Sediment records of two Italian subalpine lakes (Lake Garda and Lake Ledro) were analyzed in order to reconstruct their ecological evolution over the past several hundred years. A multi-proxy and multi-site approach was applied in order to disentangle the effects of local anthropogenic forcings, such as nutrients, and climate impacts on the two lakes and their catchments. Biological indicators (sub-fossil pigments, diatoms and Cladocera) were used to reconstruct changes in the aquatic food web and to define the lake reference conditions, while geochemical methods, i.e. wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (WD-XRF), were used to provide quantitative information on the different physical or chemical processes affecting both lake and catchment systems. Sub-fossil pigments and diatoms, together with their respective inferred TP values, suggested very stable oligotrophic conditions in both lakes until the 1960s. The period following was affected by nutrient enrichment, which led to a drastic shift in the phytoplanktonic community. The response of sub-fossil pigments and diatoms to major climatic anomalies such as the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA) were not pronounced, and the taxonomic composition remained relatively stable. On the contrary, these proxies showed an indirect response to climate variability since the beginning of the nutrient enrichment phase in the 1960s. In Lake Garda, the winter temperature regulates the water column mixing, which in its turn controls the degree of nutrient fertilization of the entire water column, and the related phytoplankton growth. In Lake Ledro a rapid reorganization of planktonic diatoms was observed only during the temperature recovery after the LIA, while recent temperature effects are masked by the prevailing nutrient effects. In Lake Garda, Cladocera remains responded in quantitative and qualitative terms to climatic changes, whereas in Lake Ledro they appeared to be mainly affected by variations in hydrological regimes, i.e. flood events. Cladocera remains corroborated the nutrient enrichment after the 1960s in both lakes as inferred by diatoms and pigments. In Lake Garda, the geochemical data showed a pronounced shift in elemental composition since the mid-1900s, when major elements and lithogenic tracers started to decrease, while some elements related to redox conditions and other (contaminant) trace elements increased. The general trends since the mid-1900s agree with the biological records. However, some differences recorded in the two different basins of Lake Garda reflected the effects of local conditions, both related to hydrology and sedimentation patterns. Lake Ledro showed higher short-term variability for most elements, even though some features were comparable to Lake Garda. The geochemical record of Lake Ledro revealed a major influence of human-induced lake-level fluctuations and catchment properties. This paleolimnological study allows us to place temporally restricted limnological surveys into a longer-term secular perspective, which is highly valuable for the definition of lake reference conditions. Because the restoration targets are usually based on the lake reference conditions, this study highlighted also the necessity to pay particular attention to the lake-specific sensitivity patterns. The multi-proxy and multi-site approach showed that the lake conditions of large and deep lakes in northern Italy, such as Lake Garda, are mainly driven by nutrient enrichment and/or climate change. In contrast, smaller lakes with larger catchment areas, such as Lake Ledro, are seemingly more impacted by conditions and processes occurring in the drainage basin.

Eating disorders are serious psychological disorders associated with debilitating lifestyle, multiple health problems and high rates of suicidality and mortality. Despite extensive research, the aetiology of eating disorders still remains unclear. Amongst the identified risk factors for eating disorders, stress has been frequently studied. The purpose of the present study was to explore the possibility that tail-pinch administered to rats could provide an animal model of stress-induced eating disturbances in humans, and whether environmental enrichment might ameliorate the effects of stress. In Experiment 1, we compared eating behaviours of rats that were reared in either enriched or standard environments and later exposed to tail-pinch and allowed to eat when food deprived. The study showed that a single exposure to tail-pinch induced eating disturbances in most of the rats. When rats were not food deprived, but were conditioned to eating when placed in test chamber, tail-pinch suppressed eating in all rats, but significantly more for rats reared under standard than in enriched conditions. Experiment 2 used a between-subjects design in which rats were reared in either a standard or enriched environment, and were either exposed to tail-pinch or not exposed during sessions in which they were not food deprived and allowed to eat. Tail-pinch suppressed the food intake of rats reared in enriched but not standard environments. Although this finding appeared to contradict results of Experiment 1, analysis of body weight revealed that exposure to tail pinch suppressed increases in weight gain across sessions more for rats reared in standard than enriched environments. The suppression of food intake during test sessions for enriched but not standard rats exposed to tail-pinch was attributed to differences in contextual conditioning and discrimination of the test chamber from home cages. Overall, results of the present study suggest that rats reared in enriched environments were more resilient to the effects of tail-pinch as a stressor. Implications of these findings for the understanding of human eating disorders are discussed.

Recent research using stable isotope analysis has shown a dependence on migrating or breeding populations of vertebrates as vectors for the transfer of marine-derived nutrients within coastal ecosystems. Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada supports numerous species of plants, a variety of seabird colonies (including common [Sterna hirundo] and Arctic [Sterna paradisaea] terns), the world’s largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) breeding colony, and a self-sustaining population of wild (feral) horses (Equus ferus caballus). I hypothesize that nitrogen cycling within this island ecosystem is highly influenced by the input of nutrients from seals and seabirds (‘biogenic vectors’), affecting primary production and potentially stabilizing higher trophic levels (i.e., horses). To examine this relation I developed a spatially-explicit isoscape for Sable Island through stable isotope analysis of nitrogen (δ15N) in samples (n = 282) of marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata). I incorporated significant variables (i.e., distance to vector colony and distance to shoreline, r2 = 0.41) into the final parsimonious interpolation model using universal co-kriging techniques. The greatest 15N enrichment occurred within the tips and along the perimeter of the island, coinciding with greater densities of grey seals, while the lowest values occurred within the centre of the island. I then identified individual contributions of seal-, tern- and horse-mediated transfer of marine-derived nutrients inland. Marram grass exhibited higher δ15N within seal (μ = 7.5‰) and tern (μ = 5‰) colonies, while horses and biogeochemical processes (i.e., volatilization, ammonification, etc.) most likely contributed to the homogeneity within the centre of the island (μ = 3.6‰). Due to the higher densities, wider distribution, and greater 15N enrichment of marram tissues, grey seals appear to be the most important vector species while seabirds have a more localized effect. The greater availability of N within vector colonies supplemented the local vegetation community, contributing to greater vegetation cover within colony boundaries. This relation had secondary effects on the horse population, which showed correspondingly higher horse δ15N values within the tips of the island (δ15N + 1.6‰) due to consumption of 15N enriched forage. I conclude that biogenic vector species promote nutrient transfer by establishing nutrient gateways which indirectly cause cascading effects throughout the food web.

Die großflächige Umwandlung von tropischen Wäldern hat zu dramatischen Verlusten von Biodiversität und assoziierten Ökosystemdienstleistungen und –funktionen geführt. Indonesien ist ein besonders schwerwiegendes Beispiel für den Verlust von Waldflächen und Biodiversität. Landumnutzungen, in starkem Maße durch den Anbau von Ölpalmen vorangetrieben, stellen eine erhebliche Bedrohung für die außergewöhnlich hohe Biodiversität des Landes dar. Landwirtschaftssysteme, wie Agroforstsysteme, können hingegen genutzt werden, um die Biodiversität und Ökosystemfunktionen in von Ölpalmen dominierten Landschaften zu erhöhen. In Regionen, in denen Ölpalmplantagen bereits die Landschaft dominieren, kann diese Erhöhung nur durch systematische Renaturierung erfolgen. Die zugrunde liegenden ökologischen und soziökonomischen Prozesse und damit verbundene Beschränkungen und Kompromisse von Renaturierungsmaßnahmen in von Ölpalmen dominierten Landschaften sind jedoch weitgehend unbekannt. Um diese Wissenslücke zu schließen, habe ich mit Kollegen aus Deutschland und Indonesien ein Langzeitexperiment zur Erhöhung der Biodiversität aufgebaut. Wir haben experimentell Bäume in Form von „Inseln“ in eine konventionelle Ölpalmplantage gepflanzt und hierbei systematisch die Flächengröße, das Diversitätslevel und die Artzusammensetzung variiert. Wir haben hierfür sechs multifunktionale heimische Baumarten ausgewählt. Auf der Fläche der Bauminseln haben wir einen Teil der Ölpalmen gefällt, um die Lichtverfügbarkeit für die gepflanzten Bäume durch eine reduzierte Ölpalmdichte zu erhöhen. In dieser Doktorarbeit stelle ich den Aufbau des Experiments vor und gebe einen breiten Einblick in anfängliche Auswirkungen des Experiments, indem ich ökologische Aspekte in Betracht ziehe, sowie Veränderungen hinsichtlich des Ernteertrags. Da die Zeit kurz nach der Pflanzung ein Nadelöhr für die Langzeitetablierung der Bäume darstellt, ist sie sehr kritisch, um die erwünschten Renaturierungserfolge in der Zukunft zu erzielen. Des Weiteren kann die Anfangszeit auch aus der Sicht der Landwirte eine entscheidende Hürde darstellen, da der Nutzen der Bauminseln erst lange Zeit nach ihrer Pflanzung entsteht. Zuerst beschreibe ich Umweltvariablen und biotische Charakteristika der den experimentellen Flächen assoziierten Vegetation, Invertebraten und Vögel vor der Errichtung des Experiments, sowie anfängliche Auswirkungen des Experiments auf die Fauna. Ein Jahr nach der Errichtung des Experiments hatten die Baumpflanzungen einen insgesamt positiven Effekt auf die Artengemeinschaften von Vögeln und Invertebraten in der Plantage. Die Größe der Bauminseln wirkte sich lediglich auf die Diversität und Abundanz von Invertebraten positiv aus, die somit auf kleinskalige Veränderungen reagierten. Ausgehend von diesen Ergebnissen erwarte ich einen weiteren Anstieg der Biodiversität und Ökosystemfunktionen in der Zukunft. Danach berichte ich über den Anwuchserfolg der Bäume und ermittle die wichtigsten Determinanten für den Wuchs und das Überleben der Bäume. Insgesamt sind die Bäume gut angewachsen, jedoch gab es große Unterschiede zwischen den Baumarten hinsichtlich relativer Höhenwachstums-, Dickenwachstums- sowie Überlebensraten. Arten mit hohen Wachstumsraten wiesen vorwiegend auch hohe Überlebensraten auf. Auf Versuchsflächenebene hatten Standortbedingungen, Flächengröße und Diversitätslevel der gepflanzten Bäume lediglich einen geringen Einfluss auf das mittlere Baumwachstum und die Überlebensrate. Auf Individuenebene habe ich signifikante Nachbarschaftseffekte festgestellt. Hohe benachbarte Bäume und die Distanz zu verbleibenden Ölpalmen begünstigten die Entwicklung der Bäume. Noch ist es zu früh zu entscheiden, welche der Baumarten sich generell am besten eignen, um Renaturierungsziele zu erreichen. Unterschiede in der anfänglichen Entwicklung liefern jedoch wichtige Informationen für eine zukünftige Bewertung der Arten. Zuletzt präsentiere ich Auswirkungen des Experiments auf den Ölpalmertrag. Nach zwei Jahren waren die Erträge pro Ölpalmindividuum erhöht, sowohl auf als auch direkt neben den Versuchsflächen. Die geschätzten Ertragsänderungen für die verschiedenen Flächengrößen unter Einbezug von Ernteverlusten durch gefällte Ölpalmen sowie Effekte auf benachbarte Ölpalmen deuten darauf hin, dass die erhöhten Ernteerträge insbesondere in großen Bauminseln mindestens das Fällen von Ölpalmen kompensiert haben. Diese Ergebnisse, die in der frühen Phase der Bauminseletablierung erzielt wurden, sind vielversprechend für die Erarbeitung nachhaltiger Managementoptionen für Ölpalmplantagen, die ökologische und ökonomische Funktionen in Einklang bringen. Die anfänglichen Auswirkungen waren stärker und insbesondere aus ökonomischer Perspektive profitabler als ich erwartet habe. Die Nachbarschaftseffekte und die Auswirkungen der experimentell veränderten Variablen waren bislang jedoch überwiegend schwach. Ich erwarte, dass diese Auswirkungen mit der Zeit stärker ausgeprägt sein werden. Durch Erkenntnisse, die aus zukünftigen Langzeitbeobachtungen des Experiments, das ich in dieser Doktorarbeit vorstelle, gewonnen werden, können Wissenslücken geschlossen werden. Somit kann die Ausarbeitung von Managementrichlinien für von Ölpalmen dominierten Landschaften ermöglicht werden, die sowohl ökologisch verbessert als auch ökonomisch lohnenswert sind. Diese Doktorarbeit stellt einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur generellen Beurteilung des Experiments dar, wodurch darüber hinaus auch neue Erkenntnisse für die Renaturierungswissenschaft gewonnen werden können.

Introduction: Chez les mammifères, la naissance de nouveaux neurones se poursuit à l’âge adulte dans deux régions du cerveau: 1) l’hippocampe et 2) la zone sous-ventriculaire du prosencéphale. La neurogenèse adulte n’est pas un processus stable et peut être affectée par divers facteurs tels que l’âge et la maladie. De plus, les modifications de la neurogenèse peuvent être à l’origine des maladies de sorte que la régulation ainsi que le rétablissement de la neurogenèse adulte doivent être considérés comme d’importants objectifs thérapeutiques. Chez la souris saine ou malade, la neurogenèse hippocampale peut être fortement régulée par l’enrichissement environnemental ainsi que par l’activité physique. Cependant, lors même que l’activité physique et l’enrichissement environnemental pourraient contribuer au traitement de certaines maladies, très peu d’études porte sur les mécanismes moléculaires et physiologiques responsables des changements qui sont en lien avec ces stimuli. Objectifs et hypothèses: Les principaux objectifs de cette étude sont de caractériser les effets de stimuli externes sur la neurogenèse et, par le fait même, d’élucider les mécanismes sous-jacents aux changements observés. En utilisant le modèle d’activité physique volontaire sur roue, cette étude teste les deux hypothèses suivantes: tout d’abord 1) qu’une période prolongée d’activité physique peut influencer la neurogenèse adulte dans le prosencéphale et l’hippocampe, et 2) que l’activité volontaire sur roue peut favoriser la neurogenèse à travers des stimuli dépendants ou indépendants de la course. Méthodes: Afin de valider la première hypothèse, nous avons utilisé un paradigme incluant une activité physique volontaire prolongée sur une durée de six semaines, ainsi que des analyses immunohistochimiques permettant de caractériser l’activité de précurseurs neuronaux dans la zone sous-ventriculaire et l’hippocampe. Ensuite, pour valider la seconde hypothèse, nous avons utlisé une version modifiée du paradigme ci-dessous, en plaçant les animaux (souris) soit dans des cages traditionnelles, soit dans des cages munies d’une roue bloquée soit dans des cages munies d’une roue fonctionnelle. Résultats: En accord avec la première hypothèse, l’activité physique prolongée volontaire a augmenté la prolifération des précurseurs neuronaux ainsi que la neurogenèse dans le gyrus dentelé de l’hippocampe comparativement aux animaux témoins, confirmant les résultats d’études antérieures. Par ailleurs, dans ce paradigme, nous avons aussi observé de la prolifération acrue au sein de la zone sous-ventriculaire du prosencéphale. De plus, en accord avec la seconde hypothèse, les souris placées dans une cage à roue bloquée ont montré une augmentation de la prolifération des précurseurs neuronaux dans l’hippocampe comparable à celle observée chez les souris ayant accès à une roue fonctionnelle (coureurs). Cependant, seuls les animaux coureurs ont présenté une augmentation de la neurogenèse hippocampale. Conclusions: Ces résultats nous ont permis de tirer deux conclusions nouvelles concernant les effets de l’activité physique (course) sur la neurogenèse. Premièrement, en plus de la prolifération et de la neurogenèse dans le gyrus dentelé de l’hippocampe, la prolifération dans la zone sous-ventriculaire du prosencéphale peut être augmentée par l’activité physique sur roue. Deuxièmement, l’environnement dans lequel l’activité physique a lieu contient différents stimuli qui peuvent influencer certains aspects de la neurogenèse hippocampale en l’absence d’activité physique sur roue (course). / Introduction: In mammals, new neurons continue to be produced throughout the adulthood in two brain regions: 1) the hippocampus and 2) the forebrain subventricular zone. Adult neurogenesis is not a stable process, and changes in response to diverse factors such as age and pathology. Furthermore, because changes in neurogenesis may in fact underlie pathogenesis, regulating or restoring neurogenesis is seen as an important therapeutic objective. In healthy and diseased mice, hippocampal neurogenesis can be robustly regulated by environmental enrichment. However, while physical activity and environmental enrichment are potentially important in the treatment of some pathologies, comparatively little is known about the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying activity/environment-dependent changes in neurogenesis. Objectives and hypotheses: The primary objectives of this study are to characterize the neurogenesis-mediating effects of external stimuli and, in doing so, to elucidate the mechanisms that underlie observed changes. Using voluntary wheel running as a model, this study addresses two hypotheses: 1) that extended periods of physical activity can influence adult neurogenesis in the forebrain and the hippocampus and 2) that voluntary wheel running mediates neurogenesis through both running-dependent and running-independent stimuli. Methods: To address the first hypothesis, we used a prolonged six-week voluntary paradigm and immunohistochemical analyses to characterize neural precursor activity in the subventricular zone and hippocampus. To address the second hypothesis, we used a modified version of the above paradigm, where an additional group of mice were housed in cages with a locked running wheel. Results: With respect to the first hypothesis, prolonged voluntary wheel running was found to increase neural precursor proliferation and neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus relative to control animals, confirming the results of previous studies. More importantly, in this paradigm, proliferation in the forebrain subventricular zone was also found to be increased. In keeping with the second hypothesis, mice that were housed in locked-running wheel cages showed an increase in hippocampal neural precursor proliferation comparable to that of running animals. However, only running animals displayed increased hippocampal neurogenesis. Conclusions: These results allow us to draw two novel conclusions regarding the effects of running on neurogenesis. First, proliferation in the forebrain subventricular zone, in addition to proliferation and neurogenesis in the hippocampus, is subject to regulation by wheel-running. Second, the wheel-running environment contains diverse stimuli which can influence some aspects of hippocampal neurogenesis in the absence of wheel running.

This study involved the effects of a perceptual motor enrichment program upon the motor skills of a six year old boy with cerebellar brain damage, who, with a control group of ten normal six year olds, was given a pre-test of motor skills. He and a child from the control group participated in a perceptual-motor enrichment program. The motor skills of both subjects were tested halfway through the program. Following the program, the experimental child, the control child, and the control group were post-tested on their motor skills. The testings showed that the greatest gains in motor skills were obtained by the experimental child, followed by the control child. The control group displayed little increase in motor skill performance.

La protéogénomique consiste à affiner l'annotation du génome d'organismes modèles pour lesquels des données protéomiques sont générées à haut-débit. Des erreurs d'annotation structurale ou fonctionnelle sont encore fréquentes. Innover dans les méthodologies permettant de lever ces ambiguïtés est essentiel. L'étude spécifique du N-terminome permet de vérifier expérimentalement l'identification du codon d'initiation de la traduction et de certifier les données obtenues. Pour cela, deux stratégies innovantes ont été développées basées sur : i) le marquage sélectif du N-terminal des protéines, ii) une digestion multienzymatique en parallèle, et ii) l'enrichissement spécifique des peptides N-terminaux marqués par chromatographies liquides successives ou immunocapture dirigée contre le groupement N-terminal ajouté. L'efficacité de ces méthodologies a été démontrée à partir du modèle bactérien Roseobacter denitrificans. Après enrichissement par chromatographie, 480 protéines ont été validées et 46 ré-annotées. Plusieurs sites d'initiation de la traduction ont été décelés et l'annotation par similarité a été remise en cause dans certains cas. Après immunocapture, 269 protéines ont été caractérisées dont 40% ont été identifiées spécifiquement après enrichissement. Trois gènes ont également été annotés pour la première fois. Les résultats complémentaires obtenus après analyse par spectrométrie de masse en tandem facilitent l'interprétation des données pour révéler les sites d'initiation réels de la synthèse des protéines et identifier de nouveaux produits d'expression des gènes. La ré-annotation peut devenir automatique et systématique pour améliorer les bases de données protéiques. / Proteogenomics is a recent field at the junction of genomics and proteomics which consists of refining the annotation of the genome of model organisms with the help of high-throughput proteomic data. Structural and functional errors are still frequent and have been reported on several occasions. Innovative methodologies to prevent such errors are essential. N-terminomics enables experimental validation of initiation codons and certification of the annotation data. With this objective in mind, two innovative strategies have been developed combining: i) selective N-terminal labeling of proteins, ii) multienzymatic digestion in parallel, and iii) specific enrichment of most N-terminal labeled peptides using either successive liquid chromatography steps or immunocapture directed towards the N-terminal label. Efficiency of these methodologies has been demonstrated using Roseobacter denitrificans as bacterial model organism. After enrichment with chromatography, 480 proteins were validated and 46 re-annotated. Several start sites for translation initiation were detected and homology driven annotation was challenged in some cases. After immunocapture, 269 proteins were characterized of which 40% were identified specifically after enrichment. Three novel genes were also annotated for the first time. Complementary results obtained after tandem mass spectrometry analysis allows easier data interpretation to reveal real start sites of translation initiation of proteins and to identify novel expressed products. In this way, the re-annotation process may become automatic and systematic to improve protein databases.

This work focuses on the form of instructor training in the method of Instrumental Enrichment at the FIE I (Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment I) course. Another key issue is monitoring of the professional structure of the course's attenders and the changes it undergoes with the introduction of a new instructor trainer to The Czech Republic. Next goal of the work is to explore how are the participants of the course motivated to work with this method and to cover potentional difficulties with putting it into practise as perceived by the participants themselves. Appart from covering how participants' motivation fluctuated during the course the practical part of the work also focuses on the participant's assesment of the course itself while trying to register anticipated changes in their thinking over its duration. For better understanding attenders' attitude to topics they assessed (whether it is about tools - the Instruments, a difficult sections of the lecture or technical terminology from the field of mediated learning) this work includes a brief presentation of Feuerstein's educational theory. KEY WORDS: Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment - FIE I, mediated learning, Instruments, motivation, putting the method into practise, professional structure of attenders

5 Abstract The work deals with the development of cognitive skills by the method of the Feuerstein Instrumental enrichment for seniors in a residential care. It should clarify whether the Instrumental Enrichment Program is practicable when working with seniors and how it will affect the development of cognitive abilities of these people. The theoretical part deals with the period of the old age, the cognitive specific of seniors, the contemporary views on the brain functioning, and especially with the Instrumental Enrichment Program.The practical part includes the results of the qualitative research. The main method of data collection was a " dynamic assessment " of the cognitive test and the case studies. The qualitative results evaluation of the Addenbrooke cognitive test showed the improvement in the solution methods almost in all levels ( input , elaboration and output) . The results of the study showed that the Instrumental Enrichment Program is very suitable for the seniors. Its use is meaningful not only for clients with mild cognitive insult but it is also very effective for the people with more severe degrees of dementia.

The thesis deals with the topic of diagnostics in children with behavioral problems and disorders. In the theoretical part the author describes commonly used terminology and the width of issues related to caring for these children. The Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Program is described and built on later in the practical section where the author introduces her own new method called "Children Together". The practical part of the thesis deals with action research aiming at improving author's practice in the field of special education and at evaluating the potential of the new method. The analysis of audio recordings from lessons and semi-structured interviews and two other supplementary research methods were utilized throughout the research. The outcomes of the research allow for a conclusion that the method "Children Together" can provide us with a volume of valuable assessment data on younger elementary-school-aged children. Towards the end of the thesis the author also identifies features of the method most valued by selected professionals, the ways how the method has been improved during the research and how it could be improved further on. The final product of the research is a method that is useful in special education practice, under certain conditions. The potential of the method has...