Reinforcing Innovation Effectiveness. A New Methodological Approach for Policy Evaluation

Innovation is considered an important competitiveness factor for companies and a source of wealth for economies. Therefore it is an important subject of policy intervention and regional development. The understanding of what innovation is has evolved in the past decades away from a purely technological definition – of new products and processes introduced on the market, to a wider one including organizational and marketing aspects or incremental innovation in low tech production companies and more recently, innovation in services (European Commission, 2008). Today, innovation is present in the discourse of politicians and business leaders. They see innovation as a positive value and as a solution to solve social problems and company’s competitiveness, so organizations are encouraged to adopt innovative practices through incentives and innovation policies. The main purpose of this paper is to propose a new methodological approach for public policy supporting innovation evaluation in a territorial based analysis. A new methodology which intended to contribute to strengthen and reinforcing the innovation effectiveness in firms and territory development resulting from support of public mechanisms

Daily Optical Coherence Tomography Examinations after First Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections: An Interventional Case Series

Purpose. To evaluate daily spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) changes in naive-treatment patients with diagnosis of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreous bevacizumab (1.25 mg), during a 30-day follow-up period. Methods. In prospective, interventional study, SD-OCT was performed daily for 30 days after the first intravitreal injection. The baseline, initial-decrease, minimal, and final central retinal thicknesses (CRTs) were assessed. Results. Nine eyes of nine patients with neovascular AMD were enrolled. The mean baseline CRT was 625.3±182.5 μm, and the mean final CRT was 383.4±163.0 μm (mean difference, 206.1±167.6 μm), a difference that reached significance (P=0.006). After the first injection, the initial decrease in the CRT was seen as an average of one day after injection (mean CRT, 503.6±189.10 μm; P=0.0431). The speed of the reduction in the CRT tended to decrease by day 17. The mean CRT was 336.5±105.44 μm and the mean minimal CRT on day 30 was 320.75±96.38 μm. Conclusion. The CRT decreased early after the first injection. We observed a tendency for reductions in the speed with which the CRT decreased by day 17 after the first injection, which may affect retreatment regime

Postural blood pressure changes and associated factors in long-term Type 1 diabetes: Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy

Purpose: To describe the frequency of orthostatic hypotension and hypertension and associations with risk factors in a cohort of persons with long-term Type 1 diabetes (n-440) participating in the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy. Methods:);Evaluations included detailed medical history, electrocardiography (FCG), and laboratory tests. Blood pressure (BP) was measured in supine and standing positions. Standing decrease in systolic (SBP) or diastolic (DBP) BP of at least 20 or 10 mmHG, respectively, was defined as orthostatic hypotension; increase of SBP from 140 mmHg or DBP from 90 mmHg was defined as orthostatic hypertension. Results: Prevalence of orthostatic hypotension and orthostatic hypertension was 16.1% and 15.2%, respectively. Some ECG measurements of cardiac autonomic dysfunction were significantly associated with orthostatic hypotension. Association between SBP and orthostatic hypotension and orthostatic hypertension were significant [odds ratio, 1.02 (95% confidence interval, or CI, 1.01 1.05) and 1.02 (95% CI, 1.01 1.04), per 1 mmHg, respectively] after adjusting for confounders. Interaction between SBP and age was observed. SBP was significantly associated with orthostatic hypotension and orthostatic hypertension in people <= 40 years old [1.35 (1.02 1.78) and 1.12 (1.05-1.18), respectively]. Conclusions: Results showed that measurements derived from the ECG can help describe an individual at increased risk of having postural BP changes. Moreover, SBP was associated with postural BP changes among individuals who were <40 years of age with long-term Type I diabetes. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MDMentor-Based Postdoctoral Fellowship AwardUniv Wisconsin, Dept Ophthalmol & Visual Sci, Madison, WI USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilNational Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD: EY015117Web of Scienc

Clinically significant macular edema and survival in type 1 and type 2 diabetes

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of clinically significant macular edema (CSME) and long-term survival in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.DESIGN: Population-based cohort study.METHODS: the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy (WESDR) is an ongoing prospective population-based cohort study initiated from August 21, 1980 through July 30, 1982 of individuals with diabetes diagnosed at either younger than 30 years of age (younger, onset group; n = 996) or 30 years of age or older (older-onset group; n = 1,370). Stereoscopic color retinal photographs were graded for retinopathy using the modified Airlie House classification scheme. CSME was defined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria.RESULTS: Prevalence of CSME was 5.9% and 7.5% for the younger and older-onset groups, respectively. After 20 years of follow,up, 276 younger-onset and 1,197 older-onset persons died. When adjusting for age and gender, CSME was not significantly associated with all,cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval Kill 0.96 to 2.07; P =.08) or ischemic heart disease mortality (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.61 to 2.12; P = .68) in the younger-onset group. in the older-onset group, there was increased all,cause and ischemic heart disease mortality when CSME was present (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.92; P < .01; and HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.13; P < .01, respectively), when adjusting for age and gender. After controlling for other risk factors, the association remained significant for ischemic heart disease (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.35; P = .02) among those taking insulin. CSME was not significantly associated with stroke mortality in either group.CONCLUSIONS: CSME seems to be a risk indicator for decreased survival in persons with older,onset diabetes mellitus. the presence of CSME may identify individuals who should be receiving care for detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease.Univ Wisconsin Madison, Dept Ophthalmol & Visual Sci, Madison, WI 53726 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

The textile industry in the Greater Region SaarLorLux

Die Textilindustrie hatte sehr viel Zeit um die Industrielandschaften der Großregion zu verändern, denn sie ist eine der sehr frühzeitig industrialisierten wirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten. Sie entstand oft auf proto-industrieller Basis, wurde bereits sehr früh in fast all ihren Sektoren mechanisiert (von der Spinnerei über die Weberei, das Färben, das Bleichen und das Bedrucken bis hin zur Konfektion) und lässt auf diese Art manchmal große Industriezusammenschlüsse entstehen, die neben bescheidener gebliebenen Niederlassungen beeindrucken. Dieser Pioniersektor wird heute in Europa oft als Aktivität der Vergangenheit angesehen, deren wichtigste Bereiche in südliche Länder mit billigeren Arbeitskräften ausgelagert wurden. Doch auch wenn die Textilindustrie in der Großregion ein Bild von mehr oder weniger gut umgewandelten und im Sinne des kulturellen Erbes zur Geltung gebrachten Hinterlassenschaften abgibt, so ist sie auch und noch immer ein aktiver Sektor, orientiert in Richtung industrieller Marktnischen oder der Herstellung hochwertiger Produkte. Diese innovativen Produktionen erfolgen oft in modernen Gebäuden, die sich abheben vom Klischee der Textilfabriken in Shedbauweise mit auffallenden hohen Backsteinschloten

Amniotic membrane transplantation with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft vs conjunctival autograft for recurrent pterygia

Purpose: To compare amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) associated with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft vs conjunctival autograft alone for the treatment of recurrent pterygium. Methods: In this prospective consecutive interventional study, patients with recurrent pterygium were randomly divided into one of 2 groupsgroup 1: patients undergoing AMT associated with autologous conjunctival graftand group 2: patients undergoing conjunctival autograft alone. Results: Of the 80 operated eyes included in this study, 39 (group 1, mean patient age 52.1 +/- 11.7 SD years) underwent AMT associated with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft and 41 (group 2, mean patient age 45.8 +/- 12.9 SD years) underwent conjunctival autograft alone. In group 1, 6 eyes (15.4%) had grade 1 pterygium, 19 eyes (48.7%) had grade 2 pterygium, and 14 eyes (35.9%) had grade 3 pterygium. In the second group, 5 eyes (12.2%) had grade 1 pterygium, 18 eyes (43.9%) had grade 2 pterygium, and 14 eyes (35.9%) had grade 3 pterygium. No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups (p = 0.752). Of the 39 eyes in group 1, recurrent pterygium was observed in 7 cases (17.9%). However, of the 41 eyes in group 2, recurrent pterygium was observed in only 4 cases (9.75%). No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups (p = 0.2684). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that conjunctival autograft alone might be a better surgical choice for the treatment of recurrent pterygia than combining it with AMThowever, this second option provides a good surgical alternative in cases where little conjunctival donor tissue is available.Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)Univ Fed Sao Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Ophthalmol, R Sabara,566 Cjuto 212, BR-01239010 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Ophthalmol, R Sabara,566 Cjuto 212, BR-01239010 Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc