Ecological characteristics of the invasive pufferfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea – a case study from Rhodes

In this study, the ecological and societal impact of the invasive pufferfish Lagocephalus sceleratus on coastal habitats of an area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Rhodes Island) was investigated. Seasonal quantitative samplings in two common coastal habitats were used to investigate habitat use of different life-stages. Sandy areas were found to be highly important for the early life stages of L. sceleratus. In contrast, Posidonia oceanica habitats were mainly preferred by larger (> 29 cm) reproductive adults, not exceeding 64 cm. Lagocephalus sceleratus was found to feed on invertebrates and fish while size classification revealed a tendency for a diet shift with increased size. During early life stages, L. sceleratus inhabits sandy bottoms where it feeds on various invertebrates. The predominant molluscan species found in the diet of larger (> 20 cm) L. sceleratus individuals were the economically important Sepia officinalis and Octopus vulgaris. The size at which 50% of individuals reach maturity was estimated to 19 cm. With increased size, habitat shift to seagrass meadows most possibly occurs to meet both the increased demand in prey availability and requirement of appropriate spawning ground. Condition factor of L. sceleratus showed significantly higher values during summer than all other seasons and this was attributed to spawning season and increase in feeding. Societal impacts were alarming due to increased public attention concerning its lethal effects (presence of tetrodotoxin), if consumed. Its high abundance in the coastal fish communities of the studied area combined with ecological and societal impacts, clearly classify L. sceleratus a pest for fisheries and potential threat for biodiversity

First record of the non-indigenous fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina from Rhodes Island, south- eastern Aegean Sea

The collection of one specimen of the non-indigenous fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina of tropical Atlantic origin was for the first time found in an area of south eastern Aegean Sea. This record may indicate a recent establishment of the species on the coasts of Rhodes Island and a possible expansion of it on the coastal rocky habitats

On the finding of the Indo-Pacific fish Scomberomorus commerson in Rhodes (Greece)

The occurrence of the Indo-Pacific fish Scomberomorus commerson was observed for the first time in the Hellenic waters of the SE Aegean Sea during the spring 2008. The record may represent a first indication of a population expansion of this alien species along the southern coasts of the Aegean Sea

Diffusion-emission theory of photon enhanced thermionic emission solar energy harvesters

Numerical and semi-analytical models are presented for photon-enhanced-thermionic-emission (PETE) devices. The models take diffusion of electrons, inhomogeneous photogeneration, and bulk and surface recombination into account. The efficiencies of PETE devices with silicon cathodes are calculated. Our model predicts significantly different electron affinity and temperature dependence for the device than the earlier model based on a rate-equation description of the cathode. We show that surface recombination can reduce the efficiency below 10% at the cathode temperature of 800 K and the concentration of 1000 suns, but operating the device at high injection levels can increase the efficiency to 15%.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Association of susceptible genotypes to periodontal disease with the clinical outcome and tooth survival after non-surgical periodontal therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The real clinical utility of genetic testing is the prognostic value of genetic factors in the clinical outcome of periodontal treatment and the tooth survival. A meta-analysis was undertaken to estimate the effect of a susceptible genotype to periodontitis on the clinical outcomes of non-surgical periodontal therapy and the tooth survival. Material and Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE-Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Scopus was performed. Additionally, a hand search was done in three journals. No specific language restriction was applied. Two reviewers screened independently titles and abstracts or full text copies. Quality assessment of all the included studies was held. Results: Initial screening of electronic databases resulted in 283 articles. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, nine of them examined the clinical outcome, while the other one investigated the tooth survival in susceptible individuals after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Eight of included studies were selected for the meta-analysis. IL-1 positive genotypes increase the risk of tooth loss, while no association found between the bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss (CAL) and plaque index (PI) with the genotype status. Probing pocket depth (PPD) reduction in the first three months and in long-term results found to have a significant association with the genotype. Conclusions: There is no difference in the clinical measurements after non-surgical periodontal treatment, apart from PPD. More publications are needed to identify a cause-effect relationship

Gonioinfradens paucidentatus (A. Milne Edwards, 1861) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae): a new alien crab in the Mediterranean Sea

The first record for the Mediterranean Sea of the Red Sea/Indo-Pacific portunid Gonioinfradens paucidentatus (red swimming crab) is documented. A detailed description of the specimens collected at Rodos Island (southeastern Aegean Sea) is given, while possible introduction vectors of the species in the area are discussed

Monthly average daily global and diffuse solar radiation based on sunshine duration and clearness index for Brasov, Romania

The main objective of this study is to develop single location appropriate models for the estimation of the monthly average daily global and diffuse horizontal solar radiation for Brasov, Romania. The study focuses particularly on models based on the sunshine duration and clearness index. The data used for the calibration of the models were collected during a period of 4 yr, between November 2008 and October 2012, at the Transilvania University of Brasov. The testing and validation of the models was carried out using data from the online SoDa database for Brasov for the year 2005. Different statistical error tests were applied to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The predicted values are also compared with values from three other known models concerning the global and diffuse solar radiation. A new mixed model was developed for the estimation of monthly average daily global horizontal solar radiation. The data processing was performed by means of a real-time interface developed with LabVIEW graphical programming language. The parameters taken into account were the relative sunshine, the clearness index, the extraterrestrial radiation, the latitude and the longitude. The methodology is simple and effective and may be applied for any region. Its effectiveness was proven through comparison with global models

1,2,6-thiadiazinones as novel narrow spectrum calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) inhibitors

We demonstrate for the first time that 4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-one (TDZ) can function as a chemotype for the design of ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors. Using insights from a co-crystal structure of a 3,5-bis(arylamino)-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-one bound to calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2), several analogues were identified with micromolar activity through targeted displacement of bound water molecules in the active site. Since the TDZ analogues showed reduced promiscuity compared to their 2,4-dianilinopyrimidine counter parts, they represent starting points for development of highly selective kinase inhibitors

Ecological Associations between Obesity Prevalence and Neighborhood Determinants Using Spatial Machine Learning in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Some studies have established relationships between neighborhood conditions and health. However, they neither evaluate the relative importance of neighborhood components in increasing obesity nor, more crucially, how these neighborhood factors vary geographically. We use the geographical random forest to analyze each factor’s spatial variation and contribution to explaining tract-level obesity prevalence in Chicago, Illinois, United States. According to our findings, the geographical random forest outperforms the typically used nonspatial random forest model in terms of the out-of-bag prediction accuracy. In the Chicago tracts, poverty is the most important factor, whereas biking is the least important. Crime is the most critical factor in explaining obesity prevalence in Chicago’s south suburbs while poverty appears to be the most important predictor in the city’s south. For policy planning and evidence-based decision-making, our results suggest that social and ecological patterns of neighborhood characteristics are associated with obesity prevalence. Consequently, interventions should be devised and implemented based on local circumstances rather than generic notions of prevention strategies and healthcare barriers that apply to Chicago