Grotesque and Scenography. Virtual reconstruction of anthropomorphic supports within the entry of Philip II in Antwerp (1549)

This paper aims to analyse the presence of a motif from the Flemish repertoire of the grotesque in the configuration of a unique type of anthropomorphic support used in the ephemeral architecture erected on Philip II of Spain’s entry into Antwerp in 1549. The support consists of a figure that, resembling an atlante or a caryatid, supports a cornice, but whose peculiarity is that the body is partially embedded in the surface of the façade, fulfilling a more decorative function than strictly tectonic. The development of this analysis is based on the concept of visual culture, but this approach also constitutes an attempt for developing a virtual reconstruction of this particular motif in its artistic context.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional andalucía Tech

Family functioning characteristics involved in adolescent depressive symptoms

Research has shown that family functioning contributes to depressive symptoms in adolescents, with a wide range of family functioning characteristics associated to adolescent depressive symptoms. However, these family attributes have been studied through different studies, methodologies and theoretical frameworks, and do not allow envisaging a single whole picture of the family attributes associated to adolescent depressive symptoms. The objective of this study was to overcome this deficit. We followed a systematic approach and used the Family Assessment Device (FAD), which comprehensively identify six family variables in which healthy and unhealthy families differ: Problem Solving (PS), Communication (CM), Roles (RL), Affective Responsiveness (AR), Affective Involvement (AI) and Behaviour Control (BC). Independent regression analyses conducted for each variable showed that all the FAD variables significantly predicted BDI scores. However, when the six variables were introduced simultaneously in the same equation to control for the shared explained variance, only AR and AI showed significant effects, with BC approaching significance. These results were confirmed through Prat measure, which showed that the non-overlapping effects of AR, AI and BC accounted for virtually the whole variance explained by the FAD dimensions. Conclusions at both methodological and applied levels emerge from these results. At a methodological level, these results prove the need for controlling the shared variance between family variables before deriving any conclusion about their role. At an applied level, they showed that the family affective aspects are the most important regarding adolescent depression, with only behaviour control playing a role within the non-affective variables.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Family functioning, socio-economic status and adolescent’s depressive symptoms: the mediating role of hopelessness.

Research has shown that difficulties in family functioning contribute to developing adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Additionally, little research has been conducted in order to analyze socio-economic status (SES) differences in the relationship between family functioning and adolescent depressive symptoms. This study examined the relationships between the family variables included in the MacMaster Model of Family Functioning (MMFF), SES and depressive symptoms, as well as the mediating effects of hopelessness. Participants were 643 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (49% male) drawn from secondary schools in Málaga (Spain). They completed the Family Assessment Device, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and a socio-economic measure. We used conditional process analysis to test the moderation effect of gender and a dual mediation model with family functioning and hopelessness as mediators. Results showed that both family functioning as a whole and each MMFF variable, as well as SES, predicted adolescents’ depressive symptoms. In addition, gender moderated the relationship of roles assignment and behavioral control with adolescents’ depressive symptoms, which suggests the need for interventions directed to enhance family rules and boundaries, especially for boys. Finally, we found a serial mediational role of family functioning and hopelessness in the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms, suggesting that the effect of family SES on adolescents’ depressive symptoms through the development of hopelessness should also be targeted.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Reconstructing the image of the ideal city in Renaissance painting and theatre: Its influence in specific urban environments. Digital technology and visual culture

This paper shows a virtual reconstruction based on a comparative study between scenography designs of urban views, and similar landscapes used in painting, in order to eventually find correspondences with specific urban environments.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Where are my followers? Understanding the Locality Effect in Twitter

Twitter is one of the most used applications in the current Internet with more than 200M accounts created so far. As other large-scale systems Twitter can obtain enefit by exploiting the Locality effect existing among its users. In this paper we perform the first comprehensive study of the Locality effect of Twitter. For this purpose we have collected the geographical location of around 1M Twitter users and 16M of their followers. Our results demonstrate that language and cultural characteristics determine the level of Locality expected for different countries. Those countries with a different language than English such as Brazil typically show a high intra-country Locality whereas those others where English is official or co-official language suffer from an external Locality effect. This is, their users have a larger number of followers in US than within their same country. This is produced by two reasons: first, US is the dominant country in Twitter counting with around half of the users, and second, these countries share a common language and cultural characteristics with US

The Environmental Justice Implications of Biofuels

Analyses of the viability of biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels have often adopted a technocratic approach that focuses on environmental consequences, but places less emphasis on the impact that biofuels may have on vulnerable populations. This Article fills the gap in the existing literature by evaluating biofuels through the lens of environmental justice – including climate justice and food justice. The Article examines the impact of biofuels on the global food system and on the planet’s most food-insecure populations. It concludes that the laws and policies promoting the cultivation of biofuels have contributed to global malnourishment by raising food prices and accelerating the large-scale acquisition of arable lands in poor countries that deprive local communities of the land and water necessary to grow food (a phenomenon known as land-grabbing). Ironically, the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of many biofuels exceed those of the fossil fuels they replace. Instead of mitigating climate change, the promotion of biofuels threatens to intensify an industrial model of agricultural production that degrades local ecosystems, exacerbates climate change, and intensifies food insecurity. The Article concludes by discussing governance strategies to foster a more equitable and sustainable approach to bioenergy that respects, protects, and fulfills the human right to food

Environmental Impact Assessment in Post-Colonial Societies: Reflections on the Proposed Expansion of the Panama Canal

Post-colonial societies endowed with abundant natural resources often under-perform economically when these resources are exploited as economic enclaves lacking significant linkages to other sectors of the economy. The Panama Canal, a symbol of Panamanian identity and a reminder of Panama\u27s lengthy colonial history, has historically functioned as an economic enclave akin to the mineral extraction and industrial agriculture enclaves prevalent throughout the developing world. Based on a case study of the contentious decision to expand the Panama Canal, this article examines the ways in which the colonial legacy distorts the development planning process, and discusses strategies that might be deployed to resist the re-imposition of colonial practices and institutions. The article focuses on environmental impact assessment (EIA) as a development planning tool, analyzes Panama\u27s EIA legislation, and examines the application of this legislation to the decision to expand the Panama Canal. The article argues that Panama has adopted a technocratic approach to the EIA process that reinforces the colonial legacy and impedes public participation in governmental decision-making. The article proposes a democratic approach to the EIA process, and makes specific recommendations designed to improve the information available to government agencies, to enhance public oversight of government decision-making, to integrate the evaluation of socioeconomic and environmental impacts, and to facilitate public participation in the development planning process