Creativity in research and development environments: A practical review

Creativity is of paramount importance to the innovation process. Therefore the findings of creativity research should be thoroughly considered in organisations where innovation processes are required. This review summarises the literature in the field of work place creativity, with special attention given to R&D environments. Current theoretical models of creativity are discussed and a literature review of the influence of (i) motivation, (ii) interaction within work groups and between group leaders and members, and (iii) organisational culture and environment on creativity is undertaken. Practical advice is derived from literature findings wherever possible

Gefahrenpotentiale schnell erkennen!: Das Punktesystem zur Bewertung chemischer Kampfstoffe und toxischer Industriechemikalien

Die Ereignisse am 11. September 2001 haben eine völlig neue Einschätzung der Bedrohungslage durch terroristische Anschläge mit sich gebracht. Auch die Gefährdung durch Chemikalien steht im Zuge dessen bei den Organisationen der inneren und äußeren Sicherheit wieder weit oben auf der Agenda. Das verheerende Bild, das "worst case"-Szenarien von terroristischen Anschlägen mit chemischen Gefahrstoffen aufzeichnen, ist Grund genug, um auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene geeignete Schutzmaßnahmen vorzubereiten. Am Fraunhofer INT wurde deswegen in Zusammenarbeit mit der Schutzkommission beim Bundesminister des Innern ein System entwickelt, mit dem man chemische Kampfstoffe und toxische Industriechemikalien nach ihrem Gefahrenpotenzial bewerten kann

The weighted-bit assessment table of hazardous chemicals

The Fraunhofer INT has developed an assessment tool for dangers associated with the liberation of hazardous chemicals. In this system substances are evaluated as to their availability, deployability, toxicology, and the possible socioeconomic consequences of their release. Each sub-category is qualified as either "true" (value 1) or "not true" (value 0), to minimise ambiguity. An exception to this rule is made in some sub-categories of the toxicology section where the value 0.5 is allowed for practical reasons. The advantages of this system are: i) low ambiguity because of the "one bit" character, ii) a wide range of substances and hazards can be assessed and compared in just one table, iii) a specific "pattern" that can be further analysed is generated for each substance, and iv) the weighting factors can be adapted to assess different scenarios. We showed that reasonable assessments can be generated by simple and intuitive application of basic algorithms (addition, subtraction, multiplication) on the binary database. These features render our system capable of enabling easy, yet sound, communication between persons with different backgrounds and thus make it a valuable planning tool

How to Recognize a Creative SME?

Part 1: Knowledge Discovery and SharingInternational audienceIn the actual knowledge-based economy, intangible assets are crucial. Those assets cannot be created without the creativity of the employees. Despite the phenomenal amount of works published on creativity, only a few are related to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). Furthermore, a literature review made evident that a proper definition of what is a creative SME does not exist, even though it is important for practitioners, researchers and professionals in this domain. A definition of a creative SME needs to include external characteristics, ones that are easy to recognize from an observer’s point of view. This research is thus trying to answer the following question: “How can we recognize a creative SME?” By using a Delphi with a group of experts, the researchers obtained a list of characteristics to recognize a creative SME. A case-study based research on internal factors that affect creative SME characteristics will follow

Synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of the selective P2Y2 receptor antagonist AR-C118925

The G(q) protein-coupled, ATP- and UTP-activated P2Y(2) receptor is a potential drug target for a range of different disorders, including tumor metastasis, inflammation, atherosclerosis, kidney disorders, and osteoporosis, but pharmacological studies are impeded by the limited availability of suitable antagonists. One of the most potent and selective antagonists is the thiouracil derivative AR-C118925. However, this compound was until recently not commercially available and little is known about its properties. We therefore developed an improved procedure for the synthesis of AR-C118925 and two derivatives to allow up-scaling and assessed their potency in calcium mobilization assays on the human and rat P2Y(2) receptors recombinantly expressed in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells. The compound was further evaluated for inhibition of P2Y(2) receptor-induced β-arrestin translocation. AR-C118925 behaved as a competitive antagonist with pA (2) values of 37.2 nM (calcium assay) and 51.3 nM (β-arrestin assay). Selectivity was assessed vs. related receptors including P2X, P2Y, and adenosine receptor subtypes, as well as ectonucleotidases. AR-C118925 showed at least 50-fold selectivity against the other investigated targets, except for the P2X1 and P2X3 receptors which were blocked by AR-C118925 at concentrations of about 1 μM. AR-C118925 is soluble in buffer at pH 7.4 (124 μM) and was found to be metabolically highly stable in human and mouse liver microsomes. In Caco2 cell experiments, the compound displayed moderate permeability indicating that it may show limited peroral bioavailability. AR-C118925 appears to be a useful pharmacological tool for in vitro and in vivo studies. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11302-016-9542-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users