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Platelets play an important role in thrombosis and in neo-vascularisation as they release and produce factors that both promote and suppress angiogenesis. Amongst these factors is the angiogenesis inhibitor angiostatin, which is released during thrombus formation. The impact of anti-thrombotic agents and the kinetics of platelet angiostatin release are unknown. Hence, our objectives were to characterize platelet angiostatin release temporally and pharmacologically and to determine how angiostatin release influences endothelial cell migration, an early stage of angiogenesis. We hypothesized anti-platelet agents would suppress angiostatin release but not generation by platelets. Human platelets were aggregated and temporal angiostatin release was compared to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Immuno-gold electron microscopy and immunofluorescence microscopy identified α-granules as storage organelles of platelet angiostatin. Acetylsalicylic acid, MRS2395, GPIIb/IIIa blocking peptide, and aprotinin were used to characterize platelet angiostatin release and generation. An endothelial cell migration assay was performed under hypoxic conditions to determine the effects of pharmacological platelet and angiostatin inhibition. Compared to VEGF, angiostatin generation and release from α-granules occurred later temporally during platelet aggregation. Consequently, collagen-activated platelet releasates stimulated endothelial cell migration more potently than maximally-aggregated platelets. Platelet inhibitors prostacyclin, S-nitroso-glutathione, acetylsalicylic acid, and GPIIb/IIIa blocking peptide, but not a P2Y12 inhibitor, suppressed angiostatin release but not generation. Suppression of angiostatin generation in the presence of acetylsalicylic acid enhanced platelet-stimulated endothelial migration. Hence, the temporal and pharmacological modulation of platelet angiostatin release may have significant consequences for neo-vascularization following thrombus formation.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face the inherent tension of depending on external partners to complement their internal innovation activities while having limited resources to manage such open innovation processes. Given the importance of collaborative efforts between multiple stakeholders, we address the open innovation challenges from the SME perspective at the business-ecosystem level. We present an inductive case study of a particular regional ecosystem and focus on the inter-organizational collaboration between SMEs and other stakeholders in the ecosystem. With this focus, we explore how SMEs perceive, organize, and manage open innovation through strong collaborative ties with other ecosystem members. We identify a particular set of challenges for the SMEs due to the misalignment between their business model and that of their ecosystem. Specific findings include the link between innovation type expressed by diverging understandings of the notion of innovation across the ecosystem and the innovation form (here, open innovation), which should be organized and managed on multiple levels of analysis (SME, inter-organizational, and ecosystem). These findings highlight specific attention points for managing and developing open innovation in a regional business ecosystem, and they contribute both to the business-ecosystem literature as well as open innovation literature. • The misalignment between SME's and ecosystem's business models causes OI challenges. • Diverging understandings of innovation across ecosystem shapes its innovation form. • OI in SMEs should be organized and managed on multiple levels of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rooted in the territorial approach, this theoretical paper offers a systematic literature review (SLR) of ecosystems based on a selection of 104 articles and books and their archetypes. First, we identify and discuss the four main types of ecosystems – business, innovation, entrepreneurial, and knowledge ecosystems – and indicate the presence of other transversal concepts. Second, we provide an overview of related and well-established theories from the territorial approach that have been largely omitted although they are ecosystem archetypes. Third, we identify the invariants across the four diverging streams from the ecosystem approach and the seven diverging streams from the territorial approach. Finally, we propose a research framework based on the comparison between key invariants from both approaches and discuss their similarities and differences that could serve as a foundation for future empirical research. This study therefore links the ecosystem and territorial approaches under the complex evolutionary system umbrella by creating a theoretical framework that reflects the complex interconnection between models, theories, and emerging concepts. Highlights • Systematic literature review on ecosystems: 393 reviewed records; 104 items selected • Four streams coexist: business, innovation, entrepreneurial, and knowledge ecosystems. • We consider an archetype of ecosystems: the well-established territorial approach. • There are common invariants between ecosystems and territorial approaches. • Ecosystems and territorial approaches are broader and inner sides of the same coin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims There is an urgent need for safe treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) that relieve treatment-refractory symptoms and their societal and economic burden. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment that has not been broadly adopted into routine clinical practice. We performed a randomized controlled trial to assess clinical responses to home-based CBT compared with clinic-based CBT and patient education. Methods We performed a prospective study of 436 patients with IBS, based on Rome III criteria, at 2 tertiary centers from August 23, 2010, through October 21, 2016. Subjects (41.4 ± 14.8 years old; 80% women) were randomly assigned to groups that received the following: standard-CBT (S-CBT, n = 146, comprising 10 weekly, 60-minute sessions that emphasized the provision of information about brain-gut interactions; self-monitoring of symptoms, their triggers, and consequences; muscle relaxation; worry control; flexible problem solving; and relapse prevention training), or 4 sessions of primarily home-based CBT requiring minimal therapist contact (MC-CBT, n = 145), in which patients received home-study materials covering the same procedures as S-CBT), or 4 sessions of IBS education (EDU, n = 145) that provided support and information about IBS and the role of lifestyle factors such as stress, diet, and exercise. The primary outcome was global improvement of IBS symptoms, based on the IBS-version of the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale. Ratings were performed by patients and board-certified gastroenterologists blinded to treatment allocation. Efficacy data were collected 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment completion. Results A higher proportion of patients receiving MC-CBT reported moderate to substantial improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms 2 weeks after treatment (61.0% based on ratings by patients and 55.7% based on ratings by gastroenterologists) than those receiving EDU (43.5% based on ratings patients and 40.4% based on ratings by gastroenterologists) ( P < .05). Gastrointestinal symptom improvement, rated by gastroenterologists, 6 months after the end of treatment also differed significantly between the MC-CBT (58.4%) and EDU groups (44.8%) ( P = .05). Formal equivalence testing applied across multiple contrasts indicated that MC-CBT is at least as effective as S-CBT in improving IBS symptoms. Patients tended to be more satisfied with CBT vs EDU ( P < .05) based on immediate posttreatment responses to the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Symptom improvement was not significantly related to concomitant use of medications. Conclusions In a randomized controlled trial, we found that a primarily home-based version of CBT produced significant and sustained gastrointestinal symptom improvement for patients with IBS compared with education. Clinicaltrials.gov no.: NCT00738920 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration between universities and their local stakeholders is becoming a key success factor for the growth of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. Efficient energy solutions are often facing challenges in innovation diffusion, which is in contrast to the growing demand for providing answers to key ecological problems. In order to present how an efficient Triple Helix collaboration could foster and support niche innovations, an applied research project is introduced. This unique university-industry-government cooperation brings a students' idea to a proof-of-concept project thus covers the entire innovation process. The selected case offers insights of how and why such initiative could emerge, as well as discusses its implications for future technological innovations and in particular those that are about to emerge in regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. Networking, win-win-situations as well as a strong problem orientation were identified as key success factors which may accelerate efficient future Triple Helix collaboration and cooperation for ensuring a higher innovation diffusion success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Together with prevalence and price reduction of advanced printing technologies, as well as rapid prototyping appliances, genuine marking becomes a great challenge for manufacturers who want to protect their products from counterfeiting. This challenge can be approached by application of unique marking techniques, based on stochastic generation of markers. This paper describes a technique to fabricate such unique markers, as well as practical approach for in-field marker identification. Evaporation of parahexaphenylene (p6P) molecules in high vacuum system leads to formation of stochastic arrangement of nanofibers in, which can be revealed by ultraviolet illumination, and captured by a portable digital camera through 5x objective. Extraction method for characteristic feature identification is proposed, and genuineness validation protocol is suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nowadays we live in a world,whicha decade ago would only be described in the science fiction literature. More and more things become smart and both scientists and engineers strive for developing not only new and innovative devices, but also homes, factories, or even cities. Despite of continuous development, many of those concepts are still being just a vision of the future, which still needs a lot of effort to become true. This paper reviews the usage of adjective smartin respect to technology and with a special emphasis on the smart factory concept placement among contemporary studies. Due to a lack of a consensus of common understanding of this term,a unified definition is proposed. The conceptualization will not only refer to varioussmart factory visions reported in the literature, but also link the crucial characteristics of this emerging manufacturing concept to usual manufacturing practice.Subsequently, the authors discuss the challenges of the potential smart factory applications in SMEs, and also propose a future research outlook in order to further develop the smart factory concept. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]