An ecological approach to the integrated monitoring of freshwater ecosystems

2017 - 2018The concept of integrated environmental monitoring includes the gathering of all the information necessary to obtain a comprehensive view of ecosystem status, processes and functionality, through a classical ecological approach. The present research falls in this context by combining passive and active biomonitoring, sediment mineralogy, element total content analysis and partitioning among sediment fractions, water chemical analyses and biodiversity analysis. The approach was applied to two of the main river systems of the “Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni” National Park (PNCVDA), the Bussento and the Calore Salernitano, in order to obtain clear scenarios of river quality and of the subtended processes, in an area hosting exceptional biodiversity. Specifically, 19 elements among macronutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrients (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, V, Zn) and nonessential elements (Al, As, Cd, Pb), collectively referred to as Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs), were analysed in 49 sites along the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers for two consecutive years. In order to obtain clear scenarios of stable concentration gradients, an ensemble of two passive biomonitors, Helosciadium nodiflorum (L.) W.D.J. Koch and Mentha aquatica L., and two active biomonitors, Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. and Chara gymnophylla A. Braun, were employed. Whereas H. nodiflorum and F. antipyretica were already recognized as fine biomonitors of PTEs in freshwater ecosystems, M. aquatica and Ch. gymnophylla were novel, and were preliminary validated using the former biomonitors as references. Since no information on the charophyte flora of the PNCVDA was available, the biodiversity of this group of algae in the area was also investigated, in order to avoid the introduction of allochthonous biomonitors possibly interfering with local communities. Finally, in order to shed light on the possible causes of PTE concentration gradients and to highlight other criticalities, sediment mineralogy, sediment PTE fractionation, the concentrations in water of PTEs, photosynthetic pigments, anions, and several chemical-physical parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and redox potential were also investigated. State-of the art spatial and multivariate statistical techniques, involving methods specifically developed for the project, were employed throughout in the analysis of the complex datasets derived from the experimental activities. Overall, three main criticalities were highlighted in the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers: i) the presence of springs occasionally emitting water with high PTE concentrations, ii) the presence of wastewater discharges and iii) the presence of nutrient leaching from agricultural soils. With the exception of the latter, the criticalities appear to be localized to few sites on both the river systems, an occurrence involving also the presence of high Al, As, Co, Fe, and Mn concentrations in a few sites, which are likely related to the presence of metallic structures or wastes in the riverbed. The approach embraced for the research, joining chemical, physical, botanical, zoological, geological, cartographical and statistical skills, represents a true ecological strategy to the study of complex ecosystems, and an example of how multiple activities can be coupled to obtain a comprehensive view of freshwater ecosystem integrity. Despite the enormous efforts required, it is the unique approach capable of dealing with the complexity of ecological systems, and what it is advocated for to cope with the current local and global scale crises of the Anthropocene. [edited by Author]XXXI cicl

IL CATTOLICESIMO POLITICO TEDESCO E LA S. SEDE DA LEONE XIIIA PIO X, 1878-1914

La tesi ripercorre il rapporto tra il cattolicesimo politico tedesco - coagulatosi attorno al partito del Zentrum nel 1870 - e la S. Sede durante i pontificati di Leone XIII e Pio X.The thesis aims to describe the relationship between political catholicism, the Zentrumspartei, and the Holy See during the papacies of Leo XIII and Pius X

An Effective Biomonitor of Potentially Toxic Elements in Marine Ecosystems: The Brown Alga Dictyota spiralis

Coastal marine areas are threatened by different forms of pollution, among which potentially toxic elements (PTEs) represent a primary hazard. In this study, 16 Mediterranean macroalgae colonizing the upper eulittoral and infralittoral zones were studied for their PTE accumulation capabilities in order to identify possible biomonitors that could replace the use of Posidonia oceanica, a protected species. To achieve this objective, macronutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrients (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, V, Zn) and non-essential elements (Cd, Pb) were analyzed in the thalli of different algal species, the leaves of P. oceanica and in sediments collected from six sampling sites along the Cilento coast (Campania, Italy), all characterized by different anthropogenic pressures. For sediments, a sequential extraction of PTEs to evaluate their bioavailability profile was also carried out together with the analysis of mineralogical composition, particle size distribution, pH and organic matter content. Macrophytes, belonging to different divisions (six Rhodophyta, four Chlorophyta, six Heterokontophyta, one Embryophyta), are characterized by different PTE concentrations, with a few ones being characterized by an even accumulation response toward the different PTEs. One of these, the brown alga Dictyota spiralis, is able to accumulate PTEs in concentrations similar to P. oceanica and provides more accurate concentration gradients, highlighting clear pollution scenarios that were overlooked using P. oceanica only. Therefore, D. spiralis is a useful PTE biomonitor of coastal marine ecosystems and a suitable replacement for P. oceanica, also featuring the possibility of being employed in active biomonitoring applications

Does social cognition change? Evidence after 4 years from the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses

Background Deficits in social cognition (SC) are significantly related to community functioning in schizophrenia (SZ). Few studies investigated longitudinal changes in SC and its impact on recovery. In the present study, we aimed: (a) to estimate the magnitude and clinical significance of SC change in outpatients with stable SZ who were assessed at baseline and after 4 years, (b) to identify predictors of reliable and clinically significant change (RCSC), and (c) to determine whether changes in SC over 4 years predicted patient recovery at follow-up. Methods The reliable change index was used to estimate the proportion of true change in SC, not attributable to measurement error. Stepwise multiple logistic regression models were used to identify the predictors of RCSC in a SC domain (The Awareness of Social Inference Test [TASIT]) and the effect of change in TASIT on recovery at follow-up. Results In 548 participants, statistically significant improvements were found for the simple and paradoxical sarcasm of TASIT scale, and for the total score of section 2. The reliable change index was 9.8. A cut-off of 45 identified patients showing clinically significant change. Reliable change was achieved by 12.6% and RCSC by 8% of participants. Lower baseline TASIT sect. 2 score predicted reliable improvement on TASIT sect. 2. Improvement in TASIT sect. 2 scores predicted functional recovery, with a 10-point change predicting 40% increase in the probability of recovery. Conclusions The RCSC index provides a conservative way to assess the improvement in the ability to grasp sarcasm in SZ, and is associated with recovery

The interplay among psychopathology, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in schizophrenia: stability in relationships after 4 years and differences in network structure between recovered and non-recovered patients

Improving real-life functioning is the main goal of the most advanced integrated treatment programs in people with schizophrenia. The Italian Network for Research on Psychoses previously explored, by using network analysis, the interplay among illness-related variables, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia. The same research network has now completed a 4-year follow-up of the original sample. In the present study, we used network analysis to test whether the pattern of relationships among all variables investigated at baseline was similar at follow-up. In addition, we compared the network structure of patients who were classified as recovered at follow-up versus those who did not recover. Six hundred eighteen subjects recruited at baseline could be assessed in the follow-up study. The network structure did not change significantly from baseline to follow-up, and the overall strength of the connections among variables increased slightly, but not significantly. Functional capacity and everyday life skills had a high betweenness and closeness in the network at follow-up, as they had at baseline, while psychopathological variables remained more peripheral. The network structure and connectivity of non-recovered patients were similar to those observed in the whole sample, but very different from those in recovered subjects, in which we found few connections only. These data strongly suggest that tightly coupled symptoms/dysfunctions tend to maintain each other's activation, contributing to poor outcome in schizophrenia. Early and integrated treatment plans, targeting variables with high centrality, might prevent the emergence of self-reinforcing networks of symptoms and dysfunctions in people with schizophrenia

The interplay among psychopathology, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in schizophrenia: stability in relationships after 4 years and differences in network structure between recovered and non-recovered patients

Improving real-life functioning is the main goal of the most advanced integrated treatment programs in people with schizophrenia. The Italian Network for Research on Psychoses previously explored, by using network analysis, the interplay among illness-related variables, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia. The same research network has now completed a 4-year follow-up of the original sample. In the present study, we used network analysis to test whether the pattern of relationships among all variables investigated at baseline was similar at follow-up. In addition, we compared the network structure of patients who were classified as recovered at follow-up versus those who did not recover. Six hundred eighteen subjects recruited at baseline could be assessed in the follow-up study. The network structure did not change significantly from baseline to follow-up, and the overall strength of the connections among variables increased slightly, but not significantly. Functional capacity and everyday life skills had a high betweenness and closeness in the network at follow-up, as they had at baseline, while psychopathological variables remained more peripheral. The network structure and connectivity of non-recovered patients were similar to those observed in the whole sample, but very different from those in recovered subjects, in which we found few connections only. These data strongly suggest that tightly coupled symptoms/dysfunctions tend to maintain each other's activation, contributing to poor outcome in schizophrenia. Early and integrated treatment plans, targeting variables with high centrality, might prevent the emergence of self-reinforcing networks of symptoms and dysfunctions in people with schizophrenia

Accuracy of self-assessment of real-life functioning in schizophrenia

A consensus has not yet been reached regarding the accuracy of people with schizophrenia in self-reporting their real-life functioning. In a large (n=618) cohort of stable, community-dwelling schizophrenia patients we sought to: (1) examine the concordance of patients' reports of their real-life functioning with the reports of their key caregiver; (2) identify which patient characteristics are associated to the differences between patients and informants. Patient-caregiver concordance of the ratings in three Specific Level of Functioning Scale (SLOF) domains (interpersonal relationships, everyday life skills, work skills) was evaluated with matched-pair t tests, the Lin's concordance correlation, Somers' D, and Bland-Altman plots with limits of agreement (LOA). Predictors of the patient-caregiver differences in SLOF ratings were assessed with a linear regression with multivariable fractional polynomials. Patients' self-evaluation of functioning was higher than caregivers' in all the evaluated domains of the SLOF and 17.6% of the patients exceeded the LOA, thus providing a self-evaluation discordant from their key caregivers. The strongest predictors of patient-caregiver discrepancies were caregivers' ratings in each SLOF domain. In clinically stable outpatients with a moderate degree of functional impairment, self-evaluation with the SLOF scale can become a useful, informative and reliable clinical tool to design a tailored rehabilitation program