Search results for "MORPHOLOGY"

Bridging Malta and Sicily through geoheritage exploitation: Identification and assessment of geosites for territorial enhancement

2013

Malta and Sicily show common geological and geomorphological features, having been also physically linked not later than the Last Glacial Maximum. At present both islands have a high tourist vocation, but their environmental potential is not fully exploited for attracting tourists and visitors. In the framework of an international research project, “Ecological Cross-border Networks Malta-Sicily” (RE.MA.SI.), a multidisciplinary study for the identification, selection and enhancement of geosites in the Maltese and Sicilian islands was carried out. A number of sites both in Malta and Sicily have been identified and qualitatively and quantitatively assessed applying a methodology already teste…

Geomorphological aspects of Monte Conca karst system (Caltanissetta, Sicily)

2004

Flank Margin Caves In Telogenetic Limestones In Italy

2017

Almost 20% of Italy is characterized by the outcropping of carbonate massifs ranging in age from Cambrian to Quaternary. Coastal karst is present in many Italian regions: from North-East to South and West: the Gulf of Trieste, the Conero (South of Ancona, Marche), the Adriatic coast of Apulia including Gargano, Murge and Salento, Maratea in Basilicata, Cilento in Campania, Circeo and Gaeta in Latium, Argentario and Giannutri Island in Tuscany, the southernmost part of the Ligurian Alps, Palermo Mts., San Vito Lo Capo, Syracuse coast and Marettimo Island in Sicily, and, especially, in Sardinia, which has carbonate rocks touching the sea along the coast of Balai near Porto Torres, Capo Caccia…

Indicators of rivers geomorphological functionality, application of the EU Water Framework Directive in Sicily (Italy)

2015

Many river systems in Europe suffer from human pressure. For this reason the European Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) was created for river basin and floods management. In 2010 the Italian Environmental Minister issued the WFD and a protocol for the stream hydromorphological evaluation, analysis, and monitoring was established (IDRAIM). The Morphology Quality Index (MQI) is part of this procedure and defines the deviation of present geomorphic reach situation from reference conditions. It is composed by Indicators of Geomorphological Functionality (IGF), Indicators of Artificiality (IA) and Indicators of Channel Adjustments (ICA). The present work aims at illustrating the calcula…

Inside The Glaciers Project: Laser Scanning Of The Grotta Del Gelo (Mount Etna, Italy)

2017

As part of activities of the “Inside the Glaciers” project, managed by an Italian team of speleologists and geologists with the purpose of studying several ice-caves in Europe and South America, a research campaign was recently carried out in Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy). This volcano is the highest active in Europe and hosts more than 200 caves including Grotta del Gelo (Ice Cave) which is located on the Northern flank of Mount Etna at an altitude of about 2040 m a.s.l. This cave was formed during the Etna’s long and most destructive eruption dated from 1614 to 1624 and is one of the most famous because it hosts a small glacier, maybe the southernmost of the Northern hemisphere. Aim of this …

tRIBS-Erosion: combining mechanistic approaches for investigating eco-hydro-geomorphic response of river basins to climate change

2011

Vegetation interacts with hydrology, geomorphology and processes of a river basin in profound ways. Despite recent advances in hydrological modeling, the dynamic coupling between these processes is yet to be adequately captured at the basin scale to elucidate key features of process interaction and their role in the organization of vegetation and landscape morphology. In this study, a newly integrated geomorphic component of the physically-based, spatially distributed hydrological model, tRIBS, the TIN-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator, is presented. Hillslope and channel erosion processes are parsimoniously coupled with vegetation-hydrology dynamics, making it possible to study ho…

Laboratory investigation into the modification effect of paving bitumen with different plastomeric polymers

2017

The use of polymer/bitumen modified blends in road paving applications has been increasingly advancing from the technological point of view. Plastomeric polymers are known to be amongst the most used in bitumen modification. Therefore, this paper presents the influence and degree of modification of several plastomeric modified bitumen in terms of rheological properties and morphology. Conventional tests such as penetration grade, Ring-and-Ball softening point and storage stability were performed. Rheological properties of the modified blends were characterized in terms of dynamic mechanical analysis via frequency sweep tests using the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). The morphology of the sam…

Methodological aspects for the use of surfaces parametric modelers in architectural design. A study case

2017

Il presente studio affronta le implicazioni metodologiche determinate nello svolgimento di un iter progettuale tramite utilizzo di un modellatore parametrico algoritmico. L’obiettivo è quello di dimostrare come la parametrizzazione degli elementi morfologici debba generare un rapporto biunivoco con le logiche progettuali, ma senza dettarne le direttive o stravolgerle. Oggetto dell’intervento progettuale è un centro polifunzionale a vocazione turistica di servizio all’area del Parco Archeologico di Agrigento, che instauri con la Valle dei Templi un rapporto contestuale di dialogo morfologico e visivo. The present study addresses the methodological implications determined in the carrying out …

The Role of Patient-Specific Morphological Features of the Left Atrial Appendage on the Thromboembolic Risk Under Atrial Fibrillation

2022

BackgroundA large majority of thrombi causing ischemic complications under atrial fibrillation (AF) originate in the left atrial appendage (LAA), an anatomical structure departing from the left atrium, characterized by a large morphological variability between individuals. This work analyses the hemodynamics simulated for different patient-specific models of LAA by means of computational fluid–structure interaction studies, modeling the effect of the changes in contractility and shape resulting from AF.MethodsThree operating conditions were analyzed: sinus rhythm, acute atrial fibrillation, and chronic atrial fibrillation. These were simulated on four patient-specific LAA morphologies, each…

Lemongrass Plant as Potential Sources of Reinforcement for Biocomposites: A Preliminary Experimental Comparison Between Leaf and Culm Fibers

2022

AbstractNowadays, the world requires more sustainable and eco-friendly materials to replace or limit the usage of synthetic materials. Moreover, several researchers focused their attention on the use of agricultural sources as reinforcement for biocomposites since they are abundant, cost-effective and environmentally favorable sources. In such a context, purpose of the present paper is the evaluation of lemongrass plant (Cymbopogon flexuosus) as possible source of natural reinforcement for biocomposites. To this aim, natural fibers were obtained from the leaf and the stem of lemongrass and their main properties were compared for the first time. To this scope, mechanical and thermal characte…