The Natuzzi Group and the Bari-Matera (Italy) upholstered furniture district. A case study of internationalisation in a traditional industry

The case-study focuses on the strategies adopted by the Natuzzi Group, world leader of the upholstered furniture sector, located in the Bari-Matera district (Southern Italy), to face increasing global competition and on their effects. In particular we consider the modes and determinants of productive internationalisation, carried out since 2000 by Natuzzi in China, Brazil and Romania to produce middle-low end products. By improving the competitiveness of the price-sensitive segment, the strategy contributed to the successful expansion of the Group until 2002. However, high range products, manufactured in Italy, record decreasing sales especially on the US market, despite the companys efforts in R&D and marketing and its investments in information technology. Moreover, due to Natuzzi's considerable weight in the district, the Groups performance impacts on the network of subcontracting firms, where a restructuring process is underway, raising questions about the evolution of the district.Internationalisation, Industrial District, Subcontracting

Magnetic Anomalies of the Tyrrhenian Sea Revisited: A Processing Workflow for Enhancing the Resolution of Aeromagnetic Data

We propose a processing workflow to enhance the information content of aeromagnetic data. Our workflow is based on the downward continuation and subsequent L-transform of magnetic data. This workflow returns a map showing single highs, which correspond to the location of magnetic bodies, and does not need any a priori information about the source magnetization. We validated our workflow using the aeromagnetic anomalies of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), by a comparison of the reprocessed aeromagnetic anomalies with high-resolution shipborne magnetic data in three selected areas. Through this comparison, we show that the proposed processing workflow of aeromagnetic data leads to more accurate interpretative results. Our results indicate that, in areas where higher resolution data are lacking, the reprocessing of aeromagnetic data according to our workflow may be as decisive as to suggest changes to their previous interpretations or, at least, useful for highlighting areas of special interest, deserving to be magnetically explored by a dedicated high-resolution shipborne survey

Ridge consistency criterion

SUMMARY We use a multiscale approach as a semi-automated interpreting tool of potential fields. The depth to the source and the structural index are estimated in two steps: first the depth to the source, as the intersection of the field ridges (lines built joining the extrema of the field at various altitudes) and secondly, the structural index by the scale function. We introduce a new criterion, called 'ridge consistency' in this strategy. The criterion is based on the principle that the structural index estimations on all the ridges converging towards the same source should be consistent. If these estimates are significantly different, field differentiation is used to lessen the interference effects from nearby sources or regional fields, to obtain a consistent set of estimates. In our multiscale framework, vertical differentiation is naturally joint to the low-pass filtering properties of the upward continuation, so is a stable process. Before applying our criterion, we studied carefully the errors on upward continuation caused by the finite size of the survey area. To this end, we analysed the complex magnetic synthetic case, known as Bishop model, and evaluated the best extrapolation algorithm and the optimal width of the area extension, needed to obtain accurate upward continuation. Afterwards, we applied the method to the depth estimation of the whole Bishop basement bathymetry. The result is a good reconstruction of the complex basement and of the shape properties of the source at the estimated points

Stable Normative Explanations: From Argumentation to Deontic Logic

This paper examines how a notion of stable explanation developed elsewhere in Defeasible Logic can be expressed in the context of formal argumentation. With this done, we discuss the deontic meaning of this reconstruction and show how to build from argumentation neighborhood structures for deontic logic where this notion of explanation can be characterised. Some direct complexity results are offered.Comment: 15 pages, extended version of the short paper accepted at JELIA 202

Repair of a spinal pseudomeningocele in a delayed postsurgical cerebrospinal fluid leak using titanium U-clips: Technical note

Introduction: Chronic cerebrospinal fluid leak (CCFL) represents a possible event following spine surgery, with an incidence rate ranging from 5 to 18%. In literature have been reported few modification techniques that involved the use of titanium U-clips with the aim to reduce dural traumatism during its closure but only after non-accidental durotomy. Case illustration: We report the case of a 47-year-old female with history of L5-S1 microsurgical discectomy. After one year the patient was admitted to our unit because she presented progressive skin swelling in the lumbar region, intermittent headache and recurrent episodes of lipothymia. One-year MRI showed a voluminous subcutaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-like intensity collection in the T2-weighted sequences and communicating with the right L5-S1 interlaminar space. A second surgery revealed pseudomeningocele and a 5 mm dural defect is identified. At first, a tobacco pouch was created, and a suture with Prolene 6–0, a non-absorbable, synthetic monofilament, is made on the previously dissected tissue. In a second step, 2 medium/short non-penetrating titanium U-clips are applied with a multi-clip applier. There was no sign of recurrent pseudomeningocele in the 2-year follow-up. Conclusion: The authors presented a novel use of titanium U-clips to manage an insidious and complex case of pseudomeningocele in a CCFL. U-clips represent a safe and effective tool in CCFL repair

HLA in migraine and coeliac children

The linkage between HLA antigens and disease susceptibility has been investigated in several diseases. Two different mechanisms are known to act in the relation between the HLA system and headache: linkage and association of alleles. Among neurological disorders associated with coeliac disease (CD) we focused on headache in 1997. From a group of 70 coeliac children, we studied 10 children with headache (3 boys and 7 girls). For each subject we evaluated clinical history and HLA antigens. The incidence of headache was not different with respect to the prevalence of headache in the general population. The HLA setting is not different between the 2 groups examined. However, we highlight 2 cases for the particular HLA setting

Hymenoptera Venom Immunotherapy: Tolerance and Efficacy of an Ultrarush Protocol versus a Rush and a Slow Conventional Protocol

Background and Objective. Various venom immunotherapy (VIT) protocols are available for Hymenoptera allergy. Although adverse reactions (ADRs) to VIT are widely reported, controlled trials are still needed. We conducted a randomized prospective study to evaluate ADRs and the efficacy of three VIT regimens. Methods. 76 patients with Hymenoptera allergy, aged 16–76 years, were randomized to receive an ultrarush protocol (group A: 27 patients), a rush protocol (group B: 25), or a slow protocol (group C: 24). Aqueous venom extract was used in incremental phase and an adsorbed depot in maintenance phase. ADRs and accidental Hymenoptera stings during VIT were used to evaluate efficacy. Results. During incremental treatment, ADRs occurred in 1.99%, 3.7%, and 3.9% of patients in groups A, B, and C, and in 0.99%, 1.46%, and 2.7%, respectively, during maintenance. ADRs were significantly fewer in group A (incremental + maintenance phase) than in group C (1.29% versus 3.2%; P = 0.013). Reactions to accidental Hymenoptera stings did not differ among groups (1.1%, 1.2%, and 1.1%). Conclusion. Ultrarush was as effective as the rush and slow protocols and was associated with a low incidence of reactions to stings. This study indicates that ultrarush VIT is a valid therapeutic option for Hymenoptera allergy

Improved techniques in data analysis and interpretation of potential fields: examples of application in volcanic and seismically active areas

Geopotential data may be interpreted by many different techniques, depending on the nature of the mathematical equations correlating specific unknown ground parameters to the measured data set. The investigation based on the study of the gravity and magnetic anomaly fields represents one of the most important geophysical approaches in the earth sciences. It has now evolved aimed both at improving of known methods and testing other new and reliable techniques. This paper outlines a general framework for several applications of recent techniques in the study of the potential methods for the earth sciences. Most of them are here described and significant case histories are shown to illustrate their reliability on active seismic and volcanic areas

Genome-wide expression profiling of the response to short-term exposure to fluconazole in Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A

Fluconazole (FLC), a triazole antifungal drug, is widely used for the maintenance therapy of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis, the most common opportunistic infection in AIDS patients. In this study, we examined changes in the gene expression profile of the C. neoformans reference strain H99 (serotype A) following FLC treatment in order to investigate the adaptive cellular responses to drug stress

The new integrated aeromagnetic map of the Phlegrean Fields volcano and surrounding areas

In this paper we present and analyze the new detailed aeromagnetic data set resulting from a recent survey car- ried out in the Phlegrean Fields volcanic area. The survey was aimed at gaining new insight into the vol- canological characteristics of the region north of Phlegrean Fields (Parete-Villa Literno area) where remarkable thickness of volcanic/sub-volcanic rocks were found in wells. Measurement of total magnetic field was per- formed on two different flight levels, 70 m and 400 m above the ground surface, along flight lines spaced 400 m apart. Both aeromagnetic maps show the noisy effect of linear anomalies evidently due to the presence of rail- way lines. To filter out these local anomalies a method based on discrete wavelet transform was used, allowing an accurate local filtering and leaving the rest of the field practically unchanged. The filtered data set was inte- grated with the existing Agip aeromagnetic map of the Phlegrean Fields, leading to a new aeromagnetic map of the whole Phlegrean volcanic area. The compilation of the pole reduced map and of the maps of the Analytic Signal and of the Horizontal Derivative of the integrated data set represents a first step for the interpretation of the maps in terms of geological structures of the whole Phlegrean volcanic district