Standardized geo-referenced catch, fishing effort and length-frequency data for the Indian Ocean Bigeye Tuna, Thunnus obesus (1952-2014)

Geo-referenced catch and fishing effort data of the bigeye tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean over 1952-2014 were analysed and standardized to facilitate population dynamics modelling studies. During this sixty-two years historical period of exploitation, many changes occurred both in the fishing techniques and the monitoring of activity. This study includes a series of processing steps used for standardization of spatial resolution, conversion and standardization of catch and effort units, raising of geo-referenced catch into nominal catch level, screening and correction of outliers, and detection of major catchability changes over long time series of fishing data, i.e., the Japanese longline fleet operating in the tropical Indian Ocean. A total of thirty fisheries were finally determined from longline, purse seine and other-gears data sets, from which 10 longline and four purse seine fisheries represented 96% of the whole historical catch. The geo-referenced records consists of catch, fishing effort and associated length frequency samples of all fisheries.

Regional flood frequency analysis for Newfoundland and Labrador using the L-Moments index-flood method

The L-moments based index-flood procedure had been successfully applied for Regional Flood Frequency Analysis (RFFA) for the Island of Newfoundland in 2002 using data up to 1998. This thesis, however, considered both Labrador and the Island of Newfoundland using the L-Moments index-flood method with flood data up to 2013. For Labrador, the homogeneity test showed that Labrador can be treated as a single homogeneous region and the generalized extreme value (GEV) was found to be more robust than any other frequency distributions. The drainage area (DA) is the only significant variable for estimating the index-flood at ungauged sites in Labrador. In previous studies, the Island of Newfoundland has been considered as four homogeneous regions (A,B,C and D) as well as two Water Survey of Canada's Y and Z sub-regions. Homogeneous regions based on Y and Z was found to provide more accurate quantile estimates than those based on four homogeneous regions. Goodness-of-fit test results showed that the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution is most suitable for the sub-regions; however, the three-parameter lognormal (LN3) gave a better performance in terms of robustness. The best fitting regional frequency distribution from 2002 has now been updated with the latest flood data, but quantile estimates with the new data were not very different from the previous study. Overall, in terms of quantile estimation, in both Labrador and the Island of Newfoundland, the index-flood procedure based on L-moments is highly recommended as it provided consistent and more accurate result than other techniques such as the regression on quantile technique that is currently used by the government.

Uncertain natural frequency analysis of composite plates including effect of noise – A polynomial neural network approach

Acknowledgement SN and SS gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Lloyd’s Register Foundation Centre during this work.

Growth parameters and mortality rate of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Jordán & Hubb, 1925) along the Peruvian coast, South Pacific

The growth parameters and the mortality rates of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Chub mackerel) were studied based on monthly data of frequency of fork length classes obtained from commercial landings off the Peruvian coast from 1996 to 1998. The asymptotic body length and growth rate values obtained by the ELEFAN I (Electronic Length Frequency Analysis) ranged from 40.20 cm to 42.20 cm and from 0.38 to 0.39, respectively. The oscillation amplitude was 0.60; the Winter point values varied from 0.50 to 0.60 and the performance index from 2.79 to 2.84. The total mortality rate of the Chub mackerel obtained by the linearized catch curve oscillated between 1.68 and 3.35. The rate of fishing mortality varied from 1.16 to 2.78 and the exploitation rate from 0.68 to 0.84. The annual rate of natural mortality estimated by the Pauly's method ranged from 0.52 to 0.53. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the longevity of the Chub mackerel was slightly over seven years.

Yield per recruit of the pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887) in the pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determinação da idade e crescimento da piramutaba Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Valenciennes, 1840) (Siluriformes : Pimelodidae) capturada no estuário amazônico

Neste trabalho foram analisados exemplares de piramutaba (Brachyplalystoma vaillantii) provenientes de pescarias experimentais no estuário amazônico. Para o estudo de determinação da idade foram analisados acúleos das nadadeiras peitorais e dorsal, opérculos, otólitos (lapillus) e vértebras. Da análise destas estruturas rígidas foi concluído que a vértebra é a estrutura mais adequada para determinar a idade da piramutaba, pois esta estrutura apresentou 59% de anéis nítidos e uma boa correlação entre o seu raio e o comprimento furcal do peixe (r² = 0,9889 e p<0,05). Os anéis etários das vértebras foram validados pelo método da distribuição de freqüências por classes de comprimento. A piramutaba forma dois anéis etários por ano em suas vértebras. A relação entre o peso total e o comprimento furcal da piramutaba descreve seu crescimento como alométrico e a equação que descreve este crescimento é Wt = 6,1 * 10^-6 * Lf^3,1129. A proporção sexual de piramutaba verificada não foi de 1:1, onde o número de fêmeas foi superior ao de machos. Foi observado um número máximo de dez anéis nítidos nas vértebras de piramutaba. O modelo de crescimento utilizado neste trabalho foi o de von Bertalanffy para as estimativas das equações de crescimento em comprimento e em peso. Os parâmetros de crescimento (k, t₀ e L∞) foram estimados através de quatro diferentes métodos: contagem de anéis nas vértebras, retrocálculo, decomposição dos raios e distribuição de freqüências por classes de comprimento. Os parâmetros de crescimento foram: k = 0,138 ano^-1, t₀ = -0,239 e L∞ = 110,5 cm (contagem de anéis); k = 0,119 ano^-1, t₀ = -0,202 e L∞ = 110,5 cm (retrocálculo); k = 0,096 ano^-1, t₀ = -0,146 e L∞ = 110,5 cm (decomposição dos raios) e k = 0,127 ano^-1, t₀ = -0,236 e L∞ = 110,5 cm (distribuição de freqüências).

Growth parameters and mortality rate of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Jordan & Hubb, 1925) along the Peruvian coast, South Pacific

The growth parameters and the mortality rates of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Chub mackerel) were studied based on monthly data of frequency of fork length classes obtained from commercial landings off the Peruvian coast from 1996 to 1998. The asymptotic body length and growth rate values obtained by the ELEFAN I (Electronic Length Frequency Analysis) ranged from 40.20 cm to 42.20 cm and from 0.38 to 0.39, respectively. The oscillation amplitude was 0.60; the Winter point values varied from 0.50 to 0.60 and the performance index from 2.79 to 2.84. The total mortality rate of the Chub mackerel obtained by the linearized catch curve oscillated between 1.68 and 3.35. The rate of fishing mortality varied from 1.16 to 2.78 and the exploitation rate from 0.68 to 0.84. The annual rate of natural mortality estimated by the Pauly`s method ranged from 0.52 to 0.53. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the longevity of the Chub mackerel was slightly over seven years.

Dominant pelagic amphipods collected as swimmers from a mooring time-series at AWI HAUSGARTEN

Time series length-frequency data are presented for Themisto amphipods collected as swimmers by moored sediment traps since 2000 at the AWI deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN (79°N/4°E) in the eastern Fram Strait. Amphipod occurrences increased significantly from 2000 to 2009 at 200-300 m depth, and the North Atlantic species Themisto compressa was continuously present in the samples starting in 2004. We present year-round records of large adult Themisto amphipods, including the appearance of Themisto libellula with a total body length of up to 56.7 mm and juveniles starting from 4.0 mm. The length of Themisto abyssorum ranged from 4.2 to 25.6 mm, whereas it varied for Themisto compressa from 8.8 to 24.4 mm. Length-frequency analysis indicated a life span of 2 years for T. abyssorum and at least 3 years for T. libellula. The absence of juveniles for T. compressa suggested its reproduction in southern subarctic areas and its occasional northward migration with warmer Atlantic water into the eastern Fram Strait. The seasonal and long-term size structures of the three pelagic species were consistent over the course of the study, indicating no changes occurred in cohort development due to increasing abundances or warming water temperatures.

Time-frequency and time-scale analysis of Barkhausen noise signals

Carrying out information about the microstructure and stress behaviour of ferromagnetic steels, magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) has been used as a basis for effective non-destructive testing methods, opening new areas in industrial applications. One of the factors that determines the quality and reliability of the MBN analysis is the way information is extracted from the signal. Commonly, simple scalar parameters are used to characterize the information content, such as amplitude maxima and signal root mean square. This paper presents a new approach based on the time-frequency analysis. The experimental test case relates the use of MBN signals to characterize hardness gradients in a AISI4140 steel. To that purpose different time-frequency (TFR) and time-scale (TSR) representations such as the spectrogram, the Wigner-Ville distribution, the Capongram, the ARgram obtained from an AutoRegressive model, the scalogram, and the Mellingram obtained from a Mellin transform are assessed. It is shown that, due to nonstationary characteristics of the MBN, TFRs can provide a rich and new panorama of these signals. Extraction techniques of some time-frequency parameters are used to allow a diagnostic process. Comparison with results obtained by the classical method highlights the improvement on the diagnosis provided by the method proposed.

Iron deficiency and frequency of HFE C282Y gene mutation in Brazilian blood donors

Limited data are available about iron deficiency (ID) in Brazilian blood donors. This study evaluated the frequencies of ID and iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) separately and according to frequency of blood donations. The protective effect of the heterozygous genotype for HFE C282Y mutation against ID and IDA in female blood donors was also determined. Five hundred and eight blood donors were recruited at the Blood Bank of Santa Casa in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Haemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations were measured. The genotype for HFE C282Y mutation was determined by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The ID was found in 21 center dot 1% of the women and 2 center dot 6% of the men whereas the IDA was found in 6 center dot 8 and 0 center dot 3%, respectively. The ID was found in 11 center dot 9% of the women in group 1 (first-time blood donors) and the frequency increased to 38 center dot 9% in women of the group 3 (blood donors donating once or more times in the last 12 months). No ID was found in men from group 1; however the ID frequency increased to 0 center dot 9% in group 2 (who had donated blood before but not in the last 12 months) and 5 center dot 0% in group 3. In summary, the heterozygous genotype was not associated with reduction of ID or IDA frequencies in both genders, but in male blood donors it was associated with a trend to elevated ferritin levels (P = 0 center dot 060). ID is most frequent in Brazilian women but was also found in men of group 3.

Comparative analysis of time-frequency methods estimating the time-varying microstructure of sleep EEG spindles

Proceedings of the Information Technology Applications in Biomedicine, Ioannina - Epirus, Greece, October 26-28, 2006

Frequency of the HFE C282Y and H63D polymorphisms in Brazilian malaria patients and blood donors from the Amazon region

Malaria is an endemic parasitosis and its causitive agent, Plasmodium, has a metabolism linked to iron supply. HFE is a gene with the polymorphisms C282Y and H63D, which are associated with a progressive iron accumulation in the organism leading to a disease called hereditary hemochromatosis. The aim of the present study was to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the HFE gene polymorphisms in malaria patients and blood donors from the Brazilian Amazon region. We screened 400 blood donors and 400 malaria patients for the HFE C282Y and H63D polymorphisms from four states of the Brazilian Amazon region by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We did not find any C282Y homozygous individuals, and the only five heterozygous individuals detected were from Pará State. The most frequent genotype in the North region of Brazil was the H63D heterozygote, in both study groups. Our results contribute to the concept that the Brazilian Amazon region should not be regarded as a single entity in South America. These polymorphisms did not influence the symptoms of malaria in the population studied, as neither severe signs nor high parasitemia were observed. Therefore, different hereditary hemochromatosis diagnostic and control measures must be developed and applied within its diverse locations. Investigations are currently being carried out in our laboratory in order to determine the importance of the coexistence of hereditary hemochromatosis in patients affected by parasitic diseases, such as malaria. ©FUNPEC-RP.

Pseudoautotomy in Dendrophidion dendrophis and Mastigodryas bifossatus (Serpentes: Colubridae): Tail Morphology and breakage frequency

The micro and macro structures of the caudal vertebrae and muscles of Dendrophidion dendrophis and Mastigodryas bifossatus were described using histological slides, dissections, radiographs, and clearing and double staining of intact, broken, and healed tails. To analyze the relationship among the frequencies of healed tails we established two populations of D. dendrophis and six groups of M. bifossatus. We found that fractures of the tail in the two species are intervertebral, and there are no morphological and/or structural mechanisms that facilitate the urotomy, which is classified as non-specialized pseudoautotomy. The caudal vertebrae of D. dendrophis and M. bifossatus show minor differences in the shape of the condyle, cotyle, and border of the neural spine, and in the size and orientation of the hemapophysis and pleurapophysis. The absence of bleeding at the moment of tail breakage may indicate the presence of sphincters in the veins and arteries of D. dendrophis. The distal part of the last vertebrae retained in healed tails of D. dendrophis and M. bifossatus participates in the healing processes as a possible source of calcium in the formation of a calcified cap. We found high frequency of tail breakage in both species, which occurs in almost the entire length of the tail, with no specific areas of concentration. There was no difference in the frequencies of healed tails among males and females of different populations of D. dendrophis and M. bifossatus. Juveniles have lower breakage frequencies than adults in both species, except for populations of M. bifossatus from the Cerrado and Pampa. © 2013 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.