Efeitos das variáveis macroeconômicas e intitucionais no desemprego: Anáilse para Europa (1985-2011)

Este trabajo evalúa la influencia de las variables macroeconómicas e institucionales en la tasa de desempleo de 14 países de la Unión Europea. Se recurre a un modelo de datos de panel para el período 1985-2011. El mismo permite concluir sobre qué variables macroeconómicas e institucionales puede resultar más adecuado actuar para mejorar la respuesta del mercado de trabajo a los problemas económicos. Del análisis se concluye que la protección excesiva a los trabajadores, el salario mínimo interprofesional, la centralización en la negociación salarial y las elevadas cotizaciones empresariales a la Seguridad Social, así como la escasa competencia en el mercado de productos, pueden explicar, en parte, las mayores tasas de desempleo que presentan algunos países de la Unión Europea.This paper evaluates the influence that macroeconomic and institutional variables have on the unemployment rate in 14 countries within the European Union. A panel data model is used for the 1985-2011-time period. The model allows concluding which macroeconomic and institutional variables could be more effective for improving the labor market response when facing economic difficulties. It can be concluded then that excessive protection for workers, inter-professional minimum salary wage, as well as a low competition in the product market, can partially explain the higher unemployment rates found in several countries of the European Union.Este trabalho avalia a influência das variáveis macroeconômicas e institucionais na taxa de desemprego de 14 países da União Europeia. Se recorre a um modelo de dados de painel para o período 1985-2011. O mesmo permite concluir sobre que variáveis macroeconômicas e institucionais pode resultar mais adequado atuar para melhorar a resposta do mercado de trabalho aos problemas econômicos. Da análise se conclui que a proteção excessiva aos trabalhadores, o salário mínimo inter-profissional, a centralização na negociação salarial e as elevadas cotizações empresariais à Segurança Social, assim como a escassa competência no mercado de produtos, podem explicar em parte as maiores taxas de desemprego que apresentam alguns países da União Europeia

Ethical challenges in the development of virtual assistants powered by large language models

Virtual assistants (VAs) have gained widespread popularity across a wide range of applications, and the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, has opened up new possibilities for developing even more sophisticated VAs. However, this integration poses new ethical issues and challenges that must be carefully considered, particularly as these systems are increasingly used in public services: transfer of personal data, decision-making transparency, potential biases, and privacy risks. This paper, an extension of the work presented at IberSPEECH 2022, analyzes the current regulatory framework for AI-based VAs in Europe and delves into ethical issues in depth, examining potential benefits and drawbacks of integrating LLMs with VAs. Based on the analysis, this paper argues that the development and use of VAs powered by LLMs should be guided by a set of ethical principles that prioritize transparency, fairness, and harm prevention. The paper presents specific guidelines for the ethical use and development of this technology, including recommendations for data privacy, bias mitigation, and user control. By implementing these guidelines, the potential benefits of VAs powered by LLMs can be fully realized while minimizing the risks of harm and ensuring that ethical considerations are at the forefront of the development process.Agencia Gallega de Innovación (GAIN)Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431B 2021/2

Report of the European Myeloma Network on multiparametric flow cytometry in multiple myeloma and related disorders

This is an open access paper.-- et al.The European Myeloma Network (EMN) organized two flow cytometry workshops. The first aimed to identify specific indications for flow cytometry in patients with monoclonal gammopathies, and consensus technical approaches through a questionnaire-based review of current practice in participating laboratories. The second aimed to resolve outstanding technical issues and develop a consensus approach to analysis of plasma cells. The primary clinical applications identified were: differential diagnosis of neoplastic plasma cell disorders from reactive plasmacytosis; identifying risk of progression in patients with MGUS and detecting minimal residual disease. A range of technical recommendations were identified, including: 1) CD38, CD138 and CD45 should all be included in at least one tube for plasma cell identification and enumeration. The primary gate should be based on CD38 vs. CD138 expression; 2) after treatment, clonality assessment is only likely to be informative when combined with immunophenotype to detect abnormal cells. Flow cytometry is suitable for demonstrating a stringent complete remission; 3) for detection of abnormal plasma cells, a minimal panel should include CD19 and CD56. A preferred panel would also include CD20, CD117, CD28 and CD27; 4) discrepancies between the percentage of plasma cells detected by flow cytometry and morphology are primarily related to sample quality and it is, therefore, important to determine that marrow elements are present in follow-up samples, particularly normal plasma cells in MRD negative cases.The meetings were sponsored by the European Myeloma.Peer Reviewe

A new role of SNAI2 in postlactational involution of the mammary gland links it to luminal breast cancer development

PMCID: PMC4560637Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality in women. The transcription factor SNAI2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer, including breast cancer of basal origin. Here we show that SNAI2 is also important in the development of breast cancer of luminal origin in MMTV-ErbB2 mice. SNAI2 deficiency leads to longer latency and fewer luminal tumors, both of these being characteristics of pretumoral origin. These effects were associated with reduced proliferation and a decreased ability to generate mammospheres in normal mammary glands. However, the capacity to metastasize was not modified. Under conditions of increased ERBB2 oncogenic activity after pregnancy plus SNAI2 deficiency, both pretumoral defects - latency and tumor load - were compensated. However, the incidence of lung metastases was dramatically reduced. Furthermore, SNAI2 was required for proper postlactational involution of the breast. At 3 days post lactational involution, the mammary glands of Snai2-deficient mice exhibited lower levels of pSTAT3 and higher levels of pAKT1, resulting in decreased apoptosis. Abundant noninvoluted ducts were still present at 30 days post lactation, with a greater number of residual ERBB2+ cells. These results suggest that this defect in involution leads to an increase in the number of susceptible target cells for transformation, to the recovery of the capacity to generate mammospheres and to an increase in the number of tumors. Our work demonstrates the participation of SNAI2 in the pathogenesis of luminal breast cancer, and reveals an unexpected connection between the processes of postlactational involution and breast tumorigenesis in Snai2-null mutant mice.JPL was partially supported by FEDER and MICINN (PLE2009-119, SAF2014-56989-R), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI07/0057, PI10/00328, PIE14/00066), Junta de Castilla y León (SAN673/SA26/08, SAN126/SA66/09, SA078A09, CSI034U13), the “Fundación Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual”, the “Fundación Inbiomed” (Instituto Oncológico Obra Social de la Caja Guipozcoa-San Sebastian, Kutxa), and the “Fundación Sandra Ibarra de Solidaridad frente al Cáncer”. AC was supported by FIS (PI07/0057) and MICINN (PLE2009-119). SCLL was funded by a JAEdoc Fellowship (CSIC)/FSE. MMSF and ABG are funded by fellowships from the Junta de Castilla y Leon. JHM was supported by the National Institutes of Health, a National Cancer Institute grant (R01 CA116481), and the Low-Dose Scientific Focus Area, Office of Biological & Environmental Research, US Department of Energy (DE-AC02-05CH11231).Peer Reviewe

High resolution emission estimation in hot-spots of Madrid (Spain)

This work aims at obtaining high resolution NOx and PM10 emissions from road traffic at hot-spots in Madrid (Spain). For that, 12 1-hour representative scenarios are simulated with the traffic microsimulation model VISSIM. Measured traffic data (fluxes and fleet composition) are used as input for the model to obtain speed-time profiles for each vehicle. These profiles are used to predict representative emission factors for different vehicle classes in the VERSIT+micro model through the ENVIVER interface. Emission factors are compared with the ones of COPERT 4, a widely used average-speed model, as a preliminary model assessment. The results are strongly influenced by low average speeds due to saturated traffic situations

Development of urban air quality plans and measures in Madrid (Spain) under a multi-scale air quality modeling approach

Poor urban air quality is one of the main environmental concerns worldwide. According to WHO (WHO, 2014) outdoor air pollution caused 3.7 million premature deaths in 2012, most of them in urban areas where both, emission sources and population concentrate. Even in Europe, despite of significant efforts, exceedances of air quality standards are common in large urban areas, particularly for NO2 (EEA, 2014). Therefore, tackling urban air quality constitutes a pressing priority from the social and political point of view. However, air pollution dynamics in urban environments is extremely complex and the design and assessment of effective emission abatement plans and measures posses a major scientific challenge. Emissions of different pollutants from a variety of sources interact through intertwined atmospheric transport processes and chemical transformations involving several spatial and temporal scales. In this context, air quality modelling constitutes an essential research tool for understanding and simulating the potential effect of emission abatement measures as well as to identify the best course of action to improve air quality in cities. This contribution reflects on the inherent complexities of urban air pollution and the development of air quality plans for the Madrid city as a representative case study

Functional redundancy of Sos1 and Sos2 for lymphopoiesis and organismal homeostasis and survival

et al.Sos1 and Sos2 are ubiquitously expressed, universal Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factors (Ras-GEFs) acting in multiple signal transduction pathways activated by upstream cellular kinases. The embryonic lethality of Sos1 null mutants has hampered ascertaining the specific in vivo contributions of Sos1 and Sos2 to processes controlling adult organism survival or development of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic organs, tissues, and cell lineages. Here, we generated a tamoxifen-inducible Sos1-null mouse strain allowing analysis of the combined disruption of Sos1 and Sos2 (Sos1/2) during adulthood. Sos1/2 double-knockout (DKO) animals died precipitously, whereas individual Sos1 and Sos2 knockout (KO) mice were perfectly viable. A reduced percentage of total bone marrow precursors occurred in single-KO animals, but a dramatic depletion of B-cell progenitors was specifically detected in Sos1/2 DKO mice. We also confirmed a dominant role of Sos1 over Sos2 in early thymocyte maturation, with almost complete thymus disappearance and dramatically higher reduction of absolute thymocyte counts in Sos1/2 DKO animals. Absolute counts of mature B and T cells in spleen and peripheral blood were unchanged in single-KO mutants, while significantly reduced in Sos1/2 DKO mice. Our data demonstrate functional redundancy between Sos1 and Sos2 for homeostasis and survival of the full organism and for development and maturation of T and B lymphocytes.Work was supported by grants FIS-PS09/01979, RTICC-RD12/0036/0001, and RD12/0036/0048 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Madrid, Spain) and Fundación Samuel Solórzano (Salamanca, Spain). This research was also supported by the Intramural Research Program of the CCR, NCI, NIH.Peer Reviewe

Photobiomodulation in dental implant stability and post-surgical healing and inflammation. A randomised double-blind study

Background: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of diode laser photobiomodulation (PBM) on post-surgical healing, inflammation and implant stability. Methods: Forty dental implants were inserted into 13 patients. The implants were randomly divided into two groups. The test group (PBM+) underwent two sessions of PBM (combined diode laser of 630 and 808 nm), the first of which after surgery, and the second, 7 days after the surgical procedure. The control group (PBM−) received simulated laser treatment. The implant stability quotient (ISQ) was determined immediately after the surgical procedure, and 7 days, 4 and 8 weeks later. Post-surgical inflammation was assessed following the criteria described by Bloemen and Cols. Healing was calculated using the healing index (HI). Results: No differences were found in terms of the mean values of implant stability between the test and control groups over time. Only two of the implants (18.2%) from the PBM− group were classified with the maximum healing index (HI = 5), whereas in the PBM+ group, nine implants (45%) were classified with the aforementioned index (P < 0.0001). Using the logistic regression, it was determined that the non-application of the laser in the PBM− group caused an OR of 4.333 times of presenting inflammation (IC95% 1.150–16.323; P = 0.030). Conclusions: The application of 808 nm infra-red laser for bone tissue, and 630 nm for mucosal tissue in two sessions is considered to be an effective way of reducing inflammation and improving early healing. More studies are needed to confirm these resultsUniversity of Santiago de Compostela. Grant Number: USC-2019-CE178S

Si and SixGe1-x NWs studied by Raman spectroscopy

Group IV nanostructures have attracted a great deal of attention because of their potential applications in optoelectronics and nanodevices. Raman spectroscopy has been extensively used to characterize nanostructures since it provides non destructive information about their size, by the adequate modeling of the phonon confinement effect. The Raman spectrum is also sensitive to other factors, as stress and temperature, which can mix with the size effects borrowing the interpretation of the Raman spectrum. We present herein an analysis of the Raman spectra obtained for Si and SiGe nanowires; the influence of the excitation conditions and the heat dissipation media are discussed in order to optimize the experimental conditions for reliable spectra acquisition and interpretation

Effects of Maternal Fish Oil and/or 5-MethylTetrahydrofolate Supplementation during Pregnancy on Offspring Brain Resting-State at 10 Years Old: A Follow-Up Study from the NUHEAL Randomized Controlled Trial

Recent studies have shown that maternal supplementation with folate and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) during pregnancy may affect children’s brain development. We aimed at examining the potential long-term effect of maternal supplementation with fish oil (FO) and/or 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) on the brain functionality of offspring at the age of 9.5–10 years. The current study was conducted as a follow-up of the Spanish participants belonging to the Nutraceuticals for a Healthier Life (NUHEAL) project; 57 children were divided into groups according to mother’s supplementation and assessed through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning and neurodevelopment testing. Independent component analysis and double regression methods were implemented to investigate plausible associations. Children born to mothers supplemented with FO (FO and FO + 5-MTHF groups, n = 33) showed weaker functional connectivity in the default mode (DM) (angular gyrus), the sensorimotor (SM) (motor and somatosensory cortices) and the fronto-parietal (FP) (angular gyrus) networks compared to the No-FO group (placebo and 5-MTHF groups, n = 24) (PFWE < 0.05). Furthermore, no differences were found regarding the neuropsychological tests, except for a trend of better results in an object recall (memory) test. Considering the No-FO group, the aforementioned networks were associated negatively with attention and speed-processing functions. Mother’s FO supplementation during pregnancy seems to be able to shape resting-state network functioning in their children at school age and appears to produce long-term effects on children´s cognitive processing.European Union (EU) 212652 007036Commission of the European Community within the 5th Framework Program QLK1-CT-1999-00888European Research Council (ERC) 322605 META-GROWTHSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities FJCI-2017-3339