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The article presents an abstract of the paper "Etruscan Origins: Novel Clues from mtDNA," which has been published within this issue of the journal American Journal of Human Genetics. The paper focuses on the mitochondrial DNA of people residing in Tuscany, Italy. People who are living in this region are popular with the name Etruscans.

Background: Studying and measuring accessibility to care services has become a major concern for health care management, particularly since the global financial collapse. This study focuses on Tuscany, an Italian region, which is re-organizing its inpatient and outpatient systems in line with new government regulations. The principal aim of the paper is to illustrate the application of GIS methods with real-world scenarios to provide support to evidence-based planning and resource allocation in healthcare.Methods: Spatial statistics and geographical analyses were used to provide health care policy makers with a real scenario of accessibility to outpatient clinics. Measures for a geographical potential spatial accessibility index using the two-step floating catchment area method for outpatient services in 2015 were calculated and used to simulate the rationalization and reorganization of outpatient services. Parameters including the distance to outpatient clinics and volumes of activity were taken into account.Results: The spatial accessibility index and the simulation of reorganization in outpatient care delivery are presented through three cases, which highlight three different managerial strategies. The results revealed the municipalities where health policy makers could consider a new spatial location, a shutdown or combining selected outpatient clinics while ensuring equitable access to services.Conclusions: A GIS-based approach was designed to provide support to healthcare management and policy makers in defining evidence-based actions to guide the reorganization of a regional health care delivery system. The analysis provides an example of how GIS methods can be applied to an integrated framework of administrative health care and geographical data as a valuable instrument to improve the efficiency of healthcare service delivery, in relation to the population's needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces that the region of Tuscany has agreed to join the annual award for the best paper published in the periodical "Journal of International Criminal Justice" by a young scholar. It notes that the contribution to the prize is part of an initiative to honor Giorgio La Pira on his centennial birth anniversary. It adds that the award will be referred to as the Premio Regione Toscana Giorgio La Pira which will be given during the annual public ceremony in Florence, Italy on January 9, 2005. Moreover, it presents a brief overview on La Pira's life and works.

The current note responds to the critical contribution of Dr. Eastaugh on Chiesi et al. (2011). That paper did not aim at applying BIOME-BGC to simulate stand growth, which requires a thorough modification of the model functions. In contrast, only a parameter setting was changed in order to adjust the predicted carbon storages during the simulation of quasi-equilibrium conditions. The adjustment was calibrated on volume statistics derived from the Tuscany forest inventory and is suitable for regional scale applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which dealt with the legitimization of Bianca Cappello as Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Italy, from 1548-1587. The author claims that Cappello enjoyed the wealth, protection as well as social status akin to a member of the grand ducal household. The author adds that being affiliated with the royal family caused scandal and domestic problems for her lover Francesco I de' Medici.