University of Girona

This study investigates the role of Positive Affect as a predictor of Psychological Well-Being in 43,653 12-year-old children from 29 countries, using a Structural Equation Model. The model’s potential gender and nationality equivalences were also examined. Data was sourced from the International Child Well-Being Survey. The ‘happy’ item was found to be the most effective in capturing the Positive Affect construct, with Psychological Well-Being showing moderately high levels. A strong positive correlation was observed between Positive Affect and Psychological Well-Being, with Positive Affect explaining 70.1% of the variance in Psychological Well-Being. The model proved invariant at the metric level across countries and at the strict level between genders. In conclusion, Positive Affect is a significant predictor of Psychological Well-Being, though cultural factors contributed to country-specific variations.

ABSTRACT This paper develops the methodological concept of river co-learning arenas (RCAs) and explores their potential to strengthen innovative grassroots river initiatives, enliven river commons, regenerate river ecologies, and foster greater socio-ecological justice. The integrity of river systems has been threatened in profound ways over the last century. Pollution, damming, canalisation, and water grabbing are some examples of pressures threatening the entwined lifeworlds of human and non-human communities that depend on riverine systems. Finding ways to reverse the trends of environmental degradation demands complex spatial–temporal, political, and institutional articulations across different levels of governance (from local to global) and among a plurality of actors who operate from diverse spheres of knowledge and systems of practice, and who have distinct capacities to affect decision-making. In this context, grassroots river initiatives worldwide use new multi-actor and multi-level dialogue arenas to develop proposals for river regeneration and promote social-ecological justice in opposition to dominant technocratic-hydraulic development strategies. This paper conceptualises these spaces of dialogue and action as RCAs and critically reflects on ways of organising and supporting RCAs while facilitating their cross-fertilisation in transdisciplinary practice. By integrating studies, debates, and theories from diverse disciplines, we generate multi-faceted insights and present cornerstones for the engagement with and/or enaction of RCAs. This encompasses five main themes central to RCAs: (1) River knowledge encounters and truth regimes, (2) transgressive co-learning, (3) confrontation and collaboration dynamics, (4) ongoing reflexivity, (5) transcultural knowledge assemblages and translocal bridging of rooted knowledge.

We report hitherto elusive side‐on η²‐bonded palladium(0) carbonyl (anthraquinone, benzaldehyde) and arene (benzene, hexafluorobenzene) palladium(0) complexes and present the catalytic hydrodefluorination of hexafluorobenzene by cyclohexene. The comparison with respective cyclohexene, pyridine and tetrahydrofuran complexes reveals that the experimental ligand binding strengths follow the order THF<C6H6<C6F6<cyclohexene<pyridine<benzaldehyde<anthraquinone. To understand this surprising order, the complexes’ electronic structures were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), single crystal X‐Ray diffraction (sc‐XRD), ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) electronic absorption, infrared (IR) vibrational, Pd L3‐edge X‐ray absorption (XAS), and X‐ray photoelectron (XP) spectroscopic techniques, complemented by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations including energy decomposition (EDA‐NOCV) and effective oxidation state (EOS) analyses. For benzene, pyridine and cyclohexene, bonding follows the donor/acceptor picture of the Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model. In stark contrast, hexafluorobenzene, benzaldehyde and anthraquinone bind via essentially the π‐channel only and thus as π‐analogues of Z‐acceptor ligands. This contribution elucidates the control of functional‐group selectivity in palladium(0) catalysis and delineates a novel strategy to activate electron‐deficient π‐systems.

Background Synaptic loss is an eminent feature of tauopathies. The recently developed novel SV2A PET‐tracer UCB‐J has shown great promise in tracking synaptic loss in tauopathies. However, there have been discrepancies between the in vivo findings and a lack of mechanistic insight. Many of these studies indicated potential correlations between tau deposition, atrophy, cognitive‐impairment, and loss of UCB‐J binding. Hence, we found it of utmost relevance to perform extensive pre‐clinical validation of UCB‐J in tauopathic brains to gain a deeper understanding of synaptic loss for future PET‐biomarker validation. Method We applied an innovative multidimensional approach of postmortem brain imaging techniques (large and small frozen brain section autoradiography) and radioligand binding studies (saturation, competition, and regional distribution) alongside in‐depth biochemical analyses using a large repertoire of synaptic markers in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and control brains. Result Saturation/competition studies showed one‐binding site (Kd: 3‐10 nM) for UCB‐J in the frontal cortex and globus pallidus (GP) of AD, PSP, and control brains. UCB‐J regional binding studies at the synaptosomal level clearly showed synaptic loss in different regions of AD and PSP brains as compared to control brains. In AD brains, the loss of UCB‐J binding showed the following order: Hippocampus > Frontal cortex > Temporal Cortex > Parietal Cortex > Cerebellum. Immunoblot analyses showed a positive‐correlation between UCB‐J binding and expression of synaptic proteins SV2A, synaptophysin, and synaptotagmin and demonstrated association with GABA/glutaminergic neurotransmitter machinery in GP of PSP brains. Interestingly, cortical and sub‐cortical 4R‐tau load distinctly affected synaptic marker protein levels in PSP brains. Large brain‐section autoradiography studies in AD brains indicated potential ‘off‐target’ interaction of UCB‐J with nuclear P‐tau. PSP brain's small brain‐section autoradiography also showed higher binding in cortical regions, specifically, in the parietal cortex where significantly (*p=0.034) higher ³H‐UCB‐J binding was observed compared to CN. Conclusion Our studies explicitly showed the high specificity of UCB‐J for SV2A and demonstrated synaptic deficits/loss in AD and PSP brain regions. Ongoing studies will shed more light on the interplay between different synaptic and pathological markers and help establish the reliability of UCB‐J as a definite marker of synaptic density/loss for tauopathies.

Accounting for green and blue water resources, this study determines the optimal allocation of water between economic sectors under varying drought circumstances, applying non-linear optimization in a multi-regional input-output modeling framework. The results are compared to the regulated reallocation of water under existing regional drought warning and emergency plans. The analysis reveals that substantial economic gains can be achieved when considering efficiency in inter-sectoral water reallocation policies, mitigating value added losses. However, such optimal water allocation leads to greater inequality compared to the current drought policy measures. Extending the model and combining efficiency and equality concerns yields a production possibility frontier for second-best allocations that accounts for the distributional impacts of water reallocations under droughts. Notably, our findings demonstrate that there is potential for a more efficient distribution that is equal to the distributional impacts under the existing drought warning and emergency plans at lower total economic resource scarcity costs.

The oxidation of triphenylphosphine by perfluorinated phenaziniumF aluminate in difluorobenzene affords the hexaaryl-1,2-di¬phosphonium dialuminate 1. Dication 12+ is isoelectronic with elusive hexaphenylethane, where instead the formation of a mixture of the trityl radical and Gomberg’s dimer is favored. Quantum-chemical calculations in combination with Raman/IR spectroscopies rationalize the stability of the P–P bonded dimer in 12+ and suggest, akin to the halogens, facile homolytic as well as heterolytic scission. Thus, 12+ serves as a surrogate of both the triphenylphosphorandiylium dication (Ph3P2+) and the triphenylphosphine radical monocation (Ph3P•+). Treating 1 with dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) replaces triphenylphosphine under heterolytic P–P bond scission. Qualifying as a superoxidant (E vs. Fc/Fc+ = +1.44 V), 1 oxidizes trimethylphosphine. Based on halide abstraction experiments (−BF4, −PF6, −SbCl6, −SbF6) as well as the deoxygenation of triethylphosphine oxide, triflate anions as well as toluic acid, 1 also features Lewis superacidity. The controlled hydrolysis affords Hendrickson’s reagent, which itself finds broad use as dehydration agent. Formally homolytic P–P bond scis¬sion is induced by diphenyldisulfide (PhSSPh), dihydrogen, and the triple bond in acetonitrile. The irradiation by light cleaves the P–P bond homolytically and generates transient triphenylphosphine radical cations, which engage in H-atom abstraction as well as CH phosphoranylation.

We introduce a novel principle that we call weak pairwise justifiability, which applies to a large class of collective choice rules, including the social choice functions and the social welfare functions about which the Gibbard–Satterthwaite theorem and Arrow’s impossibility theorem are predicated, respectively. We prove that, under appropriate qualifications, our principle is a common root for these two classical results, when applied to rules defined over the full domain of weak preference orders (also for strict).

Background Workers in home care have high sick leave rates, predominantly because of musculoskeletal pain. The Goldilocks Work Principle proposes that health should be promoted by a “just right” composition of work tasks. Weekly workloads differ substantially between home care workers, suggesting that certain workers may have workloads that are too high, impacting their musculoskeletal health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a “GoldiCare” intervention redistributing weekly workloads to become more equal among the homecare workers. Outcomes were pain in the neck/shoulder and lower back, and the implementation of the intervention was also evaluated. Methods A 16-week cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with 125 workers from 11 home care units, divided into six intervention units and five control units. The operation coordinators of each intervention unit were educated in the Goldilocks Work Principle and provided with a planning tool to facilitate an even distribution of high care need clients. The control group continued their usual work. Primary outcomes were pain intensity in the neck/shoulder and lower back (0 to 10). Secondary outcomes included fatigue (0 to 10), composition of physical behaviors and postures (accelerometers), adherence to the intervention (weekly usage rates of the planning tool), and performance of the intervention (percentage of workers with an even distribution of workload). Results The analysis showed no difference between the intervention and control groups in change in lower back pain (0.07, 95%CI[-0.29;0.43]), neck/shoulder pain (-0.06, 95%CI[-0.49;0.36]) or fatigue (0.04, 95%CI[-0.52;0.61]. No significant changes were observed in the composition of physical behaviors (p = 0.067) or postures (p = 0.080–0.131) between the two groups. The intervention was succesfully implemented in three units of the six, with adherence ranging from 82–100% across the intervention period. The remaining three units had an adherence of 0–47%. No improvement in performance was observed. Conclusion No significant intervention effects were observed on musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, or the composition of physical behaviors and postures. The findings suggest that the intervention was not adequately implemented within the organization. Consequently, we cannot discern whether the lack of positive results were due to poor implementation or an ineffective intervention. Results thus highlight the need for a more comprehensive understanding of organizational structures within home care to facilitate more effective implementations. The hypothetical effectiveness of a fully implemented intervention remains unknown. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT05487027, submitted: 03/08/2022.

Small fetuses, with estimated fetal weight (EFW) below the tenth percentile, are classified as fetal growth restriction (FGR) or small for gestational age (SGA) based on prenatal ultrasound. FGR fetuses have a greater risk of stillbirth and perinatal complications and may benefit from serial ultrasound scans to guide early delivery. Abnormal serum angiogenic factors, such as the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1):placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, have shown potential to more accurately distinguish FGR from SGA, with fewer false positives. This randomized controlled trial compared a management protocol based on the sFlt-1:PlGF with EFW and Doppler ultrasound in avoiding adverse perinatal outcomes in small fetuses after 36 weeks of gestation. A total of 1,088 pregnant women with singleton pregnancies were randomized to either the Doppler-based (control) or the sFlt-1:PlGF-based (intervention) protocol. The primary outcome, neonatal acidosis or Cesarean delivery as a result of abnormal cardiotocography, was assessed in 1,013 participants. The incidence was 10.5% in the intervention group and 10.0% in the control group (absolute difference, 0.53 (−3.21 to 4.26)), with the upper limit of the confidence interval <8.5%, confirming noninferiority. Thus, the sFlt-1:PlGF was noninferior to EFW and Doppler ultrasound in avoiding neonatal acidosis or Cesarean delivery owing to nonreassuring fetal status in small fetuses after 36 weeks (ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04502823).

We study cooperation and group pressure on social networks by introducing a new concept termed norm-enforcing ties. By combining network characteristics and agents’ actions, direct and indirect norm-enforcing ties extend and refine the concept of social ties as well as the role of the tightness of a group as drivers of group pressure and cooperation. The results show that a strong commitment by agents with collective interests, or a high degree of confrontation between agents minimizes the effect of indirect norm-enforcing ties on cooperation. The analysis in terms of the agent’s utility reveals that an increase in indirect norm-enforcing ties does not necessarily lead to a decrease in the critical mass of compliers supporting cooperation. We demonstrate that network-oriented policies are more efficient in promoting cooperation than are standard economic policy instruments when the expected value of direct norm-enforcing ties is sufficiently large compared to the tightness of the group. Otherwise, standard economic policy instruments are more efficient.

Physical exercise has been shown to induce epigenetic modifications with various health implications, directly affect DNA methylation (DNAm), as well as reverse the epigenetic age. Hence, we aimed to identify differential methylation changes and assess the epigenetic age in the saliva of 7–9‐year‐old school children following a 3‐month integrated neuromuscular training (INT), as well as to explore if any of the methylation changes are in core genes. Core genes are defined as genes of high relevance and essential importance within the human genome. Forty children (17 boys and 23 girls) were recruited from schools in Girona, Spain, and allocated into control (N = 20) or INT (N = 20) group. The INT group performed a 3‐month INT as a warm‐up during the physical education (PE) classes, encompassing strength, coordination, dynamic stabilization, plyometrics, speed, and agility exercises, whereas the control group performed traditional warm‐up activities, encompassing aerobic exercises that will prepare the cardiovascular system and increase the joint mobility for the upcoming effort during the class. Genome‐wide DNAm analysis was performed with the Illumina 900 K microarray. Core genes were recognized based on the accomplishment of a rigorous and widely accepted 3‐point criteria: participation in the enriched pathways, high connectivity (≥ 10), and target genes of key transcription factors. There were 1200 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) in the control group and 414 DMPs in the INT group (FDR < 0.05, p < 0.05, Aβ < |0.1|), suggesting a non‐significant trend of epigenetic age acceleration in the control group (1.18 months, p > 0.05) and a non‐significant 1‐month decrease of the epigenetic age in the INT group (p > 0.05). The genes with DMPs in the control group showed low similarity between enriched pathways and low interconnectivity, encompassing distinct pathways, mostly development and growth‐related. Additionally, no core genes were identified in the control group. Interestingly, the genes with DMPs in the INT group showed high similarity between enriched pathways and high interconnectivity, encompassing related pathways involving signaling mechanisms, as well as hormone and protein metabolism pathways. Moreover, 17 DMPs in the children from the INT group were in core genes. The main findings of the present study are suggesting an integrated response to the training stimulus in 7–9‐year‐old school children that performed a 3‐month INT, including epigenetic modifications in 17 genes considered as core genes. Trial Registration: The study protocol was registered in the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN16744821)

Background and Purpose Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with M2 segment occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is debatable. This study assessed the efficacy, safety, and functional outcomes of EVT in M2 occlusion patients, examining differences in outcomes based on the dominance of the occluded segment (DomM2 vs. Non‐DomM2). Methods A prospective cohort of 108 patients with AIS resulting from M2 segment occlusion of the MCA who underwent EVT was analyzed. We compared demographic, clinical, angiographic, and clinical outcome data (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score at 24 h and modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score at 3 months) between patients with or without DomM2. The primary endpoint was the first‐pass effect (FPE), defined as achieving modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2c–3 after one pass. We examined the symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation, 3‐month functional outcomes, and mortality rates. Results Seventy‐five patients (69.44%) had DomM2. FPE rates (48.48% for DomM2; 42.66% for Non‐DomM2, p = 0.521), final successful recanalization rate, and functional outcomes were comparable between subgroups. Direct aspiration yielded a higher FPE rate (56.25%). FPE was associated with lower NIHSS scores at discharge (median, 2 [interquartile range 0–4] vs. 5 [1–10]; p < 0.001) and higher 3‐month functional independence (83.33% vs. 60.34%; p < 0.001). Direct aspiration independently predicted FPE, with a 75% likelihood compared to stent retriever ( p = 0.007). Conclusions EVT is a safe and effective treatment for acute M2 occlusion regardless of the dominance of the M2 segment. Direct aspiration used as a frontline technique increases the likelihood of FPE.

Nowadays, consent to use donor bodies for medical education and research is obtained from the body donors and their families before the donation. Recently, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) published guidelines that could restrict the appearance of cadaveric images in commercial anatomical resources such as textbooks and other educational products. These guidelines state that the donor must expressly consent to using such images for this purpose. Cadaveric photos and drawings made from dissections of cadavers have been used in anatomy textbooks and atlases for hundreds of years. They are invaluable for anatomy students and clinical/surgical practitioners. The IFAA guidelines should not restrict the use of those older books; to do so would infringe the rights of those seeking knowledge from these resources. As the images in such textbooks and atlases are anonymized and are used for teaching and research, and the donors and their families are informed about this before the donation, we believe no additional consent is needed. It is impossible to separate educational from “commercial” usage entirely in any situation, e.g., publications from publishers and the use of cadavers in medical schools. Therefore, our best efforts to avoid unethical use of cadaveric images by following traditional consent processes are still needed so that more people will reap the benefits from them. As senior textbook/atlas authors/editors from over 10 countries, we believe that using cadaveric images in anatomy textbooks is appropriate, and no additional consent should be necessary. Such usage falls within the good faith of professionals using these invaluable gifts.

Understanding predator-prey interactions is important to determine the inter-relationships between species. Optimal foraging theory states that predators balance out energy expended with the energy gained from their prey. In the Iberian Peninsula, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a key prey species for endangered Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata). Thus, it is vital to understand how changes in rabbit abundance can influence habitat selection and territory use by Bonelli’s eagle. We studied 11 radio-tagged Bonelli’s eagles in their territories in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula) and analysed the relationship between rabbit relative abundance, habitat selection and territory use of eagles. Rabbit relative abundance varied between territories, with shrublands hosting more rabbits, and eagles preferred shrublands and open areas for foraging and avoided dense forests. Spatial use by territorial eagles correlated positively with rabbit abundance in rabbit-rich territories, thereby supporting the idea that prey availability influences habitat selection. This result confirms optimal foraging strategies given that open habitats including shrublands tended to host more rabbits, thus providing better opportunities for prey detection and capture. Therefore, maintaining rabbit populations and their habitats (i.e., preserving open Mediterranean shrublands) would seem to be crucial for Bonelli’s eagle conservation. Our findings improve our understanding of predator-prey interactions and highlight the relationship between habitat structure, prey abundance and predator behaviour. In addition, our results emphasize the need for targeted conservation strategies designed to safeguard endangered species such as Bonelli’s eagle and maintain ecosystem integrity.

The expectations held by secondary school teachers play a key role in university access of immigrant and ethnic minority students. Even so, the majority of scientific research conducted in Spain has paid little attention to this, as well as giving little consideration to the exclusive and inclusive dynamics that can occur in secondary schools. When speaking about the educational success of these students, in general, we usually only look at elements relating to the capacities of these young people, endogenous to their own culture or to their socioeconomic environment. Although this last element is important, this study emphasizes the situation of access of these groups in a Spanish university and its area of influence and how the expectations of teachers and of their immediate surroundings are important in shaping the aspirations and expectations of minority students. We also highlight the elements that can contribute to overcoming low educational expectations and facilitate access to the university.

Addressing global challenges of waste management demands innovative approaches to turn biowaste into valuable resources. This chapter explores the potential of microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) as an alternative opportunity for biowaste valorisation and resource recovery due to their potential to address limitations associated with traditional methods. METs leverage microbial-driven oxidation and reduction reactions, enabling the conversion of different feedstocks into energy or value-added products. Their versatility spans across gas, food, water and soil streams, offering multiple solutions at different technological readiness levels to advance several sustainable development goals (SDGs) set out in the 2030 Agenda. By critically examining recent studies, this chapter uncovers challenges, optimisation strategies, and future research directions for real-world MET implementations. The integration of economic perspectives with technological developments provides a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and demands associated with METs in advancing the circular economy agenda, emphasising their pivotal role in waste minimisation, resource efficiency promotion, and closed-loop system renovation.

Introduction and aims Women residing in lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas have lower breast cancer survival but it is not clear how differences in the quality of care received contribute to these disparities. We compared adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and subsequent breast cancer survival between women residing in lower versus higher SES areas. Methods We conducted a multicentre population-based study of all new cases of invasive breast cancer in women diagnosed 2010–2014 in six Spanish provinces with population-based cancer registries (n=3206). Clinical data were extracted in the framework of the European Cancer High Resolution studies and vital status follow-up covered a minimum of 5 years. SES of the patient’s residence was measured with the 2011 Spanish Deprivation Index. Adherence to CPG was measured with 16 indicators based on European and Spanish guidelines. Relative survival was modelled using flexible parametric models. Results There were no differences in the type of treatment received but women living in the lowest SES areas were less likely to undergo a sentinel lymph node biopsy, reconstruction after mastectomy, surgery within 30 days after pathological diagnosis and adjuvant treatment within 6 weeks after surgery. After accounting for demographic and clinical factors, women residing in lower SES areas had higher risk of death, HR=1.57 (95% CI 1.04, 2.36). Further accounting for adherence to CPG in the model, in particular having undergone a sentinel lymph node biopsy, eliminated the significant effect of SES. Conclusions Despite the overall coverage of the Spanish health system, women living in more deprived areas were less likely to receive care in line with CPG and had shorter survival.

This preliminary report is a single case study aiming to evaluate the feasibility of Video Intervention Therapy (VIT) in difficult scenarios involving high-risk mother-infant dyads in a housing program for homeless families. The study conducted in Clermont-Ferrand, France, used the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) system. Ruth Feldman's framework and Stuart et al.'s 4-EFA model was applied. Three VIT sessions showcased personalized interventions, aided by the CIB's role in observing and detailing changes. The results showed in this case that maternal insensitivity, characterized by high scores in intrusiveness, interference and directiveness, goes parallel to infant’s affective disconnection and social withdrawal. The VIT and CIB mutually reinforce the team's analysis and intervention perspectives pointing towards the feasibility of the video-intervention. The findings are discussed in relation to the design of future research and the need to include video intervention (VIT) work within the service's team of direct care professionals.