Vulnerability of Spanish forests under climatic change: evaluation through models

Los bosques son ecosistemas fundamentales en la generación de servicios ecosistémicos y, por tanto, para el bienestar humano. El cambio global (incluyendo cambio climático y cambios en el uso del suelo) puede, sin embargo, alterar la dinámica y el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas, afectando al futuro suministro de servicios ecosistémicos. La vulnerabilidad frente al cambio global depende de la exposición (magnitud del cambio), la sensibilidad (susceptibilidad al cambio), y la capacidad de adaptación (habilidad para ajustarse al cambio) de las especies. En el presente trabajo presentamos diversas aproximaciones de modelización que permiten analizar los diferentes componentes de la vulnerabilidad, e incluimos ejemplos desarrollados para bosques de la península Ibérica. A pesar de estos avances, la evidencia empírica y teórica para integrar los impactos potenciales (i.e. incluyendo la exposición y la sensibilidad) y la capacidad de adaptación de las especies, es escasa. Por ello, para una adecuada evaluación sería necesario mejorar el conocimiento existente sobre la sensibilidad y capacidad de adaptación de las especies y su respuesta frente a cambios ambientales extremos (por ejemplo, mediante redes de seguimiento a largo plazo), integrando adecuadamente la información obtenida en modelos que incluyan procesos basados en diferentes niveles de organización biológica, desde procesos fisiológicos a modelos agregados de distribución de especies.Forest ecosystems contribute to human well-being providing critical ecosystem services. Global change (including climate and land-use changes), however, can alter ecosystem functioning and structure, even jeopardizing the future supply of ecosystem services. Vulnerability to global change depends on exposition (magnitude of the change), sensitivity (susceptibility to the change), and adaptive capacity (ability to adjust to the change) of the species. Here, we summarize diverse modeling approaches to analyze the different components of vulnerability, providing specific examples focused on Iberian forests. Despite of these advances, our empirical and theoretical ability to provide integrated assessments of potential impacts (i.e. including both exposition and sensitivity) of climate change and adaptive capacity is still very limited. An adequate estimation of vulnerability requires improving our knowledge about the adaptive capacity of species and their response to extreme environmental changes (e.g. through long-term monitoring networks), as well as integrating the knowledge obtained from models developed at different levels of biological organization, from physiological process-based models to aggregated species distribution models.Esta revisión ha sido financiada por el proyecto REMEDINAL-2 de la Comunidad de Madrid (S2009/AMB-1783) y el proyecto IN-2013-004 de The Leverhulme Trust

Experimental study of the performance of microtabs for load alleviation in wind turbines

The goal of this thesis is to carry out an experimental study of the performance of smart blades reducing extreme and/or cyclic loads for their use in wind turbines. First of all, theoretical research about wind turbines and smart blades was done. Some of this information is explained in the thesis in order to set the background and make it more readable and understandable (Chapters 1 to 3). At the same time, the available wind tunnel was studied, in order to know its characteristics, decide whether it was appropriate for the experiments that would take place, and make the improvements needed for better results (Chapter 4). The next step was to choose a blade profile that would fit well the requirements of the experiments and the manufacture of the set up. Besides, one of the possible smart devices had to be chosen according to its expected performance and its feasibility. It had to be taken into account the technologies and tools that could be used for the construction of the set up, and the characteristics of the set up itself. Therefore, the main features of the set up had to be thought at this point, even though the final design was not decided. Before starting the experiments, theoretical calculations were accomplished in order to have information to compare with the results that would be obtained. These calculations made also possible the choice of the measuring devices, and to have an approximate idea of the pressures that the blade would have to face (Chapter 5). By doing the calculations before, the materials and the design of the set up would be perfectly able to carry out the tests. After all the preceding work, the set up was defined and built (Chapter 6). It consisted in a GU25(5)8-11, a profile designed by the University of Glasgow that is quite thick, and has a CL graph quite linear. The core was made out of foam to make it light, and covered with fiberglass and epoxy, in order to give it stiffness. For the pressure readings, holes were drilled on its surface. These holes go into tubes that run inside the wing, and exit from one side to be connected with the desired pressure measuring device. The wing was mounted in a test section, with a controller for the angle of attack and a protractor. The accuracy of the controller was 0.1 degrees. The experiments (Chapter 7) consisted in measuring the pressure distribution over the wing with and without microtab for different angles of attack, with a solidity ratio of 100%. Also different speeds were tested, as the behavior of the profile changes extremely depending on the Reynolds number. Two different microtabs were tried, a metal cylinder of 2 mm of diameter, and a wooden rectangular prism with section of 2.5 x 4 mm, using the 4 mm as height. Besides, the microtab was placed in three different positions. Firstly, in order to study the load alleviation, microtabs were installed in the suction side at 90% and 95% of the chord. Secondly, they were also tested in the pressure side, at 95% of the chord, obtaining measurements of the lift enhancement produced by the device. This last position was tried in order to have a reference of the effect of microtabs in both sides.Ingeniería IndustrialIndustria Ingeniaritz

Optimization of the 2PRU-1PRS Parallel Manipulator Based on Workspace and Power Consumption Criteria

In the last few years, parallel manipulators are being increasingly studied and used for different applications. The performance of parallel manipulators is very sensitive to the geometric parameters, so it is essential to optimize them in order to obtain the desired function. We propose two optimization algorithms that consider the size and regularity of the workspace. The first one obtains the geometric parameters combination that results in the biggest and most regular workspace. The second method analyzes the geometric parameters combinations that result in an acceptable size of the workspace—even if it is not the biggest one—and finds out which ones result in the lowest power consumption. Even if the results vary depending on the application and trajectories studied, the proposed methodology can be followed to any type of parallel manipulator, application or trajectory. In this work we focus on the dimension optimization of the geometric parameters of the 2PRU-1PRS Multi-Axial Shaking Table (MAST) for automobile pieces testing purposes.This research was funded by the Regional Government of the Basque Country (IT949-16) and the Science and Innovation Ministry of the Spanish Government (PID2019-105262RB-I00)

Evolution of Culture on Patient Safety in the Clinical Setting of a Spanish Mutual Insurance Company: Observational Study between 2009 and 2017 Based on AHRQ Survey

Background: Patient safety (PS) is a key factor in reducing or even eradicating adverse incidents and events. Many health organizations promote strategies to improve PS, while also pointing out the importance of measuring it. For more than eight years, our institution has developed strategies focused on improving PS-culture among our personnel. The goal of this paper is to analyze the PS-culture between the years 2009 and 2017. Methods: A cross-sectional survey focused on PS, and developed by the American Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), was conducted in 2009 and in 2017 among all healthcare workers at Mutualia, anonymously and voluntarily. Results: The overall response rate was similar in both 2009 and 2017 (37.2% and 38.5%, respectively). The average rating obtained showed a significant improvement over the period (7.7 vs. 8.1; p < 0.05). Itemizing by question, the main strengths were found in management support, organizational learning and continuous improvement, and, especially, in teamwork. Regarding weaknesses, the two lowest scores were those which refer to the balance between clinical safety and workload and the freedom to question the decisions made by superiors. Conclusions: The results obtained from the PS-surveys show that the overall PS-culture in our institution has increased, suggesting that the strategies focused on the improvement of PS-culture were well adopted among our personnel. The overall score places Mutualia at similar levels to those reached by the AHRQ and Spanish National Health System

Forest productivity in southwestern Europe controlled by coupled North Atlantic and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillations

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) depicts annual and decadal oscillatory modes ofvariability responsible for dry spells over the European continent. The NAO therefore holds agreat potential to evaluate the role, as carbon sinks, of water-limited forests under climatechange. However, uncertainties related to inconsistent responses of long-term forestproductivity to NAO have so far hampered firm conclusions on its impacts. We hypothesizethat, in part, such inconsistencies might have their origin in periodical sea surfacetemperature anomalies in the Atlantic Ocean (i.e., Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, AMO).Here we show strong empirical evidence in support of this hypothesis using 120 years ofperiodical inventory data from Iberian pine forests. Our results point to AMO+ NAO+ andAMO&#8722;NAO&#8722; phases as being critical for forest productivity, likely due to decreased winterwater balance and abnormally low winter temperatures, respectively. Our findings could beessential for the evaluation of ecosystem functioning vulnerabilities associated with increasedclimatic anomalies under unprecedented warming conditions in the Mediterranean

Material docente estadística aplicada a la empresa. Ejercicios de estadística aplicados a la responsabilidad social y ética

37 p. -- Bibliogr.: p. 37. -- Duración (en horas): 120 horas. -- Destinatario: EstudianteEl objetivo de esta asignatura es que el alumnado conozca los aspectos fundamentales de la Inferencia Estadística y su aplicación al análisis empresarial. Se trata de una asignatura eminentemente práctica, que combina la explicación teórica de los aspectos fundamentales con el análisis práctico y la resolución de problemas a partir de ejercicios de diversas complejidad, según se avanza en los contenidos de la asignatura. Esta asignatura ahonda en las competencias adquiridas en la asignatura que se imparte en el primer cuatrimestre de este segundo curso, Estadística y análisis de datos. Asimismo, para su desarrollo es preciso que el alumnado maneje los conceptos y procesos estudiados en las asignaturas de primer curso Matemáticas I y Matemáticas II El curso, está dirigido al alumnado de 2 grado de Economía y Empresa. La finalidad de esta asignatura es que el alumnado adquiera las destrezas necesarias para la comprensión sobre aspectos estadísticos inferenciales facilitando un espacio de aprendizaje flexible y adaptado a las necesidades espaciales y tiempos del alumnado. En el presente material docente se presenta un compendio de ejercicios prácticos que tratan de transversalizar elementos de Responsabilidad Social y Ética, contempladas como Competencia Transversal (CT) de grado definidas en el Plan de Estudios. Se trata de ejercicios referentes a los temas 1,2,3 y 4 de la asignatura. Estos corresponden a la primera parte de la asignatura, que Módulo 1 Herramientas y recursos para la inferencia estadística. Distribuciones y estimación de parámetros, que son los siguientes: Tema 1: Introducción. Utilización de la estadística en las decisiones empresariales Tema 2. Distribuciones de Poisson y binomial Tema 3. Distribuciones Normal, Gamma, Chi-cuadrado, F de Snedecor y t de Student. Tema 4. Estimación de parámetros. Propiedades de los estimadores. A fin de transversalizar en los ejercicios valores y principios de solidaridad, cooperación, intercambio, equidad y medioambiente se han propuesto 4 temáticas que han sido abordadas en los ejercicios: 1. ONG-s 2. Comercio justo 3. Medioambiente y Sostenibilidad 4. Economía Social y Solidaria Se presentan un total de 27 ejercicios. 18 tratan la temática del Comercio Justo y Economía Social y Solidaria, otros 9 sobre ONG-s y por último, otros 9 sobre Sostenibilidad y medioambiente

Material docente estadística aplicada a la empresa. Ejercicios de estadística aplicados a la responsabilidad social y ética

37 p. -- Bibliogr.: p. 37. -- Duración (en horas): 120 horas. -- Destinatario: EstudianteEl objetivo de esta asignatura es que el alumnado conozca los aspectos fundamentales de la Inferencia Estadística y su aplicación al análisis empresarial. Se trata de una asignatura eminentemente práctica, que combina la explicación teórica de los aspectos fundamentales con el análisis práctico y la resolución de problemas a partir de ejercicios de diversas complejidad, según se avanza en los contenidos de la asignatura. Esta asignatura ahonda en las competencias adquiridas en la asignatura que se imparte en el primer cuatrimestre de este segundo curso, Estadística y análisis de datos. Asimismo, para su desarrollo es preciso que el alumnado maneje los conceptos y procesos estudiados en las asignaturas de primer curso Matemáticas I y Matemáticas II El curso, está dirigido al alumnado de 2 grado de Economía y Empresa. La finalidad de esta asignatura es que el alumnado adquiera las destrezas necesarias para la comprensión sobre aspectos estadísticos inferenciales facilitando un espacio de aprendizaje flexible y adaptado a las necesidades espaciales y tiempos del alumnado. En el presente material docente se presenta un compendio de ejercicios prácticos que tratan de transversalizar elementos de Responsabilidad Social y Ética, contempladas como Competencia Transversal (CT) de grado definidas en el Plan de Estudios. Se trata de ejercicios referentes a los temas 1,2,3 y 4 de la asignatura. Estos corresponden a la primera parte de la asignatura, que Módulo 1 Herramientas y recursos para la inferencia estadística. Distribuciones y estimación de parámetros, que son los siguientes: Tema 1: Introducción. Utilización de la estadística en las decisiones empresariales Tema 2. Distribuciones de Poisson y binomial Tema 3. Distribuciones Normal, Gamma, Chi-cuadrado, F de Snedecor y t de Student. Tema 4. Estimación de parámetros. Propiedades de los estimadores. A fin de transversalizar en los ejercicios valores y principios de solidaridad, cooperación, intercambio, equidad y medioambiente se han propuesto 4 temáticas que han sido abordadas en los ejercicios: 1. ONG-s 2. Comercio justo 3. Medioambiente y Sostenibilidad 4. Economía Social y Solidaria Se presentan un total de 27 ejercicios. 18 tratan la temática del Comercio Justo y Economía Social y Solidaria, otros 9 sobre ONG-s y por último, otros 9 sobre Sostenibilidad y medioambiente

Plant Responses to Extreme Climatic Events: A Field Test of Resilience Capacity at the Southern Range Edge

The expected and already observed increment in frequency of extreme climatic events may result in severe vegetation shifts. However, stabilizing mechanisms promoting community resilience can buffer the lasting impact of extreme events. The present work analyzes the resilience of a Mediterranean mountain ecosystem after an extreme drought in 2005, examining shoot-growth and needle-length resistance and resilience of dominant tree and shrub species (Pinus sylvestris vs Juniperus communis, and P. nigra vs J. oxycedrus) in two contrasting altitudinal ranges. Recorded high vegetative-resilience values indicate great tolerance to extreme droughts for the dominant species of pine-juniper woodlands. Observed tolerance could act as a stabilizing mechanism in rear range edges, such as the Mediterranean basin, where extreme events are predicted to be more detrimental and recurrent. However, resistance and resilience components vary across species, sites, and ontogenetic states: adult Pinus showed higher growth resistance than did adult Juniperus; saplings displayed higher recovery rates than did conspecific adults; and P. nigra saplings displayed higher resilience than did P. sylvestris saplings where the two species coexist. P. nigra and J. oxycedrus saplings at high and low elevations, respectively, were the most resilient at all the locations studied. Under recurrent extreme droughts, these species-specific differences in resistance and resilience could promote changes in vegetation structure and composition, even in areas with high tolerance to dry conditions.This study was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spanish Government) Projects CGL2008-04794 and CGL2011-29910 to R.Z., and by grant FPU-MEC (AP2005-1561) to A. H

The role of the protein kinase A pathway in the response to alkaline pH stress in yeast

Exposure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to alkaline pH provokes a stress condition that generates a compensatory reaction. In the present study we examined a possible role for the PKA (protein kinase A) pathway in this response. Phenotypic analysis revealed that mutations that activate the PKA pathway (ira1 ira2, bcy1) tend to cause sensitivity to alkaline pH, whereas its deactivation enhances tolerance to this stress. We observed that alkalinization causes a transient decrease in cAMP, the main regulator of the pathway. Alkaline pH causes rapid nuclear localization of the PKA-regulated Msn2 transcription factor which, together with Msn4, mediates a general stress response by binding with STRE (stress response element) sequences in many promoters. Consequently, a synthetic STRE–LacZ reporter shows a rapid induction in response to alkaline stress. A msn2 msn4 mutant is sensitive to alkaline pH, and transcriptomic analysis reveals that after 10 min of alkaline stress, the expression of many induced genes (47%) depends, at least in part, on the presence of Msn2 and Msn4. Taken together, these results demonstrate that inhibition of the PKA pathway by alkaline pH represents a substantial part of the adaptive response to this kind of stress and that this response involves Msn2/Msn4-mediated genome expression remodelling. However, the relevance of attenuation of PKA in high pH tolerance is probably not restricted to regulation of Msn2 function

Renovación de las prácticas de Ecología: Aprendiendo Ecología Acuática

Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias GeológicasFac. de Ciencias BiológicasFALSEsubmitte