Comparison and Assessment of Two Emission inventories for the Madrid Region

Emission inventories are databases that aim to describe the polluting activities that occur across a certain geographic domain. According to the spatial scale, the availability of information will vary as well as the applied assumptions, which will strongly influence its quality, accuracy and representativeness. This study compared and contrasted two emission inventories describing the Greater Madrid Region (GMR) under an air quality simulation approach. The chosen inventories were the National Emissions Inventory (NEI) and the Regional Emissions Inventory of the Greater Madrid Region (REI). Both of them were used to feed air quality simulations with the CMAQ modelling system, and the results were compared with observations from the air quality monitoring network in the modelled domain. Through the application of statistical tools, the analysis of emissions at cell level and cell – expansion procedures, it was observed that the National Inventory showed better results for describing on – road traffic activities and agriculture, SNAP07 and SNAP10. The accurate description of activities, the good characterization of the vehicle fleet and the correct use of traffic emission factors were the main causes of such a good correlation. On the other hand, the Regional Inventory showed better descriptions for non – industrial combustion (SNAP02) and industrial activities (SNAP03). It incorporated realistic emission factors, a reasonable fuel mix and it drew upon local information sources to describe these activities, while NEI relied on surrogation and national datasets which leaded to a poorer representation. Off – road transportation (SNAP08) was similarly described by both inventories, while the rest of the SNAP activities showed a marginal contribution to the overall emissions

Improvements of air quality simulations of particulate matter in the Iberian peninsula with road dust resuspension and dust emission modules

The Mediterranean Basin is one of the most sensitive zones in the planet to air pollution. Besides anthropogenic emissions, the Iberian Peninsula is affected by natural particule matter (PM) sources. Dry weather conditions allow road dust to be resuspended by vehicle-induced turbulence. These emissions may be as important as those directly emitted by vehicles (combustion and from road abrasion and tyre and break wear processes). In addition, it is widely documented that crustal particles transported from the Saharan Desert may contribute significantly to ambient PM concentration in Madrid. This poster summarizes the methodology and results of the implementation of a module to account for these sources -not included in current emission inventories- into the Eulerian air quality model CMAQ. Comparison of predicted PM concentrations with ambient air quality measurements and satellite observation point out that this module clearly improves the performance of the standard CMAQ version

Switch between morphospecies of pocillopora corals

© 2015 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Pocillopora corals are the main reef builders in the eastern tropical Pacific. The validity of Pocillopora morphospecies remains under debate because of disagreements between morphological and genetic data. To evaluate the temporal stability of morphospecies in situ, we monitored the shapes of individual colonies in three communities in the southern Gulf of California for 44 months. Twenty-three percent of tagged colonies of Pocillopora damicornis changed to Pocillopora inflata morphology during this time. This switch in identity coincided with a shift to a higher frequency of storms and lower water turbidity (i.e., lower chlorophyll a levels). Seven months after the switch, P. inflata colonies were recovering their original P. damicornis morphology. All colonies of both morphospecies shared a common mitochondrial identity, but most P. damicornis colonies undergoing change were at a site with low-flow conditions. This is the first in situ study to document switching between described morphospecies, and it elucidates the influence of temporal shifts in environmental conditions on morphologically plastic responses

La coactivació del bíceps femoral limita la força màxima isomètrica d'extensió de genoll en ciclistes de ruta

Introducció i objectius: L'objecte d'aquest estudi era analitzar la coactivació antagonista (bíceps femoral) durant una contracció màxima isomètrica d'extensió unilateral de genoll en ciclistes de ruta, com també la seva relació amb l'activació agonista (recte femoral, vast medial i vast lateral) i la força manifestada. L'activació dels músculs gastrocnemis també va ser monitoritzada. Mètodes: Setze ciclistes federats van fer una prova màxima d'extensió isomètrica de genoll. Durant els 5 s de durada del test amb la cama dominant, es va monitoritzar l'activitat electromiogràfica (EMG) de 6 músculs del tren inferior, a més de la força isomètrica manifestada. Resultats: L'activitat EMG mitjana (EMGmit) del bíceps femoral va suposar un 37,4% de l'EMGmit per mitjana dels 3 agonistes. Per la seva banda, la mitjana d'EMGmit dels gastrocnemis va suposar un 18,2% de la mitjana d'EMGmit dels agonistes. Analitzant per separat l'EMGmit de cadascun dels 3 músculs agonistes, vam observar que aquest paràmetre d'activació va ser estadísticament superior en el recte femoral en comparació amb vast medial i vast lateral. L'EMGmit del bíceps femoral es va mostrar inversament proporcional a la força isomètrica màxima. Amb tot, l'activació de la resta de músculs, tant mitjana com màxima, no va mostrar cap relació amb la força. Conclusions: L'activació antagonista limita la força màxima isomètrica d'extensió de genoll en ciclistes de ruta. Tant aquest fet com l'excessiva activació del recte femoral poden tenir relació amb les diferències biomecàniques existents entre el pedaleig, gest propi de la modalitat practicada pels subjectes, i l'extensió de genoll en màquina

Posibilidades de implantación de una plataforma virtual para la mejora de la comercialización de los cítricos en Andalucía. Necesidades de información de los productores y exportadores

Andalucía es la segunda región productora de cítricos de España, teniendo por tanto una extraordinaria importancia económica y social. Sin embargo, la cadena de valor de los cítricos comprende un sector productor bastante atomizado frente a unos compradores muy concentrados y organizados, y un mercado poco transparente. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar las necesidades de información de los principales agentes implicados en la cadena de valor de los cítricos y estudiar las posibilidades que tendría la implantación de una plataforma virtual para mejorar las decisiones empresariales en la comercialización de los productos. Para ello, se emplearon fuentes primarias, centradas en la realización de entrevistas a expertos de la producción de cítricos en Andalucía, segmentando el análisis sobre la base de la naturaleza jurídica y la actividad de los entrevistados. Esta acción estratégica puede ser viable puesto que hay una clara demanda de información por parte de la población encuestada, que representa el 65% de la producción citrícola andaluza. Además, se constató que el modelo de gestión debería ser mixto, públicoprivada. La responsabilidad de la misma debería ser privada, ya que en general se percibió cierta reticencia en la Administración. La mayoría de los encuestados estarían dispuestos a pagar por los servicios que suministre la plataforma, si bien señalaron restricciones en cuanto al acceso, calidad del servicio y precioAndalusia is the second largest citrus producer in Spain, and thus, the citrus industry has an extraordinary economic and social importance in the region. However, the citrus value chain comprises a scattered primary sector in contrast to a very concentrated and well organized purchase and distribution sector, as well as a non-transparent market. The aim of this research was to explore the information needs of the different agents in the citrus value chain and to study the possibilities of implementing a opavirtual platform to share information in order to improve their marketing decisions. Primary sources were used for this work: a survey was conducted among citrus production experts in Andalusia. Survey results were analysed according to the legal nature and the activity of the respondents. The strategic action of implementing an information platform may be feasible since a clear demand for information has been detected from the survey population which represents 65% of the Andalusia citrus production. In addition, a public-private management model was preferred by the respondents to control the platform although the responsibility for it should be private. The majority of respondents would be willing to pay for the services provided by the platform, although some aspects regarding access restrictions service quality and price should be consideredFundación Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía (CTA) 1480/056

La coactivación del bíceps femoral limita la fuerza máxima isométrica de extensión de rodilla en ciclistas de ruta

Introducción y objetivos: El objeto del presente estudio fue analizar la coactivación antagonista (bíceps femoral) durante una contracción máxima isométrica de extensión unilateral de rodilla, en ciclistas de ruta, así como su relación con la activación agonista (recto femoral, vasto medial y vasto lateral) y la fuerza manifestada. La activación de los músculos gastrocnemios también fue monitorizada. Métodos: Dieciséis ciclistas federados efectuaron una prueba máxima de extensión isométrica de rodilla. Durante los 5 s de duración del test, llevado a cabo con la pierna dominante, se monitorizó la actividad electromiográfica (EMG) de 6 músculos del tren inferior, además de la fuerza isométrica manifestada. Resultados: La actividad EMG media (EMGmed) del bíceps femoral supuso un 37,4% de la EMGmed promediada de los 3 agonistas. Por su parte, la EMGmed promediada de los gastrocnemios supuso un 18,2% de la EMGmed promediada de los agonistas. Analizando por separado la EMGmed de cada uno de los 3 músculos agonistas, observamos que este parámetro de activación fue estadísticamente superior en el recto femoral en comparación con el vasto medial y el vasto lateral. La EMGmed del bíceps femoral se mostró inversamente proporcional a la fuerza isométrica máxima. Sin embargo, la activación del resto de músculos, tanto media como máxima, no mostró relación alguna con la fuerza. Conclusiones: La activación antagonista limita la fuerza máxima isométrica de extensión de rodilla en ciclistas de ruta. Tanto este hecho como la excesiva activación del recto femoral pueden tener relación con las diferencias biomecánicas existentes entre el pedaleo, el gesto propio de la modalidad practicada por los sujetos, y la extensión de rodilla en la máquina

Analysis of Contributions to NO2 Ambient Air Quality Levels in Madrid City (Spain) through Modeling. Implications for the Development of Policies and Air Quality Monitoring

As environmental standards become more stringent (e.g. European Directive 2008/50/EC), more reliable and sophisticated modeling tools are needed to simulate measures and plans that may effectively tackle air quality exceedances, common in large cities across Europe, particularly for NO2. Modeling air quality in urban areas is rather complex since observed concentration values are a consequence of the interaction of multiple sources and processes that involve a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Besides a consistent and robust multi-scale modeling system, comprehensive and flexible emission inventories are needed. This paper discusses the application of the WRF-SMOKE-CMAQ system to the Madrid city (Spain) to assess the contribution of the main emitting sectors in the region. A detailed emission inventory was compiled for this purpose. This inventory relies on bottom-up methods for the most important sources. It is coupled with the regional traffic model and it makes use of an extensive database of industrial, commercial and residential combustion plants. Less relevant sources are downscaled from national or regional inventories. This paper reports the methodology and main results of the source apportionment study performed to understand the origin of pollution (main sectors and geographical areas) and define clear targets for the abatement strategy. Finally the structure of the air quality monitoring is analyzed and discussed to identify options to improve the monitoring strategy not only in the Madrid city but the whole metropolitan area

In Vitro Generation of Zebrafish PGC-Like Cells

[EN] The possibility of generating primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro from noncommitted embryonic cells represents an extremely useful tool in current research. Primordial germ cell in vitro differentiation has been successfully reported in mammals. However, contrary to fish, PGC specification in mammals is an inductive mechanism. This study is the first to date to describe a rapid method for PGC in vitro differentiation in teleosts. Primordial germ cell-like cells were characterized by several lines of evidence, including gene expression, cell complexity, size, and image analysis for the quantification of fluorescence under vasa promoter. Moreover, differentiated cells were able to colonize the genital ridge after transplantation. Differentiation treatments increased the number of PGCs in culture, causing differentiation of cells rather than inducing their proliferation. These results open up the possibility of differentiating genetically modified embryonic cells to PGC-like cells to ensure their transmission to the progeny and could be crucial for an in-depth understanding of germline differentiation in teleostsSISupported by Fundación Ramón Areces and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación grant MICINN AGL2009-06994, Ramón y Cajal Program grant RYC-2008-02339, Junta de Castilla y León grants E-24-2009-0036681 and EDU/346/2013, and Fondo Social Europeo. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscrip

Morphological variation and different branch modularity across contrasting flow conditions in dominant Pocillopora reef-building corals

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Pocillopora corals, the dominant reef-builders in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, exhibit a high level of phenotypic plasticity, making the interpretation of morphological variation and the identification of species challenging. To test the hypothesis that different coral morphospecies represent phenotypes that develop in different flow conditions, we compared branch characters in three Pocillopora morphospecies (P.damicornis, P. verrucosa, and P. meandrina) from two communities in the Gulf of California exposed to contrasting flow conditions. Morphological variation and branch modularity (i.e., the tendency of different sets of branch traits to vary in a coordinated way) were assessed in colonies classified as Pocillopora type 1 according to two mitochondrial regions. Our results can be summarized as follows. (1) Pocillopora type 1 morphospecies corresponded to a pattern of morphological variation in the Gulf of California. Overall, P.damicornis had the thinnest branches and its colonies the highest branch density, followed by P.verrucosa, and then by P.meandrina, which had the thickest branches and its colonies the lowest branch density. (2) The differentiation among morphospecies was promoted by different levels of modularity of traits. P.verrucosa had the highest coordination of traits, followed by P.damicornis, and P.meandrina. (3) The variation and modularity of branch traits were related to water flow condition. Morphology under the high-flow condition was more similar among morphospecies than under the low-flow condition and seemed to be related to mechanisms for coping with these conditions. Our results provide the first evidence that in scleractinian corals different levels of modularity can be promoted by different environmental conditions

Implementation of a module for risk of ozone impacts assessment to vegetation in the integrated assessment modelling system for the Iberian peninsula. Evaluation for wheat and holm oak

A module to estimate risks of ozone damage to vegetation has been implemented in the Integrated Assessment Modelling system for the Iberian Peninsula. It was applied to compute three different indexes for wheat and Holm oak; daylight AOT40 (cumulative ozone concentration over 40 ppb), cumulative ozone exposure index according to the Directive 2008/50/EC (AOT40-D) and PODY (Phytotoxic Ozone Dose over a given threshold of Y nmol m−2 s−1). The use of these indexes led to remarkable differences in spatial patterns of relative ozone risks on vegetation. Ozone critical levels were exceeded in most of the modelling domain and soil moisture content was found to have a significant impact on the results. According to the outputs of the model, daylight AOT40 constitutes a more conservative index than the AOT40-D. Additionally, flux-based estimations indicate high risk areas in Portugal for both wheat and Holm oak that are not identified by AOT-based methods