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A new occurrence of the Mn-Ba ore mineral, romanechite, has been discovered in a small paleo-doline of the Apulian karst on Mesozoic carbonate rock successions, characterized by reddish incrustations and nodules made essentially by Fe-bearing calcite. The conditions under which Mn-Ba ore minerals form represent an intriguing area of research, as these minerals can act as scavengers for heavy elements, impacting soils, surface sediments, and even associated aquatic systems. The genesis of romanechite is linked to the progressive interaction of silicate aqueous solutions enriched in Al, Si, and Fe with the limestone substrate. The findings provide new insights into the genetic processes responsible for the formation of reddish Mn incrustations, supporting their polygenetic origin because of the chemical alteration of limestone and allochthonous siliciclastic muds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we focused on the need to fill a knowledge gap among Italian botanical studies namely that of ornamental species census. In particular, we addressed one of the regions in southern Italy with less knowledge in the field of such studies and with an obvious presence of non-native species. A widespread census of the Apulian territory was carried out between 2021 and 2024 in both urban and suburban areas including street trees, parks, and private and historic gardens. The inventory of ornamental trees, shrubs, and succulents of Apulia (southern Italy) was carried out in six provinces, i.e., Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, and Taranto. The checklist comprises 287 taxa (including 265 species, 6 varieties, 5 subspecies, and 11 forms) included in 179 genera belonging to 78 families. We evaluated the number of taxa per families and genera, the presence of each taxa in the provinces of Apulia, the number of taxa per occurrence status, growth forms, geographical origin, and the number of native and alien taxa and also the artificial hybrids. Remarks of the most significant taxa and evaluation of geographical distribution in Italy were also taken into consideration. A large number of surveyed taxa (51.74%) are comprised in the list reported in the recent study on allochthonous vascular flora in Italy with a marked prevalence of Neophyte Casual Alien and Neophyte Naturalized Alien species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perusal of some recent repertories and databases, relative to the entire span of the Middle Ages, leaves little room for imagination: while in Northern and Central Italy, one comes across a surprising number of authors of Latin works of the most varied genres (historiography, poetry, philosophy, treatises), professionally qualified as notaries, in our Mezzogiorno, the cases so far found of notaries who are also writers of works in Latin -- more or less ambitious from a literary point of view -- are very few indeed. Nicola de Martoni and Angelo Crassullo are particularly significant among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antependia, realized in polychrome marbles during the Baroque period in two Christian churches of Apulia (Southern Italy), were on-site petrographically investigated by the naked eye to obtain information regarding the types of used rocks; the precision in the making of the marble tesserae was also assessed. Most of the polychrome marbles recognized were taken from buildings and monuments realized during the Roman imperial period; other marbles quarried during the Baroque period, mainly from Italian geological outcrops, were also identified. The precision in the execution of the tesserae is generally very high and depends not only on the skill of the marble worker but also on the lithotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Nile virus (WNV) is a public health concern in Europe. Rising temperatures and the migration of potential vectors promote the spread of viruses to previously unaffected areas. In 2023, the Apulia region of Southern Italy experienced an unexpected increase in West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND); no such cases had been reported in the previous 10 years. Overall, eight autochthonous cases of WNV infection were identified between July and October 2023, six of which were WNND. All cases were male (median age, 73 years). Two of the cases were blood donors. All WNND cases were hospitalized and all recovered within a few weeks. Surveillance data showed that, in the Apulia region, WNV Lineage 2 was detected in humans, mosquitoes, and horses. Based on the number of WNND cases reported, we can assume that a high number of infections occurred during the summer period. Changes in the climate in the region over recent years could be considered among the main drivers of the rapid increase in WNV infections. Therefore, integrated surveillance should be strengthened to avoid the potential massive spread of WNV in Southern Italy. Moreover, the implementation of whole-genome sequencing of WNV strains, as well as seroepidemiological studies in the area, will facilitate a better understanding of circulation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses a contemporary form of illegal labour mediation, known in Italian as caporalato, which persists in industrialized agricultural production in southern Italy despite a decade of unrelenting legal and policy reforms. Focusing on the regions of Puglia and Basilicata during the so-called Mediterranean 'refugee crisis' (2011-2018), this article addresses the question of how practices of caporalato remain a central infrastructure of globalized agri-food production, while segregating migrant workers in rural society. Adopting an infrastructural lens, we propose two main arguments. First, we highlight the need to shift analytical concerns from 'criminal' labour gangmasters and their protection business to a broader analysis of their role in the reproduction of precarious migrant labour. Second, we highlight how caporalato infrastructures contribute to adversely incorporating migrant 'seasonal' workers into local agricultural labour markets in a context of increasingly globalized retail agriculture and changing state policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of November 2021, a large area of Puglia (an administrative region in Southern Italy) was officially nominated as new aUGGp (aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark) by the Italian National Commission of UNESCO. This area comprises the northwestern part of the Murge territory, where a Cretaceous sector of the Apulia Carbonate Platform crops out, and part of the adjacent Premurge territory, where the southwestward lateral continuation of the same platform (being flexed toward the Southern Apennines Chain) is covered by thin Plio-Quaternary foredeep deposits. The worldwide geological uniqueness of the aspiring Geopark (Murge aUGGp) is that the area is the only in situ remnant of the Adria Plate, the old continental plate almost entirely squeezed between the Africa and Eurasia Plates. In such a context, the Murge area (part of the Apulia Foreland) is a virtually undeformed sector of Adria, while other territories of the plate are and/or were involved in the subduction/collision processes. In the aspiring Geopark, the crust of Adria is still rooted to its mantle, and the Cretaceous evolution of the continent is widely recorded in the Murge area thanks to the shallow-water carbonate succession of one of the largest peri-Tethys carbonate platforms (the Apulia Carbonate Platform). The aspiring Geopark also comprises the Premurge area, which represents the outer Southern Apennines foredeep, whose Plio-Quaternary evolution is spectacularly exposed thanks to an "anomalous" regional middle-late Quaternary uplift. Despite the presence of numerous geological singularities of international importance, it would be important, from a geotourist point of view, to propose a regional framework of the geology of the aUGGp before introducing visitors to the significance of the individual geosites, whose importance could be amplified if included in the geoevolutionary context of the Murge aUGGp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Detailed and accurate geomorphological historical landslide inventory maps are an invaluable source of information for many research topics and applications. Their systematic preparation worldwide has been advised by many researchers as it may foster our knowledge on landslides, their spatial and temporal distribution, their potential interaction with the built environment, their contribution to landscape dynamics, their response to climate change in the past. Due to the extreme variability of the morphological and radiometric elements that can reveal historical landslides, geomorphological historical landslide inventory maps are produced by expert interpretation, which makes it a time consuming and expensive process, which often discourages wide area mapping activities. In this paper we present a new geomorphological historical landslide inventory map for a 1,460 km² area in the Daunia Apennines, the northern-western sector of the Apulia (Puglia) region, in Southern Italy. The inventory contains 17,437 landslides classified according to relative age, type of movement and estimated depth. Landslides were mapped according to rigorous and reproducible criteria applied by two teams of expert photo interpreters to two sets of stereoscopic aerial photographs taken in 1954/55 and 2003. The dataset consists of a digital archive publicly available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.942427 (Cardinali et al., 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multidisciplinary petrographic and geotechnical approach, aimed at understanding the conditioning by rock-fabric on the mechanical properties of carbonate soft rocks, is shown in this paper. The analysed rocks extensively crop out in the Apulia region and can be referred to three geological units: Pietra leccese (Late Burdigalian-Early Messinian), Calcarenite di Gravina (Middle Pliocene-Early Pleistocene) and Salentino Supersynthem (Midde-Late Pleistocene). 69 specimens of carbonate soft rocks, belonging to all these units, were selected from different sectors of Apulia region and characterized according to petrographic, physical and mechanical properties. Petrographic data allowed us to group all specimens in the following six classes: i) wackestone; ii) mud-dominated packstone; iii) packstone; iv) grainstone; v) floatstone; vi) rudstone. Differently, uniaxial compression strength (UCS) values classify the most part of specimens in “very low and low strength”, revealing a dominant weak resistance and high deformability. Particular attention has been given to the relationships between petrographic features and physical and mechanical parameters of the Apulian soft rocks by means of statistical tests based on the univariate analysis of variance (one-way Anova) and on the principal component analysis (PCA). At first, statistical analysis revealed that the rock geotechnical values are strictly dependent from the geological units. Particularly, the samples of Pietra leccese show significantly higher means of UCS, Young's modulus (Et), and dry unit weight than samples of the Calcarenite di Gravina Fm. Conversely, samples of this latter unit have significantly higher means of porosity, imbibition coefficient and permeability coefficient than those ones of the Pietra leccese fm. Moreover, statistical analysis was applied to estimate if geotechnical values differ according to the petrographic classes of the Calcarenite di Gravina Fm and to verify the covariance between the geotechnical parameters of this unit. The following results have been remarked: i) floatstone and rudstone have significantly higher means of UCS and dry unit weight, and lower means of porosity than finer-grained classes; ii) mud-dominated packstone has significantly lower means of UCS, dry unit weight, Et and permeability coefficient and higher means of porosity and imbibition coefficient than other petrographic classes; iii) grain-dominated, matrix-free, rudstone and grainstone have significantly higher values of permeability coefficient than mud-dominated classes; iv) the occurrence of carbonate lithoclasts and of different dominant couples of sparry cement in pore spaces, are two of the most important controlling factors of the rock strength, and can also explains much of the intraformational variability observed in geotechnical data. Total porosity has not a clear correlation with permeability. This means that the contribution of isolated pore spaces to the total porosity is relevant in Apulian soft rocks, as also suggested by the relatively low values of permeability compared to the relatively high percentages of total porosity. A multidisciplinary characterization of carbonate soft rocks based on petrographic analysis and geotechnical determination of physical and mechanical properties is here recommended for future studies since this approach can give useful information to understand the peculiar behaviour of carbonate soft rocks and to drive the subsequent geotechnical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common chameleonChamaeleo chamaeleonis present in many Mediterranean countries. Its occurrence in Italy is historically reported for Sicily, where it appears to be no longer present. While many contemporary findings across the Italian Penisula refer to single observations, likely due to introduced or released animals, the species turned out to be established in two southern regions (Apulia and Calabria) with acclimatised populations. To investigate their provenance, we analysed tissue samples of individuals from these localities. A fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene was amplified and compared with sequences available in Genbank. Our results showed that individuals from Calabria share haplotypes with those from Tunisia (N. Africa), while those from Apulia are coincident to samples from Israel. This suggests that individuals were most likely introduced in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an integrated analysis using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) studies to map the Triglio underground aqueduct that in Roman times supplied fresh water to the ancient town of Tarentum, modern Taranto, Apulia region, Italy. The study area includes an expansion project of a nearby limestone quarry where mining activity is related to the production of a steel factory (ILVA). The aim was to develop methods for detection and mapping of the geometry of the underground aqueduct. Seven GPR reflection profiles were acquired across and parallel to the hypothesized extent of the aqueduct, while the ERT method was used to understand the stratigraphy of the area and tie reflections to geological units. Well-preserved vertical shafts for ventilation and inspection of the ancient underground hydraulic work were investigated and used as models for GPR exploration. The GPR profiles, interpreted using both the trace amplitude analysis and the forward modelling, showed reflection features from the main horizontal tunnel of the ancient aqueduct. The void space within the aqueduct, usually the ceiling-air interface, was discovered and mapped using reflections profiles both parallel to the linear feature, but also crossing it, and differentiated from similar looking geological features. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 25 years, there has been an orthodox view established that 18th-century Southern Italy had a distinctive micro-demographic model based around a number of facets, 3 key ones being a proliferation of neo-local small nuclear households, an exceptionally low average age of first marriage for women (with low levels of life-time singles), and a low incidence of household service. This view, however, has been forged on the back of geographical biases in data selection--particularly in favor of Apulia, a region with a high incidence of large latifundist estates and agro-towns. What this article shows using a less geographically biased database compiled from the Catasto Onciario and State of Souls register is that while nuclear households and low ages of women's marriage may have been characteristic of the agro-town areas of the Kingdom, this did not apply for everywhere in the South. In fact, some regions displayed complex household levels comparable to parts of Eastern Europe and some regions had average ages of marriage for women that would not look out of place in parts of Northwest Europe. An explanation for such regional divergences has been sought in the tenurial complexity and diversity seen in the South. The view that the South had a low incidence of service, however, does indeed still hold, with only minor variations across regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tavoliere di Puglia is a large alluvial plain located in southern Italy (Foggia Province, Apulia Region). From a geological perspective view, it represents the northern part of the Bradanic trough located between the southern Apennine Chain and the Apulian Foreland. A detailed geological survey of the middle-late Pleistocene terraces has been performed in this area and a new geologic map, at 1:150,000 scale, is here described. Criteria to distinguish these units are based on the recognition of basal unconformity surfaces: seven different synthems (UBSU, Unconformity-bounded Stratigraphic Units) have been discriminated. The data are presented in a synthesis map in which the geometrical relationships between the different sedimentary units are shown. New results for this sector of the Bradanic trough are significantly different from previous literature data. Furthermore, the map allows a reliable reconstruction of the Tavoliere di Puglia paleogeography during the Late Quaternary. Moreover, a detailed map of the Pleistocene terraces is fundamental to analyze and solve environmental problems associated with soil loss and desertification processes and river flood events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Canis lupus dispersed into Europe in the late Middle Pleistocene. The phylogenetic origin of C. lupus from Canis mosbachensis is widely accepted in the literature although their relationships and taxonomy are debated. In this paper, canid remains coming from the so-called “terre rosse”, Level G at Grotta Romanelli (Apulia, Southern Italy) are described. The Level G was dated between 69,000 and 40,000 ± 3250 years using the 230Th/238U method. Despite the great archeological importance of the site, some of the vertebrate fossil remains have been never described in detail. Among these are cranial remains of a canid that different authors referred to Canis aureus, C. lupus, C. mosbachensis, Canis aff. mosbachensis, or Canis sp.. The skull remains from Grotta Romanelli Level G were analyzed using Computed Tomography and 3D virtual modeling to provide a detailed reconstruction of the specimens and investigate inner structures. In addition, the Grotta Romanelli material was compared with (1) fossil wolves from other Middle-Late Pleistocene sites of Apulia (Melpignano/San Sidero, Ingarano and Grotta Paglicci) and France, (2) C. mosbachensis remains from various Early-Middle Pleistocene European sites, (3) a large sample of the extant Italian subspecies C. lupus italicus. The Late Pleistocene wolves from Apulia can be included in a single group, morphologically and morphometrically homogeneous. Although the wolf from Grotta Romanelli shares some similarities with the Early-Middle Pleistocene C. mosbachensis, its overall morphology and proportions fall into the wide variability of the extant C. lupus. Moreover, this determination is much more parsimonious than the taxonomic attribution of the “Apulian wolves” (including the Romanelli specimens) to C. mosbachensis, a typical late Early-Middle Pleistocene species, whose survival in Apulia during the Late Pleistocene is not adequately supported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Launch of Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite sensors meant a significant evolution for Remote Sensing archaeological applications since data with high spatial resolution may be used to identify signals related to buried archaeological remains (e.g. cropmarks, soilmarks, dampmarks) in very extended territories. The aim of this work is to develop a suitable image processing workflow to improve the cropmark visibility in the VHR satellite images. The workflow implemented consists of two steps: first the panchromatic and multispectral images have been pansharpened in order to merge the two images, then some Enhancement methods have been applied on the pansharpened image. As a result of the several tested pansharpening techniques, the Principal Component Resolution Merge yields images of very good quality useful not only for visualization but also as input for further processing. Among the different enhancement methods taken into consideration, the Spatial Enhancement, carried out by applying the Wallis Adaptive filter further improve the visibility and recognition of the archaeological signals. All methods were evaluated on QuickBird imagery acquired in the Tavoliere plain (Apulia, Southern Italy) on May 27th, 2006. In particular, cropmarks generated by two buried ancient settlements were considered. For one of these test sites, results of a high resolution ground magnetic survey, carried out for other aims, were also employed to further assess the validity of information extracted by the proposed workflow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In many arid and semi-arid regions agriculture is the main user of GW, causing problems with the quantity and quality of water, but there are few institutional policies and regulations governing sustainable GW exploitation. The authors suggest an integrated methodology for enabling local GW management, capable of combining the need for GW protection with socio-economic and behavioural determinants of GW use. In the proposed tool, integration is reinforced by the inclusion of multiple stakeholders, and the use of Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) to simulate and explore these stakeholders' attitude to GW exploitation and their responses to the introduction of new protection policies. BBNs and hydrological system properties are integrated in a GIS-based decision support system – GeSAP – which can elaborate and analyse scenarios concerning the pressure on GW due to exploitation for irrigation, and the effectiveness of protection policies, taking into account the level of consensus. In addition, the GIS interface makes it possible to spatialize the information and to investigate model results. The paper presents the results of an experimental application of the GeSAP tool to support GW planning and management in the Apulia Region (Southern Italy). To evaluate the actual usability of the GeSAP tool, case study applications were performed involving the main experts in GW protection and the regional decision-makers. Results showed that GeSAP can simulate farmers' behaviour concerning the selection of water sources for irrigation, allowing evaluation of the effectiveness of a wide range of strategies which impact water demand and consumption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Late Apulian red figured pottery [1] from Egnatia (Fasano, Brindisi, Italy) was studied in order to widen the view on this ceramic class in Southern Italy. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) provided the samples elemental composition that allowed to make provenance hypotheses. Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS), supplied information about the minero-petrographic features of the objects to better understand their production technology. The set of results highlighted the contemporary presence in the Apulian land in the late 4th century BC of both local and imported finds and showed the existence of two different kinds of local production, the “classic” Attic and a peculiar one, characterized by the application of an engobe layer before the black gloss. Our previous studies resulted in the discovery that an engobe layer, with similar chemical and minero-petrographic characteristics, was present in finds from another site in central Apulia (Monte Sannace). So the discovery of red engobe on fragments from Egnatia, proves that its use was not an isolated occurrence, but was quite common in the production of red figured in Apulia during the Late period, appearing as a peculiar technological mark of Apulian potters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Gargano “Terre Rosse” deposits are paleokarst fissure fillings found in the Mesozoic limestone of the Apricena-Poggio Imperiale area. They are an important source of information for evolutionary and paleobiogeographic studies. The Late Miocene-Early Pliocene assemblages found in the Terre Rosse attest the complex history of endemic faunal distribution in a paleoarchipelago. Based on the cricetid samples from six distinct fissures (F15, F21a, F21b, F21c, F1, F9, NBS) stored in the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Florence, three species of endemic cricetids are described: the small-sized Hattomys beetsi, the middle-sized Hattomys nazarii, and the large-sized Hattomys gargantua. The specimens from fissure F15 are attributed to H. beetsi, those from F21a-b to the transitional form Hattomys beetsi-nazarii, those belonging to NBS are ascribed to H. nazarii, whereas those from F1 and F9 are classified as H. gargantua. F21c is considered contaminated with material from different fissures. In line with previously published results, the analysis confirms that the endemic cricetids underwent a remarkable increase in size through time. The morphological variations show a marked trend towards increasing enamel thickness, but also the tendency of the cusps to assume a carved-in aspect. The variations of the morphological characters confirm that the three species likely belong to the same lineage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

1. Escherichia coli isolated from lesions (Avian Pathogenic E. coli - APEC) of layer hens affected by colibacillosis and from intestinal contents of clinically-healthy birds (Avian Faecal E. coli - AFEC) were serotyped. All the isolates were investigated for the presence of virulence genes to determine which genes were more closely related to those from lesions. 2. A number of different serogroups were detected, O78 being predominant among the isolates from colibacillosis. 3. E. coli isolated from lesions were not linked to a specific pathotype (set of common virulence genes). 4. The presence of the virulence genes, with the exception of astA, was associated more generally with APEC strains. 5. Statistically, genes such as cva/cvi, tsh, iss, irp2 and iucD were more related to isolates from colibacillosis. 6. It is suggested that the detection of these genes in a rapid and inexpensive test for field practitioners could provide useful information about the potential virulence of E. coli isolated in commercial layer flocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinkholes are extremely common in Apulia, a low-relief carbonate region of southern Italy that is highly predisposed to this hazard due to the widespread presence of soluble rocks. In addition to the natural setting favoring their development, sinkholes may also be induced by anthropogenic activities and in particular by extensive systems of underground quarries. Many types of rocks have been historically quarried in Apulia, from the Cretaceous limestones to the Quaternary calcarenites, and used in different epochs as building and ornamental materials. In several areas, the rocks with the best petrographic characters are located at depths ranging from a few to some tens of meters. This, combined with the need to save pieces of land for agriculture, caused opening of many quarries underground and development of complex networks of subterranean galleries, especially at the turn between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Later on, many quarries were progressively abandoned, partly because of appearance of the first signs of instability, both underground and at the ground surface. With time, memory of the existence and precise location of the quarries was progressively lost, with severe repercussions for safe land use above the excavated areas. Lack of knowledge of the subterranean pattern of galleries, combined with the expansion of built-up areas at the surface, resulted in increasing the vulnerability of the exposed elements at risk. As a matter of fact, a strong increase in the frequency of events had to be recorded in Apulia during the last 5 years, as pointed out by the accounts reported in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A taphonomic study of macromammal remains found in Uluzzian layer EIII5 of Grotta del Cavallo (Apulia, southern Italy) was conducted to obtain information about exploitation of animal resources in this period. The Uluzzian is a distinctive culture characterizing the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition in Italy. Comparison of the sample analyzed with Mousterian assemblages from sites in the same region showed significant differences in skeletal part frequencies, whereas similarities were found with data of Gravettian and Epigravettian samples discovered in other Apulian sites. These results suggest probable changes in the management of carcasses by prehistoric hunters living in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Apulian marine carbonate Platform, an unusual environment for terrestrial animals, has revealed a diverse ichnological record, especially for dinosaurs. Members of most higher taxa are present, including sauropods, theropods, ankylosaurs and ornithopods. Recently, a small outcrop of Aptian age referred to the Calcare di Bari near Bisceglie (Bari) has yielded a new quadrupedal trackway that we attribute to Ankylosauria. This new find enhances the record of Cretaceous ankylosaur footprints from the Apulian carbonate Platform, previously known from another site near Bisceglie (early Aptian), from Borgo Celano (late Hauterivian–early Barremian), and from Altamura (late Coniacian–early Santonian). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We describe an outbreak of varicella at a preschool center in Southern Italy, in the period January–May 2009, among children with a vaccination coverage of 53.9% for one dose. The outbreak occurred in a small community in Puglia and enrolled 41 children. The attack rates for unvaccinated and vaccinated children were 72.3% and 12.7%, respectively. The vaccine effectiveness against disease was 82.4%. Our findings add a further piece of evidence in supporting the routine use of a second dose of vaccine for all children without a history of disease, as recently recommended by the ACIP of the CDC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Allele frequencies of five miniSTRs loci (D1S1656, D2S441, D12S391, D10S1248 and D22S1045) included in the new European Standard Set (ESS) were calculated from a sample of 150 unrelated individuals from Apulia, a Region of Southern Italy. Two different PCR Amplification Kits were used, in order to evaluate the concordance of the genotypes. The results obtained with the two kits showed no differences in all genotype profiles. No deviation from Hardy–Weinberg expectations was detected at either locus. Moreover genetic analysis using Fst estimation showed no evidence for differentiation at the five new loci between Apulia and Italian populations. The high levels of polymorphisms of the analyzed markers in the Apulian population allow to confirm that these markers are useful tools in paternity and forensic analysis from degraded DNA samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 17 Y-STR loci included in the AmpFLSTR Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit were analyzed in 98 unrelated healthy males from Apulia (Southern Italy). A total of 97 different haplotypes were identified, of which 96 haplotypes were unique and 1 occurred twice. Allele frequencies for each Y-STR locus in pooled sample and estimated value of gene diversity (GD) were evaluated. The lowest value of GD was observed for DYS392 (0.126) and the highest one (0.936) for DYS385. The HD (haplotype diversity) for the studied Y-STR set showed a value of 0.9994, with an HMP (haplotype match probability) value of 0.0006, while the overall DC was 98.98%. Microvariant alleles were found for the DYS458 and DYS385 markers and sequenced. Furthermore, Φ st-based genetic distance computation and pair-wise analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) test were carried out. When comparing our population with the Apulia sample previously investigated, the AMOVA analysis detected no evidence for significant differentiation. The comparison with all Italian populations submitted to the YHRD website showed no relevant differences with all Southern Italian populations (San Giorgio La Molara, Belvedere, Trapani and Catania) and significant genetic deviation with all Northern Italian populations (Udine, Biella, La Spezia, Modena, Ravenna, Marche and North Sardinia). Moreover, the other populations and meta-populations belonging to the whole Mediterranean area (Croatia, Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Spain) were different from our Apulia sample. The data were submitted to YHRD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]