Hunting management in relation to profitability aims: red-legged partridge hunting in central Spain

22 páginas, 3 tablas, 2 figuras.Game management is widely implemented in Spain, affecting more than 70 % of land cover. Management intensity may be linked to the financial aims of hunting estates, but no study of these aspects has been developed in Spain, where commercial hunting is common. Through interviews with game managers and field surveys, we quantified physical and economic traits, management techniques and hunting methods in a sample of 59 small game hunting estates located in south-central Spain (where Red-legged partridge hunting has the highest socio-economic importance in the country). We compared non-commercial estates (aimed for leisure, managed mainly by local hunting societies) and commercial estates (aimed at financial benefit); among the latter, we also assessed “intensive” estates (a special category of commercial estates licensed to release farm-reared partridges without temporal or numerical limits throughout the hunting season). Commercial estates had more intensive management, including more and larger partridge releases, higher density of supplementary feeders and more intensive predator control. Thus, any positive or negative effects on biodiversity of these management techniques would be higher in commercial than in non-commercial estates. Commercial estates also retained more natural vegetation, which may help to enhance the landscape and biodiversity value of farmland in central Spain. On the other hand, differences in management and hunting styles were most marked between intensive and other type of estates (both commercial and non-commercial); this indicates that intensive estates are qualitatively different from other small game estates, both ecologically (hunting based on releases and driven shooting) and economically (higher inputs and outputs). It would be desirable to find ways to quantify the environmental or social costs and benefits of different management techniques, and integrate them in the economics of hunting estates.This work was supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development through project HUNT (212160, FP7-ENV-2007-1), Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (CGL2008-04282/BOS) and the Consejería de Agricultura of Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM). Additionally, this paper uses partial data from a project funded by the Fundación Fauna y Flora. S. Diaz-Fernandez had a predoctoral grant jointly financed by the European Social Fund and by JCCM, in the framework of the Operational Programme PRINCET 2005-2010. M. Delibes-Mateos is currently holding a Juan de la Cierva research contract awarded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and the European Social Fund. We thank all game managers for their collaboration, and ADEMAC and the Asociación de cotos de caza menor Sierra de Alcaraz-Campo de Montiel for facilitating this collaboration with game managers. We thank Steve Redpath, Mick Marquiss, Justin Irvine and two anonymous referees for useful comments on the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Improving performance using computational compression through memoization: A case study using a railway power consumption simulator

The objective of data compression is to avoid redundancy in order to reduce the size of the data to be stored or transmitted. In some scenarios, data compression may help to increase global performance by reducing the amount of data at a competitive cost in terms of global time and energy consumption. We have introduced computational compression as a technique for reducing redundant computation, in other words, to avoid carrying out the same computation with the same input to obtain the same output. In some scenarios, such as simulations, graphic processing, and so on, part of the computation is repeated using the same input in order to obtain the same output, and this computation could have an important cost in terms of global time and energy consumption. We propose applying computational compression by using memoization in order to store the results for future reuse and, in this way, minimize the use of the same costly computation. Although memoization was proposed for sequential applications in the 1980s, and there are some projects that have applied it in very specific domains, we propose a novel, domain-independent way of using it in high-performance applications, as a means of avoiding redundant computation.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the project TIN2013-41350-P (Scalable Data Management Techniques for High-End Computing Systems)

The role of economic and social factors driving predator control in central Spain

14 páginas, 3 figuras, 3 tablas.One of the most important human-wildlife conflicts in the world is that where predators are involved. Predators may compete with us for the same resources, such as game species. As a consequence, predators have been frequently controlled by game managers, which has negatively affected many predator populations worldwide. The understanding of human-wildlife conflicts requires a multidisplicinary framework that is rarely considered. We aim to evaluate the attitudes and behavior of game managers with regard to predator management in central Spain, as well as to explore factors that lead to these attitudes and behavior. Data were gathered through face to face interviews with game managers from 59 small-game hunting estates within central Spain. Predator control was employed in 90% of the estates, but control intensity was very variable among estates. Economic interests and perceptions about predators apparently influenced variation in control intensity. The main methods employed were cage-traps and shooting, but some illegal practices (e.g., leg-hold traps or snares without stopping devices) were also admittedly used for carnivores. Most managers considered that efficacy of legal methods for control of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was very limited. Overall, nonselective methods, such as some types of snares, were more frequently employed in commercial than in noncommercial estates. Most managers believed that predators had an important effect on prey, and therefore that not doing it would lead to smaller hunting bags. Only managers from commercial hunting estates used stronger discourses such as that hunting would be impossible without carrying out predator control, which suggests that their tolerance for predators was lower than that of managers whose main motivation was not economic. Most managers considered that predator control was effective to reduce the number of predators, but only in the short term. Therefore, they highlighted the need of maintaining predator control every year. Our results highlight the important role that both social and economic factors (even stronger than ecological factors) play driving predator control, and therefore the need of incorporating these factors when making decisions to mitigate the human-predator conflict.This work was supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development through project HUNT (212160, FP7-ENV-2007-1), Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (CGL2008-04282/BOS) and the Consejería de Agricultura of Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM).Peer reviewe

Characterization of spontaneous combustuion tendency of dried sewage sludge

The general purpose of this study was the determination of the safety conditions to avoid the presence of explosive atmospheres in the wastewater industry. Eight Spanish plants located in Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga were considered and several sludge samples were taken in different seasons. The base for the assessment of the spontaneous ignition behaviour of dust accumulations is the experimental determination of the self-ignition temperature under isothermal conditions. Self-ignition temperatures at four volumes were obtained for one sample of sewage sludge, allowing their extrapolation to large storage facilities. A simple test method, based also on an isothermal study of samples, is the UN classification of substances liable to spontaneous combustion. Two different samples were so tested, obtaining unlike results if transported in packages of different volumes. By means of thermogravimetric techniques it is possible to analyse the thermal susceptibility of dried sewage sludge. Apparent activation energy can be obtained from the rate of weight loss. It is also applied to the study of self-ignition susceptibility by modifying test conditions when oxygen stream is introduced. As a consequence of this oxidant contribution, sample behaviour can be very different during testing and a step drop or sudden loss of weight is observed at a characteristic temperature for every substance, associated to a rapid combustion. Plotting both the activation energy and the characteristic temperature, a map of self-ignition risk was obtained for 10 samples, showing different risk levels for samples taken in different locations and at different seasons. A prediction of the self-ignition risk level can be also determined

Towards a standardized index of European rabbit abundance in Iberian Mediterranean habitats

European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus are a keystone species in Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems. However, the reliability of methods for estimating rabbit abundance, particularly when at low numbers, is not well understood. Further, better standardization of these methodologies would allow abundance estimates to be more reliably compared between areas and periods. Consequently, we compared several frequently used methods of estimating rabbit abundance and assessed their advantages and disadvantages. During the summers of 2008 and 2009, in 11 localities of central-southern Spain we undertook (a) driving transect counts of rabbits, either at dusk or at night, (b) linear transects on foot recording rabbit signs, (c) cleared-plot pellet counts at permanent plots, and (d) standing crop counts, both with and without habitat stratification. Density estimated at night from driving transects using the Distance Sampling method (the reference method against which all other indices were compared) varied from 0 to 2. 69 rabbits ha-1. Most pellet-count indices were significantly related to the reference method. In particular, cleared-plot pellet counts in permanent plots corrected for pellet persistence showed the best correlation with the reference method. In contrast, latrine counts were not related to the reference method index, and we recommend against their use. A standard methodology based on cleared-plot pellets counts could be used to monitor rabbit abundance on a large scale.This work is a partial result from the projects CGL2005-02340, CGL2009-10741, and CGL2009-11665 funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and EU-FEDER funds, and projects POII09-0099-2557 and 07/NAT/E/000742 funded by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha with EU-FEDER and LIFE funds, respectively. Javier Fernandez-de-Simon benefits from a FPI scholarship and Miguel Delibes-Mateos is currently holding a Juan de la Cierva research contract, both funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe

Metastatic benign pleomorphic adenoma : report of a case and review of the literature

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA), originally called mixed tumour, is the most common neoplasm of the salivary glands and is generally accepted as benign biologically. Occasionally PA may give rise to metastasis. The metastasis may develop in a PA in which a malignant transformation occurs, either arising a carcinoma in the PA (carcinoma ex-mixed tumour) or as a carcinosarcoma (so?called true malignant mixed tumour). However, very rare benign PA eventually metastasise, usually after having a previous recurrence, displaying benign histological features as well in the primary tumour as in the metastasis. These tumours have been termed metastatic PA or metastatic mixed tumours. The aim of this paper is to report one case of metastatic histological benign pleomorphic adenoma, and to consider the clinical, pathological and therapeutic consequences of these rare tumours as well as its possible causes and mechanisms for its behaviour

La autopsia clínica

Antencedentes: La autopsia clínica tiene unos 2000 años de historia. Su período dorado, sin embargo, lo forman los últimos 150 años, en que ha contribuido de forma sustancial al avance de la Medicina en campos variados y fundamentales. En España, la autopsia no ha alcanzado nunca las tasas que otros países han tenido o aún tienen, y solo en algunos grandes hospitales se han hecho en número significativo. Estado actual: El peso específico que EE.UU. tiene sobre la literatura médica hace que sus cambios, en detrimento del número de autopsias, hayan sido muy comentados. Una restrictiva legislación en muchos países (entre nosotros, la Ley de Biobancos), hace más complejo el proceso de autorizaciones, conservación y utilización de las muestras. El número de autopsias de muchos hospitales sigue siendo bajo, dificultando o impidiendo la docencia y el control de calidad que tales autopsias debieran tener. Proyecto de futuro: La autopsia no va a desaparecer a corto plazo. Pero las autopsias languidecen, perseguidas por la inercia y la competencia con otras técnicas. Es preciso recordar los muchos beneficios que aportan, las causas de su declive (para atajar las que están en nuestro mano) y, sobre todo, convertir la autopsia, mediante una más completa correlación clínico-patológica, la incorporación de otros profesionales (TSAPC) y el auxilio de nuevas técnicas o tecnologías, en la poderosa (y muy barata) herramienta asistencia, docentem investigadora, con función social y de auxilio a la justicia, que debe ser. Y con la proyección social y profesional que merece

Influence of Age on Rat Bone-Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Potential

[Abstract] Mesenchymal stem cells promising role in cell-based therapies and tissue engineering appears to be limited due to a decline of their regenerative potential with increasing donor age. Six age groups from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells of Wistar rats were studied (newborn, infant, young, pre-pubertal, pubertal and adult). Quantitative proteomic assay was performance by iTRAQ using an 8-plex iTRAQ labeling and the proteins differentially expressed were grouped in pluripotency, proliferative and metabolism processes. Proliferation makers, CD117 and Ki67 were measure by flow cytometry assay. Real time polymerase chain reaction analysis of pluripotency markers Rex1, Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog were done. Biological differentiation was realized using specific mediums for 14 days to induce osteogenesis, adipogenesis or chondrogenesis and immunostain analysis of differentiated cell resulting were done. Enzimoimmunoassay analysis of several enzymes as L-lactate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase were also done to validate iTRAQ data. Taking together these results indicate for the first time that mesenchymal stem cells have significant differences in their proliferative, pluripotency and metabolism profiles and those differences are age depending.Galicia. Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria; EM2013/011Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI11/0279

Does hunting management affect non-game bird species? A study from Spain and Portugal

Resumen del trabajo presentado a la International Conference on Hunting for Sustainability: "Ecology, Economics and Society", celebrada en Ciudad Real (España) del 27 al 29 de marzo de 2012.In Europe, hunting and its associated management has been performed for centuries and has potentially had profound effects on landscapes and on the biodiversity they hold. We investigated the effect of hunting management on non-target bird species. For doing so, we explored the relationship between hunting management and different groups of birds of conservation concern. We conducted the study with two different approximations. In a first step, we assessed whether there were a higher abundance or species richness in hunting estates with game management than in those without management. This survey was conducted in 24 game estates in South Portugal in spring and summer 2001-2002. Twelve of the hunting estates performed game management activities for small-game species while the other 12 corresponded to areas open to hunters but where no game management was undertaken. Groups of species considered in the study were passerines, steppe-birds, ground-nesting birds and endangered birds. We modelled the abundance and number of species of each bird group in each estate according to the game management regime (with/without game management) and to habitat variables with GLMMs and selected the models with lowest AICc. Our results show that all groups of species considered (except passerines) were more abundant or more diverse in hunting estates where game management was performed. In a second step, we aimed to know if our previous result was also relevant in another study area, as well as to disentangle which management activities could specifically affect bird diversity. We surveyed 54 small-game hunting estates in Central Spain with varying management intensity in spring and/or summer 2006-2010. Groups of species considered were raptors and steppe-birds. Information about game management was gathered through interviews with game managers. We modelled the abundance and species richness of each bird group in each estate according to habitat and game management variables (type of hunting regime, artificial feeding, predator control, number of keepers and partridge abundance) with GLMMs and selected the models with lowest AICc. Our results showed that management implemented for red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) did not seem to have neither positive nor negative effects on the abundance of their predators (raptors), but having good densities of partridges had a positive effect on the number of raptor species. However, some activities leading to improve red-legged partridges (in particular, supplementary feeding and predator control) had a positive effect on steppe-birds, which share habitat requirements with them. Therefore, we conclude that game management activities have positive effects on different groups of bird species in the Iberian Peninsula. All models are affected by habitat variables, so it is very important to maintain the habitat that allows those high densities and that has a positive effect on biodiversity.Peer Reviewe

Coastal landslide reactivation caused by the urban development in the coastal fringe of Granada (Spain). DInSAR monitoring and damage inventory

The Marina del Este and Los Cármenes del Mar resorts, in the municipality of Almuñécar (Granada) were developed onto areas with large-dormant landslides, as they generally present a more gentle slope than adjacent stable zones. Consequently, landslides have been reactivated, as DInSAR results confirm. During the rainy winter 2009-2010, movements were accelerated. Severe damages in dwellings have been reported and some houses have been evacuated, causing a great social alarm. The present work shows the great requirement to take into account natural hazards in land-use planning and urban policy in hazardous areas in Spain, which is highly significant to protect the public from geological risksLas urbanizaciones de Marina del Este y Los Cármenes del Mar, en el municipio granadino de Almuñécar, se construyeron sobre antiguos deslizamientos costeros, aprovechando la topografía más suave que dejan las masas deslizadas. El urbanismo ha desencadenado la reactivación de los movimientos, cuyas tasas de velocidad han sido cuantificadas con técnicas DInSAR, registrando una importante aceleración durante el invierno lluvioso 2009-2010. Se han reconocido importantes daños en las viviendas, algunas de ellas ya desalojadas al presentar graves daños estructurales, lo que ha despertado una gran alarma social. El presente trabajo pone de manifiesto la imperiosa necesidad de incorporar los estudios de riesgos geológicos en la planificación urbanística y en la ordenación del territorio, asignatura pendiente de la legislación español