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Perceptions of peace in times of war: public opinion evidence from Ukraine
No full textSupplementary materials files: online appendix; replication data.Peace settlements are often an elite pact, especially in interstate conflicts, yet public support is important for the stability of peace. However, we know little about what peace means to individuals during times of war. Using the salient case of Ukraine, this article explores how citizens define peace using an original survey of 2,100 respondents, fielded in the government-controlled parts of Ukraine in August 2023, during the war. The findings show that at the baseline many people think of peace in positive and personal terms, distinct from the hegemonic view of peace through victory. Drawing on social identity theory, an experimental test shows that priming for both the in-group and the out-group moves people to peace linked to and secured by a military victory. A key driver is the threat from the enemy out-group. The findings show the importance of framing for public perceptions of peace.The authors acknowledge the support of Tetiana Kyselova, Dana Landau, the members of the “Peace Through Victory in Ukraine” special issue workshop, Miriam Bradley, Volodymyr Dubovyk, Iryna Eihelson, Jana Krause, Tetyana Kalenichenko, Andrii Kryshtal, Maksym Panchenko and Tetiana Savchyn. lad acknowledges financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101027912 — MICROPOLPAX and the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Government of Spain, grant agreement No. PID2020-120465RA-I00— RESPAX
Modeling cell type evolution using single-cell and chromatin profiling approaches
No full textSingle-cell genomics methods have revolutionized the study of gene expression and regulation at the cell type level. Generating single-cell atlases for species at key phylogenetic positions of the animal tree of life (e.g.. early branching non-bilaterian animals) informs us not only about the biology of these understudied groups of organisms, but also enable comparative studies of cell type transcriptomic programs. This is the first step towards inferring the evolutionary trajectories of major animal cell types. In this context, the first part of my thesis describes the first single cell atlas of a stony coral, Stylophora pistillata, and the novel insights we gained from it. We also compared cell type transcriptomes of Stylophora to three other species in the Cnidaria phylum, and identified conserved expression programs and convergent mobilization of similar molecular pathways in potentially homologous cell types across species. However, because transcriptome similarities are confounded by pleiotropy and non-independence of gene expression programs, they do not always represent true cell type homologies. To infer more accurate cell type phylogenetic relationships we need to also compare their gene regulatory programs. The second part of my thesis focuses on detailed regulatory characterization of cell type programs in cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. We describe genome-wide regulatory logic of Nematostella, and characterize cell types by modular deployment of transcription factors (TFs) and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) in which they are involved. Together, the work presented in this thesis exemplifies the ways in which single cell approaches can be used to advance our understanding of cell type diversity, development, and evolution.Els mètodes de genòmica unicel·lular han revolucionat l'estudi de l'expressió gènica i la regulació a nivell de tipus cel·lular. La generació d'atles cel·lulars per a espècies en posicions filogenètiques clau de l'arbre de la vida animal (per exemple, animals basals, no bilaterals) ens informa no només sobre la biologia d'aquests grups d'organismes poc estudiats, sinó que també permet estudis comparatius dels tipus cel·lulars des d'una perspectiva molecular. Aquest és el primer pas per inferir les trajectòries evolutives dels principals tipus de cèl·lules animals. En aquest context, la primera part de la meva tesi descriu el primer atles cel·lular d'un corall dur, Stylophora pistillata, i el coneixement que en vam obtenir. També vam comparar els transcriptomes de tipus cel·lulars de Stylophora amb tres espècies més del fílum Cnidaria i vam identificar programes d'expressió conservats i mobilització convergent de vies moleculars similars en tipus de cèl·lules potencialment homòlogues entre espècies. Tanmateix, com que les similituds del transcriptoma es confonen per la pleiotropia i la no independència dels programes d'expressió gènica, no sempre representen necessàriament tipus cel·lulars homòlegs. Per inferir relacions filogenètiques dels tipus cel·lular, també hem de comparar els seus programes reguladors. La segona part de la meva tesi se centra en la caracterització reguladora detallada de programes de tipus cel·lular en l'anemona Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria). Descrivim la lògica reguladora de tot el genoma de Nematostella i caracteritzem els tipus cel·lulars mitjançant el desplegament modular de factors de transcripció (TF) i xarxes reguladores de gens (GRN) en què estan implicats. En conjunt, el treball presentat en aquesta tesi exemplifica les maneres en què es poden utilitzar els enfocaments de genòmica de cèl·lula única per avançar en la nostra comprensió de la diversitat, el desenvolupament i l'evolució dels tipus cel·lulars animals.Programa de Doctorat en Biomedicin
Visual motifs and artificial intelligence: developing machine learning models based on comparative iconography
No full textData de publicació electrònica: 03-10-202
Field experiment estimate of electoral fraud in Russian parliamentary elections
No full textElectoral fraud is a widespread phenomenon, especially outside the developed world. Despite abundant qualitative and anecdotal evidence on its existence from around the world, there is very limited quantitative evidence on the extent of electoral fraud. We exploit random assignment of independent observers to 156 of 3,164 polling stations in the city of Moscow to estimate the effect of electoral fraud on the outcome of the Russian parliamentary elections held on December 4, 2011. We estimate the actual share of votes for the incumbent United Russia party to be at least 11 percentage points lower than the official count (36% instead of 47%). Our results suggest that the extent of the fraud was sufficient to have had a substantial impact on the outcome of the elections; they also confirm that the presence of observers is an important factor in ensuring the integrity of the procedure
Bibliotecarios de sistema: entre bibliotecarios e informáticos
No full textVisión sobre la evolución del perfil del bibliotecario universitario de sistema en el contexto español, complementado con las experiencias práctica de las autoras
Assessing the relationship between public speaking perception, personality traits, and nonverbal behavior
No full textModern public speaking heavily focuses on the delivery and performance of the speaker, and the speaker’s nonverbal behavior plays a key role in shaping the perception about their performance as well as their underlying personality traits. As most of the literature focuses on the speaker, this study sought to assess whether or not the personality traits of the audience and the personality traits with which they judged the speaker also play a role in shaping this perception comprising seven attributes. This quantitative research study that included a sample of 323 respondents from different universities adopted an experimental research design that replicated a virtual and modern public speaking scenario. Four actors, two female and two males, were commissioned to enact a similar speech content while shifting their nonverbal behavior based on pre-defined big five personality traits. It also introduced a revised Brunswik Lens Model that structures accurate personality judgement. The results revealed interesting findings supporting the notion that audience personality traits affect certain perception attributes namely sincerity and dominance of the speaker. While the gender of the audience had no effect, that of the public speaker did along some attributes. The results also showed that the judged public speaker personality traits affected all the selected perception attributes. Many challenges were faced in this study especially because production and many variables were involved; however, in parallel, it introduced theoretical and practical contributions and opened the door to new lines of research that look more closely at the relationship between the three pillars of public speaking, personality traits, and nonverbal behavior from both the speaker and the audience sides.Programa de Doctorat en Comunicaci
The metamorphosis of Revolut: from travel - oriented fintech to direct competitor
No full textTreball de Fi de Grau en Administració i Direcció d'Empreses. Curs 2024-2025Tutora: Luz Parrondo TortThis project analy zes the strategic evolution of Revolut in the Spanish market with the aim of assessing its potential to establish itself as a primary bank in contrast to traditional banking institutions. To this end, an external and internal analysis is first conducted using tools such as PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, and Porter’s Value Chain, which serve as the foundation for a subsequent SWOT analysis. Next, Revolut’s corporate strategies are compared to those of its main competitors, and public perception of the company is examined through a survey of 165 participants. Despite a high level of technological innovation and rapid growth, the results show that Revolut is still perceived as merely a secondary app primarily used for travel -related purposes. Based on this, it is concluded that the company should strengthen its brand awareness through a series of measures such as partnerships with public institutions, diversification of its services into key sectors, or the introduction of physical service points to build greater trust among users
The KANSL complex, an epigenetic regulator with microtubule binding properties in mitosis
No full textLa segregació dels cromosomes durant la divisió cel·lular està mitjançada per una estructura feta de microtúbuls anomenada el fus mitòtic. L’estructura i la funció del fus mitòtic depenen d’un control precís de les dinàmiques dels microtúbuls. Malgrat que les dinàmiques de l’extrem (+) dels microtúbuls s’han caracteritzat en detall, el coneixement sobre les dinàmiques de l’extrem (-) segueix sent superficial. Estudis estructurals recents mostren que els microtúbuls de l’extrem (-) localitzats als pols del fus mitòtic són heterogenis. Aquestes observacions suggereixen l’existència d’una regulació complexa en les dinàmiques dels microtúbuls per mantenir una taxa de despolimerització controlada.
El complex KANSL és un complex de remodelació de la cromatina conservat durant l’evolució, el qual podria tenir una funció en l’estabilització de les dinàmiques dels microtúbuls a l’extrem (-) als pols del fus mitòtic durant la mitosi. La localització i les propietats d’unió als microtúbuls de totes les proteïnes que constitueixen el complex KANSL durant la mitosi, suggereixen una funció mitòtica comuna. Així mateix, el complex KANSL s’uneix als microtúbuls en reconstitucions in vitro observades per microscòpia TIRF, una propietat que podria ser essencial per la seva possible funció als pols del fus mitòtic.The correct segregation of chromosomes during cell division is mediated by a microtubule-based structure, the mitotic spindle. Spindle structure and function relies on a tight control of microtubule dynamics. While spindle microtubule plus-end dynamics has been extensively characterized, the dynamics of their minus-ends is still poorly understood. Recent structural studies showed that microtubule minus-ends are structurally heterogeneous at the spindle poles suggesting a complex regulation of their dynamics to sustain a controlled depolymerisation rate.
The KANSL complex is an evolutionary conserved chromatin remodelling complex that was previously proposed to stabilize the microtubule minus-ends at the spindle poles during mitosis based on studies on some of its members. The localization and microtubule binding properties of all different KANSL complex proteins in mitosis, suggests a common function of the complex in mitosis. Furthermore, TIRF based in vitro reconstitution assays showed that the KANSL complex has microtubule binding properties that may be essential for its proposed function at the spindle poles.Programa de Doctorat en Biomedicin
Evolutionary insights into primate gene regulation and development of methods to study DNA modifications
No full textChanges in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression have important implications for evolution. However, the study of these changes (i) has not been consistently assessed across closely related species, (ii) oftentimes has ignored evolutionarily relevant genomic regions, and (iii) has been limited to specific epigenetic features. In this thesis, we have explored gene regulation through the lens of primate evolution and human populations. Namely, we characterized a panel of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) from five primates and highlighted the particularly relevant role of weak regulatory elements in evolution. We then studied DNA methylation, a particular epigenetic mechanism, in a structurally complex chromosome –the Y chromosome– across 7 major human haplogroups. Finally, we developed an experimental methodology to detect and discriminate different DNA modifications. Specifically, we present EOH-seq and sEM-seq, two complementary methods for the whole-genome study of 5hmC and 5mC that can be applied to a variety of different conditions, cell types, and species.Els canvis en la regulació epigenètica de l'expressió gènica tenen implicacions importants en l'evolució. No obstant això, l’estudi d’aquests canvis (i) no s'ha avaluat de manera sistemàtica en espècies pròximes, (ii) moltes vegades ha omès regions genòmiques evolutivament rellevants i (iii) s'ha limitat a l’estudi de modificacions epigenètiques específiques. En aquesta tesi, hem explorat la regulació gènica des d’un punt de vista de l’evolució dels primats i les poblacions humanes. Concretament, hem caracteritzat un panell de línies cel·lulars limfoblastoides (LCL) procedents de cinc espècies de primats, destacant la importància dels elements reguladors amb senyals més febles. També ens hem centrat en l’estudi d’un mecanisme epigenètic específic: la metilació de l'ADN. Per això, hem examinat la metilació de l’ADN en un cromosoma estructuralment complex, el cromosoma Y, en 7 haplogrups humans. Finalment, hem acabat aquest treball desenvolupant un mètode per detectar i discriminar diferents modificacions de l'ADN. Específicament, presentem EOH-seq i sEM-seq, dues metodologies complementàries per a l’estudi de les modificacions 5mC i 5hmC al llarg de tot el genoma. Ambdós mètodes són aplicables a diferents condicions, tipus cel·lulars i espècies.Programa de doctorat en Biomedicin
'Not a guest in my country': immigration background, social hierarchies, and the fundamental interest in 'Being at home'
No full textData de publicació electrònica: 2-6-2025The prevailing belief, both within the immigration literature and in current political debate, is that the cornerstone of resolving immigration issues is the attainment of citizenship. In contrast, this article delves deeper into the plight of citizens with a perceived immigration background. We argue that formal equal citizenship does not alleviate the morally objectionable patterns of social inequality experienced by these citizens. To elaborate further, we insist that citizens with a perceived immigration background are often not treated equally by social institutions or by their fellow citizens. To address this concern, we argue that thesecitizens have a claim against being treated as strangers, aliens, and nonmembers of society, which is grounded in the public and equal advancement of the fundamental
interest in 'being at home'