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Ecosystem services indicators are important to measure the trends and state of ecosystem service delivery; with recent years seeing a wide indicator base being developed. Indicators are powerful tools to inform and improve the knowledge base on ecosystems and ecosystem services, which are useful for decision makers at any spatial scale for basing their decisions on evidence and also at a higher levels. A selection of Protected Areas (PAs) from mountain, coast and marine, and arid ecosystems were used as case study areas to investigate a selection of ecosystem indicators and how they can be used to monitor ecosystem services in PAs. In total twelve PAs participated in this report, five from mountain areas, two from arid/semi-arid areas and five from coastal/marine areas. The types of ecosystem service are concurrent with the CICES classification, but the selection of most relevant ecosystem service varies between different PAs. Where possibly, supply, demand and beneficiaries were defined for each of the ecosystem service.

A key issue for agriculture in irrigated arid lands is the control of soil salinity, and this is one of the goals for irrigated districts when changing from flood to sprinkling irrigation. We combined soil sampling, proximal electromagnetic induction, and satellite data to appraise how soil salinity and its distribution along a previously flood-irrigated field evolved after its transformation to sprinkling. We also show that the relationship between NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) and ECe (electrical conductivity of the soil saturation extracts) mimics the production function between yield and soil salinity. Under sprinkling, the field had a double crop of barley and then sunflower in 2009 and 2011. In both years, about 50% of the soil of the entire studied field— 45 ha—had ECe < 8 dS m-1i.e., allowing barley cultivation, while the percent of surface having ECe = 16 dS m-1 increased from 8.4% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2011. Our methodology may help monitor the soil salinity oscillations associated with irrigation management. After quantifying and mapping the soil salinity in 2009 and 2011, we show that barley was stunted in places of the field where salinity was higher. Additionally, the areas of salinity persisted after the subsequent alfalfa cropping in 2013. Application of differential doses of water to the saline patches is a viable method to optimize irrigation water distribution and lessen soil salinity in sprinkler-irrigated agriculture.

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) yields several parameters that have not been tested in response evaluation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Purpose: To evaluate and compare in reference to histopathology findings the ability of DTI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI to monitor response to NAC. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: Twenty patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Field Strength/Sequence: 1.5T MRI axial, bilateral T 2 -weighted, DTI, and DCE-MRI. Assessment: A standardized blinded image analysis at pixel resolution generated color-coded maps of DTI and DCE parameters. Statistical Tests: Pearson's correlation analysis and Bland–Altman plots of the DTI and DCE size changes and of the pathological final residual tumor diameter and DCE or DTI final diameter, from pre- to post-NAC. Spearman coefficient of rank correlation between the DTI and DCE size changes from pre- to post-NAC and Miller and Payne (M&P) pathological response grading. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses to differentiate between responders to nonresponders on the basis of the DTI and DCE percent size changes and the changes in DTI parameters. Results: DTI and DCE changes in the cancers' diameter and volume from pre- to post-NAC exhibited high and significant Pearson correlation (r = 0.82 P = 1.2 × 10 -5 ). The DTI volume changes exhibited a significant Spearman coefficient rank correlation (0.68, P = 0.001) with the pathological M&P grading and differentiated between responders and nonresponders with area-under-the-curve (AUC) of 0.83 ± 0.10. A similar AUC for differentiating responders from nonresponders was exhibited by the changes in the highest diffusion coefficient (0.84 ± 0.11) and the mean diffusivity (0.83 ± 0.11). The DTI residual-tumor-diameter showed a high and significant Pearson correlation (r = 0.87 P = 1.2 × 10 -6 ) to pathology tumor diameter. Data Conclusion: DTI monitors changes in cancer size and diffusion tensor parameters in response to NAC with an accuracy equivalent to that of DCE, enabling differentiation of responders from nonresponders and assessment of residual tumor size in high congruence with pathology. Level of Evidence: 1. Technical Efficacy: Stage 4. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1080–1090. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

This article summarises the information that should be provided to women and referring physicians about breast ultrasound (US). After explaining the physical principles, technical procedure and safety of US, information is given about its ability to make a correct diagnosis, depending on the setting in which it is applied. The following definite indications for breast US in female subjects are proposed: palpable lump; axillary adenopathy; first diagnostic approach for clinical abnormalities under 40 and in pregnant or lactating women; suspicious abnormalities at mammography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); suspicious nipple discharge; recent nipple inversion; skin retraction; breast inflammation; abnormalities in the area of the surgical scar after breast conserving surgery or mastectomy; abnormalities in the presence of breast implants; screening high-risk women, especially when MRI is not performed; loco-regional staging of a known breast cancer, when MRI is not performed; guidance for percutaneous interventions (needle biopsy, pre-surgical localisation, fluid collection drainage); monitoring patients with breast cancer receiving neo-adjuvant therapy, when MRI is not performed. Possible indications such as supplemental screening after mammography for women aged 40-74 with dense breasts are also listed. Moreover, inappropriate indications include screening for breast cancer as a stand-alone alternative to mammography. The structure and organisation of the breast US report and of classification systems such as the BI-RADS and consequent management recommendations are illustrated. Information about additional or new US technologies (colour-Doppler, elastography, and automated whole breast US) is also provided. Finally, five frequently asked questions are answered. Teaching Points US is an established tool for suspected cancers at all ages and also the method of choice under 40. For US-visible suspicious lesions, US-guided biopsy is preferred, even for palpable findings. High-risk women can be screened with US, especially when MRI cannot be performed. Supplemental US increases cancer detection but also false positives, biopsy rate and follow-up exams. Breast US is inappropriate as a stand-alone screening method.

In this paper we discuss the result of piloting a methodology for Engineering Final Year Projects (FYP) assessment that takes into consideration professional skills acquisition. The FYP is structured around three milestones; skills are assigned to each milestone according to the tasks required in each phase, and a list of indicators have been designed for every phase. The criteria are specified in a rubric and are made available to students. The FYP implementation includes evaluation methods and a homogeneous assessment throughout the project development in order to provide students with valuable project implementation support, to facilitate the project organization, to improve the quality of projects and thereby to reduce the academic drop-out rate. The proposed methodology has been implemented and piloted at the Barcelona School of Informatics, and the conclusions can easily be generalized to any other Engineering degree. This paper presents the results of the FYP for 1,569 students. The average percentage of students finishing FYP in previous degrees was 65% on average, whereas in the case of the Bachelor Degree in Informatics the percentage rose to 90% with the methodology proposed in this paper. In addition, 95% of these students finished their FYP in less than one year, compared to only 65% who finished it in less than one year in previous Degrees.

Objectives: While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered a helpful diagnostic tool in breast imaging, discussions are ongoing about appropriate protocols and indications. The European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) launched a survey to evaluate the utilisation of breast MRI in clinical practice. Methods: An online survey reviewed by the EUSOBI board and committees was distributed amongst members. The questions encompassed: training and experience; annual breast MRI and MRI-guided-intervention workload; examination protocols; indications; reporting habits and preferences. Data were summarised and subgroups compared using ?2 test. Results: Of 647 EUSOBI members, 177 (27.4%) answered the survey. The majority were radiologists (90.5%), half of them based in academic centres (51.9%). Common indications for MRI included cancer staging, treatment monitoring, high-risk screening and problem-solving, and differed significantly between countries (p=0.03). Structured reporting and BI-RADS were mostly used. Breast radiologists with =10 years of experience preferred inclusion of additional techniques, such as T2/STIR (p=0.03) and DWI (p=0.08) in the scan protocol. MRI-guided interventions were performed by a minority of participants (35.4%). Conclusions: The utilisation of breast MRI in clinical practice is generally in line with international recommendations. There are substantial differences between countries. MRI-guided interventions and functional MRI parameters are not widely available. Key points: • MRI is commonly used for the detection and characterisation of breast lesions. • Clinical practice standards are generally in line with current recommendations. • Standardised criteria and diagnostic categories (mainly BI-RADS) are widely adopted. • Younger radiologists value additional techniques, such as T2/STIR and DWI. • MRI-guided breast biopsy is not widely available. © 2017, The Author(s).