Best Practices of Creating Innovation Exchange Web Portals Across the States

Since their initial development in the late 1990s, expert web portals have been an evolving tool for universities, systems of higher education, and economic development organizations. The web portals are searchable, web-based databases of university scholars and researchers that feature, at a minimum, information on their expertise, innovation products and publications. Many of the portals are growing to include information on universities’ physical assets and equipment, regional strengths, and additional services such as networking and analytical tools for research. Although these searchable databases have proven useful in helping economic development leaders, government, research colleagues, and internal university staff, their role in generating industry-university collaboration is disputable. Recently, more demonstrable and tangible results of deploying innovation and building partnerships from these portals are becoming a sought-after objective for funders and stakeholders. However, none of the portals’ administrative teams have been able to specifically measure the impact of interaction generated via the portal on industry or the regional economy at large. Developing and sustaining these tools is costly and time consuming; instead, many stakeholders involved deem them a necessary public good – a “non-rivalrous and non-excludable” knowledge resource that everyone can consume with no restrictions. Therefore, evaluation of the return on investment of these portals has been largely ignored by involved parties. This, along with the cost of developing and maintaining such portals, serves as a growing obstacle to sustaining them. It has been argued that unless these portals are specifically designed with industry in mind, they do very little for commercial users. This report is a summary of the results of a study assessing best practices and challenges facing existing web portals created to promote university resources to a broader audience. It intends to inform interested parties in Ohio about the ecosystems that surround existing web portals in other states. The report analyzes ecologies of existing web portals in other states, addresses the role of “super users” (i.e. organizations that can reach industry users, such as economic development agencies) play in enhancing the successful utilization of a web portal, and considers sustainable funding and training mechanisms surrounding existing web portals. This study was conducted by researchers from the Center for Economic Development at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. The research was funded by the Ohio Manufacturing Institute of Ohio State University through an Ohio Development Services Agency grant and with input from the Ohio Department of Higher Education Ohio Innovation Exchange industry engagement team. The study is based on a review of the latest academic literature concerning university-industry relationships, applied and technical reports provided by relevant web portals, and extensive interviews with selected portals’ managing teams. Additionally, the report provides a methodology, summarizes lessons learned, and illustrates a detailed description of seven web portals: Florida ExpertNet, Michigan MCRN, New York FuzeHub, North Carolina ReachNC, Texas InFluuent, Arizona Experts, and University of California’s Technology Transfer. The report concludes with recommendations for developing Innovation Exchange Hub in Ohio and Appendices detailing the literature review

Inside the Margins: A Cleveland Literature Industry Study

Writing—humans documenting our history in the form of the “written word”—has been one of the largest transitive forces through time. The act of becoming an author, however—of moving away from the mere transcription of events to becoming the voice and translator of events—has changed how we examine ourselves, society, and life. Most of us remember the first novel that drew us into its story, thus changing how we looked out at the world, contributing to our emotional acumen, enriching our overall intelligence, and giving us a new perspective on our view of life. This is the joy felt by writers—to craft and tell unique stories that readers dive into. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian psychologist and scholar, elaborated on the love writers have for developing their own craft of words and language in his book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. “They [literary artists] know that the power of words depends on how they are used; so they enjoy playing with them, stretching their meanings, stringing them in novel combinations and polishing them until they shine”. This study goes beyond literary arts and investigates the quantitative and qualitative value these storytellers have on us personally and on our economy as a whole. This study uses an occupational research framework to examine the effect of the Cleveland Literature Sector on the economy of Cuyahoga County. With the exception of jobs in Cleveland’s small presses, newsrooms, college English departments, communications and marketing firms, and magazine publishing houses, literary artists’ work often is as an independent contractor and is missing from or overlooked in much of federally collected economic data. Furthermore, many industries not focused solely on writing employ creative writers or authors of literature. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this study examines the occupations associated with the Cleveland Literature Sector and crosswalks them back to industries, analyzing how the local literature community in Cuyahoga County navigates industry-wide changes based on technological innovation and new consumption patterns, assessing the strengths and challenges of the literature sector, and quantitatively determining the economic impact of the sector on the regional economy

Inside the Margins: A Cleveland Literature Industry Study

Writing—humans documenting our history in the form of the “written word”—has been one of the largest transitive forces through time. The act of becoming an author, however—of moving away from the mere transcription of events to becoming the voice and translator of events—has changed how we examine ourselves, society, and life. Most of us remember the first novel that drew us into its story, thus changing how we looked out at the world, contributing to our emotional acumen, enriching our overall intelligence, and giving us a new perspective on our view of life. This is the joy felt by writers—to craft and tell unique stories that readers dive into. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian psychologist and scholar, elaborated on the love writers have for developing their own craft of words and language in his book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. “They [literary artists] know that the power of words depends on how they are used; so they enjoy playing with them, stretching their meanings, stringing them in novel combinations and polishing them until they shine”. This study goes beyond literary arts and investigates the quantitative and qualitative value these storytellers have on us personally and on our economy as a whole. This study uses an occupational research framework to examine the effect of the Cleveland Literature Sector on the economy of Cuyahoga County. With the exception of jobs in Cleveland’s small presses, newsrooms, college English departments, communications and marketing firms, and magazine publishing houses, literary artists’ work often is as an independent contractor and is missing from or overlooked in much of federally collected economic data. Furthermore, many industries not focused solely on writing employ creative writers or authors of literature. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this study examines the occupations associated with the Cleveland Literature Sector and crosswalks them back to industries, analyzing how the local literature community in Cuyahoga County navigates industry-wide changes based on technological innovation and new consumption patterns, assessing the strengths and challenges of the literature sector, and quantitatively determining the economic impact of the sector on the regional economy

Staging Cleveland: A Theater Industry Study

The impact of theater is traditionally discussed in the emotion someone feels from seeing a live show on stage or the nostalgia of remembering the experience of seeing one’s favorite movie come to life for the first time. Theaters are one of a city’s most beautiful treasures, often constructed with high levels of architectural appeal which can take audiences out of their normal life and lead them into the world of the performance. However, besides beautiful buildings and fond memories, what is the impact of the theater sector on a region? This study uses a quantitative framework to examine the economic impact of the theater industry in Cuyahoga County. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this study examines the occupations and businesses associated with the Cleveland theater sector, analyzes the landscape of theaters in Cuyahoga County, investigates the strengths and challenges of the sector, and quantitatively determines the economic impact of the sector. “If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain\u27t been in vain for nothin\u27.” ― Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Singin’ in the Rai

Responsiveness of the Liverpool Elbow Score in elbow arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Responsiveness and floor and ceiling effect are important parameters for evaluating the sensitivity of an outcome instrument in detecting the changes in the clinical condition of patients after an intervention as well as evaluating the content validity of the instrument. The aim of this prospective observational study was to assess these parameters for the Liverpool Elbow Score (LES) in total elbow replacement (TER). METHODS The study included 121 cemented TER cases with linked elbow prosthesis (Discovery Elbow, Biomet Orthopaedics, Swindon, UK) for various conditions, including inflammatory arthritis, noninflammatory arthritis, trauma, and loosening. The proportion of patients with the lowest score (0 points; floor effect) and maximum score (10 points; ceiling effect) was checked preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Distribution-based methods (effect size [ES], standardized response mean [SRM], Guyatt responsiveness ratio [GRR]) and anchor-based methods (receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve and Spearman correlation coefficient) were used to assess responsiveness. Patient satisfaction after TER was used as an external anchor. RESULTS Patients were a mean age of 63 years (range, 20-86 years). Large ES (1.64), SRM (1.25), and GRR (1.69) were found during the follow-up period. Area under the ROC curve was 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.87; P = .03). There was significant positive correlation (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.35; P = .004) between changes in LES and satisfaction level. LES showed no floor and ceiling effect preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. CONCLUSION LES is a responsive measure and has no floor and ceiling effect. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE This encourages its use as an outcome instrument for TER. Basic Science Study, Development or Validation of Outcome Instruments

AtAMT1;4, a Pollen-Specific High-Affinity Ammonium Transporter of the Plasma Membrane in Arabidopsis

Pollen represents an important nitrogen sink in flowers to ensure pollen viability. Since pollen cells are symplasmically isolated during maturation and germination, membrane transporters are required for nitrogen import across the pollen plasma membrane. This study describes the characterization of the ammonium transporter AtAMT1;4, a so far uncharacterized member of the Arabidopsis AMT1 family, which is suggested to be involved in transporting ammonium into pollen. The AtAMT1;4 gene encodes a functional ammonium transporter when heterologously expressed in yeast or when overexpressed in Arabidopsis roots. Concentration-dependent analysis of 15N-labeled ammonium influx into roots of AtAMT1;4-transformed plants allowed characterization of AtAMT1;4 as a high-affinity transporter with a Km of 17 μM. RNA and protein gel blot analysis showed expression of AtAMT1;4 in flowers, and promoter–gene fusions to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) further defined its exclusive expression in pollen grains and pollen tubes. The AtAMT1;4 protein appeared to be localized to the plasma membrane as indicated by protein gel blot analysis of plasma membrane-enriched membrane fractions and by visualization of GFP-tagged AtAMT1;4 protein in pollen grains and pollen tubes. However, no phenotype related to pollen function could be observed in a transposon-tagged line, in which AtAMT1;4 expression is disrupted. These results suggest that AtAMT1;4 mediates ammonium uptake across the plasma membrane of pollen to contribute to nitrogen nutrition of pollen via ammonium uptake or retrieval

Expert consensus document: A 'diamond' approach to personalized treatment of angina.

In clinical guidelines, drugs for symptomatic angina are classified as being first choice (β-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, short-acting nitrates) or second choice (ivabradine, nicorandil, ranolazine, trimetazidine), with the recommendation to reserve second-choice medications for patients who have contraindications to first-choice agents, do not tolerate them, or remain symptomatic. No direct comparisons between first-choice and second-choice treatments have demonstrated the superiority of one group of drugs over the other. Meta-analyses show that all antianginal drugs have similar efficacy in reducing symptoms, but provide no evidence for improvement in survival. The newer, second-choice drugs have more evidence-based clinical data that are more contemporary than is available for traditional first-choice drugs. Considering some drugs, but not others, to be first choice is, therefore, difficult. Moreover, double or triple therapy is often needed to control angina. Patients with angina can have several comorbidities, and symptoms can result from various underlying pathophysiologies. Some agents, in addition to having antianginal effects, have properties that could be useful depending on the comorbidities present and the mechanisms of angina, but the guidelines do not provide recommendations on the optimal combinations of drugs. In this Consensus Statement, we propose an individualized approach to angina treatment, which takes into consideration the patient, their comorbidities, and the underlying mechanism of disease

An Integrated Framework for Intersectorality: Nonprofitness and Its Influence on Society and Public Administration Programs

Cross-sector interactions have long occurred in the public delivery of goods, services, and interests. While scholars have often addressed cross-sector interactions using the dimensions of publicness (state) and privateness (market), an intersectoral framework necessitates the understanding and incorporation of nonprofitness to account for the dimensions of nonprofits along the public-private continuum. This article proposes a framework for identifying the dimensions of nonprofits in an intersectoral world and draws on relevant examples to illustrate the presence and influence of nonprofitness. The article then focuses on the future of education in the field of public administration and, in light of the proposed framework, makes and considers recommendations to help educational programs better equip students to appreciate work across sectors

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms