Consumption responses to inheritances: The role of durable goods

This paper studies the impact of inheritances, a key component in household wealth accumulation, on consumption. Specifically, we investigate how inheritances influence household consumption growth, distinguishing durable and nondurable goods. In doing so, we use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics spanning 2005–2019. The results reveal a positive effect of inheritances on household consumption of durable goods. Such an effect occurs immediately after receiving the inheritance and its average magnitude is about 27 %. Estimates also reveal that large inheritances significantly impact the consumption growth of durables, but also of nondurables, while small inheritances show no effects. Consumption responses are stronger among liquidity and borrowing constrained households, aligning with life-cycle models of consumption behavior. Insights inform planners by highlighting varied effects of inheritances on household consumption, particularly emphasizing the nuanced impact of inheritance size

Genipin-crosslinked double PLL membranes overcome the strength-diffusion trade-off in cell encapsulation without compromising biocompatibility

Cell microencapsulation technologies allow non-autologous implantation of therapeutic cells for sustained drug delivery purposes. The perm-selective membrane of these systems provides resistance to rupture, stablishes the upper molecular weight limit in bidirectional diffusion of molecules, and affects biocompatibility. Thus, despite being a decisive factor to succeed in terms of biosafety and therapeutic efficacy, little progress has been made in its optimization so far. Here we show that, compared to other usually used coating designs, genipin-crosslinked double poly-L-lysine (GDP) membranes are able to simultaneously improve mechanical and mass-transport properties of the microcapsules, without causing any significant increase in the foreign body response when implanted in vivo. In particular, we show that GDP membranes confer capsular integrity under high pressures, both internal and external. Furthermore, this membrane design allows for more efficient bidirectional diffusion of molecules in the 20–40 kDa range while preserving the molecular weight cut-off required for exerting an effective immunobarrier. These findings may also be useful for optimizing the membrane characteristics of multiple drug delivery systems

Diseño de control de calidad para SmartGate e implementación mediante software con generación de reportes para su industrialización.

El proyecto desarrollado como parte del Trabajo de Fin de Grado, tiene como objetivo implementar un sistema de control de calidad orientado a procesos de industrialización, integrando hardware y software para asegurar el correcto funcionamiento del SmartGate de la empresa Kintech. En una primera etapa, se realiza un análisis detallado del producto, abarcando su diseño de hardware, los protocolos de comunicación implementados y la configuración de la PCB. Este estudio permite identificar los puntos críticos que se deben evaluar durante el control de calidad. En la segunda etapa, se desarrolla un sistema automatizado de pruebas mediante hardware externo, enfocado en verificar el funcionamiento de los puertos RS-232, RS-485 y Ethernet, además de comprobar las resistencias Pull-Up, Pull-Down y de terminación en los puertos RS-485. Estas pruebas se llevan a cabo utilizando un programa ejecutado en una Raspberry Pi, que automatiza la configuración y validación del dispositivo de manera precisa y eficiente. Tras verificar el correcto funcionamiento del sistema, se implementa una tercera etapa centrada en la generación de reportes automáticos. Estos incluyen un archivo de texto que registra los datos enviados, recibidos y medidos, junto con los valores esperados y obtenidos, sirviendo como un registro interno para la empresa. Adicionalmente, se genera un documento PDF que, según los resultados de las pruebas, proporciona un Certificado de Calidad o un reporte detallado de los errores detectados durante la verificación. Finalmente, se desarrolla un software de escritorio robusto e intuitivo que integra todas las funcionalidades del sistema. Este software automatiza el proceso de verificación, minimizando los errores humanos y asegurando un flujo de trabajo confiable y eficiente para el control de calidad.<br /

Diseño y fabricación de un paracaídas instantáneo con activación electromecánica.

El objetivo de este trabajo es: diseñar un paracaídas instantáneo de ascensor, que se encarga de frenar al ascensor en caso de una sobrevelocidad o situación no segura, su activación electromecánica, que activa el paracaídas cuando el limitador electrónico da la orden, y describir los procesos de fabricación de los mismos.<br /

Integración de librerías CCSV para optimización y seguridad documental en proyectos de AMD Aragón en empresa.

En este proyecto, el objetivo ha sido integrar las librerías CCSV (Servicio de almacenamiento y verificación de documentos electrónicos) proporcionadas por el Sistema de Administración Electrónica (SAE) del Gobierno de Aragón en los proyectos existentes en la empresa Hiberus, lo que ha permitido mejorar las interacciones con la administración pública y optimizar la gestión de documentación electrónica. El desarrollo de este proyecto ha requerido superar varios desafíos importantes que dificultaban el funcionamiento adecuado de los sistemas anteriores. Entre los principales obstáculos, destaca la falta de centralización en la gestión de documentos, lo que obligaba a realizar múltiples pasos y ralentizaba las operaciones; y la obsolescencia de funciones clave, cuyas actualizaciones requerían una reingeniería compleja. Además, la ausencia de documentación completa complicaba tanto el mantenimiento del sistema como la incorporación de nuevos desarrolladores, lo que generaba dependencia de personas con experiencia previa en el sistema.<br /

Assessment of pig welfare at slaughterhouse level: A systematic review of animal-based indicators suitable for inclusion in monitoring protocols

Pig welfare constitutes a strategic pillar of sustainability within the pork industry. Consequently, there is a need to identify, develop and/or validate indicators for assessing pig wellbeing under commercial conditions. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines identified 95 pig welfare indicators (PWIs) categorized into physiological, behavioral, health and post-mortem, and product quality. The review evaluated their validity and feasibility (V&F) for use in abattoirs to measure welfare during transport and slaughter. Thirty V&F indicators were found: one physiological (body temperature), 12 behavioral (human-animal relationship, aggression, falling, vocalization, slipping, panting, lying down, sitting, turning back), 13 health and post-mortem (presence of entry points, hernias, body lesions, ear lesions, tail lesions, pericarditis, pneumonia, bursitis, lameness, dead animals, walking and non-walking animals), and four product quality (pH, bruises, body condition, carcass weight). This information might help to identify the factors that affect the risk level of particular pig welfare problems, thereby aiding in the application of risk-based strategies

Coordination bonds as a tool for tuning photoconductance in nanostructured hybrid materials made of molecular antennas and metal nanoparticles

The synthesis of robust, versatile materials in which electrical conduction is enhanced by light irradiation is of prime importance for fields as varied as photodetectors, photodiodes, solar cells and light sensors. Hybrid materials offer the advantage of combining the robustness of an inorganic building block with the adaptability of a molecular subunit. Herein, we demonstrate the importance of properly investigating the nature of the chemical interactions between the constituent elements in order to optimize photoconductance within hybrid materials. To this end, platinum nanoparticle self-assemblies are synthesized in solution, including a series of zinc-porphyrins differentially functionalized with pyridine moieties in the meso position. The presence of coordinating groups on the molecular entities drastically reinforced both the structural cohesion of the system and its photoconductive properties

Enhancing human NK cell antitumor function by knocking out SMAD4 to counteract TGFß and activin A suppression

Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) and activin A suppress natural killer (NK) cell function and proliferation, limiting the efficacy of adoptive NK cell therapies. Inspired by the partial resistance to TGFβ of NK cells with SMAD4 haploinsufficiency, we used CRISPR–Cas9 for knockout of SMAD4 in human NK cells. Here we show that SMAD4KO NK cells were resistant to TGFβ and activin A inhibition, retaining their cytotoxicity, cytokine secretion and interleukin-2/interleukin-15-driven proliferation. They showed enhanced tumor penetration and tumor growth control, both as monotherapy and in combination with tumor-targeted therapeutic antibodies. Notably, SMAD4KO NK cells outperformed control NK cells treated with a TGFβ inhibitor, underscoring the benefit of maintaining SMAD4-independent TGFβ signaling. SMAD4KO conferred TGFβ resistance across diverse NK cell platforms, including CD19-CAR NK cells, stem cell-derived NK cells and ADAPT-NK cells. These findings position SMAD4 knockout as a versatile and compelling strategy to enhance NK cell antitumor activity, providing a new avenue for improving NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies

Cohort-Based Evaluation of the Risk of Low Back Pain After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Long-Term Study

Low back pain (LBP) is a potential complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, some studies suggest that THA not only alleviates joint pain but also resolves LBP in up to 88.2% of patients. Most of these observations are limited to short-term follow-ups. This study investigates the long-term relationship between THA and LBP, challenging the notion that THA resolves LBP. A retrospective review was conducted on 236 patients who underwent THA (2010–2020). Multiple statistical models were applied, including unadjusted unmatched, adjusted unmatched, adjusted matched, and target trial emulation with 7887 subjects, to evaluate LBP incidence. Of the 236 patients, 119 developed postoperative LBP. The unadjusted unmatched analysis showed a relative risk (RR) of 2.23 (95%CI: 1.5–3.2). Adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and recruitment period reduced the RR to 1.64 (95%CI: 1.0–2.6). The adjusted matched analysis showed an RR of 1.09 (95%CI: 0.4–3.0), while the target trial emulation simulated an RR of 1.03 (95%CI: 0.7–1.8), indicating no significant differences. Despite an apparent initial association, adjusted analyses do not support a significant long-term relationship between THA and LBP. No reduction in postoperative LBP incidence was observed, suggesting THA is safe regarding LBP risk but lacks a curative effect. Rigorous confounding adjustment is essential in retrospective studies

Fast and slow response of the accommodation system in young and incipient-presbyope adults during sustained reading task

Objectives: To investigate the dynamics of accommodation during and immediately after a sustained reading task on a digital device across various age groups under monocular and binocular conditions. Methods: Seventeen subjects were selected and divided into three age groups: young adults (n = 4, age: 21.3 ± 3.2 years), adults (n = 4, age: 34 ± 3.56 years), and incipient presbyopes (n = 9, age: 45 ± 3.61 years). Dynamic accommodation and disaccommodation were objectively measured using the WAM-5500 open-view autorefractor during 2 min of distance fixation (Maltese cross at 6 m), 5 min of sustained near reading on a teleprompter app at the nearest readable distance, and 2 min of distance vision. Six sequential temporal landmarks were identified. Quantitative metrics for accommodation lag (AL), slope of slow accommodation (SSA), slope of slow disaccommodation (SSD), peak velocity of accommodation (PVA) and peak velocity of disaccommodation (PVD) were obtained as absolute values of spherical equivalent refractive (SER) change. Results: SSA, SSD, and AL were significantly and positively correlated with age (ρ = 0.75, 0.73, 0.51, respectively; p ≤ 0.038). For subjects under 45 years of age SSA and SSD increased quadratically with age, while for those above 45 years, both SSA and SSD decreased linearly. Linear regression of PVA and PVD with age indicated that the disaccommodation mechanism is faster than accommodation (slope = –0.15 and –0.23, respectively). PVA was significantly faster under monocular than binocular conditions (p = 0.124). Conclusions: Incipient presbyopes demonstrate a complex response in both accommodation and disaccommodation. The accommodation system responds quickly, but there is also a slower response that can provide up to an additional 1D of accommodative response during sustained near reading tasks. It is hypothesized that the crystalline lens exhibits hysteresis in returning to its unaccommodated state, due to its viscoelastic properties, which means it takes time to relax