Interactive effects of vegetation and sediment properties on erosion of salt marshes in the Northern Adriatic Sea.

We investigated how lateral erosion control, measured by novel photogrammetry techniques, is modified by the presence of Spartina spp. vegetation, sediment grain size, and the nutrient status of salt marshes across 230 km of the Italian Northern Adriatic coastline. Spartina spp. vegetation reduced erosion across our study sites. The effect was more pronounced in sandy soils, where erosion was reduced by 80% compared to 17% in silty soils. Erosion resistance was also enhanced by Spartina spp. root biomass. In the absence of vegetation, erosion resistance was enhanced by silt content, with mean erosion 72% lower in silty vs. sandy soils. We found no relevant relationships with nutrient status, likely due to overall high nutrient concentrations and low C:N ratios across all sites. Our results contribute to quantifying coastal protection ecosystem services provided by salt marshes in both sandy and silty sediments.

Changes in diatom patch-size distribution and degradation in a spatially self-organized intertidal mudflat ecosystem.

Self-organized spatial patterns have been proposed as possible indicators for regime shifts in ecosystems. Until now, this hypothesis has only been tested in drylands. Here, we focus on intertidal mudflats where regular spatial patterns develop in early spring from the interaction between diatom growth and sedimentation but disappear when benthic herbivore abundance increases in early summer, accompanied by a dramatic shift to a bare mudflat. We followed the patch-size distributions of diatom biofilms during this degradation process. As time progressed, we found a temporal change in the spatial configuration occurring simultaneously with the loss of the diatom-sediment feedback. This indicates a gradual failure in time of the self-organization process that underlies regular patterning in this ecosystem. The path to degradation co-occurred with the loss of the larger patches in the ecosystem, which resulted in a decrease of the truncation in the patch-size distribution. Hence, our study in mudflat ecosystems confirms the general hypothesis that spatial patterns can provide important clues about the level of degradation. Nevertheless, our study highlights the need for thorough study about the type of spatial patterns and the nature of the underlying feedbacks before a reliable assessment of ecosystem status can be made, as changes in patch-size distribution differed markedly with those observed in other ecosystems.

[Religion and psychiatry: responses to a case of manslaughter in religious mania]. / Godsdienst en psychiatrie: reacties op een geval van doodslag in godsdienstwaanzin.

After having touched upon some modalities of the relationship between religion and psychiatry, a paradox is pointed out in a psychiatry segregated by denomination as was the case in the Netherlands: this type of psychiatry was stated to be different because of its religious basis and inclination. However, religion seems to have played no substantial role whatever in its psychiatric-medical practice. Sometimes, this paradox caused problems as is shown in a case of manslaughter in religious (i.c. Calvinistic) mania in Appeltern (The Netherlands) in 1900. The psychiatric involvement, the divergent opinions of theologians and of the press from different denominations are presented. Calvinistic psychiatrists found themselves between the different camps: their Calvinistic leaders questioned implicitly the paradox Calvinistic psychiatry had previously attained and the Roman-Catholic press wanted to blame the Calvinistic religion for the manslaughter. As physicians they wanted to remain loyal to their co-professionals who had claimed non-culpability for the people (and, in fact, for the religion) involved. Defending once more 'the paradox' (and the underlying medical model)', shortly after, even in circles of Calvinistic psychiatrists, questions on religion and mental insanity reemerged, provoked by the case in Appeltern.