Plasmonic-heating-induced nanofabrication on glass substrates

Fabricating nano-sized through-holes on a coverslip approximately 100 μm thick is challenging but rewarding when applied to ultrafine filters that separate proteins and DNA of various sizes and isolate viruses from cells. Toward this end, we developed an in situ etching-assisted laser processing technique exploiting gold nanoparticles. Plasmonic heating of a single gold nanoparticle through focused illumination of a continuous-wave laser beam enables structural modifications to be localized to the contact area on the glass surface. This results in the embedding of the particle forming nanocavities caused by chemical etching with aqueous tetrabutylammonium hydroxide. Depending on the shape of the nanoparticle, a highly flexible face geometry design such as a disk and triangle was achieved. The etching was monitored in situ through measurements of spectral red shifts in single-particle scattering, indicating an increasing medium refractive index consistent with embedding. The embedding process is unexpectedly fast, at 0.8 μm with 5 minutes of illumination. Besides nanoholes, we fabricated nanodomes around a single gold nanoparticle supported on a glass substrate through laser-heating-induced encapsulation. Overall, we were able to demonstrate true nano-laser processing free from diffraction-limited optics, with potential benefits of simple low-cost fabrication

FingerTac -- An Interchangeable and Wearable Tactile Sensor for the Fingertips of Human and Robot Hands

Skill transfer from humans to robots is challenging. Presently, many researchers focus on capturing only position or joint angle data from humans to teach the robots. Even though this approach has yielded impressive results for grasping applications, reconstructing motion for object handling or fine manipulation from a human hand to a robot hand has been sparsely explored. Humans use tactile feedback to adjust their motion to various objects, but capturing and reproducing the applied forces is an open research question. In this paper we introduce a wearable fingertip tactile sensor, which captures the distributed 3-axis force vectors on the fingertip. The fingertip tactile sensor is interchangeable between the human hand and the robot hand, meaning that it can also be assembled to fit on a robot hand such as the Allegro hand. This paper presents the structural aspects of the sensor as well as the methodology and approach used to design, manufacture, and calibrate the sensor. The sensor is able to measure forces accurately with a mean absolute error of 0.21, 0.16, and 0.44 Newtons in X, Y, and Z directions, respectively

Intra-Abdominal Hypertension and Abdominal Compartment Syndrome in Liver Diseases

Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is defined as an intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) above 12 mmHg. Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is defined as an IAP above 20 mmHg with evidence of organ failure. Moreover, IAH/ACS is a condition that can cause acute renal failure, respiratory failure, circulatory disease, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and liver failure due to elevated IAP. The incidence of IAH/ACS increases in the more critically ill patient and is associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Ascites, blood, or tumors increase IAP. In liver cirrhosis, massive ascites is often encountered. Hence, preventing IAH/ACS conditions may improve outcomes of patients with liver disease

Vonoprazan prevents ulcer recurrence during long-term NSAID therapy: randomised, lansoprazole-controlled non-inferiority and single-blind extension study

Objective To assess the non-inferiority of vonoprazan to lansoprazole for secondary prevention of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced peptic ulcer (PU) and the safety of vonoprazan during extended use.Design A phase 3, 24-week, multicenter, randomised, double-blind (DB), active-controlled study, followed by a phase 3, ≥28 week, multicenter, single-blind, parallel-group extension study (EXT) in outpatients (n=642) receiving long-term NSAID therapy who are at risk of PU recurrence. The patients received vonoprazan (10 mg or 20 mg) or lansoprazole 15 mg once daily. For DB, non-inferiority of the proportion of patients with recurrent PU within 24 weeks was analysed by Farrington and Manning test (significance level 2.5%, non-inferiority margin 8.3%; primary endpoint), recurrent PU within 12 weeks, bleeding and time-to-event of PU (secondary endpoint) and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). For EXT, TEAEs (primary endpoint), recurrent PU and safety (secondary) were assessed up to 104 weeks for patients in the extension study.Results The non-inferiority of vonoprazan 10 mg and 20 mg to lansoprazole 15 mg was verified (percentage difference –2.2%,95% CI –6.2% to 1.8%, p<0.001; –2.1%,95% CI –6.1% to 2.0%, p<0.001, respectively). The proportion of patients with endoscopically confirmed recurrent PU within 24 weeks was 3.3%, 3.4% and 5.5%, for vonoprazan 10 mg, 20 mg and lansoprazole 15 mg, respectively. No significant safety concerns were identified.Conclusion The non-inferiority of vonoprazan (10 and 20 mg) was verified in patients receiving long-term NSAIDs in DB; it was effective and well tolerated in EXT for longer than 1 year, with a safety profile similar to lansoprazole (15 mg)