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Combining tethered and untethered magnetic robots via a magnetically triggerable latch for target payload delivery and retrieval
Get PDFThe reach and scope of minimally invasive surgical procedures can be transformed via the development of continuum robots. Through soft, flexible structures and accurate navigation, previously inaccessible anatomical regions can be safely reached. Dependent on both actuation mode and clinical application, however, rigidity and miniaturization potential can still present substantial challenges. Magnetic soft continuum robots (mSCRs) offer promising solutions to these key questions. Furthermore, micrometer- to millimeter-scale untethered magnetic robots (mUMRs) offer unparalleled miniaturization potential enabling targeted therapeutic delivery. Leveraging the benefits of magnetic actuation, this study introduces a bespoke, continuously magnetized catheter that synergizes the navigational strengths of mSCRs with the functional effectiveness of mUMRs to precisely deliver drug-doped payloads to otherwise unreachable regions deep within the anatomy. In particular, this system uses a magnetic latching mechanism, ensuring precise drug delivery and efficient retrieval, demonstrated in an ex vivo porcine kidney model for organ transplantation-related immunosuppressant delivery
QRS fragmentation on the 12-lead electrocardiogram and its association to physiological cardiac adaptation in elite cyclists
Get PDFThe relationship between electrocardiographic based QRS fragmentation (fQRS) and physiological cardiac adaptation is not fully understood. We aimed to determine the prevalence of fQRS in elite male and female cyclists, and relationship between fQRS and cardiac structure and function. 181 Elite international cyclists underwent their national cycling team's pre-participation cardiac screening. This included a resting 12‑lead electrocardiogram and transthoracic echocardiogram. Fragmented QRS was defined as an additional notch >1 mm deep from the peak of the wave within the QRS complex in any lead. We excluded RSR' or RSR'S' patterns in V1-2 to differentiate from bundle branch block. Fragmented QRS was observed in 73 (41 %) of the cyclists. The most common lead was V1, followed by lead III, aVL and aVF. Of those cyclists with fQRS it was observed in just one lead in 38 cyclists (52 %), two leads in 22 cyclists (30 %) and ≥ three leads in 13 cyclists (18 %). Cyclists with fQRS demonstrated greater left ventricular (LV) diastolic diameter index (p = 0.008), mean wall thickness (p < 0.001), LV mass index (p = 0.001), proximal right ventricular (RV) outflow diameter (RVOT ) index (p = 0.040), distal RVOT index (p < 0.001), RV systolic area index (p = 0.005), and RV:LV ratio (p = 0.008). In addition, cyclists with fQRS had significantly lower RV fractional area change (p = 0.002). Fragmented QRS in athletes is associated with indices of physiological LV and RV adaptation. In isolation, fQRS may not raise concern or initiate any further onward investigations
VR-CARE: a protocol for a mixed-methods study and pilot trial with embedded process evaluation to develop and evaluate virtual reality training for risk reduction in care homes
Get PDFIntroduction Risk reduction training for UK care home staff is limited, not standardised and challenging to implement. Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive, engaging method of education delivery that is being adopted in health and social care. VR may be an effective education tool in care homes, but this research has yet to be conducted.
The VR-CARE project aims to create a new VR risk reduction training programme for care homes that combines hand hygiene and falls prevention modules, and to evaluate this through a pilot trial to inform a future randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Methods and analysis There are two research phases with patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities embedded throughout. Care home stakeholders are collaborating to design the training and toolkit, oversee methods, review resources for accessibility, support recruitment and ensure the project meets the needs of the workforce and positively impacts resident care.
In phase 1, we will use a mixed-methods and user-centred design approach to develop the VR training and an accompanying implementation toolkit needed to deliver it. The training will be developed and tested by 15 care home staff across three rounds to identify and inform changes that maximise usability and acceptability. We will conduct up to 20 interviews with staff from VR companies and care homes to support toolkit development.
Phase 2 is a mixed-methods pilot cluster RCT, with a waitlist control and process evaluation with up to 80 unregistered staff members from six North England care homes, to develop the measures and methods to inform a future trial. The process evaluation will generate knowledge about VR as a training mechanism in care homes. This phase will focus on the practicality of using VR, broader impacts (eg, on residents), contextual considerations and how it might be scaled up.
Ethics and dissemination The University of Manchester Proportionate University Research Ethics Committee has approved phase 1 (Reference: 2025-24416-44642). We will obtain further approval before commencing phase 2.
Outputs will include user-friendly and acceptable VR risk reduction training for care homes, accompanied by an implementation toolkit adaptable for other VR training in social care settings. Materials (eg, training overviews, infographics and videos) will be developed to support uptake. Findings will be presented at conferences and published in journals. Lay summaries will be co-created with our PPIE group, and additional dissemination methods will be co-developed to broaden reach
Line-of-sight stability in unmanned aerial vehicle relays for hybrid free-space optical and visible light communication links under atmospheric effects
Get PDFOptical links supported by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) must sustain gigabit-class throughput despite atmospheric attenuation, turbulence, and platform-induced pointing errors. Single-technology designs based on free-space optical (FSO) or visible light communication (VLC) often lack robustness under changing altitude and weather conditions. This paper proposes a hybrid FSO/VLC UAV relay and a unified analytical model that combines Beer–Lambert path loss, turbulence-induced scintillation, and pointing jitter, coupling an FSO backhaul to a Lambertian V1LC access channel with a finite receiver field of view (FOV). MATLAB-based results show that, under light desert dust (extinction ), the FSO branch retains of the transmitted power at 1 km and at 2 km, compared to and in clear visibility () and and in haze (). The VLC branch maintains a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of at least 30 dB when for altitudes below 150 m. For line-of-sight stability, with a receiver capture half-angle of , the alignment probability is at a root-mean-square (RMS) pointing jitter of (stabilized) versus at (weak/no-stabilization control). These results provide practical thresholds for robust hybrid relays, including visibility-aware switching between FSO and VLC and sub- stabilization to maintain high alignment probability for smart-city and emergency scenarios
Electroanalytical overview: recent advances in the sensing of arsenic using screen-printed electrochemical platforms
Get PDFAccess to clean drinking water remains a critical global health issue, with over 2 billion people lacking access to safely managed water. Among the contaminants of concern, heavy metals (particularly arsenic) pose significant risks due to their persistence and toxicity. Long-term exposure to arsenic (As3+), especially at concentrations exceeding the World Health Organisation's (WHO) guideline of 10 μg L−1, has been linked to severe health conditions, including cancer, dermatological issues, and cognitive impairments. Traditional laboratory-based approaches offer high sensitivity and selectivity but are expensive, time-consuming, and require skilled personnel, making them impractical for in-the-field use. In recent years, electrochemical methods, particularly using screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), have emerged as a promising alternative for As3+ detection, the most toxic form. SPEs offer a compact, cost-effective, and portable solution, enabling real-time, on-site monitoring of arsenic levels in water. This review systematically explores recent advancements in SPEs for the detection of As3+, with a focus on electrode modifications aimed at enhancing sensitivity and selectivity. We highlight techniques involving the integration of precious metals, biosensors, and carbon-based materials, all of which contribute to improved (lower) detection limits and wide sensing ranges. Practical applications in environmental monitoring (particularly in remote or resource-limited settings) are also discussed, offering a scalable and efficient solution for arsenic detection; SPEs have the potential to revolutionise water quality assessment and supporting global public health initiatives
Highly Ordered T6 Organic Semiconductor Networks on MoS 2 Nanosheets for Optoelectronic Applications
No full textVariational approach for a technology acquisition strategy model in context of the Internet of Things
No full textIn the era of highly dynamicity and uncertainty, it is of great importance to analyze the strategic decision process for companies’ technology acquisition between internal and external. In particular, the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as one of the crucial technologies that contribute to the resiliency and flexibility of companies willing to remain competitive in the markets. Despite the perceived advantages of IoT, it remains unclear what drive companies to adopt IoT in their businesses, due to strategic considerations about technology adoption and strategy selection. In that regard, this paper considers the relative payoffs among technology manufacturers, firms and demand markets, using game theory models and numerical analysis. Precisely by adopting a supply chain network perspective, our game theoretic representation assumes that technology manufacturers produce a technology that sell to firms, which in turn use the acquired technology to produce a commodity that is designed to be sold in the demand markets. Assuming that all the agents seek to maximize their profit functions, whereas the consumers want to satisfy their commodity requirement, in making their consumption decisions, the network structure of the problem is identified, the equilibrium conditions are derived, and the finite-dimensional variational inequality formulation is established. Finally, making use of the variational inequality theory, an existence and uniqueness theorem for the equilibrium distribution is obtained. The findings provide implications for competitive enterprises evaluating whether to adopt a new technology, identifying what conditions lead to win-win outcomes. In particular, firms must carefully consider the transaction costs both with technology manufacturers and demand markets, as key drivers of strategic considerations about the source of innovation. More precisely, when confronted with limited resources and the speed at which technology develop in the market, our findings suggest to companies to pursue a buy strategy, as it allows to gain time and benefit from lower innovation costs with respect to the alternative make strategy
Definitions of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies: A comparative thematic analysis of the strategic documents of 29 European countries
No full textThis article provides new insights into the intertwining between technological definitions, sociotechnical futures, and governance trajectories in an increasingly complex geopolitical context. It analyses the definitions of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies (QTs) that have been adopted by 27 EU member states and two associated countries (Norway and the United Kingdom), and which are contained in their national strategy documents. Drawing on the theoretical framework of sociotechnical imaginaries and employing qualitative thematic analysis, the article shows how these definitions co-constitute narratives that intertwine visions of technological development with governance choices. The lexicon used in definitions is not neutral, and reflects distinct epistemological assumptions and political priorities, thus demonstrating how definitional language acts as a performative tool that legitimizes strategic decisions and aligns collective expectations. AI and QTs are emerging technologies (ETs), characterized by rapid growth, high uncertainty, and potential for significant socio-economic impact, and they are the only two ETs for which most European countries have produced national strategic documents in response to specific requests and coordination efforts by the European Commission. A comparative thematic analysis reveals the relevance of these definitions for national and supranational governance, and indicates that the strategic documents are explicitly oriented toward imagining and shaping specific technological futures that justify increasing public investment in both domains
Bridging Biology and Society: Molecular Insights into Social Determinants of Vascular Disease
No full textBackground: Vascular diseases (VDs)-such as arterial aneurysms, chronic venous disease, and peripheral artery disease-are influenced by a complex interplay of genetic, biological, and social factors. Integrating the assessment of both molecular and social determinants offers a novel framework that connects factors like socioeconomic status, chronic stress, and environmental exposures to the molecular pathways that drive vascular pathophysiology. Methods: This review was conducted searching libraries such as Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and Google Scholar. The aim was to facilitate the analytical integration of studies that highlight the relationship between SDHs and VDs under a biomolecular lens. Results: This review explores how adverse social conditions can initiate inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetic modifications, and dysregulation of biomarkers such as matrix metalloproteinases, thereby contributing to vascular degeneration and dysfunction. These mechanisms demonstrate how social experiences become biologically embedded, increasing susceptibility to structural vascular changes and impaired circulation. Conclusions: By bridging insights from molecular biology and social science, this approach provides a valuable paradigm for addressing health disparities and advancing prevention and treatment strategies for common vascular diseases
'Di chi sono i nostri giorni?' Il fine vita come sollievo dalle sofferenze per malattia nella Roma dei primi secoli dell'Impero.
No full textLa relazione si è concentrata sulla lettura di alcune narrazioni di suicidi compiuti per porre fine a malattie incurabili o comunque tali da compromettere la qualità e la dignità della vita, narrazioni da datarsi fra gli ultimi anni della Repubblica e il primo secolo del Principato. Dei casi trasmessi dalle fonti letterarie si sono scelti quelli che sono sembrati particolarmente emblematici della visione del suicidio commesso impatientia doloris quale scelta razionale e dignitosa, specialmente tra l’élite colta di stampo stoico: non gesto impulsivo e di disperazione, ma via libertatis (secondo una celebre metafora senecana), atto finale di autodeterminazione, idoneo a interrompere quello che oggi chiamiamo ‘accanimento terapeutico’. Sugli spunti offerti da tale lettura, si è approfondito il tema dell'aiuto al suicidio per malattia e, inoltre, le modalità della rilevanza giuridica acquisita in età adrianea dall’impatientia doloris quale causa suicidaria