Choice of Product Variety for the Durable Goods Monopolist

This paper analyzes the strategic choice of variety by a monopolist seller of a durable good as a means to mitigate his commitment problem. The monopolist chooses his product variety with a goal of ensuring that a strong reduction in future prices will not be profitable because it allows the firm to attract few additional consumers. The main result that emerges from considering product variety as an endogenous variable is that, contrary to the case in which it is exogenously determined, social welfare is always higher when the monopolist cannot commit that when he can.durable goods monopolist, commitment, product variety

Diagnóstico de inclusiones magmáticas y cóndrulos mediante Espectroscopía Raman

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, leída el 11-07-2022La espectroscopía Raman se considera entre las técnicas instrumentales más tecnológicamente avanzadas como resultado de varias innovaciones tecnológicas recientes(detectores CCD de alta sensibilidad, sistemas de fibra óptica, miniaturización del láser y componentes ópticos y electrónicos)y que han permitido el desarrollo práctico de nuevas generaciones de instrumentos capaces de ser utilizados en pruebas de campo, tanto en superficie como en configuración remota, o su integración en misiones planetarias robotizadas. Y en la presente Tesis Doctoral queremos explorar las posibilidades de esta técnica como método de diagnóstico y análisis en diversas áreas relacionadas con las Geociencias. Así, nuestro objetivo principal es demostrar cómo la espectroscopia Raman puede aportar información clave campos tan aparentemente distantes como la restauración del patrimonio material o las ciencias geoplanetarias...Raman spectroscopy is considered among the most technologically advanced instrumental techniques as a result of several recent technological innovations (high sensitivity CCD detectors, fibre optic systems, laser miniaturisation and optical and electronic components) and which have allowed the practical development of new generations of instruments capable of being used in field tests, both on the surface and in remote configuration, or their integration in robotic planetary missions. In this Doctoral Thesis we want to explore the possibilities of this technique as a method of testing and analysis in various fields related to the Geosciences. Therefore, our main objective is to demonstrate the potential of Raman spectroscopy to provide key information in fields so apparently distant as the restoration of material heritage or geoplanetary sciences...Fac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEunpu

Wild edible plants as potential antioxidant or nutritional supplements for beverages minimally processed

Wild edible plants (WEP) with high antioxidant capacity, Rosa canina fruits, Quercus ballota acorns and Sanguisorba minor (young leaves and stems), were added to orange and kiwifruit juices for increase the nutritional properties. The addition of WEP to orange juice (OJ) and kiwifruit cremogenate (KC) does not affect, or it can even improve, some parameters of consumer's acceptance, although the mixtures increasing sweetness and intensifying the matrix colour without changing the tone are the best valued. The beverages minimally processed with higher TSS were the matrices fortified with Q. ballota, the same that were considered sweetest by the judges. The addition of WEP to OJ did not significantly change the levels of vitamin C (ascorbic acid plus dehydroascorbic acid). The addition of R. canina and S. minor increased the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in both matrices (OJ and KC) in more than 30%. Beverages with a high interest for consumers and with high antioxidant properties have been obtained

Choice of Product Variety for the Durable Goods Monopolist

This paper analyzes the strategic choice of variety by a monopolist seller of a durable good as a means to mitigate his commitment problem. The monopolist chooses his product variety with a goal of ensuring that a strong reduction in future prices will not be profitable because it allows the firm to attract few additional consumers. The main result that emerges from considering product variety as an endogenous variable is that, contrary to the case in which it is exogenously determined, social welfare is always higher when the monopolist cannot commit that when he can.We are grateful to the University of the Basque Country (project 035.321-HB070/96) and DGICYT (project PB97-0603) for financial support

Choroidal Vessel Wall: Hypercholesterolaemia-Induced Dysfunction and Potential Role of Statins

© 2012 Ramírez et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Unidad Docente de Inmunología, Oftalmología y ORLFac. de Óptica y OptometríaTRUEMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación de EspañaFundación Mutua MadrileñaUniversidad Complutense de Madridpu

Resource centers for educational inclusion in Spain: a profile of its normative development

El avance de la inclusión educativa en prácticamente todo el mundo ha supuesto la necesidad de proveer apoyos a través de diferentes servicios. Igualmente, ha conllevado la consideración de un nuevo papel para los centros de educación especial (CEE), basado en una doble función: la atención al alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales graves y permanentes y su transformación en centros de recursos (CR) de apoyo a la escuela inclusiva. Este proceso, iniciado con Warnock (1978) y ratificado por la UNESCO (1994), supone una tendencia actual en la mayoría de los países europeos. El desarrollo normativo y la investigación en este campo han sido más escasos que los derivados de la propia inclusión. No obstante, países como Reino Unido e Irlanda destacan por sus trabajos. En España, la legislación estatal se ha guiado también por las citadas tendencias desde los años 90, pero la investigación sobre su evolución y evaluación ha sido más escasa aún que en el contextointernacional. Perseguimos con este estudio conocer la situación actual y, particularmente su desarrollo normativo en las distintas Comunidades Autónomas (CCAA), contribuyendo con ello a una emergente línea de investigación española. Encontramos diferentes vías y grado de desarrollo autonómico, desde la inactividad a intensos avances en los últimos 5 años, que pueden servir de guía a diferentes colectivos implicados en la educación inclusiva. Se detecta la necesidad de impulsar más el desarrollo y aplicación normativos y la investigación sobre el papel clave que los CEE pueden brindar a la inclusión.The advance of educative inclusion in virtually all over the world has led to the need of providing help through different services. It has also given a new role to special education centers, based on a double function: Attention of the students with severe and permanent special educational needs and their transformation into centers with resources to support the inclusive schools. This process, which was started in Warnock (1978) and was ratified by the UNESCO (1994) is now a trend in the majority of the European countries. Policy development and research in this field have been scarcer than in those derived from the inclusion itself. However, countries like the United Kingdom and Ireland stand out for their work. In Spain, the state legislation has followed the tendencies cited above since the early 1990s, but the research on the evolution and evaluation has not developed accordingly. With this research, we aim to study the current situation, especially in different autonomous communities, helping the current emerging Spanish research trends with it. In this study, we find different ways and degrees of development in the different communities; ranging from inactivity to intense advances in the last five years that might guide the different collectives involved in the inclusive education. We detected the necessity of boosting the normative development and enforcement, and the research on the key role that the special education centers can play in the inclusion

H2O2-preconditioned human adipose-derived stem cells (HC016) increase theirresistance to oxidative stress byoverexpressing Nrf2 and bioenergetic adaptation

BackgroundMesenchymal stem cells, including those derived from human adipose tissue (hASCs), are currently being widely investigated for cell therapy. However, when transplanted at the site of injury, the survival and engraftment rates of hASCs are low, mainly due to the harsh microenvironment they encounter, characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress. To overcome these therapeutic limitations, cell preconditioning with low-concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been proposed as a plausible strategy to increase their survival and adaptation to oxidative stress. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms of this approach are not yet fully understood. In this study, we analyzed molecular and bioenergetic changes that take place in H2O2 preconditioned hASCs.MethodsLong-term exposure to a low concentration of H2O2 was applied to obtain preconditioned hASCs (named HC016), and then, their response to oxidative stress was analyzed. The effect of preconditioning on the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream antioxidant enzymes (HO-1, SOD-1, GPx-1, and CAT), and of NF-kappa B and its related inflammatory proteins (COX-2 and IL-1 beta), were examined by Western blot. Finally, the Seahorse XF96 Flux analysis system was used to evaluate the mitochondrial respiration and glycolytic function, along with the total ATP production.ResultsWe found that under oxidative conditions, HC016 cells increased the survival by (i) decreasing intracellular ROS levels through the overexpression of the transcription factor Nrf2 and its related antioxidant enzymes HO-1, SOD-1, GPx-1, and CAT; (ii) reducing the secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules COX-2 and IL-1 beta through the attenuation of the expression of NF-kappa B; and (iii) increasing the total ATP production rate through the adaption of their metabolism to meet the energetic demand required to survive.ConclusionsH(2)O(2) preconditioning enhances hASC survival under oxidative stress conditions by stimulating their antioxidant response and bioenergetic adaptation. Therefore, this preconditioning strategy might be considered an excellent tool for strengthening the resistance of hASCs to harmful oxidative stress.Partial funding for this project was provided by the Department of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the Basque Government, the European Regional Development Fund (PREMISE IG-2015/0000558), and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU; research grants PES 17/29 and 16/37)

Hydrogen Peroxide-Preconditioned Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Enhance the Recovery of Oligodendrocyte-Like Cells after Oxidative Stress-Induced Damage

Oxidative stress associated with neuroinflammation is a key process involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, and therefore, has been proposed as a crucial target for new therapies. Recently, the therapeutic potential of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) has been investigated as a novel strategy for neuroprotection. These cells can be preconditioned by exposing them to mild stress in order to improve their response to oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluate the therapeutic potential of hASCs preconditioned with low doses of H2O2 (called HC016 cells) to overcome the deleterious effect of oxidative stress in an in vitro model of oligodendrocyte-like cells (HOGd), through two strategies: i, the culture of oxidized HOGd with HC016 cell-conditioned medium (CM), and ii, the indirect co-culture of oxidized HOGd with HC016 cells, which had or had not been exposed to oxidative stress. The results demonstrated that both strategies had reparative effects, oxidized HC016 cell co-culture being the one associated with the greatest recovery of the damaged HOGd, increasing their viability, reducing their intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and promoting their antioxidant capacity. Taken together, these findings support the view that HC016 cells, given their reparative capacity, might be considered an important breakthrough in cell-based therapies.Partial funding for this project was provided by the Department of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the Basque Government, the European Regional Development Fund (PREMISE IG-2015/0000558) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU; research grants GIU 19/088 and PES 17/29 and 16/37)

Diversity in oat potential immunogenicity: basis for the selection of oat varieties with no toxicity in coeliac disease

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non commercial and is otherwise in compliance with the license. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ and http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode.[Background and aims] Coeliac disease (CD) is triggered by an abnormal reaction to gluten. Peptides resulting from partially digested gluten of wheat, barley or rye cause inflammation of the small intestinal mucosa. Previous contradictory studies suggest that oats may trigger the abnormal immunological response in patients with CD. Monoclonal antibodies (moAbs) against the main immunotoxic 33-mer peptide (A1 and G12) react strongly against wheat, barley and rye but have less reactivity against oats. The stated aim of this study is to test whether this observed reactivity could be related to the potential toxicity of oats for patients with CD.[Methods] In the present study, different oat varieties, controlled for their purity and by their distinct protein pattern, were used to examine differences in moAb G12 recognition by ELISA and western blot. Immunogenicity of oat varieties was determined by 33-mer concentration, T cell proliferation and interferon γ production.[Results] Three groups of oat cultivars reacting differently against moAb G12 could be distinguished: a group with considerable affinity, a group showing slight reactivity and a third with no detectable reactivity. The immunogenicity of the three types of oats as well as that of a positive and negative control was determined with isolated peripheral blood mononuclear T cells from patients with CD by measurement of cell proliferation and interferon γ release. A direct correlation of the reactivity with G12 and the immunogenicity of the different prolamins was observed.[Conclusions] The results showed that the reactivity of the moAb G12 is proportional to the potential immunotoxicity of the cereal cultivar. These differences may explain the different clinical responses observed in patients suffering from CD and open up a means to identify immunologically safe oat cultivars, which could be used to enrich a gluten-free dietThis work was supported by Asociacio´n de Celı ´acos de Madrid (to SC) by grants PET2008_0055 from VI Plan Nacional de Investigacio´n Cientı ´fica, Desarrollo e Innovacio´n Tecnolo´gica (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacio´n), IAB (Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnologı ´a) (to SC) and by AGR2009-4966M (Proyecto de Excelencia, Junta de Andalucı ´a) (to TM). Biomedal thanks Corporacio´n Tecnolo´gica de Andalucı ´a and Agencia IDEA for co-founding this study (to CA).Peer reviewe