Characterization of digital dispersive spectrometers by low coherence interferometry

We propose a procedure to determine the spectral response of digital dispersive spectrometers without previous knowledge of any parameter of the system. The method consists of applying the Fourier transform spectroscopy technique to each pixel of the detection plane, a CCD camera, to obtain its individual spectral response. From this simple procedure, the system-point spread function and the effect of the finite pixel width are taken into account giving rise to a response matrix that fully characterizes the spectrometer. Using the response matrix information we find the resolving power of a given spectrometer, predict in advance its response to any virtual input spectrum and improve numerically the spectrometer's resolution. We consider that the presented approach could be useful in most spectroscopic branches such as in computational spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, hyperspectral imaging, spectral interferometry and analytical chemistry, among others.Fil: Martínez Matos, Ó.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Rickenstorff, C.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Zamora, S.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Izquierdo, J. G.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Vaveliuk, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; Argentin

Acoustic-prosodic characteristics of reported speech in Mérida Spanish

En esta investigación se analizan las caracterizas acústico-prosódicas del discursoreportado en el habla de Mérida. De igual manera, se intenta describir estascaracterísticas y su relación con funciones pragmáticas dentro de la conversación.Para esto se extrajeron 50 discursos directos y 16 discursos indirectos, estosreportes fueron segmentados en tres partes: fragmentos previos, reporte (directo oindirecto) y fragmentos posteriores. En cada una de estas partes se midió lafrecuencia fundamental, la intensidad y la duración con el fin de estudiar acústica yprosódicamente las secuencias previas y posteriores al discurso reportado. Luegodel análisis se pudo observar que existen ciertas particularidades prosódicas quepermiten caracterizar la voz de otro en el discurso. La F0 es el único parámetroacústico que pudiera distinguir el discurso reportado de las demás secuencias. Eldiscurso directo se caracteriza por presentar en las secuencias previas un aumentode la F0 que desciende hasta el final de la secuencia posterior, mientras que en eldiscurso indirecto las secuencias previas presentan un descenso de la F0 que se vaa mantener durante el reporte para luego, en la secuencia posterior aumentarsignificativamente. En cuanto a las características acústico–prosódicas de lasfunciones pragmáticas encontramos que la configuración de la F0 es el únicoparámetro acústico que puede distinguirlas. Observamos que las funcionespragmáticas que presentan mayor F0 son Reportar un pensamiento y Argumentar.This paper analyses the acoustic-prosodic characteristics of reported speech inMérida Spanish and the pragmatic functions they have within the conversation.Fifty direct speech and sixteen indirect fragments were analyzed. They weredivided in three parts: previous fragments, reported speech (direct or indirect), andsubsequent fragments. The fundamental frequency, intensity and duration weremeasured in each part in order to study the acoustic and prosody of the previousand subsequent sequences of the reported speech. We found that F0 is the onlyacoustic parameter that enables to distinguish the reported speech from othersequences. The direct speech is characterized by an increasing of the F0 in theprevious sequences, that descends and it is maintained until the end of thesubsequence sequence. On the other hand, in indirect speech the previous sequenceand the reported speech have a similar F0 and there is a significant increasing in the subsequent sequences. As far as the acoustic-prosodic encoding of thepragmatic functions, it was found that F0 is the only parameter that can distinguishamong them. It was observed that the functions with a high F0 are reporting athought and arguing

La investigación geográfica en la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

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Universidad y territorio en el área metropolitana de Madrid

En este trabajo, que supone la presentación parcial de una investigación más amplia, abordamos el sistema universitario madrileño con una visión de conjunto y fundamentalmente diacrónica, mostrando algunas de sus características, así como su gestación y sus principales transformaciones (especialmente intensas desde finales de la década de 1960), además de su situación actual, lo que quizá pueda ser de alguna utilidad para tratar de planificar su futuro tan complicado. Para ello, nos ha parecido oportuno situarlo en coordenadas más amplias, aludiendo a los estudios que se han realizado con anterioridad sobre estas cuestiones y al marco teórico-conceptual en que se inserta nuestro estudio.Université et territoire dans la région métropolitaine de Madrid. Ce travail, qui fait partie d’une recherche plus approfondie, s’approche du système universitaire madrilène avec une perspective d’ensemble et fondamentalement diachronique pour signaler ses caractéristiques, ainsi que sa gestation et ses transformations principales, qui ont été spécialement intenses depuis la fin des années 1960. On fait aussi l’état de sa situation présente, ce qui peut se révéler utile pour essayer la planification d’un avenir qu’on prévoit assez compliqué. Dans ce but, nous jugeons opportun l’encadrer dans des coordonnées plus larges, en faisant allusion aux études déjà réalisées sur ce thème ainsi qu’au cadre théorique et conceptuel de notre étude.University and territory in the metropolitan area of Madrid. This work, which belongs to a larger search, approaches the Madrid university network with a comprehensive and primarily temporary perspective, showing not only their characteristics but also their origins and main changes, which have been specially strong since the end of 1960. Besides, we set out the present situation, which perhaps could help to draw up a plan for its quite uncertain future. To accomplish this aim we consider appropriate to put it in a larger framework, referring to former studies on the same subject as well as to the conceptual and theoretical frame of this work.Publicad

The protective role of the Internet in depression for Europeans aged 50+ living alone

Depression is a significant and limiting health problem, and living alone has been identified as an essential determinant of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults. This study looks at this relationship by introducing a new factor into the equation—the Internet—which has become increasingly relevant for communication and interaction. It aims to assess to what extent the use of the Internet can mitigate the association between living alone and depression in middle-aged and older adults. This study focuses on a sample of 64,260 individuals aged 50+ who are resident in Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, and Croatia and were surveyed in the context of the SHARE project (Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe), Wave 6. The results showed that living alone relates to greater odds of depression. Nevertheless, of particular relevance is that they also evidenced that the Internet has a moderating role on this relationship, revealing a protective role, since Europeans aged 50+ who live alone and are Internet users are less likely to experience depression than other older adults. The findings reinforce the importance of policies aimed at digital inclusion to benefit the mental health of older adults who live alone in Europe

Ultra-long light sheets via curved beam intercrossing

An approach to yield a planar light sheet with thickness below the Abbe’s diffraction limit over ultra-long propagation distances is presented. Such features emerge by an induced interference of the fields associated to the caustic branches of a cusp-type curved beam. The optical sheet width and length are dynamically tuned by just varying one parameter of the signal encoded in a spatial light modulator within a standard setup for curved beam generation. This light sheet possesses the following characteristics: a high length-to-width ratio, a width below the Abbe’s diffraction limit, reduced sidelobes, and very low spreading along the sheet length. These planar light sheets could be useful in light-sheet microscopy and applications to surface and interface physics. In addition, these sheets can be easily transformed in an optical needle having rectangular symmetry by using a two-dimensional cusp beam instead of an one-dimensional beam.Fil: Neyra, Enrique Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Matos, Óscar. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Vaveliuk, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; Argentina. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Españ

The Contribution of the Internet to Reducing Social Isolation in Individuals Aged 50 Years and Older: Quantitative Study of Data From the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Background: Social isolation has a negative impact on the quality of life of older people; therefore, studies have focused on identifying its sociodemographic, economic, and health determinants. In view of the growing importance of the internet as a means of communication, it is essential to assess whether internet use interferes with social isolation. Objective: This study specifically aims to clarify the relationship between internet use and social isolation of individuals aged ≥50 years, for which other surveys present contradictory results. Methods: We performed logistic regression analysis with social isolation as the dependent variable, internet use as the interest variable, and several other sociodemographic, economic, and health characteristics of the individuals as control variables. The sample size was 67,173 individuals aged 50 years and older from 17 European countries (Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, and Croatia) plus Israel, who were interviewed in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), wave 6. Results: The results show that countries differ in the level of social isolation and rate of internet use by individuals aged 50 years and older. They also evidence that in most of the countries analyzed, social isolation of internet users was lower compared to that of nonusers after controlling for a set of sociodemographic, economic, and health characteristics of the individuals that have been previously described in the literature as determinants of social isolation. Indeed, on average, although 31.4% of individuals in the nonuser group experienced high social isolation, only 12.9% of individuals who used the internet experienced this condition. Conclusions: Internet users show lower social isolation. This result underlines the importance of promoting e-inclusion in Europe as a way to counter social isolation of individuals aged 50 years and older

E-inclusion: Beyond individual sociodemographic characteristics

The changing demographic structure of the population, resulting in unparalleled growth of the elderly population, means that e-inclusion of this population group is considered to be a social and political priority in the context of the Information Society. Most research studies have only considered individual variables -such as age, gender, education, income and health- in the explanatory models of e-inclusion of senior citizens, while ignoring macro variables, such as the welfare systems and public policies in each country. Simultaneously, most studies focus on small-scale samples, lack international comparisons and do not consider the combined effect of several variables that influence Internet use. This study aims to analyse possible differences between two countries that have different welfare systems and public policies, after controlling for the effects of the individual variables that have been identified in the literature as relevant for Internet use. The study focuses on a sample of 8639 individuals, aged 50 years and over, residing in Portugal and Estonia, who participated in the SHARE project (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe). The results of the logistic regression analysis demonstrate that welfare systems and public policies have an impact on the likelihood of Internet use, thus reinforcing the importance of developing public policies to foster e-inclusion of senior citizens.The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT

Can the internet reduce the loneliness of 50+ living alone?

This work was supported by European Commission; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; U.S National Institute on Aging; Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; German Ministry of Education and Research.Living alone has been indicated as a key variable to explain loneliness in older adults. In contemporary society, where technology has become one of the main means of communication and personal interaction, has the internet influenced the relationship between living alone and loneliness? This paper aims to answer this research question by using a sample of 64,297 individuals who were surveyed in SHARE project wave 6 – in European countries with different welfare regimes (Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Poland, Czech Republic; Slovenia, Estonia, and Croatia). The results of the regression analysis evidence the moderating role of the internet on the relationship between living alone and feelings of loneliness in individuals aged 50 and over, so that the impact of living alone on loneliness is diminished for internet users as compared to their peers who do not use the internet. The results therefore reinforce the importance of policies aimed at fostering e-inclusion as a way of reducing the loneliness of older adults

La mirada como origen del proyectar

Iniciando con una aproximación a los conceptos de "mirada" y "modos de ver' nos preguntamos cómo es nuestra relación con el mundo y cómo el entorno que nos rodea se relaciona con nosotros. De la mano de S.Calle, P.Auster o C.Nolan como ejemplos prácticos y apoyados en teóricos como G.Didi Huberman, M.Foucault o W.Benjamin entendemos la posibilidad de la mirada como origen del proyectar. Todo esto a través de unos recorridos sobre el ser de la mirada; entendiendo origen como un "remolino en el río" o proyectar como un "anteponerse a algo". Building upon an initial approach to the concepts of "gaze" and "ways of seeing" the question is raised on the nature of our relationship with the world, as well as on how the surrounding environment relates to us. From the practica! examples of S. Calle, P.Auster or C. Nolan and the theoretical framework of G.Didi-Huberman , M.Foucault or W.Benjamin an understanding is developed of the possibilities of gaze as an origin of projects. All this is developed as a journey through the entity of gaze; understanding originas a 'swirl on the river , and project as a 'foreshadowing'