The Licensing Function of Patent Intermediaries

The contemporary patent marketplace is a complex ecosystem comprised of innovators and manufacturers who are often connected by a varied group of intermediaries. While there are a variety of intermediary business models—such as patent assertion entities and defensive aggregators—each facilitates a variant of a similar licensing transaction, connecting a set of patents held by a patent owner with a product or service offered by a prospective licensee. One explanation for the prevalence of intermediaries is that they engage in practices tantamount to arbitrage, acquiring patents and then licensing them at a profit because they enjoy greater success in patent litigation than patent holders would on their own. This paper advances an additional explanation: some intermediaries may serve a function analogous to a platform trading in non-exclusive licenses, overcoming search and valuation costs to facilitate licensing. This paper focuses on the use of two contract terms in intermediaries’ dealings with technology market participants: revenue sharing in patent acquisition and non-exclusive licensing. The Federal Trade Commission’s Patent Entity Activity Study reported that intermediaries used both of these terms. Building on those findings, this paper argues that intermediaries that use both provisions may, under some conditions, operate in a manner analogous to a two-sided platform. First, this paper examines how participants in a technology market would value non-exclusive licenses granted ex post, after the licensed product is already on the market. The paper argues that—in addition to the avoidance of litigation costs— the reduction of uncertainty can also drive licensee demand. Next, the paper proposes that use of revenue sharing allows patent holders to experience network effects from the number of prospective licensees accessed through the intermediary, which may make the intermediary more attractive than licensing unilaterally. Finally, this paper argues that the conduct of a patent licensing intermediary using these contract features can be analogized to the practices of other licensing intermediaries such as performing rights organizations and patent pools. These observations suggest that one explanation for the success of some intermediary models—as well as one aspect of their conduct that may influence competition in technology markets—is their ability to connect patent holders and prospective licensees with a greater number of potential trading partners than they would otherwise be able to connect with on their own

SDSS-IV MaNGA : signatures of halo assembly in kinematically misaligned galaxies

Funding: RT acknowledges support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council via an Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (grant number ST/K004719/1). VW acknowledges support of the European Research Council via the award of a starting grant (SED-Morph; P.I. V. Wild).We investigate the relationship of kinematically misaligned galaxies with their large-scale environment, in the context of halo assembly bias. According to numerical simulations, halo age at fixed halo mass is intrinsically linked to the large-scale tidal environment created by the cosmic web. We investigate the relationship between distances to various cosmic web features and present-time gas accretion rate. We select a sub-sample of ∼900 central galaxies from the MaNGA survey with defined global position angles (PA; angle at which velocity change is greatest) for their stellar and Hα gas components up to a minimum of 1.5 effective radii (Re). We split the sample by misalignment between the gas and stars as defined by the difference in their PA. For each central galaxy we find its distance to nodes and filaments within the cosmic web, and estimate the host halo’s age using the central stellar mass to total halo mass ratio M*/Mh. We also construct halo occupation distributions using a background subtraction technique for galaxy groups split using the central galaxy’s kinematic misalignment. We find, at fixed halo mass, no statistical difference in these properties between our kinematically aligned and misaligned galaxies. We suggest that the lack of correlation could be indicative of cooling flows from the hot halo playing a far larger role than ‘cold mode’ accretion from the cosmic web or a demonstration that the spatial extent of current large-scale integral field unit (IFU) surveys hold little information about large-scale environment extractable through this method.PostprintPeer reviewe

Integrated technology wing design study

The technology development costs and associated benefits in applying advanced technology associated with the design of a new wing for a new or derivative trijet with a capacity for 350 passengers and maximum range of 8519 km, entering service in 1990 were studied. The areas of technology are: (1) airfoil technology; (2) planform parameters; (3) high lift; (4) pitch active control system; (5) all electric systems; (6) E to 3rd power propulsion; (7) airframe/propulsion integration; (8) graphite/epoxy composites; (9) advanced aluminum alloys; (10) titanium alloys; and (11) silicon carbide/aluminum composites. These technologies were applied to the reference aircraft configuration. Payoffs were determined for block fuel reductions and net value of technology. These technologies are ranked for the ratio of net value of technology (NVT) to technology development costs

Directory of Grants and Fellowships in the Global Health Sciences

Since 1988, the Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health, has published the Directory of International Grants and Fellowships in the Health Sciences . This volume, a comprehensive compilation of international funding opportunities in biomedical and behavioural research, is a valuable resource for an individual or institution who seeks financial support

Genotypic variation in climbing ability traits in a common bean RIL population

Climbing beans are vines that can be grown in either monoculture using wooden or bamboo trellises or in intercropping with other support crops such as maize, but in either case an important characteristic of climbing beans is their vegetative vigor and climbing ability. A range of climbing bean architecture exists; some are extremely vigorous producing more biomass at the top of the plant (type IVb), while others distribute biomass more uniformly across their the length of their vines (type IVa). Different types are selected by farmers in given situations, depending on climate, cropping system, harvesting method and growing period. Few studies have analyzed the inheritance of climbing ability in common bean or analyzed the interaction of this trait with soil fertility levels. Information about climbing ability and its component traits could be used by plant breeders to develop climbing bean ideotypes for different production systems. Therefore one of our research objectives has been to develop methods to analyze climbing bean growth and apply these to genetic mapping populations. In this research we analyzed a population of recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross of a climbing bean, G2333, by a bush bean, G19839, grown under high and low phosphorus treatments, for traits involved with climbing ability

Development and evaluation of techniques for estimating short duration design rainfall in South Africa.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.The objective of the study was to update and improve the reliability and accuracy of short duration (s 24 h) design rainfall values for South Africa. These were to be based on digitised rainfall data whereas previous studies conducted on a national scale in South Africa were based on data that were manually extracted from autographic charts. With the longer rainfall records currently available compared to the studies conducted in the early 1980s, it was expected that by utilising the longer, digitised rainfall data in conjunction with regional approaches, which have not previously been applied in South Africa, that more reliable short duration design rainfall values could Ix: estimated. A short duration rainfall database was established for South Africa with the majority of the data contributed by the South African Weather Bureau (SAWB). Numerous errors such as negative and zero time steps were identified in the SAWB digitised rainfall data. Automated procedures were developed to identify the probable cause of the errors and appropriate adjustments to the data were made. In cases where the cause of the error could be established, the data were adjusted to introduce randomly either the minimum, average or maximum intensity into the data as a result of the adjustment. The effect of the adjustments was found to have no significant effect on the extracted Annual Maximum Series (AMS). However, the effect of excluding erroneous points or events with erroneous points resulted in significantly different AMS. The low reliability of much of the digitised SAW B rainfall data was evident by numerous and large differences between daily rainfall totals recorded by standard, non-recording raingauges, measured at 08:00 every day, and the total rainfall depth for the equivalent period extracted from the digitised data. Hence alternative techniques of estimating short duration rainfall values were developed, with the focus on regional approaches and techniques that could be derived from daily rainfall totals measured by standard raingauges. Three approaches to estimating design storms from the unreliable short duration rainfall database were developed and evaluated. The first approach used a regional frequency analysis, the second investigated scaling relationships of the moments of the extreme events and the third approach used a stochastic intra-daily model to generate synthetic rainfall series. In the regional frequency analyses, 15 relatively homogeneous rainfall clusters were identified in South Africa and a regional index storm based approach using L-moments was applied. Homogeneous clusters were identified using site characteristics and tested using at-site data. The mean of the AMS was used as the index value and in 13 of the 15 relatively homogeneous clusters the index value for 24 h durations were well estimated as a function of site characteristics only, thus enabling the estimation of 24 h duration design rainfall values at any location in South Africa. In 13 of the 15 clusters the scaling properties of the moments of the AMS were used to successfully estimate design rainfall values for duration < 24h, using the moments of the AMS extracted from the data recorded by standard raingauges and regional relationships based on site characteristics. It was found that L-moments scaled better and over a wider range of durations than ordinary product moments. A methodology was developed for the derivation of the parameters for two Bartlett-Lewis rectangular pulse models using only standard raingauge data, thus enabling the estimation of design values for durations as short as 1 h at sites where only daily rainfall data are available. In view of the low reliability of the majority of short duration rainfall data in South Africa, it is recommended that the regional index value approach be adopted for South Africa, but scaled using values derived from the daily rainfall data. The use of the intra-daily stochastic rainfall models to estimate design rainfall values is recommended as further independent confirmation of the reliability of the design values

Innovative landfill bioreactor systems for municipal solid waste treatment in East Africa aimed at optimal energy recovery and minimal greenhouse gas emissions

Landfilling is currently the dominant disposal method for municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries. Approximately 50% of the MSW generated in East Africa is disposed in landfills. Low costs and availability of land have made landfilling the most common waste management option in East Africa. Two main aspects associated with landfills are the landfill gas potential (LFG) and the greenhouse gas emission. A desk study into the development and application of landfill systems for treating MSW have indicated that the operation of landfills as bioreactors is an interesting and viable option for MSW management. The main objective of the thesis was to develop and describe landfill bioreactor (LFB) basedtreatment systems suitable for MSW in East African cities. MSW collected in these cities is characterized dominantly by a high content of organic material and a high moisture content. It is expected that a more sophisticated and modern form of landfill such as a LFB will become important as a treatment system for MSW in East Africa on the short and middle term. For this purpose, four innovative landfill bioreactor system options which are technically feasible and resource-recovery oriented that match the conditions of East African cities have been developed. These innovative system options of landfills operated as bioreactors were identified, elaborated and evaluated based on literature information regarding the construction and performance of landfill bioreactors in highly industrialized western countries and characteristics of MSW in East Africa, experimental research on pilot plant scale and desk studies regarding biological conversion of the waste, and modeling of the biodegradation rates and biogas production of MSW. The four system options were also evaluated by means of a semi-mathematical calculation model regarding their investment and operation costs, land space requirement, leachate treatment costs and savings, LFG generation and LFG collection and utilization costs and benefits, airspace recovery, greenhouse gas accounting and global warming avoidance.The results with respect to the evaluation were compared with a controlled dumpsite for MSW as currently applied in East Africa. All four modifications of the LFB show great advantages with respect to landfill size, amount of biogas collected and reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases.The innovative system options proposed in this thesis are useful and helpful for decision makers in making the choice of MSW disposal suitable for the East-African cities</p