Critical current density and vortex pinning in tetragonal FeS1−x_{1-x}Sex_{x} (x=0,0.06x=0,0.06)

We report critical current density ($J_c$) in tetragonal FeS single crystals, similar to iron based superconductors with much higher superconducting critical temperatures ($T_{c}$'s). The $J_c$ is enhanced 3 times by 6\% Se doping. We observe scaling of the normalized vortex pinning force as a function of reduced field at all temperatures. Vortex pinning in FeS and FeS$_{0.94}$Se$_{0.06}$ shows contribution of core-normal surface-like pinning. Reduced temperature dependence of $J_c$ indicates that dominant interaction of vortex cores and pinning centers is via scattering of charge carriers with reduced mean free path ($\delta$$l$), in contrast to K$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ where spatial variations in $T_{c}$ ($\delta$$T_{c}$) prevails.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Trends in the pattern of discarding in the hake (Merluccius hubbsi and Merluccius australis) fishery in the SW Atlantic.

This paper presents results from the EC Study Project 99/016 “Data collection for stock assessment of two hakes (Merluccius hubbsi and M. australis) in international and Falkland waters of the SW Atlantic”. Historical fishery and biological data series available from IEO (1988 onwards) were used to describe and quantify patterns and spatio-temporal changes in catches and discards in the hake fishery. Data were collected by scientific observers on board Spanish fishing vessels operating in the study area. Data collected on fishing activity included effort, catches and discards of target and non-target species on a haul-by-haul basis. Biological information (size, sex, maturity, etc) on target species was recorded on a daily basis, while biological data on non-target species was recorded periodically. The “discards ratio” was calculated by each haul, defined as the total weight of fish discarded divided by the total catch weight. The most important by-catch species are hoki or whiptailed hake (Macruronus magellanicus), red cod (Salilota australis), southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis), Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) and kingclip (Genypterus blacodes). Discards included both target and non-target species. The most commonly discarded species were Patagonotothen spp. (almost 100% of the catch is discarded), whiptailed hake (Macruronus magellanicus) (25% discarded), southern blue whiting (12%) and red cod (6%). These percentages vary with area, year and fishing season. The four target species (Merluccius hubbsi, Merluccius australis, Illex argentinus and Loligo gahi) have discard ratios below 5%. In recent years discard ratios for all species except Patagonotothen spp. have fallen below 15%

The spatio-temporal pattern of hake (M. hubbsi) abundance and environmental influence in the Patagonian shelf area

The Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is one of the most important fishery resources in the Southwest Atlantic. This species is widely distributed in the Patagonian shelf area and it is a major target species by international fleets in this South West Atlantic area. This paper presents results on the spatio-temporal distribution pattern of hake M. hubbsi abundance and environmental influence in the Patagonian shelf area. Spanish commercial fisheries data from 1989 to 1999 were used in the analysis. Data were collected by observers deployed by the IEO, Vigo (Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Vigo). The data include 15343 fishing haul records. CPUE (Catch Per Unit Effort, kg⋅hr-1) was used as an abundance index. The analyses of the general spatio-temporal pattern of fish abundance, and the influence of environmental factors, such as SST, SBT, depth, moon phase and cloud cover, on fish abundance and distribution, were based on correlation, variograms, and timeseries maps created using GIS. Hake-targeted fishing by Spanish fleets was mainly focused on the shelf-edge area between 44.5°S – 47.0°S outside the Argentinean EEZ and in the area northwest of the Falkland Islands. The centre of high abundance is located in the shelf-edge area between 44.5°S – 47.0°S, particularly in the west part (i.e. in shallower waters) and in winter. The correlations between fish abundance and cloud cover are overwhelming negative, indicating that higher catches usually occur in cloudy weather conditions. In the major hake-targeted fishing area between 44.5°S – 47.0°S, the negative relationship between fish abundance and sea surface temperature in most months may suggest that high fish abundance is related to the strong northward cold Falklands current, and abundance is positively related to sea depth in summer

The application of supercritical fluids technology to recover healthy valuable compounds from marine and agricultural food processing by-products: a review

Food by-products contain a remarkable source of bioactive molecules with many benefits for humans; therefore, their exploitation can be an excellent opportunity for the food sector. Moreover, the revalorization of these by-products to produce value-added compounds is considered pivotal for sustainable growth based on a circular economy. Traditional extraction technologies have several drawbacks mainly related to the consumption of hazardous organic solvents, and the high temperatures maintained for long extraction periods which cause the degradation of thermolabile compounds as well as a low extraction efficiency of desired compounds. In this context, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has been explored as a suitable green technology for the recovery of a broad range of bioactive compounds from different types of agri-food wastes. This review describes the working principle and development of SFE technology to valorize by-products from different origin (marine, fruit, vegetable, nuts, and other plants). In addition, the potential effects of the extracted active substances on human health were also approached.Axencia Galega de Innovación | Ref. IN607A2019 / 01European Commission | Ref. H2020, AQUABIOPRO-FIT, n. 790956CYTED | Ref. 119RT0568Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. RYC2018-026177-IChina Scholarship Council (CSC) | Ref. 201908420246China Scholarship Council (CSC) | Ref. 201908420245Generalitat Valenciana | Ref. IDIFEDER / 2018 / 04

Genetic relationships within Brassica rapa as inferred from AFLP finterprints

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were employed to assess the genetic diversity amongst two large collections of Brassica rapa accessions. Collection A consisted of 161 B. rapa accessions representing different morphotypes among the cultivated B. rapa, including traditional and modern cultivars and breeding materials from geographical locations from all over the world and two Brassica napus accessions. Collection B consisted of 96 accessions, representing mainly leafy vegetable types cultivated in China. On the basis of the AFLP data obtained, we constructed phenetic trees using mega 2.1 software. The level of polymorphism was very high, and it was evident that the amount of genetic variation present within the groups was often comparable to the variation between the different cultivar groups. Cluster analysis revealed groups, often with low bootstrap values, which coincided with cultivar groups. The most interesting information revealed by the phenetic trees was that different morphotypes are often more related to other morphotypes from the same region (East Asia vs. Europe) than to similar morphotypes from different regions, suggesting either an independent origin and or a long and separate domestication and breeding history in both region

Analysis of the evolution of hake (Merluccius hubbsi and Merluccius australis) catch and effort by Spanish vessels operating in the Patagonian shelf area since the beginning of this industrial fishery

The hake fishery (Merluccius hubbsi and Merluccius australis) is one of the most important ones for Spanish vessels operating in the Southwest Atlantic. Both species are widely distributed along the Patagonian shelf, although M. australis occupies mainly more southern waters. This paper presents a historical review of fishery data on the Spanish fishing fleet operating in the SW Atlantic collected and collated during the EC Study Project 99/016 “Data collection for stock assessment of two hakes (Merluccius hubbsi and M. australis) in International and Falkland waters of the SW Atlantic”, in order to analyse the evolution of catch and effort in the hake fishery since 1983 to 2000. Data on landings and effort by Spanish vessels from 1983 onwards were utilised to study trends and shifts within the fishery. These data were provided by Asociación Nacional de Armadores de Buques Congeladores de Pesca de Merluza (ANAMER), the most important Spanish ship-owners fishing association operating in distant fishing grounds. Catch and effort data collected by observer’s programmes carried out by Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) and the Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department (FIGFD), as well as by observers provided by the project were used to estimate CPUE by area and season.The data included landings in kgs by commercial size category of hake (both species together) and effort made by vessels appertaining to ANAMER in number of fishing days and number of vessels by vessel size category. Conversion factors obtained by scientific observers onboard of these vessels were used to obtain the whole catch from landings. Total effort of the Spanish fleet was estimated from ANAMER logbooks, assuming a similar pattern for the whole fleet and taking into account the different ratio of ANAMER fleet compared to the total Spanish fleet. An increase of the catches and effort was observed from 1983 to a maximum in 1990 coinciding with the closure of Namibian fisheries. After that, catches and effort decreased corresponding to the development of the Greenland halibut fishery in the NW Atlantic, until its stabilisation from 1993. CPUE showed different patterns of fishing activity by area and season

Analysis of the spatio-temporal pattern of Southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis australis) abundance in the bottom-trawl fisheries in the southwest Atlantic using GIS techniques

Southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis australis ) inhabits the waters of the Southern Hemisphere, and in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. It is distributed over an area next to the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, where it is commonly the most abundant commercial finfish species. This fish migrates to the outer Falkland shelf and aggregates in dense schools to spawn in August-September in the south-western part of the islands. Feeding concentrations of Southern blue whiting are targeted by specialized surimi vessels until the following March. Southern blue whiting is also taken as an occasional bycatch by finfish trawlers. Fishery and biological information collected by scientific observers aboard commercial Spanish trawlers between 1988 and 2003 were analysed in relation to physical and environmental factors to establish the spatio-temporal pattern of the species. The data included 26 168 commercial hauls of which 4 797 positive (including effort, catches and discards, as well as biological and environmental information). CPUE (Catch Per Unit Effort, kg⋅hr-1) was used as abundance index. The analysis of the general spatio-temporal pattern of fish abundance, and the influence of environmental factors, such as SST, SBT and depth on fish abundance and distribution, was based on correlation, variograms, and time-series maps created using GIS. Mature individuals and more specifically spawning females were recorded mainly in the waters south and south-west of the Islands, between 100 and 200 m isobaths

Remotely sensed local oceanic thermal features and their influence on the distribution of hake (Merluccius hubbsi) at the Patagonian shelf edge in the SW Atlantic

We propose a new index based on sea surface temperature that can be used to locate local oceanic thermal features. The concept of relative spatial variability of local SST (SST RV), and the algorithm used to derive it, are introduced. The utility of this index is compared with that of SST gradient in an analysis of environmental correlates of the distribution and abundance of the hake Merluccius hubbsi (Marini, 1933) on the Patagonian shelf edge between 44.5◦S and 47.0◦S and around the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). The SST RV and SST gradient were calculated from AVHRR SST data. SST RV is suggested to be a more sensitive index than SST gradient for detecting local oceanic thermal features such as fronts. Local hake abundance varied between years and showed strong (albeit complex) relationships with depth and SST, as well as with parameters (SST RV and SST gradient) that indicate the presence of ocean surface thermal features. Although local hake abundance was positively correlated with both SST RV and SST gradient, the former correlation was stronger and in two out of three studied months SST RV was the better predictor of CPUE. Although CPUE tended to increase with SST RV, this relationship breaks down at the highest SST RV values, possibly because hake avoid the most turbulent waters

On the Use of Generalized Volume Scattering Models for the Improvement of General Polarimetric Model-Based Decomposition

Recently, a general polarimetric model-based decomposition framework was proposed by Chen et al., which addresses several well-known limitations in previous decomposition methods and implements a simultaneous full-parameter inversion by using complete polarimetric information. However, it only employs four typical models to characterize the volume scattering component, which limits the parameter inversion performance. To overcome this issue, this paper presents two general polarimetric model-based decomposition methods by incorporating the generalized volume scattering model (GVSM) or simplified adaptive volume scattering model, (SAVSM) proposed by Antropov et al. and Huang et al., respectively, into the general decomposition framework proposed by Chen et al. By doing so, the final volume coherency matrix structure is selected from a wide range of volume scattering models within a continuous interval according to the data itself without adding unknowns. Moreover, the new approaches rely on one nonlinear optimization stage instead of four as in the previous method proposed by Chen et al. In addition, the parameter inversion procedure adopts the modified algorithm proposed by Xie et al. which leads to higher accuracy and more physically reliable output parameters. A number of Monte Carlo simulations of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data are carried out and show that the proposed method with GVSM yields an overall improvement in the final accuracy of estimated parameters and outperforms both the version using SAVSM and the original approach. In addition, C-band Radarsat-2 and L-band AIRSAR fully polarimetric images over the San Francisco region are also used for testing purposes. A detailed comparison and analysis of decomposition results over different land-cover types are conducted. According to this study, the use of general decomposition models leads to a more accurate quantitative retrieval of target parameters. However, there exists a trade-off between parameter accuracy and model complexity which constrains the physical validity of solutions and must be further investigated.This work was supported in part by National Nature Science Foundation of China under Grant 41531068, 41371335, 41671356 and 41274010, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and EU FEDER under Project TIN2014-55413-C2-2-P, and China Scholarship Council under Grant 201406370079