Promoting Academic Entrepreneurship in Europe and the United States: Creating an Intellectual Property Regime to Facilitate the Efficient Transfer of Knowledge from the Lab to the Patient

In 2014, the European Commission announced the launch of a study of knowledge transfer by public research organizations and other institutes of higher learning “to determine which additional measures might be needed to ensure an optimal flow of knowledge between the public research organisations and business thereby contributing to the development of the knowledge based economy.” As the European Commission has recognized, the European Union (“EU”) needs to take action to “unlock the potential of IPRs [intellectual property rights] that lie dormant in universities, research institutes and companies.” This article builds on our earlier work on structuring efficient pharmaceutical public-private partnerships (“PPPPs”), but focuses on the regulatory infrastructure necessary to support the efficient commercialization of publicly funded university medical research in both the European Union and the United States (“U.S.”). Our comparative analysis of the EU and U.S. approaches to translational medicine shows that there are lessons to be shared. The EU can apply the experiences from the U.S. Bayh-Dole Act and PPPPs in the United States, and the United States can emulate certain of the open innovation aspects of the European Innovative Medicines Initiative and the tighter patenting standards imposed by the European Patent Office. Thus, a secondary purpose of this article is suggesting amendments to the U.S. laws governing the patenting and licensing of government-funded technology to prevent undue burdens on the sharing of certain upstream medical discoveries and research tools

21st Century Ergonomic Education, From Little e to Big E

Despite intense efforts, contemporary educational systems are not enabling individuals to function optimally in modern society. The main reason is that reformers are trying to improve systems that are not designed to take advantage of the centuries of history of the development of today's societies. Nor do they recognize the implications of the millions of years of history of life on earth in which humans are the latest edition of learning organisms. The contemporary educational paradigm of "education for all" is based on a 17th century model of "printing minds" for passing on static knowledge. This characterizes most of K-12 education. In contrast, 21st Century education demands a new paradigm, which we call Ergonomic Education. This is an education system that is designed to fit the students of any age instead of forcing the students to fit the education system. It takes into account in a fundamental way what students want to learn -- the concept "wanting to learn" refers to the innate ability and desire to learn that is characteristic of humans. The Ergonomic Education paradigm shifts to education based on coaching students as human beings who are hungry for productive learning throughout their lives from their very earliest days.Comment: plain latex, 13 pages, 1 tabl

Development of an integrated set of research facilities for the support of research flight test

The Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (DFRF) serves as the site for high-risk flight research on many one-of-a-kind test vehicles like the X-29A advanced technology demonstrator, F-16 advanced fighter technology integration (AFTI), AFTI F-111 mission adaptive wing, and F-18 high-alpha research vehicle (HARV). Ames-Dryden is on a section of the historic Muroc Range. The facility is oriented toward the testing of high-performance aircraft, as shown by its part in the development of the X-series aircraft. Given the cost of research flight tests and the complexity of today's systems-driven aircraft, an integrated set of ground support experimental facilities is a necessity. In support of the research flight test of highly advanced test beds, the DFRF is developing a network of facilities to expedite the acquisition and distribution of flight research data to the researcher. The network consists of an array of experimental ground-based facilities and systems as nodes and the necessary telecommunications paths to pass research data and information between these facilities. This paper presents the status of the current network, an overview of current developments, and a prospectus on future major enhancements

A Novel Synthesis and Subsequent Decyclization of Iminothiozolidinones: Expansion of Thiourea Chemistry for Biological Applications

Small molecule synthesis has become a valuable tool in the study of biological systems. Biologically active compounds can be designed based on well-characterized endogenous systems or they can be found through the screening of large libraries of small molecules. This work involves the development of a small library of cyclic thiourea-based small molecules by use of an unreported synthetic pathway. Briefly, parent thioureas were cyclized by reaction with bromoacetyl bromide, and one or two isomeric heterocycles were found to form. Further studies indicated that the reaction could be easily manipulated by temperature or solvent to effectively control the product distribution. These iminothiozolidinones were characterized by single crystal x-ray analysis. The new reaction was explored in an effort to uncover the factors influencing the control of the isomer formation. Furthermore, these iminothiozolidinones underwent a novel decyclization reaction that resulted in the loss of the parent thiourea connectivity and incorporation of an external nucleophile to yield an aminooxoethylcarbamothionate. The reaction proceeds through a termolecular mechanism. These reactions can be combined to a one-pot reaction series. These compounds share similarities with a class of compounds reported to be known HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors94. In addition to these new synthetic reactions, work was conducted with a previously developed cyclen thiourea receptor for the anionic dye HPTS and its derivatives50-52. This system was used to develop a cell labeling assay that led to the amplification of fluorescent labeling of target cells through the use of liposomes. Briefly, a dye-ligand conjugate for the glycine receptor was synthesized. Liposomes functionalized with the cyclen receptor were prepared encapsulating Rhodamine B. Confocal microscopy studies demonstrated the binding of the HPTS-ligand to the cell membranes. Addition of the liposomes resulted in quenching of the green fluorescence, indicating binding of the cyclen to HPTS. Subsequent excitation of Rhodamine B showed red fluorescence associated with the cells. The intensity of the red signal was demonstrably higher than for the signal resulting from the binding of the ligand-dye to the receptor. Together, these projects increase the synthetic usefulness of thiourea based small molecules and demonstrate the potential biological applications of related compounds

Toward the Twenty-First Century: A Canadian Legal Perspective on Resource and Environmental Law

This paper surveys existing and emerging Canadian approaches to environmental and resource management issues, and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of some of our past and current approaches. It considers the challenges posed by the fact that Canada is a federal state as illustrated by jurisdictional competition regarding environmental assessment. The successful utilization of cooperative strategies is considered and examples are given of new problems that need to be addressed. Difficulties faced by governmental, judicial, and administrative bodies are surveyed. Examples are given of emerging legislative strategies. It is concluded that, while much change is apparent, it is far from clear that change is occurring quickly enough to respond effectively to the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century

Toward the Twenty-First Century: A Canadian Legal Perspective on Resource and Environmental Law

This paper surveys existing and emerging Canadian approaches to environmental and resource management issues, and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of some of our past and current approaches. It considers the challenges posed by the fact that Canada is a federal state as illustrated by jurisdictional competition regarding environmental assessment. The successful utilization of cooperative strategies is considered and examples are given of new problems that need to be addressed. Difficulties faced by governmental, judicial, and administrative bodies are surveyed. Examples are given of emerging legislative strategies. It is concluded that, while much change is apparent, it is far from clear that change is occurring quickly enough to respond effectively to the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century

Model-Based Control Using Model and Mechanization Fusion Techniques for Image-Aided Navigation

Unmanned aerial vehicles are no longer used for just reconnaissance. Current requirements call for smaller autonomous vehicles that replace the human in high-risk activities. Many times these activities are performed in GPS-degraded environments. Without GPS providing today\u27s most accurate navigation solution, autonomous navigation in tight areas is more difficult. Today, image-aided navigation is used and other methods are explored to more accurately navigate in such areas (e.g., indoors). This thesis explores the use of inertial measurements and navigation solution updates using cameras with a model-based Linear Quadratic Gaussian controller. To demonstrate the methods behind this research, the controller will provide inputs to a micro-sized helicopter that allows the vehicle to maintain hover. A new method for obtaining a more accurate navigation solution was devised, originating from the following basic setup. To begin, a nonlinear system model was identified for a micro-sized, commercial, off-the-shelf helicopter. This model was verified, then linearized about the hover condition to construct a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR). The state error estimates, provided by an Unscented Kalman Filter using simulated image measurement updates, are used to update the navigation solution provided by inertial measurement sensors using strapdown mechanization equations. The navigation solution is used with a reference signal to determine the position and heading error. This error, along with other states, is fed to the LQR, which controls the helicopter. Research revealed that by combining the navigation solution from the INS mechanization block with a model-based navigation solution, and combining the INS error model and system model during the time propagation in the UKF, the navigation solution error decreases by 20%. The equations used for this modification stem from state and covariance combination methods utilized in the Federated Kalman Filter

Listening to the Voices of Emerging Adults: The Experience of Living with PHIV

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the research question: As an emerging adult what is your everyday experience of living with PHIV? The purposive sample consisted of six emerging adults living with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV), who are 18-29 years of age, speak English, and live in the greater Chicago area. This was an exploratory study using a participatory action approach of photovoice. Photovoice methodology combines photography and participatory action to provide images and the participants\u27 interpretations of their everyday health realities. Five themes which describe the everyday experience of living with PHIV emerged from the thematic analysis of the data: refusal to be defined by HIV, living life to the fullest, empowerment through social connections, the need for political support, and hope. Refusal to be defined by HIV emerged as the rejection of being solely described as a person with the virus. Secondly, living life to the fullest is valuing every past, present, and future moment despite living with PHIV. Empowerment through social connections describes how emerging adults with PHIV gain power through engagement with others such as peers living with HIV, romantic partners, family, and community. The fourth theme to emerge is the need for political support. Political support is the need for assistance in ways to achieve funding, promote advocacy (voice), and feel secure. Lastly, hope is the belief that desires and dreams can be achieved despite living with PHIV through education, spiritual beliefs, and self-preservation. Findings are consistent with the theory of Emerging Adulthood and describe the sample as doing well, pursuing education, being connected to health care and engaging in relationships. Results indicate additional research is needed to address gaps in our knowledge including how emerging adults living with PHIV deal with stress and anxiety as well as engage in decision-making about health, love, and work. Finally, we need to further understand how these emerging adults handle change in love relationships and how spiritual practices and behaviors influence sexual attitudes and beliefs and activities

The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers

Black primary-school students matched to a same-race teacher perform better on standardized tests and face more favorable teacher perceptions, yet little is known about the long-run, sustained impacts of student-teacher demographic match. We show that assigning a black male to a black teacher in the third, fourth, or fifth grades significantly reduces the probability that he drops out of high school, particularly among the most economically disadvantaged black males. Exposure to at least one black teacher in grades 3-5 also increases the likelihood that persistently low-income students of both sexes aspire to attend a four-year college. These findings are robust across administrative data from two states and multiple identification strategies, including an instrumental variables strategy that exploits within-school, intertemporal variation in the proportion of black teachers, family fixed-effects models that compare siblings who attended the same school, and the random assignment of students and teachers to classrooms created by the Project STAR class-size reduction experiment