The stakeholder's perception of socio-economic impacts generated by COVID-19 pandemic within the Italian aquaculture systems.

From the beginning of March 2020 and for the following two and half months, many European countries comprising Italy have been forced into an unprecedented lockdown, allowing only the opening of essential economic activities needed to address the problems created by the pandemic (e.g. sanitary, food provision). Like many sectors of the Italian economy, aquaculture has also slowed down due to the ongoing emergency and the consequent closure of business. In our study we provided a 'snapshot' of the socio-economic effects of the lockdown on the aquaculture sector in Italy, immediately following the adoption of the COVID-19 restrictions as they were perceived by the workers. Although it was surveyed for a short-time period, differences in perception have been detected both in relation to the type of aquaculture as well as to the geographic locations where farms were placed, partially reflecting the economic gaps already existing within the northern and the southern part of the country before the lockdown.

The aquaculture supply chain in the time of covid-19 pandemic: Vulnerability, resilience, solutions and priorities at the global scale.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has had severe, unpredictable and synchronous impacts on all levels of perishable food supply chains (PFSC), across multiple sectors and spatial scales. Aquaculture plays a vital and rapidly expanding role in food security, in some cases overtaking wild caught fisheries in the production of high-quality animal protein in this PFSC. We performed a rapid global assessment to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related emerging control measures on the aquaculture supply chain. Socio-economic effects of the pandemic were analysed by surveying the perceptions of stakeholders, who were asked to describe potential supply-side disruption, vulnerabilities and resilience patterns along the production pipeline with four main supply chain components: a) hatchery, b) production/processing, c) distribution/logistics and d) market. We also assessed different farming strategies, comparing land- vs. sea-based systems; extensive vs. intensive methods; and with and without integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, IMTA. In addition to evaluating levels and sources of economic distress, interviewees were asked to identify mitigation solutions adopted at local / internal (i.e., farm-site) scales, and to express their preference on national / external scale mitigation measures among a set of a priori options. Survey responses identified the potential causes of disruption, ripple effects, sources of food insecurity, and socio-economic conflicts. They also pointed to various levels of mitigation strategies. The collated evidence represents a first baseline useful to address future disaster-driven responses, to reinforce the resilience of the sector and to facilitate the design reconstruction plans and mitigation measures, such as financial aid strategies.

Chirp management in silicon-graphene electro absorption modulators.

We study the frequency chirp properties of graphene-on-silicon electro-absorption modulators (EAMs). By experimentally measuring the chirp of a 100 µm long single layer graphene EAM, we show that the optoelectronic properties of graphene induce a large positive linear chirp on the optical signal generated by the modulator, giving rise to a maximum shift of the instantaneous frequency up to 1.8 GHz. We exploit this peculiar feature for chromatic-dispersion compensation in fiber optic transmission thanks to the pulse temporal lensing effect. In particular, we show dispersion compensation in a 10Gb/s transmission experiment on standard single mode fiber with temporal focusing distance (0-dB optical-signal-to-noise ratio penalty) of 60 km, and also demonstrate 100 km transmission with a bit error rate largely lower than the conventional Reed-Solomon forward error correction threshold of 10-3.

The impact of intravenous thrombolysis on outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke after 90 years old.

BACKGROUND: Age increases the risk of mortality and poor prognosis following stroke. The benefit of intravenous thrombolysis in very old patients remains uncertain. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of thrombolysis in very old patients considering their perfusion-imaging profile. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study including patients older than 90 y.o. admitted for an acute ischemic stroke. A computed tomography perfusion-imaging (CTP) was performed in patients who received thrombolysis. Primary outcome was the functional status at 3 months, assessed by the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Secondary outcomes were the rate of hemorrhagic transformations, duration of hospitalization and the rate of death in the first 7 days. Patients receiving thrombolysis were compared with an age-matched group of non-thrombolysed patients. RESULTS: 78 patients were included (31 % male, aged 92 ± 1.7 y.o). 37 patients received thrombolysis and among them, 30 had CTP with a mismatch. The three months mRS was not significantly different in the two groups (mRS 0-2: 5 % and 7 % in the thrombolysed and non-thrombolysed group, respectively). Hemorrhagic transformations were more frequent in the thrombolysed group (54 % versus 12 %, p = 0.002) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage tended to be associated with mRS at three months and death in the first 7 days. Duration of hospitalization was longer in the thrombolysed group (10 days ± 12 versus 7 days ± 9, p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received thrombolysis did not have a better functional prognosis than non-thrombolysed patients.

Occurrence of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in key species of anthozoans in Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea's biodiversity is declining due to climate change and human activities, with plastics and emerging contaminants (ECs) posing significant threats. This study assessed phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) occurrence in four anthozoan species (Cladocora caespitosa, Eunicella cavolini, Madracis pharensis, Parazoanthus axinellae) using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). All specimens were contaminated with at least one contaminant, reaching maximum values of 57.3 ng/g for the ∑PAEs and 64.2 ng/g (wet weight) for ∑APIs, with dibutyl phthalate and Ketoprofen being the most abundant. P. axinellae was the most contaminated species, indicating higher susceptibility to bioaccumulation, while the other three species showed two-fold lower concentrations. Moreover, the potential adverse effects of these contaminants on anthozoans have been discussed. Investigating the impact of PAEs and APIs on these species is crucial, given their key role in the Mediterranean benthic communities.

Modification of the pedicled osteomuscular dorsal scapula flap to include a skin paddle.

This article describes a reliable surgical alternative for the repair of wide oromandibular defects that require bone and soft tissues, which was applied in two patient cases. While microvascular free flap transfer, especially the fibula flap, is the gold standard for mandibular reconstruction, this reconstruction is challenging in patients with a vessel-depleted neck and/or severe arteriosclerosis. The pedicled osteomuscular dorsal scapular (OMDS) flap is a surgical alternative to free flap transfer in this clinical setting. The technique described involves harvesting of the OMDS flap to include a skin paddle, which is often required to close wide oral mucosal defects.

Photo thermal effect graphene detector featuring 105 Gbit s-1 NRZ and 120 Gbit s-1 PAM4 direct detection.

One of the main challenges of next generation optical communication is to increase the available bandwidth while reducing the size, cost and power consumption of photonic integrated circuits. Graphene has been recently proposed to be integrated with silicon photonics to meet these goals because of its high mobility, fast carrier dynamics and ultra-broadband optical properties. We focus on graphene photodetectors for high speed datacom and telecom applications based on the photo-thermo-electric effect, allowing for direct optical power to voltage conversion, zero dark current, and ultra-fast operation. We report on a chemical vapour deposition graphene photodetector based on the photo-thermoelectric effect, integrated on a silicon waveguide, providing frequency response >65 GHz and optimized to be interfaced to a 50 Ω voltage amplifier for direct voltage amplification. We demonstrate a system test leading to direct detection of 105 Gbit s-1 non-return to zero and 120 Gbit s-1 4-level pulse amplitude modulation optical signals.

Differentiation and adaptive radiation of amphibious gobies (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) in semi-terrestrial habitats.

During several surveys made in the region of the lower Fly River and delta, Papua New Guinea, nine species of oxudercine gobies (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) were recorded: Boleophthalmus caeruleomaculatus, Oxuderces wirzi, Periophthalmodon freycineti, Periophthalmus darwini, Periophthalmus novaeguineaensis, Periophthalmus takita, Periophthalmus weberi, Scartelaos histophorus and Zappa confluentus. An exploratory multivariate analysis of their habitat conditions discriminated five guilds, differentially distributed in habitats with different quantities of environmental water and three guilds corresponding to different levels of salinity. A partial correspondence between phylogenetic and ecological categories suggested the presence of parallel adaptive radiations within different genera. In particular, the species found in the most terrestrial habitats (P. weberi) was also found in the widest range of conditions, suggesting that colonization of extreme semi-terrestrial and freshwater habitats by this species was facilitated by eurytypy. It is proposed that these findings provide insight into convergent adaptations for the vertebrate eco-evolutionary transition from sea to land.

[L.D. n. 81/08: the role of National Health Service Occupational Health and Safety Units]. / Il D.Lgs. n. 81/08: ruolo dei Servizi di Prevenzione e Sicurezza negli Ambienti di Lavoro delle ASL.

The new legislative decree n. 81/2008 restates the national health service occupational health and safety units primary role on the workplaces safeguard. Comparing with the previous law, the need of co-operation and co-ordination between these units and the other public agencies with the same institutional aim is now emphasized; moreover, the health promotion in workplaces and the risk communication are required to be enforced as necessary needs complementary to the traditional controls about workplaces' safety rules abidance. These activities must be carried out together with all the interested local institutions and organizations, among which the occupational physicians can play a main role, as the projects realized in different Italian regions have already proved. The start up of the new central institutional system that have to decide the national health and safety policies in the workplaces should provide the technical and political directions for the health promotion, completing the local aims that have--usefully--been driving till now this kind of projects.

[The surveillance of occupational risks. Problems and perspectives of the recent legislative framework after the national preliminary survey]. / I dati sanitari aggregati e di rischio dei lavoratori sottoposti a sorveglianza sanitaria. Risultati preliminari dello studio pilota nazionale sulle comunicazioni ex art. 40. D.lgs 81/2008.

BACKGROUND: Legislation in Italy concerning health, safety and prevention at the workplace recently established a new data communication standard OBJECTIVES: The findings are reported of a specific survey on 18 Local Health Units (ASL) over the entire Italian territory, aimed at identifying the critical points in data management and analyze the available information. METHODS: The occupational health physician for each company must collect and transmit information on the number of workers submitted to health surveillance protocols to the Local Health Unit. Information must be divided by risk factor and gender Local health Units then transmit the data to the Regions and finally to the Italian National Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention (ISPESL). RESULTS: A sample of 22.977 companies was studied, providing information on about 410,009 workers undergoing health surveillance protocols. Carrying or moving heavy loads, exposure to noise, VDU and chemical substances were the most frequent risk factors. The difference between genders was significant in risk allocation, with exposures to VDU and biological agents prevalently among females. CONCLUSIONS: The information thus collected suffered from a lack of data organization and completeness in the sample under study, but nevertheless provides preliminary evidence of a map of occupational risks on a national basis, confirming the potential for the new law (D.Lgs 81/2008) to investigate health safety and prevention at the workplace.

Anthropogenic Marine Debris assessment with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle imagery and deep learning: A case study along the beaches of the Republic of Maldives.

Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) is one of the major environmental issues of our planet to date, and plastic accounts for 80% of total AMD. Beaches represent one of the main marine compartment where AMD accumulates, but few and scattered regional assessments are available from literature reporting quantitative estimation of AMD distributed on the shorelines. However, accessing information on the AMD accumulation rate on beaches, and the associated spatiotemporal oscillations, would be crucial to refining global estimation on the dispersal mechanisms. In our work, we address this issue by proposing an ad-hoc methodology for monitoring and automatically quantifying AMD, based on the combined use of a commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (equipped with an RGB high-resolution camera) and a deep-learning based software (i.e.: PlasticFinder). Remote areas were monitored by UAV and were inspected by operators on the ground to check and to categorise all AMD dispersed on the beach. The high-resolution images obtained from UAV allowed to visually detect a percentage of the objects on the shores higher than 87.8%, thus providing suitable images to populate training and testing datasets, as well as gold standards to evaluate the software performance. PlasticFinder reached a Sensitivity of 67%, with a Positive Predictive Value of 94%, in the automatic detection of AMD, but a limitation was found, due to reduced sunlight conditions, thus restricting to the use of the software in its present version. We, therefore, confirmed the efficiency of commercial UAVs as tools for AMD monitoring and demonstrated - for the first time - the potential of deep learning for the automatic detection and quantification of AMD.

Spatial and seasonal variations in the water quality of the Amu Darya River (Central Asia).

Although the use of the water resources in Uzbekistan is strongly limited by their quality, it has to be noted that there is a lack of information and data within the international scientific literature with regard to the water chemical characteristics of the Amu Darya River, one of the main water resources in Central Asia. To add to such knowledge, this paper examines the spatial and temporal variation of the water quality of the Amu Darya River in order to assess its degree of degradation and the main causal factors. The functional relationships of the pollutants with respect to the flow regime are investigated. Finally an "opportune temporal window" for water withdrawal for filling the reservoirs, in relation to human consumption, will be indicated. The high salinization levels of the waters are mainly due to the presence of sulphates and chlorine. At the up-stream site salinity, although presenting elevated concentrations, does not exceed palatability levels; after the 450 km point the opportune temporal window for water withdrawal with acceptable salinity values is reduced to the period from May to September. Two main driving forces govern the temporal variation of the salinity of the Amu Darya water: a low drainage density of the area which limits the salt loads induced by the natural runoff processes, and snow and glacier melting in the upper catchment area which promotes dilution of the dissolved salts during the high-flow period. During low-flow periods salinity is strongly influenced by the return of waters used for land washing and irrigation.

Morphometric discriminant analysis for the classification of Diplectanum (Monogenea: monopisthocotylea), parasites of Sphyraena flavicauda.

The authors have examined the morphology of Diplectanum cazauxi and Diplectanum bauchotae through the observation of 23 specimens (10 of D. cazauxi and 13 of D. bauchotae) found during May 2003 on the gills of 2 specimens of Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell, 1838 collected at Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt. A discriminant analysis was performed on the morphometric data of opisthaptor to determine which parameters more accurately distinguish the two species. The best discriminant parameters resulted to be the copulatory apparatus and the central bar, which determined the absence of misclassification in the model. The discriminant functions are reported for the two species.

Lack of vasoactive intestinal peptide-releasing property in prolactin cells from ovariectomized rats: contribution of post-transductional impairments.

We have demonstrated recently that in menopausal women and in ovariectomized rats the deficiency of circulating oestrogens impairs vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) efficacy in stimulating prolactin (PRL) release. The present study was designed to investigate whether the lack of VIP-induced PRL release after ovariectomy is a consequence of a defect at the receptor-transductional or post-transductional level. For this purpose we evaluated the VIP receptor function, by measuring VIP-stimulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) formation, and the efficacy of the cyclic AMP-dependent PRL release in pituitary cells from control and ovariectomized animals. We observed that VIP induced a significantly higher stimulation of adenylate cyclase in pituitary homogenates from ovariectomized rats than in those from control animals. This effect appeared to be linked to an increased efficiency of the Gs coupling protein, because superimposable results were obtained by using the non-hydrolysable guanosine triphosphate (GTP) analogue, 5-guanylylimidodiphosphate. On the contrary, the cyclic AMP analogue, 8-Br-cAMP, that potently stimulated PRL release from control pituitary cells was completely ineffective in cells from ovariectomized rats. The present data indicate that in PRL-secreting cells from ovariectomized rats a defect in the post-transductional mechanism that couples the VIP receptor to PRL secretion, rather than a reduction of receptor function, possibly accounts for the lack of VIP efficacy.

Difference between diabetic and nondiabetic smokers in the pituitary response to physical exercise.

The growth hormone (GH), cortisol, and arginine vasopressin (AVP) responses to bicycle ergometry (with increasing workload until exhaustion) were measured in 20 patients affected by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (10 habitual smokers and 10 nonsmokers) and 20 nondiabetic subjects (normal controls) (10 habitual smokers and 10 nonsmokers). Cardiorespiratory parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, ventilation, frequency of breathing, tidal volume, oxygen consumption (Vo(2)), carbondioxide production (Vco(2)), and respiratory exchange ratio (R) were monitored before and during exercise tests. No significant differences between groups were observed; furthermore, there were no differences in circulating somatomedin-C (SM-C) and free fatty acids (FFA) levels between groups. Blood glucose levels were similar before exercise and followed a similar pattern during tests in diabetic smokers and nonsmokers. Basal GH, cortisol, and AVP levels were similar in diabetic smokers, diabetic nonsmokers, normal smokers, and normal nonsmokers. In all groups, exercise induced a significant increase in the serum concentrations of all examined hormones. Increments were significantly higher in diabetic than in nondiabetic groups. No significant differences were observed between diabetic smokers and nonsmokers for all examined hormones. AVP responses during tests were similar in normal smokers and nonsmokers. In contrast, exercise-induced GH and cortisol increments were significantly lower in normal smokers than in normal nonsmokers. These data support the hypothesis that in normal subjects habitual nicotine consumption may attenuate both GH and cortisol responses to a releasing stimulation, such as physical exercise. This phenomenon may represent an expression of adaptation of nicotinic neurotransmission to chronic stimulation. Furthermore, the data show that the effect induced by habitual smoking is absent in diabetics, probably because of diabetes-induced neuroendocrine alterations in the central nervous system.

Opposing regulation of amyloid precursor protein by ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors.

The effects of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) selective agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) on amyloid precursor protein (APP) levels were investigated in primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells. Both immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting techniques showed increased APP levels 4 h after a 15 min pulse with NMDA. This effect was completely prevented by incubating the neurones in the presence of the selective metabotropic GluR (mGluR) agonist 1S,3R-ACPD. This phenomenon was related, in terms of doses and time, with the observed 1S,3R-ACPD-mediated protection on NMDA-induced granule cell death. Our findings indicate that APP metabolism is differentially regulated by the stimulation of various GluR subtypes. The GluR-mediated changes in APP content might participate in the control of neuronal viability.

Metal uptake in neurone cultures: a systematic study.

We present the first comparative study of the uptake of metal ions by neurons, performed for Zn, Cr, Co, Mo, Al, Ni, Mn and Cd. The study reveals substantial differences in the uptake of different metals, under similar exposure procedures. In particular, we found very large uptakes for aluminium and molybdenum. We also found significant effects of excitatory substances, in particular kainate, as stimulants of uptake of some of the metals.

Heavy metals concentrations in acanthocephalans parasites compared to their fish host.

A number of authors have demonstrated that heavy metal concentrations in intestinal Helminths are higher than those found in the tissues of their final hosts. In this work, Pb and Cr concentrations in the Acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus anguillae were measured by means of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The metal concentrations measured in the whole body of Acanthocephalans were compared to those in the liver of their fish hosts (Leuciscus cephalus) sampled in the Lambro river (Northern Italy). The results show higher concentrations of Pb and Cr in the parasites, respectively approximately 200 times and approximately 60 times higher than that of the host liver. These results corroborate the usefulness of parasites in the monitoring of biologically available metal concentrations in aquatic ecosystems that are non severely polluted.

Prekallikein and kallikrein inhibitor in liver cirrhosis and hepatitis.

Plasma prekallikrein (kallikreinogen) and kallikrein inhibitor, assayed with the kaolin activable esterase method, have been evaluated in 20 patients with hepatic cirrhosis, in 12 cases with jaundice from acute viral hepatitis, and in 9 normal. A significant reduction of the plasma prekallikrein in cirrhosis has been found. A lowering of plasma prekallikrein has also been observed in viral hepatitis; in this condition, however, the modifications were less important than those obtained in cirrhosis. In three cases of hepatitis, the behaviour of the plasma prekallikrein and kallikrein inhibitor have been controlled during the period of the disease and compared with the behaviour of some conventional parameters, such as serum transaminases and bilirubin. An important increase of the prekallikrein level has been observed during the improvement of hepatitis. These data confirm the implication of the prekallikrein-kallikrein system in severe liver diseases, and indirectly points out the role of the liver in maintaining the physiological balance of the kallikrein system.

New geographical records of parasitic nematodes from Bufo bufo in Italy.

To provide information on parasites of Bufo bufo (toad), eyes, skin, lungs, gut and urinary bladder of individuals collected near lakes Endine and Segrino (Northern Italy) from March to April 1999 were recorded in laboratory. A total of five nematode species were classified: Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Oxysomatium brevicaudatum, Cosmocerca ornata, Neyraplectana schneideri were found in the intestine and rectum and Rhabdias sphaerocephala in the lungs. Of these species, the last three are new geographical records for Italy.