Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Abstract This study examines the integration of sustainability in the mission statements of Argentine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzes both public and private universities through semiotic and discourse analysis. Results indicate that only 15% of HEIs explicitly mention sustainability in their missions, with significant differences between public and private institutions. Public HEIs often link sustainability to public service and social justice, while private universities focus on competitiveness and innovation. References to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are rare, appearing in only 2% of the statements. This suggests that sustainability integration is still nascent and needs to align more closely with the 2030 Agenda. The study concludes that there is a need to enhance coherence between stated missions and institutional practices to foster a more committed higher education system that advances sustainable development in Argentina.

Access to cross-border clinical trials may represent the sole therapeutic option for children living with rare diseases for which no approved medicines exist. Many children are excluded from participation in trials due to language restrictions. There are insufficient comprehensive analyses of the experiences and preferences of parents across Europe concerning participation and exclusion of their child in international clinical trials, particularly regarding language support during enrollment in cross-border clinical research studies. An anonymous online survey was designed and translated into 22 official European languages to collect data from parents of children living with a disease across Europe. The survey included five sections: (1) sociodemographic information; (2) experience participating in a clinical trial; (3) experience in cases where the patient was unable to take part in a study abroad; (4) experience participating in a clinical trial abroad; and (5) preferences regarding decentralized trial options. 1,436 responses were analyzed from parents across 34 European countries. 55.7% of the parents reported being able to communicate in English. 10.7% had prior clinical trial experience, of whom 30.1% traveled abroad to enable their child to participate. Among those reporting being excluded from cross-border trials, 34.7% cited language barriers or country of residence as the reason. Most families expressed a strong willingness to accept decentralized trial options, regardless of where the study may be conducted. Accommodating language translation to permit participation in a clinical trial abroad is feasible. While a significant percentage of caregivers of pediatric patients in Europe could communicate in English, approximately one-third of those excluded from clinical trials cited language barriers or country of residence as the reason. When translation was required, the most commonly offered solution was the use of professional interpreters, an accommodation that could enable broader patient participation in essential research.

This study compared three internal surface treatments of zirconia copings-silane alone (control), airborne-particle abrasion followed by silane, and high-temperature hydrofluoric acid etching followed by silane-regarding initial pull-out retention strength, retention after thermocycling, failure mode assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and surface wettability. Sixty-three monolithic zirconia copings were allocated to three groups (n = 21) according to surface treatment and cemented to titanium bases with a self-adhesive resin cement. Initial pull-out tests were performed. A subset (n = 10 per group) underwent thermocycling followed by repeat testing. Failure modes were analysed by SEM, and wettability was measured using the sessile drop method. Surface roughness and crystalline phase were additionally characterized by white-light interferometry and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. High-temperature acid etching produced significantly higher initial pull-out forces than airborne-particle abrasion and silane alone, with mean values 125% higher than control and 42.6% higher than airborne-particle abrasion. After thermocycling, acid-etched specimens maintained the highest retention, whereas airborne-particle abrasion showed critical loss. SEM revealed predominantly cement remnants on zirconia in the acid-etched group, indicating a stronger zirconia-cement interface. Acid etching also yielded significantly lower contact angles, reflecting improved wettability. High-temperature hydrofluoric acid etching followed by silanization provided superior and more stable retention, more favourable failure modes, and improved wettability.

The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy and inter-account consistency of two Google Gemini-powered, user-facing workflows for dental trauma decision support: standalone Gemini chat and NotebookLM, a document-grounded workflow that generates responses grounded in uploaded European Society of Endodontology and International Association of Dental Traumatology guideline documents, when answering dichotomous (yes/no) clinical questions on the management of traumatized permanent teeth. A cross-sectional simulation was conducted using 99 dichotomous (yes/no) questions derived from the European Society of Endodontology and International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines. Three academic endodontists submitted each question to Gemini and NotebookLM using three independent Google accounts, generating 297 responses per workflow. Accuracy was defined as exact agreement with guideline-based answers, and consistency as the proportion of identical responses across the three trials. Statistical analyses included Wald and Wilson 95% confidence intervals, Fleiss' kappa for inter-account agreement, and Pearson's chi-squared tests to compare proportions. Gemini demonstrated an overall accuracy of 83.83% (95% CI: 75.08-90.47) and a consistency of 74.74% (κ = 0.84). NotebookLM showed higher accuracy (92.93%; 95% CI: 85.97-97.11) and perfect consistency (100%; κ = 1.00). While the difference in accuracy did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.076), NotebookLM exhibited significantly greater consistency (p < 0.001). The responses generated from the guidelines were highly consistent with both workflows. Document grounding may enhance repeatability and alignment with guideline-derived decision points for structured dichotomous inquiries, as evidenced by NotebookLM's ability to achieve complete inter-account consistency and to quantitatively increase accuracy. These results are the outcome of workflow-level benchmarking; therefore, clinical utility cannot be inferred solely from them; professional oversight and additional validation remain necessary before any clinical application.

This research examines high-rise hotel buildings located on the Mediterranean coast, focusing on the advantages, in terms of energy consumption and environmental benefits of installing domestic hot water (DHW) storage tanks on upper technical floors instead of in the basement. To this end, the Bali Hotel, the tallest hotel in Europe, is analyzed as a case study. The proposed system achieves a substantial reduction in energy consumption by decreasing heat losses in DHW recirculation pipes (61.3%). Annual energy costs are reduced by €8976.89, corresponding to overall DHW energy savings of 3.69%. In addition, installation costs are reduced by €15,462.18 due to the shorter recirculation pipe lengths required, which must withstand very high pressures exceeding 6 kp/cm2, reaching up to 18 kp/cm2. Although the initial installation cost is €15,462.18 lower, the elevated placement of the tanks increases maintenance and replacement costs. Therefore, after a 50-year service life, total construction and maintenance costs are €17,366.82 higher. This additional cost is recovered within 1.93 years, yielding cumulative savings of €527,106 over the building’s lifespan. Finally, the study quantifies the associated environmental benefits, demonstrating an annual reduction of 24,335.03 kg CO2eq in carbon emissions, a novel contribution to the existing literature on this topic.

Molt diferents als majors de fa 20 o 30 anys, les persones que entren ara en edat de jubilació enfronten dos reptes clau: evitar la soledat no desitjada i dotar de sentit aquesta nova (i llarga) etapa.