Urban Planning in the First Unfortified Spanish Colonial Town: The Orientation of the Historic Churches of San Cristóbal de La Laguna

The city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in the Canary Island of Tenerife (Spain) is of exceptional value as the first unfortified colonial city to follow regular plan - a grid, outlined by straight streets that form squares - in the overseas European expansion. It constitutes a historical example of the so-called "Town of Peace", the archetype of a city-republic in a new land that employed its own natural boundaries to delimit and defend itself. Founded in 1496, the historical centre of the old city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 (UNESCO World Heritage Committee, n.d.). We analyse the exact spatial orientation of 21 historic Christian churches currently existing in the old part of La Laguna, which we take as a good indicator of the original layout of the urban lattice. We find a clear orientation pattern that, if correlated with the rising or setting Sun, singles out an absolute-value astronomical declination slightly below 20°, which, within the margin of error of our study, might be associated with the 25th July feast day of San Cristóbal de Licia, the saint to whom the town was originally dedicated. We also discuss at some length some recent proposals which invoke somewhat far-fetched hypotheses for the planimetry of the old city and conclude with some comments on one of its outstanding features, namely its Latin-cross structure, which is apparent in the combined layout of some of its most emblematic churches.Fil: Gangui, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Belmonte, Juan Antonio. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; Españ

The development of a Utopian city? Comparing land-and skyscapes in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristobal de la Laguna

We discuss the peculiar planning of the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, in the Canary Island of Tenerife (Spain), when compared to the nearby and essentially contemporary Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which served as a maritime port of the former city. For this we review our previous study of the exact spatial orientation of twenty-one historic Christian churches currently existing in the old part of La Laguna, which we compare with the analysis of six similar buildings located in Santa Cruz, and presented here for the first time. In both cities, we take the spatial orientation of historic churches as good indicators of the original layout of the respective urban lattices. Although we find a clear orientation pattern for La Laguna, which singles out an absolute-value astronomical declination slightly below 20°, pointing to a preferred date close to the July 25th feast-day of San Cristóbal de Licia, in the case of Santa Cruz this trend is not followed. On the contrary, the pattern we find for Santa Cruz, within the uncertainties due to the low statistics, and apart from one equinoctial and one solstitial oriented churches, is consistent with an orographic orientation within the canonic limits of sunrise. This result highlights the uniqueness of the city of La Laguna, and supports the idea suggesting its deliberate planning in the early 16th century.Fil: Gangui, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Belmonte, Juan Antonio. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; Españ

La opinión de los españoles ante las nuevas biotecnologías

Las nuevas biotecnologías representan una gran esperanza para el ser humano. Sin embargo, la gente tiene una percepción respecto a ellas ambivalente, donde el bien y el mal que suponen están juntos. El presente artículo trata de esta ambivalencia en España. Para ello, he analizado cuatro estudios de opinión con diferentes metodologías: grupos de discusión, entrevistas y encuestas. El trabajo de análisis realizado permite hacer una evaluación comprehensiva del conocimiento, la información, el interés, la aceptación, la percepción, la demanda de control, el conocimiento de la normativa, la participación social reclamada, la percepción del riesgo, etc. Todos ellos aspectos muy importantes para legitimar las nuevas biotecnologías, y para que ellas tengan la aceptación del público.The new biotechnologies represent a great hope for the human being, although people have a perception respect they ambivalent, where the good and the bad that suppose are join. The present article treats this ambivalence in the Spain people. For that I have analysed four public opinion studies with different methodologies: discussion groups, interviews, and inquiries. The analysis work realized permit do a comprehensive evaluation for the knowledge, information, interest, acceptation, perception, control demand, normative knowledge, social participation claims, risk perception, etc. All these items are very important for legitimate the new biotechnologies, and for that they have the public acceptation

La Arqueoastronomía en Europa: la singularidad del caso español

La arqueoastronomía es una disciplina científica relativamente joven en España. A caballo entre las ciencias sociales y la astronomía, se sirve de las poderosas herramientas de ésta para ponerse al servicio de aquellas a la hora de entender la visión del cosmos de nuestros antepasados. En el presente ensayo analizaremos el estatus de esta disciplina y estudiaremos parte de su epistemología y fundamentos. Finalmente, seguiremos de forma breve su evolución histórica en España situándola en el marco más amplio de la arqueoastronomía europea.Archaeoastronomy is a scientific discipline with a relatively short history in Spain. Straddling social sciences and astronomy, it uses the powerful tools of the latter at the service of the former in an attempt to approach the vision of the cosmos of our ancestors. In the present essay, we will analyze the current status of the discipline and will study part of its foundations and epistemology. Finally, a brief historical sketch of its development in Spain will be presented within the wider framework of European archaeoastronomy

Postwar American Experimental Film and Queer Psychogeography

This essay reads queer American experimental film of the 1940s and 1950s—by Kenneth Anger, Willard Maas, Gregory Markopoulos, and Curtis Harrington, among others—as a form of queer psychogeography: a style of urban dwelling and transit that originated with French surrealism in the late 1920s and was subsequently theorized by Lettrists and Situationists in the 1950s. Psychogeography consisted in drifting through the city in search of evocative or destabilizing spots, which, for postwar American experimental filmmakers, were locations latent with (queer) sexual possibility. This approach allows us to re-interpret these films from an unprecedented perspective. So far conceptualized as cinematic renderings of trances and dreams triggered by the search for sexual identity, the present article shows that this body of work registers as well a material practice consisting in the covert sexualisation of urban space; this practice arises from the attempt of postwar queer subcultures to escape regulation and surveillance during repressive times

Elucidating Operating Modes of Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells from Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis

We discuss the progress and challenges in the application of impedance spectroscopy analysis to determine key processes and parameters in organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells. When carrier transport or outer interface extraction do not severely influence the solar cell performance, a simple method to quantify the open-circuit voltage loss caused by the kinetics of charge carrier recombination is provided, based on the determination of chemical capacitance and recombination resistance. This easily allows distinguishing between energetic and kinetic effects on photovoltage, and establishes a benchmark for the performance comparison of a set of different cells. A brief discussion of impedance analysis in the much less studied case of collection-limited solar cells is introduced.We acknowledge the financial support from Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (Spain) under Project HOPE CSD2007-00007 (Consolider-Ingenio 2010), and Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo/2009/058, and ISIC/2012/008 Institute of Nanotechnologies for Clean Energies)

Motivación y cohesión grupal en el rendimiento deportivo: una propuesta de intervención

El objetivo de este trabajo es solucionar o prevenir dinámicas de resultados negativos de equipos deportivos como consecuencia de una mala cohesión grupal, una baja motivación y el síndrome de burnout en sus jugadores y, en consecuencia, evitar así las consecuencias negativas que afectan directamente sobre los resultados y objetivos del propio club. Esta propuesta de intervención se centrará en el trabajo de la cohesión grupal del equipo así como en lograr un nivel óptimo de motivación en los jugadores del mismo. La intervención constará de 7 sesiones, cuyo resultado se obtendrá mediante la comparación de las mediciones que se realicen en la primera y última sesiónThe objective of this work is to solve or prevent negative results dynamics of sports teams as a result of poor group cohesion, low motivation and burnout syndrome in their players, and that would prevent the negative consequences that directly affect the results and objectives of the club itself. This intervention proposal will focus on the work of team group cohesion as well as achieving an optimal level of motivation in the club's players. The intervention will consist of 7 sessions, the result of which will be obtained by comparing the measurements that are made in the first and last sessio

Fanatismo: tres tipos ideáis

Objective: to understand, theoretically, fanaticism in the Western World by identifying and presenting their ideal types at different historical moments.Methodology: this work is framed by the ideas of Max Weber regarding the scientific method, but developed in a comprehensive manner since it takes an interest in understanding the reality it explores through the interpretation of texts. Besides, it seeks to identify the types of ideals in order to distance from the subjectivity of values and to establish the meanings behind certain social actions of individuals historically and contextually situated.Results: ideal types of fanaticism  were identified: transcendental, religions, holy books and metaconcepts, which explain what lies behind their invisible form in the sphere of action of the rules governing the behavior of subjects through a biased constitution, likely to be viewed from the fanaticism point of view.Conclusions: religion in its variants studied, namely, Judaism and Christianity, as well as Hegel’s version of Secularism can take to interpretations that lead to fanaticism. Only the Kantian varian avoids falling into fanatical interpretations.Objetivo: comprender, teóricamente, el fanatismo en el Mundo de Occidente, identificando y presentando sus tipos ideales en diferentes momentos históricos. Metodología: la investigación se inserta en lo que Max Weber denomina el método científico, pero que desarrolla como un método comprensivo, dado que su interés lo lleva a comprender la realidad sobre la que indaga a través de la interpretación de textos, buscando identificar los tipos de ideales. A partir de ello, alejarse de la subjetividad de los valores y establecer los significados que hay detrás de determinadas acciones sociales de individuos histórica y contextualmente situados. Resultados: muestran tipos ideales de fanatismo compuestos por: trascendentes, religiones, libros sacros y metaconceptos, que dan cuenta de lo que hay detrás, en su forma invisible, de la esfera de la acción normativa que regula el comportamiento de los sujetos a través de una constitución subjetiva, susceptible de ser mirada desde los puntos de vista del fanatismo. Conclusiones: se constata que tanto la religión, en sus variantes estudiadas –judaísmo y cristianismo–, como el laicismo en una de sus versiones, la de Hegel, pueden derivar en interpretaciones que conducen al fanatismo. Sólo la variante kantiana evita caer en interpretaciones fanáticas.Objetivo: compreender, teoricamente, o fanatismo no mundo de Ocidente, identificando e apresentando seus tipos ideais em diferentes momentos históricos.Metodologia: inserta se no que Max Weber denomina o método cientifico, mas que desenvolve como um método compreensivo, já que seu interes o leva a compreender a realidade sobre a que indaga a través da interpretação de textos, procurando identificar os tipos de ideais e, a partir dele, afastar se da subjetividade dos valores e estabelecer os significados que há detrás de determinadas ações sociais de indivíduos histórica e contextualmente situados.Resultados: evidencia se tipos ideais de fanatismo composto por transcendentes, religiões, livros sacros e metaconceitos, que dão conta do que há detrás, em sua forma invisível da esfera da ação normativa que regula o comportamento dos sujeitos a través de uma constituição subjetiva, susceptível de ser mirada desde os pontos de vista do fanatismo.Conclusões: constata se que tanto a religião, em suas variantes estudadas-judaísmo e cristianismo-, como o laicismo em uma de suas versões, a de Hegel, podem derivar em interpretações que dirigem ao fanatismo. Só a variante Kantiana evita cair em interpretações fanáticas