Does Network Matter in International Expansion? Evidence from Italian SMEs

In order to face the new competitive scenario, Apulian textile firms are involved in a process of change and are trying to adopt a networking approach in analysing the international propensity of SMEs. The case of the textile network in Apulia has been analysed using a semi-structured questionnaire submitted to a sample of family businesses in order to verify the influence of network on their internationalisation process. The contribution that the network can give to the single firm in its internationalisation process depends also on the level of cooperation in the network. In fact, relationships – at least dual vertical relationships – are the key to overcoming size limit and providing value to all the partners involved. The research attempted to offer a better academic understanding of the role of network in international competitive advantage. Future research should be based on cross countries analysis, in order to determine whether or not the set of internal determinants of internationalisation pensity remain stable from one country to another. The findings should also be useful to local governance for a better understanding of the network phenomenon in order to develop appropriate programmes for training and supporting SMEs in the global market. This paper provides a wide analysis of the network role in the internationalisation process in a low technology sector.Internationalisation Strategies, Network Approach

Resilient SMES, Institutions and Justice. Evidence in Italy

AbstractThe recent financial crisis (2008) seriously affected the credibility of European and Italian institutions. It was also characterized by a general pessimism and low expectations of economic operators, especially firms. In literature, relationships between the quality of institutions and economic activities have been widely investigated. They show how the judicial system, the regulatory authorities and governance are important aspects for the quality of institutions.The main conclusion of existing literature, or the necessity of a reform of judicial system, is the basis of this work. Thus, here there is an attempt to investigate the performances of the judicial system, considering the low and poor level of its effects on firms' performances. In particular, in this work, there is a simple empirical analysis (data paucity is the big limit) in order to investigate the consequences of an efficient, long-time justice on resilient firms' confidence and perspective. Those resilient firms, able to overcome the financial crisis, show their ability in surviving, even if justice doesn't help them

Efficiency of Justice and Economic Systems

The growth of an economy depends not only on economic factors, but also on institutions, the citizens' trust in them, by the sharing of values and expectations. The differences between public policies and institutions are often regarded as one of the key explanations of the wide differences in levels and growth rates of per capita across countries. Among the institutions that have the greatest impact on economic performance, the legal and judicial system plays a prominent role. Understanding how laws and regulations affect economic behaviour is fundamental in modern economies and the economy facilitates the identification of those that are, in each country system, the incentives to the litigation, the process of litigation itself and the costs, in order to verify the distributive impact of the different legal and judicial systems and what features they should have to encourage economic growth. The operation of a legal system may impact on many dimensions of development: equity, the optimal allocation of resources, and the increase in total factor productivity. Moreover, the role of the judicial system in determining its dysfunctions can affect economic growth. In fact, Italian economic growth has been and is definitely hampered by the length as well as by the civil and criminal justice processes, which reduces legal certainty and confidence, increases the risk of economic activities and therefore reduces the propensity to invest. The Italian judicial system has many efficiency and organization problems, resulting in a lack of its credibility. These are very intricate, and are the product of a mixture of features that are very difficult to isolate. The aim of this work is to assess the ways in which the administration of justice in Italy influences the choices and behaviours of the two main economic actors - households and businesses. In fact, there are many factors that determine the failure of Italian justice, and among these also the users of the justice services produce a collapse in justice system when they take legal actions only for postponing a payment or avoiding an obligation. Thus, the source of the problem and its resolution could be identified in the distorted incentives generated by all of the rules connected with the process

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Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic indirect determination of total 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters in canned fish oil fraction

A novel, fast, and cost-effective indirect enzymatic method was successfully developed to assess the total 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in canned food's oil fraction by the action of Burkholderia cepacia lipase. The total 3-MCPD were derivatized with n-Heptafluorobutyrylimidazole (HFBI) for GC–MS analysis during dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME). An asymmetrical 2213//8 screening design was used to study the influence of critical factors on the method's effectiveness. The analytical features of the proposed method were assessed following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as a blank sample. Outstanding results were achieved in terms of linearity (r2 = 0.9995), sensitivity, precision (2.1 % to 10.4 % RSD), and accuracy (98.7 % ≤ recovery ≤ 101.9 %). Method efficacy was tested by comparing the results of 10 edible oils for total 3-MCPD with those reported in previous works. A total of 41 samples were analyzed. The lowest 3-MCPD content was found in samples of albacore canned in EVOO oil, while the highest amounts were found in albacore, mackerel, and Atlantic saury samples, all preserved in refined sunflower oilThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (Project RTI2018‐096450‐B‐I00) and FEDER fundsS

Terapéutica biológica en la psoriasis

Inclou referències bibliogràfique

Premenarchal anorexia nervosa: clinical features, psychopharmacological interventions, and rehospitalization analysis in a 1‑year follow‑up, controlled study

Premenarchal anorexia nervosa (AN) represents a specific subtype of AN, defined by an onset before the menarche in females, involving unique endocrine and prognostic features. The scarce data on this condition lack case–control and follow-up studies. This is a case–control, observational, naturalistic study, involving participants with premenarchal AN (premenarchal girls presenting to the study center newly diagnosed with AN) treated with a multidisciplinary hospital intervention, compared to postmenarchal AN individuals on clinical, endocrine, psychopathological, and treatment variables. The rate of rehospitalizations on a 1-year follow-up after discharge and respective prognostic factors were assessed with a Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression model. The sample included 234 AN participants (43, 18.4% with premenarchal and 191, 81.6% with postmenarchal AN). When compared to postmenarchal, premenarchal AN individuals presented with lower depressive scores (Self-Administered Psychiatric Scales for Children and Adolescents (SAFA)) (U=1387.0, p=0.010) and lower luteinizing hormone (LH) levels (U=3056.0, p=0.009) and were less frequently treated with antidepressants (X2=5.927, p=0.015). A significant predictive model of the risk of rehospitalization (X2=19.192, p=0.004) identified a higher age at admission (B=0.522, p=0.020) and a day-hospital (vs inpatient) treatment (B=3957, p=0.007) as predictive factors for rehospitalization at 1-year, independent from the menarchal status. Conclusion: This study reports the clinical and treatment characteristics of premenarchal AN in one of the largest samples available in the current literature. Specific clinical features and prognostic factors for rehospitalization at 1-year follow-up were identified. Future studies should longitudinally investigate treatment-dependent modifications in endocrine and psychopathological measures in this population

Tu sólo, Todos juntos, Respuesta Inmediata a los Alumnos que es la tutoría

Los nuevos Planes de Estudios incluyen apartados sobre las Tutorías, generalmente encaminadas hacia la adjudicación de un grupo de alumnos a un profesor Tutor/Mentor durante toda su vida universitaria. Sobre el papel queda bien, pero puede haber profesores que lo consideren “una labor más”, con el consiguiente abandono o paso a un segundo plano de este difícil quehacer, que además requiere bastante tiempo y dedicación. Consideramos que la labor del TUTOR queda poco definida. Podemos apoyarnos en la bibliografía existente sobre las tutorías, pero ninguna responde a las necesidades globales por lo que sería una misión del Centro, o mejor aún de la Institución, quienes recojan y elaboren el material adecuado para las necesidades de nuestra Universidad. Si no se logra organizar la Acción Tutorial en conjunto, habrá profesores que intenten cumplirla, sintiéndose muy solos en ocasiones, y habrá profesores que “pasen” porque no la consideran una labor propiamente académica

Inflammaging and Brain: Curcumin and Its Beneficial Potential as Regulator of Microglia Activation

Inflammaging is a term used to describe the tight relationship between low-grade chronic inflammation and aging that occurs during physiological aging in the absence of evident infection. This condition has been linked to a broad spectrum of age-related disorders in various organs including the brain. Inflammaging represents a highly significant risk factor for the development and progression of age-related conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases which are characterized by the progressive dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in the brain and peripheral nervous system. Curcumin is a widely studied polyphenol isolated from Curcuma longa with a variety of pharmacologic properties. It is well-known for its healing properties and has been extensively used in Asian medicine to treat a variety of illness conditions. The number of studies that suggest beneficial effects of curcumin on brain pathologies and age-related diseases is increasing. Curcumin is able to inhibit the formation of reactive-oxygen species and other pro-inflammatory mediators that are believed to play a pivotal role in many age-related diseases. Curcumin has been recently proposed as a potential useful remedy against neurodegenerative disorders and brain ageing. In light of this, our current review aims to discuss the potential positive effects of Curcumin on the possibility to control inflammaging emphasizing the possible modulation of inflammaging processes in neurodegenerative diseases