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Sicilian Population (sicilian + population)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	33%

Selected Abstracts

Diversity examination based on physical, technological and chemical traits in a locally grown landrace of faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. major)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2009
Giovanni Avola
Summary Fifteen accessions of a locally adapted Sicilian population (,Larga di Leonforte') of faba bean were evaluated for their physical and technological properties and chemical composition. Results showed a high seed weight (1000 seed weight around 2500 × g) along with a great seed size with wide variability among accessions. When all data were combined, the seeds initial water uptake was 0.21 g min,1. Differences between accessions were found in hydration capacity (ranging between 133% and 160%) and retainable firmness after 40 min of cooking (ranging between 18.8 and 13.6 N cm,2). In addition, the average contents of 46.0, 25.2 and 2.6 g 100 g,1 dry weight basis were ascertained for starch, protein and tannin, respectively, with considerable variation among accessions. The result's interpretation, carried out through a methodological approach based on multivariate analysis, seem to support the view that parameters such as seed dimension, starch, protein and tannin content, can be effectively adopted as elements of comparison among landraces in grain legumes. [source]

Morphological variation among populations of Aphanius fasciatus Nardo, 1827 (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae) from the Mediterranean

JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007
V. Ferrito
The amount of osteological variation among 11 Italian killifish Aphanius fasciatus populations was examined by the univariate and multivariate analysis of 40 morphometric and meristic variables of the skull and vertebral column. Populations were sampled in three geographically distinct areas (the Adriatic, Sardinia and Sicily). The statistical analysis confirmed that several populations were well differentiated. In particular, discriminant analysis revealed a strong discriminating power of the morphometric variables. Morphometrics of the vertebrae, bony elements of the pharyngeal jaws, supraoccipital and parasphenoid were the most important in discriminating populations. The dendrogram obtained by UPGMA cluster analysis shows the separation of the south-eastern Sicilian populations, that of the Sardinian populations and that of the central-northern Sicilian plus Adriatic populations, as well as the isolation of the Sicilian population from Pantano Viruca and of the Sardinian populations from Pauli Figu from all the others. The significance of the observed differentiation pattern is discussed. [source]

Mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis in Sicily

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001
G. Vona
This study reports data on the sequences of the first hypervariable segment of a sample of the Sicilian population from Alia (Palermo, Italy). The results show the presence of 32 different haplotypes in the 49 individuals examined. The average number of pairwise nucleotide differences was 4.04, i.e., 1.17% per nucleotide. The distribution of the nucleotide differences matches the theoretical distribution and indicates only one major episode of expansion that occurred between 20,732 and 59,691 years ago, between the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic. Compared with the other populations, parameters of the Sicilian sample lie in an intermediate position between the eastern and western Mediterranean populations. This is due to numerous contacts that Sicily has had with the Mediterranean area since prehistoric times. At the same time, the singularity of some of the haplotypes present in the sample studied indicates the persistence of some characteristics caused by genetic drift and isolation that the population has endured in the course of its history. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 13:576,589, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Is season of birth associated with multiple sclerosis?

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2000
G. Salemi
Objective, To compare the monthly distribution of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients' births with that of the Sicilian population. Background, Studies on the association between season of birth and risk of MS are scanty and controversial. Design and methods, Archives of the Institute of Neuropsychiatry of the Universities of Palermo and Catania were searched up to 1995 for definite MS patients (McDonald & Halliday criteria). The monthly distribution of MS patients' births (N=965) was compared with that of the Sicilian population (N=5,608,307). Results, The distribution of births among MS patients compared with the general population was not different when tested by the ,2 statistic (P>0.25). The Hewitt's non-parametric test for seasonality showed an excess of births between June and November among MS patients (P=0.004). Conclusion, A different pattern of MS patients' births is observed in Sicily and in Northern countries. [source]

Morphological variation among populations of Aphanius fasciatus Nardo, 1827 (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae) from the Mediterranean

Satyrinae butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica show a kaleidoscopic intraspecific biogeography (Lepidoptera, Nymphlidae)

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010
LEONARDO DAPPORTO
The Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica are known for their multitude of endemics. Butterflies in particular have received much attention. However, no comprehensive studies aiming to compare populations of butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica with those from the neighbouring mainland and Sicily have been carried out. In the present study, the eleven Satyrinae species inhabiting Sardinia and Corsica islands were examined and compared with continental and Sicilian populations by means of geometric morphometrics of male genitalia. Relative warp computation, discriminant analyses, hierarchical clustering, and cross-validation tests were used to identify coherent distributional patterns including both islands and mainland populations. The eleven species showed multifaceted distributional patterns, although three main conclusions can be drawn: (1) populations from North Africa and Spain are generally different from those belonging to the Italian Peninsula; (2) populations from Sardinia and Sicily often resemble the North Africa/Spain ones; Corsica shows transitional populations similar to those from France; and (3) sea barriers represent filters to dispersal, although their efficacy appears to be unrelated to their extension. Indeed, the short sea straits between Sardinia and Corsica and between Sicily and the Italian Peninsula revealed a strong effectiveness with respect to preventing faunal exchanges; populations giving onto sea channels between Corsica and Northern Italy and between Sicily and Tunisia showed a higher similarity. A comparison of island and mainland distributions of the eleven taxa have helped to unravel the complex co-occurrence of historical factors, refugial dynamics, and recent (post-glacial) dispersal with respect to shaping the populations of Mediterranean island butterflies. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100, 195,212. [source]