Effect of rearing system intensiveness on biological features, culture performance and larval quality of meagre (Argyrosomus regius Asso, 1801) larvae

[EN]Meagre, Argyrosomus regius A., is a new species for aquaculture in south Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, that can reach a mean fresh weight of 8.02±2.51g. at 95dah. However, hatchery techniques must be improved to optimize culture performance and larval quality. Eggs of meagre were cultured under intensive (75 indv.l-1 in 2m3 tanks) and semi-intensive system (7.5 indv.l-1 in 40m3 tanks) to evaluate the effect of the intensification on biological features, stress resistance and skeletal deformities. At 30dah, despite in semi-intensive system reared larvae a higher total length (19.08± 2.3mm vs 16.00±1.54mm), dry body weight (13.09± 2.43mg vs 6.46±0.52mg), and survival after the activity test (75.0± 13.8% vs 53.3±11.5%) was found, the use of intensive systems were also very suitable and cost-effective for larval rearing of this species

Sea bream (Sparus aurata) intensive larval rearing : effects of microalgae and phages addition on the performance of the larvae

Máster Oficial en Cultivos Marinos. Trabajo presentado como requisito parcial para la obtención del Título de Máster Oficial en Cultivos Marinos, otorgado por la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), el Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas (ICCM), y el Centro Internacional de Altos Estudios Agronómicos Mediterráneos de Zaragoza (CIHEAM)

Development of skeletal deformities in Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) reared under different larval culture and dietary conditions

[EN] Main deformities such as lordosis, opercular deformities and upper/lower jaws shortening are considered as quality descriptors in commercial marine fish fry production and seem to be related at least with larval culture conditions in early larval stages. The aim of this work was to obtain information about the contribution of the diet and rearing system to the apparition of these abnormalities in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) larvae in semi-industrial scale facilities. For that purpose, two different larval rearing systems semi-intensive and intensive were compared by duplicate and with the same live feed enrichments; besides, two different rotifer enrichments were tested in an intensive system. Biochemical composition of larvae, preys and commercial products was analysed. At 50 days post hatching six hundred fish per treatment were individually studied under stereoscope and abnormalities frequency recorded. At 95 days post hatching fry were soft X ray monitored as well. Survival and malformation frequency were significantly different between treatments, the effect of diet and system are discussed. A significantly lower percentage of deformity rates together with better survival and growth were obtained in the semi-intensive system, whereas the rotifer enrichment significantly affected larval survival.

Enabling computationally intensive bioinformatics applications on the Grid platform

Bioinformatics is a recent and emerging discipline which aims at studying biological problems through computational approaches. Most branches of bioinformatics such as Genomics, Proteomics and Molecular Dynamics are particularly computationally intensive, requiring huge amount of computational resources for running algorithms of everincreasing complexity over data of everincreasing size. In the search for computational power, the EGEE Grid platform, world's largest community of interconnected clusters load balanced as a whole, seems particularly promising and is considered the new hope for satisfying the everincreasing computational requirements of bioinformatics, as well as physics and other computational sciences. The EGEE platform, however, is rather new and not yet free of problems. In addition, specific requirements of bioinformatics need to be addressed in order to use this new platform effectively for bioinformatics tasks. In my three years' Ph.D. work I addressed numerous aspects of this Grid platform, with particular attention to those needed by the bioinformatics domain. I hence created three major frameworks, Vnas, GridDBManager and SETest, plus an additional smaller standalone solution, to enhance the support for bioinformatics applications in the Grid environment and to reduce the effort needed to create new applications, additionally addressing numerous existing Grid issues and performing a series of optimizations. The Vnas framework is an advanced system for the submission and monitoring of Grid jobs that provides an abstraction with reliability over the Grid platform. In addition, Vnas greatly simplifies the development of new Grid applications by providing a callback system to simplify the creation of arbitrarily complex multistage computational pipelines and provides an abstracted virtual sandbox which bypasses Grid limitations. Vnas also reduces the usage of Grid bandwidth and storage resources by transparently detecting equality of virtual sandbox files based on content, across different submissions, even when performed by different users. BGBlast, evolution of the earlier project GridBlast, now provides a Grid Database Manager (GridDBManager) component for managing and automatically updating biological flatfile databases in the Grid environment. GridDBManager sports very novel features such as an adaptive replication algorithm that constantly optimizes the number of replicas of the managed databases in the Grid environment, balancing between response times (performances) and storage costs according to a programmed cost formula. GridDBManager also provides a very optimized automated management for older versions of the databases based on reverse delta files, which reduces the storage costs required to keep such older versions available in the Grid environment by two orders of magnitude. The SETest framework provides a way to the user to test and regressiontest Python applications completely scattered with side effects (this is a common case with Grid computational pipelines), which could not easily be tested using the more standard methods of unit testing or test cases. The technique is based on a new concept of datasets containing invocations and results of filtered calls. The framework hence significantly accelerates the development of new applications and computational pipelines for the Grid environment, and the efforts required for maintenance. An analysis of the impact of these solutions will be provided in this thesis. This Ph.D. work originated various publications in journals and conference proceedings as reported in the Appendix. Also, I orally presented my work at numerous international conferences related to Grid and bioinformatics.

Nell'incertezza scientifica e morale. Il dilemma delle cure intensive ai neonati estremamente prematuri

Definizione del problema: Nonostante il progresso della biotecnologia medica abbia consentito la sopravvivenza del feto, fuori dall’utero materno, ad età gestazionali sempre più basse, la prognosi a breve e a lungo termine di ogni nuovo nato resta spesso incerta e la medicina non è sempre in grado di rimediare completamente e definitivamente ai danni alla salute che spesso contribuisce a causare. Sottoporre tempestivamente i neonati estremamente prematuri alle cure intensive non ne garantisce la sopravvivenza; allo stesso modo, astenervisi non ne garantisce la morte o almeno la morte immediata; in entrambi i casi i danni alla salute (difetti della vista e dell’udito, cecità, sordità, paralisi degli arti, deficit motori, ritardo mentale, disturbi dell’apprendimento e del comportamento) possono essere gravi e permanenti ma non sono prevedibili con certezza per ogni singolo neonato. Il futuro ignoto di ogni nuovo nato, insieme allo sgretolamento di terreni morali condivisi, costringono ad affrontare laceranti dilemmi morali sull’inizio e sul rifiuto, sulla continuazione e sulla sospensione delle cure. Oggetto: Questo lavoro si propone di svolgere un’analisi critica di alcune strategie teoriche e pratiche con le quali, nell’ambito delle cure intensive ai neonati prematuri, la comunità scientifica, i bioeticisti e il diritto tentano di aggirare o di risolvere l’incertezza scientifica e morale. Tali strategie sono accomunate dalla ricerca di criteri morali oggettivi, o almeno intersoggettivi, che consentano ai decisori sostituti di pervenire ad un accordo e di salvaguardare il vero bene del paziente. I criteri esaminati vanno dai dati scientifici riguardanti la prognosi dei prematuri, a “fatti” di natura più strettamente morale come la sofferenza del paziente, il rispetto della libertà di coscienza del medico, l’interesse del neonato a sopravvivere e a vivere bene. Obiettivo: Scopo di questa analisi consiste nel verificare se effettivamente tali strategie riescano a risolvere l’incertezza morale o se invece lascino aperto il dilemma morale delle cure intensive neonatali. In quest’ultimo caso si cercherà di trovare una risposta alla domanda “chi deve decidere per il neonato?” Metodologia e strumenti: Vengono esaminati i più importanti documenti scientifici internazionali riguardanti le raccomandazioni mediche di cura e i pareri della comunità scientifica; gli studi scientifici riguardanti lo stato dell’arte delle conoscenze e degli strumenti terapeutici disponibili ad oggi; i pareri di importanti bioeticisti e gli approcci decisionali più frequentemente proposti ed adoperati; alcuni documenti giuridici internazionali riguardanti la regolamentazione della sperimentazione clinica; alcune pronunce giudiziarie significative riguardanti casi di intervento o astensione dall’intervento medico senza o contro il consenso dei genitori; alcune indagini sulle opinioni dei medici e sulla prassi medica internazionale; le teorie etiche più rilevanti riguardanti i criteri di scelta del legittimo decisore sostituto del neonato e la definizione dei suoi “migliori interessi” da un punto di vista filosofico-morale. Struttura: Nel primo capitolo si ricostruiscono le tappe più importanti della storia delle cure intensive neonatali, con particolare attenzione agli sviluppi dell’assistenza respiratoria negli ultimi decenni. In tal modo vengono messi in luce sia i cambiamenti morali e sociali prodotti dalla meccanizzazione e dalla medicalizzazione dell’assistenza neonatale, sia la continuità della medicina neonatale con il tradizionale paternalismo medico, con i suoi limiti teorici e pratici e con lo sconfinare della pratica terapeutica nella sperimentazione incontrollata. Nel secondo capitolo si sottopongono ad esame critico le prime tre strategie di soluzione dell’incertezza scientifica e morale. La prima consiste nel decidere la “sorte” di un singolo paziente in base ai dati statistici riguardanti la prognosi di tutti i nati in condizioni cliniche analoghe (“approccio statistico”); la seconda, in base alla risposta del singolo paziente alle terapie (“approccio prognostico individualizzato”); la terza, in base all’evoluzione delle condizioni cliniche individuali osservate durante un periodo di trattamento “aggressivo” abbastanza lungo da consentire la raccolta dei dati clinici utili a formulare una prognosi sicura(“approccio del trattamento fino alla certezza”). Viene dedicata una più ampia trattazione alla prima strategia perché l’uso degli studi scientifici per predire la prognosi di ogni nuovo nato accomuna i tre approcci e costituisce la strategia più diffusa ed emblematica di aggiramento dell’incertezza. Essa consiste nella costruzione di un’ “etica basata sull’evidenza”, in analogia alla “medicina basata sull’evidenza”, in quanto ambisce a fondare i doveri morali dei medici e dei genitori solo su fatti verificabili (le prove scientifiche di efficacia delle cure)apparentemente indiscutibili, avalutativi o autocertificativi della moralità delle scelte. Poiché la forza retorica di questa strategia poggia proprio su una (parziale) negazione dell’incertezza dei dati scientifici e sulla presunzione di irrilevanza della pluralità e della complessità dei valori morali nelle decisioni mediche, per metterne in luce i limiti si è scelto di dedicare la maggior parte del secondo capitolo alla discussione dei limiti di validità scientifica degli studi prognostici di cui i medici si avvalgono per predire la prognosi di ogni nuovo nato. Allo stesso scopo, in questo capitolo vengono messe in luce la falsa neutralità morale dei giudizi scientifici di “efficacia”, “prognosi buona”, “prognosi infausta” e di “tollerabilità del rischio” o dei “costi”. Nel terzo capitolo viene affrontata la questione della natura sperimentale delle cure intensive per i neonati prematuri al fine di suggerire un’ulteriore ragione dell’incertezza morale, dell’insostenibilità di obblighi medici di trattamento e della svalutazione dell’istituto del consenso libero e informato dei genitori del neonato. Viene poi documentata l’esistenza di due atteggiamenti opposti manifestati dalla comunità scientifica, dai bioeticisti e dal diritto: da una parte il silenzio sulla natura sperimentale delle terapie e dall’altra l’autocertificazione morale della sperimentazione incontrollata. In seguito si cerca di mostrare come entrambi, sebbene opposti, siano orientati ad occultare l’incertezza e la complessità delle cure ai neonati prematuri, per riaffermare, in tal modo, la precedenza dell’autorità decisionale del medico rispetto a quella dei genitori. Il quarto capitolo, cerca di rispondere alla domanda “chi deve decidere in condizioni di incertezza?”. Viene delineata, perciò, un’altra strategia di risoluzione dell’incertezza: la definizione del miglior interesse (best interest) del neonato, come oggetto, limite e scopo ultimo delle decisioni mediche, qualsiasi esse siano. Viene verificata l’ipotesi che il legittimo decisore ultimo sia colui che conosce meglio di ogni altro i migliori interessi del neonato. Perciò, in questo capitolo vengono esposte e criticate alcune teorie filosofiche sul concetto di “miglior interesse” applicato allo speciale status del neonato. Poiché quest’analisi, rivelando l’inconoscibilità del best interest del neonato, non consente di stabilire con sicurezza chi sia intitolato a prendere la decisione ultima, nell’ultimo capitolo vengono esaminate altre ragioni per le quali i genitori dovrebbero avere l’ultima parola nelle decisioni di fine o di proseguimento della vita. Dopo averle scartate, viene proposta una ragione alternativa che, sebbene non risolutiva, si ritiene abbia il merito di riconoscere e di non mortificare l’irriducibilità dell’incertezza e l’estrema complessità delle scelte morali, senza rischiare, però, la paralisi decisionale, il nichilismo morale e la risoluzione non pacifica dei conflitti.

Understanding the Combined Role of Internal and External Factors in New Service Development Process within the Professional Knowledge Intensive Business Service Firms

Our research asked the following main questions: how the characteristics of professionals service firms allow them to successfully innovate in exploiting through exploring by combining internal and external factors of innovation and how these ambidextrous organisations perceive these factors; and how do successful innovators in professional service firms use corporate entrepreneurship models in their new service development processes? With a goal to shed light on innovation in professional knowledge intensive business service firms’ (PKIBS), we concluded a qualitative analysis of ten globally acting law firms, providing business legal services. We analyse the internal and factors of innovation that are critical for PKIBS’ innovation. We suggest how these firms become ambidextrous in changing environment. Our findings show that this kind of firms has particular type of ambidexterity due to their specific characteristics. As PKIBS are very dependant on its human capital, governance structure, and the high expectations of their clients, their ambidexterity is structural, but also contextual at the same time. In addition, we suggest 3 types of corporate entrepreneurship models that international PKIBS use to enhance innovation in turbulent environments. We looked at how law firms going through turbulent environments were using corporate entrepreneurship activities as a part of their strategies to be more innovative. Using visual mapping methodology, we developed three types of innovation patterns in the law firms. We suggest that corporate entrepreneurship models depend on successful application of mainly three elements: who participates in corporate entrepreneurship initiatives; what are the formal processes that enhances these initiatives; and what are the policies applied to this type of behaviour.

Patient satisfaction with care in the intensive care unit: can we rely on proxies?

To investigate whether next of kin can be addressed as proxy to assess patients' satisfaction with care in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Prevention, diagnosis, therapy and follow-up care of sepsis: 1st revision of S-2k guidelines of the German Sepsis Society (Deutsche Sepsis-Gesellschaft e.V. (DSG)) and the German Interdisciplinary Association of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin (DIVI))

Practice guidelines are systematically developed statements and recommendations that assist the physicians and patients in making decisions about appropriate health care measures for specific clinical circumstances taking into account specific national health care structures. The 1(st) revision of the S-2k guideline of the German Sepsis Society in collaboration with 17 German medical scientific societies and one self-help group provides state-of-the-art information (results of controlled clinical trials and expert knowledge) on the effective and appropriate medical care (prevention, diagnosis, therapy and follow-up care) of critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. The guideline had been developed according to the "German Instrument for Methodological Guideline Appraisal" of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF). In view of the inevitable advancements in scientific knowledge and technical expertise, revisions, updates and amendments must be periodically initiated. The guideline recommendations may not be applied under all circumstances. It rests with the clinician to decide whether a certain recommendation should be adopted or not, taking into consideration the unique set of clinical facts presented in connection with each individual patient as well as the available resources.

Successful treatment of childhood high-risk hepatoblastoma with dose-intensive multiagent chemotherapy and surgery: final results of the SIOPEL-3HR study

The primary objective was to determine the efficacy of a newly designed preoperative chemotherapy regimen in an attempt to improve the cure rate of children with high-risk hepatoblastoma.

Current approach to the haemodynamic management of septic shock patients in European intensive care units: a cross-sectional, self-reported questionnaire-based survey

The aim of this survey was to investigate clinicians' current approach to the haemodynamic management and resuscitation endpoints in septic shock.

Quality of life 9 years after an intensive care unit stay: A long-term outcome study

The purpose of the study was to assess long-term mortality after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay and to test the hypotheses that (1) quality of life improves over time and (2) predictions of outcome made by caregivers during an ICU stay are reliable.

Early non-invasive cardiac output monitoring in hemodynamically unstable intensive care patients: A multi-center randomized controlled trial

Introduction Acute hemodynamic instability increases morbidity and mortality. We investigated whether early non-invasive cardiac output monitoring enhances hemodynamic stabilization and improves outcome. Methods A multicenter, randomized controlled trial was conducted in three European university hospital intensive care units in 2006 and 2007. A total of 388 hemodynamically unstable patients identified during their first six hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) were randomized to receive either non-invasive cardiac output monitoring for 24 hrs (minimally invasive cardiac output/MICO group; n = 201) or usual care (control group; n = 187). The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients achieving hemodynamic stability within six hours of starting the study. Results The number of hemodynamic instability criteria at baseline (MICO group mean 2.0 (SD 1.0), control group 1.8 (1.0); P = .06) and severity of illness (SAPS II score; MICO group 48 (18), control group 48 (15); P = .86)) were similar. At 6 hrs, 45 patients (22%) in the MICO group and 52 patients (28%) in the control group were hemodynamically stable (mean difference 5%; 95% confidence interval of the difference -3 to 14%; P = .24). Hemodynamic support with fluids and vasoactive drugs, and pulmonary artery catheter use (MICO group: 19%, control group: 26%; P = .11) were similar in the two groups. The median length of ICU stay was 2.0 (interquartile range 1.2 to 4.6) days in the MICO group and 2.5 (1.1 to 5.0) days in the control group (P = .38). The hospital mortality was 26% in the MICO group and 21% in the control group (P = .34). Conclusions Minimally-invasive cardiac output monitoring added to usual care does not facilitate early hemodynamic stabilization in the ICU, nor does it alter the hemodynamic support or outcome. Our results emphasize the need to evaluate technologies used to measure stroke volume and cardiac output--especially their impact on the process of care--before any large-scale outcome studies are attempted.