Academic Knowledge Transfers and the Structure of International Research Networks

Az egyetemektõl az ipari innovációig áramló tudástranszfer földrajza napjaink közgazdasági szakirodalmának széles körben kutatott témájává vált. A vizsgálatok egyik meghatározó eredményeként említhetõ, hogy az egyetemek és az ipar közötti lokális tudás-áramlások hatékonyságát számos külsõ tényezõ – mint pl. az agglomeráció, a vállalkozói környezet vagy a helyi üzleti kultúra – is befolyásolja. Az egyetemek nemzetközi kutatói hálózatokba való beágyazottsága és az egyetemekrõl származó tudás szétterjedése közötti kapcsolat vizsgálata viszont igen friss fejlemény a közgazdasági szakirodalomban. A téma fontosságát egyrészt az indokolja, hogy a kutatói produktivitás és a tudományos hálózatokhoz való tartozás között szoros összefüggés fedezhetõ fel, másrészt pedig az, hogy az egyetemekhez köthetõ szabadalmak és a minõségi kutatási eredmények nem zárják ki szükségszerûen egymást. A hálózatok és a szabadalmak közötti kapcsolatok tehát ígéretes témát szolgáltatnak az elemzések számára. Tanulmányunk a nemzetközi publikációk szerzõit magában foglaló hálózatok szerkezetének (pl. koncentráció, méret, integráltság) az egyetemi szabadalmakra vonatkozó hatását vizsgálja a tudástermelési-függvény alkalmazásával a Pécsi Tudományegyetem különbözõ egységeirõl gyûjtött adatokra támaszkodva.University knowledge transfer, network analysis, knowledge production function

The Market for Borrowing Corporate Bonds

This paper describes the market for borrowing corporate bonds using a comprehensive data set from a major lender. The cost of borrowing corporate bonds is comparable to the cost of borrowing stock, between 10 and 20 basis points, and both have fallen over time. Factors that influence borrowing costs are loan size, percentage of inventory lent, rating, and borrower identity. There is no evidence that bond short sellers have private information. Bonds with Credit Default Swaps (CDS) contracts are more actively lent than those without. Finally, the 2007 Credit Crunch does not affect average borrowing costs or loan volume, but does increase borrowing cost variance

The Market for Borrowing Corporate Bonds

This paper describes the market for borrowing corporate bonds using a comprehensive dataset from a major lender. The cost of borrowing corporate bonds is comparable to the cost of borrowing stock, between 10 and 20 basis points per year. Factors that increase borrowing costs are loan size, percentage of inventory lent, rating, and borrower identity. Trading strategies based on cost or amount of borrowing do not yield excess returns. Bonds with corresponding CDS contracts are more actively lent than those without. Finally, the 2007 Credit Crunch did not affect average borrowing cost or loan volume, but increased borrowing cost variance.

The Gut as Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance: Microbial Diversity of Tetracycline Resistance in Mother and Infant

The microbiota in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is highly exposed to antibiotics, and may be an important reservoir of resistant strains and transferable resistance genes. Maternal GIT strains can be transmitted to the offspring, and resistances could be acquired from birth. This is a case study using a metagenomic approach to determine the diversity of microorganisms conferring tetracycline resistance (Tcr) in the guts of a healthy mother-infant pair one month after childbirth, and to investigate the potential for horizontal transfer and maternal transmission of Tcr genes. Fecal fosmid libraries were functionally screened for Tcr, and further PCR-screened for specific Tcr genes. Tcr fosmid inserts were sequenced at both ends to establish bacterial diversity. Mother and infant libraries contained Tcr, although encoded by different genes and organisms. Tcr organisms in the mother consisted mainly of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and the main gene detected was tet(O), although tet(W) and tet(X) were also found. Identical Tcr gene sequences were present in different bacterial families and even phyla, which may indicate horizontal transfer within the maternal GIT. In the infant library, Tcr was present exclusively in streptococci carrying tet(M), tet(L) and erm(T) within a novel composite transposon, Tn6079. This transposon belongs to a family of broad host range conjugative elements, implying a potential for the joint spread of tetracycline and erythromycin resistance within the infant's gut. In addition, although not found in the infant metagenomic library, tet(O) and tet(W) could be detected in the uncloned DNA purified from the infant fecal sample. This is the first study to reveal the diversity of Tcr bacteria in the human gut, to detect a likely transmission of antibiotic resistance from mother to infant GITs and to indicate the possible occurrence of gene transfers among distantly related bacteria coinhabiting the GIT of the same individual

Population dynamics and genetic connectivity in recent chimpanzee history

The European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 864203) (to T.M.-B.). BFU2017-86471-P (MINECO/FEDER, UE) (to T.M.-B.). “Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu”, funded by the AEI (CEX2018-000792-M) (to T.M.-B.). Howard Hughes International Early Career (to T.M.-B.). NIH 1R01HG010898-01A1 (to T.M.-B.). Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca and CERCA Program del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (GRC 2017 SGR 880) (to T.M.-B.). UCL’s Wellcome Trust ISSF3 award 204841/Z/16/Z (to A.M.A. and J.M.S.). Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR-1040) (to M. Llorente). Wellcome Trust Investigator Award 202802/Z/16/Z (to D.A.H.). The Pan African Program: The Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf) is generously funded by the Max Planck Society, the Max Planck Society Innovation Fund, and the Heinz L. Krekeler Foundation.Knowledge on the population history of endangered species is critical for conservation, but whole-genome data on chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) is geographically sparse. Here, we produced the first non-invasive geolocalized catalog of genomic diversity by capturing chromosome 21 from 828 non-invasive samples collected at 48 sampling sites across Africa. The four recognized subspecies show clear genetic differentiation correlating with known barriers, while previously undescribed genetic exchange suggests that these have been permeable on a local scale. We obtained a detailed reconstruction of population stratification and fine-scale patterns of isolation, migration, and connectivity, including a comprehensive picture of admixture with bonobos (Pan paniscus). Unlike humans, chimpanzees did not experience extended episodes of long-distance migrations, which might have limited cultural transmission. Finally, based on local rare variation, we implement a fine-grained geolocalization approach demonstrating improved precision in determining the origin of confiscated chimpanzees.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe