Air-exposure behavior: a restricted or a common conduct among intertidal hermit crabs?

A new behavior related to shell care was recently reported for the intertidal hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus (Latreille, 1818) in the Gulf of Cádiz (southwestern Europe). It also has been observed in other species of the diogenid genera Clibanarius Dana, 1952, and Calcinus Dana, 1951, however, it has not been described as an active behavior. In the present study, intertidal hermit crabs from different species and localities were sampled to assess if air-exposure is a shell cleaning behavior restricted to some species of intertidal hermit crabs or if it is a more generalized behavior among species inhabiting intertidal habitats. The results revealed that air-exposure is an active behavior in species of Clibanarius and Calcinus, since we observed it also in Clibanarius albidigitus Nobili, 1901, and Calcinus obscurus Stimpson, 1859, from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, although not in other intertidal species studied by us. We found interspecific differences in tolerance to physical stress of emerged hermit crabs. This air-exposure tolerance can be interpreted as a physiological adaptation to desiccation stress and is also related to the shell type they inhabit. Also, we provide additional features and details of the air-exposure behavior, combining observations of the first description in 2015 with our new field observations.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

COPD management as a model for all chronic respiratory conditions : report of the 4th Consensus Conference in Respiratory Medicine

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill 40 million people each year. The management of chronic respiratory NCDs such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is particularly critical in Italy, where they are widespread and represent a heavy burden on healthcare resources. It is thus important to redefine the role and responsibility of respiratory specialists and their scientific societies, together with that of the whole healthcare system, in order to create a sustainable management of COPD, which could become a model for other chronic respiratory conditions. Methods: These issues were divided into four main topics (Training, Organization, Responsibilities, and Sustainability) and discussed at a Consensus Conference promoted by the Research Center of the Italian Respiratory Society held in Rome, Italy, 3-4 November 2016. Results and conclusions: Regarding training, important inadequacies emerged regarding specialist training - both the duration of practical training courses and teaching about chronic diseases like COPD. A better integration between university and teaching hospitals would improve the quality of specialization. A better organizational integration between hospital and specialists/general practitioners (GPs) in the local community is essential to improve the diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for chronic respiratory patients. Improving the care pathways is the joint responsibility of respiratory specialists, GPs, patients and their caregivers, and the healthcare system. The sustainability of the entire system depends on a better organization of the diagnostic-therapeutic pathways, in which also other stakeholders such as pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies can play an important role

Reduction of Nitrate Leaching, the Role of Cover Crops : project funded by European Commission, Directorate General VI, Agriculture, contract no. AIR3 CA2108 [brochure]

vEKO/Karila. Yksikön huom.: KV

Doenças da mandioquinha-salsa e sua situação atual no Brasil Present situation of arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza) diseases in Brazil

Este artigo tem como objetivo principal relatar as doenças registradas para a mandioquinha-salsa até a data presente e descrever sua situação atual no País. Na literatura, foram registrados para a cultura 27 gêneros de fungos, três de bactérias, doze de nematóides e cinco espécies de vírus. Destes, já foram relatados no Brasil treze fungos, e todos nematóides e bactérias, enquanto nenhum vírus foi oficialmente registrado, embora já tenham sido observadas plantas com sintomas típicos de viroses a campo. A maior parte dos registros estão na forma de resumos, capítulos de livros ou publicações genéricas, desprovidos de uma série de dados relevantes, como provas de patogenicidade, importância da doença, perdas, identificação mais acurada, entre outras. A cultura da mandioquinha-salsa ainda é tida como rústica, sendo poucas as doenças consideradas limitantes. O nematóide das galhas (Meloidogyne spp.) e a podridão-mole pós-colheita causada por Erwinia spp. são os principais problemas atualmente, e causam perdas significativas. Também ocorrem com muita frequência manchas foliares causadas por Septoria, Cercospora e Xanthomonas campestris pv. arracaciae, e em algumas regiões podridão de plantas a campo causadas por Sclerotinia sclerotiorum e Sclerotium rolfsii. Como não existe nenhum produto químico oficialmente registrado para a mandioquinha-salsa no Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento, as medidas de controle passíveis de recomendação incluem ações preventivas, como o uso de material propagativo sadio (preferencialmente mudas pré-enraizadas de origem conhecida), a adoção de rotação de culturas, a eliminação de plantas ou partes doentes, e a adubação e a irrigação adequadas. O estudo sistematizado das doenças e o registro cuidadoso de surtos ou novas enfermidades para a cultura são importantes para subsidiar futuras medidas de controle.<br>The diseases of arracacha that have already been recorded are described and their current situation in Brazil is discussed. Since its introduction in 1900-1910, arracacha has been considered a non-demanding crop, presenting some minor disease problems, especially when compared to other vegetable crops. Many of the recorded arracacha diseases in Brazil and other Latin American countries are poorly described, for there is hardly any information about pathogenicity tests, pathogen identity, crop losses and environmental conditions affecting diseases. Worldwide, 27 genera of fungi, three of bacteria, nine of nematodes and five species of viruses have been recorded. Of these, thirteen fungi and all bacteria and nematodes were recorded in Brazil. So far, no virus has been recorded, although virus-like symptoms have been observed. The most important diseases are the root knot, caused by Meloidogyne spp., and the postharvest soft rot caused by Erwinia spp. Commonly occurring diseases are leaf spots caused by Septoria spp., Cercospora spp. and Xanthomonas campestris pv. arracaciae, as well as plant rots caused by Sclerotium rolfsii and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Viruses could become of great importance since this crop is vegetatively propagated, and part of the plantlets are now being produced in nurseries by a new technique (pre-rooting) and then disseminated to different areas throughout Brazil. As there is no pesticide officially registered for this crop in Brazil, preventive measures of control must be used, such as crop rotation, suitable fertilization and irrigation, and removal and destruction of diseased plants. Arracacha seems to be suitable for organic cropping systems, since few diseases are considered limitant