The Distant neighbors — EU, Middle East, North Africa and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership

The Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Conference (1995) was intended to be a launching pad" for creating a new, innovative relationship between the EU-Fifteen and a selected set of non-member Middle Eastern and North African countries. The Barcelona Process was to become the European Union´s first attempt, of several, to create postmodern inclusive policy spheres as a way to deal with the post-enlargement problems of ´ins´ and outs´ in its immediate periphery. Nevertheless, in spite of geographical proximity, common problems and stated interest in creating amorphous EU borders in different sectors, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership is today all but abandoned. This paper will examine some of the factors behind the current degeneration of the EU´s post-bipolar foreign policy strategy in the Mediterranean, by exploring the dialectic between the Union´s desire to expand its geopolitical, economic and cultural boundaries and the need to secure its territorial area (from migration, proliferation, social instability etc.). In the final part of the paper some suggestions for how to revive the relationship across the Mare Nostrum will be forwarded.

Prospección de avellanos (Corylus avellana L.) en Asturias

Resumen. Los avellanos en Asturias se encuentran en los cauces de los ríos, delimitando fincas o aislados. Son escasas las plantaciones regulares de esta especie. Durante tres años (2003-04-05) se realizó una prospección conjunta entre el IRTA y el SERIDA, con el fin de estudiar el material asturiano e intentar conservar el material genético en período de extinción. Se preseleccionaron 90 individuos atendiendo a sus características vegetativas y del fruto. Se ha observado una gran variabilidad genética del avellano en esta zona norte de España y en un primer estudio se han encontrado 16 individuos interesantes por sus buenas características del fruto. En Febrero de 2008, ya se ha empezado a introducir material en colección (en el IRTA y en el SERIDA), con el fin de conservar el material y realizar, posteriormente, su caracterización agronómica y comercial Abstract. Asturias region is known for its wild hazelnuts growing spontaneously or planted on land boundaries and on river banks. There are few orchards of this species. During three years (2003-04-05), a survey of native hazelnuts started in collaboration IRTA and SERIDA, to study this material and preserve the genetic diversity. In this prospection a total of 90 trees were studied and a high genetic variability was observed, outstanding 16 individuals for their good fruit characteristics. In February, 2008, preselected material has been introduced at two collections (IRTA and SERIDA) for his preservation and agronomic and commercial characterisation.

Condiciones para una arquitectura radical

La investigación Condiciones para una arquitectura radical se ha desarrollado en el marco de la beca FI 2009-12; y también incluye una beca de movilidad BE-DGR 2009 por un período de seis meses de 2010 en Princeton University School of Architecture. Condiciones para una arquitectura radical tiene un objetivo general: trabajar las relaciones entre límite, experiencia y comunidad a partir de dos pilares: arte y tecnología. Son tres familias de conceptos y sus articulaciones complejas en el espacio común: para definir en última instancia, otros procesos posibles de gestión en la ciudad. La lucha ideológica está en pensar cual debería ser el futuro de las ciudades. El objetivo concreto de la tesis es la búsqueda de herramientas para abrir nuevos espacios en la ciudad donde materializar un cambio social y urbano. Para entender esta aproximación la investigación indaga en los momentos de acercamiento y simbiosis de la arquitectura a las tesis del arte y la tecnología: una mirada atenta a las condiciones de contexto. Se explora el cruce de algunas ideas emancipadoras que se formularon en diferentes momentos de la cultura - desde las vanguardias históricas hasta ahora- en los que se intuyó la importancia del sistema abierto -el paso del objeto al proceso- y su trasposición en arquitectura: una arquitectura y un urbanismo open source; son episodios en los que ha existido un cuestionamiento de las fronteras disciplinares y un interés por la apropiación convivencial de lo público. Algunas de aquellas ideas pueden repetirse en el contexto activo de unas nuevas condiciones.

Finite-size effects in nonequilibrium correlation functions

We have shown that finite-size effects in the correlation functions away from equilibrium may be introduced through dimensionless numbers: the Nusselt numbers, accounting for both the nature of the boundaries and the size of the system. From an analysis based on fluctuating hydrodynamics, we conclude that the mean-square fluctuations satisfy scaling laws, since they depend only on the dimensionless numbers in addition to reduced variables. We focus on the case of diffusion modes and describe some physical situations in which finite-size effects may be relevant.

Study of post-deposition contamination in low-temperature deposited polysilicon films

The presence of hydrogen in polysilicon films obtained at low temperatures by hot-wire CVD and the post-deposition oxidation by air-exposure of the films are studied in this paper. The experimental results from several characterization techniques (infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy) showed that hydrogen and oxygen are homogeneously distributed at grain boundaries throughout the depth of the films. Hydrogen is introduced during the growth process and its concentration is higher in samples deposited at lower temperatures. Oxygen diffuses along the grain boundaries and binds to silicon atoms, mainly in Si 2O groups.

Beneficial effects of word final stress in segmenting a new language: evidence from ERPs

Background: How do listeners manage to recognize words in an unfamiliar language? The physical continuity of the signal, in which real silent pauses between words are lacking, makes it a difficult task. However, there are multiple cues that can be exploited to localize word boundaries and to segment the acoustic signal. In the present study, word-stress was manipulated with statistical information and placed in different syllables within trisyllabic nonsense words to explore the result of the combination of the cues in an online word segmentation task. Results: The behavioral results showed that words were segmented better when stress was placed on the final syllables than when it was placed on the middle or first syllable. The electrophysiological results showed an increase in the amplitude of the P2 component, which seemed to be sensitive to word-stress and its location within words. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that listeners can integrate specific prosodic and distributional cues when segmenting speech. An ERP component related to word-stress cues was identified: stressed syllables elicited larger amplitudes in the P2 component than unstressed ones.

Evaporation and coarsening dynamics with open boundaries

We present a study of the evaporation dynamics of a substance undergoing a coarsening process. The system is modeled by the Cahn-Hilliard equation with absorbing boundaries. We have found that the dynamics, although of a diffusive nature, is much slower than the usual one without coarsening. Analytical and simulation results are in reasonable agreement.

Depinning transition of dislocation assemblies: Pileups and low-angle grain boundaries

We investigate the depinning transition occurring in dislocation assemblies. In particular, we consider the cases of regularly spaced pileups and low-angle grain boundaries interacting with a disordered stress landscape provided by solute atoms, or by other immobile dislocations present in nonactive slip systems. Using linear elasticity, we compute the stress originated by small deformations of these assemblies and the corresponding energy cost in two and three dimensions. Contrary to the case of isolated dislocation lines, which are usually approximated as elastic strings with an effective line tension, the deformations of a dislocation assembly cannot be described by local elastic interactions with a constant tension or stiffness. A nonlocal elastic kernel results as a consequence of long-range interactions between dislocations. In light of this result, we revise statistical depinning theories of dislocation assemblies and compare the theoretical results with numerical simulations and experimental data.

Evaporation and coarsening dynamics with open boundaries

We present a study of the evaporation dynamics of a substance undergoing a coarsening process. The system is modeled by the Cahn-Hilliard equation with absorbing boundaries. We have found that the dynamics, although of a diffusive nature, is much slower than the usual one without coarsening. Analytical and simulation results are in reasonable agreement.