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Explosive adoption of corrupt behaviors in social systems with higher-order interactions
No full textHuman behaviors in social systems are often shaped by group pressure and collective norms, especially since the rise of social media platforms. However, in the context of adopting misbehaviors, most existing contagion models rely on pairwise interactions and thus fail to capture group-level dynamics. To fill this gap, we introduce a higher-order extension of the honesty–corruption–ostracism model to study the emergence of systemic corruption in populations where individuals interact through group structures. The model incorporates contagion-like transitions mediated by hyperedges of arbitrary order, capturing the influence of peer pressure in group settings. Analytical and numerical results show that higher-order interactions induce discontinuous (explosive) transitions between fully honest and fully corrupt regimes, separated by a bistable phase. This abrupt behavior disappears in the pairwise limit, highlighting the destabilizing effect of group interactions. Furthermore, we establish a general correspondence between our model and broader classes of social contagion dynamics with symmetry breaking, recovering previous results as limiting cases. These findings underscore the critical role of a higher-order structure in shaping behavioral adoption processes and the stability of social systems
ICTUSCOG: Poststroke cognitive impairment following nondisabling stroke: Study protocol of a spanish multicentre prospective cohort study
No full textBackground
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally, with frequent cognitive sequelae affecting up to 60% of stroke survivors. Despite the high prevalence of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI), early detection remains underemphasized in clinical practice, with limited focus on broader neuropsychological and affective symptoms. Stroke elevates dementia risk and may act as a trigger for progressive neurodegenerative diseases. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms and the interaction between vascular and degenerative pathways are poorly understood. The ICTUSCOG study aims to address these gaps by determining the incidence, predictors and progression factors of PSCI in a prospective, multicenter cohort of nondisabling stroke patients. The work will explore distinct patient profiles, evaluate the role of biomarkers, and develop a predictive model to identify at risk individuals.
Methods
ICTUSCOG is a five-year observational project involving four Spanish centres. Recruitment began in 2022 and includes consecutive patients aged 18–75 with no prior cognitive impairment and nondisabling stroke. Participants undergo detailed neuropsychological, functional, and neuroimaging assessments at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months, and annually thereafter. Key data include stroke characteristics, vascular risk factors, advanced neuroimaging metrics, and biological biomarkers. Neuropsychological assessments incorporate domain-specific validated tools tailored for stroke patients.
Discussion
The study will quantify the incidence of early and late PSCI, identify predictors of progression, and characterise cognitive profiles. Multivariate models and clustering techniques will explore interactions among clinical, biological and imaging data. A predictive model will be developed and validated for clinical use. ICTUSCOG will provide critical insights into the mechanisms and trajectories of PSCI, informing prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation strategies. The work aims to establish predictive tools and care pathways to mitigate the burden of cognitive impairment in stroke survivors
Low-energy modes and localized excitations in metal halide perovskites: insights from heat capacity
No full textMetal halide perovskites (MHPs) hold great potential to integrate future mass-produced photovoltaic technologies owing to their exceptional power conversion efficiencies and charge-carrier transport properties. However, their performance is still hindered by a poor understanding of their complex soft structures and the role played by defects and impurities in their optoelectronic properties. For the first time, the molar heat capacities of two archetypal MHPs – MAPbI3 and FAPbI3 – as well as two thermodynamically stable non-perovskite specimens δ-FAPbI3 and δ-CsPbI3 have been measured down to 0.35 K. The behavior of the four crystals below 10 K departs notably from the predictions of the Debye model. All samples exhibit a broad feature in the Debye-reduced C/T3 representation that can be interpreted from harmonic lattice dynamics calculations as the excitation of low-energy optical vibrations. We also find that in all cases, the sub-Kelvin regime evinces a common trend across all samples, which may be interpreted within the framework of incoherent tunneling. The application of a magnetic field enables microscopic assessment of two-level systems in δ-FAPbI3, identifying them as intrinsic paramagnetic centers. These findings highlight the universal presence of low-energy excitations in MHPs and their crucial link to dynamic disorder, providing a deeper understanding of the microscopic origins of phase instability and thermal anomalies in this class of materials
Ligand–Enzyme Interaction Modeling of Missense Variants Implicated in Mitochondrial HMG-CoA Synthase Deficiency
No full textHuman mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (HMG-CoA synthase, mHS) synthase is a key enzyme in ketogenesis and is located mainly in the liver, but also in the colon, skeletal muscle, heart, pancreas, and testes. It is an inner mitochondrial membrane-associated protein. Mutations in the HMGCS2 gene, which encodes this enzyme, lead to “mHS deficiency,” a rare, autosomal recessive, inherited metabolic disorder. To date, about 100 patients with this disorder have been described. The disorder usually appears during the first year of life, often after a period of starvation or an intercurrent illness. A total of 77 different DNA mutations has been described that are considered responsible for mHS deficiency, although the mechanisms leading to loss of function are not fully understood. To study how the different missense variants affect the enzymatic activity of the protein on an atomic scale, we used molecular dynamics computational simulation techniques for variants whose activity could be measured “in vitro.” The study included a total of 46 molecular dynamics trajectories of enzyme–substrate/product interaction simulations, each 500 ns long (23 microseconds total). Currently, the atomic and biophysical effects of the mHS variants on their catalyzed reactions have not been studied in detail experimentally. To our knowledge, molecular dynamics simulations are one of the most promising tools for understanding the molecular basis of the phenotypic consequences of these variants. In the present work, molecular dynamics simulations reliably reproduce most experimental enzyme activity measurements, supporting their future application to the study of new mHS mutations
Glycerol-derived ionic liquids: a new family of high-potential renewable ionic solvents
No full textThis study describes a new family of bio-based ionic liquids (ILs) derived from glycerol, designed to address the environmental and toxicity concerns associated with conventional ILs. Two synthetic routes, starting from glycidyl ethers or epichlorohydrin are proposed in order to obtain a series of [N20R]X ILs with varying alkyl chains (R) and anions (X−), including chloride, triflate, bistriflimide, formate, and lactate. Comprehensive characterization of the ILs has been carried out, revealing tunable physicochemical properties, such as density (1.03–1.40 g cm−3), viscosity (0.3–189 Pa s), and thermal stability (up to 672 K), influenced by structural modifications. The ILs demonstrated their applicability in two key applications: solubilizing hydroxycinnamic acids outperforming traditional solvents, and serving as recyclable media for Pd nanoparticle-catalyzed Heck–Mizoroki coupling, achieving quantitative yields and selectivity. These glycerol-derived ILs combine sustainability with functionality, offering a versatile platform for green chemistry applications
Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Study of Neoplastic Cell Heterogeneity in Early and Advanced Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma
No full textOvine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) is a naturally occurring lung neoplasia in sheep caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV). JSRV infects alveolar type II pneumocytes (ATII) and club cells (CC), and the expression of viral oncoproteins induces a lung adenocarcinoma. The gross pathology of OPA exhibits differences in the anatomical patterns known as classical and atypical forms. Thirty natural OPA tumors, divided equally into early OPA tumors (Group A, GA), atypical tumors (Group B, GB), and classical tumors (Group C, GC), were obtained from adult sheep (2–9 years old). Tumor heterogeneity was studied comparing the histopathology (growth patterns, local invasion, mitotic figures, myxoid nodules), together with immunohistochemistry (IHC) using markers of JSRV-ENV, epithelial cells (ATII cells, CC, ki67), progenitor-stem epithelial cells (K5, p63, CD44), and the anterior grade protein 2 (AGR2). Papillary pattern was predominant in all groups. Lepidic pattern was also relevant in GA, and acinar pattern was relevant in GB. Low proliferation indexes and local invasion were observed in all groups. Myxoid nodules were few. IHC showed that all samples were positive for JSRV-ENV. Cell markers demonstrated that GA was different when compared to GB and GC, showing significantly the highest levels of CC, K5, and p63 positive tumor cells. There were no significant differences between GB and GC. The heterogeneity analysis of OPA tumors revealed that in early tumors, repair is important but is not reflected in classical or atypical different anatomical OPA forms
Exergy cost as key indicator of renewability and circularity: Insights from the metallurgical industry
No full textDesde la primera revolución industrial, las sociedades industriales se han basado en la extracción de recursos no renovables y una economía lineal, lo que esta provocando el agotamiento de yacimientos y el aumento de residuos, como las emisiones de CO2 y la basura electrónica. Por consiguiente, la supervivencia de las sociedades industriales y el éxito de la Cuarta Revolución Industrial dependerán de su capacidad de nutrirse de energía renovable y transformar los residuos en recursos, es decir, en aumentar su renovabilidad y circularidad.La industria metalúrgica es clave en este proceso, al ser fundamental para la extracción y reciclado de los metales necesarios para las tecnologías renovables y la digitalización.Esta Tesis propone una metodología para calcular la renovabilidad y circularidad de las sociedades industriales, utilizando la economía circular de las placas electrónicas (PCB, por sus siglas en ingles) como caso de estudio mediante una simulación metalúrgica. La metodología se basa en la exergia, propiedad termodinámica que mide el trabajo útil que un sistema puede realizar. Esta propiedad es esencial para este análisis porque: 1) representa el trabajo util necesario para llevar a cabo cualquier proceso económico-productivo; 2) no se conserva, por lo que indica la degradación (o calidad) de los recursos naturales, lo que se conoce como irreversibilidad y muestra un isomorfismo con el beneficio económico (la generación de beneficion siempre conlleva la generación de irreversbilidades); y 3) permite unificar energía y materia a través del concepto de coste exergético, que mide la exergia empleada en producir un producto. El coste exergético puede descomponerse en exergiae irreversibilidad (exergia destruida), lo que es fundamental para el análisis de tecnologías renovables, ya que presentan una alta demanda de materiales.El concepto de coste exergético es la base de la metodología de esta Tesis que busca responder a tres preguntas-objetivo: 1) .Cuanta exergia se requiere para la extracción y el refinado de los metales necesarios para la transición energética?, 2) .Como de renovables son las tecnologías renovables?, 3) .Como de circular es la economía circular?La primera pregunta-objetivo se responde calculando el coste exergético final de 51 metales. Se considera el coste exergético final porque el origen de la electricidad puede variar mucho el coste exergetico primario, dependiendo de su origen (no-renovable o renovable). En caso de co-producción, se utiliza la escasez relativa de los metales en la corteza terrestre como método de asignación porque este criterio esta relacionado con el valor de los metales. En otras palabras, cuanto mas escaso es un elemento mas cuesta su extraccion. Por otro lado, la exergia no es un buen método de asignación, ya que representa la capacidad de los metales para producir trabajo útil, lo que no esta relacionado con su valor. Así, este análisis introduce el concepto de valor exergetico, que se refiere a la exergia en productos energéticos y al coste exergético en productos materiales. Este enfoque refleja como el valor físico de un producto energético esta relacionado con su capacidad de realizar trabajo útil,mientras que el de un producto material se vincula al trabajo util destruido en su producción.La segunda pregunta-objetivo utiliza la tasa de retorno de exergia renovable (RExROI , por sus siglas en ingles), que mide la exergia renovable obtenida por cada unidad de exergia no-renovable invertida en un sistema energético, es decir, su renovabilidad. Para calcularla, el coste exergético se desagrega no solo en exergia-irreversibilidad, sino tambien en no-renovable – renovable. Así, se capturan tres dimensiones de la transición energética: energía (combustibles, exergia),material (infraestructura, irreversibilidad) y sostenibilidad (no-renovable o renovable). Este análisis muestra la transición del consumo directo de combustibles fósiles (exergia no renovable de los combustibles) a las tecnologías renovables, mas eficientes en el consumo de exergia (con menos irreversibilidades), pero que requieren un mayor coste exergético no renovable en los materiales (infraestructuras). Calcular esta desagregación es complejo, porque la electricidad es clave para producir los materiales empleados en la infraestructura de generación eléctrica. Así, se aplica un modelo dinamicohistórico que considera esta retroalimentación. Los resultados muestran que la RExROI de la fotovoltáica no es positiva hasta 2024 (es decir, la exergia no-renovable supera a la exergia renovable capturada) y alcanza 3 MJ/MJ en 2050, y la eolica presenta valores entre 4 y 14 MJ/MJ.La tercera pregunta-objetivo usa la eficiencia exergetica de la economía circular (ϵCE ) y la eficiencia exergética renovable (ϵRenewable ), para indicar la circularidad y la renovabilidad, respectivamente. ϵCE mide el porcentaje de coste exergetico ahorrado respecto a las irreversibilidades totales eneradas durante el ciclo, y ϵRenewable el porcentaje de irreversibilidades renovables. En el caso de los PCB, pese a recuperacionesmasicas del 95-99%, ϵCE varia entre 27.3% y 49.6%, y ϵRenewable entre 12.9% y 79.4%. Los valoresmas altos corresponden al escenario NZE de la IEA para 2050, que supone un desarrollo masivo de tecnologías renovables.La economía circular en ningún caso puede ser 100% circular o 100% renovable, como establece el segundo principio de la termodinamica. Sin embargo, esta Tesis ofrece una metodología para medir el grado de renovabilidad y circularidad de las sociedades industriales.Aunque el estudio se centra en los PCB, estos indicadores podrian proporcionar las bases para una economía basada en recursos,mediante una contabilidad fisica, paralela a la monetaria, que favorezca la gestión de los recursos naturales y su desempeño en la economía. Esta gestión será crucial para garantizar la viabilidad a largo plazo de las sociedades industriales, maximizando estos indicadores mediante dos estrategias: 1) reducir las irreversibilidades y 2) transformar las irreversibilidades en renovables. Así, estos indicadores resultan esenciales para guiar los futuros objetivos sociales y económicos.Esta Tesis ha desarrollado una importante contribución científica, reflejada en 40 publicaciones: 12 articulos publicados en revistas indexadas; 2 actualmente en revision; 2 capitulos de libro; 3 informes; 10 contribuciones a congresos, siendo siete articulos; y 11 contribuciones aceptadas para congresos del 2025, siendo cuatro articulos."Since the First Industrial Revolution, industrial societies have relied on the extraction of non-renewable resources and a linear economy, which is causing the depletion of deposits and the increase of waste, such as CO2 emissions and electronic waste. Consequently, the survival of industrial societies and the success of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will depend on their ability to rely on renewable energy and transform waste into resources, that is, to increase their renewability and circularity. The metallurgical industry is key to this process, as it is essential for the extraction and recycling of metals necessary for renewable technologies and digitalization. This thesis proposes a methodology to calculate the renewability and circularity of industrial societies, using the circular economy of printed circuit boards (PCBs) as a case study through metallurgical simulation. Themethodology is based on exergy, a thermodynamic property that measures the useful work a system can perform. This property is essential for this analysis since: 1) it represents the useful work required to carry out any economic-productive process; 2) it is not conserved, thus indicating the degradation (or quality) of natural resources, known as irreversibility, which shows an isomorphism with economic profit -profit generation always entails irreversibilities generation; and 3) it allows the unification of energy and matter through the concept of exergy cost, which measures the exergy used to produce a product. The exergy cost can be disaggregated into exergy and irreversibility (destroyed exergy), which is fundamental for the analysis of renewable technologies, as they present a high demand for materials. The concept of exergy cost is the basis of the methodology in this Thesis, which aims to answer three questions-objective: 1) How much exergy is required for the extraction and refining of metals for the energy transition? 2) How renewable are renewable technologies? 3) How circular is the circular economy? The first question-objective is answered by calculating the final exergy cost of 51 metals. The final exergy cost is considered because the origin of electricity (non-renewable or renewable) can significantly vary the primary exergy cost. In the case of co-production, the relative scarcity of metals in the Earth¿s crust is used as an allocation method because this criterion is related to the value of metals. In other words, the scarier an element is, the more costly its extraction is. On the other hand, exergy is not a good allocationmethod, as it represents the capacity of metals to produce useful work, which is not related to their value. Thus, this analysis introduces the concept of exergy value, which refers to exergy in energy products and exergy cost in material products. This approach reflects how the physical value of an energy product is related to its ability to performuseful work, while that of a material product is linked to the useful work destroyed in its production. The second question-objective uses the renewable exergy return on investment (RExROI), whichmeasures the renewable exergy obtained per unit of non-renewable exergy invested in an energy system, that is, its renewability. To calculate it, the exergy cost is disaggregated not only into exergy-irreversibility but also into non-renewable and renewable components. Thus, three dimensions of the energy transition are captured: energy (fuels, exergy), material (infrastructure, irreversibility), and sustainability (non-renewable or renewable). This analysis shows the transition from direct fossil fuel consumption (non-renewable exergy from fuels) to renewable technologies, which are more efficient in exergy consumption (with fewer irreversibilities) but require a higher non-renewable exergy cost in materials (infrastructure). Calculating this disaggregation is challenging because electricity is crucial for producing the materials used in electricity generation infrastructure. Therefore, a dynamic-historical model that considers this feedback is applied. The results show that the RExROI of photovoltaics is not positive until 2024 (meaning non-renewable exergy exceeds the renewable exergy captured) and reaches 3MJ/MJ by 2050, while wind energy presents values between 4 and 14 MJ/MJ. The third question-objective uses the exergy efficiency of the circular economy (¿CE ) and the renewable exergy efficiency (¿Renewable ) to indicate circularity and renewability, respectively. ¿CE measures the percentage of exergy cost saved concerning the total irreversibilities generated during the cycle, and ¿Renewable the percentage of renewable irreversibilities. In the case of PCBs, despite mass recoveries of 95-99%, ¿CE ranges between 27.3%and 49.6%, and ¿Renewable between 12.9% and 79.4%. The highest values correspond to the IEA¿s NZE scenario for 2050, which assumes a massive development of renewable technologies. The circular economy in no case can be 100% circular or 100% renewable, as established by the second law of thermodynamics. However, this thesis offers a methodology to measure the degree of renewability and circularity of industrial societies. Although the study focuses on PCBs, these indicators could provide the foundation for a resource-oriented economy, based on physical accounting, parallel to monetary accounting, that promotes the management of natural resources and their performance in the economy. This management will be crucial to ensuring the long-termviability of industrial societies, maximizing these indicators through two strategies: 1) reducing irreversibilities and 2) transforming irreversibilities into renewable. Thus, these indicators are essential for guiding future social and economic goals. This thesis has developed a significant scientific contribution, reflected in 40 publications: 12 papers published in indexed journals; 2 currently under review; 2 book chapters; 3 reports; 10 conference contributions, seven of which are papers; and 11 contributions accepted for conferences in 2025, four of which are papers."<br /
The role of flexible amide spacers in the self-assembly of star-shaped triphenylbenzenes with photoactive triphenylamine units: stimuli-responsive liquid crystals and gels
No full textthis work reports on the decisive influence of the length of flexible amide spacers for obtaining soft materials out of star-shaped molecules. Either liquid crystal behaviour or gel behaviour was found for 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene connected to three triphenylamine units through flexible amide spacers with different numbers of carbon atoms. The spacer of two carbon atoms induces liquid crystal behaviour but not gel formation. Conversely, an analogous compound with a three carbon atom spacer is not liquid crystalline and forms gels in different solvents. The obtained liquid crystal phase shows a hexagonal columnar organization responsive to electric fields, allowing the material to be aligned homeotropically in ITO cells, that is, with the columns perpendicular to the electrodes and parallel to the applied electric field. Taking advantage of the photoactivity of triarylamine units bearing amide groups, the response under light irradiation in the gel state was explored
Cr3+-Doped γ- and β-Gallium Oxide Nanoprobes for Bioimaging: Synthesis, Persistent Luminescence, and Biocompatibility
No full textPersistent luminescent (PersL) nanophosphors that emit in the near infrared (NIR) region are promising nanoprobes for in vivo bioimaging. Although Cr3+‐doped zinc gallate nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely studied as in vivo bioimaging nanoprobes due to their NIR PersL emission at 695 nm, the simpler Cr3+‐doped gallium oxide system has been less explored despite its deeper NIR emission (760 nm), which favors tissue penetration. This is likely due the lack of synthesis methods that render Ga2O3‐based NPs suitable for in vivo applications. In this paper, a novel method for the synthesis of uniform and hydrophilic γ‐Ga2O3:Cr3+ NPs is reported, whose photoluminescence (PL) and PersL are optimized by adjusting their Cr3+ content. Such properties are further greatly improved through an annealing process at high temperature, which result in the transformation of its crystal structure into the β‐phase. The obtained β‐Ga2O3:Cr3+ NPs are colloidally stable in a physiological pH simulator medium and are nontoxic for cells. Finally, this work studies, for the first time in literature, the in vivo biocompatibility of such NPs using a Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) animal model, finding that their morbidity and reproductive toxicity are negligible. In summary, the reported NPs are excellent candidates for their use as a NIR PersL probes for in vivo bioimaging
Uno más Uno igual a Otro. Del Tercer Sector y la Economía Solidaria al Cuarto Sector en América Latina y Europa
No full textEste artículo tiene el objetivo de indagar sobre los conceptos de Economía Solidaria y el Tercer Sector dando la aparición de empresas con propósito (for-benefit enterprises) denominadas como Cuarto Sector dentro de un proceso hibridatorio. El trabajo recoge la realidad que florece en un marco de capitalismo aparentemente humanista que está caracterizado socioeconómicamente por la fuerte presencia de procesos de innovación, tanto social como tecnológica. Aquí la Economía Solidaria y el Tercer Sector tienen interconexiones y propuestas pragmáticas que determinan y condicionan el bienestar de la población, dentro del marco creado por la alianza entre Mercado Capitalista y el Estado de Bienestar.
En la actualidad los fenómenos emergentes y el carácter de nuevos movimiento sociales situados en la situación de policrisis del capitalismo como sistema social, requieren la discusión de las diferentes formas organizativas que se fundamentan en la solidaridad, la cooperación, la colaboración y los elementos que pueden ser considerados en la articulación del mercado y las formas de la sociedad civil. Este artículo discute la construcción conceptual del Cuarto Sector como una evolución hibrida desde la Economía Solidaria y el Tercer Sector, siendo una nueva de reproducción social del capitalismo con reflejo humanista