Factors influencing farmers’ adoption of ecological reconversion agri-environmental schemes in mountain olive groves

Mountain olive groves are characterized by low profitability, mainly due to their location in high steep-slope areas with poor, shallow soils. Consequently, they present a high risk of abandonment of the productive activity, which would be eventually associated with high potential environmental and socio-cultural losses. As an alternative, an ecological reconversion scheme is proposed to increase the provision of ecosystem services from this agroecosystem while reducing the socio-economic impacts related to the abandonment. Two alternative schemes are proposed, which differ in the possibility or not of harvesting the olive production. A double-bounded contingent valuation exercise is used in a sample of Andalusian mountain olive growers to assess their willingness to accept (WTA) for participating in these schemes, using a difference-in-utility model with a linear utility function with correlation between the participation choices in the two schemes as econometric specification. The results show high levels of mean WTA, higher for the scheme precluding harvesting, indicating that higher levels of payment are needed to get some acceptance from farmers. Results also show that structural (e.g., yield) and attitudinal factors (e.g., opinion about setting-aside low productivity olive groves for environmental reasons), among others, significantly influence farmers’ WTA for these schemes

Spatial analysis of demand for sparsely-located ecosystem services using alternative index approaches

This study is focused on the effects of spatial discounting and substitute sites on the demand for ecosystem services (ES) provided by scattered agroecosystems. New ways of modelling these two effects are proposed, relying on area-based and density-based indexes. Data from discrete choice experiments are used, based on a case study of Andalusian olive groves (southern Spain). The results show that model fit is significantly improved by the introduction of these spatial indexes, with the best outcome found for the area-based index combined with the inverse of the distance. Results provide evidence of substantial spatial heterogeneity depending on the ES (carbon sequestration, soil conservation and biodiversity), indicating different economic jurisdiction

Systematic Tools for the Conceptual Design of Inherently Safer Chemical Processes

Society is continuously facing challenges for safer chemical plants design, which is usually driven by economic criteria during the early steps of the design process, relegating safety concerns to the latest stages. This paper highlights the synergy of merging Process System Engineering tools with inherent safety principles. First, we design a superstructure that comprises several alternatives for streams, equipment, and process conditions, which exhibit different performance of economic and inherently safer indicators, the total annualized cost, and the Dow’s Fire and Explosion Index, respectively. The solution to this multiobjective problem is given by a Pareto set of solutions that indicates the existing trade-off between both objectives. The capabilities of the proposed framework are illustrated through two case studies, which solutions provide valuable insights into the design problem and are intended to guide decision-makers toward the adoption of inherently safer process alternatives.The authors acknowledge financial support from “Proyectos de l+D para grupos de investigación emergentes GV/2016/005” (Conselleria d’Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport, GENERALITAT VALENCIANA) and from the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad” (CTQ2016-77968-C3-02-P, AEI/FEDER, UE)

Las estructuras centrales de la Galaxia Seyfert NGC 7582

La ponencia fue originalmente presentada en la Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina de Astonomía : San Juan : 2016. Y publicada en el Boletín de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía, vol 59, en el año 2017.Fil: Celiz, Denise. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Fil: Gaspar, Gaia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico Córdoba; Argentina.Fil: Díaz, Rubén J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Rubén J. Gemini Observatory; ChileFil: D'Ambra, Ary. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Presentamos la primera fase del estudio de la galaxia Seyfert NGC 7582 mediante imágenes NIR de alta resolución espacial tomadas con el instrumento Flamingos-2 de Gemini Sur. NGC 7582 posee un núcleo de tipo Seyfert 2 que en el año 1998 experimentó un cambio inusual en su espectro de emisión óptico, permaneciendo como un núcleo Seyfert 1 por algunos meses. Además, variaciones en su espectro en el rango de los rayos X han sido interpretadas como evidencia de la naturaleza grumosa del material absorbedor circumnuclear, entendido como un toroide en el marco del Modelo Unificado. Estas peculiaridades y el hecho de que la galaxia se encuentre muy inclinada con respecto al plano del cielo, la convierten en candidata apta para la exploración profunda en el rango espectral infrarrojo. En éste trabajo presentamos imágenes de alta resolución de la galaxia, a partir de las cuales caracterizamos las regiones más centrales, en especial el anillo circumnuclear y una estructura tipo ”boxy”poco estudiada hasta la fecha. Realizamos fotometrı́a de apertura del núcleo para diferentes radios. Encontramos que las magnitudes medidas son consistentes con las reportadas en la literatura para épocas anteriores, indicando que el núcleo no ha sufrido variaciones dramáticas durante la época observada.We present the first stage of the study of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 7582 through high spatial resolution NIR images obtained with the instrument Flamingos-2 of Gemini South. NGC 7582 harbours a Seyfert 2 nucleus that in 1998 experienced an unusual change in its optical emission line spectrum, remaining as a Seyfert 1 nucleus for some months. Moreover, variations in its X-ray spectrum have been interpreted as evidence of the clumpy nature of the circumnuclear absorbing material, conseived as a torus in the Unified Model. These peculiarities plus the high inclination of the galaxy make it a suitable candidate for deep infrared observations. In this work we present high resolution images of the galaxy, from wich we caracterized the most central regions, specially the circumnuclear ring and a ”box-type” structure, little studied to date. We performed aperture photometry of the nucleus for different radii. We find that the measured magnitudes are consistent with those reported in the literature for previous epochs, indicating that the nucleus has not suffered dramatic variations during this observation epoch.Fil: Celiz, Denise. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Fil: Gaspar, Gaia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico Córdoba; Argentina.Fil: Díaz, Rubén J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Rubén J. Gemini Observatory; ChileFil: D'Ambra, Ary. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Astronomía (incluye Astrofísica y Ciencias del Espacio

Would an ecological reconversion program for the Andalusian mountain olive groves be economically efficient?

[EN] This paper analyses the efficiency of a possible agri-environmental scheme aimed at promoting the partial or complete abandonment of the agricultural production in mountain olive groves in Andalusia in order to enhance the provision of environmental public goods (biodiversity and soil functionality). The results obtained show that this scheme would generate positive net social gains (public benefits greater than social costs) only if the scheme is focused on low-yield olive farms and includes low to moderate payments (125 and 500 €/ha·year for partial and total abandonment, respectively).[ES] Este trabajo analiza la eficiencia de un posible programa agroambiental que promoviese el abandono parcial o total de la producción del olivar de montaña en Andalucía al objeto de potenciar la provisión de bienes públicos de carácter ambiental (biodiversidad y funcionalidad del suelo). De los resultados obtenidos se deduce que este programa solo generaría una ganancia social neta positiva (be-neficios públicos mayores que los costes sociales) en el caso que este acogiese únicamente explotaciones con rendimientos productivos muy bajos, estableciendo para ello pagos agroambientales igualmente reducidos (125 y 500 €/ha·año en caso de abandono parcial y total, respectivamente).Programa Horizonte 2020 de investigación e innovación de la Unión Europea a través del proyecto PROVIDE (PROVIding smart DElivery of public goods by EU agriculture and forestry, Grant agreement No 633838).Granado-Díaz, R.; Villanueva, AJ.; Gómez-Limón, JA. (2020). ¿Resultaría económicamente eficiente un programa de reconversión ecológica para el olivar de montaña andaluz?. Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales - Agricultural and Resource Economics. 20(1). https://doi.org/10.7201/earn.2020.01.05OJS103.12920

Heterospecific amplexus between Triprion petasatus (Anura: Hylidae) and Incilius valliceps (Anura: Bufonidae) from Yucatán, Mexico

The heterospecific amplex between Triprion petasatus and Incilius valliceps is documented for the first time in the locality of Piste, Yucatan Mexico. This behavior has been documented previously in other amphibians, many of them also explosive reproducers that take advantage of temporary bodies of water, in places with a marked dry season. Se documenta por primera vez el amplexo heteroespecífico entre Triprion petasatus e Incilius valliceps en la localidad de Pisté, Yucatán México. Este comportamiento ha sido documentado con anterioridad en otros anfibios, muchos de ellos también reproductores explosivos que aprovechan los cuerpos de agua temporales, en sitios con una marcada estación de secas

Double nucleus in M83

M 83 is one of the nearest galaxies with an enhanced nuclear star formation and it presents one of the best opportunities to study the kinematics and physical properties of a circumnuclear starburst. Our three-dimensional spectroscopy data in R band confirm the presence of a secondary nucleus or mass concentration (previously suggested by Thatte and coworkers). We determine the position of this hidden nucleus, which would be more massive than the visible one, and was not detected in the optical HST images due, probably, to the strong dust extinction. The optical nucleus has a mass of 5 x 10^6 M_Sun / sin i (r < 1''.5), and the hidden nucleus, located 3''.9 +/- 0''.5 at the NW (PA 271 +/- 15 deg) of the optical nucleus, would have a mass of 1 x 10^7 M_Sun / sin i (r < 1''.5). The emission line ratio map also unveils the presence of a second circumnuclear ring structure, previously discovered by IR imaging (Elmegreen and coworkers). The data allow us to resolve the behavior of the interstellar medium inside the circumnuclear ring and around the binary mass concentration.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures. Discussion updated. Published versio

A protocol for wide-scope non-target analysis of contaminants in small amounts of biota using bead beating tissuelyser extraction and LC-HRMS

This work describes a robust and powerful method for wide-scope target and non-target analysis of xenobiotics in biota samples based on bead beating tissuelyser extraction, solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up and further detection by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Unlike target methodologies, non-target methods usually aim at determining a wide range of still unknown substances with different physicochemical properties. Therefore, losses during the extraction process were minimised. Apart from that, the reduction of possible interferences showed to be necessary to expand the number of compounds that can be detected. This was achieved with an additional SPE clean-up step carried out with mixed-bed multi-layered cartridges. The method was validated with a set of 27 compounds covering a wide range of physicochemical properties, and further applied to the analysis of krill and fish samples. •The bead beating extraction was efficient for a wide range of organic pollutants in small quantities of biota samples. •Multi-layered solid phase extraction clean-up yield a wide xenobiotics coverage reducing matrix effects. •Method validation with 27 compounds led to a suitable method for non-target analysis of organic pollutants in biota.ICRA researchers thank funding from CERCA program. This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO): project PLAS-MED (CTM2017-89701-C3-2-R). SRM acknowledges the Ramon y Cajal program (RYC-2014-16707). This project has been funded by the Chilean Antarctic Institute through project RT_12_17. The Chilean Agency for Research and Development through the FONDAP initiative (grant no. 15150003) “Centro de Investigación Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL)”; and “Anillos de Investigación en Ciencia Antartica (grant no. ANID-PIA-ACT-INACH Anillo ACT192057). IDAEA researchers acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Severo Ochoa, Project CEX2018-000794-S).Peer reviewe

Integral field spectroscopy of H II region complexes: the outer disc of NGC 6946

This is an electronic version of an article published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. García-Benito, R., Díaz, A., Hägele, G.F., Pérez-Montero, E., López, J., Vílchez, J.M., Pérez, E., Terlevich, E., Terlevich, R., D. Rosa-González. Integral field spectroscopy of H II region complexes: the outer disc of NGC 6946. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 408 (2010): 2234-225