Transformative social innovation in developing and emerging ecosystems: a configurational examination

Despite the literature on social innovation (SI) in ecosystems growing considerably in recent years, what makes an ecosystem a facilitator for transformative SI remains unexamined, particularly indeveloping and emerging countries. Our research aims to fill this literature gap by determining which combination of characteristics-stemming from stakeholder theory and knowledge management-turns local smallholder coffee farmers in developing and emerging producing countries into autonomous and empowered partners and catalysts for spreading SI initiatives locally. We adopt a configurational approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of 18 SI projects that coffee MNEs, nongovernmental organizations, and institutions have undertaken to favor such an egalitarian value co-creation with local stakeholders. We demonstrate that stakeholder empowerment, cooperative strategic posturing, knowledge transfer, and local knowledge exchange are necessary conditions within the ecosystem to create local autonomy as an antecedent for transformative SI. The novelty in our approach lies in proposing a shift from a pure firm-centric perspective based on stakeholder dependence to a more participatory relational perspective that entails lower-power stakeholders' interdependence and collaboration for autonomous decision-making, thereby advancing fresh thinking on stakeholder and knowledge management applied to SI in developing and emerging contexts. We also propose practical suggestions to deal with stakeholder power's imbalances, which might limit the ecosystems' adaptation toward transformative SI

The First Record of The Subfamily Buchonomyiinae(Diptera, Chironomidae) from Italy

In June and July 2002 mature female pupae and pupal exuviae of B. thienemanni Fittkau were collected from running waters in Northern Italy. This is the first record of the subfamily Buchonomyinae from the Mediterranean region. The captured pupae show some differences from the European populations: the arrangement of the lateral abdominal setae and the presence of pedes spurii A. New information about autoecology and geographical distribution of B. thienemanni are given: an earlier emergence was observed in sites characterized by fast, shallow waters and high oxygen content. The species seems to be quite rare in the Mediterranean, and no larvae have been obtained yet. This paper describes morphology, ecology and distribution of a rare species and is a contribution to the knowledge of freshwater macroinvertebrates as recommended by the Directive of The European Parliament n. 60/2000/CE

The perception of tourism in coffee-producing equatorial countries : an empirical analysis

Some scholars have emphasized the importance of food tourism in mature and certain emergent economies for growing consumption‐related products (e.g., wine, beer, rice, and tea) and attempts have been made to study tourism levers and threats in developing economies. However, to the best of our knowledge, little research has been conducted on the potential development of tourism activities centered on coffee producers and their farms in equatorial countries to determine whether a coffee tourism market is developing in these locales and if this could enhance these countries’ brand perceptions. Thus, this study explores the antecedents of the perceptions, potentialities, attitudes, and behavior of tourists specifically with regard to coffee tourism and coffee cultivation visits. To achieve our goal, we employ a quantitative method involving a survey of potential tourists. Our findings indicate that while the effects of gender and age on the perceptions of coffee cultivation visits are not significant, the effects of coffee consumption and travel in coffee‐producing countries are positive and significant. These findings help us draw some relevant theoretical and managerial implications

Immune Responses to RHAMM in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia after Chemotherapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Leukemic blasts overexpress immunogenic antigens, so-called leukemia-associated antigens like the receptor for hyaluronan acid-mediated motility (RHAMM). Persistent RHAMM expression and decreasing CD8+ T-cell responses to RHAMM in the framework of allogeneic stem cell transplantation or chemotherapy alone might indicate the immune escape of leukemia cells. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of RHAMM in 48 patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Furthermore, we correlated transcripts with the clinical course of the disease before and after treatment. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed from RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. T cell responses against RHAMM were assessed by tetramer staining (flow cytometry) and enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays. Results were correlated with the clinical outcome of patients. The results of the present study showed that almost 60% of the patients were RHAMM positive; specific T-cells recognizing RHAMM could be detected, but they were nonfunctional in terms of interferon gamma or granzyme B release as demonstrated by ELISPOT assays. Immunotherapies like peptide vaccination or adoptive transfer of RHAMM-specific T cells might improve the immune response and the outcome of AML/MDS patients

High Burden of Non-Influenza Viruses in Influenza-Like Illness in the Early Weeks of H1N1v Epidemic in France

BACKGROUND: Influenza-like illness (ILI) may be caused by a variety of pathogens. Clinical observations are of little help to recognise myxovirus infection and implement appropriate prevention measures. The limited use of molecular tools underestimates the role of other common pathogens. OBJECTIVES: During the early weeks of the 2009-2010 flu pandemic, a clinical and virological survey was conducted in adult and paediatric patients with ILI referred to two French University hospitals in Paris and Tours. Aims were to investigate the different pathogens involved in ILI and describe the associated symptoms. METHODS: H1N1v pandemic influenza diagnosis was performed with real time RT-PCR assay. Other viral aetiologies were investigated by the molecular multiplex assay RespiFinder19®. Clinical data were collected prospectively by physicians using a standard questionnaire. RESULTS: From week 35 to 44, endonasal swabs were collected in 413 patients. Overall, 68 samples (16.5%) were positive for H1N1v. In 13 of them, other respiratory pathogens were also detected. Among H1N1v negative samples, 213 (61.9%) were positive for various respiratory agents, 190 in single infections and 23 in mixed infections. The most prevalent viruses in H1N1v negative single infections were rhinovirus (62.6%), followed by parainfluenza viruses (24.2%) and adenovirus (5.3%). 70.6% of H1N1v cases were identified in patients under 40 years and none after 65 years. There was no difference between clinical symptoms observed in patients infected with H1N1v or with other pathogens. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the high frequency of non-influenza viruses involved in ILI during the pre-epidemic period of a flu alert and the lack of specific clinical signs associated with influenza infections. Rapid diagnostic screening of a large panel of respiratory pathogens may be critical to define and survey the epidemic situation and to provide critical information for patient management

Further experimental data supporting the safety of potassium polyaspartate used as a food additive in wine stabilization

Potassium polyaspartate (KPPA) is a food additive used for wine stabilization. KPAA was included in the list of additives allowed in EU, with the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1399, having received a positive opinion by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) in 2016. KPAA is rich in negative charges, which are essential for its enological function consisting in binding positive ions in order to reduce wine instability. Concerns were raised on the fact that the same binding properties could be responsible for a reduction of microelement bioavailability in humans. For this reason and for the protection of consumers' health, the binding properties of potassium polyaspartate versus three minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium) was assayed using the Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). Aliquots obtained by SEC were analysed for their content in polyaspartate (by microbiuret method) and bound minerals (by ICP-OES method). The results obtained by this research shows that, when potassium polyaspartate is added to wine, the negative charges of the additive are saturated, as expected by the specific role of KPAA in tartaric stabilization. In conclusions, the effect on mineral bioavailability must be considered negligible

Block of death-receptor apoptosis protects mouse cytomegalovirus from macrophages and is a determinant of virulence in immunodeficient hosts.

The inhibition of death-receptor apoptosis is a conserved viral function. The murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) gene M36 is a sequence and functional homologue of the human cytomegalovirus gene UL36, and it encodes an inhibitor of apoptosis that binds to caspase-8, blocks downstream signaling and thus contributes to viral fitness in macrophages and in vivo. Here we show a direct link between the inability of mutants lacking the M36 gene (ΔM36) to inhibit apoptosis, poor viral growth in macrophage cell cultures and viral in vivo fitness and virulence. ΔM36 grew poorly in RAG1 knockout mice and in RAG/IL-2-receptor common gamma chain double knockout mice (RAGγC(-/-)), but the depletion of macrophages in either mouse strain rescued the growth of ΔM36 to almost wild-type levels. This was consistent with the observation that activated macrophages were sufficient to impair ΔM36 growth in vitro. Namely, spiking fibroblast cell cultures with activated macrophages had a suppressive effect on ΔM36 growth, which could be reverted by z-VAD-fmk, a chemical apoptosis inhibitor. TNFα from activated macrophages synergized with IFNγ in target cells to inhibit ΔM36 growth. Hence, our data show that poor ΔM36 growth in macrophages does not reflect a defect in tropism, but rather a defect in the suppression of antiviral mediators secreted by macrophages. To the best of our knowledge, this shows for the first time an immune evasion mechanism that protects MCMV selectively from the antiviral activity of macrophages, and thus critically contributes to viral pathogenicity in the immunocompromised host devoid of the adaptive immune system

Global Influenza Seasonality: Reconciling Patterns across Temperate and Tropical Regions

Bac k g r o u n d: Despite the significant disease burden of the influenza virus in humans, our understanding of the basis for its pronounced seasonality remains incomplete. Past observations that influenza epidemics occur in the winter across temperate climates, combined with insufficient knowledge about the epidemiology of influenza in the tropics, led to the perception that cool and dry conditions were a necessary, and possibly sufficient, driver of influenza epidemics. Recent reports of substantial levels of influenza virus activity and well-defined seasonality in tropical regions, where warm and humid conditions often persist year-round, have rendered previous hypotheses insufficient for explaining global patterns of influenza. Objectiv e: In this review, we examined the scientific evidence for the seasonal mechanisms that potentially explain the complex seasonal patterns of influenza disease activity observed globally. Me t h o d s: In this review we assessed the strength of a range of hypotheses that attempt to explain observations of influenza seasonality across different latitudes and how they relate to each other. We reviewed studies describing population-scale observations, mathematical models, and ecological, laboratory, and clinical experiments pertaining to influenza seasonality. The literature review includes studies that directly mention the topic of influenza seasonality, as well as other topics w