Forest landscapes and global change. New frontiers in management, conservation and restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference

This volume contains the contributions of numerous participants at the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference, which took place in Bragança, Portugal, from 21 to 24 of September 2010. The conference was dedicated to the theme Forest Landscapes and Global Change - New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. The 128 papers included in this book follow the structure and topics of the conference. Sections 1 to 8 include papers relative to presentations in 18 thematic oral and two poster sessions. Section 9 is devoted to a wide-range of landscape ecology fields covered in the 12 symposia of the conference. The Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference register the growth of scientific interest in forest landscape patterns and processes, and the recognition of the role of landscape ecology in the advancement of science and management, particularly within the context of emerging physical, social and political drivers of change, which influence forest systems and the services they provide. We believe that these papers, together with the presentations and debate which took place during the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference – Bragança 2010, will definitively contribute to the advancement of landscape ecology and science in general. For their additional effort and commitment, we thank all the participants in the conference for leaving this record of their work, thoughts and science

Manual de boas práticas em espaços verdes

Os espaços verdes são elementos fundamentais da estrutura e do funcionamento das cidades. Asseguram directa e indirectamente um conjunto notável de funções e serviços ambientais, sociais e económicos dos quais depende a qualidade de vida das pessoas nas cidades. O Manual de Boas Práticas para a Instalação e Manutenção de Espaços Verdes da Cidade de Bragança destina-se a todos os interessados por plantas, jardins, parques, quintais, biodiversidade e ambiente nas cidades, desde os completamente amadores até aos mais exigentes profissionais da jardinagem e da gestão da natureza. Foi preparado considerando que os conceitos e métodos fundamentais da silvicultura, agronomia, biologia e outros não têm, necessariamente, que ser complicados e difíceis de explicar e aplicar. O Manual de Boas Práticas começa por abordar os aspectos principais da concepção e instalação que devem estar presentes na idealização de um espaço verde, seja de que tipo for. A segunda parte do Manual diz respeito à manutenção e gestão dos espaços verdes compreendendo uma série exaustiva de indicações e recomendações que podem ser seguidas durante a vida dos espaços verdes de forma a que estes e os seus componentes se mantenham saudáveis e úteis bem como possam corresponder aos objectivos para que foram concebidos

Sustentabilidade da montanha portuguesa: realidade e desafios

As áreas de montanha em Portugal representam cerca de 40% do território nacional. Encerram um conjunto de valores patrimoniais, materiais e imateriais, de profundo significado identitário, em regiões particulares e no país como um todo. São áreas de geologia e geomorfologia complexa, sistemas chave na regulação do clima regional e geral e na regulação da água, repositórios de uma diversidade notável de habitats, fauna e flora e, cada vez mais, escolhas preferenciais da população para contemplação e usufruição da natureza. Apesar da sua presença frequente na paisagem e da sua importância em tantos aspetos da natureza, da economia e da sociedade, as montanhas portuguesas não mereceram até ao momento uma publicação a elas inteira e especificamente dedicada. Com esta obra pretende-se colmatar esta lacuna da literatura científica e de divulgação em Portugal, reunindo um conjunto de contribuições de investigadores reconhecidos em diferentes domínios das ciências agrárias, naturais e sociais. Baseia-se parcialmente no ciclo de conferências que o Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO) organizou na Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança nos anos de 2009 e 2010, dedicado ao tema “Sustentabilidade da Montanha Portuguesa: Realidades e Desafios”, preservado no título desta obra, e nos trabalhos aí apresentados por investigadores nacionais. Um primeiro grupo de capítulos inclui uma introdução geral aos sistemas de montanha abordando aspetos do relevo, clima, hidrologia, biodiversidade e socioeconomia. No Capítulo 1 abordam-se conceitos relativos às montanhas e a sua aplicação no mundo e em Portugal (Azevedo et al.). No Capítulo 2 é feita uma análise das relações entre o relevo e a distribuição espacial dos principais elementos de clima (Gonçalves et al.). Aguiar e Vila-Viçosa fazem, no Capítulo 3, uma descrição da vegetação natural e flora associada no interior norte e centro de Portugal continental e Nunes apresenta, no Capítulo 4, um estudo sobre a vulnerabilidade do fornecimento de serviços de ecossistema hidrológicos em dois sistemas montanhosos portugueses, num quadro de alterações climáticas. Os Capítulos 5 e 6 são dedicados às pastagens e ao pastoreio, elementos centrais na ecologia e economia das montanhas: o primeiro focado na análise de serviços de ecossistema de pastagens semeadas biodiversas (Domingos et al.) e o segundo na descrição dos sistemas de produção animal extensivos das regiões de montanha do Norte de Portugal e dos respetivos sistemas de pastoreio (Castro). Antes das considerações finais apresentadas no Capítulo 9 (Pires et al.), abordam- se especificamente os produtos de montanha: no Capítulo 7 a partir da análise de sistemas de produção e origem de produtos animais (Bessa et al.) e no Capítulo 8 da valorização, do ponto de vista nutricional e bioativo, de plantas, cogumelos e frutos secos (Barros et al.).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

III Workshop on Sustainable Development in Mountain Environments and II International Conference on Research for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Mountains 2018: book of abstracts

I am very pleased to have been asked to write this Preface, to introduce the first major international mountain science meeting to take place in Brazil, contributing to our growing knowledge and understanding of mountain issues. In October 2016, I participated in ‘Mountains 2016’ in Bragança, Portugal (http://cimo.esa.ipb.pt/mountains2016/). This attracted 182 delegates from 32 countries and was addressed by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal. He showed particular interest in one of the key outcomes: the launching of the Lusophony Mountain Research Network – Lumont (http://cimo.esa.ipb.pt/LuMont/index.php/pt/) to encourage exchange among Portuguese-speaking scientists working in the mountain areas of their countries. The establishment of this network provided additional support for Brazil to organize ‘Mountains 2018’. ‘Mountains 2018’ is taking place from 11 to 15 December 2018 in the mountain town of Nova Friburgo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, close to Pico Maior (2,366 m), the highest point of the 1,500 kilometre-long Serra do Mar. As you will see from the abstracts in this book, the participants in ‘Mountains 2018’ will include scholars, professionals, policy makers and others involved with multiple aspects of the mountain world: at least 200 people from about 30 countries. Over a hundred of the people will be from Brazil; on one hand, this will allow all the visitors to learn about the mountains of Brazil and interact with people working in them; on the other hand, it will enable the Brazilian participants to place their challenges and experiences in an international context. The aim of ‘Mountains 2018’ is to stimulate and disseminate knowledge based on lessons learned from scientific research and practical experiences related to the use and challenges of promoting sustainable development in mountain areas, including how mountains can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The event includes two parts: the III Workshop on Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions; and the II International Conference on Research for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions. The Workshop will focus on practical experiences related to sustainable development in mountain regions, gathering professionals and other stakeholders actively working towards this urgent goal. The Conference will discuss issues related to scientific research and perspectives to enhance and disseminate knowledge about mountains. Whether or not you are attending ‘Mountains 2018’, I hope that this book will provide you with new knowledge and insights about the mountains of the word, and that you will be able to apply these in your own mountains.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Association between administration of IL-6 antagonists and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 : a meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE Clinical trials assessing the efficacy of IL-6 antagonists in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have variously reported benefit, no effect, and harm. OBJECTIVE To estimate the association between administration of IL-6 antagonists compared with usual care or placebo and 28-day all-cause mortality and other outcomes. DATA SOURCES Trials were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases between October 2020 and January 2021. Searches were not restricted by trial status or language. Additional trials were identified through contact with experts. STUDY SELECTION Eligible trials randomly assigned patients hospitalized for COVID-19 to a group in whom IL-6 antagonists were administered and to a group in whom neither IL-6 antagonists nor any other immunomodulators except corticosteroids were administered. Among 72 potentially eligible trials, 27 (37.5%) met study selection criteria. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS In this prospectivemeta-analysis, risk of biaswas assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Inconsistency among trial results was assessed using the I-2 statistic. The primary analysis was an inverse variance-weighted fixed-effects meta-analysis of odds ratios (ORs) for 28-day all-cause mortality. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome measurewas all-cause mortality at 28 days after randomization. There were 9 secondary outcomes including progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death and risk of secondary infection by 28 days. RESULTS A total of 10 930 patients (median age, 61 years [range of medians, 52-68 years]; 3560 [33%] were women) participating in 27 trials were included. By 28 days, there were 1407 deaths among 6449 patients randomized to IL-6 antagonists and 1158 deaths among 4481 patients randomized to usual care or placebo (summary OR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.79-0.95]; P =.003 based on a fixed-effects meta-analysis). This corresponds to an absolute mortality risk of 22% for IL-6 antagonists compared with an assumed mortality risk of 25% for usual care or placebo. The corresponding summary ORs were 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.92; P <.001) for tocilizumab and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.86-1.36; P =.52) for sarilumab. The summary ORs for the association with mortality compared with usual care or placebo in those receiving corticosteroids were 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68-0.87) for tocilizumab and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.61-1.38) for sarilumab. The ORs for the association with progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death, compared with usual care or placebo, were 0.77 (95% CI, 0.70-0.85) for all IL-6 antagonists, 0.74 (95% CI, 0.66-0.82) for tocilizumab, and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.74-1.34) for sarilumab. Secondary infections by 28 days occurred in 21.9% of patients treated with IL-6 antagonists vs 17.6% of patients treated with usual care or placebo (OR accounting for trial sample sizes, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.85-1.16). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this prospectivemeta-analysis of clinical trials of patients hospitalized for COVID-19, administration of IL-6 antagonists, compared with usual care or placebo, was associated with lower 28-day all-cause mortality