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Collaboration between universities and micro, small and medium firms: A structured literature review
No full textThis paper aims to provide a new perspective on the collaboration between Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (M&SMEs) and universities. It seeks to address a gap in the existing literature, which predominantly focuses on the analysis of collaboration between large firms and universities. This partnership is widely regarded as mutually beneficial, as M&SMEs can gain a competitive edge through innovation, while universities could leverage research outcomes and refine their academic programs. The study adopts a systematic literature review methodology and conducts a thematic analysis of articles obtained from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, employing an integrated interpretative framework based on six different perspectives: (1) who (involved actors); (2) what (collaboration inputs and outputs); (3) when (analyzed time span); (4) where (countries); (5) how (implemented collaboration modes); and (6) why (drivers, enabling factors and barriers). A total number of 82 journal articles published between 1987 and 2023 were analyzed. Based on the adopted interpretative framework, a lack of a shared conceptualization of the investigated phenomenon emerged and is associated with a relatively scarce adoption of theoretical frameworks. Moreover, a highly differentiated set of barriers and enabling factors were found, even if their interdependencies appear rarely investigated
Disability Worsening Phenotypes in Multiple Sclerosis and Impact of Disease-Modifying Treatments
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibit variability in disability progression and response to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Identifying those at greatest risk of disability worsening and most likely to benefit from high-efficacy DMTs remains challenging. We aimed to identify distinct disability worsening phenotypes, explore their mechanisms, and evaluate DMT impact across them. METHODS: In this multicenter cohort study, we analyzed clinical and MRI data from propensity-matched cohorts of treated and untreated patients with relapse-onset MS from the Italian MS Register. Inclusion criteria were as follows: ≥3 years of follow-up, ≤1 year between disease onset and first assessment, and complete clinical and baseline MRI data. Latent class mixture models were applied to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores from untreated patients to identify disability worsening phenotypes. We compared proportions of progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) and relapse-associated worsening events across phenotypes. A random forest algorithm, trained (70%) and tested (30%) on baseline clinical and MRI features of untreated patients, was used to assign phenotypes to treated patients. Linear mixed-effects models estimated DMT impact on disability trajectories within each phenotype. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 2,563 untreated (mean age 41.2 ± 10 years, 67% female) and 2,952 treated (mean age 40.8 ± 11.4 years, 66% female) patients with MS over a median follow-up of 10.1 (interquartile range: 7.0-13.0) years. Four phenotypes were identified in untreated patients: "minimal-worsening" (15%), "late-worsening" (70%), "early-worsening" (3%), and "rapid-worsening" (12%). In all phenotypes, PIRA represented the main disability accrual mechanism. "Early-worsening" and "rapid-worsening" phenotypes exhibited more brain and spinal cord T2-hyperintense and gadolinium-enhancing lesions at baseline. The classification algorithm assigned phenotypes to patients receiving DMTs with 71% accuracy: "minimal-worsening" (18%), "late-worsening" (61%), "early-worsening" (13%), and "rapid-worsening" (8%). DMT exposure significantly reduced disability accrual in all phenotypes, with high-efficacy DMTs (β = -0.16, standard error (SE) = 0.06, p < 0.001) and early escalation (β = -0.18, SE = 0.06, p < 0.001) proving especially beneficial for the "rapid-worsening" phenotype. DISCUSSION: We identified 4 clinically relevant disability worsening phenotypes in relapse-onset MS, primarily driven by PIRA, with greater CNS involvement linked to early and rapid progression. Despite reliance on EDSS alone, these phenotypes may inform personalized treatment and response assessment
Macchine per costruire e produrre tra XV e XVI secolo: la meccanizzazione del lavoro tra realtà e immaginazione
No full textComparative Effectiveness of Cladribine and S1P Receptor Modulators in Treatment-Naive Relapsing-Remitting MS
Get PDFImportance: Early treatment choice in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is prognostically crucial, yet robust comparative data on cladribine vs sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators (S1PRMs) in treatment-naive patients with RRMS are limited. Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of cladribine vs S1PRMs in treatment-naive individuals with RRMS. Design, Setting, and Participants: This comparative effectiveness research study used data from 108 Italian multiple sclerosis (MS) centers affiliated with the Italian Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Register. All treatment-naive patients with RRMS who initiated cladribine or an S1PRM (fingolimod, ozanimod, or ponesimod) between January 2011 and October 2021 and had at least 12 months of follow-up were included. Propensity score matching and pairwise censoring were used to balance baseline differences and follow-up duration. Patient data were extracted from the register in September 2024. Exposure: Initiation of cladribine or an S1PRM, with duration reflecting clinical practice. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was no evidence of disease activity (NEDA-3) and its subcomponents. Secondary analyses evaluated disability accrual subdivided into progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) and relapse-associated worsening (RAW), plus variables associated with treatment response. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for visit and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) frequency, were used to compare outcomes. Results: Of the 1587 patients (485 taking cladribine and 1102 taking S1PRMs), matching yielded 475 pairs (950 individuals; mean [SD] age, 34.7 [10.7] years; 686 female [72.2%]), with a median (IQR) follow-up period of 25 (12-60) months. For the cladribine vs S1PRM groups, no significant differences were observed in relapse rates (72 patients [15.2%] vs 76 patients [16.0%]), MRI activity (137 patients [31.3%] vs 145 patients [34.8%]), or NEDA-3 loss (194 patients [44.4% vs 219 patients [52.2%]). Cladribine was associated with a lower risk of disability worsening vs S1PRM (54 patients [11.4%] vs 70 patients [14.7%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.42-0.96; P = .03), a finding that was confirmed in sensitivity analyses for patients younger than 40 years, those whose diagnoses were made according to the 2017 McDonald Criteria, and those with Expanded Disability Status Scale score less than or equal to 3.0. This was mainly driven by reduced PIRA risk with cladribine (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20-0.79; P = .009), with no RAW difference. After 36 months, patients treated with cladribine showed higher relapse risk (HR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.02-3.20; P = .04) and increased NEDA-3 loss (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.18-3.67; P = .01). Discontinuation rates were similar (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.67-1.15; P = .58). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest cladribine was associated with superior effectiveness in reducing disability progression over 25 months, likely due to reduced PIRA, despite comparable short-term NEDA-3 outcomes. However, relapse prevention declined after 36 months, suggesting retreatment or therapy modification within 3 years may be needed to maintain long-term disease control
Instability of compressed members in timber trusses assembled with punched metal plates
No full textThis study addresses the instability of wooden trusses assembled with punched metal plates. The instability of compressed wooden elements is a complex problem due to the specific boundary conditions, the timber orthotropy, and the difficult quantification of the defects. This research presents an analytical framework based on the Eurocode approach for predicting the instability of compressed wooden elements, considering the effect of boundary constraints representative of punched metal plates. The general aspects of this research are twofold: (i) proposing an analytical approximate expression for assessing the theoretical buckling load of compressed beams with elastic boundary constraints; (ii) deriving the buckling design curves as a function of the geometric imperfection of the structural element. The authors refer to the constraints exerted by punched metal plates, experimentally characterized to determine the response along the six degrees of freedom. The experimental results were used to generate a high-fidelity finite element (FE) model of the connection, validate it using digital image correlation, and estimate by extrapolation the stiffness properties of a selection of punched metal plates. Additionally, a secondary FE model was developed to simulate the out-of-plane deflection of structural elements with different types of punched metal plates, predict the failure load from static incremental analysis, and estimate the buckling design curves. In conclusion, the research aims to specialize the design method of compressed members according to the Eurocode, taking explicitly into account the boundary constraints representative of punched metal plates. It is found that while the theoretical instability load of beams with elastic constraints closely approximates that of the clamped condition, the instability load under imperfections resembles the pinned condition more closely. This observation leads to systematically higher imperfection coefficients for elastic constraints than pinned conditions
Managing the uncertainty of composite component inspection measurements using a polarized camera
Get PDFOrtega y Gasset y Europa como proyecto espiritual.
No full textEn el panorama contemporáneo, las monografías dedicadas al pensamiento de un autor suelen seguir el desarrollo de un concepto a lo largo de sus obras principales, ofreciendo herramientas útiles para comprender su evolución temática. Sin embargo, no es raro que la interpretación se vea condicionada por la imagen que el estudioso ha trazado del autor, lo que puede llegar a limitar o distorsionar el carácter innovador de sus teorías. En tales casos, el enfoque crítico tiende a resaltar más el perfil hermenéutico concebido por el investigador que a realizar un análisis objetivo y profundo de los textos.
Distanciándose de ese estilo de investigación, el volumen Ortega y Gasset: Un pensador para Europa, de Javier Zamora Bonilla –publicado en Italia en la traducción de Tiziana D’Urso y Bianca Melito, como “esordio editoriale”
(p. 7)– representa un ejemplo de reflexión que aspira a superar esa limitación metodológica. El autor adopta una estrategia de investigación por la cual la obra de Ortega no se presenta como un simple pretexto interpretativo, sino como el núcleo palpitante de una investigación estructurada y multidimensional
Phylogenetic and morphological analyses of the Manabí oyster, an emerging aquaculture species in Ecuador, reveal its identity as Crassostrea corteziensis (Hertlein, 1951)
No full textThe Manabí oyster (Crassostrea sp.) is considered a potential emerging aquaculture species for estuarine environments in the Tropical American Pacific, particularly in equatorial regions. While preliminary studies on its biological feasibility for cultivation are underway and although its mitochondrial genome has been recently described, its taxonomic identity has remained unclear until now. Here we conducted a comparative morphological study of natural and cultured Manabí oysters with Crassostrea corteziensis from Boca de Camichín, Nayarit, Mexico, and performed molecular identification using mitochondrial DNA genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S ribosomal RNA) to construct phylogenetic trees. Although evident morphological differences exist between the Manabí oyster—primarily a protuberance on the right valve of natural Manabí oysters and a blackish color in both natural and cultured Manabí oysters—and the oyster from Boca de Camichín, their phylogenetic analysis provides conclusive evidence that the Manabí oyster from the Chone River in Ecuador is conspecific with Crassostrea corteziensis. This clarification has direct implications for aquaculture planning and policy
Penile cancer and lymph node management: a call for standardization
Get PDFPurpose: This study aims to compare and organize recommendations from the most eminent international guidelines on the staging and treatment of lymph node (LN) involvement in penile cancer (PC). Early recognition and appropriate management of nodal disease remain the cornerstone of care, influencing both survival and treatment-related morbidity. Methods: This study compares and organize recommendations form the most eminent international guidelines—including NCCN, ESMO-EURACAN, and EAU-ASCO—on the staging and treatment of lymph node involvement in penile cancer. Results: Open inguinal LN dissection (ILND) remains the standard treatment for not superficial cancers and its morbidity has driven interest in minimally invasive surgical approaches, such as video-endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL), including its robot-assisted variant (RA-VEIL). Their role is well defined in clinically node-negative (cN0) patients but remains investigational in node-positive (cN+) cases. For cN3 disease and pelvic node involvement, multimodal strategies including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy are required. Conclusion: The variability among guidelines underscores the need for collaborative efforts and high-quality prospective trials to refine and standardize treatment recommendations