Psychological well-being in parents of pediatric patients with TD1. Role of Family Conflict and Parental Fear of Children\u2019s Self-injecting on Their Glycaemic Control and Psychological Well-being

Aims: This study aims to assess psychological well-being and life perceptions in parents of paediatric patients with T1D and to identify how the parents\u2019 fear of children\u2019s self-injecting and conflicts could influence the paediatric patients\u2019 glycaemic control and well-being. Study Design: One-time point cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The participants were recruited from patients attending the paediatric Department of the Hospital of Bolzano (Italy) in 2011\u20132012. Methodology: Paediatric patients (n=59) with a mean age of 13.19 years (SD=3.26, range 8-18) and their parents were contacted during the check-ups and self- and proxy-reported questionnaires were administered. Parents were principally represented by mothers (n=48), married (79.7%) and with a medium perceived economic situation (54.2%). Results: Glycaemic control was severely inadequate, especially if paediatric patients were older at the time of assessment and younger at diagnosis and if parents declared more conflicts with them. Parental fear about their child\u2019s self-injection of insulin was identified as a key element impacting externalising/internalising symptoms and on worries about the illness. Conclusion: By examining family conflicts and parenting practices, it will be possible to set up specific psycho-social interventions to increase adolescents\u2019 treatment adherence and to mitigate the family conflicts and fears that may arise in the context of the daily management of the illness

Multiple paternity and hybridization in two smooth-hound sharks

Multiple paternity appears to be a common trait of elasmobranch mating systems, with its occurrence likely driven by convenience, due to females seeking to minimize the stress of male harassment. Here we use molecular markers to analyse the frequency of multiple paternity in two related viviparous sharks, Mustelus mustelus and Mustelus punctulatus. We first applied molecular methods to assign pregnant females, embryos and additional reference adults (N\u2009=\u2009792) to one of the two species. Paternity analysis was performed using a total of 9 polymorphic microsatellites on 19 females and 204 embryos of M. mustelus, and on 13 females and 303 embryos of M. punctulatus. Multiple paternity occurs in both species, with 47% of M. mustelus and 54% of M. punctulatus litters sired by at least two fathers. Female fecundity is not influenced by multiple mating and in 56% of polyandrous litters paternity is skewed, with one male siring most of the pups. Genetic analyses also revealed hybridization between the two species, with a M. punctulatus female bearing pups sired by a M. mustelus male. The frequency of polyandrous litters in these species is consistent with aspects of their reproductive biology, such as synchronous ovulation and possible occurrence of breeding aggregations

A Real-Time and Offline Quality Control Methodology for SeaSonde High-Frequency Radar Currents

Abstract A near-real-time and offline quality control methodology for SeaSonde systems is proposed. It is applied on radial current maps and is based on the determination of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values of the Doppler lines that contribute to the hourly radial current at each range-bearing (R, θ) pair, under the assumption that SNR is a proxy for radar data quality. The retrieval of the sequence of Doppler lines is performed through a minimization procedure that takes advantage of the statistical descriptors output in the short-term radial maps. The separation of the contributing Doppler velocities into valid observations and anomalous velocities is based on their spectral quality factor and on a range-dependent noise threshold derived from statistics (average and standard deviation) of the signal amplitudes in the tails of the Doppler spectra. The final product of the quality control procedure is a radial current map, in which Doppler velocities are weighted by their SNR values and their spectral quality factors, and averaged to produce an output that is fully compatible with the proprietary software. This procedure is fast, despite the fact that a large number of combinations might be required during the retrieval of the Doppler lines, and effective, because it removes both evident spikes as well as Doppler velocities that are not clearly identified as anomalous velocities. In principle, this approach can be used to fill gaps in the radar coverage without the need for interpolation in time or space, proved that the Doppler velocities satisfy predetermined SNR constraints

U potrazi za plijenom: pojava psine lisice, Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) u sjevernom Jadranu i njegove interakcije s ribarstvom

The common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, has shown a marked decline in abundance in the Mediterranean Sea. Through the analysis of long-term fishery time series (1966–2013), this study highlights that an important driver of the presence of A. vulpinus in the northern Adriatic Sea, one of the most exploited basins of the Mediterranean, is the abundance of its prey, the sardine Sardina pilchardus. From 1997-2013, an annual average of 14 thresher sharks was landed at Chioggia (Italy), the main fish market in the area, mainly from July to October. More than 75% of the landed thresher sharks were sexually immature, with some specimens weighing less than 10 kg, indicating that a high proportion of the catch was composed of small young and newborn individuals. These results support the occurrence of a nursery area in the northern Adriatic Sea, highlighting the need for proper management of A. vulpinus catch in this area.Zabilježen je značajan pad zastupljenosti psa lisice, Alopias vulpinus, u Sredozemnom moru. Analizom dugoročnog vremenskog niza podataka u ribarstvu (1966-2013), ovo istraživanje pokazuje da je važan pokretač prisutnosti A. vulpinus, u sjevernom Jadranu kao jednom od najiskorištenijih bazena na Sredozemlju, obilje njegova plijena srdele, Sardina pilchardus. U razdoblju 1997.-2013. godišnji prosjek ulova psine lisice je iznosio 14 primjeraka donesenih na glavnu ribarnicu u mjestu Chioggia (Italija) i to poglavito od srpnja do listopada. Više od 75% primjeraka ulovljenog psa lisice bili su spolno nezreli, od kojih su neki primjerci imali manje od 10 kg, što ukazuje da je visok udio ulova bio sastavljen od malih nedoraslih jedniki i mlađi. Ovi rezultati podupiru pojavu rastilišta u sjevernom Jadranu, ujedno naglašavajući potrebu pravilnog upravljanja ulovom A. vulpinus u ovom području

Comparison between HF radar current data and moored ADCP currentmeter

A preliminary assessment of accuracy of a two-sites shore-based HF Radar network along the Venice Lagoon littoral was attempted by means of comparison with a 57.5 day-long ADCP current time series for the period September- October 2002. Results showed that radar measurements were accurate (< 7 cm/s) in more than 50% of the times, since more than 50% of the differences between both E-W (U)and N-S (V )comp onents were under 7 cm/s, and more than 50% of direction differences were under 35◦. The main differences between the HF radar and surface ADCP currents can be explained in terms of random errors affecting the measurement technique and the daily sea breeze forcing, since low-pass filtering of current time series significantly improved the correlation and decreased the RMS of the differences between the two measured data set. Comparison of the semidiurnal (M2, S2)tidal band suggested good agreement between tidal ellipse amplitudes. Wind forcing on a daily time-scale (sea-breeze)w as associated with larger differences between radar and ADCP currents at a diurnal band due to the presence of a vertical shear in the surface layer

Dermatologic adverse effect of subcutaneous furosemide administration in a cat

Background: Furosemide is a mainstay of treatment in congestive heart failure (CHF) and is widely prescribed to dogs and cats by several formulations, including the subcutaneous one. In canine and human medicine, dermatologic adverse effects of subcutaneous furosemide (SF) have been documented; conversely, no prior case has been published describing skin reactions to this therapeutic protocol in cats. In this report, we describe, for the first time in feline medicine, a suspected dermatologic adverse effect after SF in a cat. Case description: A 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented for CHF associated with lung edema and pleural effusion. Echocardiography revealed asymmetric left ventricular myocardial thickening and severe left atrial dilation. The cat was hospitalized and initially treated with oxygen, intravenous furosemide, and clopidogrel. After discharge, the route of administration of furosemide was switched from intravenous to oral. Within the following 2 weeks, the cat experienced two relapses of lung edema despite the progressive increase of the furosemide dose, the addition of spironolactone and adherence to the therapeutic protocol by the owners. The dose of furosemide was further increased and its route of administration at home was switched from oral to parental. As the owner was not able to administrate intramuscular injections, SF was prescribed. This allowed the prevention of further episodes of lung edema. However, although the cat had never presented skin problems before, multiple well-defined circular, crusted ulcerative cutaneous lesions associated with alopecia developed at the sites of furosemide injections 2 weeks later. After ruling out several differential diagnoses for these lesions, a rare side effect of furosemide, not yet described in cats but already known in canine and human medicine, was strongly suspected as the possible cause. Therefore, the ongoing injectable formulation of furosemide was interrupted and substituted with an alternative brand, maintaining the same dose and route of administration. Thanks to this change, the dermal ulcerations disappeared within 1 month. Subsequently, the cat experienced neither further skin problems nor a recurrence of lung edema. Conclusion: Although SF is sometimes prescribed in small animal practice, it should be noticed that this may lead to dermatologic adverse reactions in the cat

Recovery trends of commercial fish: the case of an underperforming Mediterranean marine protected area

Temporal trends in the recovery of exploited species in marine protected areas (MPAs) are useful for a proper assessment of the efficacy of protection measures. The effects of protection on the fish assemblages of the sublittoral rocky reefs in the \u201cPenisola del Sinis-Isola di Mal di Ventre\u201d MPA (W. Sardinia, Italy) were evaluated using a multi-year series of data. Four surveys, conducted 7, 10, 13 and 15 years after the area was designated as an MPA and carried out in the period spanning June and July, were used to estimate the abundance and biomass of commercial species. The surveys were carried out in zones with decreasing levels of fishing restrictions within the MPA (zones A, B, C) and in unprotected zones (OUT1 and OUT2), and underwater video visual census techniques were used. Protected zones only occasionally showed higher levels of abundance or biomass, and the trajectories of those metrics were not consistent across the years. In addition, the zone with the highest level of protection (zone A) never presented levels of abundance and biomass higher than those in zones B and C. This study shows that even 15 years after designation, protection has had no appreciable effect in the MPA studied. It is argued that this is emblematic of several shortcomings in the planning, regulation and enforcement frameworks of the MPA

Long term directional wave recording in the Northern Adriatic Sea

We report on the instrumental system used on an oceanographic tower for the directional measurement of wind waves. The associated time series is one of the longest ones in the world. After a compact description of the instrumental part, we present some long term statistics of the wave conditions in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Then we discuss the applications of the results and the possible evolution of the system

Long-term changes in the kinematics of inlets of the Venetian Lagoon (NE Italy)

Long-term variations of the water flow through three Venice lagoon inlets are analysed seeking for the possible impact of structures under construction for the mobile gates for defending Venice against flooding. Time-series of monthly mean flow and standard deviations show long-term variations, mainly on the seasonal time-scale. An important increase in the water flow variance due to an increase in amplitudes of major tidal constituents in the Chioggia inlet can probably be explained as a consequence of the structures constructed recently that narrowed the channel