Global Innovation Policy Index

Ranks fifty-five nations' strategies to boost innovation capacity: policies on trade, scientific research, information and communications technologies, tax, intellectual property, domestic competition, government procurement, and high-skill immigration

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of the Environmental Sensitivity of the Absorption Spectra and Photochemistry of Nitenpyram and Analogs

Neonicotinoid (NN) pesticides have widespread use, largely replacing other pesticides such as the carbamates. Hence, there is a need to understand their environmental fates at a molecular level in various media, especially water. We report here the studies of a nitroenamine NN, nitenpyram (NPM), in aqueous solution where the absorption cross sections in the actinic region above 290 nm are observed to dramatically decrease compared to those in nonaqueous solvents. Quantum chemical calculations show that addition of a proton to the tertiary amine nitrogen in NPM breaks the conjugation in the chromophore, shifting the absorption to shorter wavelengths, consistent with experiment. However, surprisingly, adding a proton to the secondary amine nitrogen leads to its immediate transfer to the NO2 group, preserving the conjugation. This explains why the UV absorption of ranitidine (RAN), which has a similar chromophore but only secondary amine nitrogens, does not show a similar large blue shift in water. Photolysis quantum yields in aqueous NPM solutions were measured to be φ = 0.18 ± 0.07 at 254 nm, (9.4 ± 1.6) × 10-2 with broadband radiation centered at 313 nm and (5.2 ± 1.1) × 10-2 for broadband radiation centered at 350 nm (errors are 2σ). The major products in aqueous solutions are an imine that was also formed in the photolysis of the solid and a carboxylic acid derivative that is unique to the photolysis in water. Combining the larger quantum yields in water with the reduced absorption cross sections results in a calculated lifetime of NPM of only 5 min at a solar zenith angle of 35°, typical of 40°N latitude on April 1. The products do not absorb in the actinic region and hence will be long-lived with respect to photolysis

DIFFUSING ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE STRATEGY

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a tool used by organizations to align strategy, business processes, and information technology (IT). Unfortunately, enterprise-level strategy is often not adequately encompassed by EA in such a way that it facilitates strategic IT alignment. Without such strategic orientation, EA may not provide benefits anticipated by firms using EA, such as enhanced levels of inter- and intra-organizational collaboration, agility, and performance. In this study, we examine organizational-level factors that might contribute to the degree to which EA embodies firm strategy from a diffusion of innovation perspective. Based on extant innovation routinization literature, we propose a model consisting of formal guidance addressing EA, EA training, funding to support EA, and EA strategic orientation. We show that organizations can dramatically enhance the level their EA embodies firm strategy and potentially, their bottom line, by employing formal guidance addressing EA, increasing EA training, and providing resources in support of EA

A Rubric to Evaluate and Enhance Requirements Elicitation Interviewing Skills

Eliciting effective requirements is vital for successful Information Systems development and implementation. Interviews with stakeholders and users are an important part of the requirements elicitation process. Thus, teaching students how to better perform requirements elicitation interviews is a critical task for information systems faculty. However, prior to this research, a common tool or rubric to evaluate the effectiveness of requirements elicitation interviews was not found in the literature. The purpose of this research was to develop a rubric that can be used to both evaluate (provide summative measures) and enhance (via formative training techniques) the requirements elicitation interviewing skills of information systems students. The results of this research provide both quantitative and qualitative evidence that the rubric developed and described in this paper substantially improved the ability of our students to conduct requirements elicitation interviews. Along with detailing the various methodologies we used, this paper provides practical pedagogical suggestions and lessons learned along with covering possible future avenues of research in this area

Effect of application timing on efficacy of site preparation treatments using Chopper® GEN 2™

Chopper® GEN2™ is a new imazapyr product for use in forestry site preparation. A single treatment (32 ounces of Chopper® GEN2™ per acre) was applied at three timings on three sites (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia) to test the effect of application timing on treatment efficacy. Hardwood control was excellent for all applications. Pine growth varied by site, but all treatments resulted in excellent pine growth. Pine stem volume was 5 to 10 times greater in treated plots as compared to untreated plots

Developing Measurable Cross-Departmental Learning Objectives for Requirements Elicitation in an Information Systems Curriculum

The ability to elicit information systems requirements is a necessary learning objective for students in a contemporary information systems curriculum, and is a skill vital to their careers. Common challenges in teaching this skill include both the lack of structure and guidance in information systems textbooks as well as the view that a student’s education consists of a disparate set of unrelated courses. These challenges are exacerbated by faculty who focus only on their taught courses and by textbooks that often promote an isolated, passing glance at both the importance of and the idea behind requirements elicitation. In this paper, we describe a multi-year, faculty-led effort to create and refine learning activities that are aligned to requirements elicitation learning objectives both within and scaffolded across courses in a modern information systems curriculum. To achieve success in developing this marketable skill within information systems students, learning activities were integrated across the entire information systems major in a process we call Bloomification, where learning objectives, aligned learning activities, and courses are related and connected across the curriculum. This cross-departmental process is presented and lessons learned by the faculty are discussed

YB-1 transcription factor promotes Sorafenib resistance in Liver Cancer

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignant liver tumor that commonly occurs as a progression of chronic liver inflammation. Sorafenib is the standard first-line systemic drug for advanced HCC, but the acquired resistance to sorafenib results in limited benefits. The mechanism underlying sorafenib resistance in HCC remains unclear. Recently, we have identified a multifunctional oncoprotein Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) that dysregulates a wide range of genes involved in drug resistance in other cancers and is responsible for increasing the IC-50 of sorafenib in HCC cell lines. In this study we will analyze the signaling pathways and genes regulated by YB-1, that is responsible for increasing sorafenib resistant in liver cancer cells. Methods: HCC cell lines SK-Hep-1, C3A, HepG2 and Hep-3B were treated with Sorafenib and the IC-50 was calculated using MTT assay. RNA and protein of YB-1 was analyzed using RT-PCR and western blot respectively. Lentiviral based overexpression and knockdown of YB1 was performed in these cell lines and sorafenib IC50 were calculated to verify its role in Sorafenib resistance. Development of sorafenib resistant cell line is in progress. Results: IC-50 values calculated from MTT assays of the HCC cell lines were compared with the YB-1 protein expression in four liver cancer cell lines. Knockdown of YB-1 re-sensitized cell lines to Sorafenib. We have developed Sorafenib resistant cell lines to further study the mechanism of YB-1 mediated drug resistance. Conclusion: This study will establish oncogenic YB-1 protein as an effective therapeutic target to overcome sorafenib resistance in liver cancer

Discovery of a Potent and Selective DDR1 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor

The DDR1 receptor tyrosine kinase is activated by matrix collagens and has been implicated in numerous cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, migration, and invasion. Here we report the discovery of a potent and selective DDR1 inhibitor, DDR1-IN-1, and present the 2.2 Å DDR1 co-crystal structure. DDR1-IN-1 binds to DDR1 in the ‘DFG-out’ conformation and inhibits DDR1 autophosphorylation in cells at submicromolar concentrations with good selectivity as assessed against a panel of 451 kinases measured using the KinomeScan technology. We identified a mutation in the hinge region of DDR1, G707A, that confers >20-fold resistance to the ability of DDR1-IN-1 to inhibit DDR1 autophosphorylation and can be used to establish what pharmacology is DDR1-dependent. A combinatorial screen of DDR1-IN-1 with a library of annotated kinase inhibitors revealed that inhibitors of PI3K and mTOR such as GSK2126458 potentiate the antiproliferative activity of DDR1-IN-1 in colorectal cancer cell lines. DDR1-IN-1 provides a useful pharmacological probe for DDR1-dependent signal transduction