European regional growth, technology gap and R&D efforts

Since the early days of European integration, one of the central goals for the European Union has been greater equality in income and productivity among member states and regions. This goal was realised for a long time since form the early 1950s onwards, differences in GDP per capita within European regions declined steadily. However, more recently, THE PROCESS OF EUROPEAN ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE HAS CONSIDERABLY SLOWED DOWN and, according to a widening group of economists, has CEASED AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL after 1980. The paper we wish to present aims to explain the different PATTERNS OF CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE in terms of GDP per capita of the European regions. Is it reasonable to think that catching up will occur for all European regions? What role does the technology gap play for the catching up process? What are the mechanisms and policies to be implemented to upgrade social capability which is a major determinant of catching up? In order to answer these crucial questions we have built a MODEL OF CUMULATIVE GROWTH - a SIMULTANEOUS SYSTEM OF EQUATIONS. In this model, and according to the technology gap literature, one of the major determinants of catching up is the existence of a TECHNOLOGY GAP. The latter offers a potential for faster growth if SOCIAL CAPABILITY is sufficiently developed. In our model, social capability is measured in terms of highly and moderately qualified working population, R&D activity and physical infrastructure endowment. Industrial and service activities as well as innovative output are endogenised in the simultaneous equations framework. Our model is tested onto a sample of European regions that is considerably larger than those used by authors publishing in related fields. Whereas the latter generally use NUTS I samples (about 60 observations), our sample is essentielly based upon NUTS II regions and the NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS TOTALS 153 REGIONS. If this extended sample constitutes clearly one of the INNOVATIONS of this paper with respect to the existing literature, another originality is the chosen approach to explain the different trajectories of convergence and divergence. Indeed, our approach permits to CLUSTER the European regions with respect to their steady state levels of GDP per capita and, more important, enables to identify for each cluster the appropriate policy measures.

Supporting Market Transaction through XML Contracting Containers

Based on a Business Media Framework (BMF), this paper proposes an architecture for secure electronic contracts, which adhere to legal requirements and can be applied for an integrated management of market transactions. We propose the use of XML, digital signatures, and Java technology for secure electronic contracting. The resulting contract container can be applied for the support of an integrated information flow through the different services of an electronic market. In addition the container holds a control logic, that supports the management of the contract negotiation and the contract settlement. The concept provided in this paper was developed in the Secure Electronic Contracts (SeCo) project of the =mcminstitute of the University of St. Gallen and the University of Zurich, Switzerland, in cooperation with several business partners

The impact of vatinoxan on medetomidine-ketamine-midazolam immobilization in Patagonian maras (Dolichotis patagonum)

Objective To compare cardiovascular and ventilatory effects, immobilization quality and effects on tissue perfusion of a medetomidine-ketamine-midazolam combination with or without vatinoxan (MK-467), a peripherally acting alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist. Study design Randomized, blinded, crossover study. Animals A group of nine healthy Patagonian maras (Dolichotis patagonum). Methods Maras were immobilized twice with: 1) medetomidine hydrochloride (0.1 mg kg(-1)) + ketamine (5 mg kg(-1)) + midazolam (0.1 mg kg(-1)) (MKM) + saline or 2) MKM + vatinoxan hydrochloride (0.8 mg kg(-1)), administered intramuscularly. Drugs were mixed in the same syringe. At 20, 30 and 40 minutes after injection, invasive blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, end-tidal CO2, haemoglobin oxygen saturation, and muscle oxygenation were measured, arteriovenous oxygen content difference was calculated. Muscle tone, jaw tone, spontaneous blinking and palpebral reflex were evaluated. Times to initial effect, recumbency, initial arousal and control of the head were recorded. Paired t test, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test and analysis of variance were used to compare protocols; (p 120 mmHg), whereas with 372 vatinoxan, four animals were hypotensive (MAP <60 mmHg). Muscle and jaw tone were significantly more frequently present with MKM (both p = 0.039). Other measurements did not significantly differ between protocols. Conclusions and clinical relevance In Patagonian maras, vatinoxan attenuated the increase in blood pressure induced by medetomidine. Muscle and jaw tone were more frequently present with MKM, indicating that quality of immobilization with vatinoxan was more profound.Peer reviewe

Retention and loss of PIT tags and surgically implanted devices in the Eurasian beaver

Passive integrated transponder devices (PIT tags) are a valuable tool for individual identification of animals. Similarly, the surgical implantation of transmitters and bio-loggers can provide useful data on animal location, physiology, and behavior. However, to avoid unnecessary recapture and related stress of study animals, PIT tags and bio-loggers should function reliably for long periods of time. Here, we evaluated the retention of PIT tags, and of very high frequency (VHF) transmitters and bio-loggers that were either implanted subcutaneously or into the peritoneal cavity of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber). Over a 21-year period, we implanted PIT tags in 456 individuals and failed to detect a PIT tag at recapture in 30 cases, consisting of 26 individuals (6% of individuals). In all instances, we were still able to identify the individual due to the presence of unique ear tag numbers and tail scars. Moreover, we implanted 6 VHFs, 36 body temperature loggers and 21 heart rate loggers in 28 individuals, and experienced frequent loss of temperature loggers (at least 6 of 23 recaptured beavers) and heart rate loggers (10 of 18 recaptured beavers). No VHFs were lost in 2 recaptured beavers. Possible causes for PIT tag loss (or non-detection) were incorrect implantation, migration of the tag within the body, a foreign body reaction leading to ejection, or malfunctioning of the tag. We speculate that logger loss was related to a foreign body reaction, and that loggers were either rejected through the incision wound or, in the case of temperature loggers, possibly adhered and encapsulated to intestines, and then engulfed by the gastrointestinal tract and ejected. We discuss animal welfare implications and give recommendations for future studies implanting bio-loggers into wildlife.publishedVersio

Retention and loss of PIT tags and surgically implanted devices in the Eurasian beaver

Background Passive integrated transponder devices (PIT tags) are a valuable tool for individual identification of animals. Similarly, the surgical implantation of transmitters and bio-loggers can provide useful data on animal location, physiology and behavior. However, to avoid unnecessary recapture and related stress of study animals, PIT tags and bio-loggers should function reliably for long periods of time. Here, we evaluated the retention of PIT tags, and of very high frequency (VHF) transmitters and bio-loggers that were either implanted subcutaneously or into the peritoneal cavity of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber). Results Over a 21-year period, we implanted PIT tags in 456 individuals and failed to detect a PIT tag at recapture in 30 cases, consisting of 26 individuals (6% of individuals). In all instances, we were still able to identify the individual due to the presence of unique ear tag numbers and tail scars. Moreover, we implanted 6 VHFs, 36 body temperature loggers and 21 heart rate loggers in 28 individuals, and experienced frequent loss of temperature loggers (at least 6 of 23 recaptured beavers) and heart rate loggers (10 of 18 recaptured beavers). No VHFs were lost in 2 recaptured beavers. Conclusions Possible causes for PIT tag loss (or non-detection) were incorrect implantation, migration of the tag within the body, a foreign body reaction leading to ejection, or malfunctioning of the tag. We speculate that logger loss was related to a foreign body reaction, and that loggers were either rejected through the incision wound or, in the case of temperature loggers, possibly adhered and encapsulated to intestines, and then engulfed by the gastro-intestinal tract and ejected. We discuss animal welfare implications and give recommendations for future studies implanting bio-loggers into wildlife

On the interplay between hypothermia and reproduction in a high arctic ungulate

For free-ranging animals living in seasonal environments, hypometabolism (lowered metabolic rate) and hypothermia (lowered body temperature) can be effective physiological strategies to conserve energy when forage resources are low. To what extent such strategies are adopted by large mammals living under extreme conditions, as those encountered in the high Arctic, is largely unknown, especially for species where the gestation period overlaps with the period of lowest resource availability (i.e. winter). Here we investigated for the first time the level to which high arctic muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) adopt hypothermia and tested the hypothesis that individual plasticity in the use of hypothermia depends on reproductive status. We measured core body temperature over most of the gestation period in both free-ranging muskox females in Greenland and captive female muskoxen in Alaska. We found divergent overwintering strategies according to reproductive status, where pregnant females maintained stable body temperatures during winter, while non-pregnant females exhibited a temporary decrease in their winter body temperature. These results show that muskox females use hypothermia during periods of resource scarcity, but also that the use of this strategy may be limited to non-reproducing females. Our findings suggest a trade-of between metabolically driven energy conservation during winter and sustaining foetal growth, which may also apply to other large herbivores living in highly seasonal environments elsewhere.publishedVersio

STI and DUI innovation modes: scientific-technological and context-specific nuances

In this paper, we join the debate on business innovation modes that originates from the wider literature on innovation systems. These specific contributions identify and study the impact of different innovation modes, particularly the mode focused on scientific and technologically-based innovation (STI) vs. the mode based on learning-by-doing, by-using, and by-interacting (DUI). Echoing the seminal contribution by Jensen et al. (2007) and a range of other studies, we confirm the importance of the combined STI&DUI interaction mode, which has a stronger impact on innovation output (technological and non-technological) than the two separate individual modes. Additionally, we propose a novel hypothesis on the effectiveness of firm's interaction modes. We argue that the independent STI mode has a stronger effect on technological innovation, whereas the independent DUI mode has a stronger impact on non-technological innovation. In addition, in line with works on the geography of innovation, and innovation systems, we try to determine the impact of regional vs. global DUI and STI interactions on technological and non-technological innovations. In this case, we expect that in diverse geographic locations, businesses tend to adopt their own context-specific interaction modes, which produce a differentiated impact on innovation output. This study is applied to a large sample of firms in the context of the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain

EGCG Prevents High Fat Diet-Induced Changes in Gut Microbiota, Decreases of DNA Strand Breaks, and Changes in Expression and DNA Methylation of Dnmt1

Obesity as a multifactorial disorder involves low-grade inflammation, increased reactive oxygen species incidence, gut microbiota aberrations, and epigenetic consequences. Thus, prevention and therapies with epigenetic active antioxidants, (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), are of increasing interest. DNA damage, DNA methylation and gene expression of DNA methyltransferase 1, interleukin 6, and MutL homologue 1 were analyzed in C57BL/6J male mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or a control diet (CD) with and without EGCG supplementation. Gut microbiota was analyzed with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. An induction of DNA damage was observed, as a consequence of HFD-feeding, whereas EGCG supplementation decreased DNA damage. HFD-feeding induced a higher inflammatory status. Supplementation reversed these effects, resulting in tissue specific gene expression and methylation patterns of DNA methyltransferase 1 and MutL homologue 1. HFD feeding caused a significant lower bacterial abundance. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio is significantly lower in HFD + EGCG but higher in CD + EGCG compared to control groups. The results demonstrate the impact of EGCG on the one hand on gut microbiota which together with dietary components affects host health. On the other hand effects may derive from antioxidative activities as well as epigenetic modifications observed on CpG methylation but also likely to include other epigenetic elements

The impact of business innovation modes on SME innovation performance in post-Soviet transition economies: the case of Belarus

This study analyzes the most effective innovation modes (‘science and technology-based innovation’, STI,and ‘doing, using and interacting-based innovation’, DUI) for business innovation performance in the context of post-Soviet Transition Economies (PSTE). Their specificities are expected to influence both their business innovation modes and their impact on innovation output. In particular, we aim at identifying the specificities of PSTE in that the DUI mode alone (and its specific drivers) is more relevant than the STI mode alone (and its drivers). In our hypothesis, this outcome should be even stronger in the context of non-technological types of innovation (e.g. organizational innovation