How do MNC R&D laboratory roles affect employee international assignments?

Research and development (R&D) employees are important human resources for multinational corporations (MNCs) as they are the driving force behind the advancement of innovative ideas and products. International assignments of these employees can be a unique way to upgrade their expertise; allowing them to effectively recombine their unique human resources to progress existing knowledge and advance new ones. This study aims to investigate the effect of the roles of R&D laboratories in which these employees work on the international assignments they undertake. We categorise R&D laboratory roles into those of the support laboratory, the locally integrated laboratory and the internationally interdependent laboratory. Based on the theory of resource recombinations, we hypothesise that R&D employees in support laboratories are not likely to assume international assignments, whereas those in locally integrated and internationally interdependent laboratories are likely to assume international assignments. The empirical evidence, which draws from research conducted on 559 professionals in 66 MNC subsidiaries based in Greece, provides support to our hypotheses. The resource recombinations theory that extends the resource based view can effectively illuminate the international assignment field. Also, research may provide more emphasis on the close work context of R&D scientists rather than analyse their demographic characteristics, the latter being the focus of scholarly practice hitherto

The Effectiveness of Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Improving Glycaemic Control in Adults with Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

People with severe mental illness (SMI) have reduced life expectancy compared with the general population, which can be explained partly by their increased risk of diabetes. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the clinical effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for improving glycaemic control in people with SMI (PROSPERO registration: CRD42015015558). A systematic literature search was performed on 30/10/2015 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in adults with SMI, with or without a diagnosis of diabetes that measured fasting blood glucose or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Screening and data extraction were carried out independently by two reviewers. We used random effects meta-analysis to estimate effectiveness, and subgroup analysis and univariate meta-regression to explore heterogeneity. The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool was used to assess risk of bias. We found 54 eligible RCTs in 4,392 adults (40 pharmacological, 13 behavioural, one mixed intervention). Data for meta-analysis were available from 48 RCTs (n = 4052). Both pharmacological (mean difference (MD), -0.11mmol/L; 95% confidence interval (CI), [-0.19, -0.02], p = 0.02, n = 2536) and behavioural interventions (MD, -0.28mmol//L; 95% CI, [-0.43, -0.12], p<0.001, n = 956) were effective in lowering fasting glucose, but not HbA1c (pharmacological MD, -0.03%; 95% CI, [-0.12, 0.06], p = 0.52, n = 1515; behavioural MD, 0.18%; 95% CI, [-0.07, 0.42], p = 0.16, n = 140) compared with usual care or placebo. In subgroup analysis of pharmacological interventions, metformin and antipsychotic switching strategies improved HbA1c. Behavioural interventions of longer duration and those including repeated physical activity had greater effects on fasting glucose than those without these characteristics. Baseline levels of fasting glucose explained some of the heterogeneity in behavioural interventions but not in pharmacological interventions. Although the strength of the evidence is limited by inadequate trial design and reporting and significant heterogeneity, there is some evidence that behavioural interventions, antipsychotic switching, and metformin can lead to clinically important improvements in glycaemic measurements in adults with SMI

Small-animal SPECT and SPECT/CT: application in cardiovascular research

Preclinical cardiovascular research using noninvasive radionuclide and hybrid imaging systems has been extensively developed in recent years. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is based on the molecular tracer principle and is an established tool in noninvasive imaging. SPECT uses gamma cameras and collimators to form projection data that are used to estimate (dynamic) 3-D tracer distributions in vivo. Recent developments in multipinhole collimation and advanced image reconstruction have led to sub-millimetre and sub-half-millimetre resolution SPECT in rats and mice, respectively. In this article we review applications of microSPECT in cardiovascular research in which information about the function and pathology of the myocardium, vessels and neurons is obtained. We give examples on how diagnostic tracers, new therapeutic interventions, pre- and postcardiovascular event prognosis, and functional and pathophysiological heart conditions can be explored by microSPECT, using small-animal models of cardiovascular disease

Technological diversification within UK’s small serial innovators

This paper investigates the determinants of technological diversification among UK’s small serial innovators (SSIs). Using a longitudinal study of 339 UK-based small businesses accounting for almost 7000 patents between 1990 and 2006, this study constitutes the first empirical examination of technological diversification among SMEs in the literature. Results demonstrate that technological diversification is not solely a large firm activity, challenging the dominant view that innovative SMEs are extremely focused and specialised players with little technological diversification. Our findings suggest a nonlinear (i.e. inverse-U-shaped) relationship between the level of technological opportunities in the environment and the SSIs’ degree of technological diversification. This points to a trade-off between processes of exploration and exploitation across increasingly volatile technology regimes. The paper also demonstrates that small firms with impactful innovations focus their innovative activity around similar technological capabilities while firms that have introduced platform technologies in the past are more likely to engage in technological diversification

Electrochemically synthesized polymers in molecular imprinting for chemical sensing

This critical review describes a class of polymers prepared by electrochemical polymerization that employs the concept of molecular imprinting for chemical sensing. The principal focus is on both conducting and nonconducting polymers prepared by electropolymerization of electroactive functional monomers, such as pristine and derivatized pyrrole, aminophenylboronic acid, thiophene, porphyrin, aniline, phenylenediamine, phenol, and thiophenol. A critical evaluation of the literature on electrosynthesized molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) applied as recognition elements of chemical sensors is presented. The aim of this review is to highlight recent achievements in analytical applications of these MIPs, including present strategies of determination of different analytes as well as identification and solutions for problems encountered

Utilizing heat regeneration within hydraulic pressure accumulator

Tekniikan kehittyessä toimilaitteiden ja järjestelmien suunnittelussa ja toteutuksessa laitteiden ja koneiden energia- ja kustannustehokkuus nousevat jatkuvasti tärkeämpään rooliin. Hydraulisilla toimilaitteilla saavutetaan korkea tehotiheys, mutta järjestelmien kokonaishyötysuhde on usein heikko. Hyötysuhdetta voidaan nostaa lisäämällä järjestelmiin energian talteenotto, jolloin työkierroista voidaan normaalisti hukkaan menevää energiaa varastoida ja käyttää uudelleen seuraavassa työkierrossa. Hydraulisissa energian talteenottojärjestelmissä energiaa varastoidaan tyypillisesti hydraulipaineakkuihin. Paineakuissa energia varastoituu puristamalla paineakun kaasutilavuudessa olevaa kaasua. Puristusvaiheen aikana kaasun lämpötila nousee ja lämpö alkaa virrata paineakusta ympäristöön. Tämä energian virtaaminen ympäristöön muodostaa merkittävimmän yksittäisen paineakun hyötysuhdetta laskevan tekijän. Tämän työn tavoitteena oli nostaa mäntäpaineakun hyötysuhdetta hyödyntämällä lämmön regenerointia. Lämmön regeneroinnilla pyritään varastoimaan kaasussa puristusvaiheessa syntyvä lämpöenergia lämpöregeneraattoriin ja luovuttamaan energia takaisin kaasuun paineakun purkusyklin aikana. Työssä suunniteltu lämpöregeneraattori perustui faasimuutosmateriaalien hyödyntämiseen energiavarastona. Faasimuutosmateriaalit soveltuvat erinomaisesti lämpövarastoiksi, sillä ne kykenevät sitomaan suuren määrän energiaa faasimuutoksen aikana, jolloin työssä suunniteltu lämpöregeneraattori saatiin mahdutettua mäntäpaineakun sisälle. Työssä saatujen mittaustuloksien perusteella pääteltiin, että lämpöregeneraattorin dynamiikan merkitys nousi merkittävämmäksi kuin lämpöregeneraattorin kyky varastoida lämpöenergiaa. Lämpöregeneraattorin hidas dynamiikka ei mahdollista tehokasta energian talteenottoa nopeista puristus- tai purkusykleistä, ja tämän takia lämpöregeneraattorista saatava hyöty jäi pieneksi. Työssä toteutetulla lämpöregeneraattorilla saavutettiin parhaimmillaan 3 prosenttiyksikön hyötysuhteen nousu verrattaessa samaan mäntäpaineakkuun ilman lämmön regenerointia.As new technological advances are made the importance of energy efficiency and cost effective solutions are even more important when designing and producing new machine systems. Hydraulic systems offer great performance in different actuators, but the general efficiency of the whole hydraulic systems is usually low. Energy efficiency can be improved by utilizing energy recovery systems. With energy recovery some of the normally wasted energy can be recovered and used in the next work cycle. Hydraulic energy recovery systems usually store energy in hydraulic pressure accumulators. Within the hydraulic pressure accumulator, energy is stored by compressing gas inside the accumulator’s gas volume. When compressing gas, heat builds up within the gas and temperature difference between the gas and its surroundings causes heat energy to flow out of the gas. This energy flow is the single most significant factor lowering energy efficiency of the accumulator. The goal of this study was to increase the efficiency of piston type hydraulic pressure accumulator by utilizing heat regeneration. With heat regeneration, heat energy that is generated in the gas during compression cycle is stored in the heat regenerator to be released during the following decompression cycle. Heat regenerator designed in this study utilizes phase change materials to store heat energy. Phase change materials absorb a lot of energy during phase change and thus they are commonly used as heat storages. The results obtained in this study indicate that the dynamic properties of the heat regenerator are more important than the capability to store heat energy. Low dynamic properties prevent the heat regenerator from storing and releasing energy effectively during fast compression and decompression cycles. With the heat regenerator designed in this study the energy efficiency of the accumulator increased by maximum of 3 percentage units when compared to the same accumulator without heat regeneration

Noninvasive imaging of angiotensin receptors after myocardial infarction.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of noninvasive imaging of angiotensin II (AT) receptor upregulation in a mouse model of post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure (HF).BackgroundCirculating AT levels do not reflect the status of upregulation of renin-angiotensin axis in the myocardium, which plays a central role in ventricular remodeling and evolution of HF after MI. Appropriately labeled AT or AT receptor blocking agents should be able to specifically target AT receptors by molecular imaging techniques.MethodsAT receptor imaging was performed in 29 mice at various time points after permanent coronary artery ligation or in controls using a fluoresceinated angiotensin peptide analog (APA) and radiolabeled losartan. The APA was used in 19 animals for intravital fluorescence microscopy on a beating mouse heart. Tc-99m losartan was used for in vivo radionuclide imaging and quantitative assessment of AT receptor expression in 10 mice. After imaging, hearts were harvested for pathological characterization using confocal and 2-photon microscopy.ResultsNo or little APA uptake was observed in control animals or within infarct regions on days 0 and 1. Distinct uptake occurred in the infarct area at 1 to 12 weeks after MI; the uptake was at maximum at 3 weeks and reduced markedly at 12 weeks after MI. Ultrasonographic examination demonstrated left ventricular remodeling, and pathologic characterization revealed localization of the APA tracer with collagen-producing myofibroblasts. Tc-99m losartan uptake in the infarct region (0.524 +/- 0.212% injected dose/g) increased 2.4-fold as compared to uptake in the control animals (0.215 +/- 0.129%; p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionsThe present study demonstrates the feasibility of in vivo molecular imaging of AT receptors in the remodeling myocardium. Noninvasive imaging studies aimed at AT receptor expression could play a role in identification of subjects likely to develop heart failure. In addition, such a strategy could allow for optimization of anti-angiotensin therapy in patients after MI