Diseño de un dispositivo multi-sensor para el tratamiento fisioterapeútico de la parálisis orofacial

At present, the treatment of facial paralysis is of two types: pharmacological and manual physical therapy. The improvement rate is 80%, leaving the rest with moderate to severe sequelae. A tool that facilitates the evaluation of the pathology and allows adjusting the treatment in a personalized way to the rehabilitator, increase the effectiveness and the prognosis. The main objective is the creation of a network of flexible and fully adaptable sensors that collect biosignals and can be used in consultation with the therapist in real time, providing complementary data to those that give the techniques of current evolution, electromyogram, electron beam and trunk reflex encephalic. Arduino will be the electronic device in charge of transmitting the collected signals, which are sent via bluetooth through a module that it incorporates and sent to the computer for the treatment and visualization of the data with the tool Matlab.Ingeniería, Industria y Construcció

Factores determinantes en la adaptación del paciente portador de ostomía y la importancia del estomaterapeuta

gicos, psicológicos y sociales que repercuten en su adaptación social. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar las principales variables que intervienen en la adaptación de los pacientes a la enterostomía, así como dar a conocer la importancia de la labor del estomaterapeuta en este proceso. Método: Búsqueda bibliográfica de revisiones sistemáticas relacionadas con el objeto de estudio, indexadas en scopus, PubMed y cinahl. La recuperación de información se llevó a cabo mediante la combinación de vocabulario estructurado y texto libre, y el uso de operadores booleanos «AND» y «OR» para delimitar la búsqueda. Se seleccionaron todas aquellas evidencias científicas que cumplen con los criterios de elegibilidad establecidos. La calidad metodológica de los estudios se evaluó mediante una herramienta digital. Resultados: Se identificaron 1238 referencias, incluyéndose finalmente dos revisiones sistemáticas que cumplían los criterios de elegibilidad establecidos. Los artículos sintetizan los resultados de 29 estudios cualitativos y cuantitativos. Conclusiones: La educación sanitaria, la alteración de la imagen corporal, el apoyo familiar, la comunicación del diagnóstico de cáncer y el proceso de autocuidado repercuten principalmente en la adaptación del paciente. Son necesarias nuevas investigaciones para conseguir conclusiones fiables y centrarlas en el papel del estomaterapeuta. Se recomienda garantizar el acceso a los pacientes ostomizados a una atención especializada e incluir su cuidado en los programas formativos.Introduction: The ostomates often experience physiological, psychological and social problems that affect their social adaptation. The aims of this study are to identify the main variables involved in the adaptation of patients to enterostomy as well as raising awareness of the importance of the work of the ostomy specialist in this process. Method: Literature research of systematic reviews related to the object of study, indexed in scopus, PubMed and cinahl. The information retrieval was performed by combining structured vocabulary and free text, and the use of Boolean operators «AND» and «OR» to narrow the search. All the scientific evidence that meets the eligibility criteria was selected. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using a digital tool. Results: 1238 references were identified, eventually including two systematic reviews that met the eligibility criteria. Articles summarize 29 qualitative and quantitative studies results. Conclusions: Health education, altered body image, family support, cancer diagnosis communication and the self-care process particularly affect patient’s adaptation. Additional research is needed to get reliable conclusions, focusing on the ostomy specialist’s role. It is highly recommended ensuring access to specialized care to ostomates and including their care on training programs

Sistema de riego basado en controlador PID para la adecuación de la humedad del suelo en invernaderos

Currently the agricultural sector is the largest consumer of water worldwide. This is because most farmers use traditional irrigation techniques, thus achieving poor water use in their crops. For this reason, in recent years interest has grown in developing technological solutions that allow controlling water consumption in this sector. The use of these solutions in greenhouses has further improved water consumption, since these structures allow better control of variables such as soil moisture. In this article, an irrigation control system is proposed that considers the properties of the crop and the humidity of the soil inside the greenhouse to decide the right time to water. This design features a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) controller, a sprinkler system, and a sensor network. The simulations were performed in LabVIEW, which is software for simulation, modeling, and analysis of systems that require testing, measurement, and control. This software allows us to vary the parameters of the PID controller to observe the behavior of moisture in the soil through a graphical interface. According to our results, the implementation of this irrigation control system allows reducing water consumption in the agricultural sector, while achieving a good development of the plants in the system.Actualmente el sector agrícola es el mayor consumidor de agua a nivel mundial. Esto se debe a que la mayoría de los agricultores utilizan técnicas de riego tradicionales, logrando así una mala utilización del agua en sus cultivos. Por ello, en los últimos años ha crecido el interés por desarrollar soluciones tecnológicas que permitan controlar el consumo de agua en este sector. El uso de estas soluciones en invernaderos ha mejorado aún más el consumo de agua, ya que estas estructuras permiten controlar mejor variables como la humedad de suelo. En este artículo se propone un sistema de control de riego que toma en cuenta las propiedades del cultivo y la humedad del suelo dentro del invernadero para decidir el momento adecuado del riego. Este diseño cuenta con un controlador proporcional, integral y derivativo (PID), un sistema de aspersores y una red de sensores. Las simulaciones fueron realizadas en LabVIEW, que es un software para la simulación, modelado para el análisis de sistemas que requieren pruebas, mediciones y control. Este software nos permite variar los parámetros del controlador PID para observar el comportamiento de la humedad en el suelo mediante una interfaz gráfica. De acuerdo con nuestros resultados, la implementación de este sistema de control de riego permite disminuir el consumo de agua en el sector agrícola, mientras se logra un buen desarrollo de las plantas en el sistema

Low dose electron tomography of novel nanocomposites for additive manufacturing

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND licenseThe development of new nanocomposites with added functionalities for Additive Manufacturing (AM) requires of a deep understanding of the 3D distribution of the selected nano-additives within the polymeric matrix, in order to optimize their performance. For this, electron tomography (ET) is an outstanding analysis technique that requires the material to withstand the electron exposure needed for the acquisition of several tens of images, becoming challenging for beam-sensitive materials. In this work, we analyse the parameters involved in the successful analysis by low dose ET of nanocomposites based in acrylic resins for stereolithography (SLA). Needleshape electron-transparent specimens have been fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB), minimizing surface damage due to the high energy Ga+ ions. Microscope settings for tuning the electron dose applied during the ET analysis of these nanoneedles are discussed. A phenomenological study of the effect of increasing the electron dose in the scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis of the material has been carried out, showing that ET can be effectively performed at low electron doses. Two case studies are presented, to illustrate the relevance of these analyses in the development of nanocomposites with added functionalities. Our results have revealed the crucial role of the dose rate and of inaccuracies in the calculation of critical electron doses for the design of ET experiments.Junta de Andalucía 00955Universidad de Cádiz PR2022-00

GRAMI-2 : desarrollo de un test para evaluar la coordinación motriz global en la educación primaria = GRAMI-2 : development of a motor coordination test for the assessment of primary school children = GRAMI-2 : desenvolvimento de um teste para avaliar a coordenação motora global em educação básica

El presente estudio presenta el desarrollo y validación de un test motor para los escolares de 8 a 12 años. Un panel de expertos se responsabilizó de la selección de las tareas que conformaron la composición inicial del test, el cual fue aplicado a una muestra de 1360 escolares de edades comprendidas entre 7 y 12 años, de los cuales 709 fueron chicos y 651 chicas. La segunda versión del test quedó constituida por 8 pruebas. Fue aplicada a otra muestra de 1664 escolares de 8 a 12 años, de los cuales 864 fueron chicos y 800 chicas. Los datos obtenidos fueron analizados mediante análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) y análisis factorial Confirmatorio (AFC), encontrando como resultado un modelo con una sola componente y 6 indicadores, por lo que el test final quedó constituido por 6 tareas. La fiabilidad mediante el cálculo de la consistencia interna y del test-retest fue muy satisfactoria, en ambos casos por encima de .80. La validez criterial mediante su relación con una escala de osbervación de la competencia motriz mostró relaciones muy satisfactorias

Room-temperature Operation of Low-voltage, Non-volatile, Compound-semiconductor Memory Cells

Whilst the different forms of conventional (charge-based) memories are well suited to their individual roles in computers and other electronic devices, flaws in their properties mean that intensive research into alternative, or emerging, memories continues. In particular, the goal of simultaneously achieving the contradictory requirements of non-volatility and fast, low-voltage (low-energy) switching has proved challenging. Here, we report an oxide-free, floating-gate memory cell based on III-V semiconductor heterostructures with a junctionless channel and non-destructive read of the stored data. Non-volatile data retention of at least 104 s in combination with switching at ≤2.6 V is achieved by use of the extraordinary 2.1 eV conduction band offsets of InAs/AlSb and a triple-barrier resonant tunnelling structure. The combination of low-voltage operation and small capacitance implies intrinsic switching energy per unit area that is 100 and 1000 times smaller than dynamic random access memory and Flash respectively. The device may thus be considered as a new emerging memory with considerable potential

Structural changes during the natural aging process of InN quantum dots

The natural aging process of InN nanostructures by the formation of indium oxides is examined by transmission electron microscopy related techniques. Uncapped and GaN-capped InN quantum dots (QDs) on GaN/sapphire substrates were grown under the same conditions and kept at room temperature/pressure conditions. The GaN capping layer is found to preserve the InN QDs in the wurtzite phase, avoiding the formation of group-III oxides, while in the uncapped sample, a thin layer of cubic phases are formed that envelops the nucleus of wurtzite InN. These cubic phases are shown to be mainly bcc- In 2 O3 for long aged samples where the nitrogen atoms in the InN surface layers have been substituted by atmospheric oxygen. This process implies the gradual transformation of the In sublattice from hcp to a quasi-fcc structure. Metastable zinc-blende InN phases rich in oxygen atoms are proposed to act as intermediate phases and they are evinced in samples less aged. The large concurrence of interplanar spaces, the twin formation, and the existence of a free surface that facilitates the transformation support this mechanism and would explain the high instability of the InN nanostructures at ambient conditions.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) MAT2007-60643Junta de Andalucía TEP383 EspañaUnión Europea NMP4-CT-2004- 50010

Induced damage during STEM-EELS analyses on acrylic-based materials for Stereolithography

(Scanning) transmission electron microscopy, (S)TEM, offers a powerful characterization tool based on electron-matter interactions, highly valuable in materials science. However, the possible electron beam induced damage during (S)TEM measurements hinders the analysis of soft materials, such as acrylic resins. Importantly, acrylic resins offer an appealing playground for the development of novel composites with customized properties and convenient processing capabilities for 3D-printing technologies, including Stereolithography (SLA). There are several factors preventing the optimal performance of TEM measurements applied to acrylic resins, among which we focus on the quality of the analyzed specimen (i.e., compromise between thickness and robustness, to achieve electron transparency while keeping the material integrity), particularly challenging when working with soft materials; the electrostatic charging/discharging effects, resulting in sample drift and related noise/artefacts; and the radiolysis and knock-on electron-induced damage, which directly degrade the material under study. We explore and compare different methodologies to obtain resin specimens suitable for (S)TEM analysis, employed for the subsequent study of the electron–beam damage induced during STEM-EELS measurements. Furthermore, we propose likely underlying mechanisms explaining the acrylic resin degradation based on the different EELS monitored signals. On one hand, we assess the evolution of the carbon and oxygen content, as well as the material thinning as a function of the accumulated electron dose. On the other hand, we extract meaningful information from the spectral shape of carbon and oxygen K-edges upon increasing electron doses, unraveling likely degradation pathways. The earned understanding on the electron-beam induced damage and the determination of critical doses provide a useful framework for the implementation of (S)TEM techniques as useful tools to help in the smart engineering of acrylic-based composites for SLA.DME-SC-ICyT-ELECMI-UCAUnión Europea - Junta de Andalucía - INNANOMAT TEP94

Exploring the Capability of HAADF-STEM Techniques to Characterize Graphene Distribution in Nanocomposites by Simulations

This paper explores the capability of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques in determining the dispersion degree of graphene layers within the carbon matrix by using simulated high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images. Results ensure that unmarked graphene layers are only detectable if their orientation is parallel to the microscope beam. Additionally, gold-marked graphene layers allow evaluating the dispersion degree in structural composites. Moreover, electron tomography has been demonstrated to provide truthfully 3D distribution of the graphene sheets inside the matrix when an appropriate reconstruction algorithm and 2D projections including channelling effect are use

A Cannabigerol Derivative Suppresses Immune Responses and Protects Mice from Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Phytocannabinoids that do not produce psychotropic effects are considered of special interest as novel therapeutic agents in CNS diseases. A cannabigerol quinone, the compound VCE-003, has been shown to alleviate symptoms in a viral model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Hence, we studied T cells and macrophages as targets for VCE-003 and its efficacy in an autoimmune model of MS. Proliferation, cell cycle, expression of activation markers was assessed by FACs in human primary T cells, and cytokine and chemokine production was evaluated. Transcription was studied in Jurkat cells and RAW264.7 cells were used to study the effects of VCE-003 on IL-17-induced macrophage polarization to a M1 phenotype. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35–55) immunization and spinal cord pathology was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Neurological impairment was evaluated using disease scores. We show here that VCE-003 inhibits CD3/CD28-induced proliferation, cell cycle progression and the expression of the IL-2Rα and ICAM-1 activation markers in human primary T cells. VCE-003 inhibits the secretion of Th1/Th17 cytokines and chemokines in primary murine T cells, and it reduces the transcriptional activity of the IL-2, IL-17 and TNFα promoters induced by CD3/CD28. In addition, VCE-003 and JWH-133, a selective CB2 agonist, dampened the IL-17-induced polarization of macrophages to a pro-inflammatory M1 profile. VCE-003 also prevented LPS-induced iNOS expression in microglia. VCE-003 ameliorates the neurological defects and the severity of MOG-induced EAE in mice through CB2 and PPARγ receptor activation. A reduction in cell infiltrates, mainly CD4+ T cells, was observed, and Th1 and Th17 responses were inhibited in the spinal cord of VCE-003-treated mice, accompanied by weaker microglial activation, structural preservation of myelin sheets and reduced axonal damage. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of VCE-003 as an agent for the treatment of human immune diseases with both inflammatory and autoimmune components