Omanicotyle heterospina n. gen. et n. comb. (Monogenea: Microcotylidae) from the gills of Argyrops spinifer (Forsskal) (Teleostei: Sparidae) from the Sea of Oman

Background: The Sultanate of Oman's aquaculture industry is expanding with an on-going assessment of potential new fish species for culture. The king soldier bream, Argyrops spinifer (Forsskål) (Sparidae), is one such species that is under consideration. During a routine health assessment of specimens caught in the Sea of Oman throughout the period November 2009 to March 2011, a number of gill polyopisthocotylean monogeneans were recovered. Methods: A subsequent study of the monogeneans using a range of morphology-based approaches indicated that these were Bivagina heterospina Mamaev et Parukhin, 1974. In the absence of pre-existing molecular data, an expanded description of this species is provided, including a differential diagnosis with other species and genera belonging to the subfamily Microcotylinae Monticelli, 1892 with the subsequent movement of this species to a new genus to accommodate it. Results: The polyopisthocotyleans collected from the gills of A. spinifer appear to be unique within the family Microcotylidae Taschenberg, 1879 in that, morphologically, they possess a pair of large, muscular vaginae each armed with a full crown of 16-18 robust spines and a unique dorsal region of folded tegument, which permits their discrimination from species of Bivagina Yamaguti, 1963. Sequencing of the SSU rDNA (complete 1968 bp) and LSU rDNA (partial 949 bp) places the specimens collected during this study within the subfamily Microcotylinae, but the LSU rDNA sequence differs from Bivagina and also from other microcotylid genera. Morphological features of B. heterospina sensu Mamaev et Parukhin, 1974 and the specimens collected from the current study are consistent with one another and represent a single species. The vaginal armature of these worms is unique and differs from all other genera within the Microcotylinae, including Bivagina, and its movement to Omanicotyle n. gen. to accommodate this species is proposed. Conclusions: A new genus, Omanicotyle n. gen., is erected to accommodate Omanicotyle [Bivagina] heterospina n. comb. which represents the first monogenean to be described from Omani marine waters. Given the pathogenic potential of microcotylids on captive held fish stocks, a full assessment of Omanicotyle heterospina n. gen. et n. comb. is now required before large-scale production commences

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Perspective of Social Economy Entities: A Bibliometric Study

We start from the conceptual interconnection between Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, which, although continuously subject to controversy, both within the scope of its definition and in its performance, advocate, as the ultimate goal, human development and of the society in general, promoting the interests of the Communities on a permanent, long-term basis and without compromising the options of the future generations. In this context, we cannot fail to draw a parallel with the entities that constitute the Social Economy Sector. The activities they carry out are of economic and social nature and must be pursued in the general interest of their members, users and beneficiaries, thus in the general interest of the Community. These institutions also reveal concerns about the sustainability in all the dimensions involved (economic, social and environmental), in which the organizational performance is particularly important, as it becomes imperative to guarantee their continuity, fostering and promoting their social action. We will, therefore, start by framing what is meant by Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Economy, with a particular focus on the current requirements of stakeholders regarding the socially responsible behaviour of the institutions as these, in turn, will entail the adoption of more comprehensive management tools, also more efficient and transparent concerning all dimensions (economic, financial and social). It is within this framework that a project called “TFA—TheoFrameAccountability—Theoretical framework for the promotion of accountability in the social economy sector: The IPSS case” emerges, being promoted by the University of Aveiro, with the participation of National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions (CNIS—acronym in Portuguese), and the Polytechnic Institutes of Coimbra and Porto. This project aims to promote the accountability of the social economy sector (economic, financial and social aspects), in the Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS—acronym in Portuguese), assisting them not only in fulfilling their legal obligations, but also facilitating the reporting of results of activities carried out in a more effective manner and promoting transfer of knowledge (for the IPSS and also for the academic community), thus contributing to the development and sustainability of these institutions. Thus, we develop an exploratory and descriptive analysis, of a quantitative-qualitative nature, in which the procedures of data collection determine the result of the search strategy by the defined descriptors. For this purpose, the analysis will focus on the following variables: number of articles published per year; methodologies used; theories of support; identification by sector/area of activity; countries of origin; more representative institutions; authors who publish more and journals with the largest number of publications. The main results indicate a growing concern about sustainability and a growing publication in this area. This paper presents a bibliometric study to evaluate the main trends of current research on sustainability and on corporate social responsibility, thus contributing to the construction of the theoretical basis underlying the “TFA—TheoFrameAccountability” project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cholesterol and the risk of grade-specific prostate cancer incidence: evidence from two large prospective cohort studies with up to 37 years' follow up

<b>Background</b> High cholesterol may be a modifiable risk factor for prostate cancer but results have been inconsistent and subject to potential "reverse causality" where undetected disease modifies cholesterol prior to diagnosis.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> We conducted a prospective cohort study of 12,926 men who were enrolled in the Midspan studies between 1970 and 1976 and followed up to 31st December 2007. We used Cox-Proportional Hazards Models to evaluate the association between baseline plasma cholesterol and Gleason grade-specific prostate cancer incidence. We excluded cancers detected within at least 5 years of cholesterol assay.<p></p> <b>Results</b> 650 men developed prostate cancer in up to 37 years' follow-up. Baseline plasma cholesterol was positively associated with hazard of high grade (Gleason score[greater than or equal to]8) prostate cancer incidence (n=119). The association was greatest among men in the 4th highest quintile for cholesterol, 6.1 to <6.69 mmol/l, Hazard Ratio 2.28, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.10, compared with the baseline of <5.05 mmol/l. This association remained significant after adjustment for body mass index, smoking and socioeconomic status.<p></p> <b>Conclusions</b> Men with higher cholesterol are at greater risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer but not overall risk of prostate cancer. Interventions to minimise metabolic risk factors may have a role in reducing incidence of aggressive prostate cancer

Exoplanets and SETI

The discovery of exoplanets has both focused and expanded the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The consideration of Earth as an exoplanet, the knowledge of the orbital parameters of individual exoplanets, and our new understanding of the prevalence of exoplanets throughout the galaxy have all altered the search strategies of communication SETI efforts, by inspiring new "Schelling points" (i.e. optimal search strategies for beacons). Future efforts to characterize individual planets photometrically and spectroscopically, with imaging and via transit, will also allow for searches for a variety of technosignatures on their surfaces, in their atmospheres, and in orbit around them. In the near-term, searches for new planetary systems might even turn up free-floating megastructures.Comment: 9 page invited review. v2 adds some references and v3 has other minor additions and modification

Uptake of home-based voluntary HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Improving access to HIV testing is a key priority in scaling up HIV treatment and prevention services. Home-based voluntary counselling and testing (HBT) as an approach to delivering wide-scale HIV testing is explored here

Anti-müllerian hormone is not associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescent females

<p>Objectives: Epidemiological evidence for associations of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) with cardiometabolic risk factors is lacking. Existing evidence comes from small studies in select adult populations, and findings are conflicting. We aimed to assess whether AMH is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in a general population of adolescent females.</p> <p>Methods: AMH, fasting insulin, glucose, HDLc, LDLc, triglycerides and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at a mean age 15.5 years in 1,308 female participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Multivariable linear regression was used to examine associations of AMH with these cardiometabolic outcomes.</p> <p>Results: AMH values ranged from 0.16–35.84 ng/ml and median AMH was 3.57 ng/ml (IQR: 2.41, 5.49). For females classified as post-pubertal (n = 848) at the time of assessment median (IQR) AMH was 3.81 ng/ml (2.55, 5.82) compared with 3.25 ng/ml (2.23, 5.05) in those classed as early pubertal (n = 460, P≤0.001). After adjusting for birth weight, gestational age, pubertal stage, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, adiposity and use of hormonal contraceptives, there were no associations with any of the cardiometabolic outcomes. For example fasting insulin changed by 0% per doubling of AMH (95%CI: −3%,+2%) p = 0.70, with identical results if HOMA-IR was used. Results were similar after additional adjustment for smoking, physical activity and age at menarche, after exclusion of 3% of females with the highest AMH values, after excluding those that had not started menarche and after excluding those using hormonal contraceptives.</p> <p>Conclusion: Our results suggest that in healthy adolescent females, AMH is not associated with cardiometabolic risk factors.</p&gt