R&D Performance Analysis: Case Studies on the Challenges and Promotion of the Evaluation and Measurement of R&D

Due to the intense international competition, demanding, and sophisticated customers, and diverse transforming technological change, organizations need to renew their products and services by allocating resources on research and development (R&D). Managing R&D is complex, but vital for many organizations to survive in the dynamic, turbulent environment. Thus, the increased interest among decision-makers towards finding the right performance measures for R&D is understandable. The measures or evaluation methods of R&D performance can be utilized for multiple purposes; for strategic control, for justifying the existence of R&D, for providing information and improving activities, as well as for the purposes of motivating and benchmarking. The earlier research in the field of R&D performance analysis has generally focused on either the activities and considerable factors and dimensions - e.g. strategic perspectives, purposes of measurement, levels of analysis, types of R&D or phases of R&D process - prior to the selection of R&Dperformance measures, or on proposed principles or actual implementation of theselection or design processes of R&D performance measures or measurement systems. This study aims at integrating the consideration of essential factors anddimensions of R&D performance analysis to developed selection processes of R&D measures, which have been applied in real-world organizations. The earlier models for corporate performance measurement that can be found in the literature, are to some extent adaptable also to the development of measurement systemsand selecting the measures in R&D activities. However, it is necessary to emphasize the special aspects related to the measurement of R&D performance in a way that make the development of new approaches for especially R&D performance measure selection necessary: First, the special characteristics of R&D - such as the long time lag between the inputs and outcomes, as well as the overall complexity and difficult coordination of activities - influence the R&D performance analysis problems, such as the need for more systematic, objective, balanced and multi-dimensional approaches for R&D measure selection, as well as the incompatibility of R&D measurement systems to other corporate measurement systems and vice versa. Secondly, the above-mentioned characteristics and challenges bring forth the significance of the influencing factors and dimensions that need to be recognized in order to derive the selection criteria for measures and choose the right R&D metrics, which is the most crucial step in the measurement system development process. The main purpose of this study is to support the management and control of the research and development activities of organizations by increasing the understanding of R&D performance analysis, clarifying the main factors related to the selection of R&D measures and by providing novel types of approaches and methods for systematizing the whole strategy- and business-based selection and development process of R&D indicators.The final aim of the research is to support the management in their decision making of R&D with suitable, systematically chosen measures or evaluation methods of R&D performance. Thus, the emphasis in most sub-areas of the present research has been on the promotion of the selection and development process of R&D indicators with the help of the different tools and decision support systems, i.e. the research has normative features through providing guidelines by novel types of approaches. The gathering of data and conducting case studies in metal and electronic industry companies, in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, and in non-profit organizations helped us to formulate a comprehensive picture of the main challenges of R&D performance analysis in different organizations, which is essential, as recognition of the most importantproblem areas is a very crucial element in the constructive research approach utilized in this study. Multiple practical benefits regarding the defined problemareas could be found in the various constructed approaches presented in this dissertation: 1) the selection of R&D measures became more systematic when compared to the empirical analysis, as it was common that there were no systematic approaches utilized in the studied organizations earlier; 2) the evaluation methods or measures of R&D chosen with the help of the developed approaches can be more directly utilized in the decision-making, because of the thorough consideration of the purpose of measurement, as well as other dimensions of measurement; 3) more balance to the set of R&D measures was desired and gained throughthe holistic approaches to the selection processes; and 4) more objectivity wasgained through organizing the selection processes, as the earlier systems were considered subjective in many organizations. Scientifically, this dissertation aims to make a contribution to the present body of knowledge of R&D performance analysis by facilitating dealing with the versatility and challenges of R&D performance analysis, as well as the factors and dimensions influencing the selection of R&D performance measures, and by integrating these aspects to the developed novel types of approaches, methods and tools in the selection processes of R&D measures, applied in real-world organizations. In the whole research, facilitation of dealing with the versatility and challenges in R&D performance analysis, as well as the factors and dimensions influencing the R&D performance measure selection are strongly integrated with the constructed approaches. Thus, the research meets the above-mentioned purposes and objectives of the dissertation from the scientific as well as from the practical point of view.

Dynamics of Appropriability - Finding a Balance between Efficiency and Strength in the Appropriability Regime

Building and sustaining competitive advantage through the creation of market imperfections is challenging in a constantly changing business environment - particularly since the sources of such advantages are increasingly knowledge-based. Facilitated by improved networks and communication, knowledge spills over to competitors more easily than before,thus creating an appropriability problem: the inability of an innovating firm to utilize its innovations commercially. Consequently, as the importance of intellectual assets increases, their protection also calls for new approaches. Companies have various means of protection at their disposal, and by taking advantage of them they can make intangibles more non-transferable and prevent, or at leastdelay, imitation of their most crucial intellectual assets. However, creating barriers against imitation has another side to it, and the transfer of knowledge in situations requiring knowledge sharing may be unintentionally obstructed. Theaim of this thesis is to increase understanding of how firms can balance knowledge protection and sharing so as to benefit most from their knowledge assets. Thus, knowledge protection is approached through an examination of the appropriability regime of a firm, i.e., the combination of available and effective means ofprotecting innovations, their profitability, and the increased rents due to R&D. A further aim is to provide a broader understanding of the formation and structure of the appropriability regime. The study consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic and the overall results of the study, and the second part consists of six complementary research publications covering various appropriability issues. The thesis contributes to the existing literature in several ways. Although there is a wide range of prior research on appropriability issues, a lot of it is restricted either to the study of individual appropriability mechanisms, or to comparing certain features of them. These approaches are combined, and the relevant theoretical concepts are clarified and developed. In addition, the thesis provides empirical evidence of the formation of the appropriability regime, which is consequently presented as an adaptive process. Thus, a framework is provided that better corresponds to the complex reality of the current business environment.

How Do Aggregate Fluctuations Depend on the Network Structure of the Economy?

[spa] En este artículo, analizamos la volatilidad agregada de una economía estilizada donde los agentes estann conectados en redes. Si hay relaciones estratégicas entre las acciones de los agentes, choques idiosincráticos pueden generar fluctuaciones agregadas. Demonstramos que la volatilidad agregada depende de la estructura de redes de la economía de dos maneras. Por un lado, si hay más conexiones en la economía en su conjunto, la volatilidad agregada es más baja. Por otro lado, si las conexiones están más concentradas, la volatilidad agregada es más alta. Presentamos una aplicación de nuestras predicciones teóricas que utiliza datos de EEUU de conexiones intrasectoriales y de diversificación de las empresas.

How Do Aggregate Fluctuations Depend on the Network Structure of the Economy?

[spa] En este artículo, analizamos la volatilidad agregada de una economía estilizada donde los agentes estann conectados en redes. Si hay relaciones estratégicas entre las acciones de los agentes, choques idiosincráticos pueden generar fluctuaciones agregadas. Demonstramos que la volatilidad agregada depende de la estructura de redes de la economía de dos maneras. Por un lado, si hay más conexiones en la economía en su conjunto, la volatilidad agregada es más baja. Por otro lado, si las conexiones están más concentradas, la volatilidad agregada es más alta. Presentamos una aplicación de nuestras predicciones teóricas que utiliza datos de EEUU de conexiones intrasectoriales y de diversificación de las empresas.

Dimensional structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory with Spanish College students.

The Brief Symptom Inventory is designed to assess symptoms of psychological disorders in adolescents and adults. The dimensional structure of the inventory, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, was examined with a cross-sectional design in a Spanish sample of college students (N = 1,033, aged between 18 and 30 years old). Two hypotheses were tested: the original distribution of the items in nine factors, and the unidimensionality of the inventory. According to the results, a nine-factor structure seemed to be confirmed, although the strong intercorrelations found among the subscales indicated that these were measuring closely related constructs. The importance of cultural influences when assessing psychological symptoms and the need to develop national and sex norms for instruments that assess psychopathology, are also discussed.

GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE OF Oenocarpus mapora GERMPLASM CONSERVED AT EASTERN AMAZON

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity and structure in the germoplasm of Oenocarpus mapora conserved at Eastern Amazon. Thus, 88 individuals were genotyped with five microsatellite loci. These individuals belong to 24 accessions that were sampled in eight sample places of three Brazilian Amazon states conserved at the Active Germplasm Bank (AGB) of Embrapa Eastern Amazon. All loci were polymorphic and they generated 85 alleles with an average of 17 alleles per loci. Total genetic diversity (HE) was 0.48. Sample places were considered genetically distinct, with ?p = 0.354. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) identified that the genetic portion among areas was of 36.14% and within 63.86%. The Nei distances varied from 0.091 between Abaetetuba and Santo Antônio do Tauá, both in the state of Pará (PA), to 4.18, between Parintins, AM and Rio Branco, AC. By means of Bayesian analysis, it was identified nine clusters that compose the accessions of the germplasm bank, with different distributions among individuals. The study showed high fixation rates per sample area, which indicates that there may have been significant inbreeding or crossing among parental individuals. It suggests that future samples should be made of different plants in natural populations. Even though, it was verified that there is considerable genetic variation in the germplasm of O. mapora.

Systematics and phylogeography of the Dysdera erythrina species complex (Araneae, Dysderidae) in Sardinia

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and, together with Corsica and nearby mainland areas, one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the region. The origin of Sardinia traces back to the opening of the western Mediterranean in the late Oligocene. This geological event and the subsequent Messinian Salinity Crisis and Pleistocene glacial cycles have had a major impact on local biodiversity. The Dysdera woodlouse hunter spiders are one of the most diverse ground-dweller groups in the Mediterranean. Here we describe the first two species of this genus endemic to Sardinia: Dysdera jana sp. n. and Dysdera shardana sp. n. The two species show contrasting allopatric distribution: D. jana sp. n. is a narrow endemic while D. shardana sp. n. is distributed throughout most of the island. A multi-gene DNA sequence phylogenetic analys based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes supports the close relationships of the new species to the type species of the genus Dysdera erythrina. Age estimates reject Oligocene origin of the new Dysdera species and identify the Messinian Salinity Crises as the most plausible period for the split between Sardinian endemics and their closest relatives. Phylogeographic analysis reveals deep genetic divergences and population structure in Dysdera shardana sp. n., suggesting that restriction to gene flow probably due to environmental factors could explain local speciation events. Taxonomy, phylogeny, DNA sequencing, Mediterranean biogeography, phylogeography

Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and Phylogeography of the Canary Islands Endemic Trap-Door Spider Titanidiops canariensis (Araneae, Idiopidae)

Studies conducted on volcanic islands have greatly contributed to our current understanding of how organisms diversify. The Canary Islands archipelago, located northwest of the coast of northern Africa, harbours a large number of endemic taxa. Because of their low vagility, mygalomorph spiders are usually absent from oceanic islands. The spider Titanidiops canariensis, which inhabits the easternmost islands of the archipelago, constitutes an exception to this rule. Here, we use a multi-locus approach that combines three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes to investigate the origins and phylogeography of this remarkable trap-door spider. We provide a timeframe for the colonisation of the Canary Islands using two alternative approaches: concatenation and species tree inference in a Bayesian relaxed clock framework. Additionally, we investigate the existence of cryptic species on the islands by means of a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method. Our results indicate that T. canariensis colonised the Canary Islands once, most likely during the Miocene, although discrepancies between the timeframes from different approaches make the exact timing uncertain. A complex evolutionary history for the species in the archipelago is revealed, which involves two independent colonisations of Fuerteventura from the ancestral range of T. canariensis in northern Lanzarote and a possible back colonisation of southern Lanzarote. The data further corroborate a previously proposed volcanic refugium, highlighting the impact of the dynamic volcanic history of the island on the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic taxa. T. canariensis includes at least two different species, one inhabiting the Jandia peninsula and central Fuerteventura and one spanning from central Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Our data suggest that the extant northern African Titanidiops lineages may have expanded to the region after the islands were colonised and, hence, are not the source of colonisation. In addition, T. maroccanus may harbour several cryptic species.

The factorial structure of the 41-item version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in a Spanish population of 8 to 12 years-old

On this instrumental study we intend to analyse the factorial structure of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in a Spanish sample using exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis. As a second objective we intend to develop a short form of it for rapid screening and, finally, to analyze the reliabilities of both questionnaires. The SCARED was administered to a community sample of 1,508 children aged between 8 and 12 years. The sample was randomly split using half for the exploratory analysis and the other half for the confirmatory study. Furthermore a reduced version of the SCARED was developed using the SchmidLeiman procedure. Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded a four factor structure comprised of Somatic/panic, Generalized anxiety, Separation anxiety and Social phobia factors This structure was confirmed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The four factors, the full scale and the short scale showed good reliabilities. The results obtained seem to indicate that the Spanish version of the SCARED has good internal consistency, and along with other recent results, has a structure of four related factors that replicates the dimensions proposed for anxiety disorders by the DSM-IV-TR

Theorica Pantegni . Facsimile and Transcription of the Helsinki manuscript (Codex EÖ.II.14)

The Theorica Pantegni is a medieval medical textbook written in Latin. The author was Constantine the African (Constantinus Africanus), a monk of Tunisian origin. He compiled the work in the latter half of the eleventh century at the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy. - Manuscript Eö.II.14, containing the Theorica Pantegni published here, belongs today to the National Library of Finland. It can be dated to the third quarter of the twelfth century, which makes it one of the earliest surviving exemplars of the Theorica Pantegni: over seventy manuscripts of the work survive, of which about fifteen can be dated to the twelfth century. Manuscript Eö.II.14 is written in black ink on 210 parchment leaves (recto and verso), amounting to 420 pages, in pre-Gothic script. - The present text is a transcription of Ms Eö.II.14. The goal is to provide the reader with an accessible text that is faithful to the original.

Design and development of the architecture of an agricultural mobile robot

Parameters such as tolerance, scale and agility utilized in data sampling for using in Precision Agriculture required an expressive number of researches and development of techniques and instruments for automation. It is highlighted the employment of methodologies in remote sensing used in coupled to a Geographic Information System (GIS), adapted or developed for agricultural use. Aiming this, the application of Agricultural Mobile Robots is a strong tendency, mainly in the European Union, the USA and Japan. In Brazil, researches are necessary for the development of robotics platforms, serving as a basis for semi-autonomous and autonomous navigation systems. The aim of this work is to describe the project of an experimental platform for data acquisition in field for the study of the spatial variability and development of agricultural robotics technologies to operate in agricultural environments. The proposal is based on a systematization of scientific work to choose the design parameters utilized for the construction of the model. The kinematic study of the mechanical structure was made by the virtual prototyping process, based on modeling and simulating of the tension applied in frame, using the.

Analysis and forecast of the storage needs of soybeans in Brazil

The existence of a minimum storage capacity of grains as a condition for the maintenance of regulator physical stocks has been used as a strategic factor in the agribusiness expansion. However, in Brazil the storage infrastructure has not followed the growth of the agricultural sector. This fact is evident in the case of soybeans that currently represent 49% of grain production in the country, whose volume production has been increasing significantly over the years. This study aimed to predict the futureneeds of static storage capacity of soybeans from historical data to estimate the investment needed to install storage units in Brazil for the next five years. A statistic analysis of collected data allowed a forecast and identification of the number of storage units that should be installed to meet the storage needs of soybeans in the next five years. It was concluded that by 2015 the soybean storage capacity should be 87 million tons, and to store 49% of soybeans produced, 1,104 storage units should be installed at a cost of R$ 442 million.

Histochemical study of the oviducal gland and analysis of the sperm storage tubules of Mustelus schmitti Springer, 1939 (Chondrichthyes, Triakidae)

Abstract: The paired oviducal glands of immature and mature females of Mustelus schmitti were examined macro and microscopically. Findings indicate that these glands possessed the same zonation as in most chondrichthyans from anterior to posterior: club, papillary, baffle and terminal zones. The whole gland is composed by simple tubular glands that connect with transverse grooves all along the organ. The club zone presents a typical indian club shape with a simple columnar and ciliated epithelium including secretory cells PAS (+) and AB (+). The papillary zone is characterized by lamella forming small and long cones in numbers of three. The epithelium of this zone contains ciliated cells with apical nuclei and secretory cells with basal nuclei that stain AB (+)The baffle zone consists of apically flattened lamellae alternating with spinnerets which are small projections disposed by both sides of the plateau. This whole structure is present in number of 8 or 9 units. A simple columnar ciliated epithelium covers the plateau and spinnerets and no AB or PAS staining is observed. The epithelium of the terminal zone is PAS (-) and AB (+), and elongated tubules, that run adjacent to the baffle zone are the site where groups of spermatozoa are clearly observed in the lumen. The epithelium of the sperm storage tubules do not stain with any of the dyes tested. Sperm was also observed in the baffle zone, presumably in its way to the fecundation in the oviduct because it displays no aggregation pattern and was between the folds of the epithelium. By scanning electron microscopy sperm was observed in the club and baffle zones in a gland which belonged to a pregnant female.

Morphology and anatomy of the fruit and seed in development of Chorisia speciosa A. St.-Hil. - Bombacaceae

The structure of the fruit and seed in development of Chorisia speciosa are described with the main purpose of clarifying the origin and nature of the hairs that cover the seeds and aiding future taxonomical and ecological studies of the group. The fruit is an ellipsoid loculicide capsule and presents the exocarp formed by 7-10 cells layers, with very thick walls and evident simple pits. A great number of mucilage secretory cavities and ramified vascular bundles, accompanied by fibers, occur in the parenchymatic mesocarp. The endocarp derives from the ventral epidermis of the ovary wall, whose cells undergo a gradual elongation, become lignified, and constitute the trichomes which cover the mature seeds. The fruit aperture occurs by means of a suture evident in the ovarian wall in the middle region of the carpel leaf. Anatropous and bitegmic ovules, provided by a hypostase, give rise to campilotropous and bitegmic seeds. The testa is uniseriate, the exotegmen is completely formed by macrosclereids, and mucilage secretory cavities occur in the mesotegmen. The endotegmen, which is differentiated in the endothelium, is crushed in the mature seed. The plicate embryo, which occupies practically the entire seminal cavity, is found between endosperm layers, both being rich in lipids.

Floristic composition and community structure of a seasonally deciduous forest on limestone outcrops in Central Brazil

The objective of this study was to analyze the floristic composition and structure of the tree component in a seasonally deciduous forest on limestone outcrops, located in the northeast region of Goiás State, Brazil. A sample composed of 25 randomly sampled plots of 20 x 20 m (400 m²) within a 50 ha forest, was measured. All woody individuals > 5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) had their diameter and height measured. The tree community was composed of 39 species with a density of 734 individuals ha-1; the richest families were Leguminosae (11 species), Bignoniaceae (4 species) and Apocynaceae (4 species). The forest had a basal area of 16.37 m² ha-1, with the most important species Cavanillesia arborea (3.26 m² ha-1), Pseudobombax tomentosum (2.35 m² ha-1), Dilodendron bipinnatum (1.84 m² ha-1), Tabebuia impetiginosa (1.36 m² ha-1) and Myracrodruon urundeuva (1.26 m² ha-1) occupying 61.5% of the total basal area of the forest. Several species grew on rocks, or in rock fissures or in places with a shallow layer of soil or even in litter over rocky layers. The floristic composition showed links with the "Caatinga" flora, with other patches of seasonal forests in Central Brazil and in the Pantanal, and with the Chiquitano forests of Bolivia too, containing even two species considered as endemic to the "Caatinga".