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Democracy made easy: simplifying complex topics to enable democratic participation
No full textSeveral groups of people are excluded from democratic deliberation because the language used in this context may be too difficult for them to understand. Our iDEM project aims to reduce existing linguistic barriers in deliberative processes by developing technology to facilitate the translation of complicated text into Easy-to-Read formats that are more suitable for many people. In this paper, we describe classification experiments for detecting different types of difficulties which should be amended in order to make texts easier to understand. We focus on a lexical simplification system that can achieve state-of-the-art results with the use of a free and open-weight large language model for the Romance Languages in our project. Moreover, a sentence segmentation system is introduced to produce text segmentation for long sentences based on training data. Finally, we describe the iDEM mobile app, which will make our technology available as a service for end-users of our target populations.This document is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 101132431 (iDEM Project). The views and opinions expressed in this document are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The University of Leeds (UOL) was funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee (Grant Agreement No. 10103529)
The power of alignment: how personalized information shapes voter decisions
No full textData de publicació electrònica: 02-06-2025This study examines the effects of personalized political information on voter-party congruence and electoral behavior through an online survey experiment embedded in a Voting Advice Application (VAA) during the 2021 parliamentary elections in Cyprus. Drawing on Downs’ paradox, it hypothesizes that personalized affinity information would increase electoral participation and proximity voting by lowering informational costs. The experiment, involving approximately 4% of the Cypriot electorate, finds that such information significantly increases the likelihood of participation – by up to 10 percentage points – and encourages broader party consideration beyond single-party allegiance. However, no evidence is found that it shifts vote intentions toward more ideologically congruent parties. Despite increased awareness, voting choices remain largely stable, suggesting that short VAA interactions may activate participation without altering entrenched preferences. These findings underscore the value of VAAs as tools for engagement, even if their capacity to reshape vote choice is limited
Los medios propios como alternativa a la contratación pública: requisitos para su utilización y especial referencia a TRAGSA
No full textTreball de Fi de Grau en Dret. Curs 2024-2025Tutor: Javier Barnés VázquezLa creciente utilización de medios propios por parte de las Administraciones Públicas ha motivado críticas por parte de diversos organismos, que han expresado su preocupación ante lo que consideran un uso excesivo y poco justificado de esta figura. En este contexto, el presente trabajo tiene como objetivo hacer un análisis del régimen jurídico aplicable a los encargos a medios propios, así como de los requisitos legales y jurisprudenciales que se deben cumplir tanto para que una entidad instrumental pueda ser calificada como medio propio personificado, como para que cada encargo concreto cumpla con las condiciones exigidas por el ordenamiento. Asimismo, el trabajo tiene por finalidad examinar de manera crítica el creciente recurso a la figura del medio propio personificado, centrándose en el análisis de la utilización de TRAGSA por parte de los poderes adjudicadores
Promoting pro-environmental beliefs and behaviour: choose-your-own story futuristic climate game
No full textHow can we address climate scepticism and increase public support for ambitious pro-environmental policies? This study investigates the potential of future-oriented perspective taking, using an innovative and futuristic choose-your-own-adventure narrative game. This cutting-edge intervention involves living in the life of a future self and making choices related to hypothetical climate crises. The choose-your-own-adventure game was integrated into online survey experiments in the United Kingdom (N= 1,738) and the United States (N = 1,290). We found that participation in the game elicited strong emotional responses in individuals, making them more empathetic, but also more hopeless and sad. Imagining their future self during the climate game enhanced people's willingness to engage in future discussions about climate change among the UK respondents. Yet, the intervention did little to transform people's pro-environmental beliefs, policy support, or willingness to sign a climate petition. Causal mediation analyses reveal that these null effects hide important direct and indirect effects. Empathic concern mediates significant positive indirect effect of climate game on people's pro-environmental beliefs, but negative indirect effect on willingness to sign the climate petition. Empathy seems to shape environmental beliefs and behaviours in diverse ways, highlighting the complex and nuanced relationship between them. These findings offer important implications for recent research on the role of emotions in climate change communication, environmental psychology, and policymaking. We also present a unique approach to fostering empathy for the environment and future generations through an engaging choose-your-own-adventure game.This study has been supported by the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No 759736) awarded to SM, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded to EB
Genetic determinants orchestrating transcriptome regulation: nonsense-mediated mRNA decay and allele-specific expression variability in phenotypic diversity
No full textEsta tesis explora la variabilidad de la eficiencia de la degradación del ARN mensajero mediada por mutación terminadora (NMD) y el papel de la expresión específica de alelos (ASE) en la influencia de la variación fenotípica y la progresión de enfermedades, particularmente en el cáncer.
A través de análisis exhaustivos de exomas y transcriptomas de tumores y tejidos sanos, cuantificamos la eficiencia de NMD a nivel individual, revelando una variabilidad intertisular e interindividual sustancial explicada parcialmente por alteraciones del número de copias somáticas y variantes de la línea germinal con pérdida de función. Estos hallazgos subrayan el potencial de la eficiencia de NMD como un biomarcador predictivo para las estrategias de tratamiento del cáncer que involucran inmunoterapia y/o inhibición de NMD.
Además, investigamos ASE en la tumorigénesis, demostrando que los desequilibrios alélicos que favorecen las mutaciones patogénicas en los ARN mensajeros están sujetos a selección positiva, contribuyendo a la evolución del cáncer y afectando negativamente el pronóstico. Identificamos mecanismos no provocados por CNAs, como cambios epigenéticos y alteraciones de splicing, que promueven la expresión de alelos mutantes en genes drivers.
Los estudios de NMD y ASE no solo aclaran aspectos de la evolución y el pronóstico del cáncer, sino que también destaca su potencial como objetivos terapéuticos dentro de la medicina personalizada, lo que sugiere nuevas vías para la intervención farmacológica en el cáncer.This thesis explores the variability of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) efficiency and the role of allele-specific expression (ASE) in influencing phenotypic variation and disease progression, particularly in cancer.
Through extensive analyses of exomes and transcriptomes from both tumors and healthy tissues, we quantified individual-level NMD efficiency, revealing substantial inter-tissue and inter-individual variability partially driven by somatic copy number alterations and loss-of-function germline variants. These findings underscore the potential of NMD efficiency as a predictive biomarker for cancer treatment strategies involving immunotherapy and/or NMD inhibition.
Furthermore, we investigated ASE in tumorigenesis, demonstrating that allelic imbalances favoring pathogenic mutations in mRNAs are subject to positive selection, contributing to cancer evolution and adversely affecting prognosis. We identified non-CNA mechanisms, such as epigenetic changes and splicing alterations, that promote the expression of mutant alleles in driver genes.
The study of NMD and ASE not only elucidates aspects of cancer evolution and prognosis but also highlights their potential as therapeutic targets within personalized medicine, suggesting new avenues for pharmacological intervention in cancer.Programa de Doctorat en Biomedicin
Estudi de l’ús de les llengües pròpies en una empresa privada: el cas de l’hotel El Palace Barcelona Proposta de guia d’estil per a El Palace Barcelona
No full textTutora: Elisenda Bernal
Doble grau en Traducció i Interpretació i Llengües Aplicades. Treballs de fi de grauEl sector del turisme a Espanya ha experimentat molts canvis des del segle XX, especialment arran de la consolidació de l’anglès com a llengua franca, cosa que ha provocat un canvi en la percepció de les llengües en l’hostaleria de luxe. En aquest context, el primer àmbit d’estudi d’aquest treball es proposa estudiar l’ús de les llengües pròpies d’una empresa: l’hotel El Palace Barcelona. En particular, es vol analitzar el model de llengua de l’entitat, així com avaluar-ne l'ús efectiu, la influència i la predominança de les llengües pròpies, tant el castellà com el català. Per una altra banda, el segon àmbit d'estudi té l’objectiu de detectar les deficiències lingüístiques que s’hi han observat per tal d’elaborar una guia d’estil que s’adequa a les necessitats particulars de l’hotel per poder millorar-ne la qualitat lingüística.
Per assolir aquests objectius es contextualitza i es presenta quina és la situació actual de les llengües al sector del turisme. Així, també s’aborda la importància de la correcció i la coherència en la comunicació corporativa, i, especialment, la incidència i les conseqüències que pot generar en la identitat corporativa. Metodològicament, s’ha constituït un corpus d’anàlisi dels materials de la pàgina web i de les fonts escrites amb més de mil entrades, tenint en consideració criteris d’ortografia, morfosintaxi, lèxic, convencions i altres criteris de traducció que han servit per veure com són les llengües pròpies de l’hotel i les necessitats específiques que se’n deriven. El corpus, a més, ha estat el punt de partida per a l’elaboració de la guia d’estil, que pretén superar les incoherències i incorreccions detectades, però també ajudar a millorar la qualitat lingüística en general, tant per al català com per al castellà, sempre tenint en compte el context en el qual s’emmarca l’hotel. Com a conclusions es
mostra que el model de llengua de l’hotel s’alinea amb els seus valors, amb un to solemne i formal, que combina la tradició amb la innovació. També s’ha detectat que el castellà és la llengua vehicular de l’organització i influeix en gran manera sobre el català. D’altra banda, el recurs que es proporciona es dirigeix a l’equip de comunicació de l’entitat i encoratja l’autogestió per tal de millorar la comunicació corporativa, a expenses de la veritable necessitat d’un professional de la llengua. La proposta de guia d’estil representa, així, una aportació innovadora en l’àmbit de la lingüística aplicada a la comunicació turística.El sector del turismo en España ha experimentado muchos cambios desde el siglo XX, especialmente a raíz de la consolidación del inglés como lengua franca, lo que ha provocado un cambio en la percepción de las lenguas en la hostelería de lujo. En este contexto, el primer ámbito de estudio de este trabajo se propone estudiar el uso de las lenguas propias de una empresa: el hotel El Palace Barcelona. En particular, se busca analizar el modelo de lengua de la entidad, así como evaluar el uso efectivo, la influencia y el predominio de las lenguas propias, tanto el castellano como el catalán. Por otra parte, el segundo ámbito de estudio tiene el objetivo de detectar las deficiencias lingüísticas que se han observado con la finalidad de elaborar una guía de estilo que se adecúe a las necesidades particulares del hotel y poder mejorar la calidad lingüística. Para lograr estos objetivos se contextualiza y se presenta cuál es la situación actual de las lenguas en el sector del turismo. Asimismo, también se aborda la importancia de la corrección y la coherencia en la comunicación corporativa, y, especialmente, la incidencia y las consecuencias que puede generar en la identidad corporativa. Metodológicamente, se ha constituido un corpus de análisis de los materiales de la página web y de las fuentes escritas con más de mil entradas, teniendo en consideración criterios de ortografía, morfosintaxis, léxico, convenciones y otros criterios de traducción que han servido para ver como son las lenguas propias del hotel y las necesidades específicas que se derivan. Además, el corpus ha sido el punto de partida para la elaboración de la guía de estilo, que pretende superar las incoherencias e incorrecciones detectadas, así como ayudar a mejorar la calidad lingüística en general, tanto para el catalán como para el castellano, siempre teniendo en cuenta el contexto en el que se enmarca el hotel. A modo de conclusiones se muestra que el modelo de lengua del hotel se alinea con sus valores, con un tono solemne y formal, que combina la tradición con la innovación. También se ha detectado que el castellano es la lengua vehicular de la organización e influye de gran manera en el catalán. Por su parte, el recurso que se proporciona se dirige al equipo de comunicación de la entidad y estimula la autogestión para mejorar la comunicación corporativa, a expensas de la verdadera necesidad de un profesional de la lengua. Así pues, la propuesta de guía de estilo representa una aportación innovadora en el ámbito de la lingüística aplicada a la comunicación turística.The tourism sector in Spain has undergone many changes since the 20th century, especially as a result of the consolidation of English as a lingua franca. This has led to a change in the
perception of languages in the luxury hotel industry. In this context, the first area of study of this paper aims to study the use of languages in a company: El Palace Barcelona hotel. In particular, the purpose is to analyse the language model of the company, as well as to evaluate the effective use, influence, and predominance of the company’s own languages, both Spanish and Catalan. On the other hand, the second area of study aims to detect the linguistic deficiencies that have been observed in order to draw up a style guide. This guide will be adapted to the particular needs of the hotel and will be able to improve linguistic quality. In order to achieve these objectives, the current situation of languages in the tourism sector is contextualised and presented. Likewise, the importance of proofreading and coherence in corporate communication is also addressed, and, especially, the incidence and consequences it can produce in corporate identity. methodologically, a corpus of analysis of the materials on the website and written sources with more than a thousand entries has been constituted. It takes into consideration criteria of spelling, morphosyntax, lexis, conventions, and other translation criteria that have served to determine what the hotel’s own languages are like and the specific needs that derive from them. In addition, the corpus has been the starting point for the preparation of the style guide, which aims to overcome the inconsistencies and inaccuracies detected. Moreover, this guide will help improve linguistic quality in general, both for Catalan and Spanish, always taking into account the context in which the hotel is set. The conclusions show that the hotel’s language model is in line with its values, with a solemn and formal tone, combining tradition with innovation. It has also been detected that Spanish is the organisation’s vehicular language and has a strong influence on Catalan. For its part, the resource provided is addressed at the company’s communication team and encourages self-management to improve corporate communication, at the expense of the real need for a language professional. Thus, the proposed style guide represents an innovative contribution in the field of linguistics applied to tourism communication
Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise and dynamic brain connectivity across adolescence
No full textBackground: Traffic-related exposures, such as air pollution and noise, show long-term associations with brain alterations in children and adolescents. The associations with functional connectivity have been studied using static approaches of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) (i.e., average connectivity between regions across the scanning session). Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the long-term association of traffic air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood with functional connectivity across adolescence using a dynamic approach, which captures different connectivity patterns across the scanning session. Methods: We used data from the Generation R population-based birth cohort. We estimated levels of 14 air pollutants and traffic noise at home addresses during pregnancy and childhood. We acquired rs-fMRI data at the age-10 y and age-14 y visits. We included participants with rs-fMRI data in at least one visit and either air pollution data (n=3,588) or noise data (n=2,642). We used k-means clustering to identify five connectivity patterns, called "states," that reoccur over time and across subjects and visits. We calculated the mean time spent in each state for each participant and visit. We performed multi- and single-pollutant mixed effects models adjusted for socioeconomic and lifestyle variables, including the individual as random effect to test the associations between the exposures and the mean time spent in each state. Results: Exposure to nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM), and road-traffic noise was related to differences in the time spent in the connectivity states, both in the multi- and single-pollutant models. For instance, higher levels of exposure to PM with aerodynamic diameter between 2.5μm and 10μm (PMCOARSE) during pregnancy and higher noise exposure during childhood were associated with more time spent in a state in which the default-mode network, related to self-referential processes and mind-wandering, shows high connectivity. Discussion: Traffic-related exposures might be related to long-term alterations in brain functional network organization in adolescents. Further research should explore the potential impact of these differences on cognition and psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14525.The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of children and parents, general practitioners, hospitals, midwives, and pharmacies in Rotterdam. This study was supported by the Project IJC2020-045355-I, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR (M.L.-V.). This study was co-financed by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European Social Fund (FSE) “EL FSE invierte en tu futuro” with reference number PRE2020-092005, according to the Resolution of the Presidency of the AEI, by which grants are awarded for predoctoral contracts for the training of doctors, call 2020 (M.K.). This study received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 874583 (ATHLETE project, A.B.). This publication reflects only the authors’ view, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Generation R Neuroimaging was supported by the Sophia Foundation project S18–20 (R.L.M.), the Erasmus MC Fellowship (R.L.M.), The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (2021.042, Snellius, R.L.M.), and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) Vici project 016.VICI.170.200 (H.T.). M.G. was funded by a Miguel Servet II fellowship (CPII18/00018) from the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III. The Generation R Study is conducted by the Erasmus MC in close collaboration with Faculty of Social Sciences of the Erasmus University Rotterdam; the Municipal Health Service Rotterdam area, Rotterdam; and the Stichting Trombosedienst & Artsenlaboratorium Rijnmond (STAR-MDC), Rotterdam. The geocodification of the addresses of the study participants and the air pollution estimations were done within the framework of a project funded by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) (Assistance Award No. R-82811201) and by the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (PI20/01695 including FEDER funds). The authors acknowledge the E-OBS dataset from the EU-FP6 project UERRA (https://www.uerra.eu) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the data providers in the ECA&D project (https://www.ecad.eu). The authors acknowledge support from the grant CEX2023-0001290-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program, and the Ministry of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia (2021 SGR 01564)
Metabolomics signatures of exposure to ambient air pollution: A large-scale metabolome-wide association study in the cancer prevention study-II nutrition cohort
No full textExisting air pollution metabolomics studies showed inconsistent results, often limited by small sample size and individual air pollutants effects. We conducted a metabolome-wide association study among 1096 women (68.2 ± 5.7 years) who provided blood samples (1998-2001) within the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort. Annual average individual exposures to particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide in the year of blood draw were used. Metabolomics profiling was conducted on serum samples by Metabolon. We evaluated the individual air pollutants effects using multiple linear regression and the mixture effect using quantile g-computation, adjusting for confounders and false discovery rate (FDR). Ninety-five metabolites were significantly associated with at least one air pollutant or mixture (FDR < 0.05). These metabolites were enriched in pathways related to oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, energy metabolism, signals transduction, nucleic acid damage and repair, and xenobiotics. Sixty metabolites were confirmed with level 1 or 2 evidence, among which 21 have been previously linked to air pollution exposure, including taurine, creatinine, and sebacate. Overall, our results replicate prior findings in a large sample and provide novel insights into biological responses to long-term air pollution exposure using mixture analysis.The American Cancer Society funds the creation, maintenance, and updating of the Cancer Prevention Study-II cohort. The study was supported by the Emory Human Exposome Research Center (HERCULES), supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30ES019776. The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This work was also supported by the National Institute of Health (NIH) research grants [R21ES032117, R01ES035738]. M.C.T. is funded by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-01892) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and cofunded by the European Social Fund. ISGlobal acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program
Entre la fe y la ley: explorando la intersección criminológica entre los Testigos de Jehová y sus conflictos con el sistema judicial
No full textTreball de Fi de Grau en Criminologia i Polítiques Públiques de Prevenció. Curs 2024-2025Tutor: Juan Ignacio Mestre PintoLa comunidad de los Testigos de Jehová se rige por un sistema de creencias que afecta de manera directa aspectos específicos de la vida individual, familiar y jurídica de sus miembros. A través de normas internas basadas en una interpretación literal de las Escrituras, se establecen reglas que condicionan decisiones médicas, relaciones sociales y el contacto con el sistema judicial. Esta estructura interna prioriza la obediencia y la unidad por encima de la autonomía personal, generando conflictos cuando se confronta con el marco legal del Estado.
El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar cómo estas normas religiosas impactan en el acceso a la justicia, especialmente en casos de disenso, conflicto legal o abandono de la comunidad. Para ello, se ha realizado un estudio cualitativo basado en fuentes académicas y jurídicas, así como en dos entrevistas: una a una exmiembro, Soraya Nárez, y otra a un miembro activo. A partir del análisis de ambos relatos, se examinan ejes como el control social interno, la objeción de conciencia o el aislamiento tras la expulsión.
Los resultados muestran cómo determinadas prácticas organizativas pueden actuar como mecanismos de presión o silenciamiento, afectando al ejercicio de derechos fundamentales, evidenciando la tensión entre fe y ley
The impact of holocaust survivors' testimonies and politicians' framings on political attitudes in Germany
No full textHow do politicians' framings of the need to remember the past shape contemporary political attitudes? This research note addresses this question by focusing on the case of the memory of the Holocaust in Germany. We conduct a survey experiment in which respondents are confronted with a testimony by a Holocaust survivor on its own or by that testimony followed by an excerpt from a speech by a politician either emphasizing the need to remember the past or minimizing it. Our results suggest that politicians' framings have an important effect on respondents' attitudes on the importance to remember and on agreement with certain antisemitic statements. Furthermore, we find significant differences in the reaction of respondents from eastern and western Germany and among those with extreme ideological views