390 research outputs found
Analysis of Foreign Trade with the Main Categories of Agro-Food Products, Parallel Romania - Italy
This paper aims to study the dynamics and structure of foreign trade in agro-food products according to the combined nomenclature of Romania and Italy. In this regard, with the help of statistical data taken from databases: the National Institute of Statistics, for Romania, and the International Trade Center, for Italy, the dynamics of exports, imports, and, at the same time, the trade balance were analysed. The degree of concentration of both imported and exported products was further analysed to determine whether or not there was a concentration on a particular chapter of the Combined Nomenclature
Recent and subfossil diatom assemblages as indicators of environmental change (including fish introduction) in a high-mountain lake
We investigated modern-littoral and subfossil sediment-core diatoms in the shallow (max depth 6.4 m) high-mountain Lake Balma in the Orsiera Rocciavrè Nature Park (Italian Western Alps). Our study provided evidence that might be related to the response of diatom assemblages to fish introduction, in particular the decreasing of the nutrient-enrichment sensitive low-profile life-form/ecological guild and the increase in species known to react positively to the augmented nutrient availability due to fish excretions (e.g., Fragilaria nanana, Pseudostaurosira brevistriata, Staurosirella neopinnata). We are, however, aware that some of these effects could as well have been caused by pastures and cattle watering, and by increased temperatures due to global warming, and we acknowledge the typical complex-interaction pattern among different stressors. High-mountain lakes are ‘‘early warning systems’’ for the whole alpine system and can contribute valuable information also on the interactions between environmental global changes and anthropogenic impacts. Benthic diatoms, in particular, can provide useful indications on the deleterious effects of non-native fish introduction, cattle grazing, and global warming, and thus support an adaptive and sustainable management of high-mountain lakes for the sake of nature conservation
The Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect as a probe of the galaxy formation process
The Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect has proven to be an extremely powerful tool
to study the physical and evolutionary properties of rich clusters of galaxies.
Upcoming SZ experiments, with their much improved sensitivity and angular
resolution, will provide unique information also on phases of galaxy evolution
characterized by the presence of large amounts of hot proto-galactic gas. We
present a preliminary analysis of the SZ signals that can be expected at the
collapse of the proto-galaxy when, according to the standard scenario, the gas
is heated at its virial temperature, and during episodes of strong energy
injections from the active nucleus. The contributions of such signals to excess
power on arc-minute scales recently found by CBI and BIMA experiments are
briefly discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to appera in proc. Int. Symp. "Plasmas in the
Laboratory and in the Universe: new insights and new challenges", Como, Sept.
200
Imaging the first light: experimental challenges and future perspectives in the observation of the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy
Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) allow high precision
observation of the Last Scattering Surface at redshift 1100. After the
success of the NASA satellite COBE, that in 1992 provided the first detection
of the CMB anisotropy, results from many ground-based and balloon-borne
experiments have showed a remarkable consistency between different results and
provided quantitative estimates of fundamental cosmological properties. During
2003 the team of the NASA WMAP satellite has released the first improved
full-sky maps of the CMB since COBE, leading to a deeper insight into the
origin and evolution of the Universe. The ESA satellite Planck, scheduled for
launch in 2007, is designed to provide the ultimate measurement of the CMB
temperature anisotropy over the full sky, with an accuracy that will be limited
only by astrophysical foregrounds, and robust detection of polarisation
anisotropy. In this paper we review the experimental challenges in high
precision CMB experiments and discuss the future perspectives opened by second
and third generation space missions like WMAP and Planck.Comment: To be published in "Recent Research Developments in Astronomy &
Astrophysics Astrophysiscs" - Vol I
Factors Associated with Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among Adolescents Living in Sicily, Southern Italy
The present study aimed to examine the factors associated with increased Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence among a sample of Italian adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1135 students (13–16 years) attending 13 secondary schools of Sicily, southern Italy. Validated instruments were used for dietary assessment and the KIDMED score to assess adolescents’ adherence to the MD. A higher adherence to the MD was associated with high socioeconomic status (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.03–2.26) and high physical activity (OR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02–1.70), whereas lower adherence was associated with living in an urban environment (OR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44–0.97) and being obese (OR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.37–0.94). The adolescents’ KIDMED scores were inversely associated with adolescents’ intake of sweets, fast foods, fried foods, and sugary drinks, and directly with fruit, vegetables, pasta, fish, and cheese intakes. Urban-living adolescents were less likely to eat fruit and more prone to consume meat, sugary drinks, and fast food than rural-living adolescents. The latter were more likely to eat sweets and snacks. A general poor quality of food consumption in Italian adolescents away from the MD was reported, especially among those living in urban areas
Analysis of the thin layer of Galactic warm ionized gas in the range 20 < l < 30 deg, -1.5 < b < +1.5 deg
We present an analysis of the thin layer of Galactic warm ionized gas at an
angular resolution ~ 10'. This is carried out using radio continuum data at 1.4
GHz, 2.7 GHz and 5 GHz in the coordinate region 20 < l < 30 deg, -1.5 < b <
+1.5 deg. For this purpose, we evaluate the zero level of the 2.7 and 5 GHz
surveys using auxiliary data at 2.3 GHz and 408 MHz. The derived zero level
corrections are T_{zero}(2.7 GHz)=0.15 +/- 0.06 K and T_{zero}(5 GHz)=0.1 +/-
0.05 K. We separate the thermal (free-free) and non-thermal (synchrotron)
component by means of a spectral analysis performed adopting an antenna
temperature spectral index -2.1 for the free-free emission, a realistic spatial
distribution of indices for the synchrotron radiation and by fitting,
pixel-by-pixel, the Galactic spectral index. We find that at 5 GHz, for |b| = 0
deg, the fraction of thermal emission reaches a maximum value of 82%, while at
1.4 GHz, the corresponding value is 68%. In addition, for the thermal emission,
the analysis indicates a dominant contribution of the diffuse component
relative to the source component associated with discrete HII regions.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted to MNRA
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