Differences between demersal fisheries discards: high and low productivity zones of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

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Siblings, asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema: a worldwide perspective from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

BACKGROUND: Associations of larger families with lower prevalences of hay fever, eczema and objective markers of allergic sensitization have been found fairly consistently in affluent countries, but little is known about these relationships in less affluent countries. METHODS: Questionnaire data for 210,200 children aged 6-7 years from 31 countries, and 337,226 children aged 13-14 years from 52 countries, were collected by Phase Three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Associations of disease symptoms and labels of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema were analysed by numbers of total, older and younger siblings, using mixed (multi-level) logistic regression models to adjust for individual covariates and at the centre level for region, language and national affluence. RESULTS: In both age groups, inverse trends (P < 0.0001) were observed for reported 'hay fever ever' and 'eczema ever' with increasing numbers of total siblings, and more specifically older siblings. These inverse associations were significantly (P < 0.005) stronger in more affluent countries. In contrast, symptoms of severe asthma and severe eczema were positively associated (P < 0.0001) with total sibship size in both age groups. These associations with disease severity were largely independent of position within the sibship and national GNI per capita. CONCLUSIONS: These global findings on sibship size and childhood asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema suggest at least two distinct trends. Inverse associations with older siblings (observations which prompted the 'hygiene hypothesis' for allergic disease) are mainly a phenomenon of more affluent countries, whereas greater severity of symptoms in larger families is globally more widespread

Isotopic tissue fractionation in captive and wild lobsters Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787)

Isotopic fractionation δ13C and for δ15N of the spiny lobster Palinurus elephas has been tested in four tissues: tail and leg muscle, telson and hemolymph. Comparison of tissue fractionation factors among tissues in two groups of lobsters, captive (controlled diet) and wild, show lower intra-individual variability in captive than in wild individuals. Statistical analysis (PERMANOVA) was performed to check for significant differences in δ13C and δ15N isotopic signatures between tissues and treatments. Results show significant differences in the δ13C and δ15N isotopic composition among the four tissues analyzed. Legs are the most enriched tissue in δ15N, followed by muscle, hemolymph and telson in both captive and wild specimens. For δ13C the sequence is muscle > legs> hemolymph ~ telson. The fractionation or enrichment factor for δ 13C is 0.87‰ and 1.17‰ and for δ15N 1.99‰ and 2.38‰, in captive and wild lobsters respectively. Leg muscle presents the lowest variability at isotopic level for N and telson for C. Telson presents differences for N and C in both captive and wild lobsters (Mann-U Whitney p<0.05). Hemolymph and leg only present statistical differences for N between captive and wild individuals. In the first study of tissue isotopic fractioning of a spiny lobster species we conclude that leg muscle is the best tissue for studying P. elephas trophic dynamics applying non-invasive technique

Tag shedding estimation in Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787)

In this paper a numerical method for tag shedding calculation from double tagging data was used to estimate the tag loss rate in Palinurus elephas from capture-mark-recapture experiments. Four consecutive experimental surveys during years 1999-2002 inside the Columbretes islands marine reserve (CIMR) were carried out and the captured spiny lobsters were dorso-laterally double-tagged with T-bar anchor tags on both sides between the first and second abdominal segments. The recaptures during the following years (2000-2008) were recorded and the evolution of the proportion of single- and double-tagged specimens was analysed. The immediate tag loss produced after tagging could not be accurately modelled, but in view of the results is believed to be low. The probability of tag loss per year was estimated in 6% (sexes combined). The factors causing this tag loss and the repercussion of this rates of shedding on further studies are examine

Double tagging experiments and tag loss in Palinurus elephas

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