Dynamic modelling of the potential habitat loss of endangered species: the case of the Canarian houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata fuerteventurae)

In this work, we apply a dynamic modelling approach to analyse the habitat loss of the Canarian houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata fuerteventurae). This tool allows us to assess the effects of the socio-economic and environmental interactions on the factors threatening the habitat and to carry out a prospective analysis. The results show a potential habitat loss of around 13 % during the period 1996–2011, the land uptake and increase in new roads and tracks being the factors contributing most. After model testing, a set of scenarios was explored. Under the business as usual (BAU) scenario, around 20 % of the habitat would be lost by the end of the period considered (2012–2025). The impact of the economic growth scenario on the habitat would mean an additional loss of around 21 % with respect to BAU, whereas under the recession scenario, the loss might be around 6.5 % lower than BAU. The policy of restoration of gavias—traditional farming systems—would suppose an additional loss of almost 6 %, relative to BAU. If this policy took place under economic growth conditions, it might mean an additional loss of almost 28 % relative to BAU. These results point to the existence of a potential trade-off between the recuperation of ecosystem services offered by restored gavias and the conservation of the houbara habitat, which must be addressed within the management processes, as well as to the need for compensatory measures to guarantee the conservation goals

Opioid pain medication prescription for chronic pain in primary care centers: the roles of pain acceptance, pain intensity, depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, sex, and age

Background: Psychological factors of patients may influence physicians’ decisions on prescribing opioid analgesics. However, few studies have sought to identify these factors. The present study had a double objective: (1) To identify the individual factors that differentiate patients who had been prescribed opioids for the management of chronic back pain from those who had not been prescribed opioids and (2) to determine which factors make significant and independent contributions to the prediction of opioid prescribing. Methods: A total of 675 patients from four primary care centers were included in the sample. Variables included sex, age, pain intensity, depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, and pain acceptance. Results: Although no differences were found between men and women, participants with chronic noncancer pain who were prescribed opioids were older, reported higher levels of pain intensity and depressive symptoms, and reported lower levels of pain-acceptance. An independent association was found between pain intensity and depressive symptoms and opioid prescribing. Conclusions: The findings suggest that patient factors influence physicians’ decisions on prescribing opioids. It may be useful for primary care physicians to be aware of the potential of these factors to bias their treatment decisions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Opposite trends in the consumption of manufactured and roll-your-own cigarettes in Spain (1991–2020)

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe trends in the consumption of manufactured and roll-your-own cigarettes between 1991 and 2012 in Spain, and to project these trends up to 2020. Methods: We estimated daily consumption per capita during 1991–2012 using data on sales of manufactured cigarettes (20-packs) and rolling tobacco (kg) from the Tobacco Market Commission, and using data of the Spanish adult population from the National Statistics Institute. We considered different weights (0.5, 0.8 and 1 g) to compute the number of rolled cigarettes per capita. We computed the annual per cent of change and assessed possible changes in trends using joinpoint regression, and projected the consumption up to 2020 using Bayesian methods. Results: Daily consumption per capita of manufactured cigarettes decreased on average by 3.0% per year in 1991–2012, from 7.6 to 3.8 units, with three trend changes. However, daily consumption per capita of roll-your-own cigarettes increased on average by 14.1% per year, from 0.07 to 0.92 units of 0.5 g, with unchanged trends. Together, daily consumption per capita decreased between 2.9% and 2.5%, depending on the weight of the roll-your-own cigarettes. Projections up to 2020 indicate a decrease of manufactured cigarettes (1.75 units per capita) but an increase of roll-your-own cigarettes (1.25 units per capita). Conclusions: While the consumption per capita of manufactured cigarettes has decreased in the past years in Spain, the consumption of roll-your-own cigarettes has increased at an annual rate around 14% over the past years. Whereas a net decrease in cigarette consumption is expected in the future, use of roll-your-own cigarettes will continue to increase

Validación de los datos de radiación solar UV del Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) a partir de medidas con base en tierra en la costa mediterránea

Revista oficial de la Asociación Española de Teledetección[EN] The erythemal UV daily dose (EDD) and the local noon UV Index (UVI) obtained from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), on board NASA’s Aura satellite, have been validated for the period 2005-2013 using ground based measurements at 5 different sites in the Mediterranean coast: Murcia, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Rome (where only measurements of the local noon UVI were available). Ground based measurements were made using YES UVB-1 radiometers in Murcia, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, and a Brewer MKIV 067 spectrophotometer in Rome. The results of the validation showed good agreement between the satellite instrument and the ground based measurements, although the OMI values overestimate the ground based measurements, being the difference between both types of measurements maximum during the spring and summer, and minimum during autumn and winter. The evolution of the EDD shows a clear seasonal behavior for all measuring sites for both, ground based and satellite data, with maximum values in summer (June and July) and minimum values in winter (December and January). A high percentage of cases (>80%) showed minimum differences (0-1 UVI units) between the UVI obtained by OMI and the UVI obtained by ground based instruments for all measuring sites. In every measuring site, high (6-7) or very high (8-10) UVI values are reached for a high percentage of the days of the analyzed period, but very few extreme (≥11) UVI values are reached. Guardar / Salir Siguiente >[ES] La Dosis Eritemática Diaria (EDD) y el Índice UV (UVI) al mediodía obtenidos con el Ozone Monitoring Ins-trument (OMI), a bordo del satélite Aura de la NASA, han sido validados para el periodo 2005-2013 utilizando medidas con base en tierra en 5 estaciones diferentes de la costa mediterránea: Murcia, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona y Roma (donde sólo se tienen medidas del UVI al mediodía). Las medidas con base en tierra fueron realizadas con radiómetros YES UVB-1 en Murcia, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca y Barcelona, y con un espectrofotómetro Brewer MKIV en Roma. La evolución de la EDD muestra un claro comportamiento estacional en todas las localidades, tanto para los datos de suelo como para los satelitales, con valores máximos en verano (junio y julio) y valores mínimos en invierno (diciembre y enero). Los resultados de la validación muestran una buena correlación entre los datos satelitales y las medidas con base en tierra, aunque las del OMI sobreestiman las de los instrumentos de suelo. Las diferencias entre ambos conjuntos de medidas es máxima para los meses de primavera y verano y mínima en los meses de otoño e invierno. Un elevado porcentaje de casos(>80%) presenta diferencias mínimas (0 ó 1 unidades) entre el UVI obtenido con el OMI y el obtenido con los instrumentos de suelo para todas las estaciones de medida. En todas ellas se alcanzan valores del UVI altos (6-7) o muy altos (8-10) en un elevado porcentaje de los días del periodo analizado, pero apenas se alcanzan valores del UVI extremos (≥11)Este trabajo ha sido financiando por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) a través de los proyectos CGL2015-64785R y CGL2015-70432R, y por la Generalitat Valenciana a través del proyecto PROMETEUII/2014/058. La colaboración de F. Marchetti fue posible gracias a una beca Erasmus de la Unión Europea. También queremos agradecer a los científicos de la misión OMI y al personal de la NASA por la obtención de los datos utilizados en este trabajo.Marchetti, F.; Esteve, AR.; Siani, AM.; Martínez-Lozano, JA.; Utrillas, MP. (2016). Validation of UV solar radiation data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with ground based measurements on the Mediterranean coast. Revista de Teledetección. (47):13-22. https://doi.org/10.4995/raet.2016.5679SWORD132247Antón, M., Cachorro, V. E., Vilaplana, J. M., Toledano, C., Krotkov, N. A., Arola, A., … de la Morena, B. (2010). Comparison of UV irradiances from Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with Brewer measurements at El Arenosillo (Spain) – Part 1: Analysis of parameter influence. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 10(13), 5979-5989. doi:10.5194/acp-10-5979-2010Berger, D. S., & Urbach, F. (1982). A CLIMATOLOGY OF SUNBURNING ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 35(2), 187-192. doi:10.1111/j.1751-1097.1982.tb03830.xBuchard, V., Brogniez, C., Auriol, F., Bonnel, B., Lenoble, J., Tanskanen, A., … Veefkind, P. (2008). Comparison of OMI ozone and UV irradiance data with ground-based measurements at two French sites. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 8(16), 4517-4528. doi:10.5194/acp-8-4517-2008Cachorro, V. E., Toledano, C., Antón, M., Berjón, A., de Frutos, A., Vilaplana, J. M., … Krotkov, N. A. (2010). Comparison of UV irradiances from Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with Brewer measurements at El Arenosillo (Spain) – Part 2: Analysis of site aerosol influence. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 10(23), 11867-11880. doi:10.5194/acp-10-11867-2010Casale, G. R., Meloni, D., Miano, S., Palmieri, S., Siani, A. M., & Cappellani, F. (2000). Solar UV-B irradiance and total ozone in Italy: Fluctuations and trends. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 105(D4), 4895-4901. doi:10.1029/1999jd900303Diffey, B. L. (1982). The consistency of studies of ultraviolet erythema in normal human skin. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 27(5), 715-720. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/27/5/006Diffey, B. L. (1998). Ultraviolet radiation and human health. Clinics in Dermatology, 16(1), 83-89. doi:10.1016/s0738-081x(97)00172-7Gallagher, R. P., & Lee, T. K. (2006). Adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation: A brief review. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 92(1), 119-131. doi:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2006.02.011Gröbner, J., Schreder, J., Kazadzis, S., Bais, A. F., Blumthaler, M., Görts, P., … Rembges, D. (2005). Traveling reference spectroradiometer for routine quality assurance of spectral solar ultraviolet irradiance measurements. Applied Optics, 44(25), 5321. doi:10.1364/ao.44.005321Ialongo, I., Casale, G. R., & Siani, A. M. (2008). Comparison of total ozone and erythemal UV data from OMI with ground-based measurements at Rome station. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 8(12), 3283-3289. doi:10.5194/acp-8-3283-2008Levelt, P. F., van den Oord, G. H. J., Dobber, M. R., Malkki, A., Huib Visser, Johan de Vries, … Saari, H. (2006). The ozone monitoring instrument. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 44(5), 1093-1101. doi:10.1109/tgrs.2006.872333McKenzie, R. L., Matthews, W. A., & Johnston, P. V. (1991). The relationship between erythemal UV and ozone, derived from spectral irradiance measurements. Geophysical Research Letters, 18(12), 2269-2272. doi:10.1029/91gl02786Norval, M. (2001). Effects of solar radiation on the human immune system. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 63(1-3), 28-40. doi:10.1016/s1011-1344(01)00200-7Norval, M. (2006). The mechanisms and consequences of ultraviolet-induced immunosuppression. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 92(1), 108-118. doi:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2006.02.009Tanskanen, A., Lindfors, A., Määttä, A., Krotkov, N., Herman, J., Kaurola, J., … Tamminen, J. (2007). Validation of daily erythemal doses from Ozone Monitoring Instrument with ground-based UV measurement data. Journal of Geophysical Research, 112(D24). doi:10.1029/2007jd00883

Study of the correlation between columnar aerosol burden, suspended matter at ground and chemical components in a background European environment

Although routinely monitored by ground based air quality networks, the particulate matter distribution could be eventually better described with remote sensing techniques. However, valid relationships between ground level and columnar ground based quantities should be known beforehand. In this study we have performed a comparison between particulate matter measurements at ground level at different cut sizes (10, 2.5 and 1.0 mm), and the aerosol optical depth obtained by means of a ground based sunphotometer during a multiinstrumental field campaign held in El Arenosillo (Huelva, Spain) from 28 June to 4 July 2006. All the PM fractions were very well correlated with AOD with correlation coefficients that ranged from 0.71 to 0.81 for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1. Furthermore, the influence of the mixing layer height in the correlations was explored. The improvement in the correlation when the vertical distribution is taken into account was significant for days with a homogeneous mixing layer. Moreover, the chemical analysis of the individual size fractions allowed us to study the origin of the particulate matter. Secondary components were the most abundant and also well correlated in the three size fractions; but for PM10 fraction, chemical species related to marine origin were best correlated. Finally, we obtained a relationship between MODIS L3 AOD from collection 5.1 and the three PM cut sizes. In spite of being a relatively clean environment, all the techniques were able to capture similar day to day variations during this field campaign.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Aplicación de la Topología Molecular en la búsqueda de nuevos agentes activos frente a Leishmania

A topological-mathematical model has been arranged to search for new derivatives of 3,5-dinitrobenzene sulphonamide and/or benzamide, active against L. donovani. By using linear discriminant analysis as well as multilinear regression, a model capable to identify the activity of 90% of the analyzed compounds has been achieved. After carrying out a virtual screening based upon such a model, new structures potentially active against the parasite are proposed.Key Words: Leishmania, Linear discriminant analysis, Multilinear regression analysis, topological descriptors.Se ha desarrollado un modelo topológico-matemático encaminado a buscar nuevos compuestos derivados del 3,5 dinitrobenceno sulfonamida y/o benzamida activos frente a Leishmania. Utilizando el análisis lineal discriminante y el análisis de regresión multilineal se ha obtenido un modelo capaz de identificar la actividad del 90% de los compuestos estudiados. Tras realizar un barrido virtual se proponen nuevas estructuras potencialmente activas frente a L. donovani.Palabras clave: Leishmania, Análisis lineal discriminante, Análisis de regresión multilineal, índices topológicos

Radon and material radiopurity assessment for the NEXT double beta decay experiment

The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT), intended to investigate the neutrinoless double beta decay using a high-pressure xenon gas TPC filled with Xe enriched in 136Xe at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in Spain, requires ultra-low background conditions demanding an exhaustive control of material radiopurity and environmental radon levels. An extensive material screening process is underway for several years based mainly on gamma-ray spectroscopy using ultra-low background germanium detectors in Canfranc but also on mass spectrometry techniques like GDMS and ICPMS. Components from shielding, pressure vessel, electroluminescence and high voltage elements and energy and tracking readout planes have been analyzed, helping in the final design of the experiment and in the construction of the background model. The latest measurements carried out will be presented and the implication on NEXT of their results will be discussed. The commissioning of the NEW detector, as a first step towards NEXT, has started in Canfranc; in-situ measurements of airborne radon levels were taken there to optimize the system for radon mitigation and will be shown too.Comment: Proceedings of the Low Radioactivity Techniques 2015 workshop (LRT2015), Seattle, March 201