A decision support system-based procedure for evaluation and monitoring of protected areas sustainability for the Mediterranean region

WOS: 000297078900015Despite common acknowledgement of the value of protected areas as instruments in ensuring sustainability, and their promotion for the achievement of policies on halting the loss of biodiversity, there is no common approach today for monitoring and evaluating them. This paper presents a novel integrated nature conservation management procedure developed to monitor and evaluate the sustainability of Mediterranean protected areas. This procedure was successfully implemented and formally evaluated by protected area managers in six Mediterranean countries, results of which are presented here together with an overview of the web-based Decision Support System (DSS) developed to facilitate its wide adoption. The DSS and procedure has been designed and evaluated by managers as a useful tool, which facilitates and provides needed procedural guidance for protected area monitoring whilst minimizing input requirements to do so. The procedure and DSS were developed following a review of existing protected area assessment tools and a detailed primary investigation of the needs and capacity of its intended users. Essentially, the procedure and DSS guides provide the facilities for protected area managers, in following a participatory approach to develop a context-specific sustainability monitoring strategy, for their protected area. Consequently, the procedure is, by design, participatory, context specific, holistic and relevant to protected area management and institutional procedures. The procedure was piloted and formally evaluated in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Malta and Cyprus. Feedback collected from the pilot evaluations is also summarised herein.INTERREG III B [A.1.222 INNOVA]This research was funded under INTERREG III B Programme 'Archimed' A.1.222 INNOVA Project. The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution and input of the partners, protected area authorities, stakeholders and local communities. Special thanks to the University of Bari, the Polytechnic of Bari, Apulian Ministry of Environment, University of Lecce, Maltese Ministry of Rural Affairs and Environment, University of Malta, Agricultural Research Institute of Cyprus, Prefecture of Chania, Egyptian Desert Research Center, Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, Palestinian National Authority, and Al Quads University

Sensory theories of developmental dyslexia: three challenges for research.

Recent years have seen the publication of a range of new theories suggesting that the basis of dyslexia might be sensory dysfunction. In this Opinion article, the evidence for and against several prominent sensory theories of dyslexia is closely scrutinized. Contrary to the causal claims being made, my analysis suggests that many proposed sensory deficits might result from the effects of reduced reading experience on the dyslexic brain. I therefore suggest that longitudinal studies of sensory processing, beginning in infancy, are required to successfully identify the neural basis of developmental dyslexia. Such studies could have a powerful impact on remediation.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG at http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v16/n1/abs/nrn3836.html

Scientific, sustainability and regulatory challenges of cultured meat

Producing meat without the drawbacks of conventional animal agriculture would greatly contribute to future food and nutrition security. This Review Article covers biological, technological, regulatory and consumer acceptance challenges in this developing field of biotechnology. Cellular agriculture is an emerging branch of biotechnology that aims to address issues associated with the environmental impact, animal welfare and sustainability challenges of conventional animal farming for meat production. Cultured meat can be produced by applying current cell culture practices and biomanufacturing methods and utilizing mammalian cell lines and cell and gene therapy products to generate tissue or nutritional proteins for human consumption. However, significant improvements and modifications are needed for the process to be cost efficient and robust enough to be brought to production at scale for food supply. Here, we review the scientific and social challenges in transforming cultured meat into a viable commercial option, covering aspects from cell selection and medium optimization to biomaterials, tissue engineering, regulation and consumer acceptance

The effect of talker and intonation variability on speech perception in noise in children with dyslexia.

In this study, the authors aimed to determine whether children with dyslexia (hereafter referred to as "DYS children") are more affected than children with average reading ability (hereafter referred to as "AR children") by talker and intonation variability when perceiving speech in noise

Bimetallic gold( i ) complexes of photoswitchable phosphines: synthesis and uses in cooperative catalysis

International audienc

ALBA Screening Instrument (ASI): A brief screening tool for Lewy Body Dementia

Background Early detection of neurodegenerative diseases is essential for treatment and proper care of these patients. Screening tools available today are effective for several types of dementia. However, there is no one specific for Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). Objectives The aim of this paper is to present a tool for early detection of LBD, accessible even for non-medical staff. Methods We stratified subjects (MMSE > 20) into four groups: health controls (HC), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), LBD and other dementias (Alzheimer and vascular). All subjects (age range 50–90) were examined with a comprehensive neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric evaluation, as well as neuroimaging to differentiate diagnosis between groups, fulfilling corresponding criteria. Both neurologists and neuropsychologists were blind to the performance on clinical evaluations and ASI, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the instrument were determined to differentiate LBD from other groups. Results We evaluated 427 subjects, 91 HC, 140 with MCI and 196 with dementia. In the dementia group, 75 were diagnosed with LBD and 121 with other dementias. ASI total score was 12.7 ± 0.4 for LBD, 2.9 ± 0.2 for HC, 5 ± 0.7 for MCI, and 5.4 ± 2.6 for other causes of dementia. ROC curve analysis showed a sensitivity of 90.7% and a specificity of 93.6% stands, with 9 as the cutoff with better test performance compared against other groups. Conclusion ASI is a brief screening tool for LBD with high sensitivity and specificity and useful even for non-medical staff.Fil: Garcia Basalo, M. M.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, M. C.. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Asociacion Lewy Body Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Ojea Quintana, M.. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Asociacion Lewy Body Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, J. I.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Basalo, M. J.. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Asociacion Lewy Body Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Bogliotti, E.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Cámpora, Nuria Elide. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, M.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Berrios, W.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Cristiano, E.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Golimstok, Angel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Asociacion Lewy Body Argentina; Argentin

Phonological skills, visual attention span, and visual stress in developmental dyslexia.

International audienc