University of Valencia

Objective. Existential concerns, such as fears related to death, isolation, identity, and meaning, become particularly relevant in late life and can significantly affect mental health. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Existential Concerns Questionnaire (ECQ), a 22-item scale designed to assess existential distress, among older Spanish adults, focusing on its internal consistency, structural validity, and convergent validity. Methods. Participants were 315 older Spanish adults (134 men, 42.54%, and 181 women, 57.46%), aged between 65 and 93 years (M = 70.53, SD = 4.61). The ECQ and Spanish versions of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire presence of meaning subscale (MLQ-P), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Scales of Psychological Well-Being stress subscale (SPWB-S), and Geriactic Depression Scale-15 Items (GDS-15) were used. Confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency of the ECQ, and correlationships between the ECQ, MLQ-P, SWLS, SPWB-S, and GDS-15 were performed. Results. The ECQ demonstrated good internal consistency and adequate structural validity, with strong fit indices supporting its model. Convergent validity was confirmed, as higher existential concerns were negatively correlated with life satisfaction and meaning, and positively correlated with stress and depression, suggesting that existential concerns play a critical role in the emotional well-being of older adults. Conclusion. The ECQ proves to be a reliable tool for assessing existential distress in this population and can inform interventions aimed at improving their quality of life.

This study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) in a sample of people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Participants were 102 residents in Spain (74 women, 72.55%; 26 men, 25.49%; and 2 missing data, 1.96%) age-ranged from 18 years to 68 years old (M = 37.69; SD = 12.66) diagnosed with BPD, who completed the MLQ, Purpose in Life Test-10 Items (PIL-10), and Dissociative Experiences Scale II (DES-II). The bidimensional model for the MLQ (Presence of Meaning: MLQ-P, and Search for Meaning: MLQ-S) showed an adequate internal consistency and an excellent fit. The MLQ-P and MLQ-S subcales correlated positively. The MLQ-P scale showed a positive correlation with the PIL-10 and a negative correlation with the DES-II. Introducing meaning in life into interventions with BPD patients can be a useful way to help them to find purpose in their lives, alleviate their existential suffering, and cope with the clinical symptomatology of BPD.

Resumen Este estudio examina la implementación de presupuestos participativos para niños y adolescentes en municipios de la Comunidad Valenciana, España. Estas iniciativas tratan de sumar a los jóvenes en decisiones sobre la asignación de recursos públicos, promoviendo la educación cívica y la socialización democrática. El artículo utiliza una metodología cualitativa basada encuestas y el análisis de contenido para explorar estas dinámicas participativas. El método de recogida de datos ha utilizado preguntas abiertas y cerradas. Estos hallazgos preliminares destacan obstáculos significativos, como el adultocentrismo y el tokenismo, que socavan la influencia de los jóvenes en los procesos de toma de decisiones. El estudio concluye la necesidad de un enfoque inclusivo y educativo para aprovechar al máximo el potencial de estas experiencias participativas

The Internet of Things (IoT) and its industrial counterpart, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), have transformed sectors such as home automation, healthcare, and manufacturing by enhancing data management through advanced networking. However, the rapid growth of IIoT has introduced significant cybersecurity challenges, necessitating a comprehensive approach to securing data across the TCP/IP model. This paper presents a novel cybersecurity investment strategy formulated as a bi-objective optimization problem, validated through genetic and iterative algorithms. The strategy effectively balances security and cost, achieving nearly 50% efficiency in solution effectiveness. By utilizing these optimization techniques, the approach provides a practical and cost-effective solution to improve IIoT security within budget constraints, offering valuable insights for cybersecurity professionals seeking robust and economically viable solutions.

The quality of hydrobiological species for human consumption, such as fish and shellfish, is crucial to ensure their safety. This paper highlights the use of MQ sensor modules (MQ-2, MQ-3, MQ-4, MQ-5, MQ-6, MQ-7, MQ-8), along with temperature and humidity, to analyse these species. The prototype is based on the use of an Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3 to connect the sensors with data stored on a Raspberry Pi 4, which can be accessed via Wi-Fi for downloading. Machine learning models were applied to classify and estimate non-refrigeration time with different quantities of variables, using species such as Illex argentinus, Sardina pilchardus, Scomber colias , and Sepia pharaonis . In total, 33 classification models and 28 regression models were employed. The best results were obtained with Boosted Trees model, achieving an accuracy of 99.93% in the validation phase and 99.74% in the testing phase. In the regression models to estimate non-refrigeration time, with 38 variables, the best model was Bagged Trees, with an R-squared of 0.995 for the validation phase and 0.997 for the testing phase.

Central trained immunity, induced via reprogramming of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), mediates sustained heightened responsiveness of mature myeloid cells to secondary challenges. We have previously demonstrated that HSPCs use TLR2 and Dectin-1 to sense Candida albicans to induce the production of trained monocytes/macrophages to fight against secondary infection. Neutrophils play an important role in innate immunity and are critical for clearance of C. albicans. In this work, we used an in vitro model of mouse HSPC differentiation to investigate the functional phenotype of neutrophils derived from HSPCs exposed to various PAMPs and C. albicans cells. We found that neutrophils derived from HSPCs stimulated by a TLR2 agonist exhibit reduced inflammatory cytokine production (tolerized neutrophils) whereas neutrophils generated from a Dectin-1 agonist or C. albicans stimulated HSPCs produce higher amounts of cytokines (trained neutrophils). We further demonstrated that a transient exposure of HSPCs to live C. albicans cells is sufficient to induce a trained phenotype of the neutrophils they produce in a Dectin-1- and TLR2-dependent manner. These trained neutrophils exhibited higher phagocytosis and microbicidal capacity than control neutrophils. Additionally, their adoptive transfer was sufficient to reduce fungal burden during invasive candidiasis. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that trained neutrophils use mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) to enhance their ability to kill C. albicans cells, as they produce higher amounts of mtROS and scavenging mtROS with MitoTEMPO attenuated their yeast-killing ability to match that of control neutrophils. Altogether, these data suggest that infection-experienced HSPCs contribute to trained immunity by providing a source of trained neutrophils with enhanced antimicrobial activity which may confer prolonged protection from infection. The tailored manipulation of this mechanism might offer new therapeutic strategies for controlling fungal infections by harnessing neutrophils.

Studying ideological preferences is essential for understanding the social and political changes a society undergoes over time. Generational ideology tables provide a structured framework to analyze ideological shifts within and across generations, offering valuable insights into societal evolution and political behavior. This paper introduces the Spanish Cohort Ideology Database (SCID), detailing the data sources and methodology used for its construction. By leveraging more than five million individual observations (which expand to over 100 million when employing double 5 × 5 moving windows) from over 1,800 surveys conducted since 1977 by the Spanish official center for sociological research (CIS), we construct 1,554 period and cohort ideology tables, including breakdowns by gender, education level, gender and education level, and region. SCID comprises age-year and age-generation tables with mean values, sample sizes, and variances, enabling the analysis of the dispersion/polarization of ideological self-placement. This work facilitates the analysis of social and political change processes from a cross-section and longitudinal perspective, creating a unique database that could also be developed in other countries, thereby enabling international comparative studies.

We present a new efficient catalytic hydration of nitriles into amides using a heterogeneous catalyst prepared from commercially available carbon‐supported palladium (Pd/C) and ferrous magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4). The resulting nanocomposite, namely, Pd/C‐Fe3O4, was characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and variable‐field magnetization measurements. We systematically optimized the hydration reaction conditions by adjusting catalyst loading, temperature, and solvent type, testing various nitrile derivatives, including those with electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups, as well as heterocyclic and aliphatic nitriles. The Pd/C‐Fe3O4 catalyst proved to be highly effective in the hydration of a variety of nitrile derivatives in water at 100°C, resulting in good to excellent yields without the need for strong acid or base additives. Importantly, the catalyst can be reused for at least three catalytic cycles without significant loss of activity and can easily be recovered by applying an external magnet. Additionally, we employed graph neural network models (GCN, GAT, and GAN) and molecular docking studies to assess the amide products obtained. Validation metrics indicate that the 2c amide molecule has potential to inhibit Bacillus subtilis.

Tourism is a highly sensitive industry concerned about the social and economic consequences of instability. In this sense, it is vital to understand how relationships develop and what factors lead to satisfaction among the stakeholders. Most research on tourism has focused on analysing B2C relationships, but B2B relationships have been considerably neglected. This paper aims to test whether theoretical relationships postulated in a B2C setting are transferable to the B2B environment. A novel model is postulated to explain the factors that lead to satisfaction among tourism businesses by considering technology, customer orientation, sustainability, and brand equity as key antecedents for social and economic satisfaction in B2B relations. Data from 268 managers of Spanish hotels were collected through a survey. The results obtained through partial least squares regression show that all but one of the hypotheses proposed in the model are supported, so that technology fosters both customer orientation and sustainability. Moreover, the chain customer orientation-brand equity-sustainability-social satisfaction-economic satisfaction, and therefore, this work contributes to understanding the elements that boost economic satisfaction in the relationships between hotels and travel agencies, and provides recommendations on the efficient use of technology.

Introduction: The cervical spine’s role in shoulder pain remains unclear, particularly regarding its influence on shoulder pain severity and functional limitations. This study aimed to compare neck mobility, pain sensitivity, and strength between patients with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP) and asymptomatic controls and to explore associations between neck active range of motion (AROM) and shoulder outcomes.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 50 patients with RCRSP and 50 asymptomatic controls. Neck AROM was measured with a CROM device, pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) with a digital algometer, and isometric neck strength with a handheld dynamometer. Shoulder pain and disability were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI).Results: Compared to controls, patients with RCRSP exhibited reduced neck rotation toward the affected shoulder (mean difference: −5.19°; 95% CI: −8.84 to −1.38) and lower PPTs bilaterally (affected side: −1.49 kg/cm²; 95% CI: −1.99 to −1.00; unaffected side: −1.42 kg/cm²; 95% CI: −1.98 to −0.91). No differences were found in neck strength. Regression analysis showed that greater neck flexion, lateral flexion toward the affected side, and reduced protraction were associated with higher SPADI scores. Additionally, neck lateral flexion and rotation toward the affected side were negatively associated with shoulder pain intensity over the last week.Conclusion: These findings suggest a potential interaction between the cervical spine and shoulder in RCRSP, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive assessment of both cervical and shoulder impairments in this condition.

Purpose Women diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) and gynecological cancer (GC) face psychological and existential challenges common to all cancers, such as anxiety and depression, along with specific issues related to body image and sexuality. Logotherapy and meaning-centered therapy (MCT) have shown positive effects on the psychological well-being of cancer patients. Methods A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines to assess the impact of logotherapy and meaning-centered therapy (MCT) on women diagnosed with BC and GC from January 2014 to December 2024. Empirical research articles published in English were included, while literature reviews, meta-analyses, doctoral theses, preprints, books, and studies involving other cancer types or metastatic/comorbid conditions were excluded. The search was conducted across Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases using terms like uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, mastectomy, logotherapy, and MCT. The Boolean operators AND and OR were used in the Title and Abstract search fields across all three databases, as well as in the Topic search field for the WoS database. Results Out of the 36 articles initially obtained, 29 remained after eliminating duplicates and, finally, six papers were selected. The included studies examined various psychological and existential issues in patients with breast and gynecological cancer, including anxiety, distress, depression, hopelessness, death anxiety, post-traumatic stress, perception of physical symptoms, quality of life, post-traumatic growth, spiritual well-being, and meaning in life. Conclusion Findings suggest that logotherapy decreases depressive symptoms, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, whereas improves meaning in life, quality of life, physical symptom perception, and post-traumatic growth in women with BC and GC. Implementing logotherapy in cancer care units through a multidisciplinary approach could be valuable, considering biopsychosocial factors, and incorporating aspects of self-image and sexuality in treatment would also be beneficial.

This study aims to check how Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) can influence the development of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance within the energy sector, considering female directors as a moderator. The study finds that CEO duality has a negative effect on ESG performance, while CEO board membership has positive effect. The results show that female directors negatively moderate the relationship between CEO duality and CEO board membership and ESG performance. This study also provides evidence that an ex‐CEO board chair encourages environmental performance. Additionally, CEO board membership positively influences social performance and has a negative effect on governance performance. Furthermore, the results reveal that female directors negatively moderate the association between CEO duality and environmental and social performance. Finally, the moderating effect of female directors on the relationship between an ex‐CEO board chair and CEO board membership and social and governance performance is negative. These results carry implications for policymakers and managers aiming to optimize corporate governance for improved ESG outcomes. Policymakers should consider regulations that discourage CEO duality and promote balanced leadership structures while simultaneously fostering environments where diverse board compositions can thrive without unintended negative effects. For managers, the findings suggest the need to design governance frameworks that capitalize on the benefits of CEO board membership while addressing the complexities introduced by diverse board dynamics, including the role of female directors. Tailored training and empowerment initiatives for female directors could help unlock their potential to positively influence ESG performance.

Trehalose metabolism plays a crucial role in yeast stress tolerance during biomass propagation and dehydration, but its regulatory mechanisms under these industrial conditions remain incompletely understood. This study analyses the role of an antioxidant enzyme, the cytosolic peroxiredoxin Tsa1, in modulating trehalose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strains during biomass production in molasses. Through comparative analyses in three commercial genetic backgrounds (L2056, T73, EC1118), we demonstrate that TSA1 deletion generally leads to increased intracellular trehalose accumulation despite phenotypic variability among strains. Enzymatic assays revealed that Tsa1 does not regulate trehalose synthesis by altering glycolytic/gluconeogenic flux through pyruvate kinase. However, the deletion of TSA1 resulted in increased oxidation of trehalose synthesis enzymes, as well as enhanced activity of trehalose‐6‐phosphate synthase and the trehalases Nth1 and Ath1, suggesting the involvement of peroxiredoxin in the futile cycle of trehalose synthesis and degradation. Scaling up the yeast biomass propagation process to semi‐industrial conditions confirmed these findings, with increased trehalose levels in the tsa1∆ mutant correlating with enhanced desiccation resistance of the resulting biomass. These results highlight a novel Tsa1‐dependent regulatory mechanism governing trehalose metabolism beyond its canonical antioxidant role. Understanding this pathway provides new insights into optimising yeast biomass propagation for industrial applications.

Purpose To assess the relevance of peritoneal reflection involvement in long-term oncological outcomes in patients with rectal cancer. Methods Prospective observational study from a specialized colorectal unit that included a consecutive series of patients undergoing mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. Peritoneal reflection (PR) involvement was evaluated on pathological examination using Shepherd’s classification. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local recurrence (LR) were assessed. Results One hundred sixty patients were included in the present analysis. Peritoneal involvement was present in 28.2% of the 85 tumors above or at the level of PR. There were no differences in OS, DFS, or LR according to tumor’s height location. The 5-year OS, DFS, and LR for tumors involving PR were 58.3%, 61.7%, and 30.3%, respectively. Patients with peritoneal involvement had a higher LR rate (p = 0.02) and shorter OS (p = 0.04). Shepherd’s grade 4 peritoneal involvement was an independent risk factor for OS (HR 2.9; 95% CI 1.1–9.5, p = 0.04) and LR (HR 4.2; 95% CI 1.2–16.9, p = 0.04). Conclusion After rectal cancer resection, peritoneal involvement is an independent risk factor for local recurrence and poor survival.

A number of studies show that combining somatic embryogenesis with environmental stimuli can induce plant defenses against abiotic stresses, offering a complementary strategy in tree breeding programs. In a previous study, we found that increasing/decreasing the standard temperature of 23 ˚C by 5 ˚C during maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) somatic embryo maturation resulted in epitypes, as the derived plants showed altered phenotypes regarding leaf histology, proline content, photosynthetic rates, and hormone profiles, and that also differentially respond after a short-term heat stress. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying these altered phenotypes, we sequenced the transcriptome of embryonal-suspensor masses (EMs) from the three epitypes, identifying 812 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Ten genes involved in epigenetic regulation were specifically up-regulated in EMs of the cold epitype. While some of these genes have been linked with somatic embryo maturation, the increased expression of three of these genes, histone deacetylases HDA9, a histone-lysine methyl-transferase (HKMT) and an Argonaute (AGO7), was found to be low temperature-induced epigenetic marks. Among the genes up-regulated in the EMs from the warm epitype, we studied those related to abiotic stress response and observed greater variation in genes involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated response such as those encoding Ras GTPase-activating protein-binding (G3BP) proteins, an AAA-ATPase, and an aspartyl protease (APF2). We also found differential expression in genes encoding for RING-type E3 ubiquitin-transferases, and DNAJ and BAG chaperones. Additionally, the biosynthetic pathways of jasmonic acid, cytokinins and the diterpene pimaradiene were also altered in the warm epitype. However, the increased ABA and cytokinin content observed in the plants derived from this warm epitype cannot be fully explained by the EMs transcriptome profile. Conversely, in the cold epitype, we observed downregulation of genes encoding for an ABA receptor (PYL3), and a xyloglucan endotrans-glucosylase/hydrolase (XTH6). These findings support the hypothesis that the previously reported heat-adapted phenotype of plants derived from the cold epitype (characterized by a faster and higher proline increase, lower increases in ABA levels, no reduction in active cytokinins, and a better net photosynthesis rate recovery) could be attributed to low-temperature-induced epigenetic marks that were absent in the warm epitype.

In this study, a layer-by-layer deposition of poly(L-lysine) and hyaluronic acid (HA) as a polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) film on polyacrylic acid (PAA) /HA/ lignin (LIG) disc shaped scaffolds is presented to increase the biological activity of the scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. These scaffolds are electrically conductive via the introduction poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):hyaluronic acid (PEDOT:HA) nanoparticles (NPs), with a diameter of 10 mm and thickness of 3–4 mm. The multilayer film formation was confirmed through contact angle measurements, fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. It was found that the PEM layers had the unexpected benefit of increased compression strength and decreased swelling as the layers tend to reinforce the struts of the scaffolds whilst possibly interfering with diffusion pathways. Importantly, results show statistically significant improved attachment and proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells on the surface of the scaffolds. Furthermore, the effect of varied PEDOT:HA NP addition was assessed and it was concluded that samples containing 1% (w/v) of nanoparticles exhibited a desirable balance between good mechanical characteristics, high conductivity, high cell adhesion and cell proliferation. These novel conductive PEM composite scaffolds offer future potential in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, wound healing and biosensors.