Integrated land-sea planning: an operational framework

[Extract] Marine ecosystems face increasing threats from both land-based and sea-based anthropogenic activities (Leslie 2005). Globally, around 60% of MPAs are experiencing a high risk of degradation due to coastal development (Tallis et al. 2008). Explicit consideration of interactions between sites (land-sea); may alter the design of conservation area networks

ValueMapper: an interactive web-based tool to map and visualise spatial data

ValueMapper is a flexible and easy-to-use web-based application for mapping, visualising, and storing spatial information. The tool was developed to support mapping areas of conservation, cultural or economic interest, a.k.a. place or landscape values, but can be used for other purposes. The tool allows mapping, modifying, describing, and saving polygons in ESRI Shapefile format, which can be visualised using the tool or further edited using GIS software. The web-based interface allows users to draw and save polygons with information about the features (areas) of interest. For example, documenting their name, category, description, accuracy, sensitivity, custodians, and other relevant characteristics of the mapped features of interest. The software facilitates participatory mapping of landscape values to support environmental planning and management, including conservation and land/ water use planning initiatives. James Cook University developed the tool to support a project on multi-objective planning in northern Australia. The tool was developed and tested during a research project guiding participatory scenario planning to explore alternative development pathways for the Fitzroy River catchment of the Kimberley, Western Australia. Depending on the mapping and planning exercise's goals, context, and resources, more advanced and custom-made tools may be required. The software can be combined with other tools (e.g. interactive tabletop projectors, 3D models), facilitating knowledge sharing and co-production

Area-based conservation: Taking stock and looking ahead

Area-based conservation, particularly of protected areas, is the primary approach used globally to address biodiversity decline and currently covers 8% of the world's oceans and 17% of its lands. In the wake of the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity, area-based conservation (including protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures [OECMs]) is set to diversify and rapidly expand as mandated by the 30x30 target to protect 30% of the planet by 2030. At this pivotal point, we take stock of the approach, including its history in global conservation policy and performance to date. We outline the following priority directions to ensure area-based conservation contributes to securing a sustainable and just future: (1) embracing a diverse area-based conservation toolbox to stem biodiversity loss, (2) centering social equity in area-based conservation, and (3) adopting robust monitoring and review processes to ensure effective and equitable outcomes

Assessment of the Potential Changes in Wellbeing of Key Interest Groups in the Fitzroy River Catchment Under Alternative Development Scenarios: Traditional Owners' workshop

This report presents the preliminary results of a workshop held on 10 and 11 September 2019 with Traditional Owner groups in Fitzroy Crossing, aiming to develop a way to identify and assess the positive and negative effects of different future scenarios on the wellbeing of Traditional Owners across the Fitzroy River catchment. Participants discussed how several categories of wellbeing are currently satisfied in the Fitzroy catchment; and then assessed scenarios 1, 2 and 4 against those categories. Participants’ ratings generally had scenario 1 with the most positive ratings and scenarios 2 and 4 with mostly negative ratings. The negative ratings seem to be linked with an aversion to large-scale irrigated agriculture and its perceived potential impacts, especially the withdrawal of water, pollution, and limited access to Country. Participants perceived positively an increase in ranger jobs and the potential for Indigenous-owned enterprises in scenarios 1 and 2. However, many emphasised that making these jobs satisfactory required training initiatives to build Traditional Owners' capacity. The next steps include a more comprehensive analysis of participants' comments, reporting back to participants and to a broader audience

Assessment of the Potential Changes in Wellbeing of Key Interest Groups in the Fitzroy River Catchment Under alternative Development Scenarios: scenario team's workshop 3, Broome, Western Australia, 15–16 October

This report presents the preliminary results of a workshop held on 15 and 16 October 2019 in Broome, aiming to develop a way to identify and assess the likely positive and negative effects of different future development scenarios on the wellbeing of key interest groups in the Fitzroy River catchment. Participants discussed how several categories of wellbeing are currently satisfied in the Fitzroy catchment and then assessed a set of future scenarios against those categories. Participants’ ratings followed a similar pattern, with scenarios 1A, 1B and 2 (strong policies) being rated positively by the majority of participants, and scenarios 3 and 4 (weak policies) being rated mostly negatively. The common pattern reflects a recurrent theme in participants’ comments regarding the need for good governance, strong policies, and regulation of economic activities so that residents can benefit from such new development initiatives. Conversely, in weak policy scenarios, there could be negative social and environmental impacts that would affect residents and the eventual economic benefits could be reaped by fewer locals, or by non-residents (e.g. corporations and temporary workers)

Ultra high frequency geomagnetic radiation from extensive air showers

Using the ZHAireS Monte Carlo code, we show that the Fourier-spectrum of the radio emission of inclined airshowers can have a sizable intensity up to the GHz frequency range. At these frequencies only a signi¿cantly reducedvolume of the shower around the axis contributes coherently to the signal observed on the ground, which is mainly due to thegeomagnetic and charge excess mechanisms. At ground level, the maximum emission at high frequencies is concentrated in aring-like elliptical region defined by the intersection with the ground of a Cherenkov cone with its vertex at shower maximum.The frequency-spectrum of inclined showers, when observed at positions close to the ring-like maximum emission region, isin broad agreement with the pulses detected by the ANITA experiment, making the interpretation that they are due to ultra-high energy cosmic ray atmospheric showers consistent with our simulations. These results are also relevant for ground-basedradio experiments aiming at detecting molecular bremsstrahlung radiation in the GHz range - an entirelly different emissionmechanism which is not included in ZHAireS simulations - since they present an important background for such experiments.Fil: Alvarez Muñiz, Jaime. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Carvalho, Washington R., Jr.. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Romero Wolf, Andrés. California Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Tueros, Matias Jorge. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Zas, Enrique. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; España5th International Workshop on Acoustic and Radio EeV Neutrino detection ActivitiesErlangenAlemaniaErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physic

Identification of a field isolate of Fasciola hepatica resistant to albendazole and susceptible to triclabendazole

The experiments described here were designed to characterize the status of susceptibility/resistance to albendazole (ABZ) and triclabendazole (TCBZ) of a Fasciola hepatica isolate (named CEDIVE isolate) recovered from infected sheep (Gualeguay, Argentina) and maintained under laboratory conditions. Two separate clinical efficacy experiments were performed on sheep artificially infected with the CEDIVE isolate. Experiment 1: Sheep were randomly distributed either in an untreated control group or an ABZ (7.5 mg/kg) treated group (n= 4 each). Additionally, the systemic exposure of ABZ metabolites was assessed in those ABZ-treated infected animals. In Experiment 2, an untreated control group and a TCBZ (10 mg/kg) treated group was included (n = 4 each). The fluckicidal efficacy of ABZ and TCBZ was assessed by comparison of the number of flukes recovered from untreated and treated sheep at 15 days post-treatment. The efficacy against the CEDIVE isolate of F. hepatica was 29% (ABZ) and 100% (TCBZ). The plasma drug exposure (expressed as AUC and Cmax) observed in the ABZ treated animals (Experiment 1), was in agreement with data obtained in previous studies, which indicate that the low ABZ efficacy was not related to the quality of the pharmaceutical product and/or to a low systemic availability of the active drug/metabolite. The results reported here, clearly show that the CEDIVE isolate of F. hepatica behaves as resistant to ABZ and susceptible to TCBZ.Fil: Sanabria, Rodrigo Eduardo Fabrizio. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina;Fil: Ceballos, Laura. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Fisiopatologia. Laboratorio de Farmacologia; Argentina;Fil: Moreno, Laura. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Fisiopatologia. Laboratorio de Farmacologia; Argentina;Fil: Romero, Jorge Marcelo. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina;Fil: Lanusse Carlos. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Fisiopatologia. Laboratorio de Farmacologia; Argentina;Fil: Alvarez Luis. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Fisiopatologia. Laboratorio de Farmacologia; Argentina

Experiencias de Docencia Virtual en Facultades de Medicina Españolas durante la pandemia COVID-19 (II): Farmacología, Inmunología.

We present a summary of the activities that some professors of Schools of Medicine of Spain have carried out during the 3 weeks prior to spring break. During that time, due to COVID-19, face-to-face teaching had to be replaced by online or virtual activities, due to the implementation of the state of alarm in Spain, which led to the complete closure of the Universities since March 13, 2020. The experiences are from Pharmacology and Immunology.Presentamos un resumen de las actividades que algunos profesores de Facultades de Medicina españolas han llevado a cabo durante las 3 semanas previas a las vacaciones de primavera. Durante este tiempo, debido a la pandemia provocada por la COVID-19, la docencia presencial tuvo que ser sustituída por actividades en línea o virtuales, a causa de la implantación del estado de alarma en España que motivó el cierre completo de las Universidades desde el 13 de marzo de 2020. Las experiencias son de Farmacología y de Inmunología

Correlation between the Altered Gut Microbiome and Lifestyle Interventions in Chronic Widespread Pain Patients: A Systematic Review

: Background: Lifestyle interventions have a direct impact on the gut microbiome, changing its composition and functioning. This opens an innovative way for new therapeutic opportunities for chronic widespread patients. Purpose: The goal of the present study was to evaluate a correlation between lifestyle interventions and the gut microbiome in patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP). Methods: The systematic review was conducted until January 2023. Pain and microbiome were the two keywords selected for this revision. The search was conducted in PubMed, Chochrane, PEDro and ScienceDirect, where 3917 papers were obtained. Clinical trials with lifestyle intervention in CWP patients were selected. Furthermore, these papers had to be related with the gut microbiome, excluding articles related to other types of microbiomes. Results: Only six articles were selected under the eligibility criteria. Lifestyle interventions were exercise, electroacupuncture and ingesting a probiotic. Conclusions: Lifestyle intervention could be a suitable choice to improve the gut microbiome. This fact could be extrapolated into a better quality of life and lesser levels of pain

Transdisciplinary environmental research: trial and evaluation. Final report

A group of four NESP Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub projects operating in the Fitzroy River catchment (Western Australia) used a transdisciplinary (participatory, interdisciplinary and outcomes-focused) approach by having water resource management as a common theme. The projects partly integrated their research processes and outputs and developed strong links with research users. The transdisciplinary project team included researchers from four projects, who integrated their research processes and outputs in pairs: 1.3.3 (Environmental water requirements) and 1.5 (Indigenous water requirements); 1.6 (Multi-objective planning) and 5.4 (Showing and sharing knowledge). Project 6.2 (this research) aimed to support the development of a transdisciplinary research (TDR) approach in the Fitzroy catchment and contribute to the emerging body of knowledge on transdisciplinarity more broadly. We achieved that aim by conducting a formative evaluation (i.e. during project implementation) of the collaboration between the four projects above. This involved: (1) the development of the Theory of Change of this collaboration, (2) a literature review, (3) interviews of research users, and (4) researchers’ reflection on the previous steps. The team identified different research impacts occurring because of people’s participation in, or access to the outputs of research. Research impacts, on both researchers and research users, included: • learning and increased understanding of scientific information • development of new skills or social learning (i.e. learning from working together with other stakeholders) • empowerment (e.g. meeting and deliberating with peers regarding collective action because of the projects) • enhancing communication with other groups and a better understanding of their perspectives • creating new contacts (e.g. meeting new people) and strengthening existing relationships. Two projects (Environmental water requirements and Indigenous water requirements) have directly contributed to the Fitzroy catchment water allocation plan and to stakeholders’ submissions on the draft water plan consultation (i.e. Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation [DWER] Discussion Paper). The Multi-objective planning and Showing and sharing knowledge projects contributed with less tangible outcomes such as enhancing communication, and strengthening relationships and Indigenous institutions. Researchers identified processes or outputs that contributed positively to knowledge uptake by research users, for example, the use of videos and interactive maps, which can help users such as Traditional Owners to assimilate and use project information. They also identified things that hindered the use of project outcomes, such as confusion between the roles of research and government planning, and the limited capacity of some organisations to use research outputs