Border blocking effects in collaborative firm innovation: exploring the factors related with scientist' willingness to incorporating external knowledge

Border regions are not often associated with innovation and economic prosperity. Nevertheless, the opening up of borders in Europe has presented new opportunities for firms located in these border regions to co-operate and find necessary resources for their innovation process. Despite the reduction of the importance of borders, firms seeking to access those resources need still ‘cross’ the border and address the various effects it brings. This paper therefore asks the question of how the presence of a border affects the processes by which firms attempt to build up productive co-operations for innovation. We stylise inter-firm innovation across borders as building up through four sequential stages cooperation in four stages, and each of these different stages are susceptible to different kinds of border effects. Using a case study of firms co-operating across the Dutch-Flemish border, we empirically explore these border crossing processes in order to shed further light on how border processes play ou

The transformative role of universities in regional innovations systems: lessons from university engagement in cross-border regions

Universities play many important roles in the knowledge-based economy, providing innovation support services directly, but also changing the way that innovation is organised in their regions, and building new economic development pathways. Their roles can be particularly important in less successful regions that lack a critical mass of other knowledge actors who have the skills to organise regional innovation structures and processes. This working paper seeks to explore the roles that universities can play in one very specific type of peripheral region namely cross-border regions, where national borders hinder interactions, network-formation and institutionalisation between innovation actors that might geographically be proximate. Our research question is: what roles do universities play in cross-border regions and how can we understand these roles through a conceptual typology? We propose a conceptual typology for how universities may build up elements of university innovation activities in cross-border regions using their teaching, research, management and administrative processes. We explore this in six border regions: Bothnian Arc, Hedmark - Dalarna, Helsinki – Tallinn, Ireland – Northern Ireland, TTR-ELAt and Öresund to reflect more widely on universities’ wider roles in building up regional innovation system

RIO Country Report 2016: The Netherlands

The 2016 series of the RIO Country Report analyses and assesses the development and performance of the national research and innovation systems of the EU-28 Member States and related policies with the aim of monitoring and evaluating EU policy implementation as well as facilitating policy learning in the Member States.JRC.B.7-Knowledge for Finance, Innovation and Growt

RIO Country Report 2017: The Netherlands

The R&I Observatory country report 2017 provides a brief analysis of the R&I system covering the economic context, main actors, funding trends & human resources, policies to address R&I challenges, and R&I in national and regional smart specialisation strategies. Data is from Eurostat, unless otherwise referenced and is correct as at January 2018. Data used from other international sources is also correct to that date. The report provides a state-of-play and analysis of the national level R&I system and its challenges, to support the European Semester.JRC.B.7-Knowledge for Finance, Innovation and Growt

Specific Investigation of Sample Handling Effects on Protease Activities and Absolute Serum Concentrations of Various Putative Peptidome Cancer Biomarkers

# The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Introduction In the search for novel cancer biomarkers, various proteolytically derived peptides have been proposed to exhibit cancer or cancer-type specificity. As these peptides are presumably also generated after sample collection by tumor-specific proteases, extensive investigatio

The extent and effects of patient involvement in pictogram design for written drug information : a short systematic review

This short review provides insight into the extent and effectiveness of patient involvement in the design and evaluation of pictograms to support patient drug information. Pubmed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, Academic Search Premier and Web of Science were searched systematically; the 73 included articles were evaluated with the MMAT. We see that, usually, non-patient end-users are involved in the design of pharmaceutical pictograms - patients are more commonly involved in the final evaluation of pictogram success. Repeated involvement of (non-)patients aids the design of effective pharmaceutical pictograms, although there is limited evidence for such effects on patient perception of drug information or health behaviour.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with a solitary brain metastasis and low Ki-67:a unique subtype

INTRODUCTION: Stage IV large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung generally presents as disseminated and aggressive disease with a Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) 40-80%. LCNEC can be subdivided in two main subtypes: the first harboring TP53/RB1 mutations (small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC)-like), the second with mutations in TP53 and STK11/KEAP1 (non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC)-like). Here we evaluated 11 LCNEC patients with only a solitary brain metastasis and evaluate phenotype, genotype and follow-up. METHODS: Eleven LCNEC patients with solitary brain metastases were analyzed. Clinical characteristics and survival data were retrieved from medical records. Pathological analysis included histomorphological analysis, immunohistochemistry (pRB and Ki-67 PI) and next generation sequencing (TP53, RB1, STK11, KEAP1 and MEN1). RESULTS: All patients had N0 or N1 disease. Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.5-18.5 months). Mean Ki-67 PI was 59% (range 15-100%). In 6/11 LCNEC Ki-67 PI was ≤40%. OS was longer for Ki-67 ≤40% compared to >40% (17 months (95% CI 11-23 months) vs. 5 months (95% CI 0.7-9 months), p=0.007). Two patients were still alive at follow-up after 86 and 103 months, both had Ki-67 ≤40%. 8/11 patients could be subclassified and both SCLC-like (n=6) and NSCLC-like (n=2) subtype were present. No MEN1 mutation was found. CONCLUSION: Stage IV LCNEC with a solitary brain metastasis and N0/N1 disease show in the majority of cases Ki-67 PI ≤40% and prolonged survival, distinguishing them from general LCNEC. This unique subgroup can be both of the SCLC-like and NSCLC-like subtype

Pharmaceutical pictograms for low-literate patients : understanding, risk of false confidence, and evidence-based design strategies

Objective: This study aims to (1) evaluate ten pharmaceutical pictograms for low-literate patients on understandability, (2) assess the risk of false confidence in understanding, and (3) identify how the design can be improved to increase understandability. Methods: Interviews were conducted with n=197 pharmacy visitors in the Netherlands. Additional qualitative discussions were held with n=30 adequately and n=25 low-literate participants (assessed with REALM-D). Qualitative data were analysed using the Thematic Framework approach. Results: Half of the pictograms reached 67% understanding (31.0%-98.5%); two did in the low-literate group. Three pictograms showed a risk for false confidence. Pictograms appeared to be most effective when people were familiar with their visual elements and messages. Conclusion: Low-literate people have more difficulty understanding pictograms than people with adequate literacy. While the risk of false confidence is low, for critical safety information, 67% understanding might not be sufficient. Design strategies for pharmaceutical pictograms should focus on familiarity, simplicity, and showing the intake and effect of medicine. Practice implications: Health professionals should go over the meaning of pictograms when providing drug information to patients to increase patients' familiarity with the message and to ensure that all pictograms are sufficiently understood.PostprintPeer reviewe

Low literacy and written drug information : information-seeking, leaflet evaluation and preferences, and roles for images

Background Low-literate patients are at risk to misinterpret written drug information. For the (co-) design of targeted patient information, it is key to involve this group in determining their communication barriers and information needs. Objective To gain insight into how people with low literacy use and evaluate written drug information, and to identify ways in which they feel the patient leaflet can be improved, and in particular how images could be used. Setting Food banks and an education institution for Dutch language training in the Netherlands. Method Semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews were held with low-literate participants (n = 45). The thematic framework approach was used for analysis to identify themes in the data. Main outcome measure Low-literate people’s experience with patient information leaflets, ideas for improvements, and perceptions on possible uses for visuals. Results Patient information leaflets were considered discouraging to use, and information difficult to find and understand. Many rely on alternative information sources. The leaflet should be shorter, and improved in terms of organisation, legibility and readability. Participants thought images could increase the leaflet’s appeal, help ask questions, provide an overview, help understand textual information, aid recall, reassure, and even lead to increased confidence, empowerment and feeling of safety. Conclusion Already at the stages of paying attention to the leaflet and maintaining interest in the message, low-literate patients experience barriers in the communication process through written drug information. Short, structured, visual/textual explanations can lower the motivational threshold to use the leaflet, improve understanding, and empower the low-literate target group.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe