F. R. Meloni

Mental disorders in Italian prisoners: Results of the REDiMe study

The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence of current and lifetime mental disorders in a consecutive sample (n=300) of detainees and prison inmates held in an Italian prison and compare it with the prevalence observed in a sample randomized from the community (n=300) within the same age interval (18-55 years) and sex proportion of prisoners, and with a similar socio-economic status. Psychiatric disorders were identified with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Current psychiatric disorders were present in 58.7% of prisoners and 8.7% of the comparison group. Lifetime psychiatric disorders were present in 88.7% of prisoners and 15.7% of the comparison group. Current anxiety disorders and current stress-related disorders were related to prisoners serving their first-ever prison sentence. A variable fraction of prisoners with an ongoing psychopathology is not diagnosed or does not receive proper treatment. The provision of effective treatment to prisoners with psychiatric disorders might have potentially substantial public health benefits.

Assessing the potential invasiveness of Cortaderia selloana in Sardinian wetlands through seed germination study

Abstract The present work is focused on the study of abiotic factors that may favour seed germination and the potential invasiveness of Cortaderia selloana, with particular attention to wetlands. Germination tests were conducted at the Sardinian Germplasm Bank (BG‐SAR), testing different temperatures and percentages of NaCl in order to determine the optimal ecological conditions at which germination occurs and the effect of salt on seed germination and viability, as well as on seedling development. Seeds completely germinated at every temperature tested, but the highest germination rate was found at 25°C. Salinity did not prevent seeds from germinating, but it affected germination rate and seedling vigour.

What does the germination ecophysiology of the invasive Acacia saligna (Labill.) Wendl. (Fabaceae) teach us for its management

Acacia saligna is a phanerophyte native to Australia; it was introduced in the 1950s in Sardinia (Italy) for afforestation mainly in coastal areas and at present it is considered naturalized, becoming invasive in sand dune habitats. Seed biology is one of the most important factors contributing to the invasion success of Australian acacias, for this reason the germination ability is an important issue when trying to clarify the invasion dynamics of A. saligna. Germination tests were conducted at the BG-SAR, testing the effect of different temperatures and percentages of NaCl, on seeds belonging to five accessions from four populations of two coastal habitat types. The optimal temperature range for seed germination was 15–20°C; the increase of salt caused a decrease in the final germination percentages. At 1% of NaCl concentration, germination fell at 25–30°C and at 2% it was relatively low (below 40%) and occurred almost only at 15°C. This work represents a contribution to the knowledge of the seed ecology and germination behaviour of the species, providing new data on the interpopulation and interannual variability, and relating them to the invasion dynamics of A. saligna in the coastal Mediterranean habitats.

Territory defence throughout conservation of the plant diversity: the project of the Protected Sea Area of Capo Carbonara (South eastern Sardinia)

Contents, activities in progress and results achieved of a project on the conservation of the plant diversity of the Protected Sea Area of Capo Carbonara, funded in 2005 by the Ministry of Environment and Territory Protection are illustrated.