Do Spin-Offs Make the Academics’ Heads Spin?: The Impacts of Spin-Off Companies on Their Parent Research Organisation

As public research organisations are increasingly driven by their national and regional governments to engage in knowledge transfer, they have started to support the creation of companies. These research based spin-off companies (RBSOs) often keep contacts with the research institutes they originate from. In this paper we present the results of a study of four research institutes within two universities and two non-university public research organisations (PROs) in the Netherlands. We show that research organisations have distinct motivations to support the creation of spin-off companies. In terms of resources RBSOs contribute, mostly in a modest way, to research activities by providing information, equipment and monetary resources. In particular, RBSOs are helpful for researchers competing for research grants that demand participation of industry. Furthermore, RBSOs may be seen as a proactive response by Dutch public research organisations to demands of economic relevance from their institutional environment. RBSOs enhance the prestige of their parent organisations and create legitimacy for public funds invested in PROs. At the same time, most RBSOs do not have a significant impact on the direction of the research conducted at the PROs

An evaluation of the self-assembly enhancing properties of cell-derived hexameric amyloid-β

A key hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the extracellular deposition of amyloid plaques composed primarily of the amyloidogenic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. The Aβ peptide is a product of sequential cleavage of the Amyloid Precursor Protein, the first step of which gives rise to a C-terminal Fragment (C99). Cleavage of C99 by γ-secretase activity releases Aβ of several lengths and the Aβ42 isoform in particular has been identified as being neurotoxic. The misfolding of Aβ leads to subsequent amyloid fibril formation by nucleated polymerisation. This requires an initial and critical nucleus for self-assembly. Here, we identify and characterise the composition and self-assembly properties of cell-derived hexameric Aβ42 and show its assembly enhancing properties which are dependent on the Aβ monomer availability. Identification of nucleating assemblies that contribute to self-assembly in this way may serve as therapeutic targets to prevent the formation of toxic oligomers

Financial conditions and financial sustainability in higher education: A literature review

This chapter offers a necessary summary of the key concepts of the financial conditions in the higher education (HE) sector, through a close examination of different approaches. Focusing on a review of current literature, the chapter provides an overview of the transformation and main uses of performance information in the HE sector as the result of public policy changes. The chapter also defines some of the key theoretical and practical elements to describe the financial conditions and distress of public universities, while also clarifying the distinctive features of financial sustainability. The authors highlight in their closing remarks the implications for future research developments. These issues touch the core of the financial challenges in the HE sector and require thought and resolution to ensure the long-term success of public universities worldwide

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) protein export pathway

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) protein export system is present in the cytoplasmic membranes of most bacteria and archaea and has the highly unusual property of transporting fully folded proteins. The system must therefore provide a transmembrane pathway that is large enough to allow the passage of structured macromolecular substrates of different sizes but that maintains the impermeability of the membrane to ions. In the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, this complex task can be achieved by using only three small membrane proteins: TatA, TatB and TatC. In this Review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of how this remarkable machine operates. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

Financial conditions and financial sustainability in higher education: A literature review

This chapter offers a necessary summary of the key concepts of the financial conditions in the higher education (HE) sector, through a close examination of different approaches. Focusing on a review of current literature, the chapter provides an overview of the transformation and main uses of performance information in the HE sector as the result of public policy changes. The chapter also defines some of the key theoretical and practical elements to describe the financial conditions and distress of public universities, while also clarifying the distinctive features of financial sustainability. The authors highlight in their closing remarks the implications for future research developments. These issues touch the core of the financial challenges in the HE sector and require thought and resolution to ensure the long-term success of public universities worldwide