An investigation of environmental impacts on sediments by marine cage fish farms using long term metadata analysis

Many studies have investigated the impacts of marine cage fish farming on seabed sediments. Most of these studies have focused on organic loading or toxic chemicals used for the treatment of disease, normally for a single or a small number of sites over short time periods. Only very rarely has there been the opportunity to use large data sets consisting of a large number of fish farm sites over a long time scale. In Scotland, localised nutrient impacts have been well documented for marine cage salmon farms, but mixed effects of nutrient and chemicals such as SLICE (the active ingredient of which is emamectin benzoate) have not been investigated in the long term. The aim of this project was to investigate the ecological impacts on sediments from farming activities using very large spatial and temporal data to investigate the long term effects of nutrient and chemical waste. This was achieved using a metadata set collected from 403 sampling stations at 31 fish farms on the west coast of Scotland over a 9 year period. Data consisted of sediment macrofauna, carbon and nitrogen levels, redox potential, particle size for sediment characterisation and sediment concentrations of SLICE. The data was analysed for trends using statistical and multivariate analysis to look for changes in sediment community and related conditions, and the relationships between these parameters were investigated. At sampling stations that were less than 50 metres from the sea cages, 72% of the macrofauna communities were correlated with regard to their species composition and abundance. A significant relationship between the concentration of SLICE and sediment characteristics was represented as: SLICE= 0.000644*(median size particle size) + 0.0311*(C %) – 0.00213*(redox potential) + 1.453. Annelids were the most sensitive to the presence of emamectin benzoate, with the sipunculid Phascolion strombi, the echinoderm Ophiura affinis, and the custaceans Iphinoe, Diastylis and Iphimedia also showing sensitivity. During the data period, there was a clear change in species composition associated with improved seabed conditions. This correlated with biomass changes at the relevant sites, where there was a consequent decrease in nutrient input and SLICE usage. The statistical comparison of the AMBI and ITI indices indicated a 68.9% correlation, but they differed in their ability to indicate levels of organic disturbance. AMBI was shown to correlate more closely with conditions and thus a more reliable index when working with large databases. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that a combination of abundance (N), Shannon Wiener (H’) and AMBI, as biological indices for describing the status of the ecological level associated with the carbon percentage and redox potential of sediments gave the most reliable representation of environmental change over a series of sampling stations. In conclusion, the overall results suggest that, in the long-term, sampling stations which contained significant levels of SLICE had a higher impact status than those affected only by nutrient inputs. The accuracy of multiple regression models were increased by adding biotic and abiotic parameters, though fish biomass at the sites were not considered be as important factor for the prediction of impacts. However, this model could be sensitive to natural environmental conditions and variations. In light of these results and conclusions, recommendations can be made both for updating the existed environmental regulation of marine fish farms and in the development of meaningful models to relate sediment conditions to accurate estimations of overall environmental impacts

Biochemical Characterization of a Type II Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase from Claviceps purpurea

Claviceps purpurea, a fungal pathogen, of ergot diseases in agriculturally important cereal crops, produces high levels of glycerides containing ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxyoctadec-cis-9-enoic acid) in its sclerotia. A fatty acid hydroxylase (CpFAH) involved in the biosynthesis of ricinoleic acid was recently identified from C. purpurea. This research describes the biochemical characterization of a type II diacylglycerol acyltransferase (CpDGAT2) involved in the assembly of this fatty acid into triglycerides from C. purpurea. Expression of CpDGAT2 in a quadruple mutant Saccharomyses cerevisiae H1246, in which all four triacylglycerol (TG) biosynthesis genes (DGA1, LOR1, ACAT1 and ACAT2) were disrupted, restored the ability of the mutant to synthesize TGs in vivo. In vitro enzymatic assays of microsomal preparations of the transformants indicated that CpDGAT2 preferentially use ricinoleic acid over linoleic acid, oleic acid and linolenic acids as acyl donor, and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol over 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol as acyl acceptor. CpDGAT2 did not show any activities for the formation of wax esters and estolides when 1-hexadecanol and triricinolein were used as acyl acceptors. Co-expression of CpFAH and CpDGAT2 in yeast resulted in increased accumulation of ricinoleic acids compared to expression of CpFAH along with the yeast native DGAT2 (ScDGA1) or expression of CpFAH alone. Northern blot analysis indicated that CpFAH is solely expressed in sclerotium cells and no transcripts of this gene were detected in mycelium and conidium cells. CpDGAT2 is more widely expressed in cell types examined except for conidiospores where the expression is low. The highest expression of CpDGAT2 was detected in 20 day-old sclerotium cells where the highest levels of ricinoleate glycerides are accumulated. Collectively, these data indicate CpDGAT2 and CpFAH are two key enzymes coordinating the biosynthesis and bioassembly of ricinoleic acid in C. purpurea

A combination of selected indices for assessing the environmental impact of marine fish farms using long term metadata analysis

Several biological indexes can be used to assess environmental impacts of aquaculture in the aquatic ecosystem. Some biological indices are used within environmental legislative and policy frameworks which aim to monitor the impact of marine aquaculture and regulate the operation of fish farms. In Scotland, the impact of fish farms is assessed according to benthic ecosystem status compared with modeled organic loading. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the benefits of using an optimal combination of a minimal number of selected benthic and aquatic parameters which can provide accurate and reliable information about the benthic status around the fish farm sites in Scotland. The data analyzed in this paper were obtained from the Institute of Aquaculture (IoA), of University of Stirling, and were collected from various fish farm sites across Scotland over several years. Macrofaunal and physico-chemical parameters included in the analysis were: Median Particle Size Analysis (MPSA); total sediment Carbon (C% by dw); total sediment Nitrogen (N% by dw) and Redox Potential (Eh). In this analysis a number of diversity and trophic level based indices were also used - including the Shannon Index (H'), the Infaunal Trophic Index (ITI) and the Azti's Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) - to asses the biotic status of the sites. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the data indicated that a combination of Abundance (N), H' and AMBI as biological indexes for describing the status of the ecological level along with the carbon percentage and redox potential appeared to be the give the best representation of change. This combination is even more accurate over a series of sampling stations and time points, rather than for a single site only, offering a convenient method for assessing the risk of aquaculture pollution of biotopes bellow or adjacent to floating marine fish farm cages

Extract of olive fruit fly males (Diptera: Tephritidae) attract virgin females

Τα αποτελέσματα ερευνών που διεξάγονται τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες δείχνουν ότι, σε αντίθεση με άλλα έντομα της οικογένειας Tephritidae, η σεξουαλική επικοινωνία του δάκου της ελιάς, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), βασίζεται κυρίως στη φερομόνη που απελευθερώνεται από τα ενήλικα θηλυκά. Η παρούσα μελέτη ωστόσο δείχνει ότι και τα ενήλικα αρσενικά του δάκου ελκύουν παρθένα θηλυκά. Σε πειράματα εργαστηρίου, με ολφακτόμετρο, μελετήθηκε η ανταπόκριση θηλυκών του δάκου της ελιάς σε εκχυλίσματα αναπαραγωγικά ώριμων αρσενικών. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι εκχυλίσματα των αρσενικών με διχλωρομεθάνιο/μεθανόλη και λιγότερο με διαιθυλαιθέρα, ήταν ιδιαιτέρα ελκυστικά για τα παρθένα θηλυκά κατά τις τελευταίες ώρες της φωτοπεριόδου, οπότε αυτά είναι σεξουαλικά δραστήρια. Η ανταπόκριση των παρθένων θηλυκών στα παραπάνω εκχυλίσματα ήταν αμελητέα όταν αυτά ήταν συζευγμένα. Επιπλέον, παρθένα θηλυκά δεν ανταποκρίνονταν στα παραπάνω εκχυλίσματα τις πρώτες ώρες της φωτοπεριόδου. Τα αποτελέσματα αυτά δείχνουν ότι, εκτός από την ύπαρξη της σεξουαλικής φερομόνης των θηλυκών στο δάκο της ελιάς, υπάρχουν οσμηρές ουσίες στα αρσενικά που προσελκύουν παρθένα θηλυκά. Περισσότερη έρευνα απαιτείται για να διευκρινιστεί σε βάθος ο ρόλος των οσμηρών ουσιών των αρσενικών. Τα παραπάνω ευρήματα συμβάλλουν στην πληρέστερη κατανόηση της σεξουαλικής συμπεριφοράς του δάκου της ελιάς και μπορούν να αξιοποιηθούν για την αποτελεσματικότερη αντιμετώπισή του με φιλικά προς το περιβάλλον μέσα.Research conducted during the past three decades suggests that in contrast to most other tephritid fruit flies, in which sexual pheromones are produced by males, the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) relies for its sexual communication on a pheromone that is produced by females. However, our present study suggests that virgin, mature females are attracted to male odors. In olfactometer assays extracts of male bodies obtained with a two-solvent system of methanol and dichloromethane were highly attractive to virgin females. This was observed during the last two hours of the photophase, when males are sexually active, but not during the first hours of the photophase, or when mated females were tested. Extracts of male bodies obtained with diethyl ether were also attractive to virgin females, albeit not as strongly as the two-solvent extracts. These results strongly indicate that males of the olive fruit fly elicit attraction to virgin females based on olfactory stimuli. The importance of these findings for understanding the sexual behavior of the olive fruit fly is discussed

The Potential Use of Mushrooms β-Glucans in the Food Industry

Many edible mushrooms are considered as “functional” foods having immunomodulatory and anticancer properties. The ability of mushrooms to exert biological effects and modulate immune functions is due to the presence of bioactive compounds with most important the polysaccharides β-glucans. B-glucans are found in bacteria, fungi and plants and act on several immune cell receptors resulting in both innate and adaptive response. The incorporation of β-glucans in various foods and animal feed has the potential of creating novel “functional” food products, with many health benefits to human and animal nutrition

Ηγεσία συμβάντων. Προσωπικότητα του Αρχηγού - Υπεύθυνου - Συντονιστή - Ηγέτη

Είναι χρήσιμο το άτομο που βρίσκεται στη θέση του ηγέτη να είναι διορατικός και να βρίσκεται σε άμεση επικονωνία τόσο με τους συνεργάτες του όσο και με άλλους φορείς. Η πρόληψη αλλά και η εκτίμηση σημαντικών συμβάντων οδηγούν στην κατάλληλη προετοιμασία, τον σχεδιασμό της στρατηγικής κα την άμεση ανταπόκριση όταν αυτά εμφανιστούν. Τόσο η διοίκηση όσο και η ηγεσία θα πρέπει να διαθέτουν τα απαραίτητα χαρακτηριστικά για να ανταποκριθούν σε αυτές τις καταστάσεις. Οι λάθος επιλογές αλλά και η ολιγωρία μπορεί να έχει αρνητικές επιπτώσεις στον οργανισμό, στους εργαζόμενους και στη κοινωνά γενικότερα. Η παρούσα εργασία αποτελεί μια προσπάθεια ανάδειξης της σημαντικότητας της ηγεσίας στις περιπτώσεις που παρουσιάζονται σημαντικά συμβάντα σε έναν οργανισμό. Αναλυτικότερα, στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο της εργασίας περιγράφονται σημαντικές παράμετροι της ηγεσίας. Μεταξύ αυτών είναι ο ορισμός της έννοιας αυτής και οι διαφορές της με τις έννοιες της διοίκησης και της διεύθυνσης. Επιπλέον, αναφέρονται οι αρχές και τα στυλ της ηγεσίας καθώς επίσης και τα χαρακτηριστικά και ο ρόλος του ηγέτη. Τέλος, περιγράφεται η έννοια της αποτελεσματικής ηγεσίας. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο γίνεται περιγραφή των θεωρίων που έχουν αναπτυχθεί για την ηγεσία και τι υποστηρίζει κάθε μία από αυτές. Στο κεφάλαιο περιγράφονται οι έννοιες «συμβάν» και «κρίση». Τα σταδια αυτών, ο ρόλος που κατέχει η επικοινωνία καθώς και οι απαιτούμενες ενέργειες για την διαχείριση τους. Το τελευταίο κεφάλαιο αποτελείται από μελέτη περίπτωσης. Πιο συγκεκριμένα γίνεται η περιγραφή ενός περιστατικού πυργκαγιάς σε επιβατικό πλοίο της ναυτιλιακής εταιρείας ANEKLines. Πρόκειται για περιστατικό που συνέβη τον Αύγουστο του 2018 κατά την διάρκεια του δρομολογίου Πειραιάς-Χανιά. Μετά την περιγραφή του συμβάντος και του τρόπου με τον οποίο αντιμετωπίστηκε. Αναφέρονται οι ανακοινώσεις των εμπλεκόμενων φορέων, το σχέδιο παρέμβασης που έχει προετοιμαστεί από την Πυροσβεστική Υπηρεσία και τέλος γίνεται σχολιασμός για τη διαχείριση αυτού.It is helpful for the person in the position of leader to be insightful and to be in direct contact with both his colleagues and other bodies. Prevention and the assessment of major events lead to proper preparation, strategy planning, and immediate response when they occur. Both management and leadership should have the necessary features to respond to these situations. Mistaken choices and lull may also have a negative impact on the organization, workers and society in general. This paper is an attempt to highlight the importance of leadership in cases where significant events occur in an organization. In more detail, the first chapter of the thesis describes important leadership parameters. Among these is the definition of this concept and its differences with the concepts of administration and management. In addition, the principles and styles of leadership, as well as the characteristics and role of the leader, are mentioned. Finally, the concept of effective leadership is described. The second chapter describes the theories that have been developed for leadership and what each of them supports. The chapter describes the concepts of "event" and "crisis". These stages, the role of communication and the actions required to manage them. The last chapter consists of a case study. More specifically, a fire incident is reported on a passenger ship of the ANEKLines shipping company. This is an incident that happened in August 2018 during the Piraeus-Chania route. After describing the incident and how it was treated. The announcements of the stakeholders involved, the intervention plan prepared by the Fire Service and the comments on the management of this are given

Comparative field studies of various traps and attractants for the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in fall

Για την επιλογή της πλέον αποτελεσματικής παγίδας και ελκυστικού μεταξύ ορισμένων από τους τύπους παγίδων και ελκυστικών ουσιών που χρησιμοποιούνται σήμερα για την παρακολούθηση και καταπολέμηση της μύγας της Μεσογείου, Ceratitis capitata, (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), συγκρίθηκαν σε πορτοκαλεώνες επτά τύποι παγίδων (δύο τύπου MePhail, Υαλοπλαστική, χάρτινο-δίπτυχο, χάρτινος φάκελος-χαρτοπλαστική, διαφανής πλαστική φιάλη, παγίδα ξηρού τύπου), τέσσερα τροφικά ελκυστικά ( Dacus bait 100, Entomela 12SL, όξινο ανθρακικό αμμώνιο και το με κωδικό ZI), ένα ελκυστικό φύλου (Trimedlure) και ένας συνδυασμός τροφικού και ελκυστικού φύλου (Όξινο ανθρακικό αμμώνιο+Trimedlure). Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι μεταξύ των παγίδων τύπου MePhail δεν υπάρχουν σημαντικές διαφορές.Η παγίδα τύπου πλαστικής φιάλης απεδείχθη πολύ αποτελεσματική όταν πληρούται με το ZI (πρωτεϊνικό τροφικό ελκυστικό). Από τα δοκιμασθέντα ελκυστικά , τα πλέον αποτελεσματικά ήταν το ZI και το Entomela. Ο συνδυασμός ελκυστικών τροφής και φύλου δεν έδειξε σημαντική συνεργιστική δράση στην αποτελεσματικότητα της παγίδας. Τα αποτελέσματα επιτρέπουν μια καλύτερη επιλογή μεταξύ των παραπάνω τύπων παγίδων και ελκυστικών, για παρακολούθηση και καταπολέμηση της μύγας της Μεσογείου.To clarify questions regarding the effectiveness of the many different types of traps and semiochemicals used for the monitoring and the control of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Τephrititae), seven trap types, four food attractants, one sex attractant and a combination of food and sex attractant, were evaluated under field conditions in orange orchards in fall. No major differences were observed between trap designs resembling the original McPhail glass trap. The plastic bottle trap of 1,5L volume, with four side openings for one-way fly entrance, proved very efficient when filled with a proteinaceous food attractant Ζ1. From the attractants, two of them, Ζ1 and Entomela showed the best performance. The combination of food and a sex attractant showed no significant synergistic effects on trap efficiency. The findings allow a better choice among trap types and attractants, available today in the market, for Medfly monitoring and control

Plant chemicals and the sexual behavior of male tephritid fruit flies

Plant compounds affect insects in many different ways. In addition to being a food source, plants also contain secondary metabolites that may have positive and negative impacts on insects. The influence of these compounds on sexual behavior, in particular, has been the focus of many recent studies. Here, we review the existing literature on the effects of plant compounds on the sexual behavior of tephritid fruit fly males. We put special focus on polyphagous species whose males congregate in leks, where females exert strong mate selection. We first summarize the main findings related to plant compounds that increase male signaling behavior and attraction of females and consequently increase mating frequency, a phenomenon that has been recorded mainly for species of Anastrepha and Ceratitis. In other tephritid species, males are attracted to phenylpropanoids produced by plants (such as methyl eugenol or raspberry ketone) that, upon encounter, are consumed and sequestered by males. These compounds, or metabolic derivatives, which normally have negligible nutritional value, are included in the pheromone and also confer advantages in a sexual context: enhanced female attraction and improved male mating success. These phenomena have been reported for several Bactrocera species as well as for Zeugodacus cucurbitae. Because many tephritid species are serious pests, the effect of plant compounds on male behavior has been explored for potential incorporation into control strategies such as the sterile insect technique (SIT). We conclude noting several factors, such as age and nutrition during larval and adult stage, that modulate the effect of plant compounds on male mating behavior as well as some prominent gaps that preclude a thorough understanding of the plant-mediated enhancement of male sexual performance and hence limit our ability to effectively utilize phytochemicals in pest control strategies.Instituto de GenéticaFil: Segura, Diego Fernando. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética. Laboratorio de Genética de Insectos de Importancia Económica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Belliard, Silvina A. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética. Laboratorio de Genética de Insectos de Importancia Económica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vera, María Teresa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; ArgentinaFil: Bachmann, Guillermo Enrique. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética. Laboratorio de Genética de Insectos de Importancia Económica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, María Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia; ArgentinaFil: Jofre-Barud, Flavia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Patricia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Delta del Paraná; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, M. Liza. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Shelly, Todd E. United States Department of Agriculture. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Estados Unido