The group is mainly dedicated to the research of the molecular bases that control different polyphenisms present in the biological cycles of aphids. In particular, we studied which genes are responsible for the induction of the sexual phase produced by short days and which genes are responsible for the maintenance of parthenogenesis during seasons with long days. Although we work with different types of genes, for some years now we have focused our activity on the possible role played by circadian clock genes, as well as genes and molecules related to the circadian clock.
We also studied the interaction of some aphid species with different ant species and the factors responsible for the variation in this interaction. In particular, we are interested in a polyphenism related to this interaction. Again, our main interest is to identify the molecular basis controlling this polyphenism. In the group we have been handling common molecular biology techniques such as cloning, PCR, real-time quantitative PCR (to quantify gene expression under different conditions), classical and NGS sequencing, etc.
We also developed, among others, in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry techniques (both of which involve the mastery of aphid dissection techniques).
Firstly, the group's priority line of research is taxonomic, systematic and biogeographical studies on bryophytes, with special attention to the family Orthotrichaceae. The geographical scope of the studies is obviously worldwide. The second area is the conservation of bryophytes, particularly European, Mediterranean and, especially, Spanish bryophytes.
The research activity of the GI-PVC (Research Group on Cenozoic Vertebrate Palaeontology) focuses on the study of seven main lines of research:
- Cenozoic Macrovertebrates (Baetic Basins and Iberian Cordillera).
- Study of the Mio-Pliocene transit in continental facies in the Valencian Community.
- Study of the Lower Miocene and Middle Miocene faunas of the Eastern Iberian Peninsula.
- Study of the Tertiary and Quaternary faunas of Ecuador.
- Isotopic analysis of fossil remains of micromammals.
- Application of GIS tools (Geographic Information Systems - spatial analysis) in palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on fossil remains of microvertebrates.
- Combined application of GIS (Geographic Information Systems - spatial analysis) and Image Analysis tools in the study of shape in Palaeontology.
The object of study of the seven aforementioned lines of research are the remains of fossil vertebrates (mammals, reptiles, amphibians) from the Cenozoic of Europe, and especially from the Iberian Peninsula, as well as from the same period in the central and western regions of Ecuador. In both geographical contexts, the aim is to approach the detailed palaeontological study of this type of remains from the different sub-disciplines of palaeontology (taphonomy, systematics, biostratigraphy, biogeography, palaeoecology, study of shape, etc.).
The main areas of study are the Tertiary and Quaternary basins of the Iberian and Baetic Domains in the Iberian Peninsula, and the areas with Eocene-Quaternary deposits in central and western Ecuador. The Iberian Peninsula is a region where a large number of palaeontological studies on Cenozoic vertebrate faunas have been carried out. Thus, since the middle of the last century, a large number of researchers from Europe and other latitudes have selected the Iberian basins as the preferred place to study this type of fossils. The magnificent exposition of the outcrops and the large palaeontological record found contributed to consider this area as the main source of palaeontological information on Cenozoic vertebrates in Europe. As a result of this work, the Spanish School of Vertebrate Palaeontologists was created, which over the years has become the largest and most powerful in our continent.
Our efforts are aimed at completing the large number of works in Vertebrate Palaeontology already existing in these basins, and especially at complementing the scarce works that have been carried out in the East of the Peninsula and which, as our latest works show, contain very relevant information that contrasts with the results from other areas of the Peninsula and the rest of Europe. Our results allow us to verify significant differences in the palaeontological record of Cenozoic vertebrates, as well as the discovery of new events of palaeoenvironmental changes hitherto unrecorded in other study areas.
In addition to deepening studies that complement existing information from other areas, our team is developing its research work on other fronts in order to create new approaches to the knowledge of the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the most recent past (Pleistocene-Holocene) and their relationship with the processes of climate change that have occurred in this time span. On the other hand, although closely related to this last point, we are developing new spatial analysis applications to handle environmental-climatic and biogeographical information that will allow us to tackle the process of paleoclimatic reconstruction of the recent past. From these new applications we analyse, for example, the extinction context of the last Neanderthal groups based on the Pleistocene microvertebrate record.
The Analysis Group on Climate Change, Meteorological Hazards and Inputs to the Mediterranean Hydrological System (CLIMAMET) carries out two types of activities: research and scientific-technical assistance to the public administration.
Within the research activity, CLIMAMET works on three scientific lines:
- Climate change analysis.
- The study of meteorological hazards.
- The examination of new inputs to the hydrological system.
The first of these focuses on the analysis of the spatio-temporal variability of air temperature and precipitation, as well as other climatic elements, with emphasis on the Valencian territory and the Mediterranean area. The research carried out by members of the group on the changes observed in air temperature in the Valencian Community by means of statistical downscaling techniques, or the climatic trends in precipitation according to its typology, stand out for their pioneering nature.
The group has extensive experience in the monitoring of temperature and precipitation variables, using surface and satellite data, and their short- and medium-term forecasting, as well as the analysis and forecasting of extreme events, with cross-comparisons between statistical and mesoscale models, and observed and satellite data of great importance in meteorological hazard studies. This is done using advanced techniques in reconstruction-homogenisation of observed data, remote sensing, modelling and prediction.
The second line of research focuses on the analysis of the causes and dynamic processes that control meteorological hazard situations in the western Mediterranean basin, with the aim of helping to improve the prediction of three of them: torrential rainfall, extreme temperatures and forest fires. The group counts on tools (change mapping, impact indices and forecasts) to improve the management of the effects of climate change in the IMB and of extreme event warning systems, for the activation of social and environmental intervention protocols.
And the third scientific line is about analysing new inputs to the hydrological system, specifically the contribution of fog water and potential environmental uses.
These lines of research find support in the scientific infrastructure available to CLIMAMET, specifically in the presence of a series of meteorological sensors supported, in part, by the Network of meteorological towers of the Centre for Environmental Studies of the Mediterranean Foundation (CEAM), and in the spatial data management tools available in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory of the Department of Geography. The generation of meteorological databases is essential for climate studies, as well as for feeding the RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modelling System) meteorological model, adapted to Mediterranean conditions by the group's researchers and used to support weather hazard forecasting.
CLIMAMET has extensive experience in providing scientific and technical assistance to the public administration. In fact, before the creation of the CLIMAMET group, its members, led by María José Estrela (Director of this group), made up the research team of the Joint Unit Climatology Laboratory CEAM_UV, which actively participated in assisting the public administration. Of particular note is the design and management since 2006 of the "Operational prediction of hazard levels due to heat waves in the Valencian Community" programme for the Regional Ministry of Health, as well as, since 2007, the "Data validation service of the ultraviolet B radiation measurement network and optimisation of UVI level prediction processes in the Valencian Community" for the Conselleria de Territori y Habitatge of the Valencian Government. Subsequently, as the CLIMAMET Research Group (GIUV2014-209), it has continued to provide assistance to the administration, specifically to the Conselleria de Medi Ambient, agua, Urbanisme i Habitatge with a "Study to obtain fog water for the provision of watering places for native fauna in the Muela de Cortes hunting reserve". In turn, the Group's director Dr. Estrela is a member of the Committee of Experts on Climate Change of the Valencian Government.
CLIMAMET is a multidisciplinary Research Group with the participation of researchers from different fields such as Physical Geography, Climatology, Atmospheric Physics, and Hydrology, with objectives around common lines of research. Participating as members of CLIMAMET are Dr. María José Estrela (Director), Dr. Javier Miró, Dr. Alejandro Pérez Cueva and Dr. Ana Camarasa, all of them from the Department of Geography of the UV; Dr. Vicente Caselles and Dr. Raquel Niclós from the Department of Earth Physics and Thermodynamics of the UV. The collaborating researchers are Dr. Igor Gómez Assistant Professor at the University of Alicante, Dr. José Antonio Valiente and Dr. Francisco Pastor Senior Researchers at the CEAM Foundation.
The Research Unit integrates into the ICBiBE from the Department of Microbiology and Ecology of the Universitat de València. In order of seniority, José A. Gil-Delgado (1974), Emilio Barba (1995) and Juan S. Monrós (2004) are enrolled in this research unit, although the latter was an FPU intern between 1993 and 1996, and Adjunct Professor between 1997 and 2002.
The lines of research described below began in 1975 when the birds nesting in an area of almost 17 hectares in the orange groves of Sagunto began to be monitored. In addition to monitoring the nesting species by the method used, the nest search, we accumulated extensive information on various phonological aspects related to the birds that breed in these crops. Thus, there is a database on the bird communities over the period of 1975-2004, and on the variations in the populations of the 12-25 species breeding each year on the plot. As a result, aspects related to communities, populations, re-production and interaction with other species are addressed, as the databank is rich in information on the incidence of predation based on live observations of events. As an example, the information collected on one of the nesting species, the Blackbird, where the complete history of 250-350 nests per year is known. All chicks are banded. Other biological aspects have been studied on an ad hoc basis. For example, the diet of chickens. This line of research is the starting point for the research indicated in the following section.
Lines of research:
- Communities, populations and breeding ecology of nesting birds in orange groves.
- Migration and wintering of birds.
- Feeding of birds and reptiles.
- Impacts of human actions on bird populations.
- Habitat selection in birds and reptiles.
- Mammals of the orange groves.
- Conservation and management of vertebrate populations.
The Environmental Remote Sensing Group of the University of Valencia (UV-ERS) (formerly, Remote Sensing Research Unit, UIT) started its activities in 1979 with the award of a NASA project to study Mediterranean agricultural areas using measurements from satellite HCMM. Since then, and uninterruptedly, we have developed physical models and operational methodologies for the study of vegetation cover through satellite imagery, using data mostly plot the solar spectrum. The possibility of deriving operationally a large number of essential climate variables allows characterization of the state of vegetation cover at local, regional and global levels, and to study processes of mass and energy exchanges in the vegetation-atmosphere system. These essential variables are particularly relevant in the current context of assessment of the climate system. The analysis of image-derived time series covering decades provides further quantitative information on the temporal evolution of the system. The expertise of the UV-ERS has a wide national and international recognition, with more than 20 research projects funded in the last 20 years and a large number of publications in peer-reviewed high impact factor journals in the Remote Sensing category.
Our research activities (identified by the acronym of the project funded by The European Commission or Spanish funding agencies) have covered the study of desertification in the Mediterranean basin (EFEDA, MEDALUS), the recovery of burned areas cover (CEAM, LUCIFER), the study of desertification and degradation processes (Study Desertification in Spain. Stage I, HISPASED, IDEAS, TEDECVA, DeSurvey), and the estimation of carbon flux exchange between atmosphere and vegetation (ÁRTEMIS, RESET CLIMATE). Internationally, the UV-ERS has renowned expertise in processing and analysis of remote sensing data, as evidenced by its current partnership in research clusters of excellence (LSA SAF) and EU-FP projects (DeSurvey, ERMES).This research group is in charge of developing operational algorithms for estimating the vegetation parameters, including the operational implementation of prototypes, product analysis and scientific validation of the same-in the context network of centers of excellence called SAF (Satellite Application Facilities) of EUMETSAT. Specifically, the goal of LSA SAF (Satellite Application Facilities on Land Surface Analysis) is to design algorithms and process data and provide vegetation products for, primarily, to the community of climatologists and meteorologists, through the synergistic use of EUMETSAT systems of new generation: the MSG (Meteosat Second Generation, Meteosat 8 -10) and the EPS (European Polar System), first European weather satellite orbiting Polar (MetOp series).
The research group conducts its research activity in different lines of work:
- Childhood and environment line
Cohort study in collaboration with other research centres (INMA project) to share methodologies and knowledge on the effects of the environment on children's health, to describe the level of exposure and pollution during gestation and early childhood, to assess the role of the most common environmental pollutants and dietary protective factors on foetal growth and neuro-endocrine-immune development in order to develop environmental health indicators.
- Air pollution and health line
Study of the relationship between air pollution and health effects, developing multi-centre studies. Studies are also carried out to evaluate the impact of pollution on the health of the population.
- Weather and climate line
Evaluation of the relationship between climatic factors and meteorological variables, especially ambient temperature and health, as well as public health measures that can minimise the impact of foreseeable future climate changes.
- Line of evaluation of the health impact of various environmental risks
Through the measurement of the degree of exposure to risks, the development of biological markers and the relationship between these factors and the incidence of various pathologies. This impact is evaluated from different perspectives, ranging from environmental pollution (through biomarkers of exposure) to climate change (heat and cold waves), as well as the impact of certain technologies affecting the environment (mobile telephony, power lines, etc.).
Based on the prior research experience of María Celia García Álvarez-Coque, the activity of the FUSCHROM group began under her lead in 1992, in the Micellar liquid chromatography field, applied to drug analysis in biological fluids and to the improvement of the characteristics of chromatographic peaks in basic compounds. As a result of these researches, the group specialised in fundamental studies and chemometric developments, aimed at extracting the potential information contained in chromatographic signals and improving separations, extending its application field to other chromatographic modes. In particular, new optimisation strategies, peak models, purity tests, deconvolution methods and quantitative structure-retention relationships have been developed. In addition, numerous analytical methods for the analysis of pharmaceutical, clinical and food samples have been published. The group is currently involved in the use of secondary equilibria in liquid chromatography, development of clean analytical methods, rapid chromatography, chromatographic column characterisation, column coupling and two-dimensional separations.
The members of the group have jointly published more than 400 scientific articles, approximately half of them in journals belonging to the first quartile of the ISI Web of Knowledge, with more than 110 articles in Journal of Chromatography A. In addition, they have published 40 review articles, 25 book chapters, and three books (Micellar liquid chromatography, Chemometrics and Ionic Liquids in Analytical Chemistry: New Insights and Recent Developments, published by Marcel Dekker, Síntesis and Elsevier, respectively). The group director is part of the editorial board of the Journal of Chromatography A, Analytica Chimica Acta and Separation and Purification Reviews.
For its researches, the group has received continuous funding from several Ministries for more than 30 years. Under the direction of group members, 30 students from different countries have received their PhDs. Of these students, 8 have been awarded doctoral prizes, 3 have received Marie Curie grants from the European Community, 3 have been awarded Ramón y Cajal contracts, and 12 have been professors at various universities.
It is noteworthy the collaborations with Alain Berthod (Université de Lyon, France), Desiré Massart (Vrije Universeit Brussel, Belgium), Michael Abraham (University College London, UK), Daniel Armstrong (University of Texas, Arlington, USA), Peter Schoenmakers (van't Hoff Institute of Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Elisabeth Bosch and Martí Rosés (University of Barcelona), and Benjamín Monrabal and Alberto Ortín (manufacturing company of scientific instrumentation for polyolefin characterisation, Polymer Char, Valencia).
The LISITT group was set up in 1989 with the aim of filling the existing gap in Spain in the area of telematics applications in the field of traffic and transport. Its initial activities were focused on the execution of international research and development projects within the European ESPRIT and DRIVE programmes of the 2nd Framework Programme of the European Union.
Since its origins, LISITT has specialised in the study and development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), covering technological, organisational and strategic aspects. LISITT has been carrying out projects for more than 20 years for national traffic and transport administrations, including the Directorate General of Traffic, the Ministry of Public Works and its regional counterparts in the Basque and Catalan Governments. LISITT is currently a multidisciplinary group (Physics, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Mathematics, Geography) that brings together more than 60 professionals, all of them university graduates, including civil servants, contracted teachers and its own research staff, and has established itself as a reference group in consultancy on telematics applied to transport, in the development of ITS systems, and strategic consultancy on management issues and the development of traffic systems.
The work carried out since its origins has consolidated LISITT as a Spanish reference group in consultancy on telematics applied to transport, in the development of ITS systems, and strategic consultancy on management, development and maintenance of traffic systems for administrations, as reflected by the fact that LISITT has been participating for more than 10 years as expert advisors representing the Directorate-General for Traffic in different national and international standardisation committees and in European working groups on ITS systems, including the World Committee for Standardisation in ITS systems ISO/TC204, the European Committee for Standardisation of ITS systems CEN/TC278 and the Spanish Committee for Telematics applied to transport and road traffic AEN/CTN 159. The role played by LISITT in the creation, assistance and monitoring of the Euro-regional SERTI project (1995 - 2006), the Euro-regional ARTS project (1997 - 2006) and the European EasyWay project (2007-2013) should also be highlighted.
Apart from these consultancy activities in the standardisation groups in the field of ITS systems, LISITT's most important projects are grouped around the following topics:
- Consultancy to traffic administrations on coordination and organisation of international traffic control and management projects.
- Technical assistance to public administrations in traffic management and information systems.
- Study, development and maintenance of traffic information systems for public traffic administrations.
- Coordination and execution of R&D&I projects, both from the European Union and national calls for proposals.
- Analysis, design, construction and development of information systems for private companies.
- Computer security, data protection and privacy.
The Laboratory for Earth Observation (LEO, http://ipl.uv.es/leo/) is part of the interdisciplinary research unit Image Processing Laboratory (IPL) from the University of Valencia. Led by Prof. J. Moreno, deals with most of the technical and scientific aspects of Earth observation, including design of new instrument missions, processing of new data types, in particular optical multi-angular and hyperspectral data.
Research lines of LEO involve: Theoretical modeling of radiative transfer processes of natural surfaces, with emphasis on hyperspectral sampling of the electromagnetic radiation Development of algorithms and implementation of physical model inputs in Earth observation products: model inversion and data assimilation. Development of new instruments and techniques related to detection of fluorescence. Development of data processing methods (atmospheric correction, geometric corrections related to multi-angular systems, processing chains) Monitoring of natural vegetation, hydrological cycles, desertification, CO2 fluxes, and energy balances using Earth observation data. Definition of requirements, development of processing algorithms and data simulation for future sensors and missions (FLEX, CHIME, SPECTRA), calibration and validation of optical satellite data (Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, PROBA) and airborne data (CFL, AHS, CASI, HYPER).
The LEO group started its work in the field of imaging spectroscopy in 1998 with the participation of Prof. José Moreno as coordinator of the field activities for ESA's DAISEX98 experiment. This experiment was set up to test the new hyperspectral airborne DAIS sensor developed by the German Aerospace Agency (DLR). Since then, LEO has been involved in more than 50 national and international research projects. In those projects, the group has dealt with most of the technical and scientific aspects of Earth observation, including design of new instrument missions, processing of new data types, in particular optical multi-angular and hyperspectral data.
The group has developed a processing chain for automatic image preprocessing; starting from raw data, identifying and correcting for all types of noise, until delivery of atmospherically and geometrically corrected reflectance data and derived products (e.g. cloud maps, aerosol optical depth) at the highest possible quality. This processing chain is currently implemented in the ESA Basic ERS & Envisat (A)ATSR and MERIS Toolbox (BEAM) and has recently been applied to new generation optical sensors.
LEO has taken the lead in the ESA FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) project running since 2007, which will be the first mission designed to globally map chlorophyll fluorescence emission originated from the terrestrial vegetation (http://ipl.uv.es/flex-parcs). FLEX was been accepted to become ESA's 8th Earth Explorer, which is planned to be launched in 2022. FLEX is proposed to fly in tandem with Copernicus' Sentinel-3 satellite to detect interrelated features of fluorescence, hyperspectral reflectance, and canopy temperature.
This group has a recognised prestige for the numerous quality works it has carried out in inland aquatic ecosystems and for the new researchers that have been trained. The following are some of the basic and applied research topics carried out by this group.
Basic research in:
- Specific richness and dynamics of populations and communities of aquatic organisms: bacteria, phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton, acoto- and zoo-benthos and fish, and their controlling factors.
- Dynamics and functioning of aquatic ecosystems: biogeochemical cycles, productivity, microbial processes.
- Study of aquatic food webs, their structure, key species and vulnerability to global change.
- Community coupling: mechanisms and rules.
- Biogeochemistry of carbon in aquatic ecosystems, GHGs and climate change.
- Molecular ecology.
- Paleolimnology and global change.
- Polar zone limnology.
- Pancrustacean genomics.
- Ecotoxicology.
- Remote-sensing.
Applied research in:
- Aquatic pollution and eutrophication processes.
- Physico-chemical and microbiological water quality.
- Characterisation of aquatic ecosystems.
- Monitoring and assessment of the environmental and conservation status of aquactic ecosystems.
- Management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.
- Assessment of the response of aquatic ecosystems to global changes, including chemical pollution.
- Ecosystem management applied to climate change mitigation.
- Water purification and naturalisation in artificial wetlands.
- Bioremediation.
- Alien invasive species in inland waters.
- Remote-sensing as a tool for the study of environmental quality and ecological status of inland waters.
Fundamental studies and development of analytical applications in liquid chromatography in all modalities (conventional, capillary and nano), electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography and mass spectrometry. Studies on high-temperature chromatography. Development of new stationary phases with and without nanoparticles through chromatography, capillary electrochromatography and for pre-concentration in capillary electrophoresis. Fundamental studies on the design and manufacture of new monolithic stationary phases. Methods of analysis of industrial products: cleaning products, cosmetics, vegetable oils and others. Methods of analysis of industrial waste in the aquatic environment. Methods of analysis of chiral pharmaceutical compounds. Methods of analysis of biological samples.
Since its creation in 1988, our research group has introduced new concepts of calibration, exactitude and quality of analytic results, multiresidue analysis, solid phase extraction, conventional, multidimensional and capillary liquid chromatography, nanochromatography and on-site analytic devices. In the developed analytic systems, the sample, separation and detection manipulation are integrated in a single tool.
The research expects to meet the current demand for fast, cost-effective and clean analytic procedures. Strategies implementing new nanomaterials are currently being developed. Both instrumental and analytic objectives are being pursued (type of necessary information, sample characteristics, present type of analytes and concentration, detection-originating species, chirality). The resolution of several analytic problems was addressed in different research areas, mainly for environment, health, diet, drug addiction and industry. This work was developed in the framework of various research projects financed by public bodies and it could count on the contribution of researchers from other universities and research centres.
The carried out work was reflected on publications included in magazines of international renown, in congresses, theses and both undergraduate and master’s degree final projects. It also enabled the establishment of activities centred in the transmission of knowledge with companies, public bodies and research centres.
Our current research interests can be reasonably covered by the following topics:
- Effects of reticulation in phylogeny reconstruction.
- Phylogeny of angiosperm groups using morphological and molecular data.
- Biogeography (and specifically, phylogeography) of plant groups in the Mediterranean region.
- What is the relation between high diversity (in terms of morphologically and ecologically distinguishable entities) and extensive hybridization in two angiosperm genera like Armeria (and Limonium (Plumbaginaceae)?
- Is there a biogeographical pattern at all in a disturbed region like the Western Mediterranean that we may seek to discover by conducting phylogeographic studies in angiosperm groups?
- Molecular Evolution in asexual plant lineages.
- Molecular and organismal evolution in islands, with an emphasis in the contrast betwween continental and oceanic islands.
- Detection of food adulteration using molecular markers.
- Biological identification using molecular and cytogenetic markers.
This group brings together researchers from different universities and disciplines who share a common goal: to develop research aimed, firstly, at providing a comprehensive education that contributes to the personal, intercultural and social education of 21st century students and, secondly, at developing their reading, linguistic, critical and creative skills and abilities.
To this end, we combine educational research with didactic innovation to study the pedagogical value of the use and impact of multiliteracies and multimodal resources in the classroom, through the approach of several cross-disciplines related primarily to the humanities, art education, foreign language teaching and new technologies for learning and knowledge (TAC).
The aim of Lit(T)erart is to deepen the contribution of these areas, mainly in teacher training and in the development of curricular proposals that promote the cognitive, conceptual, socio-cultural and aesthetic dimensions, and then focus on the design of an evaluation system based on the creation of rubrics that show the progress of students and the validity of the proposed methodology.
In line with the EHEA guidelines, we propose to build a didactic scaffolding based on the pedagogy of multiliteracies that not only considers language as an exclusive form for the construction of meanings, but also incorporates multimodality as a mode of representation for creating and expressing ideas.
Research Group; Mycology, Mycotoxins and Other Microbial Toxins Faculty of Biological Sciences and Faculty of Chemistry Universitat de València
The group is composed of professors from the Departments of Microbiology and Ecology and Analytical Chemistry of the Universitat de València. Its research activity is of a multidisciplinary nature and has been developed in these areas, mainly applied to the fields of Health and Food Science and Technology. The group was formed in 1988, although it had been in existence for many years before.
Its research in the early years focused on the detection, isolation and identification of fungi and mycotoxins in food as well as fungal secondary metabolites with acaricidal, insecticidal or fungicidal activity, which were identified and transferred to the business sector through University-Business contracts. The group's first work on aflatoxins and aflatoxin-producing fungi was carried out on pre- and post-harvest cereals and marked the beginning of mycotoxin research in Spain. Later, in addition to cereals, its work has focused on other agricultural crops such as citrus fruits, nuts, grapevines, etc. The group has carried out research on the characterisation of the most important toxigenic species of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium and Alternaria, inter- and intra-specific chemotyping, study of their ecophysiology and their resistance to antifungals (organic, conventional and newly designed). This research has been carried out in parallel with the optimisation of high-resolution analytical methods (GC and LC, LC-MS/MS) for the determination of mycotoxins, both in in vitro bioassays and in agricultural crops and derived foodstuffs. The main mycotoxins studied were aflatoxins, ochratoxins, zearalenone, trichothecenes A and B, fumonisins, patulin and alternariols.
Other notable aspects of its research have been the study of strategies for the elimination of mycotoxins during the technological transformation of raw materials (fermentation, baking, biological adsorbents, etc.), application of predictive models for the prevention/control of mycotoxins in food in the context of climate change, evaluation of mycotoxins in human biological fluids, design and testing of bioactive films for the sustainable control of fungi and mycotoxins in food, etc. Given the current importance of toxins produced by bacteria and cyanobacteria and the risk they pose to human and animal health, a new line of work has been initiated for the characterisation and detection of cyanotoxins and other toxins produced by unicellular planktonic algae.
The group has published more than 150 articles in high impact factor journals, more than 30 book chapters in international journals and presented more than 300 papers at mainly international conferences. It has directed numerous doctoral theses, undergraduate and master's degree theses, DEA theses, etc. It has participated in 4 projects with companies and in 25 projects on mycotoxins in R&D&I, regional, national and European plans. Several of its members have been members of COST Action 835” as national representatives in the management committee (Misericordia Jiménez) or as members of the working groups (Rufino Mateo and José Vicente Gimeno). They have been coordinators of working groups and members of R&D&I excellence networks (SICURA, EspeciaR, Micofood), participate in the IViSoCA microcluster (VLC/Campus) and have been recognised as a group of excellence by the Valencian Government.
The main objective of the EVER Research Group is to study the early evolution and diversification of vertebrates through the taxonomic, histological, sclerochronological and functional characterisation of the main structures of their skeleton. Our group tries to answer questions related to the origin and early evolution of the large groups of basal vertebrates (i.e. non-tetrapod vertebrates), as well as the time and form of the appearance of the different types of tissues and skeletal structures, key to delimit their evolutionary scenario. In this way, our research combines the traditional palaeontological study of basal vertebrate remains (biodiversity and phylogeny), with the application of some of the most advanced techniques in virtual palaeontology (tomographic techniques and computational analysis); as well as studies of comparative anatomy and developmental biology in present-day organisms. Some of the specific questions we are currently working on are:
(i) The origin of dentition in vertebrates.
(ii) The homology or not of some of the mineralised tissues in different groups.
(iii) To provide new data to help resolve the deep phylogeny of the different groups of fish: agnathans (jawless fish) and gnathostomates (jawed vertebrates).
(iv) The identification of the functional diversity of the basal vertebrate exoskeleton using various biomechanical analysis techniques.
EVER is the first working group focused on the early evolution of our own lineage (vertebrates) in our country, a new line of research in the Spanish Science System. Collaborating members of the team are internationally renowned researchers, such as Prof. Donoghue (Bristol, UK) and Dr. Dupret (Canberra, Australia).
The Solar Radiation Group of Valencia (GRSV) is a reference group in the two lines in which it works, atmospheric aerosols and solar UV radiation, and is considered a Group of Excellence of the Valencian Community through the Prometheus 2010 and Prometheus 2014 Projects, granted by the Generalitat Valenciana. The Solar Radiation Group has participated in numerous field campaigns, from Sodankyla (Finland) to Marrakesh (Morocco), including those carried out by the ESA (European Space Agency) in the Barrax area (Albacete), during 1998, 1999 and 2000 (DAISEX I and II, Digital Airbone Imaging Spectrometer EXperiment), 2003 and 2004 (SPARC, SPectra bARrax Campaign) and 2005 (SEN2FLEX, SENtinel-2 and Fluorescence Experiment).
It has coordinated the thematic networks DAMOCLES "Determination of Aerosols by Column Measurements (Lidar), Extinction and Soil" I and II during the years 2004 to 2010, in which more than thirty Spanish Institutions have participated. In recent years the GRSV has participated in the SAVEX (Sunphotometer Airborne Validation Experiment) campaigns which took place in June 2012 in Tenerife and the western region of the Sahara. This campaign consisted of the measurement of aerosol properties during a Saharan intrusion (mineral dust, of great climatic importance). The interest lay in the simultaneous measurement of properties using CIMEL CE318 (whose data were developed by AERONET) and PREDE POM (whose data were developed by ESR-SKYNET) instruments for comparison and validation with vertical profile measurements obtained with instruments installed on board an aircraft.
Different European groups were involved in this campaign, mainly from the UK MetOffice, the University of Reading (UK) and the Consiglio Nazionalle delle Ricerche (Italy). This campaign was carried out in the framework of the DA-SAVEX project, awarded in the pre-competitive programme of the University of La Laguna, and also supported to a large extent by the UK MetOffice, which provided the necessary aerial means and the instrumentation on board the aircraft. It has also participated in the Sunphotometer Airborne Validation Experiment in Dust - SAVEX/D campaign in April 2017 (http://pre-tect.space.noa.gr) and CHemistry and AeRosols Mediterranean EXperiment (ChArMEx; http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr), which is a collaborative research programme that introduces international activities to investigate Regional Interactions of Mediterranean Chemistry and Climate. The Solar Radiation group currently participates in the international aerosol measurement network AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET, https://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/).
The AERONET programme is a federation of ground-based aerosol networks established by NASA and PHOTONS (PHOtométrie pour le Traitement Opérationnel de Normalisation Satellitaire; Univ. De Lille 1, CNES and CNRS-INSU) and extended through other networks such as RIMA (Red Ibérica de Medida de Aerosoles), AeroSpan, AEROCAN and CARSNET with national agencies, institutes and universities as partners.
The programme provides a public domain database of optical, microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols for aerosol research and characterisation, satellite validation and synergy with other databases. The Solar Radiation group has two stations (Burjassot and Aras de los Olmos) that are part of this AERONET network and actively collaborate with other Spanish stations of the RIMA Network in its operation. In addition, the GRSV also coordinates the European Skynet Radiometers network (ESR, http://www.euroskyrad.net/) together with the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the Italian National Research Council (CNR). In this network, whose scientific objective is also the characterisation of atmospheric aerosols and their interaction with clouds and solar radiation, as well as the validation of satellite products, several European Universities/Meteorological Services from Italy, Germany, UK, Chile, as well as the NREL in the USA participate.
In addition, the GRSV is an Associated Partner in the ACTRIS2 (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network) (www.actris.eu), a European research infrastructure (RI) funded under the H2020 programme in the context of Climate Change. The network has been accepted in the ESFRI (The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure) roadmap in 2016. This means that the ACTRIS network is set up as a pan-European research infrastructure that will be consolidated and operational over the next ten years. The ACTRIS project involves 28 European organisations and aims to establish a network of stable scientific infrastructures equipped with advanced instrumentation for the measurement of atmospheric aerosols, gases and clouds.
They also participate in the ACTRIS-SPAIN thematic network (CGL2017-90884-REDT) which is developing research on the direct and indirect effects of aerosols and clouds, as well as on the processes associated with atmospheric pollutants that are involved in the deterioration of air quality causing adverse effects on health and ecosystems.
ACTRIS-SPAIN will also contribute to the development of sustainable solutions to environmental challenges and thus fits perfectly into the overall objectives of ACTRIS. In this network, work is being carried out during this final quarter of 2020 to transform the Memorandum of Understanding that exists between the participants in this network and AEMET, which participates in it as an external entity, into a Joint Research Unit (JRU), operational at European level, through an agreement between the entities adapted to Law 40/2015 on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector. ACTRIS-SPAIN members currently participate as beneficiaries, third parties, or associated participants, in the H2020 project of preparatory phase for the implementation of European research infrastructures ACTRIS-PPP (Grant Agreement no. 739530).
Our group also participates in European projects within the framework of the H2020 programme. Specifically, in the EMPIR-Environment call (European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research co-funded by the H2020 programme) of EURAMET (European Metrology Networks). The project is entitled Metrology of Aerosol Optical Properties (MAPP) and aims to study the traceability of aerosol measurements in the atmospheric column, and the estimation of the uncertainty of the products offered by the different international measurement networks has been accepted and will be developed in the years 2020 - 2023 by a consortium that includes different leading Spanish and European laboratories, such as the Lille Laboratory of Atmospheric Optics (LOA, France), National Research Centre (CNRS, France), Italian National Research Council (CNR, Italy), Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET, Spain), University of Reading (URE, UK), University of Valladolid (UVa, Spain). The project is coordinated by the Schweizerisches Forschungsinstitut für Hochgebirgsklima und Medizin (SFI Davos, Switzerland) and in Valencia the PI in charge is Victor Estellés, member of the team requesting the project.
The main lines of research of the GRSV are:
- Atmospheric aerosols and clouds.
- Characterisation of atmospheric aerosols from extinction measurements of solar irradiance and sky radiance.
- Dependence of atmospheric aerosols on the origin of air masses.
- Inversion methods to determine aerosol size distributions.
- Dynamic analysis of aerosol hygroscopic growth.
- Relationship of Angstrom coefficients with aerosol characteristics.
- Remote sensing applications. Atmospheric correction.
- Determination of the atmospheric profile of aerosols using lidar techniques.
- Measurement of cloud radiative properties.
- Study of the radiative forcing of atmospheric aerosols.
- Study of aerosol-cloud interactions and their radiative effects.
- Solar Ultraviolet radiation.
- Effects of UVB radiation on humans.
- UVI (UltraViolet Index) prediction.
- Solar simulators for use in clinical dermatology.
- Spectral and integrated measurement of solar UV radiation.
- Modelling of the direct and diffuse components of solar UV radiation.
- Modelling of solar UV radiation on inclined planes.
- Measurements of solar UVB radiation and prediction of erythemal solar UV radiation under clear and cloudless skies.
The Research group to which this application refers is called “Sustainable development, global and regional governance, contemporary international and European order and values.” This is a subject on which the applicant Research group has been working for several years with the support of various regional, national and international research grants and projects.
In the current phase of development of the Research group’s activities, the focus is broadening from the perspective of environmental protection to the wider aspects of sustainable development, which includes three pillars: economic, social and environmental. This is an essential concern of contemporary international and European communities, whose constitutional foundations for the coming years have been set out in the document entitled “The Future We Want”, adopted at the Rio + 20 Summit on Environment and Development, held on June 2012 under the auspices of the United Nations. The main elements of the Research group’s activity, as its name suggests, are four.
Firstly, contents related to the paradigm on sustainable development in its international and European dimension, including, among other issues: the legal nature of the concept of sustainable development, the content of the notion of sustainable development in its economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects, the basic characteristics of the criterion of sustainability, issues linked to disparities in the development of peoples, the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities, the notions of developed countries, developing countries and emerging countries, as well as intergenerational justice.
Secondly, it will examine all the issues linked to global governance in the field of sustainable development, paying particular attention to the evolution of the international institutional framework, both at global level (institutions of the United Nations Organisation system) and at a regional level (Latin America, Africa, Asia, Antarctica, Arctic), proposals and implementations in the economic, social and enviromental fields in order to achieve sustainable development. In this context, particular attention will be paid to developments within the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Thirdly, as the Research group is mainly composed of internationalists specialised in Law and International Relations, particular attention will be paid, among other issues, to the impact of the concept of sustainable development in the various sectors of International Law (International economic law, International human rights law, International environmental law, International labour law), conceptual and normative developments at international and European level, with particular attention to new legal instruments that have been recently adopted and those that will be adopted in the coming years. The results of the research will be issued in scientific publications, whether articles in national or international indexed journals, or monographs published by publishers of excellence.
Fourthly and finally, we will analyse the values that both the international community and the European Union consider necessary to govern their relations and therefore worthy of legal protection, both at international, European and national levels.
Continuing the tradition of the Research group, our activities will also include: participation in various research activities at transnational level, organisation of and participation in scientific conferences at international, European and national level, participation in the Meetings of the Parties on the International Conventions for the protection of the environment, contribution to the development of legal instruments in the status of international experts, membership in various bodies linked to the effective implementation of international and European standards in the field, etc.
Research activity focuses on acquiring new knowledge about fungi, seaweeds and plants, which is applied:
- In studies on the biodiversity of: fungi, lichens, seaweeds, bryophytes and vascular plants, in the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean Sea and other areas.
- For the solution of problems related to their Identification, Systematics, Phylogeny, Biogeography and Conservation status.
The research activity is carried out with a multidisciplinary approach from different perspectives developing four lines of research: "Mycology and Lichenology", "Marine Botany", "Bryology" and "Plant ecology".
The ZOORECERC group focuses its research on a rigorous and complete study of predatory and parasitoid insects and on the control of agricultural, forestry and public health pests, as well as on the knowledge of the parasite communities of vertebrate hosts from many different aspects. It also develops studies on animal conservation and on edaphic and arthropod-associated nematodes.
Our research group is made up of two researchers of the staff of the Universitat de València. Marcel·lí del Olmo Muñoz is University Professor and carries out his academic and research activity in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He has obtained 4 tranches of evaluation of research activity to date. His research has been mainly linked to the yeast S. cerevisiae, covering aspects such as DNA and chromatin structure, regulation of gene expression, polyadenylation and transcription termination, as well as applications of this microorganism in biotechnological processes such as wine and bioethanol production or biocatalysis. He has carried out research stays at the Institut für Zellbiologie (ETH-Hönggerberg, Zurich) and at Tufts University (Boston).
Cecilia Andreu Masiá is Associate Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry at UVEG. She did her postdoctoral stay at the Department of Chemistry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research activity has been developed in several fields: asymmetric synthesis with enzymes in organic solvents, supramolecular chemistry studies of reaction mechanisms, biological chemistry (synthesis of peptides and their applications as therapeutic agents and in organocatalysis processes, as well as in the use of yeasts as biocatalysts in stereoselective synthesis). She has obtained four tranches of research activity evaluation.
Over the last few years, the research of both researchers has progressively converged so that they now form an independent research group whose main objective is the development of biotechnological applications of yeasts in different fields. Specifically, we have worked together on projects of different nature: characterisation of peptides with antimicrobial activity; use of yeast for the generation of chiral synthons precursors of compounds of pharmaceutical and industrial interest and development and improvement of the "Yeast Surface Display" methodology for the exposure of certain peptides and proteins on the cell surface and analysis of the biotechnological relevance of this technique. All this work has resulted in 12 publications in mainly 1st quartile international journals since 2010. At present, the research group continues to deepen these lines of work.
