Benthic foraminiferal assemblages and rhodolith facies evolution in post-LGM sediments from the Pontine Archipelago shelf (Central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

The seabed of the Pontine Archipelago (Tyrrhenian Sea) insular shelf is peculiar as it is characterized by a mixed siliciclastic–carbonate sedimentation. In order to reconstruct the Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental evolution of the Pontine Archipelago, this study investigates the succession of facies recorded by two sediment cores. For this purpose, benthic foraminifera and rhodoliths assemblages were considered. The two cores (post-Last Glacial Maximum in age) were collected at 60 (CS1) and 122 m (Caro1) depth on the insular shelf off Ponza Island. The paleontological data were compared with seismo-stratigraphic and lithological evidence. The cores show a deepening succession, with a transition from a basal rhodolith-rich biodetritic coarse sand to the surface coralline-barren silty sand. This transition is more evident along core Caro1 (from the bottom to the top), collected at a deeper water depth than CS1. In support of this evidence, along Caro1 was recorded a fairly constant increase in the amount of planktonic foraminiferal and a marked change in benthic foraminiferal assemblages (from Asterigerinata mamilla and Lobatula lobatula assemblage to Cassidulina carinata assemblage). Interestingly, the dating of the Caro1 bottom allowed us to extend to more than 13,000 years BP the rhodolith record in the Pontine Archipelago, indicating the possible presence of an active carbonate factory at that time

Neinvazivna metoda za utvrđivanje organski gajene ribe

U poslednjih nekoliko godina, prisutne su drugačije tendencije u akvakulturi, koje pre svega imaju za cilj plasiranje novih proizvoda, od kojih je jedan i riba gajena u organskoj akvakulturi. Razlikovanje ribe gajene u organskoj akvakulturi od one gajene na konvencionalni način je teško, ali se razlika može napraviti preko njenog izgleda. U ovom eksperimentu brancin je hranjen konvencionalnom i organskom hranom i u toku gajenja, pravljene su fotografije primeraka. Nakon kalibracije boje, određene su merne tačke na svakoj fotografiji, a nakon toga su geometrijskim i morfometrijskim metodama dobijene RGB matrice. Tako dobijena matrica (195x135,225) je prvobitno analizirana korišćenjem 50-50 MANOVA metode, a nakon toga su urađeni diskriminantna analiza i na kraju dendrogram. Svi uzorci su klasifikovani korišćenjem tri diskriminantna modela. Tako je dendrogram sa ukupno 9 različitih klasa pokazao da se ribe koje su gajene u organskoj akvakulturi slične ribama uzorkovanim iz prirodnih populacija. Rezultati su pokazali i da dve grupe riba, hranjenih različitim komercijalnim hranama u ovom eksperimentu, jedne u organskoj, a druge u konvencionalnoj akvakulturi mogu biti prepoznate po boji njihovog tela. Šta više, što duže vremena ribe provedu u jednom od ova dva načina gajenja, to se boja njihovog tela više razlikuje. Deo tela koji pokazuje najveće promene u boji jeste glava, koja je značajno svetlije boje u grupi riba gajenih u organskoj akvakulturi. Tako je dokazano da analiza boje tela može biti iskorišćena za razlikovanje riba koje su gajene u drugačijim uslovima korišćenjem različitih protokola i načina gajenja. Međutim, ovaj zaključak se može primeniti samo na ove, konkretne podatke, ne može biti generalizovan i ne može se primeniti na sve ribe gajene u organskoj akvakulturi

When climate change and overexploitation meet in volcanic lakes. The lesson from lake Bracciano, Rome’s strategic reservoir

Lakes worldwide have been strongly affected by several types of human-caused alteration, including changes in water level. This also affects deep lakes, including volcanic ones. Volcanic lakes in the Mediterranean area are of great importance for the local economy, but local human activities can threaten their rich biodiversity. As a European biodiversity hotspot and habitat of endemic species, the volcanic Lake Bracciano (Central Italy) is an ecosystem of primary conservation interest threatened by sharply falling water levels, particularly since 2017. It also plays a key role in human wellbeing by providing important ecosystem services including drinking water, fisheries and various recreational opportunities. Although the lake has historically been considered to enjoy good ecological status, various environmental problems, often amplified by water level changes, have arisen during the last two decades. Given this recent rapid evolution, the lake can be considered an example of a valuable ecosystem at risk as a result of increasing anthropogenic pressures. The aim of this review is to examine the changes that have affected the lake in the last 20 years, considerably reducing its capacity to provide ecosystem services, and to review existing and potential threats in order to better inform the management of such resources

Temporal trends and differences of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects: a longitudinal study from Umbria in Italy

Objectives Dynamics of antibody responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection are controversial in terms of immunity and persistence. We aimed to assess longitudinally the trend of antibody serological titres, their correlation with clinical severity as well as clinical reinfection during a follow-up.Design Longitudinal cohort, 12 months follow-up study.Setting USL Umbria 2.Participants Consecutive subjects aged 15–75 who were discharged with the diagnosis of Sars-Cov-2 from the hospitals of the AUSL Umbria 2, or resulted positive to a PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 infection with or without symptoms were recruited. SARS-CoV-2 serological testing for antibodies targeting the Nucleocapside and Spike proteins were determined.Results Of 184 eligible subjects, 149 were available for evaluation: 17 were classified as oligo/asymptomatic, 107 as symptomatic, 25 as hospital admitted. Participants differed in terms of signs and symptoms as well as treatment. Overall there was a significant difference in terms of antibody titres between groups (anti-S: p<0.00; anti-N: p=0.019). Median anti-S titres in the symptomatic and hospital admitted participants were significantly higher compared with the oligo/asymptomatic participants. During follow-up, the median titre of anti-S antibodies did not show significant variations (p=0.500) and the difference within groups remained constant overtime. Subjects that showed an anti-S titre above the threshold of 12 U/mL were 88.7% at first visit and 88.2% at last follow-up. Anti-N values were higher in the hospital admitted participants compared with the other two groups. Anti-N titre reduced constantly overtime (p<0.001) and across the three groups of participants. The percentage of the subjects with serological titre above threshold (<1.4 U/mL) decreased from 74.5%% to 29.2% (p<0.001). None of the participants developed clinically evident reinfection.Conclusion Anti-N and anti-S correlate well with clinical severity. While anti-N declines overtime, anti-S antibodies persist for at least 1 year