Unbundling dynamic capabilities: An exploratory study of continuous product innovation

In order to understand better the organizational sources of continuous innovation, this paper provides an in‐depth analysis of Oticon A/S, a leading company in the hearing‐aid industry, which showed an impressive ability to develop new products in the nineties. Findings highlight that dynamic capabilities are made up of: knowledge creation and absorption, knowledge integration and knowledge reconfiguration. Discussion links the findings to previous literature and shows how these knowledge‐based processes are all based on a coherent mix of organizational resources

Going Public and the Enrichment of a Supportive Network

Past research on initial public offerings suggests that the reputation of a company positively affects the success of the offering. Success is usually measured in financial terms as if the essence of the operation lay only in the short-term inflow of money. In this paper, we investigate important albeit often neglected implications of going public by combining evidence from a series of preliminary case studies taken from the results of a survey of 57 Italian initial public offerings. Evidence from our research suggests that, besides providing an important inflow of capital, going public may actually improve the reputational and social capital of a company, by increasing its visibility, prestige and perceived trustworthiness. Therefore, going public may be an important way to support entrepreneurial activity, as it may expand and reinforce the network of relationships that offer access to external resources, complementary skills and investment opportunities

Impact of lower limb movement on the hemodynamics of femoropopliteal arteries: A computational study

Femoropopliteal arteries (FPAs) are subjected to a wide range of deformations, mainly determined by leg movement. FPAs are often affected by atherosclerotic plaque development, presumably influenced by the biomechanics of surrounding tissues. Although abnormal hemodynamics in FPAs appears to be an important factor in driving plaque development, to date it has been investigated in few studies, in which the leg was modeled in either fixed straight or bent configuration. Hence, the current work investigates the impact of leg movement on FPA hemodynamics. An idealized model of FPA was created to perform moving-boundary computational fluid dynamics analyses. By mimicking hip rotation, knee flexion and complete movement of walking, the hemodynamics was compared between moving- and fixed-boundary models. Moreover, additional features affecting the hemodynamics (e.g. flow-rate curve amplitude, walking speed) were examined. Significant hemodynamic differences were found between the moving- and fixed-boundary models, with the leg movement inducing higher time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) (up to 66%). The flow-rate amplitude and walking period were the most influential parameters (differences in TAWSS up to 68% and 74%, respectively). In conclusion, this numerical approach highlighted the importance of considering leg movement to investigate FPA hemodynamics, and it could be employed in future patient-specific analyses

A kinetic binding study to evaluate the pharmacological profile of a specific leukotriene C-4 binding site not coupled to contraction in human lung parenchyma

We report the identification of a novel pharmacological profile for the leukotriene (LT)C-4 binding site we previously identified in human lung parenchyma (HLP). We used a series of classic cysteinyl-LT (CysLT)(1) receptor antagonists belonging to different chemical classes and the dual CysLT(1)-CysLT(2) antagonist BAY u9773 for both binding and functional studies. Because the presence of (S)-decyl-glutathione interfered with cysteinyl-LT binding, with a kinetic protocol we avoided the use of this compound. By means of heterologous dissociation time courses, we demonstrated that zafirlukast, iralukast, and BAY u9773 selectively competed only for H-3-LTD4 binding sites, whereas pobilukast, pranlukast, and CGP 57698 dissociated both H-3-LTC4 and H-3-LTD4 from their binding sites. Thus, with binding studies, we have been able to identify a pharmacological profile for LTC4 distinct from that of LTD4 receptor (CysLT(1)) in HLP. On the contrary, in functional studies, all of the classic antagonists tested were able to revert both LTC4- and LTD4-induced contractions of isolated HLP strips. Thus, LTD4 and LTC4 contract isolated HLP strips through the same CysLT1 receptor. The results of kinetic binding studies, coupled to a sophisticated data analysis, confirm our hypothesis that HLP membranes contain two cysteinyl-LT high-affinity binding sites with different pharmacological profiles. In functional studies, however, LTD4- and LTC4-induced contractions are mediated by the same CysLT(1) receptor. In conclusion, the specific LTC4 high-affinity binding site cannot be classified as one of the officially recognized CysLT receptors, and it is not implicated in LTC4-induced HLP strip contractions

Percutaneous ethanol injection of hepatic tumors : single-session therapy with general anesthesia

OBJECTIVE: We studied the feasibility and the effectiveness of percutaneous ethanol injection, performed with general anesthesia in a single session, for treating malignant hepatic lesions. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We treated 30 patients with sonographically guided percutaneous injection of ethanol. Twenty had hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis, and 10 had hepatic metastases, principally from colon cancer. The mean volume of ethanol injected was 57 ml (range, 6-165 ml). RESULTS: CT showed complete necrosis (up to 8.2 cm) in seven of 10 patients with encapsulated hepatocellular carcinoma and about 90% necrosis in the remaining three patients. In four of these patients, the alpha-fetoprotein level fell from more than 200 ng/ml to less than 20 ng/ml during treatment. In 10 patients with infiltrating hepatocellular carcinoma, about 70-90% necrosis was achieved; in six of these patients, the alpha-fetoprotein level, which had been more than 200 ng/ml, decreased during treatment. In the 10 patients with metastases, more than 50% necrosis was always achieved. Levels of carcinoembryonic antigen decreased after treatment in all patients. In three patients who had cirrhosis with superficial hepatocellular carcinoma, peritoneal hemorrhage occurred but did not require transfusion. CONCLUSION: Our results show that percutaneous injection of ethanol in a single session with general anesthesia is feasible and effective and has several advantages over multisession therapy. These include shorter treatment time and the ability to treat larger and more numerous lesions

TiArA: A Virtual Appliance for the Analysis of Tiling Array Data

Genomic tiling arrays have been described in the scientific literature since 2003, yet there is a shortage of user-friendly applications available for their analysis.Tiling Array Analyzer (TiArA) is a software program that provides a user-friendly graphical interface for the background subtraction, normalization, and summarization of data acquired through the Affymetrix tiling array platform. The background signal is empirically measured using a group of nonspecific probes with varying levels of GC content and normalization is performed to enforce a common dynamic range.TiArA is implemented as a standalone program for Linux systems and is available as a cross-platform virtual machine that will run under most modern operating systems using virtualization software such as Sun VirtualBox or VMware. The software is available as a Debian package or a virtual appliance at http://purl.org/NET/tiara

Plasticity to ocean warming is influenced by transgenerational, reproductive, and developmental exposure in a coral reef fish

Global warming is expected to drive some ectothermic species beyond their thermal tolerance in upcoming decades. Phenotypic plasticity, via developmental or transgenerational acclimation, is a critical mechanism for compensation in the face of environmental change. Yet, it remains to be determined if the activation of beneficial phenotypes requires direct exposure throughout development, or if compensation can be obtained just through the experience of previous generations. In this study, we exposed three generations of a tropical damselfish to combinations of current-day (Control) and projected future (+1.5°C) water temperatures. Acclimation was evaluated with phenotypic (oxygen consumption, hepatosomatic index, physical condition) and molecular (liver gene expression) measurements of third-generation juveniles. Exposure of grandparents/parents to warm conditions improved the aerobic capacity of fish regardless of thermal conditions experienced afterwards, representing a true transgenerational effect. This coincided with patterns of gene expression related to inflammation and immunity seen in the third generation. Parental effects due to reproductive temperature significantly affected the physical condition and routine metabolic rate (oxygen consumption) of offspring, but had little impact on gene expression of the F3. Developmental temperature of juveniles, and whether they matched conditions during parental reproduction, had the largest influence on the liver transcriptional program. Using a combination of both phenotypic and molecular approaches, this study highlights how the conditions experienced by both previous and current generations can influence plasticity to global warming in upcoming decades