Biofouling growth on plastic substrates: Experimental studies in the Black Sea

Despite long-term research on marine litter there is still insufficient knowledge about benthic organisms associated with these substrates, especially experimental studies and methodology of sampling for complex biofouling assemblages. To predict the fate of plastic in the marine environment it is necessary to know how long the macrolitter can stay in different sea matrices and what are the steps of colonisation by marine organisms. The experiments were carried out during various seasons in situ in the north-western Black Sea coastal area. Three new types of the experimental constructions intended for different durations of exposure (1–10 months) were designed. This article is the first to present the methodology and the results of complex experiments investigating marine fouling (from microalgae to meio- and macrofauna) on plastic surfaces. Overall, 28 genera of microalgae, 13 major groups of meiobenthos and 36 species of macrofauna were found on plastic during the experiments. The microalgae fouling was mainly formed by representatives of genus Cocconeis. The species composition of microalgae was common for the research area. The average density and biomass of meiobenthos were the greatest on I construction type after 8 months of exposure. In the total macrozoobenthos biomass and density of Bivalvia and Crustacea dominated, respectively. The obtained results on the interaction between fouling organisms and plastic materials in the marine environment form an important contribution to the understanding of the "good ecological status" of the sea. Additional studies based on the tested methodology could be used as a component of ecological monitoring during development and implementation of the approaches of the Marine Strategy (descriptor 10)

‘Trendy’ cities: exploring the adoption of different types of social media by Portuguese municipalities

What are the determinants of social media adoption by local government? This ongoing research provides a tentative answer to this question by analysing the 308 municipalities in Portugal. Extending previous analyses of Facebook and/or Twitter usage levels, we examine why local governments adopt a particular social media platform. More concretely, we explore, with statistical analyses, the determinants of the adoption of different types of social media. We investigate the adoption of three extremely popular social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) as well as possible alternatives to those, more popular, applications. Since these platforms have distinct natures and can serve diverse purposes, we examine to what extent aspects such as local government’s commitment to transparency and participation, administrative capacity, media landscape, and socio-demographic and economic factors can explain the adoption of certain social media platforms. The results show that, indeed, demographic characteristics and administrative capacity are important factors for the adoption of less popular social media. Surprisingly, we also observe a geographical difference in municipalities’ social media adoption, with the south, in this regard, being ‘trendier’, or more innovative, than the north.This paper is a result of the project “SmartEGOV: Harnessing EGOV for Smart Governance (Foundations, methods, Tools)/NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037”, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (EFDR). António Tavares acknowledges the financial support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds [Grant No. UID/CPO/0758/2019]

Первый опыт применения ультразвукового исследования легких у пациентов с острой вирусной инфекцией, вызванной SARS-CoV-2

The purpose of the study was the estimation of lung ultrasound examination characteristic in patients with a new COVID-19 virus infection in the infectious Department.Materials and methods. 52 patients (male 29, middle age 51.2 ± 3.4) with an established coronavirus infection caused by the COVID-19 virus were participated in the research. The severity of the patients’ clinical condition was assessed by the NEWS scale. An ultrasound lungs examination was performed on the 1st day an ESAOTE MyLab 70 (Italy) device with S 3–5 MHz Probe. Ultrasound scanning was performed along the main topographic lines (midthoracic, anterior, middle and posterior axillary, scapular lines in the longitudinal and transverse planes).Results. Pathological ultrasound signs of lung tissue damage were determined in COVID–19 patients. Multiple B-lines were detected in all patients (100%): in 34 cases – merging B-lines, in 18 cases – scattered B-lines. Changes of the pleural line structure were visualized in all cases: thickening of more than 2 mm – in 33 cases, and discontinuous contours – in 25 cases. Нydrothorax was determined in 39 cases (75%); marginal zones of lung consolidation – in all patients (100%): homogeneous consolidations were observed in 38 cases (73.0%); heterogeneous consolidations (26%) – in 14 cases.Conclusions. Ultrasound lung scanning is an assistive method viral pneumonia diagnosing caused by the new COVID-19 coronavirus. The method can be applied in clinical situations where there is a mild course of the disease, if it is impossible to perform the research and to monitor patients who are on a ventilator. The advantages of the method include the ability to obtain a dynamic image in online mode, the ability to conduct research in the patient's bed. In addition, ultrasound scanning of lung tissue, in contrast to CT of the lungs, has an advantage in recognizing interstitial lesions and displays the distribution of blood flow in tissues with an assessment of the degree of angiogenesis in inflammatory viral lung lesions.Своевременная диагностика и лечение новой коронавирусной инфекции являются приоритетным направлением медицины во всем мире.Цель исследования: оценка особенностей проведения ультразвукового исследования легких у пациентов с новой вирусной инфекцией COVID-19 в условиях инфекционного отделения.Материал и методы. В исследовании принимали участие 52 пациента с установленной коронавирусной инфекцией, вызванной вирусом COVID-19, находившихся на лечении в инфекционном корпусе НИИ СП имени Н.В. Склифосовского, из них 29 мужчин и 23 женщины, средний возраст 51,2 ± 3,4 года. Тяжесть клинического состояния пациентов при поступлении в стационар оценивали по шкале NEWS. Всем пациентам при поступлении выполняли ультразвуковое исследование легких на аппарате ESAOTE MyLab 70 (Италия) конвексным датчиком частотой 3–5 МГц. При выполнении ультразвукового исследования ткани легкого сканирование выполняли по основным топографическим линиям (среднеключичной, передней, средней и задней подмышечной, лопаточной линиям в продольной и поперечной плоскости).Результаты. Определены следующие патологические эхографические признаки ткани легкого у пациентов с COVID-19. Множественные B-линии были выявлены у всех пациентов (100%): из них в 34 случаях отмечались сливающиеcя В-линии, в 18 случаях – рассеянные В-линии. Изменение структуры плевральной линии визуализировали у всех пациентов: из них утолщение более 2 мм – в 33 случаях, прерывистые контуры – в 25 случаях. Жидкость в плевральной полости определяли в 39 (75%) случаях, краевые зоны консолидации легкого – у всех пациентов (100%): из них в 38 (73,0%) случаях отмечались гомогенные консолидации; в 14 (26%) случаях – гетерогенные консолидации.Выводы. Ультразвуковое сканирование ткани легкого является вспомогательным методом диагностики вирусной пневмонии, вызванной новым коронавирусом COVID-19. Метод может применяться в клинических ситуациях, при которых наблюдается легкое течение болезни, при невозможности проведения исследования и для мониторинга пациентов, находящихся на ИВЛ. К преимуществам метода можно отнести возможность получения динамичного изображения в режиме online, возможность проведения исследования у постели пациента. Кроме того, ультразвуковое сканирование ткани легкого, в отличие от КТ легких, обладает преимуществом в распознавании интерстициальных поражений и отображает распределения кровотока в тканях с оценкой степени ангиогенеза при воспалительных вирусных поражениях легких

Acoustic Overexposure Increases the Expression of VGLUT-2 Mediated Projections from the Lateral Vestibular Nucleus to the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus

The dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) is a first relay of the central auditory system as well as a site for integration of multimodal information. Vesicular glutamate transporters VGLUT-1 and VGLUT-2 selectively package glutamate into synaptic vesicles and are found to have different patterns of organization in the DCN. Whereas auditory nerve fibers predominantly co-label with VGLUT-1, somatosensory inputs predominantly co-label with VGLUT-2. Here, we used retrograde and anterograde transport of fluorescent conjugated dextran amine (DA) to demonstrate that the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) exhibits ipsilateral projections to both fusiform and deep layers of the rat DCN. Stimulating the LVN induced glutamatergic synaptic currents in fusiform cells and granule cell interneurones. We combined the dextran amine neuronal tracing method with immunohistochemistry and showed that labeled projections from the LVN are co-labeled with VGLUT-2 by contrast to VGLUT-1. Wistar rats were exposed to a loud single tone (15 kHz, 110 dB SPL) for 6 hours. Five days after acoustic overexposure, the level of expression of VGLUT-1 in the DCN was decreased whereas the level of expression of VGLUT-2 in the DCN was increased including terminals originating from the LVN. VGLUT-2 mediated projections from the LVN to the DCN are likely to play a role in the head position in response to sound. Amplification of VGLUT-2 expression after acoustic overexposure could be a compensatory mechanism from vestibular inputs in response to hearing loss and to a decrease of VGLUT-1 expression from auditory nerve fibers

Stakeholder communication in 140 characters or less: a study of community sport foundations

Community sport foundations (CSFs), like other non-profit organizations, are increasingly employing social media such as Twitter to communicate their mission and activities to their diverse stakeholder groups. However, the way these CSFs utilize social media for communicating such practices remains unclear. Through a mixed-method approach of content analysis of tweets from 22 CSFs established by English professional football clubs and interviews with key individuals within these CSFs (n = 7), this study examines the extent to which CSFs’ core activities are being communicated through Twitter and identifies the strategies employed for doing so. Reflecting the target audiences CSFs are seeking to reach through Twitter and the challenges associated with communication about projects involving marginalized groups, tweets largely concern programs related to sports participation and education. The most frequently employed communication strategy is to inform, rather than interact or engage with stakeholders. However, CSFs with higher organizational capacity attempt to go beyond mere informing towards engaging with stakeholder groups that relate to their social agenda, highlighting the importance of trained and dedicated social media personnel in optimizing CSFs’ use of Twitter for communication