Bridging relational asymmetry through servitization: an exploratory study

Purpose of the paper –This paper aims to investigate how a firm that has transitioned to adigital servitization business model bridges relational asymmetry. It continues the theme of sustainability from the traditional three dimensions—environmental, economic, and social sustainability—to relational in terms of the quality of the relationship between the service provider and the customers. Methodology – Adopting an exploratory approach, qualitative data has been gathered fromthe ase of Xerox, a pioneering company that adapts servitization business models. The combination of exploratory archival and literature search studies allowed a deeper understanding of servitization and how it directly or indirectly bridges (or not) the relational asymmetry. Main Findings – According to the findings, the servitization business model is relational by nature, but in order to be viable, it needs to invest in transparency. When considered from a relational standpoint, servitization is not only a process of creating value but co-creating it with the customers. Practical implications – This exploratory paper gives managers rational insight into whether it is sustainable to fill the relational asymmetry between them as service providers and their customers in delivering quality service. Originality/value: This paper takes a fresh look at servitization, arguing that the relational asymmetry filled by servitization will define the future of businesses that differentiate themselves through quality relationships

The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Sir: We read with interest the review of Pang et al. published in the annual review issue of Histopathology in January 2016, entitled ‘Ductal carcinoma in situ—update on risk assessment and management’, wherein a concise overview of the diagnosis and present management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is provided, as well as a comprehensive summary of the histopathological assessment and currently available prognostic markers

Design of a High-Speed Ferrite-based Brushless DC Machine for Electric Vehicles

In the present paper an analytic procedure for the preliminary design of a High-Speed ferrite-based Brushless DC Machine (HS-BLDC) has been proposed. In particular, mechanical and electromagnetic modeling have been developed in order to take into account their mutual influence in the definition of the geometry of the electrical machine. In addition, suitable design targets have been imposed in accordance with electric vehicle application requirements. Hence, several mechanical and electromagnetic constraints have been introduced in order to comply with high-speed operation, preventing demagnetization issues of ferrite magnets as well. Subsequently, an HS-BLDC characterized by an inner rotor configuration has been designed in accordance with the proposed methodology. The analytical procedure and the corresponding results have been reported and validated by means of Finite Element Analyses (FEAs), highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed configuration and design solutions

A generalizable definition of chemical similarity for read-across

Background: Methods that provide a measure of chemical similarity are strongly relevant in several fields of chemoinformatics as they allow to predict the molecular behavior and fate of structurally close compounds. One common application of chemical similarity measurements, based on the principle that similar molecules have similar properties, is the read-across approach, where an estimation of a specific endpoint for a chemical is provided using experimental data available from highly similar compounds. Results: This paper reports the comparison of multiple combinations of binary fingerprints and similarity metrics for computing the chemical similarity in the context of two different applications of the read-across technique. Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrates that the classical similarity measurements can be improved with a generalizable model of similarity. The proposed approach has already been used to build similarity indices in two open-source software tools (CAESAR and VEGA) that make several QSAR models available. In these tools, the similarity index plays a key role for the assessment of the applicability domain.Pubblicat

Intestinal bacterial flora of Mediterranean gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus) as a novel source of natural surface active compounds

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Invasive lobular carcinoma with extracellular mucin production-a novel pattern of lobular carcinomas of the breast. Clinico-pathological description of eight cases

Invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast is known to produce intracellular mucin and has been recognized in single-case reports to show extracellular mucin production, as well. This latter morphology is not only rare but must also be under- or misdiagnosed. The aim was to better characterize this entity. Cases of lobular cancers demonstrating extracellular mucin formation were identified in a multi-institutional effort and their clinical and morphologic features were assessed. Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize the E-cadherin-membrane complex, neuroendocrine differentiation, and to some extent, mucin formation. All but one of the eight cases occurred in postmenopausal patients. Extracellular mucin production was present in 5 to 50% of the tumour samples and rarely also appeared in nodal and distant metastases. The tumours were completely E-cadherin negative and showed cytoplasmic p120 positivity. The majority (n = 6/8) was also completely negative for beta-catenin, but two tumours displayed focal beta-catenin positivity in the mucinous area. MUC1 and MUC2 expression was observed in all and 7/8 tumours, respectively; neuroendocrine differentiation was present in only one. Invasive lobular carcinoma with extracellular mucin formation is a rare morphologic variant of lobular carcinoma prone to be misdiagnosed and warranting further studies.Peer reviewe

Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Treatments for Systemic Sclerosis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Background: There is a paucity of head-to-head comparisons of the efficacy and harms of pharmacological treatments for systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). Methods: We conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) in order to compare the effects of different treatments with the placebo on change in forced vital capacity (FVC), change in diffusion lung capacity for CO (DLCO), serious adverse events (SAEs), discontinuation for adverse events and mortality in SSc-ILD. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and log odds ratio were estimated using NMA with fixed effects. Results: Nine randomized clinical trials (926 participants) comparing eight interventions and the placebo for an average follow-up of one year were included. Compared to the placebo, only rituximab significantly reduced FVC decline (SMD (95% CI) = 1.00 (0.39 to 1.61)). Suitable data on FVC outcome for nintedanib were not available for the analysis. No treatments influenced DLCO. Safety and mortality were also not different across treatments and the placebo, although there were few reported events. Cyclophosphamide and pomalidomide were less tolerated than the placebo, mycophenolate, and nintedanib. Conclusion: Only rituximab significantly reduced lung function decline compared to the placebo. However, direct head-to-head comparison studies are required to confirm these findings and to better determine the safety profile of various treatments

The mitotic checkpoint is a targetable vulnerability of carboplatin-resistant triple negative breast cancers

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, lacking effective therapy. Many TNBCs show remarkable response to carboplatin-based chemotherapy, but often develop resistance over time. With increasing use of carboplatin in the clinic, there is a pressing need to identify vulnerabilities of carboplatin-resistant tumors. In this study, we generated carboplatin-resistant TNBC MDA-MB-468 cell line and patient derived TNBC xenograft models. Mass spectrometry-based proteome profiling demonstrated that carboplatin resistance in TNBC is linked to drastic metabolism rewiring and upregulation of anti-oxidative response that supports cell replication by maintaining low levels of DNA damage in the presence of carboplatin. Carboplatin-resistant cells also exhibited dysregulation of the mitotic checkpoint. A kinome shRNA screen revealed that carboplatin-resistant cells are vulnerable to the depletion of the mitotic checkpoint regulators, whereas the checkpoint kinases CHEK1 and WEE1 are indispensable for the survival of carboplatin-resistant cells in the presence of carboplatin. We confirmed that pharmacological inhibition of CHEK1 by prexasertib in the presence of carboplatin is well tolerated by mice and suppresses the growth of carboplatin-resistant TNBC xenografts. Thus, abrogation of the mitotic checkpoint by CHEK1 inhibition re-sensitizes carboplatin-resistant TNBCs to carboplatin and represents a potential strategy for the treatment of carboplatin-resistant TNBCs

Effects of short-term feed restriction on milk yield and composition, and hormone and metabolite profiles in mid-lactation Sarda dairy sheep with different body condition score

Ten Sarda dairy ewes (5 with high Body Condition Score: H-BCS, BCS>2.5; BW 48.8±5.4 kg; 5 with low BCS: L-BCS, BCS<2.5; BW 36.2±4.7 kg) were subjected, after 7-day preliminary (Prel) period, to short-term feed restriction (FR, 50% of nutrient requirements) for three days followed by refeeding (Re-Fed, 100% requirements) for three days. Milk yield and composition (protein, fat, lactose, MUN, SCC, fatty acids), and blood parameters (glucose, NEFA, BUN, insulin, GH, IGF-I, leptin) were monitored. Milk yield decreased during FR in both BCS groups: at day 3 it was 38% and 35% of Prel values in HBCS and L-BCS ewes, respectively, reaching Prel levels at Re-Fed in both groups. Milk fat concentration was influenced by BCS¥sampling, increasing in H-BCS ewes during FR, but not varying in L-BCS ewes throughout the trial. During FR, milk protein increased as milk yield decreased. There was no change in milk urea nitrogen concentration during FR, but this decreased in both BCS groups during Re-Fed. FR modified the FA profile of milk fat in both BCS groups, increasing LCFA at the expense of SCFA and MCFA. Some blood parameters (NEFA, GH and IGF-I) were influenced by BCS, whereas almost all parameters were influenced by sampling. There was a rapid return to initial levels in all parameters except milk urea, blood urea and insulin at Re-Fed