Which predictive uncertainty to resolve? Value of information sensitivity analysis for environmental decision models

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MUncertainties in environmental decisions are large, but resolving them is costly. We provide a framework for value of information (VoI) analysis to identify key predictive uncertainties in a decision model. The approach addresses characteristics that complicate this analysis in environmental management: dependencies in the probability distributions of predictions, trade-offs between multiple objectives, and divergent stakeholder perspectives. For a coral reef fisheries case, we predict ecosystem and fisheries trajectories given different management alternatives with an agent-based model. We evaluate the uncertain predictions with preference models based on utility theory to find optimal alternatives for stakeholders. Using the expected value of partially perfect information (EVPPI), we measure how relevant resolving uncertainty for various decision attributes is. The VoI depends on the stakeholder preferences, but not directly on the width of an attribute's probability distribution. Our approach helps reduce costs in structured decision-making processes by prioritizing data collection efforts

Does catching more fish increase the subjective well-being of fishers? Insights from Bangladesh

Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICUnidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSmall-scale fisheries have been associated with the subjective well-being of coastal communities through their links with culture, identity, and social cohesion. But although fish catches are usually considered the primary ecosystem service that benefits fishers, little is known about how subjective well-being is influenced by the fishing activity itself. Here, we applied the experience sampling method in two small-scale fisheries in Bangladesh to assess the effects of fishing on fishers' occurrence of positive and negative affect, two measures of subjective well-being. We found that fishing activities were not directly associated with increased momentary affect and that the frequency of positive affect actually decreased as the fishing trip progressed. Furthermore, although very low catches were associated with less positive affect, the highest frequency of positive affect was achieved with relatively small catches. Our results imply that the benefits provided by small-scale fisheries to the momentary subjective well-being of fishers are not strongly related to the actual catching of fish

A synthesis of women's participation in small-scale fisheries management : why women's voices matter

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MAltres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABWhile women globally make up nearly half of the fisheries workforce, their contribution to the sector has long been overlooked with implications for fisheries management. To assess women's participation in small-scale fisheries (SSF) management and related socio-cultural, environmental, and economic impacts, we conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature (n = 124 case studies). Women had no or limited participation in more than 80% of the examined case studies reporting their participation level in SSF management. Women's exclusion from SSF management resulted in negative outcomes, whereas their active participation was associated with various positive impacts at multiple scales. Most of the documented impacts were socio-cultural, suggesting a gap in documenting environmental impacts stemmed from women's participation in SSF management. Importantly, most impacts reported affected the social-ecological system scale, suggesting that gender inclusion may contribute to improving the management of SSF social-ecological systems. We conclude by highlighting the need to foster gender perspectives in data collection methods used in fisheries research, in SSF management, and in ecological research on SSF social-ecological systems

Happy just because. A cross-cultural study on subjective wellbeing in three Indigenous societies

While cross-cultural research on subjective well-being and its multiple drivers is growing, the study of happiness among Indigenous peoples continues to be under-represented in the literature. In this work, we measure life satisfaction through open-ended questionnaires to explore levels and drivers of subjective well-being among 474 adults in three Indigenous societies across the tropics: the Tsimane’ in Bolivian lowland Amazonia, the Baka in southeastern Cameroon, and the Punan in Indonesian Borneo. We found that life satisfaction levels in the three studied societies are slightly above neutral, suggesting that most people in the sample consider themselves as moderately happy. We also found that respondents provided explanations mostly when their satisfaction with life was negative, as if moderate happiness was the normal state and explanations were only needed when reporting a different life satisfaction level due to some exceptionally good or bad occurrence. Finally, we also found that issues related to health and–to a lesser extent–social life were the more prominent explanations for life satisfaction. Our research not only highlights the importance to understand, appreciate and respect Indigenous peoples’ own perspectives and insights on subjective well-being, but also suggests that the greatest gains in subjective well-being might be achieved by alleviating the factors that tend to make people unhappy.Peer reviewe

Characterization of metabolomic profile associated with metabolic improvement after bariatric surgery in subjects with morbid obesity

The exact impact of bariatric surgery in metabolically 'healthy' (MH) or 'unhealthy' (MU) phenotypes for the study of the metabolic improvement is still unknown. We applied an untargeted LC-ESI-TripleTOF-MS-driven metabolomics approach in serum samples from 39 patients with morbid obesity (MH and MU) 1, 3, and 6 months after bariatric surgery. Multiple factor analysis, along with correlation and enrichment analyses, was carried out to distinguish those metabolites associated with metabolic improvement. Hydroxypropionic acids, medium-/long-chain hydroxy fatty acids, and bile acid glucuronides were the most discriminative biomarkers of response between MH and MU phenotypes. Hydroxypropionic (hydroxyphenyllactic-related) acids, amino acids, and glycerolipids were the most significant clusters of metabolites altered after bariatric surgery in MU ( p < 0.001). After surgery, MU and MH changed toward a common metabolic state 3 months after surgery. We observed a negative correlation with changes in waist circumference and cholesterol levels with metabolites of lipid metabolism. Glycemic variables were correlated with hexoses, which, in turn, correlated with gluconic acid and amino acid metabolism. Finally, we noted that hydroxyphenyllactic acid was associated with amino acid and lipid metabolism. Microbial metabolism of amino acid and BA glucuronidation pathways may be the key points of metabolic rearrangement after surgery

Happy without money: Minimally monetized societies can exhibit high subjective well-being

Economic growth is often assumed to improve happiness for people in low income countries, although the association between monetary income and subjective well-being has been a subject of debate. We test this assumption by comparing three different measures of subjective well-being in very low-income communities with different levels of monetization. Contrary to expectations, all three measures of subjective well-being were very high in the least-monetized sites and comparable to those found among citizens of wealthy nations. The reported drivers of happiness shifted with increasing monetization: from enjoying experiential activities in contact with nature at the less monetized sites, to social and economic factors at the more monetized sites. Our results suggest that high levels of subjective well-being can be achieved with minimal monetization, challenging the perception that economic growth will raise life satisfaction among low income populations

Metabotypes of response to bariatric surgery independent of the magnitude of weight loss

Objective Bariatric surgery is considered the most efficient treatment for morbid obesity and its related diseases. However, its role as a metabolic modifier is not well understood. We aimed to determine biosignatures of response to bariatric surgery and elucidate short-term metabolic adaptations. Methods We used a LC- and FIA-ESI-MS/MS approach to quantify acylcarnitines, (lyso)phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, amino acids, biogenic amines and hexoses in serum samples of subjects with morbid obesity (n = 39) before and 1, 3 and 6 months after bariatric surgery. K-means cluster analysis allowed to distinguish metabotypes of response to bariatric surgery. Results For the first time, global metabolic changes following bariatric surgery independent of the baseline health status of the subjects have been revealed. We identify two metabolic phenotypes (metabotypes) at the interval 6 months-baseline after surgery, which presented differences in the levels of compounds of urea metabolism, gluconeogenic precursors and (lyso)phospholipid particles. Clinically, metabotypes were different in terms of the degree of improvement in insulin resistance, cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins and uric acid independent of the magnitude of weight loss. Conclusions This study opens new perspectives and new hypotheses on the metabolic benefits of bariatric surgery and understanding of the biology of obesity and its associated diseases

Spatio-temporal patterns in the coral reef communities of the Spermonde Archipelago, 2012–2014, II: Fish assemblages display structured variation related to benthic condition

The Spermonde Archipelago is a complex of ~70 mostly populated islands off Southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the center of the Coral Triangle. The reefs in this area are exposed to a high level of anthropogenic disturbances. Previous studies have shown that variation in the benthos is strongly linked to water quality and distance from the mainland. However, little is known about the fish assemblages of the region and if their community structure also follows a relationship with benthic structure and distance from shore. In this study, we used eight islands of the archipelago, varying in distance from 1 to 55 km relative to the mainland, and 3 years of surveys, to describe benthic and fish assemblages and to examine the spatial and temporal influence of benthic composition on the structure of the fish assemblages. Cluster analysis indicated that distinct groups of fish were associated with distance, while few species were present across the entire range of sites. Relating fish communities to benthic composition using a multivariate generalized linear model confirmed that fish groups relate to structural complexity (rugosity) or differing benthic groups; either algae, reef builders (coral and crustose coralline algae) or invertebrates and rubble. From these relationships we can identify sets of fish species that may be lost given continued degradation of the Spermonde reefs. Lastly, the incorporation of water quality, benthic and fish indices indicates that local coral reefs responded positively after an acute disturbance in 2013 with increases in reef builders and fish diversity over relatively short (1 year) time frames. This study contributes an important, missing component (fish community structure) to the growing literature on the Spermonde Archipelago, a system that features environmental pressures common in the greater Southeast Asian region

Biomarkers of Morbid Obesity and Prediabetes by Metabolomic Profiling of Human Discordant Phenotypes

Metabolomic studies aimed to dissect the connection between the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity are still scarce. In the present study, fasting serum from sixty-four adult individuals classified into four sex-matched groups by their BMI [non-obese versus morbid obese] and the increased risk of developing diabetes [prediabetic insulin resistant state versus non-prediabetic non-insulin resistant] was analyzed by LC- and FIA-ESI-MS/MS-driven metabolomic approaches. Altered levels of [lyso]glycerophospholipids was the most specific metabolic trait associated to morbid obesity, particularly lysophosphatidylcholines acylated with margaric, oleic and linoleic acids [lysoPC C17:0: R=-0.56, p=0.0003; lysoPC C18:1: R=-0.61, p=0.0001; lysoPC C18:2 R=-0.64, p<0.0001]. Several amino acids were biomarkers of risk of diabetes onset associated to obesity. For instance, glutamate significantly associated with fasting insulin [R=0.5, p=0.0019] and HOMA-IR [R=0.46, p=0.0072], while glycine showed negative associations [fasting insulin: R=-0.51, p=0.0017; HOMA-IR: R=-0.49, p=0.0033], and the branched chain amino acid valine associated to prediabetes and insulin resistance in a BMI-independent manner [fasting insulin: R=0.37, p=0.0479; HOMA-IR: R=0.37, p=0.0468]. Minority sphingolipids including specific [dihydro]ceramides and sphingomyelins also associated with the prediabetic insulin resistant state, hence deserving attention as potential targets for early diagnosis or therapeutic intervention