Participatory multi-criteria evaluation of landscape values to inform wildfire management.

Climate change is expected to increase the number of days with meteorological conditions conducive to uncontrollable wildfires. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the capacity of wildfire-prone regions to minimize the adverse impacts of these wildfires by creating resilient landscapes. In this paper we develop a participatory multi-criteria evaluation to identify and map landscape values and prioritize areas according to these values in the Montseny Biophere Reserve (Catalonia, NE Spain). Then, we draft a wildfire management strategy to protect the areas that have been prioritized through selected fuel reduction sectors that would reduce wildfire intensity. Finally, we emphasize the added value of a participatory multi-criteria evaluation in the adaptation to and management of expected megafires. We find that the integration of landscape values through participatory multi-criteria evaluation has the potential to alter wildfire management strategies by adding fuel reduction sectors and changing their implementation order. However, the implementation of the planned fuel reduction treatments faces socioeconomic and institutional barriers that call for a deeper engagement with transdisciplinary project design and transformative science.

Interfacial Forces in Free-Standing Layers of Melted Polyethylene, from Critical to Nanoscopic Thicknesses.

Molecular dynamics simulations of ultrathin free-standing layers made of melted (373.15-673.15 K) polyethylene chains, which exhibit a lower melting temperature (compared to the bulk value), were carried out to investigate the dominant pressure forces that shape the conformation of chains at the interfacial and bulk liquid regions. We investigated layer thicknesses, tL, from the critical limit of mechanical stability up to lengths of tens of nm and found a normal distribution of bonds dominated by slightly stretched chains across the entire layer, even at large temperatures. In the bulk region, the contribution of bond vibrations to pressure was one order of magnitude larger than the contributions from interchain interactions, which changed from cohesive to noncohesive at larger temperatures just at a transition temperature that was found to be close to the experimentally derived onset temperature for thermal stability. The interchain interactions produced noncohesive interfacial regions at all temperatures in both directions (normal and lateral to the surface layer). Predictions for the value of the surface tension, γ, were consistent with experimental results and were independent of tL. However, the real interfacial thickness-measured from the outermost part of the interface up to the point where γ reached its maximum value-was found to be dependent on tL, located at a distance of 62 Šfrom the Gibbs dividing surface in the largest layer studied (1568 chains or 313,600 bins); this was ~4 times the length of the interfacial thickness measured in the density profiles.

Cation folding and the thermal stability limit of the ionic liquid [BMIM+][BF4 -] under total vacuum.

Molecular dynamics simulations reveal the behavior of the bimodal distribution of cation conformations (folded/unfolded) in ionic liquids based on alkylated imidazoles, such as [BMIM+][BF4 -]. The alkyl chains of the cations can fold and block interactions between the cations and anions, thereby reducing the cohesivity of the liquid. At room temperature, the folded conformations represent less than one-third of the total conformations. In contrast to the behavior observed during the thermal denaturation of proteins, in ionic liquids, the concentration of folded cations grows when the temperature increases. At the equimolar concentration, the system reaches the reported experimental temperature of thermal stability (similar to the thermal denaturation behavior). There is an outermost layer of cations at the interface that can tilt toward the interface and cover a layer of anions adsorbed at the interface. This interfacial conformation makes the system stable in transverse directions and unstable in the normal direction at temperatures in the region of thermal instability, limiting the rate of vaporization of neutral ion pairs, which are observed as rare events at temperatures as low as 773.15 K.

El estado nutritivo de la población española. 1860-2010: una aproximación a las diferencias de género y generacionales / The nutritional status of the Spanish population, 1860-2010: an approach to gender and generational differences

Introducción: conocemos bien los principales cambios en la dieta y en la ingesta de energía y macronutrientes durante la transición nutricional española (TNE), pero muy poco sobre la ingesta de muchos micronutrientes esenciales y sobre el estado nutritivo de la población. Objetivo: proponer nuevos indicadores de la ingesta de nutrientes y del estado nutritivo en diferentes colectivos durante la TNE, tomando especialmente en consideración los colectivos más vulnerables: mujeres, gestantes y menores de edad. Método: estimamos las necesidades nutritivas de diferentes colectivos de la población española entre 1860 y 2011 según sus características demográficas, antropométricas y laborales y las comparamos con nuevas estimaciones de consumo aparente y real, tomando como referencia las necesidades energéticas de diferentes colectivos. Resultados: desde finales del siglo xix, y a excepción del periodo 1936-1950, la alimentación de los españoles permitió cubrir cada vez mejor sus necesidades de energía y nutrientes. Esta mejora fue, no obstante, muy lenta y tardía en destacados micronutrientes, y en especial en los menores de edad, mujeres adultas y gestantes. Como en otros países, la ingesta de aquellos recursos acabó resultando excesiva y desequilibrada desde finales del siglo xx. Conclusiones: las disparidades en el estado nutritivo de la población fueron significativas hasta finales del siglo xx. Las mejoras beneficiaron mucho a la población masculina adulta y menos a la población femenina e infantil. Estas deficiencias se concentraron, sobre todo, en micronutrientes esenciales para el crecimiento y la actividad física

Introduction: the main changes in the diet and the intake of energy and macronutrients as a result of the Nutritional Transition in Spain (NTS) are well known, but the intake of micronutrients and the overall nutritional status of the population are much less well known. Objective: to propose new indicators to estimate the intake of nutrients among different social groups during the NTS, with special attention to vulnerable groups such as women, pregnant women and minors. Method: we estimate the nutritional needs of different social groups in Spain between 1860 and 2011, based on their demographic, anthropometric and professional characteristics, and we compare these results with new estimates of apparent and real consumption, using the energy demands of different groups as reference. Results: From the late 19th century onwards, with the exception of the period 1936-1950, the food intake of the Spanish population has increasingly covered their needs in terms of energy and nutrients. Some micronutrients, however, were only incorporated slowly and late, especially among minors, adult women and pregnant women. As was the case in other countries, the intake of these nutrients from the late 20th century onwards has been excessive and unbalanced. Conclusions: differences in the nutritional state of various social groups remained significant until the late 20th century. Improvements greatly benefited the adult male population, and to a lesser extent the female and infant population. These deficiencies chiefly concerned essential micronutrients for growth and physical activity

[The nutritional status of the Spanish population, 1860-2010: an approach to gender and generational differences]. / El estado nutritivo de la población española. 1860-2010: una aproximación a las diferencias de género y generacionales.

INTRODUCTION: the main changes in the diet and the intake of energy and macronutrients as a result of the Nutritional Transition in Spain (NTS) are well known, but the intake of micronutrients and the overall nutritional status of the population are much less well known. OBJECTIVE: to propose new indicators to estimate the intake of nutrients among different social groups during the NTS, with special attention to vulnerable groups such as women, pregnant women and minors. METHOD: we estimate the nutritional needs of different social groups in Spain between 1860 and 2011, based on their demographic, anthropometric and professional characteristics, and we compare these results with new estimates of apparent and real consumption, using the energy demands of different groups as reference. RESULTS: From the late 19th century onwards, with the exception of the period 1936-1950, the food intake of the Spanish population has increasingly covered their needs in terms of energy and nutrients. Some micronutrients, however, were only incorporated slowly and late, especially among minors, adult women and pregnant women. As was the case in other countries, the intake of these nutrients from the late 20th century onwards has been excessive and unbalanced. CONCLUSIONS: differences in the nutritional state of various social groups remained significant until the late 20th century. Improvements greatly benefited the adult male population, and to a lesser extent the female and infant population. These deficiencies chiefly concerned essential micronutrients for growth and physical activity.

Introducción: conocemos bien los principales cambios en la dieta y en la ingesta de energía y macronutrientes durante la transición nutricional española (TNE), pero muy poco sobre la ingesta de muchos micronutrientes esenciales y sobre el estado nutritivo de la población.Objetivo: proponer nuevos indicadores de la ingesta de nutrientes y del estado nutritivo en diferentes colectivos durante la TNE, tomando especialmente en consideración los colectivos más vulnerables: mujeres, gestantes y menores de edad.Método: estimamos las necesidades nutritivas de diferentes colectivos de la población española entre 1860 y 2011 según sus características demográficas, antropométricas y laborales y las comparamos con nuevas estimaciones de consumo aparente y real, tomando como referencia las necesidades energéticas de diferentes colectivos.Resultados: desde finales del siglo xix, y a excepción del periodo 1936-1950, la alimentación de los españoles permitió cubrir cada vez mejor sus necesidades de energía y nutrientes. Esta mejora fue, no obstante, muy lenta y tardía en destacados micronutrientes, y en especial en los menores de edad, mujeres adultas y gestantes. Como en otros países, la ingesta de aquellos recursos acabó resultando excesiva y desequilibrada desde finales del siglo xx.Conclusiones: las disparidades en el estado nutritivo de la población fueron significativas hasta finales del siglo xx. Las mejoras beneficiaron mucho a la población masculina adulta y menos a la población femenina e infantil. Estas deficiencias se concentraron, sobre todo, en micronutrientes esenciales para el crecimiento y la actividad física.

Assessing the multidimensionality of coastal erosion risks: public participation and multicriteria analysis in a Mediterranean coastal system.

The complex and multidimensional nature of coastal erosion risks makes it necessary to move away from single-perspective assessment and management methods that have conventionally predominated in coastal management. This article explores the suitability of participatory multicriteria analysis (MCA) for improving the integration of diverse expertises and values and enhancing the social-ecological robustness of the processes that lead to the definition of relevant policy options to deal with those risks. We test this approach in the Mediterranean coastal locality of Lido de Sète in France. Results show that the more adaptive alternatives such as "retreating the shoreline" were preferred by our selected stakeholders to those corresponding to "protecting the shoreline" and the business as usual proposals traditionally put forward by experts and policymakers on these matters. Participative MCA contributed to represent coastal multidimensionality, elicit and integrate different views and preferences, facilitated knowledge exchange, and allowed highlighting existing uncertainties.