L’andamento della produzione brevettuale nella regione Friuli Venezia Giulia: un’analisi quali-quantitativa nel periodo 2008-2011

Guido Bortoluzzi, Enrico Longato, "L’andamento della produzione brevettuale nella regione Friuli Venezia Giulia: un’analisi quali-quantitativa nel periodo 2008-2011", DEAMS Research Paper Series 1, 2013In this paper we analyze 1026 patent applications filed by firms and inventors from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in the 2008-2011 period. Applications have been analyzed, among the other variables, per type of applicant, industry and market segment. Conclusions have been derived on the quantity and on the technological trajectories that characterise local firm

Glycaemic variability-based classification of impaired glucose tolerance vs. type 2 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring data

Many glycaemic variability (GV) indices extracted from continuous glucose monitoring systems data have been proposed for the characterisation of various aspects of glucose concentration profile dynamics in both healthy and non-healthy individuals. However, the inter-index correlations have made it difficult to reach a consensus regarding the best applications or a subset of indices for clinical scenarios, such as distinguishing subjects according to diabetes progression stage. Recently, a logistic regression-based method was used to address the basic problem of differentiating between healthy subjects and those affected by impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a pool of 25 GV-based indices. Whereas healthy subjects were classified accurately, the distinction between patients with IGT and T2D remained critical. In the present work, by using a dataset of CGM time-series collected in 62 subjects, we developed a polynomial-kernel support vector machine-based approach and demonstrated the ability to distinguish between subjects affected by IGT and T2D based on a pool of 37 GV indices complemented by four basic parameters—age, sex, BMI, and waist circumference—with an accuracy of 87.1%.Peer reviewe

Expected accuracy of proximal and distal temperature estimated by wireless sensors, in relation to their number and position on the skin

A popular method to estimate proximal/distal temperature (TPROX and TDIST) consists in calculating a weighted average of nine wireless sensors placed on pre-defined skin locations. Specifically, TPROX is derived from five sensors placed on the infra-clavicular and mid-thigh area (left and right) and abdomen, and TDIST from four sensors located on the hands and feet. In clinical practice, the loss/removal of one or more sensors is a common occurrence, but limited information is available on how this affects the accuracy of temperature estimates. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of temperature estimates in relation to number/position of sensors removed. Thirteen healthy subjects wore all nine sensors for 24 hours and reference TPROX and TDIST time-courses were calculated using all sensors. Then, all possible combinations of reduced subsets of sensors were simulated and suitable weights for each sensor calculated. The accuracy of TPROX and TDIST estimates resulting from the reduced subsets of sensors, compared to reference values, was assessed by the mean squared error, the mean absolute error (MAE), the cross-validation error and the 25th and 75th percentiles of the reconstruction error. Tables of the accuracy and sensor weights for all possible combinations of sensors are provided. For instance, in relation to TPROX, a subset of three sensors placed in any combination of three non-homologous areas (abdominal, right or left infra-clavicular, right or left mid-thigh) produced an error of 0.13°C MAE, while the loss/removal of the abdominal sensor resulted in an error of 0.25°C MAE, with the greater impact on the quality of the reconstruction. This information may help researchers/clinicians: i) evaluate the expected goodness of their TPROX and TDIST estimates based on the number of available sensors; ii) select the most appropriate subset of sensors, depending on goals and operational constraints

Morphology of the toe flexor muscles in older people with toe deformities

Objective: Despite suggestions that atrophied, or weak toe flexor muscles are associated with the formation of toe deformities, there has been little evidence to support this theory. This study aimed to determine whether the size of the toe flexor muscles differed in older people with and without toe deformities. Methods: Forty-four older adults (>60 years) were recruited for the study. Each participant had their feet assessed for the presence of hallux valgus or lesser toe deformities. Intrinsic and extrinsic toe flexor muscles were imaged with an ultrasound system using a standardised protocol. Assessor blinded muscle thickness and cross-sectional area was measured using Image J software. Results: Participants with lesser toe deformities (n=20) were found to have significantly smaller quadratus plantae (p=0.003), flexor digitorum brevis (p=0.013), abductor halluces (p=0.004) and flexor halluces brevis (p=0.005) muscles than the participants without any toe deformities (n=19). Female participants with hallux valgus (n=10) were found to have significantly smaller abductor hallucis (p=0.048) and flexor halluces brevis (p=0.013) muscles than the female participants without any toe deformities (n=10; p<0.05). Conclusion: This is the first study to use ultrasound to investigate the size of the toe flexor muscles in older people with hallux valgus and lesser toe deformities compared to otherwise healthy older adults. The size of the abductor hallucis and flexor hallucis brevis muscles were decreased in participants with hallux valgus whereas the quadratus plantae, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor hallucis and flexor halluces brevis muscles were smaller in those participants with lesser toe deformities

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

L'innovazione brevettuale in Friuli Venezia Giulia: trend strutturali, traiettorie tecnologiche e processi di ibridazione tra settori tradizionali e ad alta tecnologia

Analizzare l\u2019andamento brevettuale delle imprese italiane in questo particolare momento storico \ue8 un\u2019operazione interessante per diversi motivi. Il primo \ue8 che la competitivit\ue0 delle nostre imprese \ue8 oggigior- no legata a doppia mandata alla loro capacit\ue0 di innovare. In man- canza di altre fonti di vantaggio comparato e competitivo \u2013 come l\u2019accesso privilegiato a materie prime, il basso costo del lavoro, la leva monetaria, ecc. \u2013 la capacit\ue0 di produrre nuovi prodotti, nuove tecnologie e di rinnovarsi sotto l\u2019aspetto organizzativo e nell\u2019approccio al mercato diventano le fonti primarie della com- petitivit\ue0 aziendale. Il secondo motivo \ue8 connesso agli effetti della crisi globale ini- ziata nel 2008 e che ha messo in luce molti delle fragilit\ue0 struttu- rali del nostro tessuto produttivo, tra cui l\u2019incapacit\ue0 di intercet- tare la domanda proveniente da nuovi mercati internazionali e la limitata propensione agli investimenti in innovazione tecnologica. In questo senso, l\u2019analisi dei depositi brevettuali pu\uf2 contribuire a gettare nuova luce sulla capacit\ue0 reattiva delle nostre impre- se. Durante una crisi \ue8 del tutto normale che gli investimenti in Ricerca & Sviluppo subiscano dei rallentamenti e/o vengano po- sposti. Ma al termine della fase acuta, ci si aspetterebbe un\u2019acce- lerazione negli investimenti volta a recuperare il tempo perduto e a riguadagnare competitivit\ue0. Il terzo motivo attiene alla questione delle traiettorie tec- nologiche di investimento in un contesto, come quello italiano, permeato da molta manifattura tradizionale operante in settori scarsamente tecnologici. Cosa sta accadendo in questi settori? Diversi anni or sono tendevamo a \u201cgiustificare\u201d l\u2019assenza di in- novazione brevettata in questi settori definendoli settori ove si fa \u201cinnovazione senza ricerca\u201d. Ma \ue8 ancora cos\uec? Sempre meno. La pervasivit\ue0 delle IT (Information Technologies) da un lato e la rapida emersione di nuove \u201ckey enabling technologies\u201d (vedi in questo senso la definizione fornita dalla UE) diminuiscono i confini tra settori tradizionali ed incrementano il potenziale di ibridazione tra \u201cnuove\u201d e \u201cvecchie\u201d tecnologie. Tavoli che \u201ccomu- nicano\u201d con un sistema domotico. Sedie che \u201cordinano\u201d i propri pezzi di ricambio. Librerie che ricaricano i telefoni cellulari. Non sono prodotti del futuro, ma esperimenti (non li definiremo, per il momento, \u201cinnovazioni\u201d) del presente. Tali processi di ibrida- zione lasciano spesso dei segnali a livello brevettuale che \ue8 per l\u2019appunto interessante analizzare al fine di comprendere quali traiettorie tecnologiche e quali processi ibridativi caratterizzino il nostro tessuto produttivo