Categorisation and boundary work : exploring the potential of visual tools inmixed method social network analysis

This paper aims to make the case for the use of simple and interactive visual tools in mixed-method social network analysis (SNA) to inductively collect data on the processes of categorisation and boundary drawing within social networks. We reflect on the methodological benefits of utilising innovative visual tools embedded within a mixed-methods study at the collection, analysis, and interpretation stages of SNA. By discussing an example of our own research, we illustrate how interactive visual tools have the potential to elicit the processes of categorisation and boundary-making within the personal networks of participants. We present findings from our study that collected data in Barcelona (Spain) in 2023 by administering two personal interviews to 48 participants. We conclude that such research design is effective to collect rich data about the presence (or absence) and salience of different types of social boundaries within the participants' networks, how individuals contest or reinforce categories imposed from above in their daily encounters, and the strategies they use to maintain or create new boundaries between and within social groups

APITECA. Exposició sobre el projecte de ciència ciutadana des d'una biblioteca pública

Exposició realitzada coincidint amb el 20 de maig, dia internacional de les abelles. El dilluns 13 de maig es porta a terme una xerrada dels creadors i impulsors del projecte APITECA

Exploring adolescents' experiences of continuing to wear face masks during COVID-19 : A qualitative descriptive study in Barcelona (Spain)

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the use of face masks as a social distancing measure. Although evidence supports their effectiveness in preventing infection, it remains unclear why some adolescents choose to continue wearing them postpandemic, even when it is no longer mandatory. This study aims to explore adolescents' experiences of wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic when their use was no longer mandatory. Method: In this exploratory qualitative study, data were collected from 16 adolescents through face-to-face semistructured interviews. The participants were asked about the reasons and feelings associated with continuing to wear masks, as well as the contexts in which they felt safe without a mask. The collected data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Results: Three main themes were identified: (1) Navigating complex decision-making: balancing safety and self-image, (2) peer influence dynamics and (3) managing the future: weather dynamics and pandemic evolution. Discussion: The potential implications of withdrawing COVID-19 preventive measures, such as mask-wearing, beyond the pandemic remain understudied. It is crucial to further investigate the perceptions related to wearing masks and its cessation, especially amongst vulnerable individuals. Patient or Public Contribution: Due to methodological constraints associated with participants' age, they were not engaged in the design, data analysis, data interpretation or manuscript preparation phases of the study

The connection between Submarine Groundwater Discharge and seawater quality : The threat of treated wastewater injected into coastal aquifers

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABUnidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSubmarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) delivers nutrients to the coastal sea triggering phytoplankton blooms, eutrophication, and can also serve as a pathway for contaminants. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) including injection wells in coastal areas influence coastal aquifers and might impact the composition and magnitude of SGD fluxes. In tourist areas, wastewater treatment may be less efficient and larger in volume during high seasons, potentially impacting nutrient fluxes from SGD and exacerbating environmental impacts. This study analyzes the nutrient transfer from treated wastewater injection in karstic aquifers to the coastal sea via SGD, considering the impacts of tourism seasonality. This study is conducted in Cala Deià, a small cove in the Balearic Islands, a Mediterranean tourist destination. The findings suggest that the seasonality of tourism, leading to variations in the volume of wastewater treated in the WWTP, influences the dynamics of the coastal aquifer. This leads to increased SGD water and nutrient fluxes to the sea in summer, i.e. the peak tourist season. The measured DIN, DIP, and DSi inventories in the cove are much larger in August than in April (3, 10, and 1.5 times higher, respectively) due to higher input of nutrients in summer due to SGD impacted by the WWTP. These elevated nutrient flows can support algal blooms in the cove, compromising water quality for local swimmers and tourists. Indeed, in August, shoreline stations exhibited eutrophic Chl-a concentrations, with peaks reaching approximately 4 mg Chl-a L. These elevated levels suggest the presence of an algal bloom during the survey. The anthropogenic origin of SGD-driven nutrients is traced in seawater and seagrass meadows, as evidenced by high ∂N signatures indicative of polluted areas. Thus, the high pressure exerted on coastal areas by tourism activities increased the magnitude of SGD nutrient fluxes, thereby threatening coastal ecosystems and the services they provide

COPD : systemic proteomic profiles in frequent and infrequent exacerbators

Some patients with COPD suffer frequent exacerbations (FE). We hypothesised that their systemic proteomic profile would be different from that of non-frequent exacerbators (NFE). The objective of the present study was to contrast the systemic proteomic profile in FE versus NFE. As a reference, we also determined the systemic proteomic profile of healthy controls (HC) and COPD patients during an actual episode of exacerbation (AE). In the analysis we included 40 clinically stable COPD patients (20 FE and 20 NFE), and 20 HC and 10 AE patients. Their plasma samples were analysed by combining two complementary proteomic approaches: label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and multiplex immunoassays. Gene Ontology annotation, pathway enrichment and network analyses were used to investigate molecular pathways associated with differentially abundant proteins/peptides (DAPs). Compared with HC, we identified 40 DAPs in FE, 10 in NFE and 63 in AE. Also compared to HC, pathway functional and protein-protein network analyses revealed dysregulation of inflammatory responses involving innate and antibody-mediated immunity in COPD, particularly in the FE group, as well as during an AE episode. Besides, we only identified alterations in the complement and coagulation cascades in AE. There are specific plasma proteome profiles associated with FE, which are partially shared with findings observed during AE, albeit others are uniquely present during the actual episode of AE. Although COPD exacerbations are characterised by a specific plasma proteomic profile, those patients who suffer frequent acute episodes maintain some of these abnormalities, providing a possible biological basis for this phenotyp

Vandana Shiva : ecofeminista y pionera del posthumanismo ético

Vandana Shiva se encuentra entre las ecofeministas más conocidas dentro y fuera del mundo académico. Este artículo examinará las propuestas de algunas de sus obras-Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development (1988), Ecofeminism (coescrito con Maria Mies, 1993), Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace (2005) y Terra Viva: My Life in a Biodiversity of Movements (2022)-junto con los principios del posthumanismo ético. En cuanto al último, me apoyaré en el trabajo de Stacy Alaimo, Karen Barad, Jane Bennet, Rosi Braidotti y Donna Haraway. Mi análisis mostrará que las ideas de Shiva anticipan y dialogan con las de las autoras mencionadas. Por tanto, evaluaré cuestiones tales como: la crítica a la jerarquía humano/no humano, especialmente entre mujeres privilegiadas y no privilegiadas; la sabiduría ecológica de las mujeres tribales; el llamado mundo natural como ejemplo de relaciones éticas; la importancia de la cooperación, el cuidado y el amor para sostener la vida; la capacidad agente y la subjetividad de lo no humano; y la interconexión entre lo humano y lo no humano. En definitiva, el artículo espera demostrar que la obra de Shiva prevé el posthumanismo ético.Vandana Shiva is among the most well-known ecofeminists in and out of academia. This article will examine the proposals of some of her works-Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development (1988), Ecofeminism (with Maria Mies, 1993), Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace (2005), and Terra Viva: My Life in a Biodiversity of Movements (2022)-together with the principles of ethical posthumanism. As for the latter, I will rely on the writings of Stacy Alaimo, Karen Barad, Jane Bennet, Rosi Braidotti, and Donna Haraway. I will show how Shiva's ideas both anticipate and dialogue with those of the mentioned authors. Thus, I will assess several issues such as: the criticism of the human/nonhuman hierarchy, especially between privileged and non-privileged women; the ecological wisdom of tribal women; the so-called natural world as an example of ethical relations; the importance of co-operation, care, and love in sustaining life; the agency and subjectivity of the nonhuman; and the interconnectedness between the human and the nonhuman. In all, the paper expects to demonstrate that Shiva's oeuvre foresees ethical posthumanism

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH) to Brazilian Portuguese and its psychometric properties-A multicenter cross-sectional study

To adapt the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH) to the Brazilian language and culture and to assess its psychometric properties. The scale was evaluated by 15 experts, and 239 patients from three tertiary hospitals in Rio de Janeiro. All participants signed a consent form. Data have shown adequacy of the model (KMO=0.839, Bartlett's test of sphericity: χ 2 (171) = 2241.3, p = 0.000010), good adjusted content validity (CVC ≥ 0.90), internal consistency and reliability, such as α = 0.927. CuPDPH is a rating scale on observable professional attitudes. Illnesses change lives and impose adaptation to a new situation, perceived as depersonalization, leading patients to try to regain control of their lives. Patients expressed "ill will" to fill out the scale. Psychiatric patients' scale filling time was higher than others. A sample from three Rio de Janeiro third-level hospitals may not reflect the country's population; also, this adaptation may not comprise all linguistic variations of Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese-speaking countries. The Portuguese version of the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH), a 19-item, six-component version is a reliable instrument to measure the perception of internal medicine, surgical, and psychiatric patients on the maintenance of their dignity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This knowledge could be used in advancing research on patients' perception of dignity, as well as professional ethical competencies, staff-patient relationship skills, and leadership development in medical and other healthcare professional education

El papel de la regulación del suelo en el control de alquileres : la evolución divergente de Viena y Milán

El control de alquileres se concibe principalmente como una forma de regulación del parque de viviendas existente para alcanzar unos resultados de asequibilidad aceptables y proteger a los inquilinos ante posibles aumentos de precios. Con el tiempo, la propensión a regular el mercado del alquiler ha disminuido en la mayoría de los países y se ha favorecido la liberalización como forma de incentivar la construcción y renovación de viviendas. Recientemente, a raíz de la creciente crisis de asequibilidad en el segmento de alquiler, especialmente en ciudades atractivas y en crecimiento, está surgiendo un nuevo debate sobre cómo conseguir viviendas más asequibles, en tanto que infraestructuras económicas fundamentales. El presente artículo contribuye a este debate, introduciendo la hipótesis según la cual las políticas que configuran la regulación del suelo son esenciales para aplicar y mantener un control efectivo de alquileres. El artículo explora este argumento teórico, examinando las tendencias divergentes en las estrategias de control de alquileres en Viena y Milán, y trazando las relaciones con la regulación del suelo. Los resultados muestran que el control de alquileres se fue desregulando gradualmente en ambos casos. Sin embargo, mientras que en Viena las políticas activas de suelo han facilitado un giro hacia el sector de la vivienda de lucro limitado y un control del parque de alquiler, en Milán, en cambio, el enfoque neoliberal en la regulación del suelo ha dificultado la generación de nuevas viviendas asequibles y ha amenazado el parque existente

Vida i mort de l'Oscil·lació de Madden-Julian

L'Oscil·lació de Madden-Julian (OMJ) exerceix una influència crucial sobre els patrons meteorològics globals i fenòmens climàtics com El Niño. Mitjançant el projecte CAFE, investigadors del CRM (centre CERCA consorci entre la UAB, l'IEC i la Generalitat de Catalunya), han aprofundit en la comprensió del cicle d'activitat de l'OMJ identificant canvis rellevants que es produeixen cada 27 dies.La Oscilación de Madden-Julian (OMJ) ejerce una influencia crucial sobre los patrones meteorológicos globales y fenómenos climáticos como El Niño. Mediante el proyecto CAFE, investigadores del CRM (centro CERCA consorcio entre la UAB, el IEC y la Generalitat de Catalunya), han profundizado en la comprensión del ciclo de actividad de la OMJ identificando cambios relevantes que se producen cada 27 días

Caminos ibéricos de las traducciones de Mercè Rodoreda : la correspondencia de la autora con Joan Sales y otras fuentes

Las cartas intercambiadas a lo largo de veintitrés años entre Mercè Rodoreda y su editor, Joan Sales, constituyen una vía de acceso privilegiada a la manera como ambos entendían la traducción en el marco de una estrategia de valorización de la lengua y de la literatura catalanas. El volumen que recoge esta correspondencia y otras fuentes permiten acompañar la circulación de la obra de Mercè Rodoreda por las diferentes áreas geoculturales de la península ibérica, no solamente durante la vida de la autora y de su editor, sino también en los años posteriores, hasta 2023. Se comentan cuestiones de edición, especificidades de la traducción del catalán, las traducciones al castellano y a las otras lenguas ibéricas.The letters exchanged during twenty-three years between Mercè Rodoreda and her publisher, Joan Sales, constitute a privileged access to the way they both considered translation to be a valorisation strategy of Catalan language and literature. The volume that collects these correspondence and other sources enable the follow up of the circulation of the work of Mercè Rodoreda throughout the different geocultural areas of the Iberian Peninsula, not only during the lifetime of the author and her publisher, but also during the subsequent years, until 2023. Comments include editing topics, specificities of Catalan, translations to Castilian and to other Iberian languages