The bright and dark sides of CEO hubris: Assessing cultural distance in international business

This paper aims to enrich the behavioral theory of international business strategyby investigating how CEO hubris (i.e., excess pride and confidence) affects inter-national strategic choices, that is, location selection, entry timing, and modes ofentry into the target market. Specifically, we focus on the relationship betweencultural distance and international strategic choices and consider hubris as a mech-anism that influences CEOs’ decisions. Our conceptual framework recognizes thatthe performance of international strategies managed by hubristic CEOs isextremely volatile. On the one hand, we corroborate the idea that hubris has adark side that may lead to pernicious outcomes. On the other hand, we recognizea bright side of hubris related to the consideration that overconfidence may some-times be seen as a necessary CEO quality that in turn differentiates one firm fromthe others

The sea urchin embryo: A model to study Alzheimer’s beta amyloid induced toxicity

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. The cause of AD is closely related to the accumulation of amyloid beta peptide in the neuritic plaques. The use of animal model systems represents a good strategy to elucidate the molecular mechanism behind the development of this pathology. Here we use the Paracentrotus lividus embryo to identify molecules and pathways that can be involved in the degenerative process. As a first step, we identified the presence of an antigen related to the human APP, called PlAPP. This antigen, after gastrula stage, is processed producing a polypeptide of about 10 kDa. By immunohistochemistry we localized the PlAPP antigen in some serotonin expressing cells. Similarly, after 48 or 96 h incubation, a recombinant b-amyloid peptide, rAb42, accumulates around the intestinal tube and oesophagus. In addition, incubation of sea urchin embryos with two different solutions rich in oligomers and fibrillar aggregates of rAb42 induce activation of apoptosis as detected by TUNEL assay. Moreover, we demonstrate that aggregates induce apoptosis by extrinsic pathway activation, whereas oligomers induce apoptosis both by extrinsic and intrinsic pathway activation. Utilizing an apoptotic inhibitor, caspases activation was offset and morphological damage rescued. Taken together all these observations suggest that the sea urchin may be a simple and suitable model to characterize the mechanism underlining the cytotoxicity of Ab42

Metformin increases APP expression and processing via oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and NF-κB activation: Use of insulin to attenuate metformin's effect

AbstractClinical and experimental biomedical studies have shown Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to be a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study demonstrates the effect of metformin, a therapeutic biguanide administered for T2DM therapy, on β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) metabolism in in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models. Furthermore, the protective role of insulin against metformin is also demonstrated. In LAN5 neuroblastoma cells, metformin increases APP and presenilin levels, proteins involved in AD. Overexpression of APP and presenilin 1 (Pres 1) increases APP cleavage and intracellular accumulation of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ), which, in turn, promotes aggregation of Aβ. In the experimental conditions utilized the drug causes oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, decrease of Hexokinase-II levels and cytochrome C release, all of which lead to cell death. Several changes in oxidative stress-related genes following metformin treatment were detected by PCR arrays specific for the oxidative stress pathway. These effects of metformin were found to be antagonized by the addition of insulin, which reduced Aβ levels, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. Similarly, antioxidant molecules, such as ferulic acid and curcumin, are able to revert metformin's effect. Comparable results were obtained using peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Finally, the involvement of NF-κB transcription factor in regulating APP and Pres 1 expression was investigated. Upon metformin treatment, NF-κB is activated and translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where it induces increased APP and Pres 1 transcription. The use of Bay11-7085 inhibitor suppressed the effect of metformin on APP and Pres 1 expression

Spotting Frozen Curd in PDO Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese Through Insights on Its Supramolecular Structure Acquired by 1H TD-NMR Relaxation Experiments

The addition of frozen curd (FC) during the production process of \u201cMozzarella di Bufala Campana\u201d, an Italian cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), is a common fraud not involving modifications of the chemical composition in the final product. Its detection cannot thus be easily obtained by common analytical methods, which are targeted at changes in concentrations of diagnostic chemical species. In this work, the possibility of spotting this fraud by focusing on the modifications of the supramolecular structure of the food matrix, detected by time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) experiments, was investigated. Cheese samples were manufactured in triplicate, according to the PDO disciplinary of production, except for using variable amounts of FC (i.e., 0, 15, 30, and 50% w/w). Relaxation data were analysed through different approaches: (i) Discrete multi-exponential fitting, (ii) continuous Laplace inverse fitting, and (iii) chemometrics approach. The strategy that lead to best detection results was the chemometrics analysis of raw Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) decays, allowing to discriminate between compliant and adulterated samples, with as low as 15% of FC addition. The strategy is based on the use of machine learning for projection on latent structures of raw CPMG data and classification tasks for fraud detection, using quadratic discriminant analysis. By coupling TD-NMR raw decays with machine learning, this work opens the way to set up a system for detecting common food frauds modifying the matrix structure, for which no official authentication methods are yet availabl

Data concerning the proteolytic resistance and oxidative stress in LAN5 cells after treatment with BSA hydrogels

AbstractProteolytic resistance is a relevant aspect to be tested in the formulation of new nanoscale biomaterials. The action of proteolytic enzymes is a very fast process occurring in the range of few minutes. Here, we report data concerning the proteolytic resistance of a heat-set BSA hydrogel obtained after 20-hour incubation at 60°C prepared at the pH value of 3.9, pH at which the hydrogel presents the highest elastic character with respect to gel formed at pH 5.9 and 7.4 “Heat-and pH-induced BSA conformational changes, hydrogel formation and application as 3D cell scaffold” (G. Navarra, C. Peres, M. Contardi, P. Picone, P.L. San Biagio, M. Di Carlo, D. Giacomazza, V. Militello, 2016) [1]. We show that the BSA hydrogel produced by heating treatment is protected by the action of proteinase K enzyme. Moreover, we show that LAN5 cells cultured in presence of BSA hydrogels formed at pH 3.9, 5.9 and 7.4 did not exhibit any oxidative stress, one of the first and crucial events causing cell death “Are oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction the key players in the neurodegenerative diseases?” (M. Di Carlo, D. Giacomazza, P. Picone, D. Nuzzo, P.L. San Biagio, 2012) [2] “Effect of zinc oxide nanomaterials induced oxidative stress on the p53 pathway” (M.I. Setyawati, C.Y. Tay, D.T. Leaong, 2013) [3]

Biofortification: Effect of Iodine Fortified Food in the Healthy Population, Double-Arm Nutritional Study

It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population lives in areas where iodine (I) is scarce and its deficiency is responsible for many related disorders, such as goiter, reproductive failure, hearing loss, growth impairment, congenital I deficiency syndrome, and numerous kinds of brain injury. Mineral deficiencies can be overcome via dietary diversification and mineral supplementation. An alternative or even complementary way is represented by the intake of biofortified foods, which can tackle this lack of micronutrients. In this short-term double-arm nutritional intervention study, a cohort of ten people was supplemented with curly endive leaf biofortified with I and ten people with curly endive without biofortification (Intervention Study on Iodine Biofortification Vegetables (Nutri-I-Food – Full-Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov). The effects on whole-body homeostasis and specifically on I, glucose, lipid, and hepatic, iron metabolism was investigated. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and after 12 days of supplementation with curly endive and compared with controls. Hematochemical and urinary parameters were analyzed at baseline and after 12 days. The results showed that short-term I curly endive intervention did not affect the whole body homeostasis in healthy people and revealed an increase in I concentration in urine samples and an increase in vitamin D, calcium, and potassium concentration in blood samples only in the biofortified cohort respect to controls. This study suggests that short-term consumption of I curly endive crops is safe and could positively impact body health

Family Firm Entrepreneurship : An Experimental Study

Family managers’ entrepreneurial intentions (EI) play a crucial role in the long-term success of family firms. Previous research has highlighted education as a key driver of EI but has failed to consider the unique socialization processes within business families and their impact on the education-EI relationship. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the direct and indirect effects of education on family managers’ EI. By combining the integrated model of EI and research on business families’ socialization patterns, a study was conducted with a role-playing experimental design involving 412 family firm managers. The results indicate that entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) serves as a mediator between education and EI, while the ESE-EI relationship is further mediated by risk perceptions. Interestingly, no direct effect of education on EI was found, suggesting that the influence of education on EI follows distinct patterns within business families

Neurological Consequences, Mental Health, Physical Care, and Appropriate Nutrition in Long-COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused a collapse of the world health systems. Now, vaccines and more effective therapies have reversed this crisis but the scenario is further aggravated by the appearance of a new pathology, occurring as SARS-CoV-2 infection consequence: the long-COVID-19. This term is commonly used to describe signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute infection of COVID-19 up to several months. In this review, the consequences of the disease on mental health and the neurological implications due to the long-COVID are described. Furthermore, the appropriate nutritional approach and some recommendations to relieve the symptoms of the pathology are presented. Data collected indicated that in the next future the disease will affect an increasing number of individuals and that interdisciplinary action is needed to counteract it