Epidemiology of foodborne Norovirus outbreaks in Catalonia, Spain

Background: Noroviruses are one of the principal biological agents associated with the consumption of contaminated food. The objective of this study was to analyse the size and epidemiological characteristics of foodborne outbreaks of gastroenteritis in Catalonia, a region in the northeast of Spain.Methods: In all reported outbreaks of gastroenteritis associated with food consumption, faecal samples of persons affected were analysed for bacteria and viruses and selectively for parasites. Study variables included the setting, the number of people exposed, age, sex, clinical signs and hospital admissions. The study was carried out from October 2004 to October 2005.Results: Of the 181 outbreaks reported during the study period, 72 were caused by Salmonella and 30 by norovirus (NoV); the incidence rates were 14.5 and 9.9 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. In 50% of the NoV outbreaks and 27% of the bacterial outbreaks (p = 0.03) the number of persons affected was ¿10; 66.7% of NoV outbreaks occurred in restaurants; no differences in the attack rates were observed according to the etiology. Hospitalizations were more common (p = 0.03) in bacterial outbreaks (8.6%) than in NoV outbreaks (0.15%). Secondary cases accounted for 4% of cases in NoV outbreaks compared with 0.3% of cases in bacterial outbreaks (p < 0.001)Conclusion: Norovirus outbreaks were larger but less frequent than bacterial outbreaks, suggesting that underreporting is greater for NoV outbreaks. Food handlers should receive training on the transmission of infections in diverse situations. Very strict control measures on handwashing and environmental disinfection should be adopted in closed or partially-closed institutions.

Weakening processes in thrust faults: insights from the Monte Perdido thrust fault (southern Pyrenees, Spain)

The Monte Perdido thrust fault (southern Pyrenees) consists of a 6-m-thick interval of intensely deformed clay-bearing rocks. The fault zone is affected by a pervasive pressure solution seam and numerous shear surfaces. Calcite extensional-shear veins are present along the shear surfaces. The angular relationships between the two structures indicate that shear surfaces developed at a high angle (70°) to the local principal maximum stress axis r1. Two main stages of deformation are present. The first stage corresponds to the development of calcite shear veins by a combination of shear surface reactivation and extensional mode I rupture. The second stage of deformation corresponds to chlorite precipitation along the previously reactivated shear surfaces. The pore fluid factor k computed for the two deformation episodes indicates high fluid pressures during the Monte Perdido thrust activity. During the first stage of deformation, the reactivation of the shear surface was facilitated by a suprahydrostatic fluid pressure with a pore fluid factor kv equal to 0.89. For the second stage, the fluid pressure remained still high (with a k value ranging between 0.77 and 0.84) even with the presence of weak chlorite along the shear surfaces. Furthermore, evidence of hydrostatic fluid pressure during calcite cement precipitation supports that incremental shear surface reactivations are correlated with cyclic fluid pressure fluctuations consis- tent with a fault-valve model.

Transitional effects of a pension system change in Spain

This paper studies the output effects, transition costs and the change in pension benefits derived from the substitution of the current unfunded pension system by a fully funded pension system financed through mandatory savings.These effects are estimated by using reduced versions of the neoclassical and endogenous growth frameworks. Because of the greater capital accumulation during the transition phase, final output increases by 23,6% (neoclassicalframework); and a 24,5-31,5% (endogenous growth framework). The initial revenue loss for the government would represent a 4,8% of the GDP, raising very slowly during the transition period. Given the new growth rates, rates of return ofphysical capital, and financial intermediation costs, we have that the capitalization pension benefits obtained by all 30-contribution-year worker would be more than twice than those that guarantee the financial sustainability of thepublic pension system

Socio-economic inequalities in reported depression in Spain : a decomposition approach

Recent evidence questions some conventional view on the existence of income-related inequalities in depression suggesting in turn that other determinants might be in place, such as activity status and educational attainment. Evidence of socio-economic inequalities is especially relevant in countries such as Spain that have a limited coverage of mental health care and are regionally heterogeneous. This paper aims at measuring and explaining the degree of socio-economic inequality in reported depression in Spain. We employ linear probability models to estimate the concentration index and its decomposition drawing from 2003 edition of the Spanish National Health Survey, the most recent representative health survey in Spain. Our findings point towards the existence of avoidable inequalities in the prevalence of reported depression. However, besides ¿pure income effects¿ explaining 37% of inequality, economic activity status (28%), education (15%) and demographics (15%) play also a key encompassing role. Although high income implies higher resources to invest and cure (mental) illness, environmental factors influencing in peoples perceived social status act as indirect path as explaining the prevalence of depression. Finally, we find evidence of a gender effect, gender social-economic inequality in income is mainly avoidable.

Regional integration and specialisation patterns in Spain

The aim of this paper is to analyse how economic integration in Europe has affected industrial geographical concentration in Spain and explain what the driving forces behind industry location are. Firstly, we construct regional specialisation and geographical concentration indices for Spanish 50 provinces and 30 industrial sectors in 1979, 1986 and 1992. Secondly, we carry out an econometric analysis of the determinants of geographical concentration of industries. Our main conclusion is that there is no evidence of increasing specialisation in Spain between 1979 and 1992 and that the most important determinant of Spain¿s economic geography is scale economies. Furthermore, traditional trade theory has no effects in explaining the pattern of industrial concentration

Foreign migrations and new couples in Spain. Nuptiality and Gender Imbalance in the new century

Nuptiality is not a central item in Migration Research now. In the past, especially for American countries, many scholars were really interested in marriages of immigrants, specially knowing the exchanges between different communities; that is, mixed marriages. Here is the Spanish case in nuptiality between foreign and local people.

José Ramón Mélida. Arqueología Española. Edición de Margarita Díaz Andreu

Dentro de la serie de Urgoiti Editores sobre los grandes nombres de la ciencia histórica en España, se publica la tercera obra dedicada a los arqueólogos y prehistoriadores de la primera mitad del siglo XX. Tras los estudios de Jordi Cortadella sobre Pere Bosch Gimpera (1981-1974) y Fernando Wulff sobre Adolf Schulten (1870-1960), y a la espera del trabajo de Gloria Mora sobre Hugo Obermaier (1877-1946), ve la luz el estudio que Margarita Díaz Andreu ha dedicado a una de las figuras más nombradas, pero a la par más desconocidas, de la arqueología española: José Ramón Mélida y Alinari (1856-1933).

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).