Internationalization of regions: the role of public policy

The main purpose of this article is to build on previous efforts to investigate the effects of Out-ward-FDI promotion measures taken by governments and levels of outward foreign investment at regional level. We examine regional levels of outward FDI within Italy, a country with marketed regional asymmetries. Within the European arena, the heterogeneity of socio-economic condi-tions among Italian regions is a clear example of intra-border imbalances. In fact, the different growth rates characterizing the various areas of Italy are far from being an exception in the Un-ion, where diversity across member states is a reflection of domestic socio-economic disparities strongly concentrated in space and reproduced over time. The study allows also to investigate and to compare different types of incentives (financial and non-financial). Finally it provides evi-dences on the non-policy factors that determine the spatial evolution of O-FDI projects, a theme deserving careful and close attention. For the empirical model we use information on the population of Italian firms that received in-centives from 2000-2007. Data, aggregated at the regional level, refers to the major public tools implemented to promote Italian companies’ internationalization

The use of public support on internationalization activities: evidence from a Heckman selection model

An interesting debate is currently taking place among scholars and decision makers about the evaluation of public support targeted to internationalization activities. In order to understand their efficiency, we need first to know more about the determinants of their use. We developed an econometric model based on the Heckmam method, a two-step statistical approach that corrects for selection bias resulting from non-randomly selected sample of firms' awarenesses. The model is tested on a recent survey that includes 441 firms that used at least one of the 11 internationalization support measures launched in Portugal since 1994. The empirical results overall show that firm competencies and the requirements of internationalization positively affect the awareness of public support. Analysing the effects on use, we found evidence that firm competencies are negatively related with use, unlike the the requirements of internationalization, which are positively related with the use of public support

Around ten percent of most recent Cochrane reviews included outcomes in their literature search strategy and were associated with potentially exaggerated results: A research-on-research study

[Objectives] To assess the proportion of the recent Cochrane reviews that included outcomes in their literature search strategy, how often they acknowledged these limitations, and how qualitatively different the results of outcomes included and not included in the search strategy were. [Design and Setting] We identified all the Cochrane reviews of the interventions published in 2020 that used a search strategy connecting outcome terms with “AND.” Reviews were defined as acknowledging the limitations of searching for outcomes if they mentioned them in the discussion. We compared the characteristics of outcomes included and not included in the search strategy. [Results] Of the 523 Cochrane reviews published in 2020, 51 (9.8%) included outcomes in their search strategy. Only one review acknowledged it as a limitation. Forty-seven (92%) assessed outcomes not included in the search strategy. Outcomes included in the search strategies tended to include a larger number of studies and show their effects in favor of the intervention. [Conclusions] Around ten percent of the recent Cochrane reviews included outcomes in their search, which may have resulted in more outcomes significantly in favor of the intervention. Reviewers should be more explicit in acknowledging the potential implications of searching for outcomes

Conversion of end-of-life household materials into building insulating low-cost solutions for the development of vulnerable contexts: Review and outlook towards a circular and sustainable economy

In a world increasingly aware of the environmental cost of the current production/ consumption model, the use of sustainable practices to reduce our environmental impact as a society becomes imperative. One way to reduce this impact is to increase the reuse of materials that are considered, by current definitions of ”waste”, at their end of life. End-of-Life Household Materials (EoLHM) can be defined as household waste materials that still possess exploitable properties, thus making them suitable for reuse. There are several studies in the literature that address the recycling of these materials. When it comes to their reuse, unfortunately, only a limited number of studies are available. This paper aims to fill this gap by investigating the possibility to convert EoLHM, such as clothes or packaging, into low-cost thermal insulating materials for the improvement of the indoor thermal comfort in buildings, especially for households at risk of suffering from energy poverty. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review and a qualitative analysis of both commercial and EoLHM are proposed. Commercial thermal insulating materials analysis is used as a reference to measure the performance of EoLHM. Important aspects to be considered when choosing suitable EoLHM for a smart conversion and reuse are also investigated. The most important outcome of this investigation is the comprehension that the conversion of EoLHM into insulating material is possible, and it implies a direct reduction in waste production, with environmental benefits and positive social implications. However, some aspects such as adaptability, life expectancy, collection and storage are, at present, in need of further thinking and development to make the EoLHM reuse and re-conversion processes viable on a large (neighborhood/city) scale

Retracted randomised controlled trials were cited and not corrected in systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines

[Background and Objectives] To investigate whether and when the correction is done in Systematic Reviews (SRs) and Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) when included Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) have been retracted. [Methods] In this meta-epidemiological study, we included SRs and CPGs citing the retracted RCTs from the Retraction Watch Database. We investigated how often the retracted RCTs were cited in SRs and CPGs. We also investigated whether and when such SRs and CPGs corrected themselves. [Results] We identified 587 articles (525 SRs and 62 CPGs) citing retracted RCTs. Among the 587 articles, 252 (43%) were published after retraction, and 335 (57%) were published before retraction. Among 127 articles published citing already retracted RCTs in their evidence synthesis without caution, none corrected themselves after publication. Of 335 articles published before retraction, 239 included RCTs that were later retracted in their evidence synthesis. Among them, only 5% of SRs (9/196) and 5% of CPGs (2/43) corrected or retracted their results. [Conclusion] Many SRs and CPGs included already or later retracted RCTs without caution. Most of them were never corrected. The scientific community, including publishers and researchers, should make systematic and concerted efforts to remove the impact of retracted RCTs

Downregulation of 26S proteasome catalytic activity promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows carcinoma cells with phenotypic plasticity that can facilitate the formation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and contribute to the metastatic cascade. While there is substantial support for the role of EMT in driving cancer cell dissemination, less is known about the intracellular molecular mechanisms that govern formation of CSCs via EMT. Here we show that β2 and β5 proteasome subunit activity is downregulated during EMT in immortalized human mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, selective proteasome inhibition enabled mammary epithelial cells to acquire certain morphologic and functional characteristics reminiscent of cancer stem cells, including CD44 expression, self-renewal, and tumor formation. Transcriptomic analyses suggested that proteasome-inhibited cells share gene expression signatures with cells that have undergone EMT, in part, through modulation of the TGF-β signaling pathway. These findings suggest that selective downregulation of proteasome activity in mammary epithelial cells can initiate the EMT program and acquisition of a cancer stem cell-like phenotype. As proteasome inhibitors become increasingly used in cancer treatment, our findings highlight a potential risk of these therapeutic strategies and suggest a possible mechanism by which carcinoma cells may escape from proteasome inhibitor-based therapy