Resource allocation in a university environment : a test of the Ruefli, Freeland, and Davis goal programming decomposition algorithms / BEBR No. 735

Bibliography: p. 20-22

Innovation, generative relationships and scaffolding structures: implications of a complexity perspective to innovation for public and private interventions

The linear model of innovation has been superseded by a variety of theoretical models that view the innovation process as systemic, complex, multi-level, multi-temporal, involving a plurality of heterogeneous economic agents. Accordingly, the emphasis of the policy discourse has changed over time. The focus has shifted from the direct public funding of basic research as an engine of innovation, to the creation of markets for knowledge goods, to, eventually, the acknowledgement that knowledge transfer very often requires direct interactions among innovating actors. In most cases, policy interventions attempt to facilitate the match between “demand” and “supply” of the knowledge needed to innovate. A complexity perspective calls for a different framing, one focused on the fostering of processes characterized by multiple agency levels, multiple temporal scales, ontological uncertainty and emergent outcomes. This contribution explores what it means to design interventions in support of innovation processes inspired by a complex systems perspective. It does so by analyzing two examples of coordinated interventions: a public policy funding innovating networks (with SMEs, research centers and university), and a private initiative, promoted by a network of medium-sized mechanical engineering firms, that supports innovation by means of technology brokerage. Relying on two unique datasets recording the interactions of the organizations involved in these interventions, social network analysis and qualitative research are combined in order to investigate network dynamics and the roles of specific actors in fostering innovation processes. Then, some general implications for the design of coordinated interventions supporting innovation in a complexity perspective are drawn

Divergence of opinion and risk : an empirical analysis of the Ex Ante beliefs of institutional investors

Bibliography: p. [24-25

Industrial districts in a globalizing world: A model to change or a model of change? - Materiali di discussione del Dipartimento di Economia Politica (Universit\ue0 di Modena e Reggio Emilia), n. 615

Industrial districts \u2013 and especially industrial districts in Italy \u2013 have been much studied and debated, and are seen by some as a model of economic development to be emulated, and by others as a model that has already had its day. All agree, however, that those districts today are in transformation, that globalization has put them \u201con the move.\u201d This article uses a study of the Modenese mechanical district \u2013 an archetypical industrial district \u2013 to examine this \u201cmovement.\u201d It analyzes changes in the district, including especially the rise to prominence in the district of relatively small multinational firms, and shows that this rise has not severed these firms\u2019 ties to the territory but has rather reconfigured relations in ways that have led those firms also to the need for new regional institutions and organizations consistent with a district structure \u201con the move\u201d. In particular, the article uses a case study of a private company created to broker collaborative technology transfer among its owner-members as a means to understand what sorts of institutions might be required and, in so doing, draws policy conclusions for regional economic development policy

The use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with diabetes mellitus in Bahrain: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: CAM use is widespread, especially among patients with diabetes. The Gulf States have a high prevalence of diabetes, alongside a long tradition of CAM use. The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of CAM use among patients with diabetes mellitus in Bahrain and to examine the characteristics of the CAM users. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and administered to a convenience sample of patients with diabetes (n = 402) above the age of 20 attending two hospital diabetes clinics. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of association. RESULTS: 63% of responders utilized CAM within the previous 12 months. CAM users were more likely to be female, to have had diabetes for longer and to have complications of their diabetes. 64% of CAM users stated that they had used CAM for managing their diabetic condition, with 46% of these having used it solely for their diabetes. Respondents using CAM to manage their diabetes were more likely to be male, to be using CAM on a daily basis and to have informed their physician of their CAM use. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high rate of CAM use in patients with diabetes attending two hospital diabetes clinics in Bahrain. There is also a high rate of non-disclosure of CAM use to physicians. There is a continuing need for health professionals to be more aware and better trained in order to inform their decision making and communication related to CAM use

The thermal stability of the tryptic fragment of bovine microsomal cytochrome b5 and a variant containing six additional residues

AbstractThermally induced denaturation has been measured for both oxidised and reduced forms of the tryptic fragment or bovine microsomal cytochrome b5 using spectrophotometric methods. In the oxidised state, the tryptic fragment of cytochrome b5 (Ala7-Lys90) denatures in a single cooperative transition with a midpoint temperature (Tm) of ∼ 67°C (pH 7.0). The reduced form of the tryptic fragment of cytochrome b5 shows a higher transition temperature of ∼ 73°C at pH 7.0 and this is reflected in the values of ΔHm, ΔSm, and Δ(ΔG) of ∼ 310kJ · mol−1, 900J · mol−1 · K−1 and 5 kJ · mol−1. Increased thermal stability is demonstrated for a variant protein that contains the first 90 amino acid residues of cytochrome b5. These novel increases in stability are observed in both redox states and result from the presence of six additional residues at the amino-terminus. The two forms of cytochrome b5 do not differ significantly in structure with the results suggesting that the reorganisation energy (λ) of the variant protein, as measured indirectly from redox-linked differences in conformational stability, is small. Consequently the reported subtle differences in reactivity between variants of cytochrome b5 may result from the presence of additional N-terminal residues on the surface of the protein

Working With Wildlife: Urban Canada Goose Management

Warmer temperatures and longer days of spring also bring an increase in the activities of many species of wildlife, including Canada geese (Branta canadensis). At the turn of the 20th century, Canada geese were almost extirpated from most parts of North America. However, populations of Canada geese have rebounded dramatically, primarily due to the concerted efforts of wildlife mangers across the country and the ability of Canada geese to adapt to habitats found in urban and suburban areas. As human populations increase, so do the conflicts associated with urban/suburban sprawl; and because of this, complaints of goose droppings, lawn damage, and aggressive geese are commonplace every year