Technology strategy and innovation: the use of derivative strategies in the aerospace industry

Strategy has become an increasingly important theme within the management of innovation. This is reflected in the increasing amount of attention given to topics such as technology strategy within the innovation literature. However research into technology strategy has tended to focus on technology acquisition rather than technology exploitation. This paper focuses on one often neglected way in which companies can exploit the technological resources at their disposal, namely through the use of a derivative strategy where new technology is combined with old products or parts of old products in order to develop new products. The paper explores this type of strategy by means of a case study from the commercial jet engine sector of the aerospace industry. The case study provides an opportunity not only to explore the nature of derivative strategies in detail it also highlights the benefits, both direct and indirect, to be gained from this type of strategy as a means of exploiting an organisation's technological resources. The paper shows how a derivative strategy can contribute to the broader strategic goals of companies in technology based industries through strategies designed to ensure the most effective utilisation of the technology base

Predicting yields of high priced trimmed beef cuts by means of carcass weight and visual assessments of fat cover and conformation

The total and individual trimmed meat yield of six hind quarter cuts and one fore quarter cut were estimated for 200 carcasses from animals of mixed origin with regard to breed, sex and feeding regimen. The linear models included carcass weight and visual assessment of fatness and conformation by means of seven fat and five conformation classes. Amount of variation accounted for (R2) was the most favourable for total yield (87.3%) and the least favourable for the rib-eye cut (43.5%). Carcass weight contributed to most of the variation accounted for and had a positive effect on the yield for all the cuts. Fat score and conformation score were significant in the models of all cuts and total yield except for the rump, and contributed at least 10 percentage points to the R2-value for the topside, thick flank, loin, rib-eye and fillet. Fat score had a negative effect on trimmed yield of all cuts except for the loin, which could be attributed to less trimming compared to other cuts. Conformation score had positive effects on the yield of all cuts except for the rump (non significant), fillet and thick flank. Fat score had the largest proportional effect (to size of the cut) on topside and thick flank, which both contain significant fat deposits. Conformation score had the largest proportional effect on the loin and rib-eye, which is probably due to the synergistic effect of fatness and conformation on the conformation score in this region. The accuracy of estimation of total yield for the purpose of awarding premiums to yield categories was considered to be good when the residual standard deviation of the estimated yield was compared with the standard deviation of the trial sample. However, separating cuts into different weight categories was less accurate and varied among cuts, which suggests that more information is needed for more reliable models before accurate individual yields of cuts can be predicted in practice. Keywords: Conformation score; fat score; premiums; saleable meat South African Journal of Animal Sciences Vol. 35 (3) 2005: pp.195-20

The landscape of psoriasis provision in the UK.

Psoriasis remains one of the commonest conditions seen in dermatological practice, and its treatment is one of the greatest cost burdens for the UK National Health Service. Treatment of psoriasis is complex, with numerous overlapping lines and therapies used in combination. This complexity reflects the underlying pathophysiology of the disease as well as the heterogeneous population that it affects. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for the treatment of psoriasis has been available since 2013, and has been the subject of three national audits conducted by the British Association of Dermatologists. This report synthesizes the results of the most recent of those exercises and places it in the context of the NICE guidance and previous audits. It clearly shows the significant burden of disease, issues with provision of services and long waiting times and the marked shift in therapies towards targeted biologic therapies

Comparative Chromosome Maps of Neotropical Rodents Necromys lasiurus and Thaptomys nigrita (Cricetidae) Established by ZOO-FISH

This work presents chromosome homology maps between Mus musculus (MMU) and 2 South American rodent species from the Cricetidae group: Necromys lasiurus (NLA, 2n = 34) and Thaptomys nigrita (TNI, 2n = 52), established by ZOO-FISH using mouse chromosome-specific painting probes. Extending previous molecular cytogenetic studies in Neotropical rodents, the purpose of this work was to delineate evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements in Cricetidae rodents and to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships among the Akodontini species. Our phylogenetic reconstruction by maximum parsimony analysis of chromosomal characters confirmed one consistent clade of all Neotropical rodents studied so far. In both species analyzed here, we observed the syntenic association of chromosome segments homologous to MMU 8/13, suggesting that this chromosome form is a synapomorphic trait exclusive to Neotropical rodents. Further, the previously described Akodontini-specific syntenic associations MMU 3/18 and MMU 6/12 were observed in N. lasiurus but not in T. nigrita, although the latter species is considered a member of the Akodontini tribe by some authors. Finally, and in agreement with this finding, N. lasiurus and Akodon serrensis share the derived fission of MMU 13, which places them as basal sister clades within Akodontini. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Thaptomys Thomas 1915 (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae, Akodontini) with karyotypes 2n = 50, FN = 48, and 2n = 52, FN = 52: Two monophyletic lineages recovered by molecular phylogeny

A novel karyotype with 2n = 50, FN = 48, was described for specimens of Thaptomys collected at Una, State of Bahia, Brazil, which are morphologically indistinguishable from Thaptomys nigrita, 2n = 52, FN = 52, found in other localities. It was hence proposed that the 2n = 50 karyotype could belong to a distinct species, cryptic of Thaptomys nigrita, once chromosomal rearrangements observed, along with the geographic distance, might represent a reproductive barrier between both forms. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood based on partial cytochrome b sequences with 1077 bp were performed, attempting to establish the relationships among the individuals with distinct karyotypes along the geographic distribution of the genus; the sample comprised 18 karyotyped specimens of Thaptomys, encompassing 15 haplotypes, from eight different localities of the Atlantic Rainforest. The intra-generic relationships corroborated the distinct diploid numbers, once both phylogenetic reconstructions recovered two monophyletic lineages, a northeastern clade grouping the 2n = 50 and a southeastern clade with three subclades, grouping the 2n = 52 karyotype. The sequence divergence observed between their individuals ranged from 1.9% to 3.5%

Temperature anisotropies in a magnetospheric FTE

We present AMPTE UKS data from a well‐studied magnetospheric flux transfer event, showing detailed ion phase‐space distributions for each region of this layered event. We show that the perpendicular temperature anisotropy maximizes at the center of the event. This is inconsistent with recent suggestions that FTE signatures may result from the spacecraft moving into and then out of the magnetosheath via the plasma depletion layer. We present an explanation for the temperature anisotropy structure in terms of a reconnection model

Objective Ultrasonic Characterization of Welding Defects Using Physically Based Pattern Recognition Techniques

Computer-based methods for analysing ultrasonic data to distinguish between different defect types have been based on a variety of techniques such as adaptive learning [1], artificial intelligence [2] and statistical pattern recognition [3]. The uncertain classification reliability of these techniques when applied to a range of realistic defect types has, however, often been a significant practical limitation to their use