Patent Licensing and the Research University

We construct a dynamic model of university research that allows us to examine recent concerns that financial incentives associated with university patent licensing are detrimental to the traditional mission of US research universities. We assume a principal-agent framework in which the university administration is the principal and a faculty researcher is the agent. Whether or not the researcher remains in the university, and if so her choice of the amount of time to spend on basic and applied research, is complicated by the fact that she earns license income and prestige both inside and outside the university. Thus in contrast to usual principal agent models the participation constraint is endogenous. This, plus the fact that current research affects future knowledge stocks, allows us to show that it is far from obvious that licensing will damage basic research and education.

Smuggling, Camouflaging, and Market Structure

We examine how market structure and enforcement affect smuggling and welfare in a model where smuggling is camouflaged by legal sales. Conditions are given for when some, but not necessarily all, firms smuggle. With camouflaging, the market price is below the price when all sales are legal, so smuggling improves welfare if the price effect outweighs excess smuggling cost. This welfare effect is directly related to the degree of competition. Increased enforcement in this model potentially reduces welfare. The model is shown to be consistent with evidence on cigarette smuggling in the United States for 1975-1982.

Honeycomb lattice polygons and walks as a test of series analysis techniques

We have calculated long series expansions for self-avoiding walks and polygons on the honeycomb lattice, including series for metric properties such as mean-squared radius of gyration as well as series for moments of the area-distribution for polygons. Analysis of the series yields accurate estimates for the connective constant, critical exponents and amplitudes of honeycomb self-avoiding walks and polygons. The results from the numerical analysis agree to a high degree of accuracy with theoretical predictions for these quantities.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, jpconf style files. Presented at the conference "Counting Complexity: An international workshop on statistical mechanics and combinatorics." In celebration of Prof. Tony Guttmann's 60th birthda

The Disclosure and Licensing of University Inventions

We examine the interplay of the three major university actors in technology transfer from universities to industry: the faculty, the technology transfer office (TTO), and the central administration. We model the faculty as an agent of the administration, and the TTO as an agent of both the faculty and the administration. Empirical tests of the theory are based on evidence from our survey of 62 US research universities. We find that the TTOs reported licensing objectives are influenced by their views of faculty and administration, which supports the assumption that the TTO is a dual agent. The theory yields predictions for whether or not faculty disclose inventions and if so, at what stage, which in turn affects license contract terms. We also examine how the portion of inventions disclosed at different stages varies with faculty quality. Quality is found to be inversely related to the share of license income allotted to faculty.

Self-avoiding walks and polygons on the triangular lattice

We use new algorithms, based on the finite lattice method of series expansion, to extend the enumeration of self-avoiding walks and polygons on the triangular lattice to length 40 and 60, respectively. For self-avoiding walks to length 40 we also calculate series for the metric properties of mean-square end-to-end distance, mean-square radius of gyration and the mean-square distance of a monomer from the end points. For self-avoiding polygons to length 58 we calculate series for the mean-square radius of gyration and the first 10 moments of the area. Analysis of the series yields accurate estimates for the connective constant of triangular self-avoiding walks, $\mu=4.150797226(26)$, and confirms to a high degree of accuracy several theoretical predictions for universal critical exponents and amplitude combinations.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure

Scaling function and universal amplitude combinations for self-avoiding polygons

We analyze new data for self-avoiding polygons, on the square and triangular lattices, enumerated by both perimeter and area, providing evidence that the scaling function is the logarithm of an Airy function. The results imply universal amplitude combinations for all area moments and suggest that rooted self-avoiding polygons may satisfy a $q$-algebraic functional equation.Comment: 9 page

Parasites of Sheep and the Plasma Pepsinogen Test for Hypobiotic Larvae

Parasite studies were performed on two different flocks of sheep representing different management practices. In a drylot flock of 60 lambs, analysis of fecal samples for worm eggs indicated virtual absence of worms, which was confirmed by necropsy of five lambs. In sharp contrast, studies on a pasture flock of 48 lambs revealed heavy infestations with nematodes and cestodes. Half of this flock were treated with Ivomec, and half were untreated controls. Weight records at monthly intervals showed a significant difference in rate of gain by treated lambs over the controls. Necropsy of 15 lambs confirmed that the twisted stomach worm, Haemonchus contortus, was the primary parasite. This trichostrongylid nematode is particularly inJurious because, when the infective third stage larvae (L3) are ingested with herbage, they burrow into abomasal glands and become fourth stage (L4) larvae, causing impairment in gland function. Furthermore, during the winter the L4 larvae become dormant or hypobiotic in the glands and then emerge during the spring to produce new infections with adult worms. From the flock of 48 sheep, two treated and two control ewes were selected for the plasma pepsinogen test to determine the presence of hypobiotic larvae during the winter. The critical portion of this test is the measurement of tyrosine in the blood. At least 1500 milliunits of tyrosine are indicative of hypobiotic L4 larvae. We observed levels as high as 1900 milliunits in control ewes. The ewes had very low Haemonchus egg counts during the winter, which was to be expected, since larvae do not produce eggs. But by May 1, large numbers of trichostrongylid eggs appeared in fecal samples, illustrating the phenomenon of spring rise, when overwintering larvae emerge from abomasal glands and develop into egg-laying adults. This allows reseeding of the pasture with nematode eggs. Thus, we demonstrated that the plasma pepsinogen test can be used as an indicator of hibernating L4 larvae which are a potential source for parasitizing the entire flock of sheep in the spring

Scaling prediction for self-avoiding polygons revisited

We analyse new exact enumeration data for self-avoiding polygons, counted by perimeter and area on the square, triangular and hexagonal lattices. In extending earlier analyses, we focus on the perimeter moments in the vicinity of the bicritical point. We also consider the shape of the critical curve near the bicritical point, which describes the crossover to the branched polymer phase. Our recently conjectured expression for the scaling function of rooted self-avoiding polygons is further supported. For (unrooted) self-avoiding polygons, the analysis reveals the presence of an additional additive term with a new universal amplitude. We conjecture the exact value of this amplitude.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure