Understanding the response of the Western Mediterranean cephalopods to environment and fishing in a context of alleged winners of change.

Increasing impacts of both fisheries and climate change have resulted in shifts in the structure and functioning of marine communities. One recurrent observation is the rise of cephalopods as fish recede. This is generally attributed to the removal of main predators and competitors by fishing, while mechanistic evidence is still lacking. In addition, climate change may influence cephalopods due to their high environmental sensitivity. We aim to unveil the effects of different anthropogenic and environmental drivers at different scales focusing on the cephalopod community of the Western Mediterranean Sea. We investigate several ecological indicators offering a wide range of information about their ecology, and statistically relating them with environmental, biotic and fisheries drivers. Our results highlight non-linear changes of indicators along with spatial differences in their responses. Overall, the environment drivers have greater effects than biotic and local human impacts with contrasting effects of temperature across the geographic gradient. We conclude that cephalopods may be impacted by climate change in the future while not necessary through positive warming influence, which should make us cautious when referring to them as generalized winners of current changes.

Evaluation of deep eutectic solvents in the synthesis of molecularly imprinted fibers for the solid-phase microextraction of triazines in soil samples.

Nowadays, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are well established and are considered excellent materials for performing selective extractions. However, with the progressive implementation of the principles of green chemistry, it is necessary to find greener alternatives for both the synthesis and further use of MIPs in sample preparation. Accordingly, in the present work, different deep eutectic solvents (DES, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic), as an alternative to conventional organic solvents (i.e., toluene), were evaluated as porogens for the synthesis of imprinted fibers (monoliths), using fused silica capillaries as molds, for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). From this study, the polymer prepared with propazine (dummy template), methacrylic acid (monomer), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (cross-linker), and a formic acid:L-menthol (1:1) DES (porogen) showed the best performance for selective rebinding of triazines. After optimization of the different variables involved in SPME, the new imprinted fibers were successfully applied to the extraction of target analytes (desisopropylatrazine, desethylatrazine, simazine, and atrazine) from soil sample extracts, providing relative recoveries ranging from 75.7 to 120.1%, reaching limits of detection within the range of 6.2-15.7 ng g-1, depending upon the analyte.

Spatial patterns of ß-diversity under cumulative pressures in the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Understanding the spatial dynamics of biodiversity is an essential issue in marine ecology and requires combining information at local and regional scales. ß-diversity is an important measure of biodiversity that informs on the differences in community composition between sites and, thus, in the species turnover in the community structure. In this study, we analysed and predicted the spatial patterns of ß-diversity for fishes, invertebrates and the demersal assemblage along the Iberian Mediterranean coast. We used Bayesian Bootstrap Generalized Dissimilarity Models (BBGDMs) to study the effects of environment and human pressures on the ß-diversity of invertebrate, fishes and the entire demersal assemblage from 1994 to 2015 using different time windows to account for temporal variability. Then, we used these relationships to predict the spatial patterns of ß-diversity in the whole Iberian Mediterranean coast. Our results highlighted that the regional spatial patterns of ß-diversity were best described by bathymetry and a cumulative index of coastal impacts. We identified specific regions with the highest ß-diversity in the study area, which were complementary to hotspots of species richness and presented different degree of overlapping with existent marine protected areas. Overall, our study illustrates that by modelling spatial turnover using ß-diversity we can better understand and predict spatial variation of biodiversity and the effects of particular variables, providing relevant information to end-users and policy makers for designing specific spatial conservation and management strategies.

Recent advances and future trends in molecularly imprinted polymers-based sample preparation.

Molecular imprinting technology is a well-established technique for the obtainment of tailor-made polymers, so-called molecularly imprinted polymers, with a predetermined selectivity towards a target analyte or structurally related compounds. Accordingly, molecularly imprinted polymers are considered excellent materials for sample preparation providing unprecedented selectivity to analytical methods. However, the use of molecularly imprinted polymers in sample preparation still presents some shortcomings derived from the synthesis procedure itself limiting its general applicability. In this regard, molecularly imprinted polymers use to display binding sites heterogeneity and slow diffusion mass transfer of analytes to the imprinted sites affecting their overall performance. Besides, the performance of molecularly imprinted polymers in organic solvents is excellent, but their selective binding ability in aqueous media is considerably reduced. Accordingly, the present review pretends to provide an updated overview of the recent advances and trends of molecularly imprinted polymers-based extraction, focusing on those strategies proposed for the improvement of mass transfer and selective recognition in aqueous media. Besides, with the progressive implementation of Green Chemistry principles, the different steps and strategies for the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers are reviewed from a green perspective.

The trade-off between condition and growth shapes juveniles' survival of harvested demersal fish of the Mediterranean sea.

Fish body condition and growth are two interrelated traits closely associated with species life history and fitness, whose trade-off can ultimately impact population dynamics albeit seldom empirically demonstrated. They can intricately affect survival rates, which are particularly relevant for species under exploitation. Using individual spatiotemporal information in Northwestern Mediterranean, we document for the first time the existence of a trade-off between condition and growth in regulating survival dynamics in two important fish species for the Mediterranean fisheries that are characterized by contrasting life histories. For the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), a benthopelagic species, juveniles' body condition was detected to be positively linked to survival and negatively associated with the growth of this age group. For the red mullet (Mullus barbatus), the same pattern was observed for young adults. We also show that the observed patterns on a regional level have a clear spatial dependence as we found that observed body condition over a local scale had a broad effect on the population dynamics of the whole region, with the Ebro delta area emerging as the demographic engine of the two species. We discuss our results in the context of fisheries management and underline the importance of improving current stock assessment models and spatially based fishery management towards incorporating body condition and growth due to their influence on important parameters such as survival.

Sardines at a junction: Seascape genomics reveals ecological and oceanographic drivers of variation in the NW Mediterranean Sea.

By evaluating genetic variation across the entire genome, one can address existing questions in a novel way while raising new ones. The latter includes how different local environments influence adaptive and neutral genomic variation within and among populations, providing insights into local adaptation of natural populations and their responses to global change. Here, under a seascape genomic approach, ddRAD data of 4609 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 398 sardines (Sardina pilchardus) collected in 11 Mediterranean and one Atlantic site were generated. These were used along with oceanographic and ecological information to detect signals of adaptive divergence with gene flow across environmental gradients. The studied sardines constitute two clusters (FST  = 0.07), a pattern attributed to outlier loci, highlighting putative local adaptation. The trend in the number of days with sea surface temperature above 19°C, a critical threshold for successful sardine spawning, was crucial at all levels of population structuring with implications on the species' key biological processes. Outliers link candidate SNPs to the region's environmental heterogeneity. Our findings provide evidence for a dynamic equilibrium in which population structure is maintained by physical and ecological factors under the opposing influences of migration and selection. This dynamic in a natural system warrants continuous monitoring under a seascape genomic approach that might benefit from a temporal and more detailed spatial dimension. Our results may contribute to complementary studies aimed at providing deeper insights into the mechanistic processes underlying population structuring. Those are key to understanding and predicting future changes and responses of this highly exploited species in the face of climate change.

Pain Behaviors Analyzed by Videorecording in Brain-Injured Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

AIM: To describe and classify pain behaviors (facial and body) in brain-injured patients with a low level of consciousness before, during, and after the performance of painful and non-painful care procedures. METHODS: Facial behaviors and body movements in brain-injured patients were videotaped at rest, during the application of three care procedures (two painful and one non-painful), and 15 minutes after completion of these procedures. Each video recording was evaluated by expert evaluators blinded to each other. For each of the behaviors observed, all possible combinations between the three procedures and/or time were compared using the McNemar test. Effect size was measured by the difference in proportions using the Wilson score 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were included. The mean (standard deviation) Glasgow Coma Score was 5.4 (1.9). A total of 33 behaviors (29 active, four neutral) were registered. Expression of behaviors was more common during the painful procedures compared with the other time points (non-painful procedures, baseline, and final evaluation). Inter-evaluator agreement was substantial (Kappa index >0.7) in more than 50% of the observed behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: In this study involving brain-injured patients with a low level of consciousness, facial, body, and ventilation-related behaviors were more common during painful procedures. Agreement between evaluators to detect the presence or absence of these behaviors was substantial. These findings underscore the need to develop pain assessment measures specific to this patient population.

Determination of polypeptide antibiotics in animal tissues using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry based on in-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction.

Effective purification and enrichment of polypeptide antibiotics in animal tissues is always a challenge, due to the co-extraction of other endogenous peptides which usually interfere their final determination. In this study, a molecularly imprinted column was prepared by packing polymyxin E-imprinted particles into a 100 mm × 4.6 mm i.d. HPLC column. The as-prepared imprinted columns were able to tolerate 100% aqueous phase and exhibited good stability and high column efficiency. Polypeptides antibiotics with similar molecular size or spatial structure to polymyxin E were well retained by the imprinted column, suggesting class selectivity. After optimization of mobile phase conditions of imprinted column, polypeptide antibiotics in animal tissue extracts were enriched and cleaned up by in-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction, allowing the screening of target analytes in complex samples at low concentration levels by UV detection. Eluate fraction from the imprinted column was collected, and further dried and re-dissolved with methanol-0.5% formic acid aqueous solution (80:20, v/v) for final LC-MS/MS analysis. Analysis was accomplished using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive electrospray ionization mode and analytes quantified using the matrix-matched external calibration curves. The results showed high correlation coefficients for target analytes in the linear range of 2 ∼ 200 µg kg-1. At four different concentration levels (limit of quantification, 50, 100 and 200 µg kg-1), recoveries of four polypeptide antibiotics in swine, cattle and chicken muscles ranged from 66.7 to 94.5% with relative standard deviations lower than 16.0%. The limits of detection (LOD) were 2.0 ∼ 4.0 µg/kg, depending upon the analyte and sample. Compared with a conventional pretreatment method, the imprinted column was able to remove more impurities and to significantly reduce matrix effects, allowing the accurate analysis of polypeptide antibiotics.

Evaluation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as comonomer in the preparation of water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers for triazinic herbicides.

In this work, the preparation and evaluation of water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers for triazines using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid as comonomers is described. Four sets of molecularly imprinted and non-imprinted polymers for propazine were prepared at varying monomer molar ratios (from 4:0 to 1:3), and evaluated for the recognition of several triazines directly in aqueous media. The evaluation was performed by loading 1 mL of an aqueous solution containing 500 ng of each selected triazine, washing with 500 µL of acetonitrile, and eluting with 500 µL of methanol followed by 2 × 500 µL of a solution of methanol containing 10% of acetic acid. Final determinations were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection. Improvement in molecular recognition of triazines in water was obtained on those molecularly imprinted polymers incorporating 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 3:1 or 2:2 molar ratios, being the former selected as optimum providing recoveries for propazine up to 80%. A molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction protocol was developed to ensure that triazines-selective recognition takes place inside selective binding sites in pure water media. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to the determination of the selected triazines in environmental waters providing limits of detection from 0.16 and the 0.5 µg/L concentration range.

Resilience dynamics and productivity-driven shifts in the marine communities of the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Ecological resilience has become a conceptual cornerstone bridging ecological processes to conservation needs. Global change is increasingly associated with local changes in environmental conditions that can cause abrupt ecosystem reorganizations attending to system-specific resilience fluctuations with time (i.e. resilience dynamics). Here we assess resilience dynamics associated with climate-driven ecosystems transitions, expressed as changes in the relevant contribution of species with different life-history strategies, in two benthopelagic systems. We analysed data from 1994 to 2019 coming from a scientific bottom trawl survey in two environmentally contrasting ecosystems in the Western Mediterranean Sea-Northern Spain and Alboran Sea. Benthopelagic species were categorized according to their life-history strategies (opportunistic, periodic and equilibrium), ecosystem functions and habitats. We implemented an Integrated Resilience Assessment (IRA) to elucidate the response mechanism of the studied ecosystems to several candidate environmental stressors and quantify the ecosystems' resilience. We demonstrate that both ecosystems responded discontinuously to changes in chlorophyll-a concentration more than any other stressor. The response in Northern Spain indicated a more overarching regime shift than in the Alboran Sea. Opportunistic fish were unfavoured in both ecosystems in the recent periods, while invertebrate species of short life cycle were generally favoured, particularly benthic species in the Alboran Sea. The study illustrates that the resilience dynamics of the two ecosystems were mostly associated with fluctuating productivity, but subtle and long-term effects from sea warming and fishing reduction were also discernible. Such dynamics are typical of systems with wide environmental gradient such as the Northern Spain, as well as systems with highly hydrodynamic and of biogeographical complexity such as the Alboran Sea. We stress that management should become more adaptive by utilizing the knowledge on the systems' productivity thresholds and underlying shifts to help anticipate both short-term/less predictable events and long-term/expected effects of climate change.

Organophosphate ester plasticizers in edible fish from the Mediterranean Sea: Marine pollution and human exposure.

Concentrations of organophosphate esters (OPEs) plasticizers were analysed in the present study. Fifty-five fish samples belonging to three highly commercial species, European sardine (Sardina pilchardus), European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), and European hake (Merluccius merluccius), were taken from the Western Mediterranean Sea. OPEs were detected in all individuals, except for two hake samples, with concentrations between 0.38 and 73.4 ng/g wet weight (ww). Sardines presented the highest mean value with 20.5 ± 20.1 ng/g ww, followed by anchovies with 14.1 ± 8.91 ng/g ww and hake with 2.48 ± 1.76 ng/g ww. The lowest OPE concentrations found in hake, which is a partial predator of anchovy and sardine, and the higher δ15N values (as a proxy of trophic position), may indicate the absence of OPEs biomagnification. Eleven out of thirteen tested OPEs compounds were detected, being diphenyl cresyl phosphate (DCP) one of the most frequently detected in all the species. The highest concentration values were obtained for tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDClPP), trihexyl phosphate (THP), and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), for sardines, anchovies, and hakes, respectively. The human health risk associated with the consumption of these fish species showing that their individual consumption would not pose a considerable threat to public health regarding OPE intake.

Green molecularly imprinted polymers for sustainable sample preparation.

The use of molecularly imprinted polymers in sample preparation as selective sorbent materials has received great attention during the last years leading to analytical methods with unprecedented selectivity. However, with the progressive implementation of Green Analytical Chemistry principles, it is necessary to critically review the greenness of synthesis and further use of molecularly imprinted polymers in sample preparation. Accordingly, in the present review, the different steps and strategies for the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers, the used reagents, as well as their incorporation to microextraction techniques are reviewed from a green perspective and recent alternatives to make the use of molecularly imprinted polymers more sustainable are provided.

Trophic niche overlap between round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) and sympatric pelagic fish species in the Western Mediterranean.

The northward expansion of round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) in the Mediterranean Sea, together with declines and fluctuations in biomass and landings of European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) observed in recent decades, may suggest potential inter-specific competition in the pelagic domain. The coexistence of sympatric zooplanktivorous fish species might therefore be exposed in part to trophic niche overlap and competition for food. Combining visual diet characterization under the microscope with DNA metabarcoding from stomach contents of fish collected in spring results show that predation on relatively large krill is equally important for sardinella than for the other two niche overlapping species. Furthermore, an important overlap is found in their isotopic niche, especially with anchovy, using nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) stable isotopes in muscle tissue. In fact, the three fish species are able to feed effectively in the whole prey size spectrum available during the sampled season, from the smallest diatoms and copepods to the larger prey (i.e., decapods and euphausiids), including fish larvae. Moreover, effective predation upon other large prey like siphonophores, which is observed only when multi-proxy analyses in stomach contents are applied, might also be relevant in the diet of sardinella. The overlapping diet composition in spring, together with the effective use of food resource by sardinella, can be of special interest in potential future scenarios with warmer water temperature leading to lower zooplankton and/or higher jellyfish availability, where sardinella may take advantage over other species due to its feeding plasticity.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Quantum Dot Materials in Optical Sensors: An Overview of Their Synthesis and Applications.

In the last decades analytical methods have focused on the determination of target analytes at very low concentration levels. This has been accomplished through the use of traditional analytical methods that usually require high reagent consumption, expensive equipment and long pretreatment steps. Thus, there is a demand for simple, rapid, highly selective and user-friendly detection procedures. Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor fluorescent nanomaterials with unique optoelectronic properties that have shown great potential for the development of fluorescence probes. Besides, the combination of QDs with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIPs), synthetic materials with selective recognition, have been proposed as useful materials in the development of optical sensors. The resulting MIP-QDs optical sensors integrate the advantages of both techniques: the high sensitivity of QDs-based fluorescence sensors and the high selectivity of MIPs. This review gives a brief overview of the strategies for the synthesis of MIPs-QDs based optical sensors, highlighting the modifications in the synthesis procedure that improve the sensor performance. Finally, a revision of recent applications in sensing and bioimaging is presented.

Miniaturized analytical methods for determination of environmental contaminants of emerging concern - A review.

The determination of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in environmental samples has become a challenging and critical issue. The present work focuses on miniaturized analytical strategies reported in the literature for the determination of CECs. The first part of the review provides brief overview of CECs whose monitoring in environmental samples is of particular significance, namely personal care products, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, UV-filters, newly registered pesticides, illicit drugs, disinfection by-products, surfactants, high technology rare earth elements, and engineered nanomaterials. Besides, an overview of downsized sample preparation approaches reported in the literature for the determination of CECs in environmental samples is provided. Particularly, analytical methodologies involving microextraction approaches used for the enrichment of CECs are discussed. Both solid phase- and liquid phase-based microextraction techniques are highlighted devoting special attention to recently reported approaches. Special emphasis is placed on newly developed materials used for extraction purposes in microextraction techniques. In addition, recent contributions involving miniaturized analytical flow techniques for the determination of CECs are discussed. Besides, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of point of need and portable devices have been identified and critically compared with chromatographic methods coupled to mass chromatography. Finally, challenging aspects regarding miniaturized analytical methods for determination of CECs are critically discussed.

Sensibilidad in vitro de Escherichia coli a la fosfomicina en urocultivos en un Servicio Asistencial Privado de Asunción / In vitro sensitivity of Escherichia coli to fosfomycin in urine cultures in a private healthcare service in Asunción

La fosfomicina es un antibiótico natural, que actúa sobre la síntesis de la pared celular, con actividad bactericida y de amplio espectro. En este trabajo se evaluó la sensibilidad in vitro de aislados de Escherichia coli (E. coli), incluidos aquellos que producen Beta Lactamasa de Espectro Extendido (BLEE) obtenidos a partir de urocultivos, tomados en diferentes lapsos de colección de datos, en personas de ambos sexos. Fueron incluidos 260 muestras de orina con desarrollo de E. coli provenientes de pacientes que concurrieron al Laboratorio San Roque. El aislamiento e identificación bacteriana se realizó según métodos convencionales y la sensibilidad a los antimicrobianos por el método de difusión de disco. Para la detección de la sensibilidad frente a fosfomicina fueron utilizados discos de 200 µg con el agregado de 50 µg de glucosa 6-fosfato. Se observó frente a los antibióticos evaluados mayor sensibilidad a fosfomicina (98,5%) y nitrofurantoína (97,7%). Ciprofloxacina, trimetoprima y la combinación sulfametoxazol/trimetoprima exhibieron frente a los mismos aislados sensibilidad menor y muy similar entre ellos, con 64,2%, 61,2% y 61,2% respectivamente. En 44 (16,9%) de los aislados de E. coli se detectó la presencia de BLEE y es destacable la alta sensibilidad que mostraron fosfomicina y nitrofurantoína, aún frente a los aislados BLEE positivos, con frecuencias de 90,9% y 93,2%, respectivamente. En resumen, la alta sensibilidad demostrada en el presente estudio por E. coli ante la fosfomicina, abre la posibilidad de considerar a este antibiótico de primera elección en las infecciones urinarias bajas, aún en los casos de gérmenes productores de BLEE, en la población de nuestro país.

Fosfomycin is a natural antibiotic, which acts on the synthesis of the cell wall, with broad spectrum bactericidal activity. In this study, the in vitro sensitivity of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates was evaluated, including those that produce Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) obtained from urine cultures taken at different data collection times, in people of both sexes. Were included 260 urine samples with development of E. coli from patients who attended the San Roque laboratory. Bacterian isolation and identification was carried out according to conventional methods and antimicrobial sensitivity by the disk diffusion method. For detection of sensitivity to fosfomycin, 200 µg discs were used with the addition of 50 µg of glucose 6-phosphate. A greater sensitivity for fosfomycin (98.5%) and nitrofurantoin (97.7%) was observed against the evaluated antibiotics. Ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim and the sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim combination exhibited in front of the same isolated lower sensitivity and very similar among them, with 64.2%, 61.2% and 61.2% respectively. In 44 (16.9%) of the E. coli isolates the presence of ESBL was detected and the high sensitivity shown by fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin is noteworthy, even compared to the positive ESBL isolates, with frequencies of 90.9% and 93,2%, respectively. In summary, the high sensitivity demonstrated in the present study by E. coli to fosfomycin opens the possibility of considering this first-choice antibiotic in lower urinary infections, even in ESBL-producing germs, in the population of our country.

A trophic latitudinal gradient revealed in anchovy and sardine from the Western Mediterranean Sea using a multi-proxy approach.

This work combines state-of-the-art methods (DNA metabarcoding) with classic approaches (visual stomach content characterization and stable isotope analyses of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C)) to investigate the trophic ecology of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) at high taxonomic and spatial resolution in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Gut contents observed are in accordance with the dietary plasticity generally described for anchovy and sardine, suggesting a diet related to the opportunistic ingestion of available prey in a certain area and/or time. Genetic tools also showed modest inter-specific differences regarding ingested species. However, inter-specific and intra-specific differences in ingested prey frequencies and prey biomass reflected a latitudinal signal that could indicate a more effective predation on large prey like krill by anchovy versus sardine, as well as a generalized higher large prey ingestion by both species southwards. In fact, both species presented lower δ15N in the northernmost area. This latitudinal gradient indicates changes in the trophic ecology of anchovy and sardine that coincide with previously described better biological conditions for fish in the southern part of the study area as well as higher landings of both species in recent years.

Specific seismic retrofitting of a compact reinforced concrete building with X-bracings and steel jackets. Application to a primary school in Huelva.

Previous research has indicated that many European buildings are vulnerable to moderate-magnitude earthquakes. For example, during the L´Aquila (Italia, Mw 6.3, 2009) and Lorca (Spain, Mw 5.9, 2011) earthquakes, many old buildings were severely damaged and some of them collapsed. In specific, significant damage has been found in several school buildings after past earthquakes in Europe. This is due to the fact that many of them were constructed prior to the current seismic codes, thus considering only gravitational loads and with no seismic design whatsoever. Primary schools are even more vulnerable than other typologies because of their low adult/child ratio. The seismic activity of the Iberian Peninsula is low-moderate. However, the Algarve and Huelva regions, which are situated in the south-west, are influenced by large faults which have caused major earthquakes of long-return periods. The European project PERSISTAH (Projetos de Escolas Resilientes aos SISmos no Território do Algarve e de Huelva, in Portuguese) aims to cooperatively evaluate the seismic vulnerability of primary schools in the Algarve (Portugal) and Huelva (Spain) regions. The present work is framed under this project. The objective of this paper is to determine the most effective retrofitting scheme for a typical primary school building in this area, considering structural, architectural and constructive parameters. The scheme could be applied to several buildings of the same typology, decreasing costs and time. An existing reinforced concrete frame building has been selected for the study. This is one of the most commonly used typologies for primary schools in this area. A nonlinear static analysis has been carried out in order to study its seismic behaviour. The performance point of the building has been obtained through the capacity-demand spectrum method. The preliminary results have confirmed the poor seismic behaviour of this building. Specifically, soft-story behaviour has been identified in the ground floor and short columns have been observed in the upper floors. Therefore, specific seismic retrofitting solutions have been proposed and evaluated in order to identify the one that is the most efficient. The combination of reinforcements has been done considering the structural and architectural impact and constructive parameters. The calculations have shown that steel X-bracings are the best solution for preventing the formation of a soft-storey in the ground floor. Unfortunately, this scheme increases the deformation in the upper floor columns. The best solution for the upper floors' short columns has been the use of steel jackets. The results have also shown that this combination produces an important reduction of the expected general damage level. The resulting retrofitting scheme can be extrapolated to other buildings with a similar typology.

Ingestion of microplastics and occurrence of parasite association in Mediterranean anchovy and sardine.

We quantified the incidence of microplastics in the gut contents of the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea and tested which variables influence this abundance, including the prevalence of parasites (i.e., trematoda larvae and nematodes). We detected a 58% occurrence of microplastics ingestion in sardines and a 60% in anchovies. With respect to sardines, the individuals with lower body conditions were found to have the highest microplastics ingestion probabilities, whereas in anchovies such probabilities were observed in individuals with higher gonadosomatic indices and smaller size. The areas with the highest microplastics ingestion probabilities were the Gulf of Alicante for sardines and the Gulf of Lion - Ebro Delta for anchovies. Both species showed a positive relationship between parasites and microplastics ingestion. These results highlight that both parasitism and ingestion of microplastics are concerns for the health of marine stocks and human consumers.

Fluorescent carbonaceous materials isolated from cigarette ashes for the determination of iron(iii) in water samples.

In the present work, ready-to-use fluorescent carbonaceous materials (CMs) were isolated from cigarette ashes by following a simple procedure based on the dispersion of ashes in water and subsequent filtration. The isolated raw material was characterized by fluorescence microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The isolated CMs displayed excitation-dependent fluorescence emission, which enables them to be used as a fluorescent probe. The developed fluorescent probe possesses high potential for sensitive and selective detection of Fe(iii) via a quenching mechanism. The decrease in fluorescence intensity was in linear relationship with the concentrations of Fe(iii) within the range of 0-89.6 µM. The fluorescent probe was successfully applied to the determination of Fe(iii) in tap and well waters with an average recovery of 87% with an excellent relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.63%, regardless of the water sample analyzed. Besides, fluorescence variation in the presence of Fe(iii) was evaluated by analyzing red, green, and blue (RGB) channels of the fluorescence colors. Finally, the possibility of semi-quantitative determination of Fe(iii) in water by the naked eye using the proposed fluorescent probe was also evaluated.