Changes in immune cell populations and the antibody response to Streptococcus pneumoniae after exposure to a mixture of herbicides

The environment that we live in is composed of many different chemicals, Because of this, all chemical exposures, whether environmental or industrial, are exposures to mixtures. These mixtures have the potential to affect the immune system in a manner that is qualitatively or quantitatively different from the response to the individual components of the mixture. My experiments examine the effects of in vivo exposure to a mixture of herbicides on immune cell populations and on the humoral immune response to immunization with heat killed, whole-cell, Streptococcus pneumoniae (HKSP). The herbicide propanil (3,4-dichloropropionanilide) is sold as a mixture with the herbicide 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). In vivo exposure to the mixture of propanil and 2,4-D increases cell loss in the thymus and bone marrow to a greater extent than would be predicted from the cell loss caused by exposure to the individual herbicides. To determine whether the lymphocyte cell number decreases depress the functional immune response, I examined the T-independent (phosphorylcholine, PC) and T-dependent (pneumococcal surface protein A, PspA) antibody response to Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) immunization after single-herbicide and herbicide-mixture exposure. Mice were exposed to propanil, 2,4-D or a mixture of propanil and 2,4-D and immunized i.p. with HKSP. Exposure to the mixture, in contrast to the individual herbicides, increased the number of IgM and all isotypes of IgG spot forming cells (SFC) responding to PC and PspA antigen as determined by ELISPOT following immunization with HKSP. Exposure to HKSP on day 4 after herbicide treatment resulted in smaller fold antibody increases suggesting that events that occur within the first 4 days after exposure are critical in the response. These results highlight the importance of studying the effects of mixtures on the immune system and contribute to the understanding of the potential connection between exposure to chemicals and disease

How autophagy is related to programmed cell death during the development of the nervous system

5 páginas, 3 figuras -- PAGS nros. 813-817Programmed cell death, together with proliferation and differentiation, is an essential process during the development of the nervous system. During neurogenesis, neurons and glia are generated in large numbers and, subsequently, they die in a process that depends on trophic signalling that refines the cytoarchitecture and connectivity of the nervous system. In addition, programmed cell death also affects proliferating neuroepithelial cells and recently differentiated neuroblasts. Autophagy is a lysosomal degradative pathway that allows the recycling of cell constituents, and seems to be able to play a dual role. It may serve to protect the cell by preventing the accumulation of deleterious products and organelles and supplying energy and amino acids. On the other hand, it has been considered a type of cell death. The role of autophagy during development is little characterized. The retina provides an excellent model system to study autophagy in the context of neural development, and to establish its relationship with proliferation, differentiation and cell death. In the present review, we summarize recent findings showing that autophagy contributes to the development of the nervous system by providing energy for cell corpse removal after physiological cell death, a process associated with retinal neurogenesisResearch in our laboratory is supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (BFU2006-00508 and BFU2006-26073-E to P.B. and SAF2007-66175 to E.J. de la R.). M.A.M. is an FPU (Formación de Profesorado Universitario) Fellow and P.B. is a Ramón y Cajal Fellow (both programmes are financed by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia)Peer reviewe

O uso da lousa digital no estudo com fotos aéreas na disciplina de Geografia

Orientadora: Profa. Edna da SilvaArtigo (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Educação Profissional e Tecnológica, Curso de Especialização em Mídias Integradas na Educação.Inclui referências: p. 13Resumo : O artigo, é a síntese do trabalho conclusão de curso de Especialização em Mídias Integradas na Educação, ofertado no âmbito do Setor Educação Profissional e Tecnológica da Universidade Federal do Paraná. O problema da pesquisa, era busca articular o uso de tecnologias digitais e o ensino na disciplina de Geografia, problematizando como a lousa digital pode auxiliar no estudo das fotos aéreas de um bairro, considerando neste caso, o bairro Pilarzinho na Cidade de Curitiba, local onde está localizada a Escola Municipal Herley Mehl. Espaço escolhido para ser desenvolvido o projeto. A pesquisa se desenvolveu com alunos entre 10 e 12 anos, que cursam o sexto (6º) e o trabalho foi desenvolvido no segundo semestre de 2017. O objetivo geral do trabalho foi verificar se o uso da lousa digital auxilia no estudo das fotos aéreas do bairro Pilarzinho. A metodologia utilizada para a pesquisa, foi qualitativa e exploratória, construiu-se instrumentos a serem utilizados, caracterizados pelas fotos aéreas, estimulou-se os estudantes para que fizessem a observação participante, e na sequência realizou-se atividades para verificar a articulação entre o conteúdo trabalhado, a tecnologia utilizada e a forma como os estudantes assimilaram e desenvolveram seu processo de aprendizagem. No processo, metodológico foi importante a contribuição teórica de PERRENOUD (1999) e AMARAL; FREIRE; ALMEIDA & SILVA (2003). Em síntese percebeuse que os estudantes, num modo geral, foram instigados por essa ferramenta educacional se tornando um instrumento metodológico inovador para a apresentação dos conteúdo, mesmo sendo as atividades finais de trimestre se mostraram animados e motivados

Intellectual capital and relational capital: The role of sustainability in developing corporate reputation

Purpose: Intellectual capital offers a potential source of sustainable competitive advantage and is believed to be the source from which economic growth may sprout. However, not many papers analyze the effect of sustainability in the elements involving intellectual capital. This paper seeks to highlight the key role played by corporate sustainability on corporate reputation as one of the key components of relational capital based on the knowledge-based theory. In order to fulfill this objective we consider economic, social and environmental dimensions of corporate sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: Authors develop a structural equation model to test the hypothesis. The study was tested using data collected from a sample of 400 Spanish consumers. Findings: The structural equation model shows that sustainability plays a vital role as antecedent of corporate reputation and relational capital. Findings suggest that economic, social and environmental domains of sustainability have a positive direct effect on corporate reputation. Additionally, this study shows that economic sustainability is considered to be the most important dimension to enhance corporate reputation. Research limitations/implications: Relational capital involves several dimensions which have not been incorporated to this study. Thus, future studies may analyze the role of corporate reputation and sustainability in the formation and development of the different relationships that conform relational capital. Finally, the complicated economic environment currently experienced worldwide may affect the perceptions of Spanish consumers and their ratings. The crosscutting nature of this research inhibits an understanding of the variations in the perceptions of the customers surveyed over time, suggesting that this research could be expanded by a longitudinal study. Secondly, the current study has been conducted with consumers of hotel companies in Spain and it is not clear in how far the findings can be generalized to other industries, stakeholders or countries. Practical implications: This research allows managers to identify the activities in which companies can devote resources to in order to increase firm's reputation. By knowing these specific economic, social and environmental activities, companies can understand, analyze and make decisions in a better way about its sector and about the stakeholders that assess these initiatives. Originality/value: To our knowledge, in any case it has been studied simultaneously the influence of sustainability dimensions on corporate reputation, which is a knowledge gap in the academic literatur

Sustainability dimensions: A source to enhance corporate reputation

ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to enhance our understanding of the relationship between sustainability and corporate image and reputation according to the legitimacy theory framework since the current academic literature does not have an understanding of how sustainability and corporate image and reputation interact. Authors conducted a survey to test the hypotheses. The study was tested using data collected from a sample of 382 Spanish consumers. The proposed hypotheses were analyzed through a structural equation model showing that sustainability plays a vital role as antecedent of both corporate image and reputation. Findings suggest that the economic, social and environmental domains of sustainability present a direct and positive relationship with both corporate image and reputation

Perspectives and practices of csr in the hospitality industry: analyzing a case study

This paper aims to offer a preliminary case study of CSR issues being addressed in the hospitality sector in order to disseminate best practice. By employing a qualitative research findings reveal that Meliá Hotels International has its own approach to CSR by incorporating a new cultural dimension to this notion. Moreover, findings illustrate how MHI define its CSR policy according to the stakeholder approach, being the main beneficiaries from these activities consumers and local communities. This study also provides evidence that strength of CSR commitment varies by topic, and that value creation for MHI can be uncertain since many CSR initiatives do not cause a reduction in costs

El papel de la identificación del consumidor en el efecto de la responsabilidad social corporativa en el comportamiento del consumidor en la industria hotelera española

ABSTRACT: One of the most important aspects in the field of hospitality marketing is to investigate the path to customer loyalty. In addition, another line of research is the construct of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that has recently been incorporated in the customer loyalty model. Therefore, this paper examines the effects of CSR associations on hotel customer loyalty by including the mediation effects of customer-company identification (C-C identification) and customer satisfaction. To test the proposed model empirically, personal surveys of hotel customers were conducted in the Spanish region of Cantabria using a structured questionnaire. The study finds that CSR associations have a direct effect on both C-C identification and customer satisfaction as well as an indirect effect on hotel customer loyalty via these two constructs. Second, C-C identification has a direct effect on hotel customer loyalty. This study contributes to the literature by incorporating three different perspectives of hotel customer loyalty ¯ CSR associations, C-C identification and customer satisfaction¯ into one general framework that highlights the central role played by C-C identification along the path from CSR associations to hotel customer satisfaction and loyalty.RESUMEN: Uno de los aspectos más importantes en el campo del marketing del sector hotelero es investigar la lealtad de los consumidores. Igualmente, otra línea de investigación de gran interés se centra en el concepto de responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) el cual ha sido incluido recientemente en modelos clásicos de lealtad en este sector. Así, este artículo examina el efecto de las asociaciones de responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) en la lealtad del consumidor en el sector hotelero a través de los efectos mediadores de la identificación del consumidor con la empresa (identificación C-E) y la satisfacción de los consumidores. Para ello, se llevaron a cabo encuestas personales a clientes de establecimientos hoteleros en la comunidad autónoma de Cantabria (España). En primer lugar, los resultados demuestran que las asociaciones de RSC poseen un efecto directo sobre la identificación C-E y la satisfacción de los consumidores, así como un efecto indirecto sobre la lealtad de este colectivo. En segundo lugar, la identificación C-E posee un efecto directo sobre la lealtad de los consumidores. Este estudio contribuye a la literatura académica del sector hotelero al incorporar tres perspectivas diferenciadas a la lealtad de los consumidores –RSC, identificación C-E y satisfacción – en un único marco teórico que señala el papel central que desempeña la identificación C-E en la influencia que poseen las asociaciones de RSC en la satisfacción y lealtad de los consumidores en el sector hotelero

Customer responses to environmentally-certified hotels: the moderating effect of environmental consciousness on the formation of behavioral intentions

ABSTRACT: Environmental certifications are considered an extremely useful tool to promote sustainable tourism; however, little is known about customer perceptions of these schemes and how these certifications might relate to customer behavior when there are customer segments with different levels of environmental consciousness. This study develops a model that investigates the relationship between green practices, green image, environmental consciousness and the behavioral intentions of customers in a certified hotel context. The study examines the direct and moderating role of environmental consciousness in the formation of behavioral intentions based on green initiatives. To test the proposed model empirically, 502 personal surveys of hotel customers were conducted in Spain using a structured questionnaire. The findings show that customer perceptions of green practices have a directly positive effect on a hotel's green image. At the same time, this green image has directly positive effects on customer behavioral intentions toward certified hotels. The authors also found that the higher the environmental consciousness of consumers, the greater their intention to stay, to spread positive word-of-mouth and pay a premium for environmentally certified hotels. Finally, consumer environmental consciousness also exerts a moderating effect on the causal relationship between green image and behavioral intentions

Cooperative Learning and Perception in Future Graduates of Business Administration and Management

The objective of this paper is to analyze the perception of future graduates in Business Administration and Management on the conceptualization, constitution and regulation of the work groups in the university classrooms. To achieve this objective, the Questionnaire for the Analysis of Cooperative Work in Higher Education (ACOES) will be used. The results show that the respondents consider that cooperative learning helps them to develop their social skills and is as an opportunity to get to know their peers. In addition, cooperative learning gives them the ability to reach agreements with different opinions and the ability to understand the ideas of other colleagues. Likewise, the main problem is the lack of coordination between the different subjects. Regarding the formation of the groups, the respondents prefer to form them by applying friendship criteria. Finally, the respondents consider that the groups should be permanents and formed by 4 or 5 members