Eines bibliogràfiques per a passejar per la ciberciutat actual

Des de la seva definició inicial, la ciberciutat s'ha interpretat freqüentment com un espai urbà fictici, allunyat de les nostres pràctiques quotidianes actuals, i també com una realitat suplementària i afegida a la "veritable ciutat". Amb aquesta revisió tractem de mostrar que potser la ciberciutat -formada per nous espais, tecnologies i pràctiques socials- no es troba tan lluny. Això queda reflectit en un ampli ventall de llibres que, des de diferents disciplines i posicions teòriques, expliquen com són les ciutats del present, amb l'auge de les noves tecnologies com a teló de fons. Fem una tria d'algunes de les obres sobre la ciberciutat amb un propòsit doble: per una banda, que aquesta exposició sobre la ciberciutat convidi a passejar-s'hi d'una manera diferent -potser tenint més present com aquesta desdibuixa els límits entre allò que és real i allò que és virtual-; i, per altra banda que, des d'un punt teòric i metodològic, aquests conceptes i textos es converteixin en eines elementals per a analitzar i observar l'espai urbà contemporani

Piedra, papel y tijera. Vivienda y gestión del asentamiento de la población Rrom / gitana rumana en el área metropolitana de Barcelona (2006-2014)

La población rrom (gitana) rumana en el Área Metropolitana de Barcelona ha sido objeto cíclicamente de atención en relación con la vivienda por parte de los medios (particularmente en los momentos previos a unas elecciones). Dicha población, presente fundamentalmente en Badalona y Santa Coloma de Gramenet vive mayoritariamente en pisos; y es precisamente en este último ámbito en el que se concentran la mayor parte de las problemáticas que sirven como escenario para el conflicto (sobreocupación, acumulación de chatarra, etc.) sea éste más o menos magnificado por los actores políticos y los medios. Sin embargo, pocas veces las narrativas sobre el mismo van más allá de una esencialización cultural, analizando en profundidad los factores que intervienen en el acceso a la vivienda de dicha población. La intención de este texto, además de analizar someramente cómo se están construyendo dichos discursos, es ofrecer una visión concreta de la interrelación de diferentes factores y sus consecuencias sobre la propia población a partir de un trabajo etnográfico realizado en los últimos siete años.Romanian Roma population in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona have cyclically been given visibility by media in aspects related with housing (particularly prior to elections). The majority of this population, residing mainly in Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet municipalities, inhabits in flats; and it is precisely this subject the one that concentrates most of the issues pointed out as conflictive (overcrowding, scrap metal collection, and so on) being it magnified or not by the political actors and the media. However, almost never the narratives about that situation go beyond a cultural essentialism, analyzing in depth the factors that intervene in access to proper housing for that population. The aim of this text, aside of briefly analyze how these discourses are being constructed, is to offer a concrete perspective of the interrelation of different factors and their consequences on the population itself, using data from an ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the last seven years

La construcción de la ‘Cuestión Gitana Rumana’ en el Área Metropolitana de Barcelona: espacios públicos urbanos, conflictos vecinales y política local.

This paper intends to present a general overview of the situation of the Romanian Roma Population in Barcelona Metropolitan Area and briefly describe and analyse the ways in which their presence is being managed. Methodology used range from media analysis to ethnographic fieldwork. First, I will offer some references as well as a general background of the presence and migratory process of the Romanian Roma population in Spain and Barcelona. Next, I will focus on the local construction of the ‘Roma Issue’, briefly using three different and interrelated examples: public space regulation and marginal economic strategies; settlement policies and the idea of nomadism-mobility; and finally political construction and culturalization of concrete neighbourhood conflicts. Finally, I intend to offer some conclusions as well as some reflections about the possible evolution of these processes both at a local and state level

Iridium-and Palladium-Based Catalysts in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Transition metal catalysts play a vital role in a wide range of industrial organic processes. The large-scale production of chemicals relying on catalyzed organic reactions represents a sustainable approach to supply society with end products for many daily life applications. Homogeneous (mainly for academic uses) and heterogeneous (crucial in industrial processes) metal-based catalysts have been developed for a plethora of organic reactions. The search for more sustainable strategies has led to the development of a countless number of metal-supported catalysts, nanosystems, and electrochemical and photochemical catalysts. In this work, although a vast number of transition metals can be used in this context, special attention is devoted to Ir-and Pd-based catalysts in the industrial manufacture of pharmaceutical drugs. Pd is by far the most widely used and versatile catalyst not only in academia but also in industry. Moreover, Ir-based complexes have emerged as attractive catalysts, particularly in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions. Ir-and Pd-based asymmetric reductions, aminations, cross-coupling reactions, and C–H activation are covered herein in the production of biologically active compounds or precursors; adaptation to bulk conditions is particularly highlighted.Gobierno de Canarias SD-19/02Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2020-116460RB-I00, 10.13039/50110001103

Universalismos / relativismos y antropología : una aproximación al debate

Este artículo pretende una aproximación inicial al debate universalismo/relativismo en Antropología, en el que se intentan sistematizar algunas de las críticas y contracríticas que se han articulado en la discusión. Sin embargo, más que de una revisión histórica, se ha intentado desarrollar una postura "relativista radical" y contraponerla con diferentes aportaciones, con la intención de explorar algunas de las implicaciones del debate para la práctica antropológica.This paper is intended to be an initial approach to the universalism / relativism debate in Anthropology, trying to systematize some of the critics and counter-critics that have been used in that discussion. However, more than an historical review, it tries to expound a "radical relativist" position and confront it with different contributions, with the objective of exploring some of the implications of the debate for anthropological practice

The relation between dividends and insider ownership in different legal systems: international evidence

This paper provides new international evidence on the relationship between dividend policy and insider ownership by analysing a sample of firms from countries characterised by an Anglo-Saxon tradition and a matching sample of companies from countries with Civil Law legal systems. We hypothesize that, due to the different characteristics of both the legal system and the nature of agency conflicts in firms from those countries, the relation between dividend policies and ownership by insiders will be considerably distinct between the two sets of companies. We find that while in firms from Anglo-Saxon tradition the relation between dividends and insider ownership follows the pattern negative-positive-negative, in Civil Law countries the relation is positive-negative-positive. These results are consistent with our hypotheses and breed new insights into the role of dividend policy as a disciplining mechanism in countries with different legal systems and distinct agency problems.dividend policy, corporate governance, insider ownership, international financial markets, dynamic panel data and GMM estimation

More class time, better achievement?

Spanish press has widely criticized the fact that students spend almost their whole day at school, a practice rooted in the common belief that higher instruction time enhances students’ learning. However, in spite of this high amount of instruction time that Spanish students are receiving, their results do not seem to outstand in comparison with other countries with similar or lower instruction time. In this context, this research intends to accomplish two main objectives: the first one is to check if the amount of instruction time received by 15 year-old Spanish students actually affects their academic achievement. The second one intends to analyse if this potential influence of instruction time may be affecting Spanish Autonomous Communities in different ways, as each one is responsible for setting instruction time in its own region. In order to accomplish these objectives, the methodology employed let us isolate the effect of instruction time from other covariates by using students’ fixed effects by subject, using PISA 2009 and 2012 data. Results have shown that there is not any effect of instruction time on academic achievement, being this conclusion extended to every Autonomous Community in Spain. Further checks have corroborated the robustness of these results and have also highlighted that the effect of instruction time is a question of quality more than quantity, as students’ engagement and the classroom climate during lessons may be causing differences in academic achievement, rather than the amount of instruction time per se.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Las fuentes antiguas y la creación literaria de la Vetonia

Este trabajo pretende presentar una visión de la Vetonia como una construcción basada principalmente en las fuentes clásicas. Sin embargo, esta información es escasa y parcial y su contrastación con fuentes arqueológicas es inevitable. La combinación de fuentes históricas y registros arqueológicos presenta nuevas evidencias que permiten entender de forma global la zona. La conclusión final de este trabajo podría ser la deconstrucción de una Vetonia prerromana, que como concepto responde a una realidad romana, y la reconsideración de las evidencias sobre la organización social de estos grupos tanto en lo referente a la información de los textos como al registro arqueológico.The aim of this paper is to present a new view about the construction of the Vetonia based on the classic sources. These information are scarce and partial and their test with new archaeological records is unavoidable. The combination of historical and archaeological evidences yield new ways of understanding the whole area. The final conclusion might be the deconstruction of the pre-roman Vetonia, due to be a roman creation, and the rethinking of the social evidences either described by the sources, either as archaeological record