The Complexity of the Business Network Context and Its Effect on Subsidiary Relational (Over-) Embeddedness

Many studies have focused on the effects of MNC subsidiaries' external relational embeddedness. Little attention has been given to its antecedents and especially to the potential effect that the business network context might have. We try to fill this gap and attempt to explain variation among subsidiaries' degree of relational embeddedness. Our results show a strong and robust effect of the business network context -- i.e. the network context in which the direct business relationships between the subsidiary and its partners are embedded -- on the degree of relational embeddedness. However, contrary to previous literature, we find an inverted u-shaped relationship. We discuss our findings with regard to the issue of over-embeddedness and the literature on the strength of weak versus strong ties

CLEANING HIGH-SPEED MARINE SEPARATORS WITH AN ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY CIP AGENT

The present contribution is devoted to the cleaning of high-speed marine separators employing the environmentally-friendly Cleaning In Place (CIP) agent Alpacon Multi Cip Super. For this particular study an Alfa Laval lube oil separator of type S831 on board the ship MS Isabella was dismantled prior to its first CIP treatment since installation and a few of the sludge-coated insert discs were taken as samples for laboratory experiments. Following assembly, the separator was cleaned according to a standard CIP protocol. Back in the laboratory, experiments mimicking the field CIP conditions verified the excellent cleaning results observed by visual inspection out on the ship after the CIP treatment

Dynamic capability development in multinational enterprises: Reconciling routine reconfiguration between the headquarters and subsidiaries

Research Summary Starting from the premise that firms need dynamic capabilities to adapt to changing environments, we discuss how multinational enterprises (MNEs) develop dynamic capabilities from internationalization. Unlike domestic firms that develop dynamic capabilities within one organizational system, MNEs are inherently multi-level systems with the headquarters and subsidiaries. In this paper, we focus on how internationalization depth and breadth function as sources of learning and unlearning in the headquarters and subsidiaries, and how this serves as the antecedent for routine reconfiguration and dynamic capability development in the MNE. We theorize that the headquarters\u27 and subsidiaries\u27 brokering capabilities are critical for reconciling routine reconfiguration at the two levels so that dynamic capability development can occur, and the MNE can adapt to environmental changes. Managerial Summary Our model of dynamic capability development in multinational enterprises (MNEs) via internationalization makes dynamic capabilities actionable for managers in three main ways. First, we emphasize both learning and unlearning from internationalization as important for both the subsidiaries and headquarters to reconfigure routines to adapt to changing environments. Second, the routine reconfiguration that occurs from the subsidiaries or the headquarters serves as the impetus for dynamic capability development in the MNE. Third, for dynamic capability development to occur in the MNE, both the headquarters and the subsidiaries must be able to reconcile routine reconfigurations via the headquarters\u27 and the subsidiaries\u27 brokering capabilities

Magnetic and mechanical effects of Mn substitutions in AlFe2B2

The mechanical and magnetic properties of the newly discovered MAB-phase class of materials based upon AlFe2B2 were investigated. The samples were synthesised from stoichiometric amounts of all constituent elements. X-ray diffraction shows that the main phase is orthorhombic with an elongated b-axis, similar to AlFe2B2. The low hardness and visual inspection of the samples after deformation indicate that these compounds are deformed via a delamination process. When substituting iron in AlFe2B2 with manganese, the magnetism in the system goes from being ferro- to antiferromagnetic via a disordered ferrimagnetic phase exhibited by AlFeMnB2. Density functional theory calculations indicate a weakening of the magnetic interactions among the transitions metal ions as iron is substituted by manganese in AlFe2B2. The Mn-Mn exchange interactions in AlMn2 B2 are found to be very small

Perceived Symptoms in People Living with Impaired Glucose Tolerance

The aim of the study was to identify symptoms in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and describe their experiences of living with the symptoms which they related to their condition. Twenty-one participants, from a cross-sectional population-based study, diagnosed as having IGT, were invited for an interview. The interviews were analyzed in two phases by means of a manifest and latent content analysis. The narratives included seven categories of symptoms (and more than 25 different symptoms) presented by the respondents. This study shows that symptoms such as the patient's own interpretation of different perceptions in the body must be considered, as well as signs and/or objective observations. Symptoms ought to be seen as complementary components in the health encounter and health conversation. The results of this study indicate that health professionals should increase their awareness of the balance between the implicit and the explicit bodily sensations that individuals communicate. Further studies are needed

High-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1): an alarmin mediating the pathogenesis of rheumatic disease

High-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is a non-histone nuclear protein that has a dual function. Inside the cell, HMGB1 binds DNA, regulating transcription and determining chromosomal architecture. Outside the cell, HMGB1 can serve as an alarmin to activate the innate system and mediate a wide range of physiological and pathological responses. To function as an alarmin, HMGB1 translocates from the nucleus of the cell to the extra-cellular milieu, a process that can take place with cell activation as well as cell death. HMGB1 can interact with receptors that include RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) as well as Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2) and TLR-4 and function in a synergistic fashion with other proinflammatory mediators to induce responses. As shown in studies on patients as well as animal models, HMGB1 can play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatic disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and polymyositis among others. New approaches to therapy for these diseases may involve strategies to inhibit HMGB1 release from cells, its interaction with receptors, and downstream signaling

High Mobility Group Box Protein 1 (HMGB1): The Prototypical Endogenous Danger Molecule

High mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is an evolutionary ancient nuclear protein that exerts divergent biological tasks inside and outside of cells. The functions of HMGB1 depend on location, binding partners and redox states of the molecule. In the nucleus, HMGB1 organizes DNA and nucleosomes and regulates gene transcription. Upon cell activation or injury, nuclear HMGB1 can translocate to the cytoplasm, where it is involved in inflammasome activation and pyroptosis, as well as regulation of the autophagy/apoptosis balance. When actively secreted or passively released into the extracellular milieu, HMGB1 has cytokine, chemokine, neuroimmune and metabolic activities. Thus, HMGB1 plays multiple roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and mediates immune responses that range from inflammation and bacterial killing to tissue repair. HMGB1 has been associated with divergent clinical conditions such as sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis. HMGB1 initiates and perpetuates immune responses during infectious and sterile inflammation, as the archetypical alarmin and damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecule. We here describe advances in the understanding of HMGB1 biology with focus on recent findings of its mission as a DAMP in danger sensing and as a therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases

External Hydrocephalus as a Cause of Infant Subdural Hematoma: Epidemiological and Radiological Investigations of Infants Suspected of Being Abused

Background Acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) and chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) in infants have been regarded as highly specific for abuse. Other causes of CSDH have not been investigated in a large population. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent external hydrocephalus is present in infants with ASDH and CSDH undergoing evaluation for abuse. Material and methods Eighty-five infants suspected of being abused, with ASDH (n = 16) or CSDH (n = 69), were reviewed regarding age, risk factor profiles, craniocortical width (CCW), sinocortical width (SCW), frontal interhemispheric width (IHW), subarachnoid space width (SSW), and head circumference (HC). In infants with unilateral subdural hematoma (SDH), correlations between contralateral SSW and ipsilateral CCW and SDH width were investigated. Results Infants with CSDH had significantly lower mortality, were more often premature and male, and had significantly higher CCW, SCW, IHW, and SSW than infants with ASDH (P 5 mm, in addition to increased HC. Conclusion A substantial proportion of infants with CSDH who had been suspected of being abused had findings suggesting external hydrocephalus.publishedVersio