The governance of formal university–industry interactions: understanding the rationales for alternative models

This article develops a conceptual framework to explain the economic rationale underpinning the choice of different modes of governance of formal university–industry interactions: personal contractual interactions, where the contract regulating the collaboration involves a firm and an individual academic researcher, and institutional interactions, where the relationship between the firm and the academic is mediated by the university. Although institutional interactions, for numerous reasons, have become more important, both governance modes are currently being implemented. We would argue that they have some important specificities that need to be understood if university–industry knowledge transfer is to be managed effectively and efficiently

IL-12 inhibition of endothelial cell functions and angiogenesis depends on lymphocyte-endothelial cell cross-talk.

In vivo IL-12-dependent tumor inhibition rests on the ability of IL-12 to activate a CD8-mediated cytotoxicity, inhibit angiogenesis, and cause vascular injury. Although in vivo studies have shown that such inhibition stems from complex interactions of immune cells and the production of IFN-gamma and other downstream angiostatic chemokines, the mechanisms involved are still poorly defined. Here we show that IL-12 activates an anti-angiogenic program in Con A-activated mouse spleen cells (activated spc) or human PBMC (activated PBMC). The soluble factors they release in its presence arrest the cycle of endothelial cells (EC), inhibit in vitro angiogenesis, negatively modulate the production of matrix metalloproteinase-9, and the ability of EC to adhere to vitronectin and up-regulate ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. These effects do not require direct cell-cell contact, yet result from continuous interaction between activated lymphoid cells and EC. We used neutralizing Abs to show that the IFN-inducible protein-10 and monokine-induced by IFN-gamma chemokines are pivotal in inducing these effects. Experiments with nu/nu mice, nonobese diabetic-SCID mice, or activated spc enriched in specific cell subpopulations demonstrated that CD4(+), CD8(+), and NK cells are all needed to mediate the full anti-angiogenetic effect of IL-12

Publication and patent analysis of European researchers in the field of production technology and manufacturing systems

This paper develops a structured comparison among a sample of European researchers in the field of Production Technology and Manufacturing Systems, on the basis of scientific publications and patents. Researchers are evaluated and compared by a variegated set of indicators concerning (1) the output of individual researchers and (2) that of groups of researchers from the same country. While not claiming to be exhaustive, the results of this preliminary study provide a rough indication of the publishing and patenting activity of researchers in the field of interest, identifying (dis)similarities between different countries. Of particular interest is a proposal for aggregating analysis results by means of maps based on publication and patent indicators. A large amount of empirical data are presented and discusse

Patenting and licensing of university research: promoting innovation or undermining academic values?

Since the 1980s in the US and the 1990s in Europe, patenting and licensing activities by universities have massively increased. This is strongly encouraged by governments throughout the Western world. Many regard academic patenting as essential to achieve 'knowledge transfer' from academia to industry. This trend has far-reaching consequences for access to the fruits of academic research and so the question arises whether the current policies are indeed promoting innovation or whether they are instead a symptom of a pro-intellectual property (IP) culture which is blind to adverse effects. Addressing this question requires both empirical analysis (how real is the link between academic patenting and licensing and 'development' of academic research by industry?) and normative assessment (which justifications are given for the current policies and to what extent do they threaten important academic values?). After illustrating the major rise of academic patenting and licensing in the US and Europe and commenting on the increasing trend of 'upstream' patenting and the focus on exclusive as opposed to non-exclusive licences, this paper will discuss five negative effects of these trends. Subsequently, the question as to why policymakers seem to ignore these adverse effects will be addressed. Finally, a number of proposals for improving university policies will be made

BIOHYBRID – Biohybrid templates for peripheral nerve regeneration

[Excerpt] Peripheral nerve injuries represent a major cause for morbidity and disability in affected patients and cause substantial costs for society in a global perspective. It has been estimated that peripheral nerve injuries affect 2.8% of trauma patients,many of whom acquire life-long disability (Noble et al., 1998). With respect to an incidence of nerve injuries of 13.9/100,000 inhabitants per year (Asplund et al., 2009) and the number of inhabitants in the EU (495,000,000 inhabitants in 2007), the number of peripheral nerve injuries requiring repair and reconstruction, excluding nerve injuries by amputations, may be 70,000 annually only in EU countries. Related to peripheral nerve injuries, the costs for society are substantial and consist of direct (costs for surgery, outpatient visits and rehabilitation) and indirect (lost production) costs. Individual median and ulnar nerve injuries in the forearm have total costs of EUR 51,000 and 31,000, respectively, where around 85% of the costs consist of loss of production (Rosberg et al., 2005), still excluding costs for adjusted quality of life ( Eriksson et al., 2011) . Thus, one may estimate that the annual costs only in the EU may be as high as EUR 2.2 billion, indicating that improved treatment strategies for peripheral nerve injuries may not only improve the situation for patients, but may also significantly reduce costs for society. [...](undefined

Effective Rheology of Bubbles Moving in a Capillary Tube

We calculate the average volumetric flux versus pressure drop of bubbles moving in a single capillary tube with varying diameter, finding a square-root relation from mapping the flow equations onto that of a driven overdamped pendulum. The calculation is based on a derivation of the equation of motion of a bubble train from considering the capillary forces and the entropy production associated with the viscous flow. We also calculate the configurational probability of the positions of the bubbles.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Magnetic petrology of the Devonian Achala Batholith, Argentina: titanohaematite as an indicator of highly oxidized magma during crystallization and cooling

Devonian magmatism in the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas (Córdoba, Argentina) is represented by elliptical, porphyritic, batholithic, late- to post-orogenic monzogranites emplaced in a metamorphic—plutonic basement. Two groups of Devonian granitoids are distinguished: (1) metaaluminous to weakly peraluminous, hornblende-biotite bearing granitoids, and (2) peraluminous, biotite-(muscovite) bearing granitoids. Groups 1 and 2 are characterized by accessory phases of sphene-magnetite with high susceptibility, and ilmenite-(monazite-uraninite) with low susceptibility, respectively. The magnetic assemblage of the Group 2 Achala Batholith, predominantly paramagnetic, is the subject of this paper. Forty-three sites were sampled in the Achala monzogranite. Overall, it is weakly magnetic, with a mean magnetic susceptibility of 1.5 × 10−4 SI. Twenty-one sites showed titanohaematite as the magnetic carrier of a stable remanence. The titanohaematite is an accessory mineral and contains exsolved disc-shaped intergrowths of ilmenite. The weak magnetism of Achala monzogranite facies contrasts with the magnetic character of other Devonian porphyritic, batholithic monzogranites in the region. The virtual absence of magnetite, together with the presence of exsolved titanohaematite and Mn-ilmenite indicate crystallization and cooling under more oxidizing conditions. Oxidizing conditions continued into the subsolidus, causing late-stage reactions of ilmenite host grains to ilmenite + rutile+ haematite, and titanohaematite to ilmenite-poorer haematite + rutile. These reactions resulted in low susceptibility values and a strong reduction of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) intensities. Thermal demagnetization, up to 620–640 °C, isolated steeply dipping, dual-polarity remanence directions. The coincidence of the Achala paleomagnetic pole with the 380–360 Myr segment of the Gondwana Apparent Polar Wander Path and the U-Pb zircon age implies that the remanence was acquired soon after emplacement.publishedVersion© 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 RAS. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved