Search results for " pattern"
showing 10 items of 2245 documents
Causes and underlying processes of measurement variability in field erosion plots in Mediterranean conditions
2007
Published online 25 May 2006
What do leaf anatomy and micromorphology tell us about the psammophilous Pancratium maritimum (Amaryllidaceae) in response to sand dune conditions?
2015
Abstract The present study aimed at verifying the morphological variation in leaf traits among different populations of Pancratium maritimum (sea daffodil) and the correlation between leaf diversity and climate conditions at different sites. Eleven populations of P. maritimum from Mediterranean coastal sand dunes were investigated with respect to leaf surface micro-morphology, leaf anatomy, and vascular pattern. Morphometric analysis was based on 29 quantitative foliar parameters. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant function analysis (DFA), and clustering by Ward’s method were used for the statistical evaluation. Results revealed a rather u…
Rainfall statistics changes in Sicily
2013
Abstract. Changes in rainfall characteristics are one of the most relevant signs of current climate alterations. Many studies have demonstrated an increase in rainfall intensity and a reduction of frequency in several areas of the world, including Mediterranean areas. Rainfall characteristics may be crucial for vegetation patterns formation and evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems, with important implications, for example, in vegetation water stress or coexistence and competition dynamics. At the same time, characteristics of extreme rainfall events are fundamental for the estimation of flood peaks and quantiles which can be used in many hydrological applications, such as design of the mos…
Structural analysis of woody species in Mediterranean old fields.
2008
The first part of this study provides an overview on Sicilian olive systems. Subsequently, the study describes the different typologies of cultivated agroforestry systems present in South-Eastern Sicily employing olive trees in association with other Mediterranean tree species, in particular for the production of firewood, coal and animal food (downy or pubescent oak, holm oak, cork oak), but also in association with forage or grazing species (oat, barley, vetch, etc.) or cereals. The study shows that Sicilian agroforestry systems are much more diversified than it was known so far. In the second part, the study describes the spontaneous colonization processes by plants, observed in abandone…
Effects of nutraceuticals of Mediterranean diet on aging and longevity
2020
Abstract Among the many existing dietary interventions, Mediterranean diet has received much attention because of its beneficial influence on healthy aging and longevity. Mediterranean dietary pattern, characterized by low glycemic index and low-animal protein intake, is rich in nutraceuticals and functional foods, and bioactive compounds able to reduce the signaling of molecular pathways, such as nutrient-sensing ones, affecting aging process. Therefore a close adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet allows avoiding cardiovascular disorders and other age-related diseases, and it is responsible for the high rate of long-living individuals scattered throughout the Mediterranean basin. For th…
Monitoring temporal changes in the spatial patterns of a Mediterranean shrubland using Landsat TM images
2001
Summary The overall goal of this study is to understand the structure and function of a Mediterranean shrubland at landscape scale by means of satellite images and GIS. Specifically, to assess the sensitivity of several spatial statistics to characterise landscape pattern, measure fragmentation and quantify the change through time. We study the landscape structure of a Mediterranean shrubland located in the east part of Spain (Valencia) and the change in spatial patterns of different shrubs types from 1984 to 1994. To accomplish these objectives, we used 10 Landsat™ images from 1984 to 1994 (except 1988) to which a geometric correction and an atmospheric normalization was applied. In additi…
Deformation history during chain building deduced by outcrop structural analysis: The case of the Sicilian fold-and-thrust belt (Central Mediterranea…
2015
Abstract The Sicilian fold-and-thrust belt is located in the central Mediterranean area, and it represents the south-eastern arcuate segment of the Apennine-Maghrebide orogen. The tectonic evolution of the Sicilian belt is documented after outcrop analysis of small-scale structural features carried out throughout the region. Results are consistent with the following four main deformation stages having affected the study area, from the oldest to the youngest: (i) multilayer weakening; (ii) folding-and-thrusting, (iii) extension, and (iv) renewed thrusting. The first deformation stage included three different substages (layer-parallel shortening, bed-parallel simple shear and fold nucleation)…
Mediterranean diet and cancer: epidemiological evidence and mechanism of selected aspects
2013
Background: Populations living in the area of the Mediterranean Sea suffered by decreased incidence of cancer compared with those living in the regions of northern Europe and US countries, attributed to healthier dietary habits. Nowadays, we are assisting to a moving away from the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern, but whether this changing is influencing risk of cancers is still unclear. The aim of the study was to review recent evidence on potential relationship between the adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cancer. Discussion: The most recent pooled analyses of epidemiological studies supported strongly the hypothesis that the Mediterranean diet may play a role in preventing…
Mediterranean diet and longevity: an example of nutraceuticals?
2013
The Mediterranean diet (Mediet) is an eating pattern characterizing a lifestyle and culture that has been reported to contribute to better health and quality of life. The Mediet reflects food patterns typical of Mediterranean regions, where olive oil plays an essential role in the food pyramid. Olive oil is located in the middle and it is considered the principal source of dietary fat because of its high nutritional quality (particularly extra virgin olive oil). Several studies have shown the effect of the Mediet on healthy status by lowering the rates of coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and some other age-related chronic diseases. Although the scientific literature regarding diet a…
FIR Kramers–Kronig transformers for relaxation data conversion
2006
It is shown that relaxation data conversion by the Kramers-Kronig (KK) relations can be treated as a filtering problem of band-unlimited relaxation signals in the Mellin transform domain. Based on this concept, KK relations are implemented in the form of FIR filters with the logarithmic sampling. It is demonstrated that KK transformers have sampling rate dependent impulse and frequency responses and only calculation of the imaginary part from the real part can be implemented by a computationally realisable filter. The performance of different types of transformers is studied.Approximately inversely proportional relationship is established between the error and the frequency range of input s…