Building subsidiary local responsiveness: (when) does the directionality of intrafirm knowledge transfers matter?

The present study focuses on effects of subsidiary internal knowledge-based activities—knowledge transfer and reverse knowledge transfer—and absorptive capacity on local responsiveness. We also examine whether absorptive capacity, shared values, and psychological safety, representing constituents of the motivation-opportunity-ability model of behavior, moderate relationships of subsidiary internal knowledge-based activities with responsiveness. Based on a sample of 173 Chinese subsidiaries, the results suggest knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity facilitate local responsiveness. Shared values moderates positively and absorptive capacity negatively, the relationship between knowledge transfer and responsiveness. Psychological safety strengthens the link between reverse knowledge transfer and local responsiveness

Intrinsic spectra and energetics of BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Bursts with known redshifts

We present the main results of a study of spectral and energetics properties of twelve gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with redshift estimates. All GRBs in our sample were detected by BeppoSAX in a broad energy range (2-700 keV). From the redshift estimates and the good-quality BeppoSAX time-integrated spectra we deduce the main properties of GRBs in their cosmological rest frames. All spectra in our sample are satisfactorily represented by the Band model with no significant soft X-ray excesses or spectral absorptions. We find a positive correlation between the estimated total (isotropic) energies in the 1-10000 keV energy range (E_rad) and redshifts z. Interestingly, more luminous GRBs are characterized also by larger peak energies E_p of their EF(E) spectra. Furthermore, more distant GRBs appear to be systematically harder in the X-ray band compared to GRBs with lower redshifts. We discuss how selection and data truncation effects could bias our results and give possible explanations for the correlations that we found.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Mediterranean diet and risk of endometrial cancer: a pooled analysis of three italian case-control studies.

BACKGROUND: Some components of the Mediterranean diet have favourable effects on endometrial cancer, and the Mediterranean diet as a whole has been shown to have a beneficial role on various neoplasms. METHODS: We analysed this issue pooling data from three case-control studies carried out between 1983 and 2006 in various Italian areas and in the Swiss Canton of Vaud. Cases were 1411 women with incident, histologically confirmed endometrial cancer, and controls were 3668 patients in hospital for acute diseases. We measured the adherence to the Mediterranean diet using a Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), based on the nine dietary components characteristics of this diet, that is, high intake of vegetables, fruits/nuts, cereals, legumes, fish; low intake of dairy products and meat; high monounsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio; and moderate alcohol intake. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for increasing levels of the MDS (varying from 0, no adherence, to 9, maximum adherence) using multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for major confounding factors. RESULTS: The adjusted OR for a 6-9 components of the MDS (high adherence) compared with 0-3 (low adherence) was 0.43 (95% CI 0.34-0.56). The OR for an increment of one component of MDS diet was 0.84 (95% CI 0.80-0.88). The association was consistent in strata of various covariates, although somewhat stronger in older women, in never oral contraceptive users and in hormone-replacement therapy users. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence for a beneficial role of the Mediterranean diet on endometrial cancer risk, suggesting a favourable effect of a combination of foods rich in antioxidants, fibres, phytochemicals, and unsaturated fatty acids

X-Ray Emission of Gamma-Ray Bursts

X-ray emission can provide a crucial diagnostic of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We calculate the X-ray and gamma-ray spectra of impulsive acceleration episodes related to GRB pulses. We use the synchrotron shock model (SSM) as a basis of our calculations. We show that the current data on soft-to-hard emission ratios of GRB pulse emission are in agreement with the SSM. In particular, GRB pulse emission detected by GINGA is in agreement with the SSM low-energy spectra. We deduce that GINGA detected the majority of bright GRBs detectable by BATSE. These results indicate that the physical environment surrounding the GRB emission site is optically thin to X-ray photon energies. We also calculate emission ratios in the Einstein, ROSAT, SAX and HETE energy bands, and discuss how future information on simultaneous soft/hard GRB emission can contribute in distinguishing different emission models. Two different components of X-ray emission may simultaneously exist in a fraction of GRBs. One component is clearly associated with the individual GRB pulses, and an additional component may be related to the pulse X-ray spectral upturns and/or the precursors/tails occasionally observed. We also show that a meaningful search of GRB-driven X-ray flashes in Andromeda (M31) can be carried out with existing ROSAT data and future SAX Wide Field Camera observations.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures included as postscript files. Astrophysical Journal, in press, vol. 474 (10 April 1997

From 3,4-dinitrothiophene to nitrocyclopropanes and 1,1'-dinitro-1,1'-bi(cyclopropyl) compounds

Treatment of (E,E)-1,4-diaryl-2,3-dinitro-1,3-butadienes (I) with diazomethane in Et2O or THF represents a facile and high-yielding route to 2,2'-diaryl-1,1'-dinitro-1,1'-bi(cyclopropyl)s. The process exclusively produces diastereomeric mixts. of a chiral d,l pair and a meso form, the relative percentages of which depend on the aryl moiety, consistently with a concerted syn-stereoselective cyclopropanation of each double bond. With 1 mol-equiv of CH2N2, the cyclopropanation can effectively be limited to one double bond of the starting dinitrobutadiene, thus allowing a synthetically useful differentiation between the two originally conjugated nitrovinyl moieties. As verified with model derivs., the resulting vinylcyclopropanes can be cyclopropanated with excess diazomethane to give the same diastereomeric mixts. as obtained by direct bis(cyclopropanation) of I

Does coffee protect against hepatocellular carcinoma?

We analysed the relation between coffee consumption and hepatocellular carcinoma in two case-control studies conducted between 1984 and 1998 in Italy and Greece, including 834 cases and 1912 controls. Compared to non coffee drinkers, the multivariate odds ratio was 0.7 for drinkers of three or more cups per day

Entangled-State Cycles of Atomic Collective-Spin States

We study quantum trajectories of collective atomic spin states of $N$ effective two-level atoms driven with laser and cavity fields. We show that interesting ``entangled-state cycles'' arise probabilistically when the (Raman) transition rates between the two atomic levels are set equal. For odd (even) $N$, there are $(N+1)/2$ ($N/2$) possible cycles. During each cycle the $N$-qubit state switches, with each cavity photon emission, between the states $(|N/2,m>\pm |N/2,-m>)/\sqrt{2}$, where $|N/2,m>$ is a Dicke state in a rotated collective basis. The quantum number $m$ ($>0$), which distinguishes the particular cycle, is determined by the photon counting record and varies randomly from one trajectory to the next. For even $N$ it is also possible, under the same conditions, to prepare probabilistically (but in steady state) the Dicke state $|N/2,0>$, i.e., an $N$-qubit state with $N/2$ excitations, which is of particular interest in the context of multipartite entanglement.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure