Quantifying dispersal paths in probabilistic habitat networks: a reply to hock and mumby (2015) and an overview of recent developments and applications

Hock and Mumby (2015) describe an approach to quantify dispersal probabilities along paths in networks of habitat patches. This approach basically consists in determining the most probable (most reliable) path for movement between habitat patches by calculating the product of the dispersal probabilities in each link (step) along the paths in the network. Although the paper by Hock and Mumby (2015) has value and includes interesting analyses (see comments in section 7 below), the approach they describe is not new

Forest connectivity restoration through reforestation: an integrated methodology for prioritizing agricultural lands and selecting reforestation species

Forest connectivity restoration is a major goal in natural resource planning. Given the high amount of abandoned cultivated lands, setting efficient methods for the reforestation of agricultural lands offers a good opportunity to face this issue. However, reforestations must be carefully planned, which poses two main challenges. In first place, to determine those agricultural lands that, once reforested, would meet more effectively the planning goals. As a further step, in order to grant the success of the activity, it is fairly advisable to select those tree species that are more adapted to each particular environment. Here we intend to give response to both requirements by proposing a sequential and integrated methodology that has been implemented in two Spanish forest districts, which are formed by several landscape types that were previously defined and characterized. Using the software Conefor Sensinode, a powerful tool for quantifying habitat availability that is based on graph theory concepts, we determined the landscapes where forest planning should have connectivity as a major concern and, afterwards, we detected the agricultural patches that would contribute most to enhance connectivity if they were reforested. The subsequent reforestation species assessment was performed within these priority patches. Using penalized logistic regressions we fitted ecological niche models for the Spanish native tree species. The models were trained with species distribution data from the Spanish Forest Map and used climatic and lithological variables as predictors. Model predictions were used to build ordered lists of suitable species for each priority patch. The lists include dominant and non dominant tree species and allow adding biodiversity goals to the reforestation planning. The result of this combined methodology is a map of agricultural patches that would contribute most to uphold forest connectivity if they were reforested and a list of suitable tree species for each patch ordered by occurrence probability. Therefore the proposed methodology may be useful for suitable and efficient forest planning and landscape designing

Power control strategies during voltage sags according to Spanish grid code

In order to connect any power converters into the grid there are some grid requirements to insure the safe operation of the grid. So, the control of the converters especially during abnormal condition e.g. during voltage sags is a very important key to guarantee the good behavior of the distributed generation system. In this paper four control strategies, will be stated in the literature, are discussed in order to ensure their ability to match the grid requirements when unsymmetrical voltage sags are produced in the network. The Spanish grid code did not give any information about the negative sequence, and it only represents the positive sequence components. Therefore, the main contribution of this paper is to verify the grid code with not only the positive sequence but also with the negative sequence. Moreover, the system is tested by simulation to show that the results cope well with the analytical equations.Postprint (published version

New methodology to calculate DC voltage signature in n-phases TRUs under supply voltage sags

A new methodology based on the shadow projection has been developed to study any multipulse rectifier's dynamic behavior under balanced and unbalanced conditions. The proposed methodology calculates the DC average voltage and instantaneous values under balanced and unbalanced supply voltage conditions for multiphase Transformer Rectifier Units (TRUs). The calculation of the developed algorithms is more practical than the classical methods and other approaches based on Fourier series or symmetrical components that are difficult to apply under unbalanced conditions. Furthermore, classical methods are not simple to determine the limits of the integrals and calculate them to obtain the average value, so a more friendly and practical methodology has been developed to analyze rectifiers operating under supply voltage sags. This new methodology has been validated by simulation for a 12-pulse TRU in series and parallel connections, and it has also been validated for a 36-pulse TRU in parallel connection using interphase inductors. The accuracy of the calculations is validated by the experimental results for 12-pulse TRUs, series, and parallel connection, and 18-pulse TRU in series connection.This work was supported by the research project ‘‘Estabilidad de redes MVDC integrando tecnologías de energías renovables, almacenamiento de energía y convertidores de fuente de impedancia,’’ by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and European Union, under Grant RTI2018-095720-B-C33.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Open-circuit fault diagnosis and maintenance in multi-pulse parallel and series TRU topologies

©2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Transformer Rectifier Units (TRUs) are a reliable way for DC generation in several electric applications. These units are formed by multiple three-phase uncontrolled bridge rectifiers connected according to two main topologies (parallel and series), and fed by a phase-shifting transformer, which can have different configurations. Fault diagnosis of the uncontrolled bridge rectifier diodes is one of the most important concerns on the electronic devices, nonetheless, rectifier units are inherently not protected in front of Open-Circuit (O/C) faults, which cause malfunction and performance deterioration. In order to solve this drawback, the proposed fault diagnosis method is based on the O/C fault signature observed in the DC-link output voltage of TRUs rectifier. It allows detecting the O/C diodes of parallel and series TRUs with different phase-shifting transformer configurations and for the most usual fault scenarios. Moreover, it also helps the prediction of diodes that could be exposed to failure after the fault, which provides corrective maintenance for the TRU development. The proposed method is illustrated from MATLABTM numerical simulations of a 12-pulse TRU, and is validated with experimental tests.This work supported in part by the Research Project Estabilidad de Redes MVdc Integrando Tecnologias de Energias Renovables, Almacenamiento de Energia y Convertidores de Fuente de Impedancia, RTI2018-095720-B-C33, in part by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, and in part by the European Union.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The change of paradigm in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer with the development of new generation antibody-drug conjugates

Breast cancer; HER2-positive; New drugsCàncer de mama; HER2-positiu; Nous medicamentsCáncer de mama; HER2 positivo; Nuevos fármacosHER2-positive breast cancer is an aggressive disease. As a result of the development of specific HER2-targeted therapies, such as trastuzumab, more than 20 years ago, the prognosis of these patients has improved. Metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients are achieving better survival rates upon treatment with anti-HER2 therapies than patients with HER2-negative disease. Double HER2 blockade with trastuzumab and pertuzumab combined with a taxane achieved an unprecedented survival of over 57 months in first-line patients. Trastuzumab emtansine, the first antibody-drug conjugate approved for patients in second-line treatment was a potent cytotoxic agent bound to trastuzumab and is currently a standard therapeutic strategy. Despite the progress in treatment development, most patients develop resistance and eventually relapse. Advances in the design of antibody-drug conjugates have led to the development of new generation drugs with enhanced properties, such as trastuzumab deruxtecan and trastuzumab duocarmazine, which are significantly changing the paradigm in the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

New smart sensor for voltage unbalance measurements in electrical power systems

This paper deals with voltage unbalances and how they can be quantified according to the standards. Firstly, a comparison between the different unbalance voltage factors is conducted in order to remark on their divergences. Secondly, according to the standard that better represents the phenomenon, i.e., EN 50160, a new methodology is proposed to quantify the voltage unbalance factor (VUF). In order to do so, it is recommended to measure the voltage unbalance in three-phase installations by means of a new smart sensor based on a single voltage sensor, which measures the direct-current (DC) voltage at the output of a three-phase diode bridge rectifier, while current methods make use of three voltage sensors (which can measure either phase-to-neutral voltages or phase-to-phase voltages). Furthermore, both simulation and experimental results have been carried out to validate the proposed methodology. Finally, a new voltage unbalance factor (and the corresponding methodology to obtain it from the measured DC voltage) is proposed.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant number PID2021-123633OB-C33.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Modelización de la riqueza de aves mediante redes neuronales para la gestión forestal a escala de paisaje

For preserving biodiversity of European-Mediterranean forest ecosystems in current and future scenarios of global change by means of sustainable forest management it is necessary to determine how environment and forest characteristics correlate with biodiversity. For this purpose, neural networks were used to model forest bird species richness as a function of environment and forest structure and composition at the 1x1 km scale in Catalonia (NE Spain). Univariate and multivariate models respectively allowed exploring individual variable response and obtaining a parsimonious (ecologically meaningful) and accurate neural network. Forest area (with a canopy cover above 5%), mean forest canopy cover, mean annual temperature and summer precipitation were the best predictors of forest bird species richness. The resultant multivariate network had a good generalization capacity that failed however in the locations with highest species richness. Additionally, those forests with different degrees of canopy closure that were more mature and presented a more diverse tree species composition were also associated with higher bird species richness. This allowed us to provide management guidelines for forest planning in order to promote avian diversity in this European-Mediterranean region.Para preservar la biodiversidad de los ecosistemas forestales de la Europa mediterránea en escenarios actuales y futuros de cambio global mediante una gestión forestal sostenible es necesario determinar cómo influye el medio ambiente y las propias características de los bosques sobre la biodiversidad que éstos albergan. Con este propósito, se analizó la influencia de diferentes factores ambientales y de estructura y composición del bosque sobre la riqueza de aves forestales a escala 1x1 km en Cataluña (NE de España). Se construyeron modelos univariantes y multivariantes de redes neuronales para respectivamente explorar la respuesta individual a las variables y obtener un modelo parsimonioso (ecológicamente interpretable) y preciso. La superficie de bosque (con una fracción de cabida cubierta superior a 5%), la fracción de cabida cubierta media, la temperatura anual y la precipitación estival medias fueron los mejores predictores de la riqueza de aves forestales. La red neuronal multivariante obtenida tuvo una buena capacidad de generalización salvo en las localidades con una mayor riqueza. Además, los bosques con diferentes grados de apertura del dosel arbóreo, más maduros y más diversos en cuanto a su composición de especies arbóreas se asociaron de forma positiva con una mayor riqueza de aves forestales. Finalmente, se proporcionan directrices de gestión para la planificación forestal que permitan promover la diversidad ornítica en esta región de la Europa mediterránea

Protected areas in the world's ecoregions:how well connected are they?

Protected areas (PAs) are the main instrument for biodiversity conservation, which has triggered the development of numerous indicators and assessments on their coverage, performance and efficiency. The connectivity of the PA networks at a global scale has however been much less explored; previous studies have either focused on particular regions of the world or have only considered some types of PAs. Here we present, and globally assess, ProtConn, an indicator of PA connectivity that (i) quantifies the percentage of a study region covered by protected connected lands, (ii) can be partitioned in several components depicting different categories of land (unprotected, protected or transboundary) through which movement between protected locations may occur, (iii) is easy to communicate, to compare with PA coverage and to use in the assessment of global targets for PA systems. We apply ProtConn to evaluate the connectivity of the PA networks in all terrestrial ecoregions of the world as of June 2016, considering a range of median dispersal distances (1–100 km) encompassing the dispersal abilities of the large majority of terrestrial vertebrates. We found that 9.3% of the world is covered by protected connected lands (average for all the world's ecoregions) for a reference dispersal distance of 10 km, increasing up to 11.7% for the largest dispersal distance considered of 100 km. These percentages are considerably smaller than the global PA coverage of 14.7%, indicating that the spatial arrangement of PAs is only partially successful in ensuring connectivity of protected lands. The connectivity of PAs largely differed across ecoregions. Only about a third of the world's ecoregions currently meet the Aichi Target of having 17% of the terrestrial realm covered by well-connected systems of PAs. Finally, our findings suggest that PAs with less strict management objectives (allowing the sustainable use of resources) may play a fundamental role in upholding the connectivity of the PA systems. Our analyses and indicator make it possible to identify where on the globe additional efforts are most needed in expanding or reinforcing the connectivity of PA systems, and can be also used to assess whether newly designated sites provide effective connectivity gains in the PA system by acting as corridors or stepping stones between other PAs. The results of the ProtConn indicator are available, together with a suite of other global PA indicators, in the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission