scholarly journals Texture and composition of the Rosa Marina beach sands (Adriatic coast, southern Italy): a sedimentological/ecological approach

Geologos ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Moretti ◽  
Marcello Tropeano ◽  
A.J. (Tom) van Loon ◽  
Pasquale Acquafredda ◽  
Rossella Baldacconi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Physical Study ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Adriatic Coast ◽  
Beach Sands ◽  
Shell Fragments

Abstract Beach sands from the Rosa Marina locality (Adriatic coast, southern Italy) were analysed mainly microscopically in order to trace the source areas of their lithoclastic and bioclastic components. The main cropping out sedimentary units were also studied with the objective to identify the potential source areas of lithoclasts. This allowed to establish how the various rock units contribute to the formation of beach sands. The analysis of the bioclastic components allows to estimate the actual role of organisms regarding the supply of this material to the beach. Identification of taxa that are present in the beach sands as shell fragments or other remains was carried out at the genus or family level. Ecological investigation of the same beach and the recognition of sub-environments (mainly distinguished on the basis of the nature of the substrate and of the water depth) was the key topic that allowed to establish the actual source areas of bioclasts in the Rosa Marina beach sands. The sedimentological analysis (including a physical study of the beach and the calculation of some statistical parameters concerning the grain-size curves) shows that the Rosa Marina beach is nowadays subject to erosion.

scholarly journals Molecular Analysis of Prothrombotic Gene Variants in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke and with Transient Ischemic Attack

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 723
Author(s):  
Gustavo Cernera ◽  
Marika Comegna ◽  
Monica Gelzo ◽  
Marcella Savoia ◽  
Dario Bruzzese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Mthfr C677t ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Gene Variants ◽  
Interesting Possibility ◽  
Ischemic Attack

Background and objectives: ischemic stroke (IS) is among the most frequent causes of death worldwide; thus, it is of paramount relevance to know predisposing factors that may help to identify and treat the high-risk subjects. Materials and Methods:we tested nine variants in genes involved in thrombotic pathway in 282 patients that experienced IS and 87 that had transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in comparison to 430 subjects from the general population (GP) of the same geographic area (southern Italy). We included cases of young and child IS to evaluate the eventual differences in the role of the analyzed variants. Results: we did not observe significant differences between TIA and the GP for any of the variants, while the allele frequencies of methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, beta-fibrinogen -455G>A and factor (FXIII) V34L were significantly higher in patients with IS than in the subjects from the GP. No significant interaction was observed with sex. Conclusions: the present data argue that some gene variants have a role in IS and this appears to be an interesting possibility to be pursued in large population studies to help design specific strategies for IS prevention.

scholarly journals Modeling Syntactic Change under Contact: The Case of Italiot Greek

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Cristina Guardiano ◽  
Melita Stavrou
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Syntactic Change ◽  
The Social ◽  
Linguistic Structures

In this paper, we investigate patterns of persistence and change affecting the syntax of nominal structures in Italiot Greek in comparison to Modern (and Ancient) Greek, and we explore the role of Southern Italo-Romance as a potential source of interference. Our aim is to highlight the dynamics that favor syntactic contact in this domain: we provide an overview of the social context where these dynamics have taken place and of the linguistic structures involved.

scholarly journals Exploring mobility in Italian Neolithic and Copper Age communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavio De Angelis ◽  
Maura Pellegrini ◽  
Cristina Martínez-Labarga ◽  
Laura Anzivino ◽  
Gabriele Scorrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Sedentary Lifestyle ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
The Body ◽  
Copper Age ◽  
Mobility Pattern ◽  
Oxygen And Carbon Isotope ◽  
Northern Areas

AbstractAs a means for investigating human mobility during late the Neolithic to the Copper Age in central and southern Italy, this study presents a novel dataset of enamel oxygen and carbon isotope values (δ18Oca and δ13Cca) from the carbonate fraction of biogenic apatite for one hundred and twenty-six individual teeth coming from two Neolithic and eight Copper Age communities. The measured δ18Oca values suggest a significant role of local sources in the water inputs to the body water, whereas δ13Cca values indicate food resources, principally based on C3 plants. Both δ13Cca and δ18Oca ranges vary substantially when samples are broken down into local populations. Statistically defined thresholds, accounting for intra-site variability, allow the identification of only a few outliers in the eight Copper Age communities, suggesting that sedentary lifestyle rather than extensive mobility characterized the investigated populations. This seems to be also typical of the two studied Neolithic communities. Overall, this research shows that the investigated periods in peninsular Italy differed in mobility pattern from the following Bronze Age communities from more northern areas.

scholarly journals The Role of Botanical Families in Medicinal Ethnobotany: A Phylogenetic Perspective

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Airy Gras ◽  
Oriane Hidalgo ◽  
Ugo D’Ambrosio ◽  
Montse Parada ◽  
Teresa Garnatje ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
The Family ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Phylogenetic Level ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Medicinal Flora

Studies suggesting that medicinal plants are not chosen at random are becoming more common. The goal of this work is to shed light on the role of botanical families in ethnobotany, depicting in a molecular phylogenetic frame the relationships between families and medicinal uses of vascular plants in several Catalan-speaking territories. The simple quantitative analyses for ailments categories and the construction of families and disorders matrix were carried out in this study. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate the over- and underused families in the medicinal flora. Phylogenetically informed analyses were carried out to identify lineages in which there is an overrepresentation of families in a given category of use, i.e., hot nodes. The ethnobotanicity index, at a specific level, was calculated and also adapted to the family level. Two diversity indices to measure the richness of reported taxa within each family were calculated. A total of 47,630 use reports were analysed. These uses are grouped in 120 botanical families. The ethnobotanicity index for this area is 14.44% and the ethnobotanicity index at the family level is 68.21%. The most-reported families are Lamiaceae and Asteraceae and the most reported troubles are disorders of the digestive and nutritional system. Based on the meta-analytic results, indicating hot nodes of useful plants at the phylogenetic level, specific ethnopharmacological research may be suggested, including a phytochemical approach of particularly interesting taxa.

Generations on paper: Bourdieu and the critique of ‘generationalism’

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semi Purhonen
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Political Mobilization ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Karl Mannheim ◽  
Word Generation ◽  
Potential Source

This article first examines the role of the concept of generation in Pierre Bourdieu’s work. It shows that Bourdieu’s usage of the concept of generation varied throughout his œuvre and that Bourdieu seldom if ever used the concept in the same sense as Karl Mannheim and many subsequent sociologists who have understood generation as a potential source of identity and political mobilization. However, and second, the article argues that Bourdieu’s sociology does have much to offer for the sociological study of generations, but only if we stop concentrating on those rare passages in which he explicitly used the word ‘generation’. We should focus instead on his more general approach to the genesis of social groupings, classification struggles and the difficult relationships of representation. The application and extension of Bourdieu’s ideas demonstrated here can provide a welcome antidote to so-called generationalism – a simplified and exaggerated picture of generations, which dates back to early 20th-century European intellectuals and which can still be found in today’s popular discourses as well as in academic studies.

scholarly journals Population-level rhythms in human skin with implications for circadian medicine

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (48) ◽  
pp. 12313-12318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Wu ◽  
Marc D. Ruben ◽  
Robert E. Schmidt ◽  
Lauren J. Francey ◽  
David F. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Subjects ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Epidermis ◽  
Single Sample ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Pairwise Correlations ◽  
Important Barrier

Skin is the largest organ in the body and serves important barrier, regulatory, and sensory functions. The epidermal layer shows rhythmic physiological responses to daily environmental variation (e.g., DNA repair). We investigated the role of the circadian clock in the transcriptional regulation of epidermis using a hybrid experimental design, in which a limited set of human subjects (n = 20) were sampled throughout the 24-h cycle and a larger population (n = 219) were sampled once. We found a robust circadian oscillator in human epidermis at the population level using pairwise correlations of clock and clock-associated genes in 298 epidermis samples. We then used CYCLOPS to reconstruct the temporal order of all samples, and identified hundreds of rhythmically expressed genes at the population level in human epidermis. We compared these results with published time-series skin data from mice and found a strong concordance in circadian phase across species for both transcripts and pathways. Furthermore, like blood, epidermis is readily accessible and a potential source of biomarkers. Using ZeitZeiger, we identified a biomarker set for human epidermis that is capable of reporting circadian phase to within 3 hours from a single sample. In summary, we show rhythms in human epidermis that persist at the population scale and describe a path to develop robust single-sample circadian biomarkers.

scholarly journals Technical Note: Preliminary estimation of rockfall runout zones

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 819-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jaboyedoff ◽  
V. Labiouse
Keyword(s):  
Slope Angle ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Terrain Model ◽  
Digital Terrain ◽  
Energy Line ◽  
Potential Source

Abstract. Rockfall propagation areas can be determined using a simple geometric rule known as shadow angle or energy line method based on a simple Coulomb frictional model implemented in the CONEFALL computer program. Runout zones are estimated from a digital terrain model (DTM) and a grid file containing the cells representing rockfall potential source areas. The cells of the DTM that are lowest in altitude and located within a cone centered on a rockfall source cell belong to the potential propagation area associated with that grid cell. In addition, the CONEFALL method allows estimation of mean and maximum velocities and energies of blocks in the rockfall propagation areas. Previous studies indicate that the slope angle cone ranges from 27° to 37° depending on the assumptions made, i.e. slope morphology, probability of reaching a point, maximum run-out, field observations. Different solutions based on previous work and an example of an actual rockfall event are presented here.

scholarly journals Over-the-Counter Drugs and Complementary Medications Use among Children in Southern Italy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Pileggi ◽  
Valentina Mascaro ◽  
Aida Bianco ◽  
Maria Pavia
Keyword(s):  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Source Of Information

The use of nonprescription medicines (NPDs) for children illnesses without a doctor’s suggestion can lead to unnecessary medication use and is not free of risks. The aim of our study was to examine attitudes and practice of parents towards NPDs use for their children. We also investigated the conditions that may predict NPDs use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on parents of children attending Community Based Pediatrician (CBP) consultation and data were collected through structured interviews. Positive attitude on NPDs use was reported by 71.4% of parents, and 61.5% of them had administered NPDs in the previous 6 months. Antipyretic drugs were the most frequently used medication class without the supervision of the CBP. A positive attitude towards NPDs was significantly more frequent in parents who did not use the CBP as the sole source of information about drugs. The study demonstrated a widespread use of NPDs in children in our context, supported by a substantial positive attitude towards their safety. However, considering potential harms related to some NPDs and the finding that most parents rely on CBP advice, role of CBP on appropriate use of NPDs by parents should be emphasized.

scholarly journals Research of urban agglomerations in the aspect of implementation of the administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine (case study of Kharkiv region)

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Urban Agglomerations ◽  
Territorial Structure

In the modern context of, one of the main tasks in the regional development management is to optimally realize the complex potential of the territories, which requires a comprehensive study of the spatial structure and evolutionary potential of agglomerations of all levels in order to identify disparities in their development, correct imbalances and optimize the spatial organization of the region. The first step to solve this problem is to identify the spatial structure and evaluate the interconnections of agglomerations sequentially, from local to regional level. This is becoming more relevant in the context of administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to analyze the prospects for the development of urban agglomerations and the organization of the administrative and territorial structure of Kharkiv region in view of the prevailing influence of the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv agglomeration. The basic theoretical and methodological starting points of the study of urban agglomerations are presented; their characteristics and parameters of boundary determination were defined. The essence of the method of modeling of integral influence function (IIF modeling) was revealed, the author's research methodology was substantiated. The tendencies of introduction of administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine were analyzed. It was established that Kharkiv region occupies mediocre places in terms of formation of the united territorial communities, there were 23 ones in the oblast (3 of them are city, 12 town, 8 rural ones) by the end of 2019. The scheme for dividing into enlarged districts has not yet been approved. According to different plans / proposals, the existing 27 districts of the oblast should be consolidated into nine, seven, six or four enlarged districts (counties). All of the above proposals were considered by the authors, it is established that the existing projects do not fully cover the main prevailing factors of allocation of competitive districts, do not take into account the role of historically formed system of settlement, spatial-statistical parameters, integral potential of territories, urbanization and agglomeration. The authors performed the IIF modeling and constructed the IIF surface of the weighted average settlement potential of Kharkiv region by the base radius of influence (2, 10, 20, and 30 km), which allowed to determine the features of the Kharkov agglomeration structure and the interaction of the settlements in the region by different radiuses of interaction, primary agglomerations, prospective growth points. On the basis of the obtained results of IIF modeling, the author's model of administrative and territorial division of Kharkiv region into eight enlarged districts was proposed, given the specific features of the settlement system and the correlation of area and population of the modeled administrative and territorial units. The scientifically grounded division of the region into enlarged districts (counties) and stimulation of their development will contribute to the most complete and rational use of the territories potential, increase of economic, human, investment potential, rise of the level and quality of life of the population, etc.

scholarly journals The Genomic Ecosystem of Transposable Elements in Maize

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Stitzer ◽  
Sarah N. Anderson ◽  
Nathan M. Springer ◽  
Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Keyword(s):  
Transposable Elements ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Genomic Environment ◽  
Single Category ◽  
The Impact

Transposable elements (TEs) constitute the majority of flowering plant DNA, reflecting their tremendous success in subverting, avoiding, and surviving the defenses of their host genomes to ensure their selfish replication. More than 85% of the sequence of the maize genome can be ascribed to past transposition, providing a major contribution to the structure of the genome. Evidence from individual loci has informed our understanding of how transposition has shaped the genome, and a number of individual TE insertions have been causally linked to dramatic phenotypic changes. But genome-wide analyses in maize and other taxa have frequently represented TEs as a relatively homogeneous class of fragmentary relics of past transposition, obscuring their evolutionary history and interaction with their host genome. Using an updated annotation of structurally intact TEs in the maize reference genome, we investigate the family-level ecological and evolutionary dynamics of TEs in maize. Integrating a variety of data, from descriptors of individual TEs like coding capacity, expression, and methylation, as well as similar features of the sequence they inserted into, we model the relationship between these attributes of the genomic environment and the survival of TE copies and families. Our analyses reveal a diversity of ecological strategies of TE families, each representing the evolution of a distinct ecological niche allowing survival of the TE family. In contrast to the wholesale relegation of all TEs to a single category of junk DNA, these differences generate a rich ecology of the genome, suggesting families of TEs that coexist in time and space compete and cooperate with each other. We conclude that while the impact of transposition is highly family- and context-dependent, a family-level understanding of the ecology of TEs in the genome can refine our ability to predict the role of TEs in generating genetic and phenotypic diversity.‘Lumping our beautiful collection of transposons into a single category is a crime’-Michael R. Freeling, Mar. 10, 2017

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