Search results for " Competitive"

Learning from Failures: a Chance to Overcome the Crisis. E-Government Adoption in the Municipality of Palermo, Italy.

2013

Due to its effect on regional and national competitiveness the issue of e- Government has become particularly relevant in the light of an ongoing financial crisis. Mostly because e-Government has a great potential in reducing the cost of regulatory compliance for government customers, in improving efficiency and tax administration and in avoiding frauds and errors. However, it must not be considered as a simple set of tools for technological innovation but rather a phenomenon that requires redesigning the entire institutional governance model and the roles of the main actors involved. This paper presents part of the PhD thesis project of the author on the implementation and adoption of e-Go…

A Spatial Origin-Destination Analysis of International Tourism Demand. The Case of Italian Provinces

2021

Interest Rate Convergence, External Balances and the Euro Crisis

2016

Typically, the catching-up process between rich Northern Europe and poor Southern Europe and the diverging cost competitiveness between the two regions are considered alternative explanations for the widening current account imbalances in the euro area. This paper proposes a new explanation for the imbalances which led to the 2009 euro crisis i.e. large interest rate differentials among the EMU-12 countries which prevailed before the adoption of the euro. This finding suggests that the euro crisis was, at least to some extent, a consequence of the initial convergence shock.

CLUSTER OF COUNTRIES ANALYSIS BY RESPONSIBLE COMPETITIVENESS, NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS AND CORRUPTION

2008

The Global Competitiveness Report, the State of Responsible Competitiveness and the Global Corruption Barometer elaborate annually a countries ranking that emphasize the progress or regress of each country. Using this reports the paper try to make a clusters analysis of world country by responsible competitiveness, national competitiveness and corruption. The main idea of this paper is to split the countries in three categories of clusters - innovators, asserters and beginners - in relation between responsible competitiveness and national competitiveness - and - stars, asserters and beginners - in relation between corruption and national competitiveness. Within the three clusters, countries…

Kinetic properties of hexameric tyrosinase from the crustacean Palinurus elephas.

2008

Tyrosinases catalyze hydroxylation of monophenols to o-diphenols and their subsequent oxidation to o-quinones, whereas catecholoxidases catalyze only the latter reaction. Both enzymes occur in all organisms and are Type 3 copper proteins that perform the first steps of melanin formation. In arthropods, they play an essential role in the sclerotization of the exoskeleton. Very few phenoloxidases are characterized structurally or kinetically and the existence of an actual tyrosinase activity has not been demonstrated in most cases. Here we present for the first time a complete kinetic characterization of a tyrosinase from a crustacean (Palinurus elephas) including the influence of inhibitors.…

Synthesis and pharmacology of 6-substituted benztropines: discovery of novel dopamine uptake inhibitors possessing low binding affinity to the dopami…

2005

A series of 6alpha- and 6beta-substituted benztropines were synthesized. A marked enantioselectivity was observed for the 6beta-methoxylated benztropines, the (1R)-isomers being more potent than the corresponding (1S) compounds. The racemic 6alpha-methoxy-3-(4',4' '-difluorodiphenylmethoxy)tropane (5 g) was the most potent compound. It has been found that modifications at the 6-position of benztropine might reduce the DAT binding affinity, maintaining otherwise a significant dopamine uptake inhibitory activity. A reinvestigation of the absolute configuration of 6beta-methoxytropinone proved the 6R configuration for the (+)-enantiomer.

Synthesis and Dopamine Receptor Selectivity of the Benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline, (R)-(+)-nor-Roefractine

1998

(R)-(+)-nor-Roefractine (1) was synthesized by the Bischler-Napieralski route, using asymmetric reduction of the 1, 2-didehydro precursor imine with sodium (S)-N-CBZ-prolinyloxyborohydride. Compound 1 was able to displace [3H]-raclopride (a D2 dopamine receptor-selective ligand) from its specific binding sites in rat striatum with selectivity vs [3H]-SCH23390 (D1 dopamine receptor-selective ligand).

α-Adrenoceptor Interaction of Tetrandrine and Isotetrandrine in the Rat: Functional and Binding Assays

1998

Abstract The action of 1S,1′S-tetrandrine, a bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, on α1-adrenoceptors has been compared with that of its isomer 1R,1′S-isotetrandrine. The work includes binding assays to analyse the affinity of these products for the [3H]prazosin binding site of rat cerebral cortical membranes and functional studies on rat isolated aorta to examine the effects of both alkaloids on intracellular calcium processes related or not to α-adrenoceptor activation. A radioligand receptor-binding study showed that both compounds interacted with the α1-adrenoceptors displacing [3H]prazosin from the specific binding site. The Ki values (inhibition constants) were 0.69±0.12 and 1.6±…

Strategic Asset Building and Competitive Strategies for SMEs which Compete with Industry Giants

2014

This chapter studies companies which are arguably business super-heroes – the small firms which despite the apparent handicap of very limited resources are able to compete against much larger, multinational firms – the micro-giants Davids that take on Goliaths. Through a process of detailed case studies of actual firms, analysis of asset structure, and experiments with a simulation model, the relationships between key assets, critical success factors, and micro-giant competiveness are explored. The model produces six scenarios reflecting different strategies for developing tangible and intangible assets and, critically, the balance between them. A level of aggression is needed in asset buil…

Formation of protein multilayers and their competitive replacement based on self-assembled biotinylated phospholipids.

1994

Based on specific recognition processes the build-up of protein multilayers was achieved using streptavidin layers as a docking matrix. For this purpose, streptavidin was organized at biotin-containing monolayers, liposomes, and self-assembled layers on gold. Thus, mixed double and triple layers of streptavidin, Con A, Fab fragments, and hormones were prepared and characterized by fluorescence microscopy and plasmon spectroscopy. Using biotin analogues with lower binding constants several cycles of multilayer formation followed by competitive replacement could be achieved.