The Glass Floor.

A photographic and video record of the project to recreate and reconstruct the glass floor for the opening between the ground and first floors in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol. The original glass floor was removed in the early 20th century, but the decision was made to put a new one in to help improve the acoustics and air flow in the building.

The Biblioteca de Catalunya: working for the present and the future

The Biblioteca de Catalunya (BC) was created in 1907 by the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC). In 1914 the Mancomunitat de Catalunya gave the library its condition of cultural and public service, open to researchers and scholars. The library underwent several changes as a consequence of political events, along the most of 20th century. In 1981 it was recognized by law as national library and it recovered its foundational aim of gathering, preserving and disseminating the bibliographical output of Catalonia and the production related with the Catalan linguistic field. As the proud host of ANADP2, the BC wants to show the attendees to the conference how, since 2004, has positioned itself to face the challenge of the new informational and technological paradigm. The library strategy for oncoming years includes giving open and free access online to the digitization of many of his collections through the portals MDC (Digital Memory of Catalonia), ARCA (Old Catalan Serials Archive) and Google Books project; the creation of the Web Archive of Catalonia and, as the last step in the consolidation of its policy, a high-security preserving repository named COFRE, based on the international guidelines and initiatives and the experience of the BC itself.

En el destierro del arte

En los años 30 del siglo XX, mientras las primeras vanguardias artísticas recorren Europa, María Zambrano y Martin Heidegger denuncian la pérdida del lugar del arte. El arte, para Zambrano, ya no da a ver, sólo se ve como arte. Por ello, perdió la tierra, está desterrado. Para Heidegger, por su parte, muchas de las obras de arte del siglo XX no pueden establecer un mundo y producir la tierra. En ese destierro del arte nos situaremos para interrogar el papel de la música en el pensamiento de ambos filósofos

Marsh rainbow arch bridges in Iowa, 1997

The Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge is a patented bridge design by James Barney Marsh, a graduate of Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now Iowa State University). Around the turn of the 20th Century, reinforced concrete was introduced in Iowa as an important new bridge construction material. Marsh used the new technology to encased steel truss arches in concrete to produce a sturdy yet esthetic arch bridge. This booklet touches on the important aspects of Marsh's life, business and industrial contributions.

Du capitalisme familial au capitalisme financier? : le cas de l'industrie suisse des machines, de l'électrotechnique et de la métallurgie au 20e siècle

L'objectif principal de cette thèse consiste à mettre en évidence la persistance du capitalisme familial en Suisse au cours du 20e siècle, et sa résistance aux capitalismes managérial et financier qui sont censés lui avoir succédé. Pour ce faire, nous avons retenu vingt-deux grandes entreprises du secteur des machines, de l'électrotechnique et de la métallurgie - principale branche de l'industrie suisse pour la période considérée -, pour lesquelles ont été recensés les membres des conseils d'administration et les principaux dirigeants exécutifs pour cinq dates- repère couvrant le siècle (1910, 1937, 1957, 1980 et 2000). Cette thèse s'inscrit dans une démarche pluridisciplinaire qui relève à la fois de l'histoire d'entreprise et de la sociologie des dirigeants, et fait appel à différentes méthodes telles que l'analyse de réseau et l'analyse prosopographique. Elle s'articule autour de trois axes de recherche principaux : le premier vise à mettre en évidence l'évolution des modes de gouvernance dans notre groupe d'entreprises, le second investit la question de la coordination patronale et le troisième a pour but de dresser un portrait collectif des élites à la tête de nos vingt-deux firmes. Nos résultats montrent que durant la majeure partie du siècle, la plupart de nos entreprises sont contrôlées par des familles et fonctionnent sur un mode de coordination hors marché qui repose notamment sur un réseau dense de liens interfirmes, le profil des dirigeants restant dans l'ensemble stable. Si la fin du siècle est marquée par plusieurs changements qui confirment l'avènement d'un capitalisme dit financier ou actionnarial et la mise en place de pratiques plus concurrentielles parmi les firmes et les élites industrielles, le maintien du contrôle familial dans plusieurs entreprises et la persistance de certains anciens mécanismes de coopération nous incitent cependant à nuancer ce constat. - The main objective of this research is to highlight the persistence of family capitalism in Switzerland during the 20th century and its resistance to managerial and financial capitalisms that succeeded. For this purpose, we focus on twenty- two big companies of the machine, electrotechnical and metallurgy sector - the main branch of the Swiss industry for the considered period - whose boards of directors and executive managers have been identified for five benchmarks across the century (1910, 1937, 1957, 1980 and 2000). This thesis relates to business history and elites sociology, and uses different methods such as network analysis and prosopography. It is articulated around three main parts. The aim of the first one is to identify the evolution of corporate governance in our twenty-two enterprises, the second part concentrates on interfirms coordination and the objective of the last one is to highlight the profile of the corporate elite leading our firms. Our results show that during the main part of the century, most of the companies were controlled by families and were characterized by non-market mechanisms of coordination such as interlocking directorates ; moreover, the profile of the corporate elite remained very stable. Although some major changes that took place by the end of the century confirmed a transition towards financial capitalism and more competitive interaction among firms and the corporate elite, the persistence of family control in several companies and the maintaining of some former mechanisms of coordination allow us to put this evolution into perspective.

Presència de Rousseau a Catalunya: entre el mite i la realitat

En aquest article s’ofereix un perfil del pensament de Rousseau a partir de la seva relació amb la filosofia estoica i la seva dependència respecte de les idees de Montaigne, alhora que es remarca —atenint-se a la Professió de fe del vicari savoià— la dimensió religiosa i espiritual de la seva cosmovisió. Sobre la base d’aquests supòsits es revisa l’impacte de les idees de Rousseau en el Romanticisme del segle xix, sense perdre de vista les crítiques que la seva pedagogia va merèixer dels ideòlegs del Noucentisme (Eugeni d’Ors, Joaquim Xirau). Finalment, es conclou que la presència de la pedagogia de Rousseau en el Moviment de Renovació Pedagògica, viscut durant les primeres dècades del segle xx a Catalunya, constitueix més un horitzó que no pas una realitat bastida sistemàticament i sòlidament.

Norbert Elias : una proposta d’intellectual portrait vint anys després de la seva mort

L’estiu de 1990 moria a Amsterdam un dels sociòlegs més preeminents del segle XX, l’alemany Norbert Elias. La seva vida i la seva obra, profundament imbricades, són un reflex de la complexitat, de les llums i les ombres del segle passat. Amb aquesta proposta de retrat intel·lectual pretenem per una banda commemorar l’efemèride dels 20 anys de la mort d’un sociòleg poc reconegut i poc emprat. I d’altra banda, oferir una introducció a un personatge i una obra que, per la seva magnitud i originalitat, mereixen estar entre les més rellevants de la sociologia. Com a fil conductor de l’article proposem una combinació de llocs físics i simbòlics que van marcar la seva trajectòria.

Les nou preguntes que Norbert Elias es va formular : debats, interrogants i pistes per a la sociologia del segle XXI

En aquest article dedicat a Norbert Elias en commemoració dels vint anys de la seva mort, proposem revisar, de manera resumida, la seva obra a partir dels interrogants ontològics, epistemològics i metodològics que Elias va encarar al llarg de la seva dilatada vida acadèmica i de recerca. L’article pretén ser, alhora, un punt i a part en el monogràfic, perquè en vol recollir alguns dels interrogants, debats i conclusions, com també tenir un paper introductori per a aquelles persones que, sense gaires coneixements previs sobre l’autor de Breslau, vulguin conèixer alguns dels trets definitoris de la seva trajectòria intel·lectual al llarg del segle XX. I, sobretot, quin llegat, en forma de grans preguntes, deixa per a la sociologia del segle XXI. L’article acaba amb una bibliografia escollida d’obres clau.

Anna Senyé : Notes biogràfiques i recorregut poètic

Anna Senyé Ramisa (Manlleu, 1881-Barcelona, 1956) fou una dona de caràcter aventurer que va tenir una vida poc convencional. Va escriure en diferents revistes i diaris catalans des de 1914 i durant la primera meitat del segle xx, com a poeta, periodista i activista social, amb la publicació d’articles i manifestos en defensa dels drets dels animals. Senyé també participà en els Jocs Florals i va guanyar-hi premis en els celebrats a l’Escala i a Molins de Rei. L’any 1922 va publicar el seu treball poètic en un volum, Remolinada.

Terrorisme et médecins de premier recours: le risque chimique [Terrorism and medicine of first aid: chemical risk].

Cet article décrit, à l'intention des mdéecins de rpremier recours, les principes de base d'une action de secours lors d'un attentat (ou d'un accident) chimique impliquant de nombreuses victimes intoxiquées et/ou contaminées.

Barnbyn Skå (Skå, la vila dels infants) 1947-1972: L’experiència terapèutica de Gustav Jonsson amb infants «irrecuperables»

The article presents the trajectory of the Swedish psychiatrist Gustav Jonsson (1907-1994) who, in the 1940s, revolutionised the therapeutic and educational treatment of children and young people, considered irreclaimable from the social point of view, who were committed to educational institutions. It analyses the social development of the Welfare State in Sweden, the legal framework of child protection, as well as the context of Swedish residential care centres for children and young people in the first half of the 20th century in order to go further into the psychological and educational work conducted with the Barnbyn Skå group. Jonsson redirected the analysis of violent behaviours that were manifest in these children and young people which made them intractable from the educational point of view and established elements of psychoanalytical understanding, based on a systemic approach in which the family context became essential in order to understand the children’s difficulties. Barnbyn Skå was the centre which, under the guidance of Jonsson, developed this new therapeutic and pedagogic approach. The educational work carried out there exceeded the traditional model in terms of control and surveillance. The methods were considered radical from within pedagogy and caused great controversy which led the centre to continuous investigations on behalf of the Social Services of Stockholm between 1960 and 1970. For several decades Barnbyn Skå has been considered a pioneering experience in the field of Scandinavian child psychiatry.

Advances in the pharmacological treatment of gastro-oesophageal cancer.

Despite a sharp decline in the incidence of gastric cancer during the second half of the 20th century, this malignancy remains the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the world. The incidence and mortality rate of gastric cancer increase with age; at present, the median ages at diagnosis are 67 years for men and 72 years for women in the US. This article reviews and discusses current medical treatment options for both the general population and elderly gastric cancer patients. Management of localized gastric cancer has changed significantly over recent years. Adjuvant chemoradiation is not generally recommended outside the US. After decades of trials of adjuvant chemotherapy with inconclusive results, a significant survival benefit for perioperative combination chemotherapy - as compared with surgery alone - in patients with resectable or locally advanced gastro-oesophageal cancer was recently demonstrated in the UK MAGIC trial. A further large, randomized trial from Japan demonstrated a significant survival benefit for adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 after D2 resection for gastric cancer. However, both trials are applicable only to the population in which the trials were conducted. Specific data on elderly patients are missing. For patients with metastatic disease, oral fluoropyrimidines, such as capecitabine, have been developed. In Asian patients, treatment with the oral fluoropyrimidine S-1 is safe and effective. Docetaxel, oxaliplatin and irinotecan have demonstrated activity against gastric cancer in appropriately designed, randomized, phase III trials and have increased the available treatment options significantly. In addition, according to preliminary data, trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy has significantly improved activity when compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with human epidermal receptor (HER)-2-positive gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancers. Thus, therapeutic decisions in patients with advanced gastric cancer may be adapted to the molecular subtype and co-morbidities of the individual patient. Data from retrospective analyses suggest that oxaliplatin seems to be better tolerated than cisplatin in elderly patients.

Els canvis territorials a l'àrea de Vic: una interpretació a partir de l'anàlisi de les fotografies aèries de 1956 i 2008. De l'equilibri rural-urbà a la ciutat difusa

Agafant com a premissa l’elevat grau de poblament disseminat de la plana de Vic i la forta interrelació entre els diferents assentaments, el present treball caracteritza l’actual model urbà dispers de la conurbació vigatana (Osona). L’estudi elabora dos mapes, mitjan segle xx i actual (2009), a través d’un Sistema d’Informació Geogràfica (SIG), i interpreta els resultats partint del concepte de ciutat difusa