Can the effects of anthropogenic pressures and environmental variability on nekton fauna be detected in fishery data? Insights from the monitoring of the artisanal fishery within the Venice lagoon

Nekton communities in transitional ecosystems are naturally adapted to stressful conditions associated with high environmental variability. Human activities in these systems are likely to determine additional stress with a possible effect on fish fauna, hence on fisheries. In order to test the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic factors in determining changes in nekton community, catches (incl. bycatch) from artisanal fisheries (fyke nets) were monitored seasonally in different areas of the Venice lagoon (Italy) between 2001 and 2013. Changes in nekton community composition and in the biomass of target and non-target species/groups were analysed, and the results were related to temporal factors, environmental characteristics and to the variability in anthropogenic pressures. Statistical tests were carried out using a model-based analysis of both univariate and multivariate data. Results highlighted that temporal factors and environmental conditions (i.e. the main chemico-physical descriptors) are more relevant than anthropogenic pressures in explaining spatial and temporal changes in the lagoon nekton assemblage, but that several characteristics of the assemblage, in particular the biomass of some particular categories and of the whole assemblage, are sensitive to human impacts. A particularly negligible effect seemed to be associated with fishing effort, thus suggesting that the monitoring of the local artisanal fishery is suitable also to provide useful information on the evaluation of the status of nekton assemblage

A RFQ Cooler Development

The cooling of beams of exotic nuclei (both in energy spread and in transverse oscillations) is critical to downstream mass spectrometry devices and can be provided by collisions with light gases as in the Radio Frequency Quadrupole Cooler (RFQC). As in other traps, several electromagnetic systems can be used for beam deceleration confinement and deceleration, as a radiofrequency (rf) quadrupole, a magnetic solenoid and electrostatic acceleration. Since rf contributes both to beam cooling and heating, operational parameters should be carefully optimized. The LNL RFQC prototype is going to be placed inside the existing Eltrap solenoid, capable of providing a magnetic flux density component Bz up to 0.2 T, where z is the solenoid axis. Setup progress and related rf component development are reported; in particular simple matching boxes are discussed; the differential gas pumping system is also described

Resistance to stress and Hc functional modulation in Liocarcinus sp

This study is included in a project aimed to study the alterations on the structure of the Northern Adriatic Sea ecosystem produced by fishing activity. The indirect or secondary effects of fishery such as the changes of the structure and trophic relationships of the ecosystem are under investigation and we have particularly considered the effects on species such as Liocarcinus depurator that are captured and then rejected because devoid of commercial value. The objective of this study is the Liocarcinus sp. adaptative resistance to stress and the effects of biochemical parameters (allosteric effectors) on Hc functional modulation

Pretreatment serum albumin as a predictor of cancer survival: A systematic review of the epidemiological literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are several methods of assessing nutritional status in cancer of which serum albumin is one of the most commonly used. In recent years, the role of malnutrition as a predictor of survival in cancer has received considerable attention. As a result, it is reasonable to investigate whether serum albumin has utility as a prognostic indicator of cancer survival in cancer. This review summarizes all available epidemiological literature on the association between pretreatment serum albumin levels and survival in different types of cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic search of the literature using the MEDLINE database (January 1995 through June 2010) to identify epidemiologic studies on the relationship between serum albumin and cancer survival. To be included in the review, a study must have: been published in English, reported on data collected in humans with any type of cancer, had serum albumin as <it>one of the </it>or <it>only </it>predicting factor, had survival as one of the outcome measures (primary or secondary) and had any of the following study designs (case-control, cohort, cross-sectional, case-series prospective, retrospective, nested case-control, ecologic, clinical trial, meta-analysis).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 29 studies reviewed on cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, all except three found higher serum albumin levels to be associated with better survival in multivariate analysis. Of the 10 studies reviewed on lung cancer, all excepting one found higher serum albumin levels to be associated with better survival. In 6 studies reviewed on female cancers and multiple cancers each, lower levels of serum albumin were associated with poor survival. Finally, in all 8 studies reviewed on patients with other cancer sites, lower levels of serum albumin were associated with poor survival.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Pretreatment serum albumin levels provide useful prognostic significance in cancer. Accordingly, serum albumin level could be used in clinical trials to better define the baseline risk in cancer patients. A critical gap for demonstrating causality, however, is the absence of clinical trials demonstrating that raising albumin levels by means of intravenous infusion or by hyperalimentation decreases the excess risk of mortality in cancer.</p

Survival estimates of bycatch individuals discarded from bivalve dredges

The fate of released bycatch is an issue of great interest for fisheries research and management. Survival experiments were carried out to assess the survival capacity of animals damaged and discarded during clam dredging operations. Three common bycatch species, two fish (Trachinus vipera; Dicologlossa cuneata) and one crab (Polybius henslowii), were collected during the sorting of catches from a commercial dredging boat. An arbitrary score scale was used to quantify the type and extent of damage to the organisms. Onboard, damaged individuals were placed in tanks containing seawater which were subsequently transferred to the laboratory. Survival experiments were conducted during the subsequent 48h. D. cuneata exhibited the lowest mortality after 48h (54%), followed by P. henslowii (65%) and T. vipera (81%). Despite the magnitude of the percentage mortalities determined, the average number of individuals estimated to die during a 15 minutes tow (standard commercial fishing time) was relatively small: 1.2, 3.24 and 11 for D. cuneata, T. vipera and P. henslowii, respectively. Nevertheless, when these figures are extrapolated to cover all the dredging fleet the impact of this practice on the populations of the species studied can be significant, particulary for D. cuneata

Hardware Commissioning of the Refurbished ALPI Linac at INFN-LNL to Serve as SPES Exotic Beam Accelerator

Abstract The ALPI linac at INFN-LNL was substantially refurbished in 2018, especially in view of its use as secondary accelerator for exotic species in the framework of the SPES project. In particular: 10 magnetic triplets were replaced with higher gradient ones; two cryomodules with quarter wave resonator were moved from the PIAVE injector to ALPI, so as to make them available both for exotic and stable beams; the cryogenic plant was renovated; the whole linac, its injector and its beam lines were eventually realigned via LASER tracking (LT). The expected outcome of the refurbishment project is a larger beam transmission (crucial for the efficient transport of the unavoidably low current exotic beams) and improved overall reliability so as to further extend the lifetime of an already 25 years old machine. The hardware commissioning of this new configuration will be reported

European Seafood Production under Climate Change: Assessing Economic and Social Consequences

Climate change has been observed to have a significant impact on the distribution of aquatic species and productivity of aquaculture systems across the globe. This affects the level of food production, the livelihoods of communities that depend on fisheries and aquaculture, and the future sustainability of these sectors. As in all other parts of the world, climate change will have inequitable and diverse impacts on economic growth across Europe, creating winners and losers. The European H2020 project ClimeFish investigates the impacts of climate change in aquatic food production at the European and regional scale, for the three main production sectors: marine fisheries, lakes and ponds and marine aquaculture. ClimeFish has developed a process for conducting socio-economic impact assessment by first identifying the effect(s) of climate change on the biological properties of both fish and aquaculture species, and secondly assessing the socio-economic impacts based on these biological forecasts, collecting additional socio-economic data and feedback from relevant stakeholders. Here, we provide an overview of the methods and work conducted in seven different case studies will be provided, focusing on both opportunities and threats within the three sectors and geographical locations around Europe as well as a European wide analysis. Challenges related to the data collection and analysis, as well as potential ways of overcoming them, are discussed

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy, genetics and function of meiofaunal taxa into global change impact research