Development of a method for bioanalysis of a nanomaterial in biological matrices

Molecular imaging techniques have become an essential tool for cancer diagnosis. They have the potential to detect cancer at early stages and thus, they can change the outcome of the disease and patient prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has arisen as one of the most promising imaging methods used for the screening of soft tumor tissues such as breast cancer. However, the specificity of MRI remains poor leading to misdiagnosis and many false positive findings. Thus, a wide range of new contrast agents (CAs) are being developed in order to enhance image resolution and safety in cancer diagnosis. For new drugs with an intended clinical use, it is necessary a deep insight into the viability of the molecule prior to clinical trials. Some in vitro analysis and in vivo animal studies are carried out in order to characterize the physicochemical properties of the compound and its toxicity. Problems to find the right methodology to detect and assess identity of nanoparticles after being injected into the blood have been previously found. In this project, a combined method to extract and characterize dummy particles, mimicking nanoparticles to be used as CAs, was developed. These particles consist of a polymeric core, which contains a metal ion inside, together with a coating attached to the surface. A new approach for characterization was investigated by using three analytical techniques: gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to extract and separate the nanoparticles by size, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to analyze the coating and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to analyze the core and metal ion. Different biological matrices, mainly serum and urine, were tested to prove identity. Results showed an efficient extraction of the material with a high rate of recovery by GPC. Moreover, the accuracy and sensitivity of ELISA and ICP-OES in detecting the coating and composition of nanoparticles respectively was proved. More importantly, identity of the extracted material in the biological matrices was demonstrated. Future studies are required to scale up the method and further test blood samples from in vivo trials to completely implement the method. However, here the first steps towards the validation of the method were performed which can help to understand changes in nanoparticles upon exposure to biological fluids in the body.Tracing nanoparticles in biological matrices Cancer includes a heterogeneous group of diseases that arises due to an uncontrolled proliferation of cells which are able to invade normal tissues. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used to detect cancer in its earliest stage. However, there is a need for new contrast agents (CAs) with higher sensitivity. Consequently, cancer nanotechnology has emerged as a new potential field which includes the design of material in a scale range from 1-100 nanometers with clinical use for cancer therapy and diagnosis. Nanomaterials include a wide range of particles used as versatile molecular devices like vectors for drug delivery or CAs to enhance contrast images from tumor tissues. Spago Nanomedical AB in Lund is studying a potential nanomaterial-based contrast agent to be used in MRI. The main structure of the nanoparticle consists of a polymeric central core, which contains a metal ion inside, together with a coating attached to the surface (Figure 1). This coating is made of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains which form a passive surface that reduces aggregation and undesired interactions in the body. These particles can be delivered into the tumor tissue through passive targeting. This strategy can be used because during their growth, cancer cells create new but defective blood vessels. Thus, tumor vasculature has an enhanced permeability and lack of an efficient lymphatic drainage which gives rise to the so called enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. This effect allows the nanoparticles to accumulate selectively in the tumor and remain there for a longer time compared to a normal tissue. Do nanoparticles look the same after being injected into the body? In this project, a dummy particle mimicking a nanoparticle-based contrast agent was further investigated to set up a combined bioanalysis method to extract and characterize the nanomaterial from relevant biological matrices (e.g urine, serum). The final goal was to demonstrate that the identity of the particles (the main physicochemical properties) remain unaffected after being injected into the blood of animals during in vivo trials. Problems can arise if the content of the nanoparticles is released to the biological fluids or if particles aggregate and lodge somewhere in the body. The nanoparticles were isolated and separated by size using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The resulting fractions were analyzed in terms of composition and coating using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. The results proved the presence of nanomaterial in the biological matrices and showed a successful separation of the nanoparticles by size with high rate of recovery. Furthermore, it was possible to analyze the core and coating components of the extracted material in an accurate and efficient way. This study shows the importance of characterizing the nanomaterial and proves its identity before going into clinical trials. Advisor: Dr. Sania Bäckström Master´s Degree Project in Molecular Biology, 45 credits, 2015 Department of Biology, Lund Universit

Antonio de Lara Gavilán “Tono”: Genius and Ingeniousness in the Plastic Arts

Antonio de Lara Gavilán, integrante de la denominada “Otra Generación del 27”, condensa dentro de su amplio legado profesional un gran número de obras como artista plástico. En las siguientes líneas se revisan y analizan las diferentes etapas del autor en dicho ámbito, aportando datos inéditos sobre su biografía y brillantes creacionesAntonio de Lara Gavilán, member of the so-called the “Other Generation of ’27”, condenses within its ample professional legacy a great number of works as a plastic artist. In the following lines the different stages of the author’ s work under this scope are reviewed and analyzed unraveling new data on the author himself as well as on his remarkable creation

Method for Effective PDF Files Manipulation Detection

Käesoleva magistritöö eesmärgiks on lihtsustada PDF failides tehtud muudatuste tuvastamise protsessi kasutades faili lähtekoodi enne, kui liigutakse edasi teiste meetodite juurde nagu näiteks pilditöötlus. Lähtekoodi analüüs on mõeldud esimeseks sammuks, mis võimaldab säästa palju uurijate aega ning pakkuda rohkem tõestusmaterjali muudatuste tegemise kohta asitõendiks oleva digitaalse faili kohta. Magistritöö tulemusel valmib põhjalik ja efektiivne metoodika PDF failide terviklikkuse uurimiseks ja analüüsimiseks. Püstitatud eesmärgi saavutamiseks õpitakse kõigepealt tundma PDF faili ehitust mõistmaks faili struktuuri ja komponente. Seejärel tehakse ridamisi muudatusi faili lähtekoodis, mis võimaldab süveneda faili varjatud külgedesse ja leida haavatavaid kohti ning millest saadav informatsioon on abiks metoodika aluste paika panemisel. Failide enamlevinud muutmise tüüpide uurimisel saadakse kogum andmeid, millede suhtes hakatakse võrdlema uurimise all olevaid faile ning seeläbi testitakse faili tõepärasust. Lisaks otsitakse vabavaralisi tarkvarasid, millega antud ülesannet lahendada. Töö lõpetatakse kontrollkatsetega, sealhulgas hinnatakse saadud tulemusi ja märgitakse ära tuleviku tegevussuunad antud valdkonnas.The aim of this thesis is to ease the process of detecting manipulations in PDF files by addressing its source code, before having to use other methods such as image processing or text-line examination. It is intended to be a previous step to tackle, which can save a lot of time to examiners and provide them with more proof of manipulations regarding digital file evidence. The result is the construction of a solid and effective method for PDF file investigation and analysis to determine its integrity. To achieve this goal, a study of PDF file anatomy will be conducted firstly, in order to become familiar with the structure and composition of this file format. Afterwards, a series of manipulations performed directly against the file source code will deepen in its secrets and vulnerabilities, and will therefore help in setting the foundations for the method. Finally, a study on the most common types of file manipulations will lead to a set of layouts to which compare the files under investigation and thus, test its veracity, complemented with a quest for specialised open source tools to accomplish this task; a set of validation experiments will complete the work, evaluating the obtained results and stating future lines of work in this field

Streets of Galway: the challenge of adapting for television Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor novels

[Abstract] Literature and identity are two ideas intrinsically linked. There is an indivisible relationship between both concepts and neither can advance without the other. Literary manifestations have been worked as a tool for the construction and expression of personal as well as collective identity. In the Irish case, the crime novel is a vital element to reflect Irish identity. This piece of research analyses and contrasts the crime novels The Guards and The Magdalen Martyrs written by Ken Bruen with its expansion into television Jack Taylor on Netflix. As such, the methodology used is firstly based on a socio-historical analysis as well as the study of the development of the Irish crime novel in recent years to, secondly, expose a comparison between written and audiovisual material. The main objective is to establish a framework to understand the differences and similarities about how Irish identity and the main character are relocated in front of the viewers. The idea of this literary analysis is to test whether cinematic art can show identity at the same level as literature.Traballo fin de grao (UDC.FIL). Inglés: estudios lingüísticos y literarios. Curso 2020/202

Performing anti-trafficking: human rights, the security council and the disconnect with the WPS agenda

On 20 December 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution (UNSCR) 2331 on the maintenance of international peace and security addressing trafficking in human beings (‘trafficking’) for the first time.1 The Resolution was proposed and championed by the Spanish Government. By way of background, in 2013 the Spanish Government cited gender equality as “one of the main goals of Spanish foreign policy and diplomacy” in its bid to become a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2015-16 period.2 Gender equality was included among the 10 reasons underpinning its aspiration to become a non-permanent member of the UNSC, with the government stating that it was “giving human rights, gender equality and the full participation of women in peace-building the high profile they deserve to ensure security and stability.”3 At the same time, the Spanish authorities stated that they were also proud to provide the Security Council with the country’s “extensive experience in the fight against terrorism”

Stability and consolidation of an ashlar barrel vault with great deformations: the church of Guimarei

The XVIIth-century ashlar vault of the church of Guimarei presents severe cracking and large deformations that caused great concern. An account is given of a report on the stability of the church previous to the restoration. The report tried to find out the causes and date of the cracking, the actual measure of the stability, and the possible means of consolidation. Of special interest is the influence of "great deformations" and particularly an upper value for the limit deformation was calculated

Aprender para comunicar; bases de partida en entornos de humedales Ibéricos.

A study focused on the perception and knowledge of wetlands among the students of the Faculties of Education in Faro (Portugal), Ciudad Real and Toledo (Spain), located near protected wetlands, is presented in this article. The results show that, in general, students have vague ideas about the functioning, values and functions of wetlands before working on them. This fact changes after their work in the classroom, although a lack of understanding of important issues that they should communicate in the classroom in their teaching function remains.En este artículo se presenta un estudio realizado con alumnos de las Facultades de Educación de Faro (Portugal), Ciudad Real y Toledo (España), situadas cerca de humedales protegidos, relativo al conocimiento y percepción de estos espacios. Los resultados muestran que, generalmente, los alumnos tienen vagas nociones sobre el funcionamiento, valores y funciones de los humedales antes de trabajar con ellos. Tras el trabajo en el aula este hecho cambia, aunque persisten carencias en la compresión de aspectos relevantes que deberían comunicar en las aulas en su futuro ejercicio docente

The Non-Verbal Communication of Santiago Abascal, President of VOX

This article analyzes Santiago Abascal’s non-verbal communication, exploring the development of his communication skills, thus adding to heretofore limited research on non-verbal expression and political communication by providing empirical evidence from the field. Content analysis has been carried out on the basis of a quantitative systematization of non-verbal communication, encompassing kinesic, prosodic and proxemic aspects. The corpus of study comprises 24 audiovisual documents, representative examples of Abascal’s public communication actions between the years 2014 and 2021, to which a tailormade frame of reference has been applied. Our findings show that Abascal’s communication skills have progressed and improved during that time period, and may now be defined as evincing notable intra-systemic and inter-systemic coherence in verbal, kinesic and paralinguistic language, which enables more effective and persuasive communication; a clear, precise and constant gestural style that amplifies the persuasive impact of his discourse; the use of consistent expressive signals interpreted by his audience as markers of credibility; and a mode of non-verbal expression that is emphatic and vehement, which underpins the meaning of the message, enables emotional connection, and fosters effective communication as a form of spectacle. The conclusion drawn here is that the Abascal’s development in expressive communication may be one contributing factor, among others, that has led to the rise of his political party, VOX.Este artículo estudia la comunicación no verbal de Santiago Abascal y examina la evolución de sus competencias comunicativas, contribuyendo así al avance de las escasas investigaciones sobre comunicación no verbal y comunicación política, y proporcionando evidencia empírica al respecto. Se ha realizado un análisis de contenido a partir de la sistematización cuantitativa del comportamiento no verbal, atendiendo a los elementos kinésicos, prosódicos y proxémicos. El corpus de análisis está constituido por 24 documentos audiovisuales, representativos de sus intervenciones públicas entre 2014 y 2021, a los que se aplica una ficha elaborada ad hoc. Los resultados muestran una evolución y mejora en las competencias comunicativas de Abascal, actualmente caracterizadas por: una destacable coherencia intrasistémica e intersistémica del lenguaje verbal, kinésico y paralingüístico, que favorece la comunicación eficaz y persuasiva; un estilo gestual claro, preciso y poco variado potenciador del efecto suasorio del discurso; el uso de constantes señales expresivas decodificadas por el receptor como indicios de credibilidad; y una expresión no verbal enfática y vehemente, que facilita el sentido del mensaje, la conexión emocional y promueve la comunicación espectacular y efectiva. Se concluye que la evolución expresiva del líder político ha podido favorecer, junto con otros factores, el ascenso de la formación política