A risk assessment methodology to evaluate the risk failure of managed aquifer recharge in the Mediterranean Basin

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can be affected by many risks. Those risks are related to different technical and non-technical aspects of recharge, like water availability, water quality, legislation, social issues, etc. Many other works have acknowledged risks of this nature theoretically; however, their quantification and definition has not been developed. In this study, the risk definition and quantification has been performed by means of "fault trees" and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). We defined a fault tree with 65 basic events applicable to the operation phase. After that, we have applied this methodology to six different managed aquifer recharge sites located in the Mediterranean Basin (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, and Israel). The probabilities of the basic events were defined by expert criteria, based on the knowledge of the different managers of the facilities. From that, we conclude that in all sites, the perception of the expert criteria of the non-technical aspects were as much or even more important than the technical aspects. Regarding the risk results, we observe that the total risk in three of the six sites was equal to or above 0.90. That would mean that the MAR facilities have a risk of failure equal to or higher than 90¿% in the period of 2–6 years. The other three sites presented lower risks (75, 29, and 18¿% for Malta, Menashe, and Serchio, respectively). Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can be affected by many risks. Those risks are related to different technical and non-technical aspects of recharge, like water availability, water quality, legislation, social issues, etc. Many other works have acknowledged risks of this nature theoretically; however, their quantification and definition has not been developed. In this study, the risk definition and quantification has been performed by means of "fault trees" and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). We defined a fault tree with 65 basic events applicable to the operation phase. After that, we have applied this methodology to six different managed aquifer recharge sites located in the Mediterranean Basin (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, and Israel). The probabilities of the basic events were defined by expert criteria, based on the knowledge of the different managers of the facilities. From that, we conclude that in all sites, the perception of the expert criteria of the non-technical aspects were as much or even more important than the technical aspects. Regarding the risk results, we observe that the total risk in three of the six sites was equal to or above 0.90. That would mean that the MAR facilities have a risk of failure equal to or higher than 90 % in the period of 2–6 years. The other three sites presented lower risks (75, 29, and 18 % for Malta, Menashe, and Serchio, respectively)

In vivo cholinergic basal forebrain degeneration and cognition in Parkinson's disease: Imaging results from the COPPADIS study

COPPADIS Study Group.[Introduction] We aimed to assess associations between multimodal neuroimaging measures of cholinergic basal forebrain (CBF) integrity and cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD) without dementia.[Methods] The study included a total of 180 non-demented PD patients and 45 healthy controls, who underwent structural MRI acquisitions and standardized neurocognitive assessment through the PD-Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS) within the multicentric COPPADIS-2015 study. A subset of 73 patients also had Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) acquisitions. Volumetric and microstructural (mean diffusivity, MD) indices of CBF degeneration were automatically extracted using a stereotactic CBF atlas. For comparison, we also assessed multimodal indices of hippocampal degeneration. Associations between imaging measures and cognitive performance were assessed using linear models.[Results] Compared to controls, CBF volume was not significantly reduced in PD patients as a group. However, across PD patients lower CBF volume was significantly associated with lower global cognition (PD-CRStotal: r = 0.37, p < 0.001), and this association remained significant after controlling for several potential confounding variables (p = 0.004). Analysis of individual item scores showed that this association spanned executive and memory domains. No analogue cognition associations were observed for CBF MD. In covariate-controlled models, hippocampal volume was not associated with cognition in PD, but there was a significant association for hippocampal MD (p = 0.02).[Conclusions] Early cognitive deficits in PD without dementia are more closely related to structural MRI measures of CBF degeneration than hippocampal degeneration. In our multicentric imaging acquisitions, DTI-based diffusion measures in the CBF were inferior to standard volumetric assessments for capturing cognition-relevant changes in non-demented PD.This work was supported by the Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI International Training Grant to MJG), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (ISCIII-FEDER) [PI14/01823, PI16/01575, PI18/01898, PI19/01576, PI20/00613], the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo de la Junta de Andalucía [CVI-02526, CTS-7685], the Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social de la Junta de Andalucía [PI-0471-2013, PE-0210-2018, PI-0459-2018, PE-0186-2019], the Fundación Alicia Koplowitz and the Fundación “Curemos el Parkinson” (https://www.curemoselparkinson.org). MJG is supported by the “Miguel Servet” program [CP19/00031], MALE by the University of Seville [USE-20046-J], JFM by the “Sara Borrell” program [CD13/00229] and VI-PPIT-US from the University of Seville [USE-18817-A], SJ by the “Acción B-Clínicos-Investigadores” program [B-0007-2019], and DMG by the “Río Hortega” program [CM18/00142].Peer reviewe

In vivo cholinergic basal forebrain degeneration and cognition in Parkinson's disease: Imaging results from the COPPADIS study

Introduction: We aimed to assess associations between multimodal neuroimaging measures of cholinergic basal forebrain (CBF) integrity and cognition in Parkinson’s disease (PD) without dementia. Methods: The study included a total of 180 non-demented PD patients and 45 healthy controls, who underwent structural MRI acquisitions and standardized neurocognitive assessment through the PD-Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS) within the multicentric COPPADIS-2015 study. A subset of 73 patients also had Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) acquisitions. Volumetric and microstructural (mean diffusivity, MD) indices of CBF degeneration were automatically extracted using a stereotactic CBF atlas. For comparison, we also assessed multimodal indices of hippocampal degeneration. Associations between imaging measures and cognitive performance were assessed using linear models. Results: Compared to controls, CBF volume was not significantly reduced in PD patients as a group. However, across PD patients lower CBF volume was significantly associated with lower global cognition (PD-CRStotal: r =0.37, p <0.001), and this association remained significant after controlling for several potential confounding variables (p =0.004). Analysis of individual item scores showed that this association spanned executive and memory domains. No analogue cognition associations were observed for CBF MD. In covariate-controlled models, hippocampal volume was not associated with cognition in PD, but there was a significant association for hippocampal MD (p =0.02). Conclusions: Early cognitive deficits in PD without dementia are more closely related to structural MRI measures of CBF degeneration than hippocampal degeneration. In our multicentric imaging acquisitions, DTI-based diffusion measures in the CBF were inferior to standard volumetric assessments for capturing cognition- relevant changes in non-demented PD

Flora en playas y dunas costeras de México

Background and Aims: The first updated floristic checklist, supported with herbarium specimens, is presented for beaches and coastal sand dunes of Mexico.Methods: The analysis is based on the revision of 14 national and foreign herbaria. A 2 × 2 km grid was placed over a map of the coastal sand dunes of Mexico to reference the herbarium records, corresponding to the 2180 sites and 12,419 examples of plants documented. Indices of diversity, similarity, taxonomic diversity, and redundancy were calculated.Key results: The flora of the beaches and coastal sand dunes of Mexico consists of 153 families, 897 genera, and 2075 species of vascular plants. These represent 9.5% of the vascular flora of Mexico. The herbaria with high indices of redundancy (IR≥0.7) are the herbarium of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IR=0.9), the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY, IR=0.8), the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (HCIB), the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (XAL) and the Natural Museum in San Diego (SD), each with an IR of 0.7. Five floristic regions are clearly recognized, which correspond to the seas of Mexico. The North Pacific has the highest taxonomic diversity and the South Pacific has the least. The Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea have very similar taxonomic diversity. The species with the most recorded occurrences are Trianthema portulacastrum (165), Croton punctatus (107), Echites umbellatus (106) and Ipomoea pes-caprae (90). Considering the ecotonal nature of the ecosystem, most dune plants are shared with neighboring vegetation (forests, scrubs, wetlands, such as marshes or mangrove swamps).Conclusions: This first checklist of the flora of beaches and coastal dunes is the baseline for multiple future studies: floristic, biogeographic, and ecological. Moreover, this list will be important if used in environmental assessments and coastal zone plans.Antecedentes y Objetivos: Se presenta el primer listado florístico de las playas y dunas costeras de México, actualizado y respaldado por ejemplares de herbario.Métodos: Se revisaron 14 herbarios nacionales y extranjeros. Se sobrepuso una retícula de 2 × 2 km al mapa de la costa y de las dunas costeras de México para referir todos los registros que corresponden a 2180 sitios con 12,419 ejemplares de plantas. Se calcularon índices de diversidad, similitud, diversidad taxonómica y redundancia.Resultados clave: La flora registrada consta de 153 familias, 897 géneros y 2075 especies de plantas vasculares, las cuales representan 9.5% de la flora vascular de México. Las cinco colecciones con índices de redundancia altos IR≥0.7 son los herbarios de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MEXU, IR=0.9), del Centro de Investigación Científicas de Yucatán (CICY, IR=0.8), y los del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (HCIB), el Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (XAL) y el del Museo de Historia Natural de San Diego (SD), cada uno con un IR de 0.7. Se reconocen cinco regiones florísticas que corresponden a los mares de México. El Pacífico Norte tiene mayor diversidad taxonómica y el Pacífico Sur menor diversidad taxonómica. El Golfo de California, Golfo de México y Mar Caribe tienen diversidades taxonómicas similares. Las especies con más registros son Trianthema portulacastrum (165), Croton punctatus (107), Echites umbelllatus (106) e Ipomoea pes-caprae (90). Por el carácter de ecotono de las dunas costeras, la mayoría de las especies se comparten con los tipos de vegetación vecinos (selvas, matorrales, y humedales como las marismas y manglares).Conclusiones: Esta primera lista de la flora en playas y dunas de México es la base para múltiples estudios florísticos regionales y locales, biogeográficos, y ecológicos; además, que será importante para su uso en temas de impacto ambiental y manejo costero

Multicentre, randomised, single-blind, parallel group trial to compare the effectiveness of a Holter for Parkinson's symptoms against other clinical monitoring methods: study protocol

Introduction In recent years, multiple studies have aimed to develop and validate portable technological devices capable of monitoring the motor complications of Parkinson's disease patients (Parkinson's Holter). The effectiveness of these monitoring devices for improving clinical control is not known. Methods and analysis This is a single-blind, cluster-randomised controlled clinical trial. Neurologists from Spanish health centres will be randomly assigned to one of three study arms (1:1:1): (a) therapeutic adjustment using information from a Parkinson?s Holter that will be worn by their patients for 7 days, (b) therapeutic adjustment using information from a diary of motor fluctuations that will be completed by their patients for 7 days and (c) therapeutic adjustment using clinical information collected during consultation. It is expected that 162 consecutive patients will be included over a period of 6 months. The primary outcome is the efficiency of the Parkinson?s Holter compared with traditional clinical practice in terms of Off time reduction with respect to the baseline (recorded through a diary of motor fluctuations, which will be completed by all patients). As secondary outcomes, changes in variables related to other motor complications (dyskinesia and freezing of gait), quality of life, autonomy in activities of daily living, adherence to the monitoring system and number of doctor?patient contacts will be analysed. The noninferiority of the Parkinson's Holter against the diary of motor fluctuations in terms of Off time reduction will be studied as the exploratory objective. Ethics and dissemination approval for this study has been obtained from the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge Ethics Committee. The results of this study will inform the practical utility of the objective information provided by a Parkinson's Holter and, therefore, the convenience of adopting this technology in clinical practice and in future clinical trials. We expect public dissemination of the results in 2022.Funding This work is supported by AbbVie S.L.U, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III [DTS17/00195] and the European Fund for Regional Development, 'A way to make Europe'

Conceptions of Crisis Management Capabilities – Municipal Officials’ Perspectives

In the Swedish crisis management system, the municipalities have a great responsibility. One part of this responsibility concerns preparing for crises by making risk and vulnerability analyses as well as plans for how to handle extraordinary events. Such preparedness planning involves municipal officials and consequently their conceptions of their organisations’ crisis management capabilities. This makes it vital to look into these conceptions more closely and establish whether specific characteristics can be identified. This thesis aims at gaining understanding of how officials involved in preparedness planning in general and vulnerability analysis in particular explicitly conceive of their organisations’ crisis management capabilities. The thesis poses six specific research questions, pertaining to three themes: vulnerability, dependencies and learning. The results show specific characteristics in how officials conceive of their organisations’ crisis management capabilities. These characteristics appear as similarities, variations, and even disagreements. It is argued that the characteristics as well as what explains them must be considered in the development of society’s crisis management systems

A risk assessment methodology to evaluate the risk failure of managed aquifer recharge in the Mediterranean Basin

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can be affected by many risks. Those risks are related to different technical and non-technical aspects of recharge, like water availability, water quality, legislation, social issues, etc. Many other works have acknowledged risks of this nature theoretically; however, their quantification and definition has not been developed. In this study, the risk definition and quantification has been performed by means of q fault trees and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). We defined a fault tree with 65 basic events applicable to the operation phase. After that, we have applied this methodology to six different managed aquifer recharge sites located in the Mediterranean Basin (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, and Israel). The probabilities of the basic events were defined by expert criteria, based on the knowledge of the different managers of the facilities. From that, we conclude that in all sites, the perception of the expert criteria of the non-technical aspects were as much or even more important than the technical aspects. Regarding the risk results, we observe that the total risk in three of the six sites was equal to or above 0.90. That would mean that the MAR facilities have a risk of failure equal to or higher than 90ĝ€% in the period of 2-6 years. The other three sites presented lower risks (75, 29, and 18 % for Malta, Menashe, and Serchio, respectively)

Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Leaves play a central role in the adaptation of nitrogen and sulfur metabolism to ammonium nutrition in oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

Biomass of B. napus plants cultured with 1, 2.5 and 5 mM nitrate or ammonium. Values represent mean ± SE (n = 16 individual plants). Different letters indicate statistical differences between treatments (ANOVA analysis with Duncan’s test, P < 0.05). Asterisk (*) indicates significant nitrogen source effect within each nitrogen concentration (t-test, P < 0.05). (PDF 57 kb

Flora en playas y dunas costeras de México

Background and Aims: The first updated floristic checklist, supported with herbarium specimens, is presented for beaches and coastal sand dunes of Mexico. Methods: The analysis is based on the revision of 14 national and foreign herbaria. A 2 × 2 km grid was placed over a map of the coastal sand dunes of Mexico to reference the herbarium records, corresponding to the 2180 sites and 12,419 examples of plants documented. Indices of diversity, similarity, taxonomic diversity, and redundancy were calculated. Key results: The flora of the beaches and coastal sand dunes of Mexico consists of 153 families, 897 genera, and 2075 species of vascular plants. These represent 9.5% of the vascular flora of Mexico. The herbaria with high indices of redundancy (IR≥0.7) are the herbarium of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IR=0.9), the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY, IR=0.8), the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (HCIB), the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (XAL) and the Natural Museum in San Diego (SD), each with an IR of 0.7. Five floristic regions are clearly recognized, which correspond to the seas of Mexico. The North Pacific has the highest taxonomic diversity and the South Pacific has the least. The Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea have very similar taxonomic diversity. The species with the most recorded occurrences are Trianthema portulacastrum (165), Croton punctatus (107), Echites umbellatus (106) and Ipomoea pes-caprae (90). Considering the ecotonal nature of the ecosystem, most dune plants are shared with neighboring vegetation (forests, scrubs, wetlands, such as marshes or mangrove swamps). Conclusions: This first checklist of the flora of beaches and coastal dunes is the baseline for multiple future studies: floristic, biogeographic, and ecological. Moreover, this list will be important if used in environmental assessments and coastal zone plans.Antecedentes y Objetivos: Se presenta el primer listado florístico de las playas y dunas costeras de México, actualizado y respaldado por ejemplares de herbario. Métodos: Se revisaron 14 herbarios nacionales y extranjeros. Se sobrepuso una retícula de 2 × 2 km al mapa de la costa y de las dunas costeras de México para referir todos los registros que corresponden a 2180 sitios con 12,419 ejemplares de plantas. Se calcularon índices de diversidad, similitud, diversidad taxonómica y redundancia. Resultados clave: La flora registrada consta de 153 familias, 897 géneros y 2075 especies de plantas vasculares, las cuales representan 9.5% de la flora vascular de México. Las cinco colecciones con índices de redundancia altos IR≥0.7 son los herbarios de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MEXU, IR=0.9), del Centro de Investigación Científicas de Yucatán (CICY, IR=0.8), y los del Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (HCIB), el Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (XAL) y el del Museo de Historia Natural de San Diego (SD), cada uno con un IR de 0.7. Se reconocen cinco regiones florísticas que corresponden a los mares de México. El Pacífico Norte tiene mayor diversidad taxonómica y el Pacífico Sur menor diversidad taxonómica. El Golfo de California, Golfo de México y Mar Caribe tienen diversidades taxonómicas similares. Las especies con más registros son Trianthema portulacastrum (165), Croton punctatus (107), Echites umbelllatus (106) e Ipomoea pes-caprae (90). Por el carácter de ecotono de las dunas costeras, la mayoría de las especies se comparten con los tipos de vegetación vecinos (selvas, matorrales, y humedales como las marismas y manglares). Conclusiones: Esta primera lista de la flora en playas y dunas de México es la base para múltiples estudios florísticos regionales y locales, biogeográficos, y ecológicos; además, que será importante para su uso en temas de impacto ambiental y manejo costero