"Et hoc facimus propter necessitatem famis...". Possibilitats de les fonts documentals catalanes per a l'estudi de les crisis alimentàries dels segles X-XIII

European studies of famines before the thirteenth century have been based principally on chronicles and especially on information from monastic annals. These sources, which are especially numerous during the so-called Carolingian Cultural Renaissance, offer abundant evidence of a phenomenon scarcely mentioned in other types of sources, including archival sources: the frequency and gravity of crises of food supply in some regions of continental Europe during the central middle ages, an epoch which, being situated between the terrible famines of the carolingian period and the great panademics of the fourteenth century, has been considered a period “without famines.” The object of this article is to shed light on the limitations of medieval catalan chronicle sources for the reconstruction of food-supply crises which affected the catalan counties in the tenth through the thirteenth centuries and illustrate, in contrast, the multiple opportunities offered by sources from the lordly archives. A significant part of these archival sources are connected in a direct and indirect manner to the difficulties of the rural and urban populations during famines and therefore, in a broad sense, can be considered a consequence of these crises.

De la guerra de l'Empordà (1128) a la mortaldat de 1131: gènesi, extensió i extinció d'una fam. Per a una història de les crisis alimentàries a la Catalunya medieval

In the history of food shortages and subsistence crises which affected the Catalan counties during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the famine of 1129-1131 deserves special mention. Originating in the war of 1128 involving the Empordà and neighboring counties, this famine affected the city of Barcelona and other points of Catalonia (Winter, 1131) and created conditions for the spread of a deadly epidemic (July 1130 -January 1132).

Los cambios recientes en la evolución demográfica de las áreas rurales catalanas: de la crisis al crecimiento

El estudio de las cifras que reflejan la evolución de la población y de los distintos componentes demográficos que están detrás de la misma, de cada municipio y comarca catalana en el período comprendido entre los años 1975-1996, -especialmente entre los años 1991 y 1996-, ha puesto de manifiesto que se está produciendo un cambio notable en la realidad sociodemográfica en los espacios rurales. Es un proceso que ya había sido detectado hace unos años en otros países industrializados, y cuyos factores explicativos pueden agruparse en tres ámbitos: en primer lugar, se desarrolla una transformación de las estructuras económicas de esos espacios rurales; en segundo lugar, cambia la función de dichas áreas con respecto al conjunto de la formación social catalana -cobrando un papel clave las funciones residenciales y de ocio-; y, finalmente, en tercero -en buena medida como consecuencia de los dos anteriores-, se modifican las relaciones entre las áreas urbanas y las áreas rurales, difuminándose definitivamente las barreras o fronteras entre ambas.

Role of rhinovirus load in the upper respiratory tract and severity of symptoms in lung transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus is the most common cause of respiratory viral infections and leads to frequent respiratory symptoms in lung transplant recipients. However, it remains unknown whether the rhinovirus load correlates with the severity of symptoms. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to better characterize the pathogenesis of rhinoviral infection and the way in which viral load correlates with symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: We assessed rhinovirus load in positive upper respiratory specimens of patients enrolled prospectively in a cohort of 116 lung transplant recipients. Rhinovirus load was quantified according to a validated in-house, real-time, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in pooled nasopharyngeal and pharyngeal swabs. Symptoms were recorded in a standardised case report form completed at each screening/routine follow-up visit, or during any emergency visit occurring during the 3-year study. RESULTS: Rhinovirus infections were very frequent, including in asymptomatic patients not seeking a specific medical consultation. Rhinovirus load ranged between 4.1 and 8.3 log copies/ml according to the type of visit and clinical presentation. Patients with highest symptom scores tended to have higher viral loads, particularly those presenting systemic symptoms. When considering symptoms individually, rhinovirus load was significantly higher in the presence of symptoms such as sore throat, fever, sputum production, cough, and fatigue. There was no association between tacrolimus levels and rhinovirus load. CONCLUSIONS: Rhinovirus infections are very frequent in lung transplant recipients and rhinoviral load in the upper respiratory tract is relatively high even in asymptomatic patients. Patients with the highest symptom scores tend to have a higher rhinovirus load.

Situación de la empresa familiar respecto a la no familiar en el sector turístico de la provincia de Lleida en un contexto de crisis

Lo que se pretende con este trabajo es localizar, presentar, y analizar, las diferencias entre empresas familiares y no familiares, tanto en lo que se refiere a su implantació, características, y funcionamiento, en el sector turístico de la provincia de Lleida. Con esta finalidad se ha analizado un muestra de 234 empresas del sector, su menor dimensión en relación a la empresa no familiar, o los distintos objetivos que una y otra empresa persiguen.

Impacte de la fisioteràpia respiratòria en la prevenció de noves crisis en pacients pediàtrics amb asma.

Introducció: La contaminació ambiental, l’estrès de vida que és porta actualment i l’abús de fàrmacs són motius pels quals patologies respiratòries com l’asma estiguin en augment. Una de les conseqüències més rellevants en els nens amb asma es l’absentisme escolar i la disminució de qualitat de vida. Característiques importants de la fisioteràpia respiratòria són prevenir i disminuir aquestes conseqüències. Objectiu: Conèixer si hi ha una disminució, al mateix temps que una prevenció del nombre de crisis respiratòries, ocasionades per l’asma, en nens de 6 a 10 anys en les escoles de la comarca del Segrià, concretament Lleida, gràcies a la fisioteràpia respiratòria. Material i mètodes: és tracta d’una investigació experimental, concretament un assaig clínic controlat i aleatori, realitzat a un grup de nens amb asma, amb edats compreses entre 6 i 10 anys. És separen en grup d’estudi i grup control, anomenat grup A i grup B, on l’observador no sabrà quin tractament es fa a cada grup. Els dos grups estan sotmesos a una educació sanitària sobre la patologia i control de constants i el grup d’estudi, anomenat B, a més a més un tractament de fisioteràpia respiratòria. El rol principal dels metges i dels fisioterapeutes serà el realitzar un tractament a cada grup, i el dels becaris recollir les dades i revisar que l’observador les passi a la base de dades de forma correcta. Conclusions: és vol aconseguir una millora significativa de la qualitat de vida i del volum respiratori ,en els dos grups, juntament amb una disminució de les crisis asmàtiques en el grup d’estudi.

Simultaneous use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis in relation to severity of substance dependence: a study among young Swiss men

Objective: This study investigated patterns of the simultaneous use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among young polydrug users, and whether use of one substance might be a cue for use of another and associations with the severity of substance dependence. Methods: The study focused on 3 subsamples from the ongoing Swiss Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF, N=5,990). It used 12 months of data on alcohol/tobacco co-users, alcohol/cannabis co-users and tobacco/cannabis co-users (N=2,660, 1,755 and 1,460 respectively. Simultaneous use, numbers of symptoms of substance dependence, and hazardous use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis were assessed. The effect of simultaneous polydrug use (SPU) on the numbers of symptoms of substance dependence was tested using analysis of variance. Results: Polydrug use was most common as SPU, and less common as non/occasional SPU. Moreover, when participants started to use one substance while using another, the severity of substance dependence was more strongly associated with the triggered substance than with cue. Conclusions: This study highlights the necessity to take SPU into account. First, SPU rather than separate drug use was the most common pattern for polydrug users. Second, frequent SPU was associated with increased numbers of symptoms of substance dependence compared to non/occasional SPU. Furthermore, SPU may reveal the severity of substance use dependence, when substance use is triggered by a cue substance. For these reasons, SPU should be a serious cause for concern for prevention and intervention purposes.

Juventud, políticas públicas y crisis en España: ¿Triángulo mágico o triángulo de las Bermudas?

In times of crisis, the youth policies are experiencing enormous cutbacks and transformations to the point that we are wondering whether they really exist as public policies with their own entity. The situation in which many young people find themselves in Spain leads them to wonder where the traditional protection networks are: The family, the NGO’s or the Welfare State, when they are really needed. Our objective in this article is to show and discuss the situation of the youth policies in Spain in the present context of social austerity and drastic cutbacks. We carry out this analysis from the parameters of the magical triangle that unite policies, research and social work with young people

Responses to a crisis: FASA-Renault in Spain during the 1970s

[cat] Aquest treball analitza la trajectòria de l’empresa FASA-Renault durant la dècada dels setanta del segle XX. Aquest període compren els primers anys de la crisis experimentada per l’economia i la industria espanyola entre 1974 y 1985. A nivell extern, l’economia espanyola es va veure afectada per dos xocs en el preu del petroli. A nivell intern, la industria de l’automòbil es va veure afectat per un decret governamental: es tractava de l’anomenat decret “Ford”, aprovat l’any 1972, el qual facilitava l’establiment de Ford a Espanya. Aquest decret va tenir greus conseqüències per a SEAT, el principal productor espanyol. Entre 1972 y 1980 la producció de SEAT es va reduir en una tercera part i la seva situació financera va esdevenir insostenible. Per contra, en aquest període FASA-Renault va esdevenir el principal productor ubicat a Espanya (la seva producció es va multiplicar per 3,5 durant els anys setanta) i en líder de ventes en el mercat espanyol (la seva penetració es va incrementar del 23 al 36%). El principal objectiu del treball es analitzar els factor que expliquen l’èxit de FASARenault durant els anys setanta.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity and Overnight Body Fluid Shift before and after Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with significantly increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Fluid overload may promote obstructive sleep apnea in patients with ESRD through an overnight fluid shift from the legs to the neck soft tissues. Body fluid shift and severity of obstructive sleep apnea before and after hemodialysis were compared in patients with ESRD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Seventeen patients with hemodialysis and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea were included. Polysomnographies were performed the night before and after hemodialysis to assess obstructive sleep apnea, and bioimpedance was used to measure fluid overload and leg fluid volume. RESULTS: The mean overnight rostral fluid shift was 1.27±0.41 L prehemodialysis; it correlated positively with fluid overload volume (r=0.39; P=0.02) and was significantly lower posthemodialysis (0.78±0.38 L; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the mean obstructive apnea-hypopnea index before and after hemodialysis (46.8±22.0 versus 42.1±18.6 per hour; P=0.21), but obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was significantly lower posthemodialysis (-10.1±10.8 per hour) in the group of 12 patients, with a concomitant reduction of fluid overload compared with participants without change in fluid overload (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index +8.2±16.1 per hour; P<0.01). A lower fluid overload after hemodialysis was significantly correlated (r=0.49; P=0.04) with a lower obstructive apnea-hypopnea index. Fluid overload-assessed by bioimpedance-was the best predictor of the change in obstructive apnea-hypopnea index observed after hemodialysis (standardized r=-0.68; P=0.01) in multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Fluid overload influences overnight rostral fluid shift and obstructive sleep apnea severity in patients with ESRD undergoing intermittent hemodialysis. Although no benefit of hemodialysis on obstructive sleep apnea severity was observed in the whole group, the change in obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was significantly correlated with the change in fluid overload after hemodialysis. Moreover, the subgroup with lower fluid overload posthemodialysis showed a significantly lower obstructive sleep apnea severity, which provides a strong incentive to further study whether optimizing fluid status in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and ESRD will improve the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index.

Responses to a crisis: FASA-Renault in Spain during the 1970s

[cat] Aquest treball analitza la trajectòria de l’empresa FASA-Renault durant la dècada dels setanta del segle XX. Aquest període compren els primers anys de la crisis experimentada per l’economia i la industria espanyola entre 1974 y 1985. A nivell extern, l’economia espanyola es va veure afectada per dos xocs en el preu del petroli. A nivell intern, la industria de l’automòbil es va veure afectat per un decret governamental: es tractava de l’anomenat decret “Ford”, aprovat l’any 1972, el qual facilitava l’establiment de Ford a Espanya. Aquest decret va tenir greus conseqüències per a SEAT, el principal productor espanyol. Entre 1972 y 1980 la producció de SEAT es va reduir en una tercera part i la seva situació financera va esdevenir insostenible. Per contra, en aquest període FASA-Renault va esdevenir el principal productor ubicat a Espanya (la seva producció es va multiplicar per 3,5 durant els anys setanta) i en líder de ventes en el mercat espanyol (la seva penetració es va incrementar del 23 al 36%). El principal objectiu del treball es analitzar els factor que expliquen l’èxit de FASARenault durant els anys setanta.

EMU sovereign debt market crisis: Fundamentals-based or pure contagion?

We empirically investigate whether the transmission of the recent crisis in euro area sovereign debt markets was due to fundamentals-based or pure contagion. To do so, we examine the behaviour of EMU sovereign bond yield spreads with respect to the German bund for a sample of both central and peripheral countries from January 1999 to December 2012. First we apply a dynamic approach to analyse the evolution of the degree of Grangercausality within the 90 pairs of sovereign bond yield spreads in our sample, in order to detect episodes of significantly increased causality between them (which we associate with contagion) and episodes of significantly reduced interconnection (which we associate with immunisation). We then use an ordered logit model to assess the determinants of the occurrence of the episodes detected. Our results suggest the importance of variables proxying market sentiment and of variables proxying macrofundamentals in determining contagion and immunisation outcomes. Therefore, our findings underline the coexistence of “pure” and “fundamentals-based contagion” during the recent European debt crisis.

EMU sovereign debt market crisis: Fundamentals-based or pure contagion?

We empirically investigate whether the transmission of the recent crisis in euro area sovereign debt markets was due to fundamentals-based or pure contagion. To do so, we examine the behaviour of EMU sovereign bond yield spreads with respect to the German bund for a sample of both central and peripheral countries from January 1999 to December 2012. First we apply a dynamic approach to analyse the evolution of the degree of Grangercausality within the 90 pairs of sovereign bond yield spreads in our sample, in order to detect episodes of significantly increased causality between them (which we associate with contagion) and episodes of significantly reduced interconnection (which we associate with immunisation). We then use an ordered logit model to assess the determinants of the occurrence of the episodes detected. Our results suggest the importance of variables proxying market sentiment and of variables proxying macrofundamentals in determining contagion and immunisation outcomes. Therefore, our findings underline the coexistence of “pure” and “fundamentals-based contagion” during the recent European debt crisis.