Playing In Between: Patents’ Brokers In Markets For Technology

We here argue that patent brokers do not only stay in between supply and demand of innovation, but play in between executing complex transactions and taking entrepreneurial risk. In doing so they serve a support function to R&D managers of firms adopting various approaches to technological change. We discuss how economic and sociological theories explain brokerage and its existence. Our qualitative analysis of the current practice of patent brokerage in the U.S. finds only partial evidence in support of such argumentations. We conclude with our own proposition, suggesting that even in very dense environments, the bridging role of intellectual property intermediaries is that of market makers, who leverage their specific investment to play in between technology demand and supply.Open Innovation intermediaries patents intellectual property

Patenting in 4IR technologies and firm performance

We investigate whether firm performance is related to the accumulated stock of technological knowledge associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and, if so, whether the firm’s history in 4IR technology development affects such a relationship. We exploit a rich longitudinal matched patent-firm data set on the population of large firms that filed 4IR patents at the European Patent Office (EPO) between 2009 and 2014, while reconstructing their patent stocks from 1985 onward. To identify 4IR patents, we use a novel twostep procedure proposed by EPO (2020, Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Global Technology Trends Enabling the Data-Driven Economy, European Patent Office), based on Cooperative Patent Classification codes and on a full-text patent search. Our results show a positive and significant relationship between firms’ stocks of 4IR patents and labor and total factor productivity. We also find that firms with a long history in 4IR patent filings benefit more from the development of 4IR technological capabilities than later applicants. Conversely, we find that firm profitability is not significantly related to the stock of 4IR patents, which suggests that the returns from 4IR technological developments may be slow to be cashed in. Finally, we find that the positive relationship with productivity is stronger for 4IR-related wireless technology and for artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, and big data analytics

Absolute and general assignment of constitutional isomers by mass spectrometry: the case of methylpiperidines

An absolute method is described via mass spectrometry (MS) for the structural assignment of isomers within the class of methylpiperidines. The method explores both the unimolecular and bimolecular gas phase behavior of structurally diagnostic fragment ions (SDFI). For the methylpiperidnes, the isomeric 2-methyl, 3-methyl and 4-methyl 2-azabutadienyl cations are found to function as SDFI. These fragment ions are expected to be formed from all members within the class, to be stable and to retain the structural information of the precursor molecule, and to not interconvert into one another. To characterize these SDFI, both the collision induced dissociation (CID) in argon and bimolecular ion/molecule chemistry with ethyl vinyl ether were compared.1721Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Clinical care pathway program versus open-access system: a study on appropriateness, quality, and efficiency in the delivery of colonoscopy in the colorectal cancer

Open-access colonoscopy (OAC), whereby the colonoscopy is performed without a prior office visit with a gastroenterologist, is affected by inappropriateness which leads to overprescription and reduced availability of the procedure in case of alarming symptoms. The clinical care pathway (CCP) is a healthcare management tool promoted by national health systems to organize work-up of various morbidities. Recently, we started a CCP dedicated to colorectal cancer (CRC), including a colonoscopy session for CRC diagnosis and prevention. We aimed to evaluate the appropriateness, the quality, and the efficiency in the delivery of colonoscopy with the open-access system and a CCP program in the CRC. Quality indicators for colonoscopy in subjects in the CCP were compared to referrals by general practitioners (OAC) or by non-gastroenterologist physicians (non-gastroenterologist physician colonoscopy, NGPC). Attendance rate to colonoscopy was greater in the CCP group and NGPC group than in the OAC group (99%, 99%, and 86%, respectively). Waiting time in the CCP group was shorter than in the OAC group (3.88 ± 2.27 vs. 32 ± 22.31 weeks, respectively). Appropriateness of colonoscopy prescription was better in the CCP group than in the OAC group (92 vs. 50%, respectively). OAC is affected by the lack of timeliness and low appropriateness of prescription. A CCP reduces the number of inappropriate colonoscopies, especially for post-polypectomy surveillance, and improves the delivery of colonoscopy in patients requiring a fast-track examination. The high rate of inappropriate OAC suggests that this modality of healthcare should be widely reviewed

Catalase vs Peroxidase Activity of a Manganese(II) Compound: Identification of a Mn(III)-(μ-O)2-Mn(IV) Reaction Intermediate by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Herein, we report reactivity studies of the mononuclear water-soluble complex [Mn(II)(HPClNOL)(η1-NO3)(η2-NO3)] 1, where HPClNOL ) 1-(bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-amino)-3-chloropropan-2-ol, toward peroxides (H2O2 and tertbutylhydroperoxide). Both the catalase (in aqueous solution) and peroxidase (in CH3CN) activities of 1 were evaluated using a range of techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy, volumetry (kinetic studies), pH monitoring during H2O2 disproportionation, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode [ESI(+)-MS], and gas chromatography (GC). Electrochemical studies showed that 1 can be oxidized to Mn(III) and Mn(IV). The catalase-like activity of 1 was evaluated with and without pH control. The results show that the pH decreases when the reaction is performed in unbuffered media. Furthermore, the activity of 1 is greater in buffered than in unbuffered media, demonstrating that pH influences the activity of 1 toward H2O2. For the reaction of 1 with H2O2, EPR and ESI(+)-MS have led to the identification of the intermediate [Mn(III)Mn(IV)(μ- O)2(PClNOL)2]+. The peroxidase activity of 1 was also evaluated by monitoring cyclohexane oxidation, using H2O2 or tert-butylhydroperoxide as the terminal oxidants. Low yields (<7%) were obtained for H2O2, probably because it competes with 1 for the catalase-like activity. In contrast, using tert-butylhydroperoxide, up to 29% of cyclohexane conversion was obtained. A mechanistic model for the catalase activity of 1 that incorporates the observed lag phase in O2 production, the pH variation, and the formation of a Mn(III)-(μ-O)2-Mn(IV) intermediate is proposed

Exploring the contributions of human and social capital to productivity

This paper investigates how human and social capital contribute to individual productivity. We study three firms that complete all their tasks in projects. The employees in all firms initiate and organize their projects. We collected archival data from the firms on performance, human capital, tenure, gender, and their project activities. Social network data is generated from interviews and a survey. We find that social capital is the most important factor to determine productivity. We found mixed effects from human capital, only in one firm did human capital have a noticeable effect on productivity; tenure has no effects on productivity

Governance factors in a network process approach

Network approaches have been gaining growing support, since they seem to grasp the profile of modern organizations, which are increasingly embedded in a sea of relationships and alliances. However, most of these approaches are static, ignoring the time dimension and failing to explain how change and stability are intertwined in the evolution of networks. In this paper I suggest a focus on the dynamics of these complex systems and argue that a network-process approach provides a profitable avenue to a better understanding of firm profiles. In my view governance factors constitute a key building-block on the way towards a process approach, since they are responsible for change and stability in networks over time. Governance factors constitute rules and principles recursively used to model networks, which are neither perfectly planned nor spontaneous structures. Two main components of governance factors are distinguished: the network theory of the firm and the modes of control. These two variables generate a 2 x 2 matrix, in which four possible network patterns are identified. In conclusion it is claimed that governance factors can provide an elegant way of representing dynamic processes and identifying the patterns of different networks.

Wide rangig method for direct structure assignment of constitutional isomers using pentaquadrupole mass spectrometry

Orientador: Marcos Nogueira EberlinTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de QuímicaResumo: É proposto um método absoluto para diferenciação de isômeros constituicionais por espectrometria de massas, utilizando a reatividade em fase gasosa de fragmentos iônicos diagnósticos de estrutura (FIDE), gerados a partir de precursores isoméricos. Com apenas um espectro de massas é possível fazer a atribuição de configuração de um isômero, sem a necessidade de comparação com outros espectros de massas. Para provar o príncipio foram testadas as seguintes classes de isômeros: acetonaftonas, alquilanilinas, carbetoxipiperidinas, metiltiofenos, ácidos ciclohexeno carboxílicos e metilpiperidinas. Os precursores foram submetidos a EI a 70 eV, e o comportamento dissociativo foi estudado com o intuíto de se identificar o FIDE. É desejável que o FIDE tenha as seguintes características: i) seja formado por todos os isômeros dentro do conjunto, ii) mantenha a informação estrutural da molécula precursora, iii) seja estável em fase gasosa e iv) os FIDE¿s formados por cada um dos precursores devem ter estruturas diferentes e estes não podem interconverter-se. Para cada classe de isômeros foi selecionado a m/z do FIDE e este íon foi submetido à dissociação induzida por colisão (CID), esperando que sua dissociação seja distinta dependendo do precursor, e à reações íon/moléculas, esperando que FIDEs de precursores diferentes formem diferentes produtos iônicos. Foi utilizado um espectrômetro de massas pentaquadrupolar que permite experimentos de MS/MS/MS, que permitiu caracterizar os produtos iônicos formados nas reações, através de CID.Abstract: Herein, it¿s described an absolute method for structure assignment of constitutional isomers exploring the gas phase behavior of a structurally diagnostic fragment ion (SDFI) generated by each one of the precursor molecules within an isomeric set. This method allows the unequivocally assigning of the configuration of a precursor isomer with only one mass spectrum. To prove the principle the following isomeric sets were tested: acetonaphthone, alkylanilines, carbetoxypiperidines, methylthiophenes, cyclohexene carboxylic acids and methylpiperidines. All of the precursor isomers were submitted to 70 eV electron ionization (EI) with the intent of identifying the proper SDFI for each of the isomeric sets. Ideally, the SDFI should have the following characteristics: i) must be formed by all the isomers within the isomeric set, ii) retain the structural information of the precursor molecule, iii) be stable (long lifetime) and iv) the SDFI generated from different precursors must have different structures and must not interconvert into one another. The m/z of the SDFI is selected and then submitted to collision induced dissociation, hoping that the dissociative behavior is different depending on the precursor molecule, and ion/molecule reactions, hoping the bimolecular chemistry is different due to the formation of different ion products. For all the experiments it was used a pentaquadrupole mass spectrometer that allows MS/MS/MS, therefore allowing characterization of the ion products generated by ion/molecule reactions through collision induced dissociation.DoutoradoQuimica OrganicaDoutor em Ciência

L'offerta di servizi da parte delle imprese manifatturiere in ambito internazionale: il caso del distretto nautico del Sebino

The work aims to investigate how the shift towards a service economy is changing the way manufacturers compete and behave, particularly in the foreign markets. Manufacturing firms seeking to diversify their core business by adding services to bolster the product offering soon understand how different it is to develop and provide services compared with exclusively the manufacture and marketing of products. Diversification into services poses new challenges that cannot be mastered using the traditional, manufacturing-oriented management tools. Further, it is one thing to effectively integrate products and services for the domestic market, which itself presents new hurdles, but a completely different ball game when companies that serve the international markets attempt to expand their offering to meet the service needs of foreign clients. What kind of difficulties can the companies expect to come up against? How does a product-related strategy differ from a services-related strategy in the international arena? After reviewing the proposals advanced in the relevant literature, we conducted an empirical analysis of the strategies adopted by a sample basket of Italian manufacturing firms in the Italian leisure boats industry.Servizi post-vendita, internazionalizzazione, integrazione prodotto-servizio, nautica da diporto