The Local Emergence and Global Diffusion of Research Technologies: An Exploration of Patterns of Network Formation

Grasping the fruits of "emerging technologies" is an objective of many government priority programs in a knowledge-based and globalizing economy. We use the publication records (in the Science Citation Index) of two emerging technologies to study the mechanisms of diffusion in the case of two innovation trajectories: small interference RNA (siRNA) and nano-crystalline solar cells (NCSC). Methods for analyzing and visualizing geographical and cognitive diffusion are specified as indicators of different dynamics. Geographical diffusion is illustrated with overlays to Google Maps; cognitive diffusion is mapped using an overlay to a map based on the ISI Subject Categories. The evolving geographical networks show both preferential attachment and small-world characteristics. The strength of preferential attachment decreases over time, while the network evolves into an oligopolistic control structure with small-world characteristics. The transition from disciplinary-oriented ("mode-1") to transfer-oriented ("mode-2") research is suggested as the crucial difference in explaining the different rates of diffusion between siRNA and NCSC

Aplicaciones de la termografía infraroja y la espectrorradiometría en el estudio del deterioro del patrimonio nacional

Son conocidos los problemas que la acción de los agentes atmosféricos causa a nuestro patrimonio monumental. Sin duda, el aumento de la contaminación atmosférica contribuye a aumentar las causas naturales del deterioro de las piedras que constituyen nuestro legado histórico. Lamentablemente, el conocimiento científico parcial de las causas que producen el denominado "mal de piedra", ha conllevado a restauraciones inapropiadas que, en no pocas ocasiones, lejos de solucionar el problema, han incrementado el proceso de deterioro o degradación. La necesidad de encontrar métodos de diagnóstico rápidos y eficientes, especialmente los denominados como técnicas de análisis no destructivos, ha dado lugar a la aplicación de la Termografía Infrarroja (TIR) y la Espectrorradiometría (ER) como herramientas de apoyo al estudio del deterioro de las piedras monumentales y cuyos primeros resultados presentamos en este trabajo.Peer Reviewe

Ecobrick: a new ceramic material for solar buildings

Ceramic materials technology has been known for a very long time. In the construction field, ceramics are considered ecological or natural materials with acceptable structural and thermal characteristics. Besides, these characteristics can be improved by changing the composition of the raw material. In this respect the Ecobrick(R) Project aims at optimizing some of those properties and achieving thereby important environmental benefits. In our study, we used sludges from urban wastewater treatment plants together with other wastes and clays, to produce a new ceramic material suitable for construction. When using Ecobrick(R), energy consumption can be reduced up to 49% and the Solar Saving Fraction will increase up to 14% compared both to conventional ceramics.Peer Reviewe

Ecobrick: a new ceramic material for solar buildings

Ceramic materials technology has been known for a very long time. In the construction field, ceramics are considered ecological or natural materials with acceptable structural and thermal characteristics. Besides, these characteristics can be improved by changing the composition of the raw material. In this respect the Ecobrick(R) Project aims at optimizing some of those properties and achieving thereby important environmental benefits. In our study, we used sludges from urban wastewater treatment plants together with other wastes and clays, to produce a new ceramic material suitable for construction. When using Ecobrick(R), energy consumption can be reduced up to 49% and the Solar Saving Fraction will increase up to 14% compared both to conventional ceramics.Peer Reviewe

The successful introduction of the alpine marmot Marmota marmota in the Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula, Western Europe

21 páginas1. The introduction of non-native species can pose environmental and economic risks, but under some conditions, introductions can serve conservation or recreational objectives. To minimize risks, introductions should be conducted following the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s guidelines and should include an initial assessment and a follow-up. 2. In 1948, to reduce the predation pressure on Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica by golden eagles Aquila chrysaetos, the alpine marmot Marmota marmota was introduced to the Pyrenees in Western Europe. In successive introductions, about 500 marmots were released, but the fate of the released animals and their impacts on the environment remain largely unstudied. 3. The aim of this study was to assess the success of the introduction of the alpine marmot into the Pyrenees, 60 years after the initial release, and the potential impacts of this species on Pyrenean ecosystems. 4. We reviewed what is known about the marmot populations introduced to the Pyrenees and other populations within their native range in the Alps, particularly in terms of population structure and dynamics, habitat use and potential environmental impacts. 5. The alpine marmot is widely distributed and, apparently, well established in the Pyrenees. Population structure and demographic parameters are similar within and outside the historical distribution range of the species, and habitat suitability is one of the main reasons for the species’ success in the Pyrenees. Few researchers have investigated the impacts of alpine marmots in the Pyrenees; thus, those impacts have to be inferred from those observed in the species’ native range or in other species of marmot. Introduced alpine marmots are likely to impact on Pyrenean grasslands through grazing and burrowing, have the potential to alter Pyrenean food webs and could act as vectors of parasites and disease. 6. Although the introduction of the alpine marmot in the Pyrenees appears to have been successful, more needs to be known about the effects of the established populations on the environment before informed management actions can be taken in the Pyrenees.We thank M. Gartzia for assistance with the map, C. Gortázar for useful advice on the parasites of alpine marmots, K. Foulché for providing information on the French populations and B. MacWhirter for improving the English version. Special thanks are due to S. Couto, A. García-Serrano and I. Garin for their support. A Félix de Azara Research Grant awarded by the Diputación de Huesca funded this project.Peer reviewe