The Italian long-term ecosystem research (LTER-Italy) network: results, opportunities, and challenges for coastal transitional ecosystems

1 - The Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) network, now a global reality, was founded on a combination of long-term ecological studies, short-term experiments, and comparisons among sites and eco-domains. 2 - The LTER-Italy network was officially established as a formal member of the LTER international network in 2006, following a wider on-going process in Europe; it currently consists of 22 sites representing the main ecosystem typologies of Italy. Four coastal transitional ecosystem sites are included in the LTER-Italy network: on the northern Peninsula, these include the Venice Lagoon and the lagoons of the Po River Delta, which are characterized by a temperate climate and the influence of tides; and in the southern sector, these include the coastal ecosystems of Sardinia and the Mar Piccolo of Taranto, which are characterized by a Mediterranean climate and the absence of sensible tides. 3 - In this paper, we present and discuss three main issues: the LTER-International and LTER-Europe context, emphasising the most practical issues and activities that must be addressed for the effective organization and maintenance of LTER networks; the history, structure, and perspectives of the national LTER-Italy network; and the opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses related to participation of the LTER-Italy network in the study of coastal transitional ecosystems

Enhancing PV Self-Consumption through Energy Communities in Heating-Dominated Climates

The European Union, in accordance with its decarbonization objectives, has enacted the Directive (EU) 2018/2001 and subsequently the Directive (EU) 2019/944 that legally recognizes and regulates the formation of citizen energy communities. These are believed to be key enablers for reducing buildings’ carbon footprint by allowing for a wider diffusion of on-site renewable energy generation and by maximizing renewable energy self-consumption. In this study, the benefits of the energy community are assessed through simulations of average Italian buildings of various sizes, different energy efficiency levels, equipped with a photovoltaic system and a heat pump-driven heating system, and located in heating-dominated climates. The work focuses on energy communities both at the apartment scale—i.e., in a multi-family building—and at the building scale—i.e., in a neighborhood. The net energy consumption, the self-consumption, and the self-sufficiency of all the possible energy communities obtainable by combining the different buildings are compared to the baseline case that is represented by the absence of energy sharing between independent building units. The energy community alone at both the building-scale and the neighborhood-scale increases self-consumption by up to 5% and reduces net energy consumption by up to 10%. However, when the energy community is combined with other maximization strategies such as demand-side management and rule-based control, self-consumption can be raised by 15%. These results quantify the lower bound of the achievable self-consumption in energy communities, which, in the rush towards climate neutrality, and in light of these results, could be considered among the solutions for rationalizing the energy consumption of buildings

Body condition in fish as a tool to detect the effects of anthropogenic pressures in transitional waters

In the last years, increasing interest has been dedicated to the quality assessment of brackish-water systems. Traditionally, fish community is an important biological element used to assess the quality status of transitional water bodies. In this study, we analysed the effect of anthropogenic pressures on the population of a small teleost, the sand smelt Atherina boyeri, in a Mediterranean lagoon by means of body condition. Fish were sampled once a year during the period 2010–2012, in 32 sampling sites, and for each specimen individual body condition factor was estimated. A negative significant correlation was found between condition factor and pressures related to alteration of the hydrographic regime, while a significant positive correlation was found with trophic status indicators and fishery activities. Therefore, morphological and hydrological alteration of coastal lagoons, modifying the quality and the availability of resources, seems to influence the health of resident populations

Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress, and Burnout in Health Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparing Mental Health Professionals and Other Healthcare Workers

The psychological impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been assessed worldwide, but there are limited data on how mental health professionals (MHPs) have been affected. Thus, this paper aims to investigate anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and burnout in a sample of MHPs. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 167 participants: 56 MHPs, 57 physicians working closely with COVID-19 patients, and 54 physicians not working closely with such patients. MHPs reported good overall mental health. Most MHPs reported no post-traumatic stress, and their scores were significantly lower compared to HPs working closely with COVID-19 patients. MHPs’ hyperarousal scores were also significantly lower compared to HPs working closely with COVID-19 patients, while their intrusion scores were statistically significantly lower than those of all other professionals. Multivariable logistic regressions showed that MHPs had lower odds of exhibiting state anxiety and low personal accomplishment compared to HPs not working closely with COVID-19 patients. In sum, MHPs seem to show almost preserved mental health. Thus, given the high mental healthcare demand during a pandemic, it would be useful to rely on these professionals, especially for structuring interventions to improve and support the mental health of the general population and other healthcare workers

Transitioning to adult mental health services for young people with ADHD: an Italian-based survey on practices for pediatric and adult services

BackgroundSupporting young ADHD patients in transition to adult services is essential. Yet, the low percentages of successful referrals and the issues reported by patients and clinicians stress the need for further attention to transitioning practices. The present study assessed the transitioning process of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) in the Italian territory. We asked child and adult psychiatrists to report the current state of services and their observations on limitations and possible future matters that must be addressed.MethodSeventy-seven centers (42 CAMHS, 35 AMHS) filled in a web-based survey in which they reported the number of ADHD patients, how many transitioning patients they had within the past year, and how they structured transition.ResultsA fragmented picture emerged from the survey. Lack of resources, training, and communication between services hinder the transition process, and many adult patients remain under CAMHS' care. While some services have a protocol, there is no structured guidance that can help improve integration and continuity of treatment.ConclusionThe observed situation reflects a need for improvement and standard guidelines to enable a successful transition process, considering clinicians' and patients' necessities