Vida i mort a Miravet a l’època moderna

Els estudis demogràfics d’època moderna ens permeten conèixer, amb el tractament de diverses fonts, l’evolució de la població. Els estudis de caràcter local o regional ajuden a aportar una visió més concreta sobre els diferents fenòmens o moviments coneguts a Europa i a Catalunya. L’exemple de Miravet, a partir de fonts parroquials, vol aportar informació a l’evolució de la població al llarg dels segles XVII i XVII

Manorial income and agricultural development in the Terres de l’Ebre: the borough of Miravet in the 17th and 18th centuries

Durant els segles xvii i xviii la batllia de Miravet es va veure marcada per diferents esdeveniments que van transformar el seu sistema senyorial i la seva evolució econòmica. Les guerres dels Segadors i de Successió van generar episodis crítics que van fer retrocedir els ingressos i el desenvolupament agrícola. En la segona meitat del segle xviii es va esdevenir una expansió dels cultius i la producció que va millorar els recursos. L’expansió de la vinya i l’olivera seria un dels motors bàsics d’aquesta evolució a l’alça, juntament amb la proliferació d’altres cultius, tant de secà com de regadiu, i de petites manufactures artesanals que generaven una major pluriactivitat familiar. El poder senyorial va deixar que arrendataris i companyies comercials monopolitzessin part dels beneficis i de la seva comercialització, fins que a principis del segle xix tot el sistema va començar a desestabilitzar-se, fet que ja marcava el seu final.During the 17th and 18th centuries, the borough de Miravet was marked by different events that transformed its manorial system and economic development. The Catalan Revolt and the War of Spanish Succession generated critical episodes that pushed back revenue and agricultural development. The second half of the eighteenth century saw an expansion of crops and production that improved resources, with grapevines and olive trees behind the basic drive of this upward trend, along with the proliferation of other crops and small craft manufacturing activities that generated greater family pluriactivity. Manorial power allowed commercial entities to monopolize some of their profits and sales, until the beginning of the 19th century, when these systems began to destabilize and meet their end

Chiral forces in longitudinally invariant dielectric photonic waveguides

Optical forces can be chiral when they exhibit opposite signs for the two enantiomeric versions of a chiral molecule or particle. Such forces could be eventually used to separate enantiomers, which could find application in numerous disciplines. Here, we analyze numerically the optical chiral forces arising in the basic element of photonic integrated circuitry: a dielectric waveguide with rectangular cross-section. Such waveguides are inherently lossless thus generating chiral forces that are invariant in the longitudinal direction and therefore enable enantiomeric separation over long (cm-scale) distances. Assuming Brownian motion in a liquid environment, we calculate first the force strength and time span needed to perform the separation of chiral nanoparticles as a function of the radii. Then we analyze the chiral forces produced by the fundamental quasi-TE guided mode in a silicon nitride waveguide and show that it can lead to enantiomeric separation via the transverse spin at short wavelengths (405 nm). At longer wavelengths (1310 nm), the proper combination of degenerate quasi-TE and quasi-TM modes would result in a quasi-circularly polarized mode with intrinsic chirality (helicity), leading to chiral gradient forces that also enable the enantiomeric separation of smaller nanoparticles. We report particle tracking simulations where the optical force field produced by a quasi-TE and a quasi-circular mode proved to separate enantiomers under a time span of two seconds. Our results suggest the viability of enantiomeric separation using simple photonic integrated circuits, though different wavelength windows should be selected according to the nanoparticle size.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Optical dipolar chiral sorting forces and their manifestation in evanescent waves and nanofibers

Optical fields can exert forces of chiral nature on molecules and nanoparticles, which would prove extremely valuable in the separation of enantiomers with pharmaceutical applications, yet it is inherently complex, and the varied frameworks used in the literature further complicate the theoretical understanding. This paper unifies existing approaches used to describe dipolar optical forces and introduces a symmetry-based "force basis"consisting of twelve vector fields, each weighted by particle-specific coefficients, for a streamlined description of force patterns. The approach is rigorously applied to evanescent waves and dielectric nanofibers, yielding concise analytical expressions for optical forces. Through this, we identify optimal strategies for enantiomer separation, offering invaluable guidance for future experiments.</p

Eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid 1:1 ratio improves histological alterations in obese rats with metabolic syndrome

Background Marine polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been associated with improvement in the Metabolic Syndrome (MS). The aim of this study is to evaluate how three fish-oil diets with different eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid ratios (EPA/DHA ratio) affect the histology of liver, kidney, adipose tissue and aorta in a preliminary morphological study. This work uses an animal model of metabolic syndrome in comparison with healthy animals in order to provide information about the best EPA:DHA ratio to prevent or to improve metabolic syndrome symptoms. Methods 35 Wistar rats, as a control, and 35 spontaneously hypertensive obese rats (SHROB) were fed for 13 weeks with 3 different suplemmentation of fish oil containing EPA and DHA ratios (1:1, 2:1 and 1:2, respectively). All samples were stained with haematoxylin/eosin stain, except aorta samples, which were stained also with Verhoeff and van Gieson’s stain. A histological study was carried out to evaluate changes. These changes were statistically analyzed using SPSS IBM 19 software. The quantitative data were expressed by mean ± SD and were compared among groups and treatments using ANOVA with post-hoc tests for parametric data and the U-Mann–Whitney for non-parametric data. Qualitative data were expressed in frequencies, and compared with contingency tables using χ2 statistics. Results EPA:DHA 1:1 treatment tended to improve the density and the wrinkling of elastic layers in SHROB rats. Only Wistar rats fed with EPA:DHA 1:1 treatment did not show mast cells in adipose tissue and has less kidney atrophy. In both strains EPA:DHA 1:1 treatment improved inflammation related parameters in liver and kidney. Conclusions EPA:DHA 1:1 treatment was the most beneficial treatment since improved many histological parameters in both groups of rats.This investigation was supported, in part, by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Grants AGL2009-12374-C03-01,-02 and -03). EM acknowledges the Panamanian government (SENACYT / IFARHU) for her pre-doctoral fellowship. We thank URV’s Language Service for rewriting the English version of this paper. SUPPORTED BY: Proyectos de Investigación Fundamental, Ministerio Español de Ciencia e Innovación, Plan Nacional 2009.Referencia: AGL2009-12374-C03-01, -02 and -03.Peer Reviewe

Influence of Dietary Inulin on Fecal Microbiota, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Eicosanoids, and Oxidative Stress in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

The present study examined the influence of inulin on fecal microbiota, cardiometabolic risk factors, eicosanoids, and oxidative stress in rats on a high-fat (HF) diet. Thirty-six male Wistar-Kyoto rats were divided into three dietary groups: standard diet, HF diet, and HF diet + Inulin diet. After 10 weeks, the HF + Inulin diet promoted high dominance of a few bacterial genera including Blautia and Olsenella in feces while reducing richness, diversity, and rarity compared to the HF diet. These changes in fecal microbiota were accompanied by an increased amount of propionic acid in feces. The HF + Inulin diet decreased cardiometabolic risk factors, decreased the amount of the eicosanoids 11(12)-EET and 15-HETrE in the liver, and decreased oxidative stress in blood compared to the HF diet. In conclusion, increasing consumption of inulin may be a useful nutritional strategy to protect against the onset of obesity and its associated metabolic abnormalities by means of modulation of gut microbiota

Transarterial Embolization of an Inferior Genicular Artery Pseudoaneurysm with Arteriovenous Fistula after Arthroscopy

Arthroscopic meniscectomy of the knee is generally a safe and effective procedure with a low rate of vascular complications. We report here on a unique case of a 55-year-old man with a lateral inferior genicular artery pseudoaneurysm and a concomitant arteriovenous fistula that developed after arthroscopic meniscectomy; this was successfully treated with selective angiographic embolization. This case illustrates the effectiveness of an endovascular approach as a minimally invasive treatment for this uncommon complication that occurs after an arthroscopic procedure

Patterns of impact resulting from a 'sit less, move more' web-based program in sedentary office employees.

PURPOSE: Encouraging office workers to 'sit less and move more' encompasses two public health priorities. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing sitting, even less about the longer term effects of such interventions and still less on dual-focused interventions. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of a workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS; 2010-11) on self-reported sitting time, step counts and physical risk factors (waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure) for chronic disease. METHODS: Employees at six Spanish university campuses (n=264; 42±10 years; 171 female) were randomly assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (used W@WS; n=129; 87 female) or a Comparison group (maintained normal behavior; n=135; 84 female). This phased, 19-week program aimed to decrease occupational sitting time through increased incidental movement and short walks. A linear mixed model assessed changes in outcome measures between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for Intervention versus Comparison groups. RESULTS: A significant 2 (group) × 2 (program phases) interaction was found for self-reported occupational sitting (F[3]=7.97, p=0.046), daily step counts (F[3]=15.68, p=0.0013) and waist circumference (F[3]=11.67, p=0.0086). The Intervention group decreased minutes of daily occupational sitting while also increasing step counts from baseline (446±126; 8,862±2,475) through ramping (+425±120; 9,345±2,435), maintenance (+422±123; 9,638±3,131) and follow-up (+414±129; 9,786±3,205). In the Comparison group, compared to baseline (404±106), sitting time remained unchanged through ramping and maintenance, but decreased at follow-up (-388±120), while step counts diminished across all phases. The Intervention group significantly reduced waist circumference by 2.1cms from baseline to follow-up while the Comparison group reduced waist circumference by 1.3cms over the same period. CONCLUSIONS: W@WS is a feasible and effective evidence-based intervention that can be successfully deployed with sedentary employees to elicit sustained changes on "sitting less and moving more"