A proposal on how to apply the balanced scorecard to the collective investment managerial firms

lity. Consequently these firms need to reformulate their strategic forecast for the next years. This need arises, among other factors, from the collapse of global financial markets, progressive liberalizations in tax and company regulation and the evolution in information technology. Collective investments are very appealing for small investors, as they allow them to benefit from the skills of a professional management, as well as to spread different risks with a diversified portfolio in the different mutual funds. Nevertheless in moments of crisis such as the world is experiencing now, the great volatility of markets and capital losses clearly offset the attractiveness of the portfolio management. The starting point is to take into account the new scenario now developing in collective investment management firms: increasing competence, less captive clients, a more independent sales force, and decrease in their P&L account. With this background we propose to use a planning tool that, in the last ten years, has proven itself to be a great help in improving the management of the firms. The aim is to identify their core activities in order to define a better strategy, gain new clients, and improve the quality of their services. The final purpose is to increase their return on investment. Taking into account all the above mentioned reasons we have considered the collective investment management firms in Spain a good field to apply Balanced Scorecard as a device to improve management control . In our research paper, we propose a balanced scorecard model, exploring three possible strategic scenarios, together with an operating simulation of this device with a five years´scope for these type of firms. To obtain this model we have used dynamic systems theory and other information technology instruments.

HdTourist: una aplicación ligera para el consumo de información semántica en Android

El actual “diluvio de datos” está inundando la Web con grandes volúmenes de información dando lugar a la Web de Datos. Esta es una simplificación de la Web Semántica, que proponía inicialmente superar las limitaciones de la red actual introduciendo descripciones explicitas del significado. Este tipo de datos semánticos se describen habitualmente mediante el lenguaje RDF. DBpedia es la conversión de Wikipedia a un formato RDF. Al igual que la Wikipedia, DBpedia puede ser consultada de manera online, obteniendo múltiples resultados, cada uno de los cuales posee gran cantidad de enlaces a otras páginas. A diferencia de Wikipedia, la información semántica de DBpedia permite conocer el significado de cada uno de los enlaces, pudiendo extraer y filtrar información de manera más avanzada. Este proyecto pretende crear un método de consulta móvil para DBpedia que se beneficie de esta característica para obtener una porción de DBpedia de interés, almacenarla localmente y poder consultarla sin necesidad de disponer de acceso a la red. Para ello se utilizará el formato HDT que permite reducir la redundancia del lenguaje RDF, para favorecer el procesamiento por parte de la máquina y la gestión de los datos.Grado en Ingeniería Informátic

Postantifungal Effect of Antifungal Drugs against Candida: What Do We Know and How Can We Apply This Knowledge in the Clinical Setting?

The study of the pharmacological properties of an antifungal agent integrates the drug pharmacokinetics, the fungal growth inhibition, the fungicidal effect and the postantifungal activity, laying the basis to guide optimal dosing regimen selection. The current manuscript reviews concepts regarding the postantifungal effect (PAFE) of the main classes of drugs used to treat Candida infections or candidiasis. The existence of PAFE and its magnitude are highly dependent on both the fungal species and the class of the antifungal agent. Therefore, the aim of this article was to compile the information described in the literature concerning the PAFE of polyenes, azoles and echinocandins against the Candida species of medical interest. In addition, the mechanisms involved in these phenomena, methods of study, and finally, the clinical applicability of these studies relating to the design of dosing regimens were reviewed and discussed. Additionally, different factors that could determine the variability in the PAFE were described. Most PAFE studies were conducted in vitro, and a scarcity of PAFE studies in animal models was observed. It can be stated that the echinocandins cause the most prolonged PAFE, followed by polyenes and azoles. In the case of the triazoles, it is worth noting the inconsistency found between in vitro and in vivo studiesThe research group was funded by the Consejería de Educación, Universidades e Investigación of Gobierno Vasco-Eusko Jaurlaritza (GIC15/78 IT-990-16/IT1607-22) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-117983RB-I00)

Proyecto de Investigación en Microbiología Médica

Nivel educativo: Grado Duración (en horas): Más de 50 horasLa asignatura Proyecto de Investigación se imparte en tercer curso del Grado de Medicina de la Facultad de Medicina y Odontología de la UPV/EHU, y tiene una duración de 6 ECTS. El objetivo principal de la asignatura es adquirir habilidades básicas para el diseño y desarrollo de un proyecto de investigación sobre temas de biomédica básica y aplicada, y concretamente sobre Microbiología Médica, así como para la comunicación científica de los resultados obtenidos. Se pretende que los estudiantes identifiquen los pasos fundamentales del proceso de investigación partiendo de una idea viable. El desarrollo de la asignatura llevará consigo a que el alumnado conozca las convocatorias a las que solicitar financiación, sea capaz de elaborar una memoria de investigación para una convocatoria concreta, desarrolle y ejecute un diseño experimental y, finalmente, analice y elabore los resultados para presentarlos en el congreso de estudiantes que tiene lugar al final del curso. La existencia del congreso introduce el reto y la motivación para que el alumnado se implique en el trabajo que conlleva el presentar en dicho evento un proyecto innovador y exitoso

Proyecto constructivo de centro de turismo rural en Cuellar (Segovia).

El presente proyecto tiene por objeto definir las obras necesarias de Rehabilitacion a realizar en el edificio de viviendas situado en la Avda. de Camilo Jose Cela no 6 de Cuellar (Segovia), para la construccion de un parador de turismo rural y pertenece al nucleo historico del municipio de Cuellar,ocupa un solar de planta poliedrica. Segun su registro en el Catastro, el año de construccion del inmueble es el 1910, y su uso local principal es Industrial en el caso de la Planta Baja, y Residencial en el caso de las Plantas Primera y Segund

Assessing pH-dependent activities of virulence factors secreted by Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that can thrive under adverse conditions including suboptimal pH, nutrient scarcity, and low levels of oxygen. Its pathogenicity is associated with the production of virulence factors such as extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and toxins. This study was aimed at determining the effect of external pH, substrate nature, and strain origin on protease, lipase, and hemolysin production. To achieve this objective, agar plate assays were performed at pH 5.0, 6.5, and 7.5 with substrates suitable for the detection of each family of enzymes. Moreover, the study was conducted with 20 clinical C. albicans isolates from blood, oral cavity, skin, urine, and vagina. The hydrolytic zones formed around the colonies were further measured to calculate the Ez (enzymatic zone) indexes. We found that detection of proteases in skim milk agar plates was possible for most isolates only at pH 5 (80%) and pH 6.5 (75%), whereas BSA plates could confer protease detection exclusively at pH 5 (80%). Similarly, the percentage of isolates possessing lipolytic activities was higher at pH 5 (90%) than at pH 6.5 (70%) and pH 7.5 (35%). In contrast, hemolytic activities were detected in all isolates at pH 6.5 and 7.5 but not at pH 5. Further analysis revealed that some differences in the detected activities could potentially be attributed to the anatomical origin of these isolates. Collectively, these findings suggest that the pH of the site of infection might be critical for mimicking the microenvironment employed to experimentally discover the key virulence factors.The work was supported by IKERBASQUE (Basque Foundation for Science). Elena Eraso, Elena Sevillano, and Guillermo Quindós have received grant support from Consejería de Educación, Universidades e Investigación del Gobierno Vasco (GIC15/78 IT-990-16/IT1607-22), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020-117983RB-I00), and UPV/EHU (COLAB19/11)

A wind tunnel two-dimensional parametric investigation of biplane configurations

This paper presents an experimental and systematic investigation about how geometric parameters on a biplane configuration have an influence on aerodynamic parameters. This experimental investigation has been developed in a two-dimensional approach. Theoretical studies about biplanes configurations have been developed in the past, but there is not enough information about experimental wind tunnel data at low Reynolds number. This two-dimensional study is a first step to further tridimensional investigations about the box wing configuration. The main objective of the study is to find the relationships between the geometrical parameters which present the best aerodynamic behavior: the highest lift, the lowest drag and the lowest slope of the pitching moment. A tridimensional wing-box model will be designed following the pattern of the two dimensional study conclusions. It will respond to the geometrical relationships that have been considered to show the better aerodynamic behavior. This box-wing model will be studied in the aim of comparing the advantages and disadvantages between this biplane configuration and the plane configuration, looking for implementing the box-wing in the UAV?s field. Although the box wing configuration has been used in a small number of existing UAV, prestigious researchers have found it as a field of high aerodynamic and structural potential

First detection of the bla OXA - 23 gene in a multidrug - resistant A. baumannii clinical isolate from Cochabamba, Bolivia

The University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU was the Institution where the research was conducted although the clinical data and preliminary experiments were done in the University of San Simon (Universidad Mayor de San Simon UMSS) and Viedma Hospital within a collaborative project. This work was supported by grant AE14/23 from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU. Thanks to Dr. Bruno Lopes, School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, UK, for critically reading the manuscript

Therapeutic tools for oral candidiasis : current and new antifungal drugs

Candidiasis is one of the most common opportunistic oral infections that presents different acute and chronic clinical presentations with diverse diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The present study carries out a bibliographic review on the therapeutic tools available against oral candidiasis and their usefulness in each clinical situation. Recent studies on treatment of oral candidiasis were retrieved from PubMed and Cochrane Library. Nystatin and miconazole are the most commonly used topical antifungal drugs. Both antifungal drugs are very effective but need a long time of use to eradicate the infection. The pharmacological presentations of miconazole are more comfortable for patients but this drug may interact with other drugs and this fact should be assessed before use. Other topical alternatives for oral candidiasis, such as amphotericin B or clotrimazole, are not available in many countries. Oral fluconazole is effective in treating oral candidiasis that does not respond to topical treatment. Other systemic treatment alternatives, oral or intravenous, less used are itraconazole, voriconazole or posaconazole. Available novelties include echinocandins (anidulafungin, caspofungin) and isavuconazole. Echinocandins can only be used intravenously. Isavuconazole is available for oral and intravenous use. Other hopeful alternatives are new drugs, such as ibrexafungerp, or the use of antibodies, cytokines and antimicrobial peptides. Nystatin, miconazole, and fluconazole are very effective for treating oral candidiasis. There are systemic alternatives for treating recalcitrant infections, such as the new triazoles, echinocandins, or lipidic presentations of amphotericin B