El dualisme natura/cultura en ecologia. Anàlisi del pensament ecològic margalefià i de les pràctiques de les cooperatives de consum ecològic

Les pàgines 327 a 336, ambdós incloses, ha estat retirat seguint instruccions de l’autora de la tesi, en contenir imatges sobre les quals no es disposava dels drets de reproducció / Las pàgines 327 a 336, ambas incluidas, se han retirado siguiendo instrucciones de la autora, al contener imágenes de las que no se disponía de los derechos de reproducción. / Pages 327-336, inclusive, have withdrawn on instructions from the author, containing images which were not available copyrights[cat] Ens trobem en una crisi ecològica entesa en el sentit més ampli. Oîkos com a llar: crisi econòmica, política, alimentària, ambiental, social… La interpretació del planeta en situació de crisi ecològica resulta del desenvolupament d’una sèrie de condicions que posen o poden posar en qüestió la supervivència de l’espècie humana. Aquestes condicions són o bé naturalitzades i objectivades per certs discursos científics, o bé considerades com a històriques i contextuals per alguns sectors crítics amb el discurs de la crisi. La conceptualització occidental de l’espècie humana i la natura com a entitats separades i les formes de relació entre l'una i l’altra, basades en l’explotació i la conservació, juguen un paper fonamental en la cerca de velles i noves vies d’afrontar la crisi ecològica. En aquest sentit, diversos autors afirmen que les solucions per sortir de la crisi ecològica no requereixen només d’estratègies de protecció de la natura, sinó sobretot un canvi profund en la idea d’espècie humana, de natura i de cultura. Aquest treball vol, justament, reflexionar sobre les possibilitats de trencar els dualismes natura/cultura i explotació/protecció típics del pensament occidental. Per fer-ho, analitza críticament els discursos que, d'una banda, emet l’ecologia científica, centrant-se en l’obra de l’ecòleg Ramon Margalef, i, de l'altra, el que genera l’agroecologia, a partir d'un treball etnogràfic sobre diverses cooperatives de consum ecològic. Ara bé, ni el discurs ecològic margalefià ni el que emergeix de les pràctiques de les CCE deconstrueixen el dualisme natura/cultura, encara que, tant un com l'altre, en certa mesura el desplacen: Margalef subsumeix la cultura en la natura, i les pràctiques de les CCE hibriden allò social amb allò natural. Pel que fa als modes de relació, tant el pensament margalefià com les pràctiques de les cooperatives de consum ecològic plantegen i practiquen, respectivament, modes de relació amb l'entorn que van més enllà de l'explotació i la protecció: tots dos casos apunten vincles basats en la reciprocitat, que es caracteritzen per relacions bidireccionals i horitzontals i que superen el dualisme explotació/conservació. Així mateix, observem que, si es tenen en compte les dimensions socioeconòmiques i polítiques de l'espècie humana en la teoricopraxi ecològica, es facilita el desplaçament dels dualismes natura/Homo sapiens i explotació/conservació. Aquest és un aspecte absent en l'ecologia científica margalefiana; al contrari, les CCE vinculen estretament les relacions socials, econòmiques i polítiques amb les relacions amb l’entorn al llarg dels processos de producció-distribució-consum. Finalment, s’observa com l’ecologia científica ha estat “consensuada” per ser integrada en el discurs hegemònic del desenvolupament sostenible. Les institucions i empreses “enverdides” dels poders politicoeconòmics integren, despolititzant-la, qualsevol veu de la polifonia ecològica en un discurs únic que legitima el creixement econòmic il•limitat. Aquest procés d’integració, en canvi, encara no ha atès completament les cooperatives de consum ecològic, perquè estan basades en la pràctica i encara no tenen un discurs estandarditzat.[eng] "Nature/culture dualism in Ecology: An analysis of Margalefian ecological thought and practices in ecological consumer cooperatives" We live in a time of ecological crisis, understood in the broadest sense of the term. The oikos, as our house, is undergoing an economic, political, food, environmental and social crisis. Interpreting the planet as in a crisis situation results from the development of a series of conditions that endanger or may question the survival of the human species. These conditions are either naturalized or objectified by certain scientific discourses, or else considered as historical and contextual conditions by some critical sectors by using the crisis discourse.The traditional Western concept of the human species and nature as separated entities, and their ways of relating to one another – based on exploitation and conservation – play a key role in the search for old and new ways to tackle the ecological crisis. This paper explores the possibilities of breaking the nature/culture and exploitation/conservation dualisms that characterise Western thought. To this end, it analyzes with a critical perspective, on the one hand, the discourses of scientific ecology by focusing on the work of ecologist Ramon Margalef, and on the other, the discourse that emerges from agroecology practices in ecological consumer cooperatives (ECC) inBarcelona. Neither the Margalefian discourse nor the one emerging from practices in ECCs deconstruct the nature/culture dualism, though both of them displace it to some extent: Margalef subsumes culture in nature while the ECC practices hybridize social organization with nature. Regarding the modes of relationship, both Ramon Margalef and ECCs point to links beyond exploitation and protection based on reciprocity. This paper shows that taking into account the socio-economic and political dimensions of the human species in ecological theoretical praxis facilitates the displacement of nature/culture and exploitation/conservation dualisms. Finally, the paper explains how scientific ecology has been integrated into the hegemonic discourse of sustainable development. Institutions and ‘green’ companies integrate, by means of de-politization, the diversity of voices in the area of Ecology into a singular ecological discourse that legitimates unlimited economic growth. This process of integration, however, is not yet completed in ECCs, since they are based in practice and have yet to develop a standardized discourse

Dignidad y precio justo: Las economías morales de la agricultura y la ganadería en la era de la agro-industria

The hegemonic agro-food system currently dominant in Spain and other European countries challenges farmers’ livelihoods. This paper addresses farmers’ (un)sustainabilities from a moral economy perspective, focusing on discussions about just prices. We argue that it is important to consider the historical perspective of food systems from a political economy point of view and to examine tensions and clashes between values and norms through the notion of moral economy. We analyse these perspectives through various case studies in different Spanish regions: farmers in Galicia, viticulturists in El Penedès and “alternative” provisioning systems in Catalonia. Furthermore, we combine the moral economy perspective with feminist and eco-feminist contributions that help us to understand one of farmers’ most common demands: just prices that guarantee livelihoods and dignity. This paper also deals with the ambivalent role of the state as a price regulator and with farmers’ aspirations of autonomy from the market and the state. The global health crisis caused by COVID-19 during the first half of 2020 stresses the need to continue exploring the (un)sustainabilities of our hegemonic agro-food system and the potentialities and limitations of counter-hegemonic food provisioning systems that try to build alternative food paths.El sistema agroalimentario hegemónico actualmente dominante en España y otros países europeos desafía los medios de vida de los agricultores. Este artículo aborda las (in)sostenibilidades de los agricultores y ganaderos desde una perspectiva de economía moral, centrándose en discusiones sobre precios justos. Argumentamos que es importante considerar la perspectiva histórica de los sistemas alimentarios desde el punto de vista de la economía política y examinar las tensiones y choques entre valores y normas a través de la noción de economía moral. Analizamos estas perspectivas a través de diversos casos de estudio en diferentes regiones españolas: agricultores y ganaderos en Galicia, viticultores en El Penedès y sistemas de aprovisionamiento “alternativos” en Cataluña. Además, combinamos la perspectiva de la economía moral con contribuciones feministas y ecofeministas que nos ayudan a comprender una de las demandas más comunes de los agricultores y ganaderos: precios justos que garanticen los medios de vida y la dignidad. Este documento también se ocupa del papel ambivalente del estado como regulador de precios y de las aspiraciones de los agricultores y ganaderos a la autonomía del mercado y el estado

Antitumor Necrosis Factor Agents to Treat EndoscopicPostoperative Recurrence of Crohn’s Disease: A Nationwide Study With Propensity-Matched Score Analysis

INTRODUCTION:Patients with Crohn's disease experiencing endoscopic postoperative recurrence (POR) may benefit from antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents but scarce data on this are available. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of anti-TNF in improving mucosal lesions in patients with endoscopic POR.METHODS:Multicenter, retrospective, study of patients with Crohn's disease who underwent therapy with anti-TNF agents for endoscopic POR (Rutgeerts score > i1). Treatment outcomes were assessed by the findings in the last ileocolonoscopy performed after anti-TNF therapy was initiated. Endoscopic improvement and remission were defined as any reduction in the baseline Rutgeerts score and by a Rutgeerts score < i2, respectively.RESULTS:A total of 179 patients were included, 83 were treated with infliximab and 96 with adalimumab. Median time on anti-TNF therapy at the last endoscopic assessment was 31 months (interquartile range, 13-54). Endoscopic improvement was observed in 61%, including 42% who achieved endoscopic remission. Concomitant use of thiopurines and treatment with infliximab were associated with endoscopic improvement (odds ratio [OR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-4.46; P = 0.03, and OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.18-4.62; P < 0.01, respectively) and endoscopic remission (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.65-6.05; P < 0.01, and OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.05-3.88; P = 0.04, respectively) in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. These results were confirmed in a propensity-matched score analysis.DISCUSSION:In patients with endoscopic POR, anti-TNF agents improve mucosal lesions in almost two-thirds of the patients. In this setting, concomitant use of thiopurines and use of infliximab seem to be more effective in improving mucosal lesions.Fiorella Canete received a research grant from the Societat Catalana de Digestologia

Effectiveness and Safety of the Sequential Use of a Second and Third Anti-TNF Agent in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results From the Eneida Registry

Background: The effectiveness of the switch to another anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agent is not known. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of treatment with a second and third anti-TNF drug after intolerance to or failure of a previous anti-TNF agent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Methods: We included patients diagnosed with IBD from the ENEIDA registry who received another anti-TNF after intolerance to or failure of a prior anti-TNF agent. Results: A total of 1122 patients were included. In the short term, remission was achieved in 55% of the patients with the second anti-TNF. The incidence of loss of response was 19% per patient-year with the second anti-TNF. Combination therapy (hazard ratio [HR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-3; P < 0.0001) and ulcerative colitis vs Crohn's disease (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1; P = 0.005) were associated with a higher probability of loss of response. Fifteen percent of the patients had adverse events, and 10% had to discontinue the second anti-TNF. Of the 71 patients who received a third anti-TNF, 55% achieved remission. The incidence of loss of response was 22% per patient-year with a third anti-TNF. Adverse events occurred in 7 patients (11%), but only 1 stopped the drug. Conclusions: Approximately half of the patients who received a second anti-TNF achieved remission; nevertheless, a significant proportion of them subsequently lost response. Combination therapy and type of IBD were associated with loss of response. Remission was achieved in almost 50% of patients who received a third anti-TNF; nevertheless, a significant proportion of them subsequently lost response

Long-Term Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Ustekinumab in Crohn’s Disease Patients: The SUSTAIN Study

Background Large real-world-evidence studies are required to confirm the durability of response, effectiveness, and safety of ustekinumab in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients in real-world clinical practice. Methods A retrospective, multicentre study was conducted in Spain in patients with active CD who had received ≥1 intravenous dose of ustekinumab for ≥6 months. Primary outcome was ustekinumab retention rate; secondary outcomes were to identify predictive factors for drug retention, short-term remission (week 16), loss of response and predictive factors for short-term efficacy and loss of response, and ustekinumab safety. Results A total of 463 patients were included. Mean baseline Harvey-Bradshaw Index was 8.4. A total of 447 (96.5%) patients had received prior biologic therapy, 141 (30.5%) of whom had received ≥3 agents. In addition, 35.2% received concomitant immunosuppressants, and 47.1% had ≥1 abdominal surgery. At week 16, 56% had remission, 70% had response, and 26.1% required dose escalation or intensification; of these, 24.8% did not subsequently reduce dose. After a median follow-up of 15 months, 356 (77%) patients continued treatment. The incidence rate of ustekinumab discontinuation was 18% per patient-year of follow-up. Previous intestinal surgery and concomitant steroid treatment were associated with higher risk of ustekinumab discontinuation, while a maintenance schedule every 12 weeks had a lower risk; neither concomitant immunosuppressants nor the number of previous biologics were associated with ustekinumab discontinuation risk. Fifty adverse events were reported in 39 (8.4%) patients; 4 of them were severe (2 infections, 1 malignancy, and 1 fever). Conclusions Ustekinumab is effective and safe as short- and long-term treatment in a refractory cohort of CD patients in real-world clinical practice

Using Interpretable Machine Learning to Identify Baseline Predictive Factors of Remission and Drug Durability in Crohn’s Disease Patients on Ustekinumab

Ustekinumab has shown efficacy in Crohn's Disease (CD) patients. To identify patient profiles of those who benefit the most from this treatment would help to position this drug in the therapeutic paradigm of CD and generate hypotheses for future trials. The objective of this analysis was to determine whether baseline patient characteristics are predictive of remission and the drug durability of ustekinumab, and whether its positioning with respect to prior use of biologics has a significant effect after correcting for disease severity and phenotype at baseline using interpretable machine learning. Patients' data from SUSTAIN, a retrospective multicenter single-arm cohort study, were used. Disease phenotype, baseline laboratory data, and prior treatment characteristics were documented. Clinical remission was defined as the Harvey Bradshaw Index <= 4 and was tracked longitudinally. Drug durability was defined as the time until a patient discontinued treatment. A total of 439 participants from 60 centers were included and a total of 20 baseline covariates considered. Less exposure to previous biologics had a positive effect on remission, even after controlling for baseline disease severity using a non-linear, additive, multivariable model. Additionally, age, body mass index, and fecal calprotectin at baseline were found to be statistically significant as independent negative risk factors for both remission and drug survival, with further risk factors identified for remission

Impact of Biological Agents on Postsurgical Complications in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicentre Study of Geteccu

Background: The impact of biologics on the risk of postoperative complications (PC) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still an ongoing debate. This lack of evidence is more relevant for ustekinumab and vedolizumab. Aims: To evaluate the impact of biologics on the risk of PC. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in 37 centres. Patients treated with biologics within 12 weeks before surgery were considered “exposed”. The impact of the exposure on the risk of 30-day PC and the risk of infections was assessed by logistic regression and propensity score-matched analysis. Results: A total of 1535 surgeries were performed on 1370 patients. Of them, 711 surgeries were conducted in the exposed cohort (584 anti-TNF, 58 vedolizumab and 69 ustekinumab). In the multivariate analysis, male gender (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2–2.0), urgent surgery (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2–2.2), laparotomy approach (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1–1.9) and severe anaemia (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3–2.6) had higher risk of PC, while academic hospitals had significantly lower risk. Exposure to biologics (either anti-TNF, vedolizumab or ustekinumab) did not increase the risk of PC (OR: 1.2; 95% CI: 0.97–1.58), although it could be a risk factor for postoperative infections (OR 1.5; 95% CI: 1.03–2.27). Conclusions: Preoperative administration of biologics does not seem to be a risk factor for overall PC, although it may be so for postoperative infections

Paul R. Ehrlich "Un bon economista hauria d’entendre l’ecologia en profunditat"

Especialista en papallones i biologia de poblacions, i ferm defensorde la necessitat de moderar l&rsquo;explotaci&oacute; que fem de l&rsquo;entorn natural, Ehrlich va ser el guardonat de la cinquena edici&oacute; del Premi Ramon Margalef d&rsquo;Ecologia. L&rsquo;especialista nord-americ&agrave; &eacute;s tamb&eacute; l&rsquo;autor d&rsquo;un dels llibres de refer&egrave;ncia sobre els problemes de la superpoblaci&oacute; humana, The Population Bomb, i recentment ha impulsat el programa de conscienciaci&oacute; ambiental Millennium Alliance for Humanity &amp; the Biosphere (MAHB)

Zadružne prakse: strategije preživetja, alternativna gibanja ali vpetost v kapitalizem?

Cooperation practices are the backbone of human society's social and material reproduction. The neoclassical discourse has attempted to hide the importance of cooperation in social and material reproduction. Nevertheless, human history offers plenty of examples where reciprocity, cooperation and/or solidarity are the core of economic practices.We aim to address these issues through two ethnographic examples. The first case analyzes discourses and practices that emerge in proximity to food provisioning networks composed of consumers' food cooperatives and small organic food producers. The second case examines the path of a financial services cooperative, Coop57. Its financial role in the cooperative and associative arena seeks to stimulate a social transformation where the foundations of the economy (financing, consumption, production and redistribution) connect each other into a network to bring about a more powerful change in the dominant socioeconomic relations. These cooperative practices can be read both: 1) as a place of struggle for life which flourishes at the interstices of capitalist colonization for profit and 2) as an object of a capitalist project of integration of social reproduction in its extended accumulation process.We oppose this perspective to the concept of “diverse economies” and discuss the heuristic value of the idea of hegemonic dispute in everyday life for thinking about these cooperative practices.Zadružne prakse so hrbtenica socialne reprodukcije v človeških družbah. Neoklasični diskurz je poskušal zakriti pomen medsebojenga sodelovanja v družbenoekonomskih odnosih, vendar je v človeški zgodovini veliko primerov, ko so vzajemnost, sodelovanje in solidarnost v središču ekonomskih praks.Prispevek izpostavi dva etnografska primera. Prvi analizira diskurze in prakse zadružnih mrež za oskrbovanje z ekološkimi proizvodi, v katerih se ovezujejo mali pridelovalci, drugi pa finančno zadrugo Coop57 in njeno organiziranost na osnovi vrednot, ki gojijo avtonomijo in sodelovanje delavcev pri proizvodnji dobrin in storitvah. Obe praksi je mogoče brati kot: 1. strategijo boja za življenje, ki cveti v razpokah naraščajoče kapitalistične hegemonije, in 2. predmet kapitalističnih politik integriranja protihegemonij v v neoliberalne politične modele.V prispevku ta dva koncepta soočamo s konceptom »različnih ekonomij« in se – da bi se približali tem zadružnim praksam – sprašujemo o hevristični vrednosti ideje hegemonističnega disputa v vsakdanjem življenju

Evolution of the optimal catalytic systems for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane: The role of adsorption in the catalytic performance

Three samples that correspond to the evolution of optimal catalytic systems for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane have been synthesized and compared in terms of catalytic behavior and adsorption properties: (i) vanadium oxide supported on alumina, (ii) Sn-promoted NiO, and (iii) multicomponent MoVTeNbO with the M1 structure. The main difference in catalytic performance lies in the extent of the overoxidation of the ethylene formed, following the order VOx/Al2O3 > NiSnOx > MoVTeNb-M1. Accordingly, the selectivity to ethylene at medium and high ethane conversion follows the order MoVTeNb-M1 > NiSnOx > VOx/Al2O3. These results are confirmed by the relative reaction rates observed for the oxidation of ethane and the oxidation of ethylene. Microcalorimetry studies indicate that the heat of adsorption of both ethane and ethylene is the highest in the most selective MoVTeNb-M1 sample. Thus, the low olefin decomposition in the MoVTeNb-M1 catalyst is not due to weaker adsorption of ethylene but to the reduced ability of its active sites to activate ethylene. The same conclusion regarding the MoVTeNb-M1 catalyst can be drawn by FT-IR of adsorbed ethylene. On the other hand, NiSnOx active sites present a high overoxidation ability, as demonstrated by the notorious formation of oxygenated species, precursors of COx. However, the ethylene decomposition is rather mild because of the existence of many free Lewis sites not involved in the overoxidation reaction. In contrast, in the case of the VOx/Al2O3 catalyst, almost all active sites are involved in the oxidation path, so that the olefins decompose readily