Performance of public-private collaborations in advanced technology research networks : network analyses of Genome Canada projects

Globalisation and the quest for competitiveness in a global market represents a new era of connectedness within public-private networks of experts in an effort to pursue research objectives in advanced technology industries. Balancing the competing interests of public good and private gain, reducing the barriers in terms of access to knowledge and intellectual property and ensuring that efforts result in socially valuable outcomes in the form of new innovations can be difficult, to say the least. Although widely advocated and implemented, collaborations have not, as yet, been fully examined nor have appropriate performance evaluation models been developed to evaluate them. This dissertation hypothesizes that a history of social relationships or collaborative activity amongst network actors is positively correlated with high performance in networks. Incorporating descriptive statistics with the social network analysis tool, this dissertation proposes and tests a novel framework and compares two distinct Genome Canada funded research networks. Other factors explored are the roles of proximity, institution and research focus in characterizing network structure and in affecting performance

Centreless governance for the management of a global R&D process: Public-Private Partnerships and Plant-Genetic Resource Management

Public-private partnership is one new model of centreless or networked governance that has emerged in recent years. This article examines the development and use of partnerships in the management and funding of public pulse breeding programs. The paper evaluates the theory of innovation and knowledge management and uses case study and social network analysis to examine the nature and strength of the international public pulse breeding system and analyzes in detail the three major national public pulse breeding systems in Australia, the US and Canada. Australia appears to have the most developed system of public-private partnerships, centred on the Grains Research Development Corporation and, CLIMA. Canada lacks a centralized national body such as the GRDC, but possesses a regional system centred on a university research centre (the Crop Development Centre) and a hybrid organization (the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers). The US is remarkable for the lack of any significant public-private partnerships in public pulse breeding

The relationship between municipal highway expenditures and sociodemographic status: Are safety investments equitably distributed?

Different population groups have varying transportation needs based on their region type, socio‐economic, and socio‐demographic characteristics. Yet, municipal highway funding allocation methods do not typically consider these differences. Throughout the United States, municipal highway funding allocation is based upon fixed formulas that often only account for highway mileage and/or population size rather than equal benefits and funding outcomes across different population groups. This potentially creates an inequitable funding allocation process leading to safety and accessibility disparities between different population groups. This research investigates the extent to which the distribution of resources is not equal when evaluated by population group. Specifically, the relationship between municipal highway expenditures and poverty levels, population aged 65 years and older, race, and remoteness is investigated using data from the states of New York and Massachusetts. Using linear regression techniques, several models were developed that relate municipal highway expenditures with the socio‐economic and socio‐demographic characteristics of municipalities. The results revealed that there are clear municipal highway expenditure disparities between different population groups. Municipalities that have higher poverty levels experience a lower highway expenditure rate per local mile. Further, municipalities located in remote areas far from large metropolitan regions experience a disproportionately lower highway expenditure rate per local mile. Moreover, the results of this study indicate the need to consider how funding methods can address social differences

Influence Of The Margin Design On The Fracture Resistance Of Implant Supported Monolithic Zirconia Crowns

The purpose of this in vitro study was to test the influence of the margin design of implant supported monolithic zirconia crowns and test if monolithic zirconia crowns with extra fine finish line thickness cemented on zirconia implant abutments can bare the maximum masticatory forces on molars and hence be used in the posterior region. Fourteen identical monolithic zirconia crowns cemented on zirconia implant abutments mounted on titanium bases and fixed on implant replicas embedded in PMMA resin were divided into two groups: group I designed with a 0.5 mm CFL (CFL) and group II with a feather-edge finish line (FEFL) of 0.3 mm. All specimens underwent static load until fracture in order to determine the break force. Break forces in N were recorded for each group. The CFL group exhibited slightly higher fracture resistance (1879.14 ± 322.28 N) compared to the feather-edge finish line group (1685.00 ± 362.18 N). However, statistical analysis revealed that the observed difference between the two groups (194.14 ± 183.24; p = 0.310) was not significant. Within the limitations of this study, both monolithic zirconia crowns with 0.5 mm chamfer and 0.3 mm feather edge margins cemented on zirconia implant abutments can be used in the posterior region as their resistance to fracture is similar and surpasses the maximum masticatory force applied on molars

Direct Democracy, State Governments, and the Re-energized GMO Debate : Implications of California's Proposition 37

It is often convenient to divide the world into those countries that have been generally accepting of agricultural biotechnology and those that are not. While the debate over biotechnology continues to rage where biotechnology has not been accepted, in adopting countries the debate is often seen as being over. This has been the case for the United States. In fact, the debate over agricultural biotechnology has continued but has not had a high profile. The debate in the United States has been re-energized due to California's 2012 Proposition 37, which would have required labeling of GM-foods in the state. Given the importance of California in both the national food system and national politics, Proposition 37 had national and international ramifications. While Proposition 37 was rejected by a narrow margin, it has spurred other state- and municipal-level initiatives regarding the regulation of biotechnology. This article examines the political dynamics underlying Proposition 37 and the economic implications of similar regulatory initiatives becoming law in the future. The article argues that proposed measures can have a major influence on attempts to regulate in other jurisdictions

Mediating the GM Foods Debate: Lessons from the Enduring Conflict Framework

Critics of the commercialization of Genetically Modified (GM) foods in Canada and the United States oppose the economic and political forces that create and approve the technology: the industry that develops it and the governments that approve its use. The conventional narrative pits the concerned public, labeled anti-GM, against the pro-GM interests of industry supported by business-friendly governments. Based on this binary view of the interests and motivations of stakeholders, conflict betwee

Artificial intelligence approaches to predicting and detecting cognitive decline in older adults: A conceptual review.

Preserving cognition and mental capacity is critical to aging with autonomy. Early detection of pathological cognitive decline facilitates the greatest impact of restorative or preventative treatments. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare is the use of computational algorithms that mimic human cognitive functions to analyze complex medical data. AI technologies like machine learning (ML) support the integration of biological, psychological, and social factors when approaching diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of disease. This paper serves to acquaint clinicians and other stakeholders with the use, benefits, and limitations of AI for predicting, diagnosing, and classifying mild and major neurocognitive impairments, by providing a conceptual overview of this topic with emphasis on the features explored and AI techniques employed. We present studies that fell into six categories of features used for these purposes: (1) sociodemographics; (2) clinical and psychometric assessments; (3) neuroimaging and neurophysiology; (4) electronic health records and claims; (5) novel assessments (e.g., sensors for digital data); and (6) genomics/other omics. For each category we provide examples of AI approaches, including supervised and unsupervised ML, deep learning, and natural language processing. AI technology, still nascent in healthcare, has great potential to transform the way we diagnose and treat patients with neurocognitive disorders

Collaboration and the Generation of New Knowledge in Networked Innovation Systems: A Bibliometric Analysis

AbstractCanola, a high-value, export-oriented agricultural commodity, was developed in Canada over the course of 40 years in public institutions, driven by imported technology and imported research scientists. The evolution of canola R&D closely mirrors the evolution of the Triple Helix Models of innovation. Through the application of longitudinal citation analysis, using five-year intervals, publications from Canadian public institutions involved in canola R&D have been analyzed. In the most recent five- year interval, the relative citation rates of public sector research increased by 60% compared to the global average. A unique fixed-effect negative binomial regression model is used to demonstrate the critical relationship between the institutional arrangement that governs collaboration and the production of knowledge that underscores technological innovation

2015-16 Concerto Competition Final Round

KSU School of Music presents 2015-16 Concerto Competition Final Round.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1104/thumbnail.jp