Recovery of the commercial sponges in the central and southeastern Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean) after an outbreak of sponge disease

The distribution and biometry of commercial sponges (Porifera) in coastal areas of the central and southeastern Aegean Sea was investigated to estimate the recovery progress of the populations eight years after the first appearance of sponge disease. Signs of the disease were detected only in 1.6% of the harvested sponges. Multivariate analysis on the percentage abundance of sponges showed two distinct groups among the sixteen fishing grounds studied: the eight deep (50-110 m) and the eight shallow ones (<40 m). The group from the deep depths consisted of Spongia officinalis adriatica, S. agaricina and S. zimocca. The infralittoral zone was characterized by the presence of Hippospongia communis, S. officinalis adriatica and S. officinalis mollissima. These bath sponges showed an enhanced abundance in the eastern Cretan Sea (S. Aegean Sea). In addition, their dimensions, particularly height, increased with increasing depth. It is indicated that the hydrographic conditions prevailing in the eastern Cretan Sea affected the repopulating processes of sponge banks. In each species, the biometric characteristics of the experimental specimens were similar to those of the sponges found in the market and harvested at respective depths prior to the appearance of sponge disease

Parametric study of a novel groove design for dry gas seals

This paper presents a performance analysis of a novel bidirectional groove design for dry gas seals. The scope of analysis includes the impact of important groove design parameters on the dry gas seal performance. The leakage flow and the axial stiffness and damping force coefficients are taken into account for performance assessment. For varying geometry the pressure field in the lubrication gap of the application is estimated. Based on these pressure fields the performance parameters are calculated. The utilized method to predict the fluid flow through the lubrication gap is founded on the Reynolds theory of lubrication. This two dimensional approach is based on the assumptions of a laminar viscous flow field with isothermal conditions and takes aerostatic as well as aerodynamic effects into account. The 2D approach is solved by a finite difference approximation. The aim of the contribution is to recommend geometrical parameters to ensure large static stiffness and damping force coefficients while still allowing for low seal leakage rates.Papers presented to the 12th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Costa de Sol, Spain on 11-13 July 2016

Testing timed systems modeled by stream X-machines

Stream X-machines have been used to specify real systems where complex data structures. They are a variety of extended finite state machine where a shared memory is used to represent communications between the components of systems. In this paper we introduce an extension of the Stream X-machines formalism in order to specify systems that present temporal requirements. We add time in two different ways. First, we consider that (output) actions take time to be performed. Second, our formalism allows to specify timeouts. Timeouts represent the time a system can wait for the environment to react without changing its internal state. Since timeous affect the set of available actions of the system, a relation focusing on the functional behavior of systems, that is, the actions that they can perform, must explicitly take into account the possible timeouts. In this paper we also propose a formal testing methodology allowing to systematically test a system with respect to a specification. Finally, we introduce a test derivation algorithm. Given a specification, the derived test suite is sound and complete, that is, a system under test successfully passes the test suite if and only if this system conforms to the specification

A Review: Prognostics and Health Management in Automotive and Aerospace

Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) attracts increasing interest of many researchers due to its potentially important applications in diverse disciplines and industries. In general, PHM systems use real-time and historical state information of subsystems and components of the operating systems to provide actionable information, enabling intelligent decision-making for improved performance, safety, reliability, and maintainability. Every year, a substantial number of papers in this area including theory and practical applications, appear in academic journals, conference proceedings and technical reports. This paper aims to summarize and review researches, developments and recent contributions in PHM for automotive- and aerospace industries. It can also be considered as the starting point for researchers and practitioners in general to assist them through PHM implementation and help them to accomplish their work more easily.Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog

What we talk about when we talk about "global mindset": managerial cognition in multinational corporations

Recent developments in the global economy and in multinational corporations have placed significant emphasis on the cognitive orientations of managers, giving rise to a number of concepts such as “global mindset” that are presumed to be associated with the effective management of multinational corporations (MNCs). This paper reviews the literature on global mindset and clarifies some of the conceptual confusion surrounding the construct. We identify common themes across writers, suggesting that the majority of studies fall into one of three research perspectives: cultural, strategic, and multidimensional. We also identify two constructs from the social sciences that underlie the perspectives found in the literature: cosmopolitanism and cognitive complexity and use these two constructs to develop an integrative theoretical framework of global mindset. We then provide a critical assessment of the field of global mindset and suggest directions for future theoretical and empirical research

Outcomes of the “BRCA Quality Improvement Dissemination Program”: An Initiative to Improve Patient Receipt of Cancer Genetics Services at Five Health Systems

OBJECTIVE: A quality improvement initiative (QII) was conducted with five community-based health systems\u27 oncology care centers (sites A-E). The QII aimed to increase referrals, genetic counseling (GC), and germline genetic testing (GT) for patients with ovarian cancer (OC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: QII activities occurred at sites over several years, all concluding by December 2020. Medical records of patients with OC and TNBC were reviewed, and rates of referral, GC, and GT of patients diagnosed during the 2 years before the QII were compared to those diagnosed during the QII. Outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-sample t-test, chi-squared/Fisher\u27s exact test, and logistic regression. RESULTS: For patients with OC, improvement was observed in the rate of referral (from 70% to 79%), GC (from 44% to 61%), GT (from 54% to 62%) and decreased time from diagnosis to GC and GT. For patients with TNBC, increased rates of referral (from 90% to 92%), GC (from 68% to 72%) and GT (81% to 86%) were observed. Effective interventions streamlined GC scheduling and standardized referral processes. CONCLUSION: A multi-year QII increased patient referral and uptake of recommended genetics services across five unique community-based oncology care settings

New information on the status and distribution of Callitriche pulchra (Plantaginaceae), including a first record from Cyprus

New information has extended the known range of Callitriche pulchra Schotsm. (Plantaginaceae) to Cyprus. This, combined with a survey of populations on the island of Gavdos off the S coast of Crete, shows that it is less threatened than previously thought. Updated information is presented here on the distribution, status and ecology of this species. © 2016 The Authors

Salinomycin toxicosis in broiler breeders and Turkeys: Report of the first case

The objective of this study was to describe two clinical cases of toxicosis by accidental administration of salinomycin in feed in broiler breeders and turkeys. In the first clinical case, a 32000 broiler breeders flock, 30 weeks of age, suffered a severe mortality during the first week, a sharp decrease in egg production and a dramatic reduction in food consumption together with an increase of eating time. The pathological condition manifested itself mainly with leg paralysis and reluctance to move. In necropsy, signs of bile hyper-secretion, absence of feed in the digestive tract, liver degeneration, egg peritonitis, enlarged kidneys and spleen atrophy were found. Serological examinations for IBV, IBD, NDV, Mg, Ms, Ort, TRT, AE and CAA were negative. The broiler breeders flock was finally euthanized due to an irreversible condition, slow recovery and poor production indicators. In the second clinical case, a flock of 27000 turkeys fatteners, aged from 20 to 35 days, showed an increased daily mortality up to 10 and a 88% total death loss in 2 weeks period. The turkeys showed great growth retardation, reluctance to move and eat, ataxia and absence of gross lesions, except atrophy of the spleen and pica. Serological examinations for NDV and AI were negative. After removal and change of feed, the remaining flock recovered normally. These two clinical cases were initially associated with incorrect diet and, after obtaining detailed clinical history, laboratory tests and food analysis, the by error administration of salinomycin in feed was confirmed. The final concentrations of salinomycin in feed analysis reached 64.6-124 mg kg-1 for the broiler breeders and 298-944 mg kg-1 for turkeys. While salinomycin toxicosis has been reported worldwide in the literature in a number of animal species, including turkey breeders and fatteners with similar symptoms, in broiler breeders has never been reported on the field. ©2013 Science Publication

Recovery of the commercial sponges in the central and southeastern Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean) after an outbreak of sponge disease

The distribution and biometry of commercial sponges (Porifera) in coastal areas of the central and southeastern Aegean Sea was investigated to estimate the recovery progress of the populations eight years after the first appearance of sponge disease. Signs of the disease were detected only in 1.6% of the harvested sponges. Multivariate analysis on the percentage abundance of sponges showed two distinct groups among the sixteen fishing grounds studied: the eight deep (50-110 m) and the eight shallow ones (&lt;40 m). The group from the deep depths consisted of Spongia officinalis adriatica, S. agaricina and S. zimocca. The infralittoral zone was characterized by the presence of Hippospongia communis, S. officinalis adriatica and S. officinalis mollissima. These bath sponges showed an enhanced abundance in the eastern Cretan Sea (S. Aegean Sea). In addition, their dimensions, particularly height, increased with increasing depth. It is indicated that the hydrographic conditions prevailing in the eastern Cretan Sea affected the repopulating processes of sponge banks. In each species, the biometric characteristics of the experimental specimens were similar to those of the sponges found in the market and harvested at respective depths prior to the appearance of sponge disease