Higher Education Focused on Port Management in Europe

EU directives on environmental sustainability, such as Directive (EU) 2019/883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17th April 2019 on port reception facilities for the delivery of ship generated waste, are stringent. The Commission Communication of 05/23/2013 (Ports: a driver for growth) states that "Port activities cause significant impacts in terms of emissions, noise, water and soil pollution as well as habitat fragmentation" and "The Commission welcomes the initiatives taken by the port sector to promote excellence in environmental management and performance through the publication of guides to good practice". Ports therefore need to adapt to the new requirements also, and above all, in terms of stricter requirements for environmental performance and alternative fuels. Furthermore, according to the European Commissioner for Transport “Maritime transport is a global business, and reducing its emissions requires global solutions. The entry into force of the global sulphur cap is an important milestone for the entire maritime sector; it will contribute to further reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, directly benefiting cities and communities around the globe, including important ones on our Southern European shores. It also shows that concerted effort from the EU and the IMO, together with strong commitment from the industry can deliver important benefits to the environment and the health of our citizens”. Therefore, due to Europe's historical relationship with the sea (mainly due to commercial reasons) a study has been undertaken on the current offer of European Masters related to seaports. This offer has been analysed according to the educational areas taught (legal, operational, business, management, safety, engineering, ecological, etc.), the language in which they are offered, the duration of the studies, the location of these masters by country and the type of teaching (in person or online). The results have been shown in graphs and it has been seen, among other aspects, that the countries of Southern Europe are the ones that contribute most to teachings related to the maritime sector

INCAMP: Master's Degree In The Carbon Neutral Management of Sport Marinas.

INCAMP project is developing an International Master’s Degree in the Carbon Neutral Management of sport marinas. In this article we present a draft on the distribution of the Master, with main learning materials that will be taught. The content has been divided into paths, modules and subjects, as following: 6 Fundamental modules; 18 Subjects; Practical and a Dissertation. Subjects of the Master has been selected to give the appropriate knowledge to the future students interested in Carbon Neutral Management of sport marinas. INCAMP has been created to meet future skills needs and to enhance the opportunities for cooperation between Higher Education, Vocational Educational Training and Industry, providing opportunities for cooperation among stakeholders as well as the exchange and transfer of knowledge to increase know-how. Throughout the master, students will be taught to understand and investigate the major processes and change drivers which contribute to climate conditions in the earth system at different scales, among them, the understanding of the interdependencies between the grand cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) in the Sport Marinas Management System. Furthermore, they will analyse the roles played by the biosphere in global and local environmental change: how is it affected by environmental change and how can changes in the biosphere affect global change? A macro-scale view of global biosphere function in Earth history and the global impact of humanity, putting contemporary environmental change into wider context. Human systems of knowledge, values, organization, technology, and behaviour will be examined in relation to environmental change in an evolutionary and social development context. What is the utility of viewing human societies as systems? How do the complexity, diversity, stratification, and resource management strategies of human societies shape their contributions and responses to critical environmental parameters and challenges? The module introduces relevant cognitive, social, economic, and human ecological concepts and theory to understand historical developments in social-ecological systems and address contemporary issues of sustainability and wellbeing in an increasingly populous and globalised society. Specifically, the students will investigate the role of energy systems in causing and mitigating climate change for carbon neutral management of sport marinas. Debates and major trends in the role of technologies, economics, human behaviour, social change and governance in avoiding dangerous anthropogenic climate change

IMPACTO DEL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO EN LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS DE ESPAÑA IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE WATER RESOURCES OF SPAIN

To the current global climate change scenario, we must add the use of water by the main economic sectors in Spain. Mainly, agriculture and tourism (Spain received 83 million tourists in 2019) are the main water demanders in the country, so we have studied the current water situation of the peninsula and the islands of the country, to know their ability to meet the demand of these key sectors. In order to address this analysis, we began by reviewing the various international conventions that have addressed the problem of global warming, and then addressed the methodology of the water situation in Spain and its two archipelagos (Canary and Balearic Islands) and the challenges faced by these three territories in relation to obtaining water in a scenario of climate change. Spain and the Balearic archipelago enjoy a Mediterranean climate characterized by dry summers. It is precisely during the summer season that most tourism is received and a greater demand for water must be satisfied. In the Canary Islands, due to their geographical condition, we speak of a subtropical climate with abundant microclimates within the 8 islands that make up the archipelago. This situation favours different water situations, mainly betting on desalination in the islands closest to the African continent, and on groundwater in the most western islands. In all three territories, the struggle for sustainable water management in relation to the tourism sector is underway, as well as an increase in the use of reclaimed water in irrigation, due to the growing threat of water scarcity scenarios in southern Europe, with the risk that this poses to the tourism and agricultural model of life that is being developed in Spain

Assessment Protocol to Evaluate the Degree of Conservation of Habitats of Community Interest: A Case Study for the 5220* HCI in the Westernmost Localities of Europe

The westernmost European nucleus of the 5220* Habitat of Community Interest (HCI) is located in the province of Málaga (Andalusia). In this area, the 5220* HCI is characterized by the presence of scrublands of Gymnosporia senegalensis subsp. europaea. This is a relict species in Europe, with inhabits only in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The westernmost Iberian nuclei of the 5220* HCI are constituted by three isolated nuclei (Málaga–Rincón de la Victoria; Torremolinos; and Pizarra). These nuclei have been only partially mapped. The objectives were: to map the 5220* HCI characterized by G. senegalensis subsp. europaea in detail; to evaluate its degree of conservation (DC); and to identify the chronosequences of the evolution of this habitat from 1957 to 2021, and its fragmentation. Our results have contributed to generating a 1:10,000 scale cartography of the habitat. In general, the DC obtained was from good to excellent. With an excellent DC value, one inland locality (Pizarra) was highlighted. However, the highest reduction in the value of DC was observed in the localities of Torremolinos and Málaga–Rincón de la Victoria which, in addition, have reduced the area of occupancy (AOO) and are fragmented. It is important to note that some areas of Málaga–Rincón de la Victoria reached excellent values of DC, indicating the need to carry out protection.This paper was supported by the project CEIJ-006- “Evaluación del estado de conservación del litoral mediterráneo terrestre en el sureste ibérico (Málaga-Granada, España) mediante el uso de flora relevante, alóctonas invasoras y hábitats 92/43UE. Propuesta de gestión” of the Campus of International Global Excellence of the Sea. A. Picornell was supported by a postdoctoral grant financed by the Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades (Junta de Andalucía, POSTDOC_21_00056). This publication has been also funded by the University of Malaga (“I Plan Propio de Investigación, Transferencia y Divulgación Científica de la Universidad de Málaga”). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

The surface-associated exopolysaccharide of Bifidobacterium longum 35624 plays an essential role in dampening host proinflammatory responses and repressing local TH17 responses

The immune-modulating properties of certain bifidobacterial strains, such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum 35624 (B. longum 35624), have been well described, although the strain-specific molecular characteristics associated with such immune-regulatory activity are not well defined. It has previously been demonstrated that B. longum 35624 produces a cell surface exopolysaccharide (sEPS), and in this study, we investigated the role played by this exopolysaccharide in influencing the host immune response. B. longum 35624 induced relatively low levels of cytokine secretion from human dendritic cells, whereas an isogenic exopolysaccharide-negative mutant derivative (termed sEPSneg) induced vastly more cytokines, including interleukin-17 (IL-17), and this response was reversed when exopolysaccharide production was restored in sEPSneg by genetic complementation. Administration of B. longum 35624 to mice of the T cell transfer colitis model prevented disease symptoms, whereas sEPSneg did not protect against the development of colitis, with associated enhanced recruitment of IL-17+ lymphocytes to the gut. Moreover, intranasal administration of sEPSneg also resulted in enhanced recruitment of IL-17+ lymphocytes to the murine lung. These data demonstrate that the particular exopolysaccharide produced by B. longum 35624 plays an essential role in dampening proinflammatory host responses to the strain and that loss of exopolysaccharide production results in the induction of local TH17 responses. IMPORTANCE: Particular gut commensals, such as B. longum 35624, are known to contribute positively to the development of mucosal immune cells, resulting in protection from inflammatory diseases. However, the molecular basis and mechanisms for these commensal-host interactions are poorly described. In this report, an exopolysaccharide was shown to be decisive in influencing the immune response to the bacterium. We generated an isogenic mutant unable to produce exopolysaccharide and observed that this mutation caused a dramatic change in the response of human immune cells in vitro. In addition, the use of mouse models confirmed that lack of exopolysaccharide production induces inflammatory responses to the bacterium. These results implicate the surface-associated exopolysaccharide of the B. longum 35624 cell envelope in the prevention of aberrant inflammatory responses

Integrated GWAS and Gene Expression Suggest ORM1 as a Potential Regulator of Plasma Levels of Cell-Free DNA and Thrombosis Risk

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a surrogate marker of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that contribute to immunothrombosis. There is growing interest about the mechanisms underlying NET formation and elevated cfDNA, but little is known about the factors involved. We aimed to identify genes involved in the regulation of cfDNA levels using data from the Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophilia (GAIT-2) Project. Imputed genotypes, whole blood RNA-Seq data, and plasma cfDNA quantification were available for 935 of the GAIT-2 participants from 35 families with idiopathic thrombophilia. We performed heritability and GWAS analysis for cfDNA. The heritability of cfDNA was 0.26 ( p  = 3.7 × 10 (−6) ), while the GWAS identified a significant association (rs1687391, p  = 3.55 × 10 (−10) ) near the ORM1 gene, on chromosome 9. An eQTL (expression quantitative trait loci) analysis revealed a significant association between the lead GWAS variant and the expression of ORM1 in whole blood ( p  = 6.14 × 10 (−9) ). Additionally, ORM1 expression correlated with levels of cfDNA ( p  = 4.38 × 10 (−4) ). Finally, genetic correlation analysis between cfDNA and thrombosis identified a suggestive association ( ρ (g)  = 0.43, p  = 0.089). All in all, we show evidence of the role of ORM1 in regulating cfDNA levels in plasma, which might contribute to the susceptibility to thrombosis through mechanisms of immunothrombosis

Obstetric outcomes of sars-cov-2 infection in asymptomatic pregnant women

Altres ajuts: Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)Around two percent of asymptomatic women in labor test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Spain. Families and care providers face childbirth with uncertainty. We determined if SARS-CoV-2 infection at delivery among asymptomatic mothers had different obstetric outcomes compared to negative patients. This was a multicenter prospective study based on universal antenatal screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 42 hospitals tested women admitted for delivery using polymerase chain reaction, from March to May 2020. We included positive mothers and a sample of negative mothers asymptomatic throughout the antenatal period, with 6-week postpartum follow-up. Association between SARS-CoV-2 and obstetric outcomes was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analyses. In total, 174 asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnancies were compared with 430 asymptomatic negative pregnancies. No differences were observed between both groups in key maternal and neonatal outcomes at delivery and follow-up, with the exception of prelabor rupture of membranes at term (adjusted odds ratio 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.13-3.11; p = 0.015). Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers have higher odds of prelabor rupture of membranes at term, without an increase in perinatal complications, compared to negative mothers. Pregnant women testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at admission for delivery should be reassured by their healthcare workers in the absence of symptoms

Famílies botàniques de plantes medicinals

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia, Assignatura: Botànica Farmacèutica, Curs: 2013-2014, Coordinadors: Joan Simon, Cèsar Blanché i Maria Bosch.Els materials que aquí es presenten són els recull de 175 treballs d’una família botànica d’interès medicinal realitzats de manera individual. Els treballs han estat realitzat per la totalitat dels estudiants dels grups M-2 i M-3 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica durant els mesos d’abril i maig del curs 2013-14. Tots els treballs s’han dut a terme a través de la plataforma de GoogleDocs i han estat tutoritzats pel professor de l’assignatura i revisats i finalment co-avaluats entre els propis estudiants. L’objectiu principal de l’activitat ha estat fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica