A comparative Test of the Efficiency, focus and Learning Perspectives of Outsourcing

Despite the fact that vertical integration has been a key question of management studies for more than fifty years, we still do not have a unified, coherent view of outsourcing. In particular, multiple theoretical perspectives such as transaction cost economics, industrial organization, and strategy, could explain the outsourcing decision, but the implications of these different streams have neither been theoretically integrated, nor tested simultaneously. In an attempt to disentangle the various causes of outsourcing, we suggest three different rationales for outsourcing: cost reduction, focusing on core capabilities and importing knowledge into the firm. We develop several hypotheses, which we then test on secondary data on French small- and medium-sized enterprises. Results indicate that the learning rationale appears to be the strongest factor influencing the outsourcing decision. Some performance implications of this rationale are also suggested and tested.outsourcing; transaction cost economics; resource-based view; knowledge-based view

Use of balloon catheter dilation vs. traditional endoscopic sinus surgery in management of light and severe chronic rhinosinusitis of the frontal sinus: a multicenter prospective randomized study

OBJECTIVE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) of the frontal sinus is a complex pathological condition and many surgical techniques were described to treat this area endoscopically, like traditional endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and balloon catheter dilation (BCD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We designed a multicenter prospective randomized study to assess the validity and safety of BCD vs. ESS in symptomatological chronic rhinosinusitis of the frontal sinus enrolling a population of 102 adult patients (64 men and 38 women; overall 148 frontal sinuses studied) with non-polypoid CRS. For a better evaluation of the disease, in our study we decided to analyze both radiological (Lund-McKay CT scoring modified by Zinreich) and symptomatological results (SNOT-20 questionnaire). We divided the population affected in two groups, one with light/mild frontal CRS and the other with moderate/severe frontal CRS, basing on radiological findings at Lund-MacKay modified by Zinreich score. Every group was divided in two subgroups, in one we used BCD and in the other we used traditional ESS. RESULTS: The current literature does not support the suggestion that indications for BCD and ESS are identical, and additional research is needed to determine the role for BCD in specific patient populations. The results showed a not statistically significative difference between BCD and conventional ESS of the frontal sinus in patients with light/mild CRS and in patients with moderate/severe CRS at Lund-Mackay modified by Zinreich score. The same not statistically significative difference was observed comparing the results of SNOT-20 questionnaire in the group of light/mild frontal chronic rhinosinusitis. However, we noticed a statistically significant better outcome of SNOT-20 score in patients with moderate/severe chronic rhinosinusitis that underwent BCD of frontal sinus compared to ESS. CONCLUSIONS: BCD and ESS are two alternative weapons in the baggage of every endoscopic surgeon, even because they present similar outcomes, safeness and effectiveness both in light/mild and moderate/severe chronic rhinosinusitis of the frontal sinus. An interesting result of our study was the statistically significant better outcome of SNOT-20 score in patients that underwent BCD of frontal sinus for a moderate/severe CRS, compared to those that underwent a traditional ESS

A weak individual signature might not allow chick call recognition by parent Stone Curlews Burhinus oedicnemus

Offspring recognition has been confirmed in many bird species, and vocal signatures appear to be its major component. Up to now most studies dealt with colonial species, but recent findings indicate that similar recognition is also present in non-colonial birds. By integrating spectrographic analysis and playback experiments, we investigated for the first time parent–offspring vocal recognition in the Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), a highly vocal, crepuscular-nocturnal species that usually rears a maximum of two precocial and nidifugous chicks. Even though the species is usually non-colonial and non-cooperative, in Taro River Regional Park, Parma, Italy, breeding territories are densely packed with distances between simultaneously active nests as close as 40 m, which creates the possibility that chicks might be exchanged. Our analysis identified two main vocalizations in the chick call repertoire: (1) the S-call, a brief strangled soft sound often uttered when parents and chicks were at close quarters; and (2) the C-call, a chirping sound with a complex structure, which seems to be a long-distance contact vocalization. Our acoustic analysis showed that, even though the structure was remarkably different between chicks, C-calls were an unreliable individual signature given their high intra-individual variability. This was confirmed by playback experiments. Indeed, when presented with simulated C-calling chicks, adults approached both their own and foreign chicks with equal responses. These results suggest that parent Stone Curlews are unable to recognize their offspring by voice. Furthermore, experiments are needed to test whether the chicks are able to recognize their parents' voice and, more generally, to understand the details of parent–offspring communication in this species

An NF-kB site in the 5'-untraslated leader region of the Human Immunodeficiency virus type 1 enhances the viral expression in response to NF-kB-activating stimuli.

The 5'-untranslated leader region of human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1), includes a complex array of putative regulatory elements whose role in the viral expression is not completely understood. Here we demonstrate the presence of an NF-κB-responsive element in the trans- activation response (TAR) region of HIV-1 that confers the full induction of HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) in response to NF-κB-activating stimuli, such as DNA alkylating agents, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and tumor necrosis factor-α. The TAR NF-κB site GGGAGCTCTC spans from positions +31 to +40 and cooperates with the NF-κB enhancer upstream of the TATA box in the NF-κB-mediated induction of HIV-1 LTR. The conclusion stems from the following observations: (i) deletion of the two NF-κB sites upstream of the TATA box reduces, but does not abolish, the HIV-1 LTR activation by NF-κB inducers; (ii) deletion or base pair substitutions of the TAR NF-κB site significantly reduce the HIV-1 LTR activation by NF-κB inducers; (iii) deletions of both the NF-κB sites upstream of the TATA box and the TAR NF- κB site abolish the activation of HIV-1 LTR in response to NF-κB inducers. Moreover, the p50·p65 NF-κB complex binds to the TAR NF-κB sequence and trans-activates the TAR NF-κB-directed expression. The identification of an additional NF-κB site in the HIV-1 LTR points to the relevance of NF-κB factors in the HIV-1 life cycle

Intriguing C–H⋯Cu interactions in bis-(phenanthroline)Cu(I) redox mediators for dye-sensitized solar cells

We have synthesized and characterized a series of bis-(phenanthroline) Cu(I) complexes of interest as redox mediators for dye-sensitized solar cells. This study led to the discovery of intriguing anagostic interactions between the hydrogen atom and the copper center as evidenced by X-ray diffraction studies on a single crystal. Remarkably, an anagostic interaction was found between a H atom of a methyl group and a copper sit

Canine prostatitis

Las prostatitis en los caninos pueden ser agudas o crónicas. Las formas agudas pueden cursar con complicaciones generales graves, y comprenden las prostatitis supurativas bacterianas y los abscesos. En cuanto a las formas crónicas muchas veces pueden pasar desapercibidas, llevando a la aparición de cuadros agudos o dejando secuelas graves de infertilidad en perros reproductores. El objetivo del presente artículo es hacer una revisión actualizada de la fisiopatología, los signos clínicos, los métodos diagnósticos y las posibilidades terapéuticas de las prostatitis del perro.Canine prostatitis may be an acute or chronic disease. The acute types normally have general and severe complications, they can also be suppurative, or have abscesses. The chronic presentations may not have clinical signs, become acute or provoke infertility problems in the dog. The objective for this article was to briefly review the physiopathology, clinical signs, diagnosis methods and therapeutic possibilities of dog prostatitis.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

The exposure of the world’s mountains to global change drivers

Global change affects mountain areas at different levels, with some mountains being more exposed to change in climate or environmental conditions and others acting as local refugia. We quantified the exposure of the world’s mountains to three drivers of change, climate, land use, and human population density, using two spatial-temporal metrics (velocity and magnitude of change). We estimated the acceleration of change for these drivers by comparing past (1975–2005) vs. future (2020–2050) exposure, and we also compared exposure in lowlands vs. mountains. We found Africa’s tropical mountains facing the highest future exposure to multiple drivers of change, thus requiring targeted adaptation and mitigation strategies to preserve biodiversity. European and North America’s mountains, in contrast, experience more limited exposure to global change and could act as local refugia for biodiversity. This knowledge can be used to prioritize local-scale interventions and planning long-term monitoring to reduce the risks faced by mountain biodiversity

Ferrocene-quinoxaline Y-shaped chromophores as fascinating second-order NLO building blocks for long lasting highly active SHG polymeric films

The first example of a Y-shaped ferrocene quinoxaline derivative with a surprisingly high and stable second harmonic generation (SHG) response in composite polymeric films is reported. The interesting quadratic hyperpolarizability values of different substituted Y-shaped chromophores are also investigated in solution by the EFISH technique

Impact of zeolite from coal fly ash on soil hydrophysical properties and plant growth

Zeolites can be extensively employed in agricultural activities because they improve soil properties such as infiltration rates, saturated hydraulic conductivity, water holding capacity, and cation exchange capacity. Natural and synthetic zeolites can efficiently hold water. Zeolites are also believed to have the ability to lose and gain water reversibly, without changing their crystal structure. In the present study, several laboratory tests were carried out using: (i) zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash (a waste product from burning coal in thermoelectric power plants), (ii) a silty loam soil, typically found in Southern Italy, and (iii) sunflower as a reference plant. The selected soil was amended with different percentages of zeolite (1, 2, 5, and 10%) and the effects of the synthetic mineral addition on the hydrophysical properties of the soil and plant growth were evaluated. The results indicated that soil–zeolite mixtures retained water more efficiently by pore radius modification. However, this causes a variation in the range of plant-available water towards higher soil humidity values, as the amount of added zeolite increases. These data confirm that zeolite addition modifies the selected hydrophysical properties of the soil with the effect of decreasing the soil drainage capacity, making the soil less habitable for plant growt

Endoscopic resection of sinonasal inverted papilloma: a multivariate retrospective analysis of factors affecting recurrence and persistence

Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is the most common benign epithelial tumor in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, with a worldwide incidence between 0.6 and 1.5/100 000 persons per year. However, only a few studies have investigated patient-dependent factors related to IP recurrence and persistence. According to available evidence, these factors are still debated, and results are contradictory. In this multicenter retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical records of 130 patients who were surgically treated for sinonasal IP to evaluate the factors affecting recurrence and persistence of IP and compared the curative rates of different surgical approaches. Our analysis showed that IP recurrence is strongly related to specific risk factors including incomplete surgical removal, stage of disease, site of the lesion, surgical technique, and malignancy rate. In conclusion, the recurrence of IP may be affected by several risk factors; these factors must be carefully considered during clinical evaluation and especially during the follow-up of patients with IP