2,594 research outputs found

    Non-Linear Optical Properties of Er3+–Yb3+-Doped NaGdF4 Nanostructured Glass–Ceramics

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    Transparent oxyfluoride glass–ceramics containing NaGdF4 nanocrystals were prepared by melt-quenching and doped with Er3+ (0.5 mol%) and different amounts of Yb3+ (0–2 mol%). The selected dopant concentration the crystallization thermal treatments were chosen to obtain the most efficient visible up-conversion emissions, together with near infrared emissions. The crystal size increased with dopant content and treatment time. NaGdF4 NCs with a size ranging 9–30 nm were obtained after heat treatments at Tg + 20–80 °C as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis shows the incorporation of rare earth ions into the NaGdF4 nanocrystals. Near-infrared emission spectra, together with the up-conversion emissions were measured. The optical characterization of the glass–ceramics clearly shows that Er3+ and Yb3+ ions are incorporated in the crystalline phase. Moreover, visible up-conversion emissions could be tuned by controlling the nanocrystals size through appropriated heat treatment, making possible a correlation between structural and optical properties.This research was funded by Spanish National projects MAT2017-87035-C2-1-P/2-P (AEI/FEDER, UE), Basque Country University PPG17/07 and GIU17/014 and Basque Government PIBA2018-24. This study is part of the dissemination activities of project FunGlass. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 739566. This study was also created in the frame of the project Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass (CEGLASS), ITMS code is 313011R453, operational program Research and innovation, co-funded from European Regional Development Fund

    Topographical control of the source‐sink and wind stress‐driven planetary geostrophic circulation in a polar basin

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    The effects of topography on the barotropic circulation in a polar basin are examined analytically and numerically. New approximate linear analytical solutions are presented for steady‐state wind and boundary forced barotropic planetary geostrophic circulation in a circular polar basin with a step shelf. The solutions are obtained by retaining the full spherical geometry in the derivation of the forced potential vorticity equation; thereafter the colatitude is fixed in the coefficients of this governing equation. The accuracy of the analytical solutions is evaluated by comparing them with the equivalent numerical solutions obtained using the NEMO modeling system. Subsequently, the impact of a nonuniform width shelf on source‐sink‐driven circulation is investigated numerically. The equipartition of fluid entering the source strait into cyclonic and anticyclonic shelf currents, exiting the basin at the sink strait, in a basin with a uniform width shelf is shown to be modified when the shelf width varies. In general, the wider shelf supports a current with larger transport, irrespective of the azimuthal extent of the wider shelf. The study concludes with a numerical investigation of wind‐driven circulation in a basin with a step shelf, three straits, and a transpolar ridge, a prototype Arctic Ocean simulation. Topographic steering by the ridge supports a transpolar drift current, the magnitude of which depends on the ridge height. Without the ridge, the transpolar drift current is absent and the circulation is confined to gyres on the shelf and in the deep basin

    Propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale

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    Introducción La Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS) es un cuestionario breve que evalúa 2 componentes clave de la atención plena: la conciencia en el momento presente y la aceptación. El presente estudio evalúa las propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la PHLMS tanto en una muestra control de estudiantes universitarios como en población con patología psiquiátrica. Material y métodos Se administró la versión española de la PHLMS a 395 voluntarios (256 con patología psiquiátrica y 139 estudiantes). Resultados El análisis factorial exploratorio de la versión española de la PHLMS apoya la solución bifactorial de la versión original con una varianza explicada del 44,02%. La escala presentó una adecuada fiabilidad (α de Cronbach de 0,81 a 0,86). La PHLMS mostró una adecuada validez convergente con los otros cuestionarios de atención plena y aceptación y una validez divergente de la clínica depresiva y ansiosa comparable a la de la versión original. Conclusiones La versión española de la PHLMS presenta adecuadas propiedades psicométricas y puede ser utilizada para medir 2 componentes constituyentes de la atención plena -i.e. conciencia y aceptación- tanto en el ámbito clínico como en investigació

    Acidosis láctica asociada a metformina

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    Metformin is an oral antidiabetic that belongs to the group of the biguainides. It is the drug of choice for the treatment of type II diabetes due to its efficacy and safety. It is a small molecule, whose elimination half-life is 8 to 20 hours in people with normal renal function. Severe lactic acidosis associated with metformin is a serious, infrequent disease (its incidence is estimated between 3-8 cases per 100,000 diabetic patients and year) but with high mortality (around 40% in accidental poisonings), which is defined in presence of a pH <7.35, lactate> 2 mmol / L and a paCO2 in normal limits. We present the case of a diabetic patient under treatment with metformin, hypertense and dyslipidemic, polymedicated, with severe lactic acidosis, in a Reanimation Care unit, after postoperative exploratory laparotomy due to suspicion of intestinal ischemia. He arrives in a state of circulatory shock, with little response to the administration of volume and vasoactive drugs. We describe some data about its incidence, pathophysiology, prognosis and treatment, as well as the importance of an early and differential diagnosis with other causes of metabolic acidosis that elevate the GAP anion.La acidosis láctica severa asociada a metformina es una enfermedad grave, poco frecuente, pero con elevada mortalidad que se define en presencia de un pH < 7,35, Lactato > 2 mmol/L y una paCO2  en límites normales.  Presentamos el caso de una paciente en tratamiento con metformina, hipertensa y dislipémica, polimedicada, con acidosis láctica grave ingresada en Reanimación, tras postoperatorio de laparotomía exploradora por sospecha de una isquemia intestinal.  Llega en estado de shock circulatorio, con escasa respuesta a administración de volumen y drogas vasoactivas. Describimos algunos datos sobre su incidencia, la fisiopatología, el pronóstico y el tratamiento, así como la importancia de un diagnóstico precoz y diferencial con otras causas de acidosis metabólicas que eleven el anion GAP

    Short-term clinical outcomes of hip arthroscopy versus physical therapy in patients with femoroacetabular impingement: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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    Background: Both physical therapy (PT) and surgery are effective in treating femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), but their relative efficacy has not been well established until recently. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the early clinical outcomes of these treatments have been published, with contradictory results. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of RCTs that compared early patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of hip arthroscopy versus PT in patients with symptomatic FAI. The hypothesis was that surgical treatment of FAI leads to better short-term outcomes than PT. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: In March 2019, a systematic review was performed to identify RCTs comparing hip arthroscopy and PT in patients with symptomatic FAI. A total of 819 studies were found among 6 databases; of these, 3 RCTs met eligibility (Griffin et al, 2018; Mansell et al, 2018; and Palmer et al, 2019). All 3 RCTs reported international Hip Outcome Tool--33 (iHOT-33) scores, and 2 reported Hip Outcome Score (HOS)-Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and HOS-Sport results. In a random-effects meta-analysis, between-group differences in postintervention scores were assessed according to intention-to-treat and as-treated approaches. Quality was assessed with CONSORT, CERT, TiDieR, and the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Results: The 3 RCTs included 650 patients with FAI; the mean follow-up ranged from 8 to 24 months. All studies reported PRO improvement from baseline to follow-up for both PT and surgery. The quality of the Griffin and Palmer studies was good, with minimal bias. In the Mansell study, a 70% crossover rate from PT to surgery increased the risk of bias. The meta-analysis demonstrated improved iHOT-33 outcomes with surgery compared with PT for intention-to-treat (mean difference [MD], 11.3; Conclusion: In patients with FAI, the combined results of 3 RCTs demonstrated superior short-term outcomes for surgery versus PT. However, PT did result in improved outcomes and did not appear to compromise the surgical outcomes of patients for whom therapy failed and who progressed to surgery

    COVID-19 after two years: trajectories of different components of mental health in the Spanish population

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    Aims: Our study aimed to (1) identify trajectories on different mental health components during a two-year follow-up of the COVID-19 pandemic and contextualise them according to pandemic periods; (2) investigate the associations between mental health trajectories and several exposures, and determine whether there were differences among the different mental health outcomes regarding these associations. Methods: We included 5535 healthy individuals, aged 40–65 years old, from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI). Growth mixture models (GMM) were fitted to classify individuals into different trajectories for three mental health-related outcomes (psychological distress, personal growth and loneliness). Moreover, we fitted a multinomial regression model for each outcome considering class membership as the independent variable to assess the association with the predictors. Results: For the outcomes studied we identified three latent trajectories, differentiating two major trends, a large proportion of participants was classified into ‘resilient’ trajectories, and a smaller proportion into ‘chronic-worsening’ trajectories. For the former, we observed a lower susceptibility to the changes, whereas, for the latter, we noticed greater heterogeneity and susceptibility to different periods of the pandemic. From the multinomial regression models, we found global and cognitive health, and coping strategies as common protective factors among the studied mental health components. Nevertheless, some differences were found regarding the risk factors. Living alone was only significant for those classified into ‘chronic’ trajectories of loneliness, but not for the other outcomes. Similarly, secondary or higher education was only a risk factor for the ‘worsening’ trajectory of personal growth. Finally, smoking and sleeping problems were risk factors which were associated with the ‘chronic’ trajectory of psychological distress. Conclusions: Our results support heterogeneity in reactions to the pandemic and the need to study different mental health-related components over a longer follow-up period, as each one evolves differently depending on the pandemic period. In addition, the understanding of modifiable protective and risk factors associated with these trajectories would allow the characterisation of these segments of the population to create targeted interventions"This work was supported by a grant from the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) ‘PANDÈMIES 2020’ (ref. 2020PANDE00043) and a grant from ‘La Marató de TV3’ MARATÓ 2020 COVID-19 (ref. 202129–31). Supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU/FEDER; grant number RTI2018-095181-B-C21) and an ICREA Academia 2019 grant award to D. B-F. Partially, this research has received funding from ‘La Caixa’ Foundation (grant number LCF/PR/PR16/11110004), and from Institut Guttmann and Fundació Abertis. I.B-M. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship related to ‘PANDÈMIES 2020’ (AGAUR; 2020PANDE00043). D.F. has been supported by grant 2021 SGR 01421 (GRBIO) administrated by the Departament de Recerca I Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) and by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain) [PID2019-104830RB-I00/ DOI (AEI): 10.13039/501100011033].. J.M.T. was partly supported by AGAUR (2018 PROD 00172), Fundació Joan Ribas Araquistain and ‘La Marató de TV3’ Fundation (201735.10). This research was furthermore supported by the Government of Catalonia (2017SGR748). We also acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and State Research Agency through the ‘Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023’ Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program"Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

    Corticomotor Plasticity Predicts Clinical Efficacy of Combined Neuromodulation and Cognitive Training in Alzheimer’s Disease

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    Objective: To investigate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with cognitive training for treatment of cognitive symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A secondary objective was to analyze associations between brain plasticity and cognitive effects of treatment. Methods: In this randomized, sham-controlled, multicenter clinical trial, 34 patients with AD were assigned to three experimental groups receiving 30 daily sessions of combinatory intervention. Participants in the real/real group (n = 16) received 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered separately to each of six cortical regions, interleaved with computerized cognitive training. Participants in the sham rTMS group (n = 18) received sham rTMS combined with either real (sham/real group, n = 10) or sham (sham/sham group, n = 8) cognitive training. Effects of treatment on neuropsychological (primary outcome) and neurophysiological function were compared between the 3 treatment groups. These, as well as imaging measures of brain atrophy, were compared at baseline to 14 healthy controls (HC). Results: At baseline, patients with AD had worse cognition, cerebral atrophy, and TMS measures of cortico-motor reactivity, excitability, and plasticity than HC. The real/real group showed significant cognitive improvement compared to the sham/sham, but not the real/sham group. TMS-induced plasticity at baseline was predictive of post-intervention changes in cognition, and was modified across treatment, in association with changes of cognition. Interpretation: Combined rTMS and cognitive training may improve the cognitive status of AD patients, with TMS-induced cortical plasticity at baseline serving as predictor of therapeutic outcome for this intervention, and potential mechanism of action. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01504958.publishersversionpublishe
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