Effects of Marine Reserve Protection on Adjacent Non-protected Populations in New Zealand

Marine reserves (MRs) have been established in many parts of the globe for a variety of reasons and there is an increasing body of evidence that indicates they provide a wide range of benefits that can extend beyond their boundaries. In the present study, the biological effects of protection provided by MRs in New Zealand were evaluated, particularly focusing on the potential impacts of reserves on non-protected areas in terms of export of biomass. First, the biological response of two exploited species to MR protection in New Zealand was quantified by comparing meta-analysis results based on response ratio (RR) analysis and Hedges’ g statistics. Then, effect of MR size and age on those biological responses was determined. Most MRs supported a greater density of larger individuals than unprotected areas. Results indicated that the benefits provided by MRs scale with reserve size. Also, MR age explained a significant amount of the variation in the density and length of both species. Comparison of the performance of RRs with Hedges’ g revealed that RR analysis is an appropriate alternative to Hedges’ g statistic for meta-analyses of MR effectiveness because of its ease of use and interpretation. Then, a 14-year time series of fish density data was analyzed to determine early changes in a multi-species fish assemblage inside the Taputeranga Marine Reserve (TMR) compared to adjacent fishing grounds using a Before and After Control-Impact Paired Series (BACIPS) design. This analysis was performed in order to detect changes in fish density due to protection. Commercial, recreational and traditional fisheries are important in this region and the biomasses of several exploited species have been substantially depleted as a result of fishing. The exclusion of fishing from the area should enable at least some species to recover inside the reserve, as has happened in other reserves in New Zealand. The faster growing, more productive species, and those that have been heavily exploited are expected to recover within a few years. Early changes in density were evident in the area protected by the TMR for most of the species surveyed in terms of the effect size analysis. However, most of the changes were too small to be detected with the statistical analyses that were performed. To determine the most appropriate methodology to be used in a later survey in the study area, two Baited Underwater Video (BUV) methodologies (Horizontal versus Vertical set-up) were compared in terms of their ability to record the density and size of reef fish. Results indicated that both the horizontal and vertical BUV techniques are able to detect both conspicuous and cryptic species and both techniques were effective in the detection of carnivorous species, especially large predatory species such as blue cod, but also effective in the detection of fish species that have been overestimated in terms of abundance by other methodologies. The horizontal BUV technique seems to be a better technique for evaluating reef fish size, especially when measuring large fish that exhibit highly aggressive behaviour. The horizontal BUV technique was later used in conjunction with the Underwater Visual Census (UVC) technique to assess the effects of the protection provided by the TMR. A multispecies analysis was carried out to detect any differences in density and length of fish between reserve and fished areas and to detect gradients of fish density across reserve boundaries that could be related to the occurrence of spillover from the reserve to adjacent fished areas. Density gradients provide indirect evidence of spillover, defined as the movement of adult individuals from reserve to adjacent non-protected areas. Little evidence consistent with a positive effect of reserve protection in the TMR was found. Also, little evidence of spillover was found, with theexception of two target species (blue cod and blue moki). In contrast with the findings of previous studies, density gradients were found for both sedentary and vagile species. These results are consistent with the occurrence of density independent spillover that is expected to occur as soon as the density inside reserve areas is higher compared to fished areas. To further understand the patterns of fish movement relative to the effect of protection provided by MRs, spatial differences in density, length and survival of blue cod inside the TMR and adjacent fishing grounds and the movement patterns of the species across the boundaries of the reserve through a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) analysis were examined. CMR studies can provide direct evidence of spillover. Evidence of a positive effect of reserve protection in the TMR for blue cod in terms of increased density, length and survival in reserve areas was found. Also, evidence of high site fidelity of blue cod in both reserve and fished areas, with the majority of individual moving only short distances was found. However, the potential for this species to also travel long distances (>100 km) was confirmed, suggesting the possibility for spillover of the species from reserved to fished areas. Overall, the results of my thesis indicate that New Zealand MRs, consistent with a large body of earlier evidence, are having positive effects on the abundance and size of the species that afford protection to. These results also highlight that both MR age and area are important factors determining the response to protection both in terms of the effects within reserves and on adjacent non-protected areas. Finally, my results highlight the fact that the greater benefits in terms of increased abundance and size, and also movement across reserve boundaries, are obtained for highly exploited species that can potentially move between areas

Developing Efficient Discrete Simulations on Multicore and GPU Architectures

In this paper we show how to efficiently implement parallel discrete simulations on multicoreandGPUarchitecturesthrougharealexampleofanapplication: acellularautomatamodel of laser dynamics. We describe the techniques employed to build and optimize the implementations using OpenMP and CUDA frameworks. We have evaluated the performance on two different hardware platforms that represent different target market segments: high-end platforms for scientific computing, using an Intel Xeon Platinum 8259CL server with 48 cores, and also an NVIDIA Tesla V100GPU,bothrunningonAmazonWebServer(AWS)Cloud;and on a consumer-oriented platform, using an Intel Core i9 9900k CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI GPU. Performance results were compared and analyzed in detail. We show that excellent performance and scalability can be obtained in both platforms, and we extract some important issues that imply a performance degradation for them. We also found that current multicore CPUs with large core numbers can bring a performance very near to that of GPUs, and even identical in some cases.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de España (MINECO), and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) of Spain, cofinanced by FEDER funds (EU) TIN2017-89842

Canvi climàtic i benestar social a Barcelona : Històries personals de salut, menjar i pobresa

La recerca parteix del problema que comunicar el canvi climàtic i fer visible el seu impacte en el benestar social és un repte complex per a la ciutat. La comunicació climàtica sovint incideix en els factors més negatius i conflictius de la relació entre clima i benestar, destacant la tragèdia i el conflicte. l'objectiu d'aquest article és identificar històries personals que connectin canvi climàtic i benestar en línia amb els plantejaments del solutions journalism, un corrent del periodisme constructiu que posa el focus en les evidències, les possibles solucions i el debat que susciten. A partir d'anàlisi documental i entrevistes semiestructurades, s'exploren els àmbits de la salut, l'economia local i la precarietat en relació amb el canvi climàtic a la ciutat de Barcelona. Es mostren les característiques d'històries que obren el camí cap a un model de comunicació climàtica que pot contribuir a integrar polítiques i inspirar l'acció enfront de l'emergència climàtica

Information and intelligence an interdisciplinary reflection

La información es la materia prima con la que se construye la inteligencia. En consecuencia, la identificación, definición y clasificación de fuentes que provean de información veraz y pertinente representa una de las más elementales tareas en el proceso de producción de inteligencia, sea cual fuere la forma que este adopte. Sin embargo, el desigual e insuficiente desarrollo teórico de los estudios de inteligencia ha supuesto un grave impedimento para la clarificación de estos aspectos esenciales en torno al concepto de información, habiéndose afrontado hasta el momento y salvo honrosas pero escasas excepciones de forma meramente empírica o parcial basándose en análisis casuísticos derivados de evoluciones históricas o procedimientos y prácticas llevadas a cabo en distintas estructuras. En términos generales, el objetivo de este trabajo será abordar cuestiones insuficientemente estudiadas en torno a la definición y clasificación de información y sus fuentes, con el fin profundizar en el estudio y la comprensión de la información y su naturaleza, acercando los estudios de inteligencia al conocimiento científico y poniendo un ladrillo más en la consolidación teórica de este campo de estudio. Para ello, en primer lugar, pondremos de manifiesto de qué forma las clasificaciones naturales, caracterizadas por su coherencia lógica, han reemplazado a otros argumentos para realizar clasificaciones parciales y subjetivas para después ver cuál ha sido la evolución de la clasificación del concepto “fuentes de información” en distintas disciplinas de las Ciencias Sociales. Posteriormente, presentaremos las deficiencias de la tradicional clasificación de fuentes de información basada en cánones dispersos y superficiales. Siendo este un problema de carácter aparentemente teórico, guarda implicaciones directamente vinculadas con la producción de inteligencia en su vertiente más práctica. Por lo tanto, será preciso identificar cuáles son algunas de las principales consecuencias derivadas de una clasificación inadecuada. Por último, abordaremos el complejo – y a menudo ignorado – debate acerca de la naturaleza de la información y de su papel en los procesos de generación de conocimiento en general y en la producción de inteligencia en particular.Information is the raw material which we use to build intelligence. Consequently, the identification, definition and classification of sources that provide true and pertinent information is one of the main issues of the process of intelligence production, no matter which shape it takes later. However, the unequal and not-enough theorical development of intelligence studies has meant tan important obstacle for the clarification of these essential aspects around the concept of information, having faced by the time just in little exceptions in an empirical or partial way by different structures. In general terms, the aim of this paper will be an approximation of issues that haven’t had enough studies around the definition and classification of the information and its sources, in order to deepen in the study and comprehension of the information ant its nature, making the intelligence studies closer to the scientific knowledge and building up the theorical consolidation of this field of study In order to achieve that, firstly we will show how the natural classifications, characterized by its logical coherence, have replaced other arguments to make partial and subjective classifications and then see how has the evolution of the classification of the concept of ‘sources of information’ been in different areas of the Social Sciences. Later, we will present the weaknesses of the traditional classification of sources of information based on diverse and superficial canons. Being this a problem of a theorical nature –apparently-, it keeps implications directly linked with the production of intelligence in its most practical way. Consequently, it will be necessary to identify which are some of the main consequences derivate from a mistaken classification. Last but not least, we will address the complex –and often ignored- debate on the nature of information and its role in the processes of generation of knowledge in general and intelligence in particular

Official Secrets in Spain: The Dilemma Amongst Transparency and National Security

Este artículo tratará de poner de manifiesto la necesidad de derogación y sustitución de la Ley de Secretos Oficiales de 1968 de 5 de abril, modificada por la Ley 48/1978 de 7 de octubre, por otra que disponga los mecanismos oportunos para garantizar mayores cotas de transparencia en la gestión de los asuntos públicos, a semejanza de algunos países de nuestro entorno. Para ello se estudiará la legislación española en materia de desclasificación y acceso a la información pública. Los motivos que han impedido que España, a diferencia de otros países de nuestro entorno, cuente con un marco legal para gestionar adecuadamente el dilema entre transparencia y seguridad en la gestión de los asuntos públicos. Por último, el texto abordará las distintas líneas de investigación y reclamaciones públicas en materia de secretos oficiales que periodistas, juristas, politólogos, historiadores, archivistas y documentalistas han abordado durante las últimas décadas. Este texto concluye con las oportunidades y limitaciones que las políticas de desclasificación representan para los estudios de inteligencia.This article will try to highlight the need for repeal and substitution of Spanish Official Secrets Act 1968 of April 5, modified by Law 48/1978 of October 7, by another that provides the appropriate mechanisms to guarantee higher levels of transparency in the management of public affairs, similar to some countries in our environment. To this end, this article will deepen into the Spanish legislation on declassification and access to public information. At the same time, the article will study the reasons that have prevented Spain, unlike other countries in our environment, from having a legal framework to adequately manage the dilemma between transparency and security in the management of public affairs. Finally, the text will address the different lines of investigation and public complaints regarding official secrets that journalists, jurists, political scientists, historians, archivists and documentalist have addressed during the last decades. This text concludes with the opportunities and limitations that declassification policies represent for intelligence studies.Depto. de Relaciones Internacionales e Historia GlobalFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaTRUEpu

A Cellular Automata Agent-Based Hybrid Simulation Tool to Analyze the Deployment of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

We present a hybrid model combining cellular automata (CA) and agent-based modeling (ABM) to analyze the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations through microscopic traffic simulations. This model is implemented in a simulation tool called SIMTRAVEL, which allows combining electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) that navigate in a city composed of streets, avenues, intersections, roundabouts, and including charging stations (CSs). Each EV is modeled as an agent that incorporates complex behaviors, such as decisions about the route to destination or CS, when to drive to a CS, or which CS to choose. We studied three different CS arrangements for a synthetic city: a single large central CS, four medium sized distributed CSs or multiple small distributed CSs, with diverse amounts of traffic and proportions of EVs. The simulator output is found to be robust and meaningful and allows one to extract a first useful conclusion: traffic conditions that create bottlenecks around the CSs play a crucial role, leading to a deadlock in the city when the traffic density is above a certain critical level. Our results show that the best disposition is a distributed network, but it is fundamental to introduce smart routing measures to balance the distribution of EVs among CSs.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2017-89842PMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2019-110455GB-I0

GPU-based cellular automata simulations of laser dynamics

We present a parallel implementation for Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) of a model based on cellular automata (CA) to simulate laser dynamics. A cellular automaton is an inherent parallel type of algorithm that is very suitable to simulate complex systems formed by many individual components which give rise to emergent behaviours. We exploit the parallel character of this kind of algorithms to develop a fine-grained parallel implementation of the CA laser model on GPUs. A good speedup of up to 14.5 over a sequential implementation running on a single core CPU has been obtained, showing the feasibility of this model to run efficient parallel simulations on GPUs

Article Ubiquinol Short-Term Supplementation Prior to Strenuous Exercise Improves Physical Performance and Diminishes Muscle Damage

The benefits of physical exercise on health are diminished when it is non-planned, strenuous, or vigorous, which causes an increase in oxygen consumption and production of free radicals, particularly serious at the muscular level. Ubiquinol could help achieve an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and ergogenic effect. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a supplementation of ubiquinol during a short period could have a positive effect on muscle aggression, physical performance, and fatigue perception in non-elite athletes after high intensity circuit weight training. One hundred healthy and well-trained men, (firemen of the Fire Department of Granada) were enrolled in a placebocontrolled, double-blinded, and randomized study, and separated into two groups: the placebo group (PG, n = 50); and the ubiquinol group (UG, n = 50), supplemented with an oral dose. Before and after the intervention, data related to the number of repetitions, muscle strength, and perceived exertion, as well as blood samples were collected. An increase was observed in the UG regarding average load and repetitions, revealing an improvement in muscle performance. Ubiquinol supplementation also reduced muscle damage markers, showing a protective effect on muscle fibers. Therefore, this study provides evidence that ubiquinol supplementation improves muscle performance and prevents muscle damage after strenuous exercise in a population of well-trained individuals who are not elite athletes.FPU contract with grant reference FPU21/04865Ministry of Education of Spai

Graphics Processing Unit–Enhanced Genetic Algorithms for Solving the Temporal Dynamics of Gene Regulatory Networks

Understanding the regulation of gene expression is one of the key problems in current biology. A promising method for that purpose is the determination of the temporal dynamics between known initial and ending network states, by using simple acting rules. The huge amount of rule combinations and the nonlinear inherent nature of the problem make genetic algorithms an excellent candidate for finding optimal solutions. As this is a computationally intensive problem that needs long runtimes in conventional architectures for realistic network sizes, it is fundamental to accelerate this task. In this article, we study how to develop efficient parallel implementations of this method for the fine-grained parallel architecture of graphics processing units (GPUs) using the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) platform. An exhaustive and methodical study of various parallel genetic algorithm schemes—master-slave, island, cellular, and hybrid models, and various individual selection methods (roulette, elitist)—is carried out for this problem. Several procedures that optimize the use of the GPU’s resources are presented. We conclude that the implementation that produces better results (both from the performance and the genetic algorithm fitness perspectives) is simulating a few thousands of individuals grouped in a few islands using elitist selection. This model comprises 2 mighty factors for discovering the best solutions: finding good individuals in a short number of generations, and introducing genetic diversity via a relatively frequent and numerous migration. As a result, we have even found the optimal solution for the analyzed gene regulatory network (GRN). In addition, a comparative study of the performance obtained by the different parallel implementations on GPU versus a sequential application on CPU is carried out. In our tests, a multifold speedup was obtained for our optimized parallel implementation of the method on medium class GPU over an equivalent sequential single-core implementation running on a recent Intel i7 CPU. This work can provide useful guidance to researchers in biology, medicine, or bioinformatics in how to take advantage of the parallelization on massively parallel devices and GPUs to apply novel metaheuristic algorithms powered by nature for real-world applications (like the method to solve the temporal dynamics of GRNs)

Circulating miR-320a as a Predictive Biomarker for Left Ventricular Remodelling in STEMI Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Restoration of epicardial coronary blood flow, achieved by early reperfusion with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), is the guideline recommended to treat patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, despite successful blood restoration, increasing numbers of patients develop left ventricular adverse remodelling (LVAR) and heart failure. Therefore, reliable prognostic biomarkers for LVAR in STEMI are urgently needed. Our aim was to investigate the role of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) and their association with LVAR in STEMI patients following the PPCI procedure. We analysed the expression of circulating miRNAs in blood samples of 56 patients collected at admission and after revascularization (at 3, 6, 12 and 24 h). The associations between miRNAs and left ventricular end diastolic volumes at 6 months were estimated to detect LVAR. miRNAs were also analysed in samples isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and human myocardium of failing hearts. Kinetic analysis of miRNAs showed a fast time-dependent increase in miR-133a, miR-133b, miR-193b, miR-499, and miR-320a in STEMI patients compared to controls. Moreover, the expression of miR-29a, miR-29b, miR-324, miR-208, miR-423, miR-522, and miR-545 was differentially expressed even before PPCI in STEMI. Furthermore, the increase in circulating miR-320a and the decrease in its expression in PBMCs were significantly associated with LVAR and correlated with the expression of miR-320a in human failing myocardium from ischaemic origin. In conclusion, we determined the time course expression of new circulating miRNAs in patients with STEMI treated with PPCI and we showed that miR-320a was positively associated with LVAR