen species registered more than 100 contacts each. The highest average values of richness, abundance, diversity and non-passerine incidence were found in the open areas and at high altitudes. Considering the ornithical community throughout the year, the ecological indices taken together showed the highest values in the pre-reproductive and reproductive periods. Because of the area's high richness and biodiversity, and the significant presence of species that are rare and of naturalistic interest, Vallombrosa forest is confirmed to be of high ornithological value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents research papers from the 26th Annual Meeting of the Society for Cutaneous Ultrastructure Research on April 22 to 24, 1999 in Florence, Italy. 'Skin Dendritic Cell Differentiation and Maturation'; 'UVR Alters S.A.L.T. Via Antigen Presenting Cells, Mast Cells and Nerves'; 'The Central Role of the Integrin alpha6beta4 in Epithelial Cell Biology'.

In his monographic article on Michelangelo's Laurentian Library in Florence, first published in 1934, Rudolf Wittkower relegated the history of its siting within the canonica (claustral buildings) of San Lorenzo to a third appendix. Since then a number of scholars have given detailed consideration to the site history, realizing it to be a significant aspect of Michelangelo's early career as an architect. The present paper maintains that some study of the canonica as Michelangelo probably encountered it should be prerequisite to any account of the site and presents new observations, measurements, and previously unnoticed 18th-century plans preserved in Prague to make such a study. The comprehensive publication of Michelangelo's correspondence, records, and drawings during the past 20 years facilitates reconstruction of the sequence of events in his development of the site, and this further illuminates the artist's working methods and relations with both his patron and his assistant. Consideration is also given to an abandoned idea for a library beyond the confines of the canonica, bordering on piazza San Lorenzo and perpendicular to the church facade. Documents from the Florence State Archive confirm the identity and location of properties as shown on Michelangelo's own plan of the vicinity, which is newly oriented, and the rejected scheme is briefly examined in relation to contemporary urban redevelopment in Florence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Charles de Tolnay first published them in 1940, Michelangelo's drawings for the fortifications of Florence have stimulated considerable scholarly interest. Tolnay likened the zoomorphic shapes of Michelangelo's sketches to crustaceous creatures. The analogy has become a commonplace, and while helping to describe the formal appearance of these unexpected designs, it has led most scholars to question their purpose and practicality. Furthermore, every scholar has followed Tolnay's general view that the series proceeds from the simple to the complex, with the drawings becoming increasingly abstract and fantastic. This paper proposes that Michelangelo's process of design was exactly the opposite. Beginning with abstract and complex ideas, Michelangelo proceeded to develop and refine his conceptions in a series of drawings that reflect a rational process of design. This hypothesis is more in accord with the historical facts and the documentary evidence and is based on a close analysis of the drawings themselves. The 20 sheets preserved in the Casa Buonarroti are evidence of Michelangelo's practical concern with particular problems of Florence's defense in 1528-1529 and represent the first stage of his successful activity as a military engineer for the Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents highlights of the Third International ESEH (European Society for Environmental History Conference) in Florence, Italy. Examines papers discussing the historical perspective of big game hunting in Victorian England and in German colonial Africa; Presentation of environmental posters; Selection of Amsterdam as the venue of the next ESEH Conference.

Comments on several articles about the employment of women which appeared in the March 1980 issue of `The Journal of Economic History.' Role of the economic functions of women in the economic development in Florence, Italy; Trends in the earnings function of employed single women in the United States (U.S.); Analysis on the participation of women on the labor force in the U.S. during the Second World War.

In this article I explore various current myths that lead foreigners, especially North Europeans and North Americans, to choose to visit/live in Florence or Tuscany for a while or forever. Is it possible to discern any shared, collective representations? If so, how do such myths fit into the contemporary everyday life of the city? Can we identify a pathway from the aesthetic quest for "authentic" Italian life to cultural encounters with Italians in the flesh? My hypothesis is that one of the leitmotifs of foreigners' experiences is a romantic, and to a lesser degree, intellectual approach towards "Florence without Florentines". If so, there is nothing new "Under the Tuscan Sun": the Grand Tour narrative is alive and kicking. Contemporary experiences of Florence and Tuscany continue to be shaped by the social imaginary inherited from the early nineteenth century. Travellers and sojourners come to Florence with a set of expectations shaped through filmic and literary representations and see what they expect to see, not least because the Italians are equally complicit in performing their part in this ritualised experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A subspecies of Cinara cedri Mimeur, C. cedri brevifoliae ssp.n., is described from apterous viviparous females. The authors report on the discovery of this new taxon in Cyprus on the endemic cedar Cedrus brevifolia (Hooker fil.) Henry, suggesting that the aphid is co-endemic with its host conifer. Morphological evaluation is provided in order to support this conclusion and a key to separate the Cedar Cinara species is given. Moreover, new insights on the distribution of C. cedri in the Mediterranean area were gained by molecular analysis. Gene sequences were deposited in Genbank and the type specimens located in the collection (A.B.) of CREA-Research Center for Agrobiology and Pedology, Florence, Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features the Mass of a plainchant festival and conference titled "In Canto Gregoriano" on May 28, 2007-June 1, 2007 in San Miniato al Monte church in Florence, Italy. The Mass was celebrated under the glittering Byzantine-style mosaic which unites Eastern and Western traditions of art and architecture. According to the author, Florence is one of the greatest centers in the world for figurative arts, but failed to offer enough music during the celebration of liturgy. Furthermore, it was stated that the conference was organized by the International Association for the Study of Gregorian Chant.

Information about several papers discussed at the international conference entitled "Film and Reality," by the Festival dei Popoli held in Florence, Italy on 1985 is presented. Topics include "Cinema and the Mafia and Malinowski," and competition for production money based on treatment, scripts and funding.

Information about several topics discussed at the Fifth International Symposium on the Planning of Radiological Departments on April 20-23,1988 in Florence, Italy is presented. Both present and future developments related to radiology have been discussed. They also tackled problems of developing countries in the area of medical care.

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This study aimed to analyze the impact of winter weather conditions on young children's behavior and affective states by examining a group of 61 children attending day-care centers in Florence (Italy). Participants were 33 males, 28 females and their 11 teachers. The mean age of the children at the beginning of the observation period was 24.1 months. The day-care teachers observed the children's behavioral and emotional states during the morning before their sleeping time and filled in a questionnaire for each baby five times over a winter period of 3 weeks. Air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure and solar radiation data were collected every 15 min from a weather station located in the city center of Florence. At the same time, air temperature and relative humidity data were collected in the classroom and in the garden of each day-care center. We used multilevel linear models to evaluate the extent to which children's emotional and behavioral states could be predicted by weather conditions, controlling for child characteristics (gender and age). The data showed that relative humidity and solar radiation were the main predictors of the children's emotional and behavioral states. The outdoor humidity had a significant positive effect on frustration, sadness and aggression; solar radiation had a significant negative effect only on sadness, suggesting that a sunny winter day makes children more cheerful. The results are discussed in term of implications for parents and teachers to improve children's ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been rarely remarked how seldom a competitive spirit comes into play in the relations among these [Renaissance Florentine] merchants. The vast correspondence of Datini and of the Medici themselves (the largest collections of business letters to survive before the sixteenth century) yields hardly a hint of competition…. However individualistic the Florentine world appears in contrast with the tight corporate structures elsewhere—the Venetian senate, the Hanseatic league, the south-German cartels, the London regulated companies—it was still permeated with something of the spirit of medieval corporatism. This is what the fiducia Florentine business historians make so much of really comes down to—that sense of trust in one another that in a way also kept everyone in line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]