43569 research outputs found
Sort by
Building Trust Among Actors Within Regulatory Regimes: The Role of Specialized Agencies
No full textRegulatory regimes have become increasingly complex due to a shift towards specialized agencies, particularly notable in multi-level contexts like the European Union where decision-making authority is dispersed across various levels of governance. Understanding how different actors interact within these frameworks is crucial, especially regarding the conditions that influence trust among them, as it may have consequences for the regime's effectiveness. Against this backdrop, this dissertation explores the role of specialized agencies in cultivating trust among diverse actors within the regulatory regime. Employing a multi-level approach and focusing on sectors such as public health, food safety, finance, and data protection, the study utilizes a combination of quantitative methods like multi-level modeling of survey data and qualitative analyses such as interviews and content analysis to address the question: What is the role of specialized agencies in the formation of trust among actors in the regulatory regime? The findings provide nuanced insights into trust dynamics within regulatory governance. During crises, citizens tend to prefer clear allocation of responsibility, favoring either strong ministries or highly independent agencies. Additionally, individual characteristics significantly influence stakeholder trust, particularly belonging to the same professional group and close relationships with agencies. Moreover, the research underscores the media's role as intermediaries in shaping perceptions of regulatory agencies. Positive, neutral, and negative media coverage affects stakeholder trust differently. Overall, this dissertation enhances understanding of trust dynamics within regulatory governance, offering valuable insights for policymakers and regulators aiming to bolster trust in regulatory governance.Cada vez más, los regímenes regulatorios se vuelven más complejos debido al giro hacia las agencias especializadas. Sobre todo en contextos multinivel como el de la Unión Europea, donde la autoridad de decisión está dispersa por varios niveles de gobierno. Es importante comprender cómo interactúan los diferentes actores dentro de este marco. En particular, cuando se trata de las condiciones que influyen en la confianza hacia ellos, pues podría tener consecuencias en la efectividad del régimen. En este sentido, esta tesis doctoral explora el rol de las agencias especializadas en la generación de confianza entre los diversos actores del régimen regulatorio. Se enfoca en los sectores de salud pública, seguridad alimentaria, y protección de datos, y utiliza una combinación de métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos. Más en concreto, se apoya en modelos multinivel con datos de encuestas, así como en entrevistas y análisis de contenido, a fin de responder la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cuál es el rol de las agencias especializadas en la generación de confianza entre actores del régimen regulatorio? Los resultados matizan la literatura sobre las dinámicas de confianza en la gobernanza regulatoria. Muestran como, en periodos de crisis, los ciudadanos prefieren una asignación de responsabilidad clara, y a preferir ministerios o agencias independientes fuertes. Muestran cómo las características individuales de las partes interesadas (o stakeholders) influyen significativamente en sus niveles de confianza. Sobre todo si comparten grupos profesionales y tienen relaciones estrechas con las agencias. Además, muestran cómo los medios de comunicación sirven de intermediarios en la formación de percepciones sobre las agencias regulatorias. Las coberturas mediáticas positivas, neutrales, y negativas, por ejemplo, afectan la confianza que tienen las partes interesadas de manera distinta. En general, esta tesis doctoral fortalece la literatura sobre las dinámicas de la confianza en la gobernanza regulatoria. En particular, ofrece conocimiento para legisladores y reguladores que deseen elevar la confianza en la gobernanza regulatoria.Programa de Doctorat en Ciències Polítiques i Social
Dietary vitamin D intake and changes in body composition over three years in older adults with metabolic syndrome
No full textBackground: Adequate intake of vitamin D through diet may offer benefits in terms of body composition. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the longitudinal relationship between dietary vitamin D intake and changes in body composition in older adults over one and three years under the context of a weight loss and lifestyle behavioral intervention. Design: Longitudinal study. Setting: Multicenter. Participants: This longitudinal study included 715 aged participants (mean age 65.3 ± 5.0 years, 38% women) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome. Measurements: Multivariable-adjusted mixed-effects linear regression models were fitted to investigate the longitudinal associations between dietary vitamin D intake (exposure) and body composition (outcome) with available data at baseline, one, and three years of follow-up. Data on dietary vitamin D intake was assessed using a validated 143-item food frequency questionnaire. Body composition variables (total body weight (kg), total fat mass (%), total lean mass (%), muscle-to-fat mass ratio, visceral adipose tissue (kg), and android-to-gynoid fat ratio) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Higher dietary vitamin D intake (for each μg/day) was associated with higher total lean mass (β: 0.10 %; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.18; P: 0.017) and muscle-to-fat mass ratio (β: 1.00 × 10-2; 95% CI: 0.22 × 10-2 to 1.78 × 10-2; P: 0.011), and lower total body weight (β: -0.20 kg; 95% CI: -0.34 to -0.05; P: 0.007), total fat mass (β: -0.11 %; 95% CI: -0.19 to -0.02; P: 0.015), and visceral adipose tissue (β: -1.74 × 10-2 kg; 95% CI: -3.47 × 10-2 to -0.01 × 10-2; P: 0.048) at one year of follow-up in the group following the intervention in the multivariable-adjusted model. Conclusion: Dietary vitamin D intake was associated with better body composition changes in the context of a weight loss and lifestyle intervention which led to notable changes in body composition at short term.This study was supported by the official Spanish Institutions for Funding Scientific Biomedical Research, CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (six coordinated FIS projects led by JSS and JV, including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI14/00972, PI14/00728, PI14/01471, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926, PI19/00957, PI19/00386, PI19/00309, PI19/01032, PI19/00576, PI19/00017, PI19/01226, PI19/00781, PI19/01560, PI19/01332, PI20/01802, PI20/00138, PI20/01532, PI20/00456, PI20/00339, PI20/00557, PI20/00886, and PI20/01158); the Especial Action Project entitled: Implementación y evaluación de una intervención intensiva sobre la actividad física Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus grant to JSS; the European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2014–2019; agreement #340918) granted to MMG; the Recercaixa (number 2013ACUP00194) grant to JSS; grants from the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0458/2013, PS0358/2016, and PI0137/2018); the PROMETEO/21/2021 and the AICO/2021/347 grants from the Generalitat Valenciana; the Horizon 2020 PRIME study (Prevention and Remediation of Insulin Multimorbidity in Europe; grant agreement #847879); and grant from Agencia Estatal de Investigación (reference CNS2022-135862) to DR. HVL was funded by a research grant from the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris de Recerca via Unión Europea, Next Generation EU (AGAUR, record number: 2023POST-INV-01). JN is supported by a predoctoral grant from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (FPU 20/00385). None of the funding sources took part in the design, collection, analysis, interpretation of the data, or writing the report, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. JSS senior author, gratefully acknowledges the financial support by ICREA under the ICREA Academia program
New insights into the determinants of willingness to pay for supporting professional sport teams
No full textThis paper examines the determinants of individuals' willingness to pay (WTP) to prevent the relegation of a professional football team. Drawing on an analytical framework provided by social capital and social identity theories, we hypothesize that social trust and civic pride are key predictors of WTP. The empirical analysis applies the contingent valuation method and a double-hurdle model. The results confirm the role of both social trust and civic pride in driving WTP and suggest that social trust is relevant for users (those attending at least one match in the stadium), while civic pride enhances WTP across users and non-users.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Grant/Award Numbers: PID2023-147602OB-I00, PID2020-115018RB-C3
Sobre la autoría en obras de arte conceptual
No full textEl presente trabajo aborda uno de los ámbitos de marcado interés en el campo de la relación entre el arte contemporáneo y el Derecho de autor, a saber: cuál ha de ser la calificación jurídica de las aportaciones realizadas por quienes participan en la producción de obras de arte conceptual. El tema es de singular actualidad por haberse cuestionado recientemente ante los tribunales la autoría de ciertas obras de índole escenográfica realizadas bajo el sello de Maurizio CATTELAN, y que culminó con un pronunciamiento del Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris el pasado 8 de julio. Este caso hizo temblar el suelo bajo los pies del mundo artístico, hasta entonces en vilo. Cotizadísimos artistas conceptuales que suelen recurrir a auxiliares para realizar sus complejos montajes temieron por la «fragmentación» de su autoría y, con ello, ante la expectativa de verse sepultados bajo un aluvión de demandas de igual corte. Y, con ellos, museos y otras instituciones de arte, marchantes y coleccionistas públicos y privados aterrados, a su vez, por el desmerecimiento (y consiguiente devaluación del valor) de este tipo de obras. La sentencia les ha dado un respiro temporal. Este trabajo arranca con un primer apunte preliminar que nos acerca al campo del arte conceptual para, desde ahí, relatar críticamente los entresijos del caso de referencia. El estudio concluye con un apartado de reflexiones dedicadas, en especial, a los artistas y a quienes les asesoren, a los efectos de salvaguardar la tutela jurídica de sus obras y, muy en particular, su autoría.The present study addresses one of the most significant issues related to the relationship between contemporary art and copyright, namely which should be the legal categorization of the contributions made by those who participate in the production of conceptual works of art. This subject is quite topical, since recently the authorship of certain pieces of work under the hallmark of Maurizio CATTELAN has been taken to court. This case culminated with a ruling of the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris last July 8th. The grounds under the feet of the art world had quaked, till then on tenterhooks. Highestly prized conceptual artists who recurrently solicit the assistance of third parties to set up their complex works got scared at the eventual «fragmentation» of their authorship, fearing a trend of claims of analogous calibre. And so much alike was the reaction of museums or other art institutions, art dealers and collectors both public and private, all appalled by the unworthiness (and eventual subsequent depreciation) of this type of works. The sentence has provided them with a temporary break with. This study begins with a brief approach to conceptual art so as to, from there, critically recount the ins and outs of this case study. The exposition concludes with a section of steering observations dedicated, especially, to artists and their advisors, in order to safeguard the legal protection of their works and their authorship upon them
BrainX3: a virtual reality tool for neurosurgical intervention in epilepsy
No full textComunicació presentada alProceedings of the 31st International Congress and Exhibition - Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery CARS 2017, celebrada a Barcelona (Espanya) del 20 al 24 de juny de 2017.Localizing functional regions of the cortex and deep-brain areas in epileptic patients is an important pre-surgical procedure prior to resection. This is often achieved using intra-cortical electrodes for both stimulation as well as recordings of Local Field Potentials (LFPs), concurrent to behavioral tasks related to language or motor function. To assist and improve accuracy in the identification of relevant brain networks associated to core cognitive functions, we present a novel interactive virtual reality system that aids in 3D visualization of precise electrode placement within cortical and sub-cortical regions of the patient and facilitates dynamical functional connectivity analysis of the aforementioned networks. The system is an extension of the BrainX3 tool [1][2][3], developed at the Laboratory for the Synthetic, Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems (SPECS)
The annotation of the asparagine N-linked glycosylation pathway in the Reactome database
No full textAsparagine N-linked glycosylation is one of the most important forms of protein post-translational modification in eukaryotes and is one of the first metabolic pathways described at a biochemical level. Here, we report a new annotation of this pathway for the Human species, published after passing a peer-review process in Reactome. The new annotation presented here offers a high level of detail and provides references and descriptions for each reaction, along with integration with GeneOntology and other databases. The open-source approach of Reactome toward annotation encourages feedback from its users, making it easier to keep the annotation of this pathway updated with future knowledge. Reactome's web interface allows easy navigation between steps involved in the pathway to compare it with other pathways and resources in other scientific databases and to export it to BioPax and SBML formats, making it accessible for computational studies. This new entry in Reactome expands and complements the annotations already published in databases for biological pathways and provides a common reference to researchers interested in studying this important pathway in the human species. Finally, we discuss the status of the annotation of this pathway and point out which steps are worth further investigation or need better experimental validation.This research was funded by grants SAF-2007-63171 and BFU2010-19443 (subprogram BMC) awarded by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain), the Direcció General de Recerca, Generalitat de Catalunya (Grup de Recerca Consolidat 2009 SGR 1101), a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (P41 HG003751) and from the European Union 6th Framework Programme "ENFIN" (LSHG-CT-2005-518254). G.M.D. is supported by a PhD fellowship from the Programa de becas FPI (BES-2009-017731) del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain
The multiple functions of hindbrain boundary cells: Tinkering boundaries?
No full textEmbryonic boundaries were first described in Drosophila, and then in vertebrate embryos, as cellular interfaces between compartments. They display signaling properties and in vertebrates might allocate cells fated to different anatomical structures, or cells that will play different functions over time. One of the vertebrate embryonic structures with boundaries is the hindbrain, the posterior brain vesicle, which is transitory segmented upon morphogenesis. The hindbrain is formed by iterative units called rhombomeres that constitute units of gene expression and cell-lineage compartments. Rhombomeric cells are segregated by interhombomeric boundaries, which are prefigured by sharp gene expression borders. Hindbrain boundaries were first described as static groups of cells. However, later discoveries demonstrated the dynamic behavior of this specific cell population. They play distinct functional properties during brain morphogenesis that partially overlap on time, starting as a mechanical barrier to prevent cell intermingling, becoming a signaling hub, to finally constitute a group of proliferating progenitors providing differentiated neurons to the system. In this review, I try to give a more functional overview of this segmentation process and in particular of hindbrain boundaries. I will discuss the new challenges in the field on how to integrate cell fate specification and morphogenesis during brain embryonic development.The author thanks the current members of her lab for insights and critical discussions, and Adrià Voltes -a former member of the lab- for his illustrations. This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities AEI-PGC2018-095663-B-I00 and AEI-RED2018-102553-Tgrants (MICIU-FEDER) to CP. DCEXS-UPF is a Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu funded by the AEI (CEX2018-000792-M). CP is a recipient of ICREA Academia award (Generalitat de Catalunya)
Distinct patterns of cell adhesion, migration, and morphology in olfactory neuroepithelium cells of bipolar disorder patients
No full textBackground: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe, chronic mental illness that remains difficult to diagnose due to the lack of specific biomarkers, relying primarily on clinical assessments. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for improving prognosis and lowering suicide risk. This study aimed to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets by utilizing olfactory neuroepithelium (ONE) cells from patients with BD and controls. Methods: Immunofluorescence of ONE cells, along with proteomic and RNA sequencing analyses, was performed to investigate cytoskeletal changes and pathways involved in cell adhesion, movement, and morphology. Additionally, potential biomarkers were investigated in blood samples to improve clinical accessibility. Results: Thus, according to functional assays, ONE cells derived from BD patients exhibited decreased substrate adhesion, reduced cell migration, and morphological changes compared to control cells. In addition, proteomic and RNAseq analyses in ONE cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) revealed alterations in pathways such as RhoA/PAK/Integrin and Actin Cytoskeleton Signaling, as well as significant changes in inflammatory and immunological pathways. AUROC analysis identified proteins like PTK2 as potential diagnostic biomarkers, showing altered expression in both ONE cells and PBMCs. PTK2 RNA expression correlated with distinct morphological traits in BD ONE cells. Conclusions: In summary, this study identified cytoskeletal alterations, reduced adhesion, and disrupted migration patterns in BD ONE cells, highlighting molecular mechanisms underlying these changes and emphasizing PTK2's role as a potential diagnostic biomarker for BD
Visual motif identification: elaboration of a curated comparative dataset and classification methods
No full textIn cinema, visual motifs are recurrent iconographic compositions that carry artistic or aesthetic significance. Their use throughout the history of visual arts and media is interesting to researchers and filmmakers alike. Our goal in this work is to recognise and classify these motifs by proposing a new machine learning model that uses a custom dataset to that end. We show how features extracted from a CLIP model can be leveraged by using a shallow network and an appropriate loss to classify images into 20 different motifs, with surprisingly good results: an F1-score of 0.91 on our test set. We also present several ablation studies justifying the input features, architecture and hyperparameters used.The authors acknowledge support by MICINN/FEDER UE project, ref. PID2021-127643NB-I00, and by Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme CEX2021-001195-M, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. They also thank the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions that helped to improve the manuscript