Chemical Fingerprints in an Underwater Archaeological Shipwreck using a Remote Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy System

Nowadays, one of the most important areas of interest in archeology is the characterization of the submersed cultural heritage. Mediterranean Sea is rich in archaeological findings due to storms, accidents and naval battles since prehistoric times. Chemical analysis of submerged materials is an extremely valuable source of information on the origin and precedence of the wrecks, and also the raw materials employed during the manufacturing of the objects found in these sites. Sometimes extracting the archeological material from the marine environment is not practical due to the size of the sample, or is not permitted by the legislation or preservation practices. In these cases, the in-situ analysis turns into the only alternative. The versatility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully tested in oceanography [1]. Advantages such as rapid and in situ analysis with no sample preparation make LIBS a suitable alternative for field measurements. A fiber-optics-based remote instrument has been designed for the recognition and identification of artworks in underwater archaeological shipwrecks. The LIBS prototype featured both single-pulse (SP-LIBS) and multipulse excitation (MP-LIBS). The use of multi-pulse excitation allowed an increased laser beam energy (up to 95 mJ) transmitted through the optical fiber. This excitation mode results in an improved performance of the equipment in terms of extended range of analysis (to a depth of 50 m) and a broader variefy of samples to be analyzed (i.e., rocks, marble, ceramics and concrete). In this work, parametric studies in the laboratory such as gas flow pressure, beam focal conditions and angle of incidence, among others, were performed to optimize the best conditions for field analysis. Finally, results obtained in these field trials confirmed the capability of remole LIBS for in-situ analysis of underwater archeological samples.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Libs in cultural heritage: recognition and identification of objects in an underwater archaeological shipwreck

Nowadays, one of the most important areas of interest in archeology is the characterization of the submersed cultural heritage. Mediterranean Sea is rich in archaeological findings due to storms, accidents and naval battles since prehistoric times. Chemical analysis of submerged materials is an extremely valuable source of information on the origin and precedence of the wrecks, and also the raw materials employed during the manufacturing of the objects found in these sites. Nevertheless, sometimes it is not possible to extract the archaeological material from the marine environment due to size of the sample, the legislation or preservation purposes. In these cases, the in-situ analysis turns into the only alternative for obtaining information. In spite of this demand, no analytical techniques are available for the in-situ chemical characterization of underwater materials. The versatility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully tested in oceanography 1. Advantages such as rapid and in situ analysis with no sample preparation make LIBS a suitable alternative for field measurements. To further exploit the inherent advantages of the technology, a mobile fiber-based LIBS platform capable of performing remote measurements up to 50 meters range has been designed for the recognition and identification of artworks in underwater archaeological shipwrecks. The LIBS prototype featured both single-pulse (SP-LIBS) and multi-pulse excitation (MP-LIBS) 2. The use of multi-pulse excitation allowed an increased laser beam energy (up to 95 mJ) transmitted through the optical fiber. This excitation mode results in an improved performance of the equipment in terms of extended range of analysis (to a depth of 50 m) and a broader variety of samples to be analyzed (i.e., rocks, marble, ceramics and concrete). In the present work, the design and construction considerations of the instrument are reported and its performance is discussed on the basis of the spectral response, the remote irradiance achieved upon the range of analysis and its influence on plasma properties, as well as the effect of the laser pulse duration and purge gas to the LIBS signal. Also, to check the reliability and reproducibility of the instrument for field analysis several robustness tests were performed outside the lab. Finally, the capability of this instrument was successfully demonstrated in an underwater archaeological shipwreck (San Pedro de Alcántara, Malaga).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucí

Remote Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in Underwater Archaeology: Identification of Chemical Fingerprints in Shipwrecks

Nowadays, one of the most important areas of interest in archeology is the characterization of the submersed cultural heritage. Mediterranean Sea is rich in archaeological findings due to storms, accidents and naval battles since prehistoric times. Chemical analysis of submerged materials is an extremely valuable source of information on the origin and precedence of the wrecks, and also the raw materials employed during the manufacturing of the objects found in these sites. Sometimes extracting the archeological material from the marine environment is not practical due to the size of the sample, or is not permitted by the legislation or preservation practices. In these cases, the in-situ analysis turns into the only alternative. The versatility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been successfully tested in oceanography 1. Advantages such as rapid and in situ analysis with no sample preparation make LIBS a suitable alternative for field measurements. A fiber-optics-based remote instrument has been designed for the recognition and identification of artworks in underwater archaeological shipwrecks. The LIBS prototype featured both single-pulse (SP-LIBS) and multi-pulse excitation (MP-LIBS). The use of multi-pulse excitation allowed an increased laser beam energy (up to 95 mJ) transmitted through the optical fiber. This excitation mode results in an improved performance of the equipment in terms of extended range of analysis (to a depth of 50 m) and a broader variety of samples to be analyzed (i.e., rocks, marble, ceramics and concrete). In this work, parametric studies in the laboratory such as gas flow pressure, beam focal conditions and angle of incidence, among others, were performed to optimize the best conditions for field analysis. Finally, results obtained in these field trials confirmed the capability of remote LIBS for in-situ analysis of underwater archeological samples.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Mapping the ICT in EU Regions: Location, Employment, Factors of Attractiveness and Economic Impact

Factual evidence suggests that ICT-led growth and ICT-producing sectors are strongly localised geographically. Given that the nature of ongoing technological change and innovation dynamics has a strong local/regional component, public policies need to be designed at this level as well. However, little is known - if anything - of the regional impact of ICT. The present study documents the regional impact of ICT by mapping the location of the ICT industry in the EU25, analysing the volume and nature of ICT employment across European regions, identifying the determinants of EU regions’ attractiveness for ICT business location and, finally, assessing the contribution of ICT investment to regional growth and convergence. The study provides evidence for the prominent role played by the Computing Services sector in recent employment and skills' changes in the ICT industry, as well as for the emergence of new regional growth poles in the EU. Departing from traditional business models, this sector of activity presents relatively low sunk costs, especially in terms of physical capital requirement while having strong innovative and skills content, opening-up new opportunities for regional development in the EU. These factors also seem to explain much of the recent trends in ICT multinationals firms' location over the past decade. The study also shows that ICT capital investment tends to promote regional economic convergence. Regional policies aiming to promote regional cohesion must therefore consider ICT diffusion as a potentially important tool for the promotion of convergence throughout the EU. Importantly, ICT diffusion should also be accompanied by other policies and, in particular, policies aiming at improving education and skills levels. The study also shows that the absence of high ICT specialisation should not be seen as a major barrier to promoting the impact of ICT on regional development.Information and Communication Technologica, European Union, Regions, Location, Employment, Qualifications Atractiveness

Space-division multiplexing for fiber-wireless communications

We envision the application of optical Space-division Multiplexing (SDM) to the next generation fiber-wireless communications as a firm candidate to increase the end user capacity and provide adaptive radiofrequency-photonic interfaces. This approach relies on the concept of fiber-distributed signal processing, where the SDM fiber provides not only radio access distribution but also broadband microwave photonics signal processing. In particular, we present two different SDM fiber technologies: dispersion-engineered heterogeneous multicore fiber links and multicavity devices built upon the selective inscription of gratings in homogeneous multicore fibers.Comment: 4 pages, 20th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON), Girona (Spain), 2017. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1810.1213

Bioelectrical model of head-tail patterning based on cell ion channels and intercellular gap junctions

Robust control of anterior-posterior axial patterning during regeneration is mediated by bioelectric signaling. However, a number of systems-level properties of bioelectrochemical circuits, including stochastic outcomes such as seen in permanently de-stabilized "cryptic" flatworms, are not completely understood. We present a bioelectrical model for head-tail patterning that combines single-cell characteristics such as membrane ion channels with multicellular community effects via voltage-gated gap junctions. It complements the biochemically-focused models by describing the effects of intercellular electrochemical coupling, cutting plane, and gap junction blocking of the multicellular ensemble. We provide qualitative insights into recent experiments concerning planarian anterior/posterior polarity by showing that: (i) bioelectrical signals can help separated cell domains to know their relative position after injury and contribute to the transitions between the abnormal double-head state and the normal head-tail state; (ii) the bioelectrical phase-space of the system shows a bi-stability region that can be interpreted as the cryptic system state; and (iii) context-dependent responses are obtained depending on the cutting plane position, the initial bioelectrical state of the multicellular system, and the intercellular connectivity. The model reveals how simple bioelectric circuits can exhibit complex tissue-level patterning and suggests strategies for regenerative control in vivo and in synthetic biology contexts

Computing a T-transitive lower approximation or opening of a proximity relation

Fuzzy Sets and Systems. IMPACT FACTOR: 1,181. Fuzzy Sets and Systems. IMPACT FACTOR: 1,181. Since transitivity is quite often violated even by decision makers that accept transitivity in their preferences as a condition for consistency, a standard approach to deal with intransitive preference elicitations is the search for a close enough transitive preference relation, assuming that such a violation is mainly due to decision maker estimation errors. In some way, the more number of elicitations, the more probable inconsistency is. This is mostly the case within a fuzzy framework, even when the number of alternatives or object to be classified is relatively small. In this paper we propose a fast method to compute a T-indistinguishability from a reflexive and symmetric fuzzy relation, being T any left-continuous t-norm. The computed approximation we propose will take O(n3) time complexity, where n is the number of elements under consideration, and is expected to produce a T-transitive opening. To the authors¿ knowledge, there are no other proposed algorithm that computes T-transitive lower approximations or openings while preserving the reflexivity and symmetry properties

Invocación de un servicio web REST desde un cliente web y jQuery

Tutorial de invocación de un servicio web REST desde un cliente web y jQuery

Evaluación formal de blogs con contenidos académicos y de investigación en el área de Documentación

Weblogs –or blogs– are tools for editing and publishing any kind of contents in the Internet, in an easy and fast way. The research and academic community has taken advantage of these characteristics to interchange ideas and information, converting blogs in a new communication channel to disseminate and discuss new scientific advances. However, as it occurs in other traditional means of scientific communication, it seems positive to establish some quality criteria to determine the capabilities of a blog to be considered a reliable way to interchange scientific ideas. In this article formal quality aspects are analysed, not taking into account, in this first approach, the quality of contents

Aspectos cuantitativos y temáticos de la producción científica del Departamento de Biblioteconomía y Documentación de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1984-2003)

Using a methodology based on the cites received by the researchers of the “Biblioteconomía y Documentación” Area of the UCM, a study about main researchers and publications is done, also taking into account the influence of the UCM in other academic and profesional institutions, and the more relevant topics covered. It is a case study previous to the qualitative analysis of the cites, that is described and considered as a valid tool to improve the results of the traditional quantitative method