Quaternary glacial history of the Mediterranean mountains

Glacial and periglacial landforms are widespread in the mountains of the Mediterranean region. The evidence for glacial and periglacial activity has been studied for over 120 years and it is possible to identify three phases of development in this area of research. First, a pioneer phase characterized by initial descriptive observations of glacial landforms; second, a mapping phase whereby the detailed distribution of glacial landforms and sediments have been depicted on geomorphological maps; and, third, an advanced phase characterized by detailed understanding of the geochronology of glacial sequences using radiometric dating alongside detailed sedimentological and stratigraphical analyses. It is only relatively recently that studies of glaciated mountain terrains in the Mediterranean region have reached an advanced phase and it is now clear from radiometric dating programmes that the Mediterranean mountains have been glaciated during multiple glacial cycles. The most extensive phases of glaciation appear to have occurred during the Middle Pleistocene. This represents a major shift from earlier work whereby many glacial sequences were assumed to have formed during the last cold stage. Glacial and periglacial deposits from multiple Quaternary cold stages constitute a valuable palaeoclimatic record. This is especially so in the Mediterranean mountains, since mountain glaciers in this latitudinal zone would have been particularly sensitive to changes in the global climate system. © 2006 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd

Le nuove frontiere della rendicontazione sociale: il web reporting. Linee di orientamento. Documenti di Ricerca n. 14. Gruppo di studio per il Bilancio Sociale (GBS)

valutazione dell\u2019applicazione del web alle pratiche di accountability e linee di orientamento nello sviluppo di sistemi di web reportin

Type II violence in Portuguese nursing homes: Contributions to its characterization

This article aims at contributing to the characterization of the phenomenon of violence practiced by institutionalized elderly people on “non-technical” care providers in Portugal. A cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study was carried out involving nine Particular Institutions of Social Solidarity of Braga and Oporto districts, wherein data on Type II Violence was collected via a questionnaire. The study included 156 workers, who did not belong to the technical staff of the institutions (mostly geriatric assistants) and those who, in the exercise of their functions, provided care for the institutionalized elderly. The results indicated that 64.7% reported having suffered from, at least, one type of violent behavior on the part of patients in the last 12 months. Psychological violence was the most reported, with emphasis on the threat of complaint to superiors (46.9%), while the most identified physical violence behaviors were scratching/pinching (44.4%), being held (35%), kicking (29.9%), spitting (29.6%), and beating (26.8%). The professionals who reported the occurrence of violent behaviors to the employer were those who presented a higher perception of severity as compared to those who did not report such behaviors. Although this is a pioneering study in Portugal, the results show that Type II Violence (both physical and psychological) is a common reality in nursing homes in the Northern Region of the country. Similar to Northern European studies, the phenomenon is normalized and underreported, which makes it difficult to implement strategies to prevent and combat this problem

Social Accounting in Italy: The Pioneering Contribution of Women Scholars

The theme of women scholars‘ role and their contribution to initially promote social and environmental accounting and reporting is relatively new. Consequently there are many gaps to fill in concerning several topics developed within the aforementioned emerging research strand. Starting from this premise, the aim of this paper is to present a discussion about women ―master pioneers‖ of social accounting in Italy. The research design develops through a deductive and inductive approach. The deductive approach is based on a literature review concerning social and environmental accounting and gender accounting. The inductive approach is empirically constructed and focused on the scientific and academic career of two Italian female scholars. The comparative analysis of the two cases helps to point out the relevance of women‘s contribution as well as to ―disclose‖ their role in promoting social and environmental accounting and reporting in Italy