Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding core technological competencies and identifying the trends on the technological convergence of a business ecosystem using the patent information of leading firms in the system. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework is composed of two steps: time-sequential text clustering analysis for comprehending changes in general technological fields and association rule analysis for identifying the trends of convergences in each field. The authors applied the proposed framework to the patents applied to United States Patent Trademark Office by Samsung Electronics, a market leader of the electronics industry, during the period from 2000 to 2011. Findings – In the sequential text clustering analysis, trends of 14 technological fields such as data storage medium and data processing, mobile, lights and heats and memory are identified. Moreover, changes of technological convergence in each field are identified using association rule analysis. For instance, in the case of technologies related to lights and heats, convergences occurred between radio transmission systems and modulated-carrier systems during the period from 2000 to 2001. However, recent convergences appeared between technologies regarding controlling lights and liquid crystal materials since 2008. Originality/value – Utilization of the framework will suggest new business opportunities to SMEs in a business ecosystem by identifying the trends of technological convergences.
Interest in moving from 3D printing to 4D printing, which would enable rapid and precise motion in reaction to a given stimulus, is evolving. Thermally responsive hydrogels are one of the most common types of soft 4D devices. They are capable of changing shape or behavior autonomously in a manner resembling natural movement, and a bio‐inspired soft actuator has been fabricated by combining stimuli‐responsive nanoparticles with 3D printable hydrogels. We formulated and tested an N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and polyethylene glycol thiol‐coated gold nanorod (P‐AuNR) hydrogel nanocomposite as an active ink material for use in the fabrication of heat‐sensitive soft actuators for photo‐responsive soft robotic motions. Due to their surface plasmon resonance (SPR), those highly dispersible P‐AuNR was able to absorb near‐infrared (NIR) light and release heat into their surroundings. This system was not immersed in water and reacted quickly and sensitively to NIR exposure. The 3D structure designed and fabricated with these inks was able to deform selectively only in a very localized part in response to non‐contact external stimuli, leading to various types of controlled shape‐morphing.
This image by Kwanwoo Shin illustrates the process of applying ink mixed with gold nanorods to a 3D printer and utilizing it in a 4D printer that can alter its shape upon exposure to external light. It specifically highlights the shape‐changing mechanism achieved via effective energy transfer in the air as opposed to water. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/app.53799
Although pubic hair has been a subject of public interest, little is known about its structure or characteristics beyond its curly and coarse appearance. In this study, we investigated the surface and internal features of pubic hair from Korean males and compared them to those of scalp hair from the same donors. Our findings indicate that the cuticle layer of pubic hair has a greater number of scales than that of scalp hair, resulting in a thicker cuticle layer overall. Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy analysis showed that the protein in the cortex layer of pubic hair was less affected by exposure to urine or ammonia than the protein in the cortex layer of scalp hair. This suggests that the cuticle layer of pubic hair, which is thicker and composed of more scales, acts as a physical barrier that protects the hair's internal structure. Furthermore, we observed that the secondary and tertiary structures of keratin in the pubic hair cuticle layer are essentially different from those in scalp hair. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the thickened cuticle layer in pubic hair may have evolved as a defence mechanism against chemical damage from urine, urea and ammonia.
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