Modulating the release properties of active compounds from packaging materials by a physicochemical/nanotechnology approach

Controlled release system (CRS) is a new generation of release systems that can release active molecules at different controlled rates for enhancing the quality and safety of foods during storage. One critical point is to maintain a concentration of the active molecule to a predetermined level over a required time span. The different controlled rates are influenced by the distribution of the active molecule across the polymer matrix and ‘active molecule-polymer matrix interactions’, besides the effect of external triggers (pH, temperature, humidity). This is why a deep knowledge of the active compound release is necessary. The research activity carried out during these three years focused on three main topics, namely: I. investigation of the release kinetics of a model drug-like compound (Coomassie brilliant blue) from polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) films into a hydro-alcoholic solution as a function of the physicochemical properties of the polymer matrix; II. study of a cellulose-based matrix (MFC) for the release of lysozyme. The results obtained can be profitably used for the development of delivery systems for different applications (e.g. food packaging), where the controlled release over time of an active molecule is the target. Moreover, these studies have shown the possibility of using a green and nanotechnology approach (through the use of MFC) for the development of CRS. Finally, branches from the aforementioned two topics led to further research, grouped in three main sub-topics: III. development of a ‘wetting enhancer’ pullulan coating for antifog packaging applications; IV. development of pullulan films reinforced with MFC; V. study of a gelatin-based matrix for the release of a soluble compound (Lauric arginate ethyl ester LAE). Overall, these topics prompted an advancement in the field of bio-based materials, as they investigated new approaches for a suitable and feasible exploitation of biopolymers for applications that are beyond the development of controlled release systems

The extreme hyper-reactivity of Cys94 in lysozyme avoids its amorphous aggregation

Many proteins provided with disulfde bridges in the native state undergo amorphous irreversible aggregation when these bonds are not formed. Here we show that egg lysozyme displays a clever strategy to prevent this deleterious aggregation during the nascent phase when disulfdes are still absent. In fact, when the reduced protein assembles into a molten globule state, its cysteines acquire strong hyper-reactivity towards natural disulfdes. The most reactive residue, Cys94, reacts with oxidized glutathione (GSSG) 3000 times faster than an unperturbed protein cysteine. A low pKa of its sulfydryl group (6.6/7.1) and a productive complex with GSSG (KD=0.3mM), causes a fast glutathionylation of this residue (t1/2=3s) and a complete inhibition of the protein aggregation. Other six cysteines display 70 times higher reactivity toward GSSG. The discovery of extreme hyper-reactivity in cysteines only devoted to structural roles opens new research felds for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases

CLINICAL RESULTS OF COLLAGENASE TREATMENT FOR DUPUYTREN’S DISEASE: A CASE SERIES STUDY WITH 2-YEARS FOLLOW-UP

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study aims to report our experience with Clostridium Histolyticum collagenase (CCH) to support the importance of its clinical use and assess its clinical efficacy, complications, and recurrences. Methods: This prospective observational study of 66 patients with a 2-year follow-up. Patients with an extension lag major of 20° at the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPJ) and/or proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) were included. We collected data on demographic and anamnestic details, MPJ and PIPJ contracture degrees, DASH score, complications, and recurrences. Results: The mean pre-injection contracture was 34° for MPJ and 31° for PIPJ. At the 2-year follow-up, the mean contracture for the MPJ and PIPJ were respectively 3° and 14.5°. The mean DASH score decreased from 21.8 before injection to 10,4 after 2 years. The disease recurrence occurred in 34.8% of the patients, all with PIPJ contracture. The main complication was skin breakage (25.7%). Conclusion: The CCH injections remain a consistent option in treating DD; withdrawal from the European market deprives surgeons and patients of low invasiveness and safe tool for treating DD. Level of evidence IV, Therapeutic study investigating treatment results, Case series

Yield, quality, antioxidants and elemental composition of peanut as affected by plant density and harvest time

With the perspective of reintroducing peanut cultivation in southern Italy about six decades after its dismissal, research was carried out with the aim to identify the best performing farming management in terms of yield and quality. In this respect, the effect of the factorial combination between four plant densities (6.1, 7.8, 10.3, and 12.1 plants m-2) and two harvest times (100 and 110 days after planting) was assessed on pod and seed yield, as well as on seed quality, antioxidant activity, and elemental composition. The later harvest time determined a 26.9% dry weight increase, but a 14.3% decrease in the number of seeds per pod. Plant density significantly influenced all the yield and growth indices except for mean seed weight. Yield and growth of each plant were best affected by the lowest plant density, whereas the opposite trend was recorded for the same parameters referred to the surface area unit. The density of 12.1 plants m-2 resulted in a 32% reduction in pods per plant compared to 6.1 plants m-2, but had the greatest effect on seed production per m2 . The leaf area index was the highest with the density of 12.1 plants m-2. The total dry weight increased by 1.7-fold from 6.1 to 12.1 plants m-2. Compared to the first harvest time, in the second one the protein content decreased by 6.8%, and total polyphenols and antioxidant activity decreased by 11.2% and 7.6%, respectively. The second harvest time led to a depletion of N, P, and Mg, by 6.8%, 6.2%, and 6.8%, respectively, and a 7.1% Ca increase. The reintroduction of peanut cultivation in southern Italy is a realistic goal, though further studies regarding the crop system management are needed

Responding to Complementary-Asset Discontinuities: A Multilevel Adaptation Framework of Resources, Demand, and Ecosystems

We examine how incumbent organizations respond to complementary-asset discontinuities — technological changes that introduce new manufacturing, distribution, and sales assets but leave the incumbents’ core knowledge preserved. To examine this increasingly common but relatively overlooked phenomenon, we conducted an inductive study of how six newspapers adapted to Internet distribution from 1995 to 2019. Our contribution is a framework that highlights three levels of adaptation (resources, demand, and ecosystem) with related mechanisms and necessary outcomes. At the resource level, incumbents adopt the new complementary assets according to the perception of synergies with their existing core knowledge. At the demand level, the extent to which incumbents update their beliefs about value creation depends on how much they experiment with customers. At the ecosystem level, higher experimentation in the ecosystem helps incumbents to update their beliefs about value capture. The research offers important implications for the technological change, strategic management, and business model innovation literature. University College Dubli

Unpacking the Disruption Process: New Technology, Business Models, and Incumbent Adaptation

Despite the growing importance of digital transformation and the notion of disruptive innovation, strategy literature still lacks a more complete picture of how incumbent organizations adapt their business models after disruptions. This research sheds light on this important process by analyzing a major Italian news media publisher reacting to the advent of the internet and the emergence of new business models by entrants into the industry (1995–2017). We specifically examine: (1) the drivers and impeding factors of business model adaptation; (2) how incumbents change strategies to cope with different components of the disruption process; and (3) how a closed business model can be renewed to develop an open, platform-based business model to seize external opportunities, incur lower costs, and fend off disruptors. This study contributes to the burgeoning literature on disruption, business models, and platforms.University College Dubli

Agile and lean principles in the humanitarian supply chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the specific stages of the humanitarian logistics process in which the agile and lean principles are needed. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this purpose, the authors propose an original conceptual framework and apply it to evidence from a “best practice” case study in the humanitarian sector: the United Nations World Food Programme and its efforts in the Darfur (Sudan) crisis. Findings – Although several previous works introduced the agile principle as suitable for disaster relief, when and how to embrace the agile and lean principles remained unclear. This paper demonstrates the proper combination of the agile and lean principles in disaster relief phases. The correspondence is based on the coincidence of the objectives that arises in every stage and that each principle is capable of achieving. Research limitations/implications – Further empirical research is needed to support the framework and to enrich the results that arise from this first explorative work. Practical implications – The proposed framework is targeted at leading actors involved in the operation and planning of humanitarian logistics when a crisis emerges. This approach, which is based on the combination of the agile and lean principles, is not exclusive to the humanitarian sector. This perspective may be useful to create business logistics that address disruptions to traditional supply chain flows and other forces that disrupt logistics, production and information handling. Originality/value – The paper clarifies how agility and leanness should be emphasised in specific stages of the humanitarian logistics process, to reach a higher level of effectiveness and efficiency when planning disaster relief

Paradoxical Execution for New Ventures’ Scalability: Evidence from Y Combinator

Accelerators have emerged as important organizational sponsors capable of hastening new ventures’ development by helping founders acquire entrepreneurial capabilities. Research has provided evidence that accelerated ventures, on average, develop more rapidly, attract more capital, have more employees, and receive higher evaluations. Yet, we know little about how accelerators foster new ventures’ scalability. To develop theoretical insights that might help fill this gap, we conduct an inductive case study of Y Combinator (YC), the first modern accelerator that specifically focuses on helping ventures achieve a large scale. Through a unique combination of 64 video interviews and 7,283 pages of archival material, we find that the strategic goals and methodological guidelines of YC’s acceleration program pressure founders to pursue conflicting priorities simultaneously, thus forming a pattern that we termed Paradoxical Execution. We reveal that those paradoxes must be addressed in a simultaneous rather than sequential way, and for this reason accelerators urge startups to develop a paradoxical mindset. Hence, we unveil how contrasts and paradoxes are likely to manifest from the very early stage of new ventures’ life cycle, contrariwise to what existing literature suggests. Altogether, our findings contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems, paradox theory, and organizational scaling