Patent Disclosure and R&D Competition in Pharmaceuticals.

The prominent role played by patents within the pharmaceutical domain is unquestionable. In this paper we take an unusual perspective and focus on a relatively neglected implication of patents: the effect of patent-induced information disclosure (of both successes and failures) on the dynamics of R&D and market competition. The study builds upon the combination of two large datasets, linking the information about patents to firm level data on R&D projects and their outcome. Two case studies in the fields of anti-inflammatory compounds and cancer research complement our analysis. We show the important role played by patent disclosure in shaping firms technological trajectories through the possibility of reciprocal monitoring in a context of parallel research efforts, and suggest the importance of enhancing the diffusion of information concerning failures, not only to avoid wasteful duplication of innovative efforts, but also as a tool for the identification of promising research trajectories. This paper is the result of the "R&D competition" research project carried out jointly with Adrian Towse and Martina Garau of the Office of Health Economics, London, UK. A preliminary draft of the paper has been presented to the DRUID Summer Conference 2006 (Copenhagen), and to the 11th ISS Conference (Sophia-Antipolis).

Patent Disclosure and R&D Competition in Pharmaceuticals.

The prominent role played by patents within the pharmaceutical domain is unquestionable. In this paper we take an unusual perspective and focus on a relatively neglected implication of patents: the effect of patent-induced information disclosure (of both successes and failures) on the dynamics of R&D and market competition. The study builds upon the combination of two large datasets, linking the information about patents to firm level data on R&D projects and their outcome. Two case studies in the fields of anti-inflammatory compounds and cancer research complement our analysis. We show the important role played by patent disclosure in shaping firms technological trajectories through the possibility of reciprocal monitoring in a context of parallel research efforts, and suggest the importance of enhancing the diffusion of information concerning failures, not only to avoid wasteful duplication of innovative efforts, but also as a tool for the identification of promising research trajectories. This paper is the result of the "R&D competition" research project carried out jointly with Adrian Towse and Martina Garau of the Office of Health Economics, London, UK. A preliminary draft of the paper has been presented to the DRUID Summer Conference 2006 (Copenhagen), and to the 11th ISS Conference (Sophia-Antipolis).patent disclosure; innovation; r&d competition

Magnitude and spatial distribution of food and nutrition security during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tucumán (Argentina)

Objective: To describe the magnitude and spatial distribution of household food and nutrition security (FNS) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tucumán (Argentina) and identify factors associated with food insecurity. Methods: During April and May 2020 a cross-sectional quantitative study was performed. Data from 3915 households were analyzed. The study of FNS was performed with the Latin American and Caribbean Scale for Food Security. To identify associated factors, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied. Results: Household food insecurity affected 55.9% of the sample (mild: 39.3%, moderate: 10.8%, severe: 5.8%). Analyzing the spatial distribution, the eastern area showed the highest food insecurity prevalence, followed by the south and west areas. Logistic regression analysis showed that household food insecurity varied according to household size, presence of children, socioeconomic status, and health area of residence. Conclusions: Household size, presence of children, socioeconomic status and public health area of residence were associated to household food insecurity. The perception of hunger was higher in larger households, in those with low and medium socioeconomic status and in households located in the southern area of the province.Fil: Cordero, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Cesani Rossi, María Florencia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Ontogenia y Adaptación; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

Knowledge of urban space through saliency maps and space syntax tools. Experimentation on historic center of Rieti

The 60s of the last century were characterized by a great cultural ferment on the theme of urban space and its transformations resulting from conurbation. The political, social, economic, and environmental implications of this phenomenon were notable, to which we attempted to give both a cultural and scientific response. An important aspect concerned the need to govern urban and territorial transformations, guaranteeing the quality of urban space but, at the same time, safeguarding the memory of the historic centers which, precisely in those years, were undergoing the strong pressure of conurbation dynamics. One of the key studies is undoubtedly The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch from 1960 in which the author analyzes the role of environmental images in the perception of the city and its space. These studies are followed by other equally famous contributions (Cullen, 1961; Rossi, 1966; Norberg-Schulz, 1979) which, by exploring the mechanisms of the individual’s perception of the environment, have given rise to a vast literature in the international field. Experiments in which the authors deal with urban reality, with its experience and the history of the traditional city in an attempt to develop codes to interpret and evaluate not only the characteristics of the physical city, but to look at urban spaces as spaces of relation. Subsequent studies were started from the theories developed by Lynch and Cullen which define different methodologies for analyzing the urban landscape, to support the planning of new interventions and the transformation of pre-existing urban areas. Between the 70s and 80s, a group of researchers from University College London laid the foundations of what is now defined as spatial syntax, also known as configurational theory, applied to studies and analyses of urban space

Geometry as Matrix of Construction of Roman Stone Bridges: The Augustus Bridge at Narni

The study of ancient Roman bridges embraces various disciplines and professions: engineers, architects, historians, archaeologists, and geologists. One of the first experiments completed by this research group was conducted on the Augustus Bridge at Narni: an integrated digital survey followed by the application of 3D digital modelling. Although only one of its four arches has been preserved, it can still be seen that the bridge was conceived on a large scale of technical complexity based on a precise knowledge that guided the choice of materials and architectonic solutions. The structure is immersed in an enchanting green landscape, which has for centuries attracted numerous scholars and artists. They have left us a precious iconographic heritage whose interpretation is still debated. As far as the geometry and proportions of the construction are concerned, to compare its present state with the original one, the structural ashlars of the bridge were modelled parametrically on the basis of transforming elementary geometric elements having adopted the Roman foot as the unit of measure

Geometry as Matrix of Construction of Roman Stone Bridges: The Augustus Bridge at Narni

The study of ancient Roman bridges embraces various disciplines and professions: engineers, architects, historians, archaeologists, and geologists. One of the first experiments completed by this research group was conducted on the Augustus Bridge at Narni: an integrated digital survey followed by the application of 3D digital modelling. Although only one of its four arches has been preserved, it can still be seen that the bridge was conceived on a large scale of technical complexity based on a precise knowledge that guided the choice of materials and architectonic solutions. The structure is immersed in an enchanting green landscape, which has for centuries attracted numerous scholars and artists. They have left us a precious iconographic heritage whose interpretation is still debated. As far as the geometry and proportions of the construction are concerned, to compare its present state with the original one, the structural ashlars of the bridge were modelled parametrically on the basis of transforming elementary geometric elements having adopted the Roman foot as the unit of measure

HBIM come processo di conoscenza. Modellazione e sviluppo del tipo architettonico

Il volume raccoglie gli esiti di uno studio sulle potenzialità derivanti dall’integrazione del BIM (Building Information Modeling) nei processi di documentazione, comunicazione e gestione del patrimonio costruito, indagando l’estensione del concetto di modello digitale rispetto alla stratificazione della conoscenza resa possibile dall’approccio HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modeling). Il tema viene affrontato con un duplice obiettivo: delineare un protocollo operativo legato alle possibilità di gestione dell’architettura esistente, potenziate dall’integrazione con le metodologie per l’acquisizione massiva di dati, e condurre una riflessione riguardo quale sia la corretta impostazione dell’HBIM affinché possa considerarsi un vero e proprio metodo per la conoscenza, la lettura e l’analisi del patrimonio architettonico. La sperimentazione affronta questi problemi in relazione a diversi casi di studio appartenenti all’architettura rinascimentale e al razionalismo italiano che, sebbene afferenti ad epoche storiche e a stili differenti, hanno in comune importanti caratteristiche: la standardizzazione del tipo, l’impostazione progettuale basata sul forte rigore geometrico, la definizione di regole compositive basate sulla classificazione e la ripetizione degli elementi formali. L’approccio seguito considera gli aspetti strutturali, le soluzioni compositive e i caratteri formali, ripercorrendo il processo progettuale a cui è subordinata la realizzazione dell’architettura

Chapter HBIM e ICT. Il BIM per la valorizzazione della Fortezza Pisana di Marciana

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

Relación TG/HDL-C y resistencia a la insulina en mujeres adultas argentinas según su estado nutricional

Introduction: The ratio assessment TG/HDL-C is an indicator of LDL size, facilitating the detection of individuals with increased atherogenic risk. Estimating the size of the LDL becomes important, especially in patients with TG values near the upper limit of normal values of reference and HDL-C. The objective of the study is to estimate the association between TG/HDL-C and insulin resistance (IR) by nutritional status in adult women attending the Foundation for Endocrine Metabolic Diseases Research and Applied Clinical Research (FIEEM).Material and methods: Design Cross-sectional, non-pregnant adult women, apparently healthy, older than 30 years old, attending FIEEM in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Dependent variable: TG/HDL-C ≥ 3.0 considered high value. Independent variables: IR by homeostatic model index HOMA-IR ≥ 2.5 categorizing the sample into two groups: with and without IR, and controlled by nutritional status using body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (CC). SPSS Statistics 15.0, calculating X2 or Fisher exact test, OR with confidence intervals of 95% and establishing logistic regression p value < 0.05.Results: We evaluated a purposive sample of 104 women (31.4% and 26% IR with TG/HDL-C high). 84.6% were overweight or obese and 88.5% increased CC. Women with BMI had significantly increased 0.15-fold increased risk (95% CI = 0.01 to 1.26) for TG/HDL-C high (p = 0.04) than the control women. There was no significance with increased CC. The ratio TG/HDL-C high IR was significantly correlated (r = 0.30 p = 0.002).Conclusions: Body weight was significantly associated with IR and the ratio TG/HDL-C increased. This ratio correlated significantly with IR in apparently healthy women.Introducción: la valoración del índice TG/HDL-C resulta un indicador del tamaño de las LDL, facilitando la detección de individuos con riesgo aterogénico aumentado. El objetivo del estudio fue estimar la asociación entre TG/HDL-C y resistencia a la insulina (RI) según el estado nutricional en mujeres adultas.Material y métodos: diseño descriptivo transversal, de mujeres adultas no embarazadas, y aparentemente sanas, mayores de 30 años de edad, concurrentes a la Fundación para Investigación de Enfermedades Endócrino Metabólicas e Investigación Clínica Aplicada (FIEEM) en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Variable dependiente: relación TG/HDL-C considerando valor elevado ≥ 3,0. Variables independientes: RI por Índice modelo  homeostático HOMA-IR ≥ 2,5 categorizando a la muestra en dos grupos: con y sin RI, y controladas según el estado nutricional mediante índice de masa corporal (IMC) y circunferencia de la cintura (CC). Estadística con SPSS 15,0, calculando X2 o prueba exacta de Fisher, OR con intervalos de confianza del 95% y regresión logística estableciendo valor p < 0,05.Resultados: se evaluó una muestra intencional de 104 mujeres (31,4% con RI y 26% con TG/HDL-C elevada). El 84,6% presentó sobrepeso u obesidad y el 88,5% CC aumentada. Las mujeres con IMC aumentado presentaron significativamente 0,15 veces (IC 95% = 0,01-1,26; p = 0,04) más riesgo de TG/HDL-C elevada que las mujeres normopeso. No hubo significación con la CC aumentada. La relación TG/HDL-C elevada se correlacionó significativamente con RI (r = 0,30 p= 0,002).Conclusiones: el peso corporal se asoció significativamente con RI y la relación TG/HDL-C aumentada. Esta relación se correlacionó con la RI en mujeres aparentemente sanas

Kinetic profiles of the stereoselective reduction of acetophenone and its derivatives promoted by Galactomyces candidus GZ1. A mechanistic interpretation

A mechanistic interpretation of the kinetic profiles obtained for the stereoselective reduction of acetophenone promoted by Galactomyces candidus GZ1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions was made. Based on experimental and bibliographical data, a mechanism which may involve the participation of two alcohol dehydrogenases with opposite stereoselectivities and alcohol oxidase is discussed. Due to the stereoselectivity of the reduction of acetophenone being changed when anaerobic conditions were used, this microorganism also permitted (S)-1-phenylethanol to be obtained in the absence of oxygen. Moreover, the kinetic profiles of the reactions of a racemic mixture of (R,S)-1-phenylethanol and pure (S)-1-phenylethanol with Gal. candidus were analyzed, which corroborated that there existed a reaction step where (S)-1-phenylethanol was oxidized to acetophenone. The results presented here show that not only is it possible to resolve racemic mixtures of phenylethanols when Gal. candidus is used as a biocatalyst, but that this is also efficient in causing the complete stereoinversion of pure (S)-1-phenylethanol to (R)-1-phenylethanol.Fil: Decarlini, Maria Florencia. Universidad Católica de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Bordon, Daniela Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vázquez, Ana M.. Universidad Católica de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Demmel, Gabriela Ines. Universidad Católica de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Laura Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Aimar, Mario Leandro. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentin