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Adaptation is a form of motor learning that alters movement in response to a predictable perturbation to the body or environment. This process can also realign or bias proprioception of the adapted movement. Here, we discuss recent work on two mechanisms that are suggested to underlie proprioceptive realignment following motor learning: a sensory mechanism that hinges on mismatches between estimates of limb state across sensory modalities, and a motor mechanism driven by the recalibration of sensory predictions of movement. We review work focused on normal behavior, neuroimaging studies and assessments of neurologic patients suggesting that motor systems, such as the cerebellum, and sensory association systems, such as somatosensory and posterior parietal cortices, may play a role in proprioceptive realignment.

Objective To investigate cerebral oxygenation (Cox) responses as well as respiratory (Res) and active peripheral muscle (Pm) O2 delivery during high-intensity cycling exercise and contrast responses between patients with coexistent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-heart failure (HF) and HF alone. Methods Cross-sectional study involving 11 COPD-HF and 11 HF patients. On two different days, patients performed maximal incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and constant load exercise on a cycle ergometer until the limit of tolerance (Tlim). The high-intensity exercise session was 80% of the peak CPET work rate. Relative blood concentrations of oxyhemoglobin ([O2Hb]), deoxyhemoglobin ([HHb]) of Res, Pm (right vastus lateralis) and Cox (pre-frontal) were measured using near infrared spectroscopy. Results We observed a greater decrease in [O2Hb] at a lower Tlim in COPD-HF when compared to HF (P

Some remediation techniques, such as thermal remediation, can significantly change the soil properties. These changes can be beneficial or detrimental to the sequential application of Nature-based Solutions. This work evaluated the effects of thermal remediation on the properties of two tropical soils (Technosol and Oxisol), and discuss how these changes might impact both biotic and abiotic degradation processes. Bench tests using disturbed samples were performed under oxic and anoxic conditions, whereas 3D physical models were used to simulate the heat distribution along undisturbed samples. The changes in soils texture, density, hydraulic conductivity, iron concentration, mineralogy and microbiota were evaluated. The properties of Oxisol were more affected than those of Technosol due to the higher levels in Fe(III), organic carbon and finer texture. When heated in the range of 120 to 300 °C under oxic and anoxic conditions, the Fe(II) content and the magnetism intensity increased in Oxisol, probably due to the formation of magnetite. Under oxic conditions, the burning of Oxisol organic matter promoted an anoxic atmosphere, favoring the formation of Fe(II). However, the continuous increase of the temperature (>300 °C) lead to the decrease of Fe(II) due to the transformation of magnetite to maghemite, and then to hematite. The heating process also promoted some minerals decomposition and cementation of the clay fraction, increasing the soil texture. Bacterial populations were impacted, but showed ability to recover at 60 °C. However, above 100 °C no culturable cells were recovered and at temperatures above 270 °C soil sterilization occurred. The changes observed, especially in Oxisol samples, indicated that mild heating (between 120 and 240 °C), in turn, can increase the potential for abiotic degradation of some contaminants, such as chlorinated solvents. Therefore, heating conditions up to 240 °C during thermal remediation can be defined as to promote beneficial changes in soil properties, increasing its potential for natural attenuation by abiotic processes even when the microbiota is affected, and improving its sustainability.

We investigated the fungal diversity in a total of 20 deep-sea sediment samples (of which 14 samples were associated with natural asphalt seeps and 6 samples were not associated) collected from two different sites at the Sao Paulo Plateau off Brazil by Ion Torrent PGM targeting ITS region of ribosomal RNA. Our results suggest that diverse fungi (113 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on clustering at 97% sequence similarity assigned into 9 classes and 31 genus) are present in deep-sea sediment samples collected at the Sao Paulo Plateau, dominated by Ascomycota (74.3%), followed by Basidiomycota (11.5%), unidentified fungi (7.1%), and sequences with no affiliation to any organisms in the public database (7.1%). However, it was revealed that only three species, namely Penicillium sp., Cadophora malorum and Rhodosporidium diobovatum, were dominant, with the majority of OTUs remaining a minor community. Unexpectedly, there was no significant difference in major fungal community structure between the asphalt seep and non-asphalt seep sites, despite the presence of mass hydrocarbon deposits and the high amount of macro organisms surrounding the asphalt seeps. However, there were some differences in the minor fungal communities, with possible asphalt degrading fungi present specifically in the asphalt seep sites. In contrast, some differences were found between the two different sampling sites. Classification of OTUs revealed that only 47 (41.6%) fungal OTUs exhibited >97% sequence similarity, in comparison with pre-existing ITS sequences in public databases, indicating that a majority of deep-sea inhabiting fungal taxa still remain undescribed. Although our knowledge on fungi and their role in deep-sea environments is still limited and scarce, this study increases our understanding of fungal diversity and community structure in deep-sea environments.

Objectives To characterize the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) by plasma analysis of 750 patients at the time of HIV diagnosis from January 1, 2013 to November 16, 2016 in the Veneto region (Italy), where all drugs included in the recommended first line therapies were prescribed, included integrase strand transfer inhibitors (InNSTI). Methods TDRMs were defined according to the Stanford HIV database algorithm. Results Subtype B was the most prevalent HIV clade (67.3%). A total of 92 patients (12.3%) were expected to be resistant to one drug at least, most with a single class mutation (60/68–88.2% in subtype B infected subjectsand 23/24–95.8% in non-B subjects) and affecting mainly NNRTIs. No significant differences were observed between the prevalence rates of TDRMs involving one or more drugs, except for the presence of E138A quite only in patients with B subtype and other NNRTI in subjects with non-B infection. The diagnosis of primary/recent infection was made in 73 patients (9.7%): they had almost only TDRMs involving a single class. Resistance to InSTI was studied in 484 subjects (53 with primary-recent infection), one patient had 143C in 2016, a total of thirteen 157Q mutations were detected (only one in primary/recent infection). Conclusions Only one major InSTI-TDRM was identified but monitoring of TDRMs should continue in the light of continuing presence of NNRTI-related mutation amongst newly diagnosed subjects, sometime impacting also to modern NNRTI drugs recommended in first-line therapy.

Acquisitions of small high-tech firms by large incumbents are a prominent mechanism for external knowledge sourcing, whose success strictly depends on the choice of a wise post-acquisition implementation strategy. This paper theoretically discusses and empirically documents - on a sample of 458 deals in the 2001–2005 period - the antecedents of this choice by focusing on the integration-autonomy dilemma. Specifically, we jointly consider two main dimensions of the post-acquisition implementation: whether the acquiring firm absorbs the acquired one into its organization or keeps it separate as an autonomous subsidiary/business unit and whether the acquired CEO is replaced or retained. Separation with CEO retention corresponds to the minimum level of integration (and the maximum level of autonomy), whereas absorption with CEO replacement corresponds to the maximum level of integration (and the minimum level of autonomy.) We hypothesize that the acquiring firm chooses an implementation strategy with high level of integration when the acquired firm produces a component technology or operates in a related market. Indeed, in both cases, the interdependency between the two firms is high and thus the benefits of integration likely exceed the costs of the loss of autonomy. However, this positive association is weaker when the acquiring and acquired firms have common ground, originating from technological relatedness or prior alliances, which acts as a low-cost coordination mechanism. Results of econometric estimates largely confirm our hypotheses.

The intra-voxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model assumes that blood flowing in isotropically distributed capillary segments induces a phase dispersion of the MR signal, which increases the signal attenuation in diffusion-weighted images. However, in most tissue types the capillary network has an anisotropic micro-architecture. In this study, we investigated the possibility to indirectly infer the anisotropy of the capillary network in the healthy cerebral gray matter by evaluating the dependence of the IVIM signal from the direction of the diffusion-encoding. Perfusion-related indices and self-diffusion were modelled as symmetric rank 2 tensors. The geometry of the tensors was quantified pixel-wise by decomposing the tensor in sphere-like, plane-like, and line-like components. Additionally, trace and fractional anisotropy of the tensors were computed. While the self-diffusion tensor is dominated by a spherical geometry with a residual contribution of the non-spherical components, both, fraction of perfusion and pseudo-diffusion, present a substantial (in the order of 30%) contribution of planar and linear components to the tensor metrics. This study shows that the IVIM perfusion estimates in the cerebral gray matter present a detectable deviation from the spherical model. These non-spherical components may reflect the direction-dependent morphology of the microcirculation. Therefore, the tensor generalization of the IVIM model may provide a tool for the non-invasive monitoring of cerebral capillary micro-architecture during development, aging or in pathologies.

The objective of this study was to review literature about the correlation between fetal autopsy and ultrasound findings of fetal malformations. Search in PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Clinicl trials.org, reference list was performed. Inclusion criteria for studies selection were: fetal autopsy performed after termination of pregnancy (TOP) or stillbirth, TOP for fetal anomalies, prenatal diagnosis of malformations, data reported as proportional rates. Exclusion criteria: case reports, non English language, data reported in graphs or percentage. From each article: sample size, type of malformation, indication for TOP, autopsy findings. Fetal anomalies were grouped in central nervous system (CNS), genitourinary (GU), congenital heart defects (CHD), gastrointestinal (GI), thorax, limbs, skeleton, genetics (TOP for abnormal karyotype), multiples (TOP for multiple severe malformations for which a single indication for TOP/stillbirth could not be identified). Correspondence between autopsy and ultrasound was defined as agreement (same diagnosis), additional (additional findings undetected by ultrasound), unconfirmed (false positive and false negative ultrasound). PRISMA guidelines were followed. From 19 articles, 3534 fetuses underwent autopsy, which confirmed prenatal ultrasound in 2401 (68.0%) fetuses, provided additional information in 794 (22.5%) fetuses, and unconfirmed prenatal ultrasound in 329 (9.2%) fetuses. The latter group consisted of 3.2% false positive and 2.8% false negative cases. The additional findings changed the final diagnosis in 3.8% of cases. The most frequent indication for TOP/stillbirth was CNS anomalies (36.3%), whereas thorax anomalies represented the less frequent indication (1.7%). The highest agreement between autopsy and prenatal ultrasound was observed in CNS (79.4%) and genetics (79.2%), followed by GU anomalies (76.6%), skeleton (76.6%), CHD (75.5%), thorax (69.7%); GI (62.6%), multiple (37.0%), limbs (23.3%). In spite of the high agreement between prenatal ultrasound and autopsy, fetal examination is mandatory because in a minority of cases it discloses additional findings or changes the final diagnosis and genetic counselling.

This paper contributes to studies on dynamic capabilities (DCs) by showing that a neglected environmental contingency – i.e. the occurrence of a jolt – shapes the DCs–performance relationship. We focus on high-tech entrepreneurial ventures because these are the firms that jolts affect most; in so doing, we also advance the understanding of DCs in the entrepreneurship field. We argue that, in the aftermath of an environmental jolt, the high-tech entrepreneurial ventures that use internationalization and new product development capabilities to modify their resource configuration and regain environmental fit enjoy better performance. Econometric estimates on a sample of 340 Italian high-tech entrepreneurial ventures confronting the consequences of the global economic crisis that began in 2008 confirm that separately using these two DCs has a positive performance effect. This effect is stronger for relatively smaller ventures. Interestingly, despite synergies should arise from the combined use of the two DCs, we do not detect any superadditive effects.

Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in women worldwide. The reduced aggressiveness of breast cancer surgery has made it possible treat patients in the day surgery setting. The European Institute of Oncology, Milan, opened its new Day Center in May 2010. From May 2010 to December 2014, 17,087 patients with breast conditions were treated by the Institute's Division of Senology, 4132 (24.2%) of these in the day surgery setting, including malignant and benign conditions; 204 (4.9%) were not discharged on the day of surgery, being converted to inpatients; five (0.1%) patients returned to hospital for persistent hematoma. Our experience of performing breast cancer surgery in the day surgery setting is in line that of the literature. It is safe, but requires a well-organized unit and multidisciplinary medical team to function smoothly, with much attention paid to patient comfort and education, so as to ensure maximum patient acceptance and satisfaction.

Aim Evaluate the acute effects of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NiPPV) during high-intensity exercise on endothelial function in patients with coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF). Methods This is a randomized, double blinded, sham-controlled study involving 14 COPD-HF patients, who underwent a lung function test and Doppler echocardiography. On two different days, patients performed incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and two constant-work rate tests (80% of CPET peak) receiving Sham or NiPPV (bilevel mode - Astral 150) in a random order until the limit of tolerance (Tlim). Endothelial function was evaluated by flow mediated vasodilation (FMD) at three time points: 1) Baseline; 2) immediately post-exercise with NiPPV; and 3) immediately post-exercise with Sham. Results Our patients had a mean age of 70 ± 7 years, FEV1 1.9 ± 0.7 L and LVEF 41 ± 9%. NIPPV resulted in an increased Tlim (NiPPV: 130 ± 29s vs Sham: 98 ± 29s p = 0.015) and SpO2 (NiPPV: 94.7 ± 3.5% vs Sham: 92.7 ± 5.2% p = 0.03). Also, NiPPV was able to produce a significant increase in FMD (%) (NiPPV: 9.2 ± 3.1 vs Sham: 3.6 ± 0.7, p Conclusion NiPPV applied during high-intensity exercise can acutely modulate endothelial function and improve exercise tolerance in COPD-HF patients. In addition, the increase of SS positively influences exercise tolerance.

Riassunto Obiettivi La sclerodermia e una patologia autoimmune che comporta una progressiva fibrosi dei tessuti e colpisce in particolare il distretto oro-facciale rendendo molto difficoltose le procedure odontoiatriche. Questo lavoro descrive come e stata trattata una paziente affetta da sclerodermia che presentava una dentatura residua non piu mantenibile e desiderava una riabilitazione completa di entrambe le arcate con protesi fissa su impianti. Materiali e metodi Attraverso un attento studio del caso mediante radiografie tradizionali e tridimensionali, e stato applicato il protocollo Total Face Approach grazie al quale e stato possibile effettuare una progettazione del caso e la conseguente fabbricazione delle mascherine per la chirurgia guidata. A seguito delle condizioni di salute della paziente, per minimizzare lo stress si e deciso di eseguire l’intervento contemporaneamente in entrambe le arcate e dopo 48 ore e stato possibile consegnare due protesi a carico immediato. Risultati e conclusioni Dopo la fase di guarigione, nell’arcata superiore il definitivo e stato realizzato in ceramica su struttura in zirconia preparata con metodologia CAD-CAM, cementata su pilastri avvitati. Nell’arcata inferiore e stata invece posizionata una protesi avvitata tipo Toronto, prestando particolare attenzione alle problematiche di dimensione verticale e ingombri protesici, amplificate dalla patologia della paziente. La paziente e stata infine inserita in un programma di mantenimento implantare bimestrale al fine di supportarla nelle manovre di igiene, rese difficoltose dalla patologia sistemica.

Aim It is established that axillary dissection (AD) can be safely avoided in breast cancer patients with a negative sentinel node (SN). In the present study we assessed whether the rate of axillary disease was sufficiently low on long term follow-up to consolidate the policy of AD avoidance. Methods We retrospectively analysed data on 5262 consecutive primary breast cancer patients with clinically negative axilla and negative SN, treated from 1996 to 2006, who did not receive AD. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to assess the influence of patient and tumour characteristics on first events and survival. The primary endpoint was the development of axillary disease as first event. Results After a median follow-up of 7.0 years (interquartile range 5.4–8.9 years) survival for the series was high (91.3%; 95% CI 90.3–92.3 at 10 years) and only 91 (1.7%) patients developed axillary disease as first event. Axillary disease was significantly more frequent in patients with the following characteristics: 1 cm, multifocality/multicentricity, G3, ductal histotype, Ki67 ≥ 30%, peritumoral vascular invasion, luminal B-like subtype, HER2 positivity, mastectomy, and not receiving radiotherapy. Conclusion Long-term follow-up of our large series confirms that axillary metastasis is infrequent when AD is omitted in SN-negative breast cancer patients, and has low impact on overall survival.

Chorionicity is the main determinant of the perinatal outcome in twin pregnancies: perinatal mortality and morbidity are significantly higher in monochorionic versus dichorionic twins. This is mainly due to complications associated specifically with monochorionicity, such as twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), selective fetal growth restriction (FGR) and twin reverse arterial perfusion syndrome (TRAP), consequences of the presence of inter-twin vascular anastomoses in the common placenta. For this reason the diagnosis of chorionicity in twins is of clinical importance in order to plan an increased surveillance in monochorionic gestations and to recognize the appearance of complications in their early stages. Different sonographic signs may be used to evaluate chorionicity: number of placental masses, sex of the fetuses, characteristics of the intertwine membrane. The last one is surely the most useful and valuable tool: the take-off of the membrane from the placental surface shows the typical “lambda” appearance in dichorionic pregnancy and the typical “T” appearance in the monochorionic ones. In this article the sonographic features that help in the accurate depiction of chorionicity are reviewed.

The management of isolated oligohydramnios (IO) in post/term pregnancies is controversial. The aim of this paper was to review outcomes of term and post-term pregnancies with IO versus normal amniotic fluid (AF) at labor assessment.A search in PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and reference lists was performed. Inclusion criteria for articles selection: singleton pregnancy, definition of olgohydramnios as AFI5cm, AF assessment at 37-42 gestational weeks.fetal malformations, preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, intrauterine growth restriction. Perinatal outcomes were: obstetric intervention for non-reassuring fetal heart rate (cesarean section, operative delivery), meconium-stained AF, Apgar score7 at 5min, umbilical artery pH7.0, small for gestational age infants (SGA), admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and perinatal death. Meta-analysis compared outcomes of pregnancies with IO vs normal AF. Inter-studies heterogeneity was tested. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Differences between the two groups were considered significant if 95% CI did not encompass 1. MOOSE guidelines were followed.Four articles provided 679 (17.2%) cases with IO and 3264 (82.8%) with normal AF. Obstetric interventions occurred more frequently in the IO than normal AF group (IO: 89/679, 13% vs normal; AF: 166/3354, 5%; OR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.00-5.29). Meta-analysis did not show differences with regard to meconium, Apgar, pH, SGA, NICU and perinatal death.In term or post-term pregnancies, IO is associated with increased risk of obstetric interventions but outcomes are similar to those of pregnancies with normal AF.

This paper advances our comprehension of how firms organise to in-source technical knowledge from communities of users and developers. Specifically, the paper focuses on software firms doing business with the Open Source Software (OSS) community (OSS firms). It explores the antecedents of the adoption by OSS firms of a quite popular organisational practice: authorising firm programmers to contribute autonomously during their working hours to OSS projects to which their employers do not contribute on their own behalf. We argue that this practice serves the purpose of scouting the OSS community for new knowledge by leveraging the individual-level absorptive abilities of programmers. Accordingly, we expect the likelihood of its adoption is higher for the OSS firms that: i) must rely on the individual-level abilities of their programmers to acquire and assimilate new knowledge from the OSS community as they have smaller firm-level potential absorptive capacity; ii) are able to transform and exploit effectively the new knowledge in-sourced by their programmers as they have greater firm-level realised absorptive capacity. The econometric results based on data from 293 European OSS firms provide support to our hypotheses.

In this paper we shall examine homeownership trends over the past 3 to 4 decades and discuss differences related to the homeownership gap for women and men, with a focus on most recent trends. We shall compare differences in the US to those in countries with different institutional structures and shall pay particular attention to differences across family types. Our estimation techniques will allow us to discuss the role of determinants from a gender perspective. We find that single women are better off than single men without children and a reverse trend exists in families with children. The general negative effect for women remains for younger cohorts in the face of risking homeownership. The latest crisis did not change the general long-running trend of the homeownership gap except for the US and France. The findings of this paper could provide an international perspective on differential homeownership rates among women and men, across countries and over time. Given that the value of one’s own home (home equity) is the largest financial reserve in a household’s wealth portfolio, it is important to have a better understanding of the differences resulting from gender and family types.

This paper provides an overview of the main perspectives and themes emerging in research on open innovation. The paper is the result of a collaborative process among several open innovation scholars — having a common basis in the recurrent Professional Development Workshop (PDW) on “Researching Open Innovation” at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management. In this paper, we present opportunities for future research on open innovation, organized at different levels of analysis. We discuss some of the contingencies at these different levels, and argue that future research needs to study open innovation — originally an organizational-level phenomenon — across multiple levels of analysis. While our integrative framework allows comparing, contrasting, and integrating different perspectives at different levels of analysis, further theorizing will be needed to advance open innovation research. On this basis, we propose some new research categories as well as questions for future research — particularly those that span across research domains that have so far developed in isolation.

The evolution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the role of different variants during antiviral therapy may be influenced by HBV genotype. We have therefore analysed substitutions potentially related to nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) resistance at 42 positions within RT-region in a cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B in relation to HBV-genotype. RT mutations analysis was performed by direct sequencing in 200 NAs-naïve patients and in 64 LAM or LAM+ADV experienced patients with NAs resistance, infected mainly by HBV-genotypes D and A. 27 polymorphic-sites were identified among the 42 positions analysed and 64 novel mutations were detected in 23 positions. Genotype-D displayed the highest mutation frequency (6.4%) among all HBV-genotypes analysed. Single or multiple mutations were detected in 80% of naïve patients. Overall, the most frequent single mutations were at residues rt54, rt53 and rt91 which may associate with significantly lower HBV-DNA levels (p=0.001). Comparison with sequencing data of patients failing LMV or LAM+ADV therapy revealed an higher frequency of novel genotype-specific mutations if compared with naïve patients: 3 mutations under LAM monotherapy in HBV-D (rtS85F; rtL91I; rtC256G) and 3 mutations under ADV therapy in HBV-A (rtI53V; rtW153R; rtF221Y). In HBV-D treated patients the dominant resistance mutation was rtL80V (31.4%) and rtM204I (60%) in LAM+ADV group while LAM-treated patients showed a preference of rtM204V (51.9%). Interestingly, none of HBV-A patients had mutation rtM204I under ADV add-on treatment but all of them had the "V" AA substitution. These results suggested that in patients with CHB, HBV-genotype might be relevant in the evolution and development of drug resistance showing also different mutation patterns in the YMDD motif between HBV genotype D and A.

The aim of this study is to review literature about the efficacy of low dose aspirin (LDA) and vitamins C/E (VCE) to prevent pre-eclampsia in women at high and low risk. Randomized clinical trials were included and stratified for high and low risk women. Inclusion criteria were: assignment of patients in treated or placebo groups, definition of pre-eclampsia according to the guidelines of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Exclusion criteria were: omitting at least one of the inclusion criteria, trials involving women with pre-eclampsia at trial entry, studies investigating hypertensive disorders other than pre-eclampsia, prophylaxis of intrauterine growth restriction with low-dose aspirin or vitamins C/E, non-randomized studies and data reported in graphs or percentages. The incidence of pre-eclampsia, perinatal outcomes and adverse effects attributable to LDA and VCE were compared between treated women and placebo. Inter-studies heterogeneity was tested. P0.05 was considered significant. pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Fifteen studies were pooled. LDA did not decrease the incidence of pre-eclampsia in high-risk (396/5025 - 8% vs placebo: 464/5027 - 9%; P=0.05; OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.51-1.00) and low-risk (137/4939 - 3% vs placebo: 166/4962 - 3%; P=0.10; OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.65-1.04) women. Similarly, VCE did not reduce the incidence of pre-eclampsia in high-risk (VCE: 250/1744 - 14% vs placebo: 275/1741 - 16%; P=0.24; OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.63-1.12) and low-risk (VCE: 56/935 - 6% vs placebo 47/942 - 5%; P=0.57; OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 0.82-1.75) women. In high-risk women, other hypertensive disorders were more frequent in VCE (121/1692 - 7%) than placebo (79/1693 - 5%; P=0.002). Perinatal outcomes were not improved by LDA or VCE.there is no evidence to support the administration of LDA or VCE to prevent pre-eclampsia.

Open Source (OS) was born as a pragmatic alternative to the ideology of Free Software and it is now increasingly seen by companies as a new approach to developing and making business upon software. Whereas the role of firms is clear for commercial OS projects, it still needs investigation for projects based on communities. This paper analyses the impact of firms' participation on popularity and internal software design quality for 643 SourceForge.net projects. Results show that firms' involvement improves the ranking of OS projects, but, on the other hand, puts corporate constraints to OS developing practices, thus leading to lower structural software design quality.

The aim of this study was to review literature concerning selective feticide (SF) in monochorionic pregnancies complicated with twin-twin transfusion syndrome, twin reversed arterial perfusion, severe malformation, and discordant growth. The remaining twins' outcomes were stratified for indication and surgical technique. Three hundred forty-five cases of SF were reviewed. Premature rupture of membranes was described in all the procedures and complicated 76/345 (22%) pregnancies within 4 postoperative weeks (59%) or later (41%; P = .52). Fetal demise accounted for 51/345 (15%), more frequently within 2 postoperative weeks (79%) than thereafter (21%; P = .004; odds ratio [OR], 6.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.81-20.70). Improved survival rate was achieved in surgeries after 18 weeks (89%) than earlier (69%; P = .02; OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10-0.80) without differences for indication. Survivors were 86% after radiofrequency ablation, 82% after bipolar cord coagulation, 72% after laser cord coagulation, 70% after cord ligation. In spite of favorable outcomes, the optimal surgical approach remains undetermined.

Spatial susceptibility variations of body components lead to local gradients of the static magnetic field. Effects of such background gradients on fractional diffusion anisotropy (FA) measurements on whole-body magnetic resonance units operating at 1.5, 3.0 and 7.0 T were analyzed theoretically and experimentally. Analytical expressions were derived for the cases of diffusion occurring in isotropic media and in tissues with cylindrical symmetry (e.g., white matter tracts or skeletal musculature). Typical magnitudes of background gradient strengths were estimated from in vivo and in vitro measurements with B0 field mapping sequences. Additionally, numerical simulations of magnetic field distributions and resulting field gradients were performed considering tissue–air interfaces in simplified geometrical arrangements. For media with isotropic diffusion, both measurements and analytical calculations showed increasing FA inaccuracy with stronger coupling between diffusion-encoding and background gradients. For cylindrical symmetry, FA values were estimated for a standard diffusion tensor imaging protocol in a realistic scenario. At 1 mm distance from a water–air interface, susceptibility-related background gradients amount to approximately 9 mT/m at 7 T and lead to a relative error of the measured FA of up to 48%. The error in the anisotropy assessment rises considerably with increasing field strength and must be taken into account especially for experimental and clinical studies on modern high-field systems.

This study reviewed maternal morbidity following trial of labor (TOL) after cesarean section, compared with elective repeat cesarean delivery (ERCS). Articles were pooled to compare women planning vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) with those undergoing ERCS with regard to maternal morbidity (MM), uterine rupture/dehiscence (UR/D), blood transfusion (BT), and hysterectomy. The former group was subdivided into successful VBAC (S-VBAC) and failed TOL (F-TOL). VBAC was successful in 17,905 of 24,349 patients (73%). MM, BT, and hysterectomy were similar in women planning VBAC or ERCS, whereas UR/D was different (1.3%; 0,4%). MM, UR/D, BT and hysterectomy were more common after F-TOL (17%, 4.4%, 3%; 0.5%) than after S-VBAC (3.1%, 0.2%, 1.1%; 0.1%) or ERCS (4.3%, 0.4%, 1%; 0.3%). Outcomes were more favorable in S-VBAC than ERCS. These findings show that a higher risk of UR/D in women planning VBAC than ERCS is counterbalanced by reduction of MM, UR/D. and hysterectomy when VBAC is successful.

The objective of the study was to review current controversy on laser therapy (LT) vs serial amnioreduction (SA) performed for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).A search in PubMed from 1997-2007 was performed. Inclusion criteria were diamniotic monochorionic pregnancy, TTTS diagnosed with standard parameters, and peri- and neonatal outcomes well defined. Triplets and investigations on other topics of TTTS rather than perinatal outcomes were excluded. A metaanalysis was performed by fixed-effect model (heterogeneity25%).Ten articles provided 611 cases of TTTS (LT: 70%; SA: 30%) and included 4 studies comparing the 2 treatments (395 cases: LT, 58%; SA, 42%). Fetuses undergoing LT were more likely to survive than fetuses undergoing SA (overall survival rate: P.0001; odds ratio [OR], 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52-2.76; neonatal death: P.0001; OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.40; neurologic morbidity: P.0001; OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.12-0.33).This metaanalysis shows that LT is associated with better outcomes than SA and proposes new topics for future research.

Objective To investigate the role of adjuvant treatment with gonadotropin-releasing-hormone agonist (GnRHa) following conservative surgical treatment of endometriosis. Study design Sixty patients in the reproductive age (mean age 28.6 years), with symptomatic stages III and IV endometriosis following laparoscopic surgery and without previous hormonal treatment were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, controlled trial to compare the effects of 3-month treatment with triptorelin depot—3.75 i.m. (30 patients) versus expectant management using placebo injection (30 patients). Results Six patients (one in triptorelin group and five in placebo group) were lost at follow-up, the remaining 54 were suitable for analysis. Pelvic pain persistence or recurrence, endometrioma relapses and pregnancy rate were evaluated during a 5-year follow-up. The results of 29 cases treated with triptorelin and 25 that received placebo did not show significant differences in pain recurrence ( P = 1, RR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.57–1.55), endometrioma relapse ( P = 0.67, RR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.66–2.50), and pregnancy rate in infertile women ( P = 0.80, RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.37–1.80). Curves of time of pain recurrence and pregnancy during 5-year follow-up did not show significant differences between the two groups ( P = 0.79 and P = 0.51, respectively, using Mantel–Haenzsel logrank test). Conclusion Triptorelin treatment after operative laparoscopy for stage III/IV endometriosis does not appear to be superior to expectant management in terms of prevention of symptoms recurrence and endometrioma relapse, and has no influence on pregnancy rate in endometriosis-associated infertility.

MEN 15596 is a small molecule, potent and selective antagonist of NK 2 receptor, possessing high affinity and potency at the guinea-pig and human receptors whose pharmacological characterization has been recently published. Here we report how the corresponding class of compounds was derived from a tri-peptide library and the first optimization round to improve both in vitro activity and physicochemical properties.

In this paper we examine the effect of widowhood on asset trajectories. In many industrialized countries, close to half of households are headed by women single, divorced, separated or widowed and therefore their ability to make financial decisions is crucial for their economic well-being as well as their dependents’. Meanwhile, research has found that women tend to be less involved with the stock market and have lower financial sophistication, leaving them out of an important way of accumulating resources via investing and saving. At the same time their higher risk aversion may have sheltered them from some of the effects of the financial crisis. For a two-adult household, the portfolio structure is likely to reflect preferences of the main financial decision maker (usually the husband). When widowhood occurs it could be that singles re-optimize their decisions according to their own preferences. We test this by examining whether there is a change in the wealth accumulation for households (over 60) that have experienced the shock of becoming widowed. Our results indicate there to be an initially statistically significant effect of widowhood on wealth -- differential for women and men. The effect disappears once we control for health insurance, but re-appears several years after the shock suggesting a differential willingness to save for women and men.

Data on top management teams (TMTs) organizational design are rarely available from secondary sources, like commercial databases or balance sheets. Consequently, to comprehend fully how TMTs are organized, researchers have to collect data directly from the key informants, i.e., Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and the other top executives. Despite good practices available in the literature, taking surveys on these individuals is a difficult endower, especially in case of non-US and unlisted firms. This paper reports about the StiMa project: the successful case of a survey addressed to Italian CEOs. We describe in details all the steps we followed in preparing and administering the survey and the additional data collection from secondary sources, through which we integrated survey data. In so doing, we aim to transfer researchers the lessons we learned from our experience and to offer them suggestions for successfully collecting survey data on organizational elements.

In this paper, we jointly consider the organization of the Top Management Team (hereafter: TMT) and the exploitation of opportunities by firms. Specifically, we study whether different ways to combine six main organizational elements of the TMT (i.e., different TMT configurations) relate to opportunities exploited by the firm. Applying a cluster analysis to a sample of 237 Italian firms, collected through a large-scale survey addressed to CEOs, we found three well-characterized clusters, which deploy different configurations of the selected organizational elements. We label these configurations as CEO centric TMT, integrated TMT, and incentive based TMT. Then, we find these TMT organizational configurations are associated with different levels of opportunity exploitation. In particular, integrated TMT and incentive based TMT perform better in exploiting opportunities in general and opportunities related to changes in processes, products and markets. Moreover, integrated TMT are positively related to opportunities associated with changes in the organization.

The influence of different parameters on the activity of the β-1,4-galactosyltransferase (β-1,4-GalT) from bovine milk has been investigated using various acceptor and donor substrates. It was found that the “specifier” protein α-lactalbumin (α-LA), which interacts with β-1,4-GalT forming the lactose synthase (LS) complex, is not necessary when the acceptors are different glucopyranosides, and, in some cases, it can even have an inhibitory effect, like with the complex glucosides ginsenoside Rg1 (1) and colchicoside (2). By optimization of the reaction conditions, the galactosylated and glucosylated derivatives of 2 were prepared, using UDP-Gal and UDP-Glc as sugar donors, respectively, and characterized. Moreover, β-1,4-GalT was covalently immobilized on Eupergit C 250 L in the absence of α-LA, and the synthetic performances of this immobilized biocatalyst were evaluated. Finally, the best organic cosolvents to be used both with β-1,4-GalT and the LS complex were identified.

Background Sudden cardiac death (SDC) is responsible for approximately 60–70% of deaths in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. Recently, microvolt-level T wave alternans has been proposed as a new noninvasive tool to identify CHF patients at risk for SCD and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF). Objectives To determine the prognostic value of MTWA in NYHA class II patients. Methods Among 181 consecutive CHF patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy, 73 patients in NYHA class II with left ventricular ejection fraction Results MTWA was positive in 30 (41%) patients, negative in 26(36%) patients and indeterminate in 17 (23%) patients. During an average follow-up of 17.1±7.4 months, seven patients had an arrhythmic event in the MTWA positive group, whereas one and no events occurred in the indeterminate and negative group, respectively. From Kaplan–Meier univariate analysis and multivariate Cox analysis, MTWA was a significant arrhythmic risk stratifier ( p =0.01 and p =0.03, respectively). Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of MTWA were 100%, 53%, 100% and 24%, respectively. Conclusion Our data suggest that MTWA is a promising predictor of arrhythmic events in NYHA class II CHF patients.

A deep UV photodetector with Metal/Diamond/Vacuum (MDV)-type structure has been developed on CsI coated polycrystalline diamond film. The device operation is based on the simultaneous collection of both photogenerated carriers by internal drift and photoelectrons emitted in the vacuum. The performance of the detectors have been analyzed by measuring the total photosignal obtained when only an anode voltage is applied. The spectral distribution of such a photosignal reflects both the photoemission and photocurrent characteristics, which are combined together. In a simple model, the principle of operation of such device has been described in terms of two capacitors connected in series, with the applied anode voltage partitioned between the diamond film and the vacuum, depending on their dielectric constant and thickness values. It will be shown that photomodulation of the diamond surface voltage is able to add the spectral characteristics of photocurrent signal to those of photoemission and to increase the device responsivity with respect to conventional detector structures.

The development of NMR diffusion imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has offered the possibility of studying the porous structures beyond anatomical imaging. In fact, random molecular motions, within tissue components, probe tissue microstructures. Up to now, the DTI method was mainly used to investigate cerebral morphology and study white matter diseases. In this study, it has been applied to trabecular bone marrow analysis to obtain structural information on spongy bone tissue. Our first results show that DTI could represent an important tool in studying the microstructural architecture of the trabecular bone as well as the microarchitecture of porous media.

Metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM ) diamond structures are investigated for radiation detection in the UV and X-ray spectralrange. Several priming procedures by UV or X-ray irradiation are carried out in order to overcome device performance limitationsrelated to the film polycrystalline structure. Sub-bandgap spectral responses monitored after different priming steps by UV laserpulses or X-ray beams exhibit a modification of trap occupancy, particularly in the 1–3 eV energy range. These variations appearresponsible for both an increase of the minority carrier lifetime product and a radiation-induced barrier lowering, as deduced byphotoelectric characteristics modeling. 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Diamond properties and applications; Priming; Detectors; Carrier trapping 1. IntroductionDiamond films deposited by chemical vapor deposi-tion (CVD ) techniques are ideal candidates for photondetection in a wide energy range, covering from UV toX-ray w1–3 x. Owing to the extremely high radiationhardness of diamond, a further extension of detectioncapability towards high energy beams appears veryattractive and is currently widely investigated w3,4x.However, due to the polycrystalline structure of thesefilms, the real performances of diamond based detectorsare still far from ideal, both in terms of sensitivity andresponse times. In order to circumvent these problems,device exposure to a high intensity ionizing radiationprior to the device operation is usually performed w4–6 x. The effect of this curing procedure (called primingor pumping ) is generally attributed to saturation ofelectrically active defects w4x. Many authors havealready demonstrated the effectiveness of priming forthe improvement of collection efficiency values w3,7x.However, the priming process itself, the nature oftrapping states involved, their density and energy distri-bution need to be further investigated. Indeed, rather

UV detection performances of planar metal–diamond–metal devices have been analysed as a function of the distance between the two metal contacts. In particular, underlying the importance of the penetration depth of electric field lines, it is shown that good characteristics are obtained by means of a contact distance comparable to the absorption length of UV photons to be detected. In addition, the importance of chemical treatment in a sulphochromic mixture, able to reduce leakage current in the planar contact configuration, is also discussed.

Starting from in-house capped tripeptide libraries, we have developed two series of compounds as potent antagonists of the hNK2 receptor with a reduced peptide character. These two series maintained a crucial amide bond, which could not be methylated or substituted with classical isostere without a dramatic loss in binding affinity, very likely due conformational changes. We report here the planning, synthesis and evaluation of molecules belonging to the selected chemical series, which contain a strategically placed hydrogen bond acceptor. The aim of the work was to improve membrane permeability via the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and at the same time to maintain the structural characteristics geometry and polarity of the amide linkage so as to retain a relevant binding affinity for the biological target.

We investigate the differences in venture capital (VC) governance of investee firms with Open Business Models (OBMs), specifically Open Source Software (OSS), versus closed business models. Due to OSS’s pronounced complexity and uncertainty, we conjecture that VC-backed OSS firms are more frequently staged and syndicated. We present robust empirical evidence from the US that OSS ventures have more financing rounds and are more likely to be syndicated, and mixed evidence that OSS ventures have a larger number of syndicated investors.

Electron emission properties of diamond films with different microstructures have been investigated by field- and photo-emission measurements. Both the crystalline quality of diamond and the amount of non-diamond carbon phases appear to largely affect the energy threshold for electron photoemission, as well as its intensity and spectral distribution, suggesting different types of transition occurring below and above the diamond band gap energy. A similar dependence on the amount of non-diamond carbon phases was also found for electric field threshold in field-emission measurements, where electric field enhancement effects related to the change of film morphology were also detected. The experimental results are discussed in terms of excitation of electrons out of defect states related to the diamond surface.

Optical and electrical properties of silicon nanocrystals formed by CW laser-treated hydrogenated amorphous silicon-oxygen alloys have been investigated as a function of the irradiation time, for different laser power densities and alloy compositions. Raman scattering measurements indicate that laser irradiation yields a mixed phase structure consisting of silicon nanocrystals (Si nc ) embedded in an oxygen-rich amorphous matrix. It is shown that both photoluminescence (PL) and electrical characteristics clearly reflect this phase separation, resulting in a wavelength-dependent PL excitation and spectral features. Largely different conduction paths related to carrier transport within Si nc and intergrain oxide are also detected.

We empirically investigate firm dissolution in high-tech sectors by distinguishing between closure and merger/acquisition (M&A) and discussing the different antecedents of the effects of age and initial size on the two dissolution types.

High vascular morbidity and mortality is associated with acromegaly. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of octreotide therapy on several known cardiovascular risk factors and to correlate them with octreotide-induced hormonal changes. Lipid levels, LDL particle size distribution as evaluated by single vertical spin density gradient ultracentrifugation, apolipoproteins AI and B, lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] concentrations and apo(a) phenotypes were evaluated in 20 non-diabetic acromegalic patients (6 M, 14 F), with normal thyroid, adrenal and gonadal function, aged 29‐66 years. Normal subjects (20), matched for age, sex and BMI served as control for lipid variables. Acromegalic patients were characterized by lower HDL cholesterol (and apoA-I) and by higher Lp(a) concentrations in comparison to controls. Treatment with octreotide (100 mg t.i.d. for 3 months) led to: an increase in HDL cholesterol (median: 22%), a decrease in LDL cholesterol ( 14%) and a decrease of the Lp(a) levels (all phenotypes) (28%). The expected decreases of IGF-I levels (median: 48%) and 7-h AUC of GH ( 50%), insulin (40%), and glucagon (20%) were observed. Only Lp(a) modifications showed a correlation with GH modifications. The study of LDL physical properties showed that acromegalic patients had smaller and:or more dense LDL particles, in comparison with normal controls (relative flotation rate, Rf: 0.4090.03 versus 0.429 0.02 PB 0.05), an alteration that might contribute to the high vascular risk of acromegalic patients. However, the LDL subfraction distribution remained unmodified during octreotide therapy (Rf 0.3990.03). In conclusion, this study shows that in acromegalic patients octreotide treatment is indeed associated with an amelioration of some lipoprotein parameters, i.e. LDL, HDL, and Lp(a) concentrations. However, this treatment has no effect on the small and:or dense LDL particles present in these patients. © 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.