Development of small and medium-sized enterprise horizontal innovation networks: UK agri-food sector study

Within the management literature, there is an emergent discourse on horizontal collaboration among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whereby individual rivalries are overcome by the need for more resources and innovation, leading to increased competitiveness through joint product development. In particular, a number of these horizontal collaborations between SMEs have occurred within the agri-food sector. As a consequence, this article aims to explore the longitudinal development of horizontal innovation networks within an artisan bakers’ network as part of the UK SME agri-food sector. An interpretivist research approach was used, whereby the development and evolution of an artisan bakers’ horizontal network was studied over a 27-month period. The findings, as summarised in conceptual models which draw upon knowledge-based open innovation and social network constructs, illustrate that a complex three-stage life cycle development occurred within the bakers’ horizontal network.

Synthesis and characterization of polymer networks and star polymers containing a novel, hydrolyzable acetal-based dimethacrylate cross-linker

An acid-labile dimethaerylate acetal cross-linker,di(methacryloyloxy-l-ethoxy)methane(DMOEM), was synthesized by the reaction of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and paraformaldehyde using p-toluenesulfonic acid and toluene as catalyst and solvent, respectively. Group transfer polymerization was employed to use this cross-linker in the preparation of nine hydrolyzable polymer structures: one neat cross-linker network, one randomly cross-linked network of methyl methacrylate (MMA), and seven star-shaped polymers of MMA. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) confirmed the narrow molecular weight distributions of the linear polymer precursors to the stars and demonstrated the increase in molecular weight upon the addition of cross-linker for the formation of star-shaped polymers. Characterization of the star polymers in THF using static light scattering and GPC showed that the molecular weights and the number of arms of each star polymer increased with an increase in the molar ratio of cross-linker to initiator and with a decrease in the molar ratio of monomer to initiator. The star polymers with DMOEM cores bore a smaller number of arms than those cross-linked with the non-hydrolyzable commercial cross-linker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate due to the bulkier structure of DMOEM. All DMOEM-containing polymer networks and star polymers were completely hydrolyzed within 48 h using hydrochloric acid in THF.

Extremely Complex Populations of Small RNAs in the Mouse Retina and RPE/Choroid

Purpose: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of ~18-22 nucleotides in length that regulate gene expression. They are widely expressed in the retina, being both required for its normal development and perturbed in disease. The aim of this study was to apply new high-throughput sequencing techniques to more fully characterise the microRNAs and other small RNAs expressed in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid of the mouse.

Methods: Retina and RPE/choroid were dissected from eyes of 3 month-old C57BL/6J mice. Small RNA libraries were prepared and deep sequencing performed on a Genome Analyzer (Illumina). Reads were annotated by alignment to miRBase, other non-coding RNA databases and the mouse genome.

Results: Annotation of 9 million reads to 320 microRNAs in retina and 340 in RPE/choroid provides the most comprehensive profiling of microRNAs to date. Two novel microRNAs were identified in retina. Members of the sensory organ specific miR-183,-182,-96 cluster were amongst the most highly expressed, retina-enriched microRNAs. Remarkably, microRNA 'isomiRs', which vary slightly in length and are differentially detected by Taqman RT-PCR assays, existed for all the microRNAs identified in both tissues. More variation occurred at the 3' ends, including non-templated additions of T and A. Drosha-independent mirtron microRNAs and other small RNAs derived from snoRNAs were also detected.

Conclusions: Deep sequencing has revealed the complexity of small RNA expression in the mouse retina and RPE/choroid. This knowledge will improve the design and interpretation of future functional studies of the role of microRNAs and other small RNAs in retinal disease.

Concordance between digital pathology and light microscopy in general surgical pathology: A pilot study of 100 cases

Aim (1)
A pilot study to determine the accuracy of interpretation of whole slide digital images in a broad range of general histopathology cases of graded complexity. (2) To survey the participating histopathologists with regard to acceptability of digital pathology.

Materials and methods
Glass slides of 100 biopsies and minor resections were digitally scanned in their entirety, producing digital slides. These cases had been diagnosed by light microscopy at least 1 year previously and were subsequently reassessed by the original reporting pathologist (who was blinded to their original diagnosis) using digital pathology. The digital pathology-based diagnosis was compared with the original glass slide diagnosis and classified as concordant, slightly discordant (without clinical consequence) or discordant. The participants were surveyed at the end of the study.

Results
There was concordance between the original light microscopy diagnosis and digital pathology-based diagnosis in 95 of the 100 cases while the remaining 5 cases showed only slight discordance (with no clinical consequence). None of the cases were categorised as discordant. Participants had mixed experiences using digital pathology technology.

Conclusions
In the broad range of cases we examined, digital pathology is a safe and viable method of making a primary histopathological diagnosis.

Genetic Background and Light-Dependent Progression of Photoreceptor Cell Degeneration in Prominin-1 Knockout Mice

PURPOSE: Mutations in the Prominin-1 (Prom1) gene are known to cause retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease, both of which are associated with progressive photoreceptor cell death. There are no effective therapies for either disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of the retinal degeneration in Prom1-deficient mouse models.

METHODS: We constructed Prom1 knockout mice with two distinct genetic backgrounds of C57BL/6 and C57BL/6xCBA/NSlc, and investigated the photoreceptor degeneration by means of histology and functional tests.. In addition, we examined the effect of light on the Prom1(-/-) retina by rearing the mice in the normal light/dark cycle and completely dark conditions. Finally, we investigated if the retinoic-acid derivative Fenretinide slowed the pace of retinal degeneration in these mouse models.

RESULTS: The Prom1(-/-)-knockout mice with both backgrounds developed photoreceptor degeneration after eye opening, but the CB57/BL6-background mice developed photoreceptor cell degeneration much faster than the C57BL/6xCBA/NSlc mice, demonstrating genetic background dependency.. Interestingly, our histologic and functional examination showed that the photoreceptor cell degeneration of Prom1-knockout mice was light-dependent, and was almost completely inhibited when the mutant mice were kept in the dark. The Prom1-knockout retina showed strong downregulation of expression of the visual cycle components, Rdh12 and Abca4. Furthermore, administration of Fenretinide, which lowers the level of the toxic lipofuscin, slowed the degeneration of photoreceptor cells.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings improve our understanding of the mechanism of cell death in Prominin-1-related disease and provide evidence that fenretinide may be worth studying in human disease.

Photo-dynamic biocidal action of methylene blue and hydrogen peroxide on the cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis under visible light irradiation

Biofilm growth on stone surfaces is a significant contributing factor to stone biodeterioration. Current market based biocides are hazardous to the environment and to public health. We have investigated the photo-dynamic effect of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on the destruction of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis (S. leopoliensis) under irradiation with visible light. Data presented in this paper illustrate that illumination of S. leopoliensis in the presence of a photosensitiser (MB) and H₂O₂ results in the decomposition of both the cyanobacterium and the photosensitiser. The presence of MB and H₂O₂ affects the viability of the photosensitiser and the cyanobacterium with the fluorescence of both decreasing by 80% over the irradiation time investigated. The photo-dynamic effect was observed under aerobic and anaerobic conditions indicating that oxygen was not necessary for the process. This novel combination could be effective for the remediation of biofilm colonised stone surfaces

Large- and small-scale structure of the intermediate- and high-velocity clouds towards the LMC and SMC.

We employ Ca II K and Na I D interstellar absorption-line spectroscopy of early-type stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC) to investigate the large- and small-scale structure in foreground intermediate- and high-velocity clouds (I/HVCs). Data include FLAMES-GIRAFFE Ca II K observations of 403 stars in four open clusters, plus FEROS or UVES spectra of 156 stars in the LMC and SMC. The FLAMES observations are amongst the most extensive probes to date of Ca II structures on ∼20 arcsec scales in Magellanic I/HVCs. From the FLAMES data within a 0 ∘.∘.∘.5 field of view, the Ca II K equivalent width in the I/HVC components towards three clusters varies by factors of ≥10. There are no detections of molecular gas in absorption at intermediate or high velocities, although molecular absorption is present at LMC and Galactic velocities towards some sightlines. The FEROS/UVES data show Ca II K I/HVC absorption in ∼60 per cent of sightlines. The range in the Ca II/Na I ratio in I/HVCs is from –0.45 to +1.5 dex, similar to previous measurements for I/HVCs. In 10 sightlines we find Ca II/O I ratios in I/HVC gas ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 dex below the solar value, indicating either dust or ionization effects. In nine sightlines I/HVC gas is detected in both H I and Ca II at similar velocities, implying that the two elements form part of the same structure.

Action Spectra of P25 TiO2 and a visible light absorbing, carbon-modified titania in the photocatalytic degradation of stearic acid

The photonic efficiencies of films of Evonik (formerly Degussa) P25 TiO2 and carbon-modified TiO2 Kronos VLP 7000 samples are reported as a function of excitation wavelength (300–430 nm; FWHM ∼ 7.5 nm), i.e. the action spectra, for the degradation of stearic acid, a model organic for the photocatalytic destruction of solid surface organic pollutants. For each of these semiconductor photocatalysts, at 365 nm (FWHM = 18 nm), the dependence of the rate of degradation of stearic acid, upon the irradiance, I, is determined and the rate is found to be proportional to I0.65 and I0.82 for P25 and Kronos titania, respectively. Assuming this relationship holds at all wavelengths, the action spectra for two different semiconductor photocatalysts is modified by plotting, (RSA (rate of stearic acid destruction, units: molecules cm−2 s−1)/Iθ) vs. wavelength of excitation (λexcit), and both differ noticeably from those of the original (unmodified) action spectra, which are plots of (RSA/I = photonic efficiency, ξ) vs. λexcit. The shape of the modified action spectrum for P25 TiO2 is consistent with that reported by others for other organic mineralisation reactions and correlates well with diffuse reflectance data for P25 TiO2 (Kubelka–Munk plot), although there is some evidence that the active phase, in the photodegradation of stearic acid, is the anatase form present in P25. The unmodified and modified action spectra of the beige Kronos VLP 7000 TiO2 compound exhibits little or no activity in the visible i.e. (λexcit > 400 nm) and a peak at 350 nm. The Kronos powder contains a yellow/brown conjugated, extractable, organic sensitiser which has been identified by others as the species responsible for its reported photocatalytic visible light activity. But, irradiation of the Kronos powder film, with and without a stearic acid coating, in air, using UVA or visible light, bleaches rapidly (<60 min) most, if not all, of the little colour exhibited by the original Kronos powder. The photobleached form of the Kronos has a similar action spectrum to that of the unbleached form, which, in turn, appears very similar to that of P25 titania, at wavelengths >350 nm. It is proposed that the difference between the Kronos and P25 powder films at wavelengths <350 nm is due to a photodegradation-resistant, previously unidentified (but extractable using MeCN) UV-absorbing organic species in the former which screens the titania particles at these lower wavelengths. The implications of these observations are discussed briefly.

Identification of Small Signal Oscillation Mode Parameters from Simulated and Actual PMU Ringdown Data

This paper presents the practical use of Prony Analysis to identify small signal oscillation mode parameters from simulated and actual phasor measurement unit (PMU) ringdown data. A well-known two-area four-machine power system was considered as a study case while the latest PMU ringdown data were collected from a double circuit 275 kV main interconnector on the Irish power system. The eigenvalue analysis and power spectral density were also conducted for the purpose of comparison. The capability of Prony Analysis to identify the mode parameters from three different types of simulated PMU ringdown data has been shown successfully. Furthermore, the results indicate that the Irish power system has dominant frequency modes at different frequencies. However, each mode has good system damping.

Explaining the Coexistence of Large-scale and Small-scale Magnetic Fields in Fully Convective Stars

Despite the lack of a shear-rich tachocline region, low-mass fully convective (FC) stars are capable of generating strong magnetic fields, indicating that a dynamo mechanism fundamentally different from the solar dynamo is at work in these objects. We present a self-consistent three-dimensional model of magnetic field generation in low-mass FC stars. The model utilizes the anelastic magnetohydrodynamic equations to simulate compressible convection in a rotating sphere. A distributed dynamo working in the model spontaneously produces a dipole-dominated surface magnetic field of the observed strength. The interaction of this field with the turbulent convection in outer layers shreds it, producing small-scale fields that carry most of the magnetic flux. The Zeeman–Doppler-Imaging technique applied to synthetic spectropolarimetric data based on our model recovers most of the large-scale field. Our model simultaneously reproduces the morphology and magnitude of the large-scale field as well as the magnitude of the small-scale field observed on low-mass FC stars.

Executing bag of distributed tasks on the cloud: Investigating the trade-offs between performance and cost

Bag of Distributed Tasks (BoDT) can benefit from decentralised execution on the Cloud. However, there is a trade-off between the performance that can be achieved by employing a large number of Cloud VMs for the tasks and the monetary constraints that are often placed by a user. The research reported in this paper is motivated towards investigating this trade-off so that an optimal plan for deploying BoDT applications on the cloud can be generated. A heuristic algorithm, which considers the user's preference of performance and cost is proposed and implemented. The feasibility of the algorithm is demonstrated by generating execution plans for a sample application. The key result is that the algorithm generates optimal execution plans for the application over 91% of the time.

Characterisation of a two-dimensional liquid-filled ion chamber detector array using flattened and unflattened beams for small fields, small MUs and high dose-rates

In this study, the PTW 1000SRS array with Octavius 4D phantom was characterised for FF and FFF beams. MU linearity, field size, dose rate, dose per pulse (DPP) response and dynamic conformal arc treatment accuracy of the 1000SRS array were assessed for 6MV, 6FFF and 10FFF beams using a Varian TrueBeam STx linac. The measurements were compared with a pinpoint IC, microdiamond IC and EBT3 Gafchromic film. Measured dose profiles and FWHMs were compared with film measurements. Verification of FFF volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) clinical plans were assessed using gamma analysis with 3%/3 mm and 2%/2 mm tolerances (10% threshold). To assess the effect of cross calibration dose rate, clinical plans with different dose rates were delivered and analysed. Output factors agreed with film measurements to within 4.5% for fields between 0.5 and 1 cm and within 2.7% for field sizes between 1.5 and 10 cm and were highly correlated with the microdiamond IC detector. Field sizes measured with the 1000SRS array were within 0.5 mm of film measurements. A drop in response of up to 1.8%, 2.4% and 5.2% for 6MV, 6FFF and 10FFF beams respectively was observed with increasing nominal dose rate. With an increase in DPP, a drop of up to 1.7%, 2.4% and 4.2% was observed in 6MV, 6FFF and 10FFF respectively. The differences in dose following dynamic conformal arc deliveries were less than 1% (all energies) from calculated. Delivered VMAT plans showed an average pass percentage of 99.5(±0.8)% and 98.4(±3.4)% with 2%/2 mm criteria for 6FFF and 10FFF respectively. A drop to 97.7(±2.2)% and 88.4(±9.6)% were observed for 6FFF and 10FFF respectively when plans were delivered at the minimum dose rate and calibrated at the maximum dose rate. Calibration using a beam with the average dose rate of the plan may be an efficient method to overcome the dose rate effects observed by the 1000SRS array.