L’impacte de la cabra (Capra hircus) sobre el teix (Taxus baccata) a l’illa de Mallorca

[cat] El teix Taxus baccata a les Balears es troba únicament a la Serra de Tramuntana, està protegit com d’Especial Protecció i és objecte d’un Pla de Maneig executat per la Conselleria de Medi Ambient del Govern de les Illes Balears. La forta pressió de les cabres Capra hircus, incrementada els darrer decennis per l’abandonament de les finques i l’agricultura, és una amenaça que fa perillar el futur del teix. El present treball completa i revisa l’inventari de teixos naturals a la Serra i avalua el seu estat de conservació en funció del grau d’afectació per les cabres assilvestrades. Un 70% dels teixos silvestres pateixen impactes visibles provocats per les cabres. Tot i que la majoria de teixos es trobem empenyalats, la gran majoria (un 84%) pateix un grau d’afectació moderat; el 14% restant presenta una afectació greu, amb una clara amenaça per a la seva supervivència. Els teixos menys afectats són els més difícilment accessibles, i no hi ha cap opció de que puguin créixer amb normalitat a un lloc on arribin les cabres. Ara que ja no es talla ni es permeten les cremes descontrolades, el teix podria tenir unes poblacions més nombroses, tot i que les elevades temperatures estivals i la disminució de les precipitacions, com a conseqüència del canvi climàtic, podrien esdevenir un factor limitant. Avui, però, el principal factor limitant no natural que afecta les poblacions de teix a Mallorca és la pressió que exerceixen les cabres assilvestrades les quals, en molts de casos, poden arribar a provocar la mort dels exemplars.[eng] The yew Taxus baccata in the Balearic Islands is only in the Serra de Tramuntana. It is under Special Protection category and is object of a Management Plan executed by the Balearic Environmental Administration. The strong pressure of goats Capra hircus, increased over the last decades due to the abandonment of farms and agriculture, is a threat that endangers yews future. The present report completes and reviews the inventory of natural yews in the Serra and evaluates its state of conservation based on the degree of involvement by the wild goats. 70% of natural yews suffer visible impacts caused by goats. Although most yews are in cliffs, the vast majority (84%) suffers a moderate degree of threat; the remaining 14% have a serious affectation, with a clear threat to their survival. The least-affected yews are the most difficult to reach, and there is no option to grow normally on a goat's place. Now that neither the cutting of yew or the uncontrolled burning are not allowed, the yew tree could have larger populations, although the high summer temperatures and the decrease of the precipitations, as a consequence of the climate change, could become a limiting factor. Today, however, the main unnatural limiting factor affecting yew populations in Mallorca is the pressure exerted by feral goats which, in many cases, may cause the death of specimens

Factores pronósticos de recurrencia y progresión vesical en el tumor de vía urinaria superior

Objetivos: Estudiar factores asociados al tumor de urotelio superior (TUS) como predictores de recurrencia y progresión vesical. Pacientes y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo sobre 79 pacientes con tumor de urotelio superior (TUS) tratados con nefroureterectomía. El seguimiento medio es de 5.8 años (70 meses). Se ha estudiado la asociación de factores en el TUS como estadio y grado tumoral, tamaño, historia previa de tumor vesical, localización, sexo, edad y asociación con carcinoma in situ (CIS), en relación con recurrencia y progresión vesical. Para ello se ha realizado análisis univariante y multivariante, utilizando el método de Kaplan-Meier (log-rank) y regresión múltiple de Cox, respectivamente. Resultados: Observamos una recurrencia vesical de 54% (43 casos) (I.C 95%: 43-65) y una progresión vesical del 11% (9 casos). El CIS asociado a TUS (p = 0,020) (OR 2.3; IC 95%: 1,1-4,7) y estadio del TUS (p = 0,018) (OR 2.5; IC 95%: 1,1- 5,3) son variables independientes significativas en relación con recurrencia vesical. El CIS asociado a TUS (p = 0,006; OR 19 ; IC 95%: 2,3-157,6), y el tamaño del TUS (p = 0,060) (OR 3,8; IC 95%: 0,9-15,5) son variables independientes significativas relacionadas con progresión vesical. Conclusiones: El CIS asociado a TUS es el factor pronóstico independiente más importante para predecir la evolución vesical después de TUS, ya que se relaciona con recurrencia, y es factor más importante para predecir progresión vesical. El estadio del TUS es factor pronóstico independiente de recurrencia vesical. El tamaño del TUS (≥ 4 cm) es factor pronóstico independiente de progresión vesical. Los pacientes con estos factores son los que deberían tener un seguimiento más estricto de la vejiga, y plantearnos la necesidad de realizar instilaciones endovesicales posteriores al tratamiento del TUS.Purpose:We evaluated the prognostic factors of subsequent bladder recurrence and bladder progression in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract. Material and methods: We studied a cohort of 79 patients with upper urinary tract tumor (UUTT) treated with nephroureterectomy. Mean follow-up was 5.8 years. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis was done with Cox proportional hazards model with stepwise forward selection. All p-values were 2-sided, with odds ratios and 95% confidence interval. Results: Bladder recurrence was found in 54% (43 cases), bladder progression was found in 11% (9 cases). Carcinoma in situ of UUTT (odds ratio 2.3) and tumor stage of UUTT (greater than pT1) (odds ratio 2.5) increased the risk of subsequent bladder recurrence. Carcinoma in situ of UUTT (odds ratio 19.3) and tumor size (greater than 3 cm) (odds ratio 3.8) increased the risk of subsequent bladder progression. Conclusions: Neither tumor grade nor localization of UUTT influenced tumor evolution. Tumor stage of UUTT (greater than pT1) was a risk factor of bladder recurrence. Tumor size of UUTT (greater than 3 cm) was a risk factor of bladder progression. Finally, carcinoma in situ of UUTT influenced bladder recurrence and bladder progression. This finding could help identify patients at greater risk for disease recurrence and progression who would benefit from close followup and early adjuvant therapy after nephroureterectomy for upper urinary transitional cell carcinoma

Politicizing food security governance through participation: opportunities and opposition

Since the 2007/08 food price crisis there has been a proliferation of multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) devoted to bringing diverse perspectives together to inform and improve food security policy. While much of the literature highlights the positive contributions to be gained from an opening-up of traditionally state-led processes, there is a strong critique emerging to show that, in many instances, MSPs have de-politicizing effects. In this paper, we scrutinize MSPs in relation to de-politicization. We argue that re-building sustainable and just food systems requires alternative visions that can best be made visible through politicized policy processes. Focusing on three key conditions of politicization, we examine the UN Committee on World Food Security as a MSP where we see a process of politicization playing out through the endorsement of the ‘most-affected’ principle, which is in turn being actively contested by traditionally powerful actors. We conclude that there is a need to implement and reinforce mechanisms that deliberately politicize participation in MSPs, notably by clearly distinguishing between states and other stakeholders, as well as between categories of non-state actors.</p

Synthesis and evaluation of fluorimetric and colorimetric chemosensors for anions based on (oligo)thienyl-thiosemicarbazones

A family of heterocyclic thiosemicarbazone dyes (3a-d) containing thienyl groups has been synthesized, characterized and their chromo-fluorogenic response in acetonitrile in the presence of selected anions studied. Acetonitrile solutions of 3a-d show absorption bands in the 338-425 nm range which are modulated by the groups attached to the thiosemicarbazone moiety. The fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, dihydrogen phosphate, hydrogen sulfate, nitrate, acetate and anions were used in the recognition studies. Only sensing features were observed for fluoride, cyanide, acetate and dihydrogen phosphate anions. Two different chromogenic responses were found, (i) a small shift of the absorption band due to coordination of the anions with the thiourea protons and (ii) the appearance of a new red shifted band due to deprotonation of the receptor. For the latter process changes in the color solutions from pale-yellow to orange-red were observed. Fluorescence studies showed a different emission behavior according to the number of thienyl rings in the π-conjugated bridges. Stability constants for the two processes (complex formation + deprotonation) for receptors 3a-d in the presence of fluoride and acetate anions were determined from spectrophotometric titrations using the HypSpec program. The interaction of 3d with fluoride was also studied through 1H NMR titrations. Semiempirical calculations to evaluate the hydrogen-donating ability of the receptors were also performed.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) , Acções Integradas Luso-Espanholas/CRUP, Generalitat Valenci

Comportamiento frente a cloruros de un hormigón autocompactable de alta resistencia con mezclas ternarias de nano y micro sílice

In this paper, the influence of additions of nanosilica (nSi) and microsilica (mSi) on the behav­iour of binary and ternary mixtures in chloride environments is studied. The main objective is to obtain high-performance self-compacting concrete (HPSCC) with a high durability which can meet specific demands in such aggressive environments. Ten blends were manufactured using Portland cement (CEM I 52.5 R) and additions of nSi and mSi in binary and ternary mixtures. The results of three tests frequently used to evaluate resistance to chloride penetration– electrical resistivity, migration and chloride diffusion –were studied and compared. Both binary and ternary mixtures presented significant improvements in chloride resistance, generally in proportion to the total content of the addition. In all the ternary mixtures, high resistivity is obtained, which indicates that such mixtures have a notably low chloride penetrability. Furthermore, these mixtures provided extremely low chloride diffusion coefficients even at small addition ratios.En este artículo se estudia la influencia en el comportamiento frente a cloruros de la adición de nanosílice (nSi) y microsílice (mSi) en mezclas binarias y ternarias. El principal objetivo es obtener un hormigón autocompactante de altas prestaciones con una alta durabilidad frente a estos ambientes agresivos con cloruros. Se prepararon diez dosificaciones usando cemento Portland (CEM I 52.5 R) y adiciones de nSi y mSi en mezclas binarias y ternarias. Se estudiaron y analizaron tres ensayos frecuentemente utilizados para evaluar la resistencia a la penetración de cloruros, resistividad eléctrica, migración y difusión de cloruros. Tanto las mezclas binarias como ternarias presentaron mejoras significativas en la resistencia a cloruros, en general proporcional al contenido de adición. En todas las mezclas ternarias se ha obtenido alta resistividad, indicando una penetrabilidad a cloruros notablemente baja. Estas mezclas proporcionaron un coeficiente de difusión de cloruros extremadamente bajo, incluso para bajos contenidos de adición

Finite Element Simulations of Two-phase Flow and Floating Bodies Using FEniCS-HPC

We present a variational multiscale stabilized finite element method to solve the variable density incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the simulation of two-phase flow. We introduce a level-set method based on the compression technique similar to [1]. For the simulation of floating devices we make use of a simplified rigid body motion scheme and a deforming mesh approach [2]. The mesh deforms elastically following the movement of the body. An implicit turbulence model is used where turbulence is modelled by the numerical stabilization. The described methods are implemented in the open source software framework FEniCS-HPC [3] provided with an automated methodology for discretization and error control. We are working in a project for marine energy generation together with Tecnalia R&I. In this context we simulate floating platforms that will be used for marine energy generation or device experimentation in the ocean. The aim is to study the dynamics of this kind of off-shore devices. Our simulation results are compared against the experimental data obtained by Tecnalia R&I company in the experimental tank of CEHIPAR in Spain. We also participate in the IEA-OES Task 10 project where different simulations of floating bodies are carried out. The results are compared against other groups simulations that use different methodologies

Direct finite element simulation of turbulent flow for marine based renewable energy

In this article we present a computational framework for simulation of turbulent flow in marine based renewable energy applications. In particular, we focus on floating structures and rotating turbines. This work is an extension to multiphase turbulent flow, of our existing framework of residual based turbulence modeling for single phase turbulent incompressible flow. We illustrate the framework in four examples: a regular wave test where we compare against an exact solution, the standard MARIN wave impact benchmark with experimental validation data, a vertical axis turbine with complex geometry from an existing turbine, and finally a prototype simulation of decay test in a coupled moving boundary rigid-body and two-phase fluid simulation.IEA-OES Task 1

Effect of invader removal: pollinators stay but some native plants miss their new friend

Removal of invasive species often benefits biological diversity allowing ecosystems’ recovery. However, it is important to assess the functional roles that invaders may have established in their new areas to avoid unexpected results from species elimination. Invasive animal-pollinated plants may affect the plant–pollination interactions by changing pollinator availability and/or behaviour in the community. Thus, removal of an invasive plant may have important effects on pollinator community that may then be reflected positive or negatively on the reproductive success of native plants. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of removing Oxalis pescaprae, an invasive weed widely spread in the Mediterranean basin, on plant–pollinator interactions and on the reproductive success of co-flowering native plants. For this, a disturbed area in central Portugal, where this species is highly abundant, was selected. Visitation rates, natural pollen loads, pollen tube growth and natural fruit set of native plants were compared in the presence of O. pes-caprae and after manual removal of their flowers. Our results showed a highly resilient pollination network but also revealed some facilitative effects of O. pes-caprae on the reproductive success of co-flowering native plants. Reproductive success of the native plants seems to depend not only on the number and diversity of floral visitors, but also on their efficiency as pollinators. The information provided on the effects of invasive species on the sexual reproductive success of natives is essential for adequate management of invaded areas.This work is financed by FEDER funds through the COMPETE Program and by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) funds in the ambit of the project PTDC/ BIA-BIC/110824/2009, by CRUP Acc¸o˜es Integradas Luso- Espanholas 2010 with the project E10/10, by MCI-Programa de Internacionalizacio´n de la I ? D (PT2009-0068) and by the Spanish DGICYT (CGL2009-10466), FEDER funds from the European Union, and the Xunta de Galicia (INCITE09- 3103009PR). FCT also supported the work of S. Castro (FCT/ BPD/41200/2007) and J. Costa (CB/C05/2009/209; PTDC/ BIA-BIC/110824/2009). The work of V. Ferrero was supported by the Fundacio´n Ramo´n Areces