189 research outputs found
Have Developing Countries Gained From the Marriage Between Trade Agreements and Intellectual Property Rights?
Have developing countries gained from the incorporation of IPR standards into the WTO framework? We use historical, theoretical, and empirical methods to answer this question and reach several conclusions. First, U.S. history provides a clear case of a developing country which used strong patent rights and weak copyrights in the 19th century to enhance its growth prospects. Second, recent theoretical literature presents a strong case for welfare gains to developing countries from patent harmonization if developed countries pay lump-sums to offset higher royalty payments by developing countries. Third, the creation of intellectual property in new types of inventions is necessary, but the scope, depth, and enforcement of IPRs is likely to differ across countries according to their economic and political institutions, their per capita income, and their capability to engage in and disseminate the fruits of R&D.
Intellectual Property Rights in China: The Changing Politcal Economy of Chinese-American Interests
We review the evolution of modern Chinese intellectual property right (IPR) laws and enforcement and explore economic and political forces involved in international conflicts over Chinese IPR protection. Our analysis considers why the U.S. and China moved from conflict to cooperation over intellectual property rights. Structural and institutional aspects of the political economy of IPRs within each country are considered, and data on Chinese-U.S. trade in intellectual property-intensive goods are examined. We conclude that although enforcement of IPRs within China continues to be relatively weak, Chinese IPR institutions are converging on those in the OECD nations.
Autopsie dâune membrane dâosmose inverse usagĂ©e prĂ©levĂ©e dans le Parc National du Banc dâArguin (PNBA) en Mauritanie : cas dâĂ©tude de Teichitt
Lâobjectif de ce travail est dâĂ©tudier lâĂ©tat de vieillissement dâune membrane dâosmose inverse (OI) usagĂ©e prĂ©levĂ©e en Mauritanie sur une unitĂ© de dessalement installĂ©e par la coopĂ©ration canarienne Ă Teichitt dans le parc national du banc dâArguin et de lui appliquer une dĂ©marche dâautopsie. Lâusure de la membrane est caractĂ©risĂ©e par une augmentation significative de la permĂ©abilitĂ© hydraulique (25 % dâaugmentation) et une diminution de la rĂ©tention en sels (10 % Ă 30 % de diminution). Un modĂšle de transfert de matiĂšre de type diffusion-convection permet de montrer lâaugmentation du caractĂšre convectif du transfert, lorsque la pression transmembranaire augmente et en particulier au-delĂ de 15 bars. Ainsi, lâusure de la membrane dâOI induit son rapprochement vers un transfert de matiĂšre combinĂ© de solubilisation-diffusion/convection, typique dâune opĂ©ration de nanofiltration (NF). Lâanalyse topographique par AFM de la surface de la membrane usagĂ©e en comparaison de la membrane neuve laisse apparaĂźtre des « cavitĂ©s » Ă plusieurs endroits de la surface usagĂ©e traduisant la dĂ©gradation physique de celle-ci. De plus, la rugositĂ© de surface de la membrane usagĂ©e avec 74 nm est apparue supĂ©rieure Ă celle de la membrane neuve avec 54 nm, ce qui nous informe de la prĂ©sence de matiĂšres colmatantes, dont la nature reste encore Ă dĂ©terminer. Par contre, lâĂ©tude de la dĂ©gradation chimique des membranes usagĂ©es et neuves par la dĂ©termination de leur point isoĂ©lectrique (PIE) Ă partir dâune mesure de potentiel dâĂ©coulement transmembranaire ne montre pas de modifications significatives de ce paramĂštre (PIE = 2,5), preuve de la non-dĂ©gradation chimique interne de la membrane. Enfin, les rĂ©sultats dâune Ă©tude statistique prĂ©liminaire sont prĂ©sentĂ©s. Celle-ci consiste Ă Ă©valuer lâhĂ©tĂ©rogĂ©nĂ©itĂ© de lâusure en matiĂšre de permĂ©abilitĂ© hydraulique et de rĂ©tention dâune solution de NaCl 0,1 M Ă 15 bars et 19 °C, pour six coupons diffĂ©rents pris sur les trois feuilles de membranes constituant le module dâosmose inverse usagĂ©. Une tendance se dĂ©gage, elle montre en particulier que lâusure est hĂ©tĂ©rogĂšne, non seulement au sein dâune mĂȘme feuille de membrane, mais aussi au sein des diffĂ©rentes membranes constituant le module. En rĂ©sumĂ©, il est observĂ© pour la premiĂšre fois quâune vieille membrane dâOI employĂ©e pendant deux annĂ©es pour le dessalement dâeau de mer, dans les conditions dâutilisation sahariennes en Mauritanie (sans prĂ©-traitements), acquiert une microporositĂ© qui lui confĂšre les propriĂ©tĂ©s dâune membrane de nanofiltration.Currently used reverse osmosis (RO) membranes from desalination units are burned at the end of their life as membranes for seawater desalination. In the future, a possible alternative would be to reuse the old RO membranes as nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF) or microfiltration (MF) membranes, i.e. for wastewater treatments, but before reuse, the level of RO membrane degradation must be evaluated by autopsy studies.Our goal in the present study was to demonstrate for the first time that a used RO membrane could be used for nanofiltration. The used RO membrane was purchased from a desalination bench scale unit based in the town of Teichitt (in north-west Nouakchott, Mauritania). Membrane autopsy studies showed an increase in its hydraulic permeability (25%) and a concurrent decrease in its salt rejection behaviour (10% to 30%). We also studied the modification of mass transfer before and after ageing, and demonstrated the onset of a convective component in the mass transfer of salts and an increase in membrane hydraulic permeability. Furthermore, the determination of the isoelectric point (IEP) of the membrane, using streaming potential measurements across the membranes, showed no change in IEP, with a value of 2.5 ± 0.2 . A preliminary study, based on a statistical evaluation of membrane degradation from hydraulic permeability and salt rejection experiments, showed heterogeneous wear of the membrane (most important in the centre). Finally, we observed for the first time that after two years of use for desalination, a used RO membrane had acquired a microporosity that corresponded to the properties of a new NF membrane
Christian-Muslim Relations in a State Church Situation: Politics of Religion and Interfaith Dialogue
No abstract availabl
A cross-national study on the antecedents of workâlife balance from the fit and balance perspective
Drawing on the perceived workâfamily fit and balance perspective, this study investigates demands and resources as antecedents of workâlife balance (WLB) across four countries (New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain), so as to provide empirical cross-national evidence. Using structural equation modelling analysis on a sample of 870 full time employees, we found that work demands, hours worked and family demands were negatively related to WLB, while job autonomy and supervisor support were positively related to WLB. We also found evidence that resources (job autonomy and supervisor support) moderated the relationships between demands and workâlife balance, with high resources consistently buffering any detrimental influence of demands on WLB. Furthermore, our study identified additional predictors of WLB that were unique to some national contexts. For example, in France and Italy, overtime hours worked were negatively associated with WLB, while parental status was positively associated with WLB. Overall, the implications for theory and practice are discussed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Dynamical Boson Stars
The idea of stable, localized bundles of energy has strong appeal as a model
for particles. In the 1950s John Wheeler envisioned such bundles as smooth
configurations of electromagnetic energy that he called {\em geons}, but none
were found. Instead, particle-like solutions were found in the late 1960s with
the addition of a scalar field, and these were given the name {\em boson
stars}. Since then, boson stars find use in a wide variety of models as sources
of dark matter, as black hole mimickers, in simple models of binary systems,
and as a tool in finding black holes in higher dimensions with only a single
killing vector. We discuss important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic
properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.Comment: 79 pages, 25 figures, invited review for Living Reviews in
Relativity; major revision in 201
Estimating stable isotope turnover rates of epidermal mucus and dorsal muscle for an omnivorous fish using a diet-switch experiment
© 2018, The Author(s). Stable isotope (SI) analysis studies rely on knowledge of isotopic turnover rates and trophic-step discrimination factors. Epidermal mucus (âmucusâ) potentially provides an alternative SI âtissueâ to dorsal muscle that can be collected non-invasively and non-destructively. Here, a diet-switch experiment using the omnivorous fish Cyprinus carpio and plant- and fish-based formulated feeds compared SI data between mucus and muscle, including their isotopic discrimination factors and turnover rates (as functions of time T and mass G, at isotopic half-life (50) and equilibrium (95)). Mucus isotope data differed significantly and predictively from muscle data. The fastest ÎŽ13C turnover rate was for mucus in fish on the plant-based diet (T50: 17 days, T95: 74 days; G50: 1.08(BM), G95: 1.40(BM)). Muscle turnover rates were longer for the same fish (T50: 44 days, T95: 190 days; G50: 1.13(BM), G95: 1.68(BM)). Longer half-lives resulted in both tissues from the fish-based diet. ÎŽ13C discrimination factors varied by diet and tissue (plant-based: 3.11â3.28â°; fishmeal: 1.28â2.13â°). Mucus SI data did not differ between live and frozen fish. These results suggest that mucus SI half-lives provide comparable data to muscle, and can be used as a non-destructive alternative tissue in fish-based SI studies
Climatic Factors Driving Invasion of the Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) into New Areas of Trentino, Northern Italy
Background:The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), vector of several emerging diseases, is expanding into more northerly latitudes as well as into higher altitudes in northern Italy. Changes in the pattern of distribution of the tiger mosquito may affect the potential spread of infectious diseases transmitted by this species in Europe. Therefore, predicting suitable areas of future establishment and spread is essential for planning early prevention and control strategies.Methodology/Principal Findings:To identify the areas currently most suitable for the occurrence of the tiger mosquito in the Province of Trento, we combined field entomological observations with analyses of satellite temperature data (MODIS Land Surface Temperature: LST) and human population data. We determine threshold conditions for the survival of overwintering eggs and for adult survival using both January mean temperatures and annual mean temperatures. We show that the 0°C LST threshold for January mean temperatures and the 11°C threshold for annual mean temperatures provide the best predictors for identifying the areas that could potentially support populations of this mosquito. In fact, human population density and distance to human settlements appear to be less important variables affecting mosquito distribution in this area. Finally, we evaluated the future establishment and spread of this species in relation to predicted climate warming by considering the A2 scenario for 2050 statistically downscaled at regional level in which winter and annual temperatures increase by 1.5 and 1°C, respectively.Conclusions/Significance:MODIS satellite LST data are useful for accurately predicting potential areas of tiger mosquito distribution and for revealing the range limits of this species in mountainous areas, predictions which could be extended to an European scale. We show that the observed trend of increasing temperatures due to climate change could facilitate further invasion of Ae. albopictus into new areas. © 2011 Roiz et al.Peer Reviewe
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