Comparing corporate social responsibility discourses in the letter to shareholders: the case of british and spanish banks

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has now been incorporated into mainstream corporate reporting in most sectors. However, there are still differences between countries in the amount and type of CSR reported, and the way in which CSR is understood. This article presents a methodology for comparing CSR reporting which could be used in business communication or business English courses, particularly in the context of project work. The methodology is demonstrated through a comparison of the chairman’s letter or statement from all the FTSElisted UK and IBEX-listed Spanish banks in 2018. Quantitative analysis reveals a more homogeneous and balanced picture across UK banks, suggesting that a broader concept of CSR has been incorporated into reporting conventions, while the Spanish banks show an uneven picture. In particular, UK banks gave greater prominence to issues of accountability and employee welfare than the Spanish banks. Discourse analysis of representative examples brings to light various strategies used in both groups to target different stakeholders with potentially contradictory attitudes to CSR, and to offset potential criticism

Controlling the Biological Effects of Spermine Using a Synthetic Receptor

Polyamines play an important role in biology, yet their exact function in many processes is poorly understood. Artificial host molecules capable of sequestering polyamines could be useful tools for studying their cellular function. However, designing synthetic receptors with affinities sufficient to compete with biological polyamine receptors remains a huge challenge. Binding affinities of synthetic hosts are typically separated by a gap of several orders of magnitude from those of biomolecules. We now report that a dynamic combinatorial selection approach can deliver a synthetic receptor that bridges this gap. The selected receptor binds spermine with a dissociation constant of 22 nM, sufficient to remove it from its natural host DNA and reverse some of the biological effects of spermine on the nucleic acid. In low concentrations, spermine induces the formation of left-handed DNA, but upon addition of our receptor, the DNA reverts back to its right-handed form. NMR studies and computer simulations suggest that the spermine complex has the form of a pseudo-rotaxane. The spermine receptor is a promising lead for the development of therapeutics or molecular probes for elucidating spermine’s role in cell biology.

¿Dónde vas, Alfonso XII? El rey romántico triunfante en el franquismo.

Se plantean los objetivos que persigue este estudio. En primer lugar, recopilar toda la bibliografía relacionada con ¿Dónde vas, Alfonso XII?; en segundo lugar, sistematizar toda esa documentación siguiendo un orden cronológico desde la génesis del film hasta los efectos de su estreno, con la debida contextualización. Como tercer objetivo, desentrañar los motivos que impulsaron su filmación y la relevancia histórica de la película para el régimen franquista; y, por último, un análisis comparativo entre tres obras narrativas para advertir las maneras de representar la Historia en un formato de ficción. Cabe señalar que al film le siguió una segunda parte titulada ¿Dónde vas, triste de ti?, también inspirada en una obra de Luca de Tena. Tanto el libreto teatral de Luca de Tena como la película narraban el segundo matrimonio de Alfonso XII, con la austriaca María Cristina de Habsburgo. Pero no es el propósito de este trabajo detenerse en ¿Dónde vas, triste de ti?, pues no posee el mismo nivel de interés cinematográfico ni histórico de su predecesora, al cosechar menor éxito tanto mediático como de taquilla. En cuanto a la estructura del estudio, se ha optado por dividir la información en cuatro capítulos. Los dos primeros -si bien son menores-, cumplen la función de contextualizar, para poder entender adecuadamente la España de 1958, año de rodaje del film. El primer capítulo responde al contexto fílmico: a la trayectoria del género histórico y a los gustos del público español. El segundo capítulo, por su parte, responde al contexto político: al desarrollo del régimen de Franco y a la Monarquía borbónica en el exilio. Posteriormente, el tercer capítulo comprende los antecedentes culturales de la película: el mito de Alfonso XII y Mercedes de Orleans en la cultura popular y las obras de ficción que inspiraron el film de Luis César Amadori. Analizaremos a fondo -en base a la metodología mencionada- esas dos obras de ficción: un guion de Manuel Tamayo y una obra de teatro de Luca de Tena. El cuarto y último capítulo está dedicado enteramente a la película: desde la preproducción hasta las críticas que generó su estreno. Por último, un breve epílogo cierra el estudio. En definitiva, el objetivo de este estudio es múltiple: presentar en una única obra todo cuanto se ha escrito acerca de la película ¿Dónde vas, Alfonso XII?, advertir maneras, ventajas y desventajas de trasladar la Historia a una pantalla de cine y desmembrar el proceso de escritura de un texto orientado a representar acontecimientos históricos

Video-based tasks for emotional processing rehabilitation in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of cognitive processes and by a deficit of typi-cal emotional responses. Effectiveness of computerized task has been demonstrated in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. However, current rehabilitation programs based on virtual environments normally focus on higher cognitive functions, not covering social cognition training. This paper presents a set of video-based tasks specifically designed for the rehabilita-tion of emotional processing deficits in patients in early stages of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. These tasks are part of the Mental Health program of Guttmann NeuroPer-sonalTrainer® cognitive tele-rehabilitation platform, and entail innovation both from a clinical and technological per-spective in relation with former traditional therapeutic con-tents

Functional Improvement of Human Cardiotrophin 1 Produced in Tobacco Chloroplasts by Co-Expression with Plastid Thioredoxin m

Human cardiotrophin 1 (CT1), a cytokine with excellent therapeutic potential, was previously expressed in tobacco chloroplasts. However, the growth conditions required to reach the highest expression levels resulted in an impairment of its bioactivity. In the present study, we have examined new strategies to modulate the expression of this recombinant protein in chloroplasts so as to enhance its production and bioactivity. In particular, we assessed the effect of both the fusion and co-expression of Trx m with CT1 on the production of a functional CT1 by using plastid transformation. Our data revealed that the Trx m fusion strategy was useful to increase the expression levels of CT1 inside the chloroplasts, although CT1 bioactivity was significantly impaired, and this was likely due to steric hindrance between both proteins. By contrast, the expression of functional CT1 was increased when co-expressed with Trx m, because we demonstrated that recombinant CT1 was functionally active during an in vitro signaling assay. While Trx m/CT1 co-expression did not increase the amount of CT1 in young leaves, our results revealed an increase in CT1 protein stability as the leaves aged in this genotype, which also improved the recombinant protein’s overall production. This strategy might be useful to produce other functional biopharmaceuticals in chloroplasts

Latitudinal clines of the human vitamin D receptor and skin color genes

The well-documented latitudinal clines of genes affecting human skin color presumably arise from the need for protection from intense ultraviolet radiation (UVR) vs. the need to use UVR for vitamin D synthesis. Sampling 751 subjects from a broad range of latitudes and skin colors, we investigated possible multilocus correlated adaptation of skin color genes with the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR), using a vector correlation metric and network method called BlocBuster. We discovered two multilocus networks involving VDR promoter and skin color genes that display strong latitudinal clines as multilocus networks, even though many of their single gene components do not. Considered one by one, the VDR components of these networks show diverse patterns: no cline, a weak declining latitudinal cline outside of Africa, and a strong in- vs. out-of-Africa frequency pattern. We confirmed these results with independent data from HapMap. Standard linkage disequilibrium analyses did not detect these networks. We applied BlocBuster across the entire genome, showing that our networks are significant outliers for interchromosomal disequilibrium that overlap with environmental variation relevant to the genes\u27 functions. These results suggest that these multilocus correlations most likely arose from a combination of parallel selective responses to a common environmental variable and coadaptation, given the known Mendelian epistasis among VDR and the skin color genes

Antinociception produced by Thalassia testudinum extract BM-21 is mediated by the inhibition of acid sensing ionic channels by the phenolic compound thalassiolin B

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) have a significant role in the sensation of pain and constitute an important target for the search of new antinociceptive drugs. In this work we studied the antinociceptive properties of the BM-21 extract, obtained from the sea grass <it>Thalassia testudinum</it>, in chemical and thermal models of nociception in mice. The action of the BM-21 extract and the major phenolic component isolated from this extract, a sulphated flavone glycoside named thalassiolin B, was studied in the chemical nociception test and in the ASIC currents of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons obtained from Wistar rats.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Behavioral antinociceptive experiments were made on male OF-1 mice. Single oral administration of BM-21 produced a significant inhibition of chemical nociception caused by acetic acid and formalin (specifically during its second phase), and increased the reaction time in the hot plate test. Thalassiolin B reduced the licking behavior during both the phasic and tonic phases in the formalin test. It was also found that BM-21 and thalassiolin B selectively inhibited the fast desensitizing (τ < 400 ms) ASIC currents in DRG neurons obtained from Wistar rats, with a nonsignificant action on ASIC currents with a slow desensitizing time-course. The action of thalassiolin B shows no pH or voltage dependence nor is it modified by steady-state ASIC desensitization or voltage. The high concentration of thalassiolin B in the extract may account for the antinociceptive action of BM-21.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To our knowledge, this is the first report of an ASIC-current inhibitor derived of a marine-plant extract, and in a phenolic compound. The antinociceptive effects of BM-21 and thalassiolin B may be partially because of this action on the ASICs. That the active components of the extract are able to cross the blood-brain barrier gives them an additional advantage for future uses as tools to study pain mechanisms with a potential therapeutic application.</p

Advancing Key Gaps in the Knowledge of Plasmodium vivax Cryptic Infections Using Humanized Mouse Models and Organs-on-Chips

Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed human malaria parasite representing 36.3% of disease burden in the South-East Asia region and the most predominant species in the region of the Americas. Recent estimates indicate that 3.3 billion of people are under risk of infection with circa 7 million clinical cases reported each year. This burden is certainly underestimated as the vast majority of chronic infections are asymptomatic. For centuries, it has been widely accepted that the only source of cryptic parasites is the liver dormant stages known as hypnozoites. However, recent evidence indicates that niches outside the liver, in particular in the spleen and the bone marrow, can represent a major source of cryptic chronic erythrocytic infections. The origin of such chronic infections is highly controversial as many key knowledge gaps remain unanswered. Yet, as parasites in these niches seem to be sheltered from immune response and antimalarial drugs, research on this area should be reinforced if elimination of malaria is to be achieved. Due to ethical and technical considerations, working with the liver, bone marrow and spleen from natural infections is very difficult. Recent advances in the development of humanized mouse models and organs-on-a-chip models, offer novel technological frontiers to study human diseases, vaccine validation and drug discovery. Here, we review current data of these frontier technologies in malaria, highlighting major challenges ahead to study P. vivax cryptic niches, which perpetuate transmission and burden

Marine megafauna niche coexistence and hotspot areas in a temperate ecosystem

Versión del editor2,08

Loss of microRNA-135b Enhances Bone Metastasis in Prostate Cancer and Predicts Aggressiveness in Human Prostate Samples

About 70% of advanced-stage prostate cancer (PCa) patients will experience bone metastasis, which severely affects patients' quality of life and progresses to lethal PCa in most cases. Hence, understanding the molecular heterogeneity of PCa cell populations and the signaling pathways associated with bone tropism is crucial. For this purpose, we generated an animal model with high penetrance to metastasize to bone using an intracardiac percutaneous injection of PC3 cells to identify PCa metastasis-promoting factors. Using genomic high-throughput analysis we identified a miRNA signature involved in bone metastasis that also presents potential as a biomarker of PCa progression in human samples. In particular, the downregulation of miR-135b favored the incidence of bone metastases by significantly increasing PCa cells' migratory capacity. Moreover, the PLAG1, JAKMIP2, PDGFA, and VTI1b target genes were identified as potential mediators of miR-135b's role in the dissemination to bone. In this study, we provide a genomic signature involved in PCa bone growth, contributing to a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for this process. In the future, our results could ultimately translate into promising new therapeutic targets for the treatment of lethal PCa