The environmental investments justification

The article reveals the problems of improving environmental impact assessment and justification of the economic investments of industrial enterprises. The existing tools for environmental impact assessment are analyzed, information on the role and place of environmental impact assessment and investment design in the justification of the planned economic activity is systematized. For this purpose, considerable attention is paid to the analysis and synthesis of existing methodological approaches to this problem. The authors propose to consider environmental impact assessment and justification of environmental investments as a process aimed at making environmentally oriented management decisions on the feasibility and economic feasibility of implementing planned economic activities, the reasonableness of capital investments, taking into account possible adverse environmental, social, economic impacts and developing measures for their reduction and prevention. Based on the study, the authors developed a classification of the causes of environmental pollution, presented in the form of a tree of systems, allowing for a clear decomposition of the causes of pollution of the environment, specifying and refining the targeting of environmental measures necessary to reduce pollution. This research direction is also complemented by the development of a strategy (decision tree) and a mathematical description of the simulation procedure, which allows real-time making an objectively reasonable choice of options for implementing the planned economic activity, taking into account the totality of known information

Genetic continuity, isolation, and gene flow in Stone Age Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract The genomic landscape of Stone Age Europe was shaped by multiple migratory waves and population replacements, but different regions do not all show the same patterns. To refine our understanding of the population dynamics before and after the dawn of the Neolithic, we generated and analyzed genomic sequence data from human remains of 56 individuals from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic across Central and Eastern Europe. We found that Mesolithic European populations formed a geographically widespread isolation-by-distance zone ranging from Central Europe to Siberia, which was already established 10 000 years ago. We also found contrasting patterns of population continuity during the Neolithic transition: people around the lower Dnipro Valley region, Ukraine, showed continuity over 4 000 years, from the Mesolithic to the end of Neolithic, in contrast to almost all other parts of Europe where population turnover drove this cultural change, including vast areas of Central Europe and around the Danube River

Population genomics of the Viking world.

The maritime expansion of Scandinavian populations during the Viking Age (about AD 750-1050) was a far-flung transformation in world history1,2. Here we sequenced the genomes of 442 humans from archaeological sites across Europe and Greenland (to a median depth of about 1×) to understand the global influence of this expansion. We find the Viking period involved gene flow into Scandinavia from the south and east. We observe genetic structure within Scandinavia, with diversity hotspots in the south and restricted gene flow within Scandinavia. We find evidence for a major influx of Danish ancestry into England; a Swedish influx into the Baltic; and Norwegian influx into Ireland, Iceland and Greenland. Additionally, we see substantial ancestry from elsewhere in Europe entering Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Our ancient DNA analysis also revealed that a Viking expedition included close family members. By comparing with modern populations, we find that pigmentation-associated loci have undergone strong population differentiation during the past millennium, and trace positively selected loci-including the lactase-persistence allele of LCT and alleles of ANKA that are associated with the immune response-in detail. We conclude that the Viking diaspora was characterized by substantial transregional engagement: distinct populations influenced the genomic makeup of different regions of Europe, and Scandinavia experienced increased contact with the rest of the continent

Eine alternative Perspektive auf das IP-Management : empirische Evidenz aus der Praxis der internationalen Unternehmen in China

The intellectual property rights (IPR) appropriation from the company’s perspective is, first of all, associated with coordinated actions on obtaining and enforcing of the respective intellectual property rights, such as patents, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets. In developed economies with strong intellectual property (IP) systems companies traditionally rely on registered IPRs. Patents are regarded in general as the most valuable IPRs. Nevertheless, a single patent does not provide the holder with an unlimited right to use the technology, and does not exclude the risk of competitors inventing around the patent. To address these uncertainties of single patent rights, companies deploy various strategies with regard to obtaining and enforcing patents such as building patent fences, defensive blockages, defensive thickets, strategic patenting etc. The patent protection is limited to 20 years from its filing date, whereas the trademark protection may last forever. A strong branding can, for example, have a positive influence on sales revenue and market value. Firms may file trademark litigation when they are targeted by patent enforcement. However, not every national IP system and not every IP related law can guarantee an optimal appropriation level of the intangible assets a company may desire. The imperfections of an IP environment, especially in emerging economies, should encourage the companies’ skilled managers to seek for additional and/or alternative ways to enhance the appropriation of their intangible assets. Such ways can be described as management approaches – strategies developed by managers in order to prevent the abuse of their companies’ IP rights or enhance their obtaining and enforcement via legal means. Previous research provides some evidence that companies’ management may deploy some approaches to deal with IP system imperfections and further enhance IP appropriation. Such approaches known from the previous research can be divided into two categories: either aimed to prevent the IP infringement, or to enhance the conventional IP appropriation via rights obtaining and enforcement. The existing literature on the “enhancing” approaches in weak IP systems is scarce and provides some insights mainly in the trademark enforcement area however not focusing on a certain IP right. The current controversies of China’s emerging IP system that serves as a research context for this dissertation, combined with its ascending patent surge and high attractiveness of its market, suggest a challenging environment which motivates managers to develop and deploy various approaches to attain an optimal level of IP appropriation. The assumptions of this dissertation are, therefore, that (1) management at multi-national companies (MNCs) that are actively protecting their IPR, should have advanced old or create new approaches toward IPR appropriation in response to challenges and opportunities caused by China’s new leap in advancing its IP system and (2) there could be perspective areas where such approaches could be created and deployed. The present dissertation gives an alternative perspective on the IP management by focusing on the management approaches aimed to enhance the conventional IPR appropriation as well as potential areas where such approaches could be developed and implemented. It uses pragmatic approach, meaning that different methods or combination of methods were deployed at different stages of the research depending on the available knowledge from the previous studies and opportunities for the data collection. This dissertation is based on the unique data provided by seven multi-national companies with a long-term experience of production, R&D and sales in China. All the data were collected by me in a close cooperation with companies’ IP and R&D managers, patent and trademark attorneys and engineers. An exploratory qualitative approach was chosen for the first article of the present dissertation. This work investigates management approaches in four IP appropriation domains: patent rights obtaining, patent rights enforcement, trademark rights obtaining and trademark right enforcement. This study deploys the multiple case study research method and uses an inductive logic. The purpose of the following two studies was to get deeper insights in one IP appropriation domain – patent rights obtaining. The findings of the first article suggested that the management attempts to enhance the patent rights obtaining, via improving the patent awareness of the engineers. This became the research topic of the second article of the present dissertation. While making the literature research and conducting the preliminary qualitative research, it became obvious that besides patent awareness there is another dimension that shapes the patenting behavior of the engineers – the patenting motivation. Therefore the third study was undertaken to shed some light on this phenomenon. The data for both studies were collected at multi-national engineering company’s R&D centers in China via survey (a structured questionnaire). I used multiple hierarchical regression method for the second study and a combination of methods (factor analysis, one-way repeated ANOVA and robust multiple hierarchical regression) for the third one. MNCs skillful managers develop and deploy various and complex approaches to enhance their IP appropriation. Findings of the first article reveal eleven management techniques that differ in the application area (i.e. internal or external) and context (either aimed to improve IP awareness or to establish cooperation on the IP protection issues). The discussion also shows the applicability of some explored management approaches for other industries and their double role to also prevent infringement. The findings of the second study suggest that management can influence engineers’ patent awareness. Invention disclosure experience, use of patent literature, supervisory encouragement and patent trainings show a significant impact on the engineers’ patent awareness, whereas the effect of patent attorney consultancy is probably mitigated by invention disclosure experience. The discussion suggests a potential effect the managerial factors may have on the individual ones. The third article of the dissertation revealed a complex nature of engineers’ patenting motivation. The study explored four types of patenting motivation: recognition and reward, reputation and promotion, making a contribution and interest and sense of achievement. The results of multiple hierarchical regression show a positive impact of working climate on “making a contribution” and “interest and sense of achievement” motivation factors, but no influence of patent awareness and management encouragement on any of the motivation factors. The results of this doctoral thesis have some managerial implications. First, the management approaches revealed in the first study can be adopted in a wider range of industries. Furthermore, these strategies provide such benefits as saving of enforcement costs, exchange the experience with other experts from the industry and influence the further development of the country’s IP regime. Local IP management and its cultural competence play a crucial role in the success of these management approaches. Financial considerations must be taken into account. Second, management has many ways to influence engineers’ patenting behavior. As shown in the second paper of this dissertation the managerial and individual factors show high significant positive correlations. This means, that managers could potentially influence the engineers’ attitude toward using patent literature or make them put some extra efforts to transform their ideas into patentable inventions. Finally, the third study of the dissertation revealed a complex nature of the patenting motivation of the corporate R&D engineers. Same as general working motivation, patenting motivation should vary as a function of different factors in the working environment. R&D management should learn to understand and manage the patenting motivation effectively to achieve their internal targets on patent disclosures and through that enhance their companies’ competitive advantage.Die Appropriation der geistigen Eigentumsrechte (IPR) ist aus der Sicht des Unternehmens vor allem mit koordinierten Maßnahmen zur Erlangung und Durchsetzung der jeweiligen IPRs wie Patente, Gebrauchsmuster, Industriedesigns, Marken, Urheberrechte und Geschäftsgeheimnisse verbunden. In entwickelten Volkswirtschaften mit starken IP-Systemen setzen Unternehmen traditionell auf registrierte IPRs. Patente gelten im Allgemeinen als die wertvollsten IPRs. Dennoch stellt ein einziges Patent dem Inhaber kein unbegrenztes Recht zur Nutzung der Technologie zur Verfügung und schließt das Risiko, dass Wettbewerber das Patent umgehen, nicht aus. Um diesen Unsicherheiten einzelner Patentrechte zu begegnen, setzen Unternehmen verschiedene Strategien ein, um Patente zu erwerben und durchzusetzen, wie zum Beispiel die Erstellung von Patentschirmen, defensive Blockaden, defensive Patent-„Dickichte“, strategische Patentierung usw. Der Patentschutz ist auf 20 Jahre ab dem Anmeldetag beschränkt, während der Markenschutz grundsätzlich für immer bestehen kann. Ein starkes Branding kann zum Beispiel den Firmenumsatz und Marktwert positiv beeinflussen. Im Falle einer Patentverletzungsklage kann eine Markenschutzklage eine potentielle Gegenmaßnahme darstellen. Allerdings kann nicht jedes nationale IP-System und nicht jedes IP-rechtliche Gesetz eine optimale Appropriation der immateriellen Vermögenswerte, die ein Unternehmen wünscht, garantieren. Die Unzulänglichkeiten eines IP-Umfelds, vor allem in Schwellenländern, sollten die Führungskräfte der Unternehmen dazu ermutigen, zusätzliche und / oder alternative Wege zur Verbesserung der Appropriation ihrer immateriellen Vermögenswerte zu suchen. Solche Wege können als Managementansätze beschrieben werden - Strategien, die von Managern entwickelt wurden, um den Missbrauch der IP-Rechte ihrer Unternehmen zu verhindern oder ihre Erlangung und Vollstreckung durch rechtliche Mittel zu verbessern. Bisherige Studien zeigen, dass das Management von Unternehmen einige Ansätze verwenden kann, um mit den Unvollkommenheiten eines IP-Systems umzugehen und die IP-Appropriation weiter zu verbessern. Solche Ansätze, die aus der bisherigen Forschung bekannt sind, lassen sich in zwei Kategorien unterteilen: entweder die Verhinderung der IP-Verletzung oder die Verbesserung der konventionellen IP-Appropriation durch Erlangen und Durchsetzung der IPRs. Derzeit gibt es nur wenig Literatur die "Verbesserungsansätze“ in schwachen IP-Systemen behandelt. Sie bietet einige Einblicke vor allem im Bereich der Marken-Durchsetzung, ist jedoch nicht auf ein bestimmtes IP-Recht konzentriert. Die derzeitigen Kontroversen des sich entwickelnden IP-Systems Chinas, das als Forschungskontext für diese Dissertation dient, kombiniert mit seinem stark steigenden Patentaufkommen und der hohen Attraktivität seines Marktes, deuten auf ein herausforderndes Umfeld hin, das die Führungskräfte dazu motiviert, verschiedene Ansätze zu entwickeln und einzusetzen, um ein optimales Niveau der IP-Appropriation zu erreichen. Die Annahmen dieser Dissertation sind daher, dass (1) das Management bei multinationalen Unternehmen (MNCs), die ihre IPRs aktiv schützen, als Reaktion auf Herausforderungen und Chancen, die durch Veränderungen des IP-Systems in China entstehen, alte Ansätze weiterentwickelt oder neue Ansätze in Bezug auf IPR-Appropriation, geschaffen hat und; (2) es neue potentielle Bereiche geben könnte, in denen solche Ansätze geschaffen und eingesetzt werden. Die vorliegende Dissertation gibt eine alternative Perspektive auf das IP-Management an, indem sie sich auf die Managementansätze, die darauf abzielen, die konventionelle IP-Appropriation zu verbessern, sowie auf mögliche Bereiche, in denen solche Ansätze entwickelt und umgesetzt werden könnten, konzentriert. Es verwendet einen pragmatischen Ansatz, was bedeutet, dass unterschiedliche Methoden oder Kombinationen von Methoden in verschiedenen Stadien der Forschung in Abhängigkeit von den verfügbaren Kenntnissen aus den bisherigen Studien und Möglichkeiten für die Datenerfassung eingesetzt wurden. Diese Dissertation basiert auf den Daten welche in sieben multinationalen Unternehmen mit langjähriger Erfahrung in der Produktion, in F&E und Vertrieb in China erhoben wurden. Alle Daten wurden von mir in enger Zusammenarbeit mit IP- und F&E-Managern, Patent- und Markenrechtsanwälten sowie Ingenieuren der Firmen zusammengetragen. Für den ersten Artikel der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde ein exploratorischer qualitativer Ansatz gewählt. Diese Arbeit untersucht Managementansätze in vier IP-Appropriationsdomänen: Patentrechtserlangung, Patentrechtsdurchsetzung, Markenrechtserlangung und Markenrechtsdurchsetzung. Diese Studie nutzt die qualitative Forschungsmethode und verwendet eine induktive Logik. Der Zweck der folgenden zwei Studien war es, einen tieferen Einblick in die IP-Appropriationsdomäne Patentrechtserlangung zu bekommen. Die Ergebnisse des ersten Artikels legten nahe, dass das Management versucht, die Patentrechteappropriation zu verbessern, indem es das Patentbewusstsein der Ingenieure verbessert. Dies wurde zum Forschungsthema des zweiten Artikels der vorliegenden Dissertation. Während der Durchführung der Literaturforschung und der vorläufigen qualitativen Forschung, zeigte es sich, dass es neben dem Patentbewusstsein auch eine andere Dimension gibt, die das Patentierungsverhalten der Ingenieure prägt - die Patentierungsmotivation. Deshalb wurde die dritte Studie durchgeführt, um dieses Phänomen zu beleuchten. Die Daten für beide Studien wurden bei den F&E-Zentren eines multinationalen Ingenieurunternehmens in China durch eine Umfrage (ein strukturierter Fragebogen) gesammelt. Ich habe die mehrfache hierarchische Regressionsmethode für die zweite Studie und eine Kombination von Methoden (Faktoranalyse, wiederholte Einweg-ANOVA und robuste multiple hierarchische Regression) für die dritte verwendet. Erfahrene Manager von MNCs entwickeln und implementieren verschiedene, komplexe Ansätze zur Verbesserung ihrer IP-Appropriation. Die Ergebnisse des ersten Artikels zeigen elf Managementtechniken, die sich im Anwendungsbereich unterscheiden (d.h. intern oder extern) und im Kontext (entweder zur Verbesserung des IP-Bewusstseins oder zur Etablierung der Zusammenarbeit im Bereich IP-Schutz). Die Diskussion zeigt auch die Anwendbarkeit einiger untersuchter Managementansätze für andere Branchen und ihre Doppelrolle, gleichzeitig IP-Verletzung zu verhindern. Die Ergebnisse der zweiten Studie deuten darauf hin, dass das Management das Patentbewusstsein der Ingenieure beeinflussen kann. Die Erfindungsmeldungserfahrung, die Verwendung von Patentliteratur, die Unterstützung seitens Vorgesetzter und die Patentschulungen zeigen eine erhebliche Auswirkung auf das Patentbewusstsein der Ingenieure, während die Wirkung der Patentanwaltsberatung vermutlich durch die Erfindungsmeldungserfahrung abgeschwächt wird. Die Diskussion deutet auf einen potenziellen Effekt hin, den die Managementfaktoren auf die individuellen Faktoren haben können. Der dritte Artikel der Dissertation zeigte eine komplexe Art der Patentierungsmotivation der Ingenieure. Die Studie untersuchte vier Arten von Patentierungsmotivation: „Anerkennung und Belohnung“, „Reputation und Förderung“, „Leisten eines Beitrags“ und „Interesse und Erfolgserlebnis“. Die Ergebnisse der multiplen hierarchischen Regression zeigen eine positive Auswirkung des Arbeitsklimas auf die Motivationsfaktoren „Leisten eines Beitrags“ und „Interesse und Erfolgserlebnis“, aber keinen Einfluss von Patentbewusstsein und Managementunterstützung auf die vier Motivationsfaktoren. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation haben einige Implikationen fürs Management. Erstens können die Managementansätze, die in der ersten Studie aufgedeckt wurden, in einem breiteren Spektrum von Industrien implementiert werden. Darüber hinaus bieten diese Strategien Vorteile wie die Einsparung von Durchsetzungskosten, Erfahrungsaustausch mit anderen Experten aus der Branche und die Auswirkung auf die Weiterentwicklung des IP-Systems des Landes. Das lokale IP-Management und seine kulturelle Kompetenz spielen eine entscheidende Rolle für den Erfolg dieser Managementansätze. Finanzielle Überlegungen sind zu berücksichtigen. Zweitens hat das Management viele Möglichkeiten, das Patentierungsverhalten der Ingenieure zu beeinflussen. Wie im zweiten Artikel dieser Dissertation gezeigt wurde, zeigen die Management- und individuellen Faktoren hohe signifikante positive Korrelationen. Das bedeutet, dass die Manager die Haltung der Ingenieure zur Verwendung von Patentliteratur potenziell beeinflussen könnten oder sie dazu veranlassen, ihre Ideen in patentierbare Erfindungen umzusetzen. Schließlich zeigte die dritte Studie dieser Dissertation eine komplexe Art der Patentierungsmotivation der F&E Ingenieure in Unternehmen. Wie auch die allgemeine Arbeitsmotivation sollte die Patentierungsmotivation in Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Faktoren der Arbeitsumgebung variieren. Das F&E-Management sollte lernen, die Patentierungsmotivation effektiv zu verstehen und zu managen, um seine internen Ziele betreffend Patentenanmeldungen zu erreichen und damit den Wettbewerbsvorteil seiner Unternehmen zu verbessern

What motivates the engineers to patent?: A study at the Chinese R&D laboratories of a European MNC

Corporate R&D engineers, being usually the initiators of a patent, are important contributors to the patenting performance of their employers. Hence, patenting motives of R&D engineers encompass an interesting and promising research field. However, the literature on patenting motivation of the engineers in the corporate context is scarce. We apply self-determination theory on human motivation to investigate patenting motives of a sample of local R&D engineers in China employed by a European-based multi-national corporation. Factor analysis reveals four groups of motives: “reward and recognition”, “reputation and promotion”, “making a contribution” and “interest and sense of achievement”. The results of multiple hierarchical regression show the influence of working climate on “making a contribution” and “interest and sense of achievement” motivation factors. Implications for patent management are discussed

The environmental investments justification

The article reveals the problems of improving environmental impact assessment and justification of the economic investments of industrial enterprises. The existing tools for environmental impact assessment are analyzed, information on the role and place of environmental impact assessment and investment design in the justification of the planned economic activity is systematized. For this purpose, considerable attention is paid to the analysis and synthesis of existing methodological approaches to this problem. The authors propose to consider environmental impact assessment and justification of environmental investments as a process aimed at making environmentally oriented management decisions on the feasibility and economic feasibility of implementing planned economic activities, the reasonableness of capital investments, taking into account possible adverse environmental, social, economic impacts and developing measures for their reduction and prevention. Based on the study, the authors developed a classification of the causes of environmental pollution, presented in the form of a tree of systems, allowing for a clear decomposition of the causes of pollution of the environment, specifying and refining the targeting of environmental measures necessary to reduce pollution. This research direction is also complemented by the development of a strategy (decision tree) and a mathematical description of the simulation procedure, which allows real-time making an objectively reasonable choice of options for implementing the planned economic activity, taking into account the totality of known information

INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR EVALUATION THE QUALITY OF GRADUATION QUALIFICATION THESES

The article is devoted to results of applying computer-based system of verification of graduation qualification theses at Tver State University for the detection of plagiarism. We used a system «Antiplagiat.VUZ» as software. Statistical analysis of data was conducted for all directions of training in the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 academic years. Features of the application of such systems were studied

Analysis of the causes of repeat stenosis of the coronary arteries after elective stenting in patients with stable angina pectoris

Aim. Coronary stenting is the evidence-based treatment approach of stable angina. The objective was to determine the incidence of restenosis or atherosclerosis progression which led to the need for coronary angiography according to a single center registry data. Materials and methods. The procedure and clinical data of 3732 (2897 males) consecutive stable coronary artery disease patients undergoing coronary stenting, over five years between March 2010 and September 2014, were subject of this study. Over the next 4 years, 1487 (1173 males) patients were re-evaluated due to angina reoccurrence. 699 patients demonstrated the indications for coronary angiography. Results. The restenosis of the previously stented segment was detected in 84 (12%) cases, the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in 306 (44%), the combination of restenosis and atherosclerosis progression in 63 (9%), and the absence of these complications in 245 (35%) cases. The progression of coronary atherosclerosis was the leading indication for the repeat angiography and revascularization (44 and 58%, respectively); p0.05. The basal level of hsCRP2 mg/l had a prognostic significance for the development of combined event (the restenosis and atherosclerosis progression): AUC 0.65 (0.500.75), OR 3.0 (1.17.9), p0.05. Conclusion. The progression of coronary atherosclerosis was the leading indication for the repeat angiography and repeat revascularization during 2 years after coronary stenting. The hsCRP level 2 mg/l at baseline had a prognostic significance for the development of restenosis in previously stented segment and coronary atherosclerosis progression

Ancient genomes suggest the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe as the source of western Iron Age nomads

For millennia, the Pontic-Caspian steppe was a connector between the Eurasian steppe and Europe. In this scene, multidirectional and sequential movements of different populations may have occurred, including those of the Eurasian steppe nomads. We sequenced 35 genomes (low to medium coverage) of Bronze Age individuals (Srubnaya-Alakulskaya) and Iron Age nomads (Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians) that represent four distinct cultural entities corresponding to the chronological sequence of cultural complexes in the region. Our results suggest that, despite genetic links among these peoples, no group can be considered a direct ancestor of the subsequent group. The nomadic populations were heterogeneous and carried genetic affinities with populations from several other regions including the Far East and the southern Urals. We found evidence of a stable shared genetic signature, making the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe a likely source of western nomadic groups.Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (1000 Ancient Genome Project) ; Riksbankens Jubileumsfond ; UPPMAX resources (Uppsala Multidisciplinary Centre for Advanced Computational Science)Publisher's Versio