U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry of late Palaeozoic volcanism in Sardinia(southern Variscides)

The latest Carboniferous to lower Permian volcanism of the southern Variscides in Sardinia developed in a regional continental transpressive and subsequent transtensile tectonic regime.Volcanism produced a wide range of intermediate-silicic magmas including medium-to high-K calc-alkaline andesites,dacites,and rhyolites.A thick late Palaeozoic succession is well exposed in the four most representative Sardinian continental basins(Nurra,Perdasdefogu,Escalaplano,and Seui-Seulo),and contains substantial stratigraphic,geochemical,and geochronological evidence of the area's complex geological evolution from the latest Carboniferous to the beginning of the Triassic.Based on major and trace element data and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating,it is possible to reconstruct the timing of postVariscan volcanism.This volcanism records active tectonism between the latest Carboniferous and Permian,and post-dates the unroofing and erosion of nappes in this segment of the southern Variscides.In particular,igneous zircon grains from calc-alkaline silicic volcanic rocks yielded ages between299±1 and 288±3 Ma,thereby constraining the development of continental strike-slip faulting from south(Escalaplano Basin)to north(Nurra Basin).Notably,andesites emplaced in medium-grade metamorphic basement(Mt.Cobingius,Ogliastra)show a cluster of older ages at 332±12 Ma.Despite the large uncertainty,this age constrains the onset of igneous activity in the mid-crust.These new radiometric ages constitute:(1)a consistent dataset for different volcanic events;(2)a precise chronostratigraphic constraint which fits well with the biostratigraphic data and(3)insights into the plate reorganization between Laurussia and Gondwana during the late Palaeozoic evolution of the Variscan chain.

Study of factors influencing susceptibility and age at onset of type 1 diabetes: A review of data from Continental Italy and Sardinia

AIM:To investigate the role of protein tyrosin phosphatase 22(PTPN22),maternal age at conception and sex on susceptibility and age at onset of type 1 diabetes(T1D)in Continental Italy and Sardinian populations.METHODS:Three hundred seventy six subjects admitted consecutively to the hospital for T1D and 1032healthy subjects as controls were studied in Continental Italy and 284 subjects admitted consecutively to the hospital for T1D and 5460 healthy newborns were studied in Sardinia.PTPN22 genotype was determined by DNA analysis.Maternal age at conception and age at onset of disease were obtained from clinical records.χ2 test of independence,student t test for differences between means and odds ratio analysis were carried out by SPSS programs.Three way contingency table analysis was carried out according to Sokal and Rohlf.RESULTS:The pattern of association between PTPN22and T1D is similar in Continental Italy and Sardinia:the proportion of*T allele carriers is 13.6%in T1D vs6.7%in controls in Continental Italy while in Sardinia is 7.3%in T1D vs 4.4%in controls.The association between T1D and maternal age at conception is much stronger in Sardinia than in Italy:the proportion of newborn from mother aging more than 32 years is89.3%in T1D vs 32.7%in consecutive newborn in Sardinia(P<10-6)while in Continental Italy is 32.2%in T1D vs 19.1%in consecutive newborns(P=0.005).This points to an important role of ethnicity.A slight prevalence of T1D males on T1D females is observed both in Continental Italy and Sardinia.PTPN22 genotype does not exert significant effect on the age at onset neither in Continental Italy nor and Sardinia.Maternal age does not influence significantly age at onset in Italy(8.2 years in T1D infants from mothers aging32 years or less vs 7.89 years in T1D infants from mothers aging more than 32 years:P=0.824)while in Sardinia a border line effect is observed(5.75 years in T1D infants from mothers aging 32 years or less vs7.54 years in T1D infants from mothers aging more than 32 years:P=0.062).No effect of sex on age at onset is observed in Continental Italy while in Sardinia female show a lower age at onset of T1D as compared to males(8.07 years in males vs 6.3 years in females:P=0.002).CONCLUSION:The present data confirm the importance of ethnicity on susceptibility and on the age at onset of T1D.

The Rise and Fall of the Secular Trend in Body Height in Sardinia:An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Objective Over the last century, a progressive rise in stature, known as the ‘secular trend’, was documented worldwide, and especially in Sardinia, it has reached a peak in Europe. However, this situation recently ceased in several populations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the stature secular trend has significantly leveled off in the Sardinian younger generations.Methods Height measurements were retrieved from a database of patients undergoing digestive endoscopy, spanning generations between 1920 and 1990. Sex-specific principal component regression models were fitted to decompose stature variation into the contribution of age, period, and birth cohort.Results A steady increase in stature was observed in generations born after 1920, with an upward surge in those born after 1950. However, a significant leveling off was observed among cohorts born after 1970 among both sexes, as mean heights stabilized at 171.1 cm with a standard error(SE) of 0.9 cm among men and a mean of 160.1 cm(SE = 0.9 cm) among women.Conclusion Our findings support a significant slowdown in the secular trend of stature among the latest Sardinian generations. Several factors, including the consumption of low-quality food, lack of physical activity, and late motherhood, among others, may explain the decline in the secular trend.

New Osteological Data on Malaria in Sardinia from Antiquity to the Modern Era

Malaria has been an important disease throughout the history, particularly in the Mediterranean. The island of Sardinia (Italy) was characterized by severe endemic malaria from antiquity until its eradication in 1950. It provides an exceptional and unique site to examine the history of the disease and its effects on human biology and ecology. Endemic malaria can cause chronic hemolytic anemias that may result in osteological signatures. This paper examines these markers, Porotic Hyperostosis (PH) and Cribra Orbitalia (CO), which are identified from skeletons uncovered in archaeological excavations in Northern Sardinia. Previous hypotheses based on historical references and genetic data suggest that the disease was absent on the island in prehistory and was imported, probably by slaves, during the Carthaginian period (6th to 3rd century BC). This article reports on the paleontological analysis of 283 skeletons excavated from seven archeological sites dating from 4700 BP to 1582 AD. Osteological remains were examined for markers CO and PH as a proxy variable for malaria. The findings support previous hypotheses about history of malaria over time.

Interpreting siliciclastic sedimentation in the upper Paleozoic Mulargia-Escalaplano Basin(Sardinia, Italy):influence of tectonics on provenance

Late to post-Variscan molassic basins of Late Pennsylvanian-Permian age are exposed in Sardinia(Italy). Here, the compositional and stratigraphic evolution of the Mulargia-Escalaplano sedimentary basin(central Sardinia) has been investigated to highlight how the tectono-magmatic processes have influenced the sedimentation. Ruditic and arenitic samples were collected along well-characterized stratigraphic sections to provide a new insight into the impact of the tectono-magmatic processes on siliciclastic sedimentation. As a result, the conglomerates are mainly clast-supported, petromictic, and thus immature, with no defined maturity trend upwards. Nevertheless, pebble composition changes in times from Variscan basement pebble-rich to volcanic rock-rich, as a consequence of the basin widening and the dismantling and reworking of the coeval volcanic activity. The sandstone composition clearly changes from quartzolithic to feldspatholithic upwards, as a response to the same change of feeding and reworking of the volcanic rocks. Occasionally, interbedded quartzolithic arenites suggest exceptional floods carrying debris from the far borders of the basin. Also, the immature sandstone composition has been interpreted as being controlled by a continuous supply of fresh debris and to a rapid burial rate. In addition, the disappearance of metaradiolarite(lydite AA) Paleozoic grains in the sandstone mineral suite could represent a distinctive marker of a progressive unroofing of the Variscan chain and a clastic supply from deeper tectonic units.

阿尔贝托·波尼斯的建筑世界——玉林颂展览讨论实录

意大利建筑师阿尔贝托·波尼斯的度假住宅设计在民居的外观下有着当代的精神和清晰的概念。文章依托在成都玉林颂·设计空间举办的展览“撒丁岛的矮橡树:阿尔贝托·波尼斯的建筑世界”开幕当天的分享和讨论实录,梳理了阿尔贝托·波尼斯的实践线索和作品特征,并以对谈的形式围绕其设计意图进行了深度挖掘。

意大利撒丁岛地区华人移民状况探析

上世纪七十年代末期,随着中国改革开放政策的实施,大量中国籍尤其是浙江籍新移民群体进入意大利并迅速发展壮大。撒丁岛也在上世纪八十年代中期以后受到了华人移民潮的冲击,不少华人移民至此形成了与旅意华人群体密不可分但又迥然有异的一群。本文从中国移民进入意大利和撒丁岛的历史角度概括性地探析旅意中国移民,特别是浙江籍移民这一特定群体,以期借此梳理华人在新兴移民国家的发展过程。

自然对抗文明——《大海与撒丁岛》的生态解读

D.H.劳伦斯在《大海与撒丁岛》这部游记中充分表现出对生态危机的深深担忧。从生态批评的视角出发,研究该文自然与文明的对抗,有利于发掘劳伦斯超前的生态哲思,唤起人们的生态意识,最终建立一个和谐的生态家园。

劳伦斯游记《大海与撒丁岛》的生态主义解读

D.H.劳伦斯的《大海与撒丁岛》是一部描写撒丁岛瑰丽风光和民风民情的游记。作为一种自然写作,这部游记更能体现出劳伦斯的生态观。从生态批评视角解读这部游记,可以探讨劳伦斯超前的生态哲思以及他对人与自然、人与人、人与自我和谐关系的渴望。

Effect of LDL-apheresis on plasma lipids, chitotriosidase and anti-oxLDL antibodies in heterozygous familial hypercholes-terolemia

Forty four consecutive subjects aged 29-58 years (21 males and 23 females) with a clinical diagnosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia periodically treated every 30 days with LDL-apheresis for statin resistance, were enrolled in this study. A lipid profile was obtained immediately before starting LDL-apheresis, a second profile was obtained within four hours after LDL-apheresis. Chit activity and anti-oxLDL levels were determined with appropriate methods in all patients before and after LDL- apheresis. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL- cholesterol and triglycerides decreased significantly after LDL-apheresis, while the variations of Chit activity and anti-oxLDL were not significant after LDL-apheresis. The correlation between Chit and total cholesterol was negative (r= –0.44 and –0.50 res- pectively) before and after LDL-apheresis as between Chit and LDL-cholesterol (r= –0.45 and –0.55 respectively). Anti-oxLDL concentration before and after LDL-apheresis positively correlated with Chit activity (r= 0.52 and r = 0.63 respectively), negatively with total cholesterol (r= –0.33 and r = –0.35 res- pectively) and with LDL (r = –0.32 and r = –0.21 respectively). We think that removing LDL with LDL-apheresis the anti-oxLDL/oxLDL ratio could increase and the excess of anti-oxLDL could induce macrophage activation through the surface Fc receptors. Alternatively with high levels of LDL- cholesterol, the deposition of foam cells represent the characteristic evolution of atherosclerosis process. Macrophage activation in the heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia could represent an attempt for re-modeling the vessel wall, reducing the growth of lipid plaques.

意大利撒丁岛中部Lasasai-Bonucoro地区的废弃露天滑石-绿泥石-长石采矿场的水资源及其修复模式(英文)

在撒丁岛中部Orani地区,一些赋存在古生代变质岩和花岗岩中的滑石-绿泥石-长石矿体一直处于露天开采状态。采矿活动严重破坏了Lasasai-Bonucoro地区的原始景观。露天开矿形成了一些水坑,里面填满了来自含水层的沿断裂渗出水,因此对该地区的重整应被视作是对自然景观的全面修复工程。在本次工作的第一阶段,作者描述了环境和水文地质学特征,以及根据不同整治措施对不同地域进行了划分。随后的工作包括详细地解释不同的整治技术措施。为了使该地区复原,首要措施包括:1)对一些地形崎岖的地点进行平整改造和重新规划。也就是根据前期规划合适的地点,将矿石开采和堆存地中过多的废石搬走并回填到山谷中。2)修复被挪走的土壤植被,并且在完成污水处理之后,通过植被重植的方法(包括:移植土壤和养分、水流播种草本植物,阶段性机械洒水)对新形成的地表进行改造。3)并通过以上重植技术,修复恰当的斜坡以及总体缺乏植被的地表。 以上措施会引起地表高度和地形的微小变化。可是这些措施足以形成一个新的环境条件,可进行新的开采。特定情况下,例如在有恒定的高品质水流,并且环境宜人的乡村,以上建议很容易实施。因而,Lasasai-Boalitynucoro地区的资源的可利用性至少包括以下互不相斥的两个方面:1)休闲胜地,2)

Do methods for predicting paleohabitats apply for mountain and insular fossil bovids?

A variety of methods have been developed to use bovid postcranial elements in the functional morphology approach to paleohabitat prediction.This study represents a first attempt at testing morphometric methods based on astragalus and phalanges on extant mountain-dwelling bovids and insular fossil bovids from Sardinia assigned to the so-called‘Nesogoral group’,already regarded as close to the Caprini tribe.We intended to answer the questions whether a classic four-habitats model could be successfully applied to extant mountain-dwelling bovids,and whether results obtained could support the hypothesis of a radiative evolution for the Sardinian bovids.Results obtained,on the one hand,highlighted some inadequacies of the method if not applied to African bovids;on the other hand,they stressed the difficulties of discriminating habitat preferences of Sardinian taxa only based on biometry of astragalus and phalanges.Nonetheless,statistical habitat predictions suggest the contemporaneous presence in Sardinia of bovids having about the same size,but inhabiting different environments,giving support to the hypothesis that Sardinian representatives of the genus Nesogoral originated from a still unknown ancestor by an adaptive radiation evolutionary process.

Biochronology,paleobiogeography and faunal turnover in western Mediterranean Cenozoic mammals

Cenozoic terrestrial mammals from Sardinia contribute substantial information for reconstructing the complex his-tory of the western Mediterranean.The occurrence of endemic perissodactyls in Eocene marine and marsh deposits suggests the existence of ecological or physical barriers between the Corso-Sardinian massif and the Iberian-Occitanic area.At the end of the Oligocene,isolation of Sardinia was almost complete,although a migration from Europe occurred at the beginning of the Early Miocene,as indicated by the unbalanced endemic fauna from Oschiri.During the Late Miocene,the Tusco-Sardinian palaeobioprovince came into existence as an isolated region inhab-ited by the quite diversified,but notably endemic,Oreopithecus fauna.Sardinia was definitely isolated from Tuscany by the Messinian,but temporary connections with the European mainland possibly allowed the colonization of forerunners of some Sardinian Pliocene taxa.During the Plio-Pleistocene,Sardinia maintained permanent isolation.However,sea level drop,resulting in a relatively short distance between Sardinia and the European mainland,allowed different migratory events.From the Late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene–Holocene,two main mammalian faunal complexes(FC)can be recognized:the Nesogoral FC(Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene)and the Microtus(Tyrrhenicola)FC(late Early Pleistocene–Early Holocene).At the transition from Nesogoral to Microtus(Tyrrhenicola)FC,approximately 47%of the genera and 76%of the species disappeared,while approximately 58%of the genera and 71%of the species appeared.A noticeable turnover followed the arrival of Neolithic man and his accompanying fauna.Nonetheless,Praemegaceros was still present at about 7000 years BP,while Microtus(Tyrrhenicola)and Prolagus are respectively recorded in the Bronze and Iron Ages.