A simple method to assess freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease patients

Freezing of gait (FOG) can be assessed by clinical and instrumental methods. Clinical examination has the advantage of being available to most clinicians; however, it requires experience and may not reveal FOG even for cases confirmed by the medical history. Instrumental methods have an advantage in that they may be used for ambulatory monitoring. The aim of the present study was to describe and evaluate a new instrumental method based on a force sensitive resistor and Pearson's correlation coefficient (Pcc) for the assessment of FOG. Nine patients with Parkinson's disease in the "on" state walked through a corridor, passed through a doorway and made a U-turn. We analyzed 24 FOG episodes by computing the Pcc between one "regular/normal" step and the rest of the steps. The Pcc reached +/- 1 for "normal" locomotion, while correlation diminished due to the lack of periodicity during FOG episodes. Gait was assessed in parallel with video. FOG episodes determined from the video were all detected with the proposed method. The computed duration of the FOG episodes was compared with those estimated from the video. The method was sensitive to various types of freezing; although no differences due to different types of freezing were detected. The study showed that Pcc analysis permitted the computerized detection of FOG in a simple manner analogous to human visual judgment, and its automation may be useful in clinical practice to provide a record of the history of FOG

Ecological implications of a flower size/number trade-off in tropical forest trees

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Games Within Games: The Two (or More) Fictional Levels of Video Games

Video games that incorporate other games in their game-world create interlacing fictional levels. These can be used to engage with concepts of “gameness” from within the game itself without abandoning the aesthetic illusion created by the macrogame, in which the minigame is embedded. In my paper, I delve into the question why we are willing to immerse ourselves in video game worlds even if they contain elements that overtly emphasise the fictionality of these games. I explore concepts of illusion as well as interlacing fictional levels from a theoretical perspective before I research various modes of games within games with or without an impact on the gameplay of the macrogame as well as their relationship to illusion. The outcome of my paper will be a comprehensive study of the critical potential of minigames, which is accomplished by discussing a large corpus of different video games

Social capital in industrial districts: Influence of the strength of ties and density of the network on the sense of belonging to the district

This is the accepted version of the following article: Molina-Morales, F.X.; Capó-Vicedo, J.; Mª Teresa Martínez Fernández; Expósito Langa, M. (2013). Social capital in industrial districts: Influence of the strength of ties and density of the network on the sense of belonging to the district. Papers in Regional Science. 92(4):773-789. doi:10.1111/j.1435-5957.2012.00463.x, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1435-5957.2012.00463.x/pdf.A sense of belonging is a crucial factor determining the identification of the firms in industrial districts. From the social capital perspective, this paper analyses how the structural and relational dimensions of social capital determine a firm's sense of belonging to the industrial district. The study analyses a sample of 213 companies belonging to two Spanish industrial districts. Results of the survey offer an important contribution to the specific literature by finding the explanatory factors with which to distinguish between groups according to their level of embeddedness in the district.Molina Morales, FX.; Capó-Vicedo, J.; Martínez Fernández, MT.; Expósito Langa, M. (2013). Social capital in industrial districts: Influence of the strength of ties and density of the network on the sense of belonging to the district. Papers in Regional Science. 92(4):773-789. doi:10.1111/j.1435-5957.2012.00463.xS773789924Aharonson, B. S., Baum, J. A. C., & Plunket, A. (2008). Inventive and uninventive clusters: The case of Canadian biotechnology. Research Policy, 37(6-7), 1108-1131. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2008.04.008Antonelli, C. (2000). Collective Knowledge Communication and Innovation: The Evidence of Technological Districts. Regional Studies, 34(6), 535-547. doi:10.1080/00343400050085657Asheim, B. T. (1996). 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Regional Studies, 44(1), 1-15. doi:10.1080/00343400903389979Giuliani, E. (2007). The selective nature of knowledge networks in clusters: evidence from the wine industry. Journal of Economic Geography, 7(2), 139-168. doi:10.1093/jeg/lbl014Giuliani, E., & Bell, M. (2005). The micro-determinants of meso-level learning and innovation: evidence from a Chilean wine cluster. Research Policy, 34(1), 47-68. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2004.10.008Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380. doi:10.1086/225469Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness. American Journal of Sociology, 91(3), 481-510. doi:10.1086/228311Hill, E. W., & Brennan, J. F. (2000). A Methodology for Identifying the Drivers of Industrial Clusters: The Foundation of Regional Competitive Advantage. Economic Development Quarterly, 14(1), 65-96. doi:10.1177/089124240001400109Hundley, G., & Jacobson, C. K. (1998). The effects of the keiretsu on the export performance of Japanese companies: help or hindrance? Strategic Management Journal, 19(10), 927-937. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(199810)19:103.0.co;2-1Kale, P., Singh, H., & Perlmutter, H. (2000). Learning and protection of proprietary assets in strategic alliances: building relational capital. Strategic Management Journal, 21(3), 217-237. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(200003)21:33.0.co;2-yKautonen, T., Zolin, R., Kuckertz, A., & Viljamaa, A. (2010). Ties that blind? How strong ties affect small business owner-managers’ perceived trustworthiness of their advisors. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 22(2), 189-209. doi:10.1080/08985620903168265Kono, C., Palmer, D., Friedland, R., & Zafonte, M. (1998). Lost in Space: The Geography of Corporate Interlocking Directorates. American Journal of Sociology, 103(4), 863-911. doi:10.1086/231292Larson, A. (1992). Network Dyads in Entrepreneurial Settings: A Study of the Governance of Exchange Relationships. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37(1), 76. doi:10.2307/2393534Leana, C. R., & Van Buren, H. J. (1999). Organizational Social Capital and Employment Practices. Academy of Management Review, 24(3), 538-555. doi:10.5465/amr.1999.2202136Lissoni, F. (2001). Knowledge codification and the geography of innovation: the case of Brescia mechanical cluster. Research Policy, 30(9), 1479-1500. doi:10.1016/s0048-7333(01)00163-9Malipiero A Muñari F Sobrero M 2005 Focal firms as technological gatekeepers within industrial districts: Knowledge creation and dissemination in the Italian packaging machinery industryMcEvily, B., & Zaheer, A. (1999). Bridging ties: a source of firm heterogeneity in competitive capabilities. Strategic Management Journal, 20(12), 1133-1156. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(199912)20:123.0.co;2-7MOLINA-MORALES, F. X., & MARTÍNEZ-FERNAÁNDEZ, M. T. (2003). The Impact of Industrial District Affiliation on Firm Value Creation. European Planning Studies, 11(2), 155-170. doi:10.1080/0965431032000072855Molina-Morales, F. X., & Martínez-Fernández, M. T. (2004). Factors That Identify Industrial Districts: An Application in Spanish Manufacturing Firms. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 36(1), 111-126. doi:10.1068/a3618Molina-Morales, F. X., & Martínez-Fernández, M. T. (2008). Shared Resources in Industrial Districts: Information, Know-How and Institutions in the Spanish Tile Industry. International Regional Science Review, 31(1), 35-61. doi:10.1177/0160017607306327Molina-Morales, F. X., & Martínez-Fernández, M. T. (2009). Does homogeneity exist within industrial districts? A social capital-based approach*. Papers in Regional Science, 88(1), 209-229. doi:10.1111/j.1435-5957.2008.00177.xMolina-Morales, F. X., & Martínez-Fernández, M. T. (2010). Social Networks: Effects of Social Capital on Firm Innovation. Journal of Small Business Management, 48(2), 258-279. doi:10.1111/j.1540-627x.2010.00294.xMoreno, A. M., & Casillas, J. C. (2007). High-growth SMEs versus non-high-growth SMEs: a discriminant analysis. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 19(1), 69-88. doi:10.1080/08985620601002162Morrison, A. (2008). Gatekeepers of Knowledgewithin Industrial Districts: Who They Are, How They Interact. Regional Studies, 42(6), 817-835. doi:10.1080/00343400701654178Morrison A Rabellotti R 2005 Knowledge and information networks: Evidence from an Italian wine local systemNahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organizational Advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(2), 242-266. doi:10.5465/amr.1998.533225Paniccia, I. (1998). One, a Hundred, Thousands of Industrial Districts. Organizational Variety in Local Networks of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Organization Studies, 19(4), 667-699. doi:10.1177/017084069801900406Parrilli, M. D. (2009). Collective efficiency, policy inducement and social embeddedness: Drivers for the development of industrial districts. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 21(1), 1-24. doi:10.1080/08985620801886513Parrilli, M. D., & Sacchetti, S. (2008). Linking learning with governance in networks and clusters: key issues for analysis and policy. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 20(4), 387-408. doi:10.1080/08985620801886463Portes, A., & Sensenbrenner, J. (1993). Embeddedness and Immigration: Notes on the Social Determinants of Economic Action. American Journal of Sociology, 98(6), 1320-1350. doi:10.1086/230191Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65-78. doi:10.1353/jod.1995.0002Raub, W., & Weesie, J. (1990). Reputation and Efficiency in Social Interactions: An Example of Network Effects. American Journal of Sociology, 96(3), 626-654. doi:10.1086/229574Robinson, D. K. R., Rip, A., & Mangematin, V. (2007). Technological agglomeration and the emergence of clusters and networks in nanotechnology. Research Policy, 36(6), 871-879. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2007.02.003Rowley, T., Behrens, D., & Krackhardt, D. (2000). Redundant governance structures: an analysis of structural and relational embeddedness in the steel and semiconductor industries. Strategic Management Journal, 21(3), 369-386. doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(200003)21:33.0.co;2-mRychen, F., & Zimmermann, J.-B. (2008). Clusters in the Global Knowledge-based Economy: Knowledge Gatekeepers and Temporary Proximity. Regional Studies, 42(6), 767-776. doi:10.1080/00343400802088300Sammarra, A., & Biggiero, L. (2008). Heterogeneity and Specificity of Inter-Firm Knowledge Flows in Innovation Networks. Journal of Management Studies, 45(4), 800-829. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2008.00770.xSignorini, L. F. (2005). THE PRICE OF PRATO, OR MEASURING THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT EFFECT. Papers in Regional Science, 73(4), 369-392. doi:10.1111/j.1435-5597.1994.tb00620.xStaber, U. (2001). The Structure of Networks in Industrial Districts. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 25(3), 537-552. doi:10.1111/1468-2427.00328JOHN, C. H., & POUDER, R. W. (2006). Technology Clusters versus Industry Clusters: Resources, Networks, and Regional Advantages. Growth and Change, 37(2), 141-171. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2257.2006.00313.xSuchman MC 1994 On advice of counsel: Law firms and venture capital funds as information intermediaries in the structuration of Silicon ValleyTrigilia, C. (2001). Social Capital and Local Development. European Journal of Social Theory, 4(4), 427-442. doi:10.1177/13684310122225244Tsai, W., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). SOCIAL CAPITAL AND VALUE CREATION: THE ROLE OF INTRAFIRM NETWORKS. Academy of Management Journal, 41(4), 464-476. doi:10.2307/257085Uzzi, B. (1996). 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The Past and Future of Evolutionary Economics : Some Reflections Based on New Bibliometric Evidence

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Geoffrey M. Hodgson, and Juha-Antti Lamberg, ‘The past and future of evolutionary economics: some reflections based on new bibliometric evidence’, Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, first online 20 June 2016. The final publication is available at Springer via doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40844-016-0044-3 © Japan Association for Evolutionary Economics 2016The modern wave of ‘evolutionary economics’ was launched with the classic study by Richard Nelson and Sidney Winter (1982). This paper reports a broad bibliometric analysis of ‘evolutionary’ research in the disciplines of management, business, economics, and sociology over 25 years from 1986 to 2010. It confirms that Nelson and Winter (1982) is an enduring nodal reference point for this broad field. The bibliometric evidence suggests that ‘evolutionary economics’ has benefitted from the rise of business schools and other interdisciplinary institutions, which have provided a home for evolutionary terminology, but it has failed to nurture a strong unifying core narrative or theory, which in turn could provide superior answers to important questions. This bibliometric evidence also shows that no strong cluster of general theoretical research immediately around Nelson and Winter (1982) has subsequently emerged. It identifies developmental problems in a partly successful but fragmented field. Future research in ‘evolutionary economics’ needs a more integrated research community with shared conceptual narratives and common research questions, to promote conversation and synergy between diverse clusters of research.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Performance-based vs socially supportive culture:a cross-national study of descriptive norms and entrepreneurship

This paper is a cross-national study testing a framework relating cultural descriptive norms to entrepreneurship in a sample of 40 nations. Based on data from the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness project, we identify two higher-order dimensions of culture – socially supportive culture (SSC) and performance-based culture (PBC) – and relate them to entrepreneurship rates and associated supply-side and demand-side variables available from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Findings provide strong support for a social capital/SSC and supply-side variable explanation of entrepreneurship rate. PBC predicts demand-side variables, such as opportunity existence and the quality of formal institutions to support entrepreneurship

Cognitive testing of physical activity and acculturation questions in recent and long-term Latino immigrants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We ascertained the degree to which language (English versus Spanish), and residence time in the US influence responses to survey questions concerning two topics: self-reported acculturation status, and recent physical activity (PA). This topic is likely to be of general interest because of growing numbers of immigrants in countries worldwide.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We carried out qualitative (cognitive) interviews of survey items on acculturation and physical activity on 27 Latino subjects from three groups: (a) In Spanish, of those of low residence time (less than five years living in the U.S.) (n = 9); (b) In Spanish, of those of high residence time (15 or more years in the U.S) (n = 9); and (c) in English, of those of high residence time (n = 9).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were very few language translation problems; general question design defects and socio-cultural challenges to survey responses were more common. Problems were found for both acculturation and PA questions, with distinct problem types for the two question areas. Residence time/language group was weakly associated with overall frequency of problems observed: low residence time/Spanish (86%), high residence time/Spanish (67%), and English speaking groups (62%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Standardized survey questions related to acculturation and physical activity present somewhat different cognitive challenges. For PA related questions, problems with such questions were similar regardless of subject residence time or language preference. For acculturation related questions, residence time/language or education level influenced responses to such questions. These observations should help in the interpretation of survey results for culturally diverse populations.</p