Las relaciones de género en las políticas locales y en el desarrollo económico del Pirineo Catalán

El presente artículo explora la contribución de las mujeres en las estrategias de desarrollo local en un área de montaña. El estudio analiza roles políticos y económicos desde una perspectiva de género en la Cataluña rural. Se considera la sorprendentemente baja participación en la política local de las mujeres en Cataluña en comparación con el conjunto de España, al igual que la medida en que las decisiones de las mujeres difieren de las de los hombres con respecto a los enfoques empresariales para el desarrollo económico local. El documento también analiza la participación de las mujeres en la toma de decisiones, investigando si tienen la capacidad de involucrar a actores locales innovadores en la formulación de políticas. Se presentan las características económicas del Pirineo Catalán. La investigación aplica metodologías cualitativas y cuantitativas, incluyendo entrevistas en profundidad e información elaborada a través de bases de datos.The present paper explores women's contribution to local development strategies in a mountainous area. The study analyses gender based political and economic roles in rural Catalonia. It is considered both Catalonia's surprisingly low rate of women's political participation, when compared to Spain as a whole, and the extent to which women's decisions can be significantly different than men's ones with respect to entrepreneurial approaches to local economic development.The paper further analyses women's participation in decisionmaking,investigating whether they have the capacity to involve innovative stakeholders in local policy making. The economic characteristics of the Pyrenees region are addressed. The research applies both qualitative and quantitative methodology, including indepth interviews and information gathered from databases

Gobernanza local y espacio rural : un análisis territorial desde la perspectiva de género

Desde una perspectiva de género el presente artículo analiza el nivel y características de la participación en política local de las mujeres dentro del ámbito rural. El estudio asume que la gobernanza territorial debe incluir no sólo aspectos económicos y de gestión, sino también de participación política, tanto directa como indirectamente. A través del caso de estudio de seis comarcas del Pirineo catalán, combinando una metodología cuantitativa y cualitativa, se analizan datos electorales y se identifican componentes de oferta y demanda para determinar que factores facilitan y cuales dificultan la participación activa de las mujeres en la política municipal.This paper analyses the level and features of women's local political participation in rural areas. The study assumes that territorial governance must include not only economic and management aspects, but also political participation, both directly and indirectly. Through a case study of six counties in the Catalan Pyrenees, combining quantitative and qualitative methodology, we analyse electoral data and identify supply and demand factors to establish which factors facilitate and which constrain the active involvement of rural women in local politics

Entre premios y recortes : el zigzagueante proceso de empoderamiento de las mujeres rurales

A pesar del rápido ascenso de la participación de las mujeres en la política parlamentaria española, a partir del 2011 el porcentaje ha descendido. En el ámbito rural, tradicionalmente poco receptivo con respecto a la paridad de género, se observa la misma tendencia, como ejemplifica el caso de los Pirineos Catalanes. Este artículo plantea los posibles límites de las políticas paritarias en el ámbito rural analizando como la participación de las mujeres en la política formal se relaciona con patrones segregacionistas de género, a la vez que se investigan los mecanismos de movilización y organización de las mujeres en redes de cooperación. El estudio permite ampliar el conocimiento sobre los mecanismos de empoderamiento de las mujeres ante los retos de la democracia participativa en el siglo XXI.Despite the rapid increase in the involvement of women in the Spanish parliamentary politics, since 2011 the proportion has declined. In rural areas, traditionally little receptive with respect to gender parity, local government show women's stagnation rates, as exemplified by the case of the Catalan Pyrenees. This paper examines the possible limits of parity policies in rural areas analyzing how the participation of women in formal politics is related to patterns of gender segregation, while investigating the mechanisms of mobilization and organization of women's networking. The study broadens the understanding of the mechanisms of empowerment of women and the challenges of participatory democracy in the XXI century

Epithelial cell shedding and barrier function: a matter of life and death at the small intestinal villus tip

The intestinal epithelium is a critical component of the gut barrier. Composed of a single layer of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) held together by tight junctions, this delicate structure prevents the transfer of harmful microorganisms, antigens, and toxins from the gut lumen into the circulation. The equilibrium between the rate of apoptosis and shedding of senescent epithelial cells at the villus tip, and the generation of new cells in the crypt, is key to maintaining tissue homeostasis. However, in both localized and systemic inflammation, this balance may be disturbed as a result of pathological IEC shedding. Shedding of IECs from the epithelial monolayer may cause transient gaps or microerosions in the epithelial barrier, resulting in increased intestinal permeability. Although pathological IEC shedding has been observed in mouse models of inflammation and human intestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains limited. This process may also be an important contributor to systemic and intestinal inflammatory diseases and gut barrier dysfunction in domestic animal species. This review aims to summarize current knowledge about intestinal epithelial cell shedding, its significance in gut barrier dysfunction and host-microbial interactions, and where research in this field is directed

Psychological morbidity of celiac disease: a review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease has been linked to decreased quality of life and certain mood disorders. The effect of the gluten free diet on these psychological aspects of the disease is still unclear. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this article is to review the literature on psychological morbidity of celiac disease. METHODS: We performed a PubMed search for the time period from 1900 until June 1, 2014, to identify papers on psychological aspects of celiac disease looking specifically at quality of life, anxiety, depression and fatigue. RESULTS: Anxiety, depression and fatigue are common complaints in patients with untreated celiac disease and contribute to lower quality of life. While aspects of these conditions may improve within a few months after starting a gluten-free diet, some patients continue to suffer from significant psychological morbidity. Psychological symptoms may affect the quality of life and the dietary adherence. CONCLUSION: Health care professionals need to be aware of the ongoing psychological burden of celiac disease in order to support patients with this disease

Environmental Factors in the Relapse and Recurrence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease:A Review of the Literature

The causes of relapse in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are largely unknown. This paper reviews the epidemiological and clinical data on how medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, estrogens and antibiotics), lifestyle factors (smoking, psychological stress, diet and air pollution) may precipitate clinical relapses and recurrence. Potential biological mechanisms include: increasing thrombotic tendency, imbalances in prostaglandin synthesis, alterations in the composition of gut microbiota, and mucosal damage causing increased permeability

First demonstration of multi-vendor and multi-domain EON with S-BVT and control interoperability over Pan-European testbed

The operation of multi-domain and multi-vendor EONs can be achieved by interoperable Sliceable Bandwidth Variable Transponders, a GMPLS / BGP-LS-based control plane and a planning tool. This paper reports the first full demonstration and validation this end-to-end architecture

Quantitative image analysis for the characterization of microbial aggregates in biological wastewater treatment : a review

Quantitative image analysis techniques have gained an undeniable role in several fields of research during the last decade. In the field of biological wastewater treatment (WWT) processes, several computer applications have been developed for monitoring microbial entities, either as individual cells or in different types of aggregates. New descriptors have been defined that are more reliable, objective, and useful than the subjective and time-consuming parameters classically used to monitor biological WWT processes. Examples of this application include the objective prediction of filamentous bulking, known to be one of the most problematic phenomena occurring in activated sludge technology. It also demonstrated its usefulness in classifying protozoa and metazoa populations. In high-rate anaerobic processes, based on granular sludge, aggregation times and fragmentation phenomena could be detected during critical events, e.g., toxic and organic overloads. Currently, the major efforts and needs are in the development of quantitative image analysis techniques focusing on its application coupled with stained samples, either by classical or fluorescent-based techniques. The use of quantitative morphological parameters in process control and online applications is also being investigated. This work reviews the major advances of quantitative image analysis applied to biological WWT processes.The authors acknowledge the financial support to the project PTDC/EBB-EBI/103147/2008 and the grant SFRH/BPD/48962/2008 provided by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (Portugal)