Universities and the Success of Entrepreneurial Ventures: Evidence from the Small Business Innovation Research Program

There has been little direct, systematic empirical analysis of the role that universities play in enhancing the success of entrepreneurial ventures. We attempt to fill this gap by analyzing data from the SBIR program, a set-aside program that requires key federal agencies (e.g., Department of Defense) to allocate 2.5 percent of their research budget to small firms that attempt to commercialize new technologies. Based on estimation of Tobit and negative binomial regressions of the determinants of commercial success, we find that start-ups with closer ties to universities achieve higher levels of performance.

Addressing Fundamentalism by Legal and Spiritual Means

A review of: Religion and Humane Global Governance by Richard A. Falk. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 191 pp. Gender and Human Rights in Islam and International Law: Equal before Allah, Unequal before Man? by Shaheen Sardar Ali. The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 2000. 358 pp. Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights of Women edited by Courtney W. Howland. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. 326 pp. The Islamic Quest for Democracy, Pluralism, and Human Rights by Ahmad S. Moussalli. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2001. 226 pp

Regulation of Immunological Pathways by MicroRNAs in Health and Disease

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding, single stranded RNA molecules (19-24 nucleotides in length) that influence mRNA or protein levels by promoting either mRNA degradation or by preventing protein translation. In silico target prediction has revealed that they might regulate more than two thirds of human genes therefore playing an important role in physiological as well as pathophysiological processes (Ambros 2004; Lim, Lau et al. 2005). As such miRNAs have been identified as mediators of biological processes such as inflammation, angiogenesis, mitochondrial metabolism, cardiac and skeletal muscle contractile force generation and muscle hypertrophy and are suggested to play a significant role in exercise immunology by influenceing important immunological pathways such as the Nf-κB or the TGF-β signaling pathways (Wessner, Gryadunov-Masutti et al. 2010; Bronevetsky and Ansel 2013) Besides their functional role within cells, significant levels of miRNAs were detected in serum and other body fluids such as plasma, saliva, and urine. In serum they are remarkably stable due to their association with RNA-binding proteins, exosomes or HDL. Given this stability and the fact that the expressions of certain miRNAs are linked to specific tissues, expectations for the use of circulating miRNA as non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic appraisal of diseases such as cancer, cardiac failure, diabetes mellitus, acute hepatitis but also inflammageing and muscle damage after intense exercise are raised (Olivieri, Spazzafumo et al. 2012; Weiland, Gao et al. 2012) References: Ambros, V. (2004). The functions of animal microRNAs. Nature 431(7006): 350-355. Bronevetsky, Y. and K. M. Ansel (2013). Regulation of miRNA biogenesis and turnover in the immune system. Immunol Rev 253(1): 304-316. Lim, L. P., N. C. Lau, et al. (2005). Microarray analysis shows that some microRNAs downregulate large numbers of target mRNAs. Nature 433(7027): 769-773. Olivieri, F., L. Spazzafumo, et al. (2012). Age-related differences in the expression of circulating microRNAs: miR-21 as a new circulating marker of inflammaging. Mech Ageing Dev 133(11-12): 675-685. Weiland, M., X. H. Gao, et al. (2012). Small RNAs have a large impact: circulating microRNAs as biomarkers for human diseases. RNA Biol 9(6): 850-859. Wessner, B., L. Gryadunov-Masutti, et al. (2010). Is there a role for microRNAs in exercise immunology? A synopsis of current literature and future developments. Exerc Immunol Rev 16: 22-39

The Impact of Stress on Pain and Daily Living in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition that is characterized by widespread pain, which occurs in about 2 of the population, and impacts more women than men. This study sought to: 1) determine if stress, pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily living predict if FM patients are likely to complete the pain rehabilitation program 2) Explore the interrelationship between stress, pain intensity, gender, and the interference of pain in daily living at admission and discharge. This study examined 142 FM patients admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program (CPRP) from January 2007-August 2010 (84.5 female). Logistic regression results suggest the higher the FM patients stress score, the more likely they are to drop out of the pain rehabilitation program, and the higher the FM patients pain intensity the more likely they are to complete the pain rehabilitation program. The interference of pain in daily living was not a significant predictor. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results suggest there were no significant difference in gender in FM patients\u27 scores on stress, pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily living at admission or discharge. SEM Results also indicated stress has a moderately positive relationship to pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily living at admission and discharge in FM patients. It appears while patients with FM can benefit from treatment in a comprehensive CPRP, FM patients with high levels of stress may benefit from additional stress reduction techniques to help control their levels of stress, pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily livin

The Impact of Stress on Pain and Daily Living in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition that is characterized by widespread pain, which occurs in about 2 of the population, and impacts more women than men. This study sought to: 1) determine if stress, pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily living predict if FM patients are likely to complete the pain rehabilitation program 2) Explore the interrelationship between stress, pain intensity, gender, and the interference of pain in daily living at admission and discharge. This study examined 142 FM patients admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program (CPRP) from January 2007-August 2010 (84.5 female). Logistic regression results suggest the higher the FM patients stress score, the more likely they are to drop out of the pain rehabilitation program, and the higher the FM patients pain intensity the more likely they are to complete the pain rehabilitation program. The interference of pain in daily living was not a significant predictor. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results suggest there were no significant difference in gender in FM patients\u27 scores on stress, pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily living at admission or discharge. SEM Results also indicated stress has a moderately positive relationship to pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily living at admission and discharge in FM patients. It appears while patients with FM can benefit from treatment in a comprehensive CPRP, FM patients with high levels of stress may benefit from additional stress reduction techniques to help control their levels of stress, pain intensity, and the interference of pain in daily livin

Last Chance to Care: An Autoethnography of End-of-Life Care in Indonesia

In Australia, palliative care is an accepted and expected part of contemporary health care service provision. Efficacious palliative care focusses on managing pain and symptoms and making the patient as comfortable as possible (World Health Organization Definition of Palliative Care (WHO, 2010). As well, palliative care focusses on the spiritual and psycho-social dimensions of life (Martina, 2017), providing the opportunity for the patient and their family to continue to be engaged with life and self-determined decision making throughout palliation. In this account, utilizing the qualitative research method of autoethnography the Australian author describes her experience of caring for her Indonesian father-in-law in the last week of his life. She explores emerging tensions associated with local end-of-life care and Western care which trigger deeper feelings associated with losing a loved one, complicated by the recent and sudden loss of her own parents. Narration is a powerful tool for capturing the verisimilitude of everyday experiences, evoking in the reader a powerful resonance into a very personal inner life which is often not spoken about in academic texts. This account, a cultural story of dying in East Java, Indonesia, also provides insight into the author’s expectations, as an Australian and concludes with some reflections about the emerging position of palliative care services in Indonesia

Electrical Engineering Medium Voltage Protection and Coordination

This presentation covers the basics of the medium voltage electrical system on the Kennedy Space Center. The material will include the process of selective coordination between protective devices and the analysis of a fault that occurred in the electrical system. I will discuss the most common causes of faults found and how the system reacts to the faults at different locations in the subsystem. Explain the importance of the sensitivity and coordination between the devices to protect the equipment it is supplying

Maternal deployment and maternal resilience: effects on parenting stress and resilience building strategies for children

Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, more than 170,000 mothers have experienced a military deployment. A mother\u27s deployment can have significant effects on a child\u27s mental, physical, and socio-emotional well-being (Ginsburg, 2011), so many military children are at increased risk for poor developmental outcomes. Family-resilience literature suggests, however, that with appropriate support, children can cope with such adverse experiences and end the deployment cycle with a positive outcome. The aim of this paper is to further understand the development of resilience in military children whose mothers have deployed, with emphasis on the resilience-promoting behaviors of such mothers with respect to their children. The overall results of the study indicate that a causal relationship may be established between maternal stress levels and internal stress levels. The study suggests that lower levels of maternal stress after deployment are related to higher intrinsic levels of inner resilience

Monitoring Progression of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Using Photoacoustics and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound.

Breast cancer is the leading form of cancer in women, accounting for approximately 41,400 deaths in 2018. While a variety of risk factors have been identified, physical exercise has been linked to reducing both the risk and aggressiveness of breast cancer. Within breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a common finding. However, less than 25% of DCIS tumors actually progress into invasive breast cancer, resulting in overtreatment. This overtreatment is due to a lack of predictive precursors to assess aggressiveness and development of DCIS. We hypothesize that tissue oxygenation and perfusion measured by photoacoustic and contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, respectively, can predict DCIS aggressiveness. To test this, 20 FVB/NJ and 20 SV40Tag mice that genetically develop DCIS-like breast cancers were divided evenly into exercise and control groups and imaged over the course of 6 weeks. Tissue oxygenation was a predictive precursor to invasive breast cancer for FVB/NJ mice (P = 0.015) in the early stages of tumor development. Meanwhile, perfusion results were inconclusive (P \u3e 0.2) as a marker for disease progression. Moreover, voluntary physical exercise resulted in lower weekly tumor growth and significantly improved median survival (P = 0.014)