Green roof irrigation management based on substrate water potential assures water saving without affecting plant physiological performance

Irrigation management in extensive green roofs (EGRs) is crucial in Mediterranean and semi-arid climates, as it should guarantee efficient water use while ensuring plant survival and vegetation cover. However, benefits of maintaining moderately low substrate water potential (psi(s)) have not been adequately investigated to date. An irrigation control unit based on psi(s) thresholds for irrigation (MediWater Safe [MWS]) was compared to a common irrigation timer maintaining psi(s) similar to 0 MPa (CTR) in shrub-vegetated Mediterranean EGR modules. The effect of the different irrigation regimes on substrate temperature, plant water relations (leaf conductance to water vapour, midday water potential and turgor loss point) and root vulnerability to heat stress via electrolyte leakage was tested in four shrub species. Decreasing psi(s) thresholds to -0.4 MPa reduced irrigation volumes by 68% in 3 summer months. However, the MWS unit neither influenced plant water status and vegetation cover nor induced physiological acclimation responses. Brief irrigation cycles imposed by MWS in the warmest hours reduced substrate surface temperature by 3 degrees C compared to CTR. Plant water status dynamics and root vulnerability to heat were species specific. Progressive stomatal closure and plant decline occurred only in Ceanothus thyrsiflorus and were associated to high root vulnerability to heat. Mortality occurred only in some Ceanothus plants in the CTR module, where higher psi(s) favoured the expansion of Hyperucum x moserianum. The results suggest that selecting proper psi(s) thresholds for irrigation could optimize EGR benefits, guaranteeing substantial water savings and proper plant establishment. Moreover, we claim root resistance to heat as a key parameter for plant selection in Mediterranean EGRs

The role of psychological flow in adventure tourism: sociodemographic antecedents and consequences on word-of-mouth and life satisfaction

While the concept of experience has attracted considerable attention in tourism, the research on psychological flow, as a mental state that tourists may derive from extraordinary experiences, has remained limited, especially in the field of tourism marketing. Yet, this concept might have an important role in promoting sustainable forms of tourism. This paper investigates the sociodemographic antecedents and consequences of psychological flow in the context of adventure tourism, which is a sustainable form of tourism due to its connection with nature and the great potential for assuring extraordinary experiences to tourists by considering mountain biking experiences as a research setting. The empirical results reveal that age is a particularly important sociodemographic antecedent: Indeed, respondents at older ages were more likely to experience psychological flow. Furthermore, reaching this mental state, in turn, increased respondents’ likelihood to disseminate positive information about their experiences and enhanced their satisfaction with life. Theoretical and operational implications are discussed along with main limitations and directions for future research

Less safety for more efficiency: Water relations and hydraulics of the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle compared with native Fraxinus ornus L

Invasion of natural habitats by alien trees is a threat to forest conservation. Our understanding of fundamental ecophysiological mechanisms promoting plant invasions is still limited, and hydraulic and water relation traits have been only seldom included in studies comparing native and invasive trees. We compared several leaf and wood functional and mechanistic traits in co-occurring Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Aa) and Fraxinus ornus L. (Fo). Aa is one of the most invasive woody species in Europe and North America, currently outcompeting several native trees including Fo. We aimed at quantifying inter-specific differences in terms of: (i) performance in resource use and acquisition; (ii) hydraulic efficiency and safety; (iii) carbon costs associated to leaf and wood construction; and (iv) plasticity of functional and mechanistic traits in response to light availability. Traits related to leaf and wood construction and drought resistance significantly differed between the two species. Fo sustained higher structural costs than Aa, but was more resistant to drought. The lower resistance to drought stress of Aa was counterbalanced by higher water transport efficiency, but possibly required mechanisms of resilience to drought-induced hydraulic damage. Larger phenotypic plasticity of Aa in response to light availability could also promote the invasive potential of the species

Convexal subarachnoid hemorrhage and acute ischemic stroke: a border zone matter?

Background Convexal subarachnoid hemorrhage (c-SAH) is an infrequent condition with variable causes. c-SAH concomitant to acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is even less frequent, and the relationship between the two conditions remains unclear. Methods Between January 2016 and January 2018, we treated four patients who were referred to our stroke unit with ischemic stroke and concomitant nontraumatic c-SAH. The patients underwent an extensive diagnostic workup, including digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Results All four patients developed acute focal neurological symptoms with restricted MRI diffusion in congruent areas. In three of the patients, infarcts were in a border zone between the main cerebral arteries and c-SAH was nearby. The fourth patient showed a small cortical infarct, and c-SAH was in a border zone territory of the contralateral hemisphere. An embolic source was discovered or strongly suspected in all cases. One patient was treated with intravenous thrombolysis, but this treatment was not related to c-SAH. None of the four patients showed microbleeds or further cortical siderosis, thus excluding cerebral amyloid angiopathy. In addition, DSA did not show signs of vasculitis, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, or intracranial arterial dissection. Conclusions We proposed the embolism or hemodynamic changes of the border zone arterioles as a unifying pathogenetic hypothesis of coexisting c-SAH and AIS

Projections of leaf turgor loss point shifts under future climate change scenarios

Predicting the consequences of climate change is of utmost importance to mitigate impacts on vulnerable ecosystems; plant hydraulic traits are particularly useful proxies for predicting functional disruptions potentially occurring in the near future. This study assessed the current and future regional patterns of leaf water potential at turgor loss point (Ψtlp) by measuring and projecting the Ψtlp of 166 vascular plant species (159 angiosperms and 7 gymnosperms) across a large climatic range spanning from alpine to Mediterranean areas in NE Italy. For angiosperms, random forest models predicted a consistent shift toward more negative values in low-elevation areas, whereas for gymnosperms the pattern was more variable, particularly in the alpine sector (i.e., Alps and Prealps). Simulations were also developed to evaluate the number of threatened species under two Ψtlp plasticity scenarios (low vs. high plasticity), and it was found that in the worst-case scenario approximately 72% of the angiosperm species and 68% of gymnosperms within a location were at risk to exceed their physiological plasticity. The different responses to climate change by specific clades might produce reassembly in natural communities, undermining the resilience of natural ecosystems to climate change

Feasibility and Predictive Performance of a Triage System for Patients with Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Triage procedures have been implemented to limit hospital access and minimize infection risk among patients with cancer during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. In the absence of prospective evidence, we aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of a triage system in the oncological setting. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzes hospital admissions to the oncology and hematology department of Udine, Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 30 to April 30, 2020). A total of 3,923 triage procedures were performed, and data of 1,363 individual patients were reviewed. Results: A self-report triage questionnaire identified 6% of triage-positive procedures, with a sensitivity of 66.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 43.0%–85.4%), a specificity of 94.3% (95% CI, 93.5%–95.0%), and a positive predictive value of 5.9% (95% CI, 4.3%–8.0%) for the identification of patients who were not admitted to the hospital after medical review. Patients with thoracic cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.69; 95% CI, 1.13–2.53, p =.01), younger age (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.15–2.01, p <.01), and body temperature at admission ≥37°C (OR, 9.52; 95% CI, 5.44–16.6, p <.0001) had increased risk of positive triage. Direct hospital access was warranted to 93.5% of cases, a further 6% was accepted after medical evaluation, whereas 0.5% was refused at admission. Conclusion: A self-report questionnaire has a low positive predictive value to triage patients with cancer and suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) symptoms. Differential diagnosis with tumor- or treatment-related symptoms is always required to avoid unnecessary treatment delays. Body temperature measurement improves the triage process's overall sensitivity, and widespread SARS-CoV-2 testing should be implemented to identify asymptomatic carriers. Implications for Practice: This is the first study to provide data on the predictive performance of a triage system in the oncological setting during the coronavirus disease outbreak. A questionnaire-based triage has a low positive predictive value to triage patients with cancer and suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) symptoms, and a differential diagnosis with tumor- or treatment-related symptoms is mandatory to avoid unnecessary treatment delays. Consequently, adequate recourses should be reallocated for a triage implementation in the oncological setting. Of note, body temperature measurement improves the overall sensitivity of the triage process, and widespread testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection should be implemented to identify asymptomatic carriers

Cross Taxon Congruence Between Lichens and Vascular Plants in a Riparian Ecosystem

Despite that congruence across taxa has been proved as an effective tool to provide insights into the processes structuring the spatial distribution of taxonomic groups and is useful for conservation purposes, only a few studies on cross-taxon congruence focused on freshwater ecosystems and on the relations among vascular plants and lichens. We hypothesized here that, since vascular plants could be good surrogates of lichens in these ecosystems, it would be possible to assess the overall biodiversity of riparian habitats using plant data only. In this frame, we explored the relationship between (a) species richness and (b) community composition of plants and lichens in a wetland area located in central Italy to (i) assess whether vascular plants are good surrogates of lichens and (ii) to test the congruence of patterns of species richness and composition among plants and lichens along an ecological gradient. The general performance of plant species richness per se, as a biodiversity surrogate of lichens, had poor results. Nonetheless, the congruence in compositional patterns between lichens and vascular plants varied across habitats and was influenced by the characteristics of the vegetation. In general, we discussed how the strength of the studied relationships could be influenced by characteristics of the data (presence/absence vs. abundance), by the spatial scale, and by the features of the habitats. Overall, our data confirm that the more diverse and structurally complex the vegetation is, the more diverse are the lichen communities it hosts

Guideline on carotid surgery for stroke prevention: updates from the Italian Society of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. A trend towards personalized medicine

Background: This guideline (GL) on carotid surgery as updating of "Stroke: Italian guidelines for Prevention and Treatment" of the ISO-SPREAD Italian Stroke Organization-Group, has recently been published in the National Guideline System and shared with the Italian Society of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (SICVE) and other Scientific Societies and Patient's Association. Methods: GRADE-SIGN version, AGREE quality of reporting checklist. Clinical questions formulated according to the PICO model. Recommendations developed based on clinical questions by a multidisciplinary experts' panel and patients' representatives. Systematic reviews performed for each PICO question. Considered judgements filled by assessing the evidence level, direction, and strength of the recommendations. Results: The panel provided indications and recommendations for appropriate, comprehensive, and individualized management of patients with carotid stenosis. Diagnostic and therapeutic processes of the best medical therapy, carotid endarterectomy (CEA), carotid stenting (CAS) according to the evidences and the judged opinions were included. Symptomatic carotid stenosis in elective and emergency, asymptomatic carotid stenosis, association with ischemic heart disease, preoperative diagnostics, types of anesthesia, monitoring in case of CEA, CEA techniques, comparison between CEA and CAS, post-surgical carotid restenosis, and medical therapy are the main topics, even with analysis of uncertainty areas for risk-benefit assessments in the individual patient (personalized medicine [PM]). Conclusions: This GL updates on the main recommendations for the most appropriate diagnostic and medical-surgical management of patients with atherosclerotic carotid artery stenosis to prevent ischemic stroke. This GL also provides useful elements for the application of PM in good clinical practice