The Survival of Words: Revolution and Class Struggle

How did Kirchnerismo, initially a motley coalition of progressive Peronists and born-again Menemistas and Duhaldistas trying to scrape together some form of governability from the 2001 default, turn into one of the ‘pink tide’ governments most virulently hated by the Right? Why did long-forgotten concepts and terminologies from the epic past of revolutionary struggle suddenly resurface in the context of what, at least from the viewpoint of the autonomist Left, was hardly more than a mildly redistributive administration of scarcity, aided by the post-millennial commodity boom? In this intervention, historian Javier Trímboli urges us to take seriously some of the discursive anachronisms that flourished during Néstor and Cristina Kirchner’s periods in office (2003–2015), which, he suggests, rather than merely a form of discursive cover for clientelist politics, may have been symptomatic of the way in which some of the foundational fault-lines of modern Argentine society continue to shape political identities, styles and forms of struggle in the present.     

Reliability-based Strength Amplification Factors for Structures with Asymmetric Yielding

A reliability-based methodology to estimate strength amplification factors for structures with asymmetric yielding is proposed. The approach is based on structural demand hazard analyses. Nonlinear time-history analyses of tridimensional simplified systems are carried out. The effects of two orthogonal components of the seismic ground motions and soil-structure interaction, are considered. Results show that the expected ductility demand of systems with asymmetric yielding may be much higher than those of symmetric systems. A simplified mathematical expression (which is function of the ratio between the fundamental vibration period of the system and that of the soil, ductility demand, and level of asymmetric yielding) is proposed to estimate the amplification factors. The expression is applied successfully to a 9-story reinforced concrete building exhibiting asymmetric yielding produced by tilting.     

Red Christmases: the Sandinistas,indigenous rebellion,and the origins of the Nicaraguan civil war, 1981–82

In December 1981, Nicaragua’s Sandinista government forcibly resettled some 8,500 Miskito Indians, killing dozens and displacing thousands in a controversy known as la Navidad Roja – the Red Christmas. Two starkly contrasting narratives exist around this episode: one which viewed the affair as a domestic one driven by longstanding ethnic tensions, and another which saw a CIA plot behind the violence. This article explores the chasm between those narratives and traces the breakdown in the FSLN–Miskito relations in 1981, ultimately showing how both indigenous action and Latin American state interventions played an understudied role at the onset of the Nicaraguan Civil War.     

Chemical durability of lead-bearing glazes in sulphuric acid solutions — Laboratory experiments performed on Zsolnay architectural ceramics from Budapest (Hungary)

This study aims to simulate the long-term deterioration of architectural glazes exposed to open air in a highly polluted urban environment. A laboratory experiment—a 14-day long accelerated weathering test—on glazed roof tiles has been performed to reveal the damaging influence of contacting acid solutions originating from dissolved gaseous pollutants, mainly SO₂. The studied tiles are made by the Hungarian Zsolnay factory and applied on two buildings in Budapest in the 19th and 20th century. The ceramics were covered mainly by lead glazes in the construction and lead-bearing alkali glazes in the renovation periods.

The solution of pH2 induced a greater dissolution, especially of alkali and alkaline earth metals (up to 2886 ppm), but less lead (up to 21 ppm) from the lead glazes of the construction periods. Newly formed lead sulphate (anglesite) on the corroded glaze parts precipitated on some lead-bearing alkali glazes, with moderate dissolution of alkali and alkaline earth metals (up to 396 ppm) accompanied by higher amount of lead (28–39 ppm). Based on the results, the main determining factor in the durability of glazes is mostly their chemical composition and less their preliminary degradation state.     

In situ desalination of a granitic column by the electrokinetic method

Desalination of rocks used in monuments is a common strategy to reduce the possibility of deterioration by soluble salt crystallization processes. In the last years, some laboratory studies have demonstrated that the application of electrokinetic techniques allow to achieve higher desalination effectiveness, overcoming most limitations of the traditional methods. However, to our knowledge no studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of this technique for in situ desalination of granite. The present study is aimed at filling this gap. The results of an in situ desalination intervention using electrokinetic methods, on a column highly contaminated with salts are presented. The desalination method was optimized to desalinate large in situ structures, trying to establish the necessary protocols (buffering system, irrigation system, setup, etc.) to obtain results as satisfactory as those obtained in laboratory. The results demonstrated the high effectiveness of this method in terms of total salt extraction and depth of salt extraction. The concentration of anions in the column was decreased by more than 80% after 55 days of treatment. No mineralogical and aesthetic damages on the stone were detected after the treatment, confirming the reliability of this method to be applied in situ on granitic rocks.     

Accuracy evaluation of the semi-automatic 3D modeling for historical building information models

It is stated that 3D recording and modeling of heritage buildings entail accurate building models (as-built). However, this paper presents an analysis of the 3D modeling accuracy for the creation of historical building information models (HBIM), considering the complexity and the deformations of historical buildings, using point cloud data and BIM tools. The 3D modeling processes analyzed are based on a three-stage semi-automatic approach leading to the generation of HBIM, including manual and automatic processes. The three stages consist of: (a) optical and terrestrial laser scanning; (b) meshing processes; and finally (c) 3D solid modeling to be assembled into HBIM. Next, this approach analyzed the mesh deformations generated automatically in comparison to the initial point cloud data. The deformations and the accuracy evaluation have been undertaken using different commercial software. Finally, our modeling approach shows that it can improve the accuracy of the 3D models achieved using existing BIM technologies.     

Reviews of books

Satire in Colonial Spanish America: Turning the New World Upside Down. By Julie Greer Johnson. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1993. Pp. xvii, 224.

La Araucana. Por Alonso De Ercilla Y Zuniga. Edición de Isaias Lerner. Madrid: Editorial Cátedra, 1993. Pp. 1026.

Diente del Parnaso (Manuscrito de la Universidad de Yale). Por Juan Del Valle Y Caviedes. Edición, introducción y notas de Luis Garcia‐Abrines Calvo, con la colaboración de SYDNEY JAIME MUIRDEN. Jaén: Diputación Provincial, 1993. Pp. 481.

Catálogo concordado de la Biblioteca ie Hernando Colón. Tomo 1, 1–400. By Tomas Marin Martinez, Jose Manuel Ruiz Asencio and Klaus Wagner. Madrid: Fundación MAPFRE América, Cabildo de la Catedral de Sevilla, 1993. Pp. 717.

The People of Quito, 1690–1810: Chan, ‘e and Unrest in the Underclass. By Martin Minchom. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, Dellplain Latin American Studies, 1994. Pp. xvii, 297.

Los encomenderos de Quito, 1534–16C 0. Origen y evolución de una élite colonial. By Javier Ortiz De La Tabla Ducasse. Sevilla: Escuela de Estudios Hispano‐Americanos, 1993. Pp. xvi, 377.

Word from New Spain: The Spiritual Au obiography of Madre María de San José (1656–1719). Critical edition and introduction by Kathleen Myers. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1993. Pp. x, 234.

Una partecita del cielo. La vida de Santa Rosa de Lima narrada por Don Gonzalo de la Maza a quien ella Ilamal a padre. Versión paleográfica de Luis Millones. Ensayos de Luis Millones y Fernando Iwasaki. Lima, Perú: Editorial Horizonte, 1993. Pp. 217.

Poema Heroyco al merecido aplauso de Soror Ivana Inés de la Crvz. De Ioseph Zatrilla Y Vico. [Barcelona, 1696]. Edición facsímile de Aureliano Tapia Mendez. Monterrey, N.L.: Talleres Gráficos de Cultura de la Ciudad de México, 1993. Pp. xi, 38.

Carta de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz a su confesor. Autodefensa espiritual. Estudios y notas de Aureliano Tapia Mendez. Monterrey, N.L.: Imprenta Madero (Ciudad de México) para Producciones al Voleo El Troquel, 1993. Pp. 253.

Reading Columbus. By Margarita Zamora. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993. Pp. xvi, 247.     

Chance, creativity, and the discovery of the nerve growth factor

This essay analyzes the history of the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) discovery, relating some of the principles of the theory of scientific creativity to the cognitive and personal qualities of the scientists that participated in the discovery, particularly Rita Levi-Montalcini and Viktor Hamburger. The discovery of NGF is especially attractive for the history of science as it involves chance, luck, creativity, and some extraordinary scientists.