Observations of the Magadi tilapia Alcolapia grahami in hot, highly alkaline Lake Magadi revealed that they air breathe not only during hypoxia, as described previously, but also during normoxia and ...hyperoxia. Air breathing under these latter conditions occurred within distinct groupings of fish (pods) and involved only a small proportion of the population. Air breathing properties (duration and frequency) were quantified from video footage. Air breathing within the population followed a diel pattern with the maximum extent of pod formation occurring in early afternoon. High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the water may be an irritant that encourages the air‐breathing behaviour. The diel pattern of air breathing in the field and in experiments followed the diel pattern of ROS concentrations in the water which are amongst the highest reported in the literature (maximum daytime values of 2·53–8·10 µM H2O2). Interlamellar cell masses (ILCM) occurred between the gill lamellae of fish from the lagoon with highest ROS and highest oxygen levels, while fish from a normoxic lagoon with one third the ROS had little or no ILCM. This is the first record of air breathing in a facultative air‐breathing fish in hyperoxic conditions and the first record of an ILCM in a cichlid species.
Josephson junctions, in appropriate configurations, can be excellent candidates for detection of single photons in the microwave frequency band. Such possibility has been recently addressed in the ...framework of galactic axion detection. Here are reported recent developments in the modelling and simulation of dynamic behaviour of a Josephson junction single microwave photon detector. For a Josephson junction to be enough sensitive, small critical currents and operating temperatures of the order of ten of mK are necessary. Thermal and quantum tunnelling out of the zero-voltage state can also mask the detection process. Axion detection would require dark count rates in the order of 0.001 Hz. It is, therefore, is of paramount importance to identify proper device fabrication parameters and junction operation point.
This work proposes the experimentation of an innovative hydraulic dredge for clam fishing (Chamelea gallina) in the Adriatic Sea (Italy). This innovative gear aimed at increasing the selectivity of ...the typical hydraulic dredge used currently, while at the same reducing the impact on benthos through the conception, installation, and experimentation of innovative technological solutions, consisting mainly of a vibrating bottom panel on the dredge and a “warning device” on the dredge mouth. Comparative experiments of the traditional vs. the modified gear, employing two boats fishing in parallel on the northern coast of Abruzzi (Adriatic Sea) and contrasting the catch with both paired comparisons and through modelling, showed that the innovative hydraulic dredge retains fewer undersize clams while yielding similar amounts of commercial product, moreover of higher quality; at the same time, it takes on board less discard, and catches significantly less vagile fauna. In short, the innovative gear is gaining five times over a list of six parameters considered as positive and/or advantageous for the clam fishery. The results allow proposals of potential improvements to clam-fishing instruments to make the selection processes more effective while promoting a lower impacting fishery, which is essential for clam management.
•We develop a tool for organic sea-bass identification by external colour.•Images to be compared were colour calibrated and warped.•Wild sample and organic fish cluster together.•Using partial least ...squares discriminant analysis all fishes were correctly classified.•The head, darker in fishes raised conventionally, is the part showing the greatest difference.
Product diversification, among which organic farming, is an important issue in modern aquaculture activities. Discriminating organic vs. conventional products is complex, but appearance may help in tracing different batches of produce. To test this fact, sea basses were fed a commercial or an organic diet, and fishes of each different group were photographed before and during the experiment. Body landmarks were digitized on each colour-calibrated (using the TPS-3D algorithm) image; on the basis of landmarks configuration, the RGB matrices were warped using a geometric morphometrics procedure. The calibrated colour matrix of each warped individual (195×135,225) was analyzed with a 50–50 MANOVA, followed by a partial least squares discriminant analysis. Finally, a cluster analysis on the diet/time groups was performed. Growth and changes in condition factor over time are not dependent on the rearing method. Colour (as represented by the pixel vector) does depend on time and on rearing method, based on the MANOVA method used. Standard length and condition factor were not good predictors of colour. The partial least square discriminant analysis was highly effective in detecting colour differences on the basis of the fish diet. The 9-group dendrogram showed that the wild sample and the organic fish cluster together. The head, darker in fishes raised conventionally, is the part showing the greatest difference; the longer the life spent under the 2 regimens, the stronger the differences. In conclusion, these preliminary results demonstrate that a colorimetric analysis is able to distinguish 2 batches of fishes fed different diets in different environmental conditions and – in the present instance – to certify the organically grown sea basses.
The objective of this work is to propose an analytical solution for the thermomechanical initial post-buckling response of a thick beam resting on a linear elastic foundation and subject to a uniform ...temperature rise throughout its cross-section. The thermal strain is assumed to follow a linear law with the temperature rise and the material properties are considered temperature independent. The beam cross-section geometrical properties are constant along the beam length, and the formulation is consistent with the small strain assumption. The beam ends are assumed pinned and immovable, thermal expansion is not allowed and as a consequence compressive forces arise and the beam may buckle. If the temperature is increased further, the beam continues to deflect laterally, hence the problem is geometrically non-linear. In addition, the model is appropriate to describe the behavior of short beams as it takes into account transverse shear deformations. The governing equations are derived and made non-dimensional, and it is seen that three non-dimensional parameters control the thermomechanical initial post-buckling problem: The elastic foundation stiffness, the beam slenderness ratio and the beam cross-section shear coefficient. A classical perturbation method is applied to the non-linear set of differential governing equations, therefore the critical buckling temperatures (loads) and modes and the initial post-buckling behavior may be analytically determined. The change in length, reaction forces at the supports and geometric configurations are obtained as a function of temperature, the elastic foundation.
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is a widely used, safe, and cost-effective treatment. Most public and private insurance providers require prior authorization (PA) for OPAT, yet the ...impact of the inpatient PA process is not known. Our aim was to characterize discharge barriers and PA delays associated with high-priced OPAT antibiotics.
This was an institutional review board-approved study of adult patients discharged with daptomycin, ceftaroline, ertapenem, and novel beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations from January 2017 to December 2017. Patients with an OPAT PA delay were compared with patients without a delay. The primary endpoint was total direct hospital costs from the start of treatment.
Two-hundred patients were included: 141 (71%) no OPAT delay vs 59 (30%) OPAT delay. More patients with a PA delay were discharged to a subacute care facility compared with an outpatient setting: 37 (63%) vs 52 (37%), P = .001. Discharge delays and median total direct hospital costs were higher for patients with OPAT delays: 31 (53%) vs 21 (15%), P < .001 and $19 576 (interquartile range IQR, 10 056-37 038) vs $7770 (IQR, 3031-13 974), P < .001. In multiple variable regression, discharge to a subacute care facility was associated with an increased odds of discharge delay, age >64 years was associated with a decreased odds of discharge delay.
OPAT with high-priced antibiotics requires significant care coordination. PA delays are common and contribute to discharge delays. OPAT transitions of care represent an opportunity to improve patient care and address access barriers.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can progress to cytokine storm that is associated with organ dysfunction and death. The purpose of the present study is to determine clinical characteristics ...associated with 28 day in-hospital survival in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that received tocilizumab. This was a retrospective observational cohort study conducted at a five hospital health system in Michigan, United States. Adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 that were admitted to the hospital and received tocilizumab for cytokine storm from March 1, 2020 through April 3, 2020 were included. Patients were grouped into survivors and non-survivors based on 28 day in-hospital mortality. Study day 0 was defined as the day tocilizumab was administered. Factors independently associated with in-hospital survival at 28 days after tocilizumab administration were assessed. Epidemiologic, demographic, laboratory, prognostic scores, treatment, and outcome data were collected and analyzed. Clinical response was collected and defined as a decline of two levels on a six-point ordinal scale of clinical status or discharged alive from the hospital. Of the 81 patients included, the median age was 64 (58–71) years and 56 (69.1%) were male. The 28 day in-hospital mortality was 43.2%. There were 46 (56.8%) patients in the survivors and 35 (43.2%) in the non-survivors group. On study day 0 no differences were noted in demographics, clinical characteristics, severity of illness scores, or treatments received between survivors and non-survivors. C-reactive protein was significantly higher in the non-survivors compared to survivors. Compared to non-survivors, recipients of tocilizumab within 12 days of symptom onset was independently associated with survival (adjusted OR: 0.296, 95% CI: 0.098–0.889). SOFA score ≥8 on day 0 was independently associated with mortality (adjusted OR: 2.842, 95% CI: 1.042–7.753). Clinical response occurred more commonly in survivors than non-survivors (80.4% vs. 5.7%; p < 0.001). Improvements in the six-point ordinal scale and SOFA score were observed in survivors after tocilizumab. Early receipt of tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19 was an independent predictor for in-hospital survival at 28 days.
•Patients receiving tocilizumab within 12 days of COVID-19 symptom onset had an increase in 28 day in-hospital survival.•A higher severity of illness prior to tocilizumab administration was associated with increased mortality.•Secondary infections occurred in 22.2% receiving tocilizumab, but infection was not associated with increased mortality.
Recently, a strong push towards the use of BIM-based procedures and practices in the field of linear transport infrastructures has been addressed. In Italy, a series of ministerial decrees have been ...approved to encourage the use of this methodology in the design and management operations of civil works. In such a framework, a novel approach to the management phases of civil works is required, based on different types of data and analyses within an integrated process, making use of digital models of the assets. This study aims at defining a procedure able to integrate non-destructive surveys data, such as those from Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS), into a BIM model of a road infrastructure. The different types of surveys allow to implement useful and multiple pieces of information regarding the assets of the infrastructure in the corresponding BIM model. The main goal of the research is to optimize the management phase of a road by combining different observations, made by separate operators, in a unified BIM environment, to define a methodology that can be applied to real infrastructures. In order to validate the proposed methodology, a digital model of a real highway has been generated by making use of non-destructive survey data obtained from inspections that have been carried out by means of GPR and MLS. The different datasets have been individually processed so that they could be unified in a single BIM model. As a result, the use of specifically designed parametric sections, along with the processed datasets, allowed to define a BIM model of the road that can also be analyzed in areas that usually cannot be reached by operators. This allows a more efficient management of the asset, showing that the proposed methodology could be a viable tool in the monitoring operations of linear transport infrastructures.
Issue Title: Theme Issues of Decapod Crustacean Biology: Proceedings of the 8th Colloquium Crustacea Decapoda Mediterranea, held at the Ionian University, Corfu Isl., Greece, 2-6 September 2002, and ...organized by the University of Athens, Greece The selectivity of the traditional commercial bottom trawl net employed in Sicily to catch the Mediterranean deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris, has been assessed. Two fishing campaigns were carried out in the Strait of Sicily and in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, using the covered cod-end method (mesh 20 mm vs. 31 mm). Of a total catch of 11,601 individuals, 23.4% escaped in the cover; the sample length structure from the Strait is unimodal, while that from the Tyrrhenian, polymodal. A logistic curve, fitted with a maximum likelihood criterion, has been used to model the selectivity data, in order to obtain the parameters CL^sub c50%^ (50% retention size), SR^sub 75-25%^ (selection range) and SF (selection factor, i.e. CL^sub c50%^/mesh). The two sets of data, besides a larger selection range for the Strait sample (5.2 mm vs. 2.3 mm), produced very similar estimates (retention sizes of 13.0 mm vs. 12.8 mm CL), fitting the logistic curve well. Almost no shrimp larger than 20 mm does escape from the cod-end; moreover, from the amount of damaged specimens found in the cover, even the evaded shrimps sustain a high fishing mortality. An increase of the present cod-end mesh opening, even above the size required by the EU bylaws (at present, 40 mm stretched) seems necessary for managing the fishery.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
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