Content analysis and assessment of deontological codes of franchising associations

The objective of this work is to run the content analysis and assessment of deontological codes of national and international franchising associations. To do this, we compared the content of 46 deontological codes of franchising associations from five continents to the standards established in the so-called C-40 or model of franchising deontological codes. Results show that, in general, ethical content included in deontological codes of franchising associations are not very large, requiring progress in improving its structure and content. In any case, according to the contents of their deontological codes, there are two groups of franchising associations worldwide. On the one hand, those taking the archetype of the European Franchise Federation code (30 associations), which show a greater number of ethical issues and have a better structured code than the other group that do not follow the European Code (16 associations)

Forest plantations in Manabí (Ecuador): assessment of fragmentation and connectivity to support dry tropical forests conservation

In many tropical regions, national forests plantation programs have been promoted. Those plantations frequently contribute to habitat changes. However, the associated effects of forest plantations on habitat fragmentation and landscape connectivity are unclear. From 2008 to 2018, we examined land use changes, plantations, and deforestation of the Manabí province (Ecuador) provided by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment. Four scenarios were created: (i) land uses in 2008, (ii) land uses in 2018, (iii) land uses in 2018 without deforestation, and iv) land uses in 2018 including reforestation. Fragmentation and connectivity metrics were analyzed using ArcGisPro and Graphad 2.6 software, respectively. Puma yagouaroundi was selected as the reference species. At regional scale, forest plantations had a significant effect on land uses changes and fragmentation during the study period. Forests decreased from 33.7% to 32.4% between 2008 and 2018, although other natural land uses, mostly those involving shrubs, increased by almost double (from 2.4% to 4.6%). Most of the deforestation affected native forests during this period, and most reforested areas in 2018 covered former agricultural land. Fragmentation decreased in the number of patches and increased in the average patch size. When considering reforestation, deforestation was higher than the reforested area (58 km2 of difference), increasing the number of patches but with smaller size. Reforestation increased connectivity with a higher number of links and distance, particularly in central and extreme northeast areas of Manabí province. The scenario without deforestation also increased connectivity for Puma yagouaroundi in the west part of the Manabí province. Our findings suggest that forest plantations contribute to forest conservation by increasing the connectivity between fragmented patches

Razones que impulsan a los empresarios a expansionarse a través de franquicia

El objetivo general de este trabajo consiste en estudiar y analizar las razones que impulsan a los empresarios a expansionarse mediante el formato de franquicia. En segundo lugar, determinar si para explicar la confianza o uso de la franquicia dentro del sistema de franquicia español se pueden identificar clases latentes. Es decir, grupos de franquiciadores cuyas variables explicativas tienen relaciones distintas con el porcentaje de unidades franquiciadas. La metodología empleada es la regresión de clases latentes (RCL) que ha sido poco utilizada en la investigación de franquicia

Redox-dependent and redox-independent functions of Caenorhabditis elegans thioredoxin 1

Thioredoxins (TRX) are traditionally considered as enzymes catalyzing redox reactions. However, redox-independent functions of thioredoxins have been described in different organisms, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet unknown. We report here the characterization of the first generated endogenous redox-inactive thioredoxin in an animal model, the TRX-1 in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that TRX-1 dually regulates the formation of an endurance larval stage (dauer) by interacting with the insulin pathway in a redox-independent manner and the cGMP pathway in a redox-dependent manner. Moreover, the requirement of TRX-1 for the extended longevity of worms with compromised insulin signalling or under calorie restriction relies on TRX-1 redox activity. In contrast, the nuclear translocation of the SKN-1 transcription factor and increased LIPS-6 protein levels in the intestine upon trx-1 deficiency are strictly redox-independent. Finally, we identify a novel function of C. elegans TRX-1 in male food-leaving behaviour that is redox-dependent. Taken together, our results position C. elegans as an ideal model to gain mechanistic insight into the redox-independent functions of metazoan thioredoxins, overcoming the limitations imposed by the embryonic lethal phenotypes of thioredoxin mutants in higher organisms.NIH Office of Research Infrastructure P40 OD010440Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness BFU2015- 64408-PFondo Social Europeo BFU2015- 64408-PNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health R01AI07640

Impact of plot size and model selection on forest biomass estimation using airborne LiDAR: A case study of pine plantations in southern Spain

We explored the usefulness of LiDAR for modelling and mapping the stand biomass of two conifer species in southern Spain. We used three different plot sizes and two statistical approaches (i.e. stepwise selection and genetic algorithm selection) in combination with multiple linear regression models to estimate biomass. 43 predictor variables derived from discrete-return LiDAR data (4 pulses per m2 ) were used for estimating the forest biomass of Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus and Pinus nigra Arnold forests. Twelve circular plots – six for each species – and three different fixed-radius designs (i.e. 7, 15, and 30 m) were estab lished within the range of the airborne LiDAR. The Bayesian information criterion and R2 were used to select the best models. As expected, the models that included the largest plots (30 m) yielded the highest R2 value (0.91) for Pinus sp. using genetic algorithm models. Considering P. sylvestris and P. nigra models separately, the genetic algorithm approach also yielded the highest R2 values for the 30-m plots (P. nigra: R2 = 0.99, P. sylvestris: R2 = 0.97). The results we obtained with two species and different plot sizes revealed that increasing the size of plots from 15 to 30 m had a low effect on modelling attempts.European Commission (EC) FP7-315165Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad QUERCUSAT (CLG2013-40790-R

Medición de la responsabilidad social corporativa. Propuesta de medición para el ámbito del sistema de franquicia

El presente trabajo de investigación trata de conocer el estado de la responsabilidad social corporativa, su concepto y dimensiones. La revisión de la literatura nos indica que se trata de un constructo complejo multidimensional, difícil de medir. Ello conlleva la falta de consenso entre los investigadores en la forma de medir la responsabilidad social corporativa. A partir de esta multidimensionalidad se propone una forma de medición en el ámbito del sector de la franquicia en España. Para ello se ha medido la responsabilidad social corporativa de una importante muestra de cadenas franquiciadoras que operan en España, incluyendo componentes que intentan recoger las responsabilidades ética, legal, filantrópica, medioambiental, frente a clientes y a empleados. No es frecuente encontrar una medida de la responsabilidad social corporativa, en el ámbito de la franquicia, que recoja todas las componentes anteriores, lo que supone una aportación relevante de esta investigación.This research paper seeks to know the state of corporate social responsibility, which are their concepts and dimensions. The literature review indicates that this is a complex multidimensional construct, difficult to measure. This implies a lack of consensus among researchers on how to measure corporate social responsibility. From this multidimensional topic we propose a form of measurement in the field of the Spanish franchising sector. Corporate Social Responsibility has been measured in an important sample of franchise chains operating in Spain, including components that try to gather the ethical, legal, philanthropic, environmental, to customers and employees, responsibilities. It is rare to find a measure of corporate social responsibility in the field of franchising containing all the above mentioned components, representing a significant contribution of this research

Grifola frondosa (Maitake) Extract Reduces Fat Accumulation and Improves Health Span in C. elegans through the DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/NRF2 Signalling Pathways

In recent years, food ingredients rich in bioactive compounds have emerged as candidates to prevent excess adiposity and other metabolic complications characteristic of obesity, such as low-grade inflammation and oxidative status. Among them, fungi have gained popularity for their high polysaccharide content and other bioactive components with beneficial activities. Here, we use the C. elegans model to investigate the potential activities of a Grifola frondosa extract (GE), together with the underlying mechanisms of action. Our study revealed that GE represents an important source of polysaccharides and phenolic compounds with in vitro antioxidant activity. Treatment with our GE extract, which was found to be nongenotoxic through a SOS/umu test, significantly reduced the fat content of C. elegans, decreased the production of intracellular ROS and aging–lipofuscin pigment, and increased the lifespan of nematodes. Gene expression and mutant analyses demonstrated that the in vivo anti-obesity and antioxidant activities of GE were mediated through the daf-2/daf-16 and skn-1/nrf-2 signalling pathways, respectively. Taken together, our results suggest that our GE extract could be considered a potential functional ingredient for the prevention of obesity-related disturbances.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Análisis sectorial del sistema de franquicia español

El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar un análisis, desde el punto de vista del franquiciador, en dos de los principales sectores de actividad de la franquicia como son los de Hostelería y Restauración, y el de Confección, Moda y Complementos con objeto de determinar las similitudes y diferencias en el arquetipo de franquiciador de cada sector. Este análisis se hará a partir de una base datos (año 2017) de 359 franquiciadores (221 franquicias del sector de hostelería y restauración; 138 franquicias del sector de confección, moda y complementos), analizándose los años de contrato, la inversión inicial, el canon de entrada, el canon de publicidad, los royalties, los establecimientos propios y franquiciados, la población mínima necesaria, el tamaño mínimo del local y la disponibilidad de portal web. Los resultados muestran que el sector condiciona el arquetipo de franquiciador, existiendo diferencias en los dos sectores analizados