On the strategic choice of spatial price policy: the role of the pricing game rules.

The strategic choice of spatial price policy under duopoly crucially depends on the rules of price competition. We show that under simultaneous price competition and under leader-follower price competition (with the discriminatory firm being the leader), the pricing policy game is not, as stated by Thisse and Vives (1988), a Prisoner's Dilemma.

On the strategic choice of spatial price policy: the role of the pricing game rules

In this paper, whe show that the strategic choice of spatial price policy under duopoly crucially depends on the rules of price competition. Thisse and Vives (1988) show that spatial price discrimination is a dominant strategy when the mill pricing firm is the leader and the discriminatory firm is the follower. When the leader-follower roles are reversed we find that equilibrium pricing policies depend on the consumer's reservation value. The pricing policy game has two equilibria in pure strategies, either both firms price uniformly (f.o.b.) or both firms price discriminate, when the reservation value is low. For intermediate levels of the reservation value, price discrimination is a dominant strategy and the pricing policy game is similar to a Prisoner's Dilemma. When the consumer reservation value is large enough we obtain asymmetric equilibria in which one firm prices according to f.o.b. and the other price discriminates. We also analyze the case of simultaneous price competition and find a mixed strategies equilibrium for the price competition subgame such that the pricing policy game has two equilibria in pure strategies, either both firms price uniformly or both firms price discriminate.spatial price discrimination, price policy

Nuevos usos de la talidomida: Del desastre a la esperanza

Trabajo fin de grado en EnfermeríaLa talidomida se mantiene como uno de los medicamentos más controvertidos históricamente debido a que provocó a nivel mundial numerosos casos de embriopatías en los niños durante la década de los 60. Así, la tragedia de la talidomida marcó un punto de inflexión en la farmacología, la salud pública y la manera en que se realizaba los test de toxicidad. Sin embargo, y a pesar de la tragedia, desde finales del siglo XX ha resurgido el interés por este fármaco, puesto que en el año 1994 se publicó un estudio en el cual se atribuía a la talidomida propiedades antiinflamatorias y antiangiogénicas. Desde entonces la talidomida y sus análogos, la lenalidomida y pomalidomida se han aprobado para su uso en el tratamiento del mieloma múltiple, y más aún son de interés para múltiples investigaciones y ensayos clínicos donde se estudian como base para terapias en el tratamiento de neoplasias y patologías inmunológicas e inflamatorias.Thalidomide remains as one of the most notorious drugs historically, for it induces embryopathy in children worldwide during the 60’s. The thalidomide tragedy marked a turning point in pharmacology, public health and toxicity testing. However, and in spite of the tragedy, since the late 20th century, a sudden interest regarding the drug has risen again. In 1994 a study was published in which antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory traits were attributed to thalidomide. Since then, thalidomide and its analogues, lenalidomide and pomalidomide, have been approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma; moreover, they regard great interest in numerous investigations and clinical trials in which they are studied as the basis for treatment therapy of a variety of cancers, immunological and inflammatory diseases

Study of high pressure steaming on lipid recovery from microalgae

Sustainable and clean fuels are in demand due to the perceived negative effects on health and environment with current use of fossil fuels. Lipids from microalgae offer a potential approach to obtain sustainable biofuels. In this study a two step process was adopted: investigation of culture conditions to find optimal points for lipid productivity and cellulose content, followed by an investigation of microalgae disruption for lipid recovery. In the first phase of the research the effect of culture conditions on Chlorella vulgaris biomass concentration and the ratio of lipid productivity/cellulose content were studied. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the culture conditions. The response model for biomass concentration led to a predicted maximum of 1.12 g dw L-1 when carbon dioxide and sodium nitrate concentrations were 2.33% vv-1 and 5.77 mM, respectively. For lipid productivity/cellulose content ratio the maximum predicted value was 0.46 (mg lipid L-1d-1)(mg cellulose mg biomass-1)-1 when carbon dioxide concentration was 4.02% vv-1 and sodium nitrate concentration was 3.21 mM. Also a common optimum point for both models was also found. For the second phase of the study, the optimized Chlorella vulgaris microalgae obtained in the first phase was subjected to high pressure steaming as a hydrothermal treatment for recovery of bio-crude, and analysis by empirical modeling allowed finding operating points in terms of target temperature and microalgae concentration for high bio-crude and glucose yields. Within the range covered by these experiments the best conditions for high bio-crude yield were temperatures higher than 174˚C and low biomass concentrations (\u3c5 g/L). For high glucose yield there were two suitable operating ranges, either low temperatures (\u3c105˚C) and low biomass concentrations (\u3c4 g/L); or low temperatures (\u3c105˚C) and high biomass concentrations (\u3c110 g/L). To finalize this study, microalgae with different lipid and cellulose content was used to calculate the bio-crude recovery efficiency applying high pressure steaming. This thermal treatment allowed extracting 97.94±8.26% of the total lipids. The biomass with the highest cellulose content was later subjected to high pressure steaming as a pre-treatment for glucose production via enzymatic hydrolysis, and the glucose yield for this process was 0.28 g.gbiomass-1

Diferenciación morfométrica de los géneros Poblana, Chirostoma y Menidia (Osteichthyes: Atherinopsidae)

Background: The recent origin of the genera Chirostoma and Poblana, and the scarce morphological differentiation between them, have made it difficult to define their taxonomic validity, in addition to the fact that both genera share a common ancestor, Menidia. Many taxonomic studies have recognized Chirostoma and Poblana as well-defined genera. Genetic analyses, however, indicate that Poblana is nested within Chirostoma, while other authors synonymize all silversides of the Central Plateau of Mexico within Menidia. Nevertheless, the differentiation between these genera has not currently been explored through a morphometric analysis. Goals: Under this scenario, in which the taxonomic validity of the genus Menidia is not in doubt, but the existence of Poblana is uncertain given that for some authors it pertains to the genus Chirostoma, the morphometric variations among the three genera and their species were analyzed in this study through Geometric Morphometrics. Methods: Seventeen landmarks were used on a sample of 393 Mexican specimens from various biological collections (216 of Chirostoma, 150 of Poblana and 27 of Menidia) obtained from several localities. The differences among the genera and species were tested using a Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA) and Discriminant Analysis (DA) computing the regression of shape on size-the vector of allometry, then remove this aspect of variation by looking at residual variation. Results: The cross-validated analysis showed 98.5% and 84.2% of classification among genera and species respectively, where the misclassifications were among species of Chirostoma. Conclusions: Morphometric differences were found among Poblana, Chirostoma and Menidia, therefore considered as discrete units.Antecedentes: El origen reciente de los géneros Chirostoma y Poblana, y la escasa diferenciación morfológica entre ellos, han dificultado definir su validez taxonómica, aunado a que ambos géneros comparten un ancestro común, Menidia. Varios estudios taxonómicos han reconocido a Chirostoma y Poblana como géneros bien definidos. Sin embargo, análisis genéticos indican que Poblana está contenido en Chirostoma, mientras que otros autores agrupan a todos los pejerreyes de la Mesa Central de México dentro de Menidia. Sin embargo, la diferenciación entre estos géneros no se ha explorado actualmente a través de un análisis morfométrico. Objetivos: Bajo este escenario, en el que la validez taxonómica del género Menidia no está en duda, pero la existencia de Poblana es incierta dado que para algunos autores pertenece al género Chirostoma, la variación morfométrica entre los tres géneros y sus especies se analizaron en este estudio a través de Morfometría Geométrica. Métodos: Se utilizaron 17 marcas o “landmarks” para una muestra de 393 individuos de varias colecciones biológicas (216 de Chirostoma, 150 de Poblana y 27 de Menidia) procedentes de diversas localidades de recolecta en México. Las diferencias entre géneros y especies se probaron mediante un Análisis Generalizado de Procrustes (GPA) y Análisis Discriminante (DA) con los residuales de la regresión forma-tamaño, para eliminar la variación asociada al tamaño de los especímenes. Resultados: El análisis de validación cruzada mostró 98.5% y 84.2% de clasificación entre géneros y especies respectivamente, las clasificaciones erróneas fueron entre especies de Chirostoma. Conclusiones: Se encontraron diferencias morfométricas entre Poblana, Chirostoma y Menidia, por lo que se consideraron como unidades discretas

Business of fashion sustainability index : an analysis on willingness to pay, perceived quality and purchase intention

Textile, clothing, and fashion (TCF) industry is one of the most polluting and resourceconsuming industries in the world, second only to the oil industry. In response to social and environmental issues in the fashion industry and pressure from various stakeholders, companies are addressing sustainability issues more than ever. The launch of the Business of Fashion Sustainability Index, which provides information about companies' performance on sustainability goals, is an effort to raise consumer awareness of the practises behind the products they buy. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the BoF Sustainability Index influences consumer purchasing decisions for fashion items. More specifically, an experimental procedure was used to test the effects of BoF Sustainability Index information (high, low, and no information) on fashion product consumption, namely willingness to pay, perceived quality, and intention to purchase footwear. In addition, the effects of demographic variables such as gender, generation, and nationality were also considered. According to the results, the sustainability index influences consumers' willingness to pay, perceived quality, and purchase intention. In general, attitudes toward SI were very positively received by respondents and considered beneficial. The socio-demographic variables used in this experiment were key to understanding the effects of the manipulated variables on the dependent variables.A indústria têxtil, de vestuário e moda (TCF) é uma das indústrias mais poluentes e consumidoras de recursos do mundo, só depois da indústria do petróleo. Em resposta às questões sociais e ambientais da indústria da moda e à pressão de várias partes interessadas, as empresas estão abordando questões de sustentabilidade mais do que nunca. O lançamento do Índice de Sustentabilidade (Business of Fashion Sustainability Index), que fornece informações sobre o desempenho das empresas em relação às metas de sustentabilidade, é um esforço para conscientizar os consumidores sobre as práticas por trás dos produtos que compram. O objetivo deste estudo é obter uma melhor compreensão de como o Índice de Sustentabilidade BoF influencia as decisões de compra dos consumidores de itens de moda. Mais especificamente, um procedimento experimental foi usado para testar os efeitos das informações do BoF Sustainability Index (alto, baixo e nenhuma informação) sobre o consumo de produtos de moda, ou seja, disposição a pagar, qualidade percebida e intenção de compra de calçados. Além disso, também foram considerados os efeitos de variáveis demográficas como gênero, geração e nacionalidade. De acordo com os resultados, o índice de sustentabilidade influencia a disposição a pagar dos consumidores, a qualidade percebida e a intenção de compra. Em geral, as atitudes em relação à o Índice de Sustentabilidade foram recebidas de forma muito positiva pelos entrevistados e consideradas benéficas. As variáveis sociodemográficas utilizadas neste experimento foram fundamentais para entender os efeitos das variáveis manipuladas sobre as variáveis dependentes

Phototrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic growth in cold-adapted marine microalgae

Microalgae are grown in different habitats and conditions, such as high salinity, extreme temperatures, and variable pH. Cold-adapted microalgae may have the capacity of generating high biomass production, which can potentially be produced under cold and light-limited conditions in the Arctic. Most microalgae are obligated photoautotrophs; however, few species have been found living in complete darkness, using heterotrophy as a metabolic path, which allows the algae to obtain energy from organic compounds, such as glucose, glycerol, and acetate. This present thesis investigated the effect of different trophic conditions – phototrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic – in the growth performance and the macromolecular composition (protein, carbohydrate, and lipid content) of five different strains of cold-adapted microalgae – Nannochloropsis oceanica, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Tetraselmis suecica, Chlorella ovalis, and Chlorocystis cohnii –. The results show that only C. ovalis and C. cohnii were able to grow under heterotrophic conditions. The protein content of all microalgae had the highest production under phototrophic condition, except N. oceanica, which had it under mixotrophic condition. However, values of carbohydrates and lipids are only trustful for C. ovalis, due to complications in the selected techniques. Therefore, C. ovalis had the higher carbohydrate content under the heterotrophic condition while the lipid content was higher in the mixotrophic condition. Thus far, the strains of N. oceanica, D. tertiolecta, and T. suecica are obligated photoautotrophs in cold environments, while C. ovalis and C. cohnii are facultative heterotrophs in cold environments