First substantiated record of Raja asterias Delaroche, 1809 (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Rajidae) in the Gulf of Cádiz, North-eastern Atlantic

The Mediterranean starry ray, Raja asterias, considered endemic in the Mediterranean, has recently been reported by other authors from Atlantic fisheries in southern Portugal and northern Morocco. There has been, however, no substantiated record of the species outside the Mediterranean. This fact and the easiness of confusion of R. asterias with other species have probably prevented those records from being taken into account in the recent catalogue of North Atlantic elasmobranchs species, in the assessment of the population status of this species, and in recent annotated global checklists of chondrichthyans. In our study, a specimen of R. asterias was collected from the Gulf of Cádiz and its species identity was assessed based on morphological and molecular methods. The presently reported finding constitutes a substantiated record of R. asterias from the Atlantic. Based on this record, previously reported catches of the Mediterranean starry ray in the Atlantic should be confirmed, and if so, these populations should be included in future assessments of this vulnerable species and in the description of its geographic distributionVersión del editor0,54

Spanish Menopause Society position statement: use of tibolone in postmenopausal women

Tibolone is a drug with complex tissue-specific action that exhibits a combination of estrogenic, progestogenic, and slight androgenic activity. Its variable profile explains its clinical effects, depending on the target tissue where it is metabolized, its metabolites’ affinity for and potency in hormone receptors, and probable enzymatic activity modulation. In recent reviews and clinical trials, the effectiveness of tibolone in alleviating different hot flush menopause symptoms, mainly in mood and sexuality disorders, has been noted. In Spain, tibolone is the most prescribed hormonal treatment, and one of the most common complaints among postmenopausal women is change in sexual drive. For such reason, a panel of experts from the Spanish Menopause Society met to develop usage recommendations based on the best evidence available

Snail1 protein in the stroma as a new putative prognosis marker for colon tumours

Peer reviewe

(Dis) integrated valuation - Assessing the information gaps in ecosystem service appraisals for governance support

The operational challenges of integrated ecosystem service (ES) appraisals are determined by study purpose, system complexity and uncertainty, decision-makers' requirements for reliability and accuracy of methods, and approaches to stakeholder-science interaction in different decision contexts. To explore these factors we defined an information gap hypothesis, based on a theory of cumulative uncertainty in ES appraisals. When decision context requirements for accuracy and reliability increase, and the expected uncertainty of the ES appraisal methods also increases, the likelihood of methods being used is expected to drop, creating a potential information gap in governance. In order to test this information gap hypothesis, we evaluate 26 case studies and 80 ecosystem services appraisals in a large integrated EU research project. We find some support for a decreasing likelihood of ES appraisal methods coinciding with increasing accuracy and reliability requirements of the decision-support context, and with increasing uncertainty. We do not find that information costs are the explanation for this information gap, but rather that the research project interacted mostly with stakeholders outside the most decision-relevant contexts. The paper discusses how alternative definitions of integrated valuation can lead to different interpretations of decision-support information, and different governance approaches to dealing with uncertainty. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Integrating methods for ecosystem service assessment: Experiences from real world situations

The Ecosystem Services (ES) concept highlights the varied contributions the environment provides to humans and there are a wide range of methods/tools available to assess ES. However, in real-world decision contexts a single tool is rarely sufficient and methods must be combined to meet practitioner needs. Here, results from the OpenNESS project are presented to illustrate the methods selected to meet the needs of 24 real-world case studies and better understand why and how methods are combined to meet practical needs. Results showed that within the cases methods were combined to: i) address a range of ES; ii) assess both supply and demand of ES; iii) assess a range of value types; iv) reach different stake-holder groups v) cover weaknesses in other methods used and vi) to meet specific decision context needs. Methods were linked in a variety of ways: i) as input-output chains of methods; ii) through learning; iii) through method development and iv) through comparison/triangulation of results. The paper synthesises these case study-based experiences to provide insight to others working in practical contexts as to where, and in what contexts, different methods can be combined and how this can add value to case study analyses. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Integrated assessment and valuation of ecosystem services - Guidelines and experiences

EU FP7 OpenNESS project deliverable D33 & D4

Informe Taller Pesquerias Artesanales y Recreativas

En el taller se han realizado más de 20 presentaciones acerca de los estudios sobre las pesquerías artesanales y recreativas en aguas de la ZEE de España. En base a ello y al conocimiento de los expertos reunidos se han definido dos planes de seguimiento para obtener la huella pesquera de las pesquerías profesionales sin VMS, uno con sistemas de seguimientos de localización en tres fases y otro con observadores a bordo y encuestas en puntos de primera venta en dos fases. En el caso de las actividades pesqueras no profesionales (recreativas) se ha propuesto un plan de seguimiento basado en encuestas telefónicas y presenciales en tres fases. Además se decidió incluir las actividades pelágicas y/o de superficie dentro de los programas de seguimiento

Stakeholders' perspectives on the operationalisation of the ecosystem service concept : Results from 27 case studies

The ecosystem service (ES) concept is becoming mainstream in policy and planning, but operational influence on practice is seldom reported. Here, we report the practitioners' perspectives on the practical implementation of the ES concept in 27 case studies. A standardised anonymous survey (n = 246), was used, focusing on the science-practice interaction process, perceived impact and expected use of the case study assessments. Operationalisation of the concept was shown to achieve a gradual change in practices: 13% of the case studies reported a change in action (e.g. management or policy change), and a further 40% anticipated that a change would result from the work. To a large extent the impact was attributed to a well conducted science-practice interaction process (>70%). The main reported advantages of the concept included: increased concept awareness and communication; enhanced participation and collaboration; production of comprehensive science-based knowledge; and production of spatially referenced knowledge for input to planning (91% indicated they had acquired new knowledge). The limitations were mostly case-specific and centred on methodology, data, and challenges with result implementation. The survey highlighted the crucial role of communication, participation and collaboration across different stakeholders, to implement the ES concept and enhance the democratisation of nature and landscape planning. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

First record of Buenia massutii Kovacic, Ordines, & Schliewen, 2017 in the Atlantic Ocean based on molecular and morphological evidences.

The recently described Mediterranean goby species, Buenia massutii, was found at the deep shelf in the Gulf of Cádiz (north-eastern Atlantic Ocean). The identification of the specimen was performed using morphological analysis and molecular techniques; including the sequencing of the mitochondrial genes Cytochrome c Oxidase I (DNA barcode) and Cytochrome b. The sequences for Cytochrome b is presented for the first time for B. massutii. The limited migration capability and behaviour of small benthic gobies, the short lifespan of Buenia species, and the oceanographic characteristics of the Strait of Gibraltar suggest the existence of an independent Atlantic population of B. massutii

Biotechnological sequestering of chromium(III) From Post-Tanning Effluents: First Results

Heavy metals in waste waters and sludge may cause significant environmental problems, and it is known that conventional recovery technologies cannot always achieve satisfactory treatment. For example, they are inappropiate to completely recover the chromium in the case of waste waters from the tanning process. Chromium can be recovered (by precipitation)from effluents that contain high concentrations of this metal. However, effluents from the later stages in present day tanning process often have a low concentration of chromium that cannot be recovered and is found in the sludge of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The aim of our research is to recover and reuse the chromiun (III) from post-tanning effluents by means of a biotechnological sequestering method using acidophilic fungi. In this study, we tested acidophilic fungi capable to grow in the presence of chromiun in waste waters from various stages of a real post-tanning process. When the post-tanning process was carried out on a pilot plant scale in which conventional rechroming and neutralisation stages were undertaken and the use of additional chemicals was avoided, chromium (III) sequestration values of above 95% were obtained. As these results are so promising, further studies will focus on searching for more resistant fungal strains and determining which of the chemicals used in the post-tanning process can be avoided or replaced by alternatives