UX-FFE Model : An Experimentation of a new innovation process dedicated to a mature industrial company

Most of mature companies, operating through a certain form of repeat business in producing incremental innovations, have lost their ability to conduct radical or breakthrough innovations. While this is not necessarily a bad strategy for short-term sustainability, this is more questionable for future growth and long-term sustainability. Hence, we present in this paper a new innovation model, named UX-FFE because it combines both User eXperience and Fuzzy Front-End approaches. It is intended to tackle economical and social challenges of a successful innovation process. Beyond the systemic processes, like the FFE, addressing the economic stake of a company, our model includes an UX-based process in order to address also the social stake. Then, we explain how this new innovation model was concretely implemented, through the use of several techniques and tools, within a mature industrial company. Finally, we unveil the results of this innovation process experiment for evaluating its potential to overcome both economical and social challenges.Company SOURIAU ESTERLIN

Discordant Increases in CD4+ T Cells in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients Experiencing Virologic Treatment Failure: Role of Changes in Thymic Output and T Cell Death

Some patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are experiencing antiretroviral treatment failure have persistent improvement in CD4+ T cell counts despite high plasma viremia. To explore the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon, 2 parameters influencing the dynamics of CD4+ T cells were evaluated: death of mature CD4+ T cells and replenishment of the CD4+ T cell pool by the thymus. The improvement in CD4+ T cells observed in patients with treatment failure was not correlated with spontaneous, Fas ligand-induced, or activation-induced T cell death. In contrast, a significant correlation between the improvement in CD4+ T cell counts and thymic output, as assessed by measurement of T cell receptor excision circles, was observed. These observations suggest that increased thymic output contributes to the dissociation between CD4+ T cell counts and viremia in patients failing antiretroviral therapy and support a model in which drug-resistant HIV strains may have reduced replication rates and pathogenicity in the thymu

UX-FFE Model : An Experimentation of a new innovation process dedicated to a mature industrial company

Most of mature companies, operating through a certain form of repeat business in producing incremental innovations, have lost their ability to conduct radical or breakthrough innovations. While this is not necessarily a bad strategy for short-term sustainability, this is more questionable for future growth and long-term sustainability. Hence, we present in this paper a new innovation model, named UX-FFE because it combines both User eXperience and Fuzzy Front-End approaches. It is intended to tackle economical and social challenges of a successful innovation process. Beyond the systemic processes, like the FFE, addressing the economic stake of a company, our model includes an UX-based process in order to address also the social stake. Then, we explain how this new innovation model was concretely implemented, through the use of several techniques and tools, within a mature industrial company. Finally, we unveil the results of this innovation process experiment for evaluating its potential to overcome both economical and social challenges.Company SOURIAU ESTERLIN

Towards radical innovations in a mature company: an empirical study on the UX-FFE model

Publication dans le cadre d'une thèse Cifre entre le LAMPA et Esterline.The ability to successfully conduct radical innovations is mandatory for mature industrial companies that want to remain competitive in the global market. This ability relies on several ingredients, namely: (1) the structuring of the innovation process; (2) managerial principles; (3) methodological tools; (4) the presence of a culture of innovation. This paper reports about the impact of applying the User eXperience-Fuzzy Front End (UX-FFE) model, which brings together the systemic innovation process with the social, economical, and methodological aspects on the outcomes of the innovation process. Firstly, it appears that the operational performance of the upstream innovation process relies on the quality of the social context, intrinsic to the group of co-creators, corresponding to the reported perceived experience. Secondly, the UX-FFE model application, therefore, allows optimizing the upstream innovation process performance. Indeed, we argue that the evaluation of the co-creators perceived experience brings new opportunities to optimize the operational performance of the upstream innovation process. The first part of this paper presents deeper a theoretical model, named UX-FFE, which combines a UX approach with an upstream innovation process (FFE). The main interest of this UX-FFE model is that it allows evaluating the social aspect of the upstream innovation process, which may be detrimental to the success of radical innovation projects in mature companies. The second part presents the results of previous experiments that validated the model. The results allow the design of an instrument dedicated to the evaluation of the user experience of co-creators in the ideation stage. Finally, the third part reports about the experimentation of the UX-FFE in a mature company. Results present the impact of the co-creators’experience on the performance of radical innovation projects.Esterlin

Modèle UX-FFE : Expérimentation de la phase de validation d'un nouveau processus d'innovation dédié à une entreprise industrielle mature

Le modèle UX-FFE est un modèle qui associe les approches « User eXperience » et « Fuzzy Front End » dans le but de répondre aux enjeux économiques et sociaux d’une entreprise industrielle mature. Ce papier présente une proposition de structuration de la phase de validation du modèle. Ensuite, nous verrons comment cette proposition a concrètement été expérimentée en milieu industriel. Les résultats montrent que notre proposition facilite l’introduction d’innovations de rupture et a une influence sur la qualité de l’expérience utilisateur tout au cours de la phase de validation du modèle UX-FFE, donc au cours du processus amont d’innovation. Enfin, cet article prévient aussi qu’une nouvelle approche de la mesure de la performance des processus d’innovation est envisageable.Société Souriau Esterlin

Une vision multidimensionnelle des typologies d'innovation pour identifier et concevoir une démarche d'innovation

Quels que soient les auteurs majeurs, la première partie de cet article confirme qu’il ressort une valeur universelle portée par une innovation, celle d’une nouveauté associée à une réussite commerciale.Nous rappellerons la vision pionnière de Schumpeter qui tend vers une caractérisation générale de l’innovation jusqu’à une échelle internationale portée par le manuel d’Oslo.Nous verrons comment ces visions croisées ont permis de faire émerger un nouvel agencement des typologies pour lequel nous proposons un modèle synthétique.Cette synthèses’est basée sur le système de caractérisation originale proposé par Garcia et Calantone, mais en considérant cette fois les innovations radicales, réellement nouvelles et incrémentales non pas comme des typologies mais comme des niveaux d’intensité. De plus, nous apporterons des compléments qui renforcent les notions de discontinuités, fondations de leur modèle. Enfin, et toujours dans un souci de clarification et de compréhension, il nous a semblé utile de représenter les domaines de validité de ces différentes typologies d’innovations par des équations booléennes, en complément des travaux de Garcia et Calantone. La mise en exergue des différentes variables, composantes de chaque typologie, favorise ainsi l’ajustement voire le choix de la meilleure typologie en fonction de l’objectif visé. A l’inverse, notre formalisation croisée peut faciliter la reconnaissance de l’origine d’un résultat à partir de son observation

Interferon-alpha Induces High Expression of APOBEC3G and STAT-1 in Vitro and in Vivo

To investigate whether the JAK-STAT (Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription) pathway participates in the regulation of APOBEC3G (Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3G) gene transcription and to study the molecular mechanisms of interferon resistance in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), changes in APOBEC3G and STAT-1 expression levels in HepG2.2.15 cells after treatment with various concentrations of IFN-α, were detected using real-time RT-PCR and Western-blot. In addition, the differences in STAT-1 and APOBEC3G expression in liver tissues were also observed in patients with different anti-viral responses to IFN-α. It is found that IFN-α suppressed HBV replication and expression markedly in HepG2.2.15 cells, and simultaneously enhanced APOBEC3G expression in a dose- or time-dependent manner within a certain range. Moreover, a corresponding gradual increase in STAT-1 expression levels was also observed. The expression levels of STAT-1 and APOBEC3G in the liver of CHB patients with a complete response to IFN-α are significantly higher than that of the patients with non-response to IFN-α treatment. It is suggested that inducing intracellular APOBEC3G expression may be one of anti-HBV mechanisms of IFN-α, and IFN-α-induced APOBEC3G expression may be via the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Moreover, interferon resistance may be related to the down-regulation of STAT-1 expression in the patients who had non-response to IFN-α treatment

Twin gradients in APOBEC3 edited HIV-1 DNA reflect the dynamics of lentiviral replication

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Vif protein blocks incorporation of two host cell cytidine deaminases, APOBEC3F and 3G, into the budding virion. Not surprisingly, on a vif background nascent minus strand DNA can be extensively edited leaving multiple uracil residues. Editing occurs preferentially in the context of TC (GA on the plus strand) and CC (GG) depending on the enzyme. To explore the distribution of APOBEC3F and –3G editing across the genome, a product/substrate ratio (AA + AG)/(GA + GG) was computed for a series of 30 edited genomes present in the data bases. Two highly polarized gradients were noted each with maxima just 5′ to the central polypurine tract (cPPT) and LTR proximal polypurine tract (3′PPT). The gradients are in remarkable agreement with the time the minus strand DNA remains single stranded. In vitro analyses of APOBEC3G deamination of nascent cDNA spanning the two PPTs showed no pronounced dependence on the PPT RNA:DNA heteroduplex ruling out the competing hypothesis of a PPT orientation effect. The degree of hypermutation varied smoothly among genomes indicating that the number of APOBEC3 molecules packaged varied considerably

Mutational analysis of the HIV-1 auxiliary protein Vif identifies independent domains important for the physical and functional interaction with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase

The HIV-1 accessory protein Vif plays a dual role: it counteracts the natural restriction factors APOBEC3G and 3F and ensures efficient retrotranscription of the HIV-1 RNA genome. We have previously shown that Vif can act as an auxiliary factor for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT), increasing its rate of association to RNA or DNA templates. Here, by using seven different Vif mutants, we provide in vitro evidences that Vif stimulates HIV-1 RT through direct protein–protein interaction, which is mediated by its C-terminal domain. Physical interaction appears to require the proline-rich region comprised between amino acid (aa) 161 and 164 of Vif, whereas the RT stimulatory activity requires, in addition, the extreme C-terminal region (aa 169–192) of the Vif protein. Neither the RNA interaction domain, nor the Zn++-binding domain of Vif are required for its interaction with the viral RT. Pseudotyped HIV-1 lentiviral vectors bearing Vif mutants deleted in the RNA- or RT-binding domains show defects in retrotranscription/integration processes in both permissive and nonpermissive cells. Our results broaden our knowledge on how three important functions of Vif (RNA binding, RT binding and stimulation and Zn++ binding), are coordinated by different domains