Search

Urban and periurban forests, which are integrated within the concept of Green Infrastructure, provide important Ecosystem Services, including air purification. In this study, we quantified the Ecosystem Service of particulate matter (PM 10 ) and Ozone (O 3 ) removal from urban and periurban forests in ten metropolitan cities in Italy, and its total monetary value. In order to gain a better understanding of how Ecosystem Services can be regulated on a wider scale, the vegetation ecosystem types were grouped into Physiognomic-Structural Categories of Vegetation according to morphofunctional criteria. The pollution removal was mapped using a remote sensing and GIS approach, by applying a deposition model and a stomatal flux model. We estimated, for the ten metropolitan cities, an overall pollution abatement of 7150 Mg of PM 10 and 30,014 Mg of O 3 in the year 2003, which was an extremely hot year. Our findings indicate that structural characteristics (i.e. Leaf Area Index) and functional diversity, linked to stomatal conductance, exert a marked influence on the provision of the regulating Ecosystem Services, whose total monetary value was estimated to be equal to 47 and 297 million USD for PM 10 and O 3 removal, respectively. This study represent the first national-scale assessment of the Ecosystem Services of air pollution removal in Europe, thus providing information that may be useful to stakeholders to manage Green Infrastructure more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We recently demonstrated that decline in fluid intelligence is a substantial contributor to frontal deficits. For some classical 'executive' tasks, such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Verbal Fluency, frontal deficits were entirely explained by fluid intelligence. However, on a second set of frontal tasks, deficits remained even after statistically controlling for this factor. These tasks included tests of theory of mind and multitasking. As frontal dysfunction is the most frequent cognitive deficit observed in early Parkinson's disease (PD), the present study aimed to determine the role of fluid intelligence in such deficits. Method. We assessed patients with PD (n = 32) and control subjects (n = 22) with the aforementioned frontal tests and with a test of fluid intelligence. Group performance was compared and fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate to determine its role in frontal deficits shown by PD patients. Results. In line with our previous results, scores on the WCST and Verbal Fluency were closely linked to fluid intelligence. Significant patient-control differences were eliminated or at least substantially reduced once fluid intelligence was introduced as a covariate. However, for tasks of theory of mind and multitasking, deficits remained even after fluid intelligence was statistically controlled. Conclusions. The present results suggest that clinical assessment of neuropsychological deficits in PD should include tests of fluid intelligence, together with one or more specific tasks that allow for the assessment of residual frontal deficits associated with theory of mind and multitasking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is a recently recognised syndrome of epilepsy in which the principle manifestation of seizures is recurrent episodes of isolated memory loss. In this article, we describe the clinical and cognitive profile of this emerging syndrome, and present new data that provide at most weak support for its proposed relationship to cerebrovascular disease. TEA is often associated with two unusual forms of interictal memory impairment: accelerated long-term forgetting and remote memory impairment. We discuss the clinical and theoretical implications of these relatively novel cognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the investigation of the organisation of proper names in two aphasic patients (NBC and FBI). The performance of both patients on spoken word to written word matching tasks was inconsistent, affected by presentation rate and semantic relatedness of the competing responses, all hallmarks of a refractory semantic access dysphasia. In a series of experiments we explored the semantic relatedness effects within their proper name vocabulary, including brand names and person names. First we demonstrated the interaction between very fine grain organisation and personal experience, with one patient with a special interest in the cinema demonstrating higher error rates when identifying the names of actors working in a similar film genre (e.g. action movies: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson) than those working in different genres (e.g. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gregory Peck, Robin Williams, Gene Kelly). Second we compared directly two potential principles of semantic organisation - taxonomic and thematic. Furthermore we considered these principles of organisation in the context of the individuals' personal knowledge base. We selected topics matching the interests and experience of each patient, namely cinema and literature (NBC) and naval history (FBI). The stimulus items were arranged in taxonomic arrays (e.g. Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie), thematic arrays (e.g. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Mr Darcy), and unrelated arrays (e.g. Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights, Hercule Poirot). We documented that different patterns of taxonomic and thematic organisation were constrained by whether the individual has limited knowledge, moderate knowledge or detailed knowledge of a particular vocabulary. It is suggested that moderate proper name knowledge is primarily organised by taxonomy whereas extensive experience results in a more detailed knowledge base in which theme is a powerful organising principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is good evidence that aphasia therapy is effective if sufficiently prolonged or intensive and that chronic aphasic individuals can also benefit from therapy, but data on chronic aphasia are scanty. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether chronic aphasia benefits from a very intensive therapeutic regimen. We revised the files (January 2000 to December 2008) of the chronic subjects whom we suggested have periodic sessions in our Unit (generally once a week) and 2-3 hours daily of homework with the help of a family member, supervised and controlled by the speech-therapist. Treatment would go on as long as amelioration is evident. Results for 23 chronic aphasic subjects are reported. All subjects had undergone previous therapy and 10 had been dismissed because no further recovery was expected. Recovery was significant in oral and written nouns and actions naming, oral and written sentence production and Token Test scores. Only 4 subjects did not improve. Severity of the disorder did not predict success or failure. We conclude that recovery was due to the intense work done. Further, we believe such a regimen could be successful in a number of patients for whom a less intensive regimen would not be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with frontal lobe damage and cognitively normal elderly individuals demonstrate increased susceptibility to false facial recognition. In this paper we review neuropsychological evidence consistent with the notion that the common functional impairment underlying face memory distortions in both subject populations is a context recollection/source monitoring deficit, coupled with excessive reliance on relatively preserved facial familiarity signals in recognition decisions. In particular, we suggest that due to the breakdown of strategic memory retrieval, monitoring, and decision operations, individuals with frontal lobe impairment caused by focal damage or age-related functional decline do not have a reliable mechanism for attributing the experience of familiarity to the correct context or source. Memory illusions are mostly apparent under conditions of uncertainty when the face cue does not directly elicit relevant identity-specific contextual information, leaving the source of familiarity unspecified or ambiguous. Based on these findings, we propose that remembering faces is a constructive process that requires dynamic interactions between temporal lobe memory systems that operate in an automatic or bottom-up fashion and frontal executive systems that provide strategic top-down control of recollection. Executive memory control functions implemented by prefrontal cortex play a critical role in suppressing false facial recognition and related source memory misattributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing empirical data on proper names processing are critically reviewed in trying to understand which tasks may involve the left temporal pole, which proper name related functions are supported by this structure and eventually offer some speculations about why these functions might have developed in this location in the course of human evolution. While clinical group studies support the idea that proper name processing takes place in the left temporal pole, single case studies of selective proper name anomia or sparing, as well as neuroimaging studies, suggest the involvement of a larger neural network. Within this network, an important role may be played by the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex, including areas critical in social interaction. The differentiation in the brain of proper name processing from common names processing could in part be due to social pressure, favouring a neural system able to more efficiently and unambiguously sustain designating categories or designating individual entities. The activation of the left temporal pole in proper name processing is shown to increase with age. Longer social interaction may thus contribute to convey proper names processing toward areas closer to those supporting social cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we describe a patient, TA, who developed a chronic amnesic-confabulatory syndrome, following rupture of a right internal carotid siphon aneurysm. Our aim was to elucidate as fully as possible the nature of TA's impairment and to test the hypothesis of confabulation as reflecting a dysfunction of Temporal Consciousness, i.e. to become aware of something as part of a personal past, present or future. TA's confabulations were present in answers to questions tapping Temporal Consciousness, i.e. autobiographical episodic memory, orientation in time and place, and foresight of personal future. In contrast, confabulations were not observed in answers to questions tapping Knowing Consciousness, i.e. to become aware of something as a meaning or as an element of impersonal knowledge. In fact, he had normal access to semantic knowledge, including foresight of impersonal future. TA's brain MRI showed lesions involving the right hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, fornix, mammillary bodies, and thalamus. Moreover TA showed sub-cortical lesions involving the caudate and putamen nuclei bilaterally, a lesion site not commonly described in amnesic-confabulatory syndrome. We suggest that this pattern of results is better accounted for within the framework of the Memory, Consciousness and Temporality Theory and reflects a specific distortion of Temporal Consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadleaved forest is one of the most severely exploited and threatened ecosystems worldwide such that many authors have highlighted the scarcity of undisturbed old-growth broadleaved forests, especially in southern Europe. From an ecological perspective, old-growth forests are considered to be significant for their structural diversity and complex ecological relationships among species. In this paper, we compare ground measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and the remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) autocorrelation pattern of two old-growth forest stands in the Cilento National Park (southern Italy) with two nearby managed forests stands of the same type. Results show that old-growth forests have higher fine-scale variability in both LAI and NDVI values and longer autocorrelation ranges than the corresponding managed forests. The potential relevance of these findings for the single large or several small (SLOSS) debate is also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was carriedout to investigate accelerated forgettingof new verbal and visualmaterial in participants complainingof memory loss, individualswith Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI) and controls. All groupswere evaluated with a standardneuropsychological battery andtwo tests of delayed recall 6 weeksapart for the experimental tasks.Individuals with memory complaints,but not MCI, performednormally compared to controls onimmediate and 30 minute recall,but showed a striking impairmentin verbal and visual memory after6 weeks. Accelerated forgetting maygo undetected on standard neuropsychologicalevaluation in somepatients complaining of memoryproblems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power transformers figure to be amongst the most costly pieces of equipment used in electrical systems. A major research effort has therefore focused on detecting failures of their insulating systems prior to unexpected machine outage. Although several industrial methods exist for the online and offline monitoring of power transformers, all of them are expensive and complex, and require the use of specific electronic instrumentation. For these reasons, this paper will present online analysis of transformer leakage flux as an efficient alternative procedure for assessing machine integrity and detecting the presence of insulating failures during their earliest stages. A 12-kVA 400-V/400-V power transformer was specifically manufactured for the study. A finite-element model of the machine was designed to obtain the transient distribution of leakage flux lines in the machine's transversal section under normal operating conditions and when shorted turns are intentionally produced. Very cheap and simple sensors, based on air-core coils, were built in order to measure the leakage flux of the transformer, and nondestructive tests were also applied to the machine in order to analyze pre and postfailure voltages induced in the coils. Results point to the ability to detect very early stages of failure, as well as locating the position of the shorted turn in the transformer windings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of nonthymic epithelial (non-TE) MHC in T cell repertoire selection remains controversial. To analyze the relative roles of thymic epithelial (TE) and non-TE MHC in T cell repertoire selection, we have generated tetraparental aggregation chimeras (B6-nude↔BALB/c and B6↔BALB/c-nude) harboring T and B cells from both parents, whereas TE cells originated exclusively from the non-nude donor. These chimeras mounted protective virus-specific TE and non-TE MHC-restricted T cell responses. To further evaluate whether non-TE MHC alone was sufficient to generate a functional T cell repertoire, we generated tetraparental aggregation chimeras lacking MHC class II (B6-nude↔MHCII-/-) or both MHC molecules (B6-nude↔MHCI-/-II-/-) on TE cells, but not on cells of B6-nude origin. Chimeras with MHC-deficient TE cells mounted functional virus-specific CD8+ but not CD4+ T cell responses. Thus, maturation of functional CD4+ T cell responses required MHC class II on thymic epithelium, whereas CD8+ T cells matured in the absence of TE MHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the real linkage and effectiveness of using the AOT40 index and ozone stomatal flux (FO 3 ) in the assessment of physiological alteration/leaf injury on clover clones sensitive to ozone and Quercus ilex plants, two statistical techniques – Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Neural Net Analysis (NNA) – were applied. Different results were obtained in relation to the statistical method chosen. Linear methodologies applied to clover highlighted the role of temperature (TEMP) and O 3 concentration (O 3 Mean) in affecting photosynthesis (PHOTO), leaf injury, and stomatal conductance (COND). In Quercus plants, COND was linearly correlated to two environmental variables, TEMP and Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD), and to two physiological variables, PHOTO and Leaf Transpiration (TRASP), whereas PHOTO was correlated with TEMP, sO 3 , COND and sub-stomatal CO 2 /external CO 2 ratio (Ci/Ca). These linear relationships were, in part, modified by NNA. In fact, non-linear relationships between environmental variables, and morphological and physiological variables were evident, suggesting caution when risk assessments are made on ozone concentration-based critical levels. Both plant types showed a relationship with FO 3 that negatively affected leaf injury and PHOTO in clover and Quercus plants, respectively, suggesting that ozone flux-based critical levels were more effective in linking with leaf injuries or reduction in carbon metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrent brief isolated episodes of amnesia associated with epileptiform discharges on EEG recordings have been interpreted as a distinct entity termed transient epileptic amnesia (TEA). Patients with TEA often complain of autobiographical amnesia for recent and remote events, but show normal anterograde memory.Objective: To investigate (a) accelerated long term forgetting and (b) autobiographical memory in a group of patients with TEA.Methods: Seven patients with TEA and seven age matched controls were evaluated on a range of anterograde memory tasks in two sessions separated by 6 weeks and by the Galton-Crovitz test of cued autobiographical memory.Results: Patients with TEA showed abnormal long term forgetting of verbal material, with virtually no recall after 6 weeks. In addition, there was impaired recall of autobiographical memories from the time periods 1985-89 and 1990-94 but not from 1995-1999.Conclusions: TEA is associated with accelerated loss of new information and impaired remote autobiographical memory. There are a number of possible explanations including ongoing subclinical ictal activity, medial temporal lobe damage as a result of seizure, or subtle ischaemic pathology. Future analyses should seek to clarify the relationship between aetiology, seizure frequency, and degree of memory impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Root plasticity has been largely studied on herbaceous species of north European temperate flora and is defined as the ratio between root depth in dry soils and root depth in wet soils. In summer dry habitats such as Mediterranean environments, the soil water deficit is a common feature to which root systems of plant species should adapt to improve their ecological efficiency. The aim of this study was to compare root plasticity in annual Mediterranean species that regenerate exclusively from seeds, and herbaceous perennial Mediterranean species that use dual regeneration strategies. Root plasticity of ten herbaceous species, six perennials and four annuals, was compared in this study. The annuals species studied occur in lowland Mediterranean grasslands referred to Tuberarietea guttatae class ( Dasypyrum villosum, Lophochloa pubescens, Ornithopus compressus, Rumex bucephalophorus ), while the perennial species occur in montane sub-Mediterranean grasslands referred to Festuco brometea ( Bromus erectus , Festuca ovina ., Lotus corniculatus ., Minuartia verna , Sanguisorba minor , Thymus longicaulis). The examined species were subjected to water stress according to standard methods applied in comparative ecology, i.e., half of the seedlings of each species received 20 ml de-ionized water daily for three weeks, while the other half did not. After seedling harvesting the following parameters were analysed: (i) total root length; (ii) root length in the first 10 cm of soil; (iii) shoot height; (iv) root biomass in the first 10 cm of soil; (v) shoot biomass; (vi) shoot and root plasticity. Results show that root plasticity increased significantly in dual-regenerator sub-Mediterranean mountain species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A controlled experiment was conducted in order to understand how functional and structural traits of species with different leaf habits (Fraxinus ornusandQuercus ilex) shift as a consequence of nitrogen (N) addition (30 kg ha yr−1) and to explore the effect that N has on the water stress response. The experiment was divided in two stages: stage I, N addition under well-watered condition; stage II, N addition under drought. Functionality of the photosynthetic machinery, growth and biomass partitioning were assessed. The N content at leaf level increases inF. ornusonly, which invests resources on photosynthetic machinery, whereasQ. ilextends to store N in non-photosynthetic biomass, increasing relative growth rate and biomass, resulting in different allometric ratio. This effect may play a role in water stress response. Stomatal conductance ofQ. ilextreated with N and subjected to water stress is lower relative to drought treatment. On the contrary,F. ornustakes advantage of N addition that has ameliorative effects on its functionality when drought was imposed. The obtained results, highlighting response mechanisms to multiple stress factors, should help to better understand and assess the performance of forest ecosystems under the foreseen environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The unique circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic pose serious challenges to mood stability and emotional regulation at all ages. Although many people tend to react resiliently to stress, others appear to display emotional anxiety and depression-related symptoms. In this study, we carried out a survey (N = 10,053) during the first week of the general lockdown (quarantine) in Argentina to measure early affective reactions in Argentine adults. Respondents showed substantial anxious and depressive symptoms, with 33% and 23% of participants reporting possible depressive and anxious syndromes, respectively, with the youngest group (18 to 25 y.o.) showing the highest prevalence of symptoms. Even if prior mental health problems predisposed or aggravated the reaction, participants without prior complaints showed signs of psychological impact. Using linear regression, the most important independent variables related to depressive symptoms were the feeling of loneliness followed by daily stress. In the case of anxious states, the strongest variables were negative repetitive thinking and feeling of loneliness. Other psychological, economic, and social factors are discussed. This study is in line with previous literature that highlight the importance of the psychological impact of pandemics, but additionally demonstrates that these reactions are present at a large scale immediately after the start of quarantine with very low infectious rates as an early anticipatory adaptive reaction leading to potential negative outcomes from adjustment disorders to major disorders. In addition, the present results provide potentially relevant information about sudden environmental impacts on affective states and specific pathways for anxiety and depression to be expressed. We end by discussing implications for public policy based on considering the most vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micrormorphological change of the epicuticular wax structure in Pinus pinea needles was analysed by scanning electron microscope and the relationships between the rates of wax weathering over seasons and the pollution-climate at one urban and two rural sites are discussed. The epicuticular waxes were particularly affected by high levels of the complex air pollution occurring in the urban area. The alteration of wax structure produced by gaseous pollutants and by acid depositions did not differ from those attributed to natural ageing.

• Functional diversity of the vegetation underpins the effective provision of ecosystem services in urban areas. • Ecosystem services provide a remarkable monetary benefit that should be accounted for in land planning and management strategies. • Our findings support the goal set in the EU biodiversity strategy to 2030 of planting 3 billion additional trees in the EU by 2030. • We provided a spatially-explicit biophysical assessment of ecosystem services by integrating different geospatial data sources and GIS modeling. Air pollution is regarded as the largest environmental risk factor in Europe, and Particulate Matter (PM) is considered one of the most harmful pollutants. Among the Ecosystem Services (ESs) it provides, the Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) is capable of capturing and adsorbing pollutants through removal mechanisms. As envisaged in the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR), Italy has planned on investing about EUR 300 million of the Next Generation EU funds in urban reforestation programs that will target Italian Metropolitan Cities (MCs). Successful implementation of such interventions is underpinned by a thorough knowledge of the presence and distribution of existing vegetation and its capacity to deliver ESs. In the present study, we selected three Italian coastal MCs along a latitudinal gradient, namely Genoa, Bari, and Reggio Calabria, and assessed the regulating ES of PM 10 removal by urban and peri-urban forests in both biophysical and monetary terms. In 2019, the total PM 10 removal in the MCs of Genoa, Bari and Reggio Calabria amounted to 5,331, 363, and 4,248 Mg respectively, for a corresponding monetary value of EUR 536, 39, and 435 million. Our analyses were conducted on a seasonal basis and further aimed at investigating the role of functional diversity in ES provision. According to our findings, in all MCs the highest annual average PM 10 removal efficiencies were exhibited by the evergreen broadleaves; deciduous broadleaves also displayed high efficiency values, despite being characterized by a marked seasonality caused by leaf abscission. Conifers proved less efficient, although our findings may indicate a good response to a condition of multi-stress. Maintaining a functionally-mixed species composition in the UGIs is desirable for guaranteeing the continuous provision of ESs throughout the year. In conclusion, our results provide useful insights to support the sustainable planning and management of UGIs, as envisaged by the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients typically overmonitor their own behavior, as shown by symptoms of excessive doubt and checking. Although this is well established for the patient's relationship with external stimuli in the environment, no study has explored their monitoring of internal body signals, a process known to be affected in anxiety-related syndromes. Here, we explored this issue through a cardiac interoception task that measures sensing of heartbeats. Our aim was to explore key behavioral and electrophysiological aspects of internal-cue monitoring in OCD, while examining their potential distinctiveness in this condition. Method. We administered a heartbeat detection (HBD) task (with related interoceptive confidence and awareness measures) to three matched groups (OCD patients, panic disorder patients, healthy controls) and recorded ongoing modulations of two task-relevant electrophysiological markers: the heart evoked potential (HEP) and the motor potential (MP). Results. Behaviorally, OCD patients outperformed controls and panic patients in the HBD task. Moreover, they exhibited greater amplitude modulation of both the HEP and the MP during cardiac interoception. However, they evinced poorer confidence and awareness of their interoceptive skills. Conclusions. Convergent behavioral and electrophysiological data showed that overactive monitoring in OCD extends to the sensing of internal bodily signals. Moreover, this pattern discriminated OCD from panic patients, suggesting a condition-distinctive alteration. Our results highlight the potential of exploring interoceptive processes in the OCD spectrum to better characterize the population's cognitive profile. Finally, these findings may lay new bridges between somatic theories of emotion and cognitive models of OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the effect of different zinc concentrations on the ecophysiological response of Salix clones: four commercial clones ('1962', '1968', 'Drago', and 'Levante') selected for short rotation coppice, and one natural clone, 'Sacco', obtained from a contaminated area. Gas exchanges, chlorophyll a fluorescence (JIP-test), relative chlorophyll content, and biometric parameters were measured in plants grown for fifteen days in soil containing Zn concentrations of 0, 300, 750, and 1,500 mg(ZnCl) kg. Ecophysiological response to metal stress differed in dependence on the Zn concentration and clone. At the low Zn concentration (300 mg kg), the absence of any significant reductions in parameters investigated indicated an efficient plant homeostasis to maintain the metal content within phytotoxic limits. Stomatal limitation, observed at 750 and 1,500 mg kg, which was found in all clones after three days of the treatment, might be caused by indirect effects of metal on guard cells. Among commercial clones, 'Drago' was more sensitive to Zn stress, showing inhibition of growth, while '1962' clone showed a downregulation of PSII photochemistry following the slowdown in the Calvin-Benson cycle. On the contrary, the natural Salix clone ('Sacco') performed better compared to the other clones due to activation of a photosynthetic compensatory mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response ofPhragmites australis(Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel to zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) was studied separately in two hydroponic tests, during a three weeks experiment. The effects on ecophysiology and biomass partitioning were evaluated during the metal treatments and at the recovery, and total metal content and accumulation capacity in different plant organs were assessed. Zn and Pb had different effects on the overall measured parameters, highlighting different mechanism of action. In particular, Zn concentration was higher in roots and, being a micronutrient, it was translocated into leaves, producing a reduction of assimilation rate, stomatal conductance (–71.9 and –81.3% respect to the control plant respectively), and a strong down regulation of photosystems functionality both at PSII and PSI level. Otherwise, Pb was accumulated mainly in the more lignified tissue such as rhizomes, with slightly effect on gas exchange. Chlorophyllafluorescence highlighted that Pb inhibits the electron transfer process at the PSI donor side, without recovery after the removal of the metal stress. Despite these physiological limitations,P. australisshowed a high capacity to accumulate both metals, and only slight reduction of biomass, being therefore a suitable species for phytoremediation interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupling inductors are the most commonly utilized filtering option in grid-connected direct power control (DPC)-based active front-end rectifiers integrated into three-phase adjustable-speed drives (ASDs). Inductor faults, e.g., common interturn short circuits, can drive the whole system to failure. In this paper, a novel strategy is proposed for the early detection of incipient faults in the coupling inductors of the aforementioned ASDs. The proposed method enables a fast identification of the defective phase. The strategy also provides an accurate estimation of the inductance value of the coupling inductors that improves the performance of the DPC method. Simulations and experimental tests demonstrate the validity of this detection and estimation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Virtual flux (VF)-oriented control (VFOC) and VF-based direct power control (DPC) (VF-DPC) have been developed to improve voltage-oriented control and DPC of three-phase active rectifiers. The VF space vector is utilized in transformations between stationary and rotating coordinates in VFOC and in obtaining instantaneous power in VF-DPC. The VF space vector is calculated by integrating the grid voltage space vector. This integration is usually performed using a first-order low-pass (LP) (FOLP) filter, which counteracts the saturation and dc-drift problems associated with pure integrators. However, the dynamics of FOLP filters can be enhanced to a great extent. This paper presents a new, simple, and fast integration algorithm for VF-based control methods. Simulations and experimental tests on a VF-DPC-based system showed that the proposed algorithm leads to rapid recoveries after grid voltage sags occur. Moreover, the performance of VF-DPC under nonideal grids is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Mediterranean forests close to urban areas are exposed to polluted plumes loaded with tropospheric ozone. This is the case of Castelporziano Estate, a 6000 ha Mediterranean forest 25 km from Rome downtown on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In September 2011 we started an intensive field campaign aimed at investigating ozone deposition from a mixed Mediterranean forest, mainly composed by Quercus suber, Quercus ilex, Pinus pinea. Measurements at canopy level with the eddy covariance technique were supported by a vegetation survey and the measurement of all environmental parameters which allowed to calculate stomatal ozone fluxes. Leaf-level measurements were used to parameterize models to calculate stomatal conductance based on a Jarvis-type and Ball–Berry approach. We show changes in magnitude of ozone fluxes from a warm (September) to a cold period (October–December). Stomatal component explained almost the totality of ozone fluxes during the cold days, but contributed only up to 50% to total ozone deposition during warm days, suggesting that other sinks (e.g. chemistry in the gas-phase) play a major role. Modeled stomatal ozone fluxes based on a Jarvis-type approach (DO3SE) correlated with measured fluxes better than using a Ball–Berry approach. A third model based on a modified Ball–Berry equation was proposed to account for the non-linear dependency of stomatal conductance on relative humidity. This research will help the development of metrics for ozone-risk assessment and advance our understanding of mixed Mediterranean forests in biosphere–atmosphere exchange. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

BackgroundThe main aim of this study was to compare a large population of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) types I and II strictly defined as euthymic with healthy controls on measures of decision making. An additional aim was to compare performance on a decision-making task between patients with and without a history of suicide attempt.MethodEighty-five euthymic patients with BD-I or BD-II and 34 healthy controls were included. All subjects completed tests to assess verbal memory, attention and executive functions, and a decision-making paradigm (the Iowa Gambling Task, IGT).ResultsBoth groups of patients had worse performance than healthy controls on measures of verbal memory, attention and executive function. No significant differences were found between BD-I, BD-II and healthy controls on measures of decision making. By contrast, patients with a history of suicide attempt had lower performance in the IGT than patients without a history of suicide attempt.ConclusionsPatients with euthymic BD-I and BD-II had intact decision-making abilities, suggesting that this does not represent a reliable trait marker of the disorder. In addition, our results provide further evidence of an association between impairments in decision making and vulnerability to suicidal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To evaluate whether vegetative state patients maintain circadian rhythms. Research design: An observational study of five single cases. Methods and procedures: Five chronic vegetative state patients underwent clinical and neurological evaluations and 2-week continuous temperature measurements. Main outcomes and results: The two patients with traumatic brain injury showed well-formed circadian temperature rhythms and had more reflexive behaviours and relatively low cortical and sub-cortical atrophy, whereas the three patients from anoxic-hypoxic origin demonstrated no cycles or rhythmic behaviour. Conclusions: The presence of periods of wakefulness does not imply preserved sleep-wake cycling capacity, nor preserved circadian rhythms and it should not be taken as a distinguishing feature for the definition of the vegetative state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing in the optical band is a well-established tool for monitoring changes in forested areas, although it can suffer from limitations, especially where frequent cloud cover occurs. The increased availability of space-borne radar imagery offers additional means for assessing the state of forests and monitoring their dynamics. In this study, the potential of multi-temporal space-borne SAR data for monitoring vegetation recovery over burned areas next to the Mediterranean coast is investigated. In particular, the study considers a set of ERS-SAR images, C-band and VV polarization, taken over the Castel Fusano pinewood, located near Rome, Italy, devastated in summer 2000 by a fire that burned about 350 ha of the wood. Starting from the analysis of the information contained in the variations, both in burnt and unburnt areas, of the inter annual multitemporal backscattering signatures, the study presents two different approaches, one more qualitative, the other one more quantitative, for the retrieval of the biomass re-growth after the fire. In the quantitative case, the inversion procedure computes the biomass re-growth rate by means of simulations carried out with the Tor Vergata scattering model. The obtained results are satisfactory as they are in agreement with simultaneous analysis based on optical data and in-situ measurement campaigns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cognitive function and diffusion tensor imaging were assessed in a group of 12 patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (disease duration ≤3 years), and mild clinical disability (expanded disability status scale ≤2), as well as in 12 control subjects. Patients showed impairment in immediate logical memory and delayed recall with the Rey auditory verbal learning test. No significant differences in classical executive tests were observed. In contrast, differences were found for specific executive tests including IOWA Gambling Task, multiple errands test hospital version (MET) and Hotel Task, as well as in Paced-Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Significant correlation was found between PASAT performance and FA measures (r = 0.64, P = 0.03), the apparent diffusion coefficients and the MET (r = 0.72, P = 0.01), as well as in one subtask of Hotel (r = - 0.68, P = 0.02). Thus, executive deficits can best be appreciated at early stages of MS when a more specific battery of tests is used for patient evaluation. In this series, test failures observed correlated with changes in fronto-subcortical fiber tracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) is a brief cognitive test battery designed to detect and differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Translations of this instrument into French and Malayalam have been recently published Objective To adapt and validate the ACE into Spanish in a rural population of low-educational level. Subjects A clinical group, composed of 70 patients affected by dementia and 25 patients with memory complaints without dementia, was compared with 72 controls matched for gender, age and educational level Method The clinical group was studied with standard neuropsychological instruments, all patients underwent neuroimaging [Computerized Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT) in all cases of suspected FTD], as well as routine neurological examination. Both groups were studied with the ACE and Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR). Sensitivity, specificity, area under curve, reliability and Verbal-Language/ Orientation-Memory (VLOM) ratio were calculated. Subsequently, the sample was stratified regarding educational level in two groups. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were calculated for these conditions. Different cut-off points were calculated addressing educational level. Results ROC curves demonstrated the superiority of the ACE in the sub sample of patients that finished school at over 14 years old. VLOM ratio confirmed its usefulness for differential diagnosis between AD and FTD Conclusions The Spanish version of the ACE is a useful instrument for dementia diagnosis. In our sample VLOM ratio results were useful for differential diagnosis between AD and FTD. Different cut-off points must be used for different educational levels. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is the use of [sup 14]C, sampled in leaves of evergreen species, as a natural geochemical marker to estimate the contribution of artificial sources (heating plants, vehicles, etc.) to the complex of atmospheric gases in an urban environment. Leaves were chosen due to sampling easiness and their reliability: in particular the evergreen species, being exposed all the year round to pollutants are especially indicated for bioindication and biomonitoring studies. The response to atmospheric pollutants has been studied of two plant species (Quercus ilex L., Pinus pinea L.) measuring isotopic ([sup 14]r, δ[sup 13]C), chemical (Pb concentration) and ecophysiological (gaseous exchange and leaf fluorescence of chlorophyll a) parameters. Leaves of holm-oaks and stone pine needles collected over a 3-year time span in an urban park in Rome (Villa Ada) and in reference localities outside the city on the Tyrrhenian coast and in the pre-Appennine area have been analysed. In Villa Ada measurements were carried out along a transect from the road bordering the park towards the interior: all the parameters, together in agreement, showed a decreasing pollution gradient towards the inner park. It was possible to estimate a 5.5±0.3% contribution of CO[sub 2] from fossil fuels close to the road, decreasing to 1.7±0.3% at < 300 m from it towards the inner park. The isotopic analyses conducted on stone pines and holm-oaks show that [sup 14]C provides indications on the degree of pollution from fossil fuels, while δ[sup 13]C appears to be conditioned mainly by the interspecific difference, and also by many other environmental factors that affect the plant functionality. Results confirmed that radiocarbon is a useful tool in environmental studies, allowing to quantify the contributions of CO[sub 2] of anthropic origin: this parameter, together with appropriate isotopic, chemical and ecophysiological analyses, could provide a good... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed a consecutive series of 398 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the presence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) using a standardized neuropsychiatric evaluation. Five percent of patients showed GAD during the 4 weeks preceding the psychiatric evaluation. AD patients with GAD showed significantly higher scores of depression, irritability, overt aggression, mania, and pathological crying than AD patients without GAD. The most severe symptoms of anxiety were those of tension, fears, insomnia, and physical complaints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amelioration of air quality represents one of the most complex challenges that the European Union is facing today. Although a successful strategy to improve air quality should decisively act on pollution sources, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) may provide a huge contribution to tackle air pollution, while delivering a wide range of Ecosystem Services and enhancing the Natural Capital. In this paper, we analyzed, in both biophysical and monetary terms, the role of the Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) in improving air quality in the Metropolitan City of Naples (Southern Italy) by implementing an accounting model of PM 10 removal. Our findings indicate that about 1,148 Mg of PM 10 were annually removed by the UGI, for a monetary value of 36 million euros per year. We also assessed the impact of a devastating wildfire that occurred in 2017 in the study area, which resulted in a loss of PM 10 removal of about 97 Mg and led to an estimated monetary loss of 3 million euros per year. The results also showed that PM 10 removal efficiency largely varies seasonally and across different functional groups of vegetation, highlighting the role of functional biodiversity in the provision of Ecosystem Services under Mediterranean climate conditions. In conclusion, we maintain that the biophysical and economic assessment of Ecosystem Services can support local managers and policymakers in charge of developing urban planning strategies aimed at ensuring sustainable development and human well-being in metropolitan cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining conscious processing in unresponsive patients relies on subjective behavioural assessment. Using data from hand electromyography, the authors studied the occurrence of subthreshold muscle activity in response to verbal command, as an objective indicator of awareness in 10 disorders of consciousness patients. One out of eight vegetative state patients and both minimally conscious patients (n = 2) demonstrated an increased electromyography signal specifically linked to command. These findings suggest electromyography could be used to assess awareness objectively in pathologies of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining conscious processing in unresponsive patients relies on subjective behavioural assessment. Using data from hand electromyography, the authors studied the occurrence of subthreshold muscle activity in response to verbal command, as an objective indicator of awareness in 10 disorders of consciousness patients. One out of eight vegetative state patients and both minimally conscious patients (n = 2) demonstrated an increased electromyography signal specifically linked to command. These findings suggest electromyography could be used to assess awareness objectively in pathologies of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor about cortical processing in the minimally conscious state.