Presidential Systems in Stress: Emergency Powers in Argentina and the United States

This article offers three comparative insights. First, it concludes that comparative inquiries into presidential systems may be useful for those interested in constitutional government, regardless of historical, cultural, or other contextual differences among nations. Thus, nations with presidentialist constitutional systems may have common problems because of the institutional presidency. The article maintains that our presidential systems are in such states of disrepair that a fundamental reinvigoration of the legislative and judicial branches is required, so that government may better serve important constitutional values in our nations

Niche overlap across landscape variability in summer between two large herbivores using eDNA metabarcoding.

Understanding the relationship between a species feeding strategy and its environment (trophic ecology) is critical to assess environmental requirements and improve management policies. However, measuring trophic interactions remains challenging. Among the available methods, quantifying the plant composition of a species' diet indicates how species use their environment and their associated niche overlap. Nevertheless, most studies focusing on herbivore trophic ecology ignore the influence that landscape variability may have. Here, we explored how landscape variability influences diet composition through niche overlap. We used eDNA metabarcoding to quantify the diet composition of two large herbivores of the Bialowieza Forest, red deer (Cervus elaphus) and European bison (Bison bonasus) to investigate how increasing habitat quality (i.e. higher abundance of deciduous forage species) and predation risk (i.e. density of wolf in the area) influence their diet composition and niche partitioning. Our findings indicate diet composition is non-homogeneous across the landscape, both within and between species. Red deer showed greater diet variability and lower niche overlap within species compared to bison. We detected a reduction of niche overlap for red deer with increasing predation risk, leading to more dissimilar diets, suggesting their feeding behaviour is affected by wolf presence. This correlation was not found for bison, which are rarely predated by wolf. Higher habitat quality was associated with higher niche overlap only within bison, probably due to their suboptimal feeding strategy as browsers. These results show the importance of integrating environment-induced diet variation in studies aimed at determining the landscape usage or niche overlap of a species

Combined beach - inner shelf erosion in short and medium term (Maspalomas, Canary Islands)

The analysis of the accurate topo-bathymetric digital elevation model (DEM), the cartography of the submarine sedimentary cover and the monitoring of short (seasonal) and medium-term (2000-2009) morphological changes have permitted depicting the erosional trend in the short and medium-term of the Maspalomas sedimentary system. Short-term analysis showed intense sedimentary fluxes between the beaches and the inner shelf, and sedimentary exchanges with other sectors of the inner shelf, while the steep slope inner shelf fronting La Bajeta cape was identified as a sink area. In the medium-term the sediment budget showed high erosion of the supratidal and intertidal sectors of the beaches due to storm waves in the 2005-2006 winter, followed by accretion over the next four years, but which did not reach the initial sedimentary state. The inner shelf and subtidal sector of the beaches showed negative budgets in the short and medium-term. Interannual variability of the wave and wind regimes determines decadal beach erosion-accretion cycles, while long-term climatic change, evidenced at the study area by a decrease of trade winds and NE wave intensity in 2005, is expected to produce a possible increase of erosion at the El Inglés inner shelf and consequently a decrease in sediment inputs to the El Inglés beach and Maspalomas dune field. Finally, the influence of the geological heritage is depicted by the Fataga gully’s control of the present coastal morphology, and by the island relief control of the wind, waves and current directions in the study area

Diagnosis of a high-impact secondary cyclone during HyMeX-SOP1 IOP18

Multiple high-impact weather events occurred during HyMeX-SOP1, which was intensively monitored by a largenumber of ordinary and extraordinary observations. The availability of special observations offers an un-precedented opportunity to explore these events in depth and assess the capabilities of current numericalweather prediction tools. In this case, a small-scale secondary cyclone formed within a prominent cyclone thatintensified in the north-western part of the western Mediterranean during IOP18 on October 31, 2012. The smallsecondary system formed near Catalonia, where heavy rain was observed, and then moved to the northern partof the island of Minorca, producing very strong winds. Finally, the secondary cyclone moved northeast whilemerging with the main cyclone and evolving as a cyclonic perturbation towards the Gulf of Genoa, bringingheavy precipitation to some Italian regions.This work aims at providing a detailed diagnosis of the genesis and evolution of the secondary cyclone, usinghigh-resolution numerical tools. Furthermore, with the main objective of identifying the main physical me-chanisms involved in the genesis and evolution of the small-scale secondary cyclone, sensitivity experimentswere performed taking into account three main factors: latent heat release, upper-level dynamical forcing andtopographical effects. Results show that in terms of individual cyclogenetic contributions, the upper level PVanomaly contribution dominated the initial phase and the diabatic heating from condensation contributed to thefurther deepening during the later stages of the secondary cyclone. The initial dynamical effect from the upper-levels forcing was amplified by the local topographic features, becoming a key synergistic factor for the for-mation of the damaging secondary cyclonic system.This research is framed within the CGL2017-82868-R [Severe Weather Phenomena in Coastal Regions: Predictability Challenges and Climatic Analysis (COASTEPS)] Spanish project which is partially supported with AEI/FEDER/MINECO funds

Tropicalization process of the 7 November 2014 mediterranean cyclone: numerical sensitivity study

Tropical-like Mediterranean cyclones (medicanes) have been documented and investigated in the literature, revealing that theirphysical mechanisms are stillpoorly understoodand likely not unique across cases. During late hours of 7 November 2014 a small-scale cyclone was detected over the Sicilian channel, affecting the Islands of Lampedusa, Pantelleria and Malta. Gust wind values exceeding 42.7m s-1and a pressure drop above 20 hPa in 6 hours were registered in Malta. Clear signatures of a well-defined cloud-free eye surroundedwithconvective activity of axisymmetric character were identifiable through IR satellite imagery during the late stages of the cyclone, resembling the properties of a hurricane.Weinvestigate the cyclogenesis and posterior development of this small-scale cyclone as well as its physical nature; to thisaim,a set of high-resolution sensitivity numerical experiments were performed. Hart’s phase diagrams adapted to the Mediterranean region clearly reveal the tropical characteristics of the simulated storm. A numerical sensitivity analysis by means of a factor separation technique is used to gain quantitative insight on the roleslatent heat release, surface heat fluxes and upper-level PV signatures (dynamically isolated through a PV-Inversion technique) have on the unfold of this singular event. Results show the importance of the upper-level dynamics to generate a baroclinic environment prone to surface cyclogenesis and in supporting the posterior tropicalization of the system. On the contrary, latent heat release and surface heat fluxes factors do not seem to contribute, as individual processes, tothe genesis of the cyclone as much as it could be suspected, considering itbehavesas a tropical-like cyclone. However, the asynchronous synergism between latent heat release and PV factors plays a crucial role for the intensification of the cyclone towards reaching the pure diabatic phase.This research is framed within the CGL2014-52199-R [Future Regional Impacts of Climate Change Associated to Extreme Weather Phenomena (EXTREMO)] Spanish project which is partially supported with AEI/FEDER funds. The first author was also supported by the FPI-CAIB (FPI/1877/2016) grant from the Conselleria d'Innovació, Recerca i Turisme del Govern de les Illes Balears and the Fons Social Europeu. The authors also acknowledge the computer resources at MareNostrum and the technical support provided by Barcelona Supercomputing Center (RES-AECT-2017-1-0014, RES-AECT-2017-2-0014), that allowed us to perform the high-resolution simulations presented in this study

Near real time evaluation of the spanish air quality forecast system: CALIOPE

The WRF-ARW/HERMES-EMEP/CMAQ/BSC-DREAM8b modelling system provides high resolution air quality predictions for 48h in Europe –EU12- (12x12 km2, 1h), the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands –IP4- (4x4 km2, 1h) and Canary Islands –CAN2- (2x2 km2, 1h) since July 2007, under the framework of the CALIOPE project (Baldasano et al., 2008; http://www.bsc.es/caliope/). A near real time evaluation system has been developed and it is on-line and in operation since January, 2009. Non validated near real time air quality data from more than 400 surface stations are compared to ground-concentration predictions in Spain. Seven ozonosondes are used to test the performance of the model in reproducing O3 vertical structures in Europe, Spain and Canary Islands. Additionally, OMI images are used to qualitatively assess the vertical column densities of NO2 predicted for Europe.Postprint (published version

A comparison of ensemble strategies for flash flood forecasting: The 12 October 2007 case study in Valencia, Spain

On 12 October 2007, several flash floods affected the Valencia region, eastern Spain, with devastating impacts in terms of human, social, and economic losses. An enhanced modeling and forecasting of these extremes, which can provide a tangible basis for flood early warning procedures and mitigation measures over the Mediterranean, is one of the fundamental motivations of the international Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) program. The predictability bounds set by multiple sources of hydrological and meteorological uncertainty require their explicit representation in hydrometeorological forecasting systems. By including local convective precipitation systems, short-range ensemble prediction systems (SREPSs) provide a state-of-the-art framework to generate quantitative discharge forecasts and to cope with different sources of external-scale (i.e., external to the hydrological system) uncertainties. The performance of three distinct hydrological ensemble prediction systems (HEPSs) for the small-sized Serpis River basin is examined as a support tool for early warning and mitigation strategies. To this end, the Flash-Flood Event-Based Spatially Distributed Rainfall-RunoffTransformation-Water Balance (FEST-WB) model is driven by ground stations to examine the hydrological response of this semiarid and karstic catchment to heavy rains. The use of a multisite and novel calibration approach for the FEST-WB parameters is necessary to cope with the high nonlinearities emerging from the rainfall-runofftransformation and heterogeneities in the basin response. After calibration, FEST-WB reproduces with remarkable accuracy the hydrological response to intense precipitation and, in particular, the 12 October 2007 flash flood. Next, the flood predictability challenge is focused on quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPFs). In this regard, three SREPS generation strategies using the WRF Model are analyzed. On the one side, two SREPSs accounting for 1) uncertainties in the initial conditions (ICs) and lateral boundary conditions (LBCs) and 2) physical parameterizations are evaluated. An ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is also designed to test the ability of ensemble data assimilation methods to represent key mesoscale uncertainties from both IC and subscale processes. Results indicate that accounting for diversity in the physical parameterization schemes provides the best probabilistic high-resolution QPFs for this particular flash flood event. For low to moderate precipitation rates, EnKF and pure multiple physics approaches render undistinguishable accuracy for the test situation at larger scales. However, only the multiple physics QPFs properly drive the HEPS to render the most accurate flood warning signals. That is, extreme precipitation values produced by these convective-scale precipitation systems anchored by complex orography are better forecast when accounting just for uncertainties in the physical parameterizations. These findings contribute to the identification of ensemble strategies better targeted to the most relevant sources of uncertainty before flash flood situations over small catchments

Proceso de Bolonia (VI): aprendiendo comunicación para la salud en el Grado de Medicina

La comunicación forma parte de la actividad clínica y en ocasiones determina el éxito o fracaso del proceso asistencial. Sin embargo, no ha sido reconocida en los planes de estudio del Estado español hasta muy recientemente, sobre todo con el impulso del llamado 'Plan Bolonia'. En el año 2009 se aprobó en la Facultad de Medicina de la Universitat de Barcelona un nuevo plan docente que proponía incorporar la enseñanza de la comunicación en las materias clínicas y pre-clínicas, contabilizando entre 3 y 6 créditos europeos (ECTS), como competencia transversal. El presente artículo aborda el diseño de esta competencia, los pros y contras, cómo se inserta en diferentes asignaturas y cómo puede evaluarse

Mapping of landslide susceptibility of coastal cliffs : the Mont-Roig del Camp case study

The weathered and fractured conglomerate cliffs of Mont Roig del Camp constitute a rock fall hazard for the surrounding pocket beaches and, therefore, for the population that frequent them, especially over the summer. Landslide susceptibility of the cliff has been assessed using the Rock Engineering System method (RES). The determinant and triggering factors considered in this study include: wave exposure, shoreline variations, cliff height, cliff slope, geotechnical quality of the rocky mass, superficial runoff and cliff orientations favoring landslides. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been employed to facilitate the information analysis and generate new susceptibility maps. The quality of the rock mass and cliff orientation are the most interactive factors for the stability of the cliff. However, shoreline variations and surface runoff are the most dominant factors in the system. Thus, the quality of the rock mass has been determined to be a basic variable in the cliff characterization because of its high dependence on the variations of the remaining factors. The landslide susceptibility map depicts a predominance of surfaces with moderate degrees of susceptibility concentrated mainly in the headlands, where the combined actions of subaerial and marine processes control the weathering and eroding processes. Therefore, the landslide susceptibility assessment based on this methodology has allowed the identification of hazardous areas that should be considered in future management plans