De El Research Articles

La geometría política y la lectura posthumanista en Historia universal de la infamia

This article examines the three short stories about infamous Americans in Jorge Luis Borges' Historia universal de la infamia (1935): El atroz redentor Lazarus Morell, El proveedor de iniquidades Monk Eastman and El asesino desinteresado Bill Harrigan. Through an analysis of the English-language works cited as sources by Borges, as well as the Argentine tradition alluded to throughout the Historia, I argue that the Argentine writer not only offers a critica! reading of Anglo-American history but also the antinomies that defined Latinamericanist ideologies at the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth.

Mitología en las cosmovisiones Izalqueñas: universo simbólico de nahuales y contra nahuales

La mitología es parte fundamental en las cosmovisiones de la especie humana, en donde se ubican la fundación de los pueblos originarios y su desarrollo evolutivo, en el universo simbólico que condensa sus paradigmas. En ese sentido, el presente artículo es parte de los acápites de los hallazgos del trabajo de tesis titulado “Cosmovisiones locales: tradiciones, costumbres y oralitura en las cofradías izalqueñas” para optar al grado de Licenciado en Antropología por la Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador. Por lo consiguiente, uno de los objetivos específicos fue inferir, a través de la oralitura izalqueña, la presencia de mitos fundacionales y de creación presentes en las cofradías indígenas de Izalco en torno al relativismo lingüístico.
 Dicho proceso de tesis de grado se realizó en el periodo comprendido de marzo a noviembre de 2018, en el casco urbano de la ciudad de Izalco, en donde, a través de las siguientes técnicas del método etnográfco el rapport, la entrevista guiada y no dirigida, se realizó el levantamiento de datos cualitativos en sesiones de trabajo con los mayordomos Alonso García, de la cofradía “Padre Eterno”, y don Lipe Pilia Chile, de la cofradía de San Francisco de Asís, así como con Miguel Ángel Palma Gómez, touroperador izalqueño.

A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus.

The neurotransmitter serotonin controls a variety of physiological and behavioral processes. In humans, mutations affecting monoamine oxidase (MAO), the serotonin-degrading enzyme, are highly deleterious. Yet, blind cavefish of the species Astyanax mexicanus carry a partial loss-of-function mutation in MAO (P106L) and thrive in their subterranean environment. Here, we established four fish lines, corresponding to the blind cave-dwelling and the sighted river-dwelling morphs of this species, with or without the mutation, in order to decipher the exact contribution of mao P106L in the evolution of cavefish neurobehavioral traits. Unexpectedly, although mao P106L appeared to be an excellent candidate for the genetic determinism of the loss of aggressive and schooling behaviors in cavefish, we demonstrated that it was not the case. Similarly, the anatomical variations in monoaminergic systems observed between cavefish and surface fish brains were independent from mao P106L, and rather due to other, morph-dependent developmental processes. However, we found that mao P106L strongly affected anxiety-like behaviors. Cortisol measurements showed lower basal levels and an increased amplitude of stress response after a change of environment in fish carrying the mutation. Finally, we studied the distribution of the P106L mao allele in wild populations of cave and river A. mexicanus, and discovered that the mutant allele was present - and sometimes fixed - in all populations inhabiting caves of the Sierra de El Abra. The possibility that this partial loss-of-function mao allele evolves under a selective or a neutral regime in the particular cave environment is discussed.

Propuesta de control de asistencia y deserción estudiantil en la Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador

El presente proyecto de investigación describe una propuesta de solución tecnológica para el control de asistencia y deserción estudiantil en la Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador, a través de una herramienta que facilite la realización de las actividades administrativas y académicas de apoyo al docente y la institución para el monitoreo de los estudiantes que asisten o no a la universidad. El estudio permitirá optimizar los procesos de administración de control de asistencia y deserción estudiantil que la universidad ejecuta y complementan la gestión académica del docente sobre sus estudiantes. Se diseña un modelo que hace uso de los recursos actuales de la institución, se desarrolla y valida la herramienta tecnológica para apoyar el modelo propuesto que es elaborado por un grupo de estudiantes, utilizando el lenguaje de programación de PHP para el diseño e implementación de interfaces dinámicas y amigables que permitirá al usuario un manejo fácil a través de dispositivos móviles y una herramienta de administración web.

La Biblioteca del Monasterio de El Escorial según algunos viajeros franceses del siglo XVIII

A partir de un corpus formado por los textos de Vayrac, Saint-Simon, Silhouette, Beaumarchais, Peyron, Bourgoing y Marcillac, publicados tras su estancia en España, este estudio analiza las descripciones y opiniones de dichos autores sobre la biblioteca de El Escorial. Los mencionados escritores franceses del Siglo de las Luces abordan numerosas facetas tales como la distribución y decoración del espacio, las características de los fondos allí conservados, el talante de los monjes al cuidado de la Laurentina, etc. Aunque no todos los viajeros son igual de detallistas y rigurosos a la hora de referirse a la biblioteca escurialense, sus testimonios son parejos en interés porque revelan las distintas perspectivas que desean transmitir a sus contemporáneos. This study is based on a corpus of texts by Vayrac, Saint-Simon, Silhouette, Beaumarchais, Peyron, Bourgoing, and Marcillac, which were published after their visit to Spain, and it analyses how these authors view and describe the Royal Laurentian Library of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. These Age of Enlightenment authors tackle a wide range of aspects, among which the layout and decoration of the space, the features of the collection, or the attitude of the monks in charge of the works. While the travellers’ level of detail and rigour with regard to the library of El Escorial may vary, their accounts are nevertheless equally interesting since they reveal the different perspectives that they wish to convey to their contemporaries.

Outcome Indicator Matrix (OIM): a Tool to Assess National Action Plans

: The Outcome Indicator Matrix (OIM) (MIR in Spanish) is a tool that has been adapted by the Universidad de El Salvador (UES) to monitor commitments in national action plans (NAPs). It has been used to assess all commitments presented to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) by the Government of El Salvador that are in its NAP. The OIM-MIR is a result of integrating the logical framework method, used by many governments and public institutions and the focus of the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) (OECD, 2018), which international organizations such as the OECD use to organize actions and procedures to produce a specific outcome.

Place-Making through the Creation of Common Spaces in Lima’s Self-Built Settlements: El Ermitaño and Pampa de Cueva as Case Studies for a Regional Urbanization Strategy

Lima has become the first Peruvian megacity with more than 10 million people, resulting from the migration waves from the countryside throughout the 20th century, which have also contributed to the diverse ethnic background of today’s city. The paper analyzes two neighborhoods located in the inter-district area of Northern Lima: Pampa de Cueva and El Ermitaño as paradigmatic cases of the city’s expansion through non-formal settlements during the 1960s. They represent a relevant case study because of their complex urbanization process, the presence of pre-Hispanic heritage, their location in vulnerable hillside areas in the fringe with a protected natural landscape, and their potential for sustainable local economic development. The article traces back the consolidation process of these self-built neighborhoods or barriadas within the context of Northern Lima as a new centrality for the metropolitan area. The analysis of urban form and mobility, heritage and environmental challenges, governance, and social integration leads to a proposal for neighborhood upgrading, capacity building with participatory processes, and a vision for future local development to decentralize the traditional metropolitan centers, which can be scaled to other peripheral neighborhoods.

Determinación de As(III) y As(V) en los pozos de las plantas de remoción de arsénico de Costa Rica

Se realizó la separación y cuantificación del arsénico soluble, particulado, As(III) y As(V) en los pozos de las seis plantas de remoción de arsénico operadas por AyA en Guanacaste y Alajuela: Bebedero de Cañas, Montenegro y Agua Caliente, Falconiana y Quintas Don Miguel en el cantón de Bagaces y Santa Cecilia de El Amparo y Cristo Rey en Los Chiles. Se empleó la espectrometría de masas con plasma de acoplamiento inductivo (ICP-MS) así como cromatografía de intercambio aniónico (CIA) con resina Dowex 1-X8 de 50 a 100 mallas. Se validó la metodología obteniendo las siguientes figuras de mérito: límite de detección 0,1 μg/L, límite de cuantificación 0,2 μg/L, veracidad de diferentes fracciones y mezclas entre (97-104) %, con coeficientes de variación entre (0,9-12,8) % con coeficientes de variación entre (0,9- 12,8) %, así como una repetibilidad de 0,2% y una repetibilidad intermedia de 0,3% (n=7). Se efectuaron ocho muestreos mensuales y en los seis pozos prevalece el arsénico soluble sobre el particulado. En todos los pozos guanacastecos y en Cristo Rey de Los Chiles predomina As(V) sobre As(III), siendo el As(III) no detectable, detectable o en concentraciones ligeramente superiores al límite de cuantificación. En el caso de Santa Cecilia de El Amparo, hay mezcla de As(III) y As(V) en razones de concentraciones muy similares y predominando uno sobre otro dependiendo del muestreo. Además este pozo es el que posee menor concentración de oxígeno disuelto (1,5 mg/L), mientras que los restantes pozos tienen concentraciones superiores.

Evidence for rapid phenotypic and behavioural shifts in a recently established cavefish population

AbstractCave colonization offers a natural laboratory to study an extreme environmental shift, and diverse cave species from around the world often have converged on robust morphological, physiological and behavioural traits. The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) has repeatedly colonized caves in the Sierra de El Abra and Sierra de Guatemala regions of north-east Mexico ~0.20–1 Mya, indicating an ability to adapt to the cave environment. The time frame for the evolution of these traits in any cave animal, however, is poorly understood. Astyanax mexicanus from the Río Grande in South Texas were brought to Central Texas beginning in the early 1900s and colonized underground environments. Here, we investigate whether phenotypic and behavioural differences have occurred rapidly between a surface population and a geographically proximate cave population, probably of recent origin. Fish from the cave and surface populations differ significantly in morphological traits, including coloration, lateral line expansion and dorsal fin placement. Striking behavioural shifts in aggression, feeding and wall-following have also occurred. Together, our results suggest that morphological and behavioural changes accompanying cave colonization can be established rapidly, and this system offers an exciting and unique opportunity for isolating the genetic and environmental contributions to colonization of extreme environments.

Metaphysics, Elemental Transformation, Medicine

Abstract The present article brings to the scholarly attention the Avicennian manuscript San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid), Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 621, by conveying a basic description of its codicological features and by locating it in the wider context of the connection metaphysics-medicine that the transmission of Avicenna’s magnum opus Kitāb al-Šifāʾ (Book of the Cure/Healing) displays. The manuscript at stake is the only extant, though incomplete, codex of the Ilāhiyyāt (Science of Divine Things) of Avicenna’s Šifāʾ presently known in the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), and one of the few codices of the Šifāʾ housed there. In its present state, it cumulates metaphysics and medicine, since it joins some excerpts of the Ilāhiyyāt with fragments of the commentaries on Avicenna’s Al-Qānūn fī l-ṭibb (Canon of Medicine) by Ibn al-Nafīs al-Qurašī (d. 687 H/1288) and by Quṭb al-Dīn al-Šīrāzī (634–719 H/1236–1311). The part of the commentary on Avicenna’s Canon by Ibn al-Nafīs al-Qurašī preserved in this manuscript contains a revealing critical quotation of a medical tenet which Avicenna discusses in the Šifāʾ; this criticism very likely represents an instance of the ‘rectification’ of Avicenna’s philosophical encyclopedia of which Ibn al-Nafīs is credited in historical sources. The example of the revision of Avicenna’s philosophy by Ibn al-Nafīs analyzed on the basis of this manuscript makes clear that physicians in the XIII century did not limit their familiarity with Avicenna’s works to the Canon of Medicine and the other medical works of Avicenna, but adopted some kind of all-encompassing approach to Avicenna’s oeuvre, which did not eschewed tackling critically also the Šifāʾ on the basis of a profound and extensive knowledge of the Šayḫ al-raʾīs’s philosophical masterpiece.

Texto Completo del No. 19 - Revista de El Colegio de San Luis Nueva Época

Revista de El Colegio de San Luis en su totalidad, incluyendo artículos, notas y reseñas del Núm. 19

The oldest managed aquifer recharge system in Europe: New insights from the Espino recharge channel (Sierra Nevada, southern Spain)

In Sierra Nevada (southern Spain), the highest mountain range in southern Europe, the application of an ancestral Integrated Water Resources Management system (IWRM), based on the conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water, provides water resources for irrigation and supply in the driest months of the year in this semiarid mountain region. Meltwater is derived from the headwaters of the mountain streams and rivers through a set of uncoated channels excavated in the ground (locally known as acequias de careo) to infiltrate at the upper part of the valleys. Water infiltrated along the acequias de careo slowly flows down the hillsides, through the weathered zone of the hard rock aquifer and the glacial and periglacial sediments. The recharge accomplished through this Managed Aquifer Recharge technique (MAR) activates numerous springs located halfway down the hillside and increases the base flow of the rivers. In this study, focused on a careo channel located on the southern slope of Sierra Nevada called Acequia de El Espino, different archaeological, sedimentological, geophysical and hydrogeological techniques are applied to determine the age and the efficiency of this ancestral example of a MAR and IWRM system. Results suggest that the acequias de careo may be the oldest MAR system in Europe, and that this MAR technique could be applied in other high mountain alpine watersheds to mitigate the effects of climate change.

New insights from Neolithic pottery analyses reveal subsistence practices and pottery use in early farmers from Cueva de El Toro (Málaga, Spain)

Archaeological potsherds have become a valuable source of information about diet and economic practices of past societies. We have studied the organic residues in prehistoric pottery from the Neolithic rock shelter of La Cueva de El Toro (Malaga, Spain) that was continuously occupied from the second quarter of the sixth millennium to the second millennium cal BC. The site of Cueva de El Toro is remarkable because it contains evidence that its inhabitants possessed a high technological level and complex subsistence practices based on the exploitation of livestock and agriculture. By applying gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and isotopic analysis (GC-IRMS), the goal was to determine the nature and origin of preserved lipids, and thereby provide new insights into food preparation and pottery function. Detection of fatty acids and traces of diterpene compounds originating from plants suggested a consumption of meat, dairy products and plants, as well as the pine resin utilisation. Furthermore, this work allows extending the data on faunal management and exploitation in Cueva de El Toro.

Documenting the legacies of the Chilean dictatorship: Questioning the family relationship in the documentary films El pacto de Adriana and El color del camaleón

The Chilean dictatorship is the subject of a number of recent non-fiction films in which the construction of Chile’s collective memory also focuses on those who supported, collaborated or participated in the perpetration of the abuses and atrocities committed by the regime. In recent years, a new generation of Chilean filmmakers has emerged; among these are Andrés Lübbert and Lissette Orozco, whose documentary films about the dictatorship, El color del camaleón (‘The color of the chameleon’) and El pacto de Adriana (‘Adriana’s pact’), respectively, were both released in 2017. In both films, the memorialization of Chile’s past is associated with the exploration of family memories as the filmmakers engage with Chile’s collective memory through family relationships. In this way, family becomes central to a parallel process in which the filmmakers engage in an ethical and emotional questioning of their relationships with their relatives and the family legacy, thereby triggering conflict within the family. This family conflict may be resolved in one of two possible ways: breakdown or reconciliation. The two documentary films studied here offer examples of each possibility, facilitating an exploration of this process and the potential impact of this approach to documenting family relationships.

Leonidas Proaño: orientación periodística más allá de lo religioso y educativo

Este artículo investiga y comprueba cómo la orientación de los medios de comunicación masiva fundados por Leonidas Proaño dirigió sus propuestas periodísticas no solo desde lo religioso – educativo, como se ha argumentado, sino que utilizó lo social, político, sindical, acción y desarrollo para relatar la vida en las comunidades indígenas y barrios urbano marginales del Ecuador en procurar de la transformación; evidencia su faceta como periodista En el trabajo se empleó metodología de tipo mixta: cualitativa y cuantitativa, a través del análisis y la revisión documental de la información y opinión contenidas en las páginas de los impresos (Excélsior, Ganitas de Trigo, El Cuadrilátero, Mensaje, Jatari Campesino y Jatari) y en los guiones de los programas radiofónicos emitidos por ERPE y Promoción, entre 1934 y 1984. Se recuperaron, analizaron e interpretaron 366 documentos publicados-emitidos. Las observaciones fueron teorizadas utilizando criterios de especialistas en comunicación, periodismo, sociología y medios masivos publicados en libros y revistas indexadas que reposan en bases de datos internacionales. Los resultados advirtieron la cercanía del religioso con el periodismo, el adecuado manejo de las formas de presentación de las historias en la media y los actos de comunicación en los que obtuvo información para convertirla en contenidos.

A general methodology for identifying the writer of codices. Application to the celebrated “twins”

In the present work, a method of general applicability is introduced for classifying a given set of ancient documents to their writer. A principal motive and, at the same time, a main result of this work was to test if two sets of documents preserving the Homeric Iliad have been written by the same hand or not. To achieve this, the authors have developed and/or improved two dedicated methods, which may be described very briefly as follows: the first method compares all realizations of the same alphabet symbol appearing in two documents and it offers related quantitative criteria. The second method aims at determining the ideal form(s) of each alphabet symbol the writer had in his/her mind when writing a document. In both methods, decision is made by means of novel statistical criteria. Application of this methodology furnished the following results in a fully quantitative manner: 1) all twenty-six (26) Byzantine codices kept at Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial or at the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice that have been studied, have been written by four (4) distinct writers only. 2) The codices written by each one of the four hands have been spotted with maximum likelihood and 3) the celebrated “twins” have indeed been written by the same hand. We once more emphasize that the approach introduced here may be immediately applied to classifying any set of documents to the distinct hands that have written them.

Revisiting the age and palaeoenvironments of the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous? dinosaur-bearing sedimentary record of eastern Spain: implications for Iberian palaeogeography

An integrated stratigraphic, palaeontological, palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographical study of the traditionally considered Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous dinosaur-bearing sedimentary record (DSR) of eastern Spain is accomplished for the first time. Several areas where dinosaur fossils are abundant (western Maestrazgo and South-Iberian basins) have been studied in detail. In all the areas, the DSR comprises a carbonate-dominated lower part (CLP), and an essentially siliciclastic upper part (SUP). Deposition occurred in a shallow-very shallow marine carbonate platform, laterally connected towards the N and W to coastal and alluvial environments. The overall upwards evolution is regressive with a transgresive episode at the uppermost part. The DSR includes deposits previously assigned, depending on the studied area, from the Kimmeridgian to the Barremian (locally even to the Aptian–Albian). However, ages obtained in this work from larger benthic foraminifera (LBF), demonstrate a Kimmeridgian–Tithonian age (locally Kimmeridgian-Early Berriasian?) for the DSR. These findings have important implications regarding the age of dinosaur fossils of these deposits, traditionally assigned to the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition, or even to the Early Cretaceous, erroneously, and have necessitated a deep litho- and chronostratigraphic revision of the units previously established in the studied areas: new data indicate that the DSR is correlatable with deposits of the Villar del Arzobispo Fm and that the usage of the Aldea de Cortes and El Collado Fms, traditionally assigned to the Early Cretaceous, should be avoided. New data also reveal that the DSR should be correlated with other Kimmeridgian–Tithonian dinosaur-bearing deposits of Iberia, such as those of the Cameros Basin, Asturias and Portugal, and have encouraged a revision of the Iberian palaeogeography at that time. In fact, ages obtained from LBF agree with data provided by the systematics of dinosaurs, since dinosaur faunas of eastern Spain are similar to those of the other Late Jurassic Iberian areas, especially to those of the Lusitanian Basin.

Perfil socioeconómico y ambiental de la asociación agraria bananera fincas de El Oro

The study of the socioeconomic and environmental profiles of farmers in Ecuador are scarce, which is why this research aimed to describe the socioeconomic and environmental profile of the Asociación Agraria Bananera Fincas de El Oro. The population consisted of 42 associates, who answered a questionnaire structured by closed questions, which formed the social, economic and environmental indicators of categorical and nominal type. The Chi-square test was applied to determine significance (p<0.05) in the indicators of economic income/level of education and farm size/sources of financing. A predominance of the male gender over the female was found, most of the partners are over 45 years old and 29 partners affiliated their workers to the social security. Within the income range, 26 partners received income > $1 500 per month. Significance (p=0.056) was only established between economic income/level of education.

Texto Completo del No.18 - Revista de El Colegio de San Luis Nueva Época

Revista de El Colegio de San Luis en su totalidad, incluyendo artículos, notas y reseñas del Núm. 18

Course on Basic Electronics Offered by IEEE PELS Student Branch Chapter at the Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador [Society News

Course on Basic Electronics Offered by IEEE PELS Student Branch Chapter at the Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador [Society News