Esteve Llop

Associations between outdoor air quality and birth weight: a geostatistical sequential simulation approach in Coastal Alentejo, Portugal

Several environmental health studies suggest birth weight is associated with outdoor air pollution during gestation. In these studies, exposure assignments are usually based on measurements collected at air quality monitoring stations that do not coincide with health data locations. So, estimated exposures can be misleading if they do not take into account the uncertainty of exposure estimates. In this article we conducted a semi-ecological study to analyze associations between air quality during gestation and birth weight. Air quality during gestation was measured using a biomonitor, as an alternative to traditional air quality monitoring stations data, in order to increase spatial resolution of exposure measurements. To our knowledge this is the first time that the association between air quality and birth weight is studied using biomonitors. To address exposure uncertainty at health locations, we applied geostatistical simulation on biomonitoring data that provided multiple equally probable realizations of biomonitoring data, with reproduction of observed histogram and spatial covariance while matching for conditioning data. Each simulation represented a measure of exposure at each location. The set of simulations provided a measure of exposure uncertainty at each location. To incorporate uncertainty in our analysis we used generalized linear models, fitted simulation outputs and health data on birth weights and assessed statistical significance of exposure parameter using non-parametric bootstrap techniques. We found a positive association between air quality and birth weight. However, this association was not statistically significant. We also found a modest but significant association between air quality and birth weight among babies exposed to gestational tobacco smoke.

Bacidia thyrrenica (Ramalinaceae, lichenized Ascomycota), a new species from the Mediterranean region, and a comparison of European members of the Bacidia rubella group

Bacidia thyrrenica (Ramalinaceae, lichenized Ascomycota), a new species from the Mediterranean region, and a comparison of European members of the Bacidia rubella group

Traffic represents the main source of pollution in small Mediterranean urban areas as seen by lichen functional groups

The land-use type (residential, green areas, and traffic) within relatively small Mediterranean urban areas determines significant changes on lichen diversity, considering species richness and functional groups related to different ecological factors. Those areas with larger volume of traffic hold lower species diversity, in terms of species richness and lichen diversity value (LDV). Traffic areas also affect the composition of the lichen community, which is evidenced by sensitive species. The abundance of species of lichens tolerant to low levels of eutrophication diminishes in traffic areas; oppositely, those areas show a higher abundance of species of lichens tolerating high levels of eutrophication. On the other hand, residential and green areas have an opposite pattern, mainly with species highly tolerant to eutrophication being less abundant than low or moderate ones. The characteristics of tree bark do not seem to affect excessively on lichen composition; however, tree species shows some effect that should be considered in further studies.

Geostatistical uncertainty of assessing air quality using high-spatial-resolution lichen data: A health study in the urban area of Sines, Portugal

In most studies correlating health outcomes with air pollution, personal exposure assignments are based on measurements collected at air-quality monitoring stations not coinciding with health data locations. In such cases, interpolators are needed to predict air quality in unsampled locations and to assign personal exposures. Moreover, a measure of the spatial uncertainty of exposures should be incorporated, especially in urban areas where concentrations vary at short distances due to changes in land use and pollution intensity. These studies are limited by the lack of literature comparing exposure uncertainty derived from distinct spatial interpolators. Here, we addressed these issues with two interpolation methods: regression Kriging (RK) and ordinary Kriging (OK). These methods were used to generate air-quality simulations with a geostatistical algorithm. For each method, the geostatistical uncertainty was drawn from generalized linear model (GLM) analysis. We analyzed the association between air quality and birth weight. Personal health data (n=227) and exposure data were collected in Sines (Portugal) during 2007-2010. Because air-quality monitoring stations in the city do not offer high-spatial-resolution measurements (n=1), we used lichen data as an ecological indicator of air quality (n=83). We found no significant difference in the fit of GLMs with any of the geostatistical methods. With RK, however, the models tended to fit better more often and worse less often. Moreover, the geostatistical uncertainty results showed a marginally higher mean and precision with RK. Combined with lichen data and land-use data of high spatial resolution, RK is a more effective geostatistical method for relating health outcomes with air quality in urban areas. This is particularly important in small cities, which generally do not have expensive air-quality monitoring stations with high spatial resolution. Further, alternative ways of linking human activities with their environment are needed to improve human well-being.

Bacidia punica (Ramalinaceae), a new corticolous species from the Mediterranean region

Abstract Bacidia punica is described from Eivissa (Spain). The species is also reported from several areas from the Mediterranean region. The new species could be mistaken for a member of the genus Bacidina, but differs in various characters such as thallus structure, exciple morphology, ascus type and morphology of paraphyses which all suggest an affinity with the genus Bacidia s. str.

A study protocol to evaluate the relationship between outdoor air pollution and pregnancy outcomes

BackgroundThe present study protocol is designed to assess the relationship between outdoor air pollution and low birth weight and preterm births outcomes performing a semi-ecological analysis. Semi-ecological design studies are widely used to assess effects of air pollution in humans. In this type of analysis, health outcomes and covariates are measured in individuals and exposure assignments are usually based on air quality monitor stations. Therefore, estimating individual exposures are one of the major challenges when investigating these relationships with a semi-ecologic design.Methods/DesignSemi-ecologic study consisting of a retrospective cohort study with ecologic assignment of exposure is applied. Health outcomes and covariates are collected at Primary Health Care Center. Data from pregnant registry, clinical record and specific questionnaire administered orally to the mothers of children born in period 2007-2010 in Portuguese Alentejo Litoral region, are collected by the research team. Outdoor air pollution data are collected with a lichen diversity biomonitoring program, and individual pregnancy exposures are assessed with spatial geostatistical simulation, which provides the basis for uncertainty analysis of individual exposures. Awareness of outdoor air pollution uncertainty will improve validity of individual exposures assignments for further statistical analysis with multivariate regression models.DiscussionExposure misclassification is an issue of concern in semi-ecological design. In this study, personal exposures are assigned to each pregnant using geocoded addresses data. A stochastic simulation method is applied to lichen diversity values index measured at biomonitoring survey locations, in order to assess spatial uncertainty of lichen diversity value index at each geocoded address. These methods assume a model for spatial autocorrelation of exposure and provide a distribution of exposures in each study location. We believe that variability of simulated exposure values at geocoded addresses will improve knowledge on variability of exposures, improving therefore validity of individual exposures to input in posterior statistical analysis.

Waynea cretica , a new species from the Mediterranean Region

Abstract: A new Mediterranean species, Waynea cretica , is described. The species is so far knownonly from Crete (Greece). Waynea cretica has flat to scarcely ascending squamules, an upper cortexbeing a paraplectenchymatous eucortex, and long, narrow, acicular ascospores with (5–)7 septa. Thenew taxon is compared with the hitherto known species of Waynea . Key words: Crete, Greece, lichenized Ascomycetes, Ramalinaceae Introduction The genus Waynea Moberg was describedto accommodate the single species W.californica Moberg (Moberg 1990). Roux C Roux& Giralt 1991). At the same time, a thirdtaxon, W. adscendens Rico, was describedfrom the south of Spain (Rico 1991), and afew years later, a fourth species, W. hirsuta Tretiach, was described in the genus(Tretiach 1998). While the earlier specieshave a Mediterranean-Madrean distribution(Roux

The lichen genus Phylloblastia (Verrucariaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula, with a new species from Western Europe

The foliicolous genus Phylloblastia is recorded for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula where it is represented by three species: P. fortuita sp. nov. from several localities in the north-east of Spain, P. dispersa , a new record for Europe and reported for the first time outside the tropics, and P. inexpectata . A key to the European species is provided.

Fellhanera colchica , relocating a forgotten taxon, and Byssoloma llimonae new for Italy

The foliicolous species Bacidia colchica Vězda was described from the eastern coast of the Black Sea (Vězda 1979, 1983) and is also known from SW France (Serusiaux 1989; Serusiaux et al . 2002) and S Italy (Puntillo 2000; Puntillo et al . 2000). However, its morphological features, such as the structure of the exciple, morphology of the paraphyses and ascus type, do not fit the current concept of Bacidia De Not. (Ekman 1996, 2001) but place this taxon in the Pilocarpaceae . The current circumscription of Pilocarpaceae is still under discussion, as well as the concept of some genera at present included in this family (Serusiaux 1993; Lucking et al . 1994; Kalb et al . 2000; Lucking et al . 2001 a ; Serusiaux et al . 2002; Andersen & Ekman 2005). In particular, the position of B. colchica should be in Fellhanera Vězda (Vězda 1986; Lucking et al . 1994; Serusiaux 1996; Lucking 1997). Although several recent works have dealt with the European species of the genus Fellhanera (Serusiaux 1996; Aptroot et al. 1998; Sparrius & Aptroot 2000; Serusiaux et al . 2001; Sparrius 2002; Spier et al . 2002), none of them included B. colchica , despite some of the papers considering foliicolous taxa.

Líquenes y hongos liquenícolas de la Serranía de Ronda (Málaga-Cádiz), sur de España

As a result of a field trip organised by the Spanish Lichen Society in Serrania de Ronda, south Spain, a catalogue of 360 taxa is presented (336 lichens, 24 lichenicolous fungi). The list includes three new records for the Iberian Peninsula: Arthonia paretinaria, Micarea myriocarpa and Niesslia keissleri , 51new ones for the Autonomous Andalusian Community, and three and 81 new ones for the province of Cadiz and of Malaga, respectively. After these results, the total updated number of the province of Malaga rises to 556 lichens and lichenicolous fungi. The best represented lichen genus is Cladonia (18) with the most species, unlike Lecanora (15), Pertusaria (12), Physconia (12) and Collema (9). As regard habitat, most lichen species are mainly corticolous (55%), as opposed to saxicolous (24%), terricolous (14%) as the species growing on other lichens as lichenicolous fungi (7%). The percentages of lichen growth forms are mainly foliose (50%) and crustose (31%), while fruticose (7%), crustose squamulose (6%) and dimorphic (6%) are less represented. The lichen wit