La problemática actual de la immigració a Catalunya : un nou model d'estudi cultural

La problemàtica de la integració cultural dels immigrants a Catalunya pot considerar-se com el tema més original de la sociologia catalana. Sense rebutjar els aspectes econòmics, socials i polítics del problema, convé definir-lo i tractar-lo en el marc antropològic, ja que la cultura té la seva pròpia autonomia. La possible discriminació social i econòmica que sofreixen la majoria dels immigrants que procedeixen de les regions rurals de la resta d’Espanya i formen el gros de la classe obrera catalana es tradueixen en l’àmbit cultural en processos de dominació-opressió, segons la terminologia de Pablo Freire, que caldria aplicar al cas català amb modidicasions importants

La Teoria social de la religió de Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002)

Tot i que la teoria social de la religió de Bourdieu forma una part molt limitada en el conjunt de la seva obra, l'autor l'aborda a bastament mitjançant el seu paradigma constructivista. Aquest paradigma es basa en dos models heurístics, el dels camps de joc que configuren la geografia social i el de diversos tipus de capital, no només econòmic, sinó també educatiu, cultural, artístic, religiós, etc. Així, el capital simbòlic del llenguatge explica al·legòricament la gènesi i reproducció dels mites i dels ritus religiosos. Bourdieu se situa en un punt d'equilibri entre Marx, Durkheim i Weber, malgrat que s'inspira sobretot en aquest últim autor i, més concretament, en el seu tractat dels portadors de les religions. Així, redueix la religió a la institució i, finalment, a la jerarquia. Especialment, en la interpretació d'alguns fets aïllats dels quals deduiríem un cert desconeixement de l'Església catòlica, majoritària en el seu propi país. Al final es comenten sumàriament alguns reduccionismes de la seva teoria social, partint de la seva aplicació a la religió.Although the Bourdieu’s social theory of religion is a very limited part in all his work, the author deals extensively by the constructivist paradigm. This paradigm is based on two heuristic models, the playing fields that shape the social geography and the various types of capital, not only economic but also educational, cultural, artistic, religious, etc. Thus, the symbolic capital of language allegorically explains the genesis and reproduction of myths and religious rites. Bourdieu is at an equilibrium point between Marx, Durkheim and Weber, although he relies mainly on the latter and, more specifically, on his treatise of bearers of religions. Thus, he reduces the religion to its institution, and ultimately to its hierarchy. Especially in the interpretation of some isolated facts from which we could deduct a misunderstanding of the Catholic Church, which has the majority in his own country. Finally, we briefly discuss some reductionism in his social theory, from its application to religion.Aun cuando la teoría social de la religión de Bourdieu forma una parte muy limitada en el conjunto de su obra, el autor la aborda ampliamente mediante su paradigma constructivista. Este paradigma se basa en dos modelos heurísticos, el de los campos de juego que configuran la geografía social y el de varios tipos de capital, no sólo económico, sino también educativo, cultural, artístico, religioso, etc. Así, el capital simbólico del lenguaje explica alegóricamente la génesis y reproducción de los mitos y de los ritos religiosos. Bourdieu se sitúa en un punto de equilibrio entre Marx, Durkheim y Weber, pese a que se inspira sobre todo en este último autor y, más concretamente, en su tratado de los portadores de las religiones. Así, reduce la religión a su institución y, finalmente, a su jerarquía. Especialmente, en la interpretación de algunos hechos aislados de los que deduciríamos un cierto desconocimiento de la Iglesia católica, mayoritaria en su propio país. Al final se comentan sumariamente algunos reduccionismos de su teoría social, partiendo de su aplicación a la religión. Palabras clave: sociología de la religión, teoría social, Bourdieu

Los sacerdocios locales en las ciudades mediterráneas de Hispania citerior durante la época tardorepublicana y altoimperial

Els sacerdocis locals exerciren en les ciutats romanes d’Hispània un significatiu paper que, excedint-se de l’estricta esfera religiosa, es manifestà en la vida cívica i la política de les ciutats. Es presenta un estudi específic relatiu a l’àmbit de la Tarraconense mediterrània. Fem una anàlisis exhaustiva de la dimensió històrica dels sacerdocis locals en les ciutats de la mediterrànies de l’esmentada província hispana, en el seu àmbit cronològic que abraça la tardana república a l’època altimperial (segles I aC.-III dC.) Es dóna una visió global interdisciplinària d ela situació de la Hispània romana a partir de les fonts epigràfiques, considerant el context cultural, estudiant les semblances i divergències estructurals i funcionals d eles institucions religioses d’Hispània al llarg del període d’estudi. S’estableix una anàlisi comparativa de les dades epigràfiques del territori amb els referents legals coneguts a través de l’epigrafia jurídica de la Bètica (lex Ursonensis, Salpensana, Malacitana i Irnitana, fonamentalment)Los sacerdocios locales ejercieron en las ciudades romanas de Hispania un significativo papel que, excediéndose de la estricta esfera religiosa, se manifestó en la vida cívica y la política de las ciudades. Se presenta un estudio específico relativo al ámbito de la Tarraconense mediterránea. Hacemos un anàlisis exhaustivo de la dimensión histórica de los sacerdocios locales en las ciudades mediterráneas de la mencionada provincia hispana, en su ámbito cronológico que abraza a la tardía república en la época altoimperial (siglos I a.C.-III d.C.) Se da una visión global interdisciplinaria de la situación de la Hispania romana a partir de las fuentes epigráficas, considerando el contexto cultural, estudiando las semblanzas y divergencias estructurales y funcionales de las instituciones religiosas de Hispania a lo largo del período de estudio. Se establece un anàlisis comparativo de los datos epigráficos del territorio con los referentes legales conocidos a través de la epigrafía jurídica de la Bética (lex Ursonensis, Salpensana, Malacitana e Irnitana, fundamentalmente)The local priesthoods played a significant role in the Roman cities of Hispania, which went beyond the strict religious boundaries, manifested itself in the civic life and the politics of the cities. A specific study regarding the area of Mediterranean Tarragona is presented. We make an exhaustive analysis of the historical dimension of the local priesthoods in the Mediterranean cities of the mentioned hispanic province, in its chronological scope that embraces the late republic to the high imperial period (centuries I B.C.-III A.C.) An interdisciplinary global vision of the situation of the Roman Hispania based on epigraphic sources, considering the cultural context, studying the structural and functional similarities and differences of the religious institutions of Hispania throughout the period of study. A comparative analysis of the epigraphic datum of the terriotory is established with the known legal references through the juridical epigraphy of the Baetica (lex Ursonensis, Salpensana, Malacitana and Irnitana, essentially

I-AUV Docking and Panel Intervention at Sea

The use of commercially available autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has increased during the last fifteen years. While they are mainly used for routine survey missions, there is a set of applications that nowadays can be only addressed by manned submersibles or work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with teleoperated arms: the intervention applications. To allow these heavy vehicles controlled by human operators to perform intervention tasks, underwater structures like observatory facilities, subsea panels or oil-well Christmas trees have been adapted, making them more robust and easier to operate. The TRITON Spanish founded project proposes the use of a light-weight intervention AUV (I-AUV) to carry out intervention applications simplifying the adaptation of these underwater structures and drastically reducing the operational cost. To prove this concept, the Girona 500 I-AUV is used to autonomously dock into an adapted subsea panel and once docked perform an intervention composed of turning a valve and plugging in/unplugging a connector. The techniques used for the autonomous docking and manipulation as well as the design of an adapted subsea panel with a funnel-based docking system are presented in this article together with the results achieved in a water tank and at sea.This work was supported by the Spanish project DPI2014-57746-C3 (MERBOTS Project) and by Generalitat Valenciana under Grant GVA-PROMETEO/2016/066. The University of Girona wants to thank the SARTI group for their collaboration with the TRITON project

I-AUV Docking and Panel Intervention at Sea

The use of commercially available autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has increased during the last fifteen years. While they are mainly used for routine survey missions, there is a set of applications that nowadays can be only addressed by manned submersibles or work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with teleoperated arms: the intervention applications. To allow these heavy vehicles controlled by human operators to perform intervention tasks, underwater structures like observatory facilities, subsea panels or oil-well Christmas trees have been adapted, making them more robust and easier to operate. The TRITON Spanish founded project proposes the use of a light-weight intervention AUV (I-AUV) to carry out intervention applications simplifying the adaptation of these underwater structures and drastically reducing the operational cost. To prove this concept, the Girona 500 I-AUV is used to autonomously dock into an adapted subsea panel and once docked perform an intervention composed of turning a valve and plugging in/unplugging a connector. The techniques used for the autonomous docking and manipulation as well as the design of an adapted subsea panel with a funnel-based docking system are presented in this article together with the results achieved in a water tank and at sea.This work was supported by the Spanish project DPI2014-57746-C3 (MERBOTS Project) and by Generalitat Valenciana under Grant GVA-PROMETEO/2016/066. The University of Girona wants to thank the SARTI group for their collaboration with the TRITON project

Reversed flow of Atlantic deep water during the Last Glacial Maximum

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) of the Atlantic Ocean is considered to be one of the most important components of the climate system. This is because its warm surface currents, such as the Gulf Stream, redistribute huge amounts of energy from tropical to high latitudes and influence regional weather and climate patterns, whereas its lower limb ventilates the deep ocean and affects the storage of carbon in the abyss, away from the atmosphere. Despite its significance for future climate, the operation of the MOC under contrasting climates of the past remains controversial. Nutrient-based proxies1, 2 and recent model simulations3 indicate that during the Last Glacial Maximum the convective activity in the North Atlantic Ocean was much weaker than at present. In contrast, rate-sensitive radiogenic 231Pa/230Th isotope ratios from the North Atlantic have been interpreted to indicate only minor changes in MOC strength4, 5, 6. Here we show that the basin-scale abyssal circulation of the Atlantic Ocean was probably reversed during the Last Glacial Maximum and was dominated by northward water flow from the Southern Ocean. These conclusions are based on new high-resolution data from the South Atlantic Ocean that establish the basin-scale north to south gradient in 231Pa/230Th, and thus the direction of the deep ocean circulation. Our findings are consistent with nutrient-based proxies and argue that further analysis of 231Pa/230Th outside the North Atlantic basin will enhance our understanding of past ocean circulation, provided that spatial gradients are carefully considered. This broader perspective suggests that the modern pattern of the Atlantic MOC—with a prominent southerly flow of deep waters originating in the North Atlantic—arose only during the Holocene epoch

Lymphodepletion – an essential but undervalued part of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy cycle

Lymphodepletion (LD) or conditioning is an essential step in the application of currently used autologous and allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies as it maximizes engraftment, efficacy and long-term survival of CAR-T. Its main modes of action are the depletion and modulation of endogenous lymphocytes, conditioning of the microenvironment for improved CAR-T expansion and persistence, and reduction of tumor load. However, most LD regimens provide a broad and fairly unspecific suppression of T-cells as well as other hematopoietic cells, which can also lead to severe side effects, particularly infections. We reviewed 1271 published studies (2011-2023) with regard to current LD strategies for approved anti-CD19 CAR-T products for large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). Fludarabine (Flu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy) (alone or in combination) were the most commonly used agents. A large number of different schemes and combinations have been reported. In the respective schemes, doses of Flu and Cy (range 75-120mg/m2 and 750-1.500mg/m2) and wash out times (range 2-5 days) differed substantially. Furthermore, combinations with other agents such as bendamustine (benda), busulfan or alemtuzumab (for allogeneic CAR-T) were described. This diversity creates a challenge but also an opportunity to investigate the impact of LD on cellular kinetics and clinical outcomes of CAR-T. Only 21 studies explicitly investigated in more detail the influence of LD on safety and efficacy. As Flu and Cy can potentially impact both the in vivo activity and toxicity of CAR-T, a more detailed analysis of LD outcomes will be needed before we are able to fully assess its impact on different T-cell subsets within the CAR-T product. The T2EVOLVE consortium propagates a strategic investigation of LD protocols for the development of optimized conditioning regimens

Lymphodepletion - an essential but undervalued part of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy cycle

Lymphodepletion (LD) or conditioning is an essential step in the application of currently used autologous and allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies as it maximizes engraftment, efficacy and long-term survival of CAR-T. Its main modes of action are the depletion and modulation of endogenous lymphocytes, conditioning of the microenvironment for improved CAR-T expansion and persistence, and reduction of tumor load. However, most LD regimens provide a broad and fairly unspecific suppression of T-cells as well as other hematopoietic cells, which can also lead to severe side effects, particularly infections. We reviewed 1271 published studies (2011-2023) with regard to current LD strategies for approved anti-CD19 CAR-T products for large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). Fludarabine (Flu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy) (alone or in combination) were the most commonly used agents. A large number of different schemes and combinations have been reported. In the respective schemes, doses of Flu and Cy (range 75-120mg/m2 and 750-1.500mg/m2) and wash out times (range 2-5 days) differed substantially. Furthermore, combinations with other agents such as bendamustine (benda), busulfan or alemtuzumab (for allogeneic CAR-T) were described. This diversity creates a challenge but also an opportunity to investigate the impact of LD on cellular kinetics and clinical outcomes of CAR-T. Only 21 studies explicitly investigated in more detail the influence of LD on safety and efficacy. As Flu and Cy can potentially impact both the in vivo activity and toxicity of CAR-T, a more detailed analysis of LD outcomes will be needed before we are able to fully assess its impact on different T-cell subsets within the CAR-T product. The T2EVOLVE consortium propagates a strategic investigation of LD protocols for the development of optimized conditioning regimens