An Arthroscopic Device to Assess Articular Cartilage Defects and Treatment with a Hydrogel

The hydraulic resistance R across osteochondral tissue, especially articular cartilage, decreases with degeneration and erosion. Clinically useful measures to quantify and diagnose the extent of cartilage degeneration and efficacy of repair strategies, especially with regard to pressure maintenance, are still developing. The hypothesis of this study was that hydraulic resistance provides a quantitative measure of osteochondral tissue that could be used to evaluate the state of cartilage damage and repair. The aims were to (1) develop a device to measure R in an arthroscopic setting, (2) determine whether the device could detect differences in R for cartilage, an osteochondral defect, and cartilage treated using a hydrogel ex vivo, and (3) determine how quickly such differences could be discerned. The apparent hydraulic resistance of defect samples was ~35% less than intact cartilage controls, while the resistance of hydrogel-filled groups was not statistically different than controls, suggesting some restoration of fluid pressurization in the defect region by the hydrogel. Differences in hydraulic resistance between control and defect groups were apparent after 4 s. The results indicate that the measurement of R is feasible for rapid and quantitative functional assessment of the extent of osteochondral defects and repair. The arthroscopic compatibility of the device demonstrates the potential for this measurement to be made in a clinical setting

Concurrent capital expenditure and the stock market reaction to corporate alliance announcements

This paper examines the effect of concurrent capital expenditure on the market reaction to corporate alliance announcements. Based on a large sample of announcements made in the UK between 1993 and 1995, the evidence suggests that the market response is most favourable when new investment does not form part of the joint activity. The results also suggest that the decision to formalize the partnerships through the establishment of a joint venture impacts negatively on announcement period share returns. The findings are shown to be consistent with a scenario whereby the market response reflects concern about the dangers of overly-committed partnerships.

Practices of innovation in mobile computing alliances

Global technology alliances (GTAs) and innovation capabilities are the two main themes in this chapter. Drawing on innovation concepts and the resource-based view, this chapter explains how firms gain access to complementary resources, dispersed in the international realm, and incorporate these within their organizations through GTAs. This emergent form of international resource-seeking and network collaboration across borders can be seen as a new phenomenon in international business (IB) (Kogut and Zander, 1992; Rugman and D’Cruz, 2000; Yamin, 2011). Innovation capabilities can be attained by combining a firm’s technology resources with those of overseas alliance partners, offering progress towards enhancement of competitive advantage. From a theoretical aspect, we combine the resource-based view with innovation concepts, and comprehensively examine the dynamics of resources and innovation at both a firm and a network level