Adaptation of the Spanish publishers to electronic book publishing

The electronic book, understood as a digital file, has entered the Spanish publishing scene and caused a variety of changes, both within publishing companies and in the relationship between the publishers and other players in the traditional book value chain. We describe these changes, in addition to the challenges that the publishers will face to meet the new e-books demand. In addition, to systematize the level of alignment between publishers and electronic books, a five-level scale is proposed. Its detailed description provides an overview of the current situation of Spanish publishers in relation to e-books

Deterministic Josephson Vortex Ratchet with a load

We investigate experimentally a deterministic underdamped Josephson vortex ratchet -- a fluxon-particle moving along a Josephson junction in an asymmetric periodic potential. By applying a sinusoidal driving current one can compel the vortex to move in a certain direction, producing average dc voltage across the junction. Being in such a rectification regime we also load the ratchet, i.e., apply an additional dc bias current I_dc (counterforce) which tilts the potential so that the fluxon climbs uphill due to the ratchet effect. The value of the bias current at which the fluxon stops climbing up defines the strength of the ratchet effect and is determined experimentally. This allows us to estimate the loading capability of the ratchet, the output power and efficiency. For the quasi-static regime we present a simple model which delivers simple analytic expressions for the above mentioned figures of merit.Comment: submitted to PR

Sex differences in pharmacological interventions and their effects on lifespan and healthspan outcomes: a systematic review

With an increasing aging population, the burden of age-related diseases magnifies. To alleviate this burden, geroprotection has been an area of intense research focus with the development of pharmacological interventions that target lifespan and/or healthspan. However, there are often sex differences, with compounds mostly tested in male animals. Given the importance of considering both sexes in preclinical research, this neglects potential benefits for the female population, as interventions tested in both sexes often show clear sexual dimorphisms in their biological responses. To further understand the prevalence of sex differences in pharmacological geroprotective intervention studies, we performed a systematic review of the literature according to the PRISMA guidelines. Seventy-two studies met our inclusion criteria and were classified into one of five subclasses: FDA-repurposed drugs, novel small molecules, probiotics, traditional Chinese medicine, and antioxidants, vitamins, or other dietary supplements. Interventions were analyzed for their effects on median and maximal lifespan and healthspan markers, including frailty, muscle function and coordination, cognitive function and learning, metabolism, and cancer. With our systematic review, we found that twenty-two out of sixty-four compounds tested were able to prolong both lifespan and healthspan measures. Focusing on the use of female and male mice, and on comparing their outcomes, we found that 40% of studies only used male mice or did not clarify the sex. Notably, of the 36% of pharmacologic interventions that did use both male and female mice, 73% of these studies showed sex-specific outcomes on healthspan and/or lifespan. These data highlight the importance of studying both sexes in the search for geroprotectors, as the biology of aging is not the same in male and female mice.Systematic Review Registration: [website], identifier [registration number]

Dim light, sleep tight, and wake up bright:Sleep optimization in athletes by means of light regulation

Despite an elevated recovery need, research indicates that athletes often exhibit relatively poor sleep. Timing and consolidation of sleep is driven by the circadian system, which requires periodic light–dark exposure for stable entrainment to the 24-hour day, but is often disturbed due to underexposure to light in the morning (e.g. low-level indoor lighting) and overexposure to light in the evening (e.g. environmental and screen-light). This study examined whether combining fixed sleep schedules with light regulation leads to more consolidated sleep. Morning light exposure was increased using light-emitting goggles, whereas evening light exposure was reduced using amber-lens glasses. Using a within-subject crossover design, twenty-six athletes (14 female, 12 male) were randomly assigned to start the intervention with the light-regulation-week or the no light-regulation-week. Sleep was monitored by means of sleep diaries and actigraphy. Due to low protocol adherence regarding the fixed sleep-wake schedules, two datasets were constructed; one including athletes who kept a strict sleep-wake schedule (N = 8), and one that also included athletes with a more lenient sleep-wake schedule (N = 25). In case of a lenient sleep-wake schedule, light regulation improved self-reported sleep onset latency (Δ SOL = 8 min). This effect was stronger (Δ SOL = 17 min) and complemented by enhanced subjective sleep quality in case of a strict sleep-wake schedule. None of the actigraphy-based estimates differed significantly between conditions. To conclude, light regulation may be considered a potentially effective strategy to improve subjective sleep, but less obtrusive methods should be explored to increase protocol compliance.</p

Most important barriers and facilitators of HTA usage in decision-making in Europe

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research on 05 Jan 2018, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14737167.2018.1421459.Erasmu

La entrada del libro electrónico en las editoriales españolas

Màster Oficial en Construcció i Representació d'Identitats Culturals (CRIC) Curs: 2008-2009, Directora: Dra. M. Loreto VilarEn este trabajo de investigación se analiza el concepto 'libro electrónico' y se describen las transformaciones que éste ha causado, hasta el momento, en el seno de las editoriales españolas y en la relación de éstas con el resto de los agentes de la cadena de valor tradicional del libro. A fin de determinar el nivel de adaptación de las editoriales a las características del libro electrónico, se enumeran los factores considerados clave en el proceso, y se propone una sistematización de la adaptación en cinco niveles. Su descripción proporciona una panorámica actual de la situación de las editoriales españolas frente al e-book y procura reflejar, en último término, la adaptación del sector editorial a la nueva era digital. Completan el trabajo tres entrevistas en profundidad realizadas a Juan Díaz, responsable del proyecto digital de Random House Mondadori, Luís Solano, director de Libros del Asteroide, y Agustín Pániker, director de la editorial Kairós

Setup and development of experiments on superconductor/cold atom hybrid systems

Die Kombination von supraleitenden Bauelementen und ultrakalten Atomwolken stellt ein vielversprechendes Konzept für die Realisierung eines Hybridsystems zur Quanteninformationsverarbeitung dar. Dabei wird ausgenutzt, dass supraleitende Bauelemente gut kontrolliert und somit Quantenzustände leicht manipuliert werden können, während Quantenzustände in ultrakalten Atomwolken vergleichsweise lang erhalten bleiben können. Die Realisierung solcher Hybridsysteme stellt eine technologische Herausforderung dar. Gleichzeitig können jedoch bereits bei ihrer Entwicklung verschiedene grundlegende Effekte untersucht werden. In dieser Arbeit wird der Aufbau eines Mischkryostaten für Experimente bei mK-Temperaturen an solchen Systemen vorgestellt. Dieser wird charakterisiert und optimiert, umdas Fangen von ultrakalten Atomwolken in einer supraleitenden Magnetfalle zu ermöglichen. Aufgrund der starken Modifikationen im Vergleich zu konventionellen Systemen müssen dazu neue Methoden entwickelt werden. Weiter werden Experimente an Atomchips mit supraleitenden Strukturen vorbereitet. Als erster Schritt auf dem Weg zur Kopplung an eine supraleitende Resonatorstruktur werden entsprechende Strukturen entwickelt. Durch numerische Simulationen wird untersucht, wie die ultrakalte Atomwolke an diese Strukturen gebracht werden kann. Die Ergebnisse der numerischen Simulationen zeigen eine gute Übereinstimmung mit den durch die Team-Kollegen experimentell gemessenen Fallenpositionen. In diesen experimentellen Messungen konnte u. a. die Kohärenz-Zeit der Atomwolke an verschiedenen Positionen nahe der Resonatorstruktur bestimmt werden. Außerdem wird in numerischen Simulationen nachgewiesen, wie die Fluxoidquantisierung in einem supraleitenden Ring durch Messungen an ultrakalten Atomen beobachtet werden kann. Erste Messungen der Team-Kollegen bestätigen die Vorhersagen. Damit ist in diesem komplexen System ein fundamentaler Effekt der Supraleitung nachweisbar.The combination of superconducting devices and ultracold atoms is a promising concept for the realization of a hybrid system for quantum information processing. Superconducting devices can be controlled very precisely which makes them favorable for the manipulation of quantum states while such states can be stored in ultracold atoms over comparably long timescales. The realization of such hybrid systems is a very challenging task. However, during the development process, various fundamental effects can be studied. In this thesis, a new experimental setup is described. This setup consists of a dilution refrigerator for hybrid system experiments at mK-temperatures. The system has been characterized and optimized to allow for the trapping of ultracold atom clouds in a superconducting magnetic trap. Because of the severe modifications of the system compared to a standard setup, new methods have to be developed to achieve this. Furthermore, experiments on atom chips with superconducting structures have been investigated. As a first step towards the coupling to a superconducting resonator structure, suitable structures have been developed. In numerical simulations, the loading and positioning of the atom cloud at this structure has been investigated. The results of the numerical simulation are in good agreement with the trap positions that have been determined experimentally by the team-colleagues. In these experimental measurements, the coherence time of the atom cloud has been determined at several positions above the resonator structure. In this thesis, the influence of the fluxoid quantization in a superconducting ring on an ultracold atom cloud has been investigated using numerical simulations. First measurements of the team-colleagues confirm the predicted effects. This allows the detection of a fundamental effect of superconductivity in a complex hybrid system