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Effects of gender stereotypes on information processing and cognitive performance
No full textThis thesis investigates how gender stereotypes shape cognitive processes, focusing on two interrelated dimensions: the association between gender and social status, and the impact of gender-science stereotypes in STEM. Studies 1 and 2 examined how implicit associations linking men with high-status and women with low-status professions influence memory. Participants completed the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and a memory task with masculine and feminine forms of high- and low-status professions. Participants remembered feminine forms of high-status professions less accurately and produced fewer false recalls, while the opposite pattern emerged for masculine forms. Memory biases were correlated with IAT scores and strongest under incidental encoding. Study 3 examined how activating stereotypes about women’s lower math ability affected engineering students in a math task. Stereotype threat reduced women’s confidence and performance while enhancing men’s, particularly among those with stronger gender-science associations. Overall, the studies reveal the deep and persistent impact of gender stereotypes.Programa de Doctorat en Psicologi
Amphiphilic systems based on ionic liquids derived from amino acids and related materials: applications as therapeutic agents and drug delivery vehicles
No full textDoctorat internacionalEsta Tesis Doctoral, enmarcada en Química Supramolecular, explora líquidos iónicos (ILs) y sistemas anfifílicos como agentes bioactivos y vehículos de fármacos. Se diseñaron ILs derivados de aminoácidos y pseudoaminoácidos, evaluando su síntesis, propiedades fisicoquímicas y bioactividad. Inicialmente se estudiaron 17 ILs imidazólicos con actividad antitumoral en diferentes líneas celulares, junto a sus mecanismos de acción mediante ensayos con membranas y microscopía confocal. Asimismo, se desarrollaron mezclas de esos ILs con metotrexato, que mostraron sinergia antitumoral y afinidad por ADN. También se sintetizaron 14 sales de amonio cuaternarias con actividad antimicrobiana y sinergia con antibióticos. La investigación incluyó sistemas poliméricos anfifílicos sensibles a estímulos redox y un sistema tripodal derivado de L-valina para encapsulación y liberación controlada de antioxidantes, con eficacia antitumoral y baja toxicidad. Los resultados, publicados en revistas internacionales, evidencian el potencial de los ILs como plataformas multifuncionales en aplicaciones farmacológicas y biomédicas.Programa de Doctorat en Química Sostenibl
Estudio y modelado de la dispersión de contaminantes procedentes de fuentes pasivas con OpenFOAM
No full textLas emisiones odoríferas de las estaciones depuradoras de aguas residuales (EDARs) constituyen un importante desafío ambiental debido a su impacto en la calidad de vida de las comunidades cercanas. Estas emisiones, originadas principalmente en fuentes pasivas superficiales como tanques abiertos, incluyen compuestos como el sulfuro de hidrógeno y amoníaco, los cuales son detectables incluso a bajas concentraciones. El presente estudio aborda el modelado de la dispersión de contaminantes mediante Dinámica de Fluidos Computacional (CFD), empleando el software OpenFOAM. Se modelan las fuentes pasivas mediante la analogía con cavidades bidimensionales, con el objetivo de desarrollar un modelo analítico que pueda integrarse en simulaciones de microescala urbana, reduciendo el coste computacional al simplificar la representación de las fuentes emisoras. Además, se incluye el uso de redes neuronales entrenadas con resultados CFD para predicciones rápidas, lo que permite realizar estudios paramétricos extensos y optimizar la gestión de las emisiones odoríferas.Odorous emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have low detection thresholds, causing discomfort in nearby communities. These emissions mainly originate from passive surface sources, whose volatilization depends on environmental factors. This study models pollutant dispersion using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in OpenFOAM, representing passive sources as two-dimensional cavities. The emission rate is analyzed based on geometric and physical variables to develop an analytical model that optimizes microscale simulations. To reduce computational cost, neural networks trained with CFD results are employed, enabling efficient predictions of wind fields and pollutant concentrations. The combination of physical models and Deep Learning enhances the assessment of environmental impact and optimizes emission management in urban and industrial environments.Programa de Doctorat en Tecnologies Industrials i Material
Análisis y correlación de parámetros estructurales y funcionales antes y después de la cirugía de la catarata. Aportación del índice de dispersión ocular (OSI)
No full textLa catarata es un proceso crónico asociado al envejecimiento, cuya definición es el desarrollo de opacidad en el cristalino que provoca disminución de la agudeza visual. La determinación de parámetros objetivos y fiables puede ayudar al clínico en la toma de decisiones previa a la cirugía, permitiendo la optimización del procedimiento. Esta tesis doctoral trata de Investigar la relación entre las clasificaciones clínicas actuales de la catarata y diferentes parámetros objetivos y subjetivos asociados a la pérdida de visión, así como la relación entre el objective scatter index (OSI), la cantidad de energía ultrasónica disipada durante la cirugía y la pérdida de células del endotelio corneal tras ésta.Cataract is a chronic, age-related process defined by the development of lens opacification that results in decreased visual acuity. The determination of objective, reliable parameters can assist clinicians in preoperative decision-making for cataract surgery, thereby enabling optimization of the procedure. This doctoral thesis investigates the relationship between the Ocular Scatter Index (OSI) and the amount of ultrasound energy used during surgery, as well as its association with current clinical cataract grading systems and other objective parameters linked to vision loss. It also examines additional subjective indicators of vision-related quality of life, assessed before and after surgery.Programa de Doctorat en Ciències de la Infermeri
Neuropeptidergic Modulation and Neural Pathways in Contextual Fear Conditioning and Extinction: Insights from the Retrosplenial Cortex and Nucleus Incertus
No full textDoctorat internacionalThis work examines the mechanisms underlying contextual fear conditioning and the role of neural networks in memory processing. We assessed how different procedural factors influence the acquisition and extinction of contextual fear in rats, revealing that spaced sessions of conditioning enhance extinction, while minimal shocks produce context-specific fear. More intense conditioning, however, leads to fear generalization across contexts, which can be extinguished similarly to the conditioned context. Additionally, we explored the role of the the neuropeptide relaxin-3 (RLN3) signaling via the RXFP3 receptor in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) in contextual fear conditioning. Modulation of RXFP3 in the RSC delayed fear extinction without affecting acquisition, suggesting that RLN3/RXFP3 signaling enhances memory strength, making extinction more resistant. Anatomical studies confirmed a strong presence of RLN3-immunoreactive fibers in the RSC, particularly co-localizing with inhibitory circuits. Finally, we investigated the connectivity between the RSC and other brain regions, particularly the bidirectional projections between the RSC, prefrontal cortex, and nucleus incertus. These connections were confirmed using anterograde and retrograde tracers, highlighting a broader cortical and subcortical network that involves key regions such as the prelimbic and orbitofrontal cortices, the medial septum habenula, interpeduncular, and the supramammillary nucleus. All together, these findings provide a more integrated understanding of the circuitry involved in contextual fear and memory processing, emphasizing the long-loop interactions between the retrosplenial cortex, prefrontal areas, and subcortical structures in regulating fear acquisition and extinction processes.Programa de Doctorat en Ciències Biomèdiques i Salu
Phenotyping as a tool to study the impact of seed priming and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on tomato response to water limitation
No full textThis study explores the effects of natural seed priming compounds (i.e. chitosan alone and in combination with salicylic acid or melatonin) with the symbiosis of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the capability of two Italian tomato varieties (Principe Borghese and San Marzano nano) to withstand water deprivation through high-throughput plant phenotyping technology. Plant responses have been automatically evaluated by integrating physiological, morpho-biometric, and biochemical data. Under water deprivation, AMF-inoculated plants exhibited enhanced physiological performance, by reducing oxidative damage and improving stomatal function. Digital phenotyping provides a non-invasive approach to assess the effects of external factors, such as the impact of mycorrhizal fungi on plant development. RGB (visible light) imaging enables the analysis of morphological traits like plant size and growth patterns, and of colorimetric changes used as a proxy of physiological responses. Biochemical analyses revealed increased carotenoid and flavonoid content in chitosan + salicylic acid-treated plants with AMF, particularly in Principe Borghese. Genotype-dependent differences were evident in terms of fruit production, where Principe Borghese plants showed significantly more red fruits in presence of AM fungus. The results underline the potential of combined AMF and natural compound application as a sustainable strategy for improving tomato resilience to water stress, contributing to resource-efficient agricultural practices and climate change mitigation
Comunicación para el cambio social y racionalidad instrumental: de los escraches a las acusaciones de discurso de odio en España (2013-2019)
No full textCompendi d'articlesEl objeto de la tesis es la problematicidad del nexo que la Comunicación para el Cambio Social (CCS) mantiene con la racionalidad instrumental (RI). En la praxis, el nexo se revela en los dilemas estratégicos de la comunicación de algunos de los movimientos sociales activos en España entre 2013 y 2019 y, particularmente, de la Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca. En el terreno epistemológico, sin embargo, el enfoque de CCS centrado en la eficacia cultural rehúye la RI desde los supuestos heredados de las tradiciones que lo han conformado. El campo de la CCS, no obstante, se ha abierto a actores que comunican estratégicamente con públicos extensos en la esfera pública central y, en este nuevo escenario, cabe repensar la RI sin renunciar al legado crítico-dialógico. Al efecto, se esboza un programa epistemológico para la CCS basado en la distinción entre sus momentos hermenéutico, nomológico y técnico.The object of the thesis is the link between communication for social change (CCS) and instrumental rationality (IR) in both the practical and epistemological spheres. In practice, the link is revealed in the strategic communication dilemmas of some of the social movements active in Spain between 2013 and 2019, such as the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca, PAH). Although the CCS, after the global protests of 2011, including those of the 15M in Spain, opened up to new actors who communicate strategically in the central public sphere, some of its approaches, such as cultural efficacy, contest IR from inherited epistemological assumptions. In the new scenario, it is necessary to rethink IR without renouncing the critical-dialogical legacy. To this end, an epistemological program for the CCS is outlined based on the distinction between its hermeneutical, nomological and technical moments.Programa de Doctorat en Estudis Internacionals de Pau, Conflictes i Desenvolupamen
Discovering the tourism rainbow: an integrated approach to LGBTIQ+ tourism
No full textCompendi d'articles, Doctorat internacionalThis thesis examines the interplay between identity, inclusion, and memorable experiences as core dimensions of LGBTIQ+ tourism. Framed within an intersectional perspective, it positions identity as a central axis for understanding the motivations, perceptions, and experiences of LGBTIQ+ tourists. Through a compendium of three articles, the study delves into the influence of motivations on the creation of meaningful travel experiences, while highlighting the moderating role of gender identity and sexual orientation. The research further explores perceptions of queer-friendly destinations, revealing that authentic inclusivity in marketing and destination management not only fosters trust but also strengthens loyalty among LGBTIQ+ travelers. Additionally, it underscores the internal heterogeneity of the LGBTIQ+ community, demonstrating how socio-demographic factors shape travel preferences. The findings contribute to the academic discourse on tourism and gender studies, offering insights for fostering more inclusive, equitable, and identity-affirming tourism practices.Programa de Doctorat en Màrquetin
Analysis of the Laplace Equation on a Circular Sector With a Stochastic Boundary Condition
No full textWe study the Laplace equation with a stochastic boundary condition, defined on a circular domain. We consider two common contexts when dealing with uncertain data, namely, the random partial differential equation and the Itô-type stochastic partial differential equation. The former is based on regular processes and random parameters, whereas the latter is based upon white Gaussian noise and non-differentiable trajectories of the solution. As is traditionally done, we focus on the mean-square solution. The random Fourier series converges in a second-order sense, which permits rapid approximations for the expectation, the variance, and the covariance
Attitudes towards languages and multilingual education: the impact of age, gender and multilingual instruction
No full textDoctorat internacionalThis study explores the cognitive, affective and behavioural attitudes of 373 students and 41 teachers towards multilingual education and the three principal languages of education (Catalan, Spanish and English) in primary, secondary and university educational contexts in the Valencian Community, considering the impact of three variables on attitudes: (i) multilingual instruction, (ii) age and (iii) gender. Several instruments and techniques were used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data, examined through the SPSS programme and thematic analysis. Results show differences in the attitudes of students and teachers, as well as in specific components of attitudes (cognition, affection and behaviour). Multilingual instruction through pedagogical translanguaging had a positive effect on students’ attitudes. In contrast, the age and gender variables only had a significant impact on the attitudes of students. Finally, this investigation proposes the AITEIA model and an action plan to promote favourable language attitudes and a more multilingual education system.Programa de Doctorat en Llengües Aplicades, Literatura i Traducci