Development, degeneration and neural network of the bodily self

The question addressed by this dissertation is how the human brain builds a coherent representation of the body, and how this representation is used to recognize its own body. Recent approaches by neuroimaging and TMS revealed hints for a distinct brain representation of human body, as compared with other stimulus categories. Neuropsychological studies demonstrated that body-parts and self body-parts recognition are separate processes sub-served by two different, even if possibly overlapping, networks within the brain. Bodily self-recognition is one aspect of our ability to distinguish between self and others and the self/other distinction is a crucial aspect of social behaviour. This is the reason why I have conducted a series of experiment on subjects with everyday difficulties in social and emotional behaviour, such as patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). More specifically, I studied the implicit self body/face recognition (Chapter 6) and the influence of emotional body postures on bodily self-processing in TD children as well as in ASD children (Chapter 7). I found that the bodily self-recognition is present in TD and in ASD children and that emotional body postures modulate self and others’ body processing. Subsequently, I compared implicit and explicit bodily self-recognition in a neuro-degenerative pathology, such as in PD patients, and I found a selective deficit in implicit but not in explicit self-recognition (Chapter 8). This finding suggests that implicit and explicit bodily self-recognition are separate processes subtended by different mechanisms that can be selectively impaired. If the bodily self is crucial for self/other distinction, the space around the body (personal space) represents the space of interaction and communication with others. When, I studied this space in autism, I found that personal space regulation is impaired in ASD children (Chapter 9).

Visual-somatosensory interactions in mental representations of the body and the face

The body is represented in the brain at levels that incorporate multisensory information. This thesis focused on interactions between vision and cutaneous sensations (i.e., touch and pain). Experiment 1 revealed that there are partially dissociable pathways for visual enhancement of touch (VET) depending upon whether one sees one’s own body or the body of another person. This indicates that VET, a seeming low-level effect on spatial tactile acuity, is actually sensitive to body identity. Experiments 2-4 explored the effect of viewing one’s own body on pain perception. They demonstrated that viewing the body biases pain intensity judgments irrespective of actual stimulus intensity, and, more importantly, reduces the discriminative capacities of the nociceptive pathway encoding noxious stimulus intensity. The latter effect only occurs if the pain-inducing event itself is not visible, suggesting that viewing the body alone and viewing a stimulus event on the body have distinct effects on cutaneous sensations. Experiment 5 replicated an enhancement of visual remapping of touch (VRT) when viewing fearful human faces being touched, and further demonstrated that VRT does not occur for observed touch on non-human faces, even fearful ones. This suggests that the facial expressions of non-human animals may not be simulated within the somatosensory system of the human observer in the same way that the facial expressions of other humans are. Finally, Experiment 6 examined the enfacement illusion, in which synchronous visuo-tactile inputs cause another’s face to be assimilated into the mental self-face representation. The strength of enfacement was not affected by the other’s facial expression, supporting an asymmetric relationship between processing of facial identity and facial expressions. Together, these studies indicate that multisensory representations of the body in the brain link low-level perceptual processes with the perception of emotional cues and body/face identity, and interact in complex ways depending upon contextual factors.

Envy: A Psychometric Refinement of the Construct

The noticeable differences in the theoretical and operative definitions of envy across studies and approaches have produced a fragmentary representation and understanding of the envious emotion. The present dissertation aimed to clarify the inherent nature of the construct of envy through the integration of findings from three independent studies. We focused on malicious envy, and investigated it from both a dispositional and an episodic perspective. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the dimensionality of envy as a stable individual characteristic and an episodic emotional state, respectively. In order to elicit episodic envy, a scenario-based experiment was conducted. Results indicated that, in both its dispositional and episodic facets, envy is a bidimensional construct composed by an inner-directed dimension of inferiority and helplessness, and an outer-directed dimension of feelings of anger and ill will. Moreover, findings from Study 1 allowed to establish boundaries between envy and competing constructs that have often been included in conceptualizations of envy. The psychometrically validated definition of envy provided by Studies 1 and 2 represents a valuable contribution to empirical research. Implications for envy research concern the promotion of a shared operationalization of envy in future studies, which will arguably facilitate the comparison of findings between studies and between approaches. Study 3 examined the mechanisms through which dispositional envy affects individuals’ social adjustment and psychological wellbeing. Findings revealed that the detrimental effects of envy on perceived social support and subjective well-being are mostly mediated by other personal characteristics, such as neuroticism and self-esteem. By reducing global self-esteem, the envious disposition may damage supportive social networks via antisocial direct and indirect behaviors that may arise from envy and that are likely to drive others away. On the other hand, by damaging both emotional stability and self-worth, dispositional envy leads to reduced subjective well-being. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Stratigraphic study and analysis of the barchan dunefield of the Laguna coastal zone in Santa Catarina, Brazil

The association of several favorable factors has resulted in the development of a wide barchan dune field that stands out as a fundamental element in the coastal landscape of southern Santa Catarina state in Brazil. This original ecosystem is being destroyed and highly modified, due to urbanization. This work identifies and discusses its basic characteristics and analyzes the favorable factors for its preservation, in the foreseen of both a sustainable future and potential incomes from ecotourism. The knowledge of the geologic evolution allows to associate this transgressive Holocene dunes formation to more dissipative beach conditions. Spatial differences on morphodynamics are related to local and regional contrasts in the sediment budget, with an influence on gradients of wave attenuation in the inner shelf and consequently with influence in the level of coastal erosion. The link between relative sea level changes and coastal eolian sedimentation can be used to integrate coastal eolian systems to the sequence stratigraphy model. The main accumulation phase of eolian sediments would occur during the final transgressive and highstand systems tracts. Considering the global character of Quaternary relative sea level changes, the Laguna transgressive dune field should be correlated with similar eolian deposits developed along other parts of the Brazilian coast compatibles with the model of dunefield initiation during rising and highstand sea level phases.

The sensitivity of the photostationary state of NOx and its implication for the oxidation capacity in a semi-rural and boreal forest region

Für das Vermögen der Atmosphäre sich selbst zu reinigen spielen Stickstoffmonoxid (NO) und Stickstoffdioxid (NO2) eine bedeutende Rolle. Diese Spurengase bestimmen die photochemische Produktion von Ozon (O3) und beeinflussen das Vorkommen von Hydroxyl- (OH) und Nitrat-Radikalen (NO3). Wenn tagsüber ausreichend Solarstrahlung und Ozon vorherrschen, stehen NO und NO2 in einem schnellen photochemischen Gleichgewicht, dem „Photostationären Gleichgewichtszustand“ (engl.: photostationary state). Die Summe von NO und NO2 wird deshalb als NOx zusammengefasst. Vorhergehende Studien zum photostationären Gleichgewichtszustand von NOx umfassen Messungen an unterschiedlichsten Orten, angefangen bei Städten (geprägt von starken Luftverschmutzungen), bis hin zu abgeschiedenen Regionen (geprägt von geringeren Luftverschmutzungen). Während der photochemische Kreislauf von NO und NO2 unter Bedingungen erhöhter NOx-Konzentrationen grundlegend verstanden ist, gibt es in ländlicheren und entlegenen Regionen, welche geprägt sind von niedrigeren NOx-Konzetrationen, signifikante Lücken im Verständnis der zugrundeliegenden Zyklierungsprozesse. Diese Lücken könnten durch messtechnische NO2-Interferenzen bedingt sein - insbesondere bei indirekten Nachweismethoden, welche von Artefakten beeinflusst sein können. Bei sehr niedrigen NOx-Konzentrationen und wenn messtechnische NO2-Interferenzen ausgeschlossen werden können, wird häufig geschlussfolgert, dass diese Verständnislücken mit der Existenz eines „unbekannten Oxidationsmittels“ (engl.: unknown oxidant) verknüpft ist. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird der photostationäre Gleichgewichtszustand von NOx analysiert, mit dem Ziel die potenzielle Existenz bislang unbekannter Prozesse zu untersuchen. Ein Gasanalysator für die direkte Messung von atmosphärischem NO¬2 mittels laserinduzierter Fluoreszenzmesstechnik (engl. LIF – laser induced fluorescence), GANDALF, wurde neu entwickelt und während der Messkampagne PARADE 2011 erstmals für Feldmessungen eingesetzt. Die Messungen im Rahmen von PARADE wurden im Sommer 2011 in einem ländlich geprägten Gebiet in Deutschland durchgeführt. Umfangreiche NO2-Messungen unter Verwendung unterschiedlicher Messtechniken (DOAS, CLD und CRD) ermöglichten einen ausführlichen und erfolgreichen Vergleich von GANDALF mit den übrigen NO2-Messtechniken. Weitere relevante Spurengase und meteorologische Parameter wurden gemessen, um den photostationären Zustand von NOx, basierend auf den NO2-Messungen mit GANDALF in dieser Umgebung zu untersuchen. Während PARADE wurden moderate NOx Mischungsverhältnisse an der Messstelle beobachtet (10^2 - 10^4 pptv). Mischungsverhältnisse biogener flüchtige Kohlenwasserstoffverbindungen (BVOC, engl.: biogenic volatile organic compounds) aus dem umgebenden Wald (hauptsächlich Nadelwald) lagen in der Größenordnung 10^2 pptv vor. Die Charakteristiken des photostationären Gleichgewichtszustandes von NOx bei niedrigen NOx-Mischungsverhältnissen (10 - 10^3 pptv) wurde für eine weitere Messstelle in einem borealen Waldgebiet während der Messkampagne HUMPPA-COPEC 2010 untersucht. HUMPPA–COPEC–2010 wurde im Sommer 2010 in der SMEARII-Station in Hyytiälä, Süd-Finnland, durchgeführt. Die charakteristischen Eigenschaften des photostationären Gleichgewichtszustandes von NOx in den beiden Waldgebieten werden in dieser Arbeit verglichen. Des Weiteren ermöglicht der umfangreiche Datensatz - dieser beinhaltet Messungen von relevanten Spurengasen für die Radikalchemie (OH, HO2), sowie der totalen OH-Reaktivität – das aktuelle Verständnis bezüglich der NOx-Photochemie unter Verwendung von einem Boxmodell, in welches die gemessenen Daten als Randbedingungen eingehen, zu überprüfen und zu verbessern. Während NOx-Konzentrationen in HUMPPA-COPEC 2010 niedriger sind, im Vergleich zu PARADE 2011 und BVOC-Konzentrationen höher, sind die Zyklierungsprozesse von NO und NO2 in beiden Fällen grundlegend verstanden. Die Analyse des photostationären Gleichgewichtszustandes von NOx für die beiden stark unterschiedlichen Messstandorte zeigt auf, dass potenziell unbekannte Prozesse in keinem der beiden Fälle vorhanden sind. Die aktuelle Darstellung der NOx-Chemie wurde für HUMPPA-COPEC 2010 unter Verwendung des chemischen Mechanismus MIM3* simuliert. Die Ergebnisse der Simulation sind konsistent mit den Berechnungen basierend auf dem photostationären Gleichgewichtszustand von NOx.

A river runs through it - ancient DNA data on the neolithic populations of the Great Hungarian Plain

This thesis was part of a multidisciplinary research project funded by the German Research Foundation (“Bevölkerungsgeschichte des Karpatenbeckens in der Jungsteinzeit und ihr Einfluss auf die Besiedlung Mitteleuropas”, grant no. Al 287/10-1) aimed at elucidating the population history of the Carpathian Basin during the Neolithic. The Carpathian Basin was an important waypoint on the spread of the Neolithic from southeastern to central Europe. On the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld), the first farming communities appeared around 6000 cal BC. They belonged to the Körös culture, which derived from the Starčevo-Körös-Criş complex in the northern Balkans. Around 5600 cal BC the Alföld-Linearbandkeramik (ALBK), so called due to its stylistic similarities with the Transdanubian and central European LBK, emerged in the northwestern Alföld. Following a short “classical phase”, the ALBK split into several regional subgroups during its later stages, but did not expand beyond the Great Hungarian Plain. Marking the beginning of the late Neolithic period, the Tisza culture first appeared in the southern Alföld around 5000 cal BC and subsequently spread into the central and northern Alföld. Together with the Herpály and Csőszhalom groups it was an integral part of the late Neolithic cultural landscape of the Alföld. Up until now, the Neolithic cultural succession on the Alföld has been almost exclusively studied from an archaeological point of view, while very little is known about the population genetic processes during this time period. The aim of this thesis was to perform ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses on human samples from the Alföld Neolithic and analyse the resulting mitochondrial population data to address the following questions: is there population continuity between the Central European Mesolithic hunter-gatherer metapopulation and the first farming communities on the Alföld? Is there genetic continuity from the early to the late Neolithic? Are there genetic as well as cultural differences between the regional groups of the ALBK? Additionally, the relationships between the Alföld and the neighbouring Transdanubian Neolithic as well as other European early farming communities were evaluated to gain insights into the genetic affinities of the Alföld Neolithic in a larger geographic context. 320 individuals were analysed for this study; reproducible mitochondrial haplogroup information (HVS-I and/or SNP data) could be obtained from 242 Neolithic individuals. According to the analyses, population continuity between hunter-gatherers and the Neolithic cultures of the Alföld can be excluded at any stage of the Neolithic. In contrast, there is strong evidence for population continuity from the early to the late Neolithic. All cultural groups on the Alföld were heavily shaped by the genetic substrate introduced into the Carpathian Basin during the early Neolithic by the Körös and Starčevo cultures. Accordingly, genetic differentiation between regional groups of the ALBK is not very pronounced. The Alföld cultures are furthermore genetically highly similar to the Transdanubian Neolithic cultures, probably due to common ancestry. In the wider European context, the Alföld Neolithic cultures also highly similar to the central European LBK, while they differ markedly from contemporaneous populations of the Iberian Peninsula and the Ukraine. Thus, the Körös culture, the ALBK and the Tisza culture can be regarded as part of a “genetic continuum” that links the Neolithic Carpathian Basin to central Europe and likely has its roots in the Starčevo -Körös-Criş complex of the northern Balkans.

Citizen science as a tool for the environmental quality assessment of the Mediterranean coastal habitats

The growing need to assess the environmental status of the Mediterranean coastal marine habitats and the large availability of data collected by Reef Check Italia onlus (RCI) volunteers suggest the possibility to develop innovative and reliable indices that may support decision makers in applying conservation strategies. The aims of this study were to check the reliability of data collected by RCI volunteers, analyse the spatial and temporal distribution of RCI available data, resume the knowledge on the biology and ecology of the monitored species, and develop innovative indices to asses the ecological quality of Mediterranean subtidal rocky shores and coralligenous habitats. Subtidal rocky shores and coralligenous were chosen because these are the habitats more attractive for divers; therefore mlst data are referring to them, moreover subtidal rocky bottom are strongly affected by coastal urbanisation, land use, fishing and tourist activities, that increase pollution, turbidity and sedimentation. Non-indigenous species (NIS) have been recognized as a major threat to the integrity of Mediterranean native communities because of their proliferation, spread and impact on resident communities. Monitoring of NIS’ spreading dynamics at the basin spatial scale is difficult but urgent. According to a field test, the training provided by RCI appears adequate to obtain reliable data by volunteers. Based on data collected by RCI volunteers, three main categories of indices were developed: indices based on species diversity, indices on the occurrence non-indigenous species, and indices on species sensitive toward physical, chemical and biological disturbances. As case studies, indices were applied to stretches of coastline defined according to management criteria (province territories and marine protected areas). The assessments of ecological quality in the Tavolara Marine Protected Area using the species sensitivities index were consisten with those previously obtained with traditional methods.

Megistobenthic faunal diversity of the Antalya Gulf: Crustacea

The spatio-temporal distribution of megistobenthic crustacean assemblages from the Antalya Gulf, located in the Levantine Sea is described. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of the spatio-temporal patterns of the crustacean community, 3 transect including depth of 10, 25, 75, 125 and 200 m, were studied between 2014 and 2015 to investigate their association with a set of environmental parameters in representative months of each season (spring, summer, autumn and winter). For its economic importance in Levantine waters, a focus analysis of deep-water rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) was done, to investigate the length frequency composition of the population of the Antalya Gulf. A total of 58 crustacean species were encountered in the study area, of these species identified, 18 species were recognized as alien species in the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout the year the most frequent species of the study were the hermit crab Pagurus prideaux (Leach, 1815) and Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) followed by the Indo-Pacific swimming crab Charybdis longicollis (Leene, 1938) and by the invasive shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus (Spence Bate, 1888). Few species contributing to a high amount to the total biomass were found throughout the year. These species were Charybdis longicollis and Parapenaeus longirostris. Stations of the study area showed similar values of diversity indices of benthic crustacean community among the three transect. The highest values of faunistic indices were detected in autumn and winter (October and February), and also varied along the depth gradient, with the highest values found between 25 and 75 meters. The multivariate analyses conducted on the abundance data point out major differences between depths and between seasons. Therefore, according to cluster analysis and ordination over abundance and biomass, three main crustacean assemblages were detected: the first corresponding to shallow bottoms (10, 25 meters), the second corresponding to intermediate waters (75 meters) and the last to deeper waters (125, 200 meters). Depth was the main factor governing the distribution of megistobenthic crustacean in the area. Besides the depth, the structure of the sediment is the most important factor in determining the crustacean assemblage. Therefore, all factors governing the crustacean distribution were found to be related to the bottom depth. The population of Parapenaeus longirostris in the Antalya Gulf showed significant differences in depth. It was found that females dominated the population of the study area (65.11%), and were significantly larger than males for each cohort identified. The size-weight relationships revealed a slight negative allometry in growth, a bit more pronounced in females than in males.

Review of Women Elders' Life Stories of the Omaha Tribe: Macy, Nebraska, 2004-2005

The volume contains two analytical chapters, "Finding the Sacred" and "Language as Landscape"; a fair amount of autobiographical material describing Summers's research process; an Omaha Language Pronunciation Guide; selected historical material; and a mixture of photos, including of the author with other Omaha language students. There are a number of editorial malfunctions, including the analytical chapters' tendency to wander around various topics; moreover, the author's role as editor of the firsthand accounts is never made explicit.

A VEGETATION RECONSTRUCTION OF UNION COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE EARLY HISTORICAL PERIOD (1755-1855)

This thesis assesses relationships between vegetation and topography and the impact of human tree-cutting on the vegetation of Union County during the early historical era (1755-1855). I use early warrant maps and forestry maps from the Pennsylvania historical archives and a warrantee map from the Union County courthouse depicting the distribution of witness trees and non-tree surveyed markers (posts and stones) in early European settlement land surveys to reconstruct the vegetation and compare vegetation by broad scale (mountains and valleys) and local scale (topographic classes with mountains and valleys) topography. I calculated marker density based on 2 km x 2 km grid cells to assess tree-cutting impacts. Valleys were mostly forests dominated by white oak (Quercus alba) with abundant hickory (Carya spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), and black oak (Quercus velutina), while pine dominated what were mostly pine-oak forests in the mountains. Within the valleys, pine was strongly associated with hilltops, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) was abundant on north slopes, hickory was associated with south slopes, and riparian zones had high frequencies of ash (Fraxinus spp.) and hickory. In the mountains, white oak was infrequent on south slopes, chestnut (Castanea dentata) was more abundant on south slopes and ridgetops than north slopes and mountain coves, and white oak and maple (Acer spp.) were common in riparian zones. Marker density analysis suggests that trees were still common over most of the landscape by 1855. The findings suggest there were large differences in vegetation between valleys and mountains due in part to differences in elevation, and vegetation differed more by topographic classes in the valleys than in the mountains. Possible areas of tree-cutting were evenly distributed by topographic classes, suggesting Europeans settlers were clearing land and harvesting timber in most areas of Union County.

Validation of the Asthma Predictive Index and comparison with simpler clinical prediction rules

Background The loose and stringent Asthma Predictive Indices (API), developed in Tucson, are popular rules to predict asthma in preschool children. To be clinically useful, they require validation in different settings. Objective To assess the predictive performance of the API in an independent population and compare it with simpler rules based only on preschool wheeze. Methods We studied 1954 children of the population-based Leicester Respiratory Cohort, followed up from age 1 to 10 years. The API and frequency of wheeze were assessed at age 3 years, and we determined their association with asthma at ages 7 and 10 years by using logistic regression. We computed test characteristics and measures of predictive performance to validate the API and compare it with simpler rules. Results The ability of the API to predict asthma in Leicester was comparable to Tucson: for the loose API, odds ratios for asthma at age 7 years were 5.2 in Leicester (5.5 in Tucson), and positive predictive values were 26% (26%). For the stringent API, these values were 8.2 (9.8) and 40% (48%). For the simpler rule early wheeze, corresponding values were 5.4 and 21%; for early frequent wheeze, 6.7 and 36%. The discriminative ability of all prediction rules was moderate (c statistic ≤ 0.7) and overall predictive performance low (scaled Brier score < 20%). Conclusion Predictive performance of the API in Leicester, although comparable to the original study, was modest and similar to prediction based only on preschool wheeze. This highlights the need for better prediction rules.

Fear of the unknown: local knowledge and perceptions of the Eurasian lynx

The remnant population of Balkan lynx Lynx lynx martinoi is small, isolated and highly threatened. Since 2006 a conservation project has surveyed its status and promoted its recovery in Albania and Macedonia. Eurasian lynx are often associated with conflicts of an economic or social nature, and their conservation requires a focus on the people sharing the landscape with the species. In this study we adopt methods and conceptual frameworks from anthropology to explore the local knowledge and perceptions of lynx among rural hunters and livestock breeders in the western mountains of the Republic of Macedonia in south-east Europe. The main finding was that local people rarely saw or interacted with lynx. As the level of interactions with this species is very low, the lynx doesn?t appear to be a species associated with conflicts in Macedonia. There was also a general lack of both scientific and local knowledge, which has led to somewhat negative attitudes, mainly based on myths and rumours. Poaching of lynx and their prey seem to be the main barriers to lynx conservation.

Using Micro-Gravity Techniques to Map Alluvium Thickness and Pleistocene Location of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River Near Muncy, Pennsylvania

Laurentide glaciation during the early Pleistocene (~970 ka) dammed the southeast-flowing West Branch of the Susquehanna River (WBSR), scouring bedrock and creating 100-km-long glacial Lake Lesley near the Great Bend at Muncy, Pennsylvania (Ramage et al., 1998). Local drill logs and well data indicate that subsequent paleo-outwash floods and modern fluvial processes have deposited as much as 30 meters of alluvium in this area, but little is known about the valley fill architecture and the bedrock-alluvium interface. By gaining a greater understanding of the bedrock-alluvium interface the project will not only supplement existing depth to bedrock information, but also provide information pertinent to the evolution of the Muncy Valley landscape. This project determined if variations in the thickness of the valley fill were detectable using micro-gravity techniques to map the bedrock-alluvium interface. The gravity method was deemed appropriate due to scale of the study area (~30 km2), ease of operation by a single person, and the available geophysical equipment. A LaCoste and Romberg Gravitron unit was used to collect gravitational field readings at 49 locations over 5 transects across the Muncy Creek and Susquehanna River valleys (approximately 30 km2), with at least two gravity base stations per transect. Precise latitude, longitude and ground surface elevation at each location were measured using an OPUS corrected Trimble RTK-GPS unit. Base stations were chosen based on ease of access due to the necessity of repeat measurements. Gravity measurement locations were selected and marked to provide easy access and repeat measurements. The gravimeter was returned to a base station within every two hours and a looping procedure was used to determine drift and maximize confidence in the gravity measurements. A two-minute calibration reading at each station was used to minimize any tares in the data. The Gravitron digitally recorded finite impulse response filtered gravity measurements every 20 seconds at each station. A measurement period of 15 minutes was used for each base station occupation and a minimum of 5 minutes at all other locations. Longer or multiple measurements were utilized at some sites if drift or other externalities (i.e. train or truck traffic) were effecting readings. Average, median, standard deviation and 95% confidence interval were calculated for each station. Tidal, drift, latitude, free-air, Bouguer and terrain corrections were then applied. The results show that the gravitational field decreases as alluvium thickness increases across the axes of the Susquehanna River and Muncy Creek valleys. However, the location of the gravity low does not correspond with the present-day location of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River (WBSR), suggesting that the WBSR may have been constrained along Bald Eagle Mountain by a glacial lobe originating from the Muncy Creek Valley to the northeast. Using a 3-D inversion model, the topography of the bedrock-alluvium interface was determined over the extent of the study area using a density contrast of -0.8 g/cm3. Our results are consistent with the bedrock geometry of the area, and provide a low-cost, non-invasive and efficient method for exploring the subsurface and for supplementing existing well data.

The Importance of Place Names in the Search for Ecosystem-Like Concepts in Indigenous Societies: An Example from the Bolivian Andes

This paper aims to deepen the search for ecosystem-like concepts in indigenous societies by highlighting the importance of place names used by Quechua indigenous farmers from the central Bolivian Andes. Villagers from two communities in the Tunari Mountain Range were asked to list, describe, map and categorize the places they knew on their community’s territory. Results show that place names capture spatially explicit units which integrate biotic and abiotic nature and humans, and that there is an emphasis on topographic terms, highlighting the importance of geodiversity. Farmers’ perspectives differ from the classical view of ecosystems because they ‘humanize’ places, considering them as living beings with agency. Consequently, they do not make a distinction between natural and cultural heritage. Their perspective of the environment is that of a personalized, dynamic relationship with the elements of the natural world that are perceived as living entities. A practical implication of the findings for sustainable development is that since places names make the links between people and the elements of the landscape, toponymy is a tool for ecosystem management rooted in indigenous knowledge. Because place names refer to holistic units linked with people’s experience and spatially explicit, they can be used as an entry point to implement an intercultural dialogue for more sustainable land management.

Clinicopathologic correlations of silent corticotroph adenomas of the pituitary: report of four cases and literature review

Silent corticotroph adenomas (SCA) are rare pituitary tumors with histologic hallmarks of corticotroph differentiation, including ACTH immunoreactivity, but lacking clinical evidence of Cushing's syndrome. We report on four female patients, aged 19-66 years, each presenting with a nonfunctional macroadenoma. Leading symptoms were headache in two cases and visual field deficits in one. One patient was incidentally diagnosed while undergoing cranial MRI for an unrelated condition. Three patients had marked obesity; none of them presented constitutional signs of Cushing's syndrome. Serum cortisol levels were moderately elevated in the two patients systematically tested in this respect. Marginal to moderate hyperprolactinemia was present in two cases. Two patients also were shown to be deficient in either gonadotroph or thyrotroph axis, while a third had a combined insufficiency of both gonadotroph and thyrotroph axis. MRI scans revealed intratumoral hemorrhage and/or cystic change in three cases, as well as tumor-related occlusive hydrocephalus in one. The latter patient was biopsied only, while the remaining underwent gross total resection. Histologically, all four lesions were diagnosed as SCA subtype I displaying intense immunoreactivity for ACTH. In three tumors, scattered cells coexpressed PRL as well. In addition, Crooke's hyaline change was noted in a significant number of tumor cells and in residual non-neoplastic corticotrophs in one case each. With MIB-1 labeling indices of 1-3%, none of the tumors qualified as atypical adenoma. We conclude that SCAs are more likely to be discovered as expansile tumors, whose advanced local space-occupying character at surgery rather than an inherently aggressive growth potential may negatively influence the clinical outcome. Subtle morphologic evidence of corticotroph suppression in residual pituitary adjacent to tumor lends further support to literature data indicating minimal or intermittent functional activity in this tumor type.