Responsible, Inclusive Innovation and the Nano-divide

Policy makers from around the world are trying to emulate successful innovation systems in order to support economic growth. At the same time, innovation governance systems are being put in place to ensure a better integration of stakeholder views into the research and development process. In Europe, one of the most prominent and newly emerging governance frameworks is called Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). This article aims to substantiate the following points: (1) The concept of RRI and the concept of justice can be used to derive similar ethical positions on the nano-divide. (2) Given the ambitious policy aims of RRI (e.g. economic competitiveness enhancer), the concept may be better suited to push for ethical outcomes on access to nanotechnology and its products rather than debates based on justice issues alone. It may thus serve as a mediator concept between those who push solely for competitiveness considerations and those who push solely for justice considerations in nano-technology debates. (3) The descriptive, non-normative Systems of Innovation approaches (see below) should be linked into RRI debates to provide more evidence on whether the approach advocated to achieve responsible and ethical governance of research and innovation (R&I) can indeed deliver on competitiveness (in nano-technology and other fields)

General Purpose Technologies from a Knowledge Perspective – A Computational Social Science Approach to Innovation Networks in Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is expected to have major economic impact over the next decades. Due to its importance, nanotechnology has drawn the attention of policy makers. The huge impact mainly relies on its properties as a general purpose technology (GPT). GPTs can be combined with other technologies, thereby bringing about new innovations and thus feedback effects. If nanotechnology in particular and GPTs in general are of such great importance, effective and efficient policy designs aiming at the fostering of nanotechnology research, development (R&D) and innovation are of vital importance. To design these policies, it is important to understand how GPTs are affecting different technological areas. An empirical study of the knowledge structure of Ireland using social network analysis shows how nanotechnology is connected to the overall knowledge available. We find that nanotechnology is still a rather weakly connected multidisciplinary field however, showing signs of increasingly connecting technology areas in which it is applied.Policy does, however, not exclusively focus on innovations and growth. A recent example is the normative concept of responsible research and innovation, aiming at designing policies, which solve a broader range of societal problems. It is demonstrated that the framework developed can also be used to design research and innovation policies not purely aimed at economic problems. In policy implications it is outlined that due to the great impacts of a GPT on innovation and thus on the economy, normative questions gain even more significance.If policy aims at fostering research and innovation (R&I), it needs to consider the complex nature of R&I, the collaborations in which R&I happens and the relations within such an innovation system. To design efficient policies, these policies can be evaluated before they are introduced by applying computer simulations. With agent-based modelling (ABM) a methodology is available for developing such simulations. At the same time, these computer simulations must can reproduce complex behaviour. An ABM is developed and it is shown that policy questions, here about the importance of heterogeneity can be tackled applying agent-based simulation.With the SKIN (Simulation Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks) a promising tool for R&I policy modelling is identified. Applying a set of indicators, it is shown that the SKIN model in its current form does not capture the emergence and diffusion of GPTs. Subsequently, pathways for adaptations of the model are developed.The work concludes by outlining policy implications and the applicability of the Systems of Innovation approach in connection to the concept of GPTs

Development of parietal bone surrogates for parietal graft lift training

Currently the surgical training of parietal bone graft techniques is performed on patients or specimens. Commercially available bone models do not deliver realistic haptic feedback. Thus customized parietal skull surrogates were developed for surgical training purposes. Two human parietal bones were used as reference. Based on the measurement of insertion forces of drilling, milling and saw procedures suitable material compositions for molding cortical and cancellous calvarial layers were found. Artificial skull caps were manufactured and tested. Additionally microtomograpy images of human and artificial parietal bones were performed to analyze outer table and diploe thicknesses. Significant differences between human and artificial skulls were not detected with the mechanical procedures tested. Highly significant differences were found for the diploe thickness values. In conclusion, an artificial bone has been created, mimicking the properties of human parietal bone thus being suitable for tabula externa graft lift training

Data from: Complementary sex determination, inbreeding depression and inbreeding avoidance in a gregarious sawfly

Although most Hymenoptera reproduce via arrhenotokous haplodiploidy, the underlying genetic mechanisms vary. Of these, the most widespread mechanism appears to be single-locus complementary sex determination (sl-CSD), in which individuals that are diploid and heterozygous at a sex-determining locus are female, and individuals that are homozygous or hemizygous are male. Because inbreeding increases the probability of producing diploid males, which are often sterile or inviable, sl-CSD can generate substantial inbreeding depression. To counteract this, Hymenoptera with traits that promote inbreeding, such as gregariousness, may evolve one or more of the following: inbreeding avoidance, functional diploid males, or alternative sex determination mechanisms. Here, we investigate sex determination, inbreeding depression, and inbreeding avoidance in Neodiprion lecontei, a gregarious, pine-feeding sawfly in the family Diprionidae. First, via inbreeding experiments and flow cytometry, we demonstrate that this species has CSD. By modeling expected sex ratios under different conditions, we also show that our data are consistent with sl-CSD. Second, via tracking survival in inbred and outbred families, we demonstrate that inbred families have reduced larval survival and that this mortality is partly due to the death of diploid males. Third, using a no-choice mating assay, we demonstrate that females are less willing to mate with siblings than non-siblings. Together, these results suggest that inbreeding depression stemming from CSD has shaped mating behavior in N. lecontei. These results also set the stage for future comparative work that will investigate the interplay between sex determination, ecology, and behavior in additional diprionid species that vary in larval gregariousness