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An interdisciplinary study of the ancient landscape of the Trieste Karst (north-eastern Italy) is presented in this paper. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) has been applied to obtain high-resolution topography of the 25 km2 investigated area in order to identify potential archaeological anomalies. The ALS-derived high-resolution Digital Terrain Models have been visualized and managed using QGIS and Relief Visualization Toolbox. Possible archaeological anomalies have been verified through field surveys and interpreted using a multidisciplinary approach mainly based on the collection of associated archaeological materials and geomorphological and stratigraphic evidence. From a methodological perspective, the elaboration and study of ALS-derived images, and in particular the local relief model visualization, combined with the collection of Roman shoe hobnails, have proven to be effective approaches for the certain identification and dating of Roman roads in karst environments. The obtained results have revealed an almost completely unknown Roman landscape: the investigated area was crossed by important public roads, whose layout has been accurately reconstructed for a total length of over 10 km, and occupied by large country estates, sometimes enclosed within boundary walls perfectly fitting the Roman land division grid. One of the identified buildings could correspond to a road station, perhaps the Avesica known from ancient itinerary documents—i.e., the itinerarium Antonini Augusti—due to its position and proximity to a major road junction.

Dirofilaria immitis is a mosquito-borne nematode, causing heartworm (HW) disease in wild and domestic canids. HW can also affect felids with different clinical patterns from asymptomatic pictures to sudden death, making the monitoring and diagnosis complicated. Canine HW is endemic in North-eastern Italy; however, very little information has been recorded for felids. This study aims to provide new information on HW in felids in North-eastern Italy. Two hundred and six domestic cats from Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto-Adige regions (North-eastern Italy), nine captive felids from zoological parks from Veneto, and nineteen European wildcats from Friuli Venezia Giulia were recruited. Sera/plasma was analysed for the detection of anti-HW antibodies (Ab) and HW antigens (Ag); positive blood samples were molecularly analysed, targeting the HW DNA (5S-rRNA gene). Twelve out of two hundred and six (5.8%) cats presented with Ab, and three out of two hundred and six (1.5%) presented with Ag, mainly those from the Veneto region, already known as a canine HW-endemic area. Among Ab-positive cats, two were from Belluno, a mountain province previously considered free, suggesting the expansion of HW into the northern areas. No cats were positive for both Ab and Ag. Three out of nineteen (15.8%) wildcats were Ag-positive, constituting the first HW report in Italy. No captive felids were positive. Dirofilaria immitis DNA was not amplified in positive samples, suggesting the low sensitivity of PCR on blood. This study provides new data on the occurrence of HW in domestic cats and wildcats in North-eastern Italy.

On October 29, 2018, the Vaia storm hits the North-Eastern regions of Italy by wind gusts exceeding 200 km h-1. The forests in these regions have been seriously damaged. This contribution illustrates the methodology adopted in the emergency phase to estimate forest damages caused by Vaia storm, both in terms of damaged forest areas and growing stock volume of fallen trees. 494 Municipalities registered forest damages caused by Vaia, destroyed or intensely damaged forest stands amounted to about 42.500 ha, spread in Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy and, only marginally, Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta. The growing stock volume of fallen trees was about 8.5 millions m3.

During his long period of work at the Museum of Verona, Attilio Mottolli collected and prepared a wide amount of micro-mammals from various regions of north-eastern Italy. His collection includes over 5.000 specimens belonging to different orders of mammals of which micro-mammals are the most abundant. The specimens in this collection have been studied and published by many specialists. In this paper the species, collection sites and local distribution of the specimens are reported and discussed.

A few sparse vessels typologically attributed to the Gàta-Wieselburg Culture are known from Friuli Venezia Giulia region in north-eastern Italy. Such Culture developed between nowadays western Austria and Hungary during the Early-Middle Bronze Age (Reinecke Br A1b and A2, 2100–1700/1600 BC). Single artefacts, generally biconical double-handled jugs with well burnished surfaces, were discovered in caves of the Trieste Karst (Ciclami, Tartaruga, Teresiana and Ossa) and the Natisone valley (Velika jama). Most of them and a similar vessel from a Gàta-Wieselburg site in Hungary (Bük) have been investigated using several destructive and non-destructive techniques. X-ray computed microtomography, portable X-ray fluorescence, optical microscopy and absorbed lipid residue analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry have been applied in order to study their vessel-forming technique, provenance and probable use. According to the preliminary results the Karst vessels were probably imported and the identification of rather uncommon lipids, whose precise identification is still ongoing, opens interesting questions about their possible function.

International audience; The Sauveterrian represents one of the main cultural aspects of the Early Mesolithic in Europe. Its recognition in southern France by L. Coulonge dates back to the beginning of last century. During the 1970s it was also identified in northeastern Italy (Adige Valley) by A. Broglio and some years later in Tuscany. In spite of these early attributions only a few works – essentially applying a typological approach – have attempted to compare the lithic complexes from northern Italy and southern France.By applying a techno-economic analysis to a broad set of assemblages distributed across northern Italy and southern France, a synthesis of Sauveterrian lithic technical systems has been attempted. This has made it possible to identify the general objectives of debitage and the reduction sequences applied by Sauveterrian groups along with some broad evolutionary trends over time. According to this technological perspective the same conceptual schemes are attested in the two regions. Incidentally, certain specific traits – both stylistic and technical – have also been recognized, especially in the production of microliths, which are possibly related to regional adaptations. The key to the success of the Sauveterrian lithic technical systems, which also permitted extensive occupation of the entire territory considered, is recognized here in all its versatility.

The present study is an analysis of recent changes (1981-2016) in air temperature across the north-eastern region of Italy (NERI), located in a transition zone influenced by the Mediterranean and continental climatological regimes. Annual and seasonal trends in mean maximum and minimum temperatures as well as in selected extreme indices are investigated using high-quality and homogenised daily data deriving from a distributed network of 50 weather stations. The results reveal an overall widespread warming, particularly intense in spring and summer, with significant positive trends in mean and daytime (maximum-related) temperature extremes, especially at lower altitudes. No substantial elevation dependency is observed for trends in minimum-related temperature indices, which are generally characterised by lower spatial variability. Comparable positive and negative trends are identified in the frequency and duration of warm- and cold-related extremes indices. Finally, the influence on temperature extremes of dominant large-scale circulation modes in southern Europe (North Atlantic Oscillation [NAO] and East-Atlantic [EA] pattern) is examined. The results indicate that especially NAO-induced changes can explain observed temperature trends over the NERI, while the impact of the EA pattern is slightly weaker.

This paper shows the first findings of an ongoing research project on “Territorial Impact Assessment of the Italian regions territorial cohesion. Place based evidence model for the policy evaluation towards the development of green economy in inner and metropolitan peripheries”, coordinated by Maria Prezioso (Tor Vergata University, Rome) as Principal Investigator. We hereby present the results of the first two years of investigation carried out by the Research Unit number 8, located in Trieste., Bollettino della Società Geografica Italiana, Series 14 Vol 2 Special Issue (2019)

In recent years Prosecco, the renowned Italian sparkling wine, has become an increasingly popular product globally, leading to a massive expansion of viticulture within Prosecco’s production zones (north-eastern Italy). Through qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper provides the first empirical analysis of the landscape and land-use modifications generated by the planting of new vineyards. Specifically, it seeks to reconstruct both the long-term historical factors that brought about the emergence of the specific winescape (today a candidate for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the recent conversion of croplands, grassland, and woodland to wine-growing areas. The landscape, particularly on the plains, is radically changing due to the new, large geometric plantations that are perfectly suited to mechanical viticulture. This paper’s conclusions argue for overall regulation of such a booming monoculture in order to effectively harmonize the production needs of wine-growers with the needs of other land-uses (mostly residential), and to protect the historical landscape patterns and ecological biodiversity.

Tardiglacial and early Holocene settlement of the Venetian Prealps (north-eastern Italy): comparative elements. The environmental conditions during Tardiglacial human settlement (19,000-11,500 years cal BP), in the region of the Eastern Italian Alps began with the Wurmian deglaciation, a process that determined the retreat of the icecaps from the cirques in the Piedmont. The earliest Epigravettian occupations of the Tagliente rock shelter represent the first human settlement at the beginning of the Tardiglacial on the Prealpine fringes (17,000 and 16,000 years cal BP). Human recolonization in the Venetian Prealps is accompanied by the expansion of the forest but seems to be limited at first to valley floors and Prealpine plateaus before expanding, during a second phase, to altitudes above 1,000 m. This reference model is based on the link between the altimetric position and economic and functional orientation of the activities and points to a logistic management of the Alpine territory in the ecotone mountain zone-Alpine prairies. The Early Holocene marks the expansion and the intensification of settlement in the region, with the discovery of several dozen sites attributed to the Sauveterrian. This process of anthropic recolonization of the mountain is characterized by the existence of many transformations in Epigravettian and Sauveterrian societies. From a technical viewpoint, the facial operative scheme appears to be an original Epigravettian feature during the first part of the Alleröd. The facial laminar scheme consists in working the volume over a wide and slightly curved surface and maintaining this architecture throughout production, using direct hard hammer percussion. The blades have a rectilinear profile and a robust configuration and are intended for use without retouch or are transformed into backed knives. Micro-wear analysis points to the use of these objects in keeping with the physical properties (robustness and quality of the cutting edge), mainly for butchery activities and/or cutting soft animal matter. During the Early Sauveterrian, lithic production revolves around two main operative themes. The first and main theme is the production of bladelet blanks (bladelets, bladelet-type flakes, flakes) for making armatures (Sauveterre points, geometric arrow heads). The second is much less frequent and consists of blades. As regards the territorial occupation system of Epigravettian human groups, no clear modification has been identified during the Recent Dryas in northeastern Italy. However, we observe that the open-air camps near wetlands appear to be more geographically limited, with an absence of spatial organization and less lithic material. They also comprise frequent spatio-temporal segmentation of lithic production sequences. These elements point to increased mobility in the territory from smaller and ephemeral camps., En marge de l'espace géographique principalement évoqué dans le cadre de cette réunion scientifique, les travaux réalisés depuis plus de 60 ans dans les Préalpes de la Vénétie ont permis de construire un cadre de (re)colonisation de la montagne à la fin du Paléolithique supérieur et au début du Mésolithique. Cette dynamique de repeuplement anthropique est directement liée à l'évolution environnementale des Préalpes d'Italie nord-orientale du Tardiglaciaire au début de l'Holocène. Afin de proposer un parallèle chronologique avec l'évolution des groupes humains du Sud-Ouest français, quelques caractères techniques et comportementaux identifiés au sein des sociétés épigravettiennes récent et sauveterriennes sont présentés dans cet article. Mots-clés

The Euganean Geothermal System (EuGS), located in the Veneto region (NE Italy), is one of the most important, economically profitable, low-enthalpy geothermal resource in southern Europe. From the Euganean Geothermal Field (EuGF) approximately 15 Mm³/y of thermal water are exploited with a temperature ranging from 63 to 87 C. The water is mainly used for balneotherapy and recreational purposes and the related tourism industry produce an income of approximately 300 million € per year. A conceptual hydrogeological model, describing the heating of groundwater during their flow from the recharge area to the exploitation field, was recently developed. In order to validate this conceptual model, a regional 3D numerical model was carried out. The model results, in agreement with the temperature measured by thermal logs, confirm the suggested conceptual model. However, several geological and hydrogeological features that characterize the geothermal system was not taken into account in its implementation (i.e. the real extension of the regional fault system and the hydrostratigraphic units geometries). Since the existingmodeling was essentially focused on the simulation of the processes producing the EuGS, this work aims to refine the existing 3D regional numerical model improving the geological and hydrogeological settings. For this reason, a detailed geological reconstruction by Move code is performed. In order to achieve the geological reconstruction geological and seismic section and stratigraphic logs of wells located in the Veneto plain are used. Furthermore, in the EuGF area approximately 500 stratigraphic logs are available that allow to define in detail the geological setting of the exploitation field. Subsequently, the geological reconstruction will be implemented in GOLEM code carrying out coupled simulations of fluid flow and heat transport.

The taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the bird fossil remains from Buso Doppio del Broion Cave (Vicenza), located in the Berici Hills in North-Eastern Italy, are presented herein. The investigated deposits are referred to the end of MIS 3 and the boundary with MIS 2, in a phase of climate harshening. At least 44 species have been identified in the study, which indicate the presence of a wide variety of environments in the surroundings of the cave, such as conifer or mixed forests, open areas with rocky cliffs or crags, grasslands, steppes and slow flowing water bodies. Of particular interest are two Boreal taxa, Bubo scandiacus and Surnia ulula, which are considered markers of a colder climate than the present one. The S. ulula specimen represents the second Pleistocene fossil record of this species in Italy, attesting the presence of this taxon across the MIS 3/MIS 2 boundary, at least in the southern fringes of the Alps. Furthermore, the deposit provided the first Italian Pleistocene fossil remains of Troglodytes troglodytes and Phoenicurus ochruros. This contribution provides noteworthy new data about the southward range shift of Boreal bird species during the cold phases of the Pleistocene and gives new insights into the palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate of North-Eastern Italy at the end of MIS 3 and the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum.

Abundant clay burnt plaster remains and a few flaked tools, including an obsidian artefact, found on the ground surface not far from Trieste (north-eastern Italy) provide rare evidence of a possible prehistoric open-air occupation in the area. To confirm and detail their ancient origin, a plaster sample has been dated between 4000 and 2000B.C. via thermoluminescence. Outer and inner structure of selected plaster samples has been characterized using several techniques, i.e. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray computed micro-tomography, obtaining information about their production technology. The last technique has allowed to image and virtually extract vegetal remains and imprints. Their 3D morphological study has contributed to collect information about the ancient environment and has provided clues to define the plaster production season. The provenance of the obsidian artefact from Lipari Island, revealed by prompt gamma activation analysis, suggests that the finding site was part of long-distance connection systems and probably worked as intermediate point between the north-eastern Adriatic coastal areas and the inner Karst plateau.

During the Upper Palaeolithic animal teeth were consistently used by Anatomically Modern Humans as ornamental and symbolic objects used to facilitate individual and group-level interaction. Two key Northeastern Italian sites, "Grotta di Fumane" (VR) and "Grotta del Broion" (VI) show that Cervus elaphus teeth were often used for this purpose. While Grotta di Fumane yielded evidence of red deer incisors with groovings on the root, Grotta del Broion testifies to the use of deer canines and a completely different techonological approach based on preparatory scraping and perforation by rotation. An in-detail description of these processes thanks to stereomicroscope and 3D digital microscope allowed us to uncover a pattern of regional variabiliy in tooth choice and alteration practices that may be linked to the adaptive strategies of Aurignacian and Gravettian hunter-gatherers of Northern Italy as well as to the emergence of a symbolic behaviour which is deeply rooteed in human culture.

This study investigated the risk of lung and bladder cancers in people residing in proximity of a coal-oil-fired thermal power plant in an area of north-eastern Italy, covered by a population-based cancer registry. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) by sex, age, and histology were computed according to tertiles of residential exposure to benzene, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particular matter, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) among 1076 incident cases of lung and 650 cases of bladder cancers. In men of all ages and in women under 75 years of age, no significant associations were observed. Conversely, in women aged ≥75 years significantly increased risks of lung and bladder cancers were related to high exposure to benzene (IRR for highest vs. lowest tertile: 2.00 for lung cancer and 1.94 for bladder cancer) and NO2 (IRR: 1.72 for lung cancer; and 1.94 for bladder cancer). In these women, a 1.71-fold higher risk of lung cancer was also related to a high exposure to SO2. Acknowledging the limitations of our study, in particular that we did not have information regarding cigarette smoking habits, the findings of this study indicate that air pollution exposure may have had a role with regard to the risk of lung and bladder cancers limited to women aged ≥75 years. Such increased risk warrants further analytical investigations.

International audience; This paper is about the relationship among the roads network, the agglomerated settlements, and the epigraphic documentation in ancient North Eastern Italy (Histria excluded). A general map tries to give an overview of the road network: its backbone is made by the main imperial roads together with a dense mesh of roads of different ages and importance, which layout is updated thanks to new techniques and methodologies image based. The road is associated to the agglomerate settlements (about sixty sites): they’re still little known, but different research methods allow to identify in a more precise way. The exploitation of a rich epigraphic documentation (about one hundred of stone inscriptions and ten graffiti) gives an image of their population under the Romanization and the division between the indigenous and the halogenous component, but also of the characterization of social groups and of their relationship with the aristocracy.

International audience; This article reports results of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/ 14N) stable isotope analysis performed on the bone collagen of a Late Epigravettian human individual and 11 faunal remains from the Upper Palaeolithic deposits of Riparo Tagliente (Verona, Italy). Riparo Tagliente is located in Valpantena on the pre-alpine massif of Monti Lessini, at 250 m a.s.l. Its strategic position, about halfway from the plain and the top of the limestone plateau, has allowed the groups that occupied the site to exploit different ecosystems. The human skeleton comes from an incomplete burial excavated in 1973 and belongs to a young adult male. It is dated between 16,634 and 15,286 cal BP (OxA-10672). The δ13C (−18.4‰) and δ15N (13.0‰) values of the human individual are enriched compared to those of herbivores on average by +1.2‰ in 13C and +10.0‰ in 15N, and to the omnivores on average by +1.4‰ in 13C and +7.2‰ in 15N. Isotopic values would indicate an origin of proteins from terrestrial herbi-vores and high trophic level species. These data match with the results of taphonomic analyses carried out on the bone remains of herbivores, while the study of other species as fish is still in progress.

International audience

Background Over the recent decades, container-breeding mosquito species belonging to the genus Aedes have frequently been recorded far from their place of origin. Aedes koreicus was first reported in north-eastern Italy in 2011, in a region endemic for Dirofilaria immitis, the agent of canine heartworm disease. The vector competence of Ae. koreicus for D. immitis was here tested under laboratory conditions, by infecting mosquitoes with a local strain of D. immitis. Methods Blood containing 3000 microfilariae/ml was offered to 54 mosquitoes (T group) while 29 were left as a control (C group). Mosquitoes killed at scheduled days post infection (dpi) and naturally dead were divided in head, thorax and abdomen and examined for D. immitis larval stages by dissection under a microscope and molecularly. Results Of the 45 engorged mosquitoes in T, 32 (71.1%) scored positive for D. immitis larval stages. L3 were found as early as 8 dpi in the Malpighian tubules and then in the thorax, salivary glands, palp and proboscis. At the end of the study a total of 18 mosquitoes developed L3 giving an estimated infection rate at 12 dpi of 68.2% and a vector efficiency index of 25.2%. The rate of mortality in T group within the first 9 days post infection was significantly higher in T group (47.6%) than in C group (8.3%) (p

A group of Bronze Age whetstones from Protohistoric hill forts, locally called Castellieri, of eastern Friuli Venezia Giulia (north eastern Italy) has been studied using different techniques, including non destructive methods such as X-ray computed micro-tomography and portable X-ray fluorescence, in order to characterize the raw material and define its origin. The obtained results suggest that small pebbles of reddish subarkose and quartz arenites collected from the gravel deposits of river Isonzo, perhaps deriving from Val Gardena Formation outcrops, were exploited for the production of the studied artefacts during the Bronze Age. These data complement our knowledge about the lithic raw materials exploitation strategies during the ancient phase of Castellieri culture, almost exclusively based on local rock types

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. In this study, the strontium, neodymium and oxygen isotopic composition of Roman (1st-3rd century AD) and late-Roman glass (4th-6th century AD) from Adria and Aquileia, two of the most important archaeological sites of north-eastern Italy, is discussed. The majority of glass analysed, independent from age, shows values of strontium isotope ratios close to that of modern seawater, indicating that the source of lime in the glass was marine shell, and likely coastal sands were used in its production. The Nd signature of all late-Roman glasses from Aquileia and of the majority of the Roman ones from Adria, independent from their chemical composition, is homogeneous and higher than-6 εNd, supporting the hypothesis of an eastern Mediterranean origin, probably located on Syro-Palestinian coast. However, the composition of late-Roman samples with HIMT signature, with lower 87Sr/86Sr values correlated to higher contents in Fe2O3, TiO2, MgO and lower contents in CaO, suggests an area of origin for this glass on the Egyptian coast. In addition, the different Nd signatures of two Adria Roman glasses (εNd

Downstream hydraulic geometry relationships describe the shape of alluvial channels in terms of bankfull width, flow depth, flow velocity, and channel slope. Recent investigations have stressed the difference in spatial scales associated with these variables and thus the time span required for their adjustment after a disturbance. The aim of this study is to explore the consequences in regime models considering the hypothesis that while channel width and depth adjust quickly to changes in water and sediment supply, reach slope requires a longer time span. Three theoretical models were applied. One model incorporates an extremal hypothesis (Millar RG. 2005. Theoretical regime equations for mobile gravel-bed rivers with stable banks. Geomorphology 64: 207–220), and the other two are fully physically based (Ikeda S, Parker G, Kimura Y. 1988. Stable width and depth of straight gravel rivers with heterogeneous bed materials. Water Resources Research 24: 713–722; Parker G, Wilcock PR, Paola C, Dietrich W, Pitlick J. 2007. Physical basis for quasi universal relations describing bankfull hydraulic geometry of single-thread gravel-bed rivers. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, DOI: 10.1029/2006JF000549). In order to evaluate the performance of models introducing the slope as an independent variable, we propose two modifications to previous models. The performance of regime models was tested against published data from 142 river reaches and new hydraulic geometry data from gravel-bed rivers in Patagonia (Argentina) and north-eastern Italy. Models that assume slope as a control (Ikeda et al., 1988; or Millar, 2005) predict channel depth and width reasonably well. Parker et al.’s (2007) model improved predictions because it filters the scatter in slope data with a relation slope–discharge. The extremal hypothesis model of Millar (2005) predicts comparably to the other physically based models. Millar’s model was chosen to describe the recent changes in the Piave and Brenta rivers due to human intervention – mainly in-channel gravel mining. The change in sediment supply and recovery was estimated for these rivers. This study supports the interpretation that sediment supply is the key factor guiding morphological changes in these rivers.

Background The container breeding species belonging to the genus Aedes (Meigen) are frequently recorded out of their place of origin. Invasive Aedes species are proven or potential vectors of important Arboviruses and their establishment in new areas pose a threat for human and animal health. A new species of exotic mosquito was recorded in 2011 in north-eastern Italy: Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus [Hulecoeteomyia koreica]. The aim of this study was to characterize the biology, the environment and the current distribution of this mosquito in north-eastern Italy. Morphological details useful to discriminate this species from other invasive Aedes mosquitoes are also given (see Additional files). Methods All possible breeding sites for larval development were monitored. In addition, ovitraps and traps for adults were used to collect eggs and adults. The mosquitoes (larvae and adults) were identified morphologically and molecularly. Environmental data and climatic variables during the period of mosquito activity (from April to October) were considered. Results Aedes koreicus was found in 37 municipalities (39.4%) and was detected in 40.2% of places and in 37.3% of larval habitats monitored, in a range of altitude from 173 to 1250 m.a.s.l.. Garden centres were the most common locations (66.7%), followed by streets/squares (57.1%), private gardens (46.4%) and cemeteries (21.1%) (p Aedes albopictus [Stegomyia albopicta], ovitraps were attractive for adult females resulting in the higher rate of positivity (15/21; 71.4%) among breeding sites. The period of Ae. koreicus activity ranged from March 29 to October 29. Conclusion The species is clearly established in the area and is now overlapping with other vectors such as Ae. albopictus and colonizing areas over 800 m.a.s.l, not yet or sporadically reached by the tiger mosquito. The data collected are essential to assess the risk of colonization of other parts of Italy and Europe, as well as the risk of spreading of pathogens transmitted. These findings stress the importance of implementing entomological surveillance for early detection of invasive species, which is necessary for eradication or limitation of its further spread.

The fossils of large felids collected, in the so called "Brecce di Soave", by Angelo Pasa during the first half of XX century and stored at Museo di Storia Naturale di Verona are revised. Pasa referred these fossils to different taxa such as Panthera pardus, Panthera leo spelaea, Panthera sp. coming from different localities near Soave: Viatelle, Monte Zoppega, Sentiero, Castello, Monte Tenda. The term "Brecce di Soave" is used to define a karst filling deposits occurring on the Eocene limestones exposed near the village of Soave (Verona, NE Italy). The Brecce di Soave chronology is not homogeneous and includes different Pleistocene phases. The sites located in the Soave area can be referred at least to 2 different depositional phases: 1) around 1 Ma, as suggested by the occurrence of Mimomys, Allophaiomys, Beremendia, etc.; 2) around 0.5 Ma, characterized by the presence of Arvicola, Microtus (Terricola), Chionomys etc. Most of the fossils can be classified as Felidae indet. because of their fragmentary condition. All the other more complete remains can be referred to Panthera cf. P. fossilis with the exception of a partial M1 which has to be ascribed to Homotherium latidens (Viatelle) and a partial P4 referable to Canis cf. C. mosbachensis., Rivista italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, Vol 118, No 1

The aim of this work is to characterize the deformation of a natural cave induced by temperature varia-tions and by the underground water flow. We consider the tilt recorded by two horizontal pendulums installed in the largest cave of the Italian Karst, the Grotta Gigante. The environmental factors we consider are temperature, rainfall and level and flow rate of the river Reka that feeds the underground Karstic waters. The tilt and temperature have a regular annual cycle, with period of 365 days, which is caused primarily by the thermo-elastic deformation. Semiannual periods are present but more than 10 times smaller. For rainfall and river level the semi-annual and annual oscillation have comparable am-plitudes. The effect induced by the underground water flow consists in a tilting towards SW, that has a linear relation between maximum tilting and the integrated amount of water entering the Karst during the flood, with tilting coefficient a = 10.7 10-6 nrad/m3. The minimum amount of water giving a tilt signal is V0 = 5.2 106 m3.

From 2004 to 2006, a parasitological survey aimed at the detection of the microsporidian parasite Thelohania contejeani Henneguy was carried out on 177 wild white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes complex) captured in six streams and rivers of the province of Belluno in north-eastern Italy. Microscopical examination of the skeletal muscles, and histological analysis applying different histochemical stains to full transverse and sagittal sections of the cephalothorax and abdomen were carried out. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was also conducted on the parasites recovered during the survey. Out of 177 crayfish examined, Thelohania contejeani (Microsporidia, Thelohaniidae) was present in only one crayfish from the Vena d’oro creek. The parasite was detected in the skeletal muscles in several developmental stages, including mature spores, which represented the most common stage recovered. Sporophorous vesicles were also present. Histological examination revealed that the fibres of the skeletal, cardiac and intestinal muscles were filled with spores. Melanin infiltrations were focally present in the infected striated muscles. The gill phagocytic nephrocytes were engulfed by small masses of spores. Among the staining techniques applied, Crossman’s trichrome stain represented the most effective method of detecting T. contejeani.

International audience; We investigate detection probabilities and recording completeness of the seismic network in northeastern Italy, operated by the OGS (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale) during the years 1977-2007, using the Probability-based Magnitude of Completeness (PMC) method by Schorlemmer & Woessner (2008). Completeness of the dataset is varying in space and time due to the evolution of network geometry, instrumental characteristics, and monitoring and processing strategies over time: this is a common feature for all the regional and national instrumental catalogues that should be properly accounted for in seismicity rates evaluations. For the first time, we quantify with the new PMC method detection probabilities of a regional network operating since the late 70's, also including paper records. PMC is based on empirical data and requires the earthquake catalog containing phase picks, the station locations and on-/off-times, and the attenuation relation used to compute local magnitudes. In the 30-year period, we identified four time windows, roughly corresponding to the main changes in the acquisition system. We reconstructed on-/off-times by merging the available information on instruments with the analysis of inter-pick times at each station. We revised the relationship between duration and local magnitudes as the calibration of duration magnitude demonstrated to be not homogeneous among the different acquisition systems. Moreover, we introduced some constraints on the application of the PMC method to improve its performance for networks with sparse data and show the role of missing events and of temporary networks on regional completeness maps. The results demonstrate that the OGS network is detecting earthquakes completely down to magnitude 1.5 for a large part of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region since the earliest stages of its functionality; the OGS instrumental catalogue is therefore the most precise and complete dataset available for this area. Our analysis shows that the change from analog to digital systems does not necessarily correspond to an improvement in detection capabilities. The computed time series of completeness maps are available and should be considered for any seismicity study involving data from the OGS network.

The recent excavation of the tumulus of Mereto di Tomba, near Udine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, offers fresh data to the research of the prehistoric monumental landscape. Some proposed connections between the tumuli of north eastern Italy and those diffused in a wider area including the Balkan-Adriatic regions, on the one hand, and the Aegean, on the other hand, seem to be strengthened. Furthermore, according to recent trends in the field of research on mounds and barrows, the recent evidence sheds new light on the emergence of tumuli in the northern Adriatic area by suggesting that these monuments do not constitute a homogeneous and monolithic phenomenon; both chronologically and functionally they are part of a palimpsestic landscape, provided with monumental signs dating to different period and focusing on different ritual occasions, which involved individual funerals as well as communal ritual ceremonies., Borgna Elisabetta. Individual Burial and Communal Rites: the Manifold Uses of Monumental Architecture in the North Adriatic Bronze Age. In: Ancestral Landscape. Burial mounds in the Copper and Bronze Ages (Central and Eastern Europe – Balkans – Adriatic – Aegean, 4th-2nd millennium B.C.) Proceedings of the International Conference held in Udine, May 15th-18th 2008. Lyon : Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée Jean Pouilloux, 2012. pp. 279-289. (Travaux de la Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée. Série recherches archéologiques, 58)

The nothosauroid sauropterygian Simosaurus is reported for the first time both from Italy and from the early Carnian (earliest Late Triassic). Diagnostic dorsal neural arches and clavicles as well dorsal ribs have been collected in the Rio dal Lago Formation near Dogna (Friuli). Purported Simosaurus remains from the Ladinian of Austria cannot be attributed to this genus with certainty and the presence of additional articular structures in the dorsal neural arch ("infraprezygapophyses" and infrapostzygapophyses) cannot distinguish Simosaurus from Bobosaurus if the craniocaudal polarity or other vertebral features are unknown., Rivista italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, Vol 114, No 2

To establish a database for the three MiniNC01 loci D10S1248, D14S1434, D22S1045 in a population sample from North-eastern Italy, 102 unrelated individuals were typed. DNA was amplified in a multiplex reaction with subsequent automatic detection using capillary electrophoresis. The obtained data give a contribution to the definition of Italian population miniSTRs allele frequencies for the three analysed loci. These three MiniSTRs were tested on 21 neoplastic tissues and the obtained genotypes were compared to those obtained from normal tissue. Only 3 cases (14.28%) gave a different genotype suggesting a better performance of these markers than traditional STRs.

Facies analysis of Priabonian shallow-water carbonate successions in the outcrops near Mossano (eastern Colli Berici, north-eastern Italy) and the subsequent integration of palaeoecological data have been used to produce a detailed palaeoenvironmental model. The facies distribution and the processes, which controlled the larger benthic foraminiferal and coralline algal assemblages in the study Priabonian storm-influenced, carbonate ramp, are discussed in detail. In the middle-ramp trough, cross-bedded small Nummulites and rhodolith packstones pass laterally into coralline algal crust wackestones. These rhodoliths exhibit two well-differentiated growth-phases: the first occurring during low-water energy periods, followed by a second developed during high-energy events during which they were reworked and partially destroyed. These facies pass laterally into orthophragminid rudstones and packstones characterised by orthophragminid tests and channel structures. The latter were formed by storm-induced return currents, which swept the middle-ramp creating distal middle-ramp channel structures. Further toward the distal part of the middle-ramp the return currents decreased in energy and discharged nutrients allowing the coralline crustose pavement to develop. This is characterised by rhodoliths typically discoidal in shape (up to 10 cm in diameter) with a loose inner arrangement consisting of encrusting-to-foliose growth-forms. The occurrence of the channel structures in orthophragminid rudstones and in the coralline crustose pavement appears to be unique in Upper Eocene carbonate ramp depositional systems. During the erosive events associated with the return currents, these shallow-water carbonates were unlithified or only weakly lithified and were, therefore, easily transported into deeper water ramp settings. The model suggests that the significant changes of the middle-ramp benthic communities with depth could have formed, at least in part, by offshore return currents, which played an important role in both controlling substrates and in supplying nutrients.

THE WOOD COENOSES OF COLLI SERICI (VICENZA, NE lTALY). The syntaxonomical, chorological and ecological features of the wood coenoses occurring in the hilly area of Colli Berici (Vicenza, North-Eastern Italy) are described. Three associations are recognized: the suboceanic Omithogalo pyrenaici-Carpinetum Marincek et al. 1983, Buglossoido-Ostryetum Gerdol et al. 1982 em. Poldini 1988, which prefers more marked thermic excursions, and the synanthropical Lamio orvalae-Sambucetum nigrae Poldini 1980. The first association includes two coenoses: the gorge woods, characterized by species of Tilio-Acerion Klika 1955 and Lamio Acerenion Marincek I 990, and the subass. caricetosum pilosae Marincek et al. 1983. The Buglossoido Ostryetum is subdivided into two subassociations: typicum and pistacietosum terebinthi Poldini 1988. The latter is characterized by the presence of taxa of Quercetea ilicis Sr.-Sl. 1947 and by a higher incidence of species belonging to the the Mediterranean s.l. chorological type; its differential species are proposed. The marginal presence of two further associations (Melampyro vulgati-Quercetum petraeae s.lat. Puncer et Zupancic 1979 em. Zupancic 1994 and Carici umbrosae-Quercetum petraeae Poldini 1982) is hypothesized.