Caída de bloques de hielo en los frentes del glaciar de casquete de la isla Livingston (Archipiélago de las Shetland del Sur). Detección por métodos sísmicos. Influencia de las variables ambientales

We used data from a seismic array to study the evolution of calving at Livingston Island. Starting with the idea that the flow is the main cause of calving, we examined the effect of temperature, tide, relative humidity and wind velocity on this phenomenon. Air temperature proved to be the most relevant parameter

Evaluative and discriminative properties of the Portuguese MacNew Heart Disease Health‐related Quality of Life Questionnaire.

Qual Life Res. 2005 Dec;14(10):2335-41. Evaluative and discriminative properties of the Portuguese MacNew Heart Disease Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Leal A, Paiva C, Höfer S, Amado J, Gomes L, Oldridge N. Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, Hospital Sto António Porto, Largo Prof Abel Salazar 400, Portugal. [email protected] Abstract The aim of this study was to validate the Portuguese version of the self-administered MacNew Heart Disease Health-related Quality of Life (MacNew) questionnaire in patients after diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. The MacNew, with a Global score and physical, emotional and social subscales, the Short Form SF-36 (SF-36) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were completed at baseline by 150 patients and again by 48 clinically stable patients 2-3 weeks later. A cohort of 50 different patients completed the same questionnaires before and after a cardiac rehabilitation program in order to examine responsiveness. Acceptance of the MacNew by the patients was good and the three factor model was substantiated and explained 52.2% of the variance. Internal consistency, intra-class-correlation, and test-retest reliability each exceeded 0.72. The predicted construct validity hypotheses were partially confirmed. The discriminative validity of the MacNew was confirmed with significantly higher MacNew scores for patients with normal left ventricular function, with improved health status, and who were not anxious or depressed. Even though MacNew scores improved significantly following cardiac rehabilitation, the evaluative validity of the MacNew was less robust with small responsiveness statistics. The Portuguese version of the MacNew HRQL questionnaire appears to be a reliable, valid, and moderately responsive instrument to evaluate health-related quality of life after diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. PMID: 16328913 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Managing future risks and building socio-ecological resilience

The Mediterranean Basin is experiencing major changes in environmental conditions, which can introduce new challenges to the resilience of its natural and human systems. This situation is combined with rapid and spatially diverse socio-economic development in the region, mainly in terms of demographic trends and settlement patterns, thus leading to higher exposure to environmental hazards. Furthermore, new risks are expected to emerge from interactions between drivers and impacts across sectors, thus increasing the vulnerability of natural systems and human populations

Linking habitat quality with genetic diversity: a lesson from great bustards in Spain

P. 411-419The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the genetic structure and variability of wild populations have received wide empirical support and theoretical formalization. By contrast, the effects of habitat quality seem largely underinvestigated, partly due to technical difficulties in properly assessing habitat quality. In this study, we combine geographic information system (GIS)-based habitat-quality modelling with a landscape genetics approach based on mitochondrial DNA markers to evaluate the possible influence of habitat quality on the levels and distribution of genetic diversity in a range of natural populations (n = 15) of Otis tarda throughout Spain. Ninety-three percent of the population represented by our countrywide sample lives in good-quality habitats, while 4.5% and 2.5% occur respectively in intermediate and poor habitats. Habitat quality was highly correlated with patch size, population size and population density, indicating the reliability and predictive power of the habitat suitability model. Genetic diversity was significantly correlated with habitat quality, size and density of the population, but not with patch size. Three of a total of 20 existing matrilineages from the species’ current genetic pool are restricted to poor-quality habitats. This study therefore highlights the importance of considering both population genetics and habitat quality in a species of high conservation priority.S

Interaction between bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and trammel nets in the Archipelago de La Maddalena, Italy

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

La pérdida de biodiversidad por abandono rural en el LTER Montseny cuantificada a partir del monitoreo de aves

El abandono de las prácticas agro-ganaderas tradicionales en las áreas montañosas de la cuenca mediterránea está a menudo asociado a un incremento general de la masa vegetal y a una pérdida de ambientes abiertos. Los espacios protegidos de montaña de la red LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) son zonas privilegiadas para estudiar en detalle este proceso mediante proyectos de seguimiento de las poblaciones a largo plazo. En el caso particular del nódulo LTER-Montseny el impacto de la reforestación en las aves está siendo monitoreado gracias a la implantación, hace ya más de una década, del programa de seguimiento de aves comunes en Cataluña. Este programa de seguimiento está permitiendo desarrollar indicadores que determinan la evolución de las comunidades de aves de medios abiertos y de los bosques de este parque natural. En este trabajo se emplean indicadores multiespecíficos basados en la media geométrica de índices poblacionales anuales para determinar los cambios están sufriendo las aves de estos ambientes. Los resultados muestran que en el periodo 2002-2014 el impacto de la reforestación está siendo notable para las poblaciones de aves de medios abiertos (decremento poblacional del 44% entre 2002 y 2014). En consonancia con estos resultados, los gestores del parque han impulsado medidas de recuperación de los pastizales del parque conjuntamente con los agentes socieconómicos locales