PATENTING PUBLIC-FUNDED RESEARCH FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER : A Conceptual-Empirical Synthesis of US Evidence and Lessons for India

The question of protecting intellectual property rights by academic inventors was never seriously contemplated until the introduction of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 in the US. The Act allowed universities to retain patent rights over inventions arising out of federally-funded research and to license those patents exclusively or nonexclusively at their discretion. This particular legislation was a response to the growing concern over the fact that federally funded inventions in the US were not reaching the market place. In this paper, we present a critical review of the US experience after the Bayh-Dole Act and argue that the evidence is far from being unambiguous. We discuss the debate surrounding the Act the extent to which it was successful in achieving its objectives, the unintended consequences, if any, and more generally, the effectiveness of IPR as a vehicle of technology transfer from universities. We also discuss the limited evidence on Bayh-Dole type legislations introduced in other countries. A new legislation, along the lines of the US Bayh-Dole Act The Protection and Utilisation of Public Funded IP Bill, 2008 is presently before the Indian parliament. The paper presents an Indian perspective against the backdrop of the US experience in an attempt to draw concrete lessons for India.Bayh-Dole Act, public-funded research, universities, Patents, India

Drivers of Academic Research and Patenting in India: Econometric Estimation of the Research Production Function

In this paper we attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the drivers ofacademic research and patenting in India. Academic research is conceptualised as aresearch production process where research inputs (like research time and number ofresearch scholars) are transformed into research outputs in the form of publicationsand patents. We expect research inputs by a faculty member to be an outcome ofhis/her own decision-making process, which in turn determine his/her researchoutputs. Exogenous parameters, like faculty background, faculty attitude, researchsponsorship and institutional factors, are expected to influence both set of endogenousvariables (research inputs and outputs). We specify this production function as arecursive simultaneous equation model and estimate the structural parameters usingstandard econometric methods. Our results clearly identify several drivers ofacademic research and patenting in India, in terms of faculty background, facultyattitude and other parameters, from which we arrive at concrete policy lessons forpatenting of academic research in India. In particular, we argue that putting in placeinstitutional structures will not serve the purpose without addressing the fundamentalissues of research environment, culture and attitude in the first place. In a sense,therefore, introducing an IPR legislation alone may not act as an instant magicformula to energise Indian academic research for commercial application.Academic Research, Patents, Bayh-Dole Act, India

Patenting Public-Funded Research for Technology Transfer: A Conceptual-Empirical Synthesis of US Evidence and Lessons for India

The question of protecting intellectual property rights by academic inventors wasnever seriously contemplated until the introduction of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 inthe US. The Act allowed universities to retain patent rights over inventions arising outof federally-funded research and to license those patents exclusively or nonexclusivelyat their discretion. This particular legislation was a response to thegrowing concern over the fact that federally funded inventions in the US were notreaching the market place. In this paper, we present a critical review of the USexperience after the Bayh-Dole Act and argue that the evidence is far from beingunambiguous. We discuss the debate surrounding the Act – the extent to which it wassuccessful in achieving its objectives, the unintended consequences, if any, and moregenerally, the effectiveness of IPR as a vehicle of technology transfer fromuniversities. We also discuss the limited evidence on Bayh-Dole type legislationsintroduced in other countries. A new legislation, along the lines of the US Bayh-DoleAct – The Protection and Utilisation of Public Funded IP Bill, 2008 – is presentlybefore the Indian parliament. The paper presents an Indian perspective against thebackdrop of the US experience in an attempt to draw concrete lessons for India.Bayh-Dole Act, public-funded research, universities, patents, India

Evolutionary Tournament-Based Comparison of Learning and Non-Learning Algorithms for Iterated Games

Evolutionary tournaments have been used effectively as a tool for comparing game-playing algorithms. For instance, in the late 1970's, Axelrod organized tournaments to compare algorithms for playing the iterated prisoner's dilemma (PD) game. These tournaments capture the dynamics in a population of agents that periodically adopt relatively successful algorithms in the environment. While these tournaments have provided us with a better understanding of the relative merits of algorithms for iterated PD, our understanding is less clear about algorithms for playing iterated versions of arbitrary single-stage games in an environment of heterogeneous agents. While the Nash equilibrium solution concept has been used to recommend using Nash equilibrium strategies for rational players playing general-sum games, learning algorithms like fictitious play may be preferred for playing against sub-rational players. In this paper, we study the relative performance of learning and non-learning algorithms in an evolutionary tournament where agents periodically adopt relatively successful algorithms in the population. The tournament is played over a testbed composed of all possible structurally distinct 2×2 conflicted games with ordinal payoffs: a baseline, neutral testbed for comparing algorithms. Before analyzing results from the evolutionary tournament, we discuss the testbed, our choice of representative learning and non-learning algorithms and relative rankings of these algorithms in a round-robin competition. The results from the tournament highlight the advantage of learning algorithms over players using static equilibrium strategies for repeated plays of arbitrary single-stage games. The results are likely to be of more benefit compared to work on static analysis of equilibrium strategies for choosing decision procedures for open, adapting agent society consisting of a variety of competitors.Repeated Games, Evolution, Simulation

Swift J1728.9-3613 is a black hole X-ray binary: spectral and timing study using NICER

We study different timing and spectral properties of the new Galactic X-ray transient Swift J1728.9-3613 using NICER and Swift, discovered by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The source went through multiple transitions to different spectral states during the outburst, and the complete evolution created a q-shaped track in the hardness intensity diagram. A partial hysteresis is also observed in the RMS-intensity diagram, which is another well-defined phenomenon of black hole transients. In SIMS, power density spectra were dominated by broadband noise components, and two type B QPOs were detected. We have fitted 1-10 keV energy spectra obtained from NICER observations that were performed during the outburst, and the temporal evolution of spectral parameters were studied. On MJD 58584.69, a small-scale reflare happened, and we observed that the spectral index decreased to a much lower value associated with finite changes in other spectral parameters also, and the 1-10 keV averaged flux also increased. We observed that the innermost radius of the accretion disc was almost constant during the soft state, which corresponds to the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO). We have measured the lower limit of mass of the compact object to be approximately 4.6 M, considering a non-spinning black hole binary system, by fitting 1-10 keV NICER spectra with the diskbb component. The soft-to-hard transition occurred when the bolometric luminosity was 0.01 times the Eddington luminosity. Based on our combined study of the evolution of the timing and spectral properties, we conclude that the new source Swift J1728.9-3613 is a black hole X-ray binary.Comment: 6 figures, 2 tables, submitted in MNRA

Microstructure and Wear of Cathodic Arc Physical Vapour Deposited on TiAlN, TiCrN and n TiAlN Alpha Si3N4 Films

Present study examined the microstructural features, hardness and wear performance of TiAlN, TiCrN and            n-TiAlN/α-Si3N4 coatings deposited by cathodic arc physical vapour deposition (CA-PVD) technique on M-50 steel keeping in mind a possible application of hybrid bearings in next generation aero-engine. Microstructural features of the coatings were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. Hardness was measured using microhardness tester. Wear test was carried out with the help of ‘Bruker’ tribometer. Worn surfaces were characterised employing SEM. Results show that TiCrN coating has crystalline columnar structure and other coatings have nano-crystalline structures. Besides improved hardness, TiAlN has best wear resistance and TiCrN coating exhibits least friction coefficient

Screening of bacterial strains for pectate lyase production and detection of optimal growth conditions for enhanced enzyme activity

In the present study, the pectatelyase production by fifty two bacterial strains isolated from ramie grown soils were studied and the strain RDSM01 showed maximum pectate lyase activity. According to sequence homology of Genbank, the strain RDSM01 was identified as Bacillus subtilis (Genbank Accession No. KX035109). Maximum pectate lyase activity of the strain was observed when 1.5% (v/v) inoculum was added to the growth medium and was incubated for 48 hours at 34-370C and at pH 7.0. The relative activity of the strain was 19% higher when apple pectin was used as carbon source compared to citrus pectin. Maximum enzyme production (149.1 – 153.4 IU/ml) was recorded when ammonium chloride or ammonium sulphate at 0.4% concentration was used as nitrogen source. Thus, B. subtilis strain RDSM01 possessing high pectate lyase activity may be effectively utilized for removal of gum from ramie fibre, which is primarily made of pectin and hemicellulose

Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern from clinical isolates at a tertiary care teaching hospital of rural Bengal: a pilot study

Background: Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern from clinical isolates can reveal important information that can help in drafting the hospital antibiotic policy as well as help improve prescribing patterns and patient outcome in a particular region.Methods: Data from the results of the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of clinical isolates of the patients between 1stJuly and 31st December 2018 were collected on a pre-designed and pre tested case study form and analysed with the help of descriptive statistics.Results: A total of 75 blood culture reports were obtained which showed 58 gram positive cultures. Further 46 of the gram positive samples were positive for Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. A total of 305 urine samples were obtained for culture which showed gram negative cultures. Paediatric and medicine wards were the common yielding sites. A total of 242 pus reports were obtained which showed 47 gram positive cultures. A total of 154 wound swab samples were obtained which showed 47 gram positive cultures. For pus and wound swab samples, surgery wards were the common yielding sites. Common gram negative organisms seen were Klebsiella sp., E. coli, Citrobacter sp., Pseudomonas, Proteus and Enterobacter. Gram positive organisms were commonly resistant to Erythromycin, orally active Penicillins, Vancomycin and Teicoplanin and gram negative organisms were commonly resistant to Cephalosporins, Aminoglycosides, Colistin, Fluroquinolones and Meropenem.Conclusions: This study showed that over six months samples of body pus, wound swab, blood culture and urine showed high levels of resistance to commonly used antibiotics. This would provide an outline for development of an effective hospital Infection Control Policy