Search results for "Season"

δ13C and δ15N variability in Posidonia oceanica associated with seasonality and plant fraction

2003

The carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of fractions of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile in a Mediterranean shallow environment (Stagnone di Marsala, western Sicily) were investigated seasonally throughout 1998. The stable isotope ratios of seagrass leaves (intermediate and adult), rhizomes, leaf litter and aegagropiles were compared over 1 year in order to distinguish between seasonal and plant part variability. Significant differences in the isotopic composition tested using ANOVA were observed as a function of both plant fraction and season. There was an overall trend towards less discrimination against 13C in summer (average δ13C ∼ -10‰) than in winter (average δ13C ∼ -…

Seasonal changes in size, sex-ratio and body condition of the damselfishChromis chromisin the central Mediterranean Sea

2014

Chromis chromisis one of the most abundant fish species on the Mediterranean rocky shores. Acting as a by-pass of nutrients from the pelagic to the rocky littoral system, it plays an important role as a resource provider and has a relevant function in the community assemblage.Chromis chromishas many of the characteristics required of an indicator species (e.g. it is easy to recognize in the field, small sized, widespread and abundant). In this study we focused on individual size, sex-ratio and body condition in a damselfish population occurring in a central Mediterranean marine protected area. Fishing trials on a monthly basis (April–November) allowed us to assess seasonal changes in popula…

Predicting reservoir water volumes in the Mediterranean area by combining a data-driven approach with seasonal forecasts data

Analysis of early strains of the norovirus pandemic variant GII.4 Sydney 2012 identifies mutations in adaptive sites of the capsid protein.

2014

AbstractGlobal surveillance for norovirus identified in 2012 the emergence of a novel pandemic GII.4 variant, termed Sydney 2012. In Italy, the novel pandemic variant was identified as early as November 2011 but became predominant only in the winter season 2012–2013. Upon sequencing and comparison with strains of global origin, the early Sydney 2012 strains were found to differ from those spreading in 2012–2013 in the capsid (ORF2) putative epitopes B, C and D, segregating into a distinct phylogenetic clade. At least three residues (333, 340 and 393, in epitopes B, C and D, respectively) of the VP1 varied among Sydney 2012 strains of different clades. These findings suggest that the spread …

Identification of the novel Kawasaki 2014 GII.17 human norovirus strain in Italy, 2015

2015

Surveillance of noroviruses in Italy identified the novel GII.17 human norovirus strain, Kawasaki 2014, in February 2015. This novel strain emerged as a major cause of gastroenteritis in Asia during 2014/15, replacing the pandemic GII.4 norovirus strain Sydney 2012, but being reported only sporadically elsewhere. This novel strain is undergoing fast diversification and continuous monitoring is important to understand the evolution of noroviruses and to implement the future strategies on norovirus vaccines.

A comparison between seasonality indices deployed in evaluating unimodal and bimodal patterns

2017

This paper will discuss a recently proposed index for measuring seasonality, which is based on the solution of the well-known transportation problem . A specific characterization of the cost matrix will permit the taking into account of the cyclical structure of time periods, which characterizes the phenomenon under observation. Various features of the proposed index will be evaluated by comparing it with other indices which are commonly used in the measurement of seasonality, such as the Gini concentration index. Given the wide range of disciplines with an interest in the analysis of seasonal phenom ena, the approach proposed m ay be of wide interest.

Measuring tourism from demand side

2017

This Paper proposes an analysis of tourism from the demand side, taking into account for both the total level of tourism demand produced by some European countries (domestic and outgoing) and its general tendency, and for the seasonal fluctuations which characterize many tourism-related aggregates. Tourist flows from the demand side at the European level are analyzed in the last decade, and a special focus on Italian tourism demand is provided, jointly with an analysis of its seasonal fluctuations. The analysis of general tendency of tourism demand and of the impacts of seasonality is a fundamental pre-requisite for the implementation of tourism policies.

Seasonal Forecasting methods: an empirical analysis at sectoral and territorial levels.

2011

2021

Because of its parasitic habits, reproduction costs of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) are mostly spent in pre-laying activities. Female costs are limited to searching host nests and laying eggs, whereas, males spend time in performing intense vocal displays, possibly with territorial purpose. This last aspect, together with a sexual plumage dimorphism, points to both intra- and inter-sexual selections operating within this species. One element triggering sexual selection is a differential fitness accrued by different phenotypes. Before analyzing possible sexual selection mechanisms operating in cuckoos, it is therefore necessary to verify whether there is a variability among male secon…

Bill colour and immunocompetence in the European blackbird

2003

The level of expression of secondary sexual characters has been suggested to signal male ability to resist parasitic infestations. To test this idea, several studies have examined the link between sexual signals and immunocompetence in birds. However, most of them have used only a single aspect of immune response to evaluate immunocompetence. We investigated the relation between bill colour and immunocompetence in captive male European blackbirds, Turdus merula, during the breeding season by assessing both cell-mediated and humoral components of the immune system. The blackbird is a sexually dimorphic species with bill colour varying from yellow to orange in males. Humoral immunity was asse…