El paisaje agrícola como patrimonio cultural: bases legales para un análisis crítico

Coming the 20th century to an end the landscape is recognized as cultural heritage, because of its development as a human – nature interplay, being the agriculture the earliest and most significant statement of this interplay. This article shows an analysis of the concept of agricultural landscape and its legal regulation from a critical point of view, highlighting its weaknesses and difficulties both as a natural, ethnographic or mixed element while pointing out the lines of interference with the legal system and the private propriety.Desde finales del S.XX se introduce del paisaje como elemento del patrimonio cultural, como expresión de la interacción hombre-naturaleza, y una de las manifestaciones más antiguas y trascendentes de esa interacción es la agricultura. Se analiza el concepto de paisaje agrícola como paisaje cultural y su regulación legal, desde un punto de vista crítico, destacando sus carencias y dificultades, tanto como elemento natural, etnográfico y mixto y marcando las líneas de injerencia con el régimen jurídico general de la propiedad privada

Genetic purging in captive endangered ungulates with extremely low effective population sizes

Inbreeding threatens the survival of small populations by producing inbreeding depression, but also exposes recessive deleterious effects in homozygosis allowing for genetic purging. Using inbreeding-purging theory, we analyze early survival in four pedigreed captive breeding programs of endangered ungulates where population growth was prioritized so that most adult females were allowed to contribute offspring according to their fitness. We find evidence that purging can substantially reduce inbreeding depression in Gazella cuvieri (with effective population size Ne = 14) and Nanger dama (Ne = 11). No purging is detected in Ammotragus lervia (Ne = 4), in agreement with the notion that drift overcomes purging under fast inbreeding, nor in G. dorcas (Ne = 39) where, due to the larger population size, purging is slower and detection is expected to require more generations. Thus, although smaller populations are always expected to show smaller fitness (as well as less adaptive potential) than larger ones due to higher homozygosis and deleterious fixation, our results show that a substantial fraction of their inbreeding load and inbreeding depression can be purged when breeding contributions are governed by natural selection. Since management strategies intended to maximize the ratio from the effective to the actual population size tend to reduce purging, the search for a compromise between these strategies and purging could be beneficial in the long term. This could be achieved either by allowing some level of random mating and some role of natural selection in determining breeding contributions, or by undertaking reintroductions into the wild at the earliest opportunity

Eulàlia Pérez, presidenta de la FECYT

Eulàlia Pérez és, possiblement, una de les dones més actives de la ciència a Espanya. És vicepresidenta i cofundadora de AMIT (Associació de Dones Investigadores i Tecnòlogues), i ha realitzat i dirigit nombroses investigacions sobre ciència i valors, i sobre ciència, tecnologia i gènere. Al novembre, va intervenir al I Congrés Internacional "Biaix de gènere i desigualtats en l'avaluació de la qualitat acadèmica", que va organitzar l'Observatori per la Igualtat de la UAB, del 12 al 14 de novembre. En aquesta entrevista, repassem amb ella les bases de la desigualtat de gènere en l'àmbit de la ciència i la tecnologia i l'estat de la investigació a Espanya.Licenciada y doctora en Filosofía por la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, es catedrática de Lógica y de Filosofía de la Ciencia de la Universidad del País Vasco y profesora de Ciencia, Tecnología y Género en el Instituto de Filosofía del CSIC. También ha sido profesora de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, la Universidad de Barcelona, la Universidad de Cambridge (Reino Unido) y la Universidad de Berkeley (EEUU). Desde 2006 es directora de la Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT) del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. Eulalia Pérez intervino en el I Congreso Internacional "Sesgo de género y desigualdades en la evaluación de la calidad académica", que organizó del 12 al 14 de noviembre el Observatorio para la Igualdad de la UAB.A graduate in Philosophy and doctor of Philosophy from the Universitat Autònoma de Madrid, Eulalia Pèrez is professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of the Basque Country and lecturer in Science, Technology and Gender at the Institute of Philosophy of CSIC. She has also lectured at the Complutense University in Madrid, the University of Barcelona, the University of Cambridge (UK) and the University of Berkeley (USA). Since 2006 she has held the post of director of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) part of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. Eulàlia Pérez spoke at the First International Congress on "Gender bias and inequalities in the assessment of academic quality", which was organised by the UAB Observatory for Equality from 12 to 14 November 2007. In this interview, we review with her the basis of gender inequality in the field of science and technology

A funnel trap for the capture of tits

Les trampes túnel poden capturar molts ocells i aquests generalment no pateixen cap dels biaxos associats al mètode de captura (evitar ser capturats, o tenir una tendència a ser cada cop més capturat). Én aquest treball es descriu una trampa túnel modificada i es testa la seva eficiència. La trampa va capturar principalment mallerengues, però també va capturar altres espècies com pica-soques blau, pit-roig, pardal comú i gaig. La trampa va capturar més de dues vegades més les mallerengues capturades en xarxes japoneses amb menjar. A més, es pot usar en qualsevol tipus de condicions meteorològiques i és molt fàcil d'instal·lar i produeix captures al voltant del 100%. Es van trobar diferències significatives en el nombre de captures mensuals de mallerengues carboneres capturades fins a migdia i per trampa, amb un màxim de captures el juliol-agost, i el mínim al novembre-desembre. L'alt índex de captura al juliol-agost és deu a la presència de joves de mallerenga carbonera. Es revisen els biaxos potencials de les mostres aconseguides amb la trampa túnel en referència a la bibliografia disponible

Non-isothermal sintering of powdered vitrified composites. A kinetic model

This report sets out the results obtained on studying the sintering process of glass–zircon composites, analysing the microstructural changes that developed on modifying zircon content. The sintering of composites with moderate zircon contents only developed via particle rearrangement by viscous flow. In contrast, at high zircon contents, the zircon solution–reprecipitation process was also required. A kinetic model was developed and validated that describes the effect of the heating rate and zircon volume fraction on the composite degree of non-isothermal sintering progress associated with particle rearrangement by viscous flow

Structure de la végétation en hêtraies-sapinières : effets sur le peuplement d’oiseaux

Vegetation structure and composition, and parameters of the bird community (richness and abundance) were studied in managed beech-fir forests in Navarre (Spain). Relationships between bird parameters and vegetation variables differed in different avian nesting guilds. Whereas secondary cavitynesting bird parameters were not significantly related to any vegetation variable, both richness and abundance of bird species that do not rely on existing holes for breeding increased with the proportion of fir trees, but only in the breeding season. Nest-site selection might be the key factor behind this relationship, since firs would provide more suitable nest-sites than beeches for these species, perhaps because beech leaves are not fully developed early in the breeding season. Moreover, during the winter season richness of birds that do not rely on existing holes for breeding was positively related to the percentage of shrub cover. Although this result should be considered with caution, protection from adverse weather conditions or predation might explain this relationshipEntre mai 2001 et mars 2002, la structure et la composition de la végétation, ainsi que les paramètres de la communauté d'oiseaux (richesse et abondance) dans les forêts mixtes entretenues de hêtres et de sapins (Fagus sylvatica - Abies alba) de Navarre (nord de l'Espagne) ont fait l'objet d'une étude. Les relations entre les paramètres des oiseaux et les variables de la végétation différaient entre divers groupes d'oiseaux en fonction de leurs habitudes de nidification. Les paramètres des oiseaux utilisant les trous d'arbre pour nicher n'ont montré aucune relation avec les variables de la végétation ; en revanche l'abondance tout comme la richesse des espèces ne dépendant pas des trous d'arbre pour se reproduire affichaient une relation positive avec la proportion de sapins, mais uniquement en période de reproduction. Cette relation pourrait s'expliquer par la sélection du lieu de nidification, les sapins offrant des lieux plus appropriés à la nidification que les hêtres pour ce groupe d'oiseaux, peut-être parce que les feuilles des hêtres ne sont pas entièrement développées au début de la saison de reproduction. En outre, en hiver la richesse des espèces ne dépendant pas des trous d'arbre pour nicher était en relation positive avec la proportion d'arbustes. Bien que ce résultat doive être interprété avec prudence, la protection vis-à-vis des conditions météorologiques défavorables ou les prédateurs pourrait expliquer cette relation

Mortality due to non-AIDS-defining cancers among people living with HIV in Spain over 18 years of follow-up

Cancer; HIV; MortalityCáncer; VIH; MortalidadCàncer: VIH; MortalitatPurpose Our aim was to describe non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADC) mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH), to compare it with that of the general population, and to assess potential risk factors. Methods We included antiretroviral-naive PLWH from the multicentre CoRIS cohort (2004–2021). We estimated mortality rates and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). We used cause-specific Cox models to identify risk factors. Results Among 17,978 PLWH, NADC caused 21% of all deaths observed during the follow-up. Mortality rate due to NADC was 1.58 (95%CI 1.36, 1.83) × 1000 person-years and lung and liver were the most frequent cancer-related causes of death. PLWH had 79% excess NADC mortality risk compared to the general population with the highest SMR found for Hodgkin lymphoma, anal and liver cancers. The SMRs decreased with age and were the highest in age groups under 50 years. The most important prognostic factor was low CD4 count, followed by smoking, viral hepatitis and HIV transmission through heterosexual contact or injection drug use. Conclusion Non-AIDS cancers are an important cause of death among PLWH. The excess mortality related to certain malignancies and the association with immunodeficiency, smoking, and coinfections highlights the need for early detection and treatment of cancer in this population.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was supported by CIBER -Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red- (CB21/13/00091), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Unión Europea – NextGenerationEU, the Gilead Scholarship Program for Biomedical Research (GLD19_00106) and the ISCIII- Miguel Servet CP19CIII—00002 contract

Ardeola, a scientific journal of ornithology: cooperative survivorship within the red queen game

Editorial.-- et al.[EN]: Ardeola is the scientific journal of the Spanish Ornithological Society. We analyse historical changes in citation, topics and foreign authorship of articles published in Ardeola from its first publication in 1954 up to last year, 2015, to test to what extent the persistence of the journal during the last 61 years has been due to support of authors, Society members, readers, editors or the whole ornithological community. Analyses were done within the context of the Red Queen game played by scientific journals competing for the best and more cited articles. The impact factor of Ardeola has increased from 1985 onwards both in absolute and relative terms. Thematic changes have followed trends of the general ornithological literature, without the journal specialising in particular topics or geographical regions. Foreign authorship decreased from 1954 up to the end of the 20 century, subsequently increasing again, a trend fuelled by coverage by Current Contents and the JCR, the establishment of English as the language of publication and recent Internet access through the BioOne platform. Ardeola is a traditional scientific journal, backed by a scientific society, whose future will be guaranteed by a reputation for rigour and quality sought by authors, reviewers and editors, supported by the members of the Spanish Ornithological Society and retaining its original objective: 'to be a journal at the level of the best..., looking for a strong collaboration with foreign authors to promote the benefit of the Ornithology'.[ES]: Ardeola es la revista científica de la Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO/BirdLife). Analizamos los cambios históricos en citación, temática y contribución de autores extranjeros a los artículos publicados en Ardeola desde sus inicios en 1954 hasta el año pasado, 2015, con el objetivo de evaluar si el mantenimiento de la revista a lo largo de los últimos 61 años se ha debido al apoyo de los autores, de los miembros de SEO/BirdLife, de los lectores, de los editores de la revista, o de los ornitólogos en general. Los análisis de este mantenimiento se realizan en el contexto del juego de la reina roja en el que están implicadas las revistas científicas, que compiten por publicar los mejores artículos más citados. El factor de impacto de Ardeola ha aumentado desde 1985 en adelante, tanto en términos absolutos como relativos. En la actualidad es de 0,6–0,8, situándose en el tercer cuartil de las revistas de ornitología cubiertas por el Journal Citation Reports (JCR). Los cambios temáticos han seguido en general los del resto de la literatura ornitológica, sin especializarse en temas o áreas geográficas particulares. La proporción de autores extranjeros disminuyó desde 1954 hasta finales del siglo pasado, recuperándose a continuación a niveles del 30%–40%, una tendencia que sin duda se ha acelerado por la cobertura de Ardeola por Current Contents y el JCR, el establecimiento del inglés como idioma de publicación y el acceso reciente por Internet a través de BioOne. Ardeola es una revista científica clásica, sostenida por una sociedad científica, cuyo futuro será garantizado por el sello riguroso de calidad mantenido por autores, revisores y editores, y mantenido por los miembros de SEO/BirdLife con el mismo espíritu con el que fue creada in 1954: ‘para ser una revista del nivel de las mejores…, buscando una intensa colaboración con autores extranjeros para promover el beneficio de la Ornitología’.Peer Reviewe

Deployment of Solar Energy at the Expense of Conservation Sensitive Areas Precludes Its Classification as an Environmentally Sustainable Activity

Solar energy (SE) is essential for the decarbonization of our economy and for energetic transition. Solar energy can be a sustainable economic activity, as long as a balance is struck between the benefits it brings to climate change mitigation and the damage it can cause to biodiversity and ecosystems. Here, we study this balance in an area with high biodiversity under pressure for installation of numerous photovoltaic plants (PPs). Our results show that developers give priority to the cheapest land close to connection points, while other values (e.g., environmental, landscape) are secondary. The regulatory process carried out by the Administration does not ensure the preservation of natural values, as several PPs with a high impact on important conservation areas have been approved. Experts’ allegations provide quality information to the Administration to evaluate and demand changes to the projects presented. Such demands show that companies are willing to relocate plants to land occupied by olive groves. In this way, greater efficiency is achieved in land occupation, as well as shorter evacuation lines, water savings and a smaller environmental impact. Prior strategic territorial planning could have avoided the impact of PPs already built, made the deployment of new PPs compatible with biodiversity conservation, and contributed to improving the management of key resources, such as subway aquifers. The proposed regulatory changes to the environmental assessment procedure (exclusion of renewables and public participation from the procedure) are detrimental, as they will make SE unable to meet the requirements of the Taxonomy Regulation

Better Fitness in Captive Cuvier’s Gazelle despite Inbreeding Increase: Evidence of Purging?

Captive breeding of endangered species often aims at preserving genetic diversity and to avoid the harmful effects of inbreeding. However, deleterious alleles causing inbreeding depression can be purged when inbreeding persists over several generations. Despite its great importance both for evolutionary biology and for captive breeding programmes, few studies have addressed whether and to which extent purging may occur. Here we undertake a longitudinal study with the largest captive population of Cuvier's gazelle managed under a European Endangered Species Programme since 1975. Previous results in this population have shown that highly inbred mothers tend to produce more daughters, and this fact was used in 2006 to reach a more appropriate sex-ratio in this polygynous species by changing the pairing strategy (i.e., pairing some inbred females instead of keeping them as surplus individuals in the population). Here, by using studbook data we explore whether purging has occurred in the population by investigating whether after the change in pairing strategy a) inbreeding and homozygosity increased at the population level, b) fitness (survival) increased, and c) the relationship between inbreeding and juvenile survival, was positive. Consistent with the existence of purging, we found an increase in inbreeding coefficients, homozygosity and juvenile survival. In addition, we showed that in the course of the breeding programme the relationship between inbreeding and juvenile survival was not uniform but rather changed over time: it was negative in the early years, flat in the middle years and positive after the change in pairing strategy.We highlight that by allowing inbred individuals to mate in captive stocks we may favour sex-ratio bias towards females, a desirable managing strategy to reduce the surplus of males that force most zoos to use ethical culling and euthanizing management tools. We discuss these possibilities but also acknowledge that many other effects should be considered before implementing inbreeding and purging as elements in management decisions