43569 research outputs found
Sort by
Urinary tartaric acid as a biomarker of wine consumption and cardiovascular risk: the PREDIMED trial
No full textBackground and aims: Moderate wine consumption has been associated with lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in older populations. However, wine consumption information through self-reports is prone to measurement errors inherent to subjective assessments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between urinary tartaric acid, an objective biomarker of wine consumption, and the rate of a composite clinical CVD event. Methods: A case-cohort nested study was designed within the PREDIMED trial with 1232 participants: 685 incident cases of CVD and a random subcohort of 625 participants (including 78 overlapping cases). Wine consumption was registered using validated food frequency questionnaires. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure urinary tartaric acid at baseline and after one year of intervention. Weighted Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of CVD. Results: Tartaric acid was correlated with self-reported wine consumption at baseline [r = 0.46 (95% CI 0.41; 0.50)]. Five categories of post hoc urinary tartaric acid excretion were used for better representation of risk patterns. Concentrations of 3-12 and 12-35 μg/mL, which reflect ∼3-12 and 12-35 glasses/month of wine, were associated with lower CVD risk [HR 0.62 (95% CI 0.38; 1.00), P = .050 and HR 0.50 (95% CI 0.27; 0.95), P = .035, respectively]. Less significant associations between self-reported wine consumption and CVD risk were observed. Conclusions: Light-to-moderate wine consumption, measured through an objective biomarker (tartaric acid), was prospectively associated with lower CVD rate in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.This research has been supported by the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología [PID2020-114022RB-I00], CIBEROBN from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, National Institutes of Health (NIH) [2R01HL118264-09 and 5R01HL118264-08], (Agencia Estatal de Investigación/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, European Union) and Generalitat de Catalunya (GC) [2017SGR 196] and FIVIN (FB 600390), and Interprofesional del vino de España-OIVE (FB 600390). INSA-UB is Maria de Maeztu Unit of Excellence (grant CEX2021-001234-M funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICIN)/AEI/FEDER, UE). M.Á.M.-G. is the PI of the European Research Grant #101097681 (AdRG UNATI, 2023-2028) for a large non-inferiority trial on moderate alcohol vs. abstention. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
A survey on variable neighborhood search for sustainable logistics
No full textSustainable logistics aims to balance economic efficiency, environmental responsibility, and social well-being in supply chain operations. This study explores the use of Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS), a metaheuristic optimization method, in addressing sustainable logistics challenges and provides insights into the potential it has to support them by delivering efficient solutions that align with global sustainability goals. The review identifies key trends, including a significant increase in research since 2019, with a strong focus on routing, scheduling, and location problems. Hybrid approaches, combining VNS with other methods, and multiobjective optimization to address trade-offs between sustainability goals are prominent. The most frequently applied VNS versions align closely with those commonly used in the broader literature, reflecting similar adoption proportions. In recent years, a noticeable increase in studies incorporating adaptation mechanisms into VNS frameworks has emerged. This trend is largely driven by the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence approaches across numerous fields of science and engineering, highlighting the need for more dynamic and intelligent optimization techniques. However, important research gaps remain. These include limited consideration of uncertainty and dynamic logistics systems, underrepresentation of social sustainability, and a lack of standardized benchmarks for comparing results. Future work should address these challenges and explore emerging applications
Flexible learning by design: enhancing faculty digital competence and engagement through the FLeD project
No full textBased on flipped learning, digital competence, and inclusive instructional design, this study employs a mixed-method approach (quantitative and qualitative) to evaluate the pilot and involves academics from six European universities. Teacher participants co-designed and implemented flexible learning scenarios using the FLeD tool, which integrates pedagogical patterns, scaffolding strategies, and playful features. Using a mixed-methods research approach, this study collected and analyzed data from 34 teachers and indirectly over 800 students. Results revealed enhanced student engagement, self-regulated learning, and pedagogical innovation. While educators reported increased awareness of inclusive teaching and benefited from collaborative design, challenges related to tool usability, time constraints, and the implementation of inclusivity also emerged. The findings support the effectiveness of structured digital tools in promoting pedagogical transformation in online, face-to-face, and hybrid learning. This study contributes to the discussion on the digitalization of higher education by illustrating how research-informed design can enable educators to develop engaging and flexible inclusive learning environments in line with the evolving needs of learners and the opportunities presented by technology
Novel experimental strategies to characterize the genomic architecture of monogenic autoinflammatory diseases: from characterization of aberrant mRNA transcripts to elucidation of the role of post-zygotic variants in desease pathogenesis
No full textDevelopments in sequencing technologies over the last decade have revolutionized the ability to identify the genetic mechanisms underlying rare autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs), enabling improved characterization and diagnosis.
This PhD thesis combines the knowledge and application of the latest methodologies of genomic analyses to identify and characterize the genetic causes of different AIDs. The two main areas of interest of this work include the identification of transcript isoforms through mRNA sequencing and the evaluation of mosaicism in genetic diseases caused by somatic DNA variants.
First, we demonstrated the impact of two novel variants in the IL1RN gene as the cause of DIRA in a family with two patients presenting with a severe, neonatal-onset and lethal undiagnosed inflammatory disease. Second, we conducted the most extensive longitudinal study in a cohort of CAPS patients with post-zygotic NLRP3 variants.
Additionally, we characterized two transcript isoforms resulting from a novel somatic variant at a splice site of the UBA1 gene, which has been identified as causative of VEXAS syndrome. And finally, we implemented and validated innovative methodologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing, digital PCR, and adaptive sampling using Oxford Nanopore Technologies.Aquesta tesi doctoral combina el coneixement i l’aplicació de les tecnologies més recents d’anàlisi genòmica per identificar i caracteritzar les causes genètiques de diverses malalties rares autoinflamatòries (AIDs). Les dues principals àrees d’interès d’aquest treball inclouen la identificació de noves isoformes mitjançant la seqüenciació d’ARN i l’avaluació del mosaicisme en malalties genètiques causades per variants somàtiques a l’ADN.
En primer lloc, hem demostrat l'impacte de dues variants noves en el gen IL1RN com a causa de DIRA en una família amb dos pacients que presentaven una malaltia inflamatòria greu, d’inici neonatal i letal, sense diagnòstic previ. En segon lloc, hem dut a terme l’estudi longitudinal més extens fins ara en una cohort de pacients amb CAPS amb variants post-zigòtiques de NLRP3.
De manera complementària, hem caracteritzat dues isoformes resultants d’una nova variant somàtica en una regió d’splicing del gen UBA1, responsable del síndrome VEXAS. Finalment, hem implementat i validat metodologies com la seqüenciació d’ARN de cèl·lula única, la PCR digital i la seqüenciació dirigida mitjançant Oxford Nanopore Technologies.Programa de Doctorat en Biomedicin
Inteligencia artificial para aprender idiomas entre universitarios japoneses
No full textA partir de una encuesta a 1611 estudiantes universitarios de español en universidades japonesas, aportamos datos empíricos para averiguar qué porcentaje de alumnos usan la inteligencia artificial (IA) para aprender idiomas y cómo la utilizan (frecuencia, instrucciones, lengua meta y vehicular, estrategias de revisión, grado de satisfacción, opiniones). Elaboramos la encuesta a partir de entrevistas exploratorias y de la investigación previa y analizamos sus resultados con estadística descriptiva y análisis del discurso. Los resultados indican que el 67 % de los informantes afirma haber usado la IA en el último mes; el 60 % la utiliza semanal o diariamente en sus prácticas plurilingües de comprensión, traducción y corrección de escritos, y un 13 % la emplea de manera irreflexiva. Estos datos ofrecen un retrato bastante preciso de cómo utilizan la IA los universitarios encuestados y sugieren orientaciones didácticas para la enseñanza superior.La participación de D. Cassany en este estudio ha sido posible gracias al programa de invitación de investigadores de la Universidad Sofía (del 2 de abril al 27 de junio de 2024) y al proyecto competitivo «OralGrab. Grabar vídeos y audios para enseñar y aprender» (PID2022-141511NB-100), financiado por la Agencia Estatal de Investigación y por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación del Gobierno de España
¿Responsabilidad penal del socio por la criminalidad de la empresa? Reflexiones sobre la posibilidad de fundamentar una posición de garante del socio
No full textRevisiting the link between second-language sound identification and word recognition with an eye on methodological similarity
No full textData de publicació electrònica: 12-09-2025This study revisits the relationship between second-language (L2) learners' ability to distinguish sounds in non-native phonological contrasts and to recognize spoken words when recognition depends on these sounds, while addressing the role of methodological similarity. Bilingual Catalan/Spanish learners of English were tested on the identification of two vowel contrasts (VI) of diverging difficulty, /i/-// (difficult) and //-/æ/ (easy), in monosyllabic minimal pairs, and on their recognition of the same pairs in a word-picture matching task (WPM). Learners performed substantially better with /i/-// in VI than in WPM, and individual scores were only weakly correlated. By replicating previous findings through a more symmetrical design, we show that an account of prior work rooted in methodological dissimilarity is improbable and provide additional support for the claim that accuracy in sound identification does not guarantee improvements in word recognition. This has implications for our understanding of L2-speech acquisition and L2 pronunciation training.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR 00922) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2021-123823NB-I00). The first author's contribution was additionally supported by the Spanish Ministry of Universities (Beatriz Galindo Junior Research Fellowship, BG22/00161), as was the second author's (Margarita Salas Fellowship, ID-706211). We would also like to thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions
La Vanguardia y la Segunda República española (1931-1936): De defender la Monarquía a proteger la República
No full textLa presente tesis se centra en el estudio de La Vanguardia como principal periódico de la prensa catalana. Hemos empezado la tesis estudiando los artículos que delataban el sesgo ideológico de La Vanguardia durante el período de la dictablanda (1930-1931), y luego hemos seguido con la proclamación de la II República hasta llegar a la rebelión militar de julio de 1936 que implicó el inicio de la Guerra Civil española. En esta tesis hemos estudiado a los autores más destacados que publicaron en el diario de la familia Godó y marcaron la línea editorial. Entre los autores a citar, tenemos a su director, Agustí Calvet, alias Gaziel, José Escofet, Baldomero Argente, Emilio Sánchez, entre otros. Finalizamos el estudio en julio de 1936, a las puertas de la Guerra Civil, debido a la incautación de La Vanguardia por parte del gobierno de la Generalitat.This thesis focuses on the study of La Vanguardia as the main newspaper of the Catalan press. We have begun the thesis by studying the articles that revealed the ideological bias of La Vanguardia during the period of the soft dictatorship (1930-1931), and then we have continued with the proclamation of the Second Republic until reaching the military rebellion of July 1936 that involved the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. In this thesis we have studied the most prominent authors who published in the Godó family newspaper and marked the editorial line. Among the authors to mention, we have its director, Agustí Calvet, alias Gaziel, José Escofet, Baldomero Argente, Emilio Sánchez, among others. We finished the study in July 1936, at the gates of the Civil War, due to the seizure of La Vanguardia by the Generalitat government.Programa de Doctorat en Històri
Coordinating business cycles
No full textData de publicació electrònica: 22-09-2025We develop a quantitative theory of business cycles with coordination failures. Because of demand complementarities and increasing returns, firms seek to coordinate production and multiple equilibria arise. We use a global game approach to discipline equilibrium selection and show that the unique dynamic equilibrium exhibits multiple steady states. Coordination on high production may fail after a large transitory shock, pushing the economy in a quasi-permanent recession. Our calibrated model rationalizes various features of the 2007-2009 recession and its recovery. Government spending, while generally harmful, can increase welfare when the economy is transitioning between steady states. Other policy instruments are preferable to fix miscoordination
El penalti a la maternidad en España: desentrañando la brecha salarial de género en el mercado de trabajo
No full textEste artículo analiza el impacto de la maternidad y la paternidad en los salarios de hombres y mujeres en España. La investigación utiliza un enfoque cuantitativo basado en datos de la Encuesta de Población Activa para el año 2019. Los resultados muestran que las mujeres siguen sufriendo desigualdades salariales en el mercado laboral respecto a los hombres con similares características. Los resultados relativos a la maternidad muestran que las mujeres con menores a su cargo cobran ligeramente menos que las mujeres sin criaturas. No obstante, este castigo a la maternidad se disipa cuando se tiene en cuenta la parcialidad, que es la máxima responsable de la diferencia salarial entre las mujeres con descendencia y las mujeres sin descendencia. A su vez, se concluye que los hombres, cuando son padres, obtienen beneficios económicos entendidos como un premio a la paternidad.Esta investigación ha sido financiada por el proyecto DINAMOS2 (Referencia PID2019-106548GA-C22): Movilidad social intergeneracional: la educación como mecanismo explicativo, por el proyecto INCASI2 (GA101130456): A New Measure of Socioeconomic Inequalities for International Comparison y por la Unión Europea-NextGenerationEU, Ministerio de Universidades y Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia, mediante la beca Margarita Salas en su convocatoria de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona)