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Abstract: The application of biomolecular techniques for the study of food practices in the Italian Bronze Age has revealed an interesting complexity. This is particularly true for the Po plain, in northern Italy, where the use of “alternative” grains (i.e., the millets) has been assessed isotopically through the measurement of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios in human and animal bone collagen at the site of Olmo di Nogara (Verona). This work provides new isotopic data from 12 Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Age sites from western Veneto and Friuli. Data obtained contribute to the understanding of mode and tempo of the spread of new crops in northeastern Italy, which appears to be a hotspot for the study of Bronze Age farming economies in Europe. We have successfully analyzed 146 specimens to find that δ13C values are higher, in a way that we interpret as indicative of C4 plant consumption. Four of the sites analyzed, with a specific chronological indication, show this evidence. We explain this phenomenon as the result of a discontinuous spread of new crops in northeastern Italy at a very specific moment of the Bronze Age. The data presented might call for a reconsideration of food production and consumption among Bronze Age groups of southern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With regard to the impact of dredging activities in harbour environments on aquatic ecosystems, the aim of this study was to integrate results obtained from a research project carried out in Palermo Harbour in 1999. In particular, an ecotoxicological approach, together with physical–chemical analysis, was introduced to assess the quality of the dredging sediment. This study provides important data and information for the realisation of a handbook on handling of marine sediments in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study was to evaluate: 1) whether the reduction in duration of in-patient rehabilitation imposed by the Italian Ministry of Health's circular of 29/6/95 has been accompanied by a decline in the results achieved; and 2) whether the system of basing payments on diagnosis related group (DRG) criteria is capable of correctly evaluating differences in post-stroke clinical pictures. The study involved 461 of 497 patients consecutively admitted between 1991 and 1996 for rehabilitation after a first stroke. The average duration of hospitalisation for the period 1995-1996 was significantly shorter (p<0.001) than that of the previous years; at the same time, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the number of poor responders in both neurological and functional (mobility) terms. Furthermore, the early discharge after 60 days of the 1995-1996 patients compromised the stabilisation of recovery and led to a subsequent functional decline. It is therefore hoped that the current regulations will be revised and that payments based on a functional related group (FRG) criterion will be introduced.