INVENTORY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SICILIAN BADLANDS

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD, 1994) addressed desertification as a global problem defining it as \u201cland degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas, resulting from various factors, including climate variations and human activity\u201d. In the Mediterranean areas, this phenomenon results from the interaction of various factors such as climate, lithology, vegetation and land use. The study of the predisposing factors allows the time/space assessment of the phenomenon and a continuous field monitoring allows to quantify the data in terms of vulnerability degree and to develop decision-making tools for integrated land use planning. One of the most fragile ecosystems are the badlands areas in Sicily. Their geological and climatic features (erosive rocks and marginal soils, and highly variable rainfall) and often a negative human impacts (inadequate land use and agricultural practices) led to increasing soil erosion and vegetation degradation, predisposing the terrain to the badlands. Moreover, the slope topography can be considered as a driver factor for the inception and the evolution of the badlands, in particular if we considered the badlands as miniature drainage systems, fully comparable to small river basins. The present work focused on the role of the pre-incision slope topography on the typologies and characteristics of the Sicilian badlands. The badlands areas of the entire Sicily were mapped in order to create an inventory of landforms based on morphological criteria. The digital orthophotos (2007-2008) at a nominal scale of 1:10.000 available in the WebGIS server of the Regione Sicilia and the Google Earth images of the same periods were closely examined. The landforms were digitized as polygons by means of a GIS software and recorded into a geo-database. The channel networks of each badland were traced and their drainage density (D) were calculated. The numbers of furrows directly tributary to the external drainage network were measured by using the index Gully Tributary (GT). This allowed to distinguish two typologies of badlands drainage pattern: dendritic for GT=1 (with only one main furrow) and parallel for GT>1 (with several parallel furrows). For each landform, the pre-erosion topography was reconstructed by filling the incision, using the heights of the watershed divide as point values in a topography interpolation tool in GIS. It represented the slope topography prior to the development of the current drainage network. The pre-incision slope morphometry of each landform was characterized by calculating the Morphometric Slope Index (MSI) considered as general index for slope morphometry. MSI, GT and D were compared via statistics in order to detect the influence of pre-erosion slope morphometry on the typology and the arrangement of the badlands drainage networks

Magic mirror on the wall: Selfie-related behavior as mediator of the relationship between narcissism and problematic smartphone use

Objective: Recent research has suggested that problematic smartphone use is associated with several psychological factors and that mobile apps and smartphone-related behavior (i.e. selfi e behavior) may encourage the development of problematic smartphone use. However, little is known about how the interplay between dysfunctional personality characteristics and selfi e-related behavior can infl uence problematic smartphone use. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between narcissism and problematic smartphone use, as well as the mediating role of selfi e-related behavior in this relationship among young men and women. Method: In the current study, a total of 627 undergraduate students (283 males and 344 females) completed a cross-sectional survey. A structural equation model was tested separately for males and females in order to evaluate the associations between narcissism, selfi e-related behavior and problematic smartphone use. Results: The results showed that greater narcissism was related to increased selfi e-related behavior, which in turn were positively associated with problematic smartphone use both for males and females. However, selfi e-related behavior mediated the relationship between narcissism and problematic smartphone use only for females. Conclusions: The study provides fresh insight into our understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying problematic smartphone use, which may inform prevention and treatment interventions

Ruptures and repairs of group therapy alliance. an untold story in psychotherapy research

Although previous studies investigated the characteristics of therapeutic alliance in group treatments, there is still a dearth of research on group alliance ruptures and repairs. The model by Safran and Muran was originally developed to address therapeutic alliance in individual therapies, and the usefulness of this approach to group intervention needs to be demonstrated. Alliance ruptures are possible at member to therapist, member to member, member to group levels. Moreover, repairs of ruptures in group are quite complex, i.e., because other group members have to process the rupture even if not directly involved. The aim of the current study is to review the empirical research on group alliance, and to examine whether the rupture repair model can be a suitable framework for clinical understanding and research of the complexity of therapeutic alliance in group treatments. We provide clinical vignettes and commentary to illustrate theoretical and research aspects of therapeutic alliance rupture and repair in groups. Our colleague Jeremy Safran made a substantial contribution to research on therapeutic alliance, and the current paper illustrates the enduring legacy of this work and its potential application to the group therapy context

Gli strumenti finanziari nazionali di supporto alla riduzione dei consumi energetici negli edifici delle pubbliche amministrazioni

Public Administrations are currently constrained, in their aims of carrying out actions and projects for the limitation of the energy consumption of buildings, by the scarcity of adequate budgets and by the need of observing the Growth and Stability Pact. On the contrary, the availability of (and the access to) suitable financial sources would represent significant opportunities for an economic development characterized by energy and environmental sustainability. This paper, after a short review of the domestic financial tools actually available for the reduction of their energy consumption of municipalities, analyses the technical and economic barriers that limit their effective utilization and that should be properly removed

Determination of cadmium (II) and zinc (II) in olive oils by derivative potentiometric stripping analysis

A method for the determination of cadmium (II) and zinc (II) in olive oils by derivative potentiometric stripping analysis after dry ashing of the sample is described. The metal ions were concentrated as their amalgams on a glassy carbon working electrode that was previously coated with a thin mercury film and then stripped by a suitable oxidant. Potential and time data were digitally converted into dt dE 121, and E was plotted vs. dt dE 121, thus increasing sensitivity of the method and improving resolution of the analysis. Quantitative analysis was carried out by the method of standard additions; a good linearity was obtained in the range of concentrations examined. Recoveries of 92\u2013102% for cadmium (II) and of 89\u201399% for zinc (II) were obtained from an olive oil spiked at different levels. The detection limits were 5.1 ng g 121 for cadmium (II) and 7.6 ng g 121 for zinc (II)

Characterisation of Columbite-Tantalite (Coltan) ore from Congo. Elemental composition by total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis

The paper describes the analysis of a columbite-tantalite (coltan) mineral ore from Congo by using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TRXRF) analysis. The sample was mineralised with a lithium tetraborate and lithium metaborate flux mixture. TRXRF allows multi-element analysis in a wide range of concentrations. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by using another alkaline fusion with sodium peroxide

Determination of zinc (II), cadmium (II), lead (II) and copper (II) in common and balsamic vinegar by stripping chronopotentiometry

A method for the determination of zinc (II), cadmium (II), lead (II) and copper (II) in common and balsamic vinegar by stripping chronopotentiometry is described. The metal ions were concentrated as their amalgams on a glassy carbon working electrode that was previously coated with a thin mercury film and then stripped by a suitable oxidant. Potential and time data were digitally converted into dt dE-1, and E was plotted vs. dt dE-1, thus increasing both sensitivity of the method and resolution of the analysis. Quantitative analysis was carried out by the method of standard additions. A good linearity was obtained in the range of concentrations examined. Recoveries of 90-98% for zinc (II), 91- 97% for cadmium (II), 94-98% for lead (II) and 93-97% for copper (II) were obtained from a sample spiked at different levels. The detection limits were 10.6 ng g-1 for zinc (II), 2.2 ng g-1 for cadmium (II), 3.4 ng g-1 for lead (II) and 4.2 ng g-1 for copper (II) and the relative standard deviations (mean of nine determinations) were 4.8, 6.5, 3.2 and 5.3%, respectively. Results obtained on commercial common and balsamic vinegars were not significantly different from those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometr

Determination of cadmium (II) and lead (II) in whole and skim milk by stripping chronopotentiometric analysis

A method for the determination of cadmium (II) and lead (II) in whole and skim milk by stripping chronopotentiometric analysis is described. The metal ions were concentrated as their amalgams on a glassy carbon working electrode that was previously coated with a thin mercury film and then stripped by a suitable oxidant. Potential and time data were digitally converted into dt dE-1, and E was plotted vs. dt dE-1, thus increasing both sensitivity of the method and resolution of the analysis. Quantitative analysis was carried out by the method of standard additions. A good linearity was obtained in the range of concentrations examined. Recoveries of 94-100% for cadmium (II) and of 91-98% for lead (II) were obtained from a sample spiked at different levels. The detection limits were 4.4 ng g-1 for cadmium (II) and 8.6 ng g-1 for lead (II) and the relative standard deviations (mean of nine determinations) were 4.1 and 5.6%, respectively. Results obtained on commercial whole and skim milk were not significantly different from those obtained by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of 2-furaldehyde and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde in honey

A method of determination of 2-furaldehyde (F) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) in honey by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. The method is based on the formation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of carbonyl compounds and subsequent reversed-phase separation of these derivatives. Derivatization is carried out by utilizing an acidic solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in acetonitrile. Precipitation of the derivatives of carbonyl compounds is thus avoided and direct injection of the sample into the HPLC system is allowed. The procedure offers a high specificity, since the derivatives of F and HMF are well separated from the other components of the mixture under examination. Recoveries of 95-99% were obtained from honey spiked at different levels with both analytes. The detection limit is of the order of 10 \u3bcg/kg of honey and reproducibility (mean of six determinations) is \ub13% for F and \ub12% for HMF