Gustoća naseljenosti i veličinska struktura ugrožene vrste školjkaša periske, Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus 1758), u plitkom dijelu zaljeva Maliakos, Grčka

A total of 346 live animals of the endangered species fan mussel Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus 1758) were recorded in situ in the shallow water zone (<2m) within two sites of the marine protected area “Natura 2000” of Maliakos Gulf (Central Hellas). Our results showed that the recorded length (from 11.89 to 72.51 cm) of the fan mussels corresponds to ages that cover the majority of the species life time. Population densities were comparable to the higher values recorded previously in the Mediterranean Sea. The spatial distribution of species was clumped. Estimated total mortality was close to estimated natural mortality indicating that fishing activity does not significantly affect the population density and mortality of fan mussel in the study area. Population densities were related to sediment type, the buried length of animals was related to both sediment type and sea grass leaves size.Ukupno 346 živih primjeraka ugrožene vrste školjkaša periske, Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus 1758), zabilježeno je in situ u plitkom moru (<2m) na dvije lokacije unutar morskog zaštićenog područja “Natura 2000” zaljeva Maliakos (središnja Grčka). Naši rezultati su pokazali da zabilježena duljina (od 11,89 do 72,51 cm) periski odgovara starosnoj dobi koja pokriva većinu životnog vijeka vrste. Gustoća naseljenosti bila je usporediva s većim vrijednostima zabilježenim u Sredozemnom moru. Prostorna raspodjela vrste bila je hrpičasta (grupna). Procjena ukupne smrtnosti bila je blizu procijenjene prirodne smrtnosti što ukazuje da ribolovna aktivnost ne utječe bitno na gustoću naseljenosti i smrtnost periske na istraživanom području. Dubina ukopavanja periske ovisila je o tipu sedimenta i visini (veličini) listića morske trave

IIFET 2010 Montpellier Proceedings 1 OPTIMAL FARM SIZE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MUSSEL (MYTILUS GALLOPROVINCIALIS) IN GREECE

ABSTRACT The profitability of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) farming depends on a combination of factors including natural productivity, technical practices, production costs and product pricing. In an effort to analyse the financial risks of the mussel farming in Greece, we examined the profitability of the different farm sizes (1 to 4 ha) under the present situation of the local market and the modern production practices. Assuming that a farm works at a reasonable 80 % of its annual capacity and uses the widely accepted long-line technique, it was demonstrated that a farm size less than 2 ha is not viable economically. Moreover, the cost of the new establishments and the modernization of the existing ones is affordable only if larger enterprise structures are adopted. Consequently, the past EU and/or public support (up to 45% of the total cost of the fixed assets) has been critical for the development of the industry. Taking in account that the majority of the Greek mussel farms are rather small (1-2 ha), we concluded that for financial sustainability the sector needs to be restructured and be organised in larger schemes, such as those of producers organisations or co-operatives, in order to benefit from scale economics and attract better funding

Risk Assessment of the Mediterranean Seabass and Seabream industry in Greece: A Stochastic Simulation Approach Based on insurance Claims

The Mediterranean finfish aquaculture is strongly represented from the successful industrial development of the mass production of the Mediterranean seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and seabream (Spaurus aurata), with Greece as the major producer country, contributing with approximately 57% of the global farmed production of both species. Despite the difficulty to obtain information from the private and public sector about the aquaculture insurance claims, the analysis of insurance data is necessary to develop a risk management strategy of the industry. The aim of the present work is to identify the major risks affecting the seabass/seabream aquaculture by examining qualitative and quantitative insurance claims from the early developmental stage (mid-80s) up to the maturation of the Greek sector (2000). A risk assessment based on scenario quantification and Monte Carlo Simulation with the ZHA WORKS 4.2 QUANT software is used to reveal percentile statistics of 1 Year/Worst out of x Years aggregate loss and thus to "harden" the basis for decision taking. The use of the past insurance experience provides forecasting trends for risk avoidance in the future and contributes to a strategy development for the sustainability of the sector.Keywords: Aquaculture, Aquaculture and Risk, Fisheries EconomicsKeywords: Aquaculture, Aquaculture and Risk, Fisheries Economic

Early-branching gut fungi possess a large, comprehensive array of biomass-degrading enzymes

available in PMC 2016 November 07The fungal kingdom is the source of almost all industrial enzymes in use for lignocellulose bioprocessing. We developed a systems-level approach that integrates transcriptomic sequencing, proteomics, phenotype, and biochemical studies of relatively unexplored basal fungi. Anaerobic gut fungi isolated from herbivores produce a large array of biomass-degrading enzymes that synergistically degrade crude, untreated plant biomass and are competitive with optimized commercial preparations from Aspergillus and Trichoderma. Compared to these model platforms, gut fungal enzymes are unbiased in substrate preference due to a wealth of xylan-degrading enzymes. These enzymes are universally catabolite-repressed and are further regulated by a rich landscape of noncoding regulatory RNAs. Additionally, we identified several promising sequence-divergent enzyme candidates for lignocellulosic bioprocessing.United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Science (Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program)United States. Department of Energy (DOE Grant DE-SC0010352)United States. Department of Agriculture (Award 2011-67017-20459)Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (grant W911NF-09-0001

Qualitative Analysis of the Factors Associated with Whistleblowing Intentions among Athletes from Six European Countries

Although whistleblowing is thought to represent an effective mechanism for detecting and uncovering doping in sport, it has yet to become a widely adopted practice. Understanding the factors that encourage or discourage whistleblowing is of vital importance for the promotion of this practice and the development of pedagogical material to enhance the likelihood of whistleblowing. The current study employed a qualitative methodology to explore the personal and organisational factors that underpin intentions to blow the whistle or that may lead to engagement in whistleblowing behaviours in sport. Thirty-three competitive athletes across a range of sports took part in a semi-structured interview which sought to explore what they would do should they encounter a doping scenario. Content analysis revealed that whistleblowing is a dynamic process characterised by the interaction of a range of personal and organisational factors in determining the intention to report PED use. These factors included moral reasoning, a desire to keep the matter "in-house", perceived personal costs, institutional attitudes to doping, and social support. Analysis revealed a number of 'intervening events' (Ajzen, 1991), including a perceived lack of organisational protection (e.g., ethical leadership) within some sporting sub-cultures, which present an important obstacle to whistleblowing. The intention to report doping was underpinned by a "fairness loyalty trade-off" which involved athletes choosing to adhere to either fairness norms (which relate to a sense that all people and groups are treated equally) or loyalty norms (which reflect preferential treatment towards an in-group) when deciding whether they would blow the whistle. The promotion of fairness norms that emphasise a group's collective interests might encourage athletes to view whistleblowing as a means of increasing group cohesiveness and effectiveness and thereby increase the likelihood of this practice

Multipathogen infections and multifactorial pathogenesis involved in noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) mass mortality events: Background and current pathologic approaches

Disease outbreaks in several ecologically or commercially important invertebrate marine species have been reported in recent years all over the world. Mass mortality events (MMEs) have affected the noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis), causing its near extinction. Our knowledge of the dynamics of diseases affecting this species is still unclear. Early studies investigating the causative etiological agent focused on a novel protozoan parasite, Haplosporidium pinnae, although further investigations suggested that concurrent polymicrobial infections could have been pivotal in some MMEs, even in the absence of H. pinnae. Indeed, moribund specimens collected during MMEs in Italy, Greece, and Spain demonstrated the presence of a bacteria from within the Mycobacterium simiae complex and, in some cases, species similar to Vibrio mediterranei. The diagnostic processes used for investigation of MMEs are still not standardized and require the expertise of veterinary and para-veterinary pathologists, who could simultaneously evaluate a variety of factors, from clinical signs to environmental conditions. Here, we review the available literature on mortality events in P. nobilis and discuss approaches to define MMEs in P. nobilis. The proposed consensus approach should form the basis for establishing a foundation for future studies aimed at preserving populations in the wild.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

TOX Regulates Growth, DNA Repair, and Genomic Instability in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of thymocytes. Using a transgenic screen in zebrafish, thymocyte selection–associated high mobility group box protein (TOX) was uncovered as a collaborating oncogenic driver that accelerated T-ALL onset by expanding the initiating pool of transformed clones and elevating genomic instability. TOX is highly expressed in a majority of human T-ALL and is required for proliferation and continued xenograft growth in mice. Using a wide array of functional analyses, we uncovered that TOX binds directly to KU70/80 and suppresses recruitment of this complex to DNA breaks to inhibit nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) repair. Impaired NHEJ is well known to cause genomic instability, including development of T-cell malignancies in KU70- and KU80-deficient mice. Collectively, our work has uncovered important roles for TOX in regulating NHEJ by elevating genomic instability during leukemia initiation and sustaining leukemic cell proliferation following transformation