A research experiment on facilitation and formation of joint research and development programs between government, industry, and universities: Overview, preliminary findings, and observations

Presented is an overview of an experiment to explore the free-market approach to public-private collaboration through the development and implementation of a joint venture mechanism to enable formation of R&D projects between government, industry and academia. Some preliminary results related to time-to-commercialization and economic competitiveness are discussed

Current Status of Non-Disease Modifying Gene Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurological disorder characterized by bradykinesia, tremor, muscular rigidity, and postural instability. The world-wide prevalence is expected to rise further with increasing mean age. Theoretically, if all desired elements required for dopamine synthesis are functionally available, need for exogenous L-DOPA administration can be eliminated or markedly reduced. However, lack of effective long-term treatment has led to extensive gene therapy research focusing both on disease modifying as well as non-disease modifying aspects. Since genetic lesions are found in both familial as well as sporadic PD cases, the principle of introducing a normal gene to cure a disease can also be applied in PD. Success in effective gene delivery to the target brain regions and its tolerability owing to negligible immune response against the vector has further encouraged the work. The likelihood of gene therapy becoming future and true cure for PD is very high. This commentary describes status of non-disease modifying gene therapy in PD

Time to reinvent the branch of medical pharmacology

Pharmacology is one of the most active branches of medicine with respect to the amount of research and innovation. The field of pharmacology is actively involved in new drug discovery and identification of new therapeutic targets. However, unfortunately, same cannot be said for the medical pharmacology departments in various medical colleges in India and abroad

Capacity Dimensioning of HSDPA Urban Network

To launch a cellular network, prelaunch capacity dimensioning is performed which includes coverage estimation and throughput prediction. Cellular companies in developing countries like Pakistan are only providing 2G services, while 3G services are yet to be launched. Although a lot of research has been done on 3G services in developed countries but there is very little knowledge regarding practical aspects of planning and optimization of 3G networks in third world countries like Pakistan. This research paper includes a thorough analysis of factors that affect capacity of 3G networks, including radio propagation models. Various propagation models are studied and propagation constants of Standard Propagation Model are tuned according to topography of Islamabad. The performance analysis of these propagation models is done using Matlab and results are verified through planning tool Atoll and field measurements. Based on analysis of these results capacity dimensioning, in terms of number of sites, is carried out for an urban network of Islamabad

Learning, Institutions, and Economic Performance

T he greatest challenge for the social sciences is to explain change-or more specifically, social, political, economic, and organizational change. 1 The starting point must be an account of human learning, which is the fundamental prerequisite for explaining such change. The ability to learn is the main reason for the observed plasticity of human behavior, and the interaction of learning individuals gives rise to change in society, polity, economy, and organizations. Because learning is the main object of inquiry in cognitive science, only a dogmatic attitude would prevent social scientists interested in phenomena related to change from paying appropriate attention to its findings. The revolution over the past decades in cognitive science has produced valuable insights regarding the processes of individual learning across different types of environments. This is the main reason why cognitive science is not merely of peripheral importance for social scientists, but should be the starting point for any serious discussion of societal change. In this article, we explore the nature of individual learning and then proceed with an examination of collective learning and with a discussion of the emergence of institutions. We then provide a link between learning and overall economic performance and, in the end, examine the issue of path dependence. Individual Learning Research in cognitive science during the past decades has deepened our knowledge of the relationships among brain, mind, and behavior. In particular, work in the approaches known as "cognitive neuroscience" has advanced our understanding of how brain structures are linked to mental phenomena and observable behavior. 2 The cognitive architecture of Homo sapiens being the product of a long evolutionary process, a major issue that confronts us is the interplay between the genetic structure that has evolved in response to the evolving human environment and the cultural conditions that are a consequence of the institutional framework deliberately created by humans to order their environment. Because cognitive science is a very young discipline, there are, not surprisingly, a number of competing explanations for perception, learning, memory, and attention; even more controversy surrounds overall explanations of the nature of the cognitive processes and the interplay between mind and brain. In order to usefully apply cognitive science to political science, economics, and other social sciences, it is important to remember the analytical focus of the explanatory enterprise. For our purpose-coming to grips with the issue of societal change-we want to use theory that is sufficiently analytic to provide the following: • an empirically testable account of individual learning. • a satisfactory account of choice processes. • a foundation for explaining the processes of social learning, since the ultimate phenomena of interest are political change and economic outcomes. In light of these criteria, we need not engage certain questions debated in cognitive science-for example, concept formation, which involves complicated interaction among genetics, neuroembryology, cellular mechanisms, maturation By C. Mantzavinos, Douglass C. North, and Syed Shariq In this article, we provide a broad overview of the interplay among cognition, belief systems, and institutions, and how they affect economic performance. We argue that a deeper understanding of institutions' emergence, their working properties, and their effect on economic and political outcomes should begin from an analysis of cognitive processes. We explore the nature of individual and collective learning, stressing that the issue is not whether agents are perfectly or boundedly rational, but rather how human beings actually reason and choose, individually and in collective settings. We then tie the processes of learning to institutional analysis, providing arguments in favor of what can be characterized as "cognitive institutionalism." Besides, we show that a full treatment of the phenomenon of path dependence should start at the cognitive level, proceed at the institutional level, and culminate at the economic level. C

Aprendizaje, instituciones, y desempeño económico

En este artículo ofrecemos una visión amplia de la interacción entre cognición, sistemas de creencias e instituciones, y de la manera cómo estos afectan el desempeño económico. Argumentamos que una comprensión más profunda del surgimiento, las propiedades operativas y los efectos de las instituciones en los resultados económicos y políticos debería comenzar por el análisis de procesos cognitivos. Exploramos la naturaleza del aprendizaje individual y colectivo, haciendo énfasis en que el asunto no es si los agentes son perfecta o limitadamente racionales, sino cómo los seres humanos en realidad razonan y eligen de forma individual o colectiva. Luego atamos el proceso de aprendizaje con el análisis institucional, ofreciendo argumentos a favor de lo que se puede caracterizar como "institucionalismo cognitivo". Además, mostramos que un tratamiento completo del fenómeno de sendero-dependencia debe comenzar en el nivel cognitivo, pasar por el nivel institucional, y culminar en el nivel económico.Incluye referencias bibliográficas (páginas 31-34