Human impacts on the Northern Iberian Coast: Brominated pollutants.

Plastic and textile products as well as electronical devices are easily flammable products and to reduce fire-related injury and property damage, such materials are commonly covered by the so-called flame retardants (FR). The brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are the largest market group because of their low cost and high-performance efficiency. Nevertheless, as these compounds are additive rather than chemically bound to the products, they can be released into the environment and because they are toxic and persistent organic chemicals and can bioaccumulate, they have become contaminants of concern detectable in the environment, in animals, and in humans. PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers) are a group of 209 different congeners used as FR and since 2004 banned in the EU. In spite of banned and restriction such chemicals are still detected in the environment and their monitoring necessary. In 2016 a sampling campaign was carried out covering the North Spanish Atlantic coast from the border with Portugal to the limit with France. The collected sediments were studied to determine sediment characteristics and PBDEs concentrations. Sedimentological characteristics including grain size distribution and total organic content were measured. Gas chromatography coupled to MS detector was used to perform the analytical analysis under QA/QC to guarantee the quality of the results. BDE28, BDE47, BDE66, BDE85, BDE99, BD100, BD153, BDE154 andBD183 have been determined and evaluated against Background assessment criteria (BACs) and Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines (FEQGs). Levels found demonstrate that there is still detectable presence of PBDEs in marine sediments albeit they are well below the FEQG and even frequently below BACs

On the parameters influencing the deposition of polystyrene colloidal crystals

Colloidal crystals of polystyrene particles of 1.0, 1.4 and 2.8 μm diameter have been prepared by vertical deposition. The influence of parameters such as temperature, particle size and concentration as well as dispersion medium has been studied. The size of domain and the crystalline structure of the particle arrays have been analyzed by optical microscopy. The quality of the crystals has been improved (minimizing cracks) by controlling sedimentation (density matching), evaporation (volatility of the medium) and drying (co-solvents)

Laboratory-Based Prospective Surveillance for Community Outbreaks of Shigella spp. in Argentina

Background: To implement effective control measures, timely outbreak detection is essential. Shigella is the most common cause of bacterial diarrhea in Argentina. Highly resistant clones of Shigella have emerged, and outbreaks have been recognized in closed settings and in whole communities. We hereby report our experience with an evolving, integrated, laboratory-based, near real-time surveillance system operating in six contiguous provinces of Argentina during April 2009 to March 2012. Methodology To detect localized shigellosis outbreaks timely, we used the prospective space-time permutation scan statistic algorithm of SaTScan, embedded in WHONET software. Twenty three laboratories sent updated Shigella data on a weekly basis to the National Reference Laboratory. Cluster detection analysis was performed at several taxonomic levels: for all Shigella spp., for serotypes within species and for antimicrobial resistance phenotypes within species. Shigella isolates associated with statistically significant signals (clusters in time/space with recurrence interval ≥365 days) were subtyped by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using PulseNet protocols. Principal Findings In three years of active surveillance, our system detected 32 statistically significant events, 26 of them identified before hospital staff was aware of any unexpected increase in the number of Shigella isolates. Twenty-six signals were investigated by PFGE, which confirmed a close relationship among the isolates for 22 events (84.6%). Seven events were investigated epidemiologically, which revealed links among the patients. Seventeen events were found at the resistance profile level. The system detected events of public health importance: infrequent resistance profiles, long-lasting and/or re-emergent clusters and events important for their duration or size, which were reported to local public health authorities. Conclusions/Significance: The WHONET-SaTScan system may serve as a model for surveillance and can be applied to other pathogens, implemented by other networks, and scaled up to national and international levels for early detection and control of outbreaks

Electrophoretic deposition of colloidal crystals assisted by hydrodynamic flows

Latex-based colloidal crystals have been grown by electrophoretic deposition. The deposition has been assisted by hydrodynamic von Kármán-like flows, which lead to quantitative improvements. It has been studied the influence of applied voltage, deposition time and flow rate on the number of deposited layers and on the mean domain size. The samples were studied with microscopy and precision weight measurement. It has been found that there is a critical time after which the deposition mechanism changes, and the behavior of the system before and after this critical time is considered. The mean domain size and the deposition time were reduced to non-dimensional forms which show the collapse of the data for different applied voltages and flow rates into one curve

Molecular Systematic of Three Species of Oithona (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from the Atlantic Ocean: Comparative Analysis Using 28S rDNA

Species of Oithona (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) are highly abundant, ecologically important, and widely distributed throughout the world oceans. Although there are valid and detailed descriptions of the species, routine species identifications remain challenging due to their small size, subtle morphological diagnostic traits, and the description of geographic forms or varieties. This study examined three species of Oithona (O. similis, O. atlantica and O. nana) occurring in the Argentine sector of the South Atlantic Ocean based on DNA sequence variation of a 575 base-pair region of 28S rDNA, with comparative analysis of these species from other North and South Atlantic regions. DNA sequence variation clearly resolved and discriminated the species, and revealed low levels of intraspecific variation among North and South Atlantic populations of each species. The 28S rDNA region was thus shown to provide an accurate and reliable means of identifying the species throughout the sampled domain. Analysis of 28S rDNA variation for additional species collected throughout the global ocean will be useful to accurately characterize biogeographical distributions of the species and to examine phylogenetic relationships among them

REPORT ON THE 2020 ICCAT WORKSHOP ON SMALL TUNAS BIOLOGY STUDIES FOR GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION.

SUMMARY This report describes the 2020 ICCAT workshop on small tunas biology studies for growth and reproduction, hosted by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Málaga, Spain. The major objectives of the workshop were: 1) starting the creation of ageing and reproduction reference sets and, 2) providing more training for the ongoing sample collection and processing to the teams involved in these studies. As approved by the SCRS in 2017, the Small Tuna Species Group intersessional meeting decided to prioritize the collection of biological samples aiming at growth, maturity and stock structure studies on three species: little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus), Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) and wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), based on their economic importance and the lack of knowledge on their biology. This work will contribute to the next major advance in the assessment of these three species. RÉSUMÉ Le présent rapport décrit l'atelier de l’ICCAT tenu en 2020 sur les études de la biologie des thonidés mineurs pour la croissance et la reproduction, organisé par l'Instituto Español de Oceanografía, à Malaga, en Espagne. Les principaux objectifs de l'atelier étaient les suivants : 1) commencer à créer des ensembles de référence sur la détermination de l’âge et la reproduction et 2) fournir une formation plus poussée sur la collecte et le traitement des échantillons aux équipes participant à ces études. Tel qu’approuvé par le SCRS en 2017, lors de la réunion intersessions du Groupe d'espèces sur les thonidés mineurs, il a été décidé de donner la priorité à la collecte d'échantillons biologiques visant à étudier la croissance, la maturité et la structure des stocks de trois espèces : la thonine commune (Euthynnus alletteratus), la bonite à dos rayé (Sarda) et le thazard-bâtard (Acanthocybium solandri), sur la base de leur importance économique et des connaissances lacunaires sur leur biologie. Ces travaux contribueront à la prochaine grande avancée dans l'évaluation de ces trois espèces. RESUMEN Este informe describe el taller de ICCAT de 2020 sobre estudios de biología de pequeños túnidos para crecimiento y reproducción, acogido por el Instituto Español de Oceanografía en Málaga, España. Los principales objetivos del taller eran: 1) empezar la creación de conjuntos de referencia de determinación de la edad y reproducción y 2) facilitar más formación a los equipos involucrados en estos estudios para la recopilación de muestras y procesamiento en curso. Como aprobó el SCRS en 2017, en la Reunión intersesiones del Grupo de especies de pequeños túnidos se decidió priorizar la recopilación de muestras biológicas con miras a estudios de crecimiento, madurez y estructura del stock de tres especies: bacoreta (Euthynnus alletteratus), bonito (Sarda sarda) y peto (Acanthocybium solandri), basándose en su importancia económica y la falta de conocimientos sobre su biología. Este trabajo contribuirá a avanzar en la próxima evaluación de estas tres especies.Versión del edito

Report on the 2020 ICCAT workshop on small tunas biology studies for growth and reproduction

This report describes the 2020 ICCAT workshop on small tunas biology studies for growth and reproduction, hosted by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Málaga, Spain. The major objectives of the workshop were: 1) starting the creation of ageing and reproduction reference sets and, 2) providing more training for the ongoing sample collection and processing to the teams involved in these studies. As approved by the SCRS in 2017, the Small Tuna Species Group intersessional meeting decided to prioritize the collection of biological samples aiming at growth, maturity and stock structure studies on three species: little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus), Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) and wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), based on their economic importance and the lack of knowledge on their biology. This work will contribute to the next major advance in the assessment of these three species

Resultados preliminares de la influencia de la temperatura de cultivo sobre la proporción de sexos en el rodaballo (Scophthalmus maximus L.)

Las larvas de tres familias de rodaballos se cultivaron a temperaturas de 15'C, 18'C y 22'C desde el día dos hasta día 90 de vida y a temperatura ambiente hasta el dia 210. En las familias 1 y 2 las proporciones sexuales, determinadas por el fenotipo, oscilaron en los tres grupos entre el 40%- 60%,y no se observaron diferencias siqníñcaffvas entre los diferentes grupos de temperatura (p>0.05). En la familia 3, el porcentaje de hembras fue mayor que el de machos en los tres grupos de temperatura, y además se observó diferencia significativa (p<0.05) entre el grupo de peces cultivados a temperatura fría con respecto a los cultivados en agua ambiente. En tas familias 1 y 2 el sexo genético coincidió en gran medida con~ sexo fenolípico, siendo la discrepancia menor del 10%. Sin embargo, en la familia 3 se observó que el 36,5% de los machos genéticos eran hembras a 15'C, el 29% a 18ºC y el 18% a 23'C. Los resultados sugieren la interacción temperatura-familia en la determinación sexual del rodaballo, que debe ser confirmada en un mayor número de familias.Larvae from three families of turbot were cultured at 15'C, 18'C and 22'C from 2 to 90 days old, and then at ambient temperature until210 daysold. Regarding families 1 and 2, \he sexual proportions determined by \he phenotype varied between 40%·60%, regardless of \he cunure temperature (p>O.05). Gontrary, in family 3, \he percentage of females was higher than for males in all three cunure temperatures. Furthermore, \here were differences (¡¡<O.05) between families cultured at 15'C and 18'C. For families 1 and 2, sex determined by genotype was similarto \hat detennined by the phenotype, wi\h differences <1 0%. Gontrary, for family 3,\he \he percentage of males determined by \he genotype \hat were phenotipycatt¡ females was 36, 29 and 18% for animals cunured at 15'C, 18'C and 22'C, respectively. Results suggest an interaction temperature-family in \he turbot sex determination which should be checked on a higher numberoffamilies

Genomics of the Argentinian cholera epidemic elucidate the contrasting dynamics of epidemic and endemic Vibrio cholerae

Funder: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH)Abstract: In order to control and eradicate epidemic cholera, we need to understand how epidemics begin, how they spread, and how they decline and eventually end. This requires extensive sampling of epidemic disease over time, alongside the background of endemic disease that may exist concurrently with the epidemic. The unique circumstances surrounding the Argentinian cholera epidemic of 1992–1998 presented an opportunity to do this. Here, we use 490 Argentinian V. cholerae genome sequences to characterise the variation within, and between, epidemic and endemic V. cholerae. We show that, during the 1992–1998 cholera epidemic, the invariant epidemic clone co-existed alongside highly diverse members of the Vibrio cholerae species in Argentina, and we contrast the clonality of epidemic V. cholerae with the background diversity of local endemic bacteria. Our findings refine and add nuance to our genomic definitions of epidemic and endemic cholera, and are of direct relevance to controlling current and future cholera epidemics