International and domestic technology transfers and productivity growth: Firm level evidence.

We examine the drivers of international and domestic technology transfer strategies of firms and the impact of these transfers on firms’ productivity performance in a sample of 440 Flemish innovating firms during 2003-2006. Technology transfers may occur through R&D contracting, purchase of licenses and know how, purchase of specialized machinery, hiring of specialized personnel, and various informal channels. Analysis of the drivers of technology sourcing strategies shows that combined technology sourcing strategies are more likely to be adopted by firms that 1) face resource limitations in their innovative effort 2) have a basic research orientation and conduct more R&D 3) successfully use various technology protection strategies to appropriate the benefits of innovation efforts 4) are engaged in international R&D collaboration. Estimates of a dynamic productivity model show that firms engaging in international knowledge sourcing strategies record substantially and significantly higher productivity growth. The largest impact is found for firms combining foreign transfer strategies with local technology acquisition, suggesting that a diverse external technology strategy combining local technologies as well as know how from abroad is most likely to improve firm performance.Technology transfer; Productivity; Multinational Firms;

Gestion énergétique optimale au service de la conception de chaînes de traction hybrides

Les préoccupations environnementales croissantes liées aux émissions de gaz à effet de serre et la raréfaction des énergies fossiles >amènent les constructeurs automobiles à proposer des véhicules de plus en plus >efficients. La présente étude compare objectivement les performances en émissions de CO2 de différentes architectures de chaînes de traction hybrides électriques (série, parallèle et combinée) pour identifier les spécifications d'une architecture optimale. Elle est construite à partir du calcul de la consommation minimale atteignable par chaque chaîne de traction sur différents cycles (homologation et cycles représentatifs d'usages clients). A cet effet, une stratégie de commande optimale reposant sur un algorithme de programmation dynamique a été mise en œuvre. A chaque instant des cycles suivis, les sollicitations des différents organes sont déterminées et analysées afin de spécifier leur dimensionnement optimal. Cette approche permet d'identifier les axes d'améliorations tant sur le plan de l'architecture de la chaîne de traction que sur la conception des organes

TRIZ methodology adapted to hybrid powertrains

On-going oil stock depletion and growing environmental concerns lead automakers to develop more efficient powertrains. Today the most promising way forward consists in research on hybrid systems. The present study uses TRIZ methodology to help identify the best hybridization architecture and powertrain design, in order to reduce CO2 emissions. This optimization problem is constrained with cost, mass and complexity targets. It is applied to B segment hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with no connection to the grid to recharge the battery. A specific procedure based on TRIZ principles has been established and rolled out after a first mathematical analysis of different current hybridization architectures (series, parallel and combined). The adapted TRIZ methodology is mainly built on the principles of Ideal Final Result and on networks of contradictions. It is used to compare the performances of the different architectures, identify the main technological barriers for more CO2 savings, and propose a roadmap to overcome them

THz Magneto-electric atomic rotations in the chiral compound Ba3_3NbFe3_3Si2_2O14_{14}

We have determined the terahertz spectrum of the chiral langasite Ba$_3$NbFe$_3$Si$_2$O$_{14}$ by means of synchrotron-radiation measurements. Two excitations are revealed that are shown to have a different nature. The first one, purely magnetic, is observed at low temperature in the magnetically ordered phase and is assigned to a magnon. The second one persits far into the paramagnetic phase and exhibits both an electric and a magnetic activity at slightly different energies. This magnetoelectric excitation is interpreted in terms of atomic rotations and requires a helical electric polarization

TRIZ methodology adapted to hybrid powertrains

On-going oil stock depletion and growing environmental concerns lead automakers to develop more efficient powertrains. Today the most promising way forward consists in research on hybrid systems. The present study uses TRIZ methodology to help identify the best hybridization architecture and powertrain design, in order to reduce CO2 emissions. This optimization problem is constrained with cost, mass and complexity targets. It is applied to B segment hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with no connection to the grid to recharge the battery. A specific procedure based on TRIZ principles has been established and rolled out after a first mathematical analysis of different current hybridization architectures (series, parallel and combined). The adapted TRIZ methodology is mainly built on the principles of Ideal Final Result and on networks of contradictions. It is used to compare the performances of the different architectures, identify the main technological barriers for more CO2 savings, and propose a roadmap to overcome them

Impact of contrast injection and stent-graft implantation on reproducibility of volume measurements in semiautomated segmentation of abdominal aortic aneurysm on computed tomography

Purpose To assessthe impact of contrast injection and stent-graft implantation on feasibility, accuracy, and reproducibilityof abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) volume and maximaldiameter (D-max) measurements using segmentation software. Materials and methods CT images of 80 subjects presentingAAA were divided into four equal groups: with or without contrast enhancement, and with or without stent-graft implantation. Semiautomated software was used to segment the aortic wall, once by an expert and twice by three readers. Volume and D-max reproducibility was estimated by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and accuracy was estimated between the expert and the readers by mean relative errors. Results All segmentations were technically successful. Themean AAA volume was 167.0±82.8 mL and the mean D-max 55.0±10.6 mm. Inter- and intraobserver ICCs for volume andD-max measurements were greater than 0.99. Mean relative errors between readers varied between −1.8±4.6 and 0.0± 3.6 mL. Mean relative errors in volume and D-max measurements between readers showed no significant difference between the four groups (P≥0.2). Conclusion The feasibility, accuracy, and reproducibility of AAA volume and D-max measurements using segmentation software were not affected by the absence of contrast injection or the presence of stent-graft

Farm and Home Planning.

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Orthoparamyxovirinae C Proteins Have a Common Origin and a Common Structural Organization

The protein C is a small viral protein encoded in an overlapping frame of the P gene in the subfamily Orthoparamyxovirinae. This protein, expressed by alternative translation initiation, is a virulence factor that regulates viral transcription, replication, and production of defective interfering RNA, interferes with the host-cell innate immunity systems and supports the assembly of viral particles and budding. We expressed and purified full-length and an N-terminally truncated C protein from Tupaia paramyxovirus (TupV) C protein (genus Narmovirus). We solved the crystal structure of the C-terminal part of TupV C protein at a resolution of 2.4 Å and found that it is structurally similar to Sendai virus C protein, suggesting that despite undetectable sequence conservation, these proteins are homologous. We characterized both truncated and full-length proteins by SEC-MALLS and SEC-SAXS and described their solution structures by ensemble models. We established a mini-replicon assay for the related Nipah virus (NiV) and showed that TupV C inhibited the expression of NiV minigenome in a concentration-dependent manner as efficiently as the NiV C protein. A previous study found that the Orthoparamyxovirinae C proteins form two clusters without detectable sequence similarity, raising the question of whether they were homologous or instead had originated independently. Since TupV C and SeV C are representatives of these two clusters, our discovery that they have a similar structure indicates that all Orthoparamyxovirine C proteins are homologous. Our results also imply that, strikingly, a STAT1-binding site is encoded by exactly the same RNA region of the P/C gene across Paramyxovirinae, but in different reading frames (P or C), depending on which cluster they belong to.French Agence Nationale de la RechercheFond de la Recherche Médicale (FRM)Grenoble Instruct-ERIC centerFRISBIUniversity Grenoble Alpes graduate school (Ecoles Universitaires de Recherche)Peer Reviewe

Lack of control of hypertension in primary cardiovascular disease prevention in Europe: Results from the EURIKA study

Background The prevalence of and factors associated with uncontrolled hypertension and apparent resistant hypertension were assessed in the European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and Management in Usual Daily Practice (EURIKA; NCT00882336). Methods EURIKA was a cross-sectional observational study including patients being treated for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in 12 European countries. Patients were assessed if they were being treated for hypertension (N = 5220). Blood pressure control was defined according to European guidelines, with sensitivity analysis taking account of patients' age and diabetes status. Associated factors were assessed using multivariate analysis. Results In the primary analysis, a total of 2691 patients (51.6%) had uncontrolled hypertension. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of having uncontrolled hypertension included female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.93-2.73), body mass index (BMI; OR per kg/m2: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), and geographic location. A total of 749 patients (14.3%) had apparent resistant hypertension. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of having apparent resistant hypertension included BMI (OR per kg/m2: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04-1.08), diabetes (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.06-1.53), use of statins (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.15-1.62), serum uric acid levels (OR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.09-1.23), and geographic location. Similar results were seen in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Over 50% of patients treated for hypertension continued to have uncontrolled blood pressure and 14.3% had apparent resistant hypertension. Positive associations were seen with other cardiovascular risk factors