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Objective. The germination capacity of Dioclea guianensis is being described. Materials and methods. The fruits were collected in the La Depresión district of La Sierra municipality, Cauca, where floristic and ecological restoration studies are being conducted. For the morphological description, 50 fruits and 75 seeds were used, and morphometric measurements of length, width, and thickness were taken. The stages of germination were observed and described through nursery sowing with four repetitions of 290 seeds each; observations were made daily and establishment was determined by the appearance of the second leaf. Results. Morphological description of the fruit and seeds: The fruit of D. guianensis is a dry, oblong-compressed legume with explosive dehiscence. The seeds are oblong-elliptical with a semicircular hilum, without a persistent funicle. Germination in D. guianensis is epigeal and phanerocotylar, with an average germination time of 25 to 40 days. The survival rate of seedlings until the appearance of the second leaf was 85%. Conclusion, D. guianensis exhibits a maximum germination rate of 99.8% and a seedling survival rate of 85%. The seedlings have phanerocotylar, epigeal, and straight germination, with fleshy cotyledons and the development of photosynthetic membranous leaf primordia. This allows the seedlings to develop in the first few weeks with the protection and storage of the cotyledons, and later assume the nutritional role of the photosynthetic leaf primordia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fixed nutrient ratio not appropriate to simulate the chemical conditions in the Mediterranean Sea. • A simple approach allows to apply the 'line of frugality' to biogeochemical models. • Nutrient and plankton simulations improve with the variable internal nutrient ratio. The relative abundance of nitrate (N) over phosphate (P) measured as a molar ratio (N:P) is typically considered to determine the macronutrient limiting marine primary production. In low-complexity biogeochemical models, a simple threshold value is usually applied based on the canonical Redfield ratio (N:P = 16). However, the N:P ratio is not constant in many oceanic areas, especially marginal, semi-enclosed seas, such as the Mediterranean basin. In this work, a flexible definition of the N:P ratio based on the capacity of phytoplankton to modulate phosphate uptake according to its availability in seawater, the so-called Line of Frugality , is incorporated into the biogeochemical model MedERGOM. This modification allows the acquisition of a more realistic representation of the stoichiometry of nutrients in the Mediterranean basin and allows to better reproduce the observed phytoplankton biomass in productive areas such as the Gulf of Gabes and the Adriatic Sea. This approach is, thus, especially suitable for coastal areas in which basin-scale biogeochemical models fail to reproduce patterns observed by remote sensing or in situ measurements. Our results show that implementation of the stoichiometric flexibility of phytoplankton in a low-complexity biogeochemical model enhances the reproducibility of ecosystem dynamics without increasing the computational demand, representing a simple approximation easily implemented in models aiming to describe regions with a Non-Redfieldian stoichiometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, the COSMO Climate Limited-area Modelling (CCLM) regional climate model (RCM) is used as external forcing for a Mediterranean basin-scale ocean model based on the general estuarine transport model (GETM). CCLM is forced by different global climate models (GCMs) (MPI and EcEarth) and by the ERA-interim (ERAin) reanalysis. Sea surface temperatures (SST) simulated by the different runs of the ocean model are compared with satellite measurements. As a substantial cold bias in simulated SST is found, a simple bias-correction methodology is applied to the RCM atmospheric variables, namely (1) air temperature (which is usually underestimated for the region by RCMs runs), (2) cloud cover (typically overestimated) and (3) wind intensity (as zonal wind intensity is usually overestimated). The performed analysis identifies wind velocity as the most important variable to correct in order to satisfactorily obtain Mediterranean SST. For many of the RCM realizations significant improvement in the simulated SST are only achieved when wind intensity values were bias-corrected towards observed values. Air temperature and cloud cover had a more marginal importance in reducing the SST bias observed in RCM-forced runs of the ocean model. By comparing the ERAin-driven run and the GCMs driven runs, our analyses suggest that the main source of observed bias is related with the GCMs being used as lateral boundary condition for the RCM realizations. However, a relative simple bias-correction methodology is sufficient to reduce a large part of the induced bias in SST and to improve the vertical water stratification characteristics within the Mediterranean basin that will allow to analyze current and future biogeochemical conditions of the studied basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate the changes on the hydrological (temperature and salinity) and biogeochemical (phytoplankton biomass) characteristics of the Mediterranean Sea induced by freshwater flow modifications under two different scenarios for the end of the 21st century. An ensemble of four regional climate model realizations using different global circulation models at the boundary and different emission scenarios are used to force a single ocean model for the Mediterranean Sea. Freshwater flow is modified according to the simulated changes in the precipitation rates for the different rivers’ catchment regions. To isolate the effect resulting from a change in freshwater flow, model results are evaluated against a ‘baseline’ simulation realized assuming a constant inflow equivalent to climatologic values. Our model results indicate that sea surface salinity could be significantly altered by freshwater flow modification in specific regions and that the affected area and the sign of the anomaly are highly dependent on the used climate model and emission scenario. Sea surface temperature and phytoplankton biomass, on the contrary, show no coherent spatial pattern but a rather widespread scattered response. We found in open-water regions a significant negative relationship between sea surface temperature anomalies and phytoplankton biomass anomalies. This indicates that freshwater flow modification could alter the vertical stability of the water column throughout the Mediterranean Sea, by changing the strength of vertical mixing and consequently upper water fertilization. In coastal regions, however, the correlation between sea temperature anomalies and phytoplankton biomass is positive, indicating a larger importance of the physiological control of growth rates by temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic Jet (AJ) is the inflow of Atlantic surface waters into the Mediterranean Sea. This geostrophically adjusted jet fluctuates in a wide range of temporal scales from tidal to subinertial, seasonal, and interannual modifying its velocity and direction within the Alboran Sea. At seasonal scale, a clearly defined cycle has been previously described, with the jet being stronger and flowing towards the northeast during the first half of the year and weakening and flowing more southwardly towards the end of the year. Different hypothesis have been proposed to explain this fluctuation pattern but, up to now, no quantitative assessment of the importance of the different forcings for this seasonality has been provided. Here, we use a 3D hydrodynamic model of the entire Mediterranean Sea forced at the surface with realistic atmospheric conditions to study and quantify the importance of the different meteorological forcings on the velocity and direction of the AJ at seasonal time scale. We find that the direct effects of local zonal wind variations are much more important to explain extreme collapse events when the jet dramatically veers southward than to the seasonal cycle itself while sea level pressure variations over the Mediterranean seem to have very little direct effect on the AJ behavior at monthly and longer time scales. Further model results indicate that the annual cycle of the thermohaline circulation is the main driver of the seasonality of the AJ dynamics in the model simulations. The annual cycles in local wind forcing and SLP variations over the Mediterranean have no causal relationship with the AJ seasonality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buoyancy-induced unstable boundary currents and the accompanying retrograde density fronts are often the sites of pronounced mesoscale activity, ageostrophic frontal processes, and associated high biological production in marginal seas. Biophysical model simulations of the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean) illustrated that the unstable and nonlinear southward frontal boundary current along the Spanish coast resulted in a strain-driven frontogenesis mechanism. High upwelling velocities of up to 80 m d-1 injected nutrients into the photic layer and promoted enhanced production on the less dense, onshore side of the front characterized by negative relative vorticity. Additional down-front wind stress and heat flux (cooling) intensified boundary current instabilities and thus ageostrophic cross-frontal circulation and augmented production. Specifically, entrainment of nutrients by relatively strong buoyancy-induced vertical mixing gave rise to a more widespread phytoplankton biomass distribution within the onshore side of the front. Mesoscale cyclonic eddies contributed to production through an eddy pumping mechanism, but it was less effective and more limited regionally than the frontal processes. The model was configured for the Catalano-Balearic Sea, but the mechanisms and model findings apply to other marginal seas with similar unstable frontal boundary current systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three dimensional biophysical model was employed to illustrate the biological impacts of a meandering frontal jet, in terms of efficiency and persistency of the autotrophic frontal production, in marginal and semi-enclosed seas. We used the Alboran Sea of the Western Mediterranean as a case study. Here, a frontal jet with a width of 15–20 km, characterized by the relatively low density Atlantic water mass, flows eastward within the upper 100 m as a marked meandering current around the western and the eastern anticyclonic gyres prior to its attachment to the North African shelf/slope topography of the Algerian basin. Its inherent nonlinearity leads to the development of a strong ageostrophic cross-frontal circulation that supplies nutrients into the nutrient-starved euphotic layer and stimulates phytoplankton growth along the jet. Biological production is larger in the western part of the basin and decreases eastwards with the gradual weakening of the jet. The higher production at the subsurface levels suggests that the Alboran Sea is likely more productive than predicted by the satellite chlorophyll data. The Mediterranean water mass away from the jet and the interiors of the western and eastern anticyclonic gyres remain unproductive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global surface temperature has been increasing since the beginning of the 20th century but with a highly variable warming rate, and the alternation of rapid warming periods with ‘hiatus’ decades is a constant throughout the series. The superimposition of a secular warming trend with natural multidecadal variability is the most accepted explanation for such a pattern. Since the start of the 21st century, the surface global mean temperature has not risen at the same rate as the top-of-atmosphere radiative energy input or greenhouse gas emissions, provoking scientific and social interest in determining the causes of this apparent discrepancy. Multidecadal natural variability is the most commonly proposed cause for the present hiatus period. Here, we analyze the HadCRUT4 surface temperature database with spectral techniques to separate a multidecadal oscillation (MDV) from a secular trend (ST). Both signals combined account for nearly 88% of the total variability of the temperature series showing the main acceleration/deceleration periods already described elsewhere. Three stalling periods with very little warming could be found within the series, from 1878 to 1907, from 1945 to 1969 and from 2001 to the end of the series, all of them coincided with a cooling phase of the MDV. Henceforth, MDV seems to be the main cause of the different hiatus periods shown by the global surface temperature records. However, and contrary to the two previous events, during the current hiatus period, the ST shows a strong fluctuation on the warming rate, with a large acceleration (0.0085°C year−1 to 0.017°C year−1) during 1992–2001 and a sharp deceleration (0.017°C year−1 to 0.003°C year−1) from 2002 onwards. This is the first time in the observational record that the ST shows such variability, so determining the causes and consequences of this change of behavior needs to be addressed by the scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past two decades, Mediterranean waters have been warming at a rather high rate resulting in scientific and social concern. This warming trend is observed in satellite data, field data and model simulations, and affects both surface and deep waters throughout the Mediterranean basin. However, the warming rate is regionally different and seems to change with time, which has led to the question of what causes underlie the observed trends. Here, we analyze available satellite information on sea surface temperature (SST) from the last 25 years using spectral techniques and find that more than half of the warming tendency during this period is due to a non-linear, wave-like tendency. Using a state of the art hydrodynamic model, we perform a hindcast simulation and obtain the simulated SST evolution of the Mediterranean basin for the last 52 years. These SST results show a clear sinusoidal tendency that follows the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) during the simulation period. Our results reveal that 58% of recent warming in Mediterranean waters could be attributed to this AMO-like oscillation, being anthropogenic-induced climate change only responsible for 42% of total trend. The observed acceleration of water warming during the 1990s therefore appears to be caused by a superimposition of anthropogenic-induced warming with the positive phase of the AMO, while the recent slowdown of this tendency is likely due to a shift in the AMO phase. It has been proposed that this change in the AMO phase will mask the effect of global warming in the forthcoming decades, and our results indicate that the same could also be applicable to the Mediterranean Sea. Henceforth, natural multidecadal temperature oscillations should be taken into account to avoid underestimation of the anthropogenic-induced warming of the Mediterranean basin in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Implementation of a multispecies biochemical model to the Alboran and Balearic Seas. [•] Different food web structures in response to different combinations of fish predation and resource availability. [•] Importance of prey grazing function and prey switching on plankton structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The high biological production of the California Current System (CCS) results from the seasonal development of equatorward alongshore winds that drive coastal upwelling. While several climatic fluctuation patterns influence the dynamics and biological productivity of the CCS, including the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation index (PDO) and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), the mechanisms of interaction between climatic oscillations and the CCS upwelling dynamics have remained obscure. Here, we use Singular Spectral Analysis (SSA) to reveal, for the first time, low-frequency concordance between the time series of climatic indices and upwelling intensity along the coast of western North America. Based on energy distributions in annual, semiannual and low-frequency signals, we can divide the coast into three distinct regions. While the annual upwelling signal dominates the energy spectrum elsewhere, low-frequency variability is maximal in the regions south of 33°N. Non-structured variability associated with storms and turbulent mixing is enhanced at northerly locations. We found that the low-frequency signal is significantly correlated with different climatic indices such as PDO, NPGO and ENSO with the correlation patterns being latitude-dependent. We also analyzed the correlations between this upwelling variability and sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level pressure (SLP) throughout the North Pacific to visualize and interpret the large-scale teleconnection dynamics in the atmosphere that drive the low-frequency coastal winds. These results provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms connecting climatic patterns with upwelling dynamics, which could enhance our prediction and forecast capabilities of the effects of future oceanographic and climatic variability in the CCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used in the management of peptic ulcer and related symptoms. They have been linked to certain endocrine adverse reactions, including gynaecomastia. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association between the use of PPIs and the development of gynaecomastia.Methods: Reports of cases of gynaecomastia that had putatively been induced by PPIs and that had been collected by the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System via the 'yellow card' scheme, were analysed. Reporting odds ratios (RORs) were calculated as a measure of disproportionality.Results: Twenty-four cases of gynaecomastia associated with PPIs were identified in the database of the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System. Overall, there was a clear temporal sequence of events in all cases and the adverse effect disappeared after drug withdrawal in most of the cases; 14 patients were also receiving other drugs at the time of the adverse effect. The ROR for omeprazole exposure versus no exposure, but not that for other PPIs, showed a statistically significant elevation (ROR adjusted for age 5.23; 95% CI 3.32, 8.26).Conclusion: Considering the widespread use of PPIs, gynaecomastia may affect a large number of patients. In most cases, the condition seems to be reversible with drug withdrawal. Doctors should be aware of this potential adverse reaction when prescribing PPIs to their patients over long periods of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The tidal cycle and its amplitude appear as an a priori forcing factor causing periodic mixing events on the Gibraltar Strait sill. These mixing events can supply nutrient-enriched deep waters to the surface atlantic layer flowing to the Mediterranean. Therefore these mixing phenomena have both important biological and biogeochemical implications at the regional and even basin level. Fortnightly variations of the effects caused by changes in tidal amplitude have been studied by analysing the characteristics of surface water masses flowing through the Strait of Gibraltar during several cruises carried out in 2002 and 2003. These variations were studied through the analysis of results from 7 diel cycles performed at a fixed station at the eastern side of the Strait monitoring the atlantic jet during several tidal cycles of different amplitude. When strong tidal currents occur in higher amplitude cycles, the occurrence of mixed water is more frequent than during neap tides causing a distinctive TS diagram which lacks a clear NACW signature. It is also a common pattern that the highest level of fluorescence in each cycle coincides with the presence of these mixed waters, appearing as an intermittent flow of phytoplankton biomass to the Mediterranean sector and suggesting a strong influence of the physical forcing on the biological patterns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: HMG CoA Reductase inhibitors, more commonly called statins, are used in the pharmacological management of hyperlipidaemia. At present, the use of these drugs is increasing worldwide. They have been linked to certain adverse drug reactions, including impotence. The aim of the present study is to explore the basis of the association between statin use and impotence using data from spontaneous reports.Method: We analysed the cases of impotence associated with statins that were collected by the Spanish and French pharmacovigilance systems. We used cases of impotence as a numerator and consumption data as a denominator to estimate the cumulative reported incidence of impotence.Results: Thirty-eight cases of impotence associated with statins have been identified in the database of the Spanish pharmacovigilance system; overall, there was a temporal sequence of events in all cases and the adverse reaction disappeared after drug withdrawal in 93% of the cases. Sixteen patients had also been treated with other drugs. In France, 37 cases were collected. In 85% of these cases recovery from the adverse reaction was observed after drug withdrawal; there was a positive rechallenge in five cases, and 15 patients were receiving other drugs at the same time. No significant differences among reported incidences with different statins were found.Conclusion: Considering the widespread use of this drug class and the under-reporting of this particular reaction it could affect a large number of patients. The reaction seems to be reversible in most of the cases after drug withdrawal. Doctors should be aware of this potential adverse reaction when prescribing statins to their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a well known fact that stirring keeps particles suspended in fluids. This is apparent, for instance, when shaking medicine flasks, when agitating tea deposits in a mug, or when heavy winds fill the air with dust particles. The commonplace nature of such observations makes it easy to accept that this feature will apply to any natural phenomenon as long as the flow is turbulent enough. This has been the case for phytoplankton in the surface mixed layers of lakes and oceans. The traditional view assumes that an increase in turbulence bears ecological advantages for nonmotile groups like diatoms that, otherwise, would settle in deep and unlit waters. However, this assumption has no theoretical ground, and the experimental results we present here point in the opposite direction. Phytoplankton settling velocity increases when turbulence intensifies from the low to the higher values recorded in the upper mixed layers of lakes and oceans. Consequently, turbulence does not favor phytoplankton remaining in lit waters but is rather an environmental stress that can only be avoided through morphological and/or physiological adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cumulative pressures are rapidly expanding in the Mediterranean Sea with consequences for marine biodiversity and marine resources, and the services they provide. Policy makers urge for a marine ecosystem assessment of the region in space and time. This study evaluates how the whole Mediterranean food web may have responded to historical changes in the climate, environment and fisheries, through the use of an ecosystem modelling over a long time span (decades) at high spatial resolution (8 × 8 km), to inform regional and sub-regional management. Results indicate coastal and shelf areas to be the sites with highest marine biodiversity and marine resources biomass, which decrease towards the south-eastern regions. High levels of total catches and discards are predicted to be concentrated in the Western sub-basin and the Adriatic Sea. Mean spatial–temporal changes of total and commercial biomass show increases in offshore waters of the region, while biodiversity indicators show marginal changes. Total catches and discards increase greatly in offshore waters of the Western and Eastern sub-basins. Spatial patterns and temporal mean changes of marine biodiversity, community biomasses and trophic indices, assessed in this study, aim at identifying areas and food web components that show signs of deterioration with the overall goal of assisting policy makers in designing and implementing spatial management actions for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While global aquaculture production has been highly successful in terms of production growth in recent decades, most developed countries including the European Union (EU) have not participated in this development to a significant extent. As recently as the 1970s, several EU countries were global leaders in aquaculture production, primarily focusing on filter feeders such as mussels and oysters. However, aquaculture production in the EU has largely stagnated over the past few decades. Despite political support, investment and research efforts over the last three decades, environmental regulations and competition with other activities have slowed down or even halted production growth in many cases. Recent EU legislation aimed at boosting food security and sustainable food systems, recognise aquaculture as a major potential contributor, focusing for example on sustainable or low environmental impact aquaculture, e.g. the production of low trophic level species. In this context, this article aims to contribute to the understanding of the EU aquaculture sector by examining the stagnation in production and its causes. We investigate the evolution of the EU aquaculture production in weight and value, as well as its average trophic level, length and diversity of the species produced. Results indicate an increase in the diversity of species produced, but a decline in the production of low trophic level species over the last two decades, and an increase in more challenging high trophic levels species, raising the overall average trophic level of the production. The decline in mussel and oyster production is mainly due to environmental and, to a lesser degree, economic factors. The rapid growth of carnivorous fish, such as seabream, seabass and salmon has slowed down since 2000, mainly due to regulations aiming at limiting environmental impacts. • EU aquaculture production in weight is lower than it was at the start of the century. • The EU aquaculture sector has reduced its dependency on few species. • The EU aquaculture average trophic level increased from 2.15 in 1950 to 2.93 in 2021. • The share of carnivorous finfish species produced in the EU is high and increasing. • Raising awareness and economic recognition of sustainable aquaculture is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify prescription drugs involved in falsified prescriptions in community pharmacies in 6 European countries. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 2,105 community pharmacies in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden was carried out to collect all suspect prescription forms. For each reported drug, the number of reported falsified prescriptions per thousand inhabitants was estimated. A falsification ratio was calculated by dividing the number of reports by the number of defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day for this drug, computed from national sale or reimbursement data. Results: On 862 prescription forms, benzodiazepines (zolpidem, bromazepam, alprazolam), buprenorphine (as an opioid maintenance drug) and tramadol were the most frequently reported. Depending on their level of use in each country, methylphenidate, morphine and flunitrazepam presented the highest falsification ratios, particularly in Spain, Belgium and France. Conclusions: Stimulants, opioids and some benzodiazepines were the most frequently reported drugs in this survey on falsified prescriptions, but differences between countries were observed. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine Ecosystem Models (MEMs) provide a deeper understanding of marine ecosystem dynamics. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has highlighted the need to deploy these complex mechanistic spatial-temporal models to engage policy makers and society into dialogues towards sustainably managed oceans. From our shared perspective, MEMs remain underutilized because they still lack formal validation, calibration, and uncertainty quantifications that undermines their credibility and uptake in policy arenas. We explore why these shortcomings exist and how to enable the global modelling community to increase MEMs' usefulness. We identify a clear gap between proposed solutions to assess model skills, uncertainty, and confidence and their actual systematic deployment. We attribute this gap to an underlying factor that the ecosystem modelling literature largely ignores: technical issues. We conclude by proposing a conceptual solution that is cost-effective, scalable and simple, because complex spatial-temporal marine ecosystem modelling is already complicated enough. • Marine Ecosystem Models (MEMs) are rarely systematically validated and calibrated. • This can potentially undermine the credibility and uptake of model output in the policy arenas where it is so direly needed. • Suggestions to assess model skill, uncertainty, and confidence abound in the literature, but applications are mostly lacking. • We identify the main technical hurdles that prevent the MEM community from moving forward, and specify a resolving framework. • We call on the MEM community to create collaboratively such a framework to produce model results with more confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean Sea has been defined 'under siege' because of intense pressures from multiple human activities; yet there is still insufficient information on the cumulative impact of these stressors on the ecosystem and its resources. We evaluate how the historical (1950-2011) trends of various ecosystems groups/species have been impacted by changes in primary productivity (PP) combined with fishing pressure. We investigate the whole Mediterranean Sea using a food web modelling approach. Results indicate that both changes in PP and fishing pressure played an important role in driving species dynamics. Yet, PP was the strongest driver upon the Mediterranean Sea ecosystem. This highlights the importance of bottom-up processes in controlling the biological characteristics of the region. We observe a reduction in abundance of important fish species (~34%, including commercial and non-commercial) and top predators (~41%), and increases of the organisms at the bottom of the food web (~23%). Ecological indicators, such as community biomass, trophic levels, catch and diversity indicators, reflect such changes and show overall ecosystem degradation over time. Since climate change and fishing pressure are expected to intensify in the Mediterranean Sea, this study constitutes a baseline reference for stepping forward in assessing the future management of the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]