The Industrial Network and the Role of the Professional Illustrator in Spain

La crisis de la industria editorial evidencia la precaria situación del ilustrador profesional en España, que no parece mejorar en los últimos años. Las posibilidades laborales se ven lastradas por la competencia a nivel internacional tras la aparición de internet, y la disminución de encargos, que son asumidos en su mayoría por profesionales con gran experiencia. Esta situación dificulta las posibilidades de acceder al mercado laboral, donde la ausencia de tablas de tarifas oficiales complica poder presupuestar trabajos a los menos experimentados. Contrastando con esta realidad, las industrias en auge de los videojuegos y del cine de animación demandan nuevos profesionales, pero la falta de profesionalización académica en la formación tradicional limita las posibilidades de encontrar trabajo por la falta de preparación, obligando a los futuros profesionales a depender de la formación autodidacta o a formarse en centros privados especializados, siendo estos económicamente menos accesibles; The crisis of the publishing industry shows the precarious situation of the professional illustrator in Spain, which does not seem to improve in recent years. Job opportunities are hindered by competition at the international level after the appearance of the Internet, and the decrease of commissions, which are mostly assumed by highly experienced professionals. This situation makes it difficult to access the labor market, where the absence of official rate charts makes it complicate to budget jobs for the less experienced ones. Contrasting with this reality, the booming industries of video games and animation movies demand new professionals, but the lack of academic professionalization in traditional training system limits the possibilities of finding work due to the lack of preparation, forcing future professionals to depend on self-taught education or training in specialized private centers, being these economically less accessible

Estudio de las estrategias profesionales de cómic e ilustración y sus industrias derivadas en España

El contenido del capítulo 6.10 está sujeto a confidencialidad. 291 p; 108 p. (anexos)En el presente trabajo de investigación, se van algunas de las industrias artísticas más profesionalizadas de España. En este caso, vana a ser objeto del análisis tanto la ilustración como el cómic, así como las industrias del cine de animación y los videojuegos. De hecho, la hipótesis postula que, dada la involución del mercado del cómic y la ilustración editorial en los últimos años, estas dos nuevas industrias pueden suponer una salida profesionalizada a aquellos que no encuentran trabajo en los sectores antes mencionados.Se pretende, por tanto, realizar un análisis panorámico de estas industrias, para poder encontrar elementos comunes que puedan ser objeto de comparación. Para ello, hemos utilizado un modelo que se basa en cinco campos de estudio, los cuales permitirán comprender la situación actual y la realidad de estas industrias a los futuros profesionales.Hemos realizado un análisis de terminología especializada extenso, para que el lector pueda comprender aquellas palabras que utilizamos, en muchos casos, ya definidas por personalidades en las materias, o citadas en libros especializados. En cualquier caso, hemos especificado a qué definición nos acogemos concretamente en cada término, en caso de que puedan tener diferentes acepciones o no haya un consenso sobre la definición más adecuada al mismo.Seguidamente, hemos planteado un esquema cronológico de la historia de estas cuatro industrias, pero establecidos bajo un esquema que permita la comparación simultánea de los hitos más significativos. Aquí hay que resaltar el hecho de que hemos incluído el campo de los sistemas de impresión y reproducción, los cuales han demostrado ser vitales para el desarrollo de estas industrias, y con su comparación, demuestran hasta qué punto influyen en el avance de las mismas. Puede que para un lector atento la selección de los hitos entraña un sesgo en cuanto a criterio personal, pero dicha selección obedece a unas pautas que articulan el presente trabajo de investigación. Además, hemos utilizado manuales de referencia que apuntan hitos similares, de los cuales hemos establecido una selección que permita apoyar el análisis ulterior.Una vez comprendida la situación actual en cuanto a la historia y desarrollo de las industrias, hemos aportado un análisis de industria en cuanto a datos editoriales, cifras de ventas, perfiles profesionales, etc¿Esta parte del trabajo no pretende ser un análisis de mercado completo, que requeriría de una tesis centrada sólo en este aspecto, si no una vista panorámica de los datos más relevantes a este respecto. Así, podremos comparar datos significativos como venta de ejemplares, publicaciones, empresas, etc¿que permiten la comparación entre las industrias del cómic, la ilustración, el cine de animación y los videojuegos, y que permiten ayudar al futuro profesional o al lector interesado a comprender mejor las necesidades, carencias y puntos fuertes de cada una de ellas.Siguiendo con la lógica anterior, necesitábamos aportar la visión de los profesionales de estas industrias para completar esta visión panorámica que mencionábamos anteriormente.Para ello, hemos creado un cuestionario generalizado, el cual hemos enviado a autores significativos de estas industrias para que aporten su experiencia y visión de la realidad profesional de primera mano.No sólo hemos entrevistado a profesionales que se encuentran en la cúspide de las industrias, si no también a aquellos que llevan menos años de experiencia y tienen reciente la lucha que han tenido que realizar para hacerse un hueco en un sector con tanta competencia.Finalmente, nos parecía que faltaba un apartado fundamental para, de alguna manera, terminar de redondear el presente trabajo. Necesitábamos la narrativa de la inmersión en estos sectores una vez acabados los estudios. Es por eso que, el último apartado presenta la experiencia profesional del investigador, Alfonso Berroya, no tanto como un manual de estilo donde presenta su trabajo, si no como un diario de sus siete primeros años profesionales, a través de los proyectos y trabajos que ha tenido que realizar en estas industrias.No sólo se narran los trabajos, si no que se exponen valoraciones de los fallos cometidos, los problemas de decisión, criterios que, revisados bajo mayor experiencia, fueron negativos, etc¿Se presentan, por tanto, las problemáticas surgidas en el sector de la ilustración, la complicación de acceder a la publicación de un cómic, y la andadura en la industria de los videojuegos y el cine de animación.De esta manera, todo lector interesado, o futuro profesional con la necesidad de comprender la realidad de las industrias, podrá entender cuáles han sido los problemas al inicio de las andaduras profesionales, y también, cuál ha sido el recorrido que ha permitido la publicación de un cómic en la difícil industria de las viñetas, o el ciclo de recorrido hasta alcanzar cargos de dirección de arte en el sector de los videojuegos.Todo lo mencionado anteriormente permite extraer conclusiones sobre la hipótesis inicial, definiendo la importancia de la aparición de estas industrias emergentes, pero también permite aportar una visión completa de las necesidades para alcanzar un nivel profesional suficiente como para poder vivir de estos trabajos artísticos en España, que, como veremos, no es nada sencillo

Pyridine vapors detection by an optical fibre sensor

An optical fibre sensor has been implemented towards pyridine vapors detection;to achieve this, a novel vapochromic material has been used, which, in solid state, suffers achange in colour from blue to pink-white in presence of pyridine vapours. This complex isadded to a solution of PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), TBP (Tributylphosphate) andtetrahydrofuran (THF), forming a plasticized matrix; by dip coating technique, the sensingmaterial is fixed onto a cleaved ended optical fibre. The fabrication process was optimizedin terms of number of dips and dipping speed, evaluating the final devices by dynamicrange. Employing a reflection set up, the absorbance spectra and changes in the reflectedoptical power of the sensors were registered to determine their response. A linear relationbetween optical power versus vapor concentration was obtained, with a detection limit of 1ppm (v/v).Financial support from the Spanish Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología within projects TEC2006-12170/MIC, TEC2004-05936-C02-01/MIC, BQU2001-3221, CTQ2005-09023 and Project of Excellence RNM666 de la Junta de Andalucía, is acknowledged

Clinical validation of risk scoring systems to predict risk of delayed bleeding after EMR of large colorectal lesions

[Background and Aims]: The Endoscopic Resection Group of the Spanish Society of Endoscopy (GSEED-RE) model and the Australian Colonic Endoscopic Resection (ACER) model were proposed to predict delayed bleeding (DB) after EMR of large superficial colorectal lesions, but neither has been validated. We validated and updated these models.[Methods]: A multicenter cohort study was performed in patients with nonpedunculated lesions ≥20 mm removed by EMR. We assessed the discrimination and calibration of the GSEED-RE and ACER models. Difficulty performing EMR was subjectively categorized as low, medium, or high. We created a new model, including factors associated with DB in 3 cohort studies.[Results]: DB occurred in 45 of 1034 EMRs (4.5%); it was associated with proximal location (odds ratio [OR], 2.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-6.16), antiplatelet agents (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, .99-6.34) or anticoagulants (OR, 4.54; 95% CI, 2.14-9.63), difficulty of EMR (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.41-7.40), and comorbidity (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, .99-4.47). The GSEED-RE and ACER models did not accurately predict DB. Re-estimation and recalibration yielded acceptable results (GSEED-RE area under the curve [AUC], .64 [95% CI, .54-.74]; ACER AUC, .65 [95% CI, .57-.73]). We used lesion size, proximal location, comorbidity, and antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy to generate a new model, the GSEED-RE2, which achieved higher AUC values (.69-.73; 95% CI, .59-.80) and exhibited lower susceptibility to changes among datasets.[Conclusions]: The updated GSEED-RE and ACER models achieved acceptable prediction levels of DB. The GSEED-RE2 model may achieve better prediction results and could be used to guide the management of patients after validation by other external groups. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT 03050333.)Research support for this study was received from “La Caixa/Caja Navarra” Foundation (ID 100010434;project PR15/11100006)

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity &gt; 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI