Intertwined precariousness and precarity: disentangling a phenomenon that characterises Spanish youth

The growth of non-standard employment has emerged as a crucial factor that contributes to delays and difficulties in young people's transitions to adulthood. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of multidimensional measures of precariousness. This paper aims to investigate the phenomenon of precariousness holistically, using an original database of respondents in Spain from 20 to 34 years of age. Using a mixed-methods approach, we explore young people's understandings of precariousness and examine its key determinants and consequences. The findings illustrate the multidimensional nature of feelings of precariousness, with economic insecurity and work conditions being core elements. Our results point to precarity stemming from a combination of inextricably intertwined objective and subjective components, as well as work and economic dimensions

QuantumBind-RBFE: Accurate relative binding free energy calculations using neural network potentials

Accurate prediction of protein-ligand binding affinities is crucial in drug discovery, particularly during hit-to-lead and lead optimization phases, however, limitations in ligand force fields continue to impact prediction accuracy. In this work, we validate relative binding free energy (RBFE) accuracy using neural network potentials (NNPs) for the ligands. We utilize a novel NNP model, AceFF 1.0, based on the TensorNet architecture for small molecules that broadens the applicability to diverse drug-like compounds, including all important chemical elements and supporting charged molecules. Using established benchmarks, we show overall improved accuracy and correlation in binding affinity predictions compared with GAFF2 for molecular mechanics and ANI2-x for NNPs. Slightly less accuracy but comparable correlations with OPLS4. We also show that we can run the NNP simulations at 2 fs time step, at least two times larger than previous NNP models, providing significant speed gains. The results show promise for further evolutions of free energy calculations using NNPs while demonstrating its practical use already with the current generation. The code and NNP model are publicly available for research use

Role of circulating MicroRNAs in prostate cancer diagnosis and risk stratification in the MCC Spain study

To identify circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with prostate cancer and to develop predictive models capable of distinguishing cases from controls and stratifying patients by Gleason risk categories (low, intermediate, and high risk). This case-control study included 203 prostate cancer cases and 54 population-based controls. Serum samples were analyzed by RT-qPCR (performed at QIAGEN Genomic Services). Total RNA was extracted from 200 µl of serum using the miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Advanced Kit and reverse-transcribed with the miRCURY LNA RT Kit. A panel of 46 candidate miRNAs was profiled, and feature selection was performed using LASSO penalization. Logistic regression models were used to estimate age- and covariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between miRNA expression and prostate cancer risk. Predictive performance was assessed using repeated 5-fold cross-validation with bootstrap resampling (10 repetitions; 1000 resamples), and summarized using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with bias-corrected 95% CIs. Fourteen miRNAs were significantly associated with prostate cancer. Notably, miR-199a-5p (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.13-3.15; p = 0.015) and miR-150-5p (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.06-0.63; p = 0.006) showed consistent differential expression across all Gleason risk categories, with miR-199a-5p overexpressed and miR-150-5p underexpressed, suggesting a potential role in disease progression. miR-145-5p, miR-182-5p, and miR-93-5p were significantly associated with prostate cancer in both the overall model and in low- and intermediate-risk strata, highlighting their potential relevance in early-stage disease. In contrast, miR-24-3p was exclusively overexpressed in high-risk prostate cancer (OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.43-5.98; p = 0.003), indicating a possible link with aggressive tumor phenotypes. Predictive models demonstrated strong discriminatory performance, particularly for the low-risk group (AUC = 0.930, 95% CI: 0.882-0.979), followed by the intermediate-risk (AUC = 0.806, 95% CI: 0.728-0.883) and high-risk groups (AUC = 0.752, 95% CI: 0.658-0.848). The overall model achieved an AUC of 0.824 (95% CI: 0.756-0.892), reflecting robust performance in distinguishing cases from controls. This study identifies key circulating miRNAs associated with prostate cancer and demonstrates their potential in predictive models for risk stratification. The strongest discriminatory performance was observed in low-risk tumors (AUC = 0.930), followed by intermediate- (AUC = 0.806) and high-risk (AUC = 0.752) categories. These findings support the use of miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosis and personalized management of prostate cancer.This study was partially funded by the “Accion Transversal del Cancer,” approved on the Spanish Ministry Council on the 11 October 2007, Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359, PS09/00773, PS09/01286, PS09/01903, PS09/02078, PS09/01662, PI11/01889, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI14/01219, PI14/0613, PI17/01388 and PI18/00171), Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla (API 10/09), the ICGC International Cancer Genome Consortium CLL [The ICGC CLL-Genome Project was funded by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Red Temática de Investigación del Cáncer (RTICC) del ISCIII (RD12/0036/0036)], the Junta de Castilla y León (LE22 A10-2), the Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucía (PI-0571-2009, PI-0306-2011, and salud201200057018 tra), the Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana (AP_061/10), the Recercaixa (2010 ACUP 00310), the Regional Government of the Basque Country, the Consejería de Sanidad de la Región de Murcia, by the European Commission grants FOOD-CT-2006-036224-HIWATE, the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the Catalan Government—Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) grants 2017SGR723 and 2014SGR850, the Fundación Caja de Ahorros de Asturias, and the University of Oviedo. 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. AP-C was supported by the MINECO (Ministry of Economy in Spain) Grant no. PRE2019-089038, fellowship

Femicidio en Ecuador: Análisis de la formulación normativa del tipo penal y su comparación con la práctica jurisdiccional del país

En esta tesis se realiza un estudio acerca del femicidio en Ecuador, para ello en el primer capítulo se abordó la justificación normativa de su inclusión como tipo penal autónomo. En el segundo capítulo se revisó su regulación internacional, en el tercer capítulo se efectuó una comparación de la formulación de esta figura penal en Latinoamérica. Finalmente, en el cuarto capítulo se analizó cuatro sentencias de femicidio, ello nos permitió revisar la aplicación práctica de los conceptos teóricos que se han examinado en esta investigación. Se enfatizó el estudio crítico de los aspectos que han generado controversia de sus elementos distintivos: por ser mujer y las relaciones de poder, concluyendo en que no hay una claridad sobre lo que se entiende por estos elementos. Lo que nos ha otorgado sustento para determinar que la formulación de este tipo penal es ambigua, resulta redundante, planteando una alternativa de redacción.This thesis study is carried out about femicide in Ecuador; for this purpose, in the first chapter the normative justification for its inclusion as an autonomous criminal type was addressed. In the second chapter, its international regulation was reviewed; in the third chapter, a comparison of the formulation of this penal figure in Latin America was made. Finally, in the fourth chapter, four sentences of femicide were analyzed, this allowed us to review the practical application of the theoretical concepts that have been examined in this research. The critical study of the aspects that have generated controversy about its distinctive elements was emphasized: being a woman and power relations, concluding that there is no clarity about what is understood by these elements. What has given us support to determine that the formulation of this criminal type is ambiguous, is redundant, proposing an alternative wording.Programa de Doctorat en Dre

Presentation of cytomegalovirus antigens by non-classical HLA class I molecules

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes a prevalent lifelong infection in all human populations. Although the course is generally mild and the virus remains latent, HCMV can cause severe disorders in immunocompromised patients and, particularly, in congenital infection. NK cells and T lymphocytes specific for viral antigens presented by classical HLA-class I (HLA-I) molecules (i.e. HLA-A, -B, -C) play an important role in the control of HCMV infection. Here, we explored the existence of additional viral peptides presented by non-classical HLA class I molecules.El citomegalovirus humà causa una infecció prevalent en totes les poblacions humanes. Tot i que el curs és generalment lleu i el virus es manté latent, el HCMV pot provocar greus alteracions en pacients immunodeprimits i, especialment, en casos d’infecció congènita. Les cèl·lules NK i els limfòcits T específics per antígens virals presentats per molècules HLA de classe I clàssiques (HLA-I) (i.e. HLA-A, -B, - C) juguen un paper important en el control de la infecció viral. Hem explorat l’existència de pèptids virals addicionals presentats per molècules HLA de classe I no clàssiques.Programa de Doctorat en Biomedicin

Epitranscriptomic rRNA fingerprinting reveals tissue-of-origin and tumor-specific signatures

Mammalian ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecules are highly abundant RNAs, decorated with over 220 rRNA modifications. Previous works have shown that some rRNA modification types can be dynamically regulated; however, how and when the mammalian rRNA modification landscape is remodeled remains largely unexplored. Here, we employ direct RNA sequencing to chart the human and mouse rRNA epitranscriptome across tissues, developmental stages, cell types, and disease. Our analyses reveal multiple rRNA sites that are differentially modified in a tissue- and/or developmental stage-specific manner, including previously unannotated modified sites. We demonstrate that rRNA modification patterns can be used for tissue and cell-type identification, which we hereby term "epitranscriptomic fingerprinting." We then explore rRNA modification patterns in normal-tumor matched samples from lung cancer patients, finding that epitranscriptomic fingerprinting accurately classifies clinical samples into normal and tumor groups from only 250 reads per sample, demonstrating the potential of rRNA modifications as diagnostic biomarkers

Business innovation strategies

En l’entorn empresarial accelerat d’avui, la innovació és reconeguda com a essencial per mantenir un avantatge competitiu, però moltes organitzacions s'enfronten a grans reptes per incorporar-la als seus marcs estratègics. Aquest estudi explora els aspectes crítics de les ‘Estratègies d’Innovació Empresarial’ examinant tant les bases teòriques com els obstacles pràctics amb què es troben les grans organitzacions. Mitjançant una anàlisi qualitativa, entrevistes en profunditat i estudis de casos reals sobre la implementació de tecnologies disruptives com la Intel·ligència Artificial Generativa, els resultats revelen que, tot i que les empreses afirmen prioritzar la innovació, les seves aproximacions sovint es limiten a esforços tàctics a curt termini en lloc d’iniciatives estratègiques coherents a llarg termini. L’absència d’una definició universalment acceptada d’innovació desencadena una reacció en cadena, afectant tot, des de l’estructura organitzativa fins a la posició estratègica dels departaments d’innovació. Sense una comprensió clara i compartida, la innovació sovint és vista com un afegit centrat en la tecnologia, més que com un component integral de l’estratègia empresarial. Aquest estudi mostra que la mentalitat innovadora ha de formar part de l’estratègia de l’empresa i que, per augmentar-ne el valor, la innovació necessita la seva pròpia estratègia dedicada, guiada per una metodologia estructurada que s’alineï amb les etapes tradicionals de l’estratègia empresarial i estigui profundament integrada en tot el teixit organitzatiu. En una anàlisi exhaustiva de quatre etapes, aquesta recerca explora les dimensions de la innovació, les metodologies per estructurar els esforços innovadors, la transformació cultural i com les grans empreses adapten les seves estratègies per incorporar tecnologies disruptives. Les troballes clau subratllen la necessitat d’estratègies coherents i adaptades, recolzades per la col·laboració transversal i un fort alineament en el lideratge. L’estudi examina també els factors externs i interns que influeixen en les decisions estratègiques, destacant la importància d’un enfocament adaptable i metòdic de la innovació que s’integri de manera fluida amb els objectius empresarials centrals. En escurçar la distància entre teoria i pràctica, aquesta recerca contribueix amb un marc per al desenvolupament competitiu sostenible, oferint coneixements pràctics per a les empreses que busquen construir i mantenir ecosistemes d’innovació sòlids.In today’s fast-paced business environment, innovation is recognized as essential for sustaining competitive advantage, yet many organizations face significant challenges in embedding it into their strategic frameworks. This study explores the critical aspects of ‘Business Innovation Strategies’ by examining both the theoretical foundations and practical obstacles encountered by large organizations. Through qualitative analysis, in-depth interviews, and real-life case studies on the implementation of disruptive technologies like Generative AI, findings reveal that while companies claim to prioritize innovation, their approaches often default to tactical, short-term efforts rather than coherent, long-term strategic initiatives. The absence of a universally accepted definition of innovation sets off a chain reaction, affecting everything from organizational structure to the strategic positioning of innovation departments. Without a clear, shared understanding, innovation is often viewed as a technology-focused add-on rather than an integral component of business strategy. This study shows that the innovative mindset must be part of the business strategy and, to increase its value, innovation requires its own dedicated strategy, guided by a structured methodology that aligns with the traditional stages of business strategy and is deeply integrated into the entire organizational fabric. In a comprehensive four-stage analysis, this research delves into the dimensions of innovation, methodologies for structuring innovation efforts, cultural transformation, and how large companies adapt their strategies to incorporate disruptive technologies. Key findings underscore the need for tailored, coherent strategies supported by cross-functional collaboration and strong leadership alignment. The study further examines external and internal factors that shape strategic decisions, emphasizing the importance of an adaptable, methodical approach to innovation that integrates seamlessly with core business objectives. By bridging the gap between theory and practice, this research contributes a framework for sustainable competitive development, offering actionable insights for companies aiming to build and sustain robust innovation ecosystems.Programa de Doctorat en Tecnologies de la Informació i les Comunicacion

Dirección algorítmica en la relación laboral: derechos de información y consulta

El objetivo de esta tesis es analizar, desde un punto de vista interdisciplinar y transversal, los derechos de información y consulta derivados de la implantación de sistemas de dirección algorítmica en el ámbito laboral. En consecuencia, partiendo de un análisis jurídico y dogmático, la finalidad de este estudio es determinar su adecuación para garantizar la participación de las personas trabajadoras en la implantación de estas tecnologías.The purpose of the thesis is to analyse, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the rights to information and consultation related to the implementation of algorithmic management systems in the workplace. Consequently, starting with a legal and dogmatic analysis, the aim of this work is to determine its suitability to guarantee the participation of workers in the implementation of these technologies.Programa de Doctorat en Dre

A scrutiny of the Linz-Moreno question

In this research note we delve into the Linz-Moreno question-one of the most employed measures of national and regional identity in political science-by analzsing three different assumptions that the indicator relies upon: First, we test whether this instrument captures a negative linear trend between identities. Second, we examine whether the Linz-Moreno question also captures identity intensity. Third, we focus on the middle-identity category and examine whether it encapsulates people's dual sense of belonging where there are two different national identities. Using data from the Making Electoral Democracy Work Project for the Spanish/Catalan case, we show that the Linz-Moreno question meets the assumptions of linearity, intensity, and the meaning of the role of the central category when capturing Catalan identity feelings. However, it fails to capture Spanish identity intensity and preferences, which over-represents the dual-identity middle category. Our empirical findings have crucial consequences for researchers working in the field of national/regional identities