Juan Carlos Rodríguez Mateos

Differences in the adaptive response to radiation damage in G0 human lymphocytes conditioned with hydrogen peroxide or low-dose X-rays

We have carried out experiments to study the adaptive response in G0 human lymphocytes conditioned with either hydrogen peroxide or low-dose X-rays and challenged with 1.5 Gy of X-rays after stimulation. Peroxide conditioning treatment was given at different times before stimulation, while the low-dose irradiation was delivered at different dose rates just before stimulation of lymphocytes. A protective effect of pre-exposure to H2O2 against radiation damage detected as micronuclei in binucleated cells was evident, regardless of the time of conditioning treatment during G0. For low-dose-irradiated cells, on the other hand, the adaptation observed seemed to depend upon the dose rate, and never reached the extent observed in cells treated with peroxide.

The Mediterranean and Black Sea: regional integration and maritime nationalism

Cooperation is the core mechanism in UNCLOS for the management of enclosed and semi-enclosed seas. There is a sizeable history of cooperation between the coastal States in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea based on politics and socio-economics, but conditions have changed greatly over the last 20 years. The processes of regional integration, centred, fundamentally, on the northern shore, and expressions of nationalism, including maritime nationalism, are shaping a new stage on which to strive for the cooperative system which is essential for the governance of a sea where sharp imbalances and demographic pressure that, in the short term, point to a significant worsening of environmental conditions, coexist.

New factors in ocean governance. From economic to security-based boundaries

The sinking of the Prestige oil-tanker and the implementation of the Ulysses plan to control new flows of migrants by sea give new significance to the establishment of sea boundaries, with the emphasis changing from the original economic factors to others more security linked. At the same time, the crisis of multilateralist agreements as a global model is running the risk of affecting ocean governance. This would lead to the adoption of unilateral (restrictions on sailing through EEZs) in a quest for greater security understood as a counter to environmental, migratory and military threats.

Investigation of the influence of calibration practices on cytogenetic laboratory performance for dose estimation

Abstract Purpose: In the frame of the QA program of RENEB, an inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) of calibration sources used in biological dosimetry was achieved to investigate the influence of calibration practices and protocols on the results of the dose estimation performance as a first step to harmonization and standardization of dosimetry and irradiation practices in the European biological dosimetry network. Materials and methods: Delivered doses by irradiation facilities used by RENEB partners were determined with EPR/alanine dosimetry system. Dosimeters were irradiated in the same conditions as blood samples. A short survey was also performed to collect the information needed for the data analysis and evaluate the diversity of practices. Results: For most of partners the deviation of delivered dose from the targeted dose remains below 10%. Deviations larger than 10% were observed for five facilities out of 21. Origins of the largest discrepancies were identified. Correction actions were evaluated as satisfactory. The re-evaluation of some ILC results for the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and premature chromosome condensation (PCC) assays has been performed leading to an improvement of the overall performances. Conclusions: This work has shown the importance of dosimetry in radiobiology studies and the needs of harmonization, standardization in irradiation and dosimetry practices and educational training for biologists using ionizing radiation.

The case of the Aznalcóllar mine and its impacts on coastal activities in Southern Spain

This study analyzes the incident involving the accidental spill of toxic substances from the mining dam of Aznalcollar and the immediate and long-term effects on the coastal ecosystems and the coastal-marine socioeconomic activities (fishing, mariculture, tourism and marine protected areas). The paper also evaluates the performance of each of the actors involved in the process: the authorities (both national and regional), the fishing sector, the tourism sector, the scientific community, the environmentalists, the mass media, and the mining company. The relevance of this case study lies, firstly, in the fact that the Aznalcollar incident was one of the most ecologically catastrophic accidents in Europe during the last two decades of the 20th Century. It has had very important consequences from environmental, socioeconomic, political, and legal perspectives. The current productive model that this case study documents is unsustainable, environmentally incompatible, and socially unbalanced. The case of Aznalcollar is a good case for reflection about integrated environmental management, given the potential and actual ecological damage.