Nurse species could facilitate the recruitment of mangrove seedlings after hydrological rehabilitation

Changes in hydrology are one of the main causes of mangrove degradation; however, the reforestation of mangrove has been the main restoration activity and very little information on how pioneer species can facilitate the colonization and development of the mangrove species is available. After carrying out a water reconnection as the sole restoration action, secondary succession has occurred in the mangrove rehabilitation area of Celestun (Yucatan, SE Mexico). Two pioneer species, Batis maritima and Salicornia virginica were observed in plots with different coverage (0%, 20%, 100%) where the three natural mangrove species were established, with Laguncularia racemosa as the dominant species in density. The greatest interstitial mean salinity (79.9 g/kg) was recorded in the plots with 20% cover, while the lowest salinity (40.7 g/kg) was recorded in the plots with 100% of coverage. At the end of sampling period nutrient content (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) and organic matter in the sediment were greatest in the plots with 100% cover, whereas the lowest concentrations were observed in the site devoid of vegetation. The percentage cover of S. virginica and B. maritima changed over time; in the plot that started with 100% cover it decreased until it disappeared at the end of the study period, whereas it increased in the plots with 20% and 0% cover. This study shows that B. maritima and S. virginica has a function as "facilitator species" initially colonizing the bare soil and modifying its conditions (decreasing interstitial salinity and increasing nutrient), which favored colonization and growing of mangrove seedlings

From national monopoly to Multinational Corporation: how regulation shaped the road towards telecommunications internationalization

One of the consequences of major regulatory reform of the telecommunications sector from the end of the 1970s – particularly, privatization, liberalization and deregulation – was the establishment of a new business environment which permitted former national telecommunications monopolies to expand abroad. From the 1990s, a number of these firms, particularly those based in Europe, joined the rankings of the world’s leading Multinational Corporations. Their internationalization was uneven, however: while some firms internationalised strongly, others ventured abroad much slower. This article explores how the regulatory framework within which telecommunications incumbents evolved over the long-term shaped their subsequent, uneven, paths to internationalization. Two case studies representing ´maximum variation´ are selected: Telefónica, whose early and unrelenting expansion transformed it into one of the world’s most international of Multinational Corporations, and BT, whose overseas ventures failed and, with eroding domestic market share, forced the firm to partially retreat, becoming the least international of the large European incumbents. Long-term ownership, access to capital, management style and exposure to liberalization strongly influenced firms’ approaches to internationalizatio

Seven-year mortality in heart failure patients with undiagnosed diabetes : an observational study

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart failure have adverse clinical outcomes, but the characteristics and prognosis of those with undiagnosed diabetes in this setting has not been established. Methods: In total, 400 patients admitted consecutively with acute heart failure were grouped in three glycaemic categories: no diabetes, clinical diabetes (previously reported or with hypoglycaemic treatment) and undiagnosed diabetes. The latter was defined by the presence of at least two measurements of fasting plasma glycaemia ≥ 7 mmol/L before or after the acute episode.Group differences were tested by proportional hazards models in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality during a 7-year follow-up. Results: There were 188 (47%) patients without diabetes, 149 (37%) with clinical diabetes and 63 (16%) with undiagnosed diabetes. Patients with undiagnosed diabetes had a lower prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, peripheral vascular disease and previous myocardial infarction than those with clinical diabetes and similar to that of those without diabetes. The adjusted hazards ratios for 7-year total and cardiovascular mortality compared with the group of subjects without diabetes were 1.69 (95% CI: 1.17-2.46) and 2.45 (95% CI: 1.58-3.81) for those with undiagnosed diabetes, and 1.48 (95% CI: 1.10-1.99) and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.40-2.89) for those with clinical diabetes. Conclusions: Undiagnosed diabetes is common in patients requiring hospitalization for acute heart failure. Patients with undiagnosed diabetes, despite having a lower cardiovascular risk profile than those with clinical diabetes, show a similar increased mortality

Regulating and Deregulating the Public Utilities 1830-2010

History can provide invaluable insights into important issues of the economic and social regulation of utilities, and offer lessons towards future debates. But the history of utility regulation – which speaks of changing, diverse and complex experiences around the world – was, unfortunately, sidelined or marginalised when economists and policymakers enthusiastically embraced the question of how to reform the utilities from the 1970s. This paper provides an overview of the three, overarching, `waves' of utility regulation from the nineteenth century to the present, documenting how, when and why the ways in which the roles of the state, the market and firms altered over time. It then contextualises and explains the main contributions of each of the papers included in this special issue of Business History, which cover energy, communications, water, transportation and other urban infrastructure regulation, across Western Europe, the United States and Australia

Consenso para la mejora de la atención integral de los pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca aguda

El último consenso sobre insuficiencia cardíaca aguda de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología, la Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna y la Sociedad Española de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias se elaboró en 2015, por lo que era necesaria una actualización para revisar las diversas novedades relacionadas con la temática de insuficiencia cardíaca aguda que han ido apareciendo los últimos años. Entre ellas están la publicación de las nuevas guías europeas sobre insuficiencia cardíaca en el 2016, nuevos estudios sobre el manejo farmacológico de los pacientes durante la hospitalización y novedades sobre diversos aspectos relacionados con la insuficiencia cardíaca aguda, tales como el abordaje precoz, terapia intermitente, insuficiencia cardíaca avanzada y congestión refractaria. Por ello, este consenso se elaboró con la intención de actualizar todos los aspectos relacionados con la insuficiencia cardíaca aguda y proporcionar un documento que detallase de manera completa el diagnóstico, tratamiento y manejo de esta enfermedad. The latest acute heart failure consensus document from the Spanish Society of Cardiology, Spanish Society of Internal Medicine, and Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine was published in 2015, which made an update covering the main novelties regarding acute heart failure from the last few years necessary. These include publication of updated European guidelines on heart failure in 2016, new studies on the pharmacological treatment of patients during hospitalization, and other recent developments regarding acute heart failure such as early treatment, intermittent treatment, advanced heart failure, and refractory congestion. This consensus document was drafted with the aim of updating all aspects related to acute heart failure and to create a document that comprehensively describes the diagnosis, treatment, and management of this disease