Beyond the Borders: Dual Nationality in Western Mediterranean Countries

Author(s):  
Delphine Perrin
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreea Hancu-Budui ◽  
Ana Zorio-Grima

PurposeSupreme audit institutions (SAIs) examine and supervise the activity of public institutions. The study aims at contributing to the existing literature on public sector audit by providing a classification of 29 European SAIs – 28 national SAIs and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) – based on a broad range of attributes varying from the SAIs' environment to its structure, activity, resources or transparency.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply quantitative methodology for clustering by means of multidimensional scaling and regressive ordinary least square (OLS) and logistic models.FindingsThe authors' results show that SAIs from veteran EU member states (MSs) are more similar amongst them and the same applies to SAIs from Nordic countries, Baltic countries, Western Mediterranean countries and Eastern countries. The authors also perform additional analysis focussing on currently relevant issues such as gender equality, age, environment or the sustainable development goals (SDGs), concluding that the younger the institutions' staff, the more transparent the institutions are. The authors also find that more transparent SAIs report on environmental audits, more prone to cover the SDGs in their audits.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited in purpose and scope because data cover only Europe. Given the limited number of observations (29), it does not have prospective purposes but only explanatory ones. The authors' findings are interesting for researchers because they offer original insights on public audit in Europe and cover matters of current interest such as environment, transparency or gender equality.Practical implicationsThe research is also of interest for public auditors because it offers them information that may help them improve their activity and find institutional synergies, as the dataset is available to public auditors.Social implicationsFrom a social view point, the paper shows that public auditors perform work on topics of interest for the citizens.Originality/valueThe dataset compiled for the research offers extensive data and a wide variety of attributes defining European SAIs and may offer future opportunities for research from different perspectives.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Morales-Nin ◽  
Joan Moranta ◽  
Cristina García ◽  
María Pilar Tugores ◽  
Antoni Maria Grau ◽  
...  

Abstract The sociology and habits of recreational anglers on the Island of Majorca (western Mediterranean) were evaluated using telephone and on-site surveys, as well as fishing logbooks and recreational fishing competitions. The recreational fishery is one of the island's main leisure activities, 5.14% of the population (37 265 people) participating. Enthusiasts tend to be mainly middle class (most anglers own boats moored at marinas), middle-aged males (90% male, mean age 46 ± 2 years). The most popular fishing method is from a boat (62.9%), followed by fishing from shore (32.4%), and spearfishing (3.6%). The mean time spent fishing is 3.86 ± 0.03 h d−1, and more than one type of gear (mean 1.27 ± 0.21) is used simultaneously by a single angler. The frequency of fishing is 4–6 times per month, mainly on holidays and weekends, increasing in summer. The activity has a sizeable impact on the coastal fauna, with diverse catches of at least 1209.25 t year−1 (about 615 000 fishing outings year−1). Thus, the amount of carbon extracted annually is at least 137.34 kg C km−2 year−1, and the recreational fishery removes about 31% of production at trophic level 4. Although these are gross estimates and more detailed study of the effect on trophic level and local production is needed, the values do highlight the pressure the recreational fishery exerts on coastal fish communities. Assuming that this level of exploitation is common to north-shore Mediterranean countries, there may be cause for concern about sustainable exploitation in the recreational fishery, and the effectiveness of current protection measures is discussed. Despite the limitations of the study, recreational fisheries clearly should be taken into account when considering measures for fisheries management. Moreover, fishing has considerable social import, and the benefits must be taken into account when investments to protect exploited resources are being contemplated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 725-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmut Genc ◽  
Seda Genc

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the adherence and abandonment of the Turkish emerging adults in an Izmir University located at western Mediterranean coast of Turkey and to assess potential associations with anthropometric characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey (n=494, 18–27 years) carried out in 2017 among emerging adults in University. KIDMED Index was used to assess the degree of adherence Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet). The associations of KIDMED scores with demographic, residency and anthropometric were separately reported. The data were collected through standardized questionnaires directly from participants. Findings The average KIDMED score was calculated 4.86±2.5. Optimum adherence to the MedDiet was found only in 13.0 percent of participants, whereas 32.6 percent had poor adherence levels. Considering self-reported anthropometric data, the BMI values of the population was calculated as 22.3±3.9 kg/m2. In population, 13.9 percent of the subjects were underweight, while 16.0 percent were overweight and 3.9 percent obese. A significant association was found between BMI and KIDMED scores both in genders and residency. Originality/value This is the first study reporting the level of adherence to the MedDiet among Turkish emerging adults in terms of residency during education and the first KIDMED study conducted in Izmir located at Aegean Sea. The results support previously proposed transition concept by several scholar from different Mediterranean countries: it was found that only 13 percent of young adults having desired dietary habits in an Aegean city with local traditional cuisine highly affected by Cretan cuisine. These results are significant for University managements and health authorities in order to take actions for returning this transition contrariwise beginning with these groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Luisa Calvache ◽  
Carlos Duque ◽  
David Pulido-Velazquez

2013 ◽  
Vol 152 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. NAZCO ◽  
R. J. PEÑA ◽  
K. AMMAR ◽  
D. VILLEGAS ◽  
J. CROSSA ◽  
...  

SUMMARYThe allelic composition at five glutenin loci was assessed by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1D SDS–PAGE) on a set of 155 landraces (from 21 Mediterranean countries) and 18 representative modern varieties. Gluten strength was determined by SDS-sedimentation on samples grown under rainfed conditions during 3 years in north-eastern Spain. One hundred and fourteen alleles/banding patterns were identified (25 at Glu-1 and 89 at Glu-2/Glu-3 loci); 0·85 of them were in landraces at very low frequency and 0·72 were unreported. Genetic diversity index was 0·71 for landraces and 0·38 for modern varieties. All modern varieties exhibited medium to strong gluten type with none of their 13 banding patterns having a significant effect on gluten-strength type. Ten banding patterns significantly affected gluten strength in landraces. Alleles Glu-B1e (band 20), Glu-A3a (band 6), Glu-A3d (bands 6 + 11), Glu-B3a (bands 2 + 4+15 + 19) and Glu-B2a (band 12) significantly increased the SDS-value, and their effects were associated with their frequency. Two alleles, Glu-A3b (band 5) and Glu-B2b (null), significantly reduced gluten strength, but only the effect of the latter locus could be associated with its frequency. Only three rare banding patterns affected gluten strength significantly: Glu-B1a (band 7), found in six landraces, had a negative effect, whereas banding patterns 2 + 4+14 + 15 + 18 and 2 + 4+15 + 18 + 19 at Glu-B3 had a positive effect. Landraces with outstanding gluten strength were more frequent in eastern than in western Mediterranean countries. The geographical pattern displayed from the frequencies of Glu-A1c is discussed.


Plant Disease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almudena Simón ◽  
Leticia Ruiz ◽  
Leonardo Velasco ◽  
Dirk Janssen

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) (family Geminiviridae, genus Begomovirus) has recently been introduced in western Mediterranean countries. Isolates in Spain constitute a new strain, denominated ToLCNDV-ES, that is causing losses in commercial zucchini and melon crops; however, it is also, although less often, detected in commercial tomato crops. We developed a tissue-print hybridization test to detect the two genomic components of the virus and a TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) test to estimate the number of genome copies in plants. qPCR was approximately 104 to 106 times more sensitive than tissue-print hybridization to detect viral genomic DNA-A and DNA-B, respectively. It also detected the virus in more experimentally and naturally ToLCNDV-ES-infected zucchini squash and tomato plants. ToLCNDV-ES DNA-A titers were significantly lower in tomato than in zucchini plants, often falling below the detection limits in the hybridization test. In addition, the DNA-B accumulation was impaired in tomato when compared with zucchini. According to the data obtained in this study, the differences in viral titers of both plant species contribute to explain the dissimilarities in symptom expression, capability of detection, and transmission of the virus.


Author(s):  
David Ehrenfeld

One of the joys of science is its steady production of wonderful discoveries. At irregular but not intolerable intervals, it throws out to the waiting world findings that add spice to a thousand morning newspapers and enliven the conversations of countless barbers and taxi drivers. Some branches of science are especially fruitful in their production of wonders: physics doles out an inexhaustible supply of elemental particles with clever, memorable names like quark. Medicine provides powerful antibiotics freshly isolated from weird sources such as exotic muds and frogskin, arraying them against an equally fresh crop of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Geology reveals previously unsuspected earthquake faults under major cities and dazzles us with hidden, underwater chains of volcanoes in secret, violent eruption. Even paleontology can be counted on for the latest, well-documented theory of how birds came to fly or, as I have already discussed, why the dinosaurs became extinct. And then, every ten years or so, like the return of a speeded-up Halley’s Comet, animal behavior brightens the scientific horizon with a new and incredible explanation of how animals find their way home. Not long ago, the wires were humming, or would have hummed if wires hummed anymore, with the discovery by P. Berthold and three colleagues that bird migration has a rapidly evolving genetic basis. Evidently, the inherited tendency of a population to choose a particular migratory direction can change in a few years, with the selection of another direction. Berthold, working in Radolfzell, in southwest Germany, made the most of an earlier observation: since the 1950s, increasing numbers of blackcaps, Old World warblers, have been spending the winter in Britain, traveling from their breeding grounds in Germany and Austriaduring the fall migration. Traditional wintering grounds are in the western Mediterranean countries far to the south; most blackcaps still go there in the fall. But the blackcaps wintering in Britain have done well; global warming (or chance) has ameliorated the winter climate, and the British are dedicated bird feeders. What Berthold did was to capture forty male and female blackcaps in England, transport them to Germany, breed them, and raise their young.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4272 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDUARD PETITPIERRE ◽  
ANTONI SACARÉS ◽  
JOSÉ A. JURADO-RIVERA

The first updated checklist of Balearic leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) since 1960 is presented here, evincing the presence of 118 species. This estimation is clearly lower than the 141 species reported in the only list available to date (Jolivet, 1953), and the dissimilarity is even more pronounced if we take into account that 22 new species have been added during this period. The possible explanations for these differences are discussed. The main island in the archipelago holds most of the species (Mallorca, 113 spp.), followed by Menorca (71 spp.), Eivissa (39 spp.) and Formentera (19 spp.). Thus, the Gymnesian islands (Mallorca and Menorca) are more species-rich than the Pityusic ones (Eivissa and Formentera). The number of species per island is significantly correlated with their respective areas not only for the Balearic but also for the much larger western Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, and these abundances are not related with their nearness to the closest mainland. Among the different subfamilies and tribes, the Balearic flea-beetles (Alticinae) are clearly more prevalent whereas on the contrary, the Clytrini are less represented in comparison with the nearest mainland (Iberian Peninsula). The presented checklist includes four endemic species, Cryptocephalus majoricensis (Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera), C. tramuntanae (Mallorca), Cyrtonus majoricensis (Mallorca) and Timarcha balearica (Mallorca and Menorca). Furthermore, two adventitious species, Monoxia obesula and Epitrix hirtipennis of North American origin, have been reported for the first time in the Balearic Islands, in agreement with previous findings in other Mediterranean countries.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aylin Ulman ◽  
Jasmine Ferrario ◽  
Anna Occhpinti-Ambrogi ◽  
Christos Arvanitidis ◽  
Ada Bandi ◽  
...  

The Mediterranean Sea is home to over 2/3 of the world’s charter boat traffic and hosts an estimated 1.5 million recreational boats. Studies elsewhere have demonstrated marinas as important hubs for the stepping-stone transfer of non-indigenous species (NIS), but these unique anthropogenic, and typically artificial habitats have largely gone overlooked in the Mediterranean as sources of NIS hot-spots. From April 2015 to November 2016, 34 marinas were sampled across the following Mediterranean countries: Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus to investigate the NIS presence and richness in the specialized hard substrate material of these marina habitats. All macroinvertebrate taxa were collected and identified. Additionally, fouling samples were collected from approximately 600 boat-hulls from 25 of these marinas to determine if boats host diverse NIS not present in the marina. Here, we present data revealing that Mediterranean marinas indeed act as major hubs for the transfer of marine NIS, and we also provide evidence that recreational boats act as effective vectors of spread. From this wide-ranging geographical study, we report here numerous new NIS records at the basin, subregional, country and locality level. At the basin level, we report three NIS new to the Mediterranean Sea (Achelia sawayai sensu lato,Aorides longimerus,Cymodoceaff.fuscina), and the re-appearance of two NIS previously known but currently considered extinct in the Mediterranean (Bemlos leptocheirus, Saccostrea glomerata). We also compellingly update the distributions of many NIS in the Mediterranean Sea showing some recent spreading; we provide details for 11 new subregional records for NIS (Watersipora arcuata,Hydroides brachyacantha sensu latoandSaccostrea glomeratanow present in the Western Mediterranean;Symplegma brakenhielmi,Stenothoe georgiana,Spirobranchus tertaceros sensu lato,Dendostrea folium sensu latoandParasmittina egyptiacanow present in the Central Mediterranean, andW. arcuata,Bemlos leptocheirusandDyspanopeus sayiin the Eastern Mediterranean). We also report 51 new NIS country records from recreational marinas: 12 for Malta, 10 for Cyprus, nine for Greece, six for Spain and France, five for Turkey and three for Italy, representing 32 species. Finally, we report 20 new NIS records (representing 17 species) found on recreational boat-hulls (mobile habitats), not yet found in the same marina, or in most cases, even the country. For each new NIS record, their native origin and global and Mediterranean distributions are provided, along with details of the new record. Additionally, taxonomic characters used for identification and photos of the specimens are also provided. These new NIS records should now be added to the relevant NIS databases compiled by several entities. Records of uncertain identity are also discussed, to assess the probability of valid non-indigenous status.


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