Daily Egg Production Estimates for the Atlantic Iberian Sardine in 2020, (ICES areas 9a and 8c).

The spawning stock biomass (SSB) of the Atlantic Iberian sardine (stock pil.27.8c9a, ICES divisions 8c and 9a) has been estimated using the Daily Egg Production Method (DEPM) since the late 90s. The surveys and analyses are internationally coordinated in the framework of ICES-WGACEGG where IEO (Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain) and IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Portugal) are represented. Every three years the two institutes conduct a coordinated survey covering the Iberian shores. The Portuguese campaign surveys the waters from the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar to the border of Portugal and Galicia (ICES area 9a), while the Spanish survey monitors the northern area of the stock from the border, at river Minho, to the south of the Armorican shelf in French waters (ICES areas 9a North and 8c). The DEPM surveys comprise ichthyoplankton, fish and hydrographic sampling. Plankton samples are collected, along a grid of parallel transects perpendicular to the coast, for spawning area estimation and daily egg production calculation. Concurrently, fishing hauls are carried out for estimation of daily fecundity (sex ratio, female weight, batch fecundity and spawning fraction) for the mature sardines in the population. This working document provides a description of the Portuguese survey, including the laboratory analyses and estimation procedures used to obtain the egg and adults parameters for the 2020 DEPM

Exploration of historical data and potential solution for the missing information in the Iberian sardine DEPM survey (SAREVA 0320) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

This working document provides a description of methods explored to compensate the lack of data in ICES areas 9aN and 8c caused by the cancelation of sardine DEPM survey “SAREVA 0320”. After checking that sardine egg data obtained from the anchovy DEPM survey, delivered in a partial area of division 8c during May by AZTI Tecnalia (BIOMAN), were not adequate for extrapolating to the SAREVA surveyed area, alternative analysis were presented based on i) sardine eggs historic data from the CUFES sampler used in the acoustic Spanish surveys PELACUS and ii) spawning stock biomass data from the Portuguese survey PT-DEPM-PIL and the Spanish survey SAREVA. A methodological approach similar to those adopted in the last sardine assessment (ICES, 2020) to face the problem of the acoustic lack of data in 2020 in subdivisions 9aN and division 8c, is described, reasoned and suggested as a solution to face the lack of Spanish data for sardine stock assessment in 2020

Is allergic rhinitis a trivial disease?

BACKGROUND: Asthma and rhinitis often coexist, which potentially increases the disease severity and can negatively impact a patients' quality of life. However, there are few reports based on data obtained from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood examining asthma severity in combination with rhinitisrelated symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate whether current rhinitis and current rhinoconjunctivitis are associated with the development of asthma or its increasing severity in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: The prevalence of current asthma was correlated with the prevalence of current rhinitis and current rhinoconjunctivitis in adolescents (13 to 14 year olds) from 16 Brazilian centers (based on Spearman's rank correlation index). The influence of current rhinitis and current rhinoconjunctivitis on asthma presentation was also evaluated using the chi-squared test and was expressed as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of current asthma and current rhinitis (rs = 0.82; 95%CI: 0.60-0.93, p< 0.0001) and between the prevalence of current asthma and current rhinoconjunctivitis (rs = 0.75; 95%CI: 0.47-0.89, p < 0.0001). Current rhinitis was associated with a significantly increased risk of current asthma and of more severe asthma. Similar results were observed for current rhinoconjunctivitis. CONCLUSION: In this epidemiologic study of Brazilian adolescents, the presence of current rhinitis and current rhinoconjunctivitis was associated with a high risk of developing asthma and increased asthma severity. The mutual evaluation of rhinitis and asthma is necessary to establish an adequate treatment plan

Catalytic performance of bulk and colloidal Co/Al layered double hydroxide with Au nanoparticles in aerobic olefin oxidation

A Co/Al layered double hydroxide material was synthesized in both bulk and exfoliated (colloidal) forms. Anion exchange with methionine allowed immobilization of Au nanoparticles previously prepared by a biomimetic method using an anti-oxidant tea aqueous extract to reduce the Au salt solution. The catalytic performance of bulk and exfoliated clays Au-hybrid materials was assessed in aerobic olefin epoxidation. Both catalysts were very active towards the epoxide products and with very interesting substrate conversion levels after 80 h reaction time. The Au-exfoliated material, where the nanosheets work as large ligands, yielded higher product stereoselectivity in the case of limonene epoxidation. This arises from a confined environment around the Au nanoparticles wrapped by the clay nanosheets modulating access to the catalytic active centres by reagents. Mechanistic assessment was also accomplished for styrene oxidation by DFT methodspublishe

The effect of nanotube surface oxidation in the electrical response of MWCNT/PVDF nanocomposites

Carbon nanotubes / poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites were prepared using CNT with different oxidation and thermal treatments. The oxidation procedure leads to CNT with the most acidic characteristics that lower the degree of crystallinity of the polymer and contribute to a large increase of the dielectric constant. The surface treatments, in general, increase percolation threshold and decrease conductivity, but, on the other hand, are able to promote the nucleation of the electroactive phase of the polymer, which is suitable for the use of PVDF in sensors, actuators and other smart materials applications. Finally, the surface treatments do not seem to affect CNT interaction among them, reaching similar degrees of dispersion in all cases, as shown by the SEM results. The maximum value of the dielectric constant is ~630. It is demonstrated that the composite conductivity can be attributed to a hopping mechanism that is strongly affected by the surface treatment of the CNT.The authors thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for financial support through the projects PTDC/CTM/69316/2006 and NANO/NMed-SD/0156/2007), and CIENCIA 2007 program for S.A.C.; V. S., J.S. and J.N.P. also thank FCT for the SFRH/BPD/63148/2009, SFRH/BD/60623/2009 and SFRH/BD/66930/2009 grants

DEPM 2014. Preliminary Egg Results for the Atlanto-Iberian Sardine ICES VIII and IXa

The triennial DEPM for estimation of sardine spawning biomass for the Atlanto-Iberian stock areas IXa – VIIIc and VIIIb up to 45 º N took place in the S and W (IPMA) from 15th March to 26th April and in the N (Galicia, Cantabrian Sea and French coast, IEO) between 29th March and 21st April. The whole area was surveyed however the Portuguese survey occurred much later than usual and suffered several interruptions; part of IPMA´s DEPM survey was conducted simultaneously to the acoustics survey onboard the same vessel. The number of fishing samples was maintained at levels similar to other years but it was evident that sardine schools were less available than during previous surveys in particular in the western and northern shores. Preliminary estimates highlighted a sharp decrease in egg production from 2011 to 2014; this pattern was particularly clear in the northern stratum