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Disorders with neurodevelopmental aetiology such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Schizophrenia share commonalities at many levels of investigation despite phenotypic differences. Evidence of genetic overlap has led to the concept of a continuum of neurodevelopmental impairment along which these disorders can be positioned in aetiological, pathophysiological and developmental features. This concept requires their simultaneous comparison at different levels, which has not been accomplished so far. Given that cognitive impairments are core to the pathophysiology of these disorders, we provide for the first time differentiated head-to-head comparisons in a complex cognitive function, visual search, decomposing the task with eye movement-based process analyses. N = 103 late-adolescents with schizophrenia, ADHD, ASD and healthy controls took a serial visual search task, while their eye movements were recorded. Patients with schizophrenia presented the greatest level of impairment across different phases of search, followed by patients with ADHD, who shared with patients with schizophrenia elevated intra-subject variability in the pre-search stage. ASD was the least impaired group, but similar to schizophrenia in post-search processes and to schizophrenia and ADHD in pre-search processes and fixation duration while scanning the items. Importantly, the profiles of deviancy from controls were highly correlated between all three clinical groups, in line with the continuum idea. Findings suggest the existence of one common neurodevelopmental continuum of performance for the three disorders, while quantitative differences appear in the level of impairment. Given the relevance of cognitive impairments in these three disorders, we argue in favour of overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms. © 2021, The Author(s).

A Finite Element Ecological Model (FEEM) has been set up by fully coupling a primitive equation finite element hydrodynamic model (FEM) to an ecological model derived from EUTRO, the ecological submodel contained in the water quality model WASP, released by US-EPA. The work required the 'decoupling' of EUTRO from WASP and its transformation into a standalone program, the testing of such a structure versus the results obtained by running the WASP in the 0D version, the improvement of its parameterisation up to the inclusion of zooplankton as a dynamic variable explicitly modelled, the definition of an interface module, and the actual coupling of the improved ecological module and the hydrodynamic primitive equation model. The integrated model has then been applied, as a first test, to the Venice Lagoon (VELFEEM). To this aim idealised forcings (tide, meteo) have been used together with actual field data (river discharge, nutrient loadings) to run simulations over a one-year period. Analysis of the results shows that the model is numerically stable, variations in the state variables are consistent, and nutrients, plankton and oxygen evolves in space and time in a ecologically coherent way. Main features of the lagoon, namely oxygen seasonal evolution and dispersion of nutrients from the point sources are qualitatively reproduced. An additional result is that the improved version of the 0D ecological submodel has been organised as an independent module which can be run by a single subroutine call, and therefore can be easily integrated in any structure and coupled to any hydrodynamic model. The coupling here presented demonstrates the ease of such an integration. ? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Finite Element Ecological Model for the Lagoon of Venice (VELFEEM) has been used to test the responses of the Lagoon of Venice ecosystem to variations in physical conditions. The model is obtained by coupling a finite element hydrodynamic model, that computes the velocity fields of water, an energetic model to compute the water temperature fields, and an ecological model that simulates the dynamic of phytoplankton, zooplankton, nutrients (ammonia, nitrate and phosphate) organic detritus (organic nitrogen, organic phosphorous and CBOD) and dissolved oxygen. The transport model is a two-dimensional barotropic finite element model which allows for a better resolution of the lagoon morphology. The ecological model has been developed by starting from the ecological module EUTRO of WASP (Water Analysis Simulation System released by US EPA), and by adapting it to the peculiarity of the Lagoon of Venice. A reference condition has been identified by running a 1-year simulation under climatologic condition. Then, the sensitivity to physical forcing (tide and wind) and to the input of macronutrients has been investigated, by comparing model predictions of spatial and temporal evolution of major state variables and of an aggregate index of Water Quality Trophic Index (TRIX).

This chapter summarizes the EcoSummit 2000 working group activity and consensus building for the theme of ecosystem services. An interdisciplinary team of environmentally focused professionals spent two days during the EcoSummit to tackle semantics, present case studies, and share perspective on the importance of ecosystem services towards understanding and solving environmental problems in the 21st century. Solutions to environmental problems are both technical and social in nature. Ecosystem services define the natural processes of the biosphere, and are responsible for sustaining human life. In a world where the scale of human activity became truly global, the significance and role of ecosystem services for assessing and managing human activity are universally self evident. Ecosystem services in terms of definitions and connotations along with the discussion of the road to follow explicitly build ecosystem services into the structure of future human existence. Such a road needs to be taken with the biosphere if humankind is to escape the current self-destructive path. Key outcomes of the working group are the recognition of the interplay among global concerns and local initiatives, thinkers, doers and stakeholders, and central authority and distributed activity. A first draft of a decision tree interrelating needs of ecosystem services with the wants of human development is presented for adaptation and to evolve the best practices for sustainability in the future.