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 polymerisation of 2-furyl vinyl ketone

Summary 2-Furyl vinyl ketone was polymerised using anionic, cationic and free-radical initiators. Yields and molecular weights varied with the type of activation. Whereas radical polymerisation gave a product possessing a regular vinylic structure, other kinds of units were detected in the polymers prepared with anionic and cationic catalysts.     

Verbal and spatial working memory in school-age children: Developmental differences in susceptibility to interference.

The development of verbal and spatial working memory was investigated with an interference paradigm. Memory spans were obtained from 3 groups (8-, 10-, and 19-yr olds) under 6 different conditions: Two primary memory tasks (1 verbal, 1 spatial) were administered in isolation and in conjunction with 2 versions of a secondary task. The primary tasks required recalling a series of visually presented digits and recalling the locations of Xs in a series of visually presented grids. The secondary tasks required reporting the color of the stimuli as they were presented using either a verbal or a spatial response. Analyses revealed that all age groups showed domain-specific interference (i.e., interference by a secondary task from the same domain as the primary task), but only the 8-yr-olds also showed nonspecific interference (i.e., interference by a secondary task from a domain different than the primary memory task), suggesting that at least some executive functions do not reach adult levels of efficiency until approximately age 10. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classification of slice-based VBR video traffic and estimation of link loss by exceedance

Classification of a video stream is an essential preliminary step to estimate the bit loss when the video stream is transmitted over a communication network. In this paper, we classify the video frames by the average frame size and estimate the bit loss for each class when the bitrate exceeds the capacity of the bottleneck link. The video stream under study is encoded using the explicit slice-based H.264/AVC encoding scheme. This scheme reduces the burstiness of regular H.264/AVC encoded video by removing the traditional GOP structure. Instead, a repetitive combination of intracoded and predicted slices is employed, thereby introducing a specific dependence structure in the video data. We consider a bufferless model of the communication system and evaluate the channel capacity required to give a maximum allowed loss rate for each class.Due to the high variability, non-stationarity and non-homogeneity of the underlying video data, the obtained classes are checked regarding the dependence and distribution structure of the data. The high quantiles of the losses are estimated for each class.     

Self-absorption correction for solid-state photoluminescence quantum yields obtained from integrating sphere measurements

A new method is presented for analyzing the effects of self-absorption on photoluminescence integrating sphere quantum yield measurements. Both the observed quantum yield and luminescence spectrum are used to determine the self-absorption probability, taking into account both the initial emission and subsequent absorption and reemission processes. The analysis is experimentally validated using the model system of the laser dye perylene red dispersed in a polymer film. This approach represents an improvement over previous methods that tend to overestimate the true quantum yield, especially in cases with high sample absorbance or quantum yield values.     

An observational study of undergraduate students’ adoption of (mobile) note-taking software

Mobile learning is increasing in popularity, but not all university students have mobile devices to support it. Our study investigated cross-platform software that has the potential to allow education practitioners to provide mobile support to their students’ learning, while offering similar functionality to non-mobile users via more traditional computing platforms. Undergraduate students were trained in the use of multi-platform cloud-based note-taking software (Evernote), and used the software in independent study for 8 weeks. Data show adoption for a range of functions, particularly gathering and managing information, organisation and planning, and the recording of ideas. Multimedia functions were also adopted innovatively by some students. Use for reflection was rare. Non-adopters were in a minority, giving low utility appraisals and difficulty in changing habits as reasons. Subjective evaluations and recommendations showed that a majority of students felt positive about the software and found it quick and easy to use. Mobile and non-mobile users only differed on the number of locations in which they used the software, and the proportion of notes classified as ideas, both being higher in mobile users. The data provide decision support for education practitioners who wish to provide mobile learning to their students alongside traditional platforms.     

Advanced EPI-X4 Derivatives Covalently Bind Human Serum Albumin Resulting in Prolonged Plasma Stability

Advanced derivatives of the Endogenous Peptide Inhibitor of CXCR4 (EPI-X4) have shown therapeutic efficacy upon topical administration in animal models of asthma and dermatitis. Here, we studied the plasma stability of the EPI-X4 lead compounds WSC02 and JM#21, using mass spectrometry to monitor the chemical integrity of the peptides and a functional fluorescence-based assay to determine peptide function in a CXCR4-antibody competition assay. Although mass spectrometry revealed very rapid disappearance of both peptides in human plasma within seconds, the functional assay revealed a significantly higher half-life of 9 min for EPI-X4 WSC02 and 6 min for EPI-X4 JM#21. Further analyses demonstrated that EPI-X4 WSC02 and EPI-X4 JM#21 interact with low molecular weight plasma components and serum albumin. Albumin binding is mediated by the formation of a disulfide bridge between Cys10 in the EPI-X4 peptides and Cys34 in albumin. These covalently linked albumin–peptide complexes have a higher stability in plasma as compared with the non-bound peptides and retain the ability to bind and antagonize CXCR4. Remarkably, chemically synthesized albumin-EPI-X4 conjugates coupled by non-breakable bonds have a drastically increased plasma stability of over 2 h. Thus, covalent coupling of EPI-X4 to albumin in vitro before administration or in vivo post administration may significantly increase the pharmacokinetic properties of this new class of CXCR4 antagonists.     

Chronic-Antibiotics Induced Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis Rescues Memory Impairment and Reduces β-Amyloid Aggregation in a Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease Model

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial pathology characterized by β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits, Tau hyperphosphorylation, neuroinflammatory response, and cognitive deficit. Changes in the bacterial gut microbiota (BGM) have been reported as a possible etiological factor of AD. We assessed in offspring (F1) 3xTg, the effect of BGM dysbiosisdysbiosis in mothers (F0) at gestation and F1 from lactation up to the age of 5 months on Aβ and Tau levels in the hippocampus, as well as on spatial memory at the early symptomatic stage of AD. We found that BGM dysbiosisdysbiosis with antibiotics (Abx) treatment in F0 was vertically transferred to their F1 3xTg mice, as observed on postnatal day (PD) 30 and 150. On PD150, we observed a delay in spatial memory impairment and Aβ deposits, but not in Tau and pTau protein in the hippocampus at the early symptomatic stage of AD. These effects are correlated with relative abundance of bacteria and alpha diversity, and are specific to bacterial consortia. Our results suggest that this specific BGM could reduce neuroinflammatory responses related to cerebral amyloidosis and cognitive deficit and activate metabolic pathways associated with the biosynthesis of triggering or protective molecules for AD.     

Quality of comminuted sausages formulated from mechanically deboned poultry meat

Comminuted sausages formulated with mechanically deboned poultry meat-MDPM (turkey or chicken, frame or neck) treated in different ways before production (vacuum packed MDPM or air packed skeletons deboned at production) and stored frozen for 6 or 18 weeks have been studied using a full-factorial design and chemical, physical and sensory analysis. MDPM was obtained from a Beehive separator. Comminuted sausages with MDPM from turkey frames, stored at -25?°C as skeletons, packed in air for 18 weeks developed marked rancid odour and flavour which could also be detected by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the concentration of volatile compounds. Vacuum packed mechanically deboned meat irrespective of species and carcass part could be stored for up to 18 weeks and used in formulation of sausages without any serious changes in their sensory profiles. Instrumental colour differences between sausages were mainly due to species. Turkey sausages were darker, redder and less yellow than chicken sausages. Moisture and fat contents were influenced by carcass part and to a lesser extent depended on species and storage time. Principal least squares regression (PLS2) showed close relationships between instrumental parameters and sensory attributes. TBARS, hexanal and volatile compounds were highly correlated with rancid flavour while redness (a(?)) was strongly related to sensory colour hue and colour strength.     

HXT5 expression is determined by growth rates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, hexose transporter (Hxt) proteins transport glucose across the plasma membrane. The Hxt proteins are encoded by a multigene family with 20 members, of which Hxt1-4p and Hxt6-7p are the major hexose transporters. The remaining Hxt proteins have other or unknown functions. In this study, expression of HXT5 under different experimental set-ups is determined. In glucose-grown batch cultures, HXT5 is expressed prior to glucose depletion. Independent of the carbon source used in batch cultures, HXT5 is expressed after 24 h of growth and during growth on ethanol or glycerol, which indicates that growth on glucose is not necessary for expression of HXT5. Increasing the temperature or osmolarity of the growth medium also induces expression of HXT5. In fed-batch cultures, expression of HXT5 is only observed at low glucose consumption rates, independent of the extracellular glucose concentration. The only common parameter in these experiments is that an increase of HXT5 expression is accompanied by a decrease of the growth rate of cells. To determine whether HXT5 expression is determined by the growth rate, cells were grown in a nitrogen-limited continuous culture, which enables modulation of only the growth rate of cells. Indeed, HXT5 is expressed only at low dilution rates. Therefore, our results indicate that expression of HXT5 is regulated by growth rates of cells, rather than by extracellular glucose concentrations, as is the case for the major HXTs. A possible function for Hxt5p and factors responsible for increased expression of HXT5 upon low growth rates is discussed.