Determinación de la edad y el crecimiento del pulpo blanco Eledone cirrhosa (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) mediante el análisis de incrementos en el estilete

Age and growth of the horned octopus Eledone cirrhosa are estimated for the first time by stylet increment analysis. Specimens were collected between March 2009 and March 2010 from the commercial trawl fishery operating off northwestern Iberian coasts. A pool of stylets representing all size classes were defined by means of modal progression analysis performed separately for each sex in northern and western fishing grounds over a total of 2220 individuals (306 males and 595 females from the northern fishing ground; and 379 males and 940 females from the western fishing ground). In total, 122 stylets belonging to individuals with a total weight ranging from 67 to 950 g were successfully analysed. Age of the specimens was estimated assuming a daily deposition rate of growth increments within the stylet. Estimated age of the specimens varied from 106 to 516 days. Differential longevity between sexes was observed, with females reaching a life span of 17 months while males attained reached only 14 months, although the possibility that this difference might be even greater is discussed. Based on estimated age, hatching date was back-calculated and it was concluded that hatching occurs throughout the year, with a peak in winter. Relative instantaneous growth rates estimated for 90-day age classes, ranged from 0.03% to 2.17% of body weight per day, depending on age. The results obtained are compared with the information available on this species.La edad y el crecimiento del pulpo blanco Eledone cirrhosa son estimados por primera vez mediante el análisis de incrementos del estilete (SIA). Los especímenes fueron obtenidos, entre marzo de 2009 y marzo de 2010, provenientes de la pesquería de arrastre comercial que opera en la costa noroeste de la Península Ibérica. Un conjunto de estiletes, en representación de todas las clases de tamaño, fue definido mediante un análisis de progresión modal realizado por separado para cada sexo en los caladeros del norte y oeste, sobre un total de 2220 individuos (306 machos y 595 hembras procedentes de la costa norte y 379 machos y 940 hembras de la costa oeste). Un total de 122 estiletes, pertenecientes a especímenes con un peso total de entre 67 y 950 g, fueron analizados con éxito. La edad de los especímenes se calculó asumiendo una tasa de deposición diaria de los incrementos de crecimiento en el estilete. La edad estimada de los especímenes fue de entre 106 y 516 días. Se observó una longevidad diferencial entre sexos; en las hembras se registró una esperanza de vida de hasta 17 meses, mientras que los machos tan sólo alcanzaron 14 meses, aunque se discute la posibilidad de que esta diferencia podría ser aún mayor. En base en la edad estimada se calculó la fecha de eclosión, concluyendo que la eclosión se produce durante todo el año, con un repunte durante el invierno. Las tasas de crecimiento relativo instantáneo (G), estimadas para clases de edad de 90 días, variaron desde el 0.03% hasta el 2.17% del peso total por día, dependiendo de la edad. Los resultados obtenidos se comparan con la información disponible sobre esta especie

Molecular prey identification in wild Octopus vulgaris paralarvae

11 páginas, 3 figuras, 4 tablas.-- The final publication is available at www.springerlink.comThe trophic ecology of Octopus vulgaris paralarvae collected in 2008 off the Ría de Vigo, NW Spain (42° 12.80′ N–9° 00.00′ W), was approached by both morphological and molecular methods. External digestion of prey and posterior suction of the liquefied contents by wild O. vulgaris paralarvae made the morphological identification of gut contents impossible. Thus, a PCR-based method using group-specific primers was selected to identify prey consumed by O. vulgaris paralarvae in the pelagic realm. The mitochondrial ribosomal 16S gene region was chosen for designing group-specific primers, which targeted a broad range of crustaceans and fishes but avoided the amplification of predator DNA. These primers successfully amplified DNA of prey by using a semi-nested PCR-based approach and posterior cloning. Homology search and phylogenetic analysis were then conducted with the 20 different operational taxonomic units obtained to identify the putative organisms ingested. The phylogenetic analysis clustered ingested prey into 12 families of crustaceans (11 belonging to the order Decapoda and 1 to the order Euphausiacea) and two families of fishes (Gobiidae and Carangidae). According to the Czekanowski’s Index (CI), the trophic niche breadth of O. vulgaris paralarvae is low (CI = 0.13), which means that these paralarvae are specialist predators at least during the first weeks of their life cycle. It is the first time that natural prey has been identified in O. vulgaris paralarvae collected from the wild, and such knowledge may be critical to increasing the survival of O. vulgaris hatchlings in captivity, a goal that has been actively pursued since the 1960s by aquaculture researchers.This study was supported by the project CAIBEX (Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science CTM2007-66408-C02), LARECO (CTM2011-25929), FEDER Funds and the first author by a JAE-pre grant (CSIC).Peer reviewe

Oceanic cephalopods from western Canary Islands collected during CETOBAPH mesopelagic survey: distribution and biodiversity

1 póster.-- IV Congreso de Ciencias del Mar, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 11-13 de junio de 2014Oceanic cephalopods, especially squids, are one of the main animals in oceanic ecosystems and constitute a key group in marine food webs. Despite of their importance a small number of research cruises targeting on this group have been conducted in the Canary Islands. We report herein on the micronektonic component of the pelagic assemblage in the Canary region.This work has been supported by the project “Cetáceos, Oceanografía y Biodiversidad de las Aguas Profundas de La Palma y El Hierro” funded by “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” of the Spanish Government, grant number CETOBAPH-CGL2009-1311218.Peer reviewe

Age validation in common octopus Octopus vulgaris using stylet increment analysis

6 páginas, 1 tabla, 3 figurasDaily periodicity of growth increments in stylets was validated in wild-caught Octopus vulgaris maintained under controlled conditions. It was corroborated by staining the stylets either with oxytetracycline (OTC) or tetracycline (TC), and comparing the number of rings produced with the number of days elapsed. In all, 19 animals (10 males and 9 females; 680–1470 g body weight, BW) were injected with OTC in Vigo (mean 124 mg kg−1), and another six animals (1 male and 5 females; 248–570 g BW) with TC at Naples (mean 120 mg kg−1). The animals were successfully maintained in captivity until sacrificed for up to 6 (one animal), 9 (one animal), 18 (the six animals from Naples), and 21 (17 animals) days. The number of increments counted in transverse stylet sections was 18.9 ± 1.4 and 20.5 ± 1.5 for octopuses maintained for 18 and 21 d, respectively. The mean rate of increment formation was 1.02 increments per day, suggesting a periodicity of 1 increment per day in the stylet. Consequently, the results successfully validate daily increment deposition in O. vulgaris stylets in the size range analysedThe research was supported by ECOSUMMER (European Union), and CAH received early training ECOSUMMER (Marie Curie Action) supportPeer reviewe

On the occurrence of egg masses of the diamondshaped squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus Troschel, 1857 in the subtropical eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands). A potential commercial species?

8 páginas, 2 figuras, 1 tablaData on opportunistic sightings of diamond-shaped squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus egg masses in the Canary Islands (Atlantic Ocean) are presented. A total of 16 egg masses of this species were recorded and photographed from 2000 to 2010 around the western islands of the archipelago (El Hierro, Tenerife and La Gomera). These data reveal the existence of an important spawning area for diamond-shaped squid around the Canary Islands, in subtropical east Atlantic waters. We provide preliminary data for the potential development of an artisanal fishery focused on this species, and a discussion on its potential impacts on the marine ecosystem.This work has been supported by the project “Cetáceos, Oceanografía y Biodiversidad de las Aguas Profundas de La Palma y El Hierro” funded by the Ministry of Sciences and Innovation of the Spanish Government, grant number CETOBAPH-CGL2009-1311218.Peer reviewe

On multivariate orthogonal polynomials and elementary symmetric functions

Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions, which improved the comprehension of the manuscript. In particular, we thank the reviewer who pointed out references [4–6, 15].Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA This research was supported through the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES), in the scope of the CAPES-PrInt Program, process number 88887.310463/2018-00, International Cooperation Project number 88887.468471/2019-00. The second author (MAP) has been partially supported by grant PGC2018-094932-B-I00 from FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación, and the IMAG-María de Maeztu grant CEX2020-001105-M/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033.We study families of multivariate orthogonal polynomials with respect to the symmetric weight function in d variables Bγ(x)=∏i=1dω(xi)∏i<j|xi−xj|2γ+1,x∈(a,b)d, for γ>−1 , where ω(t) is an univariate weight function in t∈(a,b) and x=(x1,x2,…,xd) with xi∈(a,b). Applying the change of variables xi, i=1,2,…,d, into ur, r=1,2,…,d, where ur is the r-th elementary symmetric function, we obtain the domain region in terms of the discriminant of the polynomials having xi, i=1,2,…,d, as its zeros and in terms of the corresponding Sturm sequence. Choosing the univariate weight function as the Hermite, Laguerre, and Jacobi weight functions, we obtain the representation in terms of the variables ur for the partial differential operators such that the respective Hermite, Laguerre, and Jacobi generalized multivariate orthogonal polynomials are the eigenfunctions. Finally, we present explicitly the partial differential operators for Hermite, Laguerre, and Jacobi generalized polynomials, for d=2 and d=3 variables.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUABrazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES), in the scope of the CAPES-PrInt Program, process number 88887.310463/2018-00, International Cooperation Project number 88887.468471/2019-00Grant PGC2018-094932-B-I00 from FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de InvestigaciónIMAG-María de Maeztu grant CEX2020-001105-M/ AEI/10.13039/50110001103

Torque distribution strategy for a four In-wheel fully electric car

Jornadas de Automática, 2 - 4 de septiembre de 2015. BilbaoElectromobility promises to have a strong impact in several aspects of our life: introducing new means of transport concepts, proposing new business models and allowing to create new vehicle configurations impossible with traditional combustion engines. Regarding the latter, this paper presents a novel torque distribution strategy for a 4 in-wheel electric vehicle which aims to reduce the total longitudinal slip. The control strategy is designed off-line supported by a simulator and tested both in simulation (with a different model from the used for designing) as well as on a real sized prototype. The results show that the total longitudinal slip is successfully reduced after applying the control strategy and additionally, the radius described by the vehicle while cornering is slightly closer to the theoretical Ackerman radius.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2013-46912-C2-

Age, growth, and mortality of Loligo vulgaris wild paralarvae : implications for understanding of the life cycle and longevity

Peer reviewedPreprin

Protein biomarker discovery and fast monitoring for the identification and detection of Anisakids by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mass spectrometry

8 páginas, 7 figuras, 1 tablaAnisakids are fish-borne parasites that are responsible for a large number of human infections and allergic reactions around the world. World health organizations and food safety authorities aim to control and prevent this emerging health problem. In the present work, a new method for the fast monitoring of these parasites is described. The strategy is divided in three steps: (i) purification of thermostable proteins from fish-borne parasites (Anisakids), (ii) in-solution HIFU trypsin digestion and (iii) monitoring of several peptide markers by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mass spectrometry. This methodology allows the fast detection of Anisakids in < 2 h. An affordable assay utilizing this methodology will facilitate testing for regulatory and safety applications. Significance The work describes for the first time, the Protein Biomarker Discovery and the Fast Monitoring for the identification and detection of Anisakids in fishery products. The strategy is based on the purification of thermostable proteins, the use of accelerated in-solution trypsin digestions under an ultrasonic field provided by High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and the monitoring of several peptide biomarkers by Parallel Reaction Monitoring (PRM) Mass Spectrometry in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The workflow allows the unequivocal detection of Anisakids, in < 2 h. The present strategy constitutes the fastest method for Anisakids detection, whose application in the food quality control area, could provide to the authorities an effective and rapid method to guarantee the safety to the consumersThis work was supported by EU-granted project PARASITE (GA312068), Marie Curie actions (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, ref. 332274) and by the Ramón Areces Foundation XVII National GrantPeer reviewe

On-site forest fire smoke detection by low-power autonomous vision sensor

Early detection plays a crucial role to prevent forest fires from spreading. Wireless vision sensor networks deployed throughout high-risk areas can perform fine-grained surveillance and thereby very early detection and precise location of forest fires. One of the fundamental requirements that need to be met at the network nodes is reliable low-power on-site image processing. It greatly simplifies the communication infrastructure of the network as only alarm signals instead of complete images are transmitted, anticipating thus a very competitive cost. As a first approximation to fulfill such a requirement, this paper reports the results achieved from field tests carried out in collaboration with the Andalusian Fire-Fighting Service (INFOCA). Two controlled burns of forest debris were realized (www.youtube.com/user/vmoteProject). Smoke was successfully detected on-site by the EyeRISTM v1.2, a general-purpose autonomous vision system, built by AnaFocus Ltd., in which a vision algorithm was programmed. No false alarm was triggered despite the significant motion other than smoke present in the scene. Finally, as a further step, we describe the preliminary laboratory results obtained from a prototype vision chip which implements, at very low energy cost, some image processing primitives oriented to environmental monitoring.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación 2006-TIC-2352, TEC2009-1181