Some haematochemical parameters of intensively farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The aim of the present study was a preliminary determination of the metabolic profile (MP) of one of the most economically valuable species on the Italian market. Defining the metabolic profile (MP) of a species is not easy because of many factors affecting the blood parameters, but assessing the normality values is necessary to identify the limits out of which a production or reproduction decrease can happen

Contribution to the definition of the metabolic profile of farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The haematic outline of 339 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)from two different farms in the Lucca province was studied for a preliminary assessment of the metabolic profile of this species and for the investigation of the influence of some endogenous and exogenous factors on the variability of the studied parameters. The sampling time, as well as the weight, appears to have caused significant variations on most of the parameters analysed. The present study gives the annual means and the seasonal trends for each farm where the study was carried out

Flu and Covid-19: is there adherence to vaccination in target groups?

In Italy, the flu vaccine is recommended and free for target groups (adults≥60 years old, fragile people, healthcare workers, pregnant women). During the 2020/2021 flu season, an increased vaccination coverage (+6,9%) was observed compared to the previous season, also due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate how strong the adherence to the flu vaccine was by the vulnerable groups and assess if the Covid-19 vaccination campaign may have influenced the rate of flu vaccines

The silicon-strip tracker of the Gamma ray Large Area Space Telescope

Abstract The Gamma ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is an astro-particle mission that will study the mostly unexplored, high energy ( 20 MeV – 1 TeV ) spectrum of photons coming from active sources in the universe. Construction of the GLAST silicon tracker, by far the largest ever built for a space mission, is now well on the way, as it is scheduled for launch by NASA in autumn 2006. We report on the basic technology adopted for the silicon detectors, particularly in connection to their use in space, on the first results of sensors testing and on the status of tracker assembly

Fermi Large Area Telescope Performance after 10 Years of Operation

The Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) mission, is an imaging, wide field-of-view, high-energy gamma-ray telescope, covering the energy range from 30 MeV to more than 300 GeV. We describe the performance of the instrument at the 10 yr milestone. LAT performance remains well within the specifications defined during the planning phase, validating the design choices and supporting the compelling case to extend the duration of the Fermi mission. The details provided here will be useful when designing the next generation of high-energy gamma-ray observatories

Naturalness of Asymptotically Safe Higgs

We extend the list of theories featuring a rigorous interacting ultraviolet fixed point by constructing the first theory featuring a Higgs-like scalar with gauge, Yukawa and quartic interactions. We show that the theory enters a perturbative asymptotically safe regime at energies above a physical scale Λ. We determine the salient properties of the theory and use it as a concrete example to test whether scalars masses unavoidably receive quantum correction of order Λ. Having at our dispose a calculable model allowing us to precisely relate the IR and UV of the theory we demonstrate that the scalars can be lighter than Λ. Although we do not have an answer to whether the Standard Model hypercharge coupling growth toward a Landau pole at around Λ ~ 1040GeV can be tamed by non-perturbative asymptotic safety, our results indicate that such a possibility is worth exploring. In fact, if successful, it might also offer an explanation for the unbearable lightness of the Higgs

Terebralia palustris (Gastropoda; Potamididae) in a Kenyan mangal: Size structure, distribution and impact on the consumption of leaf litter

Although the role of macroinvertebrates in the nutrient cycling of the Indo-Pacific mangrove ecosystems is now a paradigm of ecological research, most of the research and scientific assumptions deal with decapod crustaceans alone. However, decapods are not the only representatives of mangrove macrobenthos and in certain mangals they are surely outnumbered by gastropods, especially by potamidids of the genus Terebralia. This paper aims at bridging the gap in the knowledge of the ecological role of the largest and most abundant potamidid species of the Indo-Pacific mangals, the semiterrestrial T. palustris. In particular we studied size structure and distribution in relation to micro-environmental factors and feeding ecology, both in terms of diet composition and grazing rate, of two populations of this gastropod colonising a Kenyan mangrove creek. In contrast to what has been described by various authors concerning other mangals, in our study site juveniles and adults of T. palustris were present throughout the whole forest, from the landward belt to the seaward fringe, locally reaching very high densities at various levels. Both life stages showed a preference for patches characterised by soil with high organic content; thus the habitat of juveniles largely overlapped with that of the adults, although they are known to occupy different ecological niches. Indeed, gut-content analysis confirmed that juveniles are detritivorous and adults are mainly leaf-litter consumers. In situ experiments on the grazing activity of the adult snails showed that, in contrast to the litter-consuming crabs, they feed in every light and tidal condition, for an hourly consumption rate of ∼0.65 g per snail. Considering an average density of about 10.5 adults m-2, it is estimated that a total of 10.5 leaves m -2 are removed by adult snails in each tidal cycle (i.e. about every 6 h). T. palustris is the only leaf consumer capable of searching for food under water during high tide and is responsible for the removal of a great quantity of mangrove litter. The results of the present study strongly suggest that T. palustris plays a major role in the food web, mangrove litter degradation and nutrient cycling of the Kenyan mangal. © Springer-Verlag 2004.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex