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Immigrants in rural areas and immigrant employment in the agricultural sector have been studied from a variety of perspectives. However, we currently lack a bird's-eye view of these two phenomena covering all EU member states through time. This paper tackles that gap, first by describing the main features of immigrant settlement and economic integration in rural areas in the EU. Second, it offers an EU-wide overview of immigrants' integration in the agricultural sector. Then, it investigates empirically the degree to which the different characteristics of agricultural production in two member states – Italy and Spain – are associated with a migrant presence in the area. The study finds that, in the context of a shrinking agricultural labour force, the share of migrant workers in that sector in several regions is increasing over time. Migrants living in rural areas are more likely to be unemployed and face economic hardship than locals. Migrants employed in agriculture are, also, more likely to work in elementary occupations and temporary jobs. Finally, the case studies on Italy and Spain demonstrate that the relative size of the migrant population is related to the typology of agricultural land use and to the labour intensity and seasonality of cultivation. • Immigrants in rural areas tend to fare worse compared to the local population and to migrants living in cities and towns. • In the agricultural sector, migrant workers have steadily increased their share of total employment over time. • Migrants are more likely to work in elementary occupations, to be employees, and to have temporary forms of recruitment than locals. • In Italy and Spain migrants in rural areas tend settle where intensive agricultural production, a high degree of temporary employment prevails. • Quantitative analyses based on official stastistics face challenges in terms of under-representing the real number of migrants in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tree size distributions of old-growth forests are a fundamental tool for both scientific analysis and conservation management. In old-growth forests the diameter distribution shape may depend on spatial scale, but theoretical models often show fundamental similarities that suggest general underlying mechanisms controlling regeneration, mortality, and growth under different disturbance regimes. In this study we investigated the horizontal structure of two old-growth beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in central Italy using a series of spatial scales and analytical approaches. Individual plots (each one 0.13ha in size) were progressively aggregated into larger groups to simulate an increase in sampled area. A third-order polynomial was fit to the diameter distributions of the aggregated areas, and the curves were ranked by the AIC method. The rotated sigmoid (RS) shape was the most common descriptor of tree size distributions, and became dominant once aggregated spatial scales exceeded 0.6–0.8ha. The same result was obtained when a single plot was made progressively larger. Given the relatively small scale (starting from 0.1ha) at which the RS model emerged, old-growth beech forests of the Italian Apennines show a complex, yet highly resilient structure, recognizable even in small (<1ha) patches. Most likely, the rotated sigmoid structure is a function of endogenous structural processes (e.g. self-thinning) in this shade-tolerant species in combination with intermediate-to-fine-scale disturbance (which especially impacts the largest trees) and resulting gap dynamics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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 Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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 Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)

The article discusses the electronic learning course using new Web-based information and communication technologies implemented by the Italian Ministry of Health with the National Reference Centers for Epidemiology and Avian Influenza in 2010. Said course is reportedly in the framework of avian influenza (AI) preparedness. Target learners are veterinary officers involved in disease outbreak management, laboratory diagnosis and policy making. It describes the application of the "blended learning model." As disclosed, the course increased the number of professionals receiving high-quality training on AI in Italy, while reducing costs and maximizing rate of return on effort.

Abstract: The suitability of miniSTRs in degraded DNA typing has been well demonstrated. In order to collect allele frequencies of the “NC01” miniplex loci, a population study was performed. D10S1248, D14S1434, and D22S1045 loci were investigated in a sample of 157 unrelated healthy individuals living in the Marches region (Central Italy). Allele frequencies were collected and forensic parameters were calculated. The population sample was also genotyped by Profiler Plus® kit (Applied Biosystems), in order to compare forensic parameters of miniSTR loci with nine of the most used STRs. The frequency distribution showed no deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations. The accumulated power of discrimination was 0.998587, and heterozygosity more than 0.7 was observed for all the three microsatellites. The results of our study confirmed the effectiveness of NC01 miniplex loci as a further tool to add in human identification for degraded specimens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Alcoholic abuse is of great interest in forensic medicine, for the evaluation of driving and working ability, for permanent invalidity to alcohol-related pathologies and for the high incidence of alcohol-related deaths. It is a quantitative disorder, with a combined incidence of environmental and genetic factors. Since it was observed that variations in ADH4 gene are associated with alcoholism, SNPs mapping in different regions of ADH4 gene were selected. A new approach was applied in this study: mutations that could modify the splicing sites were selected using “Splice site prediction” available at http://www.fruitfly.orgseq_tools/sp/lice.html; in addition, since the correct splicing is finely regulated by RNA binding proteins, SNPs that could affect splicing, destroying or creating protein target sequences and changing RNA secondary structure, were predicted by a tool available at www.introni.it. 206 unrelated volunteers, diagnosed for alcohol dependence (DSM-IV), were included in this study. SNPs typing was performed setting up 2 multiplex PCRs and minisequencing reactions. 12 SNPs were selected from literature data and 26 SNPs, among 233 polymorphisms screened, were chosen by computational analyses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the decay of frescoes painted on plaster, dating between 1390-1400, in the Oratorio of S. Stafano church building located in Lentate sul Sevenso in Milan, Italy. Details are included on the artwork and the subsequent conservation efforts, focusing on the methodologies used specific for plaster frescoes. Information is provided on the treatment of the church's artwork with an organic hydrophilic, possibly gum arabic, that allowed for the crystallization of salts without damaging the paint.

Two siblings with high density lipoprotein (HDL) deficiency and no plasma apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) were found to be homozygous for a cytosine deletion in exon 3 of Apo A-I gene (c.85 del C, Q5FsX11). This mutation causes a frameshift leading to a premature stop codon and abolishes the synthesis of Apo A-I. Although both siblings had corneal opacifications and planar xanthomas, only one of them had premature coronary artery disease, probably as the result of mildly elevated LDL levels. In two other unrelated subjects HDL deficiency was due to heterozygosity for a nucleotide substitution in exon 4 of Apo A-I gene (c.494 T>G, L141R). Both Apo A-I mutations were reported previously in an Italian kindred which included compound heterozygotes and simple heterozygotes. We investigated all carriers of these mutations in the three kindreds and in the one previously reported. Plasma Apo A-I and HDL-C levels were lower in the mutation carriers than in non-carrier family members. These levels, however, were lower in L141R carriers than in carriers of c.85 del C. Haplotype analysis performed using several polymorphisms suggested that both the c.85 del C and L141R are likely to be recurrent mutations.