Innovation and diffusion of clean/green technology: Can patent commons help?

This paper explores the characteristics of 238 patents on 94 “inventions” contributed by major multinational innovators to the “Eco-Patent Commons”, which provides royalty-free access to third parties to patented climate change related innovations. By comparing the pledged patents to other patents in the same technologies or held by the same multinationals, we investigate the motives of the contributing firms as well as the potential for such commons to encourage innovation and diffusion of climate change related technologies. This study, therefore, indirectly provides evidence on the role of patents in the development and diffusion of green technologies. More generally, the paper sheds light on the performance of hybrid forms of knowledge management that combine open innovation and patenting.patent commons, green technology, eco-aptents, diffusion, climate change

The role of patent protection in (clean/green) technology transfer.

Global climate change mitigation will require the development and diffusion of a large number and variety of new technologies. How will patent protection affect this process? In this paper we first review the evidence on the role of patents for innovation and international technology transfer in general. The literature suggests that patent protection in a host country encourages technology transfer to that country but that its impact on innovation and development is much more ambiguous. We then discuss the implications of these findings and other technology-specific evidence for the diffusion of climate change-related technologies. We conclude that the “double externality” problem, that is the presence of both environmental and knowledge externalities, implies that IP may not be the ideal and cannot be the only policy instrument to encourage innovation in this area and that the range and variety of green technologies as well as the need for local adaptation of technologies means that patent protection may be neither available nor useful in some settings.Climate change; intellectual property; innovation; technology transfer

The Role Of Thiocyanate In Modulating Tissue Damage In Cardiovascular Disease

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme released by activated neutrophils, monocytes, and some tissue macrophages as part of the inflammatory response at sites of inflammation. Thiocyanate anions (SCN-) are a major and preferred substrate for MPO, with oxidation giving rise to increased concentrations of hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN) at the expense of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) which is generated from chloride ions. There is considerable evidence that these oxidants contribute to damage at sites of inflammation and contribute to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. HOSCN is much less reactive and more selective than HOCl, and the damage induced by HOSCN, which occurs primarily at Cys residues is generally reversible. Therefore, increased formation of HOSCN, at the expense of HOCl, driven by increasing thiocyanate levels, has been hypothesised to be protective against inflammation-induced damage. In this thesis, this hypothesis was investigated in the context of cardiovascular disease. Two animal models were utilised: a rat ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury model and a mouse atherosclerosis model. Raising circulating SCN- levels was shown to protect rats from IR injury by reducing infarct size and protecting against pathological cardiac remodelling, as well as protecting mice against atherosclerosis at low concentrations by reducing plaque size and promoting a more stable plaque phenotype. Two pilot clinical studies were also implemented to investigate the role of SCN- and the MPO system in the context of asymptomatic vs. symptomatic cardiovascular disease (CVD), and also in sepsis. The MPO system was shown to be more active, and therefore detrimental, in the symptomatic CVD state as well as in sepsis subjects compared to controls. Overall, elevating circulating SCN- levels by dietary modulation has the potential to be protective in the context of CVD

A Research Agenda to Understand Drivers of Digital Gullibility

Gullibility is a behavior set that includes insensitivity to cues signaling untrustworthiness, the propensity to accept false information, reject true information, or taking costly risks. It is a useful lens from which to view real-world adverse outcomes driven by the online behaviors of seemingly well-intentioned, or non-malicious, individuals. Though well established in pre-internet literature, gullibility has been largely sidestepped as a driver of adverse events in the digital era despite ample evidence for its existence. To better understand the drivers and contextual factors behind digital gullibility, we propose a comprehensive research agenda which aligns open research gaps with a set of research driven propositions. The agenda builds on existing models and discussions in related domains, structures open questions and provides guidance for IS researchers and practitioners in the face of ongoing digital gullibility

Modelling the conjugate heat transfer during the fast-filling of high-pressure hydrogen vessels for vehicular transport

Compressed gas in cylinders is currently the preferred solution for storing hydrogen on board vehicles. Fast-filling combined with high storage pressures is required to meet competitive targets of long driving ranges and short refuelling times. Experiments and CFD models have shown that the fast-filling leads to significant rise in temperature within the hydrogen cylinder, which can lead to its structural failure. Thus, controlling the rise in temperature is vital during the refuelling process. This paper describes the implementation of a universal thermodynamic model that determines the gas and structural temperature during the fast-filling of hydrogen cylinders. It includes the computation of conjugate heat transfer from the gas to the cylinder structure. The thermodynamic model requires negligible computational time without compromising accuracy and can used to implement different fast-filling scenarios on a laptop or personal computer. The flexibility and robustness of the model is shown as it is capable of modelling the fast-filling of cylinders while varying different key parameters such as fill time, structural material, cylinder volume, final pressure, filling rate, initial temperatures and pressures

Two-Sided Matching for mentor-mentee allocations—Algorithms and manipulation strategies

In scenarios where allocations are determined by participant’s preferences, Two-Sided Matching is a well-established approach with applications in College Admissions, School Choice, and Mentor-Mentee matching problems. In such a context, participants in the matching have preferences with whom they want to be matched with. This article studies two important concepts in Two-Sided Matching: multiple objectives when finding a solution, and manipulation of preferences by participants. We use real data sets from a Mentor-Mentee program for the evaluation to provide insight on realistic effects and implications of the two concepts. In the first part of the article, we consider the quality of solutions found by different algorithms using a variety of solution criteria. Most current algorithms focus on one criterion (number of participants matched), while not directly taking into account additional objectives. Hence, we evaluate different algorithms, including multi-objective heuristics, and the resulting trade-offs. The evaluation shows that existing algorithms for the considered problem sizes perform similarly well and close to the optimal solution, yet multi-objective heuristics provide the additional benefit of yielding solutions with better quality on multiple criteria. In the second part, we consider the effects of different types of preference manipulation on the participants and the overall solution. Preference manipulation is a concept that is well established in theory, yet its practical effects on the participants and the solution quality are less clear. Hence, we evaluate the effects of three manipulation strategies on the participants and the overall solution quality, and investigate if the effects depend on the used solution algorithm as well

A four-lidar view of Cirrus from the FIRE IFO: 27-28 October 1986

The four ground-based lidar systems that participated in the 1986 FIRE IFO were configured in a diamond-shaped array across central and southern Wisconsin. Data were generally collected in the zenith pointing mode, except for the Doppler lidar, which regularly operated in a scanning mode with intermittent zenith observations. As a component of the cirrus case study of 27 and 28 October 1986 selected for initial analysis, data collected by the remote sensor ensemble from 1600 (on the 27th) to 2400 UTC (on the 28th) is described and compared. In general, the cirrus studied on the 27th consisted of intermittent layers of thin and subvisual cirrus clouds. Particularly at Wausau, subvisual cirrus was detected from 11.0 to 11.5 km MSL, just below the tropopause. At lower levels, occasional cirrus clouds between approx. 8.0 to 9.5 km were detected from all ground sites. Preliminary analysis of the four-lidar dataset reveals the passage of surprisingly consistent cloud features across the experiment area. A variety of types and amounts of middle and high level clouds occurred, ranging from subvisual cirrus to deep cloud bands. It is expected that the ground-based lidar measurements from this case study, as well as the airborne observations, will provide an excellent data base for comparison to satellite observations

The Nature of Standing

Standing to raise a claim before a judicial tribunal is notoriously contested. Federal courts during the last century developed an increasingly rule-like and rigid doctrine around the concept of private injury to govern access to the federal forum. Some states followed the federal lead. Others have created important exceptions, and even in federal courts, issues like organizational standing, legislative standing, and standing of qui tam relators have proved controversial. We describe a broader taxonomy of agenda control rules, of which standing rules are a special case, to understand why and how courts and other institutions govern their choices of what to decide.Dividing agenda control rules among ex ante and ex post rules and between procedural, membership-based, and subject matter-based rules, we identify standing as a set of rules analyzing a relationship between the entity raising an issue and the subject matter of the issue that is being proposed for decision. Using the broader toolkit of agenda rules, we analyze basic institutional considerations and how the rules within our taxonomy work together to serve various institutional goals. We elaborate the model using a peculiar standing regime employed by Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals as a concrete case study