Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966): the benefit of an Arcadian experience in confronting the human tragedy

As the frontispiece of Book One of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, the phrase ‘Et in Arcadia ego’ announces the author’s intention of making the classical Arcadian theme a key reference in a text that speaks of nostalgia for a joyful past in times marked by sadness and pain. However, an interpretation may be approached from several directions even within the classical tradition. Thus, without ignoring philological or artistic aspects of the topic, this article focuses on a close study of the author’s most original message: the notion that a youthful Arcadian experience confers on young men and women a ‘residue of happiness’ able to sustain their future development and assist them in dealing with the challenges of personal tragedy.

Passage times for the decay of an unstable state triggered by colored noise

We study the decay of an unstable state in the presence of colored noise by calculating the moment generating function of the passage-time distribution. The problems of the independence of the initial condition in this non-Markovian process and that of nonlinear effects are addressed. Our results are compared with recent analog simulations.

On an extension of the notion of Reedy category

"Vegeu el resum a l'inici del document del fitxer adjunt."

Water scarcity, social power and the production of an elite suburb: the political ecology of water in Matadepera, Catalonia

This article investigates the history of land and water transformations in Matadepera, a wealthy suburb of metropolitan Barcelona. Analysis is informed by theories of political ecology and methods of environmental history; although very relevant, these have received relatively little attention within ecological economics. Empirical material includes communications from the City Archives of Matadepera (1919-1979), 17 interviews with locals born between 1913 and 1958, and an exhaustive review of grey historical literature. Existing water histories of Barcelona and its outskirts portray a battle against natural water scarcity, hard won by heroic engineers and politicians acting for the good of the community. Our research in Matadepera tells a very different story. We reveal the production of a highly uneven landscape and waterscape through fierce political and power struggles. The evolution of Matadepera from a small rural village to an elite suburb was anything but spontaneous or peaceful. It was a socio-environmental project well intended by landowning elites and heavily fought by others. The struggle for the control of water went hand in hand with the land and political struggles that culminated – and were violently resolved - in the Spanish Civil War. The displacement of the economic and environmental costs of water use from few to many continues to this day and is constitutive of Matadepera’s uneven and unsustainable landscape. By unravelling the relations of power that are inscribed in the urbanization of nature (Swyngedouw, 2004), we question the perceived wisdoms of contemporary water policy debates, particularly the notion of a natural scarcity that merits a technical or economic response. We argue that the water question is fundamentally a political question of environmental justice; it is about negotiating alternative visions of the future and deciding whose visions will be produced.

An agency-oriented model to explain vine-growing specialization in the province of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) in the mid-nineteenth century

[cat] En aquest treball presentem un model per explicar el procés d’especialització vitícola assolit als municipis de la província de Barcelona, a mitjans del s. XIX,que cerca entendre com va sorgir històricament un avantatge comparatiu fruit d’un procés que esdevindria un dels punts de partida del procés d’industrialització a Catalunya. Els resultats confirmen els papers jugats pel impuls “Boserupià” de la població en un context d’intensificació de l’ús de la terra, i d’un impuls del mercat “Smithià” en un context d’expansió de la demanda per part de les economies atlàntiques. També es posa de manifest la importància de les dotacions agro-ecològiques i les condicions socioinstitucionals relacionades amb la desigualtat d’ingrés. La difusió de la vinya donà com a resultat unes comunitats rurals menys desiguals fins al 1820, tot i que aquesta desigualtat augmentà de nou a partir d'aleshores.

Decay of an unstable state in the presence of multiplicative noise

The phenomenon of anomalous fluctuations associated with the decay of an unstable state is analyzed in the presence of multiplicative noise. A theory is presented and compared with a numerical simulation. Our results allow us to distinguish the roles of additive and multiplicative noise in the nonlinear relaxation process. We suggest the use of experiments on transient dynamics to understand the effect of these two sources of noise in problems in which parametric noise is thought to be important, such as dye lasers.

An agency-oriented model to explain vine-growing specialization in the province of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) in the mid-nineteenth century

[cat] En aquest treball presentem un model per explicar el procés d’especialització vitícola assolit als municipis de la província de Barcelona, a mitjans del s. XIX,que cerca entendre com va sorgir històricament un avantatge comparatiu fruit d’un procés que esdevindria un dels punts de partida del procés d’industrialització a Catalunya. Els resultats confirmen els papers jugats pel impuls “Boserupià” de la població en un context d’intensificació de l’ús de la terra, i d’un impuls del mercat “Smithià” en un context d’expansió de la demanda per part de les economies atlàntiques. També es posa de manifest la importància de les dotacions agro-ecològiques i les condicions socioinstitucionals relacionades amb la desigualtat d’ingrés. La difusió de la vinya donà com a resultat unes comunitats rurals menys desiguals fins al 1820, tot i que aquesta desigualtat augmentà de nou a partir d'aleshores.

Intestinal and hepatic nitrogen balance in the rat after the administration of an oral protein load

The fate of a small oral dose of protein given to overnight-starved rats was studied. After 3 h, 62 per cent of the protein amino acids had been absorbed. Most of the absorbed N went into the bloodstream through the portal in the form of amino acids, but urea and ammonia were also present. About one-quarter of all absorbed N was carried as lymph amino acids. The liver was able to take all portal free ammonia and a large proportion of portal amino acids, releasing urea. The hepatic N balance was negative, indicating active proteolysis and net loss of liver protein.

Foodborne norovirus outbreak: the role of an asymptomatic food handler

Background: In July 2005 an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred on a residential summer camp in the province of Barcelona (northeast of Spain). Forty-four people were affected among residents and employees. All of them had in common a meal at lunch time on 13 July (paella, round of beef and fruit). The aim of this study was to investigate a foodborne norovirus outbreak that occurred in the residential summer camp and in which the implication of a food handler was demonstrated by laboratory tests. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was designed. Personal or telephone interview was carried out to collect demographic, clinical and microbiological data of the exposed people, as well as food consumption in the suspected lunch. Food handlers of the mentioned summer camp were interviewed. Ten stool samples were requested from symptomatic exposed residents and the three food handlers that prepared the suspected food. Stools were tested for bacteries and noroviruses. Norovirus was detected using RT-PCR and sequence analysis. Attack rate, relative risks (RR) and its 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the association between food consumption and disease. Results: The global attack rate of the outbreak was 55%. The main symptoms were abdominal pain (90%), nausea (85%), vomiting (70%) and diarrhoea (42.5%). The disease remitted in 24-48 hours. Norovirus was detected in seven faecal samples, one of them was from an asymptomatic food handler who had not eaten the suspected food (round of beef), but cooked and served the lunch. Analysis of the two suspected foods isolated no pathogenic bacteria and detected no viruses. Molecular analysis showed that the viral strain was the same in ill patients and in the asymptomatic food handler (genotype GII.2 Melksham-like). Conclusions: In outbreaks of foodborne disease, the search for viruses in affected patients and all food handlers, even in those that are asymptomatic, is essential. Health education of food handlers with respect to hand washing should be promoted.

Shading effects on the yield of an Argentinian wheat cultivar

Shading treatments of 50% of the incident radiation were applied to the semidwarf wheat cultivar Leones INTA before and after anthesis in two field experiments in Argentina in 1987 and 1988. The treatments reduced biological (above-ground dry matter) yield, grain yield and number of grains/m2. Number of grains/m2 was closely and linearly correlated with ear dry weight at anthesis and with the photothermal quotient, calculated from 20 days before to 10 days after anthesis. Grain yield was sink limited, and the shading treatments reduced sink strength. The contribution of preanthesis assimilates to grain yield was smaller in the shaded crops than in the unshaded controls; in unshaded crops, almost 40% of grain yield was contributed by preanthesis assimilates whilst in preanthesis shaded crops this contribution was negligible. The proportion of preanthesis assimilates contributed to the grain was closely related to the decrease in stem dry weight during grain filling. The effects of shading on main stems and tillers were the same.

SEM evidence for existence of an apical disc on the scolex of Clestobothrium crassiceps (Rudolphi, 1819): comparative results of various fixation techniques

The scolex of the bothriocephalidean cestode Clestobothrium crassiceps was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The comparative results of various fixation procedures and techniques are presented. The scolex of C. crassiceps is oval to globular and exhibits two deep bothria which appear in the form of two lobes separated by a longitudinal groove. At the apex of the scolex, resembling a beret, an apical disc is present (oval, flattened and with a sinuous edge). Our results are compared with those previously reported in other species of Clestobothrium. This study represents the first report which highlights the presence of an apical disc in the scolex of C. crassiceps. It describes the effects of different procedures applied to our material during preparation and a comparative analysis results obtained using these various methods.

SEM evidence for existence of an apical disc on the scolex of Clestobothrium crassiceps (Rudolphi, 1819): comparative results of various fixation techniques

The scolex of the bothriocephalidean cestode Clestobothrium crassiceps was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The comparative results of various fixation procedures and techniques are presented. The scolex of C. crassiceps is oval to globular and exhibits two deep bothria which appear in the form of two lobes separated by a longitudinal groove. At the apex of the scolex, resembling a beret, an apical disc is present (oval, flattened and with a sinuous edge). Our results are compared with those previously reported in other species of Clestobothrium. This study represents the first report which highlights the presence of an apical disc in the scolex of C. crassiceps. It describes the effects of different procedures applied to our material during preparation and a comparative analysis results obtained using these various methods.

The whereabouts of an ancient wonderer: Global phylogeography of the solitary ascidian Styela plicata

Genetic tools have greatly aided in tracing the sources and colonization history of introduced species. However, recurrent introductions and repeated shuffling of populations may have blurred some of the genetic signals left by ancient introductions. Styela plicata is a solitary ascidian distributed worldwide. Although its origin remains unclear, this species is believed to have spread worldwide by travelling on ship's hulls. The goals of this study were to infer the genetic structure and global phylogeography of S. plicata and to look for present-day and historical genetic patterns. Two genetic markers were used: a fragment of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) and a fragment of the nuclear gene Adenine Nucleotide Transporter/ADP-ATP Translocase (ANT). A total of 368 individuals for COI and 315 for ANT were sequenced from 17 locations worldwide. The levels of gene diversity were moderate for COI to high for ANT. The Mediterranean populations showed the least diversity and allelic richness for both markers, while the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans had the highest gene and nucleotide diversities. Network and phylogenetic analyses with COI and ANT revealed two groups of alleles separated by 15 and 4 mutational steps, respectively. The existence of different lineages suggested an ancient population split. However, the geographic distributions of these groups did not show any consistent pattern, indicating different phylogeographic histories for each gene. Genetic divergence was significant for many population-pairs irrespective of the geographic distance among them. Stochastic introduction events are reflected in the uneven distribution of COI and ANT allele frequencies and groups among many populations. Our results confirmed that S. plicata has been present in all studied oceans for a long time, and that recurrent colonization events and occasional shuffling among populations have determined the actual genetic structure of this species.

The process of basic training, applied training, maintaining the performance of an observer

In the field of observational methodology the observer is obviously a central figure, and close attention should be paid to the process through which he or she acquires, applies, and maintains the skills required. Basic training in how to apply the operational definitions of categories and the rules for coding, coupled with the opportunity to use the observation instrument in real-life situations, can have a positive effect in terms of the degree of agreement achieved when one evaluates intra- and inter-observer reliability. Several authors, including Arias, Argudo, & Alonso (2009) and Medina and Delgado (1999), have put forward proposals for the process of basic and applied training in this context. Reid y De Master (1982) focuses on the observer's performance and how to maintain the acquired skills, it being argued that periodic checks are needed after initial training because an observer may, over time, become less reliable due to the inherent complexity of category systems. The purpose of this subsequent training is to maintain acceptable levels of observer reliability. Various strategies can be used to this end, including providing feedback about those categories associated with a good reliability index, or offering re-training in how to apply those that yield lower indices. The aim of this study is to develop a performance-based index that is capable of assessing an observer's ability to produce reliable observations in conjunction with other observers.

On the choice of an exchange rate regime: target zones revisited

From the classical gold standard up to the current ERM2 arrangement of the European Union, target zones have been a widely used exchange regime in contemporary history. This paper presents a benchmark model that rationalizes the choice of target zones over the rest of regimes: the fixed rate, the free float and the managed float. It is shown that the monetary authority may gain efficiency by reducing volatility of both the exchange rate and the interest rate at the same time. Furthermore, the model is consistent with some known stylized facts in the empirical literature that previous models were not able to produce, namely, the positive relation between the exchange rate and the interest rate differential, the degree of non-linearity of the function linking the exchage rate to fundamentals and the shape of the exchange rate stochastic distribution.