Dissertationen zum Thema „I-LaTeX“

Interagir avec les ordinateurs nous amène souvent à utiliser des langages informatiques tels que Python pour créer des programmes et LaTeX pour rédiger des documents techniques. Au cours des dernières décennies, ces langages se sont mis à occuper une place de plus en plus importante dans divers domaines allant des sciences aux arts. Ils sont désormais enseignés à des millions d'enfants et deviennent une compétence couramment attendue sur le marché du travail, creusant le fossé entre ceux qui les parlent et les autres. Or, pour l'essentiel, notre interaction avec ces langages est identique à ce qu'elle était il y a cinquante ans : lire et écrire du code sous forme de texte brut. Bien que diverses alternatives aient été proposées, elles ont souvent été développées avec une approche moderniste, en rupture avec les langages et pratiques répandus, résultant en des systèmes bornés aux cercles académiques et à quelques communautés spécifiques. Par conséquent, les langages informatiques se retrouvent entravés par des visions qui essentialisent notre interaction avec eux, nous encourageant ainsi à nous en distancier, au risque de perdre une partie de la maîtrise à laquelle ils nous donnent accès face à des interfaces toujours plus « simples » et à la synthèse « intelligente » de code. Dans cette thèse, je m'oppose à ce point de vue que je considère néfaste pour la recherche en interaction humain-machine et la démocratie à l'heure du tout numérique. À cette fin, je développe un ensemble d'arguments qui soulignent qu'il est possible — et même bénéfique — de rendre plurielle notre interaction avec les langages informatiques, y compris avec la diversité de langages déjà existants dont hérite l'informatique du XXIème siècle.Je développe d'abord une nouvelle théorie de l'interaction avec les langages informatiques qui montre qu'aucun de ces langages n'est intrinsèquement lié à une représentation ou à un type d'interaction spécifique. Pour cela, je déconstruis la notion de langage informatique en cinq aspects fondamentaux afin d'isoler l'interaction des autres éléments constitutifs de ces langages, formant ainsi un modèle plus holistique que ceux déjà existants. J'identifie alors quatre niveaux d'interaction avec ces langages et montre que l'on peut les hybrider et choisir de projeter un même fragment de code sur différentes représentations afin de laisser le choix de celle offrant l'interaction la plus adaptée aux utilisateurs finaux. J'applique ensuite cette vision des langages informatiques à deux problèmes de recherche à l'aide d'une méthodologie de conception centrée sur l'utilisateur : faciliter la rédaction de documents avec le langage LaTeX, et aider les programmeurs à créer leurs propres projections afin de mieux s'approprier leurs éditeurs de texte. Dans le cadre de chaque problème, j'identifie les limites des solutions actuelles à l'aide d'une étude formative ; je développe un prototype d'éditeur de texte augmenté de projections supplémentaires ; et j'évalue celui-ci à l'aide d'études utilisateur à la fois qualitatives et quantitatives. Les résultats montrent que le fait de compléter le texte par d'autres représentations nous aide à comprendre et à modifier le code plus rapidement et avec une charge de travail moindre, et que ces représentations peuvent être crées à moindre coût en recomposant des éléments réutilisables d'une projection à une autre. En conclusion, je montre qu'envisager l'interaction avec les langages informatiques sous la forme de projections permet de rendre celle-ci plus protéiforme, une approche qui, selon cette thèse, est théoriquement fondée, techniquement possible et empiriquement souhaitable. Cette approche se prête à la tâche urgente d'équiper un public citoyen toujours plus large avec de nouveaux outils intellectuels et techniques afin de les aider à comprendre et à s'approprier les langages informatiques au cœur du fonctionnement de nos sociétés
To interact with computers, we often rely on computer languages such as Python for creating programs and LaTeX for writing technical documents. In the past few decades, these languages have become increasingly used in a variety of fields ranging from science to arts. They are now being taught to millions of pupils and have become a staple skill in the job market, widening the gap between those who are computer literates and the others. However, for the most part, our interaction with these languages has remained similar to what it used to be fifty years ago: reading and writing code as plain text. Although various alternatives have been introduced, they have often been developed with a modernist approach, in isolation from popular languages and widespread workflows, resulting in systems that hardly cross the borders of academic circles and niche communities. As a result, our interaction with computer languages is now hampered by essentialist views that encourage us to move away from them, at the risk of losing some of the agency they give us, as if dealing with code was nothing but a burden from the past compared to ever more “simple” user interfaces and “intelligent” code synthesis. In this thesis, I argue against this view that I consider harmful to human-computer interaction research and computer-driven democracies. To do so, I introduce a number of arguments that show that it is indeed possible—and even beneficial—to make our interaction with computer languages more pluralist, including with the many languages that already exist that are inherent to the diversity of computing in the 21st century. I first develop a new theory of interaction with computer languages that shows that no such language is inherently bound to a specific representation or type of interaction. To that end, I deconstruct the notion of computer language into five fundamental aspects to isolate interaction from the other constituents of these languages, yielding a more holistic model than those that already exist. I then use this model to identify different levels of interaction with computer languages, which can be hybridised, and show that a single piece of code can very well be projected onto several representations to let end-users decide which representation supports the form of interaction most appropriate for them. I then apply this view of computer languages to two research problems using user-centred design methodologies: helping users author documents written in LaTeX and helping programmers appropriate their text editors by crafting their own projections. For each problem, I assess the limitations of existing solutions with the help of a formative study; I develop a prototype of a text editor equipped with additional projections; and I evaluate it with both qualitative and quantitative user studies. The results show that that complementing text with other representations helps us understand and modify code faster and with a lower workload and that these representations can be created by recomposing existing parts that can be reused from one projection to another.In conclusion, I show that considering interaction with computer languages as projections makes it more protean, an approach which, according to this thesis, is theoretically grounded, technically possible and empirically desirable. It lends itself to the urgent task of equipping an ever-growing public of citizens with new intellectual and technical tools to help them understand and appropriate the computer languages that rule the societies we live in

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The development of activities in the oil and gas sector has been promoting the search for materials more adequate to oilwell cementing operation. In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the cement sheath integrity tend to fail during steam injection operation which is necessary to increase oil recovery in reservoir with heavy oil. Geopolymer is a material that can be used as alternative cement. It has been used in manufacturing of fireproof compounds, construction of structures and for controlling of toxic or radioactive waste. Latex is widely used in Portland cement slurries and its characteristic is the increase of compressive strength of cement slurries. Sodium Tetraborate is used in dental cement as a retarder. The addition of this additive aim to improve the geopolymeric slurries properties for oilwell cementing operation. The slurries studied are constituted of metakaolinite, potassium silicate, potassium hydroxide, non-ionic latex and sodium tetraborate. The properties evaluated were: viscosity, compressive strength, thickening time, density, fluid loss control, at ambient temperature (27 ?C) and at cement specification temperature. The tests were carried out in accordance to the practical recommendations of the norm API RP 10B. The slurries with sodium tetraborate did not change either their rheological properties or their mechanical properties or their density in relation the slurry with no additive. The increase of the concentration of sodium tetraborate increased the water loss at both temperatures studied. The best result obtained with the addition of sodium tetraborate was thickening time, which was tripled. The addition of latex in the slurries studied diminished their rheological properties and their density, however, at ambient temperature, it increased their compressive strength and it functioned as an accelerator. The increase of latex concentration increased the presence of water and then diminished the density of the slurries and increased the water loss. From the results obtained, it was concluded that sodium tetraborate and non-ionic latex are promising additives for geopolymer slurries to be used in oilwell cementing operation
O desenvolvimento das atividades do setor petr?leo e g?s tem promovido a busca de materiais mais adequados para cimenta??o de po?os de petr?leo. No estado do RN, a integridade da bainha cimentante tende a ser prejudicada durante a inje??o de vapor, procedimento necess?rio para aumentar a recupera??o do petr?leo em reservat?rios com ?leo de alta viscosidade. O geopol?mero ? um material que pode ser utilizado como cimento alternativo, uma vez que vem sendo empregado na produ??o de componentes resistentes ao fogo, na constru??o de estruturas, e para o controle de res?duos t?xicos ou radioativos. O l?tex ? extensamente usado em pastas de cimento Portland e tem como caracter?stica o aumento significativo da resist?ncia ? compress?o das pastas. O tetraborato de s?dio ? usado em cimentos odontol?gicos como retardador de pega em resinas. A adi??o deste aditivo tem a finalidade de melhorar a propriedades das pastas geopolim?ricas para cimenta??o de po?os de petr?leo. As pastas estudadas s?o constitu?das de metacaulim, silicato de pot?ssio, hidr?xido de pot?ssio, l?tex n?o i?nico e tetraborato de s?dio. As propriedades avaliadas foram: viscosidade, resist?ncia mec?nica, tempo de espessamento, densidade e controle de filtrado, na temperatura ambiente (27?C) e de especifica??o de cimento. Os testes foram realizados seguindo as recomenda??es pr?ticas da norma API RP 10B. As pastas aditivadas com tetraborato de s?dio n?o modificaram as propriedades reol?gicas em rela??o a pasta sem aditivo, assim como n?o modificaram as propriedades mec?nicas e a densidade das pastas. O aumento da concentra??o de tetraborato de s?dio aumentou o volume de filtrado das pastas nas duas temperaturas estudadas. A propriedade que o tetraborato de s?dio obteve o melhor desempenho foi em rela??o ao tempo de pega, onde a adi??o do aditivo conseguiu triplicar o tempo de espessamento das pastas. Com rela??o ?s pastas aditivadas com l?tex observou-se que a adi??o desse aditivo diminuiu as propriedades reol?gicas e a densidade do sistema. Na temperatura ambiente, o aditivo funcionou como acelerador de pega e aumentou a resist?ncia mec?nica das pastas. A presen?a de ?gua reduziu a densidade das pastas e aumentou o volume de filtrado a medida que aumentou a concentra??o do aditivo. A partir dos resultados obtidos concluiu-se que o tetraborato de s?dio e o l?tex n?o i?nico s?o aditivos promissores para pastas geopolim?ricas para cimenta??o de po?os de petr?leo

L'obiettivo della tesi è individuare gli strumenti più indicati per scrivere un documento a carattere tecnico-scientifico e creare la relativa presentazione multimediale. La scelta degli strumenti è il risultato di un’analisi delle problematiche specifiche. Tuttavia è impossibile fare delle considerazione relativamente a questi strumenti senza averli mai usati in pratica. E' stato quindi scelto un argomento tecnico scientifico come esempio: I quaternioni nella Computher Grafica. L'argomento è stato esposto in una breve dispensa scritta con LaTeX. Nella dispensa sono state inserite diverse immagini generate con Inkscape. La presentazione multimediale è stata realizzata con PowerPoint. Dopo una breve descrizione di ogni programma segue l’esposizione di come essi rispondano alle particolari esigenze di stesura di una presentazione scientifica.

Phytophthora sojae, the causal organism of stem and root rot, and Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) cause two of the most highly destructive diseases of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr). P. sojae can be managed either through deployment of race-specific resistance or through quantitative resistance termed partial resistance. In the current study, partial resistance to P. sojae was mapped in an interspecific recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of Glycine max by Glycine soja. One major quantitative trait loci (QTL) on molecular linkage group (MLG)-J (chromosome 16) and two minor QTL on MLG-I (chromosome 20) and -G (chromosome 18) were mapped using conventional molecular markers. Additionally, partial resistance to P. sojae was mapped in the same RIL population using single feature polymorphism (SFP) markers that further fine mapped the P. sojae QTL and identified potential candidate genes contributing to resistance. In a separate study, race-specific resistance was characterized in PI96983 discovering a potentially new allele of Rps4 on MLG-G. Finally, using the newly available whole-genome shotgun sequence of soybean, Rsv4 conferring resistance to strains of SMV known in the US, was localized to an approximately 100 kb region of sequence on chromosome 2 (MLG-D1B). Newly designed PCR-based markers permit for efficient selection of Rsv4 by breeding programs. Identified candidate genes for Rsv4 are discussed. Genomic resources developed in all of these studies provide breeders the tools necessary for developing durable resistance to both SMV and P. sojae.
Ph. D.

How people think about the end of the world greatly affects how they live in the present. This thesis examines how popular American thought about “the end of the world” has been greatly affected by Hal Lindsey’s 1970 popular prophecy book The Late, Great Planet Earth. LGPE sold more copies than any other non-fiction book in the 1970s and greatly aided the mainstreaming of “end-times” ideas like the Antichrist, nuclear holocaust, the Rapture, and various other concepts connected with popular end-times thought. These ideas stem from a specific strain of late-nineteenth century Biblical interpretation known as dispensational premillennialism, which has manifested in various schools of premillennial thought over the last 150 years. However, Lindsey translated this complicated system into modern language and connected it with contemporary geopolitics in powerful ways which helped make LGPE incredibly popular and influential in the 1970s and beyond. This paper includes an introduction to some essential concepts and terms related to popular premillennialism followed by a brief history of popular prophecy in America. The second half of this thesis examines the social, religious, and political climate of the 1970s and how Lindsey’s success connects to the culture of the Seventies, specifically conservative reactions to the various social movements of the 1960s. The last major section discusses Lindsey’s malleable theology and the power of interpreting the Bible “literally.” In the 1970s, conservative theologians and denominations won the battle to define certain concepts within Christianity including terms like “literal,” “inerrant,” and related terms, and Lindsey’s treatment of “the end times” reflects these definitions and how they affect Biblical interpretation. Finally, the conclusion fleshes out the appeal of popular premillennialism in the 1970s and into the present day.

Unlike other rosaceous fruit crops such as apple and cherry, commercial raspberry cultivars are largely self-fertile and can set fruit in the absence of pollinators. However, their floral morphology often prevents complete self-pollaintion. Incomplete pollination yields unmarketable small or crumbly fruits. Insect visitation is therefore essential to maximizing raspberry yield. Honey bees are typically used to pollinate commercial raspberry; however, escalating prices for hive rentals coupled with increasing acreage encourage evaluation of other manageable pollinators. Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) and several mason bees (Osmia spp.) are promising raspberry pollinators. Five bee species were evaluated and compared for their single-visit pollination efficacies on raspberry. From this a pollinator effectiveness index was created and an estimation of the minimum number of visits required to maximize fruit set was calculated. This estimation was then experimentally verified. Finally, in an attempt to synchronize their brief activity period with raspberry bloom, winter management options aimed at delaying the emergence of the mason bee, O. lignaria, were investigated. All five bee species proved excellent pollinators of raspberry. None of the alternative manageable species greatly outperformed honey bees. For this reason honey bees remain the most economical and practical option for open-field raspberry pollination. The adoption of alternative manageable bees could still be justified in other production systems, such as high-tunnel or greenhouse grown raspberry, which hamper honey bees’ ability to forage effectively. The pollinator effectiveness score for honey bees suggested that as few as two visits can achieve maximum fruit set. This estimate was confirmed through experimentation on three different red raspberry cultivars. For two of these cultivars, just one visit yielded drupelet counts similar to openly-pollinated flowers. This information can be used to help refine stocking density estimates for honey bees on raspberry. Wintering bees at 0° or -3° C rather than 4° C effectively delayed emergence of O. lignaria by more than a month without any impact on post-winter performance. These results suggest winter storage at near freezing temperatures is a viable management option for the use of O. lignaria with later-blooming crops.

This thesis, in two volumes, deals with the Late Helladic I pottery from the southwestern Peloponnesos, Greece. It is a study of its origins, development and local variations. All wares (whether painted or unpainted) produced in this part of the Peloponnesos during LH I are considered; particular emphasis is put on the examination of the fine decorated ware; imports, wherever identifiable, are also dealt with. The text volume (Vol.I) consists of the Introduction and chapters I-V accompanied by an Appendix, a number of tables and a List of Abbreviations, as well as Bibliography. The ceramic material discussed in the text volume is illustrated in Volume II, in which a list of figures is also included.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of English, 2009.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 15, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-12, Section: A, page: 4687. Advisers: Janet Sorensen; Richard Nash.

Com succeeix a la resta de territoris de l’Imperi romà d’Occident, en la Tarraconense els primers indicis sobre el monacat són pocs i es concentren a partir de la segona meitat del segle IV. En aquest moment no es pot parlar d’un moviment institucionalitzat, però si de manifestacions ascètiques que l’Església anirà reglamentant a mesura que passi el temps i sobretot -influïts en la seva evolució- de les conseqüències del moviment priscil·lianista, que va generar sentiments de desconfiança vers tota pràctica cristiana fora del control eclesiàstic. Hem pogut observar una forta presència de l’eremitisme de manera continuada i els intents de jerarquia per imposar els models cenobítics. Les fonts fan notar que l’ascesi femenina va ser molt rellevant i respectada des d’un principi. Moltes d’aquestes dones, dels que ens han perdurat els seus noms (i això ja és un fet insòlit) van actuar com agents de de transformació social en el nou panorama cristià. En plena època visigoda ja es pot observar com els monestirs es van anar convertint en cèl·lules protofeudals de control jurisdiccional i patrimonial. De la mateixa manera que les relacions entre bisbes, abats i monjos es basaven en lligams de dependència, situació en part heretada de la tardorromanitat. En definitiva, amb aquest treball hem volgut mostrar la presència monàstica primera en el nord-est de la Península Ibèrica, quina va ser la seva evolució i en què es va caracteritzar.
Como sucede en el resto de territorios del Imperio romano de Occidente, en la Tarraconense los primeros indicios sobre el monacato son pocos y se concentran a partir de la segunda mitad del siglo IV. En este momento no se puede hablar de un movimiento institucionalizado, pero si de manifestaciones ascéticas que la Iglesia irá reglamentando a medida que pase el tiempo y sobre todo ⎯influïts en su evolució⎯ de las consecuencias del movimiento priscilianista, que generar sentimientos de desconfianza hacia toda práctica cristiana fuera del control eclesiástico. Hemos podido observar una fuerte presencia del eremitismo de manera continuada y los intentos de jerarquía para imponer modelos cenobítico. Las fuentes hacen notar que la ascesis femenina fue muy relevante y respetada desde un principio. Muchas de estas mujeres, de los que nos han perdurado sus nombres (y esto ya es un hecho insólito) actuaron como agentes de de transformación social en el nuevo panorama cristiano. En plena época visigoda ya se puede observar cómo los monasterios se convirtieron en células protofeudales de control jurisdiccional y patrimonial. Del mismo modo que las relaciones entre obispos, abades y monjes se basaban en lazos de dependencia, situación en parte heredada de la tardorromanidad En definitiva, con este trabajo hemos querido mostrar la presencia monástica primera en el nordeste de la Península Ibérica, cuál fue su evolución y en el que se caracterizó.
As in the rest of the territories of the Roman Empire of the West, in Tarraconense the first signs of monasticism are few and concentrated from the second half of the fourth century. At this point we can not speak of an institutionalized movement, but of ascetic manifestations that the Church will regulate as time goes on and above all influences on its evolution of the consequences of the priscillianist movement, that generate feelings of distrust towards any Christian practice outside ecclesiastical control. We have been able to observe a strong presence of eremitism on an ongoing basis and attempts at hierarchy to impose cenobitic models. The sources note that female ascesis was very relevant and respected from the beginning. Many of these women, whose names have survived (and this is already an unusual fact), acted as agents of social transformation in the new Christian landscape. In the middle of the Visigothic period, it is possible to observe how the monasteries became proto-feudal cells of jurisdictional and patrimonial control. Just as relations between bishops, abbots, and monks were based on dependency ties, a situation partly inherited from the late Antiquity. In short, with this work we wanted to show the first monastic presence in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, which was its evolution and in which it was characterized.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the acceleration phase of sprinting could be split into subphases specific to the competitive demands of a soccer match by comparing sprint metrics at various sprint distances in Division I men's soccer players. Twenty-three Division I men's soccer athletes completed 2 maximal-effort 20-m sprints from a standing start position through an optical measurement system. Sprint metrics measured included sprint velocity (SV), step length (SL), step frequency (SF), and ground contact time (GCT). Each metric was recorded at approximately 2.5, 6, and 12 m. Sprint metrics at each distance were compared using a 2-tailed, 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. The results indicated that SV, SL, and SF were statistically greater at 12 m in comparison with 6 m (p < 0.001) and 2.5 m (p < 0.001), whereas GCT was statistically shorter at 12 m compared with 6 m (p < 0.001) and 2.5 m (p < 0.001). In addition, sprint metrics at 6 m also displayed the same relationships when compared to 2.5 m, with SV, SL, and SF being statistically greater (p < 0.001) at this distance, and GCT being statistically shorter (p < 0.001) as well. These results suggest that the acceleration phase may effectively be differentiated into early, mid, and late subphases based on differences in key sprint metrics at distances of 2.5, 6, and 12 m, respectively, in Division I men's soccer athletes.

Presentem l’anàlisi dels conjunts d’instruments lítics que han estat excavats en els nivells 3 al 10, de Plistocè superior, en l’Abric Tham Lod (àrea d’excavació 2, sectors S20W10, i S21W10). Aquest abric calcari d’origen càrstic està situat en el disctricte de Pang Mapha de la província de Mae Hong, en el nord-est de Tailàndia. Seguint les indicacions de recerca assenyalades per The Highland Archaeological Project, aquest jaciment fou excavat entre 2002 i 2006 sota la direcció de R. Shoocongdej. Les anàlisis radiomètriques van proporcionar dates que van del Plistocè superior (35 ka BP, mitjançant TL; constitueix una de les dates més antigues per a un jaciment prehistòric en aquesta regió) fins a l’Holocè (3 ka BP). Les restes d’instruments lítics i fauna es compten per milers en tota la seqüència estratigràfica; mentre que la ceràmica i el metall apareixen en el nivell superior (Holocè). Cal destacar els pocs enterraments humans en els nivells de Plistocè superior (13 ka BP). Els sumatralits típics, definitoris de la tradició tècnica Hoabinhiana, apareixen per primer cop en els nivells inferiors, tot i que semblen absents del nivell més baix, el 10; i són destacats en el nivell 4 (en torn de 24-20 ka). Tanmateix, llur proporció es redueix en el darrer nivell Plistocè, el 3, a favor dels chopper. Estan associats amb sumatralits parcials (no configurats en tot llur perímetre), amb una freqüència quasi idèntica. Al contrari, els útils sobre còdol (>100 mm) corresponen de forma quasi exclusiva a chopper en els nivells inferiors, entre el 8 i el 10. Entre els útils petits (<100 mm) el tipus principal el constitueixen les rascadores i llur freqüència és molt constant al llarg de l’estratigrafia. Majoritàriament estan configurades sobre còdols fracturats, excepte en el nivell 10 en el que les poques rascadores que hi ha són sobre ascla o fragment. D’altres útils petits, com denticulats, eines apuntades i “eines petites atípiques” no són freqüents en el material estudiat.
Presentamos el análisis de los conjuntos de instrumentos líticos que han sido excavados en los niveles 3 al 10, de Pleistoceno superior, en el Abrigo Tham Lod (área de excavación 2, sectores S20W10 y S21W10). Este abrigo rocoso calizo de origen cárstico está situado en el distrito de Pang Mapha de la provincia de Mae Hong, en el noroeste de Tailandia. Siguiendo las indicaciones de investigación señaladas por The Highland Archaeological Project, este yacimiento fue excavado entre 2002 y 2006 bajo la dirección de R. Shoocongdej. Los análisis radiométricos proporcionaron fechas que van des del Pleistoceno superior (35 ka BP, usando TL; constituye una de las fechas más antiguas para un yacimiento prehistórico en esta región) hasta el Holoceno (3 ka BP). Los restos de instrumentos líticos y fauna se cuentan por miles a lo largo de toda la secuencia estratigráfica; mientras que la cerámica y el metal aparecen en el nivel superior (Holoceno). Son de destacar los pocos enterramientos humanos en los niveles de Pleistoceno superior (13 ka BP). Los sumatralitos típicos, definitorios de la tradición técnica Hoabinhiense, aparecen por primera vez en los niveles inferiores, aunque parecen estar ausentes en el nivel más bajo, el 10; y son destacados en el nivel 4 (alrededor de 24-20 ka). Sin embargo, reducen su proporción en el último nivel Pleistoceno, el 3, a favor de los chopper. Están asociados con sumatralitos parciales (no configurados en todo su perímetro), con una frecuencia casi idéntica. Por el contrario, los útiles sobre canto (>100 mm) corresponden de forma casi exclusiva a chopper en los niveles inferiores, entre el 8 y el 10. Entre los útiles pequeños (<100 mm) el tipo principal lo constituyen las raederas y su frecuencia es muy constante a lo largo de la estratigrafía. En su mayoría están configuradas sobre cantos fracturados, excepto en el nivel 10 en el que las pocas raederas son sobre lasca o fragmento. Otros útiles pequeños, como denticulados, herramientas apuntadas y “herramientas pequeñas atípicas” no son frecuentes en el material estudiado.
This dissertation presents the analysis of lithic assemblages that have been unearthed from the late Pleistocene layers 3 to 10 of Tham Lod Rockshelter (excavation area 2, sectors S20W10 & S21W10). This limestone-karstic rock shelter is situated in Pang Mapha district of Mae Hong Son Province, north-western Thailand. On the lines of the research questions outlined by of The Highland Archeological Project, this site was excavated from 2002 to 2006 under the direction of R. Shoocongdej. The radiometric analyses provided dates ranging from late Pleistocene (35 ka, TL, which is one of the oldest dates for a prehistoric site in this region) to late Holocene (3000 years BP). The lithic and faunal remains occur in thousands throughout the stratigraphic sequence; ceramics and metal items appear in the upper layer (Holocene). Noteworthy are the few human burials in the late Pleistocene layers (13 ka BP). Typical sumatraliths, the signature of the Hoabinhian technical tradition, start appearing in the lower layers, yet seem to be absent in the very bottom layer 10; they become conspicuous in the layer 4 (around 24-20 ka). However, they decrease in proportion in the last Pleistocene layer 3 to the benefit of choppers. They are associated with partial sumatraliths (not shaped all around), approximately equally frequent. Conversely, core tools (>100 mm) are almost exclusively choppers in lower layers 10 to 8. The scrapers are the major type among the small tools (<100 mm) and their frequency is quite constant throughout the stratigraphy. They are mostly shaped on broken cobbles, except in the layer 10 where the very few ones are on flake or fragment. Other small tools like denticulates, pointed tools and “atypical small tools” are not frequent in the studied material.

The Chalcolithic-Early Bronze I (ca. 4500-3000 BCE) in the southern Levant saw significant social, political, and economic changes, evidenced by changing architectural styles, settlement patterns, and material cultures. Developments in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze I gave way to the first walled settlements in the Early Bronze II, sometimes termed the first "urban" period in the southern Levant. This study investigates the animal component of the subsistence economy during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze I in the southern Levant. In light of the proposed social, political, and economic changes occurring at this time, certain changes in the use of animals and their products are proposed. Zooarchaeological data are used to address four research themes: 1) the nature and degree of change in the transition from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze IA; 2) evidence within the subsistence economy that might help explain the Chalcolithic collapse; 3) zooarchaeological distinctions between the Early Bronze IA and IB, two discrete phases which are rarely separated in zooarchaeological studies; and, 4) a zooarchaeological assessment of the relationship between Egypt and the southern Levant from its incipience in the Chalcolithic to its climax in the Early Bronze IB. Results indicate that meat and secondary products provisioning occurred on a household basis from the Chalcolithic through the Early Bronze IB. However, changes in animal use noted between sites and over time at Shiqmim, Afrida, and the Halif Terrace indicate changing subsistence strategies within the limits of household production. The varying strategies indicate how the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze I people related to environmental limitations and changes in stability in light of the changing socio-political situations. Evidence from the later Early Bronze IB indicates a particularly significant change towards more intensified use of sheep/goat. The animal economy has also been found to serve as a catalyst for change-in the case of the donkey, whose increased presence corresponds, not coincidentally, with increasing contact with Egypt. Zooarchaeological analyses are therefore found to build upon our interpretations of the nature and degree of change from the Chalcolithic through the Early Bronze IB.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether bilinguals have a single, integrated representation of syntactic information (the interactive view) or whether the L1 syntactic representations and mechanisms are kept strictly separated from those of the later acquired languages (the modular view). Within the scope of this study, we investigate the cross-linguistic syntactic priming of relative clause attachment in Italian-English adult bilinguals with different levels of proficiency in English. The data was collected through a sentence completion experiment in which participants had to generate NP-of-NP-RC constructions. Prime fragments were constrained as to whether the relative pronoun followed by a number-marked verb permitted high (referring to the NP higher up in the syntactic tree) or low attachment (referring to the NP lower in the syntactic tree). The target fragments were unconstrained with respect to RC attachment. Previous studies have found that the preferred attachment of the RC varies cross-linguistically, the experiment was preceded by a study investigating the RC attachment preference in monolingual Italian speakers.

It is generally acknowledged among scholars in the field of Late Antiquity that relations between the Roman and Iranian Empires reached its climax in the early fifth century. Countless sources report a variety of co-operative events depicting positive dealings between the Iranian shah Yazdgird and the Roman emperors Arcadius and Theodosius II. On the other hand, there exist just as many accounts that Yazdgird persecuted the Christians of his realm towards the end of his life. We are thus left with opposing narratives about the Iranian monarch, and no clarification about what truly transpired. This thesis seeks to clarify the ambiguities surrounding Yazdgird‟s reign. In order to achieve this goal, the events and circumstances that led to the apogee of Roman-Iranian relations is first retraced. An examination of potential sources of tension follows this, with the thesis culminating in the final chapter directly engaging the question of whether Yazdgird persecuted the Christians of his realm or not. The focus of this study is not solely to answer the question outlined above, but also to analyze and revise the entire topic utilizing a more holistic approach. Recent scholarship on East Syrian Christianity and the Sasanian Empire aided in providing alternative perspectives to the traditionally unilateral Roman views of the outlined issues. These different viewpoints in turn helped shape new interpretations and conclusions concerning the apogee and decline of RomanoIranian relations in the early fifth century.

This thesis offers readings of a number of less discussed texts by J.M. Coetzee and attempts to take as full an account as possible of the human beings that are embodied in these works. Suggesting that critical approaches are often too invested in their specific ideologies to accommodate for the protean nature of certain Coetzee’s narratives, it contends that a better ground for approaching his writing can be found in the unmediated experience of living, which Elizabeth Costello—Coetzee’s lecture alter ego—once calls ‘the body-soul.’ This study thus traces Coetzee’s fascination with what it means to be fully alive as an individual being in his writing during the period between his apartheid-era novel Age of Iron (1990) and the final fictional memoir Summertime (2009). By paying attention specifically to the living beings of the characters, or in the case of Coetzee’s fictional memoirs, that of John Coetzee himself, this thesis shows how it is possible to make better sense of Coetzee’s puzzling late works and their formal inventiveness. While on the whole the thesis advances an alternative approach of reading Coetzee’s fiction, its individual chapters focus on employing the concept of the body-soul to help release the works’ meaning. The first chapter examines Coetzee’s fiction-as-lecture ‘The Lives of Animals: The Philosophers and the Animals,’ which forms part of Elizabeth Costello. I reconstitute Costello’s philosophical exposition about the ‘sympathetic imagination’ for animals as being inseparable from her personal desires as a body-soul vulnerable to death. Chapter Two also centres on Coetzee’s characters as living beings and connects the metafictional Slow Man (2005) with the epistolary Age of Iron through their common reiterations of the figure of a writer who follows another character with his/her imaginative writing. In Chapter Three, the living being of John Coetzee in Boyhood (1997), Youth (2002), and Summertime provides a basis from which to contend with the narratives’ mixed tactics of fictionalisation and confessional truth-telling. Chapter Four looks at Elizabeth Costello’s ‘The Problem of Evil’ and The Master of Petersburg. Here again, the attention to the body-souls of the protagonists enables a confrontation with the possibility that Coetzee’s fiction writing and the living beings within it may not always be a force for good. Throughout the thesis, I assert that the truths contained in these works of Coetzee are truths of the body-soul that cannot be fully extricated from their embodiments, yet by their embeddedness in living experiences that cannot be doubted, they seem to be what Coetzee, as he was in those times and places of writing, was able to believe in.

Aquesta tesi té com a objectiu principal l’estudi de l’urbanisme i els models d’ocupació del suburbi portuari de Tarraco entre els segles III i VIII dC. Davant la manca d’informació arqueològica directa sobre el port romà, l’anàlisi d’aquest extens sector de la ciutat ens permet conèixer de manera indirecta la seva evolució. Així, s’ha identificat la xarxa viària que va vertebrar i organitzar l'urbanisme del suburbi fins ben avançat el segle VII dC, amb dos eixos principals en sentit nord-est sud-oest i diversos carrers secundaris. Igualment. s’ha constatat una gran diversitat d’edificis, els quals s’erigeixen especialment a partir del segle V dC, en una etapa de creixement i bonança econòmica de la ciutat. En primera línia de costa s’ubicaven les naus d’emmagatzematge, mentre que en un punt més septentrional s'hi trobaven els edificis residencials. Paral·lelament, sorgeixen diverses zones funeràries i, especialment durant els darrers segles de l'Antiguitat tardana, s'edifiquen també tallers de producció artesanal. Tot plegat mostra el dinamisme d’un suburbi amb una clara funció principal, la portuària, que va ser el centre econòmic de Tarraco.
Esta tesis tiene como objetivo principal el estudio del urbanismo y los modelos de ocupación del suburbio portuario de Tarraco entre los siglos III y VIII d.C.. Ante la falta de información arqueológica directa sobre el puerto romano, el análisis de este extenso sector de la ciudad nos permite conocer de manera indirecta su evolución. Así, se ha identificado la red viaria que vertebró y organizó el urbanismo del suburbio hasta bien avanzado el siglo VII d.C., con dos ejes principales en sentido nordeste-sudoeste y varias calles secundarias. Igualmente, se ha constatado una gran diversidad de edificios, los cuales se erigieron especialmente a partir del siglo V d.C., durante una etapa de crecimiento y pujanza económica de la ciudad. En primera línea de costa se ubicaban las naves de almacenaje, mientras que en un punto más septentrional se encontraban los edificios residenciales. Paralelamente, surgen diversas zonas funerarias y, especialmente durante los últimos siglos de la Antigüedad tardía, se edifican también talleres de producción artesanal. Todo ello muestra el dinamismo de un suburbio con una clara función principal, la portuaria, que fue el centro económico de Tarraco.
The main aim of this thesis is to study the urbanism and land use models of the port suburb of Tarraco from the 3rd to the 8th century AD. Due to the lack of direct archaeological information about the roman harbour, the analysis of this large sector of the city allows us to indirectly find out about its development. Thus the street layout has been identified, which organised the urban planning of the suburb until the second half of the 7th century and had two main axis oriented northeast-southwest as well as many other secondary streets. Likewise, multiple buildings have been attested, which were erected especially from the 5th century onwards, during a period of economic growth in the city. Near the shoreline warehouses were located, while the residential buildings were placed on a more northerly area. At the same time, several funerary areas arose and, especially during the latest centuries of the Late Antique period, craft workshops were built. All of that demonstrates the dynamism of this suburb, which functioned as the port area and was the economic centre of Tarraco.

A partir de la transcripció de sermons baixmedievals procedents dels fons del Monestir de Sant Cugat de l’Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó, s’ha efectuat una anàlisis de les funcions de la predicació en la societat catalana baixmedieval. Amb aquest estudi s’ha volgut ampliar el camp d’estudi, centrat tradicionalment en els sermons de Vicent Ferrer, i donar una visió més diversa dels mètodes i funcionament de la predicació. La funció bàsica de la predicació és ensenyar doctrina i normes de comportament a la població laica. A més, apareixen altres funcions, com una funció lúdica, una més espiritual d’identificació personal amb Jesús, una funció social de lluita contra el joc, la prostitució. Cal recordar, però, que també hi havia sermons de croada, sermons militars, sermons de petició d’indulgència, sermons predicats als inicis de processos d'inquisició, sermons polítics, sermons d’aniversaris de mort, sermons per demanar pluja, contra la pesta... Finalment, destaca la funció de delimitació cultural o simbòlica entre grups religiosos amb els sermons predicats a jueus. En alguns d’aquests sermons, s’utilitzaven imatges negatives dels jueus, que juntament amb l’art i els tractats antijueus, tingueren un paper fonamental en l’esclat dels pogroms antijueus de 1348 i 1391. Entre els altres temes que apareixen, destaca la relació del sermó amb el teatre. Es donen exemples de diàlegs als sermons, que els acosten significativament a altres representacions que es donaven als mateixos anys i que han estat significades en diverses història del teatre català. Pel que fa al contingut, els sermons són majoritàriament ortodoxos, però en algun cas es tracten temàtiques polèmiques, com el debat sobre el Judici Final, sobre el qual hi havia dues visions oposades: una en la que la misericòrdia de Jesús i la intermediació de Maria ajudaven significativament les ànimes, i una altra més estricta en la que la misericòrdia quedava anul•lada. Entre aquests dos punts de vista s’arriba a un cert equilibri que evitava tant la desesperació davant una gairebé segura condemna eterna com la renúncia a la confessió. Altres temes conflictius que apareixen són el de la Immaculada Concepció de Maria o la predestinació de les ànimes. Un altre aspecte que es pot resseguir en literatura religiosa i sermons és la conversió de la memòria i la consciència en un registre escrit que, talment com un llibre, s’obrirà el dia del Judici Final. Pel que fa a les fonts trobades, destaquen los fonts ortodoxes, bàsicament la Bíblia, les Sentències de Pere Llombard... però també es constata el recurs a enciclopèdies com el Propietatibus Rerum, reculls de cites com el Manipulus Florum, llibres de medicina, d’astrologia, miralls de prínceps, bestiaris, exemplae... Algunes d’aquestes fonts mostren com s’acceptaven algunes fonts i històries que més endavant quedarien apartades de la ortodòxia, però que en aquells moments es troben en diversos autors espirituals catalans. Altres realitats, però, dificultaven l’acompliment dels objectius proposats per l’església: la diversitat cultural i de comportaments dels diferents grups socials, la manca d’escoles i de formació del laics, el recurs a un sermó universitari amb una estructura complicada enlloc de l’homilia, la prohibició teòrica de traduir obres espirituals al català (tot i que n’hi havia), l’escriptura dels sermons en llatí, que només poc a poc i encara de forma fragmentària es fa en català... Aquestes característiques, èxits i mancances, donen a la predicació d’aquest període unes característiques pròpies, diferents de la predicació moderna.
The thesis is based in the analysis of 30 medieval Catalan and bilingual sermons. Among the goals of this research, the author wants to analyze the functions of preaching in late medieval Catalan society, expand the field of study traditionally focused sermons Vincent Ferrer. The main function of preaching was to teach doctrine and right behaviour to the laity. Besides that, other goals can be observed, such as to provide spiritual identification with Jesus, a social function against factional struggles, prostitution... Beyond that, there were crusade sermons, military sermons, sermons to request for indulgences, sermons preached during processes of Inquisition, political sermons, sermons to ask for rain, against the plague... and sermons preached to religious minorities (Jews and Muslims). Some of these sermons played a key role in the outbreak of anti-Jewish pogroms of 1348 and 1391. As for the content, sermons are mostly orthodox, but in some cases controversial topics appear, such as the debate about God’s Mercy in the Last Judgement, the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the predestination of souls. Another aspect that can be traced in sermons and religious literature is the conversion of memory and consciousness in a written record that, just like a book, will be open in the Last Judgement. Regarding the sources, most of them are orthodox, such as the Bible, the Sentences of Peter Lombard ... but other sources have been found, such as encyclopaedias (Propietatibus Rerum), florilegia (Manipulus Florum), books of medicine, astrology, mirrors for princes, exemplae... Several elements, however, avoided fulfilment of the objectives proposed by the church: the cultural diversity in the different subcultures of medieval society, the lack of schools and religious instruction to lay people, the use of complicated university sermon instead of the homily, the prohibition of translations of the bible to vernacular languages, the use of Latin instead of vernacular languages…

El paraje de Bòbila Madurell constituye uno de los conjuntos arqueológicos de mayor relevancia en lo referente a la comprensión de las primeras comunidades campesinas establecidas en el nordeste de la Península Ibérica, especialmente en lo que respecta a la facie vallesiana de la cultura de los Sepulcros de Fosa. Sin embargo, tradicionalmente, las investigaciones arqueológicas centradas en este grupo arqueológico han incidido fundamentalmente en el estudio de los conjuntos funerarios, dejando en segundo término la información procedente de los contextos domésticos y productivos. La intervención arqueológica del sector Mas Duran del yacimiento, durante las campañas de 1991 y 1992, puso al descubierto la existencia de una gran concentración de estructuras neolíticas pertenecientes tanto a contextos ligados a actividades de subsistencia (fosas de mantenimiento y estructuras de hábitat) como a la esfera simbólica y ritual (conjuntos funerarios), con un rico registro arqueológico a nivel cuantitativo y cualitativo, signos evidentes de la ocupación recurrente de este sector del paraje. Esta tesis doctoral se propone, mediante el estudio del registro arqueológico recuperado en Mas Duran, y desde una perspectiva integral, identificar los aspectos relacionados con la organización y el patrón de asentamiento humanos, así como el de las prácticas culturales y las formas de vida de las comunidades asentadas en la Plana del Vallès, durante el Neolítico medio (4.250-3.500 cal BC) y final (2.830-2.490 cal BC), apuntando las condiciones socio-económicas y culturales que los generan. En este sentido, se ha logrado poner de manifiesto la existencia de dos modelos de asentamiento y organización socio-cultural bien diferenciados en el seno de comunidades campesinas con prácticas de producción agropecuaria similares.
The site of Bòbila Madurell is one of the most important archaeological sites for understanding the first peasant communities established in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, especially regarding the “Vallesian” group of the Pit Graves culture. However, traditionally, archaeological research on this archaeological group has focused mainly in the study of funerary complexes, leaving in second term information about domestic and productive contexts. The archaeological intervention in the sector Mas Duran of the site, during the seasons of 1991 and 1992, revealed the existence of a large concentration of Neolithic structures belonging to contexts linked both to subsistence activities (maintenance pits and habitat structures) and to the symbolic and ritual sphere (funeral assemblages), with a rich archaeological record, both quantitative and qualitative, an obvious sign of the recurrent occupation of this area of the site. This thesis aims, by studying this archaeological record recovered in Mas Duran from a holistic perspective, to identify aspects related to the human organization and settlement patterns, as well as to cultural practices and ways of life of the communities living in the Vallès plain, during the Middle (4.250-3.500 cal BC) and Late Neolithic (2.830-2.490 cal BC) periods, pointing to the socio-economic and cultural conditions that generated them. In this sense, it has been possible to demonstrate the existence of two distinct models of settlement and socio-cultural organization of these rural communities, but with similar farming practices.

Aaron Copland is one of the best-known composers from the United States and is often credited with creating a distinctly American style. As a 20th Century composer, he departed from traditional classical compositional techniques and made some contrasting choices of medium when considering ensemble. Copland is recognized for his writings for Orchestra, Film, Theatre, and Ballet, but also wrote chamber works that are both thoughtful and creative. The majority of his chamber works consist of pieces written for piano and voice, however he also used strings, clarinet, and in his later works, flute.

His last decade of works including one piece for orchestra, three piano pieces, and three chamber works that are flute centric. Duo for Flute and Piano and Threnodies I and II for Flute (Alto Flute) and String Trio were written within the span of three years, and are all written as memorials for others. The commonality a of flute in these pieces and in such close compositional proximity is an oddity when you consider his instrumental tendencies. This paper will examine Copland’s compositional choices for Duo and Threnodies I and II and will consider the connection between writing memorials for others and his own mortality as influencing this late style.

This study describes the investigation of the intra-regional procurement of basaltic artefacts within the southern Levant. Previous provenance studies, geological theory and provenance theory were all examined. It was concluded that the analysis of basaltic rocks could be best undertaken using the ICP-MS analysis of the rare earth and high field strength elements (RET and HFSE) of whole rock samples. Existing outcrop analyses were compiled into a database, allowing their use in this and future provenance studies, although more samples were required for complete coverage. The existing rchaeological literature was reviewed, showing that there was a lack of data on basaltic artefacts, hampering efforts to understand how the procurement systems operated. New artefactual and geological samples were collected and analysed for trace elements using ICP-MS. A new provenancing methodology was developed and, using the database of analyses, the artefacts were provenanced using the REE and HFSE. Artefacts analysed by previous studies were reassigned. The majority of artefacts originated from three main sources: the North Jordan Valley. The Galilee and, most unexpectedly, Mount Hermon. This has implications for the history of the region. Which were briefly discussed. It was also noted that there was little data on either differences in the physical properties between different rock types or on the human-induced weathering of basaltic rock. Samples of different rock types were tested using the uniaxial compressive strength test: it is suggested that physical properties influenced past raw material choices. Future directions for research include the routine analysis and publication of basaltic artel~1cts during post-excavation work and the extension of the provenance study by gathering more samples and utilising advances in analytical technology. Furthermore, the new provenance methodology has the potential to be adapted for widespread use.

The five poems in this edition are known as Drapa af Mariugrét, or simply Mariugratr, Vitnisvisur af Mariu, and Mariuvisur I—III (abbreviated as Mg, VM, and MvI-III respectively). The titles of the miracle poems VM and MvI—III, however, are not satisfactory, since they do not fully convey the contents of these poems, and since the title Mariuvisur as such is also the title of many other poems on the Virgin Mary. In the study of Marian miracles, a miracle story is usually referred to by a thematic title, that is, a title which conveys one of the distinguishing themes of the story in question. Such a title can be applied to numerous texts, which contain basically the same story, but which may vary in the language used (that is, Latin or one of the vernacular languages), in the literary form (verse or prose), and which may contain some narrative variants.2 In this introduction the miracle poems will mostly be referred to by the titles commonly given to them in the study of Marian miracles. The Old Icelandic titles and the corresponding titles used in Marian scholarship are given below together with a summary of each text. VM-— 'Untrue Lover' A woman's fiance abandons her in the hope of making a better match. She complains to the bishop, who orders a hearing of the case in the church of Mary. At the hearing the woman prays to a statue of the Virgin and Christ child for help and the statue intercedes in the hearing by speaking on behalf of the woman. Both the Virgin and Christ child declare the woman's version of events to be true. The fiance concedes and returns to the woman. MvI — 'Mother—in—law and Son—in-law' A woman has her son-in-law murdered because of a rumour that they are having an affair. Later, however, she repents of her action and confesses to a priest. When the son—in—law's relatives hear about her crime, they arrest her and she is sentenced to death by fire. Before she goes to the fire, she prays to a statue of the Virgin Mary for help. The Virgin intercedes so that the flames fail to burn the woman's body and she is spared. MvII - 'Child Revived' A barren woman constantly prays to a statue of the Virgin Mary for fertility. Finally she has a child, but becomes so preoccupied with him that she lapses in her veneration of the Virgin. The child dies and the mother once again prays to the Virgin for help. The Virgin intercedes and life is restored to the child. MvIII — 'Ave on the Tongue' An unchaste cleric is drowned when crossing a river to visit his mistress. Devils lay claim to his soul because of his sin of adultery, but angels and the Virgin Mary confront them and the case is brought before Christ. The Virgin argues that the cleric was not altogether bad, since he recited the beginning of the Ave Maria just before he died. As proof of this, they find the beginning of this verse written on the cleric's tongue. The fiends are forced to forfeit the soul at God's command and the cleric lives again as a reformed man, improving his deeds and honouring God and the Virgin Mary ever after.

Aquesta tesi té com a objectiu fonamental la caracterització taxonòmica, biostratigràfica i paleoecològica de les associacions de caròfits de les fàcies lacustres i transicionals del Garumnià basal (Cretaci superior) de les Conques de Vallcebre, Coll de Nargó, Tremp i Àger. L’altre objectiu d’aquesta tesi és la caracterització tafonòmica i paleoecològica de les restes fòssils de plantes vasculars productores dels lignits garumnians. La flora de caròfits del Garumnià basal està constituïda per girogonits de Feistiella malladae, Peckichara cancellata, P. sertulata, Microchara cristata, M. parazensis, Platychara caudata, P. turbinata i Dughiella obtusa, i utricles de Clavator brachycerus. Pel que fa als òrgans vegetatius les calcàries garumnianes son molt riques en tal•lus de grans dimensions de Charaxis sp. associats a Peckichara sp., i de tal•lus més gràcils de Clavatoraxis microcharophorus Villalba-Breva et Martín-Closas 2011, portadors de Microchara sp. També és freqüent la presència de Munieria grambastii associada a vegades a Clavator brachycerus. Des del punt de vista biostratigràfic, les associacions de caròfits de les conques d’Àger i Vallcebre pertanyen a la biozona de caròfits Peckichara cancellata (Campanià superior - Maastrichtià inferior basal), mentre que les associacions de caròfits de les conques de Coll de Nargó i Tremp pertanyen a la biozona Septorella ultima (Maastrichtià inferior). En base a l’estudi estratigràfic i sedimentològic i l’anàlisi de microfàcies s’ha determinat que la sedimentació a la Conca d’Àger està formada majoritàriament per calcàries lacustres organitzades en centenars de seqüències de somització, que van des de fàcies lacustres profundes, passant per ambients marginals, ben il•luminats dominats per herbeis de caràcies, fins a fàcies de vora de llac dominades per herbeis de clavatoràcies. A les conques de Vallcebre, Coll de Nargó i Tremp, la sedimentació del Garumnià basal està organitzada en diversos cicles, els quals comencen amb dipòsits salabrosos formats per margues amb mol•luscs eurihalins a la base, seguits per lignits i calcàries d’ambients salabrosos dominades per porocaràcies, i calcàries d’aigua dolça amb caràcies i clavatoràcies. Les diferències en el registre sedimentari i la flora de caròfits mostren que les conques sud pirinenques presentaven una polaritat de fàcies sud-nord durant l’inici de la sedimentació continental del Cretaci superior, i que aquesta continentalització va començar al sud i desprès va continuar al nord, d’est a oest. L’estudi de la macroflora del Garumnià basal de les conques de Vallcebre, Coll de Nargó i Tremp indica que la comunitat vegetal dels aiguamolls del Maastrichtià inferior estava dominada per la conífera queirolepidiàcia Frenelopsis, que va ser la planta productora de la matèria orgànica precursora del lignit. Associada a aquestes coníferes hi havia la palmera Sabalites longirhachis, i en alguns casos altres angiospermes d’aiguamoll, representades per les seves llavors, especialment Bergacarpon viladricii Marmi, Gomez, Villalba-Breva et Martín-Closas 2012. Altres plantes vasculars significatives encara que menys abundants eren les falgueres, cicadals i pandanals.
This thesis aims to characterize the taxonomy, biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of charophyte assemblages of lacustrine and transitional facies from the basal Garumnian (Late Cretaceous) of the Vallcebre, Coll de Nargó, Tremp and Àger basins. The other objective of this study is the taphonomic and palaeoecological characterization of the precursory vascular plants of the Garumnian lignite. The charophyte flora of the basal Garumnian consists of gyrogonites of Feistiella malladae, Peckichara cancellata, P. sertulata, Microchara cristata, M. parazensis, Platychara caudata, P. turbinata and Dughiella obtusa, and utricles of Clavator brachycerus. Regarding the vegetative organs, Garumnian limestones are rich in large thalli of Charaxis sp. associated to Peckichara sp., and smaller thalli of Clavatoraxis microcharophorus Villalba-Breva et Martín-Closas 2011, with attached Microchara sp. Also Munieria grambastii thalli are abundant, associated sometimes with Clavator brachycerus. From a biostratigraphic point of view, charophyte assemblages of Vallcebre and Àger basins belong to the Peckichara cancellata biozone (Late Campanian – Earliest Maastrichtian), while charophyte assemblages of Coll de Nargó and Tremp basins belong to the Septorella ultima biozone (Early Maastrichtian). Based on the sedimentological and stratigraphic studies and microfacies analyses, the sedimentation in the Àger Basin is organised into hundreds of small order sedimentary cycles corresponding to lacustrine infilling sequences, ranging from deep lacustrine facies, through marginal environments dominated by characean meadows, to lakeshore facies dominated by clavatorecean meadows. In the Vallcebre, Coll de Nargó and Tremp basins, the deposits of the basal Garumnian are organized into small number of cycles that show a transition from brackish deposits formed by marls with euryhaline molluscs, lignites and limestones with porocharaceans, to lacustrine limestones with characeans and clavatoraceans. The differences in the sedimentary record and in the charophyte flora show that the Southern Pyrenean Basin displayed a south to north shift of facies during the onset of the Upper Cretaceous continental sedimentation and that this continentalisation began in the south and then continued to north, from east to west. The study of megafossil plant remains from the basal Garumnian of the Vallcebre, Coll de Nargó and Tremp basins indicates that the cheirolepidiacean conifer Frenelopsis was the main component of the wetlands vegetation associated with Sabalites longirhachis palms, and in some cases with other angiosperms, such as the plant bearing Bergacarpon viladricii Marmi, Gomez, Villalba-Breva et Martín-Closas 2012, probably a commelinid.

At the end of the second millennium B.C., the extractive metallurgy of copper in Trentino (Italy) achieved a peak of technological efficiency and mass production, as evidenced by the large number of metallurgical sites and the huge amount of slags resulting from the smelting activities. Though different scholars proposed several smelting process models, so far an agreed interpretation of the whole process is lacking. Over 70 slags from the Luserna, Transacqua and Segonzano sites (all located Trentino, Italy) were investigated in order to verify: 1) the technological development of the smelting processes performed, 2) the possible use of different working-steps in the metal production process and the copper extraction efficiency, 3) the ore source of the smelted minerals. For these purposes a multi-analytical approach was applied, involving physical measurements and chemical-minero-petrographic analyses by means of OM, XRPD, XRF and SEM-EDS. Pb-isotope analyses were also performed on several slags in order to correlate mines, smelting sites and metal objects on the basis of the Alpine Archaeocopper database (AAcP). Three different slag types were identified from the mineralogical and chemical points of view, each being the product of distinct metallurgical steps. On the basis of these considerations, it is proposed a new Cu-smelting model in the Late Bronze Age.
Alla fine della secondo millennio a.C. in Trentino (Italia) la metallurgia estrattiva del rame ha raggiunto un alto livello di efficienza tecnologica e produttiva, evidenziato dal grande numero di siti metallurgici e dal grande quantitativo di scorie ottenute dalle attività fusorie. Sebbene differenti studiosi abbiano proposto diversi modelli relativi al processo di fusione (smelting) ad oggi manca una interpretazione condivisa dell’intero processo. A tal proposito sono state analizzate più di 70 scorie provenienti dai siti archeologici di Luserna, Transacqua e Segonzano (tutti situati in Trentino, Italia) al fine di comprendere: 1) lo sviluppo tecnologico dei processi di fusione, 2) la possibile presenza di differenti fasi operative durante la produzione del metallo e il grado di efficienza estrattiva del rame raggiunto, 3) la provenienza dei minerali utilizzati per l’estrazione del rame. Per questi scopi è stato adottato un approccio multi analitico che ha riguardato misure fisiche e analisi di tipo chimico e minero-petrografico, attraverso l’utilizzo della microscopia ottica (OM), della diffrazione a raggi-X da polveri (XRPD), la spettrometria a fluorescenza di raggi X (XRF) e la microscopia elettronica a scansione abbinata a microanalisi EDS (SEM-EDS). Inoltre sono state condotte sulle scorie misure relative ai rapporti isotopici del piombo al fine di collegare le miniere da cui si è estratto il minerale, i siti di fusione del minerale e gli oggetti metallici attraverso il database delle mineralizzazione alpine e degli oggetti (AAcP). Sulla base dei risultati ottenuti tre diversi tipi di scorie sono stati identificati ognuno dei quali connesso a diverse fasi del processo di fusione. Sulla base di queste considerazioni, è stato proposto un nuovo modello relativo al processo di fusione della Tarda Età del Bronzo.

La successió cuisiana i luteciana de la Conca Sud-pirinenca Oriental (CSO), situada al NE d’Ibèria, mostra un conjunt de sediments carbonatats, evaporítics i detrítics, els quals van ser dipositats en un context compressiu en una conca d’avantpaís. Aquesta compressió es va generar per col•lisió continental de la placa d’Ibèria i l’Europea entre el Cretaci superior i el Miocè inferior. Com a conseqüència de l’escurçament, els sediments es troben distribuïts en tres unitats estructurals: la unitat autòctona de la conca de l’Ebre, localitzada al sud, i les unitats al•lòctones del Serrat i del mantell del Cadí, ubicades al nord, situada la primera per sota de la segona. Encara que molts treballs s’han centrat en l’estudi de l’estratigrafia i l’estructura de la CSO, l’arquitectura estratigràfica i els ambients deposicionals de les evaporites no s’han acabat de resoldre. Les roques evaporítiques dipositades en conques d’avantpaís actuen, en molts casos, com a nivells de desenganxament i, per tant, aquestes roques estan deformades o simplement no afloren. Com a conseqüència, el coneixement d’aquests dipòsits no és molt ampli, i l’estudi d’afloraments i litofàcies resulta un repte. L’objectiu general d’aquesta tesi és millorar aquest coneixement. En aquesta tesi, a partir de la realització de mapes i talls geològics detallats, i de la correlació de columnes i logs de pous, s’ha establert l’arquitectura estratigràfica de la CSO per als períodes Cuisià superior i Lutecià. Aquesta arquitectura presenta sis seqüències deposicionals, tres de les quals de nova proposta en el present treball. Aquestes tres seqüències corresponen a la seqüència Serrat, formada per les Evaporites del Serrat, i a les seqüències Bellmunt inferior i superior, constituïdes per sediments detrítics. Les Evaporites del Serrat, dipositades per sobre d’una primera seqüència carbonatada (formacions Penya i Armàncies), es caracteritzen per tenir capes de sals i lutites en un depocentre situat actualment en el mantell del Cadí. Aquestes sals estan envoltades per un cinturó marginal anhidrític, localitzat en la conca de l’Ebre. En el centre de la conca, aquestes evaporites estan cobertes per una successió turbidítica atribuïda a la Formació Vallfogona (seqüència Campdevànol) en diferents depocentres. Cap als marges de la conca, aquesta formació canvia lateralment a unitats carbonatades (Calcàries de la Pedra i Calcisiltites). La Formació Guixos de Beuda es troba per sobre de la seqüència Campdevànol, i representa la segona seqüència evaporítica. Les seqüències Bellmunt inferior i superior, caracteritzades per dipòsits d’origen fluviodeltaic (formacions Banyoles, Coubet i Bellmunt), representen les seqüències més modernes d’aquesta arquitectura. Aquestes dues seqüències estan separades per una altra unitat evaporítica, anomenada en el present treball Guixos de Besalú. S’ha reconegut que la potència de les capes d’anhidrites atribuïdes a les Evaporites del Serrat és major en la conca de l’Ebre que en el mantell del Cadí. Per tant, s’ha considerat que aquesta unitat es configura, de la conca de l’Ebre fins al mantell del Cadí, com a un tascó anhidrític que passa a una cubeta salina en el centre de la conca. Per contra, també s’ha reconegut que la potència de la Formació Beuda és menor a la conca de l’Ebre que en el mantell del Cadí. L’anàlisi de mostres d’afloraments i de testimonis de pous ha permès interpretar els models sedimentaris de les unitats evaporítiques més representatives. En les Evaporites del Serrat, s’han distingit tres paleoambients, de marge a centre de conca: plataforma sulfatada, constituïda per anhidrita nodular i pseudomòrfica (de selenites); talús, format per guix secundari (anhidrita en profunditat) amb litofàcies laminada, de caràcter detrític; i conca profunda, constituïda per capes de sal i lutites reconegudes només en el subsòl. En canvi, en la Formació Beuda només s’ha reconegut un únic paleoambient, corresponent a un sistema de conca sulfatada situat en el mantell del Cadí. Aquest paleoambient està representat per cicles de guix secundari (anhidrita en profunditat) amb litofàcies massives i nivells pseudomòrfics (de selenites). De tota manera, l’existència d’àrees amb litofàcies bandades i laminades, atribuïdes a ambients més profunds, indiquen l’existència de petites zones més deprimides en la conca. La composició isotòpica (delta-34S, delta-18O; 87Sr/86Sr) de mostres de guix i anhidrita indiquen un origen marí per aquestes unitats i, a més, processos de dissolució/reprecipitació dels sulfats. A partir de l’anàlisi estructural de les correlacions estratigràfiques, dels mapes i talls geològics, de la interpretació de perfils sísmics reprocessats i de noves dades gravimètriques s’ha deduït que la sedimentació durant el Cuisià superior i Lutecià va tenir dues etapes tectòniques: una primera etapa extensiva, coetània amb la sedimentació de les Evaporites del Serrat i la Formació Vallfogona, i caracteritzada per falles normals produïdes per flexió extensional; i una segona etapa compressiva, sincrònica a la sedimentació fluviodeltaica, i caracteritzada per encavalcaments i plecs, i falles transversals de tipus strike-slip. Durant la primera etapa, les falles normals van tenir direccions obliqües i perpendiculars respecte l’escurçament pirinenc (N-S). Durant la segona etapa, les falles de strike-slip van estar generades per la reactivació de falles normals preexistents. A més, les Evaporites del Serrat van actuar com a nivell de desenganxament del mantell del Cadí i de la Unitat Serrat. Finalment, en aquesta tesi, s’han realitzat models sandbox per tal de millorar el coneixement del paper de l’arquitectura estratigràfica d’una successió dúctil (en aquest cas, evaporites) sobre l’evolució estructural. A partir d’una sèrie d’experiments, s’ha observat que l’existència de discontinuïtats geomètriques en els materials anàlegs a les litologies evaporítiques generen zones de deformació preferencial. Comparant els resultats d’aquests experiments amb els trets estructurals de la CSO, s’ha interpretat que l’evolució i estil estructural d’aquesta conca va estar controlada per l’existència de discontinuïtats litològiques –com el canvi de gruix de les anhidrites entre la plataforma evaporítica i la conca profunda– en les Evaporites del Serrat. L’existència d’aquestes discontinuïtats litològiques va generar encavalcaments fora de seqüència, contribuint a la generació d’una conca de piggyback.
The Cuisian and Lutetian succession of the Southeastern Pyrenean Basin (SePB), NE of Iberia, shows an assemblage of carbonate, evaporite and detrital sediments, deposited under a compressional context in a foreland basin. The compression was generated by continental collision of the Iberian and the European plates during the time span comprised between the Upper Cretaceous and the Lower Miocene. As a consequence of the shortening, these deposits were distributed in three structural units: the autochthonous unit of the Ebro Basin, located to the south; and the allochthonous units of the Serrat Unit (below) and the Cadí thrust sheet (above), placed to the north. Despite many studies have been focused on the stratigraphy and the structure of the SePB, the stratigraphic framework and the depositional environments of the evaporites remain poorly understood. In foreland basins, the evaporite rocks usually act as décollement levels, so they are deformed or simply are not outcropping. As a consequence, the knowledge of these deposits is limited, and the study of outcrops and lithofacies is a challenge. The general aim of the present Ph.D. Thesis is to improve this knowledge. In this Ph.D. Thesis, on the basis of geological maps, cross-sections, and sections and welllogs correlations, a stratigraphic framework of the SePB was established for the Late Cuisian and Lutetian times. This framework considers six depositional sequences, and three of them are newly proposed. These three sequences correspond to the Serrat sequence, formed by the Serrat Evaporites, and the Lower and Upper Bellmunt sequences, constituted by detrital sediments. The Serrat Evaporites, deposited on a previous carbonate sequence (Penya and Armàncies formations), are characterized by salt – shale layers in a depocenter located basinward (nowadays in the Cadí thrust sheet). These salt layers are surrounded by an anhydrite marginal belt, placed in the Ebro Basin. In the basin center, these evaporites are covered by turbidite successions attributed to the Vallfogona Formation (Campdevànol sequence) in different depocenters. To the margins, this formation changes laterally to carbonate deposits (Pedra Limestones and Calcisiltites). The Beuda Gypsum Formation is overlying the Campdevànol sequence, and represents the second evaporite sequence. The Lower and Upper Bellmunt sequences, characterized by fluvio-deltaic deposits (Banyoles, Coubet and Bellmunt formations), are the youngest sequences of this succession. These two sequences are divided by another evaporite unit, called Besalú Gypsum in the present work. The anhydrite layers attributed to the Serrat Evaporites were recognized to be thicker in the Ebro Basin than in the Cadí thrust sheet. Thus, the stratigraphic framework of this unit is characterized, from the Ebro Basin to the Cadí thrust sheet, by an anhydrite wedge which changes to a salt deposit in the basin center. By contrast, the Beuda Formation was recognized to be thinner in the Ebro Basin than in the Cadí thrust sheet. The analysis of samples and well-cores allowed to interpret the sedimentary models of the most representative evaporite units. Three paleoenvironments were distinguished in the Serrat Evaporites, from the margin to the basin center: sulphate platform, constituted by anhydrite nodules and pseudomorphs (after selenite gypsum); slope, formed by secondary gypsum (anhydrite in the subsurface) with laminated, detrital lithofacies; and deep basin, constituted by salt and shale layers, only recognized in the subsurface. On the other hand, in the Beuda Formation, only one paleoenvironment, characterized by a sulphate basin, was recognized in the Cadí thrust sheet. This paleoenvironment is represented by cycles of secondary gypsum (anhydrite in the subsurface) with massive and pseudomorphic (after selenite gypsum) lithofacies. However, the existence of areas with banded and laminated lithofacies, attributed to deeper environments, indicates the occurence of small troughs in the basin. The isotopic composition (delta-34S, delta-18O; 87Sr/86Sr) of gypsum and anhydrite samples indicates a marine origin of these units and, also, dissolution/re-precipitation processes of the sulphates. On the basis of the structural analysis of the stratigraphic correlations, the geological maps, the cross-sections, the interpretation of reprocessed seismic profiles and new gravity data, it was deduced that the sedimentation during the Late Cuisian and Lutetian had two tectonic stages: a first extensive stage, coeval to the sedimentation of the Serrat Evaporites and the Vallfogona Formation, and characterized by normal faults generated by flexural extension; and a second compressional stage, coeval to the fluvio-deltaic sedimentation, and characterized by fold-and-thrust and transverse strike-slip faults. During the first stage, the normal faults had oblique and perpendicular directions with respect to the Pyrenean shortening (N-S). During the second stage, the strike-slip faults were generated by reactivation of pre-existing normal faults. Also, the Serrat Evaporites acted as the décollement level of both the Cadí thrust sheet and the Serrat Unit. Finally, in this Ph.D. Thesis, in order to improve the knowledge about the role of the stratigraphic framework of a ductile succession (evaporites, in this case) on the structural evolution, sandbox models were developed. On the basis of a series of experiments, it was observed that the existence of geometrical discontinuities, located in materials analogue of the evaporites, generates zones of preferential deformation. Comparing the results of these experiments with the structural features of the SePB, it was interpreted that the evolution and the structural style of this basin was controlled by the existence of lithological discontinuities –as the case of the thickness change of the anhydrites between the evaporite platform and the deep basin– in the Serrat Evaporites. The existence of these lithological discontinuities generated out of sequence thrusts, contributing to the development of a piggyback basin.

Stellar chemical abundances provide astronomers with vital information about the production of chemical elements. Some stars preserve the composition of the environment in which they were born on their surfaces. By analysing the light from a star, the abundances of elements, its age and its path in space can be derived, and translated into the language of galactic history. The spallative history of boron in the early Galaxy was reinvestigated by observations of an ultraviolet spectral line in the old star HD 140283 with the Hubble Space Telescope. The line was barely detected and the upper limit abundance derived was lower than expected, which calls for further observations of this line in halo stars. Stars evolved into subgiants were observed with the ESO CAT, La Silla, and NOT, La Palma, to deduce their usefulness for galactic evolution studies. The high resolution spectroscopy study of the 26 objects showed that these stars are indeed useful for such studies. They are more luminous than dwarf stars and their ages can be accurately derived. They do not seem to have changed their surface abundances due to their evolution into giants. Subgiants can successfully be used to observationally reach regions further from the Earth, which can remove local biases that may appear when only observing nearby dwarf stars. A NLTE investigation of neutral Ca showed that cool metal rich dwarf stars did not deviate significantly from LTE, as had earlier been suggested. By an LTE analysis of a sample of 17 such dwarfs, using recent MARCS atmospheres, synthetic spectroscopy and modern atomic line data, cool metal rich dwarfs were shown not to deviate significantly from the expected abundance patterns in a number of elements. This increases the number of potential targets for studies of galactic chemical evolution in the metal rich regime since most stars are cool.

This research evaluates the textual and archaeological evidence for pilgrimage in the Iron I central hill country of the southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age-Iron I transition period (ca. 1300-1000 BCE). The central hill country comprises the Judean and Samarian hills that are located west of the Jordan River and rise near Hebron to the south and end in the north near Dothan. This location and time period reflect the nascent stages of Israelite identity. Pilgrimage provides new perspectives through which to evaluate a specific aspect of early Israelite religion and culture. This research demonstrates that pilgrimage to ceremonial sites, where processions and ritual performances were held, provided avenues for families and clans to come together for a collective purpose and to fulfill collective needs. Pilgrimage has many facets that transect social, economic, and political agendas. By looking at the entire network of sites availed in the archaeological and textual record that apply to the Iron I central hills, from household shrines to shrines of regional and cross-clan appeal, this research suggests that there were several scales of pilgrimage evident in the central highlands. Each scale of pilgrimage had different sociological implications, but primarily pilgrimage provided avenues for people to exchange goods and services without losing honor, negotiate status, and bond over a collective awareness of kinship and community that provided avenues for disparate tribes to coalesce into a coherent political body.

Aquesta tesi consisteix en la transcripció i l’estudi de la visita arquebisbal al bisbat d’Urgell realitzada entre l’any 1312 i 1315. Aquesta és la part més important del treball, ja que és una font pràcticament inèdita. La transcripció del document té un gran interès per conèixer la vida religiosa d’Urgell a l’inici del segle XIV i, a més, perquè juntament amb una visita a la diòcesi Lleida de l’any 1328, són les dues úniques visites arquebisbals conegudes que es conserven als arxius catalans. L’estudi de la visita és l’altra gran part del treball. S’ha realitzat un succint estudi de les visites pastorals, determinant-ne el seu origen, la seva funció i el seu desenvolupament, alhora que es planteja un estat de la qüestió de l’estudi d’aquesta visita. A continuació s’emmarca la font en el territori en què es donà, de manera que es descriu la diòcesi d’Urgell a inicis del segle XIV. S’inicia amb un breu apunt històric del bisbat, per continuar amb la delimitació de l’àmbit geogràfic del bisbat d’Urgell des d’una òptica eclesiàstica. Seguidament, s’analitza la font transcrita des de diversos punts de vista amb la finalitat de perfilar quina era la vida del clergat i del laïcat urgel·litans a inicis del segle XIV. A continuació es fa un estudi de la visita a través dels punts principals de l’esquema clàssic de les visites baixmedievals: la visitatio rerum, és a dir, la inspecció ocular de l’edifici i els objectes de culte, i la visitatio hominum, això és, l’observació de la conducta del clergat i del laïcat. Per últim cal destacar la cartografia elaborada amb la distribució parroquial de la diòcesi al segle XIV.
The following thesis is based on the transcript and study of the archiepiscopal visitation to the Urgell diocese conducted between years 1312-1315. This data comprises the main part of the doctoral thesis, since the unpublished source is practically unknown. The transcript of the document is of great interest in order to know the religious life of Urgell at the beginning of the fourteenth century, and additionally, it is of great importance due to it is the only known archiepiscopal visitation preserved in the Catalan archives, together with a visitation performed in 1328 to the diocese of Lleida. The source transcription is completed by an in-depth study, performing in first place a brief analysis concerning the pastoral visits, their origin, function and development, providing therefore the main facts surrounding the studied visitation. Subsequently the source is located in its territorial context, consequently describing the territory of the diocese of Urgell in the early fourteenth century. It begins with a brief historical context of the diocese to continue with the delimitation of the geographical area since an ecclesiastical perspective. The study is continued by the analysis of the transcribed source since several points of view in order to outline the main traits of the life of the clergy and lay people of the Urgell diocese within the early fourteenth century. Eventually the visitation is surveyed through the classical scheme of Late Medieval pastoral visits: the visitatio rerum, that is, the visual inspection of the building and the liturgical objects, and the visitatio hominum, the observation of the behaviour of the clergy and laity. Finally, a mapping has been performed in which the parish distribution of the diocese of Urgell within the fourteenth century is displayed.

This paper reviews the osteological material from birds which are found in the boat graves from Valsgärde in Sweden. Based on my own work with boat grave number 13, I have studied the avian bone material to find out what kind of bird species there are in the grave. Birds have a significant meaning in many religions from all around the world and are symbolic for different kinds of beliefs. Although many written sources from the past indicate the cultural importance of birds, there is still little zooarchaeological research done in the subject of bird findings in graves. The boat graves from Valsgärde is from the Vendel period about 550–800 AD. My interest with the species analysis is that it furthermore will lead to discussions about interpretation of the graves. I want to examine questions like what birds of certain species can tell about the individual that the grave belongs to. For example, findings of predatory birds often refer to wealth, due to fact that it’s difficult to raise them in captivity. This is an interesting fact that should be consider when a grave is examined, because it reveals many more questions. Also, I want to examine how birds at that time were used in everyday life, and if there were any other practices concerning birds like for example hunting.

La tesi investiga el desenvolupament de la manufactura de la seda a Barcelona durant el segle XV, especialment des del punt de vista del treball. Els objectius principals de la tesi han estat investigar la importància que havia tingut la manufactura de la seda a Barcelona durant el XV, quant al seu abast , el nombre d'artesans que s'havien dedicat a aquesta fabricació, i el seu desenvolupament, comprovant si realment es tractava d'una manufactura marginal . També s'ha procurat analitzar l'evolució d'aquesta manufactura al llarg del segle XV. Un altre dels propòsits de la tesi ha estat observar quines fases del treball de la seda s'havien desenvolupat a Barcelona en aquella època . S'ha estudiat la transmissió de coneixements, els diferents tipus de treballadors , i les formes i condicions del seu treball . Així mateix s'ha pretès comprovar com havia estat la participació de la mà d'obra femenina en aquesta manufactura. Un altre dels objectius ha estat observar quin tipus de teixits de seda es confeccionaven a Barcelona durant el segle XV i analitzar els diferents oficis relacionats amb el treball de la seda. Finalment s'ha analitzat l'evolució dels diferents tipus d'empreses sederes i el seu funcionament i conèixer quina havia estat la repercussió de l'establiment a la ciutat de mestres seders especialistes procedents de l'estranger. El treball s'ha estructurat en nou apartats: - El primer apartat conté l'estat de la qüestió , els objectius , i la metodologia i les fonts. - En el segon apartat s'han tractat els orígens de la manufactura de la seda i els processos de fabricació. - El tercer apartat de la tesi analitza els diferents tipus de treballadors (els mestres, els aprenents, els oficials, els treballadors assalariats, els esclaus, i el treball femení). - El quart apartat examina la manufactura de la seda a Barcelona durant la primera meitat del segle XV i tracta sobre alguns seders i famílies de seders que havien tingut una activitat destacada. - El cinquè apartat de la tesi estudia el desenvolupament d'una manufactura sedera especialitzada a mitjan segle XV (a través d'algunes iniciatives municipals i l'establiment a la ciutat de mestres estrangers especialistes en aquesta manufactura. - El sisè apartat s'observa l'organització de les empreses sederes. - En el setè apartat es detallen els diferents oficis especialitzats relacionats amb el treball de la seda. - En el vuitè apartat s'analitzen els seders especialistes barcelonins del segle XV, especialment els velluters. - Finalment, el novè apartat s'ha dedicat a les conclusions generals de la investigació.
This thesis investigates the development of the silk manufacture in Barcelona during the fifteenth century, especially focused on the labor. The main purpose of this study is to examine the importance of silk manufacture in Barcelona during the fifteenth century and its development. We have also tried to analyze the evolution of this production throughout the fifteenth century. Another purpose of the thesis is to observe which phases of silk work had developed in Barcelona at that time. We have studied the transmission of knowledge, the different categories of workers, the forms and conditions of their work and also examined the participation of female labor in this production. Another objective is to observe the types of silk fabrics waived in Barcelona during the fifteenth century and to analyze professions associated with this production. Finally, we have analyzed different types of businesses and the evolution of certain silk companies. The thesis is divided in nine units: - The first unit analyzes the current status of the issue, presents the purposes, the methodology and the sources used in the investigation. - In the second unit we have studied the origins of silk manufacture and the manufacturing practices. - The third part of the thesis analyzes different types of workers (masters, apprentices, officers, salaried employees, slaves, and women's labor). - The fourth unit examines the silk manufacture in Barcelona during the first half of the fifteenth century. - In the fifth part of the thesis we have examined the development of specialized silk manufacture during the mid-fifteenth century (stimulated by local initiatives and the setting up of skilled foreign masters). - The sixth unit displays the organization of silk business associations. - The seventh unit describes certain skilled professions related to the silk manufacture. - The eighth part is dedicated to local specialists in silk manufacture. - Finally, the last unit contains general conclusions.

La presente tesis doctoral se centra en el diseño, implementación y aplicación de técnicas probalbilísticas y estadísticas para el análisis espacial y la evaluación de la incertidumbre, en el contexto de un problema de palaeoecología humana. La razón técnica de tal estrategia de investigación se debe a que los patrones de datos arqueológicos han sido afectados por procesos tafonómicos y por restricciones a la captura de datos, los cuales pueden identificarse pero no reconstruirse con total certidumbre. En la definición de problemáticas específicas a partir de tales cuestiones fijamos tres objetivos principales para esta tesis.

Aquesta tesi doctoral, titulada “El comerç mediterrani a Tarracona a les portes de la conquesta islàmica (segles VII-VIII dC)” neix amb la voluntat de portar a terme un estudi en profunditat de les realitats històriques, socials i econòmiques de la ciutat i el port de Tarragona, entre la desintegració política del regne visigot i la conquesta omeia. Aquesta ciutat conserva un alt grau de coneixement i desenvolupament arqueològic que permet un estudi de conjunt sintètic i rigorós de la cultura material com a punt de partida per a la seva posterior comparació amb altres ciutats mediterrànies. L’estudi té com a objectiu analitzar un conjunt d’excel·lents dipòsits ceràmics localitzats en el suburbi occidental del port de la ciutat visigoda de Tarracona. Aquesta extensa àrea (de més de 2 ha) ha estat documentada en els darrers anys, arran de diverses excavacions arqueològiques portades a terme per l’arqueologia comercial, entre els actuals carrers de Ramon i Cajal, Reial, Jaume I i Vidal i Barraquer. En aquest treball ens centrarem en una àrea més reduïda, dins la confluència dels carrers de Manuel de Falla, Felip Pedrell, de Smith, Torres Jordi i l’avinguda Vidal i Barraquer. Els resultats d’aquesta investigació representen un important pas endavant en el coneixement ceramològic de l’últim període visigòtic de Tarracona, quan la Península Ibèrica va passar a estar sota el domini omeia. Però també ofereix nous coneixements per a la investigació d’un tema complex i encara obert com és el de l’economia i el comerç de la Mediterrània occidental entre els segles VII i VIII.
Esta tesis doctoral, titulada "El comercio mediterráneo a Tarracona a las puertas de la conquista islámica (siglos VII-VIII dC)" nace con la voluntad de llevar a cabo un estudio en profundidad de las realidades históricas, sociales y económicas de la ciudad y el puerto de Tarragona, entre la desintegración política del reino visigodo y la conquista omeya. Esta ciudad conserva un alto grado de conocimiento y desarrollo arqueológico que permite un estudio de conjunto sintético y riguroso de la cultura material como punto de partida para su posterior comparación con otras ciudades mediterráneas. El estudio tiene como objetivo analizar un conjunto de excelentes depósitos cerámicos localizados en el suburbio occidental del puerto de la ciudad visigoda de Tarracona. Esta extensa área (de más de 2 ha) ha sido documentada en los últimos años, a raíz de varias excavaciones arqueológicas llevadas a cabo por la arqueología comercial, entre las actuales calles de Ramon y Cajal, Real, Jaume I y Vidal y Barraquer. En este trabajo nos centraremos en un área más reducida, en la confluencia de las calles de Manuel de Falla, Felip Pedrell, de Smith, Torres Jordi y la avenida Vidal i Barraquer. Los resultados de esta investigación representan un importante paso adelante en el conocimiento ceramològic del último periodo visigótico de Tarracona, cuando la Península Ibérica pasó a estar bajo el dominio omeya. Pero también ofrece nuevos conocimientos para la investigación de un tema complejo y todavía abierto como es el de la economía y el comercio del Mediterráneo occidental entre los siglos VII y VIII.
This PhD dissertation — entitled “The Mediterranean trade in Tarracona before the Islamic conquest (7th-8th AD)” — aims to deepen the historical, social and economic trajectories of the city of Tarragona and its harbour, between the political dismantling of the Visigothic kingdom and the Islamic conquest. The archaeological development of the last decades has contributed to reach a high degree of knowledge about the historical evolution of Tarragona, allowing to breaden the analysis of material culture as a starting point for subsequen comparisons with other Mediterranean towns. The study aims to analyse a set of excellent ceramic deposits located in the western suburb of the port of the Visigothic city of Tarragona. This extensive area (more than 2 ha) has been documented in recent years, as a result of various archaeological excavations carried out by commercial archaeology, between the current streets of Ramon i Cajal, Reial, Jaume I and Vidal i Barraquer. In this research we will focus on a smaller area, at the confluence of Manuel de Falla, Felip Pedrell, Smith, Torres Jordi and Avinguda Vidal i Barraquer streets. The results of this research represent an important step forward in the ceramic knowledge of the last Visigothic period of Tarragona, when the Iberian Peninsula came under Umayyad rule. But it also offers new insights for research into a complex and still open topic such as the economy and trade of the western Mediterranean between the 7th and 8th centuries.

Le placenta humain est un organe indispensable au maintien de la grossesse et au développement foetal. Son unité structurale et fonctionnelle est la villosité choriale constituée principalement de trophoblastes qui se différencient selon la voie villeuse endocrine ou extravilleuse invasive. Ces deux populations trophoblastiques sécrètent de l'hormone chorionique gonadotrope humaine (hCG), hormone indispensable à la grossesse. C'est une glycoprotéine constituée de deux sous-unités: la sous-unité alpha commune avec la LH, FSH et la TSH et la sous-unité beta, spécifique à chaque hormone, codée par un cluster de gênes regroupés en type I (gêne beta 7) et type II (gênes beta 3, 5 et 8). L'hCG est sécrétée dans le compartiment maternel où elle joue un rôle endocrine essentiel au maintien de la grossesse en stimulant la production de progestérone par l'ovaire. L'hCG joue également un rôle localement en stimulant la différenciation de chaque type de trophoblaste. Elle présente, dans le sang maternel, un pic de sécrétion à 10-12 semaines d'aménorrhée (SA), période ou le statut oxydatif placentaire change. En effet, les bouchons trophoblastiques obstruant la lumière des artères spiralées utérines se délitent à cette période, permettant l'entrée progressive du sang maternel dans la chambre intervilleuse. La pression en oxygène augmente de 18 mm/Hg (8-9 SA, 1er trimestre précoce) à 60 mm/Hg (12-14 SA, 1er trimestre tardif). Dans mon travail de thèse, j'ai cherché à mettre en évidence in situ et in vitro l'impact de ce changement de statut oxydatif sur la différenciation des trophoblastes villeux du 1er trimestre, et plus particulièrement sur l'expression des hCG beta de type I et de type II. J'ai ainsi mis en évidence que les trophoblastes villeux mononucléés du 1er trimestre précoce sécrétaient plus d'hCG beta de type I et II, fusionnaient plus rapidement et exprimaient un panel de facteurs de transcription différents par rapport aux trophoblastes villeux du 1er trimestre tardif. Dans un deuxième temps, j'ai comparé in vitro l'expression et la régulation des deux types d'hCG beta entre les trophoblastes villeux et extravilleux. J'ai montré que: 1) les trophoblastes villeux expriment plus d'hCG beta de type I et II que les trophoblastes extravilleux, 2) dans les deux cas l'hCG beta de type II est majoritaire et 3) PPAR gamma régule de façon opposée ces deux types d'hCG entre les trophoblastes villeux et extravilleux. Enfin j'ai mis en évidence que l'expression de ces deux types d'hCG était dérégulée dans la pré-éclampsie et le RCIU. L'étude des mécanismes impliqués dans la régulation des gênes codants pour l'hCG représente un enjeu important pour la compréhension de la différenciation du trophoblaste humain, du développement précoce du placenta et des pathologies de la grossesse
The human placenta is an essential organ to maintain pregnancy and for foetal growth. Its structural and functional unit is the chorionic villous, which is mainly composed of cytotrophoblasts that follow two differentiation pathways: the endocrine villous and the invasive extravillous trophoblasts. These two trophoblastic subtypes secrete the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG), an essential hormone for trophoblast differentiation, placental development and pregnancy. hCG is a glycoprotein composed of two subunits: the alpha subunit, which is common to LH, FSH and TSH, and the beta subunit that confers hormone specificity. A gene cluster encodes the beta subunit, type I (CGB7) and type II (CGB3, 5 and 8), that code for two different proteins. hCG is detected in the maternal blood from the first week of pregnancy, with a peak level at 10-12 weeks of gestation (WG). During the first trimester the oxygen concentration in the intervillous space changes from about 2% (prior to 10 WG) to approximately 6-8% (after 12 WG) due to development of blood flow to the placenta. During my PhD work, I studied in situ and in vitro the impact of these different environments during the first trimester on villous cytotrophoblast differentiation, and more specifically on the type I and type II beta hCG gene expression. I showed that type I and type II beta hCG are more expressed in early first trimester cytotrophoblasts and that these cells exibit more fusion features and express a different panel of transcription factors compare to cells from late first trimester. In the second part of my work, I compared the expression and the regulation in vitro of the two types of beta hCG between villous and extravillous cytotrophoblasts. I demonstrated: 1) villous trophoblast express more type I and type II beta hCG compared to the extravillous trophoblast, 2) in both case type II hCG beta is the major form of beta hCG and 3) PPAR gamma differentially regulates type I and type II beta hCG expression in villous and extravillous trophoblasts. Lastly I showed that the expression of type I and type II beta hCG is deregulated in pre-eclampsia and FGR. The study of the mechanisms involved in hCG regulation represents an important issue for the understanding of human trophoblast differenciation and pregnancy pathophysiology

La present tesi , La societat jueva conversa en la Barcelona Baixmedieval, 1391-1440, té com objectiu principal estudiar en profunditat el grup social del conversos de Barcelona des de tots els aspectes: socials, econòmics, professionals, familiars, religiosos, així com la seva relació entre ells i la resta de la societat. El context històric en el que desenvolupem la nostra investigació parteix cronològicament de l’agost de 1391, data en la que es produïren les conversions en massa dels jueus barcelonins. Els avalots de 1391, produïts pel profund malestar social i econòmic dels estaments baixos de la societat, van significar la ruptura de la coexistència entre jueus i cristians barcelonins. Les conseqüències d’aquests fets foren letals per a la comunitat jueva de la ciutat: d’una part, el 10 de setembre de 1392 s’abolí per sempre més l’aljama jueva de Barcelona; per l’altra, la majoria dels jueus es convertiren al cristianisme. Per tant, un nou grup social irromp en el cor de la societat cristiana, ja que els conversos, com a cristians, entren a formar part d’aquesta en tots els seus àmbits (legals, religiosos, econòmics...). Els conversos es trobaren immersos en una societat que abans els excloïa. Així mateix, aquesta societat es veu obligada a absorbir un nou grup social, amb les seves característiques i costums propis, que ella mateixa ha creat i que ara presenta una dificultosa integració. Les primeres mesures preses per les autoritats van anar encaminades a impedir que els nous adeptes al cristianisme tornessin a la seva antiga fe. Aquestes mesures van provocar la separació entre membres de la família nuclear, ultra d’altres de grau més llunyà i amics, puix que no tots van abjurar de la fe mosaica. Davant aquesta situació part dels conversos van decidir fugir cap a altres indrets on pogueren continuant vivint en la seva vertadera fe. La resta es quedaren per tal d’integrar-se en la nova societat en la que els havien inclòs. Després del desastre de 1391, els conversos tenien davant seu un camí ple de dificultats. La societat cristiana, és a dir, aquells que els varen obligar a convertir-se, es va despreocupar completament del seu adoctrinament. Tret, és clar, dels coneixements que els conversos absorbien de les predicacions. Per tant, aquests van haver de conèixer la nova fe pels seus propis mitjans, puix que eren conscients que la seva fe estava sota sospita. Fins i tot, alguns conversos arribaren a formar part de l’estament clerical. Així mateix, hagueren de refer-se econòmicament i adaptar-se a la nova situació en la que es trobaven, ja que com a cristians el seu marc econòmic i mercantil es presentava diferent. També hem de tenir en compte les dificultats que sorgiren arran de la no conversió del cònjuge, fills o germans, propiciant separacions i ruptures econòmiques. Tot i les dificultats que se’ls presentaven, els conversos van anar integrant-se en la societat cristiana, convivint amb ella sense conflictes greus fins a l’arribada de la Inquisició castellana. Formaven, per tant, part de la nostra societat i de la nostra història. Com funcionava, però, aquest grup? Com i amb quin grau es relacionava amb els cristians de natura? Quants d’ells eren verdaderament cristians? Com funcionaven econòmicament i quin eren els oficis que dominaven? Com i on vivien dins de la ciutat? Com es relacionaven amb la seva família? I amb els seus membres jueus? Com veiem, l’estudi de la societat conversa barcelonina ens planteja aquestes i més preguntes, la resposta de les quals ens permetrà conèixer millor la nostra història.
The main objective of this thesis, La societat jueva conversa en la Barcelona Baixmedieval, 1391-1440, is to study in depth the social group of the converts of Barcelona from all aspects: social, economic, professional, family, religious, as well as their relationship between them and the rest of society. The 1391 revolts, produced by the profound social and economic malaise of the lower estates of society, meant the rupture of the coexistence between Jews and Christians of Barcelona. As a result, on September 10, 1392, the Jewish Aljama of Barcelona was abolished forever and most Jews were converted to Christianity. A new social group breaks into Christian society, since converters, like Christians, form part of it in all their fields (legal, religious, economic ...). The converts were immersed in a society that formerly excluded them. Likewise, this society is forced to absorb a new social group, with its own characteristics and customs. The first measures taken by the authorities were aimed at preventing the new enthusiasts of Christianity from returning to their old faith. These measures caused the separation between members of the nuclear family and friends. The Christian society, completely ignorant of its indoctrination. Therefore, they had to know the new faith by their own means. Even some converts came to be part of the clerical estate. They also had to rely economically and adapt to the new situation they were in, since, as Christians, their economic and commercial framework was different. In spite of the difficulties that were presented to them, the conversos were integrated in the Christian society, living with her without serious conflicts until the arrival of the Castilian Inquisition. They formed, therefore, part of our society and our history. How did this group work? How and to what degree was it related to the Christians of nature? How many of them were truly Christians? How did they work financially and what were the trades they dominated? How and where did they live in the city? How did they relate to their family? And with its Jewish members?

Le Fond Diffus Cosmologique (FDC) est une sonde cosmologique clé mettant des contraintes étroites sur le modèle CDM de l’Univers. Emis 380000 ans après le big bang, il montre de petites anisotropies en température et en polarisation qui tracent les inhomogénéités cosmiques à différentes époques de l’Univers. D’une part, les anisotropies primaires donnent accès à l’inflation durant laquelle les perturbations primordiales sont générées. D’autre part, les anisotropies secondaires tracent les inhomogénéités dans l’Univers récent, qui ont évolué en grandes structures sous l’action de la gravité, à partir des inhomogénéités primordiales. Ainsi les anisotropies du CMB sont une sonde puissante à la fois de l’origine des inhomogénéités dans l’Univers très jeune, et de leur état évolué dans l’Univers récent. Cette thèse porte sur deux aspects des inhomogénéités: d’abord leur production dans une extension du scénario inflationnaire, puis la prédiction de l’impact des champs magnétiques des grandes structures sur les anisotropies secondaires polarisées du FDC.Malgré ses succès, l’inflation ne résout pas le problème de la singularité initiale du big bang, où la gravité pourrait être quantique. En Cosmologie Quantique à Boucles (CQB), cette singularité est remplacée par un rebond quantique. La CQB à un champ avec potentiel quadratique a déjà été étudiée et prédit une phase d’inflation suivant le rebond. Les perturbations primordiales ne sont plus seulement produites pendant l’inflation, mais aussi pendant le rebond et la contraction le précédant. Ici, j’ai considéré une extension à deux champs de la CQB avec un champ massif comme inflaton, et un champ sans masse servant d’horloge interne. J’ai d’abord étudié l’évolution globale de l’Univers de manière analytique et numérique, montrant que loin dans la contraction, le champ massif domine le contenu énergétique. J’ai aussi vérifié que l’inflation reste probable, malgré la présence du champ sans masse. Puis, j’ai examiné la production de perturbations: contrairement au cas à un champ, en plus de la composante adiabatique standard, elles sont ici décrites par une composante isocourbe, caractéristique des modèles multi-champs et pour laquelle Planck a mis des limites supérieures. Loin dans la contraction, ces deux composantes sont hautement couplées. J’ai montré comment fixer leurs conditions initiales en utilisant des variables combinant les deux types de perturbations, rendant le couplage sous-dominant. Il reste maintenant à les propager à travers le rebond jusqu’à la fin de l’inflation pour obtenir leurs spectres de puissance (croisé), à comparer ensuite aux contraintes observationnelles.Depuis son émission, le FDC a voyagé à travers les grandes structures avant de nous atteindre. Son interaction avec les structures engendre des anisotropies secondaires, comme celles dues à l’effet SZ dans les amas. Des plasmas magnétisés ont été observés dans les galaxies et les grandes structures. Cela devrait engendrer de la Rotation Faraday (RF) de la polarisation linéaire primordiale, transformant des modes E en B, et de la Conversion Faraday (CF) de la polarisation linéaire en circulaire. J’ai revisité ces sources d’anisotropies en calculant les spectres de puissance angulaires de l’angle de RF et du taux de CF par les grandes structures. J’ai utilisé le modèle de halo en me focalisant sur l’impact des projections des champs magnétiques. Les spectres piquent à des multipoles 104 et sont proportionnels à 83, en supposant un champ magnétique indépendant de la masse du halo. Cette dépendance est cependant dégénérée avec celle qui existe entre les champs magnétiques et la masse des halos. Puis, je détaille le calcul des spectres de puissance angulaires totaux des anisotropies polarisées, à partir de ceux de la RF et de la CF. Enfin, je montre comment reconstruire les champs de RF et de CF à partir du FDC en adaptant les estimateurs développés pour la reconstruction du lentillage gravitationnel
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a key cosmological probe, that sets tight constraints on the CDM model of the Universe. Released 380000 years after the big bang, it exhibits tiny anisotropies in temperature and polarisation which trace the cosmic inhomogeneities at different epochs of the Universe. On the one hand, primary anisotropies give access to inflation, during which the primordial perturbations are generated. On the other hand, secondary anisotropies trace inhomogeneities in the recent Universe, which have evolved into large scale structures through gravity, starting from the primordial ones. Hence CMB anisotropies are a powerful probe of both the origin of inhomogeneities in the very early Universe, and their evolved state in the late-time Universe. This thesis deals with two aspects of inhomogeneities by first considering their production in an extension of the inflationary scenario, and second by predicting the impact of magnetic fields in large scale structures on the secondary CMB polarised anisotropies.Despite its successes, inflation does not solve the initial big bang singularity issue, where gravity might need to be quantised. In Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC), this singularity is replaced by a quantum bounce. Single field LQC with quadratic potential has already been studied and predicts an inflation phase following the bounce. Then, primordial inhomogeneities are not only produced during inflation, but also during the bounce and the contraction preceding it. Here, I considered a multifield extension of LQC with two fields: a massive one as being the inflaton, and a massless one used as an internal clock. I first studied the background evolution of the Universe both analytically and numerically. I showed that far in the contraction, the massive field dominates the energy budget. I have also checked that inflation remains likely to happen, despite the presence of the massless field. Secondly, I investigated how perturbations are produced. Unlike the one-field case, they are now described by an isocurvature component in addition to the standard adiabatic one, the former being characteristic of multifield models, for which Planck has put upper limits. In the remote past of the contraction, these two kinds of perturbations are highly coupled. I showed how to set their initial conditions by using appropriate variables mixing both kinds of perturbations, making the coupling subdominant. These perturbations remain to be propagated through the bounce down to the end of inflation to get their primordial (cross)spectra, to be subsequently compared to observational constraints.Since its released, the CMB traveled through large scale structures before reaching us. This leads to secondary anisotropies by its interaction with these structures, like e.g. gravitational deflection or the SZ effect in clusters. Magnetic fields have been observed in galaxies and larger structures. Since these structures are also filled with free electrons, this should lead to the Faraday Rotation (FR) effect which rotates the primordial linear polarisation, turning E into B modes, and to the Faraday Conversion (FC) effect which converts linear into circular polarisation. I revisited these sources of secondary anisotropies by computing the angular power spectra of the FR angle and the FC rate by large-scale structures. I used the halo model paying special attention to the impact of magnetic field projections. I found angular power spectra peaking at multipoles 104. Assuming a mass-independent magnetic field, the angular power spectra scale with the amplitude of matter perturbations as 83. This scaling is however degenerated with the one of the magnetic field with halos’ mass. I finally detail how to compute the full angular power spectra of polarised anisotropies, starting from the FR and FC power spectra. I also show how to reconstruct the FR and FC fields from the CMB adapting the estimators developed for lensing reconstruction

La tesis se basa, por una parte, en la transcripción completa del llamado “Dietari Honzè” de la Compañía catalana-aragonesa del mercader Johan de Torralba, que abarca del 10 de mayo del 1434 al 12 de agosto del 1437, y por otra, en el desarrollo de algunos de los temas interesantes que surgen con el estudio de la misma. Debido a la enorme cantidad de temas que aparecen, hemos decidido centrar el estudio preferentemente en el análisis de las operaciones mercantiles y financieras apuntadas en el citado dietario, tanto referidas a particulares, como a la deuda pública. En el fondo, lo que nos encontramos al revisar el Manual, es la descripción detallada, de una manera no intencionada ni corregida, de lo que estaba aconteciendo dentro de aquella sociedad de la Barcelona perteneciente al reino catalán aragonés de la primera mitad del siglo XV. Según la transcripción del “dietari honzé”, descubrimos que Johan Torralba, en 1434 era un mercader clásico, que, con el paso del tiempo, supo rentabilizar las vías abiertas por los operadores que le antecedieron, diversificando sus inversiones, interviniendo en el mercado de la deuda pública, concurriendo en el lucrativo negocio del corso, del préstamo y del rescate de cautivos. Fue en definitiva, un hombre del siglo XV, cuyo estudio nos permite poner en valor su época, sus capacidades y las de la sociedad en la que trabaja y defiende.
The thesis is based, on the one side, in the full transcription of the so-called "Dietari Honzé" of a catalan-aragonese Company owned by the merchant Johan de Torralba, who covers from May 10 of the 1434, to August 12 of the 1437, and, on the other side, in the development of some of the issues that come with the study of the manuscript. Due to the enormous amount of themes that appear, we have decided to focus the study on the analysis of the commercial and financial operations that are mentioned in the aforementioned diary, both preferably referred to individuals and public debt. Ultimately, what we got reviewing the Manual, is the detailed description, in a way that is not corrected intentionally, of what was happening within the society of the city of Barcelona, belonging to the catalan - aragonese Kingdom, of the first half of the century XV. According to the transcription of the "dietari honze", we discovered that Johan Torralba, in 1434 was a classic merchant, which, with the passage of time, was able to use the profitable routes opened by the operators who preceded him, diversifying their investments, by intervening in the market of public debt, concurring also in the lucrative business of “corso”, loan, and the rescue of captives. He was certainly a man of the 15th century, whose study allows us to put in value his time, their skills and those of society in which he works and defends.

Le sujet interroge les procédés de structuration et de configuration d’une cour impériale, qu’ils soient spontanés ou à l’initiative de l’empereur. Comme le rappelle le sociologue allemand Norbert Elias, dont les travaux encadrent largement cette étude, la cour ne doit pas son existence à la volonté d’un seul individu. Le cadre chronologique de cette étude est celui d’un long IVe siècle, prétexte à l’observation d’une évolution de la structure aulique et de l’image de la dignité impériale sur le long terme. L’Occident offre un objet d’étude privilégié, par sa diversité et ses pratiques du pouvoir héritières d’une ancienne centralité axée sur la ville de Rome. Notre hypothèse de recherche vise à pondérer le « paradigme du prince décideur » et à faire de l’empereur du IVe siècle un acteur de la cour et non plus seulement le point nodal d’une structure aulique qui tend à s’autonomiser. Il s’agit de mieux appréhender l’évolution de la pratique d’un pouvoir souvent perçu comme autocratique, le façonnement d’une cour destinée à servir le prestige d’une dignité impériale restaurée et l’autonomisation d’une administration extrêmement lourde. La permanence de certains réseaux d’influence à la cour semble entraîner un paradoxe entre le renforcement de l’autorité impériale et la faiblesse de l’influence décisionnelle des empereurs dans certains domaines de la vie politique. Cette contradiction ménage de nouveaux espaces du pouvoir jusque dans les territoires de l’empire, sous la forme de projections spatiales de la réalité aulique à travers la mobilité des hauts fonctionnaires. De là, la cour apparaît d’abord comme une abstraction soumise au politique avant que d’être une réalité topographique. L’ « absolutisme » en tant que « trait dominant du régime » mérite une nouvelle approche historiographique à l’aune de ces nouvelles pratiques du pouvoir à l’œuvre dès la Tétrarchie
The present subject examines the processes of structuration and configuration of an imperial court. Those processes could be spontaneous or on the emperor’s initiative. As the German sociologist Norbert Elias reminds us, the court doesn’t owe its existence to the will of one person. This study takes place in a long 4th century and highlights the evolution of the court structure and the representation of the imperial dignity over the long term. The Western empire is a priviledged field of study due to the diversity of its political practices of power inherited from the old centrality of power settled in Rome. Our research hypothesis is about moderating the paradigm of the ‘decision-maker prince’. In that sense, the emperor of the Late Roman Empire would become an actor of the court again and not only the nodal point of this structure which is trying to become autonomous. We would like to better comprehend the evolution of a power usually regarded as autocratic, the making process of a court intended to serve the prestige of a restored imperial dignity and the autonomisation of an heavy administration. There is a paradox between the permanency of some political networks at court, the reinforcement of the imperial authority and the decision-making weakness of the emperors in some aspects of the political life. This contradiction creates new spaces of power in empire's territories because of the mobility of the senior officials. In that, the court appears more as a political abstraction than just a topographic reality. The ‘absolutism’ of that time deserves a new historiographical approach to understand those new political practices noticeable since the Tetrarchy

El propòsit principal d’aquesta tesi pot ser descrit per mitjà del seu títol: tractem de l’estudi dels particulars usos narratius i lingüístics (logos) en la tradició dels textos de la novel·la bizantina, així com de les formes que caracteritzen aquest tipus de producte literari en el context de la literatura grega medieval a partir del segle XII en l’àmbit de l’imperi romà d´Orient, i en concret al llarg del període que comprèn l’època de la cort dels Comnens fins el temps dels Paleòlegs (s.XIV). En primer lloc, hom recorre el context històric i cultural; després, s’intenta explicar la principal terminologia que el món bizantí tenia per a aquest tipus d’obres, i es repassa la problemàtica que planteja la teoria crítica moderna. A continuació, i tenint en compte la complexitat narrativa, així com les dificultats que ens presenta la llengua grega en un període de contactes multiculturals entre Grècia i la resta del món Occidental, hom proposa l’anàlisi de les formes del Logos, enteses com a base i xarxa estructural que conforma aquestes obres. Les “formes”, sospitosament peculiars en tot el compendi dels textos, suposen unes funcions concretes en la narració que es desenvolupen en diverses circumstàncies comunicatives, i impliquen tant els personatges com el seu entorn comunicatiu. D’alguna manera, ens expliquen com es va conformant la ficció, orienten la trama argumental i els seus resultats. Ens fixem, per tant, en un seguit d’imatges i de representacions de la paraula que es concreten en quatre Formes: el monòleg, com a forma d’expressió d’una sola veu, única però complexa, i el seus desenvolupaments poètics; el diàleg, com la forma de conversa entre dos personatges en escena; la cançó, probablement com la via més lírica de comunicació del discurs dels personatges principals (tot tenint en compte prèviament el “background” de la tradició de les Dimotikà tragoúdia o cançons tradicionals gregues); i finalment, la complexitat de les cartes, inscripcions i missatges com a formes del Logos escrit en la comunicació dels personatges. En relació amb el context narratiu i argumental, intentem definir quin és el tipus de lirisme que hi ha entre discursos i personatges en vistes a donar expressió real al concepte amorós o de l’amor en la narrativa de l’aventura de separació i retrobament final de la parella protagonista. En aquest cas, l’estudi de la veu poètica, així com la de la veu dels personatges principals, els dos enamorats, i la seva literalitat, esdevé necessària per a la comprensió d’aquests materials. S’observa, per exemple, que en el diàleg, la temàtica de l’amor es concreta i desenvolupa en les novel·les en dues tipologies de diàleg: el diàleg d’amor entre els protagonistes, i el diàleg sobre amor o sobre aquest tema. En un altre exemple, des del punt de vista del Logos escrit, la mateixa presència i intercanvi de cartes (ἡ γραφή) genera, a nivell narratiu, una tercera veu narrativa epistolar en el procés comunicatiu dels personatges que requereix una aproximació obligadament literària, en tant que l’escriptura és posada en primer pla en l’expressió pregona del sentiment amorós. De la mateixa manera, en l’anàlisi de les inscripcions (τὰ γράμματα), cada situació narrativa suposa un format i un suport de la transmissió dels missatges que configura, un cop més, un context poètic narratiu molt especial. La present tesi intenta omplir els buits existents en l´estudi de la ficció a Bizanci, alhora que planteja nous termes i límits de definició a través de la teoria del llenguatge i la narratologia, en un intent de concreció, per a totes aquestes novel·les, del rol de les seves formes del Logos.
The main purpose of this dissertation is described by his title himself: this is the study of the particular narrative and linguistic uses (Logos) in the textual tradition of the “bizantine roman”, as well the forms that characterizes this kind of literary product in the context of medieval greek literature throught the Comnenian and Palaiologan periods (s. XII- XIV). The present thesis makes a revision of the historical context and the cultural situation of this textual tradition; then, tries to explain the main terminology that bizantine world had to define this kind of titles, and takes a look on the problematic of modern literary theories. Then, taking account of the complexity of this narrative, as well as the difficulties of the greek language on a period of multicultural contacts between Greece and the rest of the occidental world, we propose the analisis of the “Forms of Logos” as the main basis and structural network that conforms theses narrative materials. We take a look to specific images of “Logos” (representations of the “word”) that are concreted by four forms: monologue, the form of one´s voice expression, and his developments and variations as a complex poetical voice; dialogue, as a form of conversation between two subects acting and performing; the song, probably as the most lirical way to comunicate the speech of the main characters (taking a look previously to the background of the traditional greek folk songs); and finally, the complexity of letters, inscriptions and messages, as forms of the writed “Logos” on comunication. In relation to the argumental and narrative context, we try to define how is this kind of lirism between characters and speeches in order to give expression to a view of love throught the adventure of separation and new meeting and reunion of the protagonist couple. The present thesis tries to fill the gap on the general studies about fiction and fictional narratives in Bizantium, and to define, throught new terms and the theory of language and narratology, the role, for all the novels, of these forms of Logos.

Dans cette thèse, 47 nouveaux âges ont été obtenus par la technique Cassignol-Gillot. La très bonne reproductibilité des âges obtenus, ajoutée à une stricte cohérence observée entre les édifices volcaniques, supporte l'utilisation de la méthode K-Ar dans la datation des laves des Carpates orientales (Călimani-Gurghiu-Harghita ; CGH) et des dépôts d'ignimbrite du Miocène des Carpates occidentales (les monts de Mátra et Bükk). Dans la partie orientale de la chaîne, les données géochronologiques ont été combinées avec des analyses géomorphologiques pour contraindre l'histoire volcanique et calculer leur taux de construction et d'érosion. Parallèlement, dans la partie occidentale de la chaîne, les données géochronologiques obtenues ont été combinées aux données paléomagnétiques disponibles pour affiner leur stratigraphie. La chaîne des Carpates orientales a connu une migration de son activité éruptive le long de l’arc du Miocène au Quaternaire. Ici, une méthodologie novatrice et complexe apporte de nouvelles contraintes géochronologiques et géomorphologiques sur l'évolution des 20 volcans de la chaîne. Les nouveaux âges ont permis de contraindre leur durée d’activité Par exemple Seaca-Tătarca (6,79-6,47 Ma), Vârghiş (5,47-4,61 Ma) ou de dater l’activité volcanique la plus récente de Călimani. Pour le complexe volcanique de Ciomadul, composé d'une douzaine de dômes de lave, l’activité volcanique a été contrainte entre 704±18 et 28±1ka (<1 Ma) interrompue de périodes de repos. En parallèle, des reconstructions numériques de paléo-topographies volcaniques ont été réalisées dans le but de quantifier leur forme à la fin de leur construction. Les résultats déduits de nos reconstructions ont donné un volume total de matériel émis de 2300km3 sur toute la chaîne avec, à l’échelle de chaque volcan, une large gamme de variation de leur taille (3±3 à 592±115 km³). Ces volumes montrent une nette diminution du nord au sud de la chaîne avec des valeurs de 910, 880, 279 et 165 km³ pour des secteurs géographiques de Călimani, Gurghiu, North Harghita et South Harghita respectivement. Combinés aux âges, ces volumes ont permis de calculer un taux de construction moyen de 200km³/Ma pour toute la chaîne, représenté par deux groupes distincts ; un groupe caractérisé par des taux de construction de 137 km³/Ma caractéristiques des vieux volcans (11-3,6 Ma) suivi d'un groupe avec des taux de construction de 28km³/Ma pour les volcans Plio-Quaternaires. La comparaison des volcans reconstruits et ceux actuels a permis de calculer un volume érodé total de 524±125km³, correspondant à une dénudation moyenne de 22% et à un taux d'érosion moyen de 20m/Ma pour la chaîne de CGH. Suite aux fluctuations climatiques enregistrées le long de cette chaîne, les taux d'érosion caractéristiques de ces grandes périodes climatiques ont été calculés dans le but de montrer le rôle qu’a joué le climat sur les taux d’érosion. Le taux d'érosion le plus élevé de 38m/Ma a été obtenu pour la période régie par un climat continental subtropical modéré transitionnel (9,5-8,2 Ma). Pour la période climatique continentale modérée (8,2-6,8 Ma), caractérisée par des conditions climatiques beaucoup moins humides, un taux d'érosion de 14 m/Ma est proposé. Pour la période correspondant à un climat continental avec identification de périodes semi-arides (6,8-5,8 Ma), un taux d'érosion de 7 m/Ma a été calculé. Pour les volcans Plio-Quaternaires ayant connus des cycles interglaciaires/glaciaires, un taux d'érosion de 28m/Ma a été obtenu. Une telle approche morphométrique et géochronologique quantitative démontre son efficacité à étudier le dynamisme volcanique, y compris les processus de construction et d'érosion au fil du temps. Dans la partie occidentale des Carpates, les âges obtenus sur les coulées de lave de Börzsöny contraignent sa période d'activité entre 14,3-15,1 Ma. Pour les dépôts ignimbritiques de Bükk, les résultats K-Ar évoluent entre 12,7-16,5 Ma
In this PhD thesis, 47 new ages have been obtained by the Cassignol-Gillot technique. The very good reproducibility of the ages obtained in this study, added to a strict consistency observed between the volcanic edifices, support the use of the K-Ar method in the dating of the East Carpathian lavas (Călimani-Gurghiu-Harghita) and ignimbrite deposits of the North Hungarian (Mátra and Bükk Mts. [western Carpathians]). In the Eastern part, this new geochronological dataset has been combined with geomorphological analyses to constrain the volcanic history as well as to compute construction and erosion rates of those volcanoes. In parallel, in the western part geochronological dataset has been combined with available paleomagnetic data to refine their stratigraphy. The East Carpathian volcanic range experienced an along-arc, Late Miocene to Quaternary migration of eruptive activity. Here, a novel and complex methodology are presented that yields new geochronological and geomorphological constraints on the evolution of the 20 volcanic edifices. New unspiked K-Ar ages either constrain their lifespan (6.79- 6.47 Ma for Seaca-Tătarca; 5.47- 4.61 Ma for Vârghiş) or date the youngest volcanic activity (central Călimani). For Ciomadul volcanic complex composed by a dozen of lava domes, which hosts the recent volcanic activity since the last 1 Ma, its activity has been constrained between 704± 18 ka and 28 ± 1 ka with several quiescence periods. In parallel, numerical reconstructions of volcanic paleo-topographies were performed to quantify their shape at the end of their construction stage. The inferred initial volcano size shows a wide range (3±3 to 592±115 km³), making up the four main successive volcanic segments (910, 880, 279 and 165 km³ for Călimani, Gurghiu,North Harghita and South Harghita segment, respectively) totalizing 2300 km³. Volume and age constraints allowed computing an average growth rate of 200 km³/Ma for the whole range, characterized by an initial moderate growth rate (137 km³/Ma) of the older volcanoes (11-3.6 Ma) followed by a lower growth rate (28 km³/Ma) obtained for the Plio-Quaternary volcanoes. Comparing reconstructed and current topographies yielded a total eroded volume of 524±125 km³, defining averaged denudation of 22% and a 20 m/Ma erosion rate. Erosion rates for major climatic periods were computed, which highlight the contrasting climatic contexts since 11 Ma. The highest erosion rate (38 m/Ma) occurred during a transitional moderate subtropical continental climate period (9.5-8.2 Ma). An intermediate erosion rate (14m/Ma) characterized a moderate continental climate period (8.2-6.8 Ma) when conditions became less humid. The lowest erosion rate (7 m/Ma) reflects the prevailing continental but occasionally semi-arid climate (6.8-5.8 Ma). The highest erosion rate (28m/Ma) was obtained for Plio-Quaternary times during the interglacial/glacial cycles. Such a quantitative morphometric and geochronological approach demonstrates its efficiency to study volcanic dynamism, including both constructional and erosional processes, through time. In the western part of the Carpathian range, the new ages obtained on the lava flows of Börzsöny made it possible to constraint its period of activity between 14.27 - 15.11 Ma. For the Miocene ignimbrite of Bükk foreland, the new K-Ar results range between 12.7 - 16.5 Ma