Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Diversity and Life Zone for Uncontacted Indigenous People: Deforestation Hotspots in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuadorian Amazon

Land use and land cover change (LULC) is an essential component for the monitoring environmental change and managing natural resources in areas of high natural and cultural biodiversity, such as the Amazon biome. This study was conducted in in the northern Amazon of Ecuador, specifically in the Diversity and Life Zone (DLZ) of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve (YBR). The general aim was to investigate the territorial dynamics of land use/land cover changes to support policies for environmental and sociocultural protection in the DLZ. Specific objectives included (i) mapping LULC spatial and temporal dynamics in the DLZ in the period from 1999 to 2018, (ii) identifying sensitive LULC hotspots within the DLZ, and (iii) defining the possible policy implications for sustainable land use in the DLZ. Multitemporal satellite imagery from the Landsat series was used to map changes in LULC, which were divided into three-time stages (1999–2009, 2009–2018, 1999–2018). We adopted open-access Landsat images downloaded from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The processes for assessing LULC in the DLZ included (1) data collection and analysis, (2) data processing for remote sensing, (3) thematic land cover, and (4) homogenization and vectorization of images. The results showed that in the period 1999–2018, most of the uses and land cover were transformed into pastures in the DLZ. Therefore, it is important to improve territorial planning, to avoid conflicts between indigenous populations, migrant settlers, and uncontacted indigenous populations that live in the DLZ, within the YBR

Improving transgender health by building safe clinical environments that promote existing resilience: Results from a qualitative analysis of providers

Background: Transgender (TG) individuals experience discordance between their sex at birth and their gender identity. To better understand the health care needs and characteristics of TG youth that contribute to resilience, we conducted a qualitative study with clinical and non-clinical providers. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted of providers (n = 11) of TG youth (ages 13–21). Convenience and purposive sampling were used to recruit participants in the Boston area. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. An interview guide of 14 open-ended questions was used to guide the discussion. A grounded theory approach was utilized to code and analyze the data, including double-coding to address issues of inter-rater reliability. Results: Five primary themes emerged: 1) resilience of TG youth 2) lack of access to services that influence health, 3) the critical role of social support, 4) challenges in navigating the health care system, and 5) the need for trans-affirming competency training for providers and frontline staff. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that providers recognize multiple barriers and challenges in the care of TG youth. However, they also identify the resilience exhibited by many youth. We propose that providers can further enhance the resilience of TG youth and help them flourish by offering them necessary resources via the creation of safe and welcoming clinical environments

A New Association of Post-T Tauri Stars Near The Sun

Observing ROSAT sources in 20 x 25 deg centered at the high latitude active star ER Eri, we found evidences for a new young nearby association (~30Myr at~60pc), the Horologium Association (HorA), formed by at least 10 probable and 6 possible members, some being Post-T Tauri stars. We examine several requirements that characterize a young association and they, together, create a strong evidence for the reality of the HorA. In fact, the Li line intensities are between those of the oldest classical T Tauri stars and the ones of the Local Association stars. The space velocities of the HorA relative to the Sun, U= -9.5+/-1.0, V = -20.9 +/- 1.1, W = -2.1 +/- 1.9, are not far from those of the Local Association. We suggest that some hotter and non-X-ray active stars, with similar space velocities, could be massive members of the HorA, among them, the nearby Be star Achernar. The maximum of the mass distribution function of the HorA is around 0.8 solar masses. At its distance, the projected size of the HorA, ~50 pc, would be larger than our surveyed area and many other members could have been missed. We also observed 3 control regions, two at northern and southern galactic latitudes and a third one in the known TW Hya Association (TWA), and the properties and distribution of their young stars strengthen the reality of the HorA. Contrary to the TWA, the only known binaries in the HorA are 2 very wide systems. The HorA is much more isolated from clouds and older than the TWA and could give some clues about the lifetime of the disks around T Tauri stars. Actually, none of the proposed members is an IRAS source indicating an advanced stage of the evolution of their accreting disks. ER Eri itself was found to be a RS CVn-like system.Comment: 25 pages, 5 eps figures, to appear in Astron.

Removal of Penile Spicules of Covies (Cavia porcellus) and its Effect on Weight Gain and Aggressiveness

This research took place on Irquis Farm, University of Cuenca, Victoria del Portete parish, Cuenca canton, prov-ince of Anzuay, Ecuador. The effects of penile spicule extirpation on weight gain and aggressiveness, and damage caused to the carcass at the beginning of growing/fattening were studied. The study consisted of three treatments: whole animals without castration, used as controls (T1); animals with extirpation of the glans´s spicules (T2); and chemically castrated animals, using 0.5 ml of 2% alcohol with iodine, directly injected in each testicle (T3). A total of 90 animals were included, following a randomized block design with six treatments and five replicas. The diet consisted of forage mixture of 33-35% dry matter, and a commercial feed supplement administered ad libitum. A co-variance analysis (ANACOVA) was made using the initial weight as co-variable. The final weight was significantly influenced by the treatment; the Tukey´s test resulted in higher final weight in T2, followed by T1. Their behavior was significantly different from T3 (P < 0.05). In relation to aggressiveness expressed in carcass damage, no signifi-cant differences were observed, according to Chi-square test (P > 0.05)

The Joint Action of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Leaves as an Explanation for the Activity of Cynara cardunculus

The work described herein is a continuation of a previous study centered on the bioprospect of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) leaf extracts through the isolation of secondary metabolites with phytotoxic activity. Chromatographic fractionations of the ethyl acetate extract and spectroscopic analysis showed that the majority of the components were sesquiterpene lactones. Of these compounds, aguerin B, grosheimin, and cynaropicrin were very active on etiolated wheat coleoptile, standard target species, and weed growth. The joint action of binary mixtures of these three active sesquiterpene lactones and one nonactive compound (11,13-dihydroxy-8-desoxygrosheimin) was studied. The activities of fixed-ratio mixtures were assessed on wheat coleoptile. The results can be interpreted with respect to a reference model by considering dose−response analyses and isobolograms with linear regression analyses. A total of 17 binary mixtures at different levels of inhibition (ED25, ED50, and ED75) were studied, and predominantly they responded additively (25). Deviations from additivity included seven synergistic responses and two antagonistic responses. The joint action of major sesquiterpene lactones isolated from C. cardunculus can explain the activities observed in extracts and fractions. The results reported here reiterate the utility of the wheat coleoptile bioassay as a quick tool to detect potential synergistic effects in binary mixtures

Lifetime mental health problems in Adult Lower Secondary Education: a student survey

Background/Objective: Adult Lower Secondary Education is an education program for basic qualifications for the labor market. Our study aimed to compare lifetime mental health problems between current Adult Lower Secondary Education students and higher Vocational Education students, as the former constitutes a highly distinct and understudied group. Methods: Findings were based on a cross-sectional self-report survey. Lifetime relative odds of occurrence of mental disorders [i.e., psychiatric disorders typically diagnosed in adults, learning difficulties or deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)] were compared between Adult Lower Secondary Education students (n = 134) and Vocational Education students (n = 149). Results: While the frequency of mental health problems was high in both groups, psychiatric disorders typically diagnosed in adults were more common in Adult Lower Secondary Education students than among other students. Vocational Education students reported higher rates of ADHD. Conclusion: There is a need for additional psychological resources for Adult Lower Secondary Education students, an educational level that is the last path for many to acquire a basic degree

Sustainable Pavement Management. Integrating Economic, Technical, and Environmental Aspects in Decision Making

Sustainability, which is founded in the reconciliation of economic, environmental and social aspects, has become a major issue for infrastructure managers. The economic and environmental impacts of pavement maintenance are not negligible. More than 400 billion USD are invested globally each year in pavement construction and maintenance. These tasks increase the environmental impacts of vehicle operation by 10%. Because maintenance should be technically appropriate, it is important to integrate technical, economic and environmental aspects in the evaluation of maintenance alternatives over the life cycle of pavement. However, these aspects are normally assessed in different units that are difficult to combine in the decision-making process. This research examines and compares different methods for the integrated consideration of technical, economic and environmental aspects. This study aims to assist highway agencies, researchers and practitioners with the integration of these aspects for the sustainable management of pavement. For this purpose, a set of maintenance alternatives for asphalt pavements are evaluated. Different methods for the integration of these aspects are explored, leading to recommendations for the most suitable methods for different scenarios. Because of this analysis, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is recommended when the number of alternatives is reduced. In these situations, the AHP leads to results that are similar to those of the Weighting Sum and Multi-Attribute approaches that are frequently used for intuitive selection. However, when the number of alternatives is large, pair comparison becomes difficult when using the AHP and the Weighting Sum method becomes more appropriate.The authors gratefully acknowledge the scholarship awarded by the Vicerrectoria de Investigacion from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and funded by the Ministerio de Educacion de Chile. The research team acknowledges FONDEF-Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Technologica (CONICYT) 2009 for funding the project Research and Development of Solutions for Urban Pavement Management in Chile. In addition, the authors sincerely appreciate the funding provided by CONICYT and the National Research Center for Integrated Natural Disaster Management.Torres Machí, C.; Chamorro, A.; Pellicer Armiñana, E.; Yepes, V.; Videla, C. (2015). Sustainable Pavement Management. Integrating Economic, Technical, and Environmental Aspects in Decision Making. Transportation Research Record. 2523:56-63. doi:10.3141/2523-07S56632523Chester, M. V., & Horvath, A. (2009). Environmental assessment of passenger transportation should include infrastructure and supply chains. Environmental Research Letters, 4(2), 024008. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/4/2/024008Chamorro, A., & Tighe, S. L. (2009). Development of a Management Framework for Rural Roads in Developing Countries. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2093(1), 99-107. doi:10.3141/2093-12Torres-Machi, C., Chamorro, A., Yepes, V., & Pellicer, E. (2014). Current models and practices of economic and environmental evaluation for sustainable network-level pavement management. Revista de la construcción, 13(2), 49-56. doi:10.4067/s0718-915x2014000200006Haas, R., Tighe, S. L., & Falls, L. C. (2006). Determining Return on Long-Life Pavement Investments. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1974(1), 10-17. doi:10.1177/0361198106197400102Wu, Z., Flintsch, G., Ferreira, A., & Picado-Santos, L. de. (2012). Framework for Multiobjective Optimization of Physical Highway Assets Investments. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 138(12), 1411-1421. doi:10.1061/(asce)te.1943-5436.0000458Wu, Z., & Flintsch, G. W. (2009). Pavement Preservation Optimization Considering Multiple Objectives and Budget Variability. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 135(5), 305-315. doi:10.1061/(asce)te.1943-5436.0000006Cafiso, S., Di Graziano, A., Kerali, H. R., & Odoki, J. B. (2002). Multicriteria Analysis Method for Pavement Maintenance Management. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1816(1), 73-84. doi:10.3141/1816-09Giustozzi, F., Crispino, M., & Flintsch, G. (2012). Multi-attribute life cycle assessment of preventive maintenance treatments on road pavements for achieving environmental sustainability. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 17(4), 409-419. doi:10.1007/s11367-011-0375-6Nathman, R., McNeil, S., & Van Dam, T. J. (2009). Integrating Environmental Perspectives into Pavement Management. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2093(1), 40-49. doi:10.3141/2093-05Robinette, C., & Epps, J. (2010). Energy, Emissions, Material Conservation, and Prices Associated with Construction, Rehabilitation, and Material Alternatives for Flexible Pavement. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2179(1), 10-22. doi:10.3141/2179-02Osorio, A., Chamorro, A., Tighe, S., & Videla, C. (2014). Calibration and Validation of Condition Indicator for Managing Urban Pavement Networks. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2455(1), 28-36. doi:10.3141/2455-04Saaty, T. L. (1990). How to make a decision: The analytic hierarchy process. European Journal of Operational Research, 48(1), 9-26. doi:10.1016/0377-2217(90)90057-

Producción de biodiésel a partir de microalgas: avances y perspectivas biotecnológicas

Las microalgas son una alternativa para la obtención de biodiésel por su alto rendimiento de lípidos y su perfil de ácidos grasos. Objetivos. Hacer una revisión sobre los avances y perspectivas actuales de la producción de biodiésel a partir de microalgas. Métodos. Se realizó una búsqueda actualizada de los trabajos de investigación relacionados con la producción de biodiésel a partir de microalgas, con especial énfasis en la biosíntesis de ácidos grasos y triglicéridos, la producción de biomasa, las técnicas de extracción, los procesos biotecnológicos implementados en sistemas de cultivo, la transesterificación y los sistemas de doble propósito. Resultados. Las microalgas tienen rendimientos altos de producción de lípidos (59 m3 ha-1 año-1), por lo que representa una alternativa para la obtención de biodiésel; sin embargo, el costo de producción y recuperación de biomasa sigue siendo elevado ($5.8 USD Kg-1), aunado a los altos requerimientos energéticos (33 MJ Kg-1). Actualmente no existen técnicas industriales factibles para la extracción de lípidos y se están probando los métodos por fluidos supercríticos, campo eléctrico de pulso, microondas y ultrasonicación. La biotecnología ha propuesto un novedoso sistema biológico mediante el uso de lipasas recuperadas de hongos filamentosos para el proceso de transesterificación, los cuales ya son comerciales, y ha logrado rendimientos de biocatálisis mayores al 90%.Los sistema de doble propósito pueden ser optimizados utilizando un diseño modular que establezca los procesos y operaciones unitarias bien definidas. Conclusiones. El uso de microalgas para la obtención de biodiésel representa una técnica viable gracias a su alto contenido lipídico y a su perfil de ácidos grasos, aunque hace falta el desarrollo de tecnologías que disminuyan el costo de producción. El uso de sistemas de doble propósito se vislumbra como una buena opción para reducir estos precios, al mismo tiempo que se reusan aguas residuales

PEDOLOGIA BRASILEIRA NA ANTÁRTICA: A PESQUISA DE SOLOS AFETADOS POR PERMAFROST NO CENÁRIO DO AQUECIMENTO GLOBAL

A Antártica representa um ambiente peculiar para formação de solos e estudo de muitos de seus processos, sendo que alguns dos quais possuem características atípicas. Solos afetados por permafrost são encontrados nas regiões árticas e subárticas, em altas montanhas e nas regiões livres de gelo da Antártica, e abrangem cerca de 13 % da cobertura terrestre. Atualmente, é inegável a influência do permafrost sobre os recursos hídricos, propriedades do solo, e desenvolvimento de vegetação. Além destes, uma série de questões estão relacionadas às mudanças no balanço de carbono, em reflexo à degradação do permafrost pelo aumento de temperatura. As quatro maiores regiões da Criosferano mundo são: Antártica, Oceano Ártico, as neves extrapolares e os ambientes montanhosos bastante frios. Mudanças na Criosferaem resposta ao aquecimento global são prováveis de serem observadas inicialmente em zonas de transição, em torno das extremidades de geleiras e camadas de gelo, e em áreas de permafrost, ambientes que em contrapartida, influenciam, mesmo que indiretamente, todas as superfícies da Terra. O debate sobre a possibilidade da ocorrência de aumento da temperatura global causado pelos gases do efeito estufa despertou atenção de pesquisadores sobre o estado de equilíbrio das grandes massas de gelo e permafrost presentes na Antártica. Outros fatores importantes envolvem as interações que influenciam diretamente as relações tróficas e rotas de transferência de matéria e energia entre o oceano e as áreas costeiras na Antártica. Nestes locais, existe grande aporte de materiais orgânicos depositados por aves, com destaque para os pinguins, sendo a incorporação destes materiais orgânicos à matriz mineral do solo a principal influência na caracterização dos solos ornitogênicos. Diante destes fatos, foram iniciados em 2002 os estudos pedológicos pelo então Projeto Criossolos, atual NúcleoTerrantar. Os trabalhos do Terrantar, que começaram na Baía do Almirantado - Ilha Rei George, foram se expandindo ao longo das Ilhas Shetlands do Sul e Península Antártica, sendo Hope Bay, no extremo norte da Península, o primeiro trabalho efetivamente realizado no continente antártico pelo referido Núcleo. Diversos trabalhos foram produzidos, com destaque para as características morfológicas, físicas, químicas, minaralógicas e micromorfológicas dos solos, além de mapeamentos, em trabalhos típicos de pedologia e levantamentos de solos, apresentados nesta revisão