Valuing of firm's prior knowledge: A measure of knowledge distance

Knowledge, especially scientific and technological knowledge, grows according to knowledge trajectories and guideposts that make up the prior knowledge of an organization. We argue that these knowledge structures and their specific components lead to successful innovation. A firm's prior knowledge facilitates the absorption of new knowledge, thereby renewing a firm's systematic search, transfer and acquisition of knowledge and capabilities. In particular, the exponential growth in biotechnology is characterized by the convergence of disparate scientific and technological knowledge resources. This paper examines the shift from protein-based to DNA-based diagnostic technologies as an example, to quantify the value of a firm's prior knowledge using relative values of knowledge distance. The distance between core prior knowledge and the rate of transition from one knowledge system to another has been identified as a proxy for the value a firm's prior knowledge. The overall difficulty of transition from one technology paradigm to another is discussed. We argue this transition is possible when the knowledge distance is minimal and the transition process has a correspondingly high value of absorptive capacities. Our findings show knowledge distance is a determinant of the feasibility, continuity and capture of scientific and technological knowledge. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Serological analysis reveals circulation of influenza C viruses, Brazil

The circulation of influenza C viruses in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was studied when significant levels of antibodies were detected (56.7%) with hemagglutination inhibition test, used as a standard methodology for influenza virus studies.

Virtual communities of practice: investigating motivations and constraints in the processes of knowledge creation and transfer

With accelerated market volatility, faster response times and increased globalization, business environments are going through a major transformation and firms have intensified their search for strategies which can give them competitive advantage. This requires that companies continuously innovate, to think of new ideas that can be transformed or implemented as products, processes or services, generating value for the firm. Innovative solutions and processes are usually developed by a group of people, working together. A grouping of people that share and create new knowledge can be considered as a Community of Practice (CoP). CoP’s are places which provide a sound basis for organizational learning and encourage knowledge creation and acquisition. Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP's) can perform a central role in promoting communication and collaboration between members who are dispersed in both time and space. Nevertheless, it is known that not all CoP's and VCoP's share the same levels of performance or produce the same results. This means that there are factors that enable or constrain the process of knowledge creation. With this in mind, we developed a case study in order to identify both the motivations and the constraints that members of an organization experience when taking part in the knowledge creating processes of VCoP's. Results show that organizational culture and professional and personal development play an important role in these processes. No interviewee referred to direct financial rewards as a motivation factor for participation in VCoPs. Most identified the difficulty in aligning objectives established by the management with justification for the time spent in the VCoP. The interviewees also said that technology is not a constraint.

Body image in Brazil: recent advances in the state of knowledge and methodological issues

OBJECTIVE To analyze Brazilian literature on body image and the theoretical and methodological advances that have been made. METHODS A detailed review was undertaken of the Brazilian literature on body image, selecting published articles, dissertations and theses from the SciELO, SCOPUS, LILACS and PubMed databases and the CAPES thesis database. Google Scholar was also used. There was no start date for the search, which used the following search terms: “body image” AND “Brazil” AND “scale(s)”; “body image” AND “Brazil” AND “questionnaire(s)”; “body image” AND “Brazil” AND “instrument(s)”; “body image” limited to Brazil and “body image”. RESULTS The majority of measures available were intended to be used in college students, with half of them evaluating satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the body. Females and adolescents of both sexes were the most studied population. There has been a significant increase in the number of available instruments. Nevertheless, numerous published studies have used non-validated instruments, with much confusion in the use of the appropriate terms (e.g., perception, dissatisfaction, distortion). CONCLUSIONS Much more is needed to understand body image within the Brazilian population, especially in terms of evaluating different age groups and diversifying the components/dimensions assessed. However, interest in this theme is increasing, and important steps have been taken in a short space of time.

Circulation of Eastern equine encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Ilhéus, Maguari and Tacaiuma viruses in equines of the Brazilian Pantanal, South America

Neutralizing antibodies to EEE (6.7%), WEE (1.2%), ILH (26.6%), MAG (28.2%) and TCM (15.7%) viruses were found in sera of 432 equines of the Brazilian Pantanal, area where undiagnosed horse deaths are frequently observed. A 4-fold rise in CF titer to EEE virus was detected in acute and convalescent sera of an encephalitis horse sacrified in 1992. Antibodies to EEE, ILH, MAG and TCM viruses were detected in horses less than 2 years old indicating recent circulation of these viruses in the Pantanal. The evidence of recent equine encephalitis associated with rising CF titer to EEE warrants a more intensive study with attempts to isolate virus from horses with clinical manifestations of encephalitis.

Circulation of antibodies against yellow fever virus in a simian population in the area of Porto Primavera Hydroelectric Plant, São Paulo, Brazil

Yellow fever (YF) is an acute viral infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes which occurs in two distinct epidemiological cycles: sylvatic and urban. In the sylvatic cycle, the virus is maintained by monkey's infection and transovarian transmission in vectors. Surveillance of non-human primates is required for the detection of viral circulation during epizootics, and for the identification of unaffected or transition areas. An ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was standardized for estimation of the prevalence of IgG antibodies against yellow fever virus in monkey sera (Alouatta caraya) from the reservoir area of Porto Primavera Hydroelectric Plant, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 570 monkey sera samples were tested and none was reactive to antibodies against yellow fever virus. The results corroborate the epidemiology of yellow fever in the area. Even though it is considered a transition area, there were no reports to date of epizootics or yellow fever outbreaks in humans. Also, entomological investigations did not detect the presence of vectors of this arbovirus infection. ELISA proved to be fast, sensitive, an adequate assay, and an instrument for active search in the epidemiological surveillance of yellow fever allowing the implementation of prevention actions, even before the occurrence of epizootics.

Circulation of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in women from Córdoba, Argentina, with squamous intraepithelial lesions

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can induce a wide spectrum of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) of varying severity. The aim of the present study was to establish the frequency of HPV infection and identify the genotypes circulating in women from Córdoba, Argentina, in relation to age and cytology. A total of 186 women, between 18 and 65 years old, with antecedents of SIL, underwent a pelvic examination and had cervical cells collected for cytology and HPV DNA detection. Ninety-six samples (51.6%) were positive for HPV detection, and sixty-three (65.6%) of them showed the presence of at least one HR-HPV. Low- and high-grade SIL showed significant association in patients younger than 35 years of age. We found 18 different genotypes, with a greater presence of HR-HPV. Genotypes 16 and 6 were the most frequent. Seven (7.3%) multiple infections, 85.7% of which had at least one HR-HPV, were detected. The detection of a large number of different HPV genotypes is a warning sign. It is thus necessary to strengthen the monitoring of the circulation of high-risk genotypes, currently less prevalent in intraepithelial lesions, as a control measure for the possible impact of the implementation of vaccines against genotypes 16 and 18.