Valoración de los servicios de ecosistema: Aplicación del modelo hedónico en la cuenca del río Piedras

Áreas de infraestructura natural, dentro del tejido urbano, presentan servicios de ecosistemas importantes para la calidad de vida. Los esfuerzos de investigación de las pasadas décadas han caracterizado estos servicios y aplicado técnicas para la valoración e integración a la planificación urbana. Este estudio, utiliza la técnica de valoración hedónica para determinar el valor indirecto de áreas de infraestructura natural y sus servicios, reflejado en el precio de venta de viviendas unifamiliares en la cuenca del río Piedras en San Juan. Resultados del modelo de regresión reflejan la importancia de amenidades naturales como ríos y quebradas así como la de los espacios verdes visibles desde éstas. El deterioro de la calidad de los espacios públicos en la ciudad refleja, en los resultados, una magnitud mayor de variables de áreas privadas de infraestructura verde y comercial. A la luz de los resultados, la política de planificación para la provisión de acceso a servicios de ecosistema debe examinar las mejores prácticas dentro de la ciudad y presentar alternativas de integración ciudadana, mejoras y cambios de percepción sobre los espacios públicos y naturales en la ciudad

Synthesis of Household Yard Area Dynamics in the City of San Juan Using Multi-Scalar Social-Ecological Perspectives

Urban sustainability discourse promotes the increased use of green infrastructure (GI) because of its contribution of important ecosystem services to city dwellers. Under this vision, all urban green spaces, including those at the household scale, are valued for their potential contributions to a city’s social-ecological functioning and associated benefits for human well-being. Understanding how urban residential green spaces have evolved can help improve sustainable urban planning and design, but it requires examining urban processes occurring at multiple scales. The interaction between social structures and ecological structures within the subtropical city of San Juan, the capital and the largest city of Puerto Rico, has been an important focus of study of the San Juan ULTRA (Urban Long-Term Research Area) network, advancing understanding of the city’s vulnerabilities and potential adaptive capacity. Here we provide a synthesis of several social-ecological processes driving residential yard dynamics in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, through the evaluation of empirical findings related to yard management decisions, yard area, and yard services. We emphasize the role of factors occurring at the household scale. Results are discussed within the context of shrinking cities using an integrated, multi-scalar, social-ecological systems framework, and consider the implications of household green infrastructure for advancing urban sustainability theory

Effect of a Prebiotic Formulation on Frailty Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Abstract: Aging can result in major changes in the composition and metabolic activities of bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal system and result in impaired function of the immune system. We assessed the efficacy of prebiotic Darmocare Pre ® (Bonusan Besloten Vennootschap (BV), Numansdorp, The Netherlands) to evaluate whether the regular intake of this product can improve frailty criteria, functional status and response of the immune system in elderly people affected by the frailty syndrome. The study was a placebo-controlled, randomized, double blind design in sixty older participants aged 65 and over. The prebiotic product was composed of a mixture of inulin plus fructooligosaccharides and was compared with placebo (maltodextrin). Participants were randomized to a parallel group intervention of 13 weeks' duration with a daily intake of Darmocare Pre ® or placebo. Either prebiotic or placebo were administered after breakfast (between 9-10 a.m.) dissolved in a glass of water carefully stirred just before drinking. The primary outcome was to study the effect on frailty syndrome. The secondary outcomes were effect on functional and cognitive behavior and sleep quality. Moreover, we evaluated whether prebiotic administration alters blood parameters (haemogram and biochemical analysis). The overall rate of frailty was not significantly modified by Darmocare Pre ® administration. Nevertheless, prebiotic administration compared with placebo significantly improved two frailty criteria, e.g., exhaustion and handgrip strength (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). No significant effects were observed in functional and cognitive behavior or sleep quality. The use of novel therapeutic approaches influencing the gut microbiota-muscle-brain axis could be considered for treatment of the frailty syndrome