Značajke životnog ciklusa i procjena stoka lista jadranskoga, Pegusa impar(Bennett, 1831) u plitkim priobalnim vodama jugozapadne Sicilije

From spring 2002 to winter 2011 a catch-effort survey was conducted in the wide Gulf between Cape San Marco and Cape Granitola (southwest coast of Sicily). The target fleet was the small scale fishery, using trammel net and gill net, based in the port of Marinella di Selinunte located in the centre of the Gulf. From 2005 to 2008 seasonal statistically significant samples of the catch of Pegusa impar (Bennett, 1831)Adriatic sole were purchased to study the life history. The growth parameters of the Von Bertanlaffy model were estimated: L∞= 249 mm, k = 0.25 year-1, t0= - 2.0 year for females; L∞= 250 mm, k = 0.26 year-1, t0= - 1.8 year for males. The maximum estimated age by whole otolith was 6 + years old. The parameters a and b of the length-weight relationship were estimated a = 0.000007 and b = 3.0562 for females and a = 0.000008 and b = 3.0157 for males. Length at first sexual maturity was 155.82 mm and 156.22 mm for females and males respectively. Age at first sexual maturity was 1.99 years for females and 2.57 years for males. The spawning period lasts throughout spring and summer with a migration from greater depths into shallow waters. The most exploited length class was 160 mm through 2007 but in 2008 it became 150 mm.The yearly catch ranged from 842 Kg and 9,743 specimens to 2,703 Kg and 65,345 specimens. The annual fishing effort ranged from 3,142 Km of gear at sea to 6,017 Km of gear at sea. Stock assessment was carried out in the frame of the Schaefer model using FMSP-CeDA software. The Maximum Sustainable Yield, the Carrying capacity, the Catchability coefficient, the Intrinsic population growth rate and the Replacement yield were respectively 2,140 kg, 7,132 kg, 0.000055 kg, 1.200 and 1,869 kg. The biomass trend predicted to 2020 shows that if after 2011 fishing effort increases by ten percent year by year, the resource will begin to decline beginning in 2013. Although the present data do not indicate that the resource is currently in overexploitation, it is however necessary not to increase fishing effort.Od proljeća 2002. do zime 2011. godine provedeno je istraživanje o korištenom ribolovnom naporu u širokom zaljevu između rta San Marco i rta Granitola (jugozapadna obala Sicilije). Istraživana flota pripada priobalnom ribarstvu, u kojem su se koristile mreže plivarice i poponice, te ima sjedište u luci Marinella di Selinunte i nalazi se u sredini zaljeva. Od 2005. do 2008.g. za istraživanje životnog ciklusa korišteni su podaci sezonskih statistički značajnih uzoraka lista jadranskog Pegusa impar (BENNETT, 1831).Parametri rasta prema Von Bertanlaffy-jevom modelu iznosili su: L∞= 249 mm, k = 0.25 godina -1, t0= - 2.0 godina za ženke; te L∞= 250 mm, k = 0.26 godina -1, t0= - 1.8 godina za mužjake. Najveća procijenjena dob po očitanom otolitu je 6 + godina.Parameteri a i b dužinsko-masenog odnosa iznosili su a= 0.000007 and b= 3.0562 za ženke, te a= 0.000008 i b = 3.0157 za mužjake. Duljina pri prvom spolnom sazrijevanju iznosila je 155.82mm kod ženiki i 156.22 mm kod mužjaka. Dob prve spolne zrelosti bila je 1.99 god. za ženke i 2.57 godina za mužjake. Mriješćenje traje tijekom proljeća i ljeta s migracijama iz većih dubina u plitke vode. Do 2007. godine duljina većine ulovljenih primjeraka je iznosila 160 mm, dok je u 2008. godini iznosila 150 mm. Godišnji ulov kolebao je između 842 kg (9743 primjerka) i 2703 kg (65345 primjeraka). Dužina položenih mreža u godišnjem ribolovnom naporu kolebala je od 3142 km do 6017 km. Procjena stoka je izrađena prema Schaeferovom modelu koristeći pri tom FMSP-CEDA softver. Najviši održivi prinos, nosivost, koeficijent lovnosti, intrinzična stopa rasta populacije i zamjenski prinos su iznosili redom 2140 kg, 7132 kg, 0,000055 kg, 1.200 kg i 1869 kg. Predviđeni trend biomase do 2020. godine pokazuje da ako se nakon 2011.g. ribolovni napor bude povećavao za 10%, iz godine u godinu, resurs će početi opadati počevši od 2013. godine. Mada sadašnji podaci ne ukazuju da je resurs trenutno prekomjerno eksploatiran, ribolovni napor se ne bi smio povećavat

New lands, new languages: navigating intersectionality in school leadership

In the global context of deepening social and political divisions and at a time of growing forced displacement of people due to conflict, there is an ever increasing need for educators and school leaders to understand issues relating to equality and diversity with respect to themselves and the students with whom they work. In particular, the intersecting characteristics that make up individual and collective identities simultaneously afford opportunities and inflict oppressions depending on circumstances and context. This paper focuses on a theorisation of intersectionality as simultaneity through an analysis of linguistic exchanges as they reveal fluctuations of empowerment and disempowerment in the context of culturally and linguistically responsive school leadership. It draws on research findings from the English case as part of an international comparative project focused on Black women principals’ experiences of leading schools in England, South Africa and the United States of America. It reports an account of a British Pakistani Muslim woman’s experience of school leadership as she negotiated a discussion of institutional racism in a school serving a multi-ethnic population of students. Using Bourdieu’s linguistic concepts, I argue that a fine grained analysis of a series of reported linguistic exchanges with multiple stakeholders reveals how various members of the school community accepted or resisted her authority to use official language. There is no guarantee that linguistic habitus will convert into linguistic capital. Moreover, I argue that educators and school leaders need to understand intersectionality as simultaneity so they can navigate identity, institutional and social practices in relation to school leadership and the education of minoritised students

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project : insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes

Helicobacter pylori, a dominant member of the gastric microbiota, shares co-evolutionary history with humans. This has led to the development of genetically distinct H. pylori subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host and with differential gastric disease risk. Here, we provide insights into H. pylori population structure as a part of the Helicobacter pylori Genome Project (HpGP), a multi-disciplinary initiative aimed at elucidating H. pylori pathogenesis and identifying new therapeutic targets. We collected 1011 well-characterized clinical strains from 50 countries and generated high-quality genome sequences. We analysed core genome diversity and population structure of the HpGP dataset and 255 worldwide reference genomes to outline the ancestral contribution to Eurasian, African, and American populations. We found evidence of substantial contribution of population hpNorthAsia and subpopulation hspUral in Northern European H. pylori. The genomes of H. pylori isolated from northern and southern Indigenous Americans differed in that bacteria isolated in northern Indigenous communities were more similar to North Asian H. pylori while the southern had higher relatedness to hpEastAsia. Notably, we also found a highly clonal yet geographically dispersed North American subpopulation, which is negative for the cag pathogenicity island, and present in 7% of sequenced US genomes. We expect the HpGP dataset and the corresponding strains to become a major asset for H. pylori genomics

Sustainability and tourism. The case of Sicily: between development and territorial imbalances

The paradigm of sustainability, as outlined by the World Commission on Environment and Development, and published in the famous Brundtland report of 1987, is today naturally associated with the diverse subjects studied in Geography. It is imperative to apply this concept in order to have successful policies on a local and regional scale

Exposure to ototoxic agents and hearing loss: A review of current knowledge

Several experimental and clinical studies have shown that a variety of ototoxic agents (such as drugs, industrial chemicals and noise) can cause sensorineural hearing loss. The most common ototoxic drugs used in clinical practice include: aminoglycoside and macrolide antibiotics, quinoline anti-malarials, platinum analog antineoplastics, loop diuretics, and acetylsalicylic acid. Among chemical agents with potential ototoxic properties are: organic solvents, heavy metals, organotins, nitriles, asphyxiants, and pesticides/herbicides. Acoustic exposure to high intensity and/or prolonged noise can also cause permanent threshold shifts in auditory perception. Ototoxic agents can influence auditory function by different mechanisms: ROS overload, inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis, DNA/RNA damage, activation of the apoptotic pathways, excessive calcium influx, increase of proinflammatory cytokines, interference with fluid and electrolyte balance of the endolymph, atrophy of the stria vascularis, changes in blood-labyrinth barrier and overstimulation of the stereocilia of the ear cells. Since noise exposure and many drugs or chemical compounds frequently share the same ototoxic mechanisms, this may explain why hearing loss can be potentiated by combined exposure to these agents. However, a great variability in the individual's response to a given xenobiotic exists and depends on a complex interplay between endogenous and exogenous factors

Toward crustacean without chemicals: a descriptive analysis of consumer response using price comparisons

Background: To date, there seems to be limited-to-zero emphasis about how consumers perceive crustacean products subject to either chemical and or non-chemical preservative treatments. In addition, studies that investigated price comparisons of crustacean products subject to either chemical or chemical-free preservative methods seem unreported. Objective: This study focused on providing some foundational knowledge about how consumers perceive traditionally harvested crustaceans that are either chemical-treated and or free of chemicals, incorporating price comparisons using a descriptive approach. Design: The study design employed a questionnaire approach via interview using a computer-assisted telephone system and sampled 1,540 participants across five key locations in Italy. To actualize consumer sensitivity, ‘price’ was the focus given its crucial role as a consumption barrier. Prior to this, variables such as demographic characteristics of participants, frequency of purchasing, quality attributes/factors that limit the consumption of crustaceans were equally considered. Results: By price comparisons, consumers are likely to favor chemical-free (modified atmosphere packaging) crustacean products amid a price increase of up to 15%. But, a further price increase such as by 25% could markedly damage consumers’ feelings, which might lead to a considerable number opting out in favor of either chemical-treated or other seafood products. Comparing locations, the studied variables showed no statistical differences (p>0.05). On the contrary, the response weightings fluctuated across the studied categories. Both response weightings and coefficient of variation helped reveal more about how responses deviated per variable categories. Conclusions: This study has revealed some foundational knowledge about how consumers perceive traditionally harvested crustaceans that were either chemical-treated or subject to chemical-free preservative up to price sensitivity using Italy as a reference case, which is applicable to other parts of the globe

Manuale di Neurologia e Neurochirurgia

Dal continuo lavoro del corpo docenti dell’Accademia Italiana Medici Specializzandi (AIMS) nasce questa nuova edizione del manuale di Neurologia e Neurochirurgia - Settima Edizione 2021.Si tratta di un testo specificamente pensato per la preparazione del laureato in Medicina e Chirurgia affinché possa affrontare efficacemente il nuovo Concorso delle Scuole di Specializzazione Mediche: è una risorsa schematica, sintetica e aggiornata in base alle più recenti linee guida che consente uno studio rapido della disciplina.La trattazione semplice ma, al tempo stesso, rigorosa, stimola la capacità di ragionamento clinico del giovane medico che ne affronta lo studio e rende quest’opera un strumento valido, unico nel suo genere e complementare alla preparazione del corso di preparazione AIMS.L’intera Opera è corredata da una grande varietà di immagini e schemi, pensati per facilitare la comprensione e la memorizzazione degli argomenti trattati