Electron driven reactions in complexes embedded in superfluid helium droplets

A thesis submitted to the University of Innsbruck for the doctor degree in Natural Sciences, Physics and New University of Lisbon for the doctor degree in Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics

Anthropocentric-based robotic and autonomous systems: assessment for new organisational options

Text based on the paper presented at the Conference "Autonomous systems: inter-relations of technical and societal issues" held at Monte de Caparica (Portugal), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, November, 5th and 6th 2009 and organized by IET-Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation

Localization in underground tunnels

Positioning technologies are becoming ubiquitous and are being used more and more frequently for supporting a large variety of applica- tions. For outdoor applications, global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs), such as the global positioning system (GPS), are the most common and popular choice because of their wide coverage. GPS is also augmented with network-based systems that exploit existing wireless and mobile networks for providing positioning functions where GPS is not available or to save energy in battery-powered devices. Indoors, GNSSs are not a viable solution, but many applications require very accurate, fast, and exible positioning, tracking, and navigation functions. These and other requirements have stim- ulated research activities, in both industry and academia, where a variety of fundamental principles, techniques, and sensors are being integrated to provide positioning functions to many applications. The large majority of positioning technologies is for indoor environments, and most of the existing commercial products have been developed for use in of ce buildings, airports, shopping malls, factory plants, and similar spaces. There are, however, other spaces where positioning, tracking, and navigation systems play a central role in safety and in rescue operations, as well as in supporting speci c activities or for scienti c research activities in other elds. Among those spaces are underground tunnels, mines, and even underwater wells and caves. This chapter describes the research efforts over the past few years that have been put into the development of positioning systems for underground tun- nels, with particular emphasis in the case of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), where localiza- tion aims at enabling more automatic and unmanned radiation surveys. Examples of positioning and localization systems that have been devel- oped in the past few years for underground facilities are presented in the fol- lowing section, together with a brief characterization of those spaces’ special conditions and the requirements of some of the most common applications. Section 5.2 provides a short overview of some of the most representative research efforts that are currently being carried out by many research teams around the world. In addition, some of the fundamental principles and tech- niques are identi ed, such as the use of leaky coaxial cables, as used at the LHC. In Section 5.3, we introduce the speci c environment of the LHC and de ne the positioning requirements for the envisaged application. This is followed by a detailed description of our approach and the results that have been achieved so far. Some last comments and remarks are presented in a nal section.

Analysis of the Atmosphere Aerosol and Ozone Condition Over Tbilisi Using Satellite Data and Ground Truth Measurements

Ground-based measurements of the parameters of atmosphere in Tbilisi during the same period, which are provided by the Mikheil Nodia Institute of geophysics, were used as calibration data. Satellite data monthly averaging, preprocessing, analysis and visualization was performed using Giovanni web-based application. Maps of trends and periodic components of the atmosphere aerosol optical thickness and ozone concentration over the study area were calculated.

The Phenomenon of international new ventures, global start-ups, and born-globals: what do we know after a decade (1993-2002) of exhaustive scientific inquiry?

In this paper, 27 studies from the last decade which deal more or less explicitly with the International New Venture, global start-up or born-global phenomenon are first identified, and then fully examined and critically assessed as a basis for obtaining an adequate view of the state-of-the-art of this increasingly important research avenue in the field of International Entrepreneurship (IE). The methodology used for this synthetic review allow us to analyze a number of recent, purposefully-chosen studies that are systematically compared along the following criteria: 1) main objective and type of research; 2) theoretical framework/s of reference, 3) methodological issues, and 4) main findings and/or conclusions. As a result of this literature review, a critical assessment follows in which the most relevant benefits and contributions as well as potential drawbacks, limitations or major discrepancies in the research activities conducted so far are discussed. Finally, some suggestions and implications are provided in the form of future research directions.

Update in clinical allergy and immunology.

In the recent years, a tremendous body of studies has addressed a broad variety of distinct topics in clinical allergy and immunology. In this update, we discuss selected recent data that provide clinically and pathogenetically relevant insights or identify potential novel targets and strategies for therapy. The role of the microbiome in shaping allergic immune responses and molecular, as well as cellular mechanisms of disease, is discussed separately and in the context of atopic dermatitis, as an allergic model disease. Besides summarizing novel evidence, this update highlights current areas of uncertainties and debates that, as we hope, shall stimulate scientific discussions and research activities in the field.

Primary care at Swiss universities--current state and perspective.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that a strong primary care is a cornerstone of an efficient health care system. But Switzerland is facing a shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs). This pushed the Federal Council of Switzerland to introduce a multifaceted political programme to strengthen the position of primary care, including its academic role. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation of academic primary care at the five Swiss universities by the end of year 2012. RESULTS: Although primary care teaching activities have a long tradition at the five Swiss universities with activities starting in the beginning of the 1980ies; the academic institutes of primary care were only established in recent years (2005 - 2009). Only one of them has an established chair. Human and financial resources vary substantially. At all universities a broad variety of courses and lectures are offered, including teaching in private primary care practices with 1331 PCPs involved. Regarding research, differences among the institutes are tremendous, mainly caused by entirely different human resources and skills. CONCLUSION: So far, the activities of the existing institutes at the Swiss Universities are mainly focused on teaching. However, for a complete academic institutionalization as well as an increased acceptance and attractiveness, more research activities are needed. In addition to an adequate basic funding of research positions, competitive research grants have to be created to establish a specialty-specific research culture.

Trends in qualifying biomarkers in drug safety. Consensus of the 2011 meeting of the spanish society of clinical pharmacology.

In this paper we discuss the consensus view on the use of qualifying biomarkers in drug safety, raised within the frame of the XXIV meeting of the Spanish Society of Clinical Pharmacology held in Málaga (Spain) in October, 2011. The widespread use of biomarkers as surrogate endpoints is a goal that scientists have long been pursuing. Thirty years ago, when molecular pharmacogenomics evolved, we anticipated that these genetic biomarkers would soon obviate the routine use of drug therapies in a way that patients should adapt to the therapy rather than the opposite. This expected revolution in routine clinical practice never took place as quickly nor with the intensity as initially expected. The concerted action of operating multicenter networks holds great promise for future studies to identify biomarkers related to drug toxicity and to provide better insight into the underlying pathogenesis. Today some pharmacogenomic advances are already widely accepted, but pharmacogenomics still needs further development to elaborate more precise algorithms and many barriers to implementing individualized medicine exist. We briefly discuss our view about these barriers and we provide suggestions and areas of focus to advance in the field.

La gestión del conocimiento en Ciencias de la Salud en Andalucía: una estrategia viable

The Andalusian Health e-Library was set-up in 2006 as a government initiative of the region. After these seven years, its achievements have placed it as the knowledge manager of Health Sciences in Andalusia. It centralizes the subscription of information resources and the acquisition of applied technologies, but it also implements the necessary services for the research community in order to provide a better management of the information which is used and generated. Nowadays, in these economic turbulence days, the Digital Library optimizes the management and the economic resources in order to suit the Andalusian Government commitment in terms of assistance and research activities.

La gestión del conocimiento en Ciencias de la Salud en Andalucía: una estrategia viable

The Andalusian Health e-Library was set-up in 2006 as a government initiative of the region. After these seven years, its achievements have placed it as the knowledge manager of Health Sciences in Andalusia. It centralizes the subscription of information resources and the acquisition of applied technologies, but it also implements the necessary services for the research community in order to provide a better management of the information which is used and generated. Nowadays, in these economic turbulence days, the Digital Library optimizes the management and the economic resources in order to suit the Andalusian Government commitment in terms of assistance and research activities.

Andalusian Health e-Library

The Andalusian Health e-Library (Biblioteca Virtual del Sistema Sanitario Público de Andalucía, BV-SSPA) set up in June 2006 allows health professionals to access the most prestigious resources to facilitate decisiontaking, healthcare, teaching and research activities. It is considered the undisputed medium for health research and clinical healthcare in Andalusia, being consolidated as the Health Knowledge Manager in the region.

Slope processes in changing permafrost environments: a geomorphological and sedimentological approach

Estudi realitzat a partir d’una estada al Centro de Estudos Geograficos de la Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, entre 2011 i 2012. En aquest grup he desenvolupat la meva recerca focalitzada en ambients polars en presència de permafrost, concretament centrada en l’extrem nord-occidental de la Península Antàrtica (Shetland del Sud) i a l’Alt Àrtic (Svalvard). Ambdós àrees han registrat un augment de temperatura molt significatiu les darreres dècades. La meva recerca ha contemplat l’anàlisi de registres sedimentaris (lacustres, eòlics, vessant) i la monitorització de processos geomorfològics actuals a fi efecte d’entendre la dinàmica ambiental present i passada (i.e. clima). Amb aquesta finalitat he realitzat tres campanyes de treball de camp a l’Antàrtida i dues a l’Àrtic. El posterior treball de laboratori i d’oficina està propiciant nombroses publicacions que donen fe dels èxits assolits. A més, cal enfatitzar altres activitats desenvolupades durant la BP-A: coneixement de com organitzar i gestionar una campanya antàrtica, docència universitària, participació en comitès, associacions i tribunals de tesis doctorals, organització i participació en nombroses conferències, treball de camp en noves àrees d’estudi, referee per revistes internacionals, etc. Tanmateix, la concessió del projecte de recerca HOLOANTAR, del qual en sóc l’Investigador Responsable, ha estat l’èxit més important d’aquesta estada. Aquest projecte m’està conferint la capacitat de gestionar i integrar la recerca de 16 investigadors de diferents nacionalitats des d’una perspectiva multidisciplinar. Tothora, cal remarcar que no s’ha assolit un dels èxits que pretenia el meu projecte de BP-A: la transferència del bagatge i coneixement adquirit al sistema de recerca català. Malgrat haver presentat la meva candidatura per un contracte BP-B per tal que aquest background après a l’estranger revertís a Catalunya, el procés de selecció emprat en la convocatòria ho ha impedit i m’obliga a continuar la meva recerca a l’estranger.

Societat de la vigilància 25 anys desprès de 1984 a Catalunya i UK

Desprès de un any de treball, el grup ha detectat que la relació entre protecció de dades i vídeo vigilància constitueix el nus central de la preocupació internacional en torn a la anomenada “Societat de la Vigilància”. Paral•lelament, ha constatat que a l’Estat Espanyol hi ha pocs grups que treballin aquesta cruïlla temàtica, raó per la qual la representació ibèrica en els grups de recerca europeus era minsa. Per aquestes raons, el grup ha dedicat els esforços a: 1) desenvolupar un marc teòric que faci possible entendre l’entramat legislatiu, sociològic i fenomènic de la video vigilància a Catalunya, a l’estat Espanyol, i a Europa. 2) dur a terme accions de recerca empírica qualitativa i quantitativa i relacionar-les amb aquest marc teòric. 3) crear vincles de col•laboració amb investigadors catalans, espanyols, anglesos i fins i tot europeus, començant una etapa d’integració a les xarxes de recerca en funcionament o en estat latent. En funció de les característiques de la convocatòria i del tema original que ens ocupava (la relació entre la mes coneguda obra de George Orwell -1984- i la situació actual del control social a Catalunya i al Regne Unit), s’ha posat especial èmfasi en l’establiment de vincles amb investigadors del Regne Unit; com a conseqüència, s’ha treballat amb dos de les persones “associades” al projecte (Phillip Carney i David Porteous) intercanviant dades, informació i dissenyant accions, en una col•laboració que té projecció en el futur immediat -amb la publicació d’un llibre conjunt- i mediat -mitjançant la integració de investigadors participants en aquest projecte en altres accions de recerca d’abast europeu-. Les accions realitzades en funció d’això explicat es descriuen en aquesta memòria, acompanyades d’un breu resum de les troballes mes significatives.

Secret information acquisition in Cournot markets

Two-stage game models of information acquisition in stochastic oligopoliesrequire the unrealistic assumption that firms observe the precision ofinformation chosen by their competitors before determining quantities. Thispaper analyzes secret information acquisition as a one-stage game. Relativeto the two-stage game firms are shown to acquire less information. Policyimplications based on the two-stage game yield, therefore, too high taxes ortoo low subsidies for research activities. For the case of heterogeneousduopoly it is shown that comparative statics results partly depend on theobservability assumption.

Revue de la littérature 2011 : neuropathies dysimmunitaires [2011: What's new in dysimmune neuropathies].

There are strong research activities in the field of dysimmune neuropathies. In Guillain-Barré syndrome, new pathophysiological mechanisms have been demonstrated with the potential development of new therapies, a clinical prediction model is applicable early in the course of disease, and under investigation are new treatment strategies with adapted intravenous Ig dosages. In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies, current diagnostic tests are discussed but biomarkers are needed, such as histological changes or differential gene expression in nerve or skin biopsies. The exploration of novel therapeutic approaches including monoclonal antibodies and oral immunosuppressants, known from multiple sclerosis studies, suggests new approaches to treatment. Changes of the peripheral nerves on MR imaging are better known and the usefulness of serum antibodies is reviewed.