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Evolution, trade-offs and optimization of the environmental impact of school meal dietary recommendations
No full textTransitioning to healthy diets with low environmental impact is crucial for achieving sustainable food systems and reducing health issues. Promoting healthy dietary habits and raising awareness are key actions in this shift, with governments playing a significant role through public procurement and food-based dietary guidelines. Specifically, school dietary guidelines can foster sustainable eating behaviors among children. This article examines Catalonia, a North-East Spanish region, where the Public Health Agency (ASPCAT) has issued school dietary guidelines since 2005, updated in 2012, 2017, and 2020. The goal of this study was to assess the progressive changes in the environmental impacts of school menus for children aged 7-12 years following the four versions of ASPCAT guidelines. Additionally, it aimed to identify trade-offs among various environmental metrics, pinpoint food groups contributing most to environmental impacts, and propose strategies to further reduce the environmental impact of school meals. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was applied. Inventories were obtained from Agribalyse v3.2 database, and characterized through sixteen individual environmental indicators and the composite one from the Product Environmental Footprint v3.1 methodology. Results showed a decrease in environmental impacts with each guideline update. Menus aligned with the 2020 guidelines had 23 % lower environmental impacts compared to those based on the 2017 guidelines, and 40 % lower than those based on the 2005 guidelines. All individual environmental indicators showed reductions in 2020 compared to 2005, ranging from 5 % to 52 %. Second dishes, mainly meat and fish, contributed most to environmental impacts. Replacing meat and fish with plant-based proteins, combined with a more diversified cereal intake, could reduce dietary environmental impacts by approximately 50 %. By identifying major contributors and suggesting potential improvements, our findings can contribute to the revision of the guidelines of Spain for healthy and sustainable school meals.LBB and MR want to acknowledge support from UNESCO through the KAIROS-BIOCIR Project, Grant number KAIROS-BIOCIR Project PID2019-104925RB-C33 (AEO/FEDER, UE), and MR also from the UPF Foodseed Planetary Wellbeing Project. UF acknowledges 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), from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya program, and from the Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso through the Daniel Carasso postdoctoral fellowship
The issue with the 'far-right talking points': the empirical challenges of assessing far-right ecologism among environmental activists
No full textData de publicació electrònica: 08-11-2024The mainstreaming of the far-right worldwide has immense societal effects, one of the main being the normalization of 'far-right talking points', quotidian expressions of far-right worldviews existing well beyond the political proponents of this ideology. Our piece tries to explore the effects of far-right talking points in the environmental domain. We do so by utilizing the theoretical concept of microfascism, the everyday expressions and practices of societal exclusion and the desire for authoritarianism. More specifically, we test the extent to which far-right ecologism, the ideological response of the far right to an array of environmental problems, operates as a set of arguments existing beyond the representatives of this ideology. To do so, we conducted a mixed-methods study, consisting of a quantitative survey of 106 respondents, followed up by 27 semi-structured interviews conducted with environmental activists in Serbia, a dynamic and nascent settings for environmental activism. Our findings illustrate the methodological issue of capturing ideological positioning through diverse methods but more fundamentally, the broader implications of far-right talking points in the environmental domain.The work was supported by the Marie Sklodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant EXEMPT, Grant number 101152840
El matrimoni islàmic davant l'estat laic: conflictes i protecció de drets en el dret civil
No full textTreball de Fi de Grau en Dret. Curs 2024-2025Tutor: Albert Lamarca MarquèsAquest treball explora la complexa interacció entre el dret islàmic tradicional (Sharia) i el dret secular català i espanyol, amb un focus en les pràctiques matrimonials. Analitza com un Estat laic i democràtic gestiona la coexistència de sistemes normatius, especialment quan el dret confessional entra en conflicte amb els drets humans fonamentals i l'ordre públic.
L'estudi demostra que, tot i reconèixer la llibertat religiosa, el dret espanyol i català prioritza de manera innegociable la dignitat de la persona i la igualtat. Conflictes com la poligàmia, els matrimonis forçats, l'edat de consentiment, la discriminació de gènere en el divorci o els càstigs per "zina" són sistemàticament rebutjats per la jurisprudència espanyola per ser incompatibles amb els principis constitucionals. Es defensa que cap interpretació religiosa o cultural pot prevaldre sobre els drets inalienables, especialment els de dones i menors, assegurant que el pluralisme legal no impliqui una ciutadania desigual. El treball conclou que el dret secular actua com a pilar essencial per a una convivència justa i democràtica, promovent un multiculturalisme basat en la igualtat de drets i llibertats per a tothom
Retorno(s) a Europa: genealogía de un modelo de reconstrucción histórica en el cine y la televisión contemporáneos
No full textEsta tesis se centra en las reconstrucciones históricas en el cine europeo y su principal objetivo es delimitar la genealogía de un modelo de figuración y transmisión de la historia, enraizado en la modernidad y que emerge tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial, persistiendo en el cine y televisión contemporáneos. Dicho modelo tiene por eje central imágenes cuya puesta en escena arrastra al espectador al tiempo representado, que se figura en la pantalla como una experiencia sensorial y dialéctica gracias a la cual la audiencia puede efectuar una relectura de la historia.
La aproximación háptica y dialéctica al pasado permite construir imágenes que operan como espacios de experiencia para el espectador, generándose una temporalidad que evoca la vivencia del tiempo histórico pero también genera una nueva visión del presente. A través de esta mirada a la historia y sus reconstrucciones cinematográficas exploramos las temporalidades que se generan tanto en la escritura histórica a través de la imagen como en su encuentro con la audiencia.This thesis focuses on historical reconstructions in European cinema and its main objective is to define the genealogy of a model of figuration and transmission of history, rooted in modernity and emerging after World War II, persisting in contemporary film and television. This model has main axis images whose mise-en-scene drags the viewer to the time represented, thanks to figuring it as a sensory and dialectical experience that allows the audience to reread the past.
The haptic and dialectical approach to the past allows to build images that operate as spaces of experience for the viewer, generating a temporality that evokes the experience of historical time, but also generates a new vision of the present. Through this look at history and its cinematic reconstructions we explore the temporalities that are generated, both in historical writing through images and in its encounter with the audience.Programa de doctorat en Comunicaci
A novel way to use cross-validation to measure connectivity by machine learning allows epilepsy surgery outcome prediction
No full textThe rate of success of epilepsy surgery, ensuring seizure-freedom, is limited by the lack of epileptogenicity biomarkers. Previous evidence supports the critical role of functional connectivity during seizure generation to characterize the epileptogenic network (EN). However, EN dynamics is highly variable across patients, hindering the development of diagnostic biomarkers. Without relying on specific connectivity variables, we focused on a general hypothesis that the EN undergoes the greatest magnitude of connectivity change during seizure generation, compared to other brain networks. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel method for quantifying connectivity change between network states and applied it to identify surgical resection areas. A network state was represented by random snapshots of connectivity within a defined time interval of an intracranial EEG recording. A binary classifier was applied to classify two network states. The classifier generalization performance estimated by cross-validation was employed as a continuous measure of connectivity change. The algorithm generated a network by iteratively adding nodes until the connectivity change magnitude decreased. The resulting network was compared to the surgical resection, and the overlap score was used to predict post-surgical outcomes. The framework was evaluated in a consecutive cohort of 21 patients with a post-surgical follow-up of minimum 3 years. The best overlap between connectivity change networks and resections was obtained at the transition from pre-seizure to seizure (surgical outcome prediction ROC-AUC=90.3 %). However, all patients except one were correctly classified when considering the most informative time intervals. Time intervals proportional to seizure length were more informative than the almost universally used fixed intervals. This study demonstrates that connectivity can be successfully classified with a machine learning analysis and provide information for distinguishing a separate epileptogenic functional network. In summary, the connectivity change analysis could accurately identify epileptogenic networks validated by surgery outcome classification. Connectivity change magnitude at seizure transition could potentially serve as an EN biomarker. The tool provided by this study may aid surgical decision-making.FLAG–ERA JTC 2017 Human Brain Project, CAUSALTOMICS (PCI2018–092860) (AP, KI). Fundación Tatiana - Proyectos en Neurociencia - Grant 2022–1514 (AP). Ajuts destinats a universitats, centres de recerca i fundacions hospitalàries per contractar personal investigador novell per a l'any 2022 (FI-DGR Grant Number: 14802) (KI). Emergent Cluster of the Human Brain (CECH) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) 001-P-001682 (RZ). The lab of MD was supported by the Departament d'Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Grups consolidats 2017 SGR 926, 2017 SGR 138). Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PID2019–110755RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) (MD). The European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement No 848077 (MD). NIH (Grant Number: 1R01EB 028159–01) (MD). The CRG acknowledges the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to the EMBL partnership, the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa, and the CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya. The CIBER of Rare Diseases (CIBERER) is an initiative of the ISCIII
Mediatisation in international law: the rise of the individual
No full textTreball de Fi de Màster: Master in European and Global Law. Curs 2024-2025Tutor: Víctor Ferreres ComellaThe status of the individual under international law, specifically referring to a singular human being, has been as extensively debated as it has been controversially hypothesized, concluded, and contested. Indeed, the significance of this issue is evidenced by the fervent debates surrounding it—solutions diverge as widely as the justifications for them, with their roots embedded in philosophy and history, natural law and positive law, alongside political considerations.
The result is a domain wherein virtually any resolution to the question can be found, leaving even the most fundamental definitions—such as subjectivity, mediatisation, or human rights—subject to disagreement.
It is precisely in this context that this master’s thesis seeks to identify specific intersections with a singular aim: to articulate mediatisation in such a way that it can be employed as an abstract concept to address contemporary phenomena in the realm of international law.
This thesis adopts the term mediatisation to describe the structural and procedural requirement that individuals, despite holding substantive rights under international law, must channel those rights through a state or another intermediary to access international legal fora or remedies.
The scholarly approach undertaken here is resolutely stringent: it endeavors to define the most significant notions that have been thoroughly explored by other academics, uncovering their abstract legal (positive as well as natural) foundations and synthesizing them to construct a current, operational concept of mediatisation. In doing so, it must be emphasized that, for mediatisation to function as a distinct qualification, it must be carefully distinguished from other ongoing legal developments. Once this concept is formulated, the next logically requisite step is to apply it to the present-day legal landscape
Multi-day implied volatility surface calibration in equity ETF options: a comparative study of SVI and SABR models
No full textTreball fi de màster de: Master's Degree in Economics and Finance. Financial Economics Program . Curs 2024-2025Tutora: Elisa AlòsThis thesis examines the performance of two widely used parametric models including the Stochastic Volatility Inspired (SVI) model and the Stochastic Alpha Beta Rho (SABR) model. We calibrate the implied volatility surface (IVS) of options contracts over multiple consecutive trading days using both models. The study focuses on options for SPY and QQQ, two highly liquid ETFs tracking the S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100 indices, respectively. While both models have been studied extensively in single-day contexts, this work focuses on their calibration accuracy, stability, and relative strengths over time. Using daily option data retrieved via API “EODHD”, we calibrate both raw SVI formulations and the SABR model to observed market IVs across strikes and maturities. Furthermore, we enforce no-arbitrage conditions under butterfly constraints. Model performance is evaluated using mean-squared error loss and the sequential evolution of the calibrated parameters. The results aim to guide market practitioners and researchers by highlighting the trade-offs between the two models in current market environments and enhance the broader understanding of structural shifts in the implied volatility landscape.Aquesta tesi examina el rendiment de dos models paramètrics àmpliament utilitzats: el model Stochastic Volatility Inspired (SVI) i el model Stochastic Alpha Beta Rho (SABR). Calibrem la superfície de volatilitat implícita (IVS) de les opcions durant diversos dies consecutius utilitzant ambdòs models. L’estudi se centra en opcions sobre els ETF SPY i QQQ, que repliquen els índexs S&P 500 i NASDAQ-100, respectivament. Tot i que els dos models han estat àmpliament estudiats en contextos diaris, aquest treball emfatitza en la seva precisió de calibratge, estabilitat i solidesa temporal. Utilitzant dades diàries d’opcions extretes mitjançant l’API “EODHD”, cal·librem les formulacions SVI i SABR sobre les IVs observades. També imposem condicions de no arbitratge sota restriccions de butterfly. L’avaluació es fa mitjançant la pèrdua quadràtica mitjana i l’evolució temporal dels paràmetres calibrats. Els resultats pretenen guiar tant professionals del mercat com investigadors en la comprensió de les avantatges i els inconvenients dels dos
models i aprofundir en l’anàlisi dels canvis estructurals en el marc de la volatilitat implícita
The fact-checking initiatives in the EU: a diverse ecosystem against disinformation
No full textDisinformation in Europe is a significant challenge to democracy. The pan-European conversation faces a landscape dominated by misleading or false information targeting the EU. In response, various public institutions have been promoting fact-checking initiatives. Our research analyzes the fact-checking initiatives developed by these institutions at national and regional levels. This study identifies and describes organizations ranging from dedicated initiatives, such as VerificaRTVE in Spain and ARD-Faktenfinder in Germany, to news media and fact-checking platforms funded by public money. Our analysis is based on nine semi-structured interviews with professionals conducting fact-checking across the EU. We explored topics such as content selection criteria, audience involvement, collaboration with stakeholders, dissemination practices, and the evolving role of AI in supporting these activities. Results highlight a growing number of fact-checking initiatives, particularly those associated with public service media, with AI increasingly integrated into their operations. However, our findings also reveal concerns related to the pace of digital transformation and limited resources. This research provides insights into the future of fact-checking in Europe, where public fact-checking efforts and media literacy initiatives remain underdeveloped. Our study contributes to ongoing discussions about the creation of a robust European Public Sphere, arguing that public institutions can play a pivotal role in mitigating disinformation within a shared space for democratic deliberation
A multimodal lifestyle intervention complemented with epigallocatechin gallate to prevent cognitive decline in APOE- ɛ4 carriers with Subjective Cognitive Decline: a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial (PENSA study)
No full textBackground: The potential of dietary compounds to enhance the effects of multimodal lifestyle interventions (MLIs) on cognition in individuals at high risk of cognitive impairment remains unclear. Objectives: To assess whether the addition of a green tea extract enriched with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) enhances the effects of an MLI. Design: Double-blind, randomized, two-arm, and placebo-controlled trial. Exploratory comparisons were made with a non-randomized group (NRG) receiving healthy lifestyle recommendations. Setting: Population-based study conducted in Barcelona, Spain PARTICIPANTS: APOE-ɛ4 carriers aged 60-80 with subjective cognitive decline INTERVENTION: A 12-month intensive MLI including dietary counseling, guided physical activity, and cognitive stimulation, combined with EGCG (5-6 mg/kg) or placebo, followed by a 3-month washout. Measurements: Primary endpoint was change in the modified Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC-exe) score. Results: 129 participants (65.1% 84 women, aged 66.7±5.5 years) were enrolled (52 MLI+EGCG, 52 MLI+placebo and 25 NRG), with126 (97.7%) included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. After 12 months, no statistically significant difference was observed between MLI+EGCG and MLI+placebo in the PACC-exe (adjusted mean difference [AMD]: 0.12; 95%CI: -0.01, 0.24; p=0.061). However, participants in the MLI+EGCG group were 2.6 times more likely to show a reliable cognitive improvement. In exploratory analyses following a 3-month washout, the MLI+EGCG group showed significant cognitive benefits compared to the MLI+placebo (AMD: 0.19; 95%CI: 0.06, 0.32; p=0.005). Exploratory comparisons with the NRG also suggested greater gains in cognition and dementia risk reduction in both MLI groups, particularly with EGCG. Conclusions: While the primary outcome was not met, this proof-of-concept trial suggests that combining MLIs with EGCG warrants further investigation in larger, confirmatory studies.This study was mainly funded by the Alzheimer¿s Association, The PART THE CLOUD to RESCUE (REverse, reStore, Cease and UndErstand) Brain Cell Degeneration in Alzheimer's disease Program, grant 18PTC-R-592192 and Project PI17/00223, funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). RdlT leads the Consolidated "Clinical Research Group in Pharmacology and Development of Biomarkers and New Drugs", supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR 00253 and 2021 SGR 01421). This research was also supported by CIBER-Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red- (CB06/03/0028), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2022-141900OB-I00; PID2023-148033OB-C21) and Unión Europea - FEDER Fund; Grant AC22/00004 funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and by the European Union NextGenerationEU, Mecanismo para la Recuperación y la Resiliencia (MultiMemo, JPND program); and by the "Responsible Research and Innovation Awards" (RRI20/00005) organized by the ISCIII and promoted within the framework of the European project ORION (Open Responsible research and Innovation to further Outstanding kNowledge). NS-D had a predoctoral fellowship (2022 FI_B1 00026) from AGAUR-Generalitat de Catalunya, and TL had a predoctoral fellowship FI18/00041 from the ISCIII. The funding organizations had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.This study was mainly funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, The PART THE CLOUD to RESCUE (REverse, reStore, Cease and UndErstand) Brain Cell Degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease Program, grant 18PTC-R-592192 and Project PI17/00223, funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). RdlT leads the Consolidated “Clinical Research Group in Pharmacology and Development of Biomarkers and New Drugs”, supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR 00253 and 2021 SGR 01421). This research was also supported by CIBER-Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red- (CB06/03/0028), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2022-141900OB-I00; PID2023-148033OB-C21) and Unión Europea – FEDER Fund; Grant AC22/00004 funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and by the European Union NextGenerationEU, Mecanismo para la Recuperación y la Resiliencia (MultiMemo, JPND program); and by the "Responsible Research and Innovation Awards" (RRI20/00005) organized by the ISCIII and promoted within the framework of the European project ORION (Open Responsible research and Innovation to further Outstanding kNowledge). NS-D had a predoctoral fellowship (2022 FI_B1 00026) from AGAUR-Generalitat de Catalunya, and TL had a predoctoral fellowship FI18/00041 from the ISCIII. The funding organizations had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication
Exploratory study on plasma Acylglycerol and Acylethanolamide dysregulation in substance use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Implications for novel biomarkers in dual diagnosis
No full textSubstance use disorder (SUD) is a major global public health challenge, frequently co-occurring with psychiatric conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Endocannabinoid system (ECS) dysregulation has been implicated in both SUD and ADHD, but the interplay between these conditions remains poorly understood. This study investigates plasma concentrations of endocannabinoid-congeners in individuals with SUD, with and without comorbid ADHD, to identify potential biomarkers. This exploratory study included 469 participants divided into three groups: (1) healthy controls (n = 136), (2) patients with SUD without ADHD (n = 267), and (3) patients with SUD and comorbid ADHD (n = 66). Plasma concentrations of 12 endocannabinoid-related molecules, including acylglycerols (2-AG, 2-LG, 2-OG) and acylethanolamides (AEA, DEA, DHEA, DGLEA, LEA, OEA, PEA, POEA, and SEA), were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). A multinomial Elastic Net regression model was applied to assess their biomarker potential. Patients with SUD exhibited significantly lower plasma concentrations of 2-AG and 2-LG compared to controls, while most acylethanolamides were elevated, except for POEA and SEA. ADHD comorbidity was associated with lower concentrations of 2-AG, 2-LG, AEA, DGLEA, DHEA, and SEA, while PEA was elevated. Machine learning analysis identified AEA, OEA, PEA, and SEA as key biomarkers, achieving an accuracy of 72.1 % and an ROC-AUC of 0.77. This study suggests distinct ECS alterations in SUD and comorbid ADHD, highlighting endocannabinoid-congeners as potential biomarkers. Future research should validate these findings in larger cohorts and explore ECS-targeted therapeutic interventions for dual-diagnosis populations