Public research and industrial innovations in Germany

This paper deals with the effects of publicly funded research at universities, polytechnics and federal research labs on industrial innovations in Germany. We discuss the characteristics of companies that benefit from the findings of public research institutions. In questioning 2,300 companies we found that less than one tenth of product or process innovating firms introduced innovations between 1993 and 1995 that would not have been developed without public research. These new products amount to approximately 5 percent of all new product sales. Regressions show that firms? own R&D support the ability to absorb the findings of public research and turn them into innovations. Contrary to the widely held opinion that proximity to public research institutions does promote collaboration between firms and public research and increase the amount of received knowledge spillovers, we found no higher probability of publicly supported innovations for firms in Germany that are located near universities or polytechnics. -- Wie viele industrielle Innovationen bringt die öffentliche Forschung hervor? Die vorliegende Untersuchung versucht, diese Frage zu beantworten und damit die wirtschaftliche Rechtfertigung für Finanzierung und Durchführung von natur- und ingenieurwissenschaftlicher Forschung in öffentlichen Forschungseinrichtungen empirisch zu überprüfen. Hierfür wurden rund 2.300 Unternehmen in der vierten Innovationserhebung von ZEW und infas im Jahr 1996 gefragt, ob sich unter ihren zwischen 1993 und 1995 eingeführten Innovationen neue Produkte und Prozesse befanden, die ohne die neueren Forschungsergebnisse von Hochschulen und anderen öffentlichen finanzierten Forschungseinrichtungen nicht oder nur mit zeitlicher Verzögerung von mehr als einem Jahr aufgenommen worden wären. Knapp 9 % der Unternehmen mit Innovationen in dem betrachteten Zeitraum bejahten diese Frage. Mit den Produkten, die nur mit Hilfe der öffentlichen Forschung zustande kamen, wurden 1995 allerdings weniger als 5 % des gesamten Umsatzes mit neuen Produkten gemacht. Der Technologietransfer von den öffentlichen Forschungseinrichtungen wird dabei entscheidend von den eigenen FuE-Aktivitäten der Unternehmen begünstigt. Sie sind nötig um die wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse im Unternehmen in marktgerechte Innovationen umzusetzen. Dagegen wirkt sich die räumliche Nähe zu Forschungseinrichtungen, die unter dem Stichwort regionale High-Tech-Agglomerationen diskutiert wird, nicht auf den Technologietransfer aus.technology transfer,industrial innovation,knowledge spillovers

Public Research and Industrial Innovations in Germany

This paper deals with the effects of publicly funded research at universities, polytechnics and federal research labs on industrial innovations in Germany. We discuss the characteristics of companies that benefit from the findings of public research institutions. In questioning 2,300 companies we found that less than one tenth of product or process innovating firms introduced innovations between 1993 and 1995 that would not have been developed without public research. These new products amount to approximately 5 percent of all new product sales. Regressions show that firms' own R&D support the ability to absorb the findings of public research and turn them into innovations. Contrary to the widely held opinion that proximity to public research institutions does promote collaboration between firms and public research and increase the amount of received knowledge spillovers, we found no higher probability of publicly supported innovations for firms in Germany that are located near universities or polytechnics

First observation of the decay Λb0→Λc+Dˉ(∗)0K−\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^{(\ast)0} K^- in preparation of a pentaquark search in the Λc+Dˉ(∗)0\Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^{(\ast)0} system at the LHCb experiment

This thesis reports the first observation of the decays $\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^0 K^-$ and $\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^\ast(2007)^0 K^-$ using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb${}^-1$ collected at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energies in proton-proton collisions with the LHCb detector. A future amplitude analysis of these $\Lambda_b^0$ decays allows to search the $\Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^{(\ast)0}$ system for resonant contributions from $P_c^+$ pentaquarks. Two of which have been discovered in 2015 by the LHCb experiment in the J/$\psi p$ system. Observing $P_c^+$ pentaquarks in the $\Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^{(\ast)0}$ system would allow for further insight to the nature of these resonances. In addition, the measurement of the $\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^0 K^-$ and $\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^\ast(2007)^0 K^-$ branching fractions relative to the decay \Lb\to\Lc\Dsm is made, resulting in \begin{alignat}{1} \frac{\mathscr{B}(\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^0 K^-)}{\mathscr{B}(\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ D_s^-)} &= \left(14.04 \pm 0.58 \pm 0.33 \pm 0.45 \right)\,\% \nonumber \\ \frac{\mathscr{B}(\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \bar{D}^\ast(2007)^0 K^-)}{\mathscr{B}(\Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ D_s^-)} &= \left(43.5 \pm 1.4 {}^{+1.2}_{-0.8} \pm 1.4 \right)\,\% \nonumber \end{alignat} The first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third is due to the knowledge of the branching fractions of $D_s^- \rightarrow K^- K^+ \pi^-$ and $\bar{D}^0 \rightarrow K^+ \pi^-$. It is shown that the obtained result agrees with previously measured $B\rightarrow D\bar{D}^{(\ast)0} K^-$ branching fractions, as expected from the lowest order approximation of QCD factorisation. The developed methods are integral components of the future amplitude analysis of \LbLcDzbstK. These and further algorithms presented here were developed in a modularised way to be applied to a variety of analyses at \lhcb, in particular pentaquark searches

Progress in developing a hybrid deep learning algorithm for identifying and locating primary vertices

The locations of proton-proton collision points in LHC experiments are called primary vertices (PVs). Preliminary results of a hybrid deep learning algorithm for identifying and locating these, targeting the Run 3 incarnation of LHCb, have been described at conferences in 2019 and 2020. In the past year we have made significant progress in a variety of related areas. Using two newer Kernel Density Estimators (KDEs) as input feature sets improves the fidelity of the models, as does using full LHCb simulation rather than the "toy Monte Carlo" originally (and still) used to develop models. We have also built a deep learning model to calculate the KDEs from track information. Connecting a tracks-to-KDE model to a KDE-to-hists model used to find PVs provides a proof-of-concept that a single deep learning model can use track information to find PVs with high efficiency and high fidelity. We have studied a variety of models systematically to understand how variations in their architectures affect performance. While the studies reported here are specific to the LHCb geometry and operating conditions, the results suggest that the same approach could be used by the ATLAS and CMS experiments

Long-Term Stability of Polymer-Coated Surface Transverse Wave Sensors for the Detection of Organic Solvent Vapors

Arrays with polymer-coated acoustic sensors, such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) and surface transverse wave (STW) sensors, have successfully been applied for a variety of gas sensing applications. However, the stability of the sensors’ polymer coatings over a longer period of use has hardly been investigated. We used an array of eight STW resonator sensors coated with different polymers. This sensor array was used at semi-annual intervals for a three-year period to detect organic solvent vapors of three different chemical classes: a halogenated hydrocarbon (chloroform), an aliphatic hydrocarbon (octane), and an aromatic hydrocarbon (xylene). The sensor signals were evaluated with regard to absolute signal shifts and normalized signal shifts leading to signal patterns characteristic of the respective solvent vapors. No significant time-related changes of sensor signals or signal patterns were observed, i.e., the polymer coatings kept their performance during the course of the study. Therefore, the polymer-coated STW sensors proved to be robust devices which can be used for detecting organic solvent vapors both qualitatively and quantitatively for several years

Genome-wide association study identifies 30 loci associated with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 20,352 cases and 31,358 controls of European descent, with follow-up analysis of 822 variants with P < 1 × 10-4 in an additional 9,412 cases and 137,760 controls. Eight of the 19 variants that were genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10-8) in the discovery GWAS were not genome-wide significant in the combined analysis, consistent with small effect sizes and limited power but also with genetic heterogeneity. In the combined analysis, 30 loci were genome-wide significant, including 20 newly identified loci. The significant loci contain genes encoding ion channels, neurotransmitter transporters and synaptic components. Pathway analysis revealed nine significantly enriched gene sets, including regulation of insulin secretion and endocannabinoid signaling. Bipolar I disorder is strongly genetically correlated with schizophrenia, driven by psychosis, whereas bipolar II disorder is more strongly correlated with major depressive disorder. These findings address key clinical questions and provide potential biological mechanisms for bipolar disorder

Natural History of Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease in North America: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The incidence of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) is increasing, yet the phenotype and natural history of VEOIBD are not well described. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with VEOIBD (6 years of age and younger) between 2008 and 2013 at 25 North American centers. Eligible patients at each center were randomly selected for chart review. We abstracted data at diagnosis and at 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis. We compared the clinical features and outcomes with VEOIBD diagnosed younger than 3 years of age with children diagnosed with VEOIBD at age 3 to 6 years. Results: The study population included 269 children (105 [39%] Crohn\u27s disease, 106 [39%] ulcerative colitis, and 58 [22%] IBD unclassified). The median age of diagnosis was 4.2 years (interquartile range 2.9-5.2). Most (94%) Crohn\u27s disease patients had inflammatory disease behavior (B1). Isolated colitis (L2) was the most common disease location (70% of children diagnosed younger than 3 years vs 43% of children diagnosed 3 years and older; P = 0.10). By the end of follow-up, stricturing/penetrating occurred in 7 (6.6%) children. The risk of any bowel surgery in Crohn\u27s disease was 3% by 1 year, 12% by 3 years, and 15% by 5 years and did not differ by age at diagnosis. Most ulcerative colitis patients had pancolitis (57% of children diagnosed younger than 3 years vs 45% of children diagnosed 3 years and older; P = 0.18). The risk of colectomy in ulcerative colitis/IBD unclassified was 0% by 1 year, 3% by 3 years, and 14% by 5 years and did not differ by age of diagnosis. Conclusions: Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease has a distinct phenotype with predominantly colonic involvement and infrequent stricturing/penetrating disease. The cumulative risk of bowel surgery in children with VEOIBD was approximately 14%-15% by 5 years. These data can be used to provide anticipatory guidance in this emerging patient population

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Performance and Operation of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

The operation and general performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter using cosmic-ray muons are described. These muons were recorded after the closure of the CMS detector in late 2008. The calorimeter is made of lead tungstate crystals and the overall status of the 75848 channels corresponding to the barrel and endcap detectors is reported. The stability of crucial operational parameters, such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise, is summarised and the performance of the light monitoring system is presented