Derechos emergentes en regiones emergentes: el derecho al agua potable y al saneamiento en Asia Central

El derecho humano al agua potable y al saneamiento viene afirmándose de manera cada vez más rotunda en el plano internacional. Supone la capacidad de cada ser humano de acceder a agua limpia y segura de manera asequible, y la obligación correlativa de los Estados de garantizar y proteger este derecho. Los Estados de Asia Central disponen de agua suficiente para garantizar este derecho a todos sus ciudadanos, pero la mala gestión y el despilfarro hace que algunas zonas, sobre todo rurales, tengan importantes carestías. Las mejoras en tarificación, servicio y cooperación transfronteriza se apuntan como posibles vías de solución.

Asia Central: regímenes políticos y contexto socioeconómico

El objeto del presente artículo es analizar los sistemas políticos y sociales de las cinco repúblicas independientes que constituyen Asia Centra1, tomada como un todo, pero haciendo hincapié cuando sea pertinente en las peculiaridades de cada situación. Dividimos el trabajo en tres grandes partes, relativas respectivamente a la caracterización de los regímenes políticos de estos países, su situación socioeconómica y la orientación de sus relaciones exteriores.

Ten Propositions on Rural Poverty and Agrarian Transition in Central Eurasia

The relation between agricultural development and rural poverty reduction in six Central Eurasian countries, namely Azerbaijan (South Caucasus) and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (Central Asia), is discussed by presenting and analyzing ten propositions. These propositions cover a broad range of issues that relate to rural poverty in this region, such as: the state of income and non-income poverty; the diverse processes of land reform and farm restructuring, and agricultural policy reform; and finally, the institutional and market framework that is needed for dynamic agricultural and rural development. The paper contends that rural poverty is not responding as robustly to rapid economic growth in these countries, and that agricultural growth, in particular in the newly emerging peasant farm sector, is necessary to promote rural poverty reduction.

New stakeholders, spaces and instruments of analysis in the context of energy relationships: Case studies from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

The disintegration of the USSR brought the emergence of a new geo-energy space in Central Asia. This space arose in the context of a global energy transition, which began in the late 1970s. Therefore, this new space in a changing energy world requires both new conceptual frameworks of analysis and the creation of new analytical tools. Taking into account this fact, our paper attempts to apply the theoretical framework of the Global Commodity Chain (GCC) to the case of natural resources in Central Asia. The aim of the paper is to check if there could be any Central Asia’s geo-energy space, assuming that this space would exist if natural resources were managed with regional criteria. The paper is divided into four sections. First an introduction that describes the new global energy context within natural resources of Central Asia would be integrated. Secondly, the paper justifies why the GCC methodology is suitable for the study of the value chains of energy products. Thirdly, we build up three cases studies (oil and uranium from Kazakhstan and gas from Turkmenistan) which reveal a high degree of uncertainty over the direction these chains will take. Finally, we present the conclusions of this study that state that the most plausible scenario would be the integration of energy resources of these countries in GCC where the core of the decision-making process will be far away from the region of Central Asia. Key words: Energy transition, geo-energy space, Global Commodity Chains, Central Asia

Rhaponticum repens (Compositae), una nueva planta alóctona para la Península Ibérica

First record of the alien pest Rhaponticum repens (Compositae) in the Iberian Peninsula.- Rhaponticum repens is reported for the first time for the flora of the Iberian Peninsula. The species is native from Central Asia and has become invasive in Argentina, Canada, Europe and the USA. It was detected for the first time in abandoned fields from Vilablareix, near the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain) and in the valley of the Vinalopó in Alicante (Valencia, Spain), where it was collected as early as in 1959 but misdentified. Molecular data, based on nrDNA region ITS, suggest that the reported populations may be closely related to plants from the United States. Due to the extremely noxious character of the species and the possible relationship of Spanish plants with the invasive American populations, some kind of monitoring is recommended

Predictors and consequences of adherence to the treatment of pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Central Europe and East Asia.

PURPOSE: To assess baseline predictors and consequences of medication non-adherence in the treatment of pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from Central Europe and East Asia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data for this post-hoc analysis were taken from a 1-year prospective, observational study that included a total of 1,068 newly-diagnosed pediatric patients with ADHD symptoms from Central Europe and East Asia. Medication adherence during the week prior to each visit was assessed by treating physicians using a 5-point Likert scale, and then dichotomized into either adherent or non-adherent. Clinical severity was measured by the Clinical Global Impressions-ADHD-Severity (CGI-ADHD) scale and the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) Checklist. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) was measured using the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition (CHIP-CE). Regression analyses were used to assess baseline predictors of overall adherence during follow-up, and the impact of time-varying adherence on subsequent outcomes: response (defined as a decrease of at least 1 point in CGI), changes in CGI-ADHD, CSI-4, and the five dimensions of CHIP-CE. RESULTS: Of the 860 patients analyzed, 64.5% (71.6% in Central Europe and 55.5% in East Asia) were rated as adherent and 35.5% as non-adherent during follow-up. Being from East Asia was found to be a strong predictor of non-adherence. In East Asia, a family history of ADHD and parental emotional distress were associated with non-adherence, while having no other children living at home was associated with non-adherence in Central Europe as well as in the overall sample. Non-adherence was associated with poorer response and less improvement on CGI-ADHD and CSI-4, but not on CHIP-CE. CONCLUSION: Non-adherence to medication is common in the treatment of ADHD, particularly in East Asia. Non-adherence was associated with poorer response and less improvement in clinical severity. A limitation of this study is that medication adherence was assessed by the treating clinician using a single item question.

El gran juego: la guerra secreta por el control de Asia Central (1836-1919)

Durant el segle XIX i les primeres dècades del XX, Àsia Central va patir de primera mà la rivalitat entre les dues grans potències europees del moment: Anglaterra i Rússia. Aquest enfrontament va ser batejat pels seus propis participants amb el nom d'El Gran Joc. A diferència d'altres lluites històriques prèvies, el Gran Joc no es va resumir en una guerra, sinó en un cúmul d'elles, que es van succeir al llarg del temps en diferents territoris del centre del continent asiàtic i a les que van acompanyar accions diplomàtiques igualment nombroses. Tot i l'extensió del conflicte, Afganistan es va erigir com el punt clau més rellevant al voltant del qual l'Imperi rus i el britànic van desenvolupar les seves intrigues. Els dos poders europeus, amb els seus respectius objectius en ment, no van dubtar a dur a terme un dels majors desplegaments estratègics mai vist a la zona, valent-se, a més dels seus efectius, dels habitants asiàtics com peons al tauler del seu joc i marcant profundament el futur de les nacions centreasiàtiques, així com establint un precedent en la manera de fer la guerra on la victòria d'una facció sobre una altra mai estaria clara.

Graduate labor mismatch in Central and Eastern Europe

[cat] Utilitzant l’enquesta REFLEX/HEGESCO, aquest article explora la probabilitat de desajustament entre educació i treball a l’Europa de l’Est i Central. Classifiquem els països en dos grups segons la transparència dels títols educatius al mercat de treball. Polònia, la República Txeca i Eslovènia formen el grup amb més transparència, i Hongria, Lituània i Estònia formen el grup amb més opacitat. Analitzem tres tipus de desajustaments: el vertical (infra‐, sobre‐educació), l’horitzontal (desajustament del camp d’estudi) i el desajust en habilitats. Focalitzem l’anàlisi en l’efecte dels camps d’estudi i les competències dels individus en el desajustament del mercat laboral en aquests països. Els resultats mostren importants diferències entre els dos grups de països estudiats.

Graduate labor mismatch in Central and Eastern Europe

[cat] Utilitzant l’enquesta REFLEX/HEGESCO, aquest article explora la probabilitat de desajustament entre educació i treball a l’Europa de l’Est i Central. Classifiquem els països en dos grups segons la transparència dels títols educatius al mercat de treball. Polònia, la República Txeca i Eslovènia formen el grup amb més transparència, i Hongria, Lituània i Estònia formen el grup amb més opacitat. Analitzem tres tipus de desajustaments: el vertical (infra‐, sobre‐educació), l’horitzontal (desajustament del camp d’estudi) i el desajust en habilitats. Focalitzem l’anàlisi en l’efecte dels camps d’estudi i les competències dels individus en el desajustament del mercat laboral en aquests països. Els resultats mostren importants diferències entre els dos grups de països estudiats.

El problema de las minorías en Xinjiang y sus repercusiones en las Repúblicas de Asia Central

En este trabajo vamos a analizar facetas del renacimiento de las identidades locales y las consecuencias que ello está trayendo en la provincia china de Xinjiang y sus repercusiones en las repúblicas del Asia Central.

Structural control on present-day topography of a basement massif: the Central and Eastern Anti-Atlas (Morocco)

The Anti-Atlas basement massif extends South of the High Atlas, and, despite a very mild Cenozoic deformation, its altitude exceeds 1500m in large areas, reaching 3305m in Jbel Sirwa. Structural contours of the present elevation of a polygenic planation surface (the High Erosional surface) and of the base of Cretaceous and Neogene inliers have been performed to characterize the major tectonic structures. Gentle Cenozoic WSW-ENE- and N-Strending folds, of 60 to100km wavelength, reactivate Variscan structures, being the major contributors to the local topography of the Anti-Atlas. Reactivated thrusts of decakilometric to kilometric-scale and E-W trend involving the Neogene rocks exhibit a steep attitude and a small displacement, but they also produce a marked topographic expression. The resulting Cenozoic horizontal shortening along N-S sections across the Anti-Atlas is about 1%. The position of the major anticlinal hinges determines the location of the fluvial divides of the Warzazat basin and the Anti-Atlas, and a structural depression on one of these hinges (Jbel Saghro anticline) allowed the formerly endorheic Warzazat basin to drain southwards. The first Cenozoic structures generating local topography are of pre-mid Miocene age (postdated by 6.7Ma volcanic rocks at the Jbel Saghro), whereas the youngest thrust movements postdate the Pliocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks (involving 2.1Ma volcanic rocks at Jbel Sirwa). In addition to these features, the mean elevation of the Anti-Atlas at the regional scale is also the result of a mantle thermal anomaly reported in previous works for the entire Atlas system.

Wasps (Insecta: Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of Spain.

Wasps and their relatives from the Lower Cretaceous lithographic limestones of Spain have been studied. Thirty specimens representing 30 species (4 of them with undetermined placement), at least 21 genera and 11 families are recorded. We erect 1 new family - Andrenelidae-, 6 new genera and 11 new species: Meiaghilarella cretacica n.gen., n.sp. (Sepulcidae Ghilarellinae), Eosyntexis catalonicus n.sp., Cretosyntexis montsecensis n.gen., n.sp. (Anaxyelidae Syntexinae), Montsecephialtites zherikhini n.gen., n.sp. (Ephialtitidae Ephialtitinae), Karataus hispanicus n.sp. (Ephialtitidae Symphytopterinae), Manlaya ansorge i n.sp. (Gasteruptiidae Baissinae), Andrenelia pennata n.gen., n.sp. (Andrenelidae n. fam.), Cretoserphus gomezi n.gen., n.sp. (Mesoserphidae), Montsecosphex jarzembow skii n.gen., n.sp., Angarosphex penyalveri n.sp., Pompilopterus (?) noguerensis n.sp. (Sphecidae Angarosphecinae), Cretoscolia conquensis n.sp. (Scoliidae Archaeoscoliinae). The Mesozoic family Ephialtitidae is revisited based on the restudy of the type-species. We compare these Spanish Cretaceous assemblages with other ones from various parts of the world: Central and Eastern Asia, England, Australia, and Brazil. The number of genera and families identified in the Spanish fossil-sites is almost the same as in the English Purbeck and Wealden. The absence of some hymenopteran groups as Xyelidae, is consistent with the warm climate know to exist in Spain during the Early Cretaceous. We conclude that both La Cabrúa and La Pedrera assemblages - the two sites that have yielded the greatest number of species- correspond to the Lower Cretaceous"Baissin type" (sensu Rasnitsyn et al., 1998), but including some Jurassic"survivors". La Pedrera assemblage fits equally well in the"angarosphecine subtype", while La Cabrúa roughly corresponds to the"proctotrupid" one, although shows a comparative ly high proportion of angarosphecins. This fact may suggest: a) possibly asynchrony between these two fossilsites, b) environmental differences not reflected in the lithological record, c) different taphonomic processes and/or, d) insufficient sample size - to reflect the reality of the source populations-. La Pedrera assemblage is very similar to those from Weald Clay (England), Bon Tsagan (Mongolia) and Santana (Brazil). La Cabrúa approaches to a some extent, though not quite agrees with the Purbeck (UK), Koonwarra (Australia), and most Lower Cretaceous Asian assemblages.

Domestic architecture and social differences in North-Eastern Iberia during the iron age (c.525-200 BC)

This paper is concerned with the organization of societies in north-eastern Iberia (present-day Catalonia) during the Iron Age, using data provided by domestic architecture and settlement organization. I offer an analysis of the social differences detected in the dwellings based on a sample of houses excavated at different types of settlement. Although many Iberian houses had simple layouts and small surface areas, some larger dwellings at the main sites are distinguished by the shape of their ground plans, their surface areas, architectural features, and central locations; these houses are believed to be the residences of the Iberian elite. Such dwellings are not found at all sites and the data suggest that there was a relationship between the category of the settlement (or its function) and the types of dwelling in it.

Ancient DNA analysis of 8000 B.C. near eastern farmers supports an early neolithic pioneer maritime colonization of Mainland Europe through Cyprus and the Aegean Islands

The genetic impact associated to the Neolithic spread in Europe has been widely debated over the last 20 years. Within this context, ancient DNA studies have provided a more reliable picture by directly analyzing the protagonist populations at different regions in Europe. However, the lack of available data from the original Near Eastern farmers has limited the achieved conclusions, preventing the formulation of continental models of Neolithic expansion. Here we address this issue by presenting mitochondrial DNA data of the original Near-Eastern Neolithic communities with the aim of providing the adequate background for the interpretation of Neolithic genetic data from European samples. Sixty-three skeletons from the Pre Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) sites of Tell Halula, Tell Ramad and Dja'de El Mughara dating between 8,700-6,600 cal. B.C. were analyzed, and 15 validated mitochondrial DNA profiles were recovered. In order to estimate the demographic contribution of the first farmers to both Central European and Western Mediterranean Neolithic cultures, haplotype and haplogroup diversities in the PPNB sample were compared using phylogeographic and population genetic analyses to available ancient DNA data from human remains belonging to the Linearbandkeramik-Alföldi Vonaldiszes Kerámia and Cardial/Epicardial cultures. We also searched for possible signatures of the original Neolithic expansion over the modern Near Eastern and South European genetic pools, and tried to infer possible routes of expansion by comparing the obtained results to a database of 60 modern populations from both regions. Comparisons performed among the 3 ancient datasets allowed us to identify K and N-derived mitochondrial DNA haplogroups as potential markers of the Neolithic expansion, whose genetic signature would have reached both the Iberian coasts and the Central European plain. Moreover, the observed genetic affinities between the PPNB samples and the modern populations of Cyprus and Crete seem to suggest that the Neolithic was first introduced into Europe through pioneer seafaring colonization.

The age of the"Grande Coupure" mammal turnover: New constraints from the Eocene Oligocene record of the Eastern Ebro Basin (NE Spain.)

The Grande Coupure represents a major terrestrial faunal turnover recorded in Eurasia associated with the overall climate shift at the Eocene-Oligocene transition. During this event, a large number of European Eocene endemic mammals became extinct and new Asian immigrants appeared. The absolute age of the Grande Coupure, however, has remained controversial for decades. The Late Eocene-Oligocene continental record of the Eastern Ebro Basin (NE Spain) constitutes a unique opportunity to build a robust magnetostratigraphy- based chronostratigraphy which can contribute with independent age constraints for this important turnover. This study presents new magnetostratigraphic data of a 495-m-thick section (Moià-Santpedor) that ranges from 36.1 Ma to 33.3 Ma. The integration of the new results with previous litho- bio- and magnetostratigraphic records of the Ebro Basin yields accurate ages for the immediately pre- and post-Grand Coupure mammal fossil assemblages found in the study area, bracketing the Grande Coupure to an age embracing the Eocene-Oligocene transition, with a maximum allowable lag of 0.5 Myr with respect to this boundary. The shift to drier conditions that accompanied the global cooling at the Eocene-Oligocene transition probably determined the sedimentary trends in the Eastern Ebro Basin. The occurrence and expansion of an amalgamated-channel sandstone unit is interpreted as the forced response of the fluvial fan system to the transient retraction of the central-basin lake systems. The new results from the Ebro Basin allow us to revisit correlations for the controversial Eocene-Oligocene record of the Hampshire Basin (Isle of Wight, UK), and their implications for the calibration of the Mammal Palaeogene reference levels MP18 to MP21.