Variations in SME Characteristics and the Use of Service Intermediaries for R&D

[EN] Large companies increasingly look externally for opportunities to enhance innovation, which has resulted in closer study of innovation systems. We examined the role of service intermediaries (universities, technology centers, and consultants) within these systems using a sample of predominately small- and medium-sized enterprises located in Valencia, Spain. As with studies of large companies, absorptive capacity (e.g., research and development expenditures) was positively related to the likelihood that a firm would engage in service collaborations. However, the rate of collaboration was higher relative to studies dominated by larger companies. Also, there were differences in the pattern of firm characteristics associated with the use of specific services. For example, the level of SME export activity related positively to the use of technology centers, but negatively to university collaborationsThe authors thank the Alto Consejo Consultivo en I + D of the Generalitat Valenciana and IMPIVA for facilitating the access to the survey on which this paper is based and, especially, Manuel López Estornell and Emilio Cubel for preparing the questionnaire and the sample. This work has been partially supported by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia under grants PAID-06-10/2424 and PAID 06-10/2392, and Generalitat Valenciana under grants GV/2011/002 and GV/2011/049Castrogiovanni, GJ.; Doménech I De Soria, J.; Mas Verdú, F. (2012). Variations in SME Characteristics and the Use of Service Intermediaries for R&D. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration. 1-11. doi:10.1002/CJAS.231S11

Going into the lines: Centralisation and the perception land shortage in the Chiweshe reserve, 1940-1944

Seminar pape

Discovery of novel irreversible inhibitors of IL-2 inducible tyrosine kinase (Itk) by targeting cysteine 442 in the ATP pocket

IL-2 inducible tyrosine kinase (Itk) plays a key role in antigen receptor signalling in T cells and is considered an important target for anti-inflammatory drug discovery. In order to generate inhibitors with the necessary potency and selectivity, a compound that targeted Cysteine442 in the ATP binding pocket and with an envisaged irreversible mode of action was designed. We incorporated a high degree of molecular recognition and specific design features making the compound suitable for inhaled delivery. This study confirms the irreversible covalent binding of the inhibitor to the kinase by X-ray crystallography and enzymology, whilst demonstrating potency, selectivity, and prolonged duration of action in in vitro biological assays. The biosynthetic turnover of the kinase was also examined as a critical factor when designing irreversible inhibitors for extended duration of action. The exemplified Itk inhibitor demonstrated inhibition of both TH1 and TH2 cytokines, was additive with fluticasone propionate and inhibited cytokine release from human lung fragments. Finally, we describe an in vivo pharmacodynamic assay that allows rapid preclinical development without animal efficacy models