Reproducción y hábitat de desove del jurel dentón, Pseudocaranx dentex, en las Azores, Atlántico norte central

Reproductive biology and habitat preferences of the white trevally, Pseudocaranx dentex (Carangidae), were studied in the Azores islands, central north Atlantic, to determine the spatial and seasonal dynamics of habitat use of immature and mature fish. The sex ratio was close to 1:1 and fish matured at about 30 cm fork length. There were no differences in the maturation or length-weight relationships between sexes. The spawning season lasts from June to September. Underwater visual censuses showed that schools of mature individuals preferentially aggregate around the summits of offshore reefs during the spawning season. In contrast, schools of smaller, immature fish use inshore habitats all year round. Our data support the hypothesis that offshore reefs are a preferential spawning habitat of larger white trevally, and most possibly for a number of visitor pelagic predators as well. Inverse relationships between exploitation levels, abundance and size composition at the two different islands suggest that the summer fishery targeting trevally schools around offshore reefs has negatively impacted the population. These findings bring additional ecological and management relevance to offshore reefs.Se realizó un estudio de la biología reproductiva y las preferencias de hábitat del jurel dentón, Pseudocaranx dentex (Carangidae),en las islas Azores, Atlántico norte central, con el objetivo de comprender la dinámica espacial y estacional de individuos inmaduros y maduros en el uso del hábitat. Se observó un sex ratio próximo a 1:1 y una talla de primera madurez de 30 cm longitud de furca, sin diferencias entre sexos respecto a la talla de madurez, ni tampoco en la relación talla-peso. La época de reproducción se prolongó de junio a septiembre. Los muestreos visuales revelaron que durante la época de reproducción los individuos maduros se agregan preferentemente en torno de las coronas de arrecifes en mar abierto, mientras que los cardúmes de individuos inmaduros utilizan los hábitats costeros durante todo el año. Nuestros datos apoyan la hipótesis de que los arrecifes en mar abierto constituyen el hábitat preferente para el desove del jurel dentón y, muy probablemente, de otros predadores pelágicos. Una relación inversa entre los niveles de explotación y la abundancia y talla del jurel dentón en dos islas distintas sugiere que la pesquería de verano del jurel dentón ha afectado negativamente la población. Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto la relevancia, tanto ecológica como para la gestión, de los arrecifes en mar abierto

In-situ hot forging directed energy deposition-arc of CuAl8 alloy

Funding Information: Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia ( FCT - MCTES ) for its financial support via the project UID/EMS/00667/2019 (UNIDEMI). VD acknowledges Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia ( FCT - MCTES ) for funding the PhD grant SFRH/BD/139454/2018 . TAR acknowledges Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia ( FCT - MCTES ) for funding the PhD grant SFRH/BD/144202/2019 . Funding of CENIMAT/i3N by national funds through the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within the scope of Multiannual Financing of R&D Units , reference UIDB/50025/2020–2023 is also acknowledge. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Raw Materials through the project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Parts of this research were carried out at PETRA III at DESY, a member of the Helmholtz Association. The research leading to this result has been supported by the project CALIPSOplus under the Grant Agreement 730872 from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020 . This project has received funding from the EU-H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 654360 having benefitted from the access provided by PETRA III at DESY in Hamburg, Germany within the framework of the NFFA-Europe Transnational Access Activity. The authors acknowledge support by OCAS NV and GUARENTEED via Joachim Antonissen. Funding Information: Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT - MCTES) for its financial support via the project UID/EMS/00667/2019 (UNIDEMI). VD acknowledges Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT - MCTES) for funding the PhD grant SFRH/BD/139454/2018. TAR acknowledges Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT - MCTES) for funding the PhD grant SFRH/BD/144202/2019. Funding of CENIMAT/i3N by national funds through the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. within the scope of Multiannual Financing of R&D Units, reference UIDB/50025/2020–2023 is also acknowledge. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Raw Materials through the project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Parts of this research were carried out at PETRA III at DESY, a member of the Helmholtz Association. The research leading to this result has been supported by the project CALIPSOplus under the Grant Agreement 730872 from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. This project has received funding from the EU-H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 654360 having benefitted from the access provided by PETRA III at DESY in Hamburg, Germany within the framework of the NFFA-Europe Transnational Access Activity. The authors acknowledge support by OCAS NV and GUARENTEED via Joachim Antonissen. Remark: The supplementary material is temporarily available in the Drive folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SFFlhJlmL5p3IkQis8cB6UVWva3wozGi?usp=sharing. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.CuAl8 alloy finds applications in industrial components, where a good anti-corrosion and anti-wearing properties are required. The alloy has a medium strength and a good toughness with an elongation to fracture at room temperature of about 40%. Additionally, it has a good electrical conductivity, though lower than that of pure Al or pure Cu. Despite these characteristics, additive manufacturing of the CuAl8 alloy was not yet reported. In this work, the direct energy deposition-arc (DED-arc) with and without in-situ hot forging was used to determine the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. No internal defects were seen on the parts produced. Hot forging combined with DED-arc was seen to reduce and homogenize the grain size, improve mechanical strength and isotropy of mechanical properties. Moreover, the use of this novel DED-arc variant was seen to reduce the magnitude of residual stresses throughout the fabricated part. We highlight that this alloy can be processed by DED-arc, and the hot forging operation concomitant with the material deposition has beneficial effects on the microstructure refinement and homogenization.publishersversionpublishe

Cdkn2a inactivation promotes malignant transformation of mouse immature thymocytes before the β-selection checkpoint

CDKN2A deletion is the most frequent genetic alteration in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), occurring across all molecular and immunophenotypic subtypes. CDKN2A encodes two functionally unrelated tumor suppressor proteins, ARF and INK4a, which are critical regulators of cell cycle and proliferation. Arf has been reported to suppress T-ALL development in post−b-selection thymocytes, but whether CDKN2A acts as a tumor suppressor gene in immature, pre−b-selection thymocytes remains to be elucidated. Resorting to a Rag2-deficient model of T-ALL, driven by the ETV6:: JAK2 fusion, we report that Cdkn2a haploinsufficiency at early stages of T-cell development facilitates leukemia developmentPPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274; NORTE01-0145-FEDER-000029info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In-situ strengthening of a high strength low alloy steel during Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)

In this work, SiC particles were added to the molten pool during WAAM of a high strength low alloy steel. The introduction of these high melting point particles promoted grain refinement, and the precipitation of Fe3C due to SiC dissociation. The microstructural evolution was studied by optical and electron microscopy techniques and high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Additionally, mechanical testing and hardness profiles were obtained for the SiC-containing and SiC-free parts. An improvement in the mechanical strength of the SiC-added WAAM parts was observed, which was attributed to the refined grain structure and finely dispersed Fe3C.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Steel-copper functionally graded material produced by twin-wire and arc additive manufacturing (T-WAAM)

SFRH/BD/144202/2019 UID/00667/2020In this work, a functionally graded material (FGM) part was fabricated by depositing a Cu-based alloy on top of a high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel by twin-wire and arc additive manufacturing (T-WAAM). Copper and steel parts are of interest in many industries since they can combine high thermal/electrical conductivity, wear resistance with excellent mechanical properties. However, mixing copper with steel is difficult due to mismatches in the coefficient of thermal expansion, in the melting temperature, and crystal structure. Moreover, the existence of a miscibility gap during solidification, when the melt is undercooled, causes serious phase separation and segregation during solidification which greatly affects the mechanical properties. Copper and steel control samples and the functionally graded material specimen were fabricated and investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Retained δ-ferrite was found in a Cu matrix at the interface region due to regions with mixed composition. A smooth gradient of hardness and electric conductivity along the FGM sample height was obtained. An ultimate tensile strength of 690 MPa and an elongation at fracture of 16.6% were measured in the FGM part.publishersversionpublishe

In situ interlayer hot forging arc-based directed energy deposition of Inconel® 625: process development and microstructure effects

The typical as-built coarse and cube-oriented microstructure of Inconel® 625 parts fabricated via arc-based directed energy deposition (DED) induces anisotropic mechanical behavior, reducing the potential applications of arc-based DEDed Inconel® 625 in critical components. In this sense, the present work aimed to reduce the grain size and texture by applying an in situ interlayer hot forging (HF) combined with post-deposition heat treatments (PDHT). The produced samples were characterized through optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron backscatter diffraction, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and Vickers microhardness. Also, a dedicated deformation tool was designed and optimized via a finite element method model considering the processing conditions and thermal cycle experienced by the material. It is shown that the in situ interlayer deformation induced a thermo-mechanical-affected zone (dynamic recrystallized + remaining deformation, with a height of ˜ 1.2 mm) at the bead top surface, which resulted in thinner aligned grains and lower texture index in relation to as-built DED counterpart. In addition, the effects of solution (1100 °C/ 1 h) and stabilization (980 °C/ 1 h) PDHTs on the Inconel® 625 HF-DEDed parts were also analyzed, which promoted fine and equiaxed static recrystallized grains without cube orientation, comparable to wrought material. Therefore, the HF-DED process significantly refined the typical coarse and highly oriented microstructure of Ni-based superalloys obtained by arc-based DED.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Analgesic Activities of Agrimonia eupatoria

Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria L.) (Ae) is used in traditional medicine to treat inflammatory and oxidative related diseases. Therefore, this study focuses on the anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential of Ae infusion (AeI). Phenolic compounds characterization was achieved by HPLC-PDA-ESI/MSn. To evaluate antioxidant potential, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and SNAP assays were used. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of AeI was investigated in LPS-stimulated macrophages by measuring the NO production. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity was validated using the mouse carrageenan-induced paw edema model. Peripheral and central analgesic potential was evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing and hot-plate tests, respectively, as well as the formalin assay to assess both activities. The safety profile was disclosed in vitro and in vivo, using MTT and hematoxylin assays, respectively. Vitexin, quercetin O-galloyl-hexoside, and kaempferol O-acetyl-hexosyl-rhamnoside were referred to in this species for the first time. AeI and mainly AePF (Ae polyphenolic fraction) showed a significant antiradical activity against all tested radicals. Both AeI and AePF decreased NO levels in vitro, AePF being more active than AeI. In vivo anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities were verified for both samples at concentrations devoid of toxicity. Agrimony infusion and, mainly, AePF are potential sources of antiradical and anti-inflammatory polyphenols

Tuna Longline Fishing around West and Central Pacific Seamounts

BACKGROUND: Seamounts have been identified as aggregating locations for pelagic biodiversity including tuna; however the topography and prevailing oceanography differ between seamounts and not all are important for tuna. Although a relatively common feature in oceanic ecosystems, little information is available that identifies those that are biologically important. Improved knowledge offers opportunities for unique management of these areas, which may advance the sustainable management of oceanic resources. In this study, we evaluate the existence of an association between seamounts and tuna longline fisheries at the ocean basin scale, identify significant seamounts for tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean, and quantify the seamount contribution to the tuna longline catch. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We use data collected for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean for bigeye, yellowfin, and albacore tuna at the ocean basin scale. GLMs were applied to a coupled dataset of longline fisheries catch and effort, and seamount location information. The analyses show that seamounts may be associated with an annual longline combined catch of 35 thousand tonnes, with higher catch apparent for yellowfin, bigeye, and albacore tuna on 17%, 14%, and 14% of seamounts respectively. In contrast 14%, 18%, and 20% of seamounts had significantly lower catches for yellowfin, bigeye and albacore tuna respectively. Studying catch data in relation to seamount positions presents several challenges such as bias in location of seamounts, or lack of spatial resolution of fisheries data. Whilst we recognize these limitations the criteria used for detecting significant seamounts were conservative and the error in identification is likely to be low albeit unknown. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Seamounts throughout the study area were found to either enhance or reduce tuna catch. This indicates that management of seamounts is important Pacific-wide, but management approaches must take account of local conditions. Management of tuna and biodiversity resources in the region would benefit from considering such effects