Importancia de la vegetación ribereña de Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirb.) Oerst. en el régimen térmico de sistemas fluviales andinos del sur de Chile

Globally, the river temperatures is a research subject, but the spatio-temporal va riability of various river systems is still limited and unknown in some cases. This study aimed to compare the natural thermal regime of Andean river ecosystems with different riparian vegetation (steppe and Nothofagus dombeyi forest). The temperature of the sites was registered with a 15 min time resolution from January to July 2011. The average, maximum and daily temperature range of water showed significant differences, with lower values in the presence of N. dombeyi. Regarding the daily cycle, a slight delay was observed in the minimum temperature and an advance in the maximum temperature for the native forest site. Therefore, performing continuous monitoring using temperature sensors made it possible to determine contrasts in the thermal regime suggesting that the shade generated by the canopy reduces the solar radiation and the maximum temperature (± 4 °C) in Andean rivers. Furthermore, the conservation of forest cover of N. dombeyi in the Andean region might be important to moderate and mitigate the occurrence of higher temperatures due to global warming scenarios projected for the area.A nivel global la temperatura de los ríos sigue siendo tema de investigación en ecología fluvial, pero el conocimiento de su variabilidad espacio-temporal en diversos sistemas fluviales aún es limitada y en algunos casos desconocida. Este estudio tuvo por objetivo comparar el régimen térmico natural de dos ecosistemas fluviales andinos con diferente vegetación ribereña (estepa y bosque de Nothofagus dombeyi). La temperatura en ambos sitios fue registrada con una resolución de 15 min desde enero a julio de 2011. La temperatura media, máxima y rango diario del agua mostraron diferencias significativas, con valores más bajos en el río con presencia de N. dombeyi. En relación al ciclo diario, se observó un leve retraso en la temperatura mínima y adelanto en la máxima para el río con bosque nativo. La realización de monitoreos continuos mediante sensores de temperatura permitió determinar contrastes en el régimen térmico y sugiere que la sombra generada por el dosel reduce la radiación solar que recibe el río y la temperatura máxima (± 4 °C) en ríos andinos. Asimismo, la conservación de la cobertura boscosa de N. dombeyi en la zona andina podría ser importante para moderar y mitigar la ocurrencia de temperaturas más altas a consecuencia de los escenarios de calentamiento global proyectados para la zona

Effects of agricultural water withdrawal in the fluvial habitat of benthic macroinvertebrates in Chile

The climatic and geographic characteristics of Central Chile allow the concentration of high water demand from agricultural activities in low order rivers. Changes in the hydrologic regime of these rivers should affect the habitat availability of endemic benthic macroinvertebrates. However, the impact of water diversion in the Chilean rivers is poorly understood. Goals. We want to determine the effects of water abstraction in the habitat of benthic macroinvertebrates with biotic indices. Methods. We sampled nutrients, macroinvertebrates, and morphological characteristics of three rivers affected by agricultural water extractions in the Itata basin (Chile). We assess the habitat alteration and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage through the measurement of depth, current velocity, Froude number, wetted width/depth ratio, dissolved oxygen, and biotic indices. Results. Traditional methods of constructing the weirs affect the water level in the sampling sites. Most of the habitat parameters shows variation between the control and impact sampling sections, but only Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were statistical different. Conclusions. The increase in taxonomical resolution of benthic macroinvertebrates in the Mediterranean zone of Chile could improve detection of environmental impacts of water extraction. We suggest the use of biological traits in order to determine specific relationships between water withdrawals and environmental changes in low order rivers of Chile affected by water extraction

Una clasificación edafológica, morfológica y climática de humedales boscosos de agua dulce de Chile

Wetlands of the same kind can present considerable difference in relation to a series of environmental variables that influence on the physicochemical properties and on the biological communities sustained, natural variability scarcely considered in comparative studies. The aim of this work was to provide a first approach to the edaphological, morphological and climatic classification of the forested wetlands from central Chile, unique environments for the conservation of an interesting floral and faunal diversity. 18 wetlands were classified in the Araucanía Region, by means of the B classification procedure by the European Union Water Framework Directive. 21 variables at basin scale were used. Four ecotypes were obtained, which were characterized mainly by microclimates and soil types, though were also relevant morphological variables such as slope, slope of the wetlands, and the basins towards they drain (Wilks’s Lambda < 0.193, F > 3.84). Ecotypes determined were defined by: 1) convergence of moderate marine, warm and Mediterranean climates with silty clay loam soil and high slopes, 2) moderate marine climate with silty loam soil and high slopes, 3) Cold Mediterranean climate with silty loam soil and low slopes and 4) Moderate marine climate, silty clay loam soil and high slope. Classification is in agreement with in situ observations. Nevertheless, it must be validated by both limnological and biological approaches.Humedales del mismo tipo pueden presentar diferencias considerables en relación a una serie de variables ambientales que influyen en las propiedades fisicoquímicas y a su vez en las comunidades biológicas que sustentan. Sin embargo, en estudios comparativos, esta variabilidad natural es generalmente poco considerada. El objetivo de este trabajo fue realizar una primera aproximación de una clasificación edafológica, morfológica y climática de los humedales boscosos de la zona central de Chile, ecosistemas únicos para la conservación de una interesante diversidad de flora y fauna. Se clasificaron 18 humedales presentes en la región de la Araucanía, mediante el procedimiento de clasificación B de la Directiva Marco del Agua de la Unión Europea, utilizando 21 variables a escala de cuenca. Se obtuvieron cuatro ecotipos, caracterizados principalmente por el microclima y tipo de suelo, aunque también fueron relevantes variables morfológicas, como la pendiente y la superficie de sus cuencas (Lambda de Wilks <0,193, F> 3,84). Los ecotipos determinados estuvieron definidos por: 1) Convergencia de climas marino fresco, cálido y mediterráneo frio, con suelo franco arcillo limoso y pendientes altas, 2) Clima marino fresco con suelo franco limoso y pendientes altas, 3) Clima mediterráneo frio con suelo franco limosos y pendientes bajas y 4) Clima marino fresco, suelo franco arcillo limoso y pendiente alta. La clasificación debe ser posteriormente validada mediante observaciones in situ de variables limnológicas y biológicas

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Insectos acuáticos y calidad del agua en la cuenca y embalse del río Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica

La población de insectos acuáticos y la calidad del agua fueron caracterizadas tomando en cuenta las alteraciones humanas y naturales en el área de estudio. Durante los muestreos mensuales, el pH, OD, temperatura, nivel del agua, DBO, PO4 y NO3 fueron medidos. Los índices biológicos (abundancia, riqueza de especies y el BMWP-CR) se evaluaron para determinar la calidad del agua. No se detectaron relaciones entre las variables ambientales y los insectos acuáticos, pero las diferencias espaciales y temporales en la abundancia y riqueza fueron asociadas con las crecidas del río (temporal) y a la presencia del embalse Peñas Blancas (espacial). En el futuro las investigaciones en la cuenca Peñas Blancas deben de ser dirigidas a determinar la magnitud de la influencia de los caudales, liberación de sedimentos y la posible degradación de la calidad del agua por efluentes de aguas servidas que se lleguen a ubicar en la cuenca

Insectos acuáticos y calidad del agua en la cuenca y embalse del río Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica

The aquatic insects have been used to evaluate water quality of aquatic environments.The population of aquatic insects and the water quality of the area were characterized according to the natural and human alterations present in the study site. During the monthly-survey, pH, DO, temperature, water level, DBO, PO4 and NO3 were measured. Biological indexes (abundance, species richness and the BMWP-CR) were used to evaluate the water quality. No relation between environmental and aquatic insects was detected. Temporal and spatial differences attributed to the flow events (temporal) and the presence of Peñas Blancas reservoir (spatial). In the future, the investigations in Peñas Blancas watershed need to be focused on determining the real influence of the flows, sediment release and the possible water quality degradation because of agriculture activities

Evaluación de la calidad del agua en el río Ciruelas, Miramar, Puntarenas, mediante el uso de indicadores biológicos y su relación con el uso del suelo.

Guevara Mora, M. (2008). Evaluación de la calidad del agua en el río Ciruelas, Miramar, Puntarenas, mediante el uso de indicadores biológicos y su relación con el uso del suelo. [Tesis de Licenciatura]. Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica.Uno de los grupos más utilizados como indicadores de la calidad del agua son los macroinvertebrados bentónicos. En la microcuenca del río Ciruelas se emplearon los insectos acuáticos, para determinar la calidad del agua y relacionarlo con el uso del suelo aledaño al río. Para tal fin se colectó en nueve sitios de muestreo a lo largo del río Ciruelas y algunos de sus afluentes durante noviembre 2004 a mayo 2005, empleando la metodología propuesta por el Reglamento de Evaluación y Clasificación de la Calidad de Cuerpos de Agua Superficiales. Para estimar la calidad del agua se calcularon los índices BMWP — CR, FBI, EPT y el índice de Diversidad de Shannon los cuales fueron correlaciones con el Indice de Uso del Suelo, mediante la correlación de Spearman. El Indice BMWP — CR estimó que las partes bajas de la cuenca tienen menor calidad del agua, siendo el Índice EPT el que mostró un comportamiento más estable, atribuido a la utilización de tres taxones con amplio valor para la bioindicación de la calidad del agua en el área de estudio. Se recomienda la utilización de la cantidad de géneros, Índice de Shannon, BMWP — CR y EPT como herramientas para la detección de futuros cambios ambientales y toma de decisiones sobre la calidad del agua.One of the groups most used as indicators of water quality are the benthic macroinvertebrates. In the Ciruelas river micro-basin, aquatic insects were used to determine the quality of the water and relate it to the use of the land surrounding the river. To this end, it was collected at nine sampling sites along the Ciruelas River and some of its tributaries during November 2004 to May 2005, using the methodology proposed by the Regulation for Evaluation and Classification of the Quality of Surface Water Bodies. To estimate water quality, the BMWP — CR, FBI, EPT indices and the Shannon Diversity Index were calculated, which were correlated with the Land Use Index, using Spearman's correlation. The BMWP — CR Index estimated that the lower parts of the basin have lower water quality, being the EPT Index the one that showed a more stable behavior, attributed to the use of three taxa with high value for bioindication of water quality in the study area. The use of the number of genera, Shannon Index, BMWP — CR and EPT is recommended as tools for detecting future environmental changes and making decisions about water quality.Universidad Nacional, Costa RicaEscuela de Ciencias Biológica