Paying for Biodiversity Conservation Services in Agricultural Landscapes

Adoption of improved silvopastoral practices in degraded pasture areas is thought to provide valuable local and global environmental benefits, including biodiversity conservation, However, these practices are insufficiently attractive to individual land users for them to adopt them spontaneously, particularly due to their high initial costs. This paper describes the contract mechanism developed for the Regional Integrated Silvopastoral Ecosystem Management Project, which is being implemented with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project is testing the use of the payment-for-service mechanism to encourage the adoption of silvopastoral practices in three countries of Central and South America: Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. The project has created a mechanism that pays land users for the global environmental services they are generating, so that the additional income stream makes the proposed practices privately profitable. Designing the mechanism required addressing issues such as (1) measuring the actual amount of environmental services being provided, so that appropriate payments can be made; (2) providing payments in a way that resulted in the desired change in land use; and (3) avoiding the creation of perverse incentives (for example, for land users to cut down existing trees so as to qualify for additional payments for tree planting). Two variants of the proposed payment mechanism are being tested, with participating land users assigned randomly to one or the other. The project also includes extensive monitoring of the effectiveness of each mechanism in stimulating adoption of the proposed measures and of the resulting impact on environmental services and on household welfare. These features, together with the three-country approach, will provide in the coming years a very rich dataset for testing the use of contract mechanisms for biodiversity conservation.Payments for Environmental Services, Contract design, Biodiversity, Conservation, Silvopastoral, Agroforestry

Contribución al conocimiento de los Calliphoridae y Sarcophagidae sarcosaprófagos presentes en un agrosistema del sureste de la Península Ibérica

Se presenta un listado de 11 especies de Calliphoridae y Sarcophagidae capturados en la estación Biológica Torretes situada en el término municipal de Ibi y colindante con el Parque Natural del Carrascal de la Font Roja, al norte de la provincia de Alicante. Los ejemplares fueron obtenidos tras un muestreo de 72 horas mediante el empleo de diversas trampas cebadas con hígado de cerdo y carcasas de pollo evisceradas, en una zona de pinar y en una zona soleada de cultivo. También se indica la distribución actualizada de las especies capturadas en España y una síntesis sobre los aspectos más importantes sobre su bionomía.A list of 11 species of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae captured at Torretes Biological Station located in the town of Ibi and adjacent to the Natural Park of Font Roja in the north of the province of Alicante is presented. The specimens were obtained over a 72 hours sampling by baited traps with pork liver and eviscerated chicken carcasses in a pine forest area and in a crop sunny area. The current distribution of the species captured in Spain, and a summary of the most important aspects of their bionomics is also detailed.Este trabajo ha sido apoyado por el Progama Alßan, (Programa de Becas de Alto Nivel para América Latina, No. E06D101359VE) y parcialmente financiado por los proyectos GV/2011/039 (Generalitat Valenciana) y GRE09-27 (Universidad de Alicante)

Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) (Diptera, Calliphoridae) A new forensic indicator to south-western Europe

Protophormia terraenovae larvae are found frequently on corpses in central and northern Europe but are scarce in the Mediterranean area. We present the first case in the Iberian Peninsula where P. terraenovae was captured during autopsies in Madrid (Spain). In the corpse other necrophagous flies were found, Lucilia sericata, Chrysomya albiceps and Sarcophaga argyrostoma. To calculate the posmortem interval, the life cycle of P. terraenovae was studied at constant temperature, room laboratory and natural fluctuating conditions. The total developmental time was 16.61±0.09 days, 16.75±4.99 days in the two first cases. In natural conditions, developmental time varied between 31.22±0.07 days (average temperature: 15.6oC), 15.58±0.08 days (average temperature: 21.5oC) and 14.9±0.10 days (average temperature: 23.5oC). Forensic importance and the implications of other necrophagous Diptera presence is also discussed.Las larvas de Protophormia terraenovae se encuentran con frecuencia asociadas a cadáveres en el centro y norte de Europa pero son raras en el área Mediterránea. Presentamos el primer caso en la Península Ibérica donde se han recolectado larvas de P. terraenovae en autopsias efectuadas en Madrid (Spain). Otras especies necrófagas fueron recolectadas del cadáver, Lucilia sericata, Chrysomya albiceps y Sarcophaga argyrostoma. Para estimar el intervalo postmortem, se estudió el ciclo biológico de P. terraenovae a temperatura constante, en condiciones de laboratorio y bajo condiciones naturales variables. El tiempo total de desarrollo fue 16.61±0.09 días, 16.75±4.99 días para los dos primeros casos. En condiciones naturales, el tiempo total de desarrollo varió entre 31.22±0.07 días (temperatura media: 15.6oC), 15.58±0.08 días (temperatura media: 21.5oC) y 14.9±0.10 días (temperatura media: 23.5oC). Se discuten tanto la importancia forense como las implicaciones de otros dípteros necrófagos presentes en el estudio.Partial financial support was partially provided by the European Commission [LIFE05 ENV/E/000302], University of Alicante [GRE09-27] and the Regional Ministry of the Generalitat Valenciana [GV/2011/039]

Controlled mixed fermentation at winery scale using Zygotorulaspora florentina and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Over the last few years the use of multi-starter inocula has become an attractive biotechnological practice in the search for winewith high flavour complexity or distinctive characters. This has been possible through exploiting the particular oenological features of somenon-Saccharomyces yeast strains, and the effects that derive fromtheir specific interactions with Saccharomyces. In the present study, we evaluated the selected strain Zygotorulaspora florentina (formerly Zygosaccharomyces florentinus) in mixed culture fermentations with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, from the laboratory scale to the winery scale. The scale-up fermentation and substrate composition (i.e., white or red musts) influenced the analytical composition of the mixed fermentation. At the laboratory scale, mixed fermentation with Z. florentina exhibited an enhancement of polysaccharides and 2-phenylethanol content and a reduction of volatile acidity. At the winery scale, different fermentation characteristics of Z. florentina were observed. Using Sangiovese red grape juice, sequential fermentation trials showed a significantly higher concentration of glycerol and esters while the sensorial analysis of the resulting wines showed higher floral notes and lower perception of astringency. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this yeasts association has been evaluated at the winery scale indicating the potential use of this mixed culture in red grape varietie

The Economic Burden of Biological Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Practice: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Sub-Cutaneous Anti-TNFα Treatment in Italian Patients:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with a prevalence of 0.46%, is found in about 272,004 patients in Italy. The socioeconomic cost of rheumatoid arthritis in Italy in 2002 has been estimated at €1,600 million. Cost-effectiveness evaluations have been based on the concept that, with treatment, patients will not progress to the next level(s) of disease severity or will take a longer time to progress, thus avoiding or delaying the high costs and low utility associated with more severe disease. Many cost-effective studies have been based on the variation of Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) in clinical trials. The objective of this study is to perform a cost-effective analysis of 86 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in therapy with adalimumab 40 mg every other week and etanercept 50 mg/week for two years in a population of patients observed in clinical practice. The group of patients in therapy with adalimumab had also taken methotrexate, mean dose 12.4±2.5 mg/week (22 patients) or leflunomide 20 mg/day (16 patients). The group of patients in therapy with etanercept had also taken methotrexate, mean dose 11.7±2.6 mg/week (24 patients) or leflunomide 20 mg/day (24 patients). Incremental costs and QALYs (quality adjusted life years) gains are calculated compared with baseline, assuming that without biologic treatment patients would remain at the baseline level through the year. Conversion HAQ scores to utility were based on the Bansback algorithm. The results after two years showed: in the group methotrexate+adalimumab the QALY gained was 0.62±0.15 with a treatment cost of €26,517.62 and a QALY/cost of €42,521.13. In the group methotrexate+etanercept the QALY gained was 0.64±0.26 with a treatment cost of €25,020.96 and a QALY/cost of €39,171.76. The result of using etanercept in association with methotrexate is cost-effectiveness with a QALY gained under the acceptable threshold of €50,000. These are important data for discussion from an economic point of view when we choose a biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice

Potential spoilage non- Saccharomyces yeasts in mixed cultures with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

With the aim of exploring the possibility to improve wine quality through the utilization of wine-related yeasts generally considered as spoilage, mixed cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with Hanseniaspora osmophila, Pichia fermentans, Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii were inoculated in grape juice. All the fermentations got to completion and most of the compounds normally produced at high concentrations by pure cultures of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, and considered detrimental for wine quality, did not reach the threshold taste level in mixed fermentations with S. cerevisiae. Interestingly, the association of S. cerevisiae with P. fermentans, S. ludwigii and Z. bailii produced significant increases in the production of polysaccharides as compared to pure cultures of S. cerevisiae. Since polysaccharides improve wine taste and body, and exert positive effects on aroma persistence and protein and tartrate stability, a possible use for these yeasts can be envisaged in mixed starter cultures with S. cerevisiae for the enhancement of the final quality of wine

High-intensity exercise training induces morphological and biochemical changes in skeletal muscles

IN THE PRESENT STUDY WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF TWO DIFFERENT EXERCISE PROTOCOLS ON FIBRE COMPOSITION AND METABOLISM OF TWO SPECIFIC MUSCLES OF MICE: the quadriceps and the gastrocnemius. Mice were run daily on a motorized treadmill, at a velocity corresponding to 60% or 90% of the maximal running velocity. Blood lactate and body weight were measured during exercise training. We found that at the end of training the body weight significantly increased in high-intensity exercise mice compared to the control group (P=0.0268), whereas it decreased in low-intensity exercise mice compared to controls (P=0.30). In contrast, the food intake was greater in both trained mice compared to controls (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001 for low-intensity and high-intensity exercise mice, respectively). These effects were accompanied by a progressive reduction in blood lactate levels at the end of training in both the exercised mice compared with controls (P=0.03 and P < 0.0001 for low-intensity and high-intensity exercise mice, respectively); in particular, blood lactate levels after high-intensity exercise were significantly lower than those measured in low-intensity exercise mice (P=0.0044). Immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that high-intensity exercise training produced a significant increase in the expression of mitochondrial enzymes contained within gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles. These changes were associated with an increase in the amount of slow fibres in both these muscles of high-intensity exercise mice, as revealed by the counts of slow fibres stained with specific antibodies (P < 0.0001 for the gastrocnemius; P=0.0002 for the quadriceps). Our results demonstrate that high-intensity exercise, in addition to metabolic changes consisting of a decrease in blood lactate and body weight, induces an increase in the mitochondrial enzymes and slow fibres in different skeletal muscles of mice, which indicates an exercise-induced increase in the aerobic metabolism

Phi-Net: Deep Residual Learning for InSAR Parameters Estimation

Nowadays, deep learning (DL) finds application in a large number of scientific fields, among which the estimation and the enhancement of signals disrupted by the noise of different natures. In this article, we address the problem of the estimation of the interferometric parameters from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. In particular, we combine convolutional neural networks together with the concept of residual learning to define a novel architecture, named Phi-Net, for the joint estimation of the interferometric phase and coherence. Phi-Net is trained using synthetic data obtained by an innovative strategy based on the theoretical modeling of the physics behind the SAR acquisition principle. This strategy allows the network to generalize the estimation problem with respect to: 1) different noise levels; 2) the nature of the imaged target on the ground; and 3) the acquisition geometry. We then analyze the Phi-Net performance on an independent data set of synthesized interferometric data, as well as on real InSAR data from the TanDEM-X and Sentinel-1 missions. The proposed architecture provides better results with respect to state-of-the-art InSAR algorithms on both synthetic and real test data. Finally, we perform an application-oriented study on the retrieval of the topographic information, which shows that Phi-Net is a strong candidate for the generation of high-quality digital elevation models at a resolution close to the one of the original single-look complex data

Febrile rhabdomyolysis of unknown origin in refugees coming from West Africa through the Mediterranean

Abstract Objectives Cases of undiagnosed severe febrile rhabdomyolysis in refugees coming from West Africa, mainly from Nigeria, has been observed since May 2014. The aim of this study was to describe this phenomenon. Methods This was a multicentre retrospective observational study of cases of febrile rhabdomyolysis reported from May 2014 to December 2016 in 12 Italian centres. Results A total of 48 cases were observed, mainly in young males. The mean time interval between the day of departure from Libya and symptom onset was 26.2 days. An average 8.3 further days elapsed before medical care was sought. All patients were hospitalized with fever and very intense muscle aches. Creatine phosphokinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase values were abnormal in all cases. The rhabdomyolysis was ascribed to an infective agent in 16 (33.3%) cases. In the remaining cases, the aetiology was undefined. Four out of seven patients tested had sickle cell trait. No alcohol abuse or drug intake was reported, apart from a single reported case of khat ingestion. Conclusions The long incubation period does not support a mechanical cause of rhabdomyolysis. Furthermore, viral infections such as those caused by coxsackievirus are rarely associated with such a severe clinical presentation. It is hypothesized that other predisposing conditions like genetic factors, unknown infections, or unreported non-conventional remedies may be involved. Targeted surveillance of rhabdomyolysis cases is warranted