The need for increased protection of Antarctica's inland waters

Protection of Antarctica's biodiversity and ecosystem values is enshrined in the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which provides for the designation of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) to areas with outstanding values. Concern has been raised that existing ASPAs fail to prioritize areas to maximize the likelihood of ensuring the long-term conservation of Antarctic ecosystems and biodiversity. The absence of systematic and representative protection is particularly acute for inland aquatic ecosystems, which support a disproportionate amount of inland biodiversity. This paper promotes the case for overt inclusion of inland waters as a critical component of a representative protected area framework for Antarctica, thereby addressing their current underrepresentation. We set out a structured approach to enable the selection of representative freshwater systems for inclusion in the ASPA framework that, with modification, could also be applied across other Antarctic habitats. We acknowledge an overall lack of information on the biogeography of inland aquatic diversity and recommend increased use of remote data collection along with classification tools to mitigate this, as well as the need for the consideration of catchment-scale processes. Changes that accompany contemporary and anticipated climate change make the need for the conservation of representative biodiversity increasingly urgen

Pilot-scale continuous flow granular reactor for the treatment of extremely low-strength recirculating aquaculture system wastewater

To avoid toxic ammonium and nitrite concentrations in aquaculture systems is crucial to maintain the fish production. When recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) operate in freshwater farms during the dry seasons, the concentrations of these pollutants increase. The objective of the present study is the evaluation of a Continuous Flow Granular Reactor (CFGR) for the treatment of freshwater RAS stream at pilot-scale during two consecutive dry seasons. The CFGR was fed with a extremely low-strength recirculation stream of a trout farm (0.12–1.84 mg NH4+-N/L and 2.2–8.14 mg C/L). Two different configurations were evaluated. The first configuration consisted on a CFGR fed from the bottom, being the up-flow velocity the only shear force to mix the biomass. The second configuration incorporated a mechanical stirrer and a sieve to improve the biomass mixing and retention. The CFGR was operated at short hydraulic retention times (HRT) which ranged from 11 to 68 min. The configuration with a mechanical stirrer and sieve was optimal in terms of biomass retention and nitrogen removal performance. Despite the low nitrogen and organic matter concentrations, granulation was achieved in 55 days, with an average granule diameter up to 0.47 mm. Ammonium and nitrite removal percentages up to 81% and 100% were achieved, respectively. The ammonium and nitrite production rate in the trout farm were lower than the removal achieved by the CFGR, which makes the implementation of this system appropriated to maintain the concentration of these compounds below toxic levels for rainbow trout.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of two different granular sludge reactor configurations for the treatment of freshwater aquaculture streams

Two aerobic distinct granular sludge reactors were operated to treat freshwater aquaculture streams at laboratory-scale: An Expanded Granular Sludge Bed(EGSB)reactor operated in continuous mode and an Aerobic Granular Sludge -Sequencing Batch Reactor(AGS-SBR) operated as a sequencing batch reactor. Both units were fed with low ammonium concentrations (2.5 mg N/L). Granular biomass accumulated in both reactors. With the imposed operational conditions, nitrogen removal was of 10 -20 % and 80 % for the EGSB and AGS-SBR, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The XMM-Newton survey in the H-ATLAS field

Wide-area X-ray and far-infrared surveys are a fundamental tool to investigate the link between AGN growth and star formation, especially in the low-redshift universe (z ≲ 1). The Herschel Terahertz Large Area survey (H-ATLAS) has covered 550 deg2 in five far-infrared and sub-mm bands, 16 deg2 of which have been presented in the Science Demonstration Phase (SDP) catalogue. Here we introduce the XMM-Newton observations in the H-ATLAS SDP area, covering 7.1 deg2 with flux limits of 2 × 10-15, 6 × 10-15, and 9 × 10-15 erg s-1 cm-2 in the 0.5−2, 0.5−8, and 2−8 keV bands, respectively. We present the source detection and the catalogue, which includes 1700, 1582, and 814 sources detected by EMLDetect in the 0.5−8, 0.5−2, and 2−8 keV bands, respectively; the number of unique sources is 1816. We extract spectra and derive fluxes from power-law fits for 398 sources with more than 40 counts in the 0.5−8 keV band. We compare the best-fit fluxes with those in the catalogue, which are obtained assuming a common photon index of Γ = 1.7; we find no bulk difference between the fluxes and a moderate dispersion of s = 0.33 dex. Using the fluxes from the spectral fits wherever possible, we derive the 2−10 keV Log N−Log S, which is consistent with a Euclidean distribution. Finally, we release the computer code for the tools developed for this project.P.R. acknowledges a grant from the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology in the framework of the programme Support of Postdoctoral Researchers. A.D.M. acknowledges financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/I001573/I). F.J.C. acknowledges financial support by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through grant AYA2012-31447.Peer Reviewe

The Spanish Mediterranean Fishing Guilds (Cofradias): An Example of Collaborative Management with a Key Role in Sustainable Fisheries

[EN] The management of Spanish coastal fisheries is based on a mixed model where the centralised action of the government is combined with the self-organisation of fishers in cofradias (guilds). These institutions have economic and political functions, intermediating between the State and the fishing sector and mediating in the conflicts that may occur. They also have welfare and mutualist tasks. This original and traditional co-management model is part of the social capital of traditional Spanish fishing. The aim of this article is to explore the possibilities of these Spanish fishers' organisations in order to improve the legitimacy of the fishery system and the sustainability of fisheries. Our hypothesis is that updating and adapting some aspects of the cofradias model could produce efficient forms of collaborative management and lead to improvements in the sustainability of fisheries. To validate this hypothesis the study analysed 69 face-to-face interviews in 21 Spanish-Mediterranean guilds. The analysis focused on three core aspects: the control of fishing resources; the integration of fishing knowledge in the management system; and, finally, the guilds contribution to the legitimacy of the system in the eyes of the fishers.This work was supported by National Plan for Scientific and Technological Research and Innovation (Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry). Research Project CSO2016-76135-P. There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.Herrera-Racionero, P.; Lizcano, E.; Miret Pastor, LG.; Mascarell, Y. (2019). The Spanish Mediterranean Fishing Guilds (Cofradias): An Example of Collaborative Management with a Key Role in Sustainable Fisheries. Fisheries. 44(4):172-182. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10224S172182444Alegret J. L.1999.Gestión comunitaria cogestión y mercado. La evolución histórica de la gestión de la pesca en el Mediterráneo español. Pages109–124inG.Allut andJ.Pascual editors. Antropología de la pesca/Santiago de Compostela: Asociación Galega de Antropoloxía.La pesca a la Mediterrània 2016 Universidad de Alicante Alicante J. L Alegret J. L. Sánchez Lizaso Les confraries de pescadors a Espanya 47 54Andalusian Decree 86/2004 of March 2 2004 about Fishers Guilds and their Institutions. Available:https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/boja/2004/52/3Ariza, E., Pons, F., & Breton, F. (2016). Is «socio-ecological culture» really being taken into account to manage conflicts in the coastal zone? Inputs from Spanish Mediterranean beaches. Ocean & Coastal Management, 134, 183-193. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.10.006Catalan Law 22/2002 of July 12 2002 of Fishers Guilds. «DOGC» n. 3684. Available:https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/2002/BOE-A-2002-15890-consolidado.pdfCochrane, K. L., & Garcia, S. M. (Eds.). (2009). A Fishery Manager’s Guidebook. doi:10.1002/9781444316315Corral-Quintana, S., Legna-de la Nuez, D., Legna Verna, C., Hernández, J. H., & Romero-Manrique de Lara, D. (2016). How to improve strategic decision-making in complex systems when only qualitative information is available. Land Use Policy, 50, 83-101. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.09.0045. European Comission.2013.Commission implementing regulation6. (EU) Nº 1419/2013. Availablehttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R1419&from=ES(May2017)European Commission.2014.Coastal zones: achieving sustainable management. Availablehttp://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/coastal_zones_sustainable_management_46si_en.pdf(May 2017).European Parliament.2012.Common position on the role of the RACS in the future Common Fisheries Policy Reform. Available:http://www.europarl.europa.eu/document/activities/cont/201203/20120322ATT41696/20120322ATT41696EN.pdf(May 2017).Frangoudes, K., Marugán-Pintos, B., & Pascual-Fernández, J. J. (2008). From open access to co-governance and conservation: The case of women shellfish collectors in Galicia (Spain). Marine Policy, 32(2), 223-232. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2007.09.007Herrera-Racionero, P., Lizcano-Fernández, E., & Miret-Pastor, L. (2015). «Us» and «them». Fishermen from Gandía and the loss of institutional legitimacy. Marine Policy, 54, 130-136. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2014.12.018Jentoft, S. (2000). Legitimacy and disappointment in fisheries management. Marine Policy, 24(2), 141-148. doi:10.1016/s0308-597x(99)00025-1Kosamu, I. B. M. (2015). Conditions for sustainability of small-scale fisheries in developing countries. Fisheries Research, 161, 365-373. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2014.09.002Law 2/2007 of March 12 2007 of Marine Fishery and Aquaculture of Murcia region. Available inhttps://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2008/07/21/pdfs/A31793-31815.pdf(November 2018)Long, R. D., Charles, A., & Stephenson, R. L. (2015). Key principles of marine ecosystem-based management. Marine Policy, 57, 53-60. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2015.01.013Mackinson, S., Wilson, D. C., Galiay, P., & Deas, B. (2011). Engaging stakeholders in fisheries and marine research. Marine Policy, 35(1), 18-24. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2010.07.003MAGRAMA (Ministry of Agriculture Food and Environment).2015.Estadísticas pesqueras: Pesca marítima. Availablehttp://www.magrama.gob.es/es/estadistica/temas/estadisticas-pesqueras/pesca-maritima/(July 2017)Martínez-Novo, R., Lizcano, E., Herrera-Racionero, P., & Miret-Pastor, L. (2016). Innovation or ‘Inventions’? The conflict between latent assumptions in marine aquaculture and local fishery. Public Understanding of Science, 27(2), 214-228. doi:10.1177/0963662516651358Noy, C. (2008). Sampling Knowledge: The Hermeneutics of Snowball Sampling in Qualitative Research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 11(4), 327-344. doi:10.1080/13645570701401305Ostrom, E. (2009). A General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems. Science, 325(5939), 419-422. doi:10.1126/science.1172133Pita, P., Fernández-Vidal, D., García-Galdo, J., & Muíño, R. (2016). The use of the traditional ecological knowledge of fishermen, cost-effective tools and participatory models in artisanal fisheries: Towards the co-management of common octopus in Galicia (NW Spain). Fisheries Research, 178, 4-12. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2015.07.021Producer organisations are officially recognised bodies set up by fishery or aquaculture producers. They play an essential role in running the European Common Fisheries Policy.State Marine Fishery Law: Law 3/2001 of March 26 2001. BOE (State Official Gazette) number 75. Available:https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2001-600

CUIDADOS ENFERMEROS EN LA UNIDAD DE REANIMACIÓN POSTANESTÉSICA A PACIENTES SOMETIDOS A CIRUGÍA HIPOFISARIA POR VÍA TRANSESFENOIDAL.

Introduction: The patients with hypophyseal tumors given to transsphenoidal hypophysectomy (T.H.) can present multiple endocrine disorders and develop specific complications inherent in the surgical technology, together with hormonal alterations due to the manipulation of the gland. These alterations usually appear in the first 24 hours of postoperative period during their stay in the Post Anesthetia Care Unit (P.A.C.U.). Objectives: To unify nursing performance criteria. To elaborate a standardized care programme. To monitor and detect in advance potential complications in the immediate postoperative period of the patients given to hypophyseal surgery transsphenoidally, admitted to our unit. Methodology: We carried out a study on 30 patients operated on T.H. in our Hospital in the last two years, checking the first 24 hours of the postoperative period and collecting the following parameters: Haemodynamic Data (T.A., F.C., P.V.C., T ª); Hourly Diuresis, analytical data (Hb., Htco., ions, osmolaridad, acid – base balance); Water balance, complications and postoperative treatment. A program about standardized cares based on the P.A.C.U. nursing professionals experience was carried out following the taxonomy of N.A.N.D.A., N.I.C. and N.O.C. Results: The average age of the patients was over 37 +/-15 years old. The monitoring consisted of E.C.G., Sat. O2, arterial tension, P.V.C., T ª and hourly diuresis in all cases. The most frequent complication detected was the diabetes insipidus in 70% of the cases; other complications were nauseas, vomits in 20% and arterial hypertension in 15%. Conclusions: By means of the application of the programme of standardized cares in the patients given to hypophyseal surgery transsphenoidally, the care quality has been improved. As well as a quick control of the postoperative complications has been detected. The patient stay in the P.A.C.U. has been shortened and the beginning of an early treatment of the diabetes insipidus has been facilitated.Introducción: Los enfermos con tumores hipofisiarios sometidos a hipofisectomía transesfeinoidal (h:t.) pueden presentar trastornos endocrinos múltiples y desarrollan complicaciones específicas inherentes a la técnica quirúrgica, junto a alteraciones hormonales por manipulación de la glándula que suelen aparecer en las primeras 24 h. del postoperatorio durante su estancia en la U.R.P.A. Objetivos: Unificar criterios de actuación de enfermería. Elaborar plan de cuidados estandarizados. Vigilar y detectar precozmente las posibles complicaciones en el postoperatorio inmediato de los pacientes sometidos a una intervención hipofisaria por vía transesfenoidal ingresados en nuestra unidad. Metodología: Realizamos un estudio sobre 30 pacientes intervenidos de h.t. en los dos últimos años en nuestro hospital, revisando las primeras 24h. del postoperatorio y recogiendo los siguientes parámetros: datos hemodinámicos (t.a., f.c., p.v.c., tª). Diuresis horaria, datos analíticos (hb., htco., iones, osmolaridad, equilibrio ácido-base). Balance hídrico complicaciones y tratamiento postoperatorio. Se realizó un plan de cuidados estandarizado basado en la experiencia de los profesionales de enfermería de la U.R.P.A., para ello se eligió la taxonomía de la N.A.N.D.A., N.I.C. Y N.O.C. Resultados: La edad media de los pacientes fue de 37 +_ 15 a. La monitorización consistió en todos los casos en e.c.g., sat.o2, tensión arterial, p.v.c., tª y diuresis horaria. La complicación detectada con más frecuencia fue la diabetes insípida en un (70%) de los casos, otras complicaciones fueron náuseas, vómitos en un ( 20%) e hipertensión arterial en un (15% ). Conclusiones: Mediante la aplicación del plan de cuidados estandarizados en los pacientes sometidos a cirugía hipofisaria por vía transesfenoidal, se ha mejorado la calidad en los cuidados, se detecta un rápido control de las complicaciones postoperatorias. Se acorta la estancia del enfermo en la U.R.P.A. y se facilita el inicio de un tratamiento precoz de la diabetes insípida

Sabotage in Contests: A Survey

A contest is a situation in which individuals expend irretrievable resources to win valuable prize(s). ‘Sabotage’ is a deliberate and costly act of damaging a rival’s' likelihood of winning the contest. Sabotage can be observed in, e.g., sports, war, promotion tournaments, political or marketing campaigns. In this article, we provide a model and various perspectives on such sabotage activities and review the economics literature analyzing the act of sabotage in contests. We discuss the theories and evidence highlighting the means of sabotage, why sabotage occurs, and the effects of sabotage on individual players and on overall welfare, along with possible mechanisms to reduce sabotage. We note that most sabotage activities are aimed at the ablest player, the possibility of sabotage reduces productive effort exerted by the players, and sabotage may lessen the effectiveness of public policies, such as affirmative action, or information revelation in contests. We discuss various policies that a designer may employ to counteract sabotage activities. We conclude by pointing out some areas of future research

Pathogenesis of Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Update and Systematic Review.

Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm with dual pathogenesis (human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated and HPV-independent). The development of targeted treatment is hindered by poor knowledge of the molecular landscape of PSCC. We performed a thorough review of genetic alterations of PSCC focused on somatic mutations and/or copy number alterations. A total of seven articles have been identified which, overall, include 268 PSCC. However, the series are heterogeneous regarding methodologies employed for DNA sequencing and HPV detection together with HPV prevalence, and include, in general, a limited number of cases, which results in markedly different findings. Reported top-ranked mutations involve TP53, CDKN2A, FAT1, NOTCH-1 and PIK3CA. Numerical alterations involve gains in MYC and EGFR, as well as amplifications in HPV integration loci. A few genes including TP53, CDKN2A, PIK3CA and CCND1 harbor both somatic mutations and copy number alterations. Notch, RTK-RAS and Hippo pathways are frequently deregulated. Nevertheless, the relevance of the identified alterations, their role in signaling pathways or their association with HPV status remain elusive. Combined targeting of different pathways might represent a valid therapeutic approach in PSCC. This work calls for large-scale sequencing studies with robust HPV testing to improve the genomic understanding of PSCC

Niraparib plus abiraterone acetate with prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and homologous recombination repair gene alterations: second interim analysis of the randomized phase III MAGNITUDE trial

Background: Patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and BRCA alterations have poor outcomes. MAGNITUDE found patients with homologous recombination repair gene alterations (HRR+), particularly BRCA1/2, benefit from first-line therapy with niraparib plus abiraterone acetate and prednisone (AAP). Here we report longer follow-up from the second prespecified interim analysis (IA2). Patients and methods: Patients with mCRPC were prospectively identified as HRR+ with/without BRCA1/2 alterations and randomized 1 : 1 to niraparib (200 mg orally) plus AAP (1000 mg/10 mg orally) or placebo plus AAP. At IA2, secondary endpoints [time to symptomatic progression, time to initiation of cytotoxic chemotherapy, overall survival (OS)] were assessed. Results: Overall, 212 HRR+ patients received niraparib plus AAP (BRCA1/2 subgroup, n = 113). At IA2 with 24.8 months of median follow-up in the BRCA1/2 subgroup, niraparib plus AAP significantly prolonged radiographic progression-free survival {rPFS; blinded independent central review; median rPFS 19.5 versus 10.9 months; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.78]; nominal P = 0.0007} consistent with the first prespecified interim analysis. rPFS was also prolonged in the total HRR+ population [HR = 0.76 (95% CI 0.60-0.97); nominal P = 0.0280; median follow-up 26.8 months]. Improvements in time to symptomatic progression and time to initiation of cytotoxic chemotherapy were observed with niraparib plus AAP. In the BRCA1/2 subgroup, the analysis of OS with niraparib plus AAP demonstrated an HR of 0.88 (95% CI 0.58-1.34; nominal P = 0.5505); the prespecified inverse probability censoring weighting analysis of OS, accounting for imbalances in subsequent use of poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase inhibitors and other life-prolonging therapies, demonstrated an HR of 0.54 (95% CI 0.33-0.90; nominal P = 0.0181). No new safety signals were observed. Conclusions: MAGNITUDE, enrolling the largest BRCA1/2 cohort in first-line mCRPC to date, demonstrated improved rPFS and other clinically relevant outcomes with niraparib plus AAP in patients with BRCA1/2-altered mCRPC, emphasizing the importance of identifying this molecular subset of patients