Priority areas for watershed service conservation in the Guapi-Macacu region of Rio de Janeiro, Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Introduction: Land use intensification and urbanisation processes are degrading hydrological ecosystem services in the Guapi-Macacu watershed of Rio de Janeiro. A proposal to pay farmers to restore natural watershed services might be an alternative to securing the water supply in the long-term for the around 2.5 million urban water users in the study region. This study quantifies the costs of changing current land use patterns to enhance watershed services and compares these costs to the avoided costs associated with water treatment for public supply. Methods: We use farm-household data to estimate the opportunity costs of abandoning current land uses for the recovery of natural vegetation; a process that is very likely to improve water quality in terms of turbidity due to reduced inputs from erosion. Opportunity cost estimates are extrapolated to the watershed scale based on remote sensing land use classifications and vulnerability analysis to identify priority zones for watershed management interventions. To assess the potential demand for watershed services, we analyse water quality and treatment cost data from the main local water treatment plant. Results: Changing agricultural land uses for watershed services provision generally comes at high opportunity costs in our study area near to the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. Alternative low cost watershed conservation options do exist in the livestock production sector. These options have the potential to directly reduce the amount of sediments and nutrients reaching the water bodies, and in turn decrease the costs of treatment needed for drinking water. Land cover changes at the scale needed to improve water quality will, nonetheless, likely exceed the cost of additional investments in water treatment. Conclusions: The state water utility company?s willingness to pay for watershed services alone will not be enough to induce provision of additional watershed services. We conclude that monetary incentives conditioned on specific adjustments to existing production systems could still have a complementary role to play in improving watershed services. However, we note that our willingness to pay analysis focusses on only one of the potentially wide range of ecosystem services provided by natural vegetation in the Guapi-Macacu watershed. Factoring these ecosystem services into the willingness to pay equation is likely to change our assessment in favour of additional conservation action, be it through PES or other policy instruments

Towards cost-effective watershed management in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: valuing forest ecosystem services related to water quality in the Guapi-Macacu watershed.

The Brazilian Atlantic forest is considered a global biodiversity hotspot, harbouring a large number of endemic species, and providing essential watershed services to millions of urban water users. However, agricultural expansion and urban development have reduced the forest area to less than 8% of its original size. Multiple pressures on the Atlantic forest ecosystem continue. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes are increasingly proposed by local initiatives and supported by international cooperation to manage the trade‐offs among agricultural uses and watershed services in a cost‐effective manner. Studying the provision costs of as well as the demand for watershed services can help decision makers to evaluate the scope and economic feasibility of PES and alternative management options. The Guapi‐Macacu watershed in the state of Rio de Janeiro supplies water to 2.5 million inhabitants within five municipalities. Water resources are of utmost importance for agriculture and industries, such water bottle companies, breweries and the biggest Brazilian petrochemical complex COMPERJ. Our study concentrates on valuing watershed services in terms of controlling nutrient and sediment loads under different land use systems. Nutrient loads include Nitrogen and Phosphorus found in surface water, whereas sediment loads are measured in terms of turbidity and total solids. Replacement and avoided cost methods are applied focusing on the local water treatment facility to estimate demand for service maintenance and improvement. To provide empirical evidence of the link between land use/land cover and water quality indicators, we rely on water quality modelling and monitoring specifically adapted to this area. This takes place within the framework of the multi‐disciplinary German‐Brazilian cooperation project DINARIO/MP2. Spatial conservation opportunity cost analysis is used to study the costs of watershed services maintenance and improvement and derive implication for cost‐effective management on the basis of scenario analyses

Enhancing cost-effective watershed management in the brazilian Atlantic Forest by valuing forest ecosystem services linked to water quality in the Guapi-Macacu watershed.

The Guapi-Macacu watershed is located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, has a drainage area of about 1.640 km2, and drains into the Guanabara Bay northeast of the metropolitan area. The upper catchment in the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range is covered by dense old-growth forest of high biological diversity, while pastures and agricultural land dominate in the lower catchment. Apart from its outstanding biological value, the watershed provides crucial services including water supply to 2.5 million inhabitants in five municipalities. Nevertheless, forests and soils in the lower watershed are highly degraded due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier, overexploitation, and suburbanisation processes. Several pressures on this ecosystem persist. Therefore payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes are proposed by local initiatives and supported by international organizations as a suitable instrument to deal with the trade-offs between agricultural use and watershed services in a cost-effective manner. Studying the provision costs of and the demand for watershed services can support decision making process to evaluate the scope and economic feasibility of PES and alternative management options. Water resources in the watershed are of extreme importance for agriculture and also for industries, such as water bottle companies, breweries and the biggest Brazilian petrochemical complex, COMPERJ. Our study concentrates on calculating the opportunity costs related to the provision of watershed services under varying land use systems and evaluating the feasibility of PES related aspects, such as preserving or recovering forest areas and integrating good agricultural practices. Watershed services are valued in terms of controlling nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus in surface water) and sediment loads (measured in terms of turbidity and total solids). Replacement and avoided cost methods are applied focusing on the local water treatment facility to estimate demand for service maintenance and improvement. To provide empirical evidence of the link between land use and water quality indicators, we rely on water quality modelling and monitoring specifically adapted to this area. Spatial conservation opportunity cost analysis is used to study the costs of watershed services maintenance and improvement and derive implication for cost-effective management on the basis of scenario analyses. The research activities take place within the framework of the multi-disciplinary German-Brazilian cooperation project DINARIO/MP2

Perfil dos sistemas de produção agropecuária: uma visão do produtor rural na sub-bacia de Batatal em Cachoeiras de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro, RJ.

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Cáncer y paro

La falta de trabajo es una realidad dramática cada vez más frecuente en la época que estamos viviendo. La experiencia diaria de los clínicos nos aporta importantes indicios que nos hacen pensar en la existencia de una relación directa entre situaciones prolongadas de paro y la predisposición a padecer graves problemas de salud, y en concreto a padecer determinados tipos de cáncer. El presente trabajo pretende hacer una revisión de los principales estudios epidemiológicos que han abordado la relación entre cáncer y paro laboral, especialmente aquellos que analizan la relación entre situaciones de paro y aumento de la mortalidad por cáncer. Los resultados de esta revisión permiten formular diversas hipótesis derivadas de le intensa relación existente entre el paro y el cáncer. En nuestro país son necesarios estudios de incidencia poblacionales con suficiente tamaño muestral que analicen esta relación ajustando por otros factores de riesgo que actúan como confusores

Community composition and habitat characterization of a rock sponge aggregation (Porifera, Corallistidae) in the Cantabrian Sea.

Deep-sea sponge-dominated communities are complex habitats considered hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. They are classified as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem and are listed as threatened or declining as a result of anthropogenic activities. Yet, studies into the distribution, community structure and composition of these habitats are scarce, hampering the development of appropriate management measures to ensure their conservation. In this study we describe a diverse benthic community, dominated by a lithistid sponge, found in two geomorphological features of important conservation status —Le Danois Bank and El Corbiro Canyon— of the Cantabrian Sea. Based on the analyses of visual transects using a photogrammetric towed vehicle and samples collected by rock dredge, we characterize the habitat and the associated community in detail. This deep-sea sponge aggregation was found on bedrock. It is dominated by one lithistid sponge, Neoschrammeniella aff. bowerbankii (0.2 ind./m2) and further composed of various sponge species as well as of other benthic invertebrates such as cnidarians, bryozoans and crustaceans. Using a non-invasive methodology (SfM – Structure from Motion) and empirical relationships of individuals size and biomass/volume obtained in laboratory for N. aff. bowerbankii, we were able to estimate a total biomass of 41 kg and volume of 39 l of this species in the surveyed area. This approach allows a fine tune methodology for estimating biomass and volume by image-based-observed area avoiding destructive techniques for this species.Postprin

Tuning topological defects in magnetic stripe domains of lateral multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Resumen del póster presentado a la VIII Edición de la Reunión Bienal del Grupo Especializado de Física del Estado Sólido de la Real Sociedad Española de Física celebrada del en Ciudad Real del 22 al 24 de enero de 2014.Peer Reviewe

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Shikimate Kinase Inhibitors: Design and Simulation Studies of the Catalytic Turnover

Shikimate kinase (SK) is an essential enzyme in several pathogenic bacteria and does not have any counterpart in human cells, thus making it an attractive target for the development of new antibiotics. The key interactions of the substrate and product binding and the enzyme movements that are essential for catalytic turnover of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis shikimate kinase enzyme (Mt-SK) have been investigated by structural and computational studies. Based on these studies several substrate analogs were designed and assayed. The crystal structure of Mt-SK in complex with ADP and one of the most potent inhibitors has been solved at 2.15 Å. These studies reveal that the fixation of the diaxial conformation of the C4 and C5 hydroxyl groups recognized by the enzyme or the replacement of the C3 hydroxyl group in the natural substrate by an amino group is a promising strategy for inhibition because it causes a dramatic reduction of the flexibility of the LID and shikimic acid binding domains. Molecular dynamics simulation studies showed that the product is expelled from the active site by three arginines (Arg117, Arg136, and Arg58). This finding represents a previously unknown key role of these conserved residues. These studies highlight the key role of the shikimic acid binding domain in the catalysis and provide guidance for future inhibitor designsFinancial support from ́ the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2010-15076 to CGB and BFU2011-24843 to M.J.vR.) and the Xunta de Galicia (10PXIB2200122PR and GRC2010/ 12) is gratefully acknowledged. B.B. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education for her FPU fellowship. V.P. and C.G.D. thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for their respective FPI fellowships. J.M.O. thanks the Xunta de Galicia for a Plan I2C postdoctoral fellowshipS