A Gravity Approach to Assess the Effects of Association Agreements on Euromediterranean Trade of Fruits and Vegetables

The paper is intended to draw on a gravity methodology to assess the impact of EuroMediterranean Association Agreement on Fruit and Vegetable trade from Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC) to the EU. The Association Agreements appear to be significant as an explanatory of both fruit and vegetables’ trade flows to the EU. However, while the impact of such arrangements has contributed to boost MPC’s horticultural exports, it has not been sufficient to compensate the export loss related to the nature of MPCs as third countries. MPCs may have obtained gains from the EuroMed Agrements but the Barcelona process is still far to achieve its initial goals, at least concerning crucial products for the MPCs’ export strategy. The presented approach supplies a method to monitor future developments in the EuroMediterranean process.agricultural trade; Euro-Mediterranean agreements; fruit and vegetables

Vorticity and quantum turbulence in the merging of superfluid helium nanodroplets

We have studied the merging of two identical 4He droplets at zero temperature, caused by their van der Waals mutual attraction. During the early stages of the merging, density structures appear which closely match the experimental observations by Vicente et al. [J. Low Temp. Phys. 121, 627 (2000)]. When the droplets are merging, quantized vortex-antivortex ring pairs nucleate at the surface and annihilate inside the merged droplet producing a roton burst. We also observe the nucleation of quantized vortex-antivortex rings that wrap the droplet surface and remain localized on the surface until they eventually decay into short-wavelength surface waves. Analysis of the kinetic energy spectrum discloses the existence of a regime where turbulence caused by vortex interaction and annihilation is characterized by a Kolmogorov power law. This is followed by another regime where roton radiation produced by vortex-antivortex annihilation dominates, whose hallmark is a weak, turbulent surface dynamics. We suggest that similar processes might appear in superfluid helium droplets after they capture impurities or if they are produced by hydrodynamic instability of a liquid jet. Experiments on collisions between recently discovered self-bound Bose-Einstein condensates should display a similar phenomenology

A Gravity Approach to Assess the Effects of Association Agreements on Euromediterranean Trade of Fruits and Vegetables

The paper is intended to draw on a gravity methodology to assess the impact of EuroMediterranean Association Agreement on Fruit and Vegetable trade from Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC) to the EU. The Association Agreements appear to be significant as an explanatory of both fruit and vegetables’ trade flows to the EU. However, while the impact of such arrangements has contributed to boost MPC’s horticultural exports, it has not been sufficient to compensate the export loss related to the nature of MPCs as third countries. MPCs may have obtained gains from the EuroMed Agrements but the Barcelona process is still far to achieve its initial goals, at least concerning crucial products for the MPCs’ export strategy. The presented approach supplies a method to monitor future developments in the EuroMediterranean process

Self-sustained deformable rotating liquid He cylinders: the pure normal fluid 3He and superfluid 4He cases

Within density functional theory, we have studied self-sustained, deformable, rotating liquid He cylinders subject to planar deformations. In the normal fluid 3He case, the kinetic energy has been incorporated in a semi-classical Thomas-Fermi approximation. In the 4He case, our approach takes into account its superfluid character. For this study, we have chosen to limit our investigation to vortex-free configurations where angular momentum is exclusively stored in capillary waves on a deformed cross-section cylinder. Only planar deformations leading to noncircular cross sections have been considered, as they aim to represent the cross section of the very large deformed He drops discussed in the experiments. Axisymmetric Rayleigh instabilities, always present in fluid columns, have been set aside. The calculations allow us to carry out a comparison between the rotational behavior of a normal, rotational fluid (3He) and a superfluid, irrotational fluid (4He)

Rotating mixed 3He-4He nanodroplets

Mixed 3He−4He droplets may acquire angular momentum during their passage through the nozzle of the experimental apparatus, cooling down and undergoing isotopic segregation, developing a 3He crust surrounding a superfluid 4He core. Within density functional theory, we investigate their stability and the relations between their angular momenta and their shapes. We uncover a variety of behaviors where the interplay between the superfluid 4He core and the normal-fluid 3He coating leads to a scenario that both bears analogies with viscous rotating drops and displays new features such as configurations with a fissioned or three-lobed 4He core, or with multiply charged vortices

Molecular Characterization of Imported and Autochthonous Dengue in Northeastern Spain

Autochthonous transmission; Dengue; Molecular epidemiologyTransmissió autòctona; Dengue; Epidemiologia molecularTransmisión autóctona; Dengue; Epidemiología molecularDengue is the most significant arbovirus worldwide and a public health threat to non-endemic areas in which Aedes vectors are present. Autochthonous dengue transmission has been reported in several European countries in the last decade. Infected travelers from endemic regions arriving to areas colonized by Aedes albopictus in Europe need to be monitored in surveillance and control programs. We aimed to perform molecular characterization of RT-PCR-positive dengue cases detected in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, from 2013 to 2018. The basic demographic information and the geographical regions of importation were also analyzed. One-hundred four dengue cases were studied (103 imported infections and the first autochthonous case in our region). The dengue virus strains detected were serotyped and genotyped using molecular methods, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted. All four dengue serotypes were detected in travelers, including up to 10 different genotypes, reflecting the global circulation of dengue in endemic areas. The primary travel-related case of the 2018 autochthonous transmission was not identified, but the molecular analysis revealed dengue serotype 1, genotype I of Asian origin. Our results highlight the diversity of imported dengue virus strains and the role of molecular epidemiology in supporting arbovirus surveillance programs

Assessing natural vs anthropogenic horizons through deposit modelling strategies at the Medieval Site of Santa Margarida (Martorell, Barcelona, Spain)

Geophysical surveys have been one of the most useful tools for non‐invasive archaeological field assessment. Whereas they have been regularly put into practice at the archaeological site of Santa Margarida (Martorell, Barcelona, Spain), the particular features of the site required a more specific strategy to identify the contact interface between anthropogenic and natural deposits and, therefore, to conclude the archaeological excavation. As the archaeological site is settled on Quaternary alluvia at the confluence of two rivers, and in the absence of built structures in some areas, it was extremely difficult to distinguish between anthropic layers and those silty or sandy natural deposits during fieldwork. Extensive soil survey by means of borehole logging, full‐coring, and Dynamic Penetrometer Super Heavy testing within this site has proved to be a useful strategy to identify the geological horizon and to map the original relief of past landscape before excavation tasks. This enabled us to plan our fieldwork better and to interpret particular features of the site. This paper aims at summarising the results of recent surveys and discussing the potential of this approach for the study of rural settlements and agrarian landscapes in the Middle Age

Do individuals with autoimmune disease have increased risk of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and stiffness?

To explore the role of chronic inflammation inherent to autoimmune diseases in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness, this study recruited two population-based samples of individuals with and without autoimmune disease (ratio 1:5) matched by age, sex, and education level and with a longstanding (≥6 years) diagnosis of autoimmune disease. Common carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and arterial distensibility and compliance were assessed with carotid ultrasound. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were adjusted for 10-year cardiovascular risk. In total, 546 individuals with and without autoimmune diseases (91 and 455, respectively) were included. Mean age was 66 years (standard deviation 12), and 240 (43.9%) were women. Arterial stiffness did not differ according to presence of autoimmune diseases. In men, the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases significantly increased common carotid IMT [beta-coefficient (95% confidence interval): 0.058 (0.009; 0.108); p-value=0.022] and the percentage having IMT ≥ percentile 75 [1.012 (0.145; 1.880); p-value=0.022]. Women without autoimmune disease were more likely to have IMT ≥ percentile 75 [-2.181 (-4.214; -0.149); p-value=0.035] but analysis of IMT as a continuous variable did not yield significant results. In conclusion, subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, but not arterial stiffness, was higher in men with autoimmune diseases. Women did not show significant differences in any of these carotid features. Sex was an effect modifier in the association between common carotid IMT values and the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases

Towards soil-transmitted helminths transmission interruption: The impact of diagnostic tools on infection prediction in a low intensity setting in Southern Mozambique

Copyright: © 2021 Grau-Pujol et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.[EN] World Health Organization goals against soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) are pointing towards seeking their elimination as a public health problem: reducing to less than 2% the proportion of moderate and heavy infections. Some regions are reaching WHO goals, but transmission could rebound if strategies are discontinued without an epidemiological evalu-ation. For that, sensitive diagnostic methods to detect low intensity infections and localiza-tion of ongoing transmission are crucial. In this work, we estimated and compared the STH infection as obtained by different diagnostic methods in a low intensity setting. We conducted a cross-sectional study enrolling 792 participants from a district in Mozambique. Two stool samples from two consecutive days were collected from each participant. Samples were analysed by Telemann, Kato-Katz and qPCR for STH detection. We evaluated diagnostic sensitivity using a composite reference standard. By geostatistical methods, we estimated neighbourhood prevalence of at least one STH infection for each diagnostic method. We used environmental, demographical and socioeconomical indicators to account for any existing spatial heterogeneity in infection. qPCR was the most sensitive technique compared to composite reference standard: 92% (CI: 83%– 97%) for A. lumbricoides, 95% (CI: 88%– 98%) for T. trichiura and 95% (CI: 91%– 97%) for hookworm. qPCR also estimated the highest neighbourhood prevalences for at least one STH infection in a low intensity set-ting. While 10% of the neighbourhoods showed a prevalence above 20% when estimating with single Kato-Katz from one stool and Telemann from one stool, 86% of the neighbour-hoods had a prevalence above 20% when estimating with qPCR. In low intensity settings, STH estimated prevalence of infection may be underestimated if based on Kato-Katz. qPCR diagnosis outperformed the microscopy methods. Thus, implementation of qPCR based predictive maps at STH control and elimination programmes would disclose hidden transmission and facilitate targeted interventions for transmission interruption.SIBGP and JM received financial support for this study from Mundo Sano Foundation (www. mundosano.org). JG was personally supported at the beginning of the work by the Ramo´n Areces Foundation and is now funded by the Spanish ‘Juan de la Cierva’ Programme, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FJC-2018-38305). MMV is personally supported by the Spanish ‘Ramo´n y Cajal’ Programme, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (RYC-2015-18368). MCP is personally supported by Junta de Castilla y Leo´n and Fondo Social Europeo (LE-135-19). ISGlobal is a member of the CERCA Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. CISM is supported by the Government of Mozambique and the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID). Prof. Dr. P.C. Flu Foundation also founded this project. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript