The Dead with No Wake, Grieving with No Closure: Illness and Death in the Days of Coronavirus in Spain

[EN] The pandemic caused by the spread of Covid-19 is giving rise to an exceptional social situation because of the great speed of propagation of the illness and the high level of mortality it has occasioned in a very short time. Moreover, the lockdown measures decreed in Spain prohibit the holding of wakes to avoid contagion, and limit funerals to three people plus the ofciant. Thus, coronavirus is robbing people of the opportunity of a fnal farewell, stripping the dead of their dignity and worsening the grief of the living. This article investigates the situation and the social and cultural impact it has provoked. The method used takes the line of critical dialogue analysis (CDA) applied to information contained in the mass media, employing qualitative material from a related small-scale study. The results show that in countries like Spain where there is a strong Roman Catholic tradition the importance of these rituals is unquestionable. Although the country has become laicized over recent years, many traditions around death are still maintained. Hence, the impossibility of holding funerals is triggering a large number of social and personal conficts. Furthermore, they indicate that lockdown, and the lack of rituals and of accompaniment constitute some of the most crucial stressors in the epidemic. Grief in solitude has become widespread and all the more fundamental in a society that values social support from close friends and family members. The conclusions show that the social distancing imposed by the epidemic is especially hard to bear when relatives are passing into death.S

Cultural Tourism, Religion and Religious Heritage in Castile and León, Spain

Tourism is a driving force of the economy for many countries around the world. The large number of architectural and intangible World Heritage Sites have consolidated those countries in their strong positions as cultural tourism destinations. Within cultural tourism, religious tourism is particularly prominent. This work focuses on Spain and specifically on some of its regions which lack beaches but possess a wealth of religious cultural heritage, such as Castile and León, which have viewed such heritage as an asset to attract a different kind of tourist. The objectives of this study are to highlight the value of religious heritage as a tourist attraction, analyse the potential of religious heritage for religious and non-religious tourism, and observe religious tourism as an asset in depressed areas. The criterion that governs the study is to determine the profile of these tourists and their relationship with the destination. Methodologically, this work is an analysis, assessment and reflection of different processes, practices and events from a social anthropology perspective. The results identify a type of tourist more aware of sustainability and more respectful of the environment and culture, and therefore, more in tune with religion and religious heritage

Combinación de foto-Fenton con tratamiento biológico en reactores tipo SBR para la eliminación de 2,4-Diclorofeno

Projecte Final de Carrera d'Enginyeria Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Química. Directora: Sans Mazón, Carme. Any: 2003

Disorderly freedom: Changes in family relations in rural China

[EN] The period of reform and opening-up that occurred between 1978 and 1991 revolutionised what had been the economic structure of the People’s Republic of China since its foundation, changing the traditional social structure that had endured for thousands of years in rural settings. This change had a significant impact on rural mobility in contemporary China; it brought about a shift in the rural population’s values and led directly to the largest migrant mobility in China’s history. This article analyses these changes in terms of family and marriage and their consequences for rural families. The method employed was ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Sichuan Province. 7 men and 14 women, aged between 25 and 64 took part in the research and were both members of different families, as well as teachers involved in the education of their children. The information obtained from these 21 people was supplemented with data from other sources, including references in the literature and statistics. The results show that the changes taking place in Chinese family and rural society are of such magnitude that traditional values are being replaced by others associated with economic activity and a new individualism. Additionally, the effects of the phenomenon of left behind children are shown.S

Key considerations in the analysis of the development of social anthropology in Spain

[EN] The objective of this article is to present a brief overview of the long history of anthropology in Spain. Of primary importance is positioning this history both within Spain’s wider social and political contexts, and also against the development of scientifc research throughout the country. Methodologically, this study is based on extensive existing literature concerning the history of the discipline, from the start of the twentieth century to contemporary times, which informed the decision to structure this writing in four sections, segmenting the period of history covered. The frst section considers the primary or formative development of a regionalist Spanish ethnography at the beginning of the twentieth century. Following this, in the second section, we explore the Francoist era when the twentieth century was well underway; this was a period marked by the strong infuence of foreign research on the establishment of teaching methods and practical approaches to anthropology. In the third section, we observe how, as Spain transitioned from a dictatorship to a strong democratic state formed of autonomous regions, a uniquely Spanish anthro‑ pology emerged and, as we discuss in the fourth section, the country entered a time of consolidation and institutionalisation throughout the wider feld of Spanish sci‑ entifc endeavour. In this way, we examine Spanish anthropology from the context of intellectual development not dissimilar to that taking place on a global scale.S

Religious Heritage: Reconciliation between Spirituality and Cultural Concerns

[EN] Religious heritage has a dual cultural and religious meaning and importance in society. It has a cultural value because it symbolises the history and art of a community, and a religious value because it represents a spiritual hub and home for a community of believers. This article analyses the challenges posed by this association between religious heritage —as both an economic and tourism resource— and cultural heritage. Methodologically, an observation, reflection and analysis of the challenges that are faced are proposed. The results reveal various initiatives for development, protection and enhancement. The discussion revolves around the importance of community involvement and the benefits this brings to various sectors, including economic activity, from the perspective of religious tourism as an aspect of tourism per se, in which a faith and its believers are elements that merit heritage conservation.S

Social initiatives and public policies in the face of rural depopulation in emptied Spain

[ES] El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar las principales soluciones que se plantean desde las administraciones públicas y desde otras iniciativas sociales al problema del despoblamiento en el medio rural. Para este análisis se recurre al método cualitativo a través de la recopilación de información mediante entrevistas abiertas y diferentes discursos en distintos contextos sociales. Enmarcamos el estudio en Castilla y León, una de las comunidades autónomas más afectadas de España. El resultado de la investigación muestra una cierta desconexión entre las acciones políticas y la realidad de la gente del campo, por lo que se destaca como imprescindible acompañar las políticas públicas con la iniciativa privada y las asociaciones rurales, la búsqueda de nuevas formas de emprendimiento y de innovación social y el fomento de la inmigración rural.[EN] The objective of this research study is to analyze the main solutions that are proposed by public administrations and by other social initiatives to the problem of depopulation in rural areas. For this analysis, the qualitative research is used through the data collection via open-ended interview questions and different speeches in different social contexts. We define the study in Castilla y León, one of the most affected autonomous communities of Spain. The result of the research shows a certain disconnect between political actions and the reality of rural people, which is why it stands out as essential to accompany public policies with private initiative and rural associations, the search for new forms of entrepreneurship and of social innovation and the development of an rural immigration.S

Religion and Workers’ Associations for Decent Work in Spain

[EN] This paper analyzes the role of Catholic religious organizations and worker groups in their commitment to achieve the promotion of decent working conditions. Methodologically, critical discourse analysis (CDA) and the valuation of social anthropology applied to social and political regulations are used. The results show that defending decent work means putting people at the heart of matters and considering work a fundamental right for the dignity of human life. Conclusions show that actions such as guaranteeing workers’ rights, extending social protections, and promoting social dialogue are seen as essential in achieving the aim of decent work

On the number of interference alignment solutions for the K-user MIMO channel with constant coefficients

In this paper, we study the number of different interference alignment (IA) solutions in a K-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) interference channel, when the alignment is performed via beamforming and no symbol extensions are allowed. We focus on the case where the number of IA equations matches the number of variables. In this situation, the number of IA solutions is finite and constant for any channel realization out of a zero-measure set and, as we prove in this paper, it is given by an integral formula that can be numerically approximated using Monte Carlo integration methods. More precisely, the number of alignment solutions is the scaled average of the determinant of a certain Hermitian matrix related to the geometry of the problem. Interestingly, while the value of this determinant at an arbitrary point can be used to check the feasibility of the IA problem, its average (properly scaled) gives the number of solutions. For single-beam systems, the asymptotic growth rate of the number of solutions is analyzed and some connections with classical combinatorial problems are presented. Nonetheless, our results can be applied to arbitrary interference MIMO networks, with any number of users, antennas, and streams per user.The work of Ó. González and I. Santamaría was supported by MICINN (Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation) under grants TEC2013-47141-C4-3-R (RACHEL), TEC2010-19545-C04-03 (COSIMA), CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 CSD2008-00010 (COMONSENS) and FPU grant AP2009-1105. Carlos Beltrán was partially supported by MICINN grant MTM2010-16051

Insecticidal Properties of Ocimum basilicum and Cymbopogon winterianus against Acanthoscelides obtectus, Insect Pest of the Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.)

[EN] The bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus Say (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), causes severe post-harvest losses in the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. The control of this insect is still poor and involves the use of conventional insecticides. There is an increasing demand in the search for new active substances and products for pest control towards reduction of adverse e ects on human health and the environment. The protection of grains with alternative products, such as essential oils, is a possible alternative to meet the needs described above. Therefore, this investigation evaluated the applications of basil, Ocimum basilicum, and citronella, Cymbopogon winterianus, essential oils for A. obtectus control. These essential oils significantly reduced the bean weight losses and the number of beans damaged by A. obtectus at higher doses than 60 or 120 L/sample. The number of holes per bean did not di er between the doses of basil essential oil, not even at the dose of 60 L, while it was higher at 120 L, probably due to a lower capacity of movement of the insects treated with this dose and/or the oil’s direct or indirect e ects on the insects. Basil and citronella oils exhibited similar patterns of insecticidal activity over the insect, both directly in adult insects or indirectly over bean seeds. These essential oils a ected the development of A. obtectus since the greatest doses applied on beans decreased the emergence of the bean weevil. The results prove the insecticidal capacity of the tested essential oils and hence their potential as active substances against A. obtectus in environmentally low risk pest control strategies. Supplementary trials should be conducted under real storage conditions.SIThis work was funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Government of Spain), according to the Resolution of 27 July 2018, (BOE No. 184, of July 31) through the grant awarded to Álvaro Rodríguez González (PTA2017–14403-I). The authors are grateful to the Federal University of Reconcavo de Bahia and especially to Franceli Da Silva for providing us with their knowledge about essential oils