The spiny spider crab Maja goltziana (Crustacea: Majidae) in the south Lebanese waters.

A total of 52 specimens (45–115 mm carapace length) of Maja goltziana d’Oliveira 1888, was collected along the Lebanese coasts (south-eastern Mediterranean Sea) in 2006–2007. This species, till now considered rare in the Mediterranean Sea, is common and abundant along the deep shelf-upper Lebanese coast where a local population is present

Strain-dependent and distinctive T-cell responses to HIV antigens following immunisation of mice with differing chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vectors

In vivo vaccination studies are conventionally conducted in a single mouse strain with results, only reflecting responses to a single immunogenetic background. We decided to examine the immune response to an HIV transgene (gag, pol and nef fusion protein) in 3 strains of mice (CBA, C57BL/6 and BALB/c) to determine the spectrum of responses and in addition to determine whether the serotype of the adenoviral vector used (ChAd3 and ChAd63) impacted the outcome of response. Our results demonstrated that all three strains of mice responded to the transgene and that the magnitude of responses were different between the strains. The C57BL/6 strain showed the lowest range of responses compared to the other strains and, very few responses were seen to the same peptide pool in all three strains of mice. In CBA and BALB/c mice there were significant differences in IFNγ production dependent on the adenoviral vector used. Our results suggest that employing a single strain of mouse may underestimate the efficacy and efficiency of vaccine products

Increased multiaxial lumbar motion responses during multiple-impulse mechanical force manually assisted spinal manipulation

BACKGROUND: Spinal manipulation has been found to create demonstrable segmental and intersegmental spinal motions thought to be biomechanically related to its mechanisms. In the case of impulsive-type instrument device comparisons, significant differences in the force-time characteristics and concomitant motion responses of spinal manipulative instruments have been reported, but studies investigating the response to multiple thrusts (multiple impulse trains) have not been conducted. The purpose of this study was to determine multi-axial segmental and intersegmental motion responses of ovine lumbar vertebrae to single impulse and multiple impulse spinal manipulative thrusts (SMTs). METHODS: Fifteen adolescent Merino sheep were examined. Tri-axial accelerometers were attached to intraosseous pins rigidly fixed to the L1 and L2 lumbar spinous processes under fluoroscopic guidance while the animals were anesthetized. A hand-held electromechanical chiropractic adjusting instrument (Impulse) was used to apply single and repeated force impulses (13 total over a 2.5 second time interval) at three different force settings (low, medium, and high) along the posteroanterior axis of the T12 spinous process. Axial (AX), posteroanterior (PA), and medial-lateral (ML) acceleration responses in adjacent segments (L1, L2) were recorded at a rate of 5000 samples per second. Peak-peak segmental accelerations (L1, L2) and intersegmental acceleration transfer (L1–L2) for each axis and each force setting were computed from the acceleration-time recordings. The initial acceleration response for a single thrust and the maximum acceleration response observed during the 12 multiple impulse trains were compared using a paired observations t-test (POTT, alpha = .05). RESULTS: Segmental and intersegmental acceleration responses mirrored the peak force magnitude produced by the Impulse Adjusting Instrument. Accelerations were greatest for AX and PA measurement axes. Compared to the initial impulse acceleration response, subsequent multiple SMT impulses were found to produce significantly greater (3% to 25%, P < 0.005) AX, PA and ML segmental and intersegmental acceleration responses. Increases in segmental motion responses were greatest for the low force setting (18%–26%), followed by the medium (5%–26%) and high (3%–26%) settings. Adjacent segment (L1) motion responses were maximized following the application of several multiple SMT impulses. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the vertebral motion responses produced by impulse-type, instrument-based adjusting instruments provide biomechanical benchmarks that support the clinical rationale for patient treatment. Our results indicate that impulse-type adjusting instruments that deliver multiple impulse SMTs significantly increase multi-axial spinal motion

Species diversity, taxonomy and distribution of Chondrichthyes in the Mediterranean and Black Sea

Species diversity assessments are an important step to evaluate the conservation status of a community, both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. These assessments are pivotal if related to both, the constant increase of human pressure on ecosystems and the anthropogenic climate change occurring nowadays. Sharks and rays are globally threatened, and the situation is particularly alarming in the Mediterranean Sea where more than 50% of species are listed at risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In this paper, we revise and discuss the chondrichthyan species richness of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Through an accurate review of published taxonomic studies, historical data on species occurrence, analyses of scientific survey data and biodiversity databases and other scientific papers, we produced a revised list of species whose presence in the Mediterranean Sea is confirmed or highly probable and discussed on current taxonomic and occurrence disputes on the species that are instead rarer or claimed to be locally extinct. We listed a total of 88 species, representing 30 families and 48 genera that are currently present in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This number includes 48 shark species, 38 batoids, and 2 chimaeras. The review represents a reference for future conservation assessments of cartilaginous fish in the region and a guide for decision-makers when promoting the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resource within an ecosystem-based framework. This paper can help to set a baseline of the Mediterranean species and thus resolve some uncertainties regarding their conservation status, explaining the reasons for their prolonged absence in the reports. Indeed, failure to record over time may not be due to grubbing up, but because after careful review this species was not really part of the Mediterranean fauna

How is artificial lighting affecting the catches in deep water rose shrimp trawl fishery of the Central Mediterranean Sea?

The effect of artificial lights mounted on the headrope trawl net on the catch of deep water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), and Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) was tested in a survey carried out on-board a commercial trawler off the SW Sicilian coast. A total of 18 repeated nocturnal hauls, alternating without (control) and with (test) LED lights (10 green and 10 white) according to the fishers’ setup, were conducted. Overall, the test net catch rates were not significantly higher than those of the control net (Kruskal-Wallis test, p &gt; 0.05), except for P. longirostris (p &lt; 0.05). Conversely, the two-tailed Kolmogorov–Smirnov test revealed statistical differences in the size structure of P. longirostris, M. merluccius, and T. trachurus between the test and control nets (p &lt; 0.05). Using generalised linear mixed models, the test net was found to yield higher catches of undersized individuals of the three species and adults of P. longirostris than the control net. Our study results are discussed in the context of the exploitation and management of Mediterranean trawl fisheries

Interactive effects of fishing effort reduction and climate change in a central Mediterranean fishing area: Insights from bio-economic indices derived from a dynamic food-web model

Disentangling the effects of mixed fisheries and climate change across entire food-webs requires a description of ecosystems using tools that can quantify interactive effects as well as bio-economic aspects. A calibrated dynamic model for the Sicily Channel food web, made up of 72 functional groups and including 13 fleet segments, was developed. A temporal simulation until 2050 was conducted to evaluate the bio-economic interactive effects of the reduction of bottom trawling fishing effort by exploring different scenarios that combine fishery and climate change. Our results indicate that direct and indirect effects produce a net increase in biomass of many functional groups with immediate decline of trawlers’ catches and economic incomes, followed by a long term increase mainly due to biomass rebuilding of commercial species which lasts 5-10 years after fishing reduction. Synergistic and antagonistic effects caused by changes in the fishing effort and in climate characterize a specific functional group’s response in biomass which, in turn, modulate also the catch and income of the other fleets, and especially of those sharing target resources. However, trawler’s intra-fleet competition is higher than the others fleet effects. In the medium term, the effects of fishing effort reduction are higher than those of climate change and seem to make exploitation of marine resources more sustainable over time and fishery processes more efficient by improving ecosystem health

Identifying Persistent Hot Spot Areas of Undersized Fish and Crustaceans in Southern European Waters: Implication for Fishery Management Under the Discard Ban Regulation

The recent establishment of the “landing obligation” under the reformed EU Common Fishery Policy has the twofold objective of reducing the excessive practice of discarding unwanted catch at sea and encouraging more selective and sustainable fisheries. Within this context, the awareness of the spatial distribution of potential unwanted catches is important for devising management measures aimed to decrease discards. This study analyzed the distribution of Hot Spot density areas of demersal fish and crustaceans below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) in four different southern European seas: continental Portuguese coast, Catalan Sea, South of Sicily, Liguria and northern Tyrrhenian Seas using both bottom trawl survey data and information on the spatial distribution of commercial fisheries. Critical areas for discarding were identified as zones where the highest densities of individuals below MCRS were consistently recorded throughout a series of years. Results clearly showed a patchy distribution of undersized individuals in each investigated area, highlighting the overlap between high density patches of both discards and fishing effort. The present findings provide a relevant knowledge for supporting the application of spatial-based management actions, such as the designation of Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs), in order to minimize the by-catch of undersized specimens and improve the sustainability of demersal fisheries