Multi-sided Böhm-Bawerk assignment markets: the nucleolus and the core-center

En aquest treball mostrem que, a diferència del cas bilateral, per als mercats multilaterals d'assignació coneguts amb el nom de Böhm-Bawerk assignment games, el nucleolus i el core-center, i. e. el centre de masses del core, no coincideixen en general. Per demostrar-ho provem que donant un m-sided Böhm-Bawerk assignment game les dues solucions anteriors poden obtenir-se respectivament del nucleolus i el core-center d'un joc convex definit en el conjunt format pels m sectors. Encara més, provem que per calcular el nucleolus d'aquest últim joc només les coalicions formades per un jugador o m-1 jugadors són importants. Aquests resultats simplifiquen el càlcul del nucleolus d'un multi-sided ¿¿ohm-Bawerk assignment market amb un número molt elevat d'agents.

Chagas Disease among the Latin American Adult population attending in a primary care center in Barcelona, Spain

Background/Aims: The epidemiology of Chagas disease, until recently confined to areas of continental Latin America, has undergone considerable changes in recent decades due to migration to other parts of the world, including Spain. We studied the prevalence of Chagas disease in Latin American patients treated at a health center in Barcelona and evaluated its clinical phase. We make some recommendations for screening for the disease. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed an observational, cross-sectional prevalence study by means of an immunochromatographic test screening of all continental Latin American patients over the age of 14 years visiting the health centre from October 2007 to October 2009. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological methods: conventional in-house ELISA (cELISA), a commercial kit (rELISA) and ELISA using T cruzi lysate (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics) (oELISA). Of 766 patients studied, 22 were diagnosed with T. cruzi infection, showing a prevalence of 2.87% (95% CI, 1.6-4.12%). Of the infected patients, 45.45% men and 54.55% women, 21 were from Bolivia, showing a prevalence in the Bolivian subgroup (n = 127) of 16.53% (95% CI, 9.6-23.39%). All the infected patients were in a chronic phase of Chagas disease: 81% with the indeterminate form, 9.5% with the cardiac form and 9.5% with the cardiodigestive form. All patients infected with T. cruzi had heard of Chagas disease in their country of origin, 82% knew someone affected, and 77% had a significant history of living in adobe houses in rural areas. Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of T. cruzi infection in immigrants from Bolivia. Detection of T. cruzi¿infected persons by screening programs in non-endemic countries would control non-vectorial transmission and would benefit the persons affected, public health and national health systems.

A Neanderthal Lower Incisor from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain)

Cova del Gegant is located near the city of Sitges (Barcelona, Spain). The cave is a small karst system which contains Upper Pleistocene archaeological and paleontological material (DauRa et al., 2005). The site was first excavated in 1954 and then in 1972 and 1974- (Viñas, 1972; Viñas & Villalta, 1975) and in 1985 and 1989 (maRtínez et al., 1985; moRa, 1988; maRtínez et al., 1990). Finally, in 2007, Grup de Recerca del Quaternari has restarted the archaeological research at Cova del Gegant (DauRa, 2008; DauRa et al., 2010). A human mandible was recovered during the first field season in 1954 and was recently published by DauRa et al. (2005). In the present study, we describe a new human tooth (left I2) that appeared, like the mandible, in a revision of the faunal material recovered from the site in 1974-1975. The specimen preserves the entire crown and the cervical two thirds of the root (Figure 1). The lack of the root apex makes it difficult to determine if the tooth was fully developed at the time of death. However, CT analysis reveals a pulp cavity that could be still open, suggesting root formation was incomplete. The specimen shows only slight dental wear corresponding to stage 2 of Molnar (1971 en Hillson, 1996). Morphologically, the crown shows slight shovelling and a lingual tubercle and appears similar to Neandertal incisors. Standard crown measurements (buccolingual diameter=7.7 mm; mesiodistal diameter= 7.3 mm) (Figure 2) suggest a fairly large tooth, particularly in the BL dimension, again resembling Neandertals in this regard. Discriminant analysis classified the Gegant incisor as Neandertal with a 99.8% posterior probability (Table 2). Association of this tooth with the previously described mandible is considered unlikely given the different ages at death estimated for each. Thus, there appear to be two individuals preserved in the sediments of the Gegant cave, one adult and one subadult (around 8-10 years old).

The real estate markets : Players, institutions and territories

Revealing the parties, the processes and the institutions and, consequently, both the diversity and contingency of the real estate markets, the existing increasing literature emphasises the contemporary numerous links and interdependencies between real estate, land value, planning and town planning policy and even the financial system. This paper is an attempt to understand all the real estate markets, from the most peripheral ones, where the urban rent is the lowest, to the most dense city centres. To gain a better understanding of the real estate market, a process of firstly deconstruction and then reconstruction is used. The process of deconstruction involves identifying various market trends according to property type (principally residential buildings), players and institutions, territorial situations and temporalities based on research conducted in Switzerland. We then developed a meta-synthesis inspired by Fernand Braudel whose works put as much emphasis on day-to-day economic activity as on long-term activity, and on local as well as global issues.

Conservation and management of the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) in Europe: past, present and future.

En el presente estudio hacemos una revisión del estado de conservación y las tendencias poblacionales de la codorniz común (Coturnix coturnix) desde 1900 hasta nuestros días. Algunos de los datos de los que disponemos son contradictorios con respecto al estado de la especie, que presenta ciertas características que dificultan el poder proporcionar estimas poblacionales fiables. Datos recientes sugieren claramente, tanto a escala local como a escala transnacional, que las poblaciones atlánticas de codorniz común han permanecido estables en las dos últimas décadas y que la práctica de liberar codornices criadas en granjas (híbridas con la codorniz japonesa, Coturnix japonica) con finalidades cinegéticas, no afectan significativamente a nuestras estimas. Por otra parte, los complejos patrones de desplazamiento de esta especie requieren especial atención. En este sentido, el análisis de recuperaciones de anillas puede aportar información relevante, especialmente de los movimientos nomádicos de codornices a la búsqueda de hábitats adecuados, tras la destrucción de los cultivos invernales de cereales debido a la siega. Así, al desarrollar un modelo de distribución de cría para esta especie, se debe incorporar continuamente información actualizada de los cambios estacionales de hábitat y clima, con el fin de obtener unas predicciones óptimas. En este sentido, por ejemplo, la inclusión de datos quincenales de índices de vegetación en los modelos de distribución ha dado muy buenos resultados. La obtención de predicciones fiables de los cambios de la distribución de la especie y de sus desplazamientos durante la estación de cría puede ser muy útil para un mejor conocimiento del estado de conservación y las tendencias poblacionales de la especie, así como para el diseño de futuras medidas de gestión.

Salivary cotinine concentrations in daily smokers in Barcelona, Spain: a cross-sectional study

Background: Characterizing and comparing the determinant of cotinine concentrations in different populations should facilitate a better understanding of smoking patterns and addiction. This study describes and characterizes determinants of salivary cotinine concentration in a sample of Spanish adult daily smoker men and women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between March 2004 and December 2005 in a representative sample of 1245 people from the general population of Barcelona, Spain. A standard questionnaire was used to gather information on active tobacco smoking and passive exposure, and a saliva specimen was obtained to determine salivary cotinine concentration. Two hundred and eleven adult smokers (>16 years old) with complete data were included in the analysis. Determinants of cotinine concentrations were assessed using linear regression models. Results: Salivary cotinine concentration was associated with the reported number of cigarettes smoked in the previous 24 hours (R2 = 0.339; p < 0.05). The inclusion of a quadratic component for number of cigarettes smoked in the regression analyses resulted in an improvement of the fit (R2 = 0.386; p < 0.05). Cotinine concentration differed significantly by sex, with men having higher levels. Conclusion: This study shows that salivary cotinine concentration is significantly associated with the number of cigarettes smoked and sex, but not with other smoking-related variables.

Concentrations of resveratrol and derivatives in foods and estimation of dietary intake in a Spanish population: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain cohort

Resveratrol has been shown to have beneficial effects on diseases related to oxidant and/or inflammatory processes and extends the lifespan of simple organisms including rodents. The objective of the present study was to estimate the dietary intake of resveratrol and piceid (R&P) present in foods, and to identify the principal dietary sources of these compounds in the Spanish adult population. For this purpose, a food composition database (FCDB) of R&P in Spanish foods was compiled. The study included 40 685 subjects aged 35-64 years from northern and southern regions of Spain who were included in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain cohort. Usual food intake was assessed by personal interviews using a computerised version of a validated diet history method. An FCDB with 160 items was compiled. The estimated median and mean of R&P intake were 100 and 933 mg/d respectively. Approximately, 32% of the population did not consume RΠ The most abundant of the four stilbenes studied was trans-piceid (53·6 %), followed by trans-resveratrol (20·9 %), cis-piceid (19·3 %) and cis-resveratrol (6·2 %). The most important source of R&P was wines (98·4 %) and grape and grape juices (1·6 %), whereas peanuts, pistachios and berries contributed to less than 0·01 %. For this reason the pattern of intake of R&P was similar to the wine pattern. This is the first time that R&P intake has been estimated in a Mediterranean country.

Drosophilid collection in the Font Groga site, Barcelona (Spain)

During October 23rd and 24th and November 2012 we collected a sample of drosophilids at Font Groga (Barcelona). This site is located on the foothills of the Tibidabo mountain, which is located on the northwest edge of Barcelona and at approximately 400m above sea level. The vegetation is typical for the area, and it is mainly composed of a sparse pine forest (Pinus pinea) with some oaks (Quercus ilex) and Mediterranean brushwood. Flies were netted over 12 baits containing fermenting bananas. A large proportion of D. simulans males was found. The invasive species D. suzukii (Calabria et al. 2010; Cini et al. 2012) was detected in a non-negligible quantity. Taking into account the number of males and females, the estimated Ne for D. suzukii in the Font Groga sample was 33.70. A similar value was obtained for D. subobscura (34.97). Finally, in the study of species diversity the values obtained for H" (Shannon diversity index) and J (Shannon uniformity index) were 0.678 and 0.421, respectively. These estimates are very similar to those obtained in September 2009 in Montpellier by Calabria (2012), who reported H" = 0.679 and J = 0.422, but differ from those reported by the same author in a Font Groga sample of October 2007 (H" = 0.904 and J = 0.505).

New sample of drosophilids from the Font Groga site, Barcelona (Spain)

A new sample of drosophilids was obtained from Font Groga (Barcelona) on 9th October 2013. Flies were netted over 12 baits containing fermenting bananas placed along a trail from 4 to 7 pm. The number of flies classified according to species and sex is presented in Table 1. The most abundant species is D. subobscura (62.60%). This is expected because the sample was obtained during its autumn peak of expansion. Also interesting is to find again D. suzukii, and in a percentage similar (9.20%) to that obtained in 2012 sample. This species invaded recently many European regions and seems it is well established. We have finally estimated the species diversity using H" (Shannon diversity index) and J (Shannon uniformity index). The values obtained were 0.990 and 0.615, respectively. They are similar to those estimates obtained in the same site by Calabria in autumn 2007 and higher than those of Canals et al. in late autumn 2012.

Explaining vineyard specialization in the province of Barcelona (Spain) in the mid-19th century

[cat] Presentem un model estadístic de l’especialització vitícola a la província de Barcelona cap el 1860 que combina la pressió boserupiana de l’augment de població, l’atracció de la demanda induïda per un creixement de tipus smithià (mesurada per les distancies horàries al port més proper), i l’adequació dels sòls disponibles per sembrar gra o plantar ceps (mesurada per l’estès hídric, el pendent i el risc de glaçades). L’assoliment global d’uns nivells de R2 ajustats que oscil·len entre 0,608 i 0,826 poden considerar-se força bons. Creiem que la desigualtat en la propietat de la terra també va jugar un paper molt important, però l’hem hagut d’ometre de moment per manca de dades estadístiques. També cal aprofundir en el tractament del problema de possible endogeneïtat derivat de l’ús de variables socio-demogràfiques.

Explaining vineyard specialization in the province of Barcelona (Spain) in the mid-19th century

[cat] Presentem un model estadístic de l’especialització vitícola a la província de Barcelona cap el 1860 que combina la pressió boserupiana de l’augment de població, l’atracció de la demanda induïda per un creixement de tipus smithià (mesurada per les distancies horàries al port més proper), i l’adequació dels sòls disponibles per sembrar gra o plantar ceps (mesurada per l’estès hídric, el pendent i el risc de glaçades). L’assoliment global d’uns nivells de R2 ajustats que oscil·len entre 0,608 i 0,826 poden considerar-se força bons. Creiem que la desigualtat en la propietat de la terra també va jugar un paper molt important, però l’hem hagut d’ometre de moment per manca de dades estadístiques. També cal aprofundir en el tractament del problema de possible endogeneïtat derivat de l’ús de variables socio-demogràfiques.

Research Priorities for seabirds: Improving seabird conservation and management in the 21st century

Seabirds are facing a growing number of threats in both terrestrial and marine habitats, and many populations have experienced dramatic changes over past decades. Years of seabird research have improved our understanding of seabird populations and provided a broader understanding of marine ecological processes. In an effort to encourage future research and guide seabird conservation science, seabird researchers from 9 nations identified the 20 highest priority research questions and organized these into 6 general categories: (1) population dynamics, (2) spatial ecology, (3) tropho-dynamics, (4) fisheries interactions, (5) response to global change, and (6) management of anthropogenic impacts (focusing on invasive species, contaminants and protected areas). For each category, we provide an assessment of the current approaches, challenges and future directions. While this is not an exhaustive list of all research needed to address the myriad conservation challenges seabirds face, the results of this effort represent an important synthesis of current expert opinion across sub-disciplines within seabird ecology. As this synthesis highlights, research, in conjunction with direct management, education, and community engagement, can play an important role in facilitating the conservation and management of seabird populations and of the ocean ecosystems on which they and we depend.

Balancing groundwater conservation and rural livelihoods under water and climate uncertainties: An integrated hydro-economic modeling framework

In arid countries worldwide, social conflicts between irrigation-based human development and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems are widespread and attract many public debates. This research focuses on the analysis of water and agricultural policies aimed at conserving groundwater resources and maintaining rurallivelihoods in a basin in Spain's central arid region. Intensive groundwater mining for irrigation has caused overexploitation of the basin's large aquifer, the degradation of reputed wetlands and has given rise to notable social conflicts over the years. With the aim of tackling the multifaceted socio-ecological interactions of complex water systems, the methodology used in this study consists in a novel integration into a common platform of an economic optimization model and a hydrology model WEAP (Water Evaluation And Planning system). This robust tool is used to analyze the spatial and temporal effects of different water and agricultural policies under different climate scenarios. It permits the prediction of different climate and policy outcomes across farm types (water stress impacts and adaptation), at basin's level (aquifer recovery), and along the policies’ implementation horizon (short and long run). Results show that the region's current quota-based water policies may contribute to reduce water consumption in the farms but will not be able to recover the aquifer and will inflict income losses to the rural communities. This situation would worsen in case of drought. Economies of scale and technology are evidenced as larger farms with cropping diversification and those equipped with modern irrigation will better adapt to water stress conditions. However, the long-term sustainability of the aquifer and the maintenance of rurallivelihoods will be attained only if additional policy measures are put in place such as the control of illegal abstractions and the establishing of a water bank. Within the policy domain, the research contributes to the new sustainable development strategy of the EU by concluding that, in water-scarce regions, effective integration of water and agricultural policies is essential for achieving the water protection objectives of the EU policies. Therefore, the design and enforcement of well-balanced region-specific polices is a major task faced by policy makers for achieving successful water management that will ensure nature protection and human development at tolerable social costs. From a methodological perspective, this research initiative contributes to better address hydrological questions as well as economic and social issues in complex water and human systems. Its integrated vision provides a valuable illustration to inform water policy and management decisions within contexts of water-related conflicts worldwide.

Indicators of sustainability of agriculture and livestock in Spain - Indicadores de sostenibilidad de la agricultura y ganadería española

Sustainability is an adjective used to characterize agriculture according to the degree of fulfillment of goals. Those goals are related to agro-ecological, environmental and socio-economic dimensions. Sustainability is a dynamic and temporal character. In absolute terms there is not an ending value because it changes as its dimensions make it. Spain is one of the main agricultural countries of the European Union both in terms of crop land and value of productions. The object of this study is to present a methodology of sustainability account to be incorporated into national statistical and to assess their performance in the course of the years. For that reason the data sources used have been the statistics of the Department of Agriculture and from others database. We presented a set of indicators of sustainability and its evaluation in a time series of at least 30 years. The trend analysis offers the evolution of the numerical values of the indicators in terms of efficiency, physical units used for a unit of product or its value in euros. The analyzed crops have been: wheat, barley, maize, sunflower, sugar beet, wine grape, olive oil, citrus, melon and tomato. Physical indicators were: land, water, energy, erosion, soil organic matter, and carbon balance; socio-economic indicators were: agricultural final production, prices, income, employment and use of fertilizers. In general, all crops increased their productive efficiency, higher in irrigated than on dry land. Spanish agricultural carbon sequestration capacity has multiplied by five in the last seventy years, as a result of the increase in the productivity of crops, in terms of total biomass and the modification of the soil management techniques. Livestock sector presents data of pork, broilers and laying hen. Those showed an improvement in efficiency and economic indicators. Overall we can say that Spanish agriculture and livestock subsector have a tendency towards sustainability, being its main threats extreme meteorological factors and the instability of todays markets.

Availability and uptake of trace elements in a forage rotation under conservation and plough tillage

After 14 years under conventional plough tillage (CT) or conservation minimum tillage (MT), the soil available Al, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn (0-5, 5-15 and 15-30 cm layers) and their plant uptake were evaluated during two years in a ryegrass-maize forage rotation in NW Spain (t emperate-humid region). The three-way ANOVA showed that trace element concentrations in soil were mainly influenced by sampling date, followed by soil depth and tillage system (35-73 %, 7-58 % and 3- 11 % of variance explained, respectively). Excepting for Fe (CT) and Al (CT and MT), the elemental concentrations decreased with depth, the stratification being stronger under MT. For soil available Al, Fe, Mn and Cu, the concentrations were higher in CT than in MT (5-15 and 15-30 cm layers) or were not affected by tillage system (0-5 cm). In contrast, the available Zn contents were higher in MT than CT at the soil surface and did not differ in deeper layers. The concentration of Al, Fe and Cu in crops were not influenced by tillage system, which explain 22 % of Mn variance in maize (CT > MT in the more humid year) and 18 % of Zn variance in ryegrass (MT > CT in both years). However, in the summer crop (maize) the concentrations of Fe, Mn and Zn tended to be higher in MT than in CT under drought conditions, while the opposite was true in the year without water limitation. Therefore, under the studied conditions of climate, soil, tillage and crop rotation, little influence of tillage system on crop nutritive value would be expected. To minimize the potential deficiency of Zn (maize) and Cu (maize and ryegrass) on crop yields the inclusion of these micro-nutrients in fertilization schedule is reco mmended, as well as liming to alleviate Al toxicity on maize crops.