Perspectives on contentions about climate change adaptation in the Canary Islands. A case study for Tenerife - Study

This technical report describes a case study on policy for adaptation to climate change delivered to DG-CLIMA. It is aimed at exploring climate change adaptation scenarios as well as concrete actions to increase climatic resilience in a small European island: Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain), the largest and most populated of the seven islands of the Canaries. The effects of climatic and non-climatic hazards on local population health and ecosystems are reviewed, such as heatwaves, air pollution and the atmospheric dust which comes from the Saharan dessert. The potential combination or overlapping effects of these hazards are also explored. According to the literature reviewed, heatwaves, air pollution, and Saharan dust events have been producing negative effects on the population, in terms of both morbidity and mortality, as well as the environment, such as forest fires related impacts. In terms of health impacts, elderly and people with chronic diseases are those more vulnerable to the previous hazards. As a consequence of both population ageing and the expected increasing extreme weather events, vulnerability is believed to worsen. There are currently a certain number of policies at both the Canary Islands scale and at Tenerife scale that, either directly or indirectly, might deal with the multiple hazards analysed here. However, most of these policies have neither been specifically developed to increase the resilience against heatwaves, Saharan dust events, and air pollution, nor to deal with their potential interactions. Therefore, their possible capability need to be explored along with other potential adaptation options. In order to do so, a participatory integrated assessment is proposed based on three steps: a first one intended to define the issue under analysis and frame the problematique of adaptation to climate change in Tenerife by means of in-depth interviews and a questionnaire; a second step envisioned to explore scenarios to increase the island resilience as well as concrete actions to reduce the vulnerability to heatwaves, Saharan dust intrusion, and air pollution, by means of focus group sessions; and a last step projected to build the scenarios for resilience (this third phase will be carried out in a later stage). For this purpose, different participatory techniques have been applied, such as questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group sessions, involving local key stakeholders as well as citizens and lay people. One of the findings of the analysis is that there is a lack of institutions in charge of climate change policy issues. According to most of the participants, the Islands need an institutional structure in charge of mainstreaming climate change policy into private and public institutions. A second finding indicates that an integrated climate change risk management plan is also needed as well as the investment in high-resolution regional climatic models. The following part of this study will be devoted to build scenarios for Tenerife. As it emerged from the present study, local citizens are not only concerned about adaptation to climate change, but also about how to be more resilient against external shocks, including extreme weather events as a consequence of climate change. Thus, those scenarios, still to be built, will propose paths that Tenerife may walk through from current times to 2040 in order to increase its resilience. These scenarios would concentrate on energy, agriculture, and food dependency, as well as other driving forces that might affect Tenerife’s resilienceEste informe técnico describe un estudio de caso sobre la política de adaptación al cambio climático entregado a la DG-CLIMA. Su objetivo es explorar los escenarios de adaptación al cambio climático así como las acciones concretas para aumentar la resistencia climática en una pequeña isla europea: Tenerife, Islas Canarias (España), la mayor y más poblada de las siete islas de las Canarias. Se revisan los efectos de los peligros climáticos y no climáticos sobre la salud de la población local y los ecosistemas, como las olas de calor, la contaminación del aire y el polvo atmosférico procedente del desierto del Sahara. También se exploran los posibles efectos combinados o superpuestos de estos peligros. De acuerdo con la literatura revisada, las olas de calor, la contaminación del aire y el polvo sahariano han estado produciendo efectos negativos en la población, tanto en términos de morbilidad como de mortalidad, así como en el medio ambiente, tales como los impactos relacionados con los incendios forestales. En cuanto a los impactos sobre la salud, los ancianos y las personas con enfermedades crónicas son los más vulnerables a los peligros anteriores. Como consecuencia tanto del envejecimiento de la población como del aumento previsto de los fenómenos meteorológicos extremos, se cree que la vulnerabilidad empeorará. Actualmente existe un cierto número de políticas tanto a escala de las Islas Canarias como a escala de Tenerife que, directa o indirectamente, podrían abordar las múltiples amenazas aquí analizadas. Sin embargo, la mayoría de estas políticas no se han desarrollado específicamente para aumentar la resiliencia frente a las olas de calor, los fenómenos de polvo sahariano y la contaminación atmosférica, ni para hacer frente a sus posibles interacciones. Por lo tanto, su posible capacidad debe ser explorada junto con otras opciones potenciales de adaptación. Para ello, se propone una evaluación participativa integrada basada en tres pasos: uno primero destinado a definir la cuestión analizada y enmarcar la problemática de la adaptación al cambio climático en Tenerife mediante entrevistas en profundidad y un cuestionario; un segundo paso previsto para explorar los escenarios para aumentar la resiliencia de la isla, así como acciones concretas para reducir la vulnerabilidad a las olas de calor, la intrusión de polvo sahariano y la contaminación atmosférica, mediante sesiones de grupos focales; y un último paso previsto para construir los escenarios de resiliencia (esta tercera fase se llevará a cabo en una etapa posterior). Para ello se han aplicado diferentes técnicas participativas, como cuestionarios, entrevistas en profundidad y sesiones de grupos focales, con la participación de los principales interesados locales, así como de ciudadanos y laicos. Una de las conclusiones del análisis es que hay una falta de instituciones a cargo de los temas de políticas de cambio climático. Según la mayoría de los participantes, las Islas necesitan una estructura institucional encargada de la incorporación de la política sobre el cambio climático en las instituciones públicas y privadas. Una segunda conclusión indica que también se necesita un plan de gestión integrada de los riesgos del cambio climático, así como la inversión en modelos climáticos regionales de alta resolución. La siguiente parte de este estudio estará dedicada a la construcción de escenarios para Tenerife. Tal y como se desprende del presente estudio, los ciudadanos locales no sólo están preocupados por la adaptación al cambio climático, sino también por la forma de ser más resistentes a los impactos externos, incluidos los fenómenos meteorológicos extremos como consecuencia del cambio climático. Así, estos escenarios, aún por construir, propondrán caminos que Tenerife podrá recorrer desde la época actual hasta el año 2040 para aumentar su resiliencia. Estos escenarios se concentrarían en la energía, la agricultura y la dependencia alimentaria, así como en otras fuerzas motrices que podrían afectar a la resiliencia de Tenerife

Field-Deployed Spectroscopy from 350 to 2500 nm: A Promising Technique for Early Identification of Powdery Mildew Disease (Erysiphe necator) in Vineyards

[EN] This study explores spectroscopy in the 350 to 2500 nm range for detecting powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) in grapevine leaves, crucial for precision agriculture and sustainable vineyard management. In a controlled experimental vineyard setting, the spectral reflectance on leaves with varying infestation levels was measured using a FieldSpec 4 spectroradiometer during July and September. A detailed assessment was conducted following the guidelines recommended by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) to quantify the level of infestation; categorising leaves into five distinct grades based on the percentage of leaf surface area affected. Subsequently, spectral data were collected using a contact probe with a tungsten halogen bulb connected to the spectroradiometer, taking three measurements across different areas of each leaf. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) analysis yielded coefficients of determination R2 = 0.74 and 0.71, and Root Mean Square Errors (RMSEs) of 12.1% and 12.9% for calibration and validation datasets, indicating high accuracy for early disease detection. Significant spectral differences were noted between healthy and infected leaves, especially around 450 nm and 700 nm for visible light, and 1050 nm, 1425 nm, 1650 nm, and 2250 nm for the near-infrared spectrum, likely due to tissue damage, chlorophyll degradation and water loss. Finally, the Powdery Mildew Vegetation Index (PMVI) was introduced, calculated as PMVI = (R755 − R675)/(R755 + R675), where R755 and R675 are the reflectances at 755 nm (NIR) and 675 nm (red), effectively estimating disease severity (R2 = 0.7). The study demonstrates that spectroscopy, combined with PMVI, provides a reliable, non-invasive method for managing powdery mildew and promoting healthier vineyards through precision agriculture practices.SIThe research was part of the EVARRES project Evaluación de variedades de vid resistentes a enfermedades (Assessment of Disease-Resistant Grape Varieties, code 2018/879) and VITICOM project Alternativas para una viticultura competitiva y sostenible (Alternatives for Competitive and Sustainable Viticulture, code 2021/1168), both financially supported by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology of Spain (CDTI), and it was supported by the company VITICAMPO, SL (grant id: 2021/00009/001; T132). Dr. Sergio Vélez’s contract has been supported by the Iberdrola Foundation and the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)—E4F, part of the Horizon 2020 program (Grant Agreement No 101034297, https: //doi.org/10.3030/101034297, accessed on 20 March 2024)

Perspectives on contentions about climate change adaptation in the Canary Islands: a case study for Tenerife

This case study is aimed at exploring climate change adaptation scenarios as well as concrete actions to increase climatic resilience in a small European island: Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain), the largest and most populated of the seven islands of the Canaries. The effects of climatic and non-climatic hazards on local population health and ecosystems are reviewed, such as heatwaves, air pollution and the atmospheric dust which comes from the Saharan dessert. The potential combination or overlapping effects of these hazards are also explored. According to the literature reviewed, heatwaves, air pollution, and Saharan dust events have been producing negative effects on the population, in terms of both morbidity and mortality, as well as the environment, such as forest fires related impacts. In terms of health impacts, elderly and local people with chronic diseases are those more vulnerable to the previous hazards. As a consequence of both population ageing and the expected increasing extreme weather events, vulnerability is believed to worsen. There are currently a certain number of policies at both the Canary Islands scale and at Tenerife scale that, either directly or indirectly, might deal with the multiple hazards analysed here. However, most of these policies have neither been specifically developed to increase the resilience against heatwaves, Saharan dust events, and climate change, nor to deal with their potential interactions. Therefore, their possible capability need to be explored along with other potential adaptation options. In order to do so, a participatory integrated assessment is proposed based on three steps: (1) a first one intended to define the issue under analysis and frame the problematique of adaptation to climate change in Tenerife; (2) a second step envisioned to explore scenarios to increase the island resilience as well as concrete actions to reduce the vulnerability to heatwaves, Saharan dust intrusion, and air pollution, and (3) a last step projected to assess the proposed scenarios and run a multi-criteria analysis so as to rank adaptation actions (this third phase will be carried out in a later stage). Local key stakeholders as well as citizens and lay people have been engaged from the beginning of the process for this purpose. Different participatory techniques have been applied, such as questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group sessions. One of the findings of the analysis is that there is a lack of institutions in the Islands in charge of climate change issues. According to most of the participants in the participatory techniques applied, the islands need an institutional structure in charge of mainstreaming climate change policy into private and public institutions. A second finding indicates that an integrated climate change risk management plan is also needed as well as the investment in high-resolution climatic models. Part II of this research project will be devoted to build scenarios for Tenerife. As will be presented, local citizens are not only concerned about adaptation to climate change, but how to be more resilient against external shocks, including extreme weather events as a consequence of climate change. Thus, those scenarios, still to be built, will propose paths that Tenerife may walk through from current times to 2040 in order to increase its resilience. These scenarios would concentrate on energy, agriculture, and food dependency, as well as other elements that might affect Tenerife’s resilience. Multi-criteria evaluation of adaptation actions will also be carried out in Part II, so as to compare concrete adaptation policy actions that could be implemented in certain periods of time. Thus, any alternative option could be associated to certain scenarios, such that the implementation of one alternative may put Tenerife on a concrete path to increase its resilience

Association of TAP1 1177A>G and 2090A>G gene polymorphisms with latent tuberculosis infections in sheltered populations, in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Mexico: a pilot study

Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a condition that has no clinical signs and symptoms. LTBI patients are characterized by persistent immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and approximately 5-10% of these infected individuals will develop active TB at some point in their lives. The antigen transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP1) is a protein involved in the transport of the antigen from the cytoplasm to the endoplasmic reticulum by means of the association with MHC class I molecules. It plays a fundamental role in the immune response, promoting the clearance of intracellular pathogens. Our pilot study aimed to determine the association between TAP1 gene 1177A>G (rs1057141) and 2090A>G (rs1135216) genetic polymorphisms with susceptibility to LTBI. In this case-control study, 153 individuals from shelters were analyzed (46 were LTBI-positive and 92 were controls). Genotyping of the rs11352216 (2090A>G) and rs1057141 (1177A>G) gene IDs was performed using the Applied Biosystems Step One Thermal Cycler Real-Time PCR allelic discrimination technology. The haplotypic analyses were performed with the Arlequin 3.5 program. Social assistance centers and shelters that serve vulnerable populations represent high-risk sites due to overcrowding and the impaired nutritional status of their residents. The G allele (OR=1.99, CI=1.109-3.587, p=0.021) and the GG genotype of rs11352216 (A>G) were associated with susceptibility to LTBI, according to the codominant genetic model (OR=8.32, CI=1.722-61.98, p=0.007). The rs1057141 (A>G) polymorphism was not associated with LTBI risk. The results suggest that carriers of the G allele of rs1135216 (A>G) are susceptible to LTBI

Aplicación de MATLAB® al diseño de mecanismos

En este artículo se presenta la aplicación informática DISMEC desarrollada en el entorno MATLAB® para el diseño cinemático de mecanismos. Esta aplicación es un complemento docente en la asignatura de Cinemática y Dinámica de Máquinas impartida en el plan de estudios de Ingeniero Industrial. El alumno puede seleccionar un mecanismo de la librería predefinida y definir la geometría y los parámetros de entrada del mismo. Después puede realizar tanto el análisis cinemático como la síntesis de generación de trayectorias de un punto del mismo. Los resultados se muestran de una forma gráfica y mediante animaciones se consigue simular el movimiento real que tendría el mecanismo. Se pretenden conseguir de esta manera dos objetivos fundamentales: (i) que los alumnos que se inician en el estudio de la Cinemática de Mecanismos cuenten con una herramienta sencilla de utilizar para realizar sus primeras simulaciones numéricas y (ii) transmitir al alumnado de grado de forma eficiente y cercana el conocimiento generado por las investigaciones en síntesis cinemática del Grupo de Ingeniería Mecánica de la Universidad de Cantabria

The Expanded mtDNA Phylogeny of the Franco-Cantabrian Region Upholds the Pre-Neolithic Genetic Substrate of Basques

The European genetic landscape has been shaped by several human migrations occurred since Paleolithic times. The accumulation of archaeological records and the concordance of different lines of genetic evidence during the last two decades have triggered an interesting debate concerning the role of ancient settlers from the Franco-Cantabrian region in the postglacial resettlement of Europe. Among the Franco-Cantabrian populations, Basques are regarded as one of the oldest and more intriguing human groups of Europe. Recent data on complete mitochondrial DNA genomes focused on macrohaplogroup R0 revealed that Basques harbor some autochthonous lineages, suggesting a genetic continuity since pre-Neolithic times. However, excluding haplogroup H, the most representative lineage of macrohaplogroup R0, the majority of maternal lineages of this area remains virtually unexplored, so that further refinement of the mtDNA phylogeny based on analyses at the highest level of resolution is crucial for a better understanding of the European prehistory. We thus explored the maternal ancestry of 548 autochthonous individuals from various Franco-Cantabrian populations and sequenced 76 mitogenomes of the most representative lineages. Interestingly, we identified three mtDNA haplogroups, U5b1f, J1c5c1 and V22, that proved to be representative of Franco-Cantabria, notably of the Basque population. The seclusion and diversity of these female genetic lineages support a local origin in the Franco-Cantabrian area during the Mesolithic of southwestern Europe, ∼10,000 years before present (YBP), with signals of expansions at ∼3,500 YBP. These findings provide robust evidence of a partial genetic continuity between contemporary autochthonous populations from the Franco-Cantabrian region, specifically the Basques, and Paleolithic/Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups. Furthermore, our results raise the current proportion (≈15%) of the Franco-Cantabrian maternal gene pool with a putative pre-Neolithic origin to ≈35%, further supporting the notion of a predominant Paleolithic genetic substrate in extant European populations

Development and Implementation of the AIDA International Registry for Patients With Still's Disease

Objective: Aim of this paper is to present the design, construction, and modalities of dissemination of the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) International Registry for patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), which are the pediatric and adult forms of the same autoinflammatory disorder. Methods: This Registry is a clinical, physician-driven, population- and electronic-based instrument implemented for the retrospective and prospective collection of real-world data. The collection of data is based on the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) tool and is intended to obtain evidence drawn from routine patients' management. The collection of standardized data is thought to bring knowledge about real-life clinical research and potentially communicate with other existing and future Registries dedicated to Still's disease. Moreover, it has been conceived to be flexible enough to easily change according to future scientific acquisitions. Results: Starting from June 30th to February 7th, 2022, 110 Centers from 23 Countries in 4 continents have been involved. Fifty-four of these have already obtained the approval from their local Ethics Committees. Currently, the platform counts 290 users (111 Principal Investigators, 175 Site Investigators, 2 Lead Investigators, and 2 data managers). The Registry collects baseline and follow-up data using 4449 fields organized into 14 instruments, including patient's demographics, history, clinical manifestations and symptoms, trigger/risk factors, therapies and healthcare access. Conclusions: This international Registry for patients with Still's disease will allow a robust clinical research through collection of standardized data, international consultation, dissemination of knowledge, and implementation of observational studies based on wide cohorts of patients followed-up for very long periods. Solid evidence drawn from "real-life " data represents the ultimate goal of this Registry, which has been implemented to significantly improve the overall management of patients with Still's disease. NCT 05200715 available at

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on liver cancer management (CERO-19).

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems and it may have heavily impacted patients with liver cancer (LC). Herein, we evaluated whether the schedule of LC screening or procedures has been interrupted or delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An international survey evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical practice and clinical trials from March 2020 to June 2020, as the first phase of a multicentre, international, and observational project. The focus was on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, cared for around the world during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. RESULTS: Ninety-one centres expressed interest to participate and 76 were included in the analysis, from Europe, South America, North America, Asia, and Africa (73.7%, 17.1%, 5.3%, 2.6%, and 1.3% per continent, respectively). Eighty-seven percent of the centres modified their clinical practice: 40.8% the diagnostic procedures, 80.9% the screening programme, 50% cancelled curative and/or palliative treatments for LC, and 41.7% modified the liver transplantation programme. Forty-five out of 69 (65.2%) centres in which clinical trials were running modified their treatments in that setting, but 58.1% were able to recruit new patients. The phone call service was modified in 51.4% of centres which had this service before the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 19/37). CONCLUSIONS: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on the routine care of patients with liver cancer. Modifications in screening, diagnostic, and treatment algorithms may have significantly impaired the outcome of patients. Ongoing data collection and future analyses will report the benefits and disadvantages of the strategies implemented, aiding future decision-making. LAY SUMMARY: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems globally. Herein, we assessed the impact of the first wave pandemic on patients with liver cancer and found that routine care for these patients has been majorly disrupted, which could have a significant impact on outcomes

Lensing is low: cosmology, galaxy formation or new physics?

We present high signal-to-noise galaxy-galaxy lensing measurements of the BOSS CMASS sample using 250 square degrees of weak lensing data from CFHTLenS and CS82. We compare this signal with predictions from mock catalogs trained to match observables including the stellar mass function and the projected and two dimensional clustering of CMASS. We show that the clustering of CMASS, together with standard models of the galaxy-halo connection, robustly predicts a lensing signal that is 20-40% larger than observed. Detailed tests show that our results are robust to a variety of systematic effects. Lowering the value of $S_{\rm 8}=\sigma_{\rm 8} \sqrt{\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3}$ compared to Planck2015 reconciles the lensing with clustering. However, given the scale of our measurement ($r<10$ $h^{-1}$ Mpc), other effects may also be at play and need to be taken into consideration. We explore the impact of baryon physics, assembly bias, massive neutrinos, and modifications to general relativity on $\Delta\Sigma$ and show that several of these effects may be non-negligible given the precision of our measurement. Disentangling cosmological effects from the details of the galaxy-halo connection, the effects of baryons, and massive neutrinos, is the next challenge facing joint lensing and clustering analyses. This is especially true in the context of large galaxy samples from Baryon Acoustic Oscillation surveys with precise measurements but complex selection functions.Comment: 26 pages. Submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcom