Chorological and conservation status of the endemic cypress, Cupressus atlantica Gaussen, in the High Atlas (Morocco)

18 p. ; tablas, mapas, gráf.We present a study of the distribution, ecology and conservation status of Cupressus atlantica, an endemic tree of the High Atlas (Morocco). The main populations of this species grow in a reduced area along the N’Fiss valley in the Central High Atlas and are gradually receding. Particular populations are increasingly fragmented and the total area covered by the cypress woodland has decreased to less than a third of the surface occupied in the 1930s. Overgrazing reduces the woodlands’ regenerative capacity, and the exploitation of the wood, linked to traditional uses by the rural society of the N’Fiss valley, directly reduces the number of trees. Great efforts being made to protect the species by the Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts are having some effect in recent years.This research was partially funded by the cooperation between the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS).Peer reviewe

Physical mechanisms and scaling laws of K-shell double photoionization

We report on the photon energy dependence of the K-shell double photoionization (DPI) of Mg, Al, and Si. The DPI cross sections were derived from high-resolution measurements of x-ray spectra following the radiative decay of the K-shell double vacancy states. Our data evince the relative importance of the final-state electron-electron interaction to the DPI. By comparing the double-to-single K-shell photoionization cross-section ratios for neutral atoms with convergent close-coupling calculations for He-like ions, the effect of outer shell electrons on the K-shell DPI process is assessed. Universal scaling of the DPI cross sections with the effective nuclear charge for neutral atoms is revealed

Double K-shell photoionization of low-Z atoms and He-like ions

We report on the investigation of the photon energy dependence of double 1s photoionization of light atoms and compare the cross sections for hollow atom and He-like ion production. Measurements of the Kα hypersatellite x-ray spectra of Mg, Al, and Si were carried out using the Fribourg high-resolution x-ray spectrometer installed at the ID21 and ID26 beam lines at the ESRF. The double-to-single photoionization cross section ratios were derived as a function of the incident photon beam energy and compared to convergent close-coupling (CCC) calculations for He-like ions. The dynamical electron-electron scattering contribution to the DPI cross-sections was found to be more important for neutral atoms than for the He isoelectronic serie

Circum-Mediterranean cultural heritage and medicial plant uses in traditional animal healthcare: a field survey in eight selected areas within the RUBIA project

During the years 2003¿2005, a comparative ethnobotanical field survey was conducted on remedies used in traditional animal healthcare in eight Mediterranean areas. The study sites were selected within the EU-funded RUBIA project, and were as follows: the upper Kelmend Province of Albania; the Capannori area in Eastern Tuscany and the Bagnocavallo area of Romagna, Italy; Cercle de Ouezanne, Morocco; Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche Natural Park in the province of Huelva, Spain; the St. Catherine area of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt; Eastern and Western Crete, Greece; the Paphos and Larnaca areas of Cyprus; and the Mitidja area of Algeria. One hundred and thirty-six veterinary preparations and 110 plant taxa were recorded in the survey, with Asteraceae and Lamiaceae being the most quoted botanical families. For certain plant species the survey uncovered veterinary phytotherapeutical indications that were very uncommon, and to our knowledge never recorded before. These include Anabasis articulata (Chenopodiaceae), Cardopatium corymbosum (Asteraceae), Lilium martagon (Liliaceae), Dorycnium rectum (Fabaceae), Oenanthe pimpinelloides (Apiaceae), Origanum floribundum (Lamiaceae), Tuberaria lignosa (Cistaceae), and Dittrichia graveolens (Asteraceae). These phytotherapeutical indications are briefly discussed in this report, taking into account modern phytopharmacology and phytochemistry. The percentage of overall botanical veterinary taxa recorded in all the study areas was extremely low (8%), however when all taxa belonging to the same botanical genus are considered, this portion increases to 17%. Nevertheless, very few plant uses were found to be part of a presumed "Mediterranean" cultural heritage in veterinary practices, which raises critical questions about the concept of Mediterraneanism in ethnobotany and suggests that further discussion is required. Nearly the half of the recorded veterinary plant uses for mammals uncovered in this survey have also been recorded in the same areas in human folk medicine, suggesting a strong link between human and veterinary medical practices, and perhaps also suggesting the adaptive origins of a few medical practices. Since most of the recorded data concern remedies for treating cattle, sheep, goats, and camels, it would be interesting to test a few of the recorded phytotherapeuticals in the future, to see if they are indeed able to improve animal healthcare in breeding environments, or to raise the quality of dairy and meat products in the absence of classical, industrial, veterinary pharmaceuticals

Chorological and conservation status of the endemic cypress, Cupressus atlantica Gaussen, in the High Atlas (Morocco)

We present a study of the distribution, ecology and conservation status of Cupressus atlantica, an endemic tree of the High Atlas (Morocco). The main populations of this species grow in a reduced area along the N’Fiss valley in the Central High Atlas and are gradually receding. Particular populations are increasingly fragmented and the total area covered by the cypress woodland has decreased to less than a third of the surface occupied in the 1930s. Overgrazing reduces the woodlands’ regenerative capacity, and the exploitation of the wood, linked to traditional uses by the rural society of the N’Fiss valley, directly reduces the number of trees. Great efforts being made to protect the species by the Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts are having some effect in recent years

High-resolution KMM radiative Auger x-ray emission spectra of calcium induced by synchrotron radiation

The KMM radiative Auger (RA) x-ray spectra of solid Ca were induced by monochromatic synchrotron radiation and measured with a high-resolution von Hamos bent crystal spectrometer. Two excitation energies were employed, one in the near K threshold region and the second well above the K absorption edge. The KMM RA spectral structure and relative intensity with respect to the diagram Kβ1,3 (K-M3,2) line are found to be independent of the excitation energy. The overall RA structure resembles the density of unoccupied s, p, and d states. Due to solid-state effects, however, spectral features resulting from the major discrete shake-up transitions could not be resolved. For the total KMM RA to Kβ1,3 yield ratio, a value of 0.053(3) is obtained. The latter is compared to theoretical predictions and available experimental data obtained by various types of target excitation