An approach to the cooperation for innovation in the service sector

This study examines how firms cooperate for innovation in the services sector. We tested the theoretical development using cluster analysis and ordinal logit regression analysis with firm-level data collected from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2011-2013. Overall, 2,622 service firms have been used. This research contributes as follows: firstly, the findings show that the greater degree of penetration into the innovation modes of the firms means that the intensity of the use of cooperative agreements as well as the diversity of cooperative partners increases. Secondly, the empirical evidence for the taxonomy of innovation development in the service sector provides firms with the ways how to innovate based on their strategic orientation

Msb2 Shedding Protects Candida albicans against Antimicrobial Peptides

Msb2 is a sensor protein in the plasma membrane of fungi. In the human fungal pathogen C. albicans Msb2 signals via the Cek1 MAP kinase pathway to maintain cell wall integrity and allow filamentous growth. Msb2 doubly epitope-tagged in its large extracellular and small cytoplasmic domain was efficiently cleaved during liquid and surface growth and the extracellular domain was almost quantitatively released into the growth medium. Msb2 cleavage was independent of proteases Sap9, Sap10 and Kex2. Secreted Msb2 was highly O-glycosylated by protein mannosyltransferases including Pmt1 resulting in an apparent molecular mass of >400 kDa. Deletion analyses revealed that the transmembrane region is required for Msb2 function, while the large N-terminal and the small cytoplasmic region function to downregulate Msb2 signaling or, respectively, allow its induction by tunicamycin. Purified extracellular Msb2 domain protected fungal and bacterial cells effectively from antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) histatin-5 and LL-37. AMP inactivation was not due to degradation but depended on the quantity and length of the Msb2 glycofragment. C. albicans msb2 mutants were supersensitive to LL-37 but not histatin-5, suggesting that secreted rather than cell-associated Msb2 determines AMP protection. Thus, in addition to its sensor function Msb2 has a second activity because shedding of its glycofragment generates AMP quorum resistance

Does corporate reputation matter? Role of social media in consumer intention to purchase innovative food product

The exponential growth of the corporate reputation in food industry has resulted in innovations in every link of its supply chain. There have been studies that have characterized innovation in various industries from the perspective of technology, but far fewer in the area of corporate reputation, consumer perception, and intention towards innovations in food products. This research analyses the innovations in the food industry from the perspective of the consumer and provides a conceptual framework of food innovation stages. The study also investigates the relationship between corporate reputation and intention towards food innovation along with the other components of TPB model with an extension of social media engagement. The results from India and US samples confirm that social media engagement have a significant role to play in creating intention to purchase innovative food products. The study compares the US and Indian samples and identifies differences in subjective norms and perceived behavioural control

Decision Aid Tools for the Preservation of Fruits by Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is commonly used for packing fruits and relies on the natural interplay between the produce physiology (consumption or production of gases and vapours) and the mass transfer properties of the packaging material (gases and vapours permeation values), with possible gas flushing, in order to reach optimal conditions of storage. Then success of MAP depends on the choice of the material, whose mass transfer properties must match produce requirements. Decision aid tool for MAP of fruits would aim at helping decision makers to find the best material for a given fruit, but are not yet well developed and commonly used. If virtual MAP models exist, their objective is to dimension gas permeabilities of the packaging material to the needs of the fruit. They do not take into account multi-criteria design such as cost and mechanical properties. Then, this chapter brings an overview on current researches and developments in the field of biological, material, and computing science that could lead to the development of such a tool in regard to constitution of databases, and reliability of optimization and interrogation procedures