Use and perception of urban green spaces in Barcelona

Background: Although the mechanisms are not well understood yet, evidence exists of the benefits of urban green spaces for human health. As a consequence, one of the concerns of public health interventions must be to promote the use of urban green spaces within cities. Aims: This study aims to explore the citizens’ purposes of use of urban green spaces as well as the elements related to the characteristics of these places that condition their use. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with non-hospitalised people living in different areas of Barcelona, with different socioeconomic status and different residential distance to urban green spaces (n = 20). Thematic content analysis of the qualitative data was performed. Results: Physical pursuits and attention restoration were identified as prominent purposes of use of urban green spaces. The natural features of urban green spaces were identified as the most relevant determiners for the use of these places. Conclusions: To promote the use of urban green spaces, qualitative findings from this study suggest that purpose-built places should be provided. Moreover, natural features of urban green spaces must be particularly taken into account when designing and maintaining them.

The Spanish Infrastructure Stock, 1844-1935

This paper presents the first estimates of Spanish infrastructure stock and investment for the period 1845-1935. Several sources and techniques have been used in the estimation, and the new series are reasonably reliable to the standards of historical statistics. Two distinct periods may be distinguished in the series: the years before 1895 (characterized by the prominence of railroads) and the period 1895-1935 (when most investment was addressed to other assets). The new series allow a preliminary comparison of the Spanish infrastructure endowment with that of the most advanced countries, showing a gradual process of convergence before 1936.

Infrastructure and Economic Growth in Spain, 1845-1935

Between the mid-nineteenth century and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Spain undertook a sustained process of economic growth and structural change, but was unable to converge with the core European economies.1 The reasons behind Spain"s failure to converge have been a subject of debate among historians for decades. 2 This dissertation aims to analyze the role played by infrastructure in Spanish economic growth during that period, and tries to find out to what extent the potential shortage or inadequacy of the Spanish infrastructure endowment was one of the factors to blame for the country"s nonconvergence. The dissertation draws on recent research on the economic impact of infrastructure, and on the numerous attempts to measure that impact which have been undertaken in the wake of David Aschauer"s work on the United States.

Molecular mechanism of a green-shifted, pH-dependent red fluorescent protein mKate variant.

Fluorescent proteins that can switch between distinct colors have contributed significantly to modern biomedical imaging technologies and molecular cell biology. Here we report the identification and biochemical analysis of a green-shifted red fluorescent protein variant GmKate, produced by the introduction of two mutations into mKate. Although the mutations decrease the overall brightness of the protein, GmKate is subject to pH-dependent, reversible green-to-red color conversion. At physiological pH, GmKate absorbs blue light (445 nm) and emits green fluorescence (525 nm). At pH above 9.0, GmKate absorbs 598 nm light and emits 646 nm, far-red fluorescence, similar to its sequence homolog mNeptune. Based on optical spectra and crystal structures of GmKate in its green and red states, the reversible color transition is attributed to the different protonation states of the cis-chromophore, an interpretation that was confirmed by quantum chemical calculations. Crystal structures reveal potential hydrogen bond networks around the chromophore that may facilitate the protonation switch, and indicate a molecular basis for the unusual bathochromic shift observed at high pH. This study provides mechanistic insights into the color tuning of mKate variants, which may aid the development of green-to-red color-convertible fluorescent sensors, and suggests GmKate as a prototype of genetically encoded pH sensors for biological studies.

Infrastructure Investment and Spanish Economic Growth, 1850-1935

This paper analyzes the impact of infrastructure investment on Spanish economic growth between 1850 and 1935. Using new infrastructure data and VAR techniques, this paper shows that the growth impact of local-scope infrastructure investment was positive, but returns to investment in large nation-wide networks were not significantly different from zero. Two complementary explanations are suggested for the last result. On the one hand, public intervention and the application of non-efficiency investment criteria were very intense in large network construction. On the other hand, returns to new investment in large networks might have decreased dramatically once the basic links were constructed.

The Spatial Distribution of Spanish Transport Infrastructure between 1860 and 1930

The origin of Spanish regional economic divergence can be traced back at least until the seventeenth century, although its full definition took place during industrialisation. Historians have often included uneven regional infrastructure endowments among the factors that explain divergence among Spanish regions, although no systematic analysis of the spatial distribution of Spanish infrastructure and its determinants has been carried out so far. This paper aims at filling that gap, by offering a description of the regional distribution of the main Spanish transport infrastructure between the middle of the nineteenth century and the Civil War. In addition, it estimates a panel data model to search into the main reasons that explain the differences among the Spanish regional endowments of railways and roads during that period. The outcomes of that analysis indicate that both institutional factors and the physical characteristics of each area had a strong influence on the distribution of transport infrastructure among the Spanish regions.

CLARIN: common language resources and technology infrastructure

Presentamos el proyecto CLARIN, un proyecto cuyo objetivo es potenciar el uso de instrumentos tecnológicos en la investigación en las Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales

When supply travels far beyond demand: Causes of oversupply in Spain’s transport infrastructure

Spain’s transport infrastructure policy has become a paradigmatic case of oversupply and of mismatch with demand. The massive expansion of the country’s transport infrastructure over the last decade has not been a response to demand bottlenecks or previously identified needs. For this reason, the intensity of use today on all interurban modes of transport in Spain falls well below that of other EU countries. This paper analyzes the institutional and regulatory factors that have permitted this policy, allowing us to draw lessons from the Spanish case that should help other countries avoid the pitfalls and shortcomings of Spanish policy.

When supply travels far beyond demand: Causes of oversupply in Spain’s transport infrastructure

Spain’s transport infrastructure policy has become a paradigmatic case of oversupply and of mismatch with demand. The massive expansion of the country’s transport infrastructure over the last decade has not been a response to demand bottlenecks or previously identified needs. For this reason, the intensity of use today on all interurban modes of transport in Spain falls well below that of other EU countries. This paper analyzes the institutional and regulatory factors that have permitted this policy, allowing us to draw lessons from the Spanish case that should help other countries avoid the pitfalls and shortcomings of Spanish policy.

When supply travels far beyond demand: Institutional and regulatory causes of oversupply in Spain’s transport infrastructure

Spain’s transport infrastructure policy has become a paradigmatic case of oversupply and of mismatch with demand. The massive expansion of the country’s transport infrastructure over the last decade has not been a response to demand bottlenecks or previously identified needs. For this reason, the intensity of use today on all interurban modes of transport in Spain falls well below that of other EU countries. This paper analyzes the institutional and regulatory factors that have permitted this policy, allowing us to draw lessons from the Spanish case that should help other countries avoid the pitfalls and shortcomings of Spanish policy. Based on our analysis, we also discuss policy remedies and suggest reforms in different regulatory areas, which could help improve the performance of Spain’s infrastructure policy.

The determinants of contractual choice for private involvement in infrastructure projects in the United States

Reliance on private partners to help provide infrastructure investment and service delivery is increasing in the United States. Numerous studies have examined the determinants of the degree of private participation in infrastructure projects as governed by contract type. We depart from this simple public/private dichotomy by examining a rich set of contractual arrangements. We utilize both municipal and state-level data on 472 projects of various types completed between 1985 and 2008. Our estimates indicate that infrastructure characteristics, particularly those that reflect stand alone versus network characteristics, are key factors influencing the extent of private participation. Fiscal variables, such as a jurisdiction’s relative debt level, and basic controls, such as population and locality of government, increase the degree of private participation, while a greater tax burden reduces private participation.

Privatization and PPPS in transportation infrastructure: Network effects of increasing user fees

PPPS: Problem: Public-private-partnerships in transport infrastructure characteristically increase user-fees. Purpose: We aim to identify the network effects of the use of PPPs and increased user tolls in road infrastructure. Methods: We study the increases in user tolls on motorways due to the use of PPPs in the US. Results and conclusions: Among other things, the monetization of motorways is associated with an increase in toll levels that has consequences for their users, and also for the rest of the sections of the network.

Infrastructure and nation building: The regulation and financing of network transportation infrastructures in Spain (1720-2010)

This paper analyzes Spanish infrastructure policy since the early 1700s: Road building in the eighteenth century, railway creation and expansion in the nineteenth, motorway expansion in the twentieth, and high speed rail development in the twenty-first. The analysis reveals a long-term pattern, in which infrastructure policy in Spain has been driven not by the requirements of commerce and economic activity, but rather by the desire to centralize transportation around the country’s political capital.

CERN-MEDICIS: une nouvelle infrastructure pour la production de radioisotopes a usage medical [CERN-MEDICIS (Medical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE): a new facility].

CERN-MEDICIS (Medical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE) est une plateforme de recherche destinée à la production de radioisotopes biomédicaux. Inauguré en 2014, il produira progressivement un nombre croissant de radioisotopes grâce au faisceau de protons ISOLDE déjà existant. Ce projet réunit des spécialistes du cancer, des chirurgiens, des experts en médecine nucléaire, en radiochimie et radiopharmacie et les scientifiques du CERN. Les radioisotopes ainsi produits seront destinés à la recherche fondamentale contre le cancer, à des études précliniques ainsi qu'au développement de protocoles d'imagerie et de thérapie destinés aux patients.Le CERN, les HUG, le CHUV, l'ISREC et l'EPFL qui soutiennent ce projet seront les premiers bénéficiaires de ces radioisotopes novateurs dont la distribution sera ensuite étendue à d'autres centres européens. CERN-MEDICIS is a facility dedicated to research and development in life science and medical applications. The research platform was inaugurated in October 2014 and will produce an increasing range of innovative isotopes using the proton beam of ISOLDE for fundamental studies in cancer research, for new imaging and therapy protocols in cell and animal models and for preclinical trials, possibly extended to specific early phase clinical studies (phase 0) up to phase I trials. CERN, the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer (ISREC) at Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (EPFL) that currently support the project will benefit of the initial production that will then be extended to other centers.