Assessing the effects of using high-quality data and high-resolution models in valuing flood protection services of mangroves

The rate of change on coastlines is accelerating from climate change and coastal development. Coastal flooding is a particularly pressing and increasing problem, which affects hundreds of millions of people and damages trillions of US$ in property. Scientists, practitioners and managers must be able to quickly assess flood risk and identify appropriate adaptation and risk reduction measures often with limited data and tools, particularly in developing countries. To inform these decision-making processes, we identify how sensitive flood risk and adaptation analyses are to changes in the resolution of data and models. We further do these comparisons in the context of assess the benefits of an ecosystem-based approach for risk reduction. There is growing interest in these ecosystem-based approaches as cost effective measures for adaptation and risk reduction. We assess flood risks from tropical cyclones and the flood risk reduction benefits provided by mangroves in Pagbilao (the Philippines). Then, we also compare risks and risk reduction (benefits) using different quality data and models, to identify where to invest in in new modeling and data acquisition to improve decision-making. We find that coastal flood risk valuation improves by using high resolution topography and long time series of data on tropical cyclones, while flood reduction benefits of mangroves are better valued by using consistent databases and models along the whole process rather than investing in single measures.We gratefully acknowledge support from the World Bank WAVES Program (Wealth Account- ing and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (currently named as Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities), within ECOPROOF project (BIA2014-59718-R), RISKOADAPT project (BIA2017-89401-R) and the FPI grant (BES-2015-074343

Using Recommendation System for E-learning Environments at degree level

Nowadays, new technologies and the fast growth of the Internet have made access to information easier for all kind of people, raising new challenges to education when using Internet as a medium. One of the best examples is how to guide students in their learning processes. The need to look for guidance from their teachers or other companions that many Internet users experience when endeavoring to choose their readings, exercises o practices is a very common reality. In order to cater for this need many different information and recommendation strategies have been developed. Recommendation Systems is one of these. Recommendation Systems try to help the user, presenting him those objects he could be more interested in, based on his known preferences or on those of other users with similar characteristics.This document tries to present the current situation with regards to Recommendation Systems and their application on distance education over the Internet

The Global flood protection Benefits of Mangroves

ABSTRACT: Coastal flood risks are rising rapidly. We provide high resolution estimates of the economic value of mangroves forests for flood risk reduction every 20 km worldwide. We develop a probabilistic, process-based valuation of the effects of mangroves on averting damages to people and property. We couple spatially-explicit 2-D hydrodynamic analyses with economic models, and find that mangroves provide flood protection benefits exceeding $US 65 billion per year. If mangroves were lost, 15 million more people would be flooded annually across the world. Some of the nations that receive the greatest economic benefits include the USA, China, India and Mexico. Vietnam, India and Bangladesh receive the greatest benefits in terms of people protected. Many (>45) 20-km coastal stretches particularly those near cities receive more than$US 250 million annually in flood protection benefits from mangroves. These results demonstrate the value of mangroves as natural coastal defenses at global, national and local scales, which can inform incentives for mangrove conservation and restoration in development, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and insuranceWe thank the supporting provided by the World Bank and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. We also acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (BIA2014-59718-R). Authors are grateful to the useful contributions provided by Borja González Reguero (University of Santa Cruz California), Antonio Espejo, Sheila Abad and Pedro Díaz Simal (IH Cantabria). Pelayo Menéndez acknowledge to the FPI grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (BES-2015-074343). The authors acknowledge to the National Plan “RISKOADAPT” from the Spanish Ministry of Sciences, Innovation and Universities (BIA2017-89401-R)

Enhanced equivalent model algorithm for solar mirrors

The SolarPACES Reflectance Guideline provides an essential tool to obtain comparable reflectance measurements, but because of the lack of adequate commercial instrumentation, till now the exhaustive characterization of reflectance behaviour versus incidence ¿i and (half) acceptance angle ¿ is unachieved. An expert group in Task III has been working to outline some practicable solutions. The Equivalent Model Algorithm (EMA) was found quite promising: with few input data, EMA allows to predict any reflectance feature by computation. The recent availability of reliable reflectance measurements at oblique incidence made possible the refinement of EMA by analysing a representative set of commercial solar mirrors. This paper describes the new EMA for solar mirror, named EMA4SM, and reports its validation

Modelling the TB spatial risk in a complex multi-host system assessed by drones

Trabajo presentado a la VI International M. bovis Conference, celebrada en Cardiff (Reino Unido) del 16 al 19 de junio de 2014.The present work has benefited from the financial aid of research grants JCCM (PEII10-0262-7673), MINECO (AGL2010-20730‐C02‐01), Aeromab Project (P07‐RNM‐03246), and the PLANET Project (EU, Cooperation, 7th FP, 2010). J.A.B. holds an FPU pre‐doctoral scholarship. P.A. is supported by MINECO‐UCLM through ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract (RYC‐2012‐11970) and partly by EMIDA‐ERA‐NET grant APHAEA (219235‐FP7‐ERA‐NET‐EMIDA; www.aphaea.eu). Acknowledgements We would like to thank E. Guerrero and M.A. Aguilar, the pilots and technicians who controlled the UAS and prepared the image mosaic. The present work has benefited from the financial aid of research grants JCCM (PEII10‐0262‐7673), MINECO (AGL2010‐20730‐C02‐01), Aeromab Project (P07‐RNM‐03246), and the PLANET Project (EU, Cooperation, 7th FP, 2010). J.A.B. holds an FPU pre‐doctoral scholarship. P.A. is supported by MINECO‐UCLM through ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract (RYC‐2012‐11970) and partly by EMIDA‐ERA‐NET grant APHAEA (219235‐FP7‐ERA‐NET‐EMIDA; www.aphaea.eu).Peer Reviewe

Fine-tuning the space, time, and host distribution of mycobacteria in wildlife

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We describe the diversity of two kinds of mycobacteria isolates, environmental mycobacteria and <it>Mycobacterium bovis </it>collected from wild boar, fallow deer, red deer and cattle in Doñana National Park (DNP, Spain), analyzing their association with temporal, spatial and environmental factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>High diversity of environmental mycobacteria species and <it>M. bovis </it>typing patterns (TPs) were found. When assessing the factors underlying the presence of the most common types of both environmental mycobacteria and <it>M. bovis </it>TPs in DNP, we evidenced (i) host species differences in the occurrence, (ii) spatial structuration and (iii) differences in the degree of spatial association of specific types between host species. Co-infection of a single host by two <it>M. bovis </it>TPs occurred in all three wild ungulate species. In wild boar and red deer, isolation of one group of mycobacteria occurred more frequently in individuals not infected by the other group. While only three TPs were detected in wildlife between 1998 and 2003, up to 8 different ones were found during 2006-2007. The opposite was observed in cattle. Belonging to an <it>M. bovis</it>-infected social group was a significant risk factor for mycobacterial infection in red deer and wild boar, but not for fallow deer. <it>M. bovis </it>TPs were usually found closer to water marshland than MOTT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The diversity of mycobacteria described herein is indicative of multiple introduction events and a complex multi-host and multi-pathogen epidemiology in DNP. Significant changes in the mycobacterial isolate community may have taken place, even in a short time period (1998 to 2007). Aspects of host social organization should be taken into account in wildlife epidemiology. Wildlife in DNP is frequently exposed to different species of non-tuberculous, environmental mycobacteria, which could interact with the immune response to pathogenic mycobacteria, although the effects are unknown. This research highlights the suitability of molecular typing for surveys at small spatial and temporal scales.</p

Variation in the Extraction Efficiency of Estradiol and Progesterone in Moist and Lyophilized Feces of the Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta pigra): Alternative Methods

Several fecal steroid extraction techniques have been developed to measure the ovary function in different species of mammals. However, regardless of the method of extraction and the sample type chosen, it has been observed that they can yield results with different percentages of recuperation. The objective of this study was to determine whether the type of substratum, solvent and extraction method used have any influence on the extraction efficiency in the feces of Alouatta pigra (black howler monkey). For this purpose we used two methods: agitation and ebullition. With each method, we utilized moist and lyophilized feces. The validation of radioimmunoassay method was accurate and precise for quantify estradiol and progesterone in lyophilized feces of A. pigra. To both of which ethanol and methanol, absolute and at 80%, were added, besides the hormones 125I-Estradiol and 125I-Progesterone. The extraction efficiency for 125I-Estradiol was from 87.72 ± 3.97 to 41.24 ± 2.67%, and for 125I-Progesterone from 71.15 ± 4.24 to 42.30 ± 1.19% when we used the agitation method. Whereas with the ebullition method, the extraction efficiency for 125I-Estradiol ranged from 86.89 ± 2.66 to 71.68 ± 3.02% and for 125I-Progesterone from 98.31 ± 1.26 to 85.40 ± 1.98%. Due to the differences found in these assays, which depend on the method used, the type of feces employed and the type of solvent added to them, we recommend the ebullition method and the lyophilized feces of A. pigra for extracting the hormones, since in moist feces there may exist variables which might interfere in the quantification of 125I-Estradiol and 125I-Progesterone

Return on investment for mangrove and reef flood protection

There is a growing need for coastal and marine restoration, but it is not clear how to pay for it given that environmental funding is low, and national budgets are stretched in response to natural hazards. We use risk-industry methods and find that coral reef and mangrove restoration could yield strong Return on Investment (ROI) for flood risk reduction on shorelines across more than 20 Caribbean countries. These results are robust to changes in discount rates and the timing of restoration benefits. Data on restoration costs are sparse, but the Present Value (PV) of restored natural infrastructure shows that ROI would be positive in many locations even if restoration costs are in the hundreds of thousand per hectare for mangroves and millions per km for reefs. Based on these benefits, we identify significant sources of funding for restoring these natural defenses.This work was supported in part by the Kingfisher Foundation, the World Bank, AXA XL, AXA Research Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. We thank Chris Lowrie for help with the figures

Creación de Mayaguar

El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar el proceso de creación de una marca de tequila, desde la elección del nombre, fotografía de la botella y el etiquetado. Se buscó identificar los elementos clave del branding de una marca de tequila exitosa, cómo estos elementos se relacionan con el público objetivo y la cultura de la bebida. Los resultados más importantes mostraron que tanto el nombre como el diseño de la botella son elementos clave en la creación de una marca de tequila exitosa, ya que atraen conectando con el público objetivo. También se identificó la importancia de una historia y cultura auténticas detrás de la marca, así como de la calidad y sabor del tequila en sí. En conclusión, el proceso de creación de una marca de tequila exitosa involucra una combinación de elementos clave, incluyendo el naming, la fotografía de botella, el etiquetado, junto con una historia auténtica, calidad del producto y cultura de la bebida. Es esencial comprender al público objetivo, a la cultura del tequila para crear una marca exitosa que sea reconocida y apreciada en el mercado.ITESO, A.C