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A partire dalla considerazione che il cambiamento strategico rappresenta una tema centrale negli studi di management e strategia, lo studio si propone di investigare le decisioni strategiche delle imprese in contesti caratterizzati da elevati livelli di dinamismo. Inoltre, l'introduzione in letteratura della variabile che misura l'esperienza digitale del board, intesa come rapporto tra membri con esperienza professionale in ambiti digital-related e il totale dei componenti del board, consente di valutare l'impatto sul metodo (fusioni e acquisizioni, alleanze strategiche e joint venture) e sull'ampiezza (diversificazione e internazionalizzazione) del cambiamento strategico. I risultati dimostrano l'associazione non solo tra maggiore dinamismo ambientale e cambiamento esperienza digitale del board e lo stesso cambiamento strategico d'impresa. Le implicazioni teoriche e pratiche consentono di apprezzare il coinvolgimento del board non solo nel controllo, ma anche nella direzione strategica dell'impresa, e di comprendere come le imprese decidano di orchestrare il proprio set di capacità dinamiche per allinearsi ai cambiamenti esterni.&nbsp

In this study we present for the first time, an in vitro model based on a muscle-derived cell line from a Cuvier's Beaked whale male. This cell line represents a new opportunity to testing toxic effects of water pollutants, in Cuvier's Beaked living cells. Cell line characterization included karyotyping, assessment of growth rate and ultrastructural analysis. The population doubling time was determined to be ~54 h. The karyotype analysis revealed the presence chromosomes pairs 2n = 42. Immunohistochemical studies showed that cells express actin, vimentin and desmin. This cell line, represents a new opportunity to understand the physiological of the Ziphius cells and provide a novel in vitromodel to investigate alterations due to waters pollutants.

This work reports on dye sensitized photoanodes for C-H activation in organic substrates, assembled by vacuum sublimation of a commercially available quinacridone (QNC) dye in the form of nanosized rods onto Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), TiO2 and SnO2 slides. The photoanodes display extended absorption in the visible (450-600 nm) and ultrafast photoinduced electron injection (1 ps, as revealed by transient absorption spectroscopy) of the QNC dye into the semiconductor. The proton-coupled electron-transfer reactivity of QNC is exploited for generating a nitrogen-based radical as its oxidized form, which is competent in C-H bond activation. In particular, the key reactivity parameter is the bond dissociation free energy (BDFE) associated with the N•/N-H couple in QNC of 80.5±2.3 kcalmol-1, which enables hydrogen atom abstraction from allylic or benzylic C-H moieties. A photoelectrochemical response is indeed observed for organic substrates characterized by C-H bonds with BDFE below the 80.5 kcalmol-1 threshold, such as γ-terpinene, xanthene, dihydroanthracene. This work opens a rationale and mechanistically oriented design of dye-sensitized photoelectrodes for selective organic transformations.

Introdução: As fístulas arteriovenosas durais intracranianas (FAVD) são oriundas de anastomoses patológicas entre artérias meníngeas e seios venosos durais e/ou veias corticais. Localizam-se mais comumente na junção transverso-sigmoide. A etiologia das FAVD é variável, sendo a maioria adquirida de forma idiopática. É uma condição rara que representa 10-15% das malformações vasculares intracranianas. Objetivo: Traçar o perfil epidemiológico das FAVD em um centro de referência da região metropolitana de Curitiba. Metodologia: Estudo retrospectivo transversal observacional que consiste na revisão de laudos do exame de arteriografia em 3.898 pacientes que foram atendidos no serviço da Hemodinâmica do Hospital do Rocio no período de setembro de 2014 a dezembro de 2018. Resultados: Dos 3.898 pacientes estudados, 15 tinham FAVD sendo 11 homens (73%) e quatro mulheres (27%). A idade de início dos sintomas foi em média de 56,13 ± 14,81 anos. Os sintomas de apresentação foram agrupados de acordo com o modelo de agressividade clínica descrito por Cognard et al. Conclusão: A maioria dos pacientes é portadora de lesão localizada no seio sigmoide/transverso (SS/ST) e seio cavernoso (SC), e apresenta majoritariamente DVC (classificações II ou III de Borden). A presença de tinnitus ou de sintomas orbitários deve levantar a suspeita clínica sobre FAVD nas localizações SS/ST e SC, respectivamente. Os pacientes cujo tratamento eleito foi a abordagem endovascular transarterial obteve benefício clínico e angiográfico.

PurposeThis article investigates the relationship between family ownership and export performance in the context of SMEs while also considering the moderating role of the financial dimension and, in particular, financial constraints and financial flexibility.Design/methodology/approachWe select a sample of 1,132 Italian SMEs to examine through an econometric analysis the role and impact of family ownership and the financial moderating variables being used on their export performance.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a U-shaped relationship between family ownership and export performance: the highest levels of export performance correspond to the lowest and highest family ownership levels, whereas when a mixture of family and nonfamily ownership exists, the performance suffers because of “conflicting voices” dominating strategic visions and approaches, harming the firm's export commitment. Moreover, the findings show that lower financial constraints and/or stronger financial flexibility improve the relationship between family ownership and export performance.Research limitations/implicationsOur findings show that the ownership structure is important for export performance; in particular, firms should avoid a mixture between family and nonfamily ownership because it is detrimental to export performance. Moreover, Italian SMEs need to develop sources of financing other than the banking channel, and policy makers should favour this process to overcome financial constraint problems and improve financial flexibility. Limitations concern the use of other econometric approaches and measurement variables to further investigate the connection between family ownership and export performance.Originality/valueThe present study enhances the comprehension of the complex relationship between family ownership and export performance by documenting the relevance of the level of family ownership and considering the moderating role of financial constraints and flexibility.

Cetartiodactyls include terrestrial and marine species, all generally endowed with a comparatively lateral position of their eyes and a relatively limited binocular field of vision. To this day, our understanding of the visual system in mammals beyond the few studied animal models remains limited. In the present study, we examined the primary visual cortex of Cetartiodactyls that live on land (sheep, Père David deer, giraffe); in the sea (bottlenose dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, Cuvier’s beaked whale, sperm whale and fin whale); or in an amphibious environment (hippopotamus). We also sampled and studied the visual cortex of the horse (a closely related perissodactyl) and two primates (chimpanzee and pig-tailed macaque) for comparison. Our histochemical and immunohistochemical results indicate that the visual cortex of Cetartiodactyls is characterized by a peculiar organization, structure, and complexity of the cortical column. We noted a general lesser lamination compared to simians, with diminished density, and an apparent simplification of the intra- and extra-columnar connections. The presence and distribution of calcium-binding proteins indicated a notable absence of parvalbumin in water species and a strong reduction of layer 4, usually enlarged in the striated cortex, seemingly replaced by a more diffuse distribution in neighboring layers. Consequently, thalamo-cortical inputs are apparently directed to the higher layers of the column. Computer analyses and statistical evaluation of the data confirmed the results and indicated a substantial correlation between eye placement and cortical structure, with a markedly segregated pattern in cetaceans compared to other mammals. Furthermore, cetacean species showed several types of cortical lamination which may reflect differences in function, possibly related to depth of foraging and consequent progressive disappearance of light, and increased importance of echolocation.

This article analyzes the impact of the recent international crisis on commercial relations between Brazil and the other BRICS countries (Russia, India, China and South Africa). The methodology consisted of the analysis of governments' and international organizations' documents and reports on international trade. To perform the analysis, firstly, an overview on the general characteristics of the economies of these four trading partners is presented, especially regarding the consequences of the international crisis in each of these economies. After that, the trade relations of the four countries with Brazil in the last decade are reviewed. Our results suggest that bilateral trade between Brazil and the other BRICS countries, which are not characterized as traditional trade partners, has been assuming an increasing importance., Este artigo analisa o impacto da crise internacional atual nas relações comerciais do Brasil com os demais países dos BRICS (Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul). A metodologia consistiu em análise de documentos e relatórios de governos e organizações internacionais sobre comercio internacional. Para realizar a análise, primeiramente, é apresentado um panorama das características gerais das economias desses quatro parceiros comerciais, especialmente no que tange aos reflexos da crise internacional em cada uma delas. Em seguida, analisam-se as relações comerciais de cada país com o Brasil na ultima década. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que o comércio bilateral entre o Brasil e os demais BRICS, os quais não são caracterizados como parceiros comerciais tradicionais, tem assumido uma importância crescente.

The visual system of cetaceans is at best poorly understood. With a handful of electrophysiological studies and a limited number of histological preparations from well-preserved specimen, the investigation of the principles underlying the cortical organization in cetaceans remains a challenge. In the course of our current investigation, we identified the transition from V2 to V1 in the long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas, only recognizable through immunocytochemistry, and a similar if not homologue transition in the sheep Ovis aries. Our results emphasize the importance of differential pattern recognition in which the application of different markers uncovers a diversity in a delphinid's cortex, formerly widely considered as uniform and archetypal. In fact, the evidence that we present suggests the existence of relatively unacknowledged areas beyond the well-known sensory territories in cetaceans.

Areas dedicated to higher brain functions such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are thought to be unique to hominidae. The OFC is involved in social behavior, reward and punishment encoding and emotional control. Here, we focused on the putative corresponding area in the sheep to assess its homology to the OFC in humans. We used classical histology in five sheep (Ovis aries) and four chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as a six-layered-cortex primate, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) in three sheep and five human brains. Nissl’s staining exhibited a certain alteration in cortical lamination since no layer IV was found in the sheep. A reduction of the total cortical thickness was also evident together with a reduction of the prevalence of layer one and an increased layer two on the total thickness. Tractography of the sheep OFC, on the other hand, revealed similarities both with human tracts and those described in the literature, as well as a higher number of cortico-cortical fibers connecting the OFC with the visual areas in the right hemisphere. Our results evidenced the presence of the basic components necessary for complex abstract thought in the sheep and a pronounced laterality, often associated with greater efficiency of a certain function, suggested an evolutionary adaptation of this prey species.