Is the grass elsewhere really greener? A study on the place marketing activity of Polish self-governments

The role of place marketing and branding as a modus for enhancing public sector efficiency is growing, especially in territorial self-government units (TSGUs). A growing proportion maintains the relevant responsible agencies. We compared the place marketing activities of Polish TSGUs, focusing on their maturity in this matter. We associate maturity with the awareness that one should not be ashamed of territorial uniqueness but, on the contrary, highlight it as a source of merit. We based our study on self-evaluation carried out by marketing practitioners operating in Polish TSGUs. The results reveal that most of them do not yet fully exploit state-of-the-art place marketing to strengthen development policies. However, they vary significantly by disclosing many interesting local specificities

Venture Capital and Business Angels and the Creation of Innovative Firms in Poland

The article also points out that conditions fostering further development of the described types of entrepreneurship and innovation financing and a dynamic environment generating innovative capacity should be created.W artykule zasygnalizowano również potrzebę kreowania uwarunkowań sprzyjających rozwojowi opisanych form finansowania przedsiębiorczości, innowacyjności i dynamicznego otoczenia generującego zdolności innowacyjne

Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells as Model to Evaluate Species Tropism of Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses

Several mosquito-borne Flaviviruses such as Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), West Nile virus (WNV), Dengue Virus (DENV), and Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause severe clinical disease. Being zoonotic, Flaviviruses infect a wide variety of terrestrial vertebrates, which dependent of the virus-host interactions, can enhance ongoing epidemics and maintain the virus in the environment for prolonged periods. Targeted species can vary from amphibians, birds to various mammals, dependent on the virus. For many mosquito-borne flaviviruses the spectrum of targeted species is incompletely understood, in particular with respect to their contribution to the maintenance of virus in certain geographical regions. Furthermore, little is known about virus and host factors contributing to species tropism. The present study utilized human and porcine monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDC) as a cell culture model to better understand Flavivirus species tropism and innate immune responses. MoDC were selected based on their presence in the skin and their role as an early target cell for several Flaviviruses and their role as immune sentinels. While differences in viral infectivity and replication were minor when comparing porcine with human MoDC for some of the tested Flaviviruses, a particularly strong replication in human MoDC was found with USUV, while JEV appeared to have a stronger tropism for porcine MoDC. With respect to innate immune responses we found high induction of TNF and IFN-β in both human and porcine MoDC after infection with JEV, WNV, and USUV, but not with DENV, ZIKV, and Wesselsbron virus. Spondweni virus induced these cytokine responses only in porcine MoDC. Overall, innate immune responses correlated with early infectivity and cytokine production. In conclusion, we demonstrate Flavivirus-dependent differences in the interaction with MoDC. These may play a role in pathogenesis but appear to only partially reflect the expected species tropism

Thermosensitive supramolecular and colloidal hydrogels via self-assembly modulated by hydrophobized cellulose nanocrystals

Utilization of reversible non-covalent interactions is a versatile design strategy for the development of stimuli responsive soft materials. In this study, hydrophobic interactions were harnessed to assemble water-soluble macromolecules and nanoparticles into a transient hybrid network forming thermosensitive hydrogels with tunable rheological properties. Hybrid hydrogels were built of biopolymer derived components: cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), nanoparticles of high aspect ratio, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). To enable polymer/CNC assembly via hydrophobic interactions, the surface of highly hydrophilic CNCs was modified by binding octyl moieties (octyl-CNCs). The amphiphilicity of octyl-CNCs was confirmed by surface tension measurements. The molecular and particulate amphiphiles assemble into hybrid networks, which result in stiffer and stronger hydrogels compared to HPMC hydrogels and hydrogels reinforced with hydrophilic CNCs. Hybrid hydrogels retain the ability of HPMC hydrogels to flow under applied shear stress. However, significantly higher viscosity was achieved for HPMC/octyl-CNCs compared with HPMC/CNCs hydrogels. The inherent thermal response of rheological properties of HPMC hydrogels was further amplified in combination with octyl-CNCs due to temperature-induced polymer/nanoparticle association via hydrophobic interactions. Saturation transfer difference NMR spectroscopy demonstrated the growth of network-bound water with an increase in temperature, which correlates with the increase of stiffness and viscosity of hydrogels upon heating. Rheological properties of these hybrid hydrogels are defined by the content of the soluble polymer and the CNCs, and it is shown that they can be finely adjusted for a required application

Quantitative analysis of the distribution and mixing of cellulose nanocrystals in thermoplastic composites using Raman chemical imaging

Cellulose nanofibers hold much promise for enhancing the mechanical properties of composites owing to their uniquely high stiffness and strength. One major issue limiting this performance however is the dispersion and mixing of cellulose nanofibers within thermoplastic resins. A combination of Raman imaging and chemical analysis has been used to quantify the distribution and mixing of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in a polyethylene-matrix composite. Large area spectral imaging provides information about the effect of a compatibilizer – namely poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) – on the distribution of CNCs in the thermoplastic matrix. High-resolution images enable quantification of the degree of mixing between the CNCs and HDPE. Lower resolution images, but with greater spatial spread, allow quantification of the distribution of the CNCs. It is shown that the CNCs tend to agglomerate, with little increase in distribution even with the use of the compatibilizer. A shift in the position of characteristic Raman bands indicates the formation of hydrogen bonding between the PEO compatibilizer and the CNCs, which in turn is thought to affect the distribution of aggregates of the reinforcing phase