Patent Analysis for the Formulation of Technology Policy: Evidence from 4G LTE Industry

Policy-makers seek a more rigorous method of selecting potentially successful technologies to fulfil the requirements of different stakeholders. Patent analysis should be able to assist policy-makers in (1) understanding the development trajectory of technologies and monitoring the status of technological development to gain a dynamic view of the current competition situation; (2) applying the concept of relative patent advantage (RPA) to grasp the comparative advantages or disadvantages of specific technology domains in each nation; and (3) combining the patent data and multivariate methods of analysis to clarify the current state of an industry’s leading technologies. With the goal of combining the methods of patent data analysis and multivariate analysis, we assess the 4G LTE techniques and explore the comparative technological advantages of Top 10 countries with most patents. This study aims to provide suggestions to serve as an important reference for each nation in formulating its future technology policies

Cryopreservation of Orchid Genetic Resources by Desiccation: A Case Study of Bletilla formosana

Many native orchid populations declined yearly due to economic development and climate change. This resulted in some wild orchids being threatened. In order to maintain the orchid genetic resources, development of proper methods for the long‐term preservation is urgent. Low temperature or dry storage methods for the preservation of orchid genetic resources have been implemented but are not effective in maintaining high viability of certain orchids for long periods. Cryopreservation is one of the most acceptable methods for long‐term conservation of plant germplasm. Orchid seeds and pollens are ideal materials for long‐term preservation (seed banking) in liquid nitrogen (LN) as the seeds and pollens are minute, enabling the storage of many hundreds of thousands of seeds or pollens in a small vial, and as most species germinate readily, making the technique very economical. This article describes cryopreservation of orchid genetic resources by desiccation and a case study of Bletilla formosana. We hope to provide a more practical potential cryopreservation method for future research needs

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Effects of Fertilizer Formulae and Invariable and Gradational Nutrition Management on the Flowering of Doritaenopsis I-Hsin Madame

臺灣蘭花生產者，慣用低氮高磷比例肥料 (10N-30P2O5-20K2O)，調配營養液以管理朵麗蝶蘭之開花生長。據前人報導，鉀充裕情況下，提高養液磷濃度對蝴蝶蘭抽梗及開花並無顯著助益，而適當提高養液氮濃度將有益開花。因此，本研究以不同氮磷比例肥料配方，採固定營養管理 (invariable nutrition management)試驗或分期營養管理 (gradational nutrition management) 試驗，探討不同肥料處理對紅花朵麗蝶蘭花梗誘導及花梗花序發育之影響。結果顯示固定營養管理下，灌溉水及5N-20P2O5-20K2O (代號分別為IR 及5-20-20) 之處理對植株初期之花梗誘導率最高， 而5-20-20 處理植株之花梗長度最長。另外， 10N-30P2O5-20K2O 及20N-20P2O5-20K2O (代號分別為10-30-20 及20-20-20)處理植株，花苞開放所需時間顯著長於IR 及5-20-20 之處理。肥料鉀比例相同，提高氮比例，有利於植株花梗萌發後之生長、提高側生花序發生率、促進晚抽花梗萌發及增加植株總花數。但是，氮比例最高之30N-10P2O5-20K2O (代號為30-10-20) 處理，其花朵寬度則減小。適當增加氮至50 mg•L-1，雖可提高植株總花朵鮮乾重。但是，再增加氮至100-300 mg•L-1，對提高植株總花朵鮮乾重，效果有限。相較於固定營養管理，分期營養管理的給肥模式可促進植株催花前期之抽梗率及花梗生長速率，進而縮短10-30-20 及20-20-20 兩處理植株花苞開放所需時間。 A compound fertilizer (10N-30P2O5-20K2O) is commonly used by growers to manipulate the flowering of Doritaenopsis. However, previous reports showed that an increase in P application did not stimulate spike induction and flowering of Phalaenopsis when K application was sufficient, whereas an increase in N application promoted flowering. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of the fertilizer formulae with invariable or gradational nutrition management on the flowering of Dtps. I-Hsin Madame. The irrigation water without fertilizer and 5N-20P2O5-20K2O treatments resulted in the highest emergence rate of earlier spikes in the invariable nutrition management, while the plants with 5-20-20 treatment had the longest earlier spikes. The plants in the 10-30-20 and 20-20-20 treatments took longer to anthesis than those in water only and 5-20-20 treatments. Under the same level of K conditions, higher N increased the emergence and growth of flowering spikes, the lateral inflorescence, and the total flower number. However, the 30-10-20 treatment decreased the flower width. Appropriate supply of N at 50 mg•L-1 increased the fresh and dry weights of flowers, but a further increase in N to 100-300 mg•L-1 was not effective. As compared with the invariable nutrition management, the plants had higher spike emergence rate and faster growth rate of flowering spikes in the gradational nutrition management, and the plants with 10-20-20 and 20-20-20 treatments had an earlier anthesis

Effect of capsule maturity and desiccation time on viability of Taiwan native orchid, Bletilla formosana seeds (Orchidaceae) after cryopreservation

Desiccation method has been successfully applied to the cryopreservation of Bletilla formosana seeds (Orchidaceae). This study investigated the effects of capsule maturity and desiccation time on the viability of B. formosana seeds after cryopreservation. Seeds with various degrees of maturity (60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and 110 days after pollination; DAP) were used as the test samples and dried for 0 and 24 h prior to cryopreservation. The results demonstrated that the germination percentage of the 110 DAP seeds with 24 h desiccation pretreatment was the highest (96.7%). The 110 DAP seeds were then used to further test the effects of various desiccation time (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h) on the viability of the seeds after cryopreservation. The results demonstrated that when seeds were dried for 4-24 h prior to preservation, the water content was reduced to 10.8-0.6% (w/w), and the germination percentage (86.7-95.5%) were significant difference higher than un-desiccation treatment after cryopreservation and thawing to room temperature. The seeds of B. formosana were highly tolerant to desiccation, thus, they should be orthodox seeds and are suitable for long-term storage through cryopreservation

Cryopreservation of Bletilla formosana seeds (Orchidaceae) by desiccation

The development of a long-term conservation method is crucial for orchid germplasm preservation and the orchid industry in general. Mature Bletilla formosana (Hayata) Schltr. capsules were harvested 3 months after pollination (3MAP) and used as cryopreservation materials. Water content of freshly harvested seeds was initially high (49.5%) before decreasing significantly within 1–4 h, and stabilizing 1 d (1.9%) after silica gel desiccation. The viability and seed germination rates of fresh seeds were 89.9% and 76.8%, respectively. The viability and germination rates of untreated fresh seeds placed directly into liquid nitrogen (LN) for cryopreservation decreased to 2.3% and 1.8%, respectively. However, the viability and germination rates of fresh seeds desiccated by silica gel for 24 h prior to cryopreservation were 86.8% and 68.5%, respectively, and those desiccated by air-drying for 24 h at room temperature were 84.9% and 68.6%, respectively. The pretreatment of B. formosana seeds in a sucrose solution and vitrification prior to being placed into LN was found to be unsuitable for cryopreservaton. The water content of seeds with air-dried for 24 h (24.8%) was close to those that were dried with silica gel for 1–2 h (21.9–31.2%). Both desiccation methods are recommended for long-term storage of B. formosana. Fresh harvested seeds of B. formosana can be desiccated for 2 h by silica gel or air-drying for 24 h in laboratory conditions prior to cryopreservation as a practical desiccation method for the long-term conservation of orchid seeds. In addition, B. formosana seeds with 1.9–24.8% water content were found to be suitable for cryopreservation

Diagnostic accuracy of the CAM-ICU and ICDSC in detecting intensive care unit delirium: A bivariate meta-analysis

Background Delirium is a critical and highly prevalent problem among critically ill patients. The Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) are the most recommended assessment tools for detecting intensive care unit (ICU) delirium. Objectives To synthesize the current evidence and compared the diagnostic accuracy of the two tools in the detection of delirium in adults in ICUs. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data source A comprehensive search of the following electronic databases was performed using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I. The date range searched was from database inception to April 26, 2019. Review methods Two researchers independently identified articles, systematically abstracted data and evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the CAM-ICU or the ICDSC against standard references. Bivariate diagnostic statistical analysis with a random-effects model was performed to summarize the pooled sensitivity and specificity of the two tools. Results In total, 29 CAM-ICU and 12 ICDSC studies were identified. The pooled sensitivity was 0.84 and 0.83 and pooled specificity was 0.95 and 0.87 for the CAM-ICU and the ICDSC, respectively. The CAM-ICU had higher summary specificity than the ICDSC did (p = 0.04). The percentage of hypoactive delirium, ICU type, use of mechanical ventilation, number of participants, and female percentage moderated the accuracy of the tools. Most of the domains of patient selection, index test, reference standards, and flow and timing were rated as having a low or unclear risk of bias. Conclusions Although both the CAM-ICU and the ICDSC are accurate assessment tools for screening delirium in critically ill patients, the CAM-ICU is superior in ruling out patients without ICU delirium and detecting delirium in patients in the medical ICU and those receiving mechanical ventilation. Further investigations are warranted to validate our findings

Fusion-based cooperative support identification for compressive networked sensing

This paper proposes a fusion-based cooperative support identification scheme for distributed compressive sparse signal recovery via resource-constrained wireless sensor net- works. The proposed support identification protocol involves: (i) local sparse sensing for economizing data gathering and storage, (ii) local binary decision making for partial support knowledge inference, (iii) binary information exchange among active nodes, and (iv) binary data aggregation for support estimation. Then, with the aid of the estimated signal support, a refined local decision is made at each node. Only the measurements of those informative nodes will be sent to the fusion center, which employs a weighted l_1-minimization for global signal reconstruction. The design of a Bayesian local decision rule is discussed, and the average communication cost is analyzed. Computer simulations are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme

Effects of Nitrogen Concentration on Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Anthurium andraeanum Lind. Cultivated in Coir under Different Seasonal Conditions

Coir is used around the world as a cultivation medium for plants; its commercial popularity is the result of its availability, low cost, and environmentally friendly characteristics. It is used as a medium in the hydroponic cultivation of Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum Lind.) in Taiwan and is a new source for cut flower production around the world. Little is known about the nutrient requirements of Anthurium cultivated in coir under fluctuating climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influences of various nitrogen (N) concentrations on the growth and nutrient uptake of Anthurium cultivated in coir under different seasonal conditions. Four levels of N concentration in nutrient solution were used: 79 mg.L-1 (NS79 treatment), 105 mg.L-1 (NS105 treatment), 158 mg.L-1 (NS158 treatment), and 210 mg.L-1 (NS210 treatment) with NS105 serving as the control. The effects of N concentration and seasonal fluctuations on Anthurium were measured in dry weight, leaf growth, flower growth, and nutrient uptake at different growth stages during the 2-year study period. The results show that the dry weight, leaf area, and flower number were higher in plants receiving NS105 and NS158 treatments than those receiving NS79 and NS210 treatments. However, the NS158-treated plants produced better quality cut flowers than the NS105-treated plants in the first year of cultivation as indicated by their wider, circular spathe. Retarded growth of NS79-treated Anthurium was the product of insufficient N supply and reduced carbon (C) assimilation. The excess supply of N in the NS210 treatment resulted in small potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) uptakes, which in turn resulted in poor growth in the second year of cultivation. However, the nutrient supplies in the NS158 and NS210 treatments yielded better Anthurium growth during the initial stage than the NS79- or NS105-treated groups. Regardless of plant growth, flower yield, and nutrient uptake, there were significant interactions between N treatments and seasonal fluctuations in subtropical conditions during year-round cultivation. We concluded that the limiting factor in Anthurium growth and yield during the spring and summer is the N supply, whereas climate conditions are the limiting factor during the fall and winter