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We explore the use of experts in arbitration proceedings by analysing public procurement contract disputes in Italy. Balancing cost with accuracy, participants to a contract select arbitration when speedy dispute resolution is valued highly. Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms tend to give appointed arbitrators discretion in how to proceed. Consequently, principal‐agent problems can arise. Using an inverse‐probability‐weighted approach, we show that the use of an expert causes a slowing down of the case resolution, without having an effect on the outcome of the dispute nor resolving uncertainty as measured by unanimous decisions by the panel of arbitrators. Conflict resolution mechanism designers should consider the alignment of incentives between the disputants and the service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, wildfire hazards have increased to dangerous levels, becoming the focus of debate among policymakers both at the local and national levels. This paper proposes a Spatio-temporal approach to study the determinants of fire size distributions taking Sardinia as a case study in the time span 1998–2009. Special attention is devoted to socio-economic factors of local communities where wildfires occurred. The main finding of this study is that the proportion of public lands in a given municipality tends to mitigate the extent of the burned area. In addition, communities with a higher percentage of people employed in the primary sector are less likely to experience large burned extents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three million sheep raised on 10 000 active farms operating in traditional and innovative farming systems in Sardinia, Italy, account for 13% of sheep milk production in the European Union (EU). Almost all of the milk delivered is processed to sheep cheese and is destined for world trade. The Sardinian dairy sheep sector also emits approximately 1600 kt CO2eq/year, approximately 60% of regional livestock greenhouse gas (GHG), prompting the need for regional mitigation plans. The SheepToShip LIFE project (EU‐LIFE Climate Change Action 2014–2020) is a regional case study to test emission mitigation strategies. Based on the SheepToShip LIFE findings, this paper presents a systems perspective against the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, with the aim of underlining system interlinkages between environmental, societal, and economic objectives. The project included (i) a life cycle thinking approach featuring environmental and socioeconomic traits of 18 sheep farms, (ii) on‐farm implementation and demonstration of eco‐innovative mitigation techniques indicating the most viable actions to reduce impact, (iii) focus groups discussing beliefs and reactions of the main stakeholders, and (iv) group model building producing a causal loop diagram from a systems thinking approach and exploring insights for regional policy‐making that aligns with the SDGs. Causal links connect public interventions and stakeholder interaction (SDG 17) to boost farm eco‐innovations (SDGs 9 and 8) and education and farmer training (SDG 4), and they foster efficient production (SDG 12) and high‐quality food provisioning (SDG 2). These benefits contribute to climate change mitigation (SDG 13), water quality (SDG 6), and farm ecosystem services (SDG 15). Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1187–1198. © 2022 SETAC Key Points: The methodological integration of life cycle Assessments and qualitative systems modeling allows an accurate problem definition for complex sustainability challenges.The solutions derived from the introduced methodological journey provides insights for better decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs provincial data to study the spatial and intersectoral spill-overs in aggregate failure rates in Spain, by using an Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation. The analysis is based on NUTS3 data over the time span 2005Q1-2013Q4. By speculating on the effects of the Spanish financial crisis, we document empirical evidence of the presence of spatial spill-overs among neighboring counties. Furthermore, some intersectoral spill-overs are also detected: we observe that Industry and Agriculture exhibit a positive impact on the Service sector. These results can be useful to design proper policy rules to better manage the spread of bankruptcies over time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse to what extent the willingness to pay of art gallery visitors for the preservation of cultural artefacts is affected by the identity traits of the objects. To this purpose, we designed a discrete choice experiment that took place during a major exhibition dedicated to the artist Costantino Nivola (1911–1988) in Sassari (Sardinia, Italy). His works are known worldwide and many of them were produced after he moved from Sardinia to the United States in 1939. As a result, both the American and the Sardinian culture show up in his works and, in particular, were clearly visible in the exhibition under study. The discrete choice experiments allowed us to elicit respondents' preferences towards the identity features stemming from Nivola's artefacts. The results confirm the importance of this component indicating that its presence almost doubles respondents' willingness-to-pay for the acquisition of these artefacts to a permanent collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resilience of cooperatives and their positive contribution to employment in times of crisis is well established. However, their overall economic performance relative to conventional firms is still controversial, casting doubt on the ability of this alternative organizational form to govern the fundamental drivers of productivity. To shed new light on the issue, we study the comparative technical efficiency of agricultural cooperatives (ACs) and conventional firms (CFs), drawing on a unique data set comprising all wine‐producing companies in Sardinia (Italy) from 2004 to 2009. Due to the similarity of the habitats in which the firms operate and the careful measurement of several key inputs, the observed units are 'twins' in all non‐organizational respects, providing an ideal setting for comparison. Having generated efficiency scores through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), we regressed the scores on external covariates and ownership type using a pooled truncated maximum likelihood formulation. Our findings, which survive correction for spatial correlations, indicate that cooperatives are less technically efficient than their capitalist counterparts and struggle more to adapt to extreme weather fluctuations. Both results are particularly worrying in light of the main challenges facing the wine industry in the near future: liberalization of EU planting rights and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spanish small businesses rarely file for bankruptcy, and Spanish bankruptcy rates are abnormally small. The historical inadequacy of the Spanish insolvency system has led most enterprises to rely on the de facto alternative mortgage system and to overinvest in fixed tangible assets: a distortion that may trigger significant adverse effects, for instance on the enabling environment of novel entrepreneurship. The reform of the bankruptcy law that took place in Spain some 10 years in order to modernise the insolvency system involved, as a main novelty, the establishment of specialised commercial courts (Juzgados de lo Mercantil). Since the net benefits of specialised judicial functions are in principle ambiguous, we study empirically whether these new bodies had any impact, over and above the economic crisis, on the use of the bankruptcy system. Exploiting the staggered timing of the new courts geography, we estimate an endogenous treatment model with a binary policy variable which allows to measure the effect of the reform on bankruptcy rates. The results support the view that the new bankruptcy law took the right path, but the size of the estimated parameters call for further policy efforts in that direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the study of Brachyuran crabs or Palicoides whitei. Topics discussed include information on biological family that is Palicidae Bouvier; information on the marine environment habitat of Brachyuran crabs; and behavioral study of Brachyuran crabs. An overview of taxonomy of Brachyuran crabs is also presented.

What factors drive the length of a kidnapping experience? A theoretical model is developed to conduct comparative statics. A unique data set covering all kidnappings for ransom in Sardinia between 1960 and 2010 is analyzed. Factors related to the ability to pay and cost of abduction matter. Policies aimed at deterring kidnapping have mixed effects on its duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honest-advertisement models of sexual selection suggest that condition-dependent male secondary sexual characters could function as reliable signals of male quality, enabling females to discriminate among potential partners, both in the pre- and post-copulatory phases. In this context, many studies have revealed the importance of promiscuous mating systems and female sperm storage in determining the occurrence of such a model of sexual selection. By contrast, few studies have investigated the presence and extent of post-copulatory female choice in chelonian species. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of male size, male-male competition, and courtship intensity on paternity distribution in Testudo hermanni hermanni, combining behavioural and genetic data. We created experimental groups composed of two males of different sizes and three or four randomly selected females. Observations conducted during social interactions between males revealed that a hierarchy, unrelated to male size, was soon established: Alpha males were more aggressive towards competitors and courted females more intensively. Alpha males also achieved a higher mounting success than Beta males. Paternity analysis performed on hatchlings produced from experimental females revealed that male reproductive success was not correlated with male-female size ratio. Finally, despite the higher mounting success of Alpha males, paternity analysis revealed that male reproductive success did not differ between Alpha and Beta males. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111, 656-667. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molara is a small island belonging to the Marine protected Area Tavolara—Punta Coda Cavallo, in Sardinia. During 2006–2007, a bio-monitoring program reported a strong presence of the black rat, Rattus rattus, on Molara island. Rat predation has detrimentally affected the unique biodiversity of this island, thus, in 2008 an eradication campaign was conducted. Our eradication protocol included a pre-eradication genetic investigation, using 8 microsatellite loci, on a rat population of Molara as well as on neighbour islands within the Marine Protected Area (MPA). The main goal of this genetic investigation was to establish the correct borders of the eradication unit of Molara island. As several recent eradication campaigns have been unsuccessful, due to incomplete and unstable eradication, we also aimed to assess possible hidden sources of reinvasion. Specimens were also collected during post- eradication monitoring on Molara for genetic screening to establish their origin, and thus validate the effectiveness of our eradication campaign. According to our genetic analysis, within the MPA there are four different eradication units, corresponding to the islands of Molara, Tavolara, Piana and to the Sardinia mainland. Gene flow among these four units is more or less absent. The assignment and clustering tests performed on pre and post-eradication samples seem to indicate that the population of Sardinia mainland is a possible source of re-invasion for the Piana and Molara populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sperm storage is widespread in many vertebrate groups, and it is frequently associated with promiscuous mating systems. Chelonian species are one of the most outstanding examples of a promiscuous group capable of long-term sperm storage; specialized structures have evolved within the oviducts of these vertebrates to ensure sperm vitality across reproductive cycles. Thus far, few studies have investigated the factors regulating multiple paternity, sperm usage by females and paternity distribution in successive clutches. This study aimed to investigate the effect of mating order on male mounting and reproductive success in Testudo hermanni hermanni, combining behavioural and genetic data. A series of planned matings were performed, within which experimental females were mated sequentially to two different males under controlled conditions. Observations conducted during experimental matings revealed that courtship displays did not significantly differ between the first and second males to mate with a female. Interactions ending with a mount were characterized by a significantly higher intensity and occurrence of determinate courtship behaviours, for example biting and running after the female. Paternity analysis performed on hatchlings produced from experimental females revealed that 46 % of the clutches were multi-sired. A significant contribution of previous years' partners was still found, thus confirming the long-term sperm storage within the female oviduct in this species. Finally, mating order did not significantly affect the reproductive success of experimental males during the on-going reproductive season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the cross-amplification of microsatellite loci for several Testudo species. Species examined include T. hermanni, T. hercegovinensis, T. marginata and T. graeca. 23 microsatellite loci were tested, with 12 being discarded. The 11 microsatellite loci gave reliable and repeated genotyping results in all tested Testudo species/subspecies. A total of 8-10 polymorphic loci was defined across the tested microsatellite genetic markers. Results of the study confirmed the validity of cross-amplification tests across taxa which are phylogenetically distant.

Many Indo-Pacific mangrove macroinvertebrates are herbivorous and heavily dependent on leaf litter. As a consequence, fallen leaves become a limiting factor and competition occurs among conspecifics and heterospecifics. Neosarmatium meinerti and Cardisoma carnifex are two of the most common herbivorous crabs of the landward mangrove belt in East Africa, often sharing an area and time of activity. This study used a series of field experiments to investigate their feeding habits when co-existing. The high density reached by both species led to overlapping of the individual feeding ranges: during the feeding excursions each crab inevitably encountered, and actively interacted with, other conspecifics and heterospecifics. Competition for food was high: N. meinerti lost approximately 50% of its leaves to theft by C. carnifex. Thus, approximately half of the leaves obtained by C. carnifex were stolen from a foraging N. meinerti. Considering the frequency of such thefts, C. carnifex may be regarded as a facultative kleptoparasitic species. This is the first time that a such strategy has been recorded for a crab species and for a vegetable resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We gauge the cost of crime in Italy by concentrating on a subset of offences covering about 64% of total recorded crimes in the year 2006. Following the breakdown of costs put forward by Brand and Price, we focus on the costs in anticipation, as a consequence, and in response to a specific offence. The estimated total social cost is more than €38 billion, which amounts to about 2.6% of Italy's GDP. To show the usefulness of these measures, we borrow the elasticity estimates from recent studies concerning the determinants of crime in Italy and calculate the cost associated with the surge in crime fuelled by unemployment and pardons. Indeed, in both cases such costs are substantial, implying that they should no longer be skipped when assessing the relative desirability of public policies towards crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mida Creek, Kenya (3°20′S, 40°5′E), at high water, the snail Cerithidea decollata dwells on the trunks of mangrove trees ( Avicennia marina), while during low water it migrates to the ground, foraging at various distances from the trunk, where it aggregates again well before the incoming tide. Snails from the upper shore level are 150–200 m distant from those living at the lower shore level and they cluster at lower heights on trunks. In any case, sufficient height is usually attained to avoid being submersed. An experiment was designed (February and October 2005), exchanging individuals from different shore levels subject to different tide regimes, in order to test whether snails rely on internal information or on external, direct cues, to adapt their behaviour to local conditions. Results show that C. decollata mostly rely on internal information, presumably based on an internal clock. When individuals from upper and lower shore levels were exchanged, their internal clocks continued to govern when to ascend the home trunk and how high to climb for five to six successive tides, after which the behaviour was reset to the new local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the literature on the comparative advantage of small versus large banks at lending to small businesses and in light of the worldwide decline in the number of intermediaries that specialise in this type of lending associated with deregulation in the banking industry, we examine the role that specific categories of banks have played in the context of Italy’s regional economic growth. Over the estimation period, 1970–1993, which ends in the year of full implementation of the banking reform that introduced statutory de-specialisation and branching liberalisation, Italy featured not only a substantial presence of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the real sector, as is still the case, but also a large and heterogeneous set of credit institutions with different ownership, size and lending styles. Exploiting these peculiarities we study the role of specific intermediaries and gather indirect evidence concerning the likely effects, ceteris paribus, of the current consolidation processes. The main findings, stemming from panel regressions with fixed effects, are as follows. The overall size of the financial sector has a weak impact on growth, but some intermediaries are better than others: cooperative banks and special credit institutions play a positive role, banks of national interest (basically large private banks) and public law banks (government-owned banks) either do not affect growth or have a negative influence depending on how growth is measured. Cooperative banks were mostly small banks and special credit institutions were all but large conglomerates with standardized credit policies, hence our results lend support to the current worldwide concerns of a reduction in the availability of credit to SMEs resulting from consolidation and regulatory reforms in the banking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological rhythms with lunar components are common in nature. In the sea, the moon's gravitational pull on earth is the principal cause of the tides, which normally reach maximum amplitudes every new and full moon. Many populations synchronize spawning to this time. Some choose either the new or the full moon, implying that moonlight is important; but one lunar phase usually has higher tides than the other, and many species select the phase with the higher tide to improve the offshore transport of their progeny. However, tidal dominance by one lunar phase is not constant; it switches between new and full moon every seven months. We tested the influence of this 14-month "syzygy inequality cycle" (SIC) on lunar synchrony by sampling 11 populations of intertidal crabs at two locations in East Africa for 21 months. Eight populations synchronized larval release with the SIC. Tidal cues were more important than moonlight in entraining the reproductive rhythm, although two populations synchronized spawning to the new moon. SIC synchrony increased with population shore level, because only the higher lunar tide permitted top- shore spawning. Top-shore species therefore have a restricted lunar choice. SIC synchrony could be common, given that it occurs in most marine environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of the pleopods was investigated in two species of Diogenid hermit crabs, Dardanus arrosor and D. calidus. A transparent glass shell was used to observe the movements of the pleopods in hermit crabs. The movements consisted of periodic, irregular beating, which generated an irregular flow of the water within the shell. A strong, regular beating movement was elicited when there was detritus or faeces in the shell, as was occupation of a new shell. Injection of water with a low oxygen concentration into the shell failed to induce any variation in the pleopod beating frequency (PBF), while the injection of water with a high CO2 concentration induced a sudden PBF increase. When pH was varied and CO2 concentration held at normal atmospheric level, there was a change in PBF. However, CO2 variation alone, at constant pH, did not trigger any visible reaction. This suggests that there is a receptor for pH, which acts independently of the CO2 concentration. The function of males hermit crabs pleopods has always been obscure. However, at least in Dardanus, they are actively involved in water circulation within the shell for shell-cleaning and probably for ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecology and taxonomy of an interesting species of tree-living freshwater crab from the East Usambara mountains, Tanzania, and from the Shimba Hills, Kenya, East Africa is described. This phytotelmic decapod crustacean belongs to a new species of potamonautid freshwater crab in the genus Potamonautes MacLeay, 1838, which is described. This is one of only a few reports of the phenomenon of the use of water-filled tree holes by any species of true freshwater crab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity and clustering in two intertidal species of hermit crabs, Clibanarius virescens and Calcinus laevimanus, were studied during a semilunar tide cycle in Somalia. Three groups were marked and examined throughout 16 low waters, and 12 samples of clustered and scattered crabs were collected from similar habitats. During high water, the animals took refuge in mass in holes of the cliff; they began to reappear (especially at night) and feed during ebb‐tide (feeding phase). When exposed to the air, the crabs entered a resting phase with some aggregating in clusters, then when the tide rose became active again before going back to their refuges. Clusters composed of up to 95 quiescent individuals (which were even more crowded during nocturnal and spring low tides) occurred at every low tide and at approximately the same place. Size and sex composition of clumps differed from scattered samples, suggesting that the clustering habit is exclusive to crabs which either need to frequently change their shells (due to their faster growth rate) or are less efficient in the competition to acquire such resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The primary purpose of this paper is to test a plausible data-coherent representation of the consumption based model of the demand for money against an analogous representation of the standard income based formulation. On the basis of non-nested tests, neither model can be maintained. Consequently, the possibility of tax cuts being contractionary (the Holmes-Smyth effect) is still an open question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activity rhythms of the swimming Portunid Thalamita crenata have been studied on the basis of crab sightings in surveys along three transects of a mangrove swamp in Kenya. Activity is well matched to the environmental regime and is prevalent during the high tides. However, activity does not occur over the whole of the high tide, but is confined to “temporal windows”; corresponding to a water level between 10 and 30 cm. Our findings suggest that activity in Thalamita crenata is shaped by the tidal cycles and we propose that variation in hydrostatic pressure as the tide changes is the cue which elicits activity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The spatial strategy of the hermit crab Clibanarius longitarsus was studied during a semilunar tidal cycle in a mangrove swamp in Kenya. This species is isospatial, being active at HW and taking refuge during its wrong phase (air) within the mangrove roots at LW. However, as revealed by radio‐telemetry, these animals (as well as other decapods) may miss one or more activity cycles. During their displacements, they followed a straight course parallel to the coast‐line but limited within a narrow and constant channel from the mangrove edge to the sea. Displacement was significantly higher at spring tides (with a maximum of 450 m), but there was no difference in extent between nocturnal and diurnal tides. Animals maintained the same locomotory sense during single HWs, and over subsequent HWs. These movement patterns were fast dispersal along the x‐axis, as revealed by both a low recovery rate of tagged animals and the trajectories followed by 12 radio‐tracked hermits. This nomadic behaviour may be explained as a means of intercepting spatially unforeseeable resources. Empty shells are a limiting factor in this habitat, and to periodically obtain new gastropod shells is fundamental for hermits (due to the animals’ growth or deterioration of old shells). Acquiring them from dead snails or conspecifics may have placed a fitness premium on this expensive spatial strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information about the first record of the land crab, Discoplax rotunda, from East Africa. It tries to inquire the geographical distribution of this specie. According to authors, Discoplax rotunda is a land crab inhabiting islands in the Indo-West Pacific oceans, from Aldabra and Mauritius to the Ryukyu Islands, Hawaii, and French Polynesia. The specie commonly lives in the supralittoral or in inland habitats.

The article celebrates the life and work of Francesca Gherardi, the associate editor of the journal "Ethology Ecology & Evolution" who died on February 14, 2013.

Presents an introduction to the June, 2002 issue of the journal "Wetlands Ecology and Management."

This field study investigated the spatial strategies and homing ability of two East African fiddler crabs, Uca lactea annulipes and Uca vocans hesperiae, using various experimental procedures. A clear-cut spatial segregation between the two species was observed, with U. l. annulipes occupying areas even a few centimetres above U. v. hesperiae. Females of both species were extremely faithful to their holes while the males exhibited behavioural differences. U. l. annulipes males were quite faithful to their holes; in contrast, U. v. hesperiae males, during a single low tide, visited several holes which they did not defend. Two displacement experiments were conducted in order to identify the stimuli that fiddler crabs use in their homing. In the ‘dislocation experiment’, the crabs were moved (by hand) 1 or 2 m away from their refuge and released. None of these crabs returned to its burrow and, moreover, the initial directions they followed were not homeward orientated. In the ‘translation experiment’, the crabs were passively translated while actively feeding. When the crabs attempted to go ‘home’ after the translation, they darted along a straight path that led them to points that would have corresponded to their homes if the translation had not taken place. After this first response crabs then commenced searching strategies that led half of them home. Short-range homing seems to depend strongly on information actively gathered during the outward journey, other than local visual landmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]