Student Engagement in the School: Interpersonal and Inter-Center Differences

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Candida albicans Increases Tumor Cell Adhesion to Endothelial Cells In Vitro: Intraspecific Differences and Importance of the Mannose Receptor

The dimorphic fungus Candida albicans is able to trigger a cytokine-mediated pro-inflammatory response that increases tumor cell adhesion to hepatic endothelium and metastasis. To check the intraspecific differences in this effect, we used an in vitro murine model of hepatic response against C. albicans, which made clear that tumor cells adhered more to endothelium incubated with blastoconidia, both live and killed, than germ tubes. This finding was related to the higher carbohydrate/protein ratio found in blastoconidia. In fact, destruction of mannose ligand residues on the cell surface by metaperiodate treatment significantly reduced tumor cell adhesion induced. Moreover, we also noticed that the effect of clinical strains was greater than that of the reference one. This finding could not be explained by the carbohydrate/protein data, but to explain these differences between strains, we analyzed the expression level of ten genes (ADH1, APE3, IDH2, ENO1, FBA1, ILV5, PDI1, PGK1, QCR2 and TUF1) that code for the proteins identified previously in a mannoprotein-enriched pro-metastatic fraction of C. albicans. The results corroborated that their expression was higher in clinical strains than the reference one. To confirm the importance of the mannoprotein fraction, we also demonstrate that blocking the mannose receptor decreases the effect of C. albicans and its mannoproteins, inhibiting IL-18 synthesis and tumor cell adhesion increase by around 60%. These findings could be the first step towards a new treatment for solid organ cancers based on the role of the mannose receptor in C. albicans-induced tumor progression and metastasis.

Comparison of marketing policies applied by the same company in different countries and analysis of the reasons for the differences

The focus of this project is going to be, as the title indicates, on the comparison of marketing policies applied by the same company in different countries and analysis of the reasons for the differences. In order to do that, I have selected the company Nestlé to analyze the marketing decisions it makes across national boundaries to market the brand of Kit Kat and keep it as a leader snack worldwide. After having analyzed the brand in all continents, I can say the execution of the strategy used by Nestlé with Kit Kat really matches the planning of the strategy which is to think globally and act locally. Nestlé uses global brand identity but, from the internal point of view, it uses local ingredients and gives autonomy to its local branches based in different countries to make pricing and distributions decisions and therefore satisfy different consumers’ needs and preferences in local environments where changes happen very rapidly. The “glocal” approach to marketing is an effective way for Nestlé Kit Kat to stay focused on the consumer in worldwide markets.

International communication strategy followed by Ikea : analysis of campaigns in different countries, features and possible justifications of the differences

International communication strategy followed by Ikea analysis of campaigns in different countries, features and possible justifications of the differerences.

How central are clients in sexual networks created by commercial sex?

Sex workers are traditionally considered important vectors of transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STI). The role of clients is commonly overlooked, partially due to the lack of evidence on clients' position in the sexual network created by commercial sex. Contrasting the diffusion importance of sex workers and their clients in the map of their sexual encounters in two Web-mediated communities, we find that from diffusion perspective, clients are as important as sex workers. Their diffusion importance is closely linked to the geography of the sexual encounters: as a result of different movement patterns, travelling clients shorten network distances between distant network neighborhoods and thus facilitate contagion among them more than sex workers, and find themselves more often in the core of the network by which they could contribute to the persistence of STIs in the community. These findings position clients into the set of the key actors and highlight the role of human mobility in the transmission of STIs in commercial sexual networks.

El tratamiento por parte de Naciones Unidas de la violación sexual a mujeres en los conflictos armados: las guerras en los Balcanes

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El “círculo victimal” en la victimización sexual infantil

Mediante este estudio nos hemos acercado a la victimización sexual infantil desde el concepto de “círculo víctimal”. Tras una contextualización en la que realizamos una revisión de la bibliografía más relevante desde la óptica adoptada, presentamos nuestro propio trabajo de campo con datos de Gipuzkoa. Se han analizado un total de 51 sentencias, principalmente condenatorias, emitidas tanto por la Audiencia Provincial de Gipuzkoa como por el Juzgado de Menores de San Sebastián –incluyendo en este caso no sólo sentencias sino también expedientes-. El periodo abarcado han sido los años 2004-2014. Dicho análisis nos ha permitido considerar las características del abuso, de la víctima y del agresor, el posible impacto victimal, así como la existencia o no de antecedentes de abusos en la infancia en la vida de los agresores. Los resultados se han contrastado con los estudios teóricos y empíricos de ámbito internacional referentes al “círculo victimal” en el ámbito de los abusos sexuales infantiles, deteniéndonos especialmente en si la víctima fue abusada en la familia o fuera de ella y si se convierte en abusador de su propia familia o de alguien fuera de ella. Adicionalmente, con el objeto de introducir la voz de los propios protagonistas, a través de fuentes secundarias, se han rescatado historiales de agresores de menores con antecedentes de abusos. Asimismo se ha completado el trabajo de campo con entrevistas a expertos.

Analysis of the differences between the rates of inflation associated with two aggregate price level: The case of the euro area and the United States

Idioma: Inglés Abstract: This project focuses on two indicators of prices, the GDP deflator and the consumer price index (CPI), and analyzes the differences and similarities they present. These price indexes have been chosen taking into account its great representativeness and importance to economic and social level, and its direct relationship to the overall functioning of the economy and, in particular, inflation. It should be also mentioned that this study was conducted for cases of the euro area and the United States, as the impact of these economies in the economic and social situation at international level is very significant.

Bothrops aff. Leucurus (Wagler, 1824) populazio irlatar baten deskribapen morfologikoa: suge populazio irlatar baten morfologia

[EUS] Atrox konplexuko espezieen barruan, Bothrops leucurus (Wagler, 1824) Bahia estatuko oihan atlantikoko sugegorri espezie arruntena da. Polimorfikoa da eta ezaugarri geografikoekin, ontogenikoekin eta sexuarekin erlazionatutako kolore aldakortasuna aurkezten du. Jadanik hainbat ikerketa burutu dira kontinenteko populazioei buruz, baina, oraindik ez da lanik egin BTS badiako populazio uhartetarrekin. Lan honen xedea Bothrops aff. leucurus populazio uhartetarraren deskribapena burutzea izan da, orbanen ereduetan, folidosian eta gorputz tamainan oinarriturik. Lagin tamaina erlatiboki txikia izanik (n=20), Student t testeko emaitzak type II erroreen menpe daude eta kontinenteko eta uharteko populazioen arteko ezberdintasunak estatistikoki ikertu izan ez diren arren, gure datuak garrantzia dute. Izan ere, ikerketa sakonagoetan oinarri bezala erabili ahal izango dira. Biometriari dagokionez, gure populazio uhartetarrean batazbesteko MKL txikiagoa ikusi dugu eta balioen tarteak murritzagoak dira. Ez da sexuen arteko ezberdintasun esangarririk topatu gorputzeko neurrientzat. Folidosian (ezkata zenbateka) lortutako datuak, beste autoreek Bothrops leucurus-entzat deskribatutako parametroekin bat datozen arren, gure laginak ezkata tarte mugatuagoak ageri ditu. Orban ereduak ale guztietan behatu eta irudikatu ostean, oro har bi eredu ezberdindu eta deskribatzea posible izan da. Behatuak izan diren ezberdintasunak, uhartetako baliagai-hornidura mugatuen ondorio gisa uler daitezke, izan ere, halako baldintzetan ale txikiagoak positiboki hautatuak izango liratekeelako.

HPV infection, a described cause for human cancer: HPV detection and molecular mechanisms of HPV carcinogenesis (Review).

[en]Human papillomavirus (HPV) belongs to the Papillomaviridae virus family and it is one of the most common sexual transmission infections. HPV genome is composed of eight genes, including two early genes and six late genes. Among these late genes, E6 and E7 code for proteins that trigger cell-cycle re-entry in infected cells, which can lead to cervical cancer development. The IARC (International Agency for Research Cancer) proposed a guideline based on Hill’s criteria to determine whether the relation between HPV infection and cervical cancer is causal or not. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that HPV infection is a necessary but non-sufficient cause for cervical cancer. Furthermore, HPV infection is considered the first necessary cause described of a human cancer, being HPV16 and 18 carcinogenic to humans and the most studied types. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Different screening programs are carried out with the aim of preventing cervical cancer; such as cytologies and HPV tests. There are two main methods which are equally usable to detect HPV: the real-time PCR assays and the array assays. Regarding the molecular mechanisms of HPV mediated malignancies, E2, E6 and E7 proteins of HPV16 lead to immune response evasion, inducing IL-10 and TGF-β1 gene expression. Besides, E6 and E7 proteins allow cell-cycle reentry, phosphorylating RB and ubiquitinating p53 respectively. HPV genome integration in host genome leads to the alteration of host and viral genes expression, including oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. However, the differences of E6 and E7 oncoproteins in different HPV types is poorly known due to the fact that almost the most studied HPV type has been HPV16.