Els cócs : Una senya d'identitat a la Terra Alta

He organitzat aquest escrit de la manera següent: començo amb una visió general de l'entorn social i econòmic de la comarca, faig esment de breus aspectes lingüístics dels mots, continuo amb un breu repàs de la literatura culinària, principalment a Catalunya, i amb una breu visió històrica, continuo amb el món del pa i de la pastisseria i acabo amb la visió més lúdica dels cócs: el moment de consumir-los. Finalment entro en l'exposició de les receptes més genuïnes dels cócs terraltins, mirant que quedi tot ben clar, gràcies a la informació desinteressada de les persones a qui he consultat, i les comparo amb altres de semblants que trobem en antics manuscrits medievals. Per acabar, mostro quines conclusions podem extreure sobre els cócs i els dolços de la Terra Alta, vinculades bàsicament amb el seu origen i la seva continuïtat fins als nostres dies.

A comparison of the dental status and treatment needs of older adults with and without chronic mental illness in Sevilla, Spain

Objectives: To study the dental status and treatment needs of institutionalized older adults with chronic mental illness compared to a non-psychiatric control sample. Study Design: The sample size was 100, in which 50 were psychogeriatric patients (study group; SG) classified according to DSM-IV, with a mean age of 69.6 ± 6.7 years, and 50 non-psychiatric patients (control group; CG), with a mean age of 68.3 ± 6.9 years. Clinical oral health examinations were conducted and caries were recorded clinically using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth Index (DMFT). Results were analyzed statistically using the Student"s t-test or analysis of variance. Results: Caries prevalence was 58% and 62% in SG and CG, respectively. DMFT index was 28.3 ± 6.6 in SG and 21.4 ± 6.07 in CG (p < 0.01). Mean number of decayed teeth was higher in SG (3.1) compared to CG (1.8) (p=0.047). Mean number of missing teeth were 25.2 and 16.4 in SG and CG respectively (p<0.05). DMFT scores were higher in SG in all the age groups (p < 0.01). Mean number of teeth per person needing treatment was 3.4 in SG and 1.9 in CG (p= 0.037). The need for restorative dental care was significantly lower in the SG (0.8 teeth per person) than in the CG (1.7 teeth per person) (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Institutionalized psychiatric patients have significantly worse dental status and more dental treatment needs than non-psychiatric patients.

Roma al tempo di Caravaggio.1600-1630

Quan l’any 1602 el pintor i tractadista Federico Zuccari publicà L’Ideade’pittori, scultori et architetti, Caravaggio ja havia radicalitzat el seu llenguatge versun fort naturalisme, al qual afegia un tractament de forts contrastos lumínics patent enl’obra, dos anys més tardana, que inaugura la mostra: La verge de Loreto, tambéconeguda com la Verge del peregrins. Davant el procés creatiu de Zuccari basat en laIdea, es a dir el disegno interno de bellesa, Caravaggio pren la realitat com a modeltrencant així amb el manierisme reformat que, a la Roma papal, te la seva plasmació al’Oratori dels Gonfalone on el citat tractadista hi va participar. D’altra banda la novamanera caravaggesca es contraria a la proposada per Annibale Carracci al programa dela Galeria Farnese i, alhora, per la defensada per tota la tractadística italiana del segleXVII, des de Giovanni Battista Agucchi, en el seu Tractat de la pintura(1607-1615),fins a Giovan Pietro Bellori en el seu discurs L’Idea del pittore, dello scultore edell’architetto, scelta dalle bellezze naturali superiore alla natura que seguint els vellsprincipis de la Poètica defensen que l’obra d’art ha de tenir versemblança, ha d’imitar els millors i pot corregir la realitat. No es estrany, doncs, que Agucchi posi comexemple a seguir l’art d’Annibale Carracci i que compari a Caravaggio amb l’escultorgrec Demetri, que va seguir tant al peu de la lletra la semblança que no va tenirconsideració per la bellesa.

Differential effects of two virtual reality interventions: distraction versus pain control

There is evidence that virtual reality (VR) pain distraction is effective at improving pain-related outcomes. However, more research is needed to investigate VR environments with other pain-related goals. The main aim of this study was to compare the differential effects of two VR environments on a set of pain-related and cognitive variables during a cold pressor experiment. One of these environments aimed to distract attention away from pain (VRD), whereas the other was designed to enhance pain control (VRC). Participants were 77 psychology students, who were randomly assigned to one of the following three conditions during the cold pressor experiment: (a) VRD, (b) VRC, or (c) Non-VR (control condition). Data were collected regarding both pain-related variables (intensity, tolerance, threshold, time perception, and pain sensitivity range) and cognitive variables (self-efficacy and catastrophizing). Results showed that in comparison with the control condition, the VRC intervention significantly increased pain tolerance, the pain sensitivity range, and the degree of time underestimation. It also increased self-efficacy in tolerating pain and led to a reduction in reported helplessness. The VRD intervention significantly increased the pain threshold and pain tolerance in comparison with the control condition, but it did not affect any of the cognitive variables. Overall, the intervention designed to enhance control seems to have a greater effect on the cognitive variables assessed. Although these results need to be replicated in further studies, the findings suggest that the VRC intervention has considerable potential in terms of increasing self-efficacy and modifying the negative thoughts that commonly accompany pain problems.