"ALBA, the new synchrotron light facility"

2006     Volume 3 Issue 2

		Stratigraphic and tectonosedimentary development of the Eocene Sant Llorenç del Munt and Montserrat fan-delta complexes (Southeast Ebro basin margin, Northeast Spain) Miguel López-Blanco
		Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases: a complex system beyond protein synthesis Teresa Bori-Sanz, Tanit Guitart, Lluís Ribas de Pouplana
		Dynamics of air pollution in the northwestern Mediterranean Basin (Catalonia) in summer using high-resolution air-quality modeling José M. Baldasano , Pedro Jiménez, Oriol Jorba, Eugeni López, René Parra, Carlos Pérez
		Nutrient pollution of waters: eutrophication trends in European marine and coastal environments Jorge L. Rovira, Patricia Pardo
		Battista Grassi: a zoologist for malaria Ernesto Capanna
		Microbes and Society Francisco Ruiz Berraquero
		Research and innovation plan for Catalonia (2005-2008) DURSI
		Veterinary Science in Catalonia: 1996-2002 Maria Teresa Paramio
		Industrial Engineering in Catalonia: 1996-2002 Jaume Agulló
		Professor RAMON MARGALEF (1919-2004) Joandomènec Ros
Stratigraphic and tectonosedimentary development of the Eocene Sant Llorenç del Munt and Montserrat fan-delta complexes (Southeast Ebro basin margin, Northeast Spain)
López-Blanco, M.
The depositional environment, climatic conditions, structural evolution, age, catchment area characteristics, and sequence stratigraphic arrangement along an early Cenozoic forelandhinterland boundary in northeastern Spain were determined from sedimentologic, palynologic, stratigraphic, structural, and paleomagnetic data. As the transpressional Catalan Coastal Ranges (characterized by NNW-verging folds and thrusts) rose during the Paleogene, two fan-deltas prograded into the Ebro basin. The syntectonic condition of the Paleogene deposits is evidenced by facies and geometries directly related to the growth of specific structures and tectonic activity in the catchment area. A tectonosedimentary evolution was deduced along the basin margin, clearly indicating a NE to SW migration of the deformation. In the present study, the effects of high rates of subsidence and sediment supply, associated with orogenic uplift and loading, on the sequence-stratigraphic organization of two fandelta clastic wedges are highlighted. Specific topics addressed are the relevance of different key stratigraphic surfaces to the development of basic depositional cycles; the stacking pattern of high-order sequences, and the formation of lower-order composite sequences; the time span and periodicity recorded by the sequence hierarchy; the traceability of coastal sequences into the alluvial realm; and the relative importance of accommodation vs. sediment supply changes in controlling sequence hierarchy.
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases: a complex system beyond protein synthesis
Bori-Sanz, T., Guitart, T., Ribas, L.
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are enzymes that translate the genetic code by adding amino acids to their cognate transfer RNAs (tRNA). Aminoacylated tRNAs can then be used by the ribosome to decode mRNA. The essential role of ARSs was established in the 1960s, during the golden era of molecular biology that led to the discovery of the genetic code. The canonical role of these enzymes is now described in all textbooks. Remarkably, however, interest in ARS function continues to grow as new and unexpected functions are discovered for these enzymes, for tRNA, and for RNA in general. This article describes current progress in the field of ARS research, summarizes current thinking about the evolution of ARSs, introduces the readers to the many facets of cellular biology in which ARSs play an important role, and discusses the biotechnological applications derived from these studies.
Dynamics of air pollution in the northwestern Mediterranean Basin (Catalonia) in summer using high-resolution air-quality modeling
Baldasano, J.M , Jiménez, P., Jorba, O., López, E., Parra, R., Pérez, C.
The complex behavior of photochemical pollutants in the northwestern Mediterranean Basin (NWMB) and Catalonia is conditioned by the superposition of circulations on different scales and on the pattern of emissions. This work combines the models MM5 (meteorological), EMICAT2000 (emissions), and CMAQ (chemistry transport model), which have been applied with very high temporal and spatial resolution (1 h and 2 km) to analyze the high levels of photochemical air pollution over the NWMB (Catalonia) during a typical summertime episode, in this study, 13­16 August, 2000. This combination of models is shown to be well-suited to address the large range of scales involved. The study focuses on local as well as medium­ and large-scale processes controlling tropospheric ozone in the NWMB, notably, emissions and photochemistry, convective and advective transport, deposition processes, and stratosphere-troposphere exchange. In the lower troposphere, local re-circulation systems are of key importance, together with the complex pattern of emissions in Catalonia. The strength of the land-sea breeze circulation, together with thermally or mechanically driven convection over the complex orography of the eastern Iberian coast, can induce vertical transport and the layering of air pollution. These phenomena can be captured by simulations carried out for the domain covering the entire Iberian Peninsula (with a 1 h and 24 km resolution).
Nutrient pollution of waters: eutrophication trends in European marine and coastal environments
Jorge L. Rovira, Patricia Pardo
In the last 50 years, eutrophication (the natural or artificial nutrient enrichment of an aquatic ecosystem) has become a widespread environmental pollution problem due to the growing population, rapid urbanization of previously rural areas, and increased agricultural and livestock production. Even though this problem has particular relevance in developed countries and in areas with large populations, the implementation of intensive agriculture systems in developing zones (such as in Eastern Europe) may lead to the further propagation of the eutrophication in the coming decades. In 2004, the European Environment Agency (EEA) set out to answer to certain priority policy questions. For this purpose, it selected a small number of relevant indicators that are stable but sensitive to temporal and spatial trends. The core set of 37 indicators (referred to as CSI) covers six environmental subjects and four sectors that reflect the priorities of the EEA. In this work, the information rendered by four of the 37 selected CSI was used to assess the current state of eutrophication in European seas. The analysis showed that, despite implementation of those EU Directives aimed at improving the quality of aquatic environments, no general reduction in eutrophication has occurred. This fact emphasizes the slow recovery rate of ecosystems damaged by human actions.
Battista Grassi: a zoologist for malaria
Capanna, E.
Malaria is probably one of the oldest diseases, and it has been the scourge of populations in tropical and temperate-hot areas of the world since antiquity. It is also known by its French term, paludisme although the Italian name, malaria, more accurately describes the disease. The Italian term refers to mala aria, bad air, i.e., the miasmas evaporating from the stagnant waters of marshes, which the ancients believed were the origin of the disease. It was not until the second half of the nineteenth century that scientists started to search for the agent that gave rise to malaria. By then, optical instruments appropriate for this purpose had finally become available, and Robert Koch (1843­1910) and Louis Pasteur (1822­1895) had laid the foundations for scientifically based clinical microbiology.
Microbes and Society
Ruiz Berraquero, F.
The microbial world is composed of many species belonging to very diverse groups. Most microbes are harmless commensals, while many others are essential for the development and maintenance of life and a wide range of ecosystems. Processes such as the decomposition of organic matter, mineralization, the return to the atmosphere of gases needed by various life forms for nitrogen and carbon fixation, and the conversion of those gases into forms that can be metabolized by other organisms are undertaken by microorganisms. There are also pathogenic microorganisms that, unfortunately, are the "most famous citizens" of this community. The dominant anthropocentric view during large periods of history has been responsible for our hostility towards microbial life. In this paper, we discuss the interaction between microbes and society, the human potential to modify life and control natural ecosystems, and the frequent interruption of evolution that results from these modifications. The rapid growth of the human population has led to the emergence of several new diseases and an increased incidence of nosocomial infections. At the same time, current sociopolitical conditions have made bioterrorism an issue of very real concern. Nonetheless, the harmful effects of pathogenic microorganisms and their perverse use are not reason to forget their benefits and usefulness.
Research and innovation plan for Catalonia (2005-2008)
DURSI
The Research and Innovation Plan 2005-2008 (PRI) is one of the main tools for realising the political commitment made by the Government of Catalonia in regard to the definitive quantitative leap that Catalonia needs to make in the area of research and innovation. The participation of Catalan society in the process of developing an advanced knowledge-based society requires clear and decided efforts to foster research and technological development and to develop the country's innovative capacities.
Veterinary Science in Catalonia: 1996-2002
Paramio, M.T.
Research in veterinary science in Catalonia can be considered a relatively recent activity since the main public entities dedicated to it were developed during the last few decades. The Faculty of Veterinary Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) was created in 1982; the specialization animal husbandry at the School of Agricultural Engineering of the University of Lleida (UdL), in 1983; and the Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology (IRTA) in 1985. Nowadays, the field of veterinary science includes, besides animal medicine and health, topics more related to the economic importance of animals and the hygiene and quality of animal-derived products. This report classifies veterinary science according to its different thematic areas: Animal Health, Animal Anatomy, Animal Medicine and Surgery, Animal Production, Animal Nutrition and Bromatology, and Animal Physiology and Pharmacology. Most of these areas are dealt with in the departments of the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the UAB. Given the economic importance of Animal Production in Catalonia, it has become the domain of the largest public entities (UAB, IRTA, and UdL). The Animal Health Research Center (CReSA) ­an autonomous institution of the UAB and the IRTA­ has operated since 2000. The methodology used in this report was mostly based on the analysis of data obtained from these institutions. Since the report takes into account a small number of both public institutions and people, the data obtained were thoroughly analyzed and classified. All research indicators have been sorted by topic and by the institutions involved. Finally, for each indicator, a global analysis of all areas and organizations is made and compared to the results obtained in the previous report, which comprised the years 1990­1995. The analyzed indicators, recommended by the Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC), are the following: a) The research system. In this section, references to public institutions, centers, departments, and units that carry out veterinary science research in Catalonia are made. b) Lines of research. The different subjects of research that are in the focus of the different areas and institutes are described. The subjects of research and the groups that the General Directorate of Research (DGR) considers as consolidated research groups have been specified. This section also describes research services created by universities and investigation centers to support the research demands of the public and private sectors. c) Human resources. Personnel dedicated to research are classified for every area and institution according to: staff investigator, hired investigator, technical staff, hired technical staff, and intern. The new figures for researchers in the Ramon y Cajal and the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) programs are specified for every subject. Based on an organizational chart that lists all the personnel comprising the different categories for 2002, we can conclude that: 35% are staff researchers, 17% are hired researchers, 27% technical staff, and 21%, interns. Compared to the period 1990­1995, there was no significant variation in the number of technicians or researchers, only an increase in the number of interns. d) Research funding. This has been classified in competitive projects or projects subject to scientific evaluation, and agreements or non-competitive projects. The funding for competitive projects has been classified according to the source of the program: European, Spanish, or the Government of Catalonia. For non-competitive projects, it is specified whether they were commissioned by the private sector or by public institutions. From the information presented in this section, we can conclude that, for all areas and institutions, the main source of funding is the private sector, indicating a strong projection of veterinary science research in the various productive sectors. For competitive projects, the most important funding are public. If we compare it with the period 1990­1995, we see that the financing for competitive projects in the previous period came to 1.4 million Euros, and that in the current period this sum adds up to 6.47 million Euros. Financing for agreements in the previous period was 1.63 million Euros and during the current period this sum increased to 13.11 million, 9 of which were provided by the private sector. e) Scientific output. This section exclusively considers research results published in scientific journals, books, reports, and theses. The results obtained regarding scientific transference and research services, and other results obtained through agreements have not been included, despite our awareness of their great importance. The development experienced by all areas and institutions indicates a growing interest in the dissemination of results through journals indexed at the ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) register rather than through other formats: 63.7% of the publications published during the period of study were articles that appeared in these journals ­a trend that continues to grow. Compared to the period 1990­1995 period, the number of articles in the Science Citation Index (SCI) increased from 265 to 800. When we compare the scientific output of the world, Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands, the following conclusions can be drawn: Spain contributes 4.3% of worldwide output, and Catalonia represents 18.7% of the State's total. During the previous period, these figures were 3.1% and 13.5%, respectively. The Netherlands and Denmark, respectively, publish 4.3 and 2.6 times more than Catalonia. To verify the quality of the publications, the number of citations received by published articles was analyzed. The conclusion is that the average number of citations of articles published in Catalonia is equal to the average of the world and Spain, but lower than the number of citations of articles published in the Netherlands and Denmark. In conclusion, veterinary science research in Catalonia has experienced a strong growth in funding, scientific output, and personnel training, despite the fact that the number of researchers and technicians has remained the same. Research teams have consolidated and have focused their efforts on those areas of research that are of greatest interest to the productive sector. This has resulted in more than half of research funding coming from agreements with the private sector. Compared to countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands, scientific output and quality in Catalonia are significantly lower. If public financing for innovative scientific research projects increased, surely these differences would in turn decrease.
Industrial Engineering in Catalonia: 1996-2002
Jaume Agulló
Industrial Engineering in Europe and the United States refers fundamentally to the engineering of productive processes. This field coexists with other branches of engineering, such as Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering. By contrast, in Catalonia and Spain, Industrial Engineering considers all of these fields as a whole. For more than a century, Industrial Engineering was the only branch of higher-level engineering in Catalonia that had university status, which made it the only field of Engineering able to meet the needs of industrial and business activities. In the last few decades, this situation has changed due to the establishment of other types of engineering faculties, new qualifications, and to the evolution of science faculties, some of which now have engineering departments in areas of Industrial Engineering. Research corresponding to Industrial Engineering can best be evaluated from a conventional viewpoint, which, for this report ­part of a collection of 26 reports assessing all fields of research in Catalonia­ consists of the following four fields (the same as in the first report covering 1990­1995): ­ Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering ­ Electrical and Energy Engineering ­ Chemical Engineering, Textile and Paper Engineering, and Environmental Industrial Engineering ­ Industrial Management Defining these fields does not solve the problems of their delimitation, with respect neither to the types of research carried out in each of them nor to the shared interests among them. Nonetheless, the data obtained for human resources, economic resources, and research results in Industrial Engineering also do not make up a good starting point for constructing, together with data from other reports, a broad range of information concerning the state of Industrial Engineering in Catalonia.
Professor RAMON MARGALEF (1919-2004)
Joandomènec Ros
Ramon Margalef, Professor Emeritus of Ecology of the University of Barcelona, Catalonia, and member for the Institute for Catalan Studies, passed away at age 85 on May 23, 2004. Margalef was the most important Catalan and Spanish limnologist, marine biologist, and ecologist of the twentieth century. He was a pioneer and outstanding researcher in these fields; and he contributed greatly to many branches of science, ranging from limnology and biological oceanography to theoretical ecology. Margalef has left us an enormous body of scientific literature, consisting of more than 400 published scientific papers and 20 scientific books. Even though not all of his papers were published in journals included in the Science Citation Index, for many years he was the most frequently cited Spanish scientist. In a list of 95 investigators from around the world, Margalef was considered to be one of the three most outstanding Spanish life scientists ­the other two being Nobel Prize winners Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852­1934) and Severo Ochoa (1905­1993). Margalef's book Perspectives in Ecological Theory (1968) and his articles "On certain unifying principles in ecology" (1963), "Life-forms of phytoplankton as survival alternatives in an unstable environment" (1978), and "From hydrodynamic processes to structure (information) and from information to process" (1985) are classics regarding their citations by other authors. In particular, "On certain unifying principles in ecology" is considered to be among the top ten articles of twentieth-century biology.