Market strategies and core capabilities in the building industry

The objective of this study is to show that the core competence approach has validity when applied to construction. The focus is on the analysis of the fit between market strategies of firms in the building industry and their core capabilities. Certain strategies require specific core capabilities and key external and internal conditions supporting these capabilities. The resource-based approach focuses on the conditions in a firm, the internal capabilities, and supports a core capability that is demanded. The network literature will be related to external conditions that support a core capability of a firm active in a certain market. In a multiple case study, firms are analysed that are involved in different stages of the building process. The case studies demonstrate firms with consistent patterns of market strategies, core capabilities, and supporting internal and external conditions. The specific core capability of the firm under investigation determines the types of external and internal conditions that are critical.     

Kinetics of the Benzylation of Potato Starch

The formation of benzyl ethers of potato starch by etherification with benzyl chloride is base catalyzed and is therefore carried out at high pH. In a suspension of starch granules the rate of starch ether formation is found not to be linearly related to the concentration of hydroxyl ions in the water phase of the suspension. At the same pH widely different rates of reaction can be observed, to be due to the tendency of the starch granules to “absorb” hydroxyl ions when electrolytes are added to the suspension. The rate of formation of the benzyl ether of starch is found to be linearly related to the amount of hydroxyl ions “absorbed” by the starch. The rate of the side reaction leading to benzyl alcohol turned out to be higher in the presence of starch than in water of the same pH.     

Variations in serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and saturation index in elderly hospitalized patients with iron deficiency anaemia after blood transfusion

Five xanthones from the bark of Garcinia cowa, namely 7-O-methylgarcinone E (1), cowanin (2), cowanol (3), cowaxanthone (4), and beta-mangostin (5), were found to possess in vitro antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values ranging from 1.50 to 3.00 micrograms/ml. Complete 1H- and 13C-NMR assignments of these compounds are also reported.     

Occurrence and formation of biologically active amines in foods

Attention is given to the toxicology of biogenic amines and their occurrence and formation in foods, with special emphasis on fermented foods. The role of the associated flora, the starter cultures used and their interaction is discussed.     

Analysis of the determination of the dimensional offset ofconducting layers and MOS transistors

The limitations of methods to determine the dimensional offsets in VLSI processes are discussed. The authors give a straightforward quantitative analysis of those methods in which the number of measurement points is not greater than the number of unknowns in the equations. General equations are derived for errors that are made in the extraction of dimensional offsets of conducting layers and MOS transistors. It is shown that, due to a dramatic amplification of small deviations, large errors occur if the extraction is not done carefully. The analysis is applied to the determination of the width offset of conducting layers and to the determination of the MOS transistor channel length offset     

Rapid Combinatorial Synthesis and Chromatography Based Screening of Phosphorescent Iridium Complexes for Solution Processing

This work reports the combinatorial synthesis and screening of phosphorescent iridium complexes as solution processable emitters for OLEDs. The approach taken here allows for the rapid synthesis, isolation, spectroscopic characterization and identification of the libraries based on chromatographic methods. Subsequent analysis of the irradiation induced degradation provides insight on the stability of the complexes under continuous excitation. The method is versatile and can easily be applied to other metal complexes or organic dyes for various applications, e.g., in electroluminescence, photovoltaics and sensing.     

Spacer effects on in vivo properties of DOTA-conjugated dimeric [Tyr3]octreotate peptides synthesized by a "Cu(I)-click" and "sulfo-click" ligation method

We report on the SSTR2-binding properties of a series of four dimeric [Tyr3]octreotate analogues with different spacer lengths (nine, 19, 41, and 57 atoms) between the peptides. Two analogues (9 and 57 atoms) were selected as precursors for the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of DOTA-conjugated dimeric [Tyr3]octreotate analogues for tumor targeting. These compounds were synthesized by using a two-stage click ligation procedure: a Cu(I) -catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition ("copper-click" reaction) and a thio acid/sulfonyl azide amidation ("sulfo-click" reaction). The IC(50) values of these DOTA-conjugated [Tyr3]octreotate analogues were comparable, and internalization studies showed that the nine-atom (111) In-DOTA-labeled [Tyr3]octreotate dimer had rapid and high receptor binding. Biodistribution studies with BALB/c nude mice bearing subcutaneous AR42J tumors showed that the (111) In-labeled [Tyr3]octreotate dimer (nine atoms) had a high tumor uptake at 1 h p.i. (38.8 ± 8.3 % ID g(-1) ), and excellent tumor retention at 4 h p.i. (40.9 ± 2.5 % ID g(-1) ). However, the introduction of the extended hydrophilic 57 atoms spacer led to rapid clearance from the circulation; this limited tumor accumulation of the radiotracer (21.4 ± 4.9 % ID g(-1) at 1 h p.i.). These findings provide important insight on dimerization and spacer effects on the in vivo properties of DOTA-conjugated [Tyr3]octreotate dimers.