The place of technology transfer processes in the system of methods for researching the area of Science -Technology-Innovation

The growing importance and scope of technology transfer processes undertaken all over the world settles the question of the necessity for their proper identification. The multi-aspect character and complexity of these phenomena create specific problems in conducting analytic work. Although technology transfer is an element of the Science-Technology-Innovation (STI) system, it does not have a proper place in the existing methodology system of this area. The aim of this article is to point out the necessity to create a proper, complex and comprehensive methodology for researching technology transfer processes, which would contribute to better understanding of the processes themselves and at the same time enable their proper development.Science, technology, innovation, technology transfer, methodology, research., Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, O33,

QUANTUM ROAD TRAFFIC MODEL FOR AMBULANCE TRAVEL TIME ESTIMATION

Efficient management of ambulance utilisation is a vital issue for life saving. Knowledge of the amount of time needed for an ambulance to get to the hospital and when it will be available for a new task, can be estimated using modern Intelligent Transport Systems. Their main feature is an ability to simulate the state of traffic not only in long term, but also the real time events like accidents or high congestion, using microscopic models. The paper introduces usage of Quantum Computing paradigm to propose a quantum model of road traffic, which can track the state of traffic and estimate the travel time of vehicles. Model, if run on quantum computer can simulate the traffic in vast areas in real time. Proposed model was verified against the cellular automata model. Finally, application of quantum microscopic traffic models for ambulance vehicles was taken into consideration

Is rosuvastatin better than atorvastatin and simvastatin in the prevention of in-stent restenosis and atherosclerosis progression in patients after superficial femoral artery stenting due to chronic lower limb ischaemia? The preliminary case-control study

Introduction. Statins effect on the outcome of endovascular intervention due to chronic lower limb ischaemia (CLLI) is still uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of statin type on the late outcome of superficial femoral artery (SFA) stenting in patients with CLLI. Material and methods. Retrospective analysis of the medical documentation of 275 consecutive patients treated with SFA stenting due to CLLI, including 125 (45%) patients with critical limb ischaemia (CLI). Measured outcomes were: target lesion revascularization (TLR), target extremity revascularization (TER), and target limb amputation (TLA). Results. Statins were used by 267 (97%) of the patients, respectively: atorvastatin (n = 191, 70%), simvastatin (n = 31, 11%) and rosuvastatin (n = 45, 16%). During the 675.0 ± 569.7 days of follow-up, TLR was required by 79 (29%) patients, TER by 109 (39%), and TLA by 27 (10%). Patients treated with rosuvastatin in comparison with those treated with atorvastatin, in spite of greater initial LDL and triglyceride levels, required TER (p = 0.01) and TLR (p = 0.03) less frequently. The risk of TER in patients treated with rosuvastatin was significantly (p = 0.016) lower than in individuals treated with atorvastatin and simvastatin, as shown in the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox’s proportional hazards regression showed that therapy with rosuvastatin was the strongest factor (HR 0.40 ± 95% CI; 0.2-0.81) decreasing the likelihood of TER. Conclusions. Rosuvastatin after SFA stenting seems to have the strongest effect on reduction in reintervention risk but without influence on limb salvage.

Differential Roles for STIM1 and STIM2 in Store-Operated Calcium Entry in Rat Neurons

The interaction between Ca2+ sensors STIM1 and STIM2 and Ca2+ channel-forming protein ORAI1 is a crucial element of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) in non-excitable cells. However, the molecular mechanism of SOCE in neurons remains unclear. We addressed this issue by establishing the presence and function of STIM proteins. Real-time polymerase chain reaction from cortical neurons showed that these cells contain significant amounts of Stim1 and Stim2 mRNA. Thapsigargin (TG) treatment increased the amount of both endogenous STIM proteins in neuronal membrane fractions. The number of YFP-STIM1/ORAI1 and YFP-STIM2/ORAI1 complexes was also enhanced by such treatment. The differences observed in the number of STIM1 and STIM2 complexes under SOCE conditions and the differential sensitivity to SOCE inhibitors suggest their distinct roles. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) store depletion by TG enhanced intracellular Ca2+ levels in loaded with Fura-2 neurons transfected with YFP-STIM1 and ORAI1, but not with YFP-STIM2 and ORAI1, which correlated well with the number of complexes formed. Moreover, the SOCE inhibitors ML-9 and 2-APB reduced Ca2+ influx in neurons expressing YFP-STIM1/ORAI1 but produced no effect in cells transfected with YFP-STIM2/ORAI1. Moreover, in neurons transfected with YFP-STIM2/ORAI1, the increase in constitutive calcium entry was greater than with YFP-STIM1/ORAI1. Our data indicate that both STIM proteins are involved in calcium homeostasis in neurons. STIM1 mainly activates SOCE, whereas STIM2 regulates resting Ca2+ levels in the ER and Ca2+ leakage with the additional involvement of STIM1

An evaluation of oligonucleotide-based therapeutic strategies for polyQ diseases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>RNA interference (RNAi) and antisense strategies provide experimental therapeutic agents for numerous diseases, including polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders caused by CAG repeat expansion. We compared the potential of different oligonucleotide-based strategies for silencing the genes responsible for several polyQ diseases, including Huntington's disease and two spinocerebellar ataxias, type 1 and type 3. The strategies included nonallele-selective gene silencing, gene replacement, allele-selective SNP targeting and CAG repeat targeting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using the patient-derived cell culture models of polyQ diseases, we tested various siRNAs, and antisense reagents and assessed their silencing efficiency and allele selectivity. We showed considerable allele discrimination by several SNP targeting siRNAs based on a weak G-G or G-U pairing with normal allele and strong G-C pairing with mutant allele at the site of RISC-induced cleavage. Among the CAG repeat targeting reagents the strongest allele discrimination is achieved by miRNA-like functioning reagents that bind to their targets and inhibit their translation without substantial target cleavage. Also, morpholino analog performs well in mutant and normal allele discrimination but its efficient delivery to cells at low effective concentration still remains a challenge.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Using three cellular models of polyQ diseases and the same experimental setup we directly compared the performance of different oligonucleotide-based treatment strategies that are currently under development. Based on the results obtained by us and others we discussed the advantages and drawbacks of these strategies considering them from several different perspectives. The strategy aimed at nonallele-selective inhibiting of causative gene expression by targeting specific sequence of the implicated gene is the easiest to implement but relevant benefits are still uncertain. The gene replacement strategy that combines the nonallele-selective gene silencing with the expression of the exogenous normal allele is a logical extension of the former and it deserves to be explored further. Both allele-selective RNAi approaches challenge cellular RNA interference machinery to show its ability to discriminate between similar sequences differing in either single base substitutions or repeated sequence length. Although both approaches perform well in allele discrimination most of our efforts are focused on repeat targeting due to its potentially higher universality.</p

Gazprom's expansion in the EU: co-operation or domination? OSW Report, October 2009

The energy sector, especially with regard to the gas trade, is one of the key areas of co-operation between the EU and Russia. However, the form this co-operation has taken has been giving rise to some concern, both in Brussels and in the EU member states. Questions arise as to whether the EU has not become excessively dependent on Russia for energy, and whether the presence of the Russian gas monopoly in the EU does not enable Russian interference with the development of EU energy policy. The objective of this series of OSW reports (for the previous edition,see Gazprom’s expansion in the EU: co-operation or domination? April 2008 – pdf 1.2 MB) is to provide facts which will permit an accurat answer to these questions to be formulated

Gender differences in post-operative human skin

Although the impact of age, gender, and obesity on the skin wound healing process has been extensively studied, the data related to gender differences in aspects of skin scarring are limited. The present study performed on abdominal human intact and scar skin focused on determining gender differences in extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) accumulation, and Foxn1 expression as a part of the skin response to injury. Scar skin of men showed highly increased levels of COLLAGEN 1A1, COLLAGEN 6A3, and ELASTIN mRNA expression, the accumulation of thick collagen I-positive fibers, and the accumulation of $\alpha$-SMA-positive cells in comparison to the scar skin of women. However, post-injured skin of women displayed an increase (in comparison to post-injured men’s skin) in collagen III accumulation in the scar area. On the contrary, women’s skin samples showed a tendency towards higher levels of adipogenic-related genes ($PPAR\gamma$, FABP4, LEPTIN) than men, regardless of intact or scar skin. Intact skin of women showed six times higher levels of LEPTIN mRNA expression in comparison to men intact (p < 0.05), men post-injured (p < 0.05), or women post-injured scar (p < 0.05) skin. Higher levels of FOXN1 mRNA and protein were also detected in women than in men’s skin. In conclusion, the present data confirm and extend (dWAT layer) the data related to the presence of differences between men and women in the skin, particularly in scar tissues, which may contribute to the more effective and gender-tailored improvement of skin care interventions

The impact of the internet on user-driven innovation usage in R&D departments : a case study of Poland

Purpose: The aim of this article is to define the dependencies that occur between the use of the Internet and the effects of innovative activities, the use of the concept of User-driven innovation, as well as features related to the marketing orientation of enterprises. Methodology: First, research was conducted on a group of 57 R&D departments of Polish enterprises that cooperate with users of their products and services in the field of innovation, and thus use the concepts of user-oriented innovation. Then, the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to investigate the degree of correlation. The determined correlation coefficients were analyzed based on the Guilford classification. Findings: There is a weak correlation between the use of the Internet and the introduction by a company of a new or improved product or technological process. The use of the Internet in the activities of enterprises is of greatest importance when communicating with many product users to obtain knowledge and opinions about the product. Practical Implications: Research results identify the interdependencies between internet use and activity. It was found that in the set of 72 out of 14 variables, the use of the Internet in the surveyed enterprises has a large impact. They include, among others, novelty on the enterprise scale, technological innovations, a positive impact on the brand image, therefore, the results can be adopted by the appropriate enterprises. Originality/value: The added value of the article is the identification of key areas of innovative activity of enterprises that are most influenced by the Internet.peer-reviewe