Environmental concern over time: evidence from the longitudinal analysis of a British cohort study from 1991 to 2008

Objective We examined whether and how levels of environmental concern changed over time in the UK, from 1991 to 2008-2009, as well as how environmental concern relates to socio-economic characteristics across this same time frame. Methods Using item response theory models on the last three sweeps of the British National Child Development Study 1958, we evaluated a measure of environmental concern. Then, using latent growth curve models (LGCM) we estimated the pattern of change for environmental concern across time. Finally, theoretically relevant socio-demographic characteristics were introduced as covariates into the LGCM. Results We found a small but significant downfall of the mean level of environmental concern over time, with individual-level values displaying higher dispersion in 2008-2009 against the previous sweeps of data. We also found that political orientation has significant effects on the outcome and on its changes across time. Conclusions Hypotheses regarding the influence of interest in politics and voting choices on environmental concern are supported. The increasing variance of environmental concern over time warrants further investigation

Environmental concern over time: evidence from the longitudinal analysis of a British cohort study from 1991 to 2008

Objective We examined whether and how levels of environmental concern changed over time in the UK, from 1991 to 2008-2009, as well as how environmental concern relates to socio-economic characteristics across this same time frame. Methods Using item response theory models on the last three sweeps of the British National Child Development Study 1958, we evaluated a measure of environmental concern. Then, using latent growth curve models (LGCM) we estimated the pattern of change for environmental concern across time. Finally, theoretically relevant socio-demographic characteristics were introduced as covariates into the LGCM. Results We found a small but significant downfall of the mean level of environmental concern over time, with individual-level values displaying higher dispersion in 2008-2009 against the previous sweeps of data. We also found that political orientation has significant effects on the outcome and on its changes across time. Conclusions Hypotheses regarding the influence of interest in politics and voting choices on environmental concern are supported. The increasing variance of environmental concern over time warrants further investigation

Species Identification Skills in Teacher Education Students: The Role of Attitude, Context and Experience

Knowledge about local species and a positive attitude towards all living organisms are important to motivate the next generations to protect biodiversity. We compared local species identification skills and declared attitude towards invertebrates across genders in Italian and Norwegian students in teacher education. We focused on Norway and Italy for this comparative study, because of their different teaching traditions and relationships with outdoor education. We found a significant difference in local species identification skills between Italian and Norwegian students, who could identify 21% and 57% of the species, respectively. Overall, females had a more negative attitude towards invertebrates than males. However, Norwegian women had a more positive attitude towards invertebrates than Italian women did. Our result could reflect both differences in time spent in nature and teaching programs between countries. We also found a positive correlation between species identification skills and declared interest towards invertebrates. We discuss several approaches that could help to address this issue, in order for future teachers to become more aware of the risk that their biophobic attitude is transferred to the next generation with negative effects on biodiversity conservation.publishedVersio

Seasonal response of benthic foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure in two stations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): the marine protected area of Miramare versus the Servola water sewage outfall

A seasonal survey of living benthic foraminifera was performed in 2013 in the Gulf of Trieste (N Adriatic Sea) to compare two marine coastal sites with different degrees of anthropogenic influence. An assessment of ecological quality statuses showed that the station located near the end of an urban pipeline (Ser station), has worse ecological conditions than the site located in a protected marine area (Res station) all year around. Stressed conditions at Ser station were mainly related to high contents of total organic carbon (TOC) and Zn in the bioavailable fraction, which were a limiting factor for the studied foraminiferal communities. Ammonia tepida, Bolivina spp., and Bulimina spp., which characterised this station, were the most tolerant taxa of the studied assemblage. Conversely, Elphidium spp., H. depressula, N. iridea, Quiqueloculina spp., R. nana and Textularia spp., could be considered less tolerant species as they benefitted from the less stressful conditions recorded at Res station, despite slightly higher concentrations of some potentially toxic elements (PTEs), especially Pb, being recorded in this station in comparison to Ser station. Furthermore, foraminiferal assemblages were found to be quite resilient over an annual cycle, being able to recover from a seasonal unbalanced state to a mature one. The beginning of spring and latest summer would be the best period to assess the ecological quality status to avoid any under- or overestimation of the health of the environment

Changing Preferences for Brexit: Identifying the Groups with Volatile Support for 'Leave'

This paper explores the dynamics of support for the UK’s departure from the EU over the course of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. It further identifies groups with a particular profile in terms of political attitudes and behaviours and explores whether these groups show a marked change in their support for leave. The paper draws on two contrasting perspectives on voter volatility. While the first one considers the phenomenon to be a characteristic of whimsical, uninterested and disengaged people, the second one sees it in a more positive light as it associates volatility with the informed and emancipate citizen holding politicians to account. The study uses Waves 6, 7 and 8 of Understanding Society and conducts various analyses, including latent class analysis (LCA), to explore the research questions. LCA yields four groups with distinct political profiles. Only one of these groups, labelled “the highly engaged and satisfied”, shows a significant increase in support for leave. The other groups, including “the non-engaged” and “the dissatisfied”, are not becoming significantly more or less supportive of leave. The results are thus more in accordance with the second perspective

A mutation in the TMPRSS6 gene, encoding a transmembrane serine protease that suppresses hepcidin production, in familial iron deficiency anemia refractory to oral iron.

Background Hepcidin plays a key role in body iron metabolism by preventing the release of iron from macrophages and intestinal cells. Defective hepcidin synthesis causes iron loading, while overproduction results in defective reticuloendothelial iron release and iron absorption. Design and Methods We studied a Sardinian family in which microcytic anemia due to defective iron absorption and utilization is inherited as a recessive character. Five members showed iron deficiency anemia that was not responsive to oral iron and only partially responsive to parenteral iron administration. To investigate the involvement of known genes implicated in iron metabolism we carried out linkage analysis with microsatellite markers mapping close to these genes. Afterwards, a genome-wide search was performed. Results No linkage was found between the phenotype of the patients and several known human genes involved in iron metabolism ( DMT1, TF, TFRC, ZIRTL, HAMP, HJV ). Genome-wide scanning by microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms showed a multipoint LOD score of 5.6 on chromosome 22q12.3–13.1, where the matriptase-2 (also known as transmembrane protease, serine 6 or TMPRSS6 ) gene is located. Its murine counterpart ( Tmprss6 ) has recently been found to be an essential component of a pathway that detects iron deficiency and suppresses hepcidin production. Sequencing analysis of TMPRSS6 revealed a homozygous causal mutation, predicting a splicing error and a truncated TMPRSS6 protein in affected members. Homozygous subjects had inappropriately elevated levels of serum and urinary hepcidin. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that the observed TMPRSS6 mutation leads to overproduction of hepcidin and, in turn, to defective iron absorption and utilization. More generally, they confirm in humans the inhibitory effect of matriptase-2 on hepcidin synthesis already demonstrated in mice

Petrographic and physical investigations on geomaterials for conservation of Las Plassas Castle (Marmilla, Sardinia, Italy)

[EN] The Castle of Marmilla, located near the village of Las Plassas (central-Sardinia), represented a strategic military stronghold of great importance in the war between the kingdom of Arborea and the Aragonese Kingdom of Sardinia in the fourteenth century. Archaeological documents highlight the use, albeit partial, of some environments even in the modern age, during the times of feudal Sardinia (XV-XVI century), when the castle was an integral part of the possessions of the Barony of Las Plassas. It was used as a district prison until the nineteenth century. Built on top of a conical hill at 270 meters above sea level the castle has an irregular hexagonal shape, elongated along the north-west and south-east. Its foundations are excavated in a layer of Miocene sandstones and currently occupy the entire hilltop. What remains of the castle of Marmilla denotes a series of construction phases. A wide circle of walls delimiting the fortification of 550 square meters: inside there are the remains of a cistern and two towers, to the N and S sides, near the entrance. At present, the main tower and the walls, perimeter and internal, are preserved, albeit affected by a profound degradation, and they allow us to observe the construction techniques and choices made in the ongoing renovations, restorations and strengthening interventions. The structure is made of cantons sandstone cut with precision; at the base of the north tower was used ashlar stones. The cistern, located below ground level, is carved into the rock and covered with sandstone cantons; a second tank is located outside the masonry, near the northern side of the fortification. By minero-petrographic and physical-mechanical analysis of geomaterials (i.e., stones, mortars) used in the castle construction, the alteration degree of the materials, in order to identify a correct restoration for conservation purposes, has been defined.Columbu, S.; Melis, RT.; Murru, GF.; Serreli, G.; Uccheddu, G. (2015). Petrographic and physical investigations on geomaterials for conservation of Las Plassas Castle (Marmilla, Sardinia, Italy). En Defensive architecture of the mediterranean: XV to XVIII centuries. Vol. II. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 365-372. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2015.2015.1756OCS36537

DNA methylation episignature testing improves molecular diagnosis of Mendelian chromatinopathies

Purpose: Chromatinopathies include more than 50 disorders caused by disease-causing variants of various components of chromatin structure and function. Many of these disorders exhibit unique genome-wide DNA methylation profiles, known as episignatures. In this study, the methylation profile of a large cohort of individuals with chromatinopathies was analyzed for episignature detection. Methods: DNA methylation data was generated on extracted blood samples from 129 affected individuals with the Illumina Infinium EPIC arrays and analyzed using an established bioinformatic pipeline. Results: The DNA methylation profiles matched and confirmed the sequence findings in both the discovery and validation cohorts. Twenty-five affected individuals carrying a variant of uncertain significance, did not show a methylation profile matching any of the known episignatures. Three additional variant of uncertain significance cases with an identified KDM6A variant were re-classified as likely pathogenic (n = 2) or re-assigned as Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (n = 1). Thirty of the 33 Next Generation Sequencing negative cases did not match a defined episignature while three matched Kabuki syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome and BAFopathy respectively. Conclusion: With the expanding clinical utility of the EpiSign assay, DNA methylation analysis should be considered part of the testing cascade for individuals presenting with clinical features of Mendelian chromatinopathy disorders