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"Grandi vecchi" in Sardegna tra Ottocento e Duemila. La longevità attraverso i Censimenti della popolazione
Get PDFBio-demographical studies on longevity in Sardinia have resulted in some important findings, such as confirmation of high prevalence and low female/male ratio in validated
centenarians (Poulain et al., 2004). Several issues however remain still open. For example, what are the biological mechanisms determining extraordinary life spans in
some individuals, and moreover what is the connection between longevity and extrabiological
factors such as environment, lifestyle, nutrition.
In this paper, using census data, we try to trace the historical relevance of longevity in the
Sardinian population in the last two centuries. From two censuses (1844 and 1848), it
emerges that in Sardinia, also in the first half of XIX century - despite the high mortality
rates - there are several recorded cases of longevity in individuals and population groups.
Even if the percentage of people who lived to advanced age is small, the presence of
nonagenarians was significant and was in proportion higher when compared to that of
centenarians recorded in the past few decades. Starting from these findings, we have tried
to compare the geographical distribution of long- lived individuals in the XIX and in XX
century. The longevity maps show a certain continuity in a time period of 150 years in
the areas characterized by the presence of "very old" individuals in the Island. The areas
located include mountainous and hilly internal areas, which have been described already
in previous studies as particularly "closed" areas in terms of marital patterns
(eso/endogamy). Moreover, it seems that the presence of "very old" individuals in the
XIX century was more widespread throughout the territory than today. An interesting
hypothesis is that a genetic factor favourable to longevity was present in greater measure
in the Sardinian population in the past, and that at the present time this genetic
component is only found in the more isolated and endogamous areas. Finally, our
research, notes the lower sex ratio value (F/M) among Sardinian long lived people,
particularly in some areas of the province of Nuoro and Oristano
A phytosociological study of the deciduous oak woods of Sardinia (Italy)
Get PDFWe present here the results from a phytosociological and synchorological study of the deciduous oak woods of Sardinia. This vegetation analysis has
allowed the individuation of three new associations: Lonicero implexae-Quercetum virgilianae, Ornithogalo pyrenaici-Quercetum ichnusae and
Glechomo sardoae-Quercetum congestae. The Lonicero implexae-Quercetum virgilianae association includes the woods on calcareous substrata
spread throughout Northern Sardinia, which can occasionally be found in southern areas; the first of these are rich in mesophilous species and are
attributed to the subassociation cyclaminetosum repandi, while the others are referred to quercetosum virgilianae. The Ornithogalo pyrenaici-Quercetum
ichnusae association, more widely distributed in Central-Northern Sardinia, includes the climatophilous deciduous woods that are found on lithological
substrata of a non-carbonatic nature, and in particular, on andesites, trachytes and metarenites. The typical aspect is referred to the subassociation
cytisetosum villosi, while the subassociation ilicetosum aquifolii includes the more mesophilous woods on basaltic substrata. The Glechomo sardoae-
Quercetum congestae association always includes the woods found on the non-carbonatic substrata in the higher altitude areas with an oceanic
pluviseasonal temperate bioclimate. Of this, the subassociation quercetosum congestae, on the granite areas, and oenanthetosum pimpinelloidis, on
those metamorphic and of basalt, are proposed. At the higher hierarchical levels, the association Lonicero implexae-Quercetum virgilianae is referred
to the endemic Sardinian-Corsican suballiance Clematido cirrhosae-Quercenion ilicis, of the alliance Fraxino orni-Quercion ilicis, while for the
other associations the new suballiance Paeonio morisii-Quercenion ichnusae, (holotypus: Glechoma sardoae-Quercetum congestae ass. nova) particular
to the Sardinian biogeographic subprovince, is proposed, of the alliance Pino calabricae-Quercion congestae, the order Quercetalia pubescentipetraeae,
and the class Querco roboris-Fagetea sylvaticae
A phytosociological study of the Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. woods in Sardinia (Italy)
Get PDFIt is here presented a phytosociological study about the Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. woods of Sardinia, defining them in synphytosociological, synecological
and synchorological terms. The analysis of this vegetation allowed the identification of a new association, named Cyclamino repandi-Ostryetum
carpinifoliae. Within this association, three subassociations can be identified, the presence of which depends on the pedoclimatic conditions, the
floristic composition and the synchorology. The typical subassociation, which can be found in the eastern Tacchi-region, has been named paeonietosum
morisii, while the subassociation galietosum scabri is characteristic of the western part of such region, and the subassociation fraxinetosum orni is
localised in the southern part of the Golfo di Orosei.
From the synphytosociological point of view, these coenoses represent the head of mesophilous special series, characterising of the subhumid and
humid mesomediterranean bioclimatic belts in chain contact with the carbonatic climatophilous main series of Sardinia.
At to the syntaxonomy, we propose to include the above-mentioned formations within the suballiance Paeonio morisii-Quercenion ichnusae and
alliance Pino calabricae-Quercion congestae, referred to the order Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae and to the class Querco roboris-Fagetea sylvaticae
The impact of e-journal access on Document Delivery Activities.
Get PDFElectronic journals have become an important tool for scientists and medical practitioners over last few years. This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken at Biblioteca Centrale dell’Area Biomedica to determine the effects of e-journals availability on Document Delivery activities. Aim of the study was also to consider the cost-benefit aspects of the direct access to biomedical literature by library patrons.
In 2003 our library gathered access to Elsevier ScienceDirect through CILEA mirror (about 1800 e-journals); we have also access by several years to the services of some others e-journals providers (Blackwell, Highwire, Ingenta, Ebsco, etc.).
We have compared the data concerning DocDel Service during a six months period in 2003 with the statistical findings of a corresponding period in the year 2002 (http://pacs.unica.it/biblio/docdel2002.ppt).
We have studied the number of potential users versus real users: the target population consisted of biomedical professors and researchers belonging to University of Cagliari.
The results of the survey are shown in a series of tables and graphics.
The statistical findings analysis indicate a considerable decrease (about 25%) of the number of documents requested and supplied by our DocDel Service. This also suggests that print journal usage decrease significantly with the introduction of online journals in favour of an increase in the number of articles directly retrieved by patrons.
Due to higher availability of online documents, our patrons generally retrieve a number of documents greater than that usually requested to the library reducing drastically the working load of our DocDel Service staff
Public vs private demand for covering long term care expenditures
Get PDFThis paper studies the determinants of the willingness to pay (WTP) for long term care (LTC) coverage provided through either a public or a private insurance program. Two insurance services are considered, a first one compulsory and financed out through general taxes, another one purchased on a voluntary base and paid through an insurance premium. Data are taken from a survey on a sample of households of the Italian region Emilia Romagna, and WTP is elicited through open-ended contingent valuation questions. We model individual choice as a two stage process, with respondents first establishing their interest for the service, then stating how much they are willing to pay. Auxiliary information allows us to separate zeros arising from standard corner solutions from those generated by disinterest. We test for independence of the interest” process by estimating Heckman’s sample selection models both for the public and private case. We show that two sequential processes guide the observed WTP and that their separate identification is crucial for a clear understanding of individual choices. Interest and WTP are influenced by different variables, whereas the same variables influence the two choices in different ways. Moreover, we are able to investigate the differences in stated WTP between public and private provision. The kind of information provided is useful for designing reforms that more closely match collective preferences in a particularly delicate area such as elderly care financing
Geographical and sectoral clusters of innovation in Europe
Get PDFIn this paper we attempt to provide empirical evidence on the phenomenon of cluster agglomeration of innovation activities throughout time and space in European regions. More specifically we try to assess whether there are some forces which support the development of technologically specialised regional clusters. In particular we want to determine the spatial extent of these forces, their dynamics along the eighties and nineties and their connection with production clustering. We have started from a mapping of innovation activity in European regions by means of a deep exploratory spatial analysis based on several global indicators of spatial dependence. As a result, in a second step, while controlling for the extent to which the specialization of production in certain sectors influences the specialization of innovation, this paper analyses the role which geographical knowledge spillovers play in innovation concentration in some industries. In other words, after the geographic concentration of production has been controlled for, we address the role that the development of technologically specialised clusters in neighbouring regions may play. The analysis is based on an original statistical databank set up by CRENoS on regional patenting at the European Patent Office spanning from 1978 to 2001 and classified by ISIC sectors (3 digit) and on the Cambridge Econometrics database on production activit
Invariant CMC surfaces in
Get PDFWe explicitly classify helicoidal and translational constant mean curvature
surfaces in
k-symplectic affine Kie algebras
Get PDFThe notion of k-symplectic structures was introduced by A. Awane in his dissertation in 1984. Here we are interested by the classification of Lie algebras provided with such a structure. We introduce also the notion of affine structure associated to a K-symplectic structure on a Lie algebr
Utilizzo di substrati artificiali nel recupero ambientale: modellizzazione della crescita di Artemisia arborescens L. su diversi substrati
Get PDFIn this work are presented preliminary results of a nursery growth of different clonal populations of Artemisia arborescens L. in man-made substrata. The final goal of this study is to evaluate the potential use of these substrata in rehabilitation of areas polluted by heavy metals due to the past mining activity. Man-made substrata were created by mixing several raw materials. These materials were characterized for mineralogical composition and textural classes. Different substrata were studied for physical-chemical parameters. Evaluation of substrata functionality, was carried out measuring growth differences (height) of different Artemisia specimens. On the basis of empirical growth curves, were calculated growth theorical curves. The comparison of these curves allowed to define the influence of the genetic variable on the growth of different clonal populations planted in the same substrata and the influence of different substrata on the same clonal population. Differences between coltural conditions, were highlighted by measuring the content of A, B and total chlorophyll to
The impact of e-journal access on Document Delivery Activities.
Get PDFElectronic journals have become an important tool for scientists and medical practitioners over last few years. This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken at Biblioteca Centrale dell'Area Biomedica to determine the effects of e-journals availability on Document Delivery activities. Aim of the study was also to consider the cost-benefit aspects of the direct access to biomedical literature by library patrons.
In 2003 our library gathered access to Elsevier ScienceDirect through CILEA mirror (about 1800 e-journals); we have also access by several years to the services of some others e-journals providers (Blackwell, Highwire, Ingenta, Ebsco, etc.).
We have compared the data concerning DocDel Service during a six months period in 2003 with the statistical findings of a corresponding period in the year 2002 (http://pacs.unica.it/biblio/docdel2002.ppt).
We have studied the number of potential users versus real users: the target population consisted of biomedical professors and researchers belonging to University of Cagliari.
The results of the survey are shown in a series of tables and graphics.
The statistical findings analysis indicate a considerable decrease (about 25%) of the number of documents requested and supplied by our DocDel Service. This also suggests that print journal usage decrease significantly with the introduction of online journals in favour of an increase in the number of articles directly retrieved by patrons.
Due to higher availability of online documents, our patrons generally retrieve a number of documents greater than that usually requested to the library reducing drastically the working load of our DocDel Service staff