A titanosaurian sauropod with Gondwanan affinities in the latest Cretaceous of Europe.

The origin of the last sauropod dinosaur communities in Europe and their evolution during the final 15 million years of the Cretaceous have become a complex phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographic puzzle characterized by the controversy on the alleged coexistence of immigrant, Gondwana-related taxa alongside relictual and insular clades. In this context, we describe a new titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur, Abditosaurus kuehnei gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Tremp Group of Catalonia (Spain). Phylogenetic analyses recover Abditosaurus separately from other European titanosaurs, within a clade of otherwise South American and African saltasaurines. The affinity of the new taxon with southern landmasses is reinforced by spatiotemporal co-occurrence with Gondwanan titanosaurian oospecies in southern Europe. The large size and the lack of osteohistological features potentially related to insular dwarfism or size reduction support the idea that Abditosaurus belongs to an immigrant lineage, unequivocally distinct from some of the island dwarfs of the European archipelago. The arrival of the Abditosaurus lineage to the Ibero-Armorican Island is hypothesized to have occurred during the earliest Maastrichtian (70.6 Ma), probably as a result of a global and regional sea-level drop that reactivated ancient dispersal routes between Africa and Europe. The arrival of large-bodied titanosaurs to the European archipelago produced dramatic changes in its insular ecosystems and important evolutionary changes in its dinosaur faunas, especially with respect to the 'island rule' effect.

Megalosauripus transjuranicus ichnosp. nov. A new Late Jurassic theropod ichnotaxon from NW Switzerland and implications for tridactyl dinosaur ichnology and ichnotaxomy.

A new ichnospecies of a large theropod dinosaur, Megalosauripus transjuranicus, is described from the Reuchenette Formation (Early-Late Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic) of NW Switzerland. It is based on very well-preserved and morphologically-distinct tracks (impressions) and several trackways, including different preservational types from different tracksites and horizons. All trackways were excavated along federal Highway A16 near Courtedoux (Canton Jura) and systematically documented in the field including orthophotos and laserscans. The best-preserved tracks were recovered and additional tracks were casted. Megalosauripus transjuranicus is characterized by tridactyl tracks with clear claw and digital pad impressions, and notably an exceptionally large and round first phalangeal pad on the fourth digit (PIV1) that is connected to digit IV and forms the round heel area. Due to this combination of features, M. transjuranicus clearly is of theropod (and not ornithopod) origin. M. transjuranicus is compared to other Megalosauripus tracks and similar ichnotaxa and other unassigned tracks from the Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. It is clearly different from other ichnogenera assigned to large theropods such as Eubrontes-Grallator from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic or Megalosauripus-Megalosauropus-Bueckeburgichnus and Therangospodus tracks from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. A second tridactyl morphotype (called Morphotype II) is different from Megalosauripus transjuranicus in being subsymmetric, longer than wide (sometimes almost as wide as long), with blunt toe impressions and no evidence for discrete phalangeal pad and claw marks. Some Morphotype II tracks are found in trackways that are assigned to M. transjuranicus, to M.? transjuranicus or M. cf. transjuranicus indicating that some Morphotype II tracks are intra-trackway preservational variants of a morphological continuum of Megalosauripus transjuranicus. On the other hand, several up to 40 steps long trackways very consistently present Morphotype II features (notably blunt digits) and do not exhibit any of the features that are typical for Megalosauripus (notably phalangeal pads). Therefore, it is not very likely that these tracks are preservational variants of Megalosauripus transjuranicus or Megalosauripus isp. These trackways are interpreted to have been left by an ornithopod dinosaur. The high frequency of large theropod tracks in tidal-flat deposits of the Jura carbonate platform, associated on single ichnoassemblages with minute to medium-sized tridactyl and tiny to large sauropod tracks has important implications for the dinosaur community and for paleoenvironmental and paleogeographical reconstructions. As with most other known occurrences of Megalosauripus tracks, M. transjuranicus is found in coastal settings, which may reflect the preference of their theropod trackmakers for expanded carbonate flats where food was abundant.

Ichnological evidence of Megalosaurid Dinosaurs Crossing Middle Jurassic Tidal Flats.

A new dinosaur tracksite in the Vale de Meios quarry (Serra de Aire Formation, Bathonian, Portugal)preserves more than 700 theropod tracks. They are organized in at least 80 unidirectional trackways arranged in a bimodal orientation pattern (W/NW and E/SE). Quantitative and qualitative comparisons reveal that the large tridactyl, elongated and asymmetric tracks resemble the typical Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Megalosauripus ichnogenus in all morphometric parameters. Few of the numerous tracks are preserved as elite tracks while the rest are preserved as different gradients of modified true tracks according to water content, erosive factors, radial fractures and internal overtrack formations. Taphonomical determinations are consistent with paleoenvironmental observations that indicate an inter-tidal flat located at the margin of a coastal barrier. The Megalosauripus tracks represent the oldest occurrence of this ichnotaxon and are attributed to large megalosaurid dinosaurs. Their occurrence in Vale de Meios tidal flat represents the unique paleoethological evidence of megalosaurids moving towards the lagoon, most likley during the low tide periods with feeding purposes.

Intra-trackway morphological variations due to substrate consistency: the El Frontal dinosaur tracksite (Lower Cretaceous, Spain).

An ichnological and sedimentological study of the El Frontal dinosaur tracksite (Early Cretaceous, Cameros basin, Soria, Spain) highlights the pronounced intra-trackway variation found in track morphologies of four theropod trackways. Photogrammetric 3D digital models revealed various and distinct intra-trackway morphotypes, which reflect changes in footprint parameters such as the pace length, the track length, depth, and height of displacement rims. Sedimentological analyses suggest that the original substrate was non-homogenous due to lateral changes in adjoining microfacies. Multidata analyses indicate that morphological differences in these deep and shallow tracks represent a part of a continuum of track morphologies and geometries produced by a gradient of substrate consistencies across the site. This implies that the large range of track morphologies at this site resulted from similar trackmakers crossing variable facies. The trackways at the El Frontal site present an exemplary case of how track morphology, and consequently potential ichnotaxa, can vary, even when produced by a single trackmaker.

Discriminating between medium-sized Tridactyl Trackmakers: tracking Ornithopod tracks in the base of the Cretaceous (Berriasian, Spain).

BACKGROUND: Recent work on the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition of the Iberian Range (Spain) has opened a new window onto the interpretation of the trackmakers of some medium-sized tridactyl tracks. The ichnotaxon Therangospodus oncalensis has been described in the Huérteles Formation (Berriasian) and is one of the classical tracks from the area assigned to medium-sized theropods. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A review of the type locality of Therangospodus oncalensis (Fuentesalvo tracksite) and other tracksites from the Huérteles Formation (Berriasian) has yielded new information on the morphology, gait and trackmaker identity of the aforementioned ichnospecies. The new data suggest that the trackmaker is an ornithopod rather than a theropod on the basis of the length/width ratio, the anterior triangle length-width ratio, the short steps, the round to quadrangular heel pad impression and the probable manus impressions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: T. oncalensis shows similarities with various tracks from the Berriasian of Europe assigned to Iguanodontipus. The ichnotaxonomical status of this ichnospecies is here considered as Iguanodontipus? oncalensis due to the current state of knowledge of the ichnotaxonomy of medium-sized ornithopod tracks. This reassessment of I? oncalensis also has two significant implications for the palaeoecology of the faunas during the deposition of the Huérteles Formation: 1- the high number and percentage of theropod tracks would be lower than previous papers have suggested. 2- the gregarious behaviour described in the type locality (Fuentesalvo) would be among ornithopods instead of theropods.

Manus track preservation bias as a key factor for assessing trackmaker identity and quadrupedalism in basal ornithopods.

BACKGROUND: The Las Cerradicas site (Tithonian-Berriasian), Teruel, Spain, preserves at least seventeen dinosaur trackways, some of them formerly attributed to quadrupedal ornithopods, sauropods and theropods. The exposure of new track evidence allows a more detailed interpretation of the controversial tridactyl trackways as well as the modes of locomotion and taxonomic affinities of the trackmakers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Detailed stratigraphic analysis reveals four different levels where footprints have been preserved in different modes. Within the tridactyl trackways, manus tracks are mainly present in a specific horizon relative to surface tracks. The presence of manus tracks is interpreted as evidence of an ornithopod trackmaker. Cross-sections produced from photogrammetric digital models show different depths of the pes and manus, suggesting covariance in loading between the forelimbs and the hindlimbs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Several features (digital pads, length/width ratio, claw marks) of some ornithopod pes tracks from Las Cerradicas are reminiscent of theropod pedal morphology. This morphological convergence, combined with the shallow nature of the manus tracks, which reduces preservation potential, opens a new window into the interpretation of these tridactyl tracks. Thus, trackmaker assignations during the Jurassic-Cretaceous interval of purported theropod trackways may potentially represent ornithopods. Moreover, the Las Cerradicas trackways are further evidence for quadrupedalism among some basal small- to medium-sized ornithopods from this time interval.

Viabilidad de la identificación e intervención sobre lesionados de tráfico admitidos en urgencias con alcoholemia positiva: ¿una utopía? / Feasibility of identification and intervention on traffic accident casualties admitted to an emergency service with positive blood alcohol levels: utopia?

Objetivos: Reflexionar sobre las dificultades sobrevenidas en la realización de un estudio quasi-experimental sobre la efectividad de la intervención breve sobre lesionados de tráfico admitidos en el servicio de urgencias de un hospital de traumatología. Revisar la fiabilidad de la información recogida en la fase piloto del estudio y la viabilidad de una estrategia preventiva desde un servicio de urgencias. Métodos: En la etapa piloto, se ensayó un programa de formación de los profesionales encargados de realizar la intervención y se aplicó el protocolo del estudio sobre identificación precoz e intervención breve, previamente diseñado para el entorno de urgencias de traumatología. La opinión del personal de enfermería respecto a la viabilidad del cribado y de los profesionales formados (de enfermería y trabajo social) respecto a la formación recibida, su autoeficacia en la intervención y la viabilidad global del protocolo diseñado se recogieron mediante encuestas. En la etapa principal, se miden de nuevo la viabilidad del cribado de alcohol, mediante encuesta a la plantilla de enfermería de urgencias y la viabilidad de las intervenciones y del diseño global, encuestando al personal entrenado. No podemos hablar de un diseño pre-, post- porque la mitad de los profesionales son distintos, pero cabe comparar las opiniones recogidas tras las etapas piloto y central del estudio, respectivamente. Resultados: En la etapa piloto se estudiaron y comprobaron: la posibilidad de capacitar al personal mediante módulos de formación teóricopráctica, la viabilidad del cribado y la utilidad del reactivo elegido (Alcohol- On-Site, test saliva), así como la viabilidad y satisfación con el protocolo de la intervención por parte del personal formado. En la etapa principal, incontables dificultades coyunturales cuestionan la fiabilidad de las encuestas de opinión y de los ensayos piloto como predictores de la viabilidad y sostenibilidad de un protocolo diseñado para el mundo real. Conclusión: Quedan patentes las dificultades del entorno de urgencias para asumir tareas preventivas (AU)

Aims and objectives: To reflect on the difficulties encountered regarding a quasi-experimental study regarding brief intervention on traffic accident victims admitted to the Emergency Ward of a Traumatology Hospital. Furthermore, to review the reliability of the information collected during the pilot phase of a study and the feasibility fo preventive strategy induced from an Emergency Service. Methods: The pilot phase involved the study of a training programme for those professionals entrusted with the intervention, and applied the previously designed protocol for early identification and brief intervention that had been previously designed for Emergency Traumatology environments. The opinions of the nursing staff about the feasibility of screening and also of the professionals (both nursing and social workers) regarding their training, self-efficacy in intervention and overall training and efficacy in regard to the designed protocol were collected through surveys. In then main phase, the viability of alcohol screening was again measured through a survey of the emergency nursing staff and viability of interventions and of overall design through a survey of trained personnel. It is not possible to address a “pre-and post-” design, as one-half of the surveyed professionals were different; yet the opinions voiced during the pilot and central phases of the study may indeed be assessed. Results: Over the pilot phase, the following results were assessed and established: the possibility to train the personnel through theoretical-practical training modules, the feasibility of screening and the usefulness of the selected reagent (Alcohol-on-Site, saliva test), as well as the viability and satisfaction of the trained personnel as regards the intervention protocol. In the main stage, a number of conjunctural difficulties question the reliability of the opinion surveys and of the pilot assays as predictors of the viability and supportability of a protocol designed for the “real world”. Conclusions: The difficulties of an External Emergency environment if assuming preventive tasks becomes evident (AU)

Temperament, character, and attachment patterns in borderline personality disorder.

The aim of this study was to assess the specificity of the association between temperamental vulnerability, character deficits, and Borderline personality disorder (BPD), controlling for the effects of attachment patterns. A total of 44 BPD patients were compared with 98 non-BPD patients with other cluster B Personality Disorder (PD) diagnoses, 39 patients with any cluster A or cluster C PD diagnoses, 70 patients with no PD diagnosis, and 206 nonclinical patients. All patients were administered the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and the Attachment Style Questionnaire. Multivariate and univariate tests showed that BPD patients differed significantly from all control groups on Novelty Seeking and Cooperativeness. These differences remained significant when controlling for the effect of attachment.

The retrospective assessment of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults: reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Wender Utah Rating Scale.

To assess the reliability and validity of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), 759 Italian undergraduate students were administered the Italian version of the WURS. In this sample, the WURS showed good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha =.888). Both 1-week (r =.981, P <.001) and 2-month (r =.924, P <.001) retest reliabilities were satisfactory. The mother/subject agreement on the WURS total score was large: intraclass r =.883, P <.001. The principal component (PC) analysis showed the presence of three positively correlated first-order PCs, and one second-order PC. This PC structure of the WURS was replicated in an independent sample of 300 consecutively admitted psychiatric inpatients and outpatients. Finally, in a sample of 132 secondary school students, the WURS showed a moderate correlation with the Conners Abbreviated Parent and Teacher Questionnaire (CAPTQ): r =.307, P <.001. In this sample, the WURS total score was negatively correlated with school performance (rho = -.460, P <.001) and conduct (rho = -.293, P <.005) indexes.

Latent class analysis of DSM-IV schizotypal personality disorder criteria in psychiatric patients.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the latent structure of DSM-IV schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) diagnostic criteria. The sample consisted of 564 consecutively admitted inpatients and outpatients. Exploratory latent class analysis identified a four-class model as the best fitting model for DSM-IV SPD criteria. The first of the SPD latent classes was mainly characterized by odd thinking, inappropriate affect, and interpersonal features; the second class by cognitive/perceptual difficulties; the third class by paranoid features; and the fourth class by absence of SPD features. The conditional probability pattern of the fourclass solution could be safely replicated across confounder strata. Unlike previous findings, oddness, aloofness, and social withdrawal, rather than positive symptoms, best characterized SPD even in clinical samples.

Patterns of covariation of DSM-IV personality disorders in a mixed psychiatric sample.

The covariation patterns of DSM-IV personality disorders (PDs) were studied in 431 consecutively admitted psychiatric patients. The co-occurrence rate was greater than 50% for all DSM-IV PDs. Both bivariate association tests and loglinear models showed distinct significant covariation patterns among PDs which were stable across confounder strata. DSM-IV PD clusters were not replicated, with the exception of cluster A. Principal-component analysis (PCA) showed the presence of 3 latent dimensions, thus explaining the DSM-IV PD covariation patterns. These results seem to stress the inadequacy of the DSM-IV categorical model of PD assessment. The need for a reduction of axis II categories and the inclusion of a dimensional model in the diagnostic assessment of DSM-IV PDs are discussed.

A psychometric study of DSM-IV passive-aggressive (negativistic) personality disorder criteria.

The passive-aggressive (negativistic) personality disorder (PAPD) is one of the most controversial personality disorders. In order to assess DSM-IV PAPD psychometric properties and comorbidity pattern in a mixed psychiatric sample, 379 consecutively admitted in- and outpatients were administered SCID-II, Version 2.0. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that DSM-IV PAPD is a unidimensional construct with adequate internal consistency (K-R 20 = .85). A strong, specific association (odds ratio = 10.38, 95% CI = 4.83-22.30) was observed between DSM-IV PAPD and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that DSM-IV PAPD should be considered as a subtype of a broader narcissistic disorder.

Latent structure analysis of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder criteria.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder (BPD) criteria. The study group consisted of 564 consecutively admitted inpatients and outpatients. BPD criteria discriminatory power was tested by using corrected item-to-total and item-to-diagnosis correlations. Weighted least-squares (WLS) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the fit of DSM-IV BPD unidimensional model. The categorical model of BPD was tested by exploratory latent class analysis (LCA). Item analysis suggested a hierarchy in BPD criteria discriminatory power, even if with different rank order with respect to the DSM-IV model. CFA showed a unifactorial structure with congeneric items as the best fitting model for DSM-IV BPD criteria (chi2 = 18.89, df= 27, P > .87). LCA showed evidence for three latent classes; heterogeneity was observed only among subjects falling below DSM-IV diagnostic threshold for BPD. These results support the categorical model of BPD, even if with several differences with respect to DSM-IV.

Brief communication: criterion validity of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+) in a mixed psychiatric sample.

Three hundred consecutively admitted in- and outpatients were administered the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders, Version 2.0 (SCID-II) was used as the external diagnostic standard for personality disorder (PD) assessment. SCID-II was administered blind to PDQ-4+ scores. Low agreement between PDQ-4+ and SCID-II was observed for both dimensional and categorical PD evaluations. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed a definitively satisfactory discriminatory capability only for two PDQ-4+ PD scales (dependent, and antisocial). In agreement with previous studies, these results showed that PDQ-4+ was not a substitute for a structured diagnostic interview.

Interrater reliability and internal consistency of the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis II personality disorders (SCID-II), version 2.0.

Interrater reliability and internal consistency of the SCID-II 2.0 was assessed in a sample of 231 consecutively admitted in- and outpatients using a pairwise interview design, with randomized rater pairing and blind interview assessment. Interrater reliability coefficients ranged from .48 to .98 for categorical diagnosis (Cohen kappa), and from .90 to .98 for dimensional judgements (Intraclass correlation coefficient). Internal consistency coefficients were satisfactory (.71-.94). The results suggest that the SCID-II 2.0 has adequate interrater and internal consistency reliability.

Psychological stress in nurses' relationships with HIV-infected patients: the risk of burnout syndrome.

To assess the role played by psychological stress and sociodemographic factors as predictors of burnout in nurses, we administered the AIDS Impact Scale (AIS) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to nurses in the AIDS field. The sample was composed of 410 nurses from 19 departments for the treatment of infectious diseases. In these subjects we observed a low level of burnout in the MBI, but a small proportion had a high level of burnout We did not find significant associations between sociodemographic variables and the MBI scales. We found significant correlations between the MBI and three AIS scales that specifically assessed the emotional involvement of nurses in their relationships with patients. The results suggest that an empathic involved relationship seems to be protective towards burnout rather than a frustrating involved relationship. Moreover nurses tolerate stress better if they receive supportive social rewards. We found that the impact of working with HIV-infected patients causes psychological stress (measured with the AIS), but it is a weak predictor of burnout (measured with the MBI). The results indicated the incompatibility between the relational/defensive model of the AIS and the environmental/work performance model of the MBI.

An assessment of self-esteem in HIV-positive patients.

The objective of this research is to assess how self-esteem levels differ in HIV-infected subjects in three different risk behaviours: drug addicts, homosexuals, heterosexuals. The sample (n = 104) consisted of: drug addicts (n = 46); homosexual (n = 26); heterosexuals (n = 32). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) were used. A covariance analysis was used to assess the effect of the different personality traits on the 'self-esteem variable' and to eliminate the variance caused by the personality variables. Bonferroni's T-test was used to assess which group contributed to confute the hypothesis of equivalence between the RSES means of the groups. A significant association between the HIV-infection risk behaviour and the level of self-esteem was shown; this association was assessed by eliminating the effect of personality traits. The risk behaviour as well as the personality traits were both indicative of the level of self-esteem. The assessment of each group revealed that the drug addicts had a relatively lower self-esteem level (mean = 35.251) than the homosexuals (mean = 38.698) and the heterosexuals (mean = 38.227). In conclusion the RSES enables clinicians to identify subjects with low levels of self-esteem who need to be psychologically assessed within a vast population of HIV-infected patients.