Prohibici�� de submissi�� a nou judici - regla del ne bis in idem - en el sistema interameric�� de drets humans i en el dret comparat

Aquest article tracta el tema del ���ne bis in idem��� com a garantia processal penal del sistema interameric�� de protecci�� dels drets humans. Tot fent refer��ncia als casos portats a la Cort Inteamericana de Drets Humans, s���hi presenten algunes consideracions que s���han tingut en compte a l���hora de flexibilitzar-ne el principi. Aquesta garantia es compara amb el sistema del ���double jeopardy��� de la common law. Aix�� mateix, es compara tamb�� amb altres sistemes de protecci�� dels drets humans, com l���europeu, el del Tribunal Penal Internacional i el del Pacte de Drets Civils i Pol��tics de les Nacions Unides. Per concloure, es destaca la import��ncia de l���harmonitzaci�� de les garanties del proc��s penal en relaci�� amb la discussi�� de conflictes jurisdiccionals. Aquest text ��s fruit de les reflexions debatudes Durand el curs de postgrau de la Facultat de Dret de la Universitat de S��o Paulo, ���As Garantias do Processo Penal no Sistema Interamericano de Direitos Humanos���, 2008.

Prohibici��n de sumisi��n a nuevo juicio - regla del ne bis in idem - en el sistema interamericano de derechos humanos y en el derecho comparado

Este art��culo trata el tema del ne bis in idem como garant��a procesal penal dentro del sistema interamericano de protecci��n de los derechos humanos. Haciendo referencia a los casos llevados ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, se presentan algunas reflexiones que fueron tomadas en consideraci��n para la flexibilizaci��n del principio. Esta garant��a se compara con el sistema del ���double jeopardy��� de la common law. Asimismo, se compara tambi��n con otros sistemas de protecci��n de los derechos humanos, como el europeo, el del Tribunal Penal Internacional y el del Pacto de Derechos Civiles y Pol��ticos de las Naciones Unidas. Finalmente, se destaca la importancia de la armonizaci��n de garant��as del proceso penal en la discusi��n de conflictos jurisdiccionales. Este texto es producto de las reflexiones debatidas en el curso de postgrado de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de S��o Paulo, ���As Garantias do Processo Penal no Sistema Interamericano de Direitos Humanos���, 2008.

Seasonal patterns op biomass variation of Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande and Potamageton pectinatus L. in a coastal logoon

Coastal lagoons where salinity varies within a wide range during the year are colonized by euryhaline macrophytes which can develop extensive beds. Seasonal changes in biomass of Ruppia cirrhosa and Potamogeton pectinatus were studied in Tancada Lagoon (Ebro Delta, NE Spain) in order to reveal the environmental factors controlling their population development. Ruppia cirrhosa occupy a larger area of the lagoon than Potarnogeton pectinatus. Their maximum above ground biomasses are also different (495 g m-2 and 351 g m-2 ash free dry weight, respectively). Below ground biomass of Ruppia cirrhosa is between 9 and 53 % of the above ground biomass, while it is 3-40 % for Potamogeton pectinatus. Chlorophyll a contents show fluctuations similar to biomass. Low salinity and high turbidity caused by freshwater inflows favour Potamogeton expansion, while Ruppia development is favoured by high salinity and transparent water.

Analysis of warm season thunderstorms using an object-oriented tracking method based on radar and total lightning data

Monitoring thunderstorms activity is an essential part of operational weather surveillance given their potential hazards, including lightning, hail, heavy rainfall, strong winds or even tornadoes. This study has two main objectives: firstly, the description of a methodology, based on radar and total lightning data to characterise thunderstorms in real-time; secondly, the application of this methodology to 66 thunderstorms that affected Catalonia (NE Spain) in the summer of 2006. An object-oriented tracking procedure is employed, where different observation data types generate four different types of objects (radar 1-km CAPPI reflectivity composites, radar reflectivity volumetric data, cloud-to-ground lightning data and intra-cloud lightning data). In the framework proposed, these objects are the building blocks of a higher level object, the thunderstorm. The methodology is demonstrated with a dataset of thunderstorms whose main characteristics, along the complete life cycle of the convective structures (development, maturity and dissipation), are described statistically. The development and dissipation stages present similar durations in most cases examined. On the contrary, the duration of the maturity phase is much more variable and related to the thunderstorm intensity, defined here in terms of lightning flash rate. Most of the activity of IC and CG flashes is registered in the maturity stage. In the development stage little CG flashes are observed (2% to 5%), while for the dissipation phase is possible to observe a few more CG flashes (10% to 15%). Additionally, a selection of thunderstorms is used to examine general life cycle patterns, obtained from the analysis of normalized (with respect to thunderstorm total duration and maximum value of variables considered) thunderstorm parameters. Among other findings, the study indicates that the normalized duration of the three stages of thunderstorm life cycle is similar in most thunderstorms, with the longest duration corresponding to the maturity stage (approximately 80% of the total time).

El delito de corrupci��n privada: bien jur��dico, estructura t��pica e intervinientes

[spa] A trav��s de la LO 5/2010 el legislador espa��ol introdujo en el CP el art. 286 bis, creando un nuevo delito de corrupci��n privada. Seg��n el Pre��mbulo a la LO 5/2010:"La idea fuerza en este ��mbito es que la garant��a de una competencia justa y honesta pasa por la represi��n de los actos encaminados a corromper a los administradores de entidades privadas de forma similar a lo que se hace a trav��s del delito de cohecho". En este trabajo se aborda la cuesti��n del bien jur��dico protegido, examinando la postura defendida por la doctrina mayoritaria, partidaria de la tesis de que estamos ante un delito de peligro abstracto, y se propone un planteamiento distinto: entender que se trata de un delito de peligro concreto y no abstracto. Asimismo, se realiza un estudio de la estructura t��pica del nuevo delito y se analizan algunos de los problemas interpretativos que plantea la corrupci��n entre particulares.

Relaci��n Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Homoptera: Psyllidae) - Peral. Influencia de la variedad

Se estudian algunas de las caracter��sticas morfol��gicas y fisiol��gicas de diferentes variedades de peral que pueden influir sobre la instalaci��n y desarrollo de las poblaciones de Cacopsylla pyri. Se realizaron recuentos de puesta, ninfas, adultos y enemigos naturales de C. pyri en lamburdas y posteriormente en hojas de brotes del a��o en una colecci��n de selecci��n de variedades de peral de la "Estaci�� Experimental de Lleida". El a��o 1997 se muestrearon 40 variedades. Los resultados obtenidos pusieron de manifiesto que existian diferencias significativas debidas a la variedad en los niveles de ocupaci��n por el fit��fago. Las variedades se agruparon en 3 categorias en funci��n de la presencia de psylla: elevada, media y baja. De las plantadas los a��os 1994 y 1995 se muestrearon las 16 variedades correspondientes a los grupos anteriores. Las caracter��sticas de la planta estudiadas fueron: altura, di��metro del tronco, peso de la madera de poda, contenido en clorofila, macro y micronutrientes. Se han observado diferencias significativas entre las distintas variedades en las caracter��sticas de la planta estudiadas, relacionadas con las diferencias en los niveles de ocupaci��n.

Estudio de la distribuci��n espacial de Cydia pomonella (L.) y Pandemis heparana (Denis & Schifferm��ller) en Torregrossa (Lleida) mediante m��todos geoestad��sticos

El estudio de la distribuci��n espacial de una especie por me'todos geoestad��sticos se realiza mediante el conocimiento de la funci��n semivariograma. Despu��s de calcular el semivariograma se procede a la estimaci��n de la variable regionalizada en cualquier punto de la zona de estudio. Esta estimaci��n se realiza mediante t��cnicas de interpolaci��n lineal llamadas ��krigeado��, en honor a Krige y Matheron, fundadores de la geoestad��stica. El ��krigeado�� se basa en la minimizaci��n de la varianza del error en cada punto de estudio, previamente localizado en el espacio por sus coordenadas de situaci��n. Cydia pomonella (L.) y Pandemis heparana (Denis & Schifferm��ller) son dos tortr��cidos plaga del manzano y del peral. La estimaci��n de sus poblaciones se realiza mediante trampas de feromona y es posible disponer de una amplia base de datos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la idoneidad de los m��todos geoestad��sticos para el estudio de poblaciones de insectos y aplicarlas al caso concreto de C. pomonella y P. heparana. Se utilizaron las capturas en 55 estaciones con trampas de feromonas (difusor de origen Wageningen) colocadas en parcelas comerciales de manzano y peral en 1996 y 1997 en el t��rmino municipal de Torregrossa (Lleida). La idoneidad de los m��todos geoestad��sticos qued�� demostrada por el hecho de que la variable n��mero acumulado de machos por trampa fue regionalizable. Una vez calculadas las funciones semivariograma para cada especie y a��o, se han dibujado los mapas de distribuci��n mediante el uso de isol��neas. En el futuro, se plantea la posibilidad de ampliar la zona de estudio a toda la zona frutera de Lleida y analizar la influencia de variables independientes (clim��ticas ...) sobre la distribuci��n espacial mediante m��todos de ��co-krigeado��.

Estimating patterns of leaf herbivory along an altitudinal transect in NE Queensland rainforests: might global warming increase leaf herbivory in tropical rainforests?

Climate change has been taking place at unprecedented rates over the past decades. These fast alterations caused by human activities are leading to a global warming of the planet. Warmer temperatures are going to have important effects on vegetation and especially on tropical forests. Insects as well will be affected by climate change. This study tested the hypothesis that higher temperatures lead to a higher insect pressure on vegetation. Visual estimations of leaf damage were recorded and used to assess the extent of herbivory in nine 0.1ha plots along an altitudinal gradient, and therefore a temperature gradient. These estimations were made at both a community level and a species level, on 2 target species. Leaf toughness tests were performed on samples from the target species from each plot. Results showed a strong evidence of increasing insect damage along increasing temperature, with no significant effect from the leaf toughness.

Stocks assesment, biomass and fish production in two mediterranean basins (NE Spain)

In order to evaluate the success of the reintroduction of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in the Empordh wetlands (Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de I'Empordh��), and the Muga and Fluvih basins, density of fish, biomass and production in the Muga and Fluvia Rivers have been estimated, since fishes represent the principal prey in the otter diet. 12 study sites were selected in order to survey the main flows in both basins. Electrofishing surveys were conducted by blocking off the station with barrier nets, which was performed upon 3 successive catches. The density estimated presents a range of 1,136-1 25 ind .ha' in the Muga basin, 4,49-163 ind.ha' in the Fluvih basin and 3,76-52,2 ind.ha' in the Empordh wetlands. Estimated biomass ranges are 0,616-277,6 g.m2, 8,79-351,2 g.m2, and 5,7-108 g.m-2 respectively. These density anfi biomass ranges are similar to other results obtained from rivers inhabited by the Eurasian otter in NE Spain

Fish ecology in Lake Banyoles (NE Spain): a tribute to Ramon Margalef

Lake Banyoles is the second largest lake in the Iberian Peninsula and due to this relative uniqueness, its peculiar geological origin, and its considerable age attracted the early attention of the late Professor Ramon Margalef. One of the first papers by Margalef was on the biota of Lake Banyoles and two of the first four Ph.D. theses that he supervised were about the limnology of this lake. Unfortunately, the uniqueness of this lake also implied that it was the first place of introduction into the Iberian Peninsula of several exotic fish species, early in the XXth Century and nowadays the lake fish assemblage is dominated by invasive species, and some native ones have been extirpated. Although the limnological studies in Lake Banyoles were pioneering within the Iberian Peninsula, studies on fish ecology of the lake did not start until 1989. Thereafter, four Ph.D. theses have been completed on different aspects of the fish assemblages of Lake Banyoles. The aim of this paper is to provide a short overview of this research, largely brought about by the considerable limnological information previously available for this lake, thanks to the insightful, pioneering work of Professor Margalef

Trends in indices of daily precipitation extremes in Catalonia (NE Spain), 1951-2003

The aim of this paper is to quantitatively characterize the climatology of daily precipitation indices in Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula) from 1951 to 2003. This work has been performed analyzing a subset of the ETCCDI (Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices) precipitation indices calculated from a new interpolated dataset of daily precipitation, namely SPAIN02, regular at 0.2�� horizontal resolution (around 20 km) and from two high-quality stations: the Ebro and Fabra observatories. Using a jack-knife technique, we have found that the sampling error of the SPAIN02 regional averaged is relatively low. The trend analysis has been implemented using a Circular Block Bootstrap procedure applicable to non-normal distributions and autocorrelated series. A running trend analysis has been applied to analyze the trend persistence. No general trends at a regional scale are observed, considering the annual or the seasonal regional averaged series of all the indices for all the time windows considered. Only the consecutive dry days index (CDD) at annual scale shows a locally coherent spatial trend pattern; around 30% of the Catalonia area has experienced an increase of around 2��3 days decade��1. The Ebro and Fabra observatories show a similar CDD trend, mainly due to the summer contribution. Besides this, a significant decrease in total precipitation (around ��10 mm decade��1) and in the index "highest precipitation amount in five-day period" (RX5DAY, around ��5 mm decade��1), have been found in summer for the Ebro observatory.

Comment on "Neutron brillouin scattering study of collective dynamics in a dense He-Ne gaseous mixture"

A Comment on the Letter by Ubaldo Bafile, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1019 (2001). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.

Consumption of macrophytes by invertebrates in Tancada lagoon (NE Spain)

Gammarus aequicauda and Sphaeroma hookeri are the most abundant macroinvertebrates on Ruppia cirrhosa (1275 and 1290 individuals.m-2) and Potamogeton pectinatus (140 and 680 individuals. m-2) in Tancada lagoon, a Mediterranean coastal lagoon in the Ebro Delta (NE Spain). Consumption and assimilation efficiencies were calculated from bell jar experiments. Gammarus grazing effects are higher than Sphaeroma on both Ruppia cirrhosa and Potamogeton pectinatus. Green Ruppia leaves lost 0.3 mg per mg Gammarus per day, while Potamogeton leaves lost 0.2 mg per mg Gammarus per day. Decomposing Ruppia leaves lost 0.35-0.54 mg per mg Gammarus per day. Losses of weight by both Ruppia and Potamogeton due to Sphaeroma feeding were less than half those by Gammarus. Assimilation efficiencies are higher for Gammarus (44-78% feeding on Ruppia 2% feeding on Potamogeton) than for Sphaeroma (26-48%) feeding on Ruppia). These assimilation efficiencies were higher than those reported by other authors working at higher latitudes perhaps because of the higher temperature under which the experiments were carried out.

Geochemical exploration in the Montseny Mountains (NE Spain)

A five year program of systematic multi-element geochemical exploration of the Catalonian Coastal Ranges has been initiated by the Geological Survey of Autonomic Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) and the Department of Geological and Geophysical Exploration (University of Barcelona). This paper reports the first stage results of this regional survey, covering an area of 530 km2 in the Montseny Mountains, NE of Barcelona (Spain). Stream sediments for metals and stream waters for fluoride were chosen because of the regional characteristics. Four target areas for future tactic survey were recognized after the prospect. The most important is a 40 km* zone in the Canoves-Vilamajor area, with high base metal values accompanied by Cd, Ni, Co, As and Sb anomalies. Keywords: Catalanides. Geochemical exploration. Stream sediments. Base metal anomalies. Principal Component Analysis.