Satirical Imagery of the Ramesside Period: A Socio-historical Narrative

During a short period in New Kingdom Egypt (c. 1550-1070 BCE) artwork of an interesting nature was created in a small workers’ village called Deir el-Medina. These artworks often feature animals with human characteristics: mice dress as noblewomen, foxes play lutes, cats are geese herdsmen, and lions play board games. Satirical drawings, as they are referred to, were created by the craftsmen who decorated the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. These drawings poke fun at the rigid and formal decoration of imperial spaces. However, these artworks were more than comic relief for the artists; they also reflect the social and political atmosphere in Egypt from the eighteenth dynasty onwards. The Ramesside period (c. 1292–1069 BCE), during which these images were made, was a time of diminishing pharaonic authority and growing economic uncertainty. The first organized workers’ strike in history was planned by the same artists who were creating satirical artworks. Although the strike was a success, the Ramesside period would continue to be plagued by administrative errors and instability. Satirical artworks provide insight into the historical, social and political atmosphere at the time of their creation, revealing a narrative of the artists who shaped the Valley of the Kings

Bliskość fizyczna a współpraca innowacyjna polskich małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw wiedzochłonnych

Globalisation, with its rising global value chains and the complexity of innovationprocesses change the role of spatial distance in innovation activities. In the classicalcluster theories geographical proximity is seen as a necessary condition to share knowledgeand to enhance innovation collaboration. The recent literature, however, challenge this approachby claiming that the role played by spatial distance diminishes. The aim of this paperis to provide better understanding of the role physical and geographical proximities inthe innovation collaboration process. The paper presents the up-to date results on the roleof physical proximity in innovation collaboration process of the Polish knowledge intensiveSMEs. The study findings support the idea that physical proximity matters for the innovationinteractions, yet the geographical proximity is not a prerequisite for such collaboration.Moreover, the innovative interlinkages of the surveyed companies have more individualcharacter, and are equally determined by the companies technological profiles andsocial-individual connections.Globalizacja, wraz z jej rosnącymi globalnymi łańcuchami wartości i złożonością procesów innowacyjnych, zmienia rolę odległości przestrzennej w działalności innowacyjnej. W klasycznych teoriach klastrów bliskość geograficzna jest postrzegana jako warunek konieczny do wymiany wiedzy i wzmocnienia współpracy innowacyjnej. Jednakże najnowsza literatura kwestionuje to podejście twierdząc, że rola odgrywana przez odległość przestrzenną maleje. Celem niniejszego opracowania jest lepsze zrozumienie roli fizycznej i geograficznej bliskości w procesie współpracy innowacyjnej. W artykule przedstawiono dotychczasowe wyniki badań dotyczącej znaczenia fizycznej bliskości w procesie współpracy innowacyjnej w polskich MŚP intensywnie wykorzystujących wiedzę. Wyniki badań potwierdzają tezę, że bliskość fizyczna ma znaczenie dla interakcji innowacyjnych, jednak bliskość geograficzna nie jest warunkiem koniecznym dla takiej współpracy. Ponadto, powiązania innowacyjne badanych firm mają bardziej indywidualny charakter i są w r wnym stopniu determinowane przez profile technologiczne firm, jak i powiązania społeczno-indywidualne

W kierunku otwartych ekosystemów innowacji w Polsce: szanse i wyzwania

Nowadays rapidly changing businesses environment (with start-ups and predominance of big companies), shortening technological cycles and accelerating technological convergence raise the need to combine competences with others. An open innovation based Quadruple helix interlinkages ecosystem seems to be appropriate method to boost innovation capabilities in companies, sectors and the whole regions. The research paper aims to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to adapting open innovation models in Polish enterprises. The concept of open innovation and promotion of clusters are important elements of economic policy of the industrial competitiveness of Poland and Europe 2020 strategy. Yet, despite increasing expenditure on innovation in Polish enterprises, innovation collaboration among Triple Helix stakeholders as well as the role of clusters are not growing significantly. In 2016–2018, such collaboration was undertaken only by 36% of innovation-active industrial enterprises, over 40% of which were big companies. Moreover, the share of industrial enterprises collaborating under a cluster initiative in the total number of enterprises amounted only to 3.5%. One of the sectors, where innovative activity was most often undertaken biotech and pharmaceutical related industry (biopharma) (56.2%). The industry faces a high-cost of R&D, limited commercialization and constant technological change. Thus, there is a growing attention for open innovation and external partnership. The study shows that in Poland, open innovation collaboration within the biopharma industry is still in the infancy. Among the financial, legal, institutional barriers socio-cultural factors have had large effects on the behaviour of firms with respect to their engagement in open innovation practices.W dobie dzisiejszej szybko zmieniające się otoczenie biznesowe (ze startupami i przewagą dużych firm), skracanie się cykli technologicznych i przyśpieszenie konwergencji technologicznej powoduje potrzebę łączenia kompetencji oraz potencjału innowacyjnego firm i jednostek badawczo-rozwojowych. Ekosystem oparty na modelu poczwórnej helisy – Quadruple Helix (QH) lub otwartych innowacjach sprzyja zwiększeniu zdolności innowacyjnych w przedsiębiorstwach, sektorach i całych regionach. Opracowanie ma na celu omówienie możliwości i wyzwań związanych z adaptacją modeli otwartych innowacji w polskich przedsiębiorstwach. Koncepcja otwartych innowacji i promocji klastrów to ważne elementy polityki gospodarczej, konkurencyjności przemysłowej Polski i strategii Europa 2020. Jednak pomimo rosnących nakładów na innowacje w polskich przedsiębiorstwach, współpraca pomiędzy przedstawicielami QH, a także rola klastrów nie rośnie znacząco. W latach 2016-2018 taką współpracę podjęło jedynie 36 proc. innowacyjnych przedsiębiorstw przemysłowych, z których ponad 40 proc. stanowiły duże firmy (GUS, 2020). Ponadto udział przedsiębiorstw przemysłowychwspółpracujących w ramach inicjatywy klastrowej w ogólnej liczbie przedsiębiorstw wyniósł tylko 3,5 proc. Jeden z sektorów, w którym działalność innowacyjną najczęściej podejmowano to sektor branży biotechnologicznej i farmaceutycznej (56,2 proc.). Branża zmaga się z wysokimi kosztami badań i rozwoju, ograniczoną komercjalizacją i ciągłymi zmianami technologicznymi. Dlatego rośnie zainteresowanie otwartymi innowacjami i partnerstwem zewnętrznym. Badanie pokazuje, że w Polsce współpraca w formie otwartych innowacji w branży biotechnologicznej i biofarmaceutycznej jest wciąż w fazie zalążkowej. Wśród najważniejszych czynników, które miały wpływ na słabe zaangażowanie przedstawicieli firm oraz jednostek badawczo-rozwojowych w otwarte praktyki innowacyjne należy zaliczyć czynniki finansowe, prawno-instytucjonalne oraz społeczno-kulturowe

The quantitative genetics of a non-stiff-stalk maize (Zea mays L) population

The genetic relationship among individuals is at the core of nearly all quantitative genetic theory. Dominant gene action has long been either ignored or disregarded as insignificant in many previous genetic models. For grain yield in maize (Zea mays L.), dominance has consistently accounted for a large proportion of genetic variance. We have used previously developed genetic theory that accounts for dominance variance during inbreeding and applied it to a unique breeding design. Our breeding design allowed us to estimate five genetic covariance parameters for six traits. In addition, we developed genetic gain equations that accounted for both dominance and inbreeding. We found that the genetic covariance parameters introduced via inbreeding were significant for five traits. Our estimates of the genetic covariance parameters allowed us to predict genetic gain over a range of selection units and response units. Half-sib selection proved superior to inbred progeny selection when the response was measured in the outbred progeny. In addition, the relative proportions of additive and dominance variance influenced the effectiveness of inbred progeny selection. We also showed that even when dominance constitutes a larger proportion of the total genetic variance than additive variance, the loss of additive effects has a greater influence on the decline associated with inbreeding than the addition of homozygous dominance deviations. Our results also indicated that the reason realized gain often falls short of predicted gain is due to the negative covariance between additive effects and homozygous dominance effects. The effect of a negative covariance is that positive gain via additive effects is offset by negative gain via homozygous dominance deviations

Clinical Outcome of Different Post-operative Prophylactic Strategies on Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism after Total Knee Arthroplasty

INTRODUCTION. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of different postoperative prophylactic strategies on the rates of symptomatic venous thromboembolic events (VTE) incidence after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS. A retrospective study of patients who had undergone primary TKA procedure was performed from January 2015 through July 2020. Outcomes examined prophylaxis medication used during inpatient care and outpatient care, amount of medication, length of medication, complications occurring within 90 days postoperatively, including symptomatic VTE (deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)), gastrointestinal bleeding requiring medical attention, change in management protocols after post-operative complications and mortality. RESULTS. 5,663 cases were included (mean age 66±10years, mean BMI 34.1±7.1kg/m2). The overall post-operative complication rate was 0.9% (DVT: 0.5%, PE: 0.3%, VTE: 0.04%, and GI bleeding: 0.09%). Enoxaparin (Lovenox) use as inpatient anticoagulation medication was significantly reduced (67% vs 13%, p<0.001), and apixaban (Eliquis) was significantly increased (6% vs 49%, p<0.001). Average hospital stays were significantly reduced among the years (3±2days vs 2±1days, p<0.001), and complication rates were not significantly different between the five years (~1%, p<0.001). Most post-operative complications occurred on either aspirin 325mg (36%) or apixaban (26%). However, the relative risk ratio results indicating that utilization of warfarin (Coumadin), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and aspirin 81 mg as outpatient anticoagulation medication were more likely to increase the risk of symptomatic VTE incidence compared to other anticoagulants. The average time of complication detected was 21±21days (range: 1-87days). >54% of complication events occurred after the patient had completed their medication (enoxaparin, rivaroxaban and apixaban).  CONCLUSIONS. The observed incidence of symptomatic VTE in this study is similar to previous studies regardless of the type of postoperative inpatient or outpatient prophylaxis prescribed. The ultimate choice of prophylaxis should remain with the treating physician and their knowledge of a particular patient’s medical history

Investigating the Molecular Mechanism of Crosstalk Between NF-κB and Nrf2 Signalling Pathways

Investigating the Molecular Mechanisms of Crosstalk Between NF-κB and Nrf2 Signalling Pathways In order to maintain tissue homeostasis, cells must respond swiftly to inflammatory and oxidative challenges, ensuring appropriate processes are sequentially activated and repressed when stress conditions are normalised. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB) are the key regulators of cellular antioxidant and inflammatory responses respectively. Imbalance between these processes is a contributing factor in many human diseases, including neurodegeneration, autoimmune disorders and cancers. Pharmacological and genetic studies suggest that there is functional crosstalk between these two pathways, however mechanistic details of conditional dominance between them remain unclear. To address this, we have generated multiple, low expression, fluorescent molecular tools that allow monitoring of the distribution and activity of Nrf2 and NF-κB proteins in primary living neurons and astrocytes. This allowed us to characterise the cell-specific antioxidant and inflammatory signalling, as well as to understand the patterns in basal activity. We also investigated patterns of crosstalk in a cancer-related context utilising a previously generated SK-N-AS neuroblastoma cell line, engineered to stably express Nrf2-Venus, from a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). This model cell-line was first extensively characterised in order to define conditional Nrf2 responses to antioxidant compounds in real-time. We then proceeded to investigate the effect of acute inflammation on the cellular antioxidant activity, in order to define the extent and nature of functional crosstalk between NF-κB and Nrf2. Data from these studies provide definitive proof of a self limiting reciprocal mechanism of interplay in neuroblastoma cells, in which NF-κB-mediated inflammatory signalling promotes an increase in Nrf2 transcription which then in turn supresses further NF-κB signalling. In addition, results from single cell imaging and population level studies show that Nrf2 responses are fine tuned, by either Keap1-mediated mechanism of repression. To define the intricate mechanisms of basal Nrf2 activity, we utilised a photoswitchable fluorescent protein fusion, which provided the first direct measurements of Nrf2 nuclear import and export dynamics in live-cells. Finally, we used the sophisticated live cell imaging approaches to define the mechanism of action of the Nrf2 inhibiting drug brusatol. Significantly, these results contradict published data and reveal a more general explanation for the potential therapeutic utility of brusatol

Dynamic Externalities, Universities and Social Capital Formation in the EU Biotechnology Industry

The paper investigates the role of dynamic externalities, university-industry linkages and role of social networking in the biotechnology industry in the European Union (EU). Universities act as platforms for local knowledge spillovers and university-industry cluster development in the biotechnology field. The R&D activities at universities contribute to successful business innovations. However, the relationship between the universities and the local innovation capabilities is much more complex and therefore requires more in-depth analysis. The following study derives from the knowledge of the new economic geography, endogenous growth theory, biotechnology, as well as theories of social capital and social networks. The quantitative research elaborates contemporary literature and databases to find channels of interdependence between local university-based knowledge flows, social capital, and biotechnology cluster performance. The results of the study show that the biotechnology industry relies very much on university-business R&D partnerships and research mobility (e.g. pharmaceutical firms that performed basic research in close cooperation with academia produced more patents). In addition, social networking and informal contacts seem to be a more important for the diffusion of knowledge, especially at the beginning of R&D process, as they allow for building credibility between potential partners

The Undiagnosed Patient and The Diagnostic Odyssey: Current Genetic Counseling Practices and Perspectives

Patients seen in genetics clinics often endure a diagnostic odyssey in their search for answers for their medical symptoms. This time is not only challenging for patients and their families, but also for the genetic counselors who are trying to help the patients. Previous research has shown that parents of children with undiagnosed medical disorders have specific goals and reasons for wanting to find a diagnosis, and there are many difficulties faced by these parents. Genetic counselors often serve as a prominent figure during the diagnostic odyssey, but little known research has assessed the current practices of and impact that the diagnostic odyssey has on genetic counselors. This study surveyed pediatric genetic counselors to assess their current practices and thoughts about the diagnostic odyssey. This was assessed utilizing a questionnaire, which included both multiple choice and short answer questions. We identified current genetic counseling practices including communication methods and resources provided to patients. Counselors reported a possible need to share the responsibility of communication with their patients and a lack of resources specific to patients on the diagnostic odyssey. Genetic counselors also reported feeling personally impacted by patients on the diagnostic odyssey, and described the positive and negative feelings they experience, in addition to strategies to cope with their frustrations. In conclusion, the diagnostic odyssey is a complex process for patients, and similarly challenging for the counselors who are involved in the patients’ care. Genetic counselors have an opportunity to provide additional support, resources, and hope to families during the diagnostic odyssey, although these roles may not be strictly defined in the counselors’ responsibilities

The Development of eServices in an Enlarged EU: eGovernment and eHealth in Poland

In 2005, IPTS launched a project which aimed to assess the developments in eGoverment, eHealth and eLearning in the 10 New Member States at national, and at cross-country level. At that time, the 10 New Member States were Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. A report for each country was produced, describing its government and health systems and the role played by eGovernment and eHealth within these systems. Each report then analyzes, on the basis of desk research and expert interviews, the major achievements, shortcomings, drivers and barriers in the development of eGovernment and eHealth in one of the countries in question. This analysis provides the basis for the identification and discussion of national policy options to address the major challenges and to suggest R&D issues relevant to the needs of each country ¿ in this case, Poland. In addition to national monographs, the project has delivered a synthesis report, which offers an integrated view of the developments of each application domain in the New Member States. Furthermore, a prospective report looking across and beyond the development of the eGoverment, eHealth and eLearning areas has been developed to summarize policy challenges and options for the development of eServices and the Information Society towards the goals of Lisbon and i2010.JRC.J.4-Information Societ