An assessment of tourist security in the city of Malaga

Security related to touristic activities is a topic that has not been developed deeply in the literature. Perhaps due to the lack of a several specific characteristics or its management as part of more general security initiatives, it rarely receives individual attention. Despite that, in countries and cities where tourism is a powerful industry, the protection of certain environments or people may lead to the implementation of very well defined policies. This opens a substantial debate that connects criminal policies with the protection of private interests, the excessive focus on traditional property crimes, the security image that the city or state intends to communicate and even a potential damage to certain local citizen, sometimes excluded, marginalized or targeted by these policies since they are not able not offer added value to the touristic strategy (disneylazation of cities?). To assess a first evaluation of the situation in the city of Malaga we have conducted a series of victimization surveys to two specific profiles: first, general tourists that visit the city center, where the city´s monumental, artistic and gastronomic offer is focused; and second, cruise tourist that arrive to the city port, who have a very routinized and short touristic experience. The city of Malaga has suffered? a series of deep changes… (datos económicos de málaga antes y ahora) We have complemented such surveys with in-depth interviews to police officers that work in the same touristic environments and to active offenders who commit crimes mostly over tourists. This descriptive research aims to gather information on the current situation in Malaga and compare it with a previous stage of the city, in which the tourism industry wasn´t able to affect that much on the city´s response to crime.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

IGF-1 enhances the osteogenic activity of BMP-6 in vitro and in vivo, and together have a stronger osteogenic effect than when IGF-1 is combined with BMP-2

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is widely used in orthopedic surgery and bone tissue engineering because of its strong osteogenic activity. However, BMP-2 treatments have several drawbacks and alternatives are being explored. Since BMP-6 has been demonstrated to be more osteoinductive, its use, either alone or together with other cytokines, might be an interesting option. We have compared the effect of BMP-2, BMP-6, or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), either alone or in combination. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with IGF-1 and/or of BMP-2 or -6 and the expression of osteogenic genes, proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in vitro were analyzed. The results showed that IGF-1 greatly enhanced the BMP-induced osteogenic differentiation of these cells and that the ALP activity in the cultures was higher when the combination was made with BMP-6 than with BMP-2. Other in vitro experiments showed that the osteogenic effect of these combinations can be modulated controlling the sequential administration of the growth factors. Furthermore, we have tested the osteogenic potential of these treatments in vivo by loading them onto absorbable collagen sponges which were implanted into an ectopic bone formation model in rats. These experiments revealed that only BMP-6 was able to induce bone formation at the used dose and that the addition of IGF-1 contributed to an increase of the mineralization in the implants. Hence, the combination of BMP-6 with IGF-1 might be a better alternative than BMP-2 for orthopedic surgery and bone tissue engineering approaches with potential application through using controlled delivery systems.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Delincuencia relacionada con el turismo de cruceros en la ciudad de Málaga

ciudad de Málaga en relación con el fenómeno de los cruceros. Esta dinámica turística se diferencia de otras conductas turísticas más habituales en que una gran cantidad de personas, a veces varios miles, visita simultáneamente una zona bastante bien delimitada en un corto espacio de tiempo. Se trata, además, de un tipo de turismo continuo, muy regular, previsible y sumamente estructurado. Nuestra hipótesis general es que estamos ante una actividad con unas características que la diferencian del turismo más habitual y que, por tanto, genera una serie de oportunidades delictivas propias. A diferencia del turista general, el crucerista pasa sólo unas pocas horas en el destino, apenas entra en contacto con la población local y sus posibilidades de encontrarse en zonas inseguras de la ciudad así como de realizar conductas arriesgadas son mínimas. Las hipótesis concretas, en consonancia con la literatura existente al respecto, se agrupan en torno a tres elementos: tasas de victimización, conductas arriesgadas y características de la delincuencia asociada al fenómeno. Para corroborar las hipótesis se utiliza una metodología de métodos mixtos que implica el pase de encuestas de victimización a cruceristas, la realización de observación directa de las actividades que realizan los cruceristas, así como entrevistas a comerciantes y agentes de policía, tanto uniformados como de paisano, encargados de la seguridad en las zonas en las que los cruceristas suelen encontrarse. Los resultados preliminares ofrecen informaciones muy interesantes acerca de los tipos de delitos que se cometen, el perfil del autor, el modus operandi así como las tasas de victimización que ello produce, todo lo cual se encuentra a la espera de su corroboración en los próximos meses.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Las prisiones españolas vistas desde Europa. Un análisis comparado

Los altos niveles de población penitenciaria que ofrece España en comparación con los países de nuestro entorno son realmente llamativos. Con la intención de contribuir a una correcta explicación de este fenómeno y sus causas presento a continuación un análisis comparado de diversas variables relacionadas con el ámbito penitenciario. Se trata de un estudio que utiliza datos de naturaleza secundaria, esencialmente provenientes de los informes del Consejo de Europa (SPACE I), así como de los datos ofrecidos por el Internacional Centre for Prison Studies a través de su World Prison Brief. Esta información y su tratamiento ofrecen, a mi juicio, una muy interesante panorámica de la situación de las prisiones españolas en la actualidad, a la vez que relativizan y contextualizan dichos resultados al compararlos con países con los que tenemos similitudes y diferencias pero que, en definitiva, están sometidos al proceso de convergencia propio de la Unión Europea.Instituto Andaluz Interuniversitario de Criminología (sección de Málaga

IGF-1 enhances the osteogenic activity of BMP-6 in vitro and in vivo

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is widely used in orthopedic surgery and bone tissue engineering because of its strong osteogenic activity. However, BMP-2 treatments have several drawbacks and alternatives are being explored. Since BMP-6 has been demonstrated to be more osteoinductive, its use, either alone or together with other cytokines, might be an interesting option. We have compared the effect of BMP-2, BMP-6, or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), either alone or in combination. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with IGF-1 and/or of BMP-2 or -6 and the expression of osteogenic genes, proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in vitro were analyzed. The results showed that IGF-1 greatly enhanced the BMP-induced osteogenic differentiation of these cells and that the ALP activity in the cultures was higher when the combination was made with BMP-6 than with BMP-2. Other in vitro experiments showed that the osteogenic effect of these combinations can be modulated controlling the sequential administration of the growth factors. Furthermore, we have tested the osteogenic potential of these treatments in vivo by loading them onto absorbable collagen sponges which were implanted into an ectopic bone formation model in rats. These experiments revealed that only BMP-6 was able to induce bone formation at the used dose and that the addition of IGF-1 contributed to an increase of the mineralization in the implants. Hence, the combination of BMP-6 with IGF-1 might be a better alternative than BMP-2 for orthopedic surgery and bone tissue engineering approaches with potential application through using controlled delivery systems.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Criminal Justice Systems in Europe. A cross-national quantitative analysis

In the last years, the Crime Observatory of the University of Malaga has analysed police records on criminal activity, has also carried out several crime victims surveys in Spain and has worked on a detailed analysis of the prison system and its connection to the prison policy. This year´s report focuses on the Criminal Justice System, one of the big official data providers, to gather, organize and interpret a great deal of quantitative data from 2000 to 2011. Such longitudinal scrutiny offers data related to public opinion about criminal courts, the quality of criminal justice, its resources, the amount of criminal cases managed on each court, a user´s profile, etc. On this presentation, we´ll concentrate on a comparison of the European countries that constitutes the first chapter of the Report and aims to offer a proper context to the rest of it. Such comparison will explain the national differences in terms of the public budget allocated to courts, legal aid, court fees, incoming criminal cases, length of procedures, clearance rate, as well as homicide, rape, serious assault and robbery convictions, etc. Our aim will be to offer an interesting cross-national analysis of such topics that will provide a reference point from which to debate the national policies related to the Criminal Justice System in the European Countries.Instituto Andaluz Interuniversitario de Criminología. Sección de Málag

The effect of combining bone morphogenetic proteins -2 and -6 on osteoblastic differentiation and bone

Bone morphogenetic proteins-2 and -7 (BMP-2 and -7) are the only two members of the BMP subfamily approved to date to be used in combination with collagen type I in orthopedic surgery, although other BMPs have proven to also be highly osteoinductive. All the osteogenic BMPs signal through Smad-1/-5/-8 phosphorylation, but they have different preferences for the BMP receptors they use. Very high supraphysiological doses of BMPs have been used in the clinics for the treatment of non-union fractures and spinal fusions. Besides the high cost of these treatments, safety concerns have been recently raised. Hence there is an active field in finding alternatives to the most classical collagen + BMP-2 system. The aim of this work was to study the effect of combining two osteogenic BMPs (-2 and -6) belonging to different groups within the subfamily, and with different affinities to the existing BMP receptors. Both the growth and osteoblastic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 mouse preosteoblasts and rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) under these conditions were studied, as well as in vivo ectopic bone formation when the BMPs were combined with collagen type I sponges. We show that the effect of these two growth factors is additive and that their combination might be helpful to accelerate in vivo osteogenesis while reducing the amount of each individual BMP used.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

La Investigación En La Práctica Pedagógica De Los Docentes De Educación Media

La investigación docente no debe estar limitada a campos específicos de las universidades, por el contrario, es pertinente que los docentes en todos los niveles educativos del sistema escolar, apoyen su práctica pedagógica con la realización de estudios que sistematicen sus experiencias y contribuyan al campo de la educación. El presente artículo exhibe los desarrollos de la tesis doctoral Aproximación Teórica a la Investigación en la Práctica Pedagógica de los Docentes de Educación Media, para el cual se asume una visión epistemológica constructivista, con metodología hermenéutico dialéctica, bajo el paradigma cualitativo y se sigue el método de la teoría fundamentada para el análisis de datos y la generación teórica. El estudio concluye con la presentación de la aproximación teórica según el constructo emergente que se revela en relación a la investigación en la práctica pedagógica de los docentes de educación media

Tenocytic induction of stem cells from bone marrow on polymeric microparticles for a new concept of tendon regenerative prosthesis

A new concept of a regenerative and resorbable prosthesis for tendon and ligament has been developed. The prosthesis consists of a poly-lactide acid (PLA) braid, microparticles in its interior serving as cell carriers, and a surface non-adherent coating. The aim of this study is to select the most suitable support, microparticles of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) or chitosan (CHT), for carrying the cells inside the hollow PLA braid. Microparticles of these polymers were manufactured and blended with microparticles of hyaluronic acid (HA). All of them were physically and biologically characterized. Cell viability, morphology and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on the different supports were evaluated and compared, revealing that PLLA microparticles were the most appropriate to be used as injectable cell-carrier. Finally, hMSCs differentiation into tenocytes was carried out on PLLA microparticles using bone morphogenetic protein-12 (BMP-12) and a mixture of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1). Cell morphology was analyzed by electronic and confocal microscopy and cell differentiation was evaluated immunocytochemically for the presence of type I collagen and tenomodulin. Besides, the tenomodulin and decorin gene expression were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Our results showed that the medium supplemented with BMP-12 promoted higher expression of tenomodulin and decorin, both of them differentiation markers of tenocytes. This approach might be relevant to future tissue engineering applications in reconstruction of tendon and ligament defects. Authors acknowledge support of the Spanish Instituto de Salud Carlos III through CIBERbbn and the Spanish Network on Cell Therapy (Red TerCel) initiatives.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech