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Programmable Shape-Directed Optical Binding of Plasmonic Nanoparticles
Get PDFControlling the organization of plasmonic nanoparticles with optical forces is essential for designing reconfigurable light-responsive materials. However, the role of particle shape in determining optical binding geometries remains unresolved. Here, it is demonstrated that the interplay between gold nanoparticle (Au NP) morphology and optical scattering governs distinct near-field and far-field configurations under optical trapping at a water-glass interface. Au spheres, rods, plates, and decahedra exhibit characteristic orientations and binding behaviors that directly correlate with their shape-dependent scattering responses to linearly polarized near-infrared lasers. By tuning the trapping wavelength, transitions in interparticle spacing, orientation, and collective arrangement are induced across two-, three-, and five-particle systems. These results establish NP shape as a versatile design parameter for programming optical matter, offering new opportunities for dynamic nanoscale assembly, tunable plasmonic interactions, and light-driven metamaterials
Eficàcia del drenatge autogen combinat amb l’ús de biofeedback en pacients pediàtrics amb fibrosi quística
Get PDFTFG del grau de Fisioteràpia tutoritzat per Victòria Alcaraz SerranoIntroducció: El drenatge autogen (DA) és una tècnica de fisioteràpia respiratòria que s’utilitza per mobilitzar secrecions en pacients amb malalties pulmonars cròniques com la fibrosi quística (FQ). Tot i estar àmpliament implementada, la seva execució pot resultar complexa, especialment en infants. En aquest context, sorgeix la possibilitat de complementar el DA amb biofeedback respiratori, una eina que pot ajudar a millorar l’aprenentatge i l’eficiència de la tècnica. Tot i que la seva aplicació en fisioteràpia respiratòria és encara limitada, estudis previs en altres àmbits clínics han mostrat el seu potencial com a eina d’entrenament motor, i algun estudi pilot en FQ suggereix una millora en la consciència respiratòria i l’adherència terapèutica.
Objectius: L’objectiu principal és avaluar l’eficàcia del DA combinat amb biofeedback respiratori respecte a la mobilització de secrecions en pacients pediàtrics. Com a objectius secundaris, es contempla analitzar la quantitat de secrecions expectorades durant les sessions, els efectes sobre la saturació d’oxigen (SpO₂), la freqüència respiratòria (FR) i la preferència dels pacients respecte a la tècnica utilitzada.
Metodologia: Estudi de tipus assaig clínic aleatoritzat creuat obert i prospectiu. Participaran 20 pacients pediàtrics amb diagnòstic de FQ amb seguiment a l’Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. Cada participant rebrà les dues intervencions amb una durada de tres setmanes (DA amb i sense biofeedback) en dues fases separades per un període de neteja de nou dies. La variable principal serà la quantitat d’esput mobilitzada, mesurada pel seu pes. També es recolliran dades de SpO₂, FR i valoracions subjectives postintervenció. Tant l’aplicació de les tècniques com la recollida de dades serà realitzada pel mateix fisioterapeuta, això implica que l’estudi es desenvoluparà sense emmascarament.Introduction: Autogenic drainage (AD) is a respiratory physiotherapy technique used to mobilize secretions in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Although it is widely implemented, its execution can be complex, especially in pediatric patients. In this context, combining AD with respiratory biofeedback emerges as a potential tool to enhance learning and improve the efficiency of the technique. While its application in respiratory physiotherapy remains limited, previous studies in other clinical fields have shown its potential as a motor training tool, and one pilot study in CF suggests improved respiratory awareness and therapeutic adherence.
Objectives: The main objective is to assess the effectiveness of AD combined with respiratory biofeedback in secretion mobilization in pediatric patients. Secondary objectives include analyzing the amount of secretions expectorated during the sessions, the effects on oxygen saturation (SpO₂), respiratory rate (RR), and patient preference regarding the technique used.
Methodology: A randomized, open-label, prospective crossover clinical trial will be conducted. Twenty pediatric patients diagnosed with CF and followed at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital will participate. Each participant will undergo both interventions over a three-week period (AD with and without biofeedback), divided into two phases separated by a nine-day washout period. The primary variable will be the amount of sputum mobilized, measured by weight. Data on SpO₂, RR, and subjective post-intervention evaluations will also be collected. Both the application of the techniques and data collection will be carried out by the same physiotherapist, which implies that the study will be conducted without blinding
Concurrence of FGFR1 mutations modulates oncogenesis in glioneuronal tumors
Get PDFFGFR1 genetic alterations are associated with brain malignancies, including FGFR1 mutations in familial and sporadic cases of low-grade glioneuronal tumors, suggesting intrinsic mechanisms of selective pressure toward FGFR1 multiple events arising in the context of a quiet genome. To decipher the molecular mechanisms triggered by multiple concurrent FGFR1 mutations, we have mapped the proximal interactome of wild-type, single- and double-mutant FGFR1 proteins through a BioID-MS approach. Our data reveal novel oncogenic functionality for the two hotspot mutations N546K and K656E, linked to evasion of lysosomal degradation. Further, we identified a modulatory tumor-suppressive role for the susceptibility variant R661P, which hampers the oncogenic potential of both hotspot N546K and K656E mutations by rescuing receptor degradation and reducing N546K affinity for the downstream effector PLCγ. Introducing the R661P missense variant was sufficient to abolish self-renewal capacity of oligodendroglioma cells and downregulate genes involved in neurodevelopment and neuro-glial cell fate decisions, both aspects overcome in the double mutants. This study sheds light on contextual oncogenic effects associated with FGFR1 alterations and their recurrence in low-mutation burden and therapy naive tumors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Constraints on the photon polarisation in b → sγ transitions using Bs0→ ϕe+e− decays
Get PDFAn angular analysis of the Bs0→ ϕe+e− decay is performed using the proton-proton collision dataset collected between 2011 and 2018 by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1 at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. The analysis is performed in the very low dielectron invariant mass-squared region between 0.0009 and 0.2615 GeV2/c4. The longitudinal polarisation fraction of the ϕ meson is measured to be less than 11.5% at 90% confidence level. The ATReCP observable, which is related to the lepton forward-backward asymmetry, is measured to be 0.116 ± 0.155 ± 0.006, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The transverse asymmetries, AT2 and ATImCP, which are sensitive to the virtual photon polarisation, are found to be −0.045 ± 0.235 ± 0.014 and 0.002 ± 0.247 ± 0.016, respectively. The results are consistent with Standard Model predictions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Navigating the Nexus: Blockchain technology, social Innovation, and complementary digital currencies
Get PDFThis paper explores the tensions between democratic and technocratic forms of social innovation in the context of complementary digital currencies. Through an in-depth ethnographic case study of Moneda PAR, a blockchain-based complementary currency in Argentina, we examine how diverse agents — including grassroots activists, political actors, academics and software developers — collaborated to design a financial social innovation aimed at economic inclusion. Building on the tension between democratic and technocratic social innovation paradigms, our analysis reveals that while blockchain technology addressed key limitations of earlier initiatives such as Clubes de Trueque (barter clubs), it also introduced new dependencies on technical experts. We show how conflicting motivations and unequal power over technological tools disrupted governance processes and undermined the long-term sustainability of the initiative. In so doing, this paper contributes to scholarship on digitalisation and social innovation by highlighting how technologies, while offering inclusionary potential, can also reproduce power asymmetries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Search for the Bc+→ χc1(3872)π+ decay
Get PDFA search for the decay Bc+→ χc1(3872)π+ is reported using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector between 2011 and 2018 at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1. No significant signal is observed. Using the decay Bc+ → ψ(2S)π+ as a normalisation channel, an upper limit for the ratio of branching fractions (Formula presented.) is set at the 90 (95)% confidence level.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Anti-Aging Evaluation of Cosmetics on a Tri-Layered Chitosan Membrane: An Alternative to Animal Testing
Get PDFThe search for alternatives to animal testing in cosmetics has encouraged the development of in vitro systems capable of evaluating formulation-driven biophysical parameters assessed on human skin. This study presents a cell-free tri-layered chitosan membrane as a material-based model for characterizing the physicochemical anti-aging performance of topical formulations. Three cosmetic products were incorporated either in the top layer (1L(t)) or across all layers (3L), and key parameters—including pore area, water permeation, firmness, elasticity, swelling and moisture retention—were quantified. VitCOil produced consistent effects across configurations, reducing pore area by 52–56% and decreasing water permeation by 54–61%, while increasing moisture retention by 36–38%. OilSerum showed a marked layer-dependent response, enhancing swelling by +70% in 3L and +35% in 1L(t), and increasing water permeation by 16% (3L) and 4% (1L(t)). EyeCr improved firmness and elasticity at low concentration, with stronger elastic response in the top layer (+27% in 3L; +34% in 1L(t)). Overall, this novel platform strengthens early-stage physicochemical screening by linking formulation-dependent mechanisms with directional biophysical trends observed clinically.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
B–N axis as a facilitating agent for the synthesis of 3D structures: the paradigmatic case of BN-[4.4.4]propellane
Get PDFFlat aromatic compounds containing a boron–nitrogen (BN) fragment have gained significant attention in the field of organic optoelectronics. Unsurprisingly, therefore, an increasing number of synthetic methodology groups have devoted efforts and creativity to developing new strategies for accessing diverse structures incorporating a B[double bond, length as m-dash]N unit, which is isosteric with the olefinic C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond. In contrast, the potential of BN isosterism to expand the structural diversity of three-dimensional architectures based on sp3-hybridized atoms remains largely underexplored. In this study, we introduce a strategy to construct an alkane-type quaternary–quaternary Bsp3–Nsp3 molecular axis via double addition of a carbon-based nucleophile/electrophile pair to a readily accessible olefin-type B[double bond, length as m-dash]N moiety. The approach is showcased through the synthesis of a BN-[4.4.4]-propellane, in which the rapidly assembled tetrahydro-BN-naphthalene intermediate undergoes a polar double allylation of its B[double bond, length as m-dash]N bond. Despite the unfavorable trans preference in this addition step, efficient [4.4.4]-propellane formation was achieved through a tandem metathesis-based trans-to-cis isomerization and ring-closing reaction. The resulting BN-propellane exhibits a C3-symmetric helical arrangement in the solid state and shows fluxional behavior in the 1H NMR spectrum at room temperature due to a helicity flip, for which variable-temperature NMR measurements yielded an activation barrier (ΔG‡) of approximately 14.6 kcal mol−1.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Comprender y acompañar a los y las jóvenes en sus procesos de transición vital
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Ultrasound-guided percutaneous nerve stimulation in post-stroke spasticity: A case report
Get PDFIntroduction: Post-stroke spasticity (PSS) significantly impacts the quality of life for stroke survivors. While various treatments exist, options for refractory cases are limited. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (pPNS), commonly used in pain management, has not been studied for its potential use in spasticity management. This case report aims to evaluate the sensorimotor effects of pPNS in a patient with severe PSS. Case description: A 38-year-old male with severe PSS and functional limitations post-ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery underwent a six-week pPNS protocol (12 sessions). Low-frequency (2 Hz) stimulation targeted the median, musculocutaneous, and anterior interosseous nerves, while medium-frequency (10 Hz) stimulation targeted the posterior interosseous and radial nerves. Spasticity was assessed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Tardieu Scale (TS). Somatosensory assessments included tactile thresholds, pressure pain thresholds, and conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Outcomes: Spasticity decreased significantly, with reductions of 60.4% and 67.0% in elbow and wrist MAS scores, respectively, and a 49.5% reduction in TS scores. However, spasticity levels returned to baseline between sessions. Somatosensory assessments revealed increased tactile thresholds, decreased pressure pain thresholds, and an 81.3% reduction in CPM. The intervention was well tolerated, with minor transient effects, and the patient preferred pPNS over botulinum toxin injections. Conclusions: pPNS may effectively reduce spasticity and modulate somatosensory thresholds in PSS. These preliminary findings highlight its potential as an alternative treatment for refractory PSS, warranting further research with larger sample sizes and control groups to assess its broader clinical applicability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio