Effects of okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins on swimming and metabolic fitness of marine fish

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are natural occurrences that can severely impact marine communities. Depending on the species, they can produce a wide array of toxins, which may elicit devastating effects on marine life. Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) is a specific type of food poisoning, characterized by severe gastrointestinal illness due to the ingestion of filter feeding bivalves contaminated with a specific suite of toxins such as okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxins (DTXs). OA and DTXs are lipophilic and heat-stable compounds that frequently accumulate in bivalve mollusks along European coasts. It is established that organisms such as bivalves accumulate these toxins in their tissues, mostly in the digestive gland, through their filter feeding behavior acting therefore as a vectors for other organisms such as planktivorous fish. Here, for the first time, the time course of accumulation and elimination of Diarrhetic shellfish toxins (DSTs) in juveniles of Zebra seabream (Diplodus cervinus) was assessed during an experimental period of 15 days. It was shown that fish present a high excretion rate and low toxin conversion, in fact no other compounds except for DTX-1 were found. Then fish aerobic metabolism and swimming performance were investigated, exposing individuals to OA group of toxins via dietary route during 3 days, after which fish were challenged with increasing swimming velocity trials using a swim tunnel respirometer. Results show that OA impaired on metabolic performance, assessed both during the standard metabolic rate (SMR) and during the maximum metabolic rate (MMR) as an oxygen consumption increment. Moreover, from critical swimming speed (Ucrit) analysis, significant differences among the two tested groups were observed. In conclusion, these studies show that fish can act temporary as a vector and, although a high elimination rate was found, at the same time toxins ingestion was able to impair their fitness

Turbo roundabouts: geometric design parameters and performance analysis

A turbo roundabout is a particular type of roundabout where entering and circulating lanes are bounded by traffic signs and by non-mountable curbs. The physical separation between lanes, both at entries and on the ring, helps to prevent side collisions crossing the roundabout.The main advantages of turbo roundabouts are: i) reduction in the number of potential conflict points; ii) lower speed of vehicles passing through the intersection; iii) safety conditions at the intersection due to lower risk of side-by-side accidents. Also, in some cases the capacities of turbo roundabouts are higher than the capacities of conventional roundabouts.This paper presents an estimation of capacity, delays and level of service of turbo roundabouts in undersaturation conditions, considering both vehicular flow and pedestrian stream. It also examines the geometric parameters of the central island and circulating lanes in several turbo roundabout layouts

Effects of the marine biotoxins Okadaic acid and Dinophysistoxins on fish

Natural high proliferations of toxin-producing microorganisms in marine and freshwater environments result in dreadful consequences at the socioeconomically and environmental level due to water and seafood contamination. Monitoring programs and scientific evidence point to harmful algal blooms (HABs) increasing in frequency and intensity as a result of global climate alterations. Among marine toxins, the okadaic acid (OA) and the related dinophysistoxins (DTX) are the most frequently reported in EU waters, mainly in shellfish species. These toxins are responsible for human syndrome diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Fish, like other marine species, are also exposed to HABs and their toxins. However, reduced attention has been given to exposure, accumulation, and effects on fish of DSP toxins, such as OA. The present review intends to summarize the current knowledge of the impact of DSP toxins and to identify the main issues needing further research. From data reviewed in this work, it is clear that exposure of fish to DSP toxins causes a range of negative effects, from behavioral and morphological alterations to death. However, there is still much to be investigated about the ecological and food safety risks related to contamination of fish with DSP toxins.Project Cigua PTDC/CTA-AMB/30557/2017; FCT: UID/Multi/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A LOGIC FUZZY MODEL FOR EVALUATION OF THE RAILWAY STATION'S PRACTICE CAPACITY IN SAFETY OPERATING CONDITIONS

Abstract The practice capacity of a railway junction depends, in addition to the effective operation's conditions, by the potential risk factors related to the design plan of the railway station. With the aim of an approach based on the "fuzzy sets" it is possible to determine the numeric value of the practice capacity by the logic - qualitative relations between the features of the railway junction and the potential risk factors. This methodology permits to try out the absolute value of a suitable vector β, (less then the unit) for the utilization of the theoretic capacity in conditions of maximum reliability of the system related to the aspect of safety (technique "fail safe")

Scissione societaria e responsabilità solidale per debiti tributari pregressi

In ipotesi di scissione societaria, si ritiene che l’individuazione del regime di responsabilità` solidale previsto in capo alle società` partecipanti all'operazione straordinaria, per i debiti fiscali della scissa anteriori all'operazione medesima, debba considerarsi di tipo proporzionale, alla luce di una lettura coerente ed armonica delle disposizioni vigenti in materia

Improving the sustainability of transportation: environmental and functional benefits of right-turn by pass lanes at roundabouts

The functional performances of conventional roundabouts (single-lane and multi-lane) and innovative roundabouts (spiral, flower, C and turbo) can be improved through right-turn bypass lanes controlled by stop, yield or free-flow signs. The article presents evaluations of the emissions of air pollutants (carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particle pollution (PM10 and PM2.5)), fuel consumption and construction, management, energetic and environmental costs in roundabouts without or with bypass lanes (controlled by stop, yield or free-flow). The suggested methodology has a general character and can be applied as a multi-parametric criterion for choosing road intersections, although, in the present paper, it has been employed only for a case study. For the aims of this research, we employed recent closed-form formulations to determine roundabout performances; moreover, we used the Copert IV® software to estimate air emissions in nine different types of vehicles. Numerous traffic simulations were carried out. The variation in the maximum hourly traffic Qmax and annual traffic QTOT provided the appropriate domains of the examined geometric layouts, both in functional and environmental terms and with regard to generalized costs, estimated for a 10-year period. It resulted that the introduction of right-turn bypasses in all arms of conventional roundabouts with a one ring lane and one lane at the entries (single-lane roundabouts) is the most cost-effective when the flows entering the roundabout are higher than Qmax = 2000 veh/h. Moreover, free-flow bypass lanes always provide greater capacity and lower delays than stop- or yield-signaled bypasses. However, with extremely high Qmax values, stop-controlled bypasses guarantee lower fuel consumption, while those with a yield sign lower total costs

Late erosion of a prophylactic Celect IVC filter into the aorta, right renal artery, and duodenal wall

We present the case of a patient with retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filter-related pseudoaneurysms of the infrarenal aorta and right renal artery, with associated erosion into the duodenal wall. The patient was seen 10 months following multiorgan trauma and placement of a prophylactic retrievable IVC filter (R-IVCF). Management required autogenous aortic reconstruction, caval repair, and subsequent right nephrectomy. This case demonstrates that R-IVCFs may be associated with significant risks, which is concerning, as a majority of prophylactic R-IVCFs placed after multisystem trauma are not removed

Influence of computed tomography angiography reconstruction software on anatomic measurements and endograft component selection for endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

ObjectiveThree-dimensional (3D) centerline reconstruction of computed tomography angiography (CTA) images permits detailed anatomic characterization of abdominal aortic aneurysms and facilitates planning of endovascular repair. Although several programs for 3D CTA reconstruction and measurement are available, direct comparisons have not been published, and reliability between software platforms has not been characterized. We evaluated agreement between anatomic measurements obtained from 3D CTA reconstructions using three commercially available software programs and characterized concordance between the programs for endograft component selection.MethodsImages from 92 CTA studies performed before abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were reconstructed and measured using three different software programs: independent reconstruction with proprietary software (Preview; M2S Inc, Lebanon, NH), surgeon-based reconstruction with proprietary software (AquariusNet Thin Client; TeraRecon Inc, San Mateo, Calif), and surgeon-based reconstruction with open-source software (Osirix MD; Pixmeo, Geneva, Switzerland). Agreement between outer wall diameter and length measurements obtained from centerline reconstructions created with each program was evaluated using scatter plots, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman plots. Concordance between aortic and iliac endograft component diameters selected from measurements with each program based on published instructions for use was examined using weighted κ statistics.ResultsDiameter measurements were generally similar between programs. Mean diameters at all locations were within ≤1 mm of one another, and mean length measurements were within ≤10 mm of one another for all pairwise comparisons. Intraclass correlations coefficients between programs for diameter measurements were comparable between programs (≥0.82 for all diameter comparisons and ≥0.88 for all length comparisons) and indicated good correlation. Pair-wise comparisons indicated similar rates of identical and adjacent size endograft component selection without an obvious trend toward superior agreement for any two programs. Rates of identical proximal endograft diameter selection ranged from 46% to 59%, whereas 89% to 100% of proximal endograft diameters selected between programs were within one adjacent (smaller or larger) size of each other. For iliac endograft selection, rates of identical component diameter selection between programs ranged from 36% to 69%, and 58% to 99% of selected iliac endograft diameters were within one adjacent size.ConclusionsOuter wall diameter and centerline length measurements obtained from 3D CTA reconstructions demonstrated good correlation between imaging analysis software programs, and graft diameter selections based on these measurements were reasonably similar. Comparable 3D CTA reconstruction measurements can be generated from independent and surgeon-based approaches using proprietary and open-source software, and the selection of a method to interpret images for endograft planning can be individualized according to operator experience and available resources while retaining sufficient accuracy

Single-state Transcarotid Artery Revascularization Experience: Outcomes and Impact on Carotid Procedural and Operative Volumes

Objectives: Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) is an emerging novel approach to carotid intervention, adopted and well-suited for high-risk patients. Our objective was to assess the outcomes of TCAR and determine its impact on the volume of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and non-TCAR carotid artery stenting (CAS) in a single-state experience. Methods: A large statewide quality consortium registry was queried. The indications and outcomes of TCAR compared with CEA and non-TCAR CAS from January 2018 to October 2019 were reviewed. Non-TCAR CAS included transfemoral, transbrachial stenting and transcarotid stenting without the flow reversal technique. We also assessed the impact of TCAR on the trend of CEA and non-TCAR CAS performed, analyzing data from 2012 to 2019. Outcome comparisons were performed using the χ 2 and Mann-Whitney U tests, depending on the distribution of the outcomes. Results: A total of 438 TCARs were performed by 39 physicians in 16 hospitals; 60% of the patients were asymptomatic and 40% symptomatic. The TCAR indication was physiologic high risk for 369 patients (84%) and restenosis for 69 patients (16%), with most occurring after prior CEA (94%). Of the non-TCAR CAS cases, 94% were performed via transfemoral access. The patients undergoing non-TCAR CAS had the highest 30-day mortality ( P \u3c .001) and the highest incidence of 30-day new neurologic deficits ( P = .008) compared with the patients undergoing CEA and TCAR. CEA had the lowest myocardial infarction rate ( P = .015; Table). The number of TCAR procedures performed and the number of physicians and hospitals performing them increased during the 2-year period. Since the introduction of TCAR, no significant frequency decrease has occurred in the number of non-TCAR CAS or CEA cases by hospitals or physicians (Fig). However, a significant negative trend was found in the number of CEAs performed by physicians since 2012 ( P \u3c .001; Fig). Conclusions: TCAR is a safe method of carotid revascularization and is becoming an increasingly used method. TCAR has not affected the CEA hospital or physician volume since its introduction. CEA volumes and physician usage are declining, which could have future credentialing implications. In the present single-state experience, TCAR compared favorably with CEA and non-TCAR CAS might be less appealing because of its higher neurologic event rate