This chapter from the author's dissertation summarizes findings from case studies of university-based start-up firms. The case studies contribute descriptive accounts to support and illuminate emerging empirical research on this specialized set of start-ups. The case studies highlight several interesting findings related to the special role of inventors and the university in developing the technology as well as how the operating experience of these firms compares and contrasts with standard beliefs about start-ups. For example, the case studies document the stark contrasts among university-based start-ups with respect to both the importance of intellectual property and the company's ability to access venture capital. The case studies also highlight the importance of the inventor's personal (or tacit) knowledge in developing the technology. Finally, university inventions in the electronics and semiconductor fields, unlike pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, were the result of research that had been conducted years earlier in corporate laboratories. Hence, technology was transferred into the university.

Creatine phosphate (CP), the phosphorylated form of the amino acid creatine, plays an important role in regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in skeletal muscle. Oral supplementation can increase muscle stores of creatine and seems to have significant ergogenic benefit for short-term activities requiring strength and power. Recently, supplementation has been implicated in having medical benefits as well. It may prove useful for restoring contractility in acute heart failure, prevention of ischemic injury during heart surgery, keeping energy levels from dropping in patients with systemic infection by acting as an ATP buffer, and treating patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. However, despite the potential benefit of creatine supplementation, the safety issues have not been sufficiently examined. There does not seem to be any deleterious effects associated with short-term creatine use except for reported cramping, muscle tears, dehydration, and nausea. One potential-long term risk may be down-regulation of the expression of the creatine transporter protein. The safety of creatine supplementation needs to be further examined in order to deter misuse and abuse.

Plans usually try to address problems at a certain scale— neighborhood, city, region, or beyond. The field of planning has not engaged in geography’s extensive debates on scale, perhaps since the relevance to planning has not been apparent. I argue planning should attend to scale, based on the literature that describes frames. Frames powerfully direct attention to some problems and solutions, while overlooking others. I illustrate how scale can be part of planning problem definition and solutions with qualitative analysis of a regional transportation plan from the San Francisco Bay Area. The plan contains two distinct, scaled frames: one addresses mobility and economic vitality at the regional scale and the other concerns itself with accessibility from a neighborhood perspective. I call for critical reflection on the use of scale to help the field of planning see problems and possibilities in new ways.