Fisher behavior influences catch productivity and selectivity in West Hawaii’s aquarium fishery

In 1999, marine protected areas (MPAs) were implemented along the west coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, closing ~35% of the coastline to aquarium fishing. Catch per unit effort and total catch of the most commonly targeted fish, yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), have increased since the implementation of the MPAs, yet its abundance has declined by 45% in areas open to aquarium fishing between 1999 and 2007. How effort allocation, harvesting efficiencies, and job satisfaction influence catch productivity and selectivity in West Hawaii’s aquarium fishery are investigated, and how these dynamics explain the discrepancy between catch rates and relative abundance for yellow tang is discussed. Cross-sectional fisher questionnaires, semi-structured fisher interviews, and in situ and ex situ catch analyses were performed. The results indicate that fishers dive deeper when reef fish recruitment is perceived as weak, increase harvest efficiency with larger fishing teams, and intensively harvest “coral-friendly” reef fish to supply the global aquarium fish trade. Experienced fishers were less likely to exit the fishery, and job satisfaction was high despite declining fish stocks. These findings may help explain harvesting efficiencies and fleet investment, underscore the importance for evaluating fisher behaviours, and have potential management implications for other aquarium fisheries

Strontium Stable Isotope Composition of Allende Fine-Grained Inclusions

Isotopic anomalies are departures from the laws of mass-dependent fractionation that cannot be explained by radioactive decay, cosmogenic effects, or exotic isotopic fractionation processes such as nuclear field shift or magnetic effects [1 and references therein]. These anomalies often have a nucleosynthetic origin and provide clues on the stellar origin and solar system processing of presolar dust. Anomalies are most often found in refractory elements of relatively low mass, so Sr is a prime target for study. The four stable isotopes of strontium are useful for discerning the various nucleosynthetic origins of early solar system building blocks and the timing of accretion processes. Strontium-84 is the least abundant (0.56%) of these isotopes, but is particularly significant in being a p-process only nuclide that is produced in core-collapse or type Ia supernovae [2,3]. The more abundant isotopes ^(86)Sr (9.86%), ^(87)Sr (7.00%) and ^(88)Sr (82.58%) are produced in s- and r-processes in asymptotic giant branch stars and other stellar types [4]. Additionally, ^(87)Sr is produced by ^(87)Rb decay in proportions that dominate over possible nucleosynthetic variations but provide timings of early solar system processes, most notably volatile element depletion [5-7]. Furthermore, variations in strontium isotopic ratios caused by high-temperature massdependent fractionation [8] are also important [9-12], as they provide insights into nebular and accretionary processes

Epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection in Africa: a OneHealth systematic review

Background: Q fever is a common cause of febrile illness and community-acquired pneumonia in resource-limited settings. Coxiella burnetii, the causative pathogen, is transmitted among varied host species, but the epidemiology of the organism in Africa is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of C. burnetii epidemiology in Africa from a “One Health” perspective to synthesize the published data and identify knowledge gaps.<p></p> Methods/Principal Findings: We searched nine databases to identify articles relevant to four key aspects of C. burnetii epidemiology in human and animal populations in Africa: infection prevalence; disease incidence; transmission risk factors; and infection control efforts. We identified 929 unique articles, 100 of which remained after full-text review. Of these, 41 articles describing 51 studies qualified for data extraction. Animal seroprevalence studies revealed infection by C. burnetii (≤13%) among cattle except for studies in Western and Middle Africa (18–55%). Small ruminant seroprevalence ranged from 11–33%. Human seroprevalence was <8% with the exception of studies among children and in Egypt (10–32%). Close contact with camels and rural residence were associated with increased seropositivity among humans. C. burnetii infection has been associated with livestock abortion. In human cohort studies, Q fever accounted for 2–9% of febrile illness hospitalizations and 1–3% of infective endocarditis cases. We found no studies of disease incidence estimates or disease control efforts.<p></p> Conclusions/Significance: C. burnetii infection is detected in humans and in a wide range of animal species across Africa, but seroprevalence varies widely by species and location. Risk factors underlying this variability are poorly understood as is the role of C. burnetii in livestock abortion. Q fever consistently accounts for a notable proportion of undifferentiated human febrile illness and infective endocarditis in cohort studies, but incidence estimates are lacking. C. burnetii presents a real yet underappreciated threat to human and animal health throughout Africa.<p></p&gt

Analytical strategies for the conservation assessment of operating Industrial Heritage machinery

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)The condition assessment of Industrial Heritage machinery in operation is an open research subject of utmost importance for defining conservation and maintenance plans. The present work approaches this issue by proposing the study of Industrial Heritage machinery that includes the assessment of substrates, coatings, lubricants and operating mechanisms by applying analytical techniques currently used for heritage studies together with techniques employed in condition monitoring of modern machinery. An early 20th century steam engine from the Vale de Milhaços Gunpowder Factory (Portugal), in operation for demonstration purposes, was selected as a case study. The engine metallic alloys and coatings were studied by XRF and Raman spectroscopies, and the main properties of lubricants studied according to EN ISO and ASTM standard tests. Metallic particles present in the oil due to wear were assessed by XRF. The mechanisms were examined by gamma radiography, magnetoscopy, thermography and vibrational analysis. Data showed the use of distinct alloys according to the engine components' function similar to those reported for the same period. Green copper phthalocyanine and toluidine red identified as coatings’ pigments are typical from the late 20th century and thus ascribed to a previous repair. The properties of the fresh and used lubricants are slightly different but without evidence of a significant alteration that could endanger the machine's functioning. However, the presence of metallic particles in the oil suggested the existence of wear phenomena. The engine's operating speed (51 rpm) and the vapour temperature (≈154 °C) attained inside the cylinder were indirectly determined. The presence of cracks on the engine structure was assessed, and possible faults that can imperil the engine functioning were analysed. The vibrational analysis of equipment in operation revealed a lack of lubrication and wear on the feed pump journal bearings.publishersversionpublishe

CMS Forward-Backward MSGC milestone

The CMS MF1 milestone was set in order to evaluate system aspects of the CMS forward-backward MSGC tracker, to check the design and feasibility of mass production and to set up assembly and test procedures. We describe the construction and the experience gained with the operation of a system of 38 MSGC detectors assembled in six multi-substrate detector modules corresponding to the geometry of the forward-backward MSGC tracker in CMS. These modules were equipped with MSGCs mounted side by side, forming a continuous detector surface of about 0.2 m2. Different designs were tried for these modules. The problems encountered are presented with the proposed solutions. Operation conditions for the 38 MSGCs are reported from an exposure to a muon beam at the CERN SPS. Gain uniformity along the wedge-shaped strip pattern and across the detector modules are shown together with the detection efficiency, the spatial resolution, alignment and edge studies

Medication errors in the Middle East countries: a systematic review of the literature

Background: Medication errors are a significant global concern and can cause serious medical consequences for patients. Little is known about medication errors in Middle Eastern countries. The objectives of this systematic review were to review studies of the incidence and types of medication errors in Middle Eastern countries and to identify the main contributory factors involved. Methods: A systematic review of the literature related to medication errors in Middle Eastern countries was conducted in October 2011 using the following databases: Embase, Medline, Pubmed, the British Nursing Index and the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature. The search strategy included all ages and languages. Inclusion criteria were that the studies assessed or discussed the incidence of medication errors and contributory factors to medication errors during the medication treatment process in adults or in children. Results: Forty-five studies from 10 of the 15 Middle Eastern countries met the inclusion criteria. Nine (20%) studies focused on medication errors in paediatric patients. Twenty-one focused on prescribing errors, 11 measured administration errors, 12 were interventional studies and one assessed transcribing errors. Dispensing and documentation errors were inadequately evaluated. Error rates varied from 7.1% to 90.5% for prescribing and from 9.4% to 80% for administration. The most common types of prescribing errors reported were incorrect dose (with an incidence rate from 0.15% to 34.8% of prescriptions), wrong frequency and wrong strength. Computerised physician rder entry and clinical pharmacist input were the main interventions evaluated. Poor knowledge of medicines was identified as a contributory factor for errors by both doctors (prescribers) and nurses (when administering drugs). Most studies did not assess the clinical severity of the medication errors. Conclusion: Studies related to medication errors in the Middle Eastern countries were relatively few in number and of poor quality. Educational programmes on drug therapy for doctors and nurses are urgently needed

The European Hematology Association Roadmap for European Hematology Research: a consensus document

The European Hematology Association (EHA) Roadmap for European Hematology Research highlights major achievements in diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders and identifies the greatest unmet clinical and scientific needs in those areas to enable better funded, more focused European hematology research. Initiated by the EHA, around 300 experts contributed to the consensus document, which will help European policy makers, research funders, research organizations, researchers, and patient groups make better informed decisions on hematology research. It also aims to raise public awareness of the burden of blood disorders on European society, which purely in economic terms is estimated at €23 billion per year, a level of cost that is not matched in current European hematology research funding. In recent decades, hematology research has improved our fundamental understanding of the biology of blood disorders, and has improved diagnostics and treatments, sometimes in revolutionary ways. This progress highlights the potential of focused basic research programs such as this EHA Roadmap. The EHA Roadmap identifies nine ‘sections’ in hematology: normal hematopoiesis, malignant lymphoid and myeloid diseases, anemias and related diseases, platelet disorders, blood coagulation and hemostatic disorders, transfusion medicine, infections in hematology, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. These sections span 60 smaller groups of diseases or disorders. The EHA Roadmap identifies priorities and needs across the field of hematology, including those to develop targeted therapies based on genomic profiling and chemical biology, to eradicate minimal residual malignant disease, and to develop cellular immunotherapies, combination treatments, gene therapies, hematopoietic stem cell treatments, and treatments that are better tolerated by elderly patients

Erythroferrone as a sensitive biomarker to detect stimulation of erythropoiesis.

Erythroferrone (ERFE) is a glycoprotein hormone secreted by erythroblasts in response to erythropoietin stimulation. ERFE suppresses the hepatic synthesis of the master iron-regulatory hormone, hepcidin. The impact of erythropoiesis stimulation on ERFE secretion in humans is poorly understood. This paucity of information is due in part to the lack of available means for ERFE quantification in serum samples. The present study tested a new sensitive sandwich immunoassay for human ERFE. This assay was used to demonstrate that injection of various erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) increased the blood ERFE levels in healthy volunteers. After exogenous stimulation of erythropoiesis, ERFE increased up to 8-fold with a detection window of 13 days. The impact of one unit of blood withdrawal on erythropoiesis stimulation of ERFE was also tested. ERFE significantly increased after blood withdrawal in subjects injected with both iron and saline solution, suggesting that iron supplementation did not mask the ERFE increase after blood withdrawal. The effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on ERFE was assessed by comparing ERFE levels with creatine kinase levels in samples from subjects with heavy exercise loads, and determined that this was not a confounder. The ERFE assay is a sensitive means to investigate the connection between iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in humans, and to detect ESA abuse in the antidoping field