Licensing and Patent Protection

We show the impact of technology licensing on optimal patent policy. Strong patent protection that eliminates imitation may not be the equilibrium outcome in the presence of licensing. Depending on the cost of innovation, licensing may either increase or reduce the strength of the patent protection.Patent protection; Technology licensing; Welfare

Technology licensing in a differentiated oligopoly

We show the effects of product differentiation and competition on technology licensing by an outside innovator. Both the innovator and the society are better off under royalty licensing compared to auction (or fixed-fee) if the number of potential licensees is sufficiently large, irrespective of Cournot and Bertrand competition. We find that the relationship between product differentiation and the minimum number of potential licensees that is required to make royalty licensing profitable to the innovator is non-monotonic under Cournot competition, while it is positive under Bertrand competition. Hence, there are degrees of product differentiation for which neither the innovator nor the antitrust authority requires information about the type of product market competition while deciding on the licensing contract. It follows from our analysis that the innovator prefers auction plus royalty licensing (or fixed-fee plus royalty) over either royalty licensing or auction.Auction; Licensing; Royalty; Product Differentiation

Single Stage Flyback Micro-Inverter for Solar Energy Systems

ABSTRACT Solar energy systems based on photovoltaic (PV) cells have attracted considerable interest in recent years due to their promise of clear and seemingly limitless generated energy. Solar energy systems based on micro-inverter architectures are gaining in popularity as they are less prone to shading and PV cell malfunction since each solar panel in a system has its own low power inverter. A number of micro-inverters are single stage flyback inverters that are based on the DC-DC flyback topologies. There have been numerous papers on the topic of how to improve the efficiency of dc-dc flyback converters but as far as improving the efficiency of dc-ac flyback micro-inverter is concerned, comparatively less investigation on efficiency improvement has been performed. A low cost technique for improving the efficiency of a basic dc-ac flyback micro-inverter is proposed in the paper. The proposed efficiency improving technique is based on a simple snubber, consisting of just a few passive elements. In the thesis, the flyback micro-inverter with the passive snubber is presented; the modes of operation of the converter are discussed as well as the design of the converter with the passive snubber. Experimental results obtained from a lab prototype are presented as well. A second novel technique for improving the efficiency of a single stage flyback micro-inverter is also proposed. The technique is based on combining the simple passive snubber with a variable frequency control zero-voltage switching (ZVS) technique. In the thesis, the operation of the micro-inverter with both the passive snubber and the ZVS technique is explained and the design of the converter is discussed. Experimental results obtained from a lab prototype are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the both the techniques

Technology Licensing in a Differentiated Oligopoly

We show the effects of product differentiation and product market competition on technology licensing by an outside innovator. For a certain range of product differentiation, both the innovator and the society prefer royalty licensing compared to auction (or fixed-fee), irrespective of Cournot and Bertrand competitions, if the number of potential licensees is sufficiently large. Hence, for such a range of product differentiation, neither the innovator nor the antitrust authority requires information about the type of product market competition in choosing the type of the licensing contract

Information Disclosure through Technology Licensing

We show that if information transmission through an honest outside agency is not possible due to the possibility of collusion between the firms and the outside agency, information transmission is possible through technology licensing. However, unlike the case of a cost-free honest outside agency, where information transmission always occurs under a quantity setting oligopoly, information transmission through licensing does not occur always

Licensing and Patent Protection

We show the impact of technology licensing on optimal patent policy. Strong patent protection that eliminates imitation may not be the equilibrium outcome in the presence of licensing. Depending on the cost of innovation, licensing may either increase or reduce the strength of the patent protection

METABOLIC SYNDROME ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a cluster of disorders like obesity, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. All these disorders are responsible for the development of secondary morbid and co-morbid conditions. The current review focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of secondary late complications associated with metabolic syndrome including cognitive impairment, depressive disorder, neuropathy, arthritis and colorectal cancer.Â

Indigenous methods of grain storage followed by the Lepcha and Limbo tribes in the Himalayan tract of Sikkim

769-774Since time immemorial, seed has been stored through indigenous methods as per people’s convenience and access to contemporary technologies. Thus, indigenous traditional methods have become essential component of sustainable agriculture and it varies from region to region. However, with modernization, urbanization and the associated technological breakthroughs, the indigenous technologies have been eroded and are not passed on to next generation. In the present study, attempt has been made to identify some of the traditional methods and associated knowledge called Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK), linked to storage of seeds and grains followed by the people of Sikkim, the organic state of North-eastern India. ITKs were collected from 04 villages of east district and 02 villages of west district of Sikkim. Total of 06 (bhakari, kotha, jhutta, dalo, chindo and dhikuti) traditional storage structures were identified which are commonly used by the people of Sikkim to store grains. Utilizing the locally available materials people has designed their own eco-friendly and safe storage structures for storing grains

Indigenous methods of grain storage followed by the Lepcha and Limbo tribes in the Himalayan tract of Sikkim

Since time immemorial, seed has been stored through indigenous methods as per people’s convenience and access to contemporary technologies. Thus, indigenous traditional methods have become essential component of sustainable agriculture and it varies from region to region. However, with modernization, urbanization and the associated technological breakthroughs, the indigenous technologies have been eroded and are not passed on to next generation. In the present study, attempt has been made to identify some of the traditional methods and associated knowledge called Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK), linked to storage of seeds and grains followed by the people of Sikkim, the organic state of North-eastern India. ITKs were collected from 04 villages of east district and 02 villages of west district of Sikkim. Total of 06 (bhakari, kotha, jhutta, dalo, chindo and dhikuti) traditional storage structures were identified which are commonly used by the people of Sikkim to store grains. Utilizing the locally available materials people has designed their own eco-friendly and safe storage structures for storing grains