Movements and environmental preferences of the shortfin mako, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Isurus oxyrinchus</Emphasis>, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean

Nine individuals of shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, were tracked in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, off northern Chile, by means of pop-up satellite archival tags. No common pattern was observed in their trajectories, apart from a movement onshore of all the fish tracked during June–August. The average estimated rate of movement was of c. 27 km day⁻¹. Data were collected and processed for a total of 341 days, including 33 days for one recaptured fish specimen, allowing high-resolution archived data to be downloaded. The fish spent most of their time in the mixed layer but undertook dives down to 888 m. Ambient temperatures ranged between 4.6 and 24.1°C, and the sea surface temperatures recorded ranged from 13.4 to 24.1°C during the study period. No clear diel pattern in depth behavior was observed, but mean vertical distribution was deeper during the daytime. Moreover, a foraging pattern, consisting of rapid descents below the thermocline followed by slower ascents, was generally observed during daylight hours. Dissolved oxygen concentration and water temperature seem to be the main factors affecting the vertical range of the species in the area. This is the first study on electronic tagging of the shortfin mako in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and covers the longest total tracking period reported so far for this species.     

Oceanographic and biological landscapes used by the Southern Giant Petrel during the breeding season at the Patagonian Shelf

The study of how and why marine animals distribute themselves at sea has important conservation and management implications of the species and their habitats. We characterize the oceanographic and biological landscapes of the marine areas used by breeding Southern Giant Petrels (Macronectes giganteus) at Patagonian colonies and explore inter-sexual and inter-colony differences. The at-sea movements of 16 adults (7 males and 9 females) were studied by means of satellite telemetry techniques during 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004 breeding seasons. Southern Giant Petrels utilized an oceanographic scenario characterized by high productivity, warm sea surface temperature, and shallow waters. The biological landscape was characterized by a high availability of squid and carrion nearby colonies. Females spent more time in the shelf break and exploited deeper waters than males. In contrast, males spent more time in coastal areas and they showed a higher spatial overlap with areas of high squid density than females. Such a prosperous foraging scenario for both sexes may play a key role in the growth of the breeding population of Southern Giant Petrel Patagonian colonies.     

Can incomplete information lead to under-exploitation in the commons?

This paper analyzes the protection of a common pool resource (CPR) through the management of information. Specifically, we examine an entry deterrence model between an incumbent perfectly informed about the initial stock of a CPR and an uninformed potential entrant. In our model, the appropriation of the CPR by the incumbent reduces both players' future profits from exploiting the resource. In the case of complete information, we show that the incumbent operating in a high-stock common pool overexploits the CPR during the first period since it does not internalize the negative external effect that its first-period exploitation imposes on the entrant's future profits. This inefficiency, however, is absent when the commons totally regenerate across periods. Under incomplete information, we identify an additional form of inefficiency. In particular, the incumbent operating in a low-stock CPR underexploits the resource in order to signal the low available stock to potential entrants, deterring entry.     

Remote sensing as a tool for monitoring water quality parameters for Mediterranean Lakes of European Union water framework directive (WFD) and as a system of surveillance of cyanobacterial harmful algae blooms (SCyanoHABs)

Remote sensing has been used from the 1980s to study inland water quality. However, it was not until the beginning of the twenty-first century that CHRIS (an experimental multi-angle sensor with good spectral and spatial resolutions) and MERIS (with good temporal and spectral resolutions) started to acquire imagery with very good resolutions, which allowed to develop a reliable imagery acquisition system so as to consider remote sensing as an inland water management tool. This paper presents the methodology developed, from the field data acquisition with which to build a freshwater spectral library and the study of different atmospheric correction systems for CHRIS mode 2 and MERIS images, to the development of algorithms to determine chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin concentrations and bloom sites. All these algorithms allow determining water eutrophic and ecological states, apart from generating surveillance maps of toxic cyanobacteria with the main objective of Assessment of the Water Quality as it was used for Monitoring Ecological Water Quality in smallest Mediterranean Reservoirs integrated in the Intercalibration Exercise of European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD). We keep on using it to monitor the Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) in Spain inland water.     

Phytotoxicity,cytotoxicity, and in vivo antifungal efficacy of chitosan nanobiocomposites on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Chitosan (CS) nanosystems have potential applications for the control of microorganisms in the medical, environmental, and agrifood fields. In vivo...     

Symptoms and musculoskeletal diseases in hospital nurses and in a group of university employees: a cross-sectional study

Background. Most studies have shown that nurses have a higher risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms compared with other occupational groups. Aim. A cross-sectional study was performed to gain more insight into the prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in nurses. Methods. The presence of musculoskeletal symptoms was revealed by personal interviews in a sample of 177 hospital nurses and in a reference group of 185 university employees. Musculoskeletal diseases were based on radiological examinations in all subjects. Results. Lower back pain (61% vs 42.2%) was the most frequently reported symptom, followed by neck pain (48.6% vs 38.4%) and shoulder pain (36.7% vs 25.9%), with a significantly higher prevalence in nurses. Women had about a 2-fold risk of upper limb region and neck pain compared with men. The most common abnormal findings on radiological examinations were disc herniations (n?=?40). Conclusions. Nurses showed a significantly higher risk of MSDs. Prevalence rates in nurses increased significantly with age. Musculoskeletal symptoms were also common in university employees. This suggests the need for effective intervention strategies involving workers’ active participation, in order to improve the process and organization of work and promote a positive psychosocial work environment.     

Use of micellar liquid chromatography for rapid monitoring of fungicides post harvest applied to citrus wastewater

A method based on micellar liquid chromatography has been developed to simultaneously monitor four pesticides largely post-harvest applied to citrus:thiabendazole,pyrimethanil,o-phenylphenol and imazalil.Water samples were filtered and directly injected without other treatment,thus avoiding extraction steps.The composition of the mobile phase was optimized using a chemometrical approach to achieve and excellent resolution to 0.07 mol/L SDS/5%,V/V 1-pentanol buffered at p H 3.Mobile phase run through a C18 column at 1 m L/min at room temperature.The detection was performing by UV–Visible absorbance using a wavelength program:0–10 min,305 nm(for thiabendazole);10–12;265 nm(for pyrimethanil)and 12–18,220 nm(o-phenylphenol and imazalil).The developed method was validated following the guidelines of the US Environmental Protection Agency in terms of:quantitation range,(0.5–4 to 15μg/m L),linearity(r20.9995),sensitivity(LOD,0.18–1.4μg/m L),precision(9.2%),trueness(93.9%–103.7%),and ruggedness(9.9%).It was found that the fungicides remain up to eight days in surface water at outdoor conditions.The method was used to screen the presence of the analytes in several waste water samples,and was proved to be useful in routine analysis.