Developementalism and territorial contradictions in the context of a water and environmental crises in Sierras Chicas, Córdoba, Argentina

Para los movimientos que resisten contra las represas en América Latina, así como para otras resistencias contra los emprendimientos extractivos, el territorio es mucho más que la garantía de su subsistencia: encarna la posibilidad misma de conservar modos de vida, de ser y hacer, que implican relaciones sociales, costumbres y, en muchos casos, una cosmovisión que se enfrenta a la mercantilización de la naturaleza que propone el sistema hegemónico. Este trabajo parte del análisis de tres movimientos que resisten a proyectos de infraestructura hidroenergética en Chile (Parlamento de Koz Koz), Colombia (Asoquimbo) y Argentina (Mesa Provincial No a las Represas). ¿En qué medida estos movimientos sociales proponen una alternativa a la racionalidad instrumental que nos hace maximizadores de utilidad o beneficio? La hipótesis propuesta es que estos movimientos están contribuyendo a la construcción de una racionalidad reproductiva-ambiental, que sitúa en el centro la reproducción ampliada de la vida, y no del capital. Esta investigación se apoya en un extensivo trabajo de campo con entrevistas, observación participativa y con análisis de fuentes primarias y secundariasTo the movements that resist against dams in Latin America, as well as other resistances against extractive undertakings, territory is much more than the guarantee of its subsistence: it embodies the very possibility of preserving ways of living, being and doing. That implies social relations, customs and, in many cases, a worldview that faces the mercantilization of nature proposed by the hegemonic system. This work is based on the analysis of three movements that resist hydroelectric infrastructure projects in Chile (Koz Koz Parliament), Colombia (Asoquimbo) and Argentina (Mesa Provincial No a las Represas). To what extent do these social movements propose an alternative to instrumental rationality that makes us maximizers of utility or benefit? The hypothesis designed is that these movements are contributing to the construction of a reproductive-environmental rationality, which places in the center the extended reproduction of life, instead of capita

A targeted reweighting method for accelerating the exploration of highdimensional configuration space

Time scales available to biomolecular simulations are limited by barriers among states in a high-dimensional configuration space. If equilibrium averages are to be computed, methods that accelerate barrier passage can be carried out by non-Boltzmann sampling. Barriers can be reduced by modifying the potential-energy function and running dynamics on the modified surface. The Boltzmann average can be restored by reweighting each point along the trajectory. We introduce a targeted reweighting scheme where some barriers are reduced, while others are not modified. If only equilibrium properties are desired, trajectories in configuration space can be generated by Langevin dynamics. Once past a transient time, these trajectories guarantee equilibrium sampling when reweighted. A relatively high-order stochastic integration method can be used to generate trajectories. The targeted reweighting scheme is illustrated by a series of double-well models with varying degrees of freedom and shown to be a very efficient method to provide the correct equilibrium distributions, in comparison with analytic results. The scheme is applied to a protein model consisting of a chain of connected beads characterized by dihedral angles and the van der Waals interactions among the beads. We investigate the sampling of configuration space for a model of a helix-turn-helix motif. The targeted reweighting is found to be essential to permit the original all-helical conformation to bend and generate turn structures while still maintaining the alpha-helical segments.Institutos Nacionales de Salud de Estados Unidos GM47274Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España BFM2002-0382

La incorporación de plataformas virtuales a la enseñanza: una experiencia de formación on‐line basada en competencias

La cotidianeidad y el proceso de integración exponencial que están teniendo las tecnologías en todos los campos, ha provocado y está provocando cambios cada vez más significativos en las formas de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Dentro de estos cambios se encuentran la utilización cada vez más de las plataformas de enseñanza como vía de formación a un amplio abanico de usuarios, desde aquellos que por su ubicación geográfica se encuentran lejos para acceder a una formación presencial, hasta los que por falta de tiempo, prefieren aprender desde casa en los ratos libres. Nuestra aportación se centra en la exposición de una experiencia de aplicación de un modelo de formación basado en competencias puesto en marcha con la plataforma VirtualProfre4 utilizada por la Universidad de Sevilla. Presentaremos el diseño de este modelo, cómo se ha desarrollado y algunas reflexiones derivadas de su desarrollo dentro de dicha plataforma de enseñanza.The process of exponential integration that the new technologies have in all the aspects, have caused and are causing a significant change in the teaching‐learning process. We can include the increasing use of the educational platforms as way of formation to wide numbers of users, such as these whose geographical location are far to accede to a presencial formation, or these who, due to the lack of free time, prefer learning at home in their spare time. Our contribution is centered in the exhibition of experience of a model of formation based on competences that is developed with the VirtualProfre4 platform used in the Seville´s University. We will present/display the design of this model, how it has been developed and some reflections derived from its development within this platform of education

Per què els tractaments antiretrovirals en pacients seropositius no permeten guarir la infecció definitivament?

L'estudi demostra la presència de mínimes quantitats de virus que segueixen infectant noves cèl·lules en pacients seropositius malgrat els medicaments. Els resultats expliquen per què, quan s'interrompen els tractaments, sempre augmenta ràpidament el nivell de virus en sang, el que no permet guarir la infecció de manera definitiva. La troballa és un primer pas per reorientar el disseny de noves estratègies terapèutiques per eradicar el VIH. Els resultats resolen una llarga controvèrsia mèdica sobre la persistència d'una mínima activitat replicativa del VIH en alguns pacients sense quantitats aparents de virus en sang, i s'han publicat a la revista Nature Medicine.El estudio demuestra la presencia de mínimas cantidades de virus que siguen infectando nuevas células en pacientes seropositivos a pesar de los medicamentos. Los resultados explican por qué cuando se interrumpen los tratamientos siempre aumenta rápidamente el nivel de virus en sangre, lo que no permite curar la infección de manera definitiva. El hallazgo es un primer paso para reorientar el diseño de nuevas estrategias terapéuticas para erradicar el VIH. Los resultados resuelven una larga controversia médica sobre la persistencia de una mínima actividad replicativa del VIH en algunos pacientes sin cantidades aparentes de virus en sangre, y se han publicado en la revista Nature Medicine

In Singulo Biophysics:accessing the Dynamics of Intracellular Processes at the Molecular and Cellular Levels

The understanding of the mechanisms behind the dynamics of biological processes is crucial to build a more comprehensive picture of the principles governing living systems. At the microscopic scale, local fluctuations and perturbations shape the dynamic behavior of these natural processes, demanding experimental access to the action of their individual players, e.g., biomolecules, supramolecular complexes, organelles. This thesis presents a variety of biophysical strategies based on advanced microscopy techniques to study biomolecular processes that are highly dynamic in essence. In particular, a combination of optical trapping, fluorescence microscopy, and atomic force microscopy was applied to describe diverse intracellular processes at the level of individual molecules and individual cells. The biological processes covered in this thesis are: the role of histone chaperones regulating histone-histone and histone-DNA interaction in the context of nucleosome remodeling; the thermodynamic and structural characterization of DNA encapsidation and nucleation intermediates in virus assembly; and the development of a method to investigate the kinetic responses of chemically activated macrophages with single-cell resolution. Overall, we report the detailed molecular and cellular behavior of the targeted biological systems with special emphasis in the underlying dynamics and energetics that lead to their specific biological functions

Memory effects in the relaxation of a confined granular gas

The accuracy of a model to describe the horizontal dynamics of a confined quasi-two-dimensional system of inelastic hard spheres is discussed by comparing its predictions for the relaxation of the temperature in an homogenous system with molecular dynamics simulation results for the original system. A reasonably good agreement is found. Next, the model is used to investigate the peculiarities of the nonlinear evolution of the temperature when the parameter controlling the energy injection is instantaneously changed while the system was relaxing. This can be considered as a non-equilibrium generalization of the Kovacs effect. It is shown that, in the low density limit, the effect can be accurately described by using a simple kinetic theory based on the first Sonine approximation for the one-particle distribution function. Some possible experimental implications are indicated

THE CONSTRUCTION OF LITERARY ARCHETYPES THROUGH CHARACTER’S DISCOURSE IN TOLKIEN’S THE LORD OF THE RINGS (1954, 1955)

Los personajes arquetípicos tienden a crearse y comprenderse mediante el uso de pasajes descriptivos proporcionados por el narrador en las obras literarias. Sin embargo, ésta no es la única forma de entender o crear estos personajes, como se argumenta en el planteamiento de Culpeper (2001). En este proyecto consideramos la hipótesis de que el discurso de los personajes es también un elemento de crucial importancia que ayuda a la creación y comprensión de los arquetipos. Hemos examinado el discurso de algunos de los personajes de El Señor de los Anillos de Tolkien (1954, 1955), ya que se trata de un libro de ficción con personajes claramente arquetípicos, lo que será útil para nuestro análisis. En este estudio, se desarrollará un análisis de los diversos rasgos lingüísticos de su discurso muy basado en el enfoque de Conrad y Biber (2009, 2019) sobre el análisis del registro, la teoría de los actos de habla de Searle (1969, 1976) y el enfoque de la caracterización de Culpeper (2001) con el objetivo de evaluar nuestra hipótesis y, en caso de resultar cierta, discutir cómo estos rasgos conforman el arquetipo.Archetypical characters tend to be created and understood through the use of descriptive passages provided by the narrator in literary works. However, this is not the only way of understanding or creating these characters, as it is argued in Culpeper’s (2001) approach. In this project we consider the hypothesis that character’s discourse is also an element of crucial importance that helps in the creation and comprehension of the archetypes. We have examined the discourse of some of the characters in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (1954, 1955) since it is a fictional book with clearly archetypical characters, which is useful for our analysis. In this study, an analysis of the diverse linguistic features of their discourse is developed highly based on Conrad and Biber’s (2009, 2019) approach to register analysis, Searle’s (1969, 1976) speech acts theory and Culpeper’s (2001) approach to characterization with the aim of evaluating our hypothesis and, if proved true, discussing how these features shape the archetype

Homogeneous hydrodynamics of a collisional model of confined granular gases

The hydrodynamic equation governing the homogeneous time evolution of the temperature in a model of confined granular gas is studied by means of the Enskog equation. The existence of a normal solution of the kinetic equation is assumed as a condition for hydrodynamics. Dimensional analysis implies a scaling of the distribution function that is used to determine it in the first Sonine approximation, with a coefficient that evolves in time through its dependence on the temperature. The theoretical predictions are compared with numerical results obtained by the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, and a good agreement is found. The relevance of the normal homogeneous distribution function to derive inhomogeneous hydrodynamic equations, for instance using the Champan-Enskog algorithm, is indicated.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev.

Hydrodynamics for a model of a confined quasi-two-dimensional granular gas

The hydrodynamic equations for a model of a confined quasi-two-dimensional gas of smooth inelastic hard spheres are derived from the Boltzmann equation for the model, using a generalization of the Chapman-Enskog method. The heat and momentum fluxes are calculated to Navier-Stokes order, and the associated transport coefficients are explicitly determined as functions of the coefficient of normal restitution and the velocity parameter involved in the definition of the model. Also an Euler transport term contributing to the energy transport equation is considered. This term arises from the gradient expansion of the rate of change of the temperature due to the inelasticity of collisions, and vanishes for elastic systems. The hydrodynamic equations are particularized for the relevant case of a system in the homogeneous steady state. The relationship with previous works is analyzed

Controlling low-temperature tunneling dynamics with external fields

The tunneling of a particle between two states, as influenced by coupling the particle to an external field, is investigated. A spin-boson Hamiltonian is used to describe the tunnel system and its interaction with a medium and is augmented by a term coupling the dipole moment of the particle to the external field. A projection operator method is introduced that provides equations of motion for the particle's density matrix and permits discussion of external field effects on tunneling even at very low temperatures. These equations of motion can exhibit solutions characterized by population relaxation with a rate constant that is an average over the period of the external field. As an application of this theory, the modification by an external field of the tunneling rate of a defect in a metal, where the system-medium interaction is characterized by an Ohmic spectrum, is evaluated. At sufficiently low temperatures, for experimentally relevant parameter values, suitably chosen (constant and/or sinusoidal), external fields can greatly suppress or enhance the tunneling rate relative to the field-independent value