Montserrat Ramón

Increasing imposex in populations of Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae) in the north-western Mediterranean

The muricid gastropod Bolinus brandaris exhibited imposex, a phenomenon linked to the use of organotin biocides. Several stages of imposex development (1-5) could be distinguished and were documented with SEM-photographs for the first time in this species. Additional alterations of the genital tract in females (blocked vulva preventing copulation and deposition of egg capsules) and males (excrecences on the penis and vas deferens) were shown. Imposex intensity on the Catalan coast was very high. The frequency of imposex off Barcelona and Vilanova i la Geltrú was 100%, with all females showing stage 4. Imposex frequency off Sant Carles de la Ràpita was 99.7% and the VDS index scored 3.9. Despite regulations of TBT-containing antifouling paints in Spain since 1990, the present study revealed that frequency and intensity of imposex have increased on the Catalan coast, at least since 1997. However, at present, imposex does not apparently affect the population dynamics of B. brandaris in the studied area, since no serious consequences on female reproduction (only one case of female sterilization) were detected. Gonadal activity and oogenesis were not suppressed or supplanted by spermatogenesis. Sex ratios were not male-biased. Possible sources of organotin biocides are examined.

Reproductive cycle of Bolinus brandaris and penis and genital duct size variations in a population affected by imposex

The reproductive cycle of Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae) was investigated. Specimens were sampled monthly from a site off Sant Carles de la Rapita, in the western Mediterranean, between February 1999 and March 2000. A pattern was observed in the reproductive cycle, with two reproductive peaks (April and June–July). The first stages of gametogenesis began in September for males and November for females. Mature males were found from December to April and from June to July. Maximum ripening in females was attained at the end of June and during July, coinciding with the spawning season. In May, there was a resting stage in females, and for both sexes from August to October. Males exhibited variation in penis length and vas deferens width related to the reproductive cycle. Sizes of both dimensions increased as maturation progressed. The variation was not found in imposex females.

Population structure and exploitation of Bolinus brandaris (Mollusca: Gastropoda) off the Catalan coast (northwestern Mediterranean)

The purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris, a prosobranch mollusc which is very common in the Mediterranean, is a resource of local importance. It is fished all the year round using a special type of dragged gear that is highly efficient for catching this species, which represents 73% of the commercial catch of this gear. The bathymetric size distribution of the mollusc is significantly correlated with depth. The purple dye murex grows relatively less in total length and shell width than in aperture. The species shows a slight positive allometry with regard to the increase in weight. During the year two groups of monthly length frequency can be distinguished: one from April to October and other from November to February. In 1993 the annual catch of the purple dye murex off the Catalan coast was 360 tonnes. The species is fished mainly in the southern half of the littoral (98% of the annual catch). The catches during the year are markedly seasonal, being lowest in summer and highest in late autumn and winter. The hourly yields are significantly correlated with depth, but not with the duration of the haul.

Comparative study on the metabolism of the androgen precursor androstenedione in two gastropod species: In vitro alterations by TBT and TPT

A comparative study was performed to assess the metabolism of the androgen precursor androstenedione (AD) in two gastropod species from the Muricidae family: Bolinus brandaris and Hexaplex trunculus. AD was mainly converted to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone by microsomal fractions isolated from Bolinus brandaris, whereas it was primarily metabolized to testosterone by Hexaplex trunculus. Sex differences in the metabolism of AD were only detected in Bolinus brandaris and attributed to higher 5alpha-reductase activity in males. Thereafter, the effect of the organotin compounds, tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT), on the metabolism of AD was investigated. A significant interference was only detected in females, and differences between the modes of action of the two compounds were observed: TPT was a strong inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase activity in B. brandaris at a concentration as low as 100 nM whereas only TBT (10 microM) altered the metabolism of AD in H. trunculus by increasing the activity 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17beta-HSD). Thus, this work shows that the metabolism of the androgen precursor AD strongly differs among gastropod species, both in terms of activity and metabolic profile, and further demonstrates the ability of TBT and TPT to interfere with key enzymatic pathways involved in androgen synthesis.

Spawning and development of Calliostoma granulatum in the Mediterranean Sea

The spawning, larval development, and postlarval characteristics of Calliostoma granulatum have been described and illustrated from laboratory observations. Spawning in this species does not follow a seasonal pattern, since adult specimens caught at all times of the year released viable gametes after two or three days in tanks. Eggs had a mean diameter of 341 μm and were surrounded by a mucous sheath by which they were agglutinated into ribbons of variable length that formed amorphous clumps on the bottom of the tanks. The veliger larval stage was short (two days) and took place inside the egg membrane. Development was direct, and at 18–19°C juveniles emerged as crawling young four days after fertilization. Larval and postlarval shells were studied with the aid of a scanning electron microscope.

Spatio-temporal changes in sea star populations of the genus Astropecten inhabiting soft bottoms in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.

Astropecten species inhabit soft-bottom habitats worldwide, from intertidal areas to the deep sea. Sympatric Astropecten species (Astropecten aranciacus, Astropecten irregularis pentacanthus, Astropecten platyacanthus Astropecten jonstoni and Astropecten spinulosus) occur in the shallow coastal area of the Maresme coast (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). This study analyzes spatio-temporal differences in asteroidean population between the periods 2004-2006 and 2010-2011. Our results showed variations in density and spatial distribution in A. aranciacus, and a change in its diet between the two study periods. A. irregularis pentacanthus reduced its spatial distribution, concentrating in smaller areas. A. platyacanthus was absent in the first period but abundant in the second. A. jonstoni and A. spinulosus were scarce in the first period and absent in the second. The results also showed the specific habitat requirements for each sea star species with regard to sediment characteristics, prey availability and depth.

A new species of Tambja (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) from the Mediterranean Sea: description of the first species of the genus from the Balearic Islands and Malta

A new species of polycerid nudibranchs of the genus Tambja is described from Mallorca Island (Spain) and Malta. So far, only two species of Tambja had been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea with a distribution limited to southern Spain. With Tambja mediterranea sp. nov., the distribution of the genus in the Mediterranean Sea is extended, and the new species represents the first occurrence of Tambja at the Balearic Islands and Malta. Externally, the new species is mainly characterized by having ground orange-red colour, dorsum covered with rounded whitish tubercles, rhinophores red with whitish tips and three gill branches with orange-reddish rachis and whitish branches. In the present paper, external and internal features of T. mediterranea are described and compared with other species of the genus, especially with its most similar species, T. limaciformis. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses (Bayesian and maximum likelihood) based on mitochondrial sequences (COI) show that T. mediterranea sp. nov. is sister to T. divae and that both species cluster together with T. limaciformis and T. amakusana with the maximum support.

An approach to study the feeding behavior of mussels in the field

S OF TECHNICAL PAPERS Presented at the 31st Annual MILFORD AQUACULTURE SEMINAR Milford, Connecticut February 7–9, 2011 Journal of Shellfish Research, Vol. 30, No. 2, 437, 2011.

Informe final : Estudi de l'impacte de la pesca dels arrarstrers petits en els stocks d'espècies comercials de la costa catalana

Factores que afectan a la densidad reproductora del Quebrantahuesos, el Buitre Leonado y el Alimoche comun en Cataluna (NE de Espana): implicaciones para su gestion.- Utilizando analisis multivariantes examinamos las diferencias en la densidad reproductora del Quebrantahuesos Gypaetus barbatus, el Buitre Leonado Gyps fulvus y el Alimoche comun Neophron percnopterus en el NE de Espana (Cataluna), de acuerdo con diferentes variables troficas, orografico-paisajisticas y antropicas, y tomando la division comarcal como unidad de estudio. Los modelos sugieren que la alta densidad de Quebrantahuesos esta principalmente relacionada con la superficie de terreno no arbolado y poco humanizado. Por otro lado, las altas densidad de Alimoches comunes y Buitres Leonados se asocian a la alta disponibilidad de recursos alimenticios (ovejas y cabras), y ademas a una escasa densidad de habitantes en el caso del Alimoche comun y con la altitud (rango entre 1.000 y 2.000 m) y la ausencia de superficie arbolada en el caso del Buitre Leonado. El Quebrantahuesos parece la especie mas selectiva con las caracteristicas del medio, mientras que el Buitre Leonado y el Alimoche comun muestran una mayor plasticidad ecologica. Las medidas de conservacion futuras deberian tener en cuenta estos resultados de cara a optimizar su gestion. En este sentido, la importancia del alimento proporcionado por el ganado no estabulado parece fundamental para la conservacion de las aves carroneras. Las comarcas con mayor densidad poblacional (Alta Ribagorca, Pallars Jussa y Alt Urgell) son en las que deberian invertirse mayores medidas de control y proteccion puesto que albergan un porcentaje muy importante de la poblacion de estas especies. Por otro lado, las comarcas con menor densidad poblacional deberian ser administradas de manera que su gestion y las acciones de conservacion favorezcan la expansion geografica y los procesos de recolonizacion de zonas no ocupadas por estas especies. Las prioridades de conservacion deberian basarse en favorecer la ganaderia extensiva y, como una alternativa a la creacion de muladares, permitir a los ganaderos dejar las carcasas de animales en el campo, teniendo en cuenta la compatibilidad con las politicas sanitarias.[eng] In this work we present a geophysical study of three Western Mediterranean basins: Valencia Trough, Gulf of Lions and Algero-Balearic Basin. The work aims to define the tectonic structure, nature of the basement, and to discuss the age, kinematics and mechanisms involved in basin formation. To study the basins we have gathered all deep penetrating seismic data available in the region consisting on several academic and industry data reprocessed and interpreted for this work. To study the Valencia Trough Basin structure, we reprocessed from field data the 400 km-long multichannel seismic line ESCI-Valencia acquired in 1992 by Geco-Prakla’s survey vessel M.V. Bin Hai supported by the Spanish “Plan Nacional de I+D” with reference projects GEO89-0858 and GEO90-0733. We reprocessed the stack of the 170 km-long VALSIS-819 multichannel seismic line acquired in 1988 by the Lamont- Doherty Earth Observatory Research Vessel (R/V) Robert D. Conrad. We have also interpreted an industry seismic grid SGV01 acquired in 2001 by the Fugro-Geoteam vessel R.V. Geo Baltic. To study the Gulf of Lions Basin formation we interpreted an industry dataset SPBAL01 acquired in 2001 by Spectrum Energy with the Polar Princes vessel. Some amount of post-migration cosmetic processing was done on some of the lines of this data set for presentation purposes. To study the tectonic structure of the Algero-Balearic Basin we processed a 97 km- long multichannel seismic line TOPOMED-26 acquired by our group and with my participation in 2011 on-board the Spanish R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa. In order to discuss the nature of the basement of the Algero-Balearic Basin, we also used the Vp model of the wide-angle seismic profile P03 from the WESTMED project. Moreover we have done “mirror imaging” with Ocean Bottom Seismometers along line P04 of WESTMED, and integrated the results of line ESCI-Valencia across the south-Balearic margin. The analysis, processing and interpretation of all this dataset allows us to a novel interpretation of a series of aspects regarding the structure and nature of the crust, and to discuss some new proposals for the tectonic processes that have led to the current configuration of the main Western Mediterranean basins. Seismic interpretation of the Valencia Trough reveals that this basin is possibly floored by continental crust and it is possibly the oldest Western Mediterranean basin. Contrary to what it is typically interpreted; we propose that the present day configuration of the Valencia Trough is strongly dominated by the tectonic activity of Mesozoic structures. During Mesozoic times occurred the greatest thinning of the crust yielding a minimum crustal thickness of ~4.5 km under the Columbretes Basin (SW Valencia Trough). Multichannel seismic sections show that the main tectonic structures are Mesozoic in age and reveal that the Neogene extensional event is very limited comparatively and has had a minor influence in the formation of the current crustal structure of the Valencia Trough. We also found no evidence of any relevant crustal thickening during Paleogene times. Thus our interpretation supports that the extension leading to the crustal configuration of the Valencia Trough was largely formed during Mesozoic times. Interpretation of a grid of multichannel seismic profiles in the Gulf of Lions supports the existence of three geological domains that are: 1) a continental domain formed by normal faults that tilted the continental basement with syn-rift sediment infill. 2) a ~100 km wide transition domain between continental and clear oceanic domain, characterized by a thin anomalous layer with high velocity (7.5 km s-1) that has been debated in the literature and that we interpret as exhumed and serpentinized mantle peridotite and 3) an oceanic domain characterized by thin oceanic crust (~5 km) with little evidence of important faulting. Multichannel seismic results from Algero-Balearic Basin have been complemented with information provided by a Vp wide-angle tomographic model coincident with one of the seismic reflection lines. A comparison of depth-velocity profiles of the tomographic model with existing 1D velocity-depth compilations of continental and oceanic crust (e.g. White et al., 1992; Christensen and Mooney, 1995) gives clues on the nature of the basement. The results reveal the existence of three main geological and geophysical domains: 1) a continental domain, with little evidence of faulted and tilted blocks (which are common features on extensional margins), although the vertical velocity structure matches well the Vp compilation for continental crust (Christensen and Mooney, 1995). The Vp data, seismic images and previous works on the region available in literature support abundant magmatism (with volcanism) during extension of soon after. 2) A narrow continent-ocean domain with vertical velocities neither typically continental crust nor oceanic crust and 3) a clear oceanic domain characterized by 6 km thick oceanic crust, with a vertical velocity gradient of oceanic layer 2 and 3, even though in this case formed in a back-arc context. A new kinematic model for the opening of the Western Mediterranean basins is beyond the scope of our work, and requires integration with other datasets from Tyrrhenian and Alboran Basins, and an extended study of the West Sardinia and Corsica margins. Also, to advance in such model, it requires a detailed reconstruction of submarine volcanic activity, imaged in the seismic data in all three basins but inadequately studied in available literature. Nonetheless, the results of this work should be considered in the future for new reconstructions that we propose need to be reviewed. [cat] Aquesta tesi te com a objectiu descriure l’estructura tectonica i la naturalesa del basament de les principals conques de la Mediterrania occidental: Solc de Valencia, Golf de Lleo i conca algerina-balear i discutir l’edat i els mecanismes de formacio que han donat lloc a la configuracio actual. Per aixo, s’han utilitzat tot un seguit de dades geofisiques tant d’industria com academiques. S’ha dut a terme el processat i la interpretacio de diversos perfils de sismica multicanal situats a l’area d’estudi i la interpretacio de dos perfils de sismica de gran angle de la conca algerina-balear. A mes a mes, en aquest cas s’ha utilitzat una nova tecnica coneguda com “Mirror Imaging” per a processar el senyal dels multiples en sismica de gran angle i que dona uns resultats equiparables als de sismica multicanal. La interpretacio sismica dels diferents perfils mostra com el Solc de Valencia presenta un basament de naturalesa continental al llarg de tota la conca i com la seva configuracio esta lligada als processos i les estructures que van tenir lloc durant el Mesozoic. Per altre banda, la interpretacio sismica dels perfils situats al Golf de Lleo han permes definir el limit entre 3 dominis amb un tipus de naturalesa del basament diferent: 1) Domini continental, 2) domini de transicio entre escorca continental i oceanica i 3) Domini oceanic. Finalment, la interpretacio dels resultats de sismica multicanal de la conca algerina-balear juntament amb un estudi exhaustiu de les velocitats obtingudes a traves de la tomografia de gran angle a permes comparar el model de velocitats obtingut per aquets zona amb els models de referencia per escorca continental (Christensen and Mooney, 1995) i escorca oceanica (White et al., 1992), definint aixi 3 dominis diferents: 1) Domini continental, 2) domini de transicio entre escorca continental i escorca oceanica i 3) domini oceanic. Els resultats obtinguts en aquesta tesi intenten donar resposta a diverses questions encara obertes avui en dia, com son l’edat d’obertura de les diferents conques i la cinematica que ha donat lloc a llur formacio, aixi com discutir la validesa dels diferents models establerts per a la formacio de les conques de rere arc a la Mediterrania occidental.Cerquides and Rodriguez-Aguilar are funded by projects COR (TIN2012-38876-C02-01), AT (CSD2007-0022), and the Generalitat of Catalunya grant 2009-SGR-1434. This work was supported by the EPSRC-Funded ORCHID Project EP/I011587/1In the present work, a dynamic lumped parameter model of the electrochemical and thermal behavior of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) has been developed. The model is implemented in the MATLAB-Simulink visual programming software. The model was calibrated using experimental data. A strategy is proposed for the thermal management of the stack and a controller is designed to keep the operating temperature of the system constant. This implemented strategy and controller is evaluated through simulation.Here we present an overview on the results of eight years of research line devoted to the organisation, expression and evolution of rRNA genes in plant genomes. We describe how we discovered a new rDNA arrangement in genus Artemisia, which includes all rRNA genes in a single unit (L-type). This was the first time that such organisation was found in seed plants. We further explored family Asteraceae in depth, to which Artemisia belongs, to find that the L-type arrangement may be present in about 25% of its species. Later on we move to gymnosperms to describe the landscape of rRNA arrangements in a representative sample of its diversity. We assess the expression rate of the L-type rRNA in several L-type species, which is comparable to that of species with separated arrangement of rRNA genes (S-type). Finally, we present the resource www.plantrdnadatabase.com which includes information on type of rDNA arrangement, number and position of rDNA loci in plants. Correspondence/Reprint request: Dr. Sònia Garcia, Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB-CSIC-ICUB), Passeig del Migdia s/n, 08038 Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: soniagarcia@ibb.csic.es Sònia Garcia et al. 50Trabajo presentado en el Seminaris de recerca Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, celebrado en Barcelona el 15 de marzo de 2016.Over the past years different activities related on marine ecosystems monitoring techniques have been carried out at OBSEA observatory. The OBSEA is a cabled observatory placed at 4 km from the coast of Vilanova i la Geltru, Barcelona (Spain), and at 20 m depth, which has been in operation for more than 10 years. The special characteristics of the OBSEA platform (e.g. unlimited power supply, high bandwidth communication, and easy access) offers an extraordinary opportunity to develop and test different acoustic monitoring techniques. In this framework, many methods have been deployed and tested on target monitoring techniques, which goes from hydrophones surveillance, to target tracking using acoustic range-only methods by the use of autonomous underwater vehicles.La financiacion para este trabajo proviene del Ministerio de Economia mediante los proyectos CGL2009-09727 (RIFSIS), CSD 2006-00041 (TopoIberia), CGL2007-63889 (SIMA), CGL2008-3474 (TopoMed) y de la subvencion de la Generalitat de Catalunya 2009SGR996. Hemos utilizado tambien datos del proyecto PICASSO, financiado por el proyecto EAR0808939 de la NSF de Estados UnidosRodriguez Gonzalez, A., Perez Torrado, F.J., Fernandez Turiel, J. L., Carracedo, J.C., Gimeno, D., Guillou, H., Paris, R., Hansen, A., Aulinas, M. Modelizacion morfologica y morfometrica de erupciones volcanicas recientes generando plataformas costeras: caso estudio del volcan de Montana del Tesoro (El Hierro, Islas Canarias). En: El Cuaternario en Espana y Areas Afines, Avances en 2011 (Eds. V. Turu, Constante, A.), pp. 105-108. Fecha: 4/7/2011. Editorial: Asociacion Espanola para el Estudio del Cuaternario (AEQUA), Andorra la Vella, Andorra. ISBN 978-99920-1-856-9.Gisbert Pinto G., Gimeno Torrente D., Aulinas Junca M., Fernandez–Turiel J. L., Gasperini D., Fernandez De La Cruz A. Origin of clinopyroxene cores of lavas from the Garrotxa Volcanic Field (Spain). Macla, ISSN 2659-9864, 2011, 15, 101-102.Funding for the research was provided by Departament de Medi Ambient of Generalitat de Catalunya and Fundacio Territori i PaisatgeTrabajo presentado en el XI Simposi de Neurobiologia: Future technical advances, organizado por la Socitat Catalana de Biologia, en Barcelona, los dias 12 y 13 de noviembre de 2018A thesis submitted to the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral programme: Automatic Control, Robotics and Computer Vision. This thesis was completed at: Institut de Robotica i Informatica Industrial, CSIC-UPC.The third author is partially supported by Catalan grant 2000FI00100 and by Spanish grant 2000SGR00007.Just as conventional institutions are organisational structures for coordinating the activities of multiple interacting individuals, electronic institutions provide a computational analogue for coordinating the activities of multiple interacting software agents. In this paper, we argue that open multi-agent systems can be effectively designed and implemented as electronic institutions, for which we provide a comprehensive computational model. More specifically, the paper provides an operational semantics for electronic institutions, specifying the essential data structures, the state representation and the key operations necessary to implement them.Ajuts a les universitats i centres publics de recerca de Catalunya per a accions integrades amb centres de recerca de les regions i entitats associades amb Catalunya (ACI) - Pla de Recerca de Catalunya 1993-1996, Accion Integrada con la Universidad de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaThis research has been supported by MICINN-Spain under contracts TIN2011-28689-C02-01, TIN2012-38876-C02-01 and the Generalitat of Catalunya (2009-SGR-1434)Intentional and accidental poisoning of wild and domestic animals in Spain: differences between regions. In this study we have analyzed 1,157 suspected cases of poisoning of wild and domestic animals in the natural environment (1,800 animals and 340 baits) from different Spanish regions during the period 2004- 2010. We detected 41.2% of positive cases (40.8% of animals and 52.6% of baits). In domestic carnivores detection of toxic compounds reached 71.4%, indicating its usefulness as sentinels of the use of poison in the environment. In those animals positive for toxicological analysis, 78.3% have been considered as intentional poisonings. The diurnal raptors were most affected by poisoning (43.6% of positives), followed by carnivorous mammals (27.1%). The most frequently detected toxicants were anticholinesterase insecticides (baits/animals: 80.4%/65.8%), followed by anticoagulant rodenticides (5%/19.6%), strychnine (2.2%/6.5%) and arsenic (4.5%/2.3%). The differences observed between regions underlines the dominance in the use of strychnine in Asturias, anticoagulant rodenticides in Castilla y Leon, organophosphate insecticides in Aragon, carbamate insecticides in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid, and the emergence of other poisons, such as a-chloralose or barbiturates, in Catalonia. In summary, 82.3% of intentional poisonings were due to anticholinesterase pesticides and 85.5% of accidental anticoagulant rodenticides. Future regulations of pesticides and biocides should take into account the risk of illegal use in the preparation of poisoned baits which involves the marketing of formulations with high richness of active ingredients with low LD . 50Second Symposium on Fishery-Dependent Information, 3-6 March 2014, Rome, Italy.-- 1 page, 7 figuresVI Simposio Internacional de Ciencias del Mar - VI International Symposium of Marine Sciences (ISMS 2018), 20- 22 June 2018, Vigo.-- 2 pagesALC acknowledges the Xunta de Galicia for a postdoctoral contract funded by the ‘Programa de axudas a etapa posdoutoral da Xunta de Galicia’ (Conselleria de Cultura, Educacion e Ordenacion Universitaria). This work was carried out jointly within the ‘Grup de Recerca Consolidat de la Generalitat de Catalunya’ B-CSI (2014SGR940) and the Geologia Marina y Ambiental (Geoma-XM2) GroupA thesis submitted to the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral programme: Automatic Control, Robotics and Computer Vision. This thesis was completed at: Institut de Robotica i Informatica Industrial, CSIC-UPC.Trabajo presentado en el XI Simposi de Neurobiologia: Future technical advances, organizado por la Socitat Catalana de Biologia, en Barcelona, los dias 12 y 13 de noviembre de 2018Hogan recently provided an heuristic technique called family of modes (FOM) to solve model predictive control (MPC) problems under hybrid constraints and underactuation. The goal of this study is to further develop this new method and to expand its usage in the robotics manipulation community. With that objective in mind, we address some of the methods weaknesses, we provide comparison tools to try to compare the method with traditional MPC solving techniques and we provide a simple and systematic technique to set-up the methods parameters. We conclude the study by presenting our the future lines of research, which consist in generalizing the method for more complex systems and testing its robustness.Este trabajo ha recibido financiacion procedente proviene del Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) mediante los proyectos CSD 2006-00041 (TopoIberia), Red TopoIberia-Iberarray CGL2014-54582-REDC] y de la subvencion de la Generalitat de Catalunya 2009SGR996.Farias S., Fernandez-Turiel J. L., Gimeno D. Arsenico en aguas superficiales y subterraneas del Partido de Villarino, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. En: Galindo G., Fernandez-Turiel J. L., Storniolo A. (eds.), Presencia de fluor y arsenico en aguas subterraneas. Grupo Argentino de la Asociacion Internacional de Hidrogeologos y Ediciones Amerindia., pp. 23-32. 2009. ISBN 978-987-1082-35-3.O.D. acknowledges funding from the Israel Science Foundation through Grants No. 1814/14 and No. 2143/14. Work in Bellaterra was supported by MINECO (Spain) through Grant No. FIS2015-64886-C5-3-P as well as the Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence Programs under Grant No. SEV-2015- 0496, and by Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR1506). J.I. was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund through Grant No. P12/4853155 COFERMAT.Papastergios G., Filippidis A., Fernandez–Turiel J.L., Gimeno D., Sikalidis C. Environmental assessment of potentially toxic trace elements in sediments of Filippos B Port, Northern Aegean Sea – a comparison with other national and international coastal regions. Scientific Annals, School of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Proceedings XIX Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association Congress, 23-26, 2010, Thessaloniki, Greece, Special Volume 100, 113-120.Global concerns about nowadays’ energy shortage problems as well as climate change eects have encouraged alternatives to classical energy sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear power plants. In this context, combined heat and power is presented as a useful option due to its ability of generating both electrical and thermal energy more eciently than conventional methods. Regarding this, high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells are not only a reliable way of implementing combined heat and power systems, but also a better solution in terms of energy conversion eciency and greenhouse gases emissions reduction. Therefore, high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells are being installed around the world and policies encouraging its utilisation are being promoted.Memoria de tesis doctoral presentada por Rosana Arizmendi Mejia para optar al grado de Doctora por la Universitat de Barcelona (UB), realizada bajo la direccion de la Dra. Cristina Linares Prats de la Universitat de Barcelona (UB) y del Dr. Jean-Baptiste Ledoux del Institut de Ciencies del Mar (ICM-CSIC).-- 148 pagesProjects 2014-100575 from Departament de Cultura de and SGR2014-901 from AGAUR (both from Generalitat de Catalunya) financed the drilling campaigns.Dellunde and Garca-Cerda~na are supported by EdeTRI (TIN2012-39348-C02-01); Garca-Cerda~na is also supported by the Spanish MICINN project MTM 201125745 and the grant 2009SGR 1433 from the Generalitat de Catalunya;Noguera is supported by the project GA13-14654S of the Czech Science Foundation and by the FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IRSES project MaToMUVI (PIRSES-GA-2009-247584)This study was supported by the Departament de Medi Ambient de la Generalitat de Catalunya and Direccion General de Conservacion de la Naturaleza (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente).ENGLISH: In this PhD thesis we present a geophysical study of the westernmost Mediterranean basin: the Alboran Basin. This basin is located between the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, and it is surrounded by the Betics and Rif orogenic ranges. Along the Alboran basin, runs the plate boundary between Iberia and Africa tectonic plates. The processes that led to the basin formation in this compressive setting, and the later processes that controlled the basin deformation, remain unclear, as well as the deep structure of the basin. This study aims to: 1) characterize the crust and the basement of the basin, 2) define a seismostratigraphy coherent for the entire basin and analyse the basin evolution in the basis of the sedimentary record, 3) characterize the northeaster transition between the Alboran Basin and the Algero-Balearic Basin through the study of the Palomares Margin and 4) characterize the two most prominent tectonic structures in the area, the Yusuf Fault and the Alboran Ridge front fault. The results of this thesis have been integrated in a geodynamic model of the area, and will help to improve the regional seismic and tsunami hazard assessment model. In order to perform a regional scale study of the Alboran Basin, we have a wide Multichannel Seismic reflection (MCS) profiles grid acquired during different projects (including TOPOMED, EVENTDEEP, CAB, ESCI, CONRAD and IMPULS projects). Our results reveal that three different crusts are coexisting in the Alboran Basin: a thinned continental crust below the West Alboran and Malaga basins, a magmatic arc crust in the central and eastern parts, and the North African continental crust, below the Pytheas and Habibas basins. The basin is configured in a fore-arc basin an magmatic arc, being the back-arc basin of the system the Algero-Balearic Basin. The seismostratigraphy study supported and early Miocene initiation of the extension in the West Alboran and Malaga basins, followed by a Langhian-Serravallian extension in the North African margin. At the Tortonian, magmatic activity linked to the subduction system led to the volcanic arc formation. At the Messinian, extensional processes ended and the contractive reorganization of the basin occurred. The geomorphology study of the Palomares margin support that this contractive reorganization is not a widespread processed, as only few minor faults are reactivated. This hypothesis is confirmed by the characterizations of the Yusuf Fault and the Alboran Ridge front fault. Results in both fault systems are coherent, and point out a minimum total slip of ~20 km in a SE-NW direction since the Messinian top (5.3 Ma). Taking into account the plate convergence rates, the total convergence since the Messinian top is ~24 km, supporting that most of the strain is accommodated by these two faults. These results highlight the importance of a further seismic characterization of the area. The integration of the results presented in this thesis, together with the most recent tomographic studies (i.e., TOPOIBERIA project), bring to light the necessity of review the geodynamic models of the area. We conclude that the Alboran basin formation took place during the Miocene. The extensional processes were controlled by the geodynamics of the subduction system evolution, including westward slab roll-back and lithosphere tearing. At the ended of the Messinian, extension in the basin finished as a consequence of the ceased of the subduction. The Plio-Quaternary represented the deformational stage of the basin, led by the Iberian – African plate convergence. The distribution of the tectonic structures active in this compressive setting was defined by the inherited lithospheric structure that defined the weakness areas were these faults were developed. CASTELLANO La presente Tesis Doctoral se fundamenta en un estudio basado esencialmente en perfiles de sismica de reflexion (mayormente adquiridos durante los proyectos TOPOMED, EVENT-DEEP y ESCI) de la Cuenca de Alboran, situada entre las cordilleras Beticas (Sur de la Penisula Iberica) y Rif (Norte de Marruecos). El proceso de formacion de la cuenca es aun discutido, al igual que los posteriores procesos de deformacion. He centrado el presente estudio en: 1) caracterizar la estructura cortical de la cuenca, 2) definir su evolucion, basandome en el estudio del registro sedimentario, y 3) estudiar la reorganizacion contractiva de la cuenca. El estudio de la reorganizacion contractiva lo he centrado en tres zonas: el margen de Palomares, la falla de Yusuf y el cabalgamiento frontal de la Cresta de Alboran. Los resultados revelan tres tipos de corteza que coexisten a lo largo de la cuenca: a) corteza continental adelgazada, b) corteza de arco magmatico y por ultimo, c) corteza continental del Norte de Africa. Las primeras evidencias de la fase extensional se localizan en la cuenca oriental de Alboran y en la cuenca de Malaga de edad Burdigaliense, seguidas por la creacion de un segundo depocentro en el norte de Africa durante el periodo Languiense-Serravaliense. El arco magmatico se formo durante el Tortoniense. Los procesos extensionales en la cuenca ocurren hasta el Mesiniense, y a partir del Mioceno tardio-Plioceno temprano, cesa la extension y comienza la fase de deformacion compresiva de la cuenca. El estudio de las estructuras activas confirma que la inversion tectonica se focaliza en unas pocas fallas que marcan los limites entre dominios corticales. El desplazamiento acumulado desde el Plioceno Inferior de dos de las principales fallas de la Cuenca de Alboran, Yusuf y el cabalgamiento frontal de la Cresta de Alboran, es como minimo de 20 km. Este valor es cercano al valor total de la convergencia entre las placas de Iberia y Africa, y por tanto confirma que actualmente la deformacion se concentra principalmente en unas pocas estructuras. Dada su importancia, es necesario realizar un estudio de la peligrosidad de estas fallas para evaluar su potencial sismico y tsunamogenico e incluirlas en las bases de datos nacionales y europeas de riesgos geologicos.When people need help with day-to-day tasks they turn to family, friends or neighbours to help them out. Despite an increasingly networked world, technology falls short in supporting such daily tasks. u-Help provides a platform for building a community of helpful people and supports them in finding volunteers for day-to-day tasks. It relies on three techniques that allow a requester and volunteer to find one another easily, and build up a community around such provision of services. First, we use an ontology to distinguish between the various tasks that u-Help allows people to provide. Second, a computational trust model is used to aggregate feedback from community members and allows people to discover who are good or bad at performing the various tasks. Last, a flooding algorithm quickly disseminates requests for help through the community.Trabajo presentado en la 84th Annual Meeting of the American Assocition of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA 2015), celebrada en San Luis (US) del 25 al 28 de marzo de 2015.Memoria de tesis doctoral presentada por Melissa Judith Acevedo Dudley para obtener el titulo de Doctora en Ciencias del Mar por la Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), realizada bajo la direccion del Dr. Albert Calbet Fabregat y la Dra. Veronica Fuentes del Institut de Ciencies del Mar (ICM-CSIC).-- 129 pagesThe diversification of Cheirolophus in Macaronesian archipelagos constitutes a paradigmatic example of radiation on oceanic islands. Phylogenetic and molecular dating analyses indicate an extraordinarily fast process, showing one of the highest speciation rates ever found on plants from oceanic islands. Such radiation has been recently studied employing phylogeographic, population genetic and molecular cytogenetic approaches. Here, the main potential patterns and processes involved in the diversification of the genus in the Canary Islands and Madeira are reviewed and discussed as a whole.This research has been partially supported by the 2014-SGR-118 grant from the Generalitat de Catalunya.Oxydromus humesi is an annelid polychaete living as a strict bivalve endosymbiont (likely parasitic) of Tellina nymphalis in Congolese mangrove swamps and of Scrobicularia plana and Macomopsis pellucida in Iberian saltmarshes. The Congolese and Iberian polychaete populations were previously considered as belonging to the same species, the latter showing regular distribution, intra-specific aggressive behaviour, and complex hostentering behaviour. The fresh Iberian samples enabled us to undertake consistent morphometric analyses, as well as to further analyse the characteristics of the association and the population dynamics of the Iberian population hosted by S. plana. Among the morphological differences between the Congolese and Iberian specimens, leading to the description of the latter as Oxydromus okupa sp. nov., the most important are: 1) longer cephalic appendages, 2) greater distance between the eyes, 3) larger dorsal cirrostyle in relation to the corresponding dorsal lobe and cirrophore. Moreover, dorsal and ventral lobes are similar in length, with the tip of the former reaching the tip of the latter in O. okupa sp. nov., while the dorsal lobe is much shorter than the ventral one in O. humesi. Mature adults of O. okupa sp. nov. occurred during the whole study period, with a higher percentage of ripe females in spring and, particularly, in summer. Numerous host specimens showed the symbiont’s most preferred shell length (>26 36 mm). However, the prevalence was very low (usually <5%) and showed a clear seasonal pattern, being lower during spring/summer. This suggests that males are able to leave their hosts during this period, most likely to improve fertilization by directly entering or approaching a host occupied by a ripe female, while females usually remain inside. Based on the new results, the current knowledge of symbiotic Hesionidae and their relationships with invertebrate hosts is updated and discussed.