En els marges de la ciència?: Frenologia i mesmerisme en una cultura industrial, Barcelona 1842-1845

L’objectiu d’aquest treball és estudiar la popularització de la frenologia i del mesmerisme (també conegut com a magnetisme animal) a la Catalunya de mitjan segle XIX. A Catalunya el procés de popularització d’aquestes ciències va tenir el seu punt àlgid durant la primera meitat de la dècada de 1840, coincidint amb les activitats del frenòleg Marià Cubí Soler (1801-1875). El treball demostra la importància del context polític i cultural, així com la incomoditat que generaven les pràctiques de frenòlegs i magnetitzadors com a elements clau per entendre les actituds de l’elit intel•lectual catalana vers la introducció d’aquestes noves ciències.

La incapacidad de amar en A pair of blue eyes de Thomas Hardy

A Pair of Blue Eyes ha estat considerada tradicionalment como el primer exemple de pessimisme i fatalisme en les novel·les de Hardy. Aquest treball pretén mostrar que la novel·la no segueix aquest patró, sinó que en base al model aristotèlic de catarsis, mostra l’ error que suposa seguir falsos models amorosos.

Quasilocal density functional theory and its application within the extended Thomas-Fermi approximation

In this paper we propose a generalization of the density functional theory. The theory leads to single-particle equations of motion with a quasilocal mean-field operator, which contains a quasiparticle position-dependent effective mass and a spin-orbit potential. The energy density functional is constructed using the extended Thomas-Fermi approximation and the ground-state properties of doubly magic nuclei are considered within the framework of this approach. Calculations were performed using the finite-range Gogny D1S forces and the results are compared with the exact Hartree-Fock calculations

Equation of state of hot, dense stellar matter. Finite temperature nuclear Thomas-Fermi approach

The properties of hot, dense stellar matter are investigated with a finite temperature nuclear Thomas-Fermi model.

The influence of the symmetry energy on the giant monopole resonance of neutron-rich nuclei analyzed in Thomas-Fermi theory

We analyze the influence of the density dependence of the symmetry energy on the average excitation energy of the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (GMR) in stable and exotic neutron-rich nuclei by applying the relativistic extended Thomas-Fermi method in scaling and constrained calculations. For the effective nuclear interaction, we employ the relativistic mean field model supplemented by an isoscalar-isovector meson coupling that allows one to modify the density dependence of the symmetry energy without compromising the success of the model for binding energies and charge radii. The semiclassical estimates of the average energy of the GMR are known to be in good agreement with the results obtained in full RPA calculations. The present analysis is performed along the Pb and Zr isotopic chains. In the scaling calculations, the excitation energy is larger when the symmetry energy is softer. The same happens in the constrained calculations for nuclei with small and moderate neutron excess. However, for nuclei of large isospin the constrained excitation energy becomes smaller in models having a soft symmetry energy. This effect is mainly due to the presence of loosely-bound outer neutrons in these isotopes. A sharp increase of the estimated width of the resonance is found in largely neutron-rich isotopes, even for heavy nuclei, which is enhanced when the symmetry energy of the model is soft. The results indicate that at large neutron numbers the structure of the low-energy region of the GMR strength distribution changes considerably with the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy, which may be worthy of further characterization in RPA calculations of the response function.

Scaling calculation of isoscalar giant resonances in relativistic Thomas-Fermi theory

We derive analytical expressions for the excitation energy of the isoscalar giant monopole and quadrupole resonances in finite nuclei, by using the scaling method and the extended ThomasFermi approach to relativistic mean-field theory. We study the ability of several nonlinear σω parameter sets of common use in reproducing the experimental data. For monopole oscillations the calculations agree better with experiment when the nuclear matter incompressibility of the relativistic interaction lies in the range 220260 MeV. The breathing-mode energies of the scaling method compare satisfactorily with those obtained in relativistic RPA and time-dependent mean-field calculations. For quadrupole oscillations, all the analyzed nonlinear parameter sets reproduce the empirical trends reasonably well.

Scaling in relativistic Thomas-Fermi approach for nuclei

By using the scaling method we derive the virial theorem for the relativistic mean field model of nuclei treated in the ThomasFermi approach. The ThomasFermi solutions statisfy the stability condition against scaling. We apply the formalism to study the excitation energy of the breathing mode in finite nuclei with several relativistic parameter sets of common use.

Muerte en Venecia de Thomas Mann o la via plutarquea hacia Eros

En Muerte en Venecia Thomas Mann se refiere explícitamente al Simposio y al Fedro de Platón para explicar la relación entre Gustav von Aschenbach y Tadzio, pero oculta que su novela se inspira también en el Erótico de Plutarco. ¿Por qué? El objetivo de este artículo es justamente revelar las razones de este proceder. En efecto, Plutarco elogia el amor matrimonial en el Erótico y éste no es el camino que sigue Mann, pero, al mismo tiempo, el escritor alemán halla en el diálogo plutarqueo todo lo necesario para construir su historia de amor masculino y decide no prescindir de él.

Thomas Mann's Death in Venice or Plutarch's way towards Eros

In Death in Venice Thomas Mann refers explicitly to Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus in order to explain the relationship between Gustav von Aschenbach and Tadzio but he hides that his novel also depends on Plutarch's Eroticus. Why? The aim of this article is precisely to reveal the different reasons for such an attitude. Indeed, Plutarch speaks highly of conjugal love in his Eroticus and this way is not followed by Mann in Death in Venice but, at the same, the German writer finds in this Plutarch's philosophical dialogue all the necessary elements to build his story of masculine love and decides not to manage without it.

La mort a Venècia de Thomas Mann o la via plutarquea vers Eros

A Mort a Venècia Thomas Mann es refereix explícitament al Simposi i al Fedre de Plató per explicar la relació entre Gustav von Aschenbach i Tadzio, però amaga que la seva novel·la s'inspira també en l'Eròtic de Plutarc. Per què? L'objectiu d'aquest article és justament revelar les raons d'aquest capteniment. En efecte, Plutarc elogia l'amor matrimonial a l'Eròtic i aquest no és el camí que segueix Mann, però, alhora, l'escriptor alemany troba en el diàleg plutarqueu tot el que necessita per bastir la seva història d'amor masculí i decideix no prescindir-ne.

L'Acadèmia d'Estudiants de medicina : Barcelona, 1845-1850

Amb aquest treball es dona testimoni de l'existència i activitats de l'Acadèmia d'Estudiants de Medicina entre els anys 1845 i 1850, una associació que agrupava els estudiants dels dos últims anys de Medicina. A més a més, els autors fan una descricpció acurada del marc acadèmic per a l'estudi de la medicina en aquella època: el funcionament de la facultat, el nombre de catedràtics, professors i alumnes, les instal·lacions, etc. El treball conté també un registre de les sessions acadèmiques (a raó d'una per setmana) cel·lebrades de les què es guarda referència. Ja per últim, s'inclouen a l'addenda, tres memòries amb tres dissertacions de mans d'Eliseu Forest i Cardona, Antoni de la Creu Roca i Flaquer i Francesc Sunyer i Capdevila.

Thomas-Fermi theory for atomic nuclei revisited

The recently developed semiclassical variational Wigner-Kirkwood (VWK) approach is applied to finite nuclei using external potentials and self-consistent mean fields derived from Skyrme inter-actions and from relativistic mean field theory. VWK consist s of the Thomas-Fermi part plus a pure, perturbative h 2 correction. In external potentials, VWK passes through the average of the quantal values of the accumulated level density and total en energy as a function of the Fermi energy. However, there is a problem of overbinding when the energy per particle is displayed as a function of the particle number. The situation is analyzed comparing spherical and deformed harmonic oscillator potentials. In the self-consistent case, we show for Skyrme forces that VWK binding energies are very close to those obtained from extended Thomas-Fermi functionals of h 4 order, pointing to the rapid convergence of the VWK theory. This satisfying result, however, does not cure the overbinding problem, i.e., the semiclassical energies show more binding than they should. This feature is more pronounced in the case of Skyrme forces than with the relativistic mean field approach. However, even in the latter case the shell correction energy for e.g.208 Pb turns out to be only ∼ −6 MeV what is about a factor two or three off the generally accepted value. As an adhoc remedy, increasing the kinetic energy by 2.5%, leads to shell correction energies well acceptable throughout the periodic table. The general importance of the present studies for other finite Fermi systems, self-bound or in external potentials, is pointed out.

Infrastructure and Economic Growth in Spain, 1845-1935

Between the mid-nineteenth century and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Spain undertook a sustained process of economic growth and structural change, but was unable to converge with the core European economies.1 The reasons behind Spain"s failure to converge have been a subject of debate among historians for decades. 2 This dissertation aims to analyze the role played by infrastructure in Spanish economic growth during that period, and tries to find out to what extent the potential shortage or inadequacy of the Spanish infrastructure endowment was one of the factors to blame for the country"s nonconvergence. The dissertation draws on recent research on the economic impact of infrastructure, and on the numerous attempts to measure that impact which have been undertaken in the wake of David Aschauer"s work on the United States.