Indicadores de la gestión del agua en los canales de Urgell (Lleida)

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de una serie de indicacores de la gestión del agua en área regada por los canales del Urgell (Lleida), en el ámbito de la cuenca del río Corb de 36350 ha. De la recopilación de 33 evaluaciones de riego al nivel de parcela se observa que en los suelos asentados sobre gravas se da una muy baja eficiencia de aplicación (EA), del 32% de media, mientras que en los suelos sobre lutitas es del 80% de media; pudiéndose dar como cifra promedio de la zona un 43%.

Rentabilidad económica del regadío de los canales de Urgell (Lleida, España)

En este trabajo se presentan resultados de indicadores de eficiencia productiva y económica en el uso del agua de riego en el área regable de los Canales de Urgell (Lleida). Se ha realizado un estudio de costes, ingresos, márgenes brutos y beneficios de los principales cultivos de la zona: trigo, maíz, alfalfa, manzana var. Golden, pera var. Conference y pera var. Blanquilla, todos ellos mediante riego por superficie. La recogida de datos proviene de la realización de entrevistas a 24 agricultores de la zona de estudio. Los resultados muestran que los frutales presentan mayores índices de eficiencia productiva, entre 1,9 y 6,6 kg/m3 de agua aplicada, respecto a los cultivos extensivos, que presentan un índice entre 0,7 y 1,8 kg/m3. En cuanto a los índices de eficiencia económica, también se han obtenido valores más elevados en el caso de los frutales, entre 0,4 y 1,7 €/m3, frente a 0,06 – 0,20 €/m3 en extensivos para el ratio Margen bruto / agua aplicada, y entre 0,3 y 1,3 €/m3 para el ratio Beneficio / agua aplicada en frutales, frente a 0,04 – 0,16 de los extensivos.

El Pla d'Urgell

De la diagnosi comarcal elaborada per al Departament de Política Territorial i Obres Públiques, l'article remarca els elements singulars que serveixen per a la lectura del territori de la comarca del Pla d'Urgell. Aquests elements incideixen en les dinàmiques en joc i haurien de servir per a un planejament més acurat de la comarca. L'article destaca, en particular, cinc lectures: 1r) el Pla d'Urgell com el palmell de la gran plana continental ponentina, amb totes les implicacions mediambientals que el fet comporta i la seva incidència en les infraestructures i altres activitats; 2n) el país per excel•lència dels canals d'Urgell, que determinen una economia de regadiu amb problemes d'adaptació; 3r) un territori determinat per la colonització en nuclis de població que actuen com a bressol de civilització i punt d'organització de l'entorn; 4t) una comarca històricament condicionada per la situació en el camí Ral de Madrid cap a Barcelona; 5è) el Pla d'Urgell com a entorn amb una forta cohesió urbana a l'entorn del nucli central i més dinàmic, Mollerussa, el qual alhora manté fortes sinergies amb la capital regional que és Lleida.

Centrality and investment strategies at the beginning of industrialisation in mid-nineteenth-century Catalonia

We apply social networks analysis to the study of an important database on investment and companies" share in the Catalonia (Spain) of the nineteenth century. In contrast with most of the existing related literature, usually addressing power relationships across administration boards, we focus on the structure of interactions among individual investors and firms. Centrality analysis uncovers interesting roles played by certain economic sectors (e.g. textile and financial). Furthermore, the diverse composition (in terms of economic activity) of communities in the network (subgroups more densely connected internally than with the rest of the network) reveals a high investment diversification, which nicely agrees with a known characteristic of traditional Catalan business strategies.

Notas floristicas, III

Isoetes Durieui Bory. La Selva : Santa Cristina d'Aro, hacia el Torrent de Plana Basarda, Isoelion (A. Bolos, O. Bolos, B r . - B L , F . Q., etc.) ; Sils, al S. de Sant Maurici, 100 m. alt., Isoelicm (leg. Batalla, O. Bolos et Lapraz).

Tobacco control policies in hospitals before and after the implementation of a national smoking ban in Catalonia, Spain

Background: Diverse projects and guidelines to assist hospitals towards the attainment of comprehensive smoke-free policies have been developed. In 2006, Spain government passed a new smoking ban that reinforce tobacco control policies and banned completely smoking in hospitals. This study assesses the progression of tobacco control policies in the Catalan Network of Smokefree Hospitals before and after a comprehensive national smoking ban. Methods: We used the Self-Audit Questionnaire of the European Network for Smoke-free Hospitals to score the compliance of 9 policy standards (global score = 102). We used two crosssectional surveys to evaluate tobacco control policies before (2005) and after the implementation of a national smoking ban (2007) in 32 hospitals of Catalonia, Spain. We compared the means of the overall score in 2005 and 2007 according to the type of hospital, the number of beds, the prevalence of tobacco consumption, and the number of years as a smoke-free hospital. Results: The mean of the implementation score of tobacco control policies was 52.4 (95% CI:45.4-59.5) in 2005 and 71.6 (95% CI: 67.0-76.2) in 2007 with an increase of 36.7% (p < 0.01). The hospitals with greater improvement were general hospitals (48% increase; p < 0.01), hospitals with > 300 beds (41.1% increase; p < 0.01), hospitals with employees' tobacco consumption prevalence 35-39% (72.2% increase; p < 0.05) and hospitals that had recently implemented smoke-free policies (74.2% increase; p < 0.01). Conclusion: The national smoking ban appears to increase tobacco control activities in hospitals combined with other non-bylaw initiatives such as the Smoke-free Hospital Network.

Tobacco control policies in hospitals before and after the implementation of a national smoking ban in Catalonia, Spain

Background: Diverse projects and guidelines to assist hospitals towards the attainment of comprehensive smoke-free policies have been developed. In 2006, Spain government passed a new smoking ban that reinforce tobacco control policies and banned completely smoking in hospitals. This study assesses the progression of tobacco control policies in the Catalan Network of Smokefree Hospitals before and after a comprehensive national smoking ban. Methods: We used the Self-Audit Questionnaire of the European Network for Smoke-free Hospitals to score the compliance of 9 policy standards (global score = 102). We used two crosssectional surveys to evaluate tobacco control policies before (2005) and after the implementation of a national smoking ban (2007) in 32 hospitals of Catalonia, Spain. We compared the means of the overall score in 2005 and 2007 according to the type of hospital, the number of beds, the prevalence of tobacco consumption, and the number of years as a smoke-free hospital. Results: The mean of the implementation score of tobacco control policies was 52.4 (95% CI:45.4-59.5) in 2005 and 71.6 (95% CI: 67.0-76.2) in 2007 with an increase of 36.7% (p < 0.01). The hospitals with greater improvement were general hospitals (48% increase; p < 0.01), hospitals with > 300 beds (41.1% increase; p < 0.01), hospitals with employees' tobacco consumption prevalence 35-39% (72.2% increase; p < 0.05) and hospitals that had recently implemented smoke-free policies (74.2% increase; p < 0.01). Conclusion: The national smoking ban appears to increase tobacco control activities in hospitals combined with other non-bylaw initiatives such as the Smoke-free Hospital Network.

Characteristics of 2D convective structures in Catalonia (NE Spain): an analysis using radar data and GIS

Flood simulation studies use spatial-temporal rainfall data input into distributed hydrological models. A correct description of rainfall in space and in time contributes to improvements on hydrological modelling and design. This work is focused on the analysis of 2-D convective structures (rain cells), whose contribution is especially significant in most flood events. The objective of this paper is to provide statistical descriptors and distribution functions for convective structure characteristics of precipitation systems producing floods in Catalonia (NE Spain). To achieve this purpose heavy rainfall events recorded between 1996 and 2000 have been analysed. By means of weather radar, and applying 2-D radar algorithms a distinction between convective and stratiform precipitation is made. These data are introduced and analyzed with a GIS. In a first step different groups of connected pixels with convective precipitation are identified. Only convective structures with an area greater than 32 km2 are selected. Then, geometric characteristics (area, perimeter, orientation and dimensions of the ellipse), and rainfall statistics (maximum, mean, minimum, range, standard deviation, and sum) of these structures are obtained and stored in a database. Finally, descriptive statistics for selected characteristics are calculated and statistical distributions are fitted to the observed frequency distributions. Statistical analyses reveal that the Generalized Pareto distribution for the area and the Generalized Extreme Value distribution for the perimeter, dimensions, orientation and mean areal precipitation are the statistical distributions that best fit the observed ones of these parameters. The statistical descriptors and the probability distribution functions obtained are of direct use as an input in spatial rainfall generators.

Plant diversity across five vegetation belts in the Pyrenees (Catalonia, Spain)

In this paper we analyze the size and habitat partitioning of the vascular floras of five areas of the NE Iberian Peninsula, representing five distinct vegetation belts and three floristic regions: Mediterranean (basal belt), medio-European (submontane and montane belts) and Boreo-Alpine (subalpine and alpine belts). Each area covered over 1000 ha, and was fairly uniform in terms of potential vegetation, bedrock and bioclimate. They excluded large villages and field areas, the landscape being mainly natural or moderately anthropized.

Prestaciones en beneficio de la comunidad y realización de tareas socioeducativas en justicia juvenil

Los jóvenes a los que se les ha impuesto una medida de realización de tareas socioeducativas (RTS) o de prestaciones en beneficio de la comunidad (PBC) presentan un alto fracaso escolar, mayoritariamente con bajo rendimiento y abandono de los estudios en la mitad de los casos. Uno de cada tres jóvenes proviene de una familia con algún tipo de problemática específica o una economía insuficiente. Los resultados indican, sin embargo, que los jóvenes que realizan tareas socioeducativas suelen acumular más problemáticas que a los que se les ha impuesto una PBC, ya sea a nivel personal, familiar o social. En cuanto el perfil penal y criminológico, el 63% de los chicos y chicas de estas dos medidas tiene antecedentes. La tasa de reincidencia de la RTS es del 31,1% y la de PBC del 25,2%. Algunos de los factores que los jóvenes reincidentes muestran en mayor proporción son tener un grupo de iguales disocial, estar en contacto con los servicios sociales o tener antecedentes. Los reincidentes de RTS también presentan mayor proporción de consumo de tóxicos, problemas de salud mental, fracaso escolar y una ocupación del tiempo desestructurada y con conductas de riesgo. Comparando estos resultados con estudios respecto a otros programas y medidas de Justicia juvenil podemos concluir que la tasa de reincidencia global en Cataluña es del 28,9% y la específica de Medio abierto es del 27,8%.

Estudi de la producció i de la qualitat farratgera de les pastures de la finca dels Cingles de l'Avenc (Tavertet). 2011

A Catalunya, la protecció i gestió de zones d’especial interès natural ha estat majoritàriament realitzada pel conjunt de les administracions públiques. Tot i així, en els últims anys han sorgit un conjunt d’iniciatives privades que a través d’acords de custòdia han passat a tenir un paper actiu en la protecció i gestió d’algunes finques amb un alt valor natural. És el cas de la finca els Cingles de l’Avenc, on s’ha dut a terme aquest treball, en la qual es pretén desenvolupar una activitat ramadera compatible amb la conservació dels valors naturals de la finca. L’objectiu principal d’aquest treball és conèixer la producció i qualitat farratgera dels diferents tipus de pastures que hi ha a la finca, i establir la càrrega ramadera que poden admetre. Aquest estudi ha tingut una durada de 3 anys i en aquest treball es presenten els resultats del 2011 i es fa l’anàlisi dels resultats dels 3 anys (2009, 2010, i 2011). L’estudi s’ha portat a terme en els 4 tipus principals de pastures que hi ha a la finca: joncedes, pastures mesòfiles, prats de dall i pastures sembrades. S’han utilitzat 11 parcel·les permanents excloses de la pastura, establertes l’any 2009, que inclouen la diversitat de tipus i zones de pastura. S’ha realitzat un mostreig de la biomassa mensual, d’abril a novembre, que ha consistit en dallar 4 quadrats de 50 x 50 cm, i s’ha calculat la producció anual. S’ha determinat la qualitat farratgera de l’herba de 4 moments de l’any: maig, juny, juliol i octubre. Després dels tres anys d’estudi hem obtingut que les pastures sembrades i els prats de dall són els més productius (1.067 g/m2.any i 1.005 g/m2.any, respectivament). La producció de les pastures mesòfiles i de les joncedes són més baixes (554 g/m2.any i 291 g/m2.any, respectivament). La qualitat farratgera de les pastures és bona a totes les comunitats, amb valors mitjans de proteïna digerible de 6,63%, de fibra bruta de 29,13%, de lignina de 7,29% i de 0,69 (ENL/1,700) unitats farratgeres. La producció anual global obtinguda a la finca durant aquests tres anys permet suportar una càrrega ramadera admissible d’unes 208 UBG (Unitats de Bestiar Gros. 1 U.B.G equival a 1 vaca a partir de 2 anys).

Haciendo visible lo invisible : Peralada, un estudio de caso

Las diferencias entre municipios rurales y urbanos definen escenarios diferentes donde las personas mayores se enfrentan a necesidades también diferentes. En general, la falta de estudios sobre el envejecimiento entendido como un reto y que, además, asuman la variabilidad del proceso, pone al descubierto la necesidad particular de investigaciones que busquen comprender cómo viven los mayores en entornos como el rural. Este artículo describe nuestra experiencia investigadora en un municipio de la Comarca del Alt Empordà, Cataluña, España. El objetivo principal era entender a las personas mayores establecidas en entornos rurales a través de las situaciones de su vida cotidiana, identificar sus necesidades, contribuir a su autonomía funcional y elaborar propuestas de intervención. La muestra la formaron las 223 personas mayores residentes en el municipio de Peralada y Vilanova de la Muga. Los datos se recogieron utilizando los cuestionarios de Barber, Pfeifer y Barthel, y se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad. Los resultados proporcionan cinco claves relevantes al plantear intervenciones en el contexto rural. Básicamente, la intervención profesional en este ámbito debe ir orientada a mantener y fortalecer las redes de apoyo naturales funcionales en el territorio

Programa integral de atención a las personas mayores en una zona rural

We describe a community intervention program performed in three rural villages in the Alt Empordà region (Girona province). The study provides data on the services available to the elderly in a specific context, based on an initiative proposed by the villages, the local councils, and the elderly themselves. The program is a research-action plan which applies the participative and qualitative methodology characteristic of strategic planning. The study analyses how the initiative arose, the description of the process, and the different parts of the intervention program

Prevalence of smoking among dentists in Catalonia - Spain (2006). Literature review of smoking cessation practices in the dental office

Objective: The objective of this study was to collect data on the prevalence of smokers among Catalonian dentists (by age and sex) and compare them with existing data on the general population, doctors, registered nurses and pharmacists. The overall prevalence of smokers in Catalonia (2006) was 34.5% of men and 24.3% of women. Data available on the prevalence of smoking among doctors (26.3% men and 22.1% women), pharmacists (19.8% men and 20.6% women) and registered nurses (34.1% men and 35.3% women) relates to the year 2002. Study design: In September 2006, Catalonian dentists (n=3,799) were asked about their habits in relation to tobacco in a self-administered questionnaire, on use and opinions with respect to dental amalgam. Five hundred and seventynine questionnaires were received, of which 538 answered the question on smoking (14.2% of the sample universe). Results: The prevalence of smokers among dentists is lower (24.9% of men and 18.4% of women) than in the general population and other healthcare professionals. In dentists in the age group between 25 and 34 years, the prevalence was 26.1% in men and 14.9% in women, while the prevalence in this age group in the general population was 43.6% and 37.1%, respectively. Conclusion: Catalonian dentists have a much lower prevalence of tobacco use than the general population and lower even than other healthcare professionals. Given that non-smoking healthcare professionals have better awareness for providing recommendations for smoking prevention and cessation, Catalonian dentists may be a valid group for performing this task for which there is scientific evidence.

Epibiotic bryozoans on deep-water seleractinian corals from the Catalonia slope (western Mediterranean, Spain, France)

The bryozoan fauna growing on deep-water corals (Lophelia, Madrepora) from the upper-slope of Catalonia (Blanes and Banyuls-sur-mer: NW Mediterranean Sea) was studied. Among the 36 species recorded, a new species, Escharella acuta sp. nov., and a new subspecies, Escharina dutertrei protecta ssp. nov., are described; five other species have been rarely reported or were unknown from the Mediterranean Sea (Copidozoum exiguum, Amphiblestrum flemingii, Schizomavella neptuni, Smittina crystallina, Phylactellipora eximia) . This epibiotic bryozoan fauna differs clearly from shallow-water assemblages and comprises a greater proportion of boreo-atlantic species.