Sostenibilidad, identidad de marca y beneficios de marca, tres conceptos fundamentales en la gestión de marca. Un análisis para la marca Nestlé = Sustainability, brand equity and brand benefits, three fundamental concepts in brand management. An analysis for the Nestlé brand

Este Trabajo de Fin de Grado, que se presenta para obtener el Grado en Comercio Internacional de la Universidad de León, estudia diferentes componentes del espectro de gestión de marca. En primer lugar, se analiza la sostenibilidad y cómo las empresas han involucrado esta macrotendencia en sus operaciones y cómo se han reorganizado respecto a ella. En segundo lugar, se analizan los beneficios de marca y sus componentes, la identidad de marca y el modelo de valor de marca basado en el cliente y el compromiso con el cliente. Finalmente, se muestra la visión del consumidor tanto en Suiza como en España a través de una serie de análisis de datos que intentan contrastar la parte teórica del trabajo con una perspectiva práctica tomando como ejemplo la icónica marca Nestlé

Use of proteolytic sequences with different cleavage kinetics as a way to generate hydrogels with preprogrammed cell-infiltration patterns imparted over their given 3D spatial structure

Producción CientíficaControl over biodegradation processes is crucial to generate advanced functional structures with a more interactive and efficient role for biomedical applications. Herein, a simple, high-throughput approach is developed based on a 3D-structured system that allows a preprogramed spatial-temporal control over cell infiltration and biodegradation. The 3D-structured system is based on elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs) characterized by differences in the kinetics of their peptide cleavage and consists of a three-layer hydrogel disk comprising an internal layer containing a rapidly degrading component, with the external layers containing a slow-degrading ELR. This structure is intended to invert the conventional pattern of cell infiltration, which goes from the outside to the inside of the implant, to allow an anti-natural process in which infiltration takes place first in the internal layer and later progresses to the outer layers. Time-course in vivo studies proved this hypothesis, i.e. that it is possible to drive the infiltration of cells over time in a given 3D-structured implant in a controlled and predesigned way that is able to overcome the natural tendency of conventional cell infiltration. The results obtained herein open up the possibility of applying this concept to more complex systems with multiple biological functions.European Commission (NMP-2014-646075, PITNGA-2012-317306)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad ( grants PCIN-2015-010, MAT2015-68901-R, MAT2016-78903-R, MAT2016-79435-R)Junta de Castilla y León (VA015U16)Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y Leó

Tethering QK peptide to enhance angiogenesis in elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogels

Producción CientíficaThe development of new capillary networks in engineered constructs is essential for their survival and their integration with the host tissue. It has recently been demonstrated that ELR-based hydrogels encoding different bioactivities are able to modulate their interaction with the host after injection or implantation, as indicated by an increase in cell adhesion and the ability to trigger vascularization processes. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to increase their angiogenic ability both in vitro and in vivo using a small VEGF mimetic peptide named QK, which was tethered chemically to ELR-based hydrogels containing cell-adhesion sequences in their backbone, such as REDV and RGD, as well as a proteolytic site (VGVAPG). In vitro studies were performed using a co-culture of endothelial and fibroblast cells encapsulated into the ELR-based hydrogels in order to determine cell proliferation after 21 days of culture, as well as the number of cell-cell interactions. It was found that although the presence of this peptide does not influence the morphological and rheological properties of these hydrogels, it has an effect on cell behaviour, inducing an increase in cell proliferation and the formation of endothelial cell clusters. In vivo studies demonstrate that the QK peptide enhances the formation of prominent functional capillaries at three weeks post-injection, as confirmed by H&E staining and CD31 immunohistochemistry. The newly formed functional microvasculature ensures perfusion and connection with surrounding tissues. These results show that ELR-QK hydrogels increase capillary network formation and are therefore attractive candidates for application in tissue regeneration, for example for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or ischemia.European Commission (NMP-2014-646075, PITN-GA-2012-317306)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Projects PCIN-2015-010, MAT2015- 68901-R, MAT2016-78903-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA015U16)Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y Leó

Protease‐sensitive, VEGF‐mimetic peptide, and IKVAV laminin‐derived peptide sequences within elastin‐like recombinamer scaffolds provide spatiotemporally synchronized guidance of angiogenesis and neurogenesis

Producción CientíficaSpatiotemporal control of vascularization and innervation is a desiredhallmark in advanced tissue regeneration. For this purpose, we design a 3Dmodel scaffold, based on elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogels. Thiscontains two interior and well-defined areas, small cylinders, withdifferentiated bioactivities with respect to the bulk. Both are constructed on aprotease sensitive ELR with a fast-proteolyzed domain, but one bears aVEGF-mimetic peptide (QK) and the other a laminin-derived pentapeptide(IKVAV), to promote angiogenesis and neurogenesis, respectively. The outerbulk is based on a slow proteolytic sequence and RGD cell adhesion domains.In vitro studies show the effect of QK and IKVAV peptides on the promotion ofendothelial cell and axon spreading, respectively. The subcutaneousimplantation of the final 3D scaffold demonstrates the ability tospatiotemporally control angiogenesis and neurogenesis in vivo. Specifically,the inner small cylinder containing the QK peptide promotes fastendothelialization, whereas the one with IKVAV peptide promotes fastneurogenesis. Both, vascularization and innervation take place in advance ofthe bulk scaffold infiltration. This scaffold shows that it is possible to inducevascularization and innervation in predetermined areas of the scaffold wellahead to the bulk infiltration. That significantly increases the efficiency of theregenerative activity.Funding from the Spanish Government(Nos. RTI2018-096320-B-C22, FPU16-04015, PID2019-110709RB-I00, and PID2020-118669RA-I00)Interreg V España Portugal POCTEP (No.0624_2IQBIONEURO_6_E

Bioactive scaffolds based on elastin-like materials for wound healing

Producción CientíficaWound healing is a complex process that, in healthy tissues, starts immediately after the injury. Even though it is a natural well-orchestrated process, large trauma wounds, or injuries caused by acids or other chemicals, usually produce a non-elastic deformed tissue that not only have biological reduced properties but a clear aesthetic effect. One of the main drawbacks of the scaffolds used for wound dressing is the lack of elasticity, driving to non-elastic and contracted tissues. In the last decades, elastin based materials have gained in importance as biomaterials for tissue engineering applications due to their good cyto- and bio-compatibility, their ease handling and design, production and modification. Synthetic elastin or elastin like-peptides (ELPs) are the two main families of biomaterials that try to mimic the outstanding properties of natural elastin, elasticity amongst others; although there are no in vivo studies that clearly support that these two families of elastin based materials improve the elasticity of the artificial scaffolds and of the regenerated skin. Within the next pages a review of the different forms (coacervates, fibres, hydrogels and biofunctionalized surfaces) in which these two families of biomaterials can be processed to be applied in the wound healing field have been done. Here, we explore the mechanical and biological properties of these scaffolds as well as the different in vivo approaches in which these scaffolds have been used.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Projects MAT2015-68901-R, MAT2016-78903-R, PCIN-2015-010)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA015U16)European Commission (ELASTISLET N. 646075

La educación online en los museos. El caso del Museo de la Evolución humana (Burgos, Castilla y León)

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, museums were forced to close. Facing that situation, the Museum of Human Evolution (MEH), located in Burgos and dependent on the Junta de Castilla y León, developed an education programme to connect in real time with education institutions. Activities are based on new information and communication technologies (ICT) and have enabled the design of online visits and live connections through social media. As a result, 100,000 schoolchildren have been able to access the museum's contents. Therefore, the MEH has become a paradigm of how the emergence of COVID-19 has served to consolidate ICT in the educational field of museums.La irrupción de la pandemia por COVID-19 paralizó de manera radical el funcionamiento normalizado de los museos. Ante esta situación, el Museo de la Evolución Humana (MEH), situado en Burgos y dependiente de la Junta de Castilla y León, desarrolló un programa educativo que le permitió estar conectado en tiempo real con los centros escolares. Las actividades diseñadas, basadas en la utilización de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y comunicación, han permitido diseñar una serie de visitas online y conexiones en directo a través de redes sociales que han acercado los contenidos del MEH a 100.000 escolares. De esta manera, el MEH se ha convertido en un paradigma que nos permite comprobar cómo la irrupción de la COVID-19 ha servido para consolidar las TIC en el ámbito educativo de los museos

Spatial control and cell adhesion selectivity on model gold surfaces grafted with elastin-like recombinamers

Producción CientíficaA simple system for cell selectivity and spatially controlled cell adhesion has been developed using model gold surfaces grafted with a combination of two ELRs containing into their backbone cell-adhesion domains such as RGD and REDV. Grafting onto gold was achieved via redox reaction through thiol groups present in amino terminal cysteine tails of the ELRs. The correlation among contact angle, SEM micrographs, AFM, XPS and QCM-D have been carried out. After in-depth adhesion studies, a mixture of 75% ELR-REDV and 25% ELR-RGD was found to exhibit high selectivity for endothelial cells, promoting strong adhesion thereof. Consequently, certain areas of gold surfaces (strips) were cleaned by laser ablation and functionalized with the mixture 75% ELR-REDV - 25% ELR-RGD leading to a spatial segregation of the co-culture made of HUVEC and HFF1 cells. This platform therefore exhibits selective spatial control over cell adhesion associated with the bioactive epitopes (RGD and REDV) contained in the ELR sequence, since each functionalized surface (including strips) have similar topographic, hydrophobic and mechanical properties.2020-092020-09Comisión Europea (NMP-2014-646075, MSCA-ITN-2014-642687)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (PCIN-2015-010, MAT2015-68901-R, MAT2016-78903-R and MAT2016-79435-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. Project VA015U16)Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y Leó

Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Ultrasound Scanning

Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation (Project MIA.2021.M02.0005 TARTAGLIA, from the Recovery, Resilience, and Transformation Plan financed by the European Union through Next Generation EU funds). TARTAGLIA takes place under the R&D Missions in Artificial Intelligence program, which is part of the Spain Digital 2025 Agenda and the Spanish National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.Ultrasound (US) is a flexible imaging modality used globally as a first-line medical exam procedure in many different clinical cases. It benefits from the continued evolution of ultrasonic technologies and a well-established US-based digital health system. Nevertheless, its diagnostic performance still presents challenges due to the inherent characteristics of US imaging, such as manual operation and significant operator dependence. Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to recognize complicated scan patterns and provide quantitative assessments for imaging data. Therefore, AI technology has the potential to help physicians get more accurate and repeatable outcomes in the US. In this article, we review the recent advances in AI-assisted US scanning. We have identified the main areas where AI is being used to facilitate US scanning, such as standard plane recognition and organ identification, the extraction of standard clinical planes from 3D US volumes, and the scanning guidance of US acquisitions performed by humans or robots. In general, the lack of standardization and reference datasets in this field makes it difficult to perform comparative studies among the different proposed methods. More open-access repositories of large US datasets with detailed information about the acquisition are needed to facilitate the development of this very active research field, which is expected to have a very positive impact on US imaging.Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEMinistry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation from the Recovery, Resilience, and Transformation PlanNext Generation EU fundspu

Nutraceutical Supplementation Ameliorates Visual Function, Retinal Degeneration, and Redox Status in rd10 Mice

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited retinal dystrophies characterized by progressive degeneration of photoreceptor cells. Ocular redox status is altered in RP suggesting oxidative stress could contribute to their progression. In this study, we investigated the effect of a mixture of nutraceuticals with antioxidant properties (NUT) on retinal degeneration in rd10 mice, a model of RP. NUT was orally administered to rd10 mice from postnatal day (PD) 9 to PD18. At PD18 retinal function and morphology were examined by electroretinography (ERG) and histology including TUNEL assay, immunolabeling of microglia, Müller cells, and poly ADP ribose polymers. Retinal redox status was determined by measuring the activity of antioxidant enzymes and some oxidative stress markers. Gene expression of the cytokines IL-6, TNFα, and IL-1β was assessed by real-time PCR. NUT treatment delayed the loss of photoreceptors in rd10 mice partially preserving their electrical responses to light stimuli. Moreover, it ameliorated redox status and reduced inflammation including microglia activation, upregulation of cytokines, reactive gliosis, and PARP overactivation. NUT ameliorated retinal functionality and morphology at early stages of RP in rd10 mice. This formulation could be useful as a neuroprotective approach for patients with RP in the future

Aplicacion de la inferencia bayesiana al analisis de competitividad. Caso: Industria de partes y piezas de madera

92 p.El presente estudio muestra un enfoque alternativo a la estadistica clásica, llamado metodos bayesiana. Este metodos fuel aplicado para determinar la diferencia que existe en el grado de importancia que le asignan las empresas de piezas y partes de madera, tanto en Chile como en Estados Unidos a factores utilizados para alcanzar una mayor competitividad. Para efectuar tal comparacion se recopilaron datos de una encuesta realizada por el profesor Dr. German Echecopar K., de la Universidad de Talca. La muestra estaba compuesta por cuatro empresas de Estados Unidos y un numero similar de empresas chilenas. Las empresas de EE.UU. en cuestion son Bettel, Moosehead, Williams y Robbins. En Chile, por su parte, se consideraron empresas como Copihue, Faymo, Prosperidad y Becerra. Como se mencionó anteriormente el estudio comparativo está basado enestadistica bayesiana, un metodos que permite hacer inferencias sobre muestras pequeñas, en este caso un n = 4 para cada muestra. El desarrollo de este metodos tiene sus bases fundamentales en el teorema de Bayes, por lo que las conclusiones propiamente tal llevan a determinar probabilidades de ocurrencias del evento en cuestión. La estadistica Bayesiana es un metodos que se contrapone a los metodos de la estadistica frecuentista que usamos normalmente, la importancia de esta radica principalmente en que la probabilidad no se entiende solamente como la frecuencia relativa de un suceso a largo plazo, sino como el grado de convicción personal acerca de que el suceso pueda ocurrir (Inferencia subjetiva de la probabilidad). Al admitir un manejo subjetivo de esta probabilidad, el analista Bayesiano puede emitir juicios sobre una hipótesis H y expresar el grado de creencia, antes y despues de haber observados los datos. La creencia inicial o probabilidad a priori P(H) se transforma en una probabilidad a posteriori P(H/datos) o creencia posterior, una vez incorporada la muestra. Los factores esenciales considerados para medir la competitividad de estas empresas en terminos de gestión son: − Generar eficiencia (menor costo) − Calidad del producto (mayor percepción de valor) − Adecuado servicio al cliente. Las principales similitudes se encontraron en la importancia que le otorgan las empresas de Chile como EE.UU. al acabado final como a las mejoras en el nivel de producto con un 69% de probabilidad de similitud, mientras que existen diferencias en el grado de importancia en variables como las mejoras en el proceso de ensamblado y la integración vertical hacia el bosque, con un 19 y 36% respectivamente. En el parametro de la eficiencia existen bastantes similitudes, la principal diferencia radica en la mayor importancia que le asigna Chile a la producción a escala. Y, por ultimo con respecto a la adecuada respuesta al cliente las principales diferencias estan en factores como el precio y la lealtad a la marca, teniendo esta ultima un mayor grado de importancia en EE.UU. , mientras que el precio es menor en Chile por las ventajas comparativas existentes