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The objective of this work is focused on improving the optimization ability of the cuckoo search algorithm (CS), and, for this reason, a comparison is made between type-1 and interval type-2 fuzzy logic to look for more promising results in the cuckoo search algorithm (CS), and to help performance, we dynamically adjust the alpha parameter. The idea is to enable CS in leaving the local optima, and then be able to reach the global optima. Currently, there are good results in improving the optimization of algorithms through intelligent fuzzy logic computing after finding the best adjustment parameters. The approach is based on finding the ideal rules with their respective linguistic variables to represent the real world as is perceived by humans. The membership functions that the fuzzy system uses are symmetrically defined for reducing the search space, and this symmetry is what makes the algorithm efficient. We plan to test the proposal in future works in the optimal design of control systems. In the present study, we use five benchmark mathematical functions with variation in the number of dimensions to validate the approach and perform the comparison of interval type-2 and type-1 fuzzy systems in parameter adaptation. For the dynamic adjustment of the parameters, we select the alpha parameter, and the values of Pa and Beta are defined based on the analysis of their behavior in previous works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Little is known about how subsidies enhance both collaborative and opportunistic behaviours within subsidized industry–university partnerships, and how partners' behaviours influence the intellectual capital dynamics within subsidized industry–university. Based on these theoretical foundations, this study expects to understand intellectual capital's (IC's) contribution as a dynamic or systemic process (inputs?outputs?outcomes) within subsided university–industry partnerships. Especially to contribute to these ongoing academic debates, this paper analyses how collaborative and opportunistic behaviours within industry–university partnerships influence the intellectual capital dynamics (inputs, outputs and outcomes) of the subsidized projects. Design/methodology/approach: By combining two sources of information about 683 Mexican subsidized industry–university partnerships from 2009 to 2016, this study adopted the structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse the effect of collaborative vs opportunistic behaviours in intellectual capital dynamics within subsidized projects. Findings: Our results show three tendencies about the bright/dark side of subsidies within the Mexican industry–university partnerships. The first tendency shows how collaborative behaviours positively influence intellectual capital dynamics within subsidized industry–university partnerships. The second tendency shows how opportunistic behaviours influence intellectual capital impacts (performance) and return to society (job creation). The third tendency shows how initial inputs of subsidized projects generate some expected socio-economic returns that pursued the subsidies (mediation effect of intellectual capital outputs). Research limitations/implications: This research has three limitations that provide a future research agenda. The main limitations were associated with our sources of information. The first limitation, we did not match subsidized partnerships (focus group) and non-subsidized partnerships (control group). A qualitative analysis should help understand the effect of subsidies on intellectual capital and partnerships' behaviours. The second limitation, our measures of collaborative/opportunistic behaviours as well as intellectual capital dynamics should be improved by balancing traditional and new metrics in future research. The third limitation is that in emerging economies, the quality of institutions could influence the submission/selection of subsidies and generate negative externalities. Future research should control by geographical dispersion and co-location of subsidies. Practical implications: For enterprise managers, this study offers insights into IC dynamics and behaviours within subsidized industry–university partnerships. The bright side of collaboration behaviours is related to IC's positive impacts on performance and socio-economic returns. The dark side is the IC appropriation behind opportunistic behaviours. Enterprise managers should recognize the relevance of IC management to capture value and reduce costs associated with opportunistic behaviours. For the university community, this study offers potential trends adopted by industry–university partnerships to reinforce universities' innovative transformation processes. Specifically, these trends are related to the legitimization of the university's role in society and contribution to regional development through industry–university partnerships' outcomes. Therefore, university managers should recognize the IC benefits/challenges behind industry–university partnerships. Social implications: For policymakers, the study indirectly shows the role of subsidies for generating/reinforcing intellectual capital outcomes within subsidized industry–university partnerships. The bright side allows evaluating the cost-benefit of this government intervention and the returns to priority industries. The dark side allows for understanding the need for implementing mechanisms to control opportunistic behaviours within subsidized partnerships. Accordingly, policymakers should understand the IC opportunity-costs related to industry–university partnerships for achieving the subsidies' aims. Originality/value: This study contributes to three ongoing academic debates in innovation and management fields. The first debate about how intellectual capital dynamic is stimulated and transferred through the collaborative behaviour within industry–university partnerships in emerging economies. The second debate is about the "dark side" of partnerships stimulated by public programmes in emerging economies. The third debate is about the effectiveness of subsidies on intellectual capital activities/outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to gain a better understanding of the relationship between economic recession and entrepreneurship. The process of entrepreneurship, rather than the action itself, is a complex phenomenon, and such complexity surfaces when local context conditions worsen after an economic recession. This paper addresses the issue of how the likelihood of individuals to engage in the creation of new firms is affected by a recessionary climate. Furthermore, the study focuses on how the recession-driven shake-out effect varies across local contexts (i.e., sub-national regions). The case of Spain in the critical period of 2007---2010 is examined by using multilevel logistic mediation models on individual-level and sub-national region-level panel data. The results show that entrepreneurship shrinks during economic downturns, suggesting a pro-cyclical trend. A weaker perception by individuals of business opportunities resulting from the shake-out explains, to a large extent, the lower propensity to create firms during economic recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the effect of corporate entrepreneurship on innovation productivity of spin-off firms. Results show that spin-off firms, supported by parent firms, with superior absorptive capacity and entrepreneurial orientation are more likely to yield a higher productivity derived from innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se estimó la composición química, tasa y degradabilidad de la PC, energía metabolizable (EM) y proteína metabolizable (PM) de arbóreas (2), arbustivas (11), herbáceas (4), cactáceas (3), flores, frutos y vainas (8) que consumen los pequeños rumiantes en agostadero. La composición química se determinó por métodos estándar, la EM a partir de la producción de gas in vitro y la degradabilidad de la PC in situ. Los datos se sometieron a análisis de varianza para un diseño completamente al azar y se correlacionó la composición química con la degradabilidad de la PC. Los contenidos en FND (65, 41, 46, 43 y 37 % MS, respectivamente), lignina (10, 8, 12, 2 y 7 % MS), hemicelulosa (32, 18, 13, 30 y 10 % MS), celulosa (22, 16, 21, 11 y 20 % MS), EM (4.6, 6.6, 8.5, 7.3 y 7.8 MJ/kg MS), PM (4.9, 7.7, 7.3, 2.9 y 4.5 % MS), así como la tasa constante de degradación c de la PC (4.0 % h-1 , 6.4, 4.4, 3.7, 8.7) y la degradabilidad efectiva de la PC (28, 55, 62, 77 y 76 %) fueron diferentes en cada grupo de plantas. Se concluye que el valor nutricional (EM y PM) de arbustivas y herbáceas es alto y las cactáceas y frutos en EM. La tasa constante de degradación c de la PC de frutos, arbustivas y herbáceas les confiere buen potencial nutritivo para pequeños rumiantes en agostadero. Por el contrario, la degradabilidad efectiva de la PC permite clasificar a las arbóreas estudiadas como especies de mediana calidad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Comb polymers were prepared using the RAFT process via a Z-group approach. Trithiocarbonate RAFT agents were covalently bound to a polymer backbone via ester linkages. Two different types of comb polymer backbones were prepared, based on either modified cellulose or statistical poly(styrene-co-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) backbones. The subsequent polymerization of styrene from these multi-RAFT-functional backbones displayed some unusual kinetics with the rate of polymerization increasing concomitantly with the trithiocarbonate concentration. The molecular weight of each polystyrene branch increased with conversion, however, deviation from the theoretical molecular weight was detected. The polystyrene comb polymers were utilized in a casting process to prepare highly regular honeycomb structured porous films using breath figures. In general, the regularity was found to increase with increasing number of branches on a backbone and with increasing length of the polystyrene branch. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the impact of university ecosystems on entrepreneurial intention and self-efficacy of Brazilian undergraduate students. The empirical exercise relies on Structural Equations Modelling based on data of 468 students from 70 universities across the country. Results indicate that traditional approaches to foment entrepreneurship are less effective than nurturing linkages between universities and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, and that private universities are more effective in promoting entrepreneurial behaviour. From a practical standpoint, our assessment suggests the need for universities to approach entrepreneurial education in a more flexible way, fostering interactions with businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the past and present of the university spin-off (USO) phenomenon by identifying research findings and synthesizing different spin-off practices from around the globe. The evolution and future of this phenomenon are then discussed, alongside potential new lines of research. This study adopts a systematic literature review approach, combined with a Multiple Correspondence Analysis. This approach allows for the creation of a robust and reliable synthesis of the research carried out over the past 35 years (1986–2020), offering a fine-grained depiction of the USOs' underlying relationships through multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). This paper contributes to scholarly literature on academic entrepreneurship by providing insights into the analytical trends of the past, current evidence on the configuration of USOs, and discussions of the future of USO research. Several implications for improving performance, productivity, and reinforcing capabilities emerge to assist spin-off CEOs, university managers, and policymakers. This paper fulfils an identified need by revealing the trajectory of the USO research field. Additionally, it presents an up-to-date reflection of USO antecedents, decisions, and outcomes, outlining an agenda for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a computational model that describes the diffusion of a hard spheres colloidal fluid through a membrane. The membrane matrix is modeled as a series of flat parallel planes with circular pores of different sizes and random spatial distribution. This model was employed to determine how the size distribution of the colloidal filtrate depends on the size distributions of both, the particles in the feed and the pores of the membrane, as well as to describe the filtration kinetics. A Brownian dynamics simulation study considering normal distributions was developed in order to determine empirical correlations between the parameters that characterize these distributions. The model can also be extended to other distributions such as log-normal. This study could, therefore, facilitate the selection of membranes for industrial or scientific filtration processes once the size distribution of the feed is known and the expected characteristics in the filtrate have been defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filamentous fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus was grown on n-hexadecane in submerged (SmC) and solid-state (SSC) cultures. The maximum CO2 production rate in SmC (Vmax = 11.7 mg CO2 Lg−1day−1) was three times lower than in SSC (Vmax = 40.4 mg CO2 Lg−1day−1). The P. lilacinus hydrophobin (PLHYD) yield from the SSC was 1.3 mg PLHYD g protein−1, but in SmC, this protein was not detected. The PLHYD showed a critical micelle concentration of 0.45 mg mL−1. In addition, the PLHYD modified the hydrophobicity of Teflon from 130.1 ± 2° to 47 ± 2°, forming porous structures with some filaments <1 μm and globular aggregates <0.25 μm diameter. The interfacial studies of this PLHYD could be the basis for the use of the protein to modify surfaces and to stabilize compounds in emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lecanicillium lecanii has been successfully employed to produce hydrophobin-like proteins (HfbL) in solid state and submerged cultures varying the type of solid inert support. This study shows the results on the effect of hydrophilic Perlite and hydrophobic Polyurethane inert supports in solid state cultures for production of HfbLs by L. lecanii. The hydrophobicity of the support employed in solid state cultures influenced the yields and surface activities of the class I and class II HfbLs produced by L. lecanii . Class I HfbL was only produced using the hydrophobic polyurethane foam support, showing high surface activity that reduced ca. 50% hydrophobicity of Teflon, whereas class II HfbLs were produced on both polyurethane foam and perlite supports, and they reduced ca. 50% the surface tension of water and ca. 25% reduction of the hydrophobicity of Teflon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutritional value and ruminal fermentation kinetics was studied in flower samples (Baryxylum inerme Roxb, Tabebula maestrensis Urb. and Hibicus rosasinensis) and fruit trees and shrubs (Samanea saman Merr, Licania campestre, Prosopis chilensis, Lysiloma bahamensis, Eugenia psiloclados Urb. and Moringa oleifera Lam) of the Cauto Valley in Cuba. The chemical constituents, the gas production at different incubation times, the non-degraded apparent residue, the concentration of volatile fatty acids and the in vitro true digestibility of OM and DM were determined. The DM, OM, ash and EE differed (P < 0.05) between species, while the CP and NDF reached values of up to 26 and 25 %, respectively, without differences. The production of gases derived from the fermentation of the degradable fraction b differed (P < 0.05) in the flowers and pods with seeds. In the flowers, the superior values for this variable were found in H. rosasinensis, while, in the group of pods with seeds were in L. brahamensis. In the flowers, the constant rate of gas production c was higher in T. maestrensis (0.081/h), being superior (0.115 /h) in the pods with seeds E. psiloclado. There were differences (P < 0.05) in the true digestibility of DM and OM in flowers and pods with seeds. The concentration of volatile fatty acids in pods with seeds varied (P < 0.05), while in the flowers, only the acetic acid was different (P < 0.05). The flowers of T. maestrensis and H. rosasinensis, as well as the pods with seeds of S. saman, P. chilensis and E. psiloclados could be alternatives for cattle supplementation. Researches to assess the productive response of the animals through the use of these species and their performance under different management conditions and edaphoclimatic regions are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]