Integración de políticas medio ambientales: Transformaciones institucionales en España

La Integración de la Políticas Ambientales (IPA) consiste en la incorporación de los objetivos ambientales en todos los estadios de elaboración e implementación de las políticas no ambientales (o sectoriales), con un reconocimiento específico de dicho objetivo como principio director de la programación y la puesta en práctica. Se complementa con la previsión de las consecuencias ambientales mediante una evaluación de conjunto de la política con objeto de minimizar las contradicciones entre las políticas ambientales y no ambientales dando prioridad a las primeras. La naturaleza transversal de la IPA no se ajusta a la forma tradicional de gobernanza jerárquica basada en la autoridad del Estado, la diferenciación sectorial, y los instrumentos típicos de dirección y control. Por ello, no es extraño que la IPA se encuentre a menudo asociada a los llamados "nuevos modos de gobernanza". Esta tesis propone analizar empíricamente el estado de la cuestión en España con respecto a la Integración de la política ambiental , tanto a nivel estatal como autonómico (Cataluña, País Vasco), yendo más allá de los compromisos políticos a favor de un mayor grado de integración de los factores ambientales en las demás políticas. En particular, los ámbitos de investigación seleccionados para esta finalidad son el de las políticas de mitigación de las causas y los efectos del cambio climático, y las políticas de desarrollo sostenible. En términos de ‘variable independiente’ La hipótesis que se quiere comprobar es que la acción llevada a cabo por la Unión Europea ha generado profundos cambios en las estructuras de las instituciones mencionadas y en los procesos de elaboración y implementación de determinadas políticas (energía y transporte) así como en las relaciones entre sectores de la administración pública y entre el sector público y el privado.

Eines interactives per l'aprenentatge de la dinàmica i el control dels convertidors de potència

El projecte s'ha centrat en el disseny i desenvolupament de laboratoris virtuals per a la docència del dispositius i mètodes de gestió d’energia. Això s’ha realitzat a dos nivells clarament diferenciats, el primer grup de laboratoris correspon als convertidors electrònics de potencia i el segon grup de laboratoris correspon a un conjunt de casos d’aplicacions concretes. En el primer grup es descriu el detall del funcionament dels diferents elements mentre que en el segon els descriuen les idees i conceptes bàsics de funcionament. Els laboratoris virtuals de convertidors electrònics de potència inclouen el convertidor elevador (boost), el convertidor reductor (buck), i convertidors acobladors magnèticament. Aquestes permeten estudiar el comportament dinàmica des d’un punt de vista commutat o bé promitjat, les aplicacions incorporen també la possibilitat de sintonitzar els controladors. Aquestes aplicacions han estat desenvolupades per ser un complement per les sessions de pràctiques presencials. Els laboratoris virtuals d’aplicacions, inclouen els sistema de transport metropolità, el vehicle híbrid i els sistemes de gestió de talls transitoris en el subministrament d’energia principalment. Aquestes laboratoris permeten introduir els estudiants de forma qualitativa en els diferents conceptes i tècniques emprades en els sistemes de generació, transport i transformació d’energia. Totes les aplicacions han estat desenvolupades emprant Easy JAVA Simulations, aquesta eina permet desenvolupar laboratoris multiplataforma fàcilment distribuïbles a través d’internet.

Electromagnetismo en medios materiales con monopolos magnéticos

Els monopols es defineixen, teòricament, com càrregues que generen camps amb divergència diferent de cero. Malgrat això, les entitats amb comportament mimètic al dels monopols magnètics, segueix sent compatible amb ∇·B=0, han estat detectades experimentalment en gels d’espín (‘spin-ices’). Aquesta aparent contradicció pot generar confusió i, per tant, requereix explicació. D’altra banda, s’estudien propietats duals del materials amb càrregues magnètiques efectives tals com la ‘magnetricity’ en els ‘spinices’ (conductivitat de les càrregues magnètiques davant un camp magnètic extern). Com una conseqüència de la magnetricitat, l’apantallament del camp magnètic en materials amb càrregues magnètiques és analitzat. Estudio la propagació d’ones electromagnètiques transversals en medis materials infinits i en plasmes magnètics diluïts davant la presència de camps elèctrics externs constants. Aquesta propagació és dual a la propagació d’ones en plasmes de càrregues elèctriques davant la presència de camps magnètics externs, constants. Finalment, estudio el frenat elèctric d’un conductor de càrregues magnètiques amb un efecte dual al frenat magnètic en conductors elèctrics.

Experimental and computational study on the synthesis and characterization of self-assembling meso/macroporous materials in highly concentrated emulsions

Report for the scientific sojourn carried out at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center-Harvard Medical School, Estats Units, from 2010 to 2011. The project aims to study the aggregation behavior of amphiphilic molecules in the continuous phase of highly concentrated emulsions, which can be used as templates for the synthesis of meso/macroporous materials. At this stage of the project, we have investigated the self-assembly of diblock and triblock surfactants under the effect of a confined geometry being surrounded by the droplets of the dispersed phase. These droplets limit the growth of the aggregates, deeply modify their orientation and hence alter their spatial arrangement as compared to the self-assembly taking place far enough from any boundary surface, that is in the bulk. By performing Monte Carlo simulations, we have showed that the interface between the dispersed and continuous phases as well as its shape has a significant impact on the structural order of the resulting aggregates and hence on the potential applications of highly concentrated emulsions as reaction media, drug delivery systems, or templates for meso/macroporous materials. Due to the combined effect of symmetry breaking and morphological frustration, very intriguing structures, such as square columnar liquid crystals, twisted X-shaped aggregates, and helical phases of cylindrical aggregates, never observed in the bulk for the same model surfactant, have been found. The presence of other more conventional structures, such as micelles and cubic and hexagonal liquid crystals, formed at low and high amphiphilic concentrations, respectively, further enhance the interest on this already rich aggregation behavior.

Relaxation of selective constraints causes independent selenoprotein extinction in insect genomes

BACKGROUND: Selenoproteins are a diverse family of proteins notable for the presence of the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine. Until very recently, all metazoan genomes investigated encoded selenoproteins, and these proteins had therefore been believed to be essential for animal life. Challenging this assumption, recent comparative analyses of insect genomes have revealed that some insect genomes appear to have lost selenoprotein genes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this paper we investigate in detail the fate of selenoproteins, and that of selenoprotein factors, in all available arthropod genomes. We use a variety of in silico comparative genomics approaches to look for known selenoprotein genes and factors involved in selenoprotein biosynthesis. We have found that five insect species have completely lost the ability to encode selenoproteins and that selenoprotein loss in these species, although so far confined to the Endopterygota infraclass, cannot be attributed to a single evolutionary event, but rather to multiple, independent events. Loss of selenoproteins and selenoprotein factors is usually coupled to the deletion of the entire no-longer functional genomic region, rather than to sequence degradation and consequent pseudogenisation. Such dynamics of gene extinction are consistent with the high rate of genome rearrangements observed in Drosophila. We have also found that, while many selenoprotein factors are concomitantly lost with the selenoproteins, others are present and conserved in all investigated genomes, irrespective of whether they code for selenoproteins or not, suggesting that they are involved in additional, non-selenoprotein related functions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Selenoproteins have been independently lost in several insect species, possibly as a consequence of the relaxation in insects of the selective constraints acting across metazoans to maintain selenoproteins. The dispensability of selenoproteins in insects may be related to the fundamental differences in antioxidant defense between these animals and other metazoans.

Avoiding transcription factor competition at promoter level increases the chances of obtaining oscillations

Background: The ultimate goal of synthetic biology is the conception and construction of genetic circuits that are reliable with respect to their designed function (e.g. oscillators, switches). This task remains still to be attained due to the inherent synergy of the biological building blocks and to an insufficient feedback between experiments and mathematical models. Nevertheless, the progress in these directions has been substantial. Results: It has been emphasized in the literature that the architecture of a genetic oscillator must include positive (activating) and negative (inhibiting) genetic interactions in order to yield robust oscillations. Our results point out that the oscillatory capacity is not only affected by the interaction polarity but by how it is implemented at promoter level. For a chosen oscillator architecture, we show by means of numerical simulations that the existence or lack of competition between activator and inhibitor at promoter level affects the probability of producing oscillations and also leaves characteristic fingerprints on the associated period/amplitude features. Conclusions: In comparison with non-competitive binding at promoters, competition drastically reduces the region of the parameters space characterized by oscillatory solutions. Moreover, while competition leads to pulse-like oscillations with long-tail distribution in period and amplitude for various parameters or noisy conditions, the non-competitive scenario shows a characteristic frequency and confined amplitude values. Our study also situates the competition mechanism in the context of existing genetic oscillators, with emphasis on the Atkinson oscillator.

Organisational Values as "Attractors of Chaos": An Emerging Cultural Change to Manage Organisational Complexity

Business organisations are excellent representations of what in physics and mathematics are designated "chaotic" systems. Because a culture of innovation will be vital for organisational survival in the 21st century, the present paper proposes that viewing organisations in terms of "complexity theory" may assist leaders in fine-tuning managerial philosophies that provide orderly management emphasizing stability within a culture of organised chaos, for it is on the "boundary of chaos" that the greatest creativity occurs. It is argued that 21st century companies, as chaotic social systems, will no longer be effectively managed by rigid objectives (MBO) nor by instructions (MBI). Their capacity for self-organisation will be derived essentially from how their members accept a shared set of values or principles for action (MBV). Complexity theory deals with systems that show complex structures in time or space, often hiding simple deterministic rules. This theory holds that once these rules are found, it is possible to make effective predictions and even to control the apparent complexity. The state of chaos that self-organises, thanks to the appearance of the "strange attractor", is the ideal basis for creativity and innovation in the company. In this self-organised state of chaos, members are not confined to narrow roles, and gradually develop their capacity for differentiation and relationships, growing continuously toward their maximum potential contribution to the efficiency of the organisation. In this way, values act as organisers or "attractors" of disorder, which in the theory of chaos are equations represented by unusually regular geometric configurations that predict the long-term behaviour of complex systems. In business organisations (as in all kinds of social systems) the starting principles end up as the final principles in the long term. An attractor is a model representation of the behavioral results of a system. The attractor is not a force of attraction or a goal-oriented presence in the system; it simply depicts where the system is headed based on its rules of motion. Thus, in a culture that cultivates or shares values of autonomy, responsibility, independence, innovation, creativity, and proaction, the risk of short-term chaos is mitigated by an overall long-term sense of direction. A more suitable approach to manage the internal and external complexities that organisations are currently confronting is to alter their dominant culture under the principles of MBV.

Organisational values as "attractors of chaos": An emerging cultural change to manage organisational complexity

Business organisations are excellent representations of what in physics and mathematics are designated "chaotic" systems. Because a culture of innovation will be vital for organisational survival in the 21st century, the present paper proposes that viewing organisations in terms of "complexity theory" may assist leaders in fine-tuning managerial philosophies that provide orderly management emphasizing stability within a culture of organised chaos, for it is on the "boundary of chaos" that the greatest creativity occurs. It is argued that 21st century companies, as chaotic social systems, will no longer be effectively managed by rigid objectives (MBO) nor by instructions (MBI). Their capacity for self-organisation will be derived essentially from how their members accept a shared set of values or principles for action (MBV). Complexity theory deals with systems that show complex structures in time or space, often hiding simple deterministic rules. This theory holds that once these rules are found, it is possible to make effective predictions and even to control the apparent complexity. The state of chaos that self-organises, thanks to the appearance of the "strange attractor", is the ideal basis for creativity and innovation in the company. In this self-organised state of chaos, members are not confined to narrow roles, and gradually develop their capacity for differentiation and relationships, growing continuously toward their maximum potential contribution to the efficiency of the organisation. In this way, values act as organisers or "attractors" of disorder, which in the theory of chaos are equations represented by unusually regular geometric configurations that predict the long-term behaviour of complex systems. In business organisations (as in all kinds of social systems) the starting principles end up as the final principles in the long term. An attractor is a model representation of the behavioral results of a system. The attractor is not a force of attraction or a goal-oriented presence in the system; it simply depicts where the system is headed based on its rules of motion. Thus, in a culture that cultivates or shares values of autonomy, responsibility, independence, innovation, creativity, and proaction, the risk of short-term chaos is mitigated by an overall long-term sense of direction. A more suitable approach to manage the internal and external complexities that organisations are currently confronting is to alter their dominant culture under the principles of MBV.

Testing the response of macroinvertebrate functional structure and biodiversity to flooding and confinement

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relative importance of flooding- and confinement-related environmentalfeatures in explaining macroinvertebrate trait structure and diversity in a pool of wetlands located in a Mediterranean riverfloodplain. To test hypothesized trait-environment relationships, we employed a recently implemented statistical procedure, thefourth-corner method. We found that flooding-related variables, mainly pH and turbidity, were related to traits that confer an abilityof the organism to resist flooding (e.g., small body-shape, protection of eggs) or recuperate faster after flooding (e.g., short life-span, asexual reproduction). In contrast, confinement-related variables, mainly temperature and organic matter, enhanced traits that allow organisms to interact and compete with other organisms (e.g., large size, sexual reproduction) and to efficiently use habitat and resources (e.g., diverse locomotion and feeding strategies). These results are in agreement with predictions made under the River Habitat Templet for lotic ecosystems, and demonstrate the ability of the fourth-corner method to test hypothesis that posit traitenvironment relationships. Trait diversity was slightly higher in flooded than in confined sites, whereas trait richness was not significantly different. This suggests that although trait structure may change in response to the main environmental factors, as evidenced by the fourth-corner method, the number of life-history strategies needed to persist in the face of such constraints remains more or less constant; only their relative dominance differs

Nutrientes y renovación del agua en aiguamolls de l’Empordà. (NE de la península Ibérica). Uso potencial de agua residual para la inundación de zonas húmedas

The monitoring of the ecological water quality of 'Aiguamolls de l’Empordà' Natural Park was carried out between September 1996 to August 1997. The aim was to evaluate the impact of effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment plant, on the flooding of marshes in the Natural Park. In this paper we present physical and chemical data together nutrient concentrations and its changes in the lentic system of the 'Aiguamolls de l’Empordà'. The ultimate aim was to evaluate the effect of reclaimed wastewater on the salt marsh system. Seasonal variation in nutrients concentrations and their relationship to turnover and source of water were analysed. Significant variation in the N/P ratio was related to water turnover. Confined systems presented lower values for this ratio. Taking into account the nutrient concentrations of the reclaimed water, which is rich in nitrogen, it is recommended flooding applied in zones with high water turnover and higher N/P ratios

Gp74 a membrane glycoprotein of the cis-Golgi network that cycles through the endoplasmic reticulum and intermediate compartment

A monoclonal antibody CC92 (IgM), raised against a fraction of rat liver enriched in Golgi membranes, recognizes a novel Endo H-resistant 74-kD membrane glycoprotein (gp74). The bulk of gp74 is confined to the cis-Golgi network (CGN). Outside the Golgi gp74 is found in tubulovesicular structures and ER foci. In cells incubated at 37 degrees C the majority of gp74 is segregated from the intermediate compartment (IC) marker p58. However, in cells treated with organelle perturbants such as low temperature, BFA, and [AIF4]- the patterns of the two proteins become indistinguishable. Both proteins are retained in the Golgi complex at 20 degrees C and in the IC at 15 degrees C. Incubation of cells with BFA results in relocation of gp74 to p58 positive IC elements. [AIF4]- induces the redistribution of gp74 from the Golgi to p58-positive vesicles and does not retard the translocation of gp74 to IC elements in cells treated with BFA. Disruption of microtubules by nocodazol results in the rapid disappearance of the Golgi elements stained by gp74 and redistribution of the protein into vesicle-like structures. The responses of gp74 to cell perturbants are in sharp contrast with those of cis/middle and trans-Golgi resident proteins whose location is not affected by low temperatures or [AIF4]-, are translocated to the ER upon addition of BFA, and stay in slow disintegrating Golgi elements in cells treated with nocodazol. The results suggest that gp74 is an itinerant protein that resides most of the time in the CGN and cycles through the ER/IC following the pathway used by p58.

Temporal changes in the expression and distribution of adhesion molecules during liver development and regeneration

We have compared by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting the expression and distribution of adhesion molecules participating in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions during embryonic development and regeneration of rat liver. Fibronectin and the fibronectin receptor, integrin alpha 5 beta 1, were distributed pericellularly and expressed at a steady level during development from the 16th day of gestation and in neonate and adult liver. AGp110, a nonintegrin fibronectin receptor was first detected on the 17th day of gestation in a similar, nonpolarized distribution on parenchymal cell surfaces. At that stage of development haemopoiesis is at a peak in rat liver and fibronectin and receptors alpha 5 beta 1 and AGp110 were prominent on the surface of blood cell precursors. During the last 2 d of gestation (20th and 21st day) hepatocytes assembled around lumina. AGp110 was initially depolarized on the surface of these acinar cells but then confined to the lumen and to newly-formed bile canaliculi. At birth, a marked increase occurred in the canalicular expression of AGp110 and in the branching of the canalicular network. Simultaneously, there was enhanced expression of ZO-1, a protein component of tight junctions. On the second day postpartum, presence of AGp110 and of protein constituents of desmosomes and intermediate junctions, DGI and E-cadherin, respectively, was notably enhanced in cellular fractions insoluble in nonionic detergents, presumably signifying linkage of AGp110 with the cytoskeleton and assembly of desmosomal and intermediate junctions. During liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, AGp110 remained confined to apical surfaces, indicating a preservation of basic polarity in parenchymal cells. A decrease in the extent and continuity of the canalicular network occurred in proliferating parenchyma, starting 24 h after resection in areas close to the terminal afferent blood supply of portal veins and spreading to the rest of the liver within the next 24 h. Distinct acinar structures, similar to the ones in prenatal liver, appeared at 72 h after hepatectomy. Restoration of the normal branching of the biliary tree commenced at 72 h. At 7 d postoperatively acinar formation declined and one-cell-thick hepatic plates, as in normal liver, were observed.

A physical frequency-dependent compact model for RF integrated inductors

A frequency-dependent compact model for inductors in high ohmic substrates, which is based on an energy point-of-view, is developed. This approach enables the description of the most important coupling phenomena that take place inside the device. Magnetically induced losses are quite accurately calculated and coupling between electric and magnetic fields is given by means of a delay constant. The later coupling phenomenon provides a modified procedure for the computation of the fringing capacitance value, when the self-resonance frequency of the inductor is used as a fitting parameter. The model takes into account the width of every metal strip and the pitch between strips. This enables the description of optimized layout inductors. Data from experiments and electromagnetic simulators are presented to test the accuracy of the model.

Er-Coupled Si Nanocluster Waveguide

Rib-loaded waveguides containing Er3+-coupled Si nanoclusters (Si-nc) have been produced to observe optical gain at 1535 nm. The presence ofSi-nc strongly improves the efficiency ofEr 3+ excitation but may introduce optical loss mechanisms, such as Mie scattering and confined carrier absorption. Losses strongly affect the possibility of obtaining positive optical gain. Si-nc-related losses have been minimized to 1 dB/cm by lowering the annealing time ofthe Er3+-doped silicon-rich oxide deposited by reactive magnetron cosputtering. Photoluminescence (PL) and lifetime measurements show that all Er3+ ions are optically active while those that can be excited at high pump rates via Si-nc are only a small percentage. Er3+ absorption cross section is found comparable to that ofEr 3+ in SiO 2.However, dependence on the effective refractive index has been found. In pump-probe measurements, it is shown how the detrimental role ofconfined carrier absorption can be attenuated by reducing the annealing time. A maximum signal enhancement ofabout 1.34 at 1535 nm was measured.

Improvement of the quality factor of RF integrated inductors by layout optimization

A systematic method to improve the quality (Q) factor of RF integrated inductors is presented in this paper. The proposed method is based on the layout optimization to minimize the series resistance of the inductor coil, taking into account both ohmic losses, due to conduction currents, and magnetically induced losses, due to eddy currents. The technique is particularly useful when applied to inductors in which the fabrication process includes integration substrate removal. However, it is also applicable to inductors on low-loss substrates. The method optimizes the width of the metal strip for each turn of the inductor coil, leading to a variable strip-width layout. The optimization procedure has been successfully applied to the design of square spiral inductors in a silicon-based multichip-module technology, complemented with silicon micromachining postprocessing. The obtained experimental results corroborate the validity of the proposed method. A Q factor of about 17 have been obtained for a 35-nH inductor at 1.5 GHz, with Q values higher than 40 predicted for a 20-nH inductor working at 3.5 GHz. The latter is up to a 60% better than the best results for a single strip-width inductor working at the same frequency.