255 research outputs found

    The Plio-Pleistocene thrust belt-foredeep system in the Southern Apennines and Sicily (Italy)

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    The upper Pliocene-lower Pleistocene terrigenous deposits of the Southern Apennines and Sicily have significantly contributed to the understanding of the primary relationships between tectonics and sedimentation in an active thrust beltforedeep system. An integrated stratigraphic and structural investigation allowed the identification of thrust-related depositional sequences with systems tracts defined by specific stratigraphic signatures recording the complex migration path of the active thrusts in the mountain chain. In the foredeep basin, where thrust-related depositional sequences are better preserved, five basic depositional units have been distinguished: 1. Condensed section, underlying at the scale of the entire basin the major truncation surface at the base of the sequence. The deposition of this unit, indicative of a strongly reduced sediment supply, corresponds to a moment of forward transport of the allochthonous sheets over a long thrust flat (active-thrust-flat systems tract); 2. Syn-ramp wedge, made up of a prograding slope-fan system constituted of a thick body of gravity-driven deposits truncated upsection by the active frontal ramp of the allochthonous sheets (active-frontal-ramp systems tract). 3. Onlap-slope system, represented by retrograding basinal deposits onlapping the edge of the allochthonous sheets and featuring a backstepping passive margin (early stage of the backward-thrust-migration systems tract). 4. Transgressive system, made up of basinal deposits matching the maximum marine flooding of the tectonic wedge (late stage of the backward-thrust-migration systems tract); 5. Prograding shelf-margin system laterally grading into a prograding system of basin-floor turbidites (forward-thrustmigration systems tract). In the foreland areas, these depositional units grade into more or less condensed pelagic deposits, with the exception of unit 5 that may laterally pass towards the foreland into a shallower, flexure-related transgressive system. On top of the allochthonous sheets, both the active-thrustflat systems tract and the active-frontal-ramp systems tract are represented by shallowing-upward shelfal deposits (nappe sheet drape). In an early stage of the backward-thrust-migration systems tract, a retrograding fandelta/shelf system represents in the mountain chain the counterpart of the onlap-slope system. In a late stage, the retrograding fandelta/shelf system is overlain by a muddier transgressive system recording the progressive flooding of the tectonic wedge. The forward-thrust-migration systems tract is commonly represented by a prograding shoalwater delta/shelf system. Two different depositional settings, depending on the trajectories of the active thrusts in the mountain chain, have been recognized: mobile piggyback basin, developed in the hangingwall of an active thrust and flanked toward the foreland by an active ridge; wide passive shelf developed in thefootwall of an active thrust, open toward the foredeep basin

    Life satisfaction during temporary housing after an earthquake: Comparing three cases in Italy

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    A disaster has a considerable impact on people who have lost their homes. We analyzed the life satisfaction of displaced people accommodated in temporary housing after three strong earthquakes that occurred in Italy in 2009 (Abruzzo), 2012 (Emilia), and 2016–17 (Central Italy). Information was obtained through an anonymous survey on a large number of variables related to socio-demographic features, temporary housing type and quality, social support and protection network, personal psychological resources and preparedness, and psychophysical health. Responses were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews, stand-alone paper-and-pencil questionnaires, or online (N = 261). In the whole-sample analysis, the significant predictors of life satisfaction were earthquake preparedness, which earthquake out of three was experienced, protection network, accommodation type and quality, and general health status, thus highlighting the complex and multi-faceted nature of the underpinnings of life satisfaction in people displaced after an earthquake. However, different predictors explained life satisfaction in the analysis of each earthquake, pointing to the need to consider their specificity and the local context. Nevertheless, the perceived quality of the accommodation was a significant predictor both in the whole-sample analysis and in the analysis of two earthquakes (2009 Abruzzo and 2012 Emilia), highlighting the importance of providing temporary houses with appropriate properties (privacy, space, thermal and acoustic insulation, light, quality of materials, surroundings) and placed in locations that allow the resumption of life activities (e.g., education, work, socialization, health and public facilities and services)

    A Cretaceous carbonate delta drift in the Montagna della Maiella, Italy

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    The Upper Cretaceous (Campanian\u2013Maastrichtian) bioclastic wedge of the Orfento Formation in the Montagna della Maiella, Italy, is compared to newly discovered contourite drifts in the Maldives. Like the drift deposits in the Maldives, the Orfento Formation fills a channel and builds a Miocene delta-shaped and mounded sedimentary body in the basin that is similar in size to the approximately 350 km 2 large coarse-grained bioclastic Miocene delta drifts in the Maldives. The composition of the bioclastic wedge of the Orfento Formation is also exclusively bioclastic debris sourced from the shallow-water areas and reworked clasts of the Orfento Formation itself. In the near mud-free succession, age-diagnostic fossils are sparse. The depositional textures vary from wackestone to float-rudstone and breccia/conglomerates, but rocks with grainstone and rudstone textures are the most common facies. In the channel, lensoid convex-upward breccias, cross-cutting channelized beds and thick grainstone lobes with abundant scours indicate alternating erosion and deposition from a high-energy current. In the basin, the mounded sedimentary body contains lobes with a divergent progradational geometry. The lobes are built by decametre thick composite megabeds consisting of sigmoidal clinoforms that typically have a channelized topset, a grainy foreset and a fine-grained bottomset with abundant irregular angular clasts. Up to 30 m thick channels filled with intraformational breccias and coarse grainstones pinch out downslope between the megabeds. In the distal portion of the wedge, stacked grainstone beds with foresets and reworked intraclasts document continuous sediment reworking and migration. The bioclastic wedge of the Orfento Formation has been variously interpreted as a succession of sea-level controlled slope deposits, a shoaling shoreface complex, or a carbonate tidal delta. Current-controlled delta drifts in the Maldives, however, offer a new interpretation because of their similarity in architecture and composition. These similarities include: (i) a feeder channel opening into the basin; (ii) an excavation moat at the exit of the channel; (iii) an overall mounded geometry with an apex that is in shallower water depth than the source channel; (iv) progradation of stacked lobes; (v) channels that pinch out in a basinward direction; and (vi) smaller channelized intervals that are arranged in a radial pattern. As a result, the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian\u2013Maastrichtian) bioclastic wedge of the Orfento Formation in the Montagna della Maiella, Italy, is here interpreted as a carbonate delta drift

    Intermediate dose enoxaparin in hospitalized patients with moderate-severe COVID-19: a pilot phase II single-arm study, INHIXACOVID19

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    Background Randomized clinical trials in non-critically ill COVID-19 patients showed that therapeutic-dose heparin increased survival with reduced organ support as compared with usual-care thromboprophylaxis, albeit with increased bleeding risk. The purpose of the study is to assess the safety of intermediate dose enoxaparin in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19.Methods A phase II single-arm interventional prospective study including patients receiving intermediate dose enoxaparin once daily according to body weight: 60 mg for 45-60 kg, 80 mg for 61-100 kg or 100 mg for > 100 kg for 14 days, with dose adjustment according to anti-factor Xa activity (target range: 0.4-0.6 UI/ml); an observational cohort (OC) included patients receiving enoxaparin 40 mg day for comparison. Follow-up was 90 days. Primary outcome was major bleeding within 30 and 90 days after treatment onset. Secondary outcome was the composite of all-cause 30 and 90-day mortality rates, disease severity at the end of treatment, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and length of ICU stay, length of hospitalization. All outcomes were adjudicated by an independent committee and analyzed before and after propensity score matching (PSm).Results Major bleeding was similar in IC (1/98 1.02%) and in the OC (none), with only one event observed in a patient receiving concomitantly anti-platelet therapy. The composite outcome was observed in 53/98 patients (54%) in the IC and 132/203 (65%) patients in the OC (p = 0.07) before PSm, while it was observed in 50/90 patients (55.6%) in the IC and in 56/90 patients (62.2%) in the OC after PSm (p = 0.45). Length of hospitalization was lower in the IC than in OC [median 13 (IQR 8-16) vs 14 (11-21) days, p = 0.001], however it lost statistical significance after PSm (p = 0.08). At 30 days, two patients had venous thrombosis and two pulmonary embolism in the OC. Time to first negative RT-PCR were similar in the two groups.Conclusions Weight adjusted intermediate dose heparin with anti-FXa monitoring is safe with potential positive impact on clinical course in COVID-19 non-critically ill patients

    Tools for Semi-automated Landform Classification: A Comparison in the Basilicata Region (Southern Italy)

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    Recent advances in spatial methods of digital elevation model (DEMs) analysis have addressed many research topics on the assessment of morphometric parameters of the landscape. Development of computer algorithms for calculating the geomorphometric properties of the Earth’s surface has allowed for expanding of some methods in the semi-automatic recognition and classification of landscape features. In such a way, several papers have been produced, documenting the applicability of the landform classification based on map algebra. The Topographic Position Index (TPI) is one of the most widely used parameters for semi-automated landform classification using GIS software. The aim was to apply the TPI classes for landform classification in the Basilicata Region (Southern Italy). The Basilicata Region is characterized by an extremely heterogeneous landscape and geological features. The automated landform extraction, starting from two different resolution DEMs at 20 and 5 m-grids, has been carried out by using three different GIS software: Arcview, Arcmap, and SAGA. Comparison of the landform maps resulting from each software at a different scale has been realized, furnishing at the end the best landform map and consequently a discussion over which is the best software implementation of the TPI method

    TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

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    Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

    TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

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    This article has 730 authors, of which I have only listed the lead author and myself as a representative of University of HelsinkiPlant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.Peer reviewe

    TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

    Get PDF
    Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

    TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

    Get PDF
    Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

    TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

    Get PDF
    Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives
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