The Nexus of Corporate Entrepreneurship and Radical Innovation

This paper explores the linkage between the entrepreneurial orientation of established firms and the development of radical innovation. Through five case studies in firms involved in radical innovation, three propositions are developed, suggesting that proactiveness, risk‐taking and autonomy stimulate the development of radical innovation, whereas competitive aggressiveness does not necessarily do so, as radical innovations are directed towards the creation of entirely new arenas of business, where existing competitors are not present.     

The MiniWiD-Coater. III. Effect of Application Temperature on the Dissolution Profile of Sustained-Release Theophylline Pellets Coated with Eudragit Rs 30 D

Theophylline pellets were coated with Eudragit RS 30 D in a miniature fluid-bed pan coater called MiniWiD developed recently. The dispersions were plasticized with varying amounts of triethyl citrate (TEC), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) and applied at different temperatures ranging from 25 to 45 °C. Theophylline release was tested by dissolution using the USP Apparatus 2 (paddle) in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid under sink conditions over 6 hours.

At a coating level of 4 % (0.7 mg/cm²) sustained-release profiles were obtained from dispersions plasticized with TEC or DBP. By reducing the amount of plasticizer from 20 to 10%, films with higher permeabilities were obtained. This effect was compensated by tempering the pellets at 50 deg;C for 24 hours. The coating temperature had little effect on the dissolution profiles of TEC-plasticized films and no effect on films with DBP.

Coatings plasticized with 20% PEG were applied at temperatures ranging from 25 to 45 °C. These films required a coating level of about 18 % (3.3 mg/cm²) to provide comparable sustained-release properties. In contrast to DBP and TEC, a strong influence of the coating temperature on the release rates was observed in which higher temperatures led to slower release rates. This behavior can be explained by the minimum film-forming temperature (MFT). Since PEG does not lower the MFT of Eudragit RS 30 D, the application of these films below the MFT of 45 °C is associated with a lower degree of film formation.     

Acidogenic fermentation of blended food‐waste in combination with primary sludge for the production of volatile fatty acids

The performance of a laboratory‐scale anaerobic acidogenic fermenter fed with a mixture of blended kitchen food‐waste and primary sludge from a sewage treatment plant was investigated for the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA). The operating variables for acidogenic fermentation were kitchen food‐waste content (10 and 25 wt %), hydraulic retention time (HRT: 1, 3 and 5 days), temperature (ambient: 18 ± 2 °C, and mesophilic: 35 ± 2 °C) and pH (varied from 5.2 to 6.7). The experimental results indicated that effluent VFA concentrations and VFA production rates were higher at ambient temperature than at mesophilic conditions. The net amount of VFA with 10 wt % food‐waste increased up to 920 mg dm^?3 with an increase of HRT, but contrasting results (a decrease of 2610 mg dm^?3) were found due to the conversion of VFA into biogas in the case of 25 wt % food‐waste, which increased significantly at HRT of 3–5 days. In terms of biogas composition (CO₂ and CH₄), the organic matter was converted into CO₂ through the oxidative pathway by facultative species at low temperature while mesophilic temperature and optimum pH (6.3–7.8) played a pivotal role in increasing rate of conversion of VFA into biogas by methanogenesis. Rates of VFA production and their conversion are dependent on the food‐waste content in the mixture. Yet, the higher concentration of food‐waste (25% compared with 10%) did not produce VFA proportionally due to the increased rate of conversion of VFA into gaseous products. The maximum VFA production rate (0.318 g VFA_produced g^?1 VS_fed day^?1) was achieved in the 10 wt % food‐waste at ambient temperature and at a 5‐day HRT. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Work-site smoking policies: their population impact in Washington State

This article presents data from a population-based, random-digit dialing telephone survey of 1228 employed adults in Washington State, conducted 1989 through 1990. Eighty-one percent of men and 91% of women reported work-site smoking restrictions. Employees in work sites with no-smoking policies were less likely to be current smokers; men in work sites with policies restricting smoking smoked fewer cigarettes on both workdays and nonworkdays. Forty-eight percent of male and 53% of female smokers reported reduced smoking as a result of work-site policy. Work-site smoking policies, intended to protect against smoke exposure, may also reduce employee smoking.     

Regeneration studies on nickel molybdate catalysts used for the upgrading of coal-derived liquids

Nickel molybdate catalysts used in several different upgrading reactions of coal-derived materials from low-rank Australian coals have been regenerated and their activity assessed using a number of physical and chemical techniques. Regeneration of spent coked catalysts for 20 hours in air at 450°C was sufficient to restore chemical hydrogenation activity to catalyst used for pre-asphaltene, asphaltene and oil upgrading, provided poisoning of the catalyst surface by other impurities, principally chlorine-containing molecules, had not occurred.     

Preliminary Assessment of Contaminants in Soft Sediments of the Detroit River

Soft sediments from the Detroit River were analyzed for the USEPA priority pollutants to generally characterize contaminant distribution. Forty-three were detected. Highest heavy metal concentrations were found in the Trenton Channel and immediately downstream of Grosse Ile. They ranged from an area mean (N = 2) of 0.19 mg/kg mercury to 338.7 mg/kg zinc (dry weight). Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from 0.1 mg/kg to 38.8 mg/kg (mean, N = 2) with the highest levels near Grosse Ile. PCBs ranged from 0.015 mg/kg to 1.7 mg/kg (mean, N = 2). Organochlorine pesticides were not detected except for a trace of heptachlor in one sample. Sediment contamination in the Detroit River is widespread with higher concentrations on the U.S. side downstream of the Rouge River and in the Trenton Channel. The significance of these in-place pollutants to biota and as a source to Lake Erie is still unknown.