Academic artists’ engagement and commercialisation Azagra-Caro, Joaquín M.; Benito-Amat, Carlos; Planells-Aleixandre, Ester
The Journal of technology transfer,
08/2022, Letnik:
47, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Academic artists are researchers who create artistic work. They form part of the cultural life of cities and contribute to welfare not only through research but also through art. They may ...commercialise their art or use it to engage in scientific knowledge diffusion. We seek to understand the relationship between art, academic commercialisation and engagement, and detect barriers to academic art. The resources needed to develop and diffuse art in addition to conducting research may be incompatible with a career focused on science quality or an organisational logic based on teaching and pure basic research. We study the responses to a survey of some 7,000 Spanish academics and compare university researchers to other researchers. More than half of the researchers surveyed create artistic work; however, whereas engagement is the norm rather than the exception, commercialisation is rare. Working in a university and producing good quality science run counter to being an artist. The detrimental effect of science quality on being a commercial or engaged artist turns positive after a certain threshold, which suggests polarisation among academic artists. Among commercial artists, this polarisation seems to apply specifically to university researchers. We discuss the implications for the valorisation of art across knowledge transfer channels and in research evaluations.
The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has been growing in importance as a technology for producing electricity from low temperature waste and renewable heat sources. In small-scale applications, the most ...used working fluid has been HFC-245fa, although this is being substituted for low GWP alternatives. A new HCFO working fluid, HCFO-1224yd(Z), has appeared as a possible alternative for HFC-245fa. In this study, this alternative working fluid is analysed and, finally, the working fluid is experimentally tested as drop-in alternative in a commercial ORC system. The main purpose is to determine the feasibility of using HCFO-1224yd(Z) as a drop-in replacement for HFC-245fa in a real facility that was initially designed to operate with HFC-245fa. The results show how the use of HCFO-1224yd(Z) offers power output that ranges from 7.5% to 17.4% lower than that provided by HFC-245fa. Although HFC-245fa offers higher power output, the results show that HCFO-1224yd(Z) offers up to 7.7% higher cycle net efficiency; this is due to the higher input thermal rate required by HFC-245fa. Finally, HCFO-1224yd(Z) has been stated as a suitable alternative to HFC-245fa as a drop-in replacement in a small-scale, low-temperature ORC, which increases its attractiveness for heat source with higher temperatures.
•Experimental direct replacement of HFC-245fa by HCFO-1224yd(Z) in a real facility.•HCFO-1224yd(Z) improves up to 11% the net cycle efficiency.•HFC-245fa gets up to 16.2% higher input thermal rate than HCFO-1224yd(Z).•The expander power output is up to 17.4% higher using HFC-245fa.•HCFO-1224yd(Z) net cycle efficiency increases for higher heat source temperatures.
Control of the G1/S phase transition by the Retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor is critical for the proliferation of normal cells in tissues, and its inactivation is one of the most fundamental ...events leading to cancer. Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) phosphorylation inactivates RB to promote cell cycle-regulated gene expression. Here we show that, upon stress, the p38 stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) maximizes cell survival by downregulating E2F gene expression through the targeting of RB. RB undergoes selective phosphorylation by p38 in its N terminus; these phosphorylations render RB insensitive to the inactivation by CDKs. p38 phosphorylation of RB increases its affinity toward the E2F transcription factor, represses gene expression, and delays cell-cycle progression. Remarkably, introduction of a RB phosphomimetic mutant in cancer cells reduces colony formation and decreases their proliferative and tumorigenic potential in mice.
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•p38 phosphorylation increases RB-E2F affinity to repress cell-cycle gene expression•N-terminal phosphorylated RB delays S-phase entry and increases cell survival•p38-mediated RB phosphorylation results in an RB insensitive to CDK inactivation•Mutations that mimic RB phosphorylation reduce cancer cell proliferation in vivo
RB is phosphorylated and inactivated by CDKs. Gubern et al. demonstrate that N-terminal RB phosphorylation by p38 upon stress restricts E2F transcriptional activity, improving cell survival. This phosphorylation or mutations that mimic it yield an RB that overrides CDK inactivation and that is able to block cancer cell proliferation.
Introduction
The global prevalence of diabetes in 2019 in adults was estimated to be 9.3%. This study developed in Ecuador, for the first time, instruments to assess patient‐reported outcomes and ...experiences.
Methods
The Experiences of the Person with Diabetes (EPD) Questionnaire is a diabetes‐specific instrument. A mixed‐methods study was conducted. First, a qualitative item development phase that included four focus groups and six semi‐structured interviews with patients was conducted in different rural and urban areas of Ecuador to obtain information on culture, beliefs, demographics, diet and social perspectives. A second quantitative phase for psychometric validation was carried out in primary care settings of rural and urban areas of Ecuador.
Results
Forty‐two and four hundred and eighty‐nine participants were included in each phase, respectively. The item development phase resulted in a questionnaire of 44 items (23 for perceived outcomes and 21 for experiences). In the validation study, most participants were women (58%) and from urban areas (57%). Exploratory factor analysis revealed three dimensions for each instrument. Outcomes instrument dimensions were symptoms and burnout, worries and fears and social limitations. Experiences instrument dimensions were information, patient‐centred care and care delivery. Cronbach's α values of the total score and dimensions were high, ranging between .81 and .93 in both instruments. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable fit of the data.
Conclusion
The EPD Questionnaire is probably the first instrument developed to assess patient‐reported experiences and perceived outcomes in a middle‐income country that included patients to capture all dimensions relevant for the intended population. Its psychometric properties are robust and could provide valuable information for clinicians and policymakers in the region.
Patient or Public Contribution
The development of these instruments has taken into consideration patients and the public since their conception. A qualitative approach gathered relevant information related to the cultural, social and economic burden of different populations in Ecuador. Before validation, a pilot test was carried out with users of the National Health Services to obtain their perspectives and insights of the developed instrument. Finally, during the data analysis, we have given special consideration to social variables such as rural and urban populations.
Understanding the evolutionary origin and the phylogeographic patterns of asexual taxa can shed light on the origin and maintenance of sexual reproduction. We assessed the geographic origin, genetic ...diversity, and phylogeographic history of obligate parthenogen diploid Artemia parthenogenetica populations, a widespread halophilic crustacean.
We analysed a partial sequence of the Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I mitochondrial gene from an extensive set of localities (including Eurasia, Africa, and Australia), and examined their phylogeographic patterns and the phylogenetic relationships of diploid A. parthenogenetica and its closest sexual relatives. Populations displayed an extremely low level of mitochondrial genetic diversity, with one widespread haplotype shared by over 79% of individuals analysed. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses indicated a multiple and recent evolutionary origin of diploid A. parthenogenetica, and strongly suggested that the geographic origin of parthenogenesis in Artemia was in Central Asia. Our results indicate that the maternal sexual ancestors of diploid A. parthenogenetica were an undescribed species from Kazakhstan and A. urmiana.
We found evidence for multiple origin of parthenogenesis in Central Asia. Our results indicated that, shortly after its origin, diploid A. parthenogenetica populations underwent a rapid range expansion from Central Asia towards the Mediterranean region, and probably to the rest of its current geographic distribution. This contrasts with the restricted geographic distribution, strong genetic structure, and regional endemism of sexual Artemia lineages and other passively dispersed sexual continental aquatic invertebrates. We hypothesize that diploid parthenogens might have reached their current distribution in historical times, with a range expansion possibly facilitated by an increased availability of suitable habitat provided by anthropogenic activities, such as the spread of solar saltworks, aided by their natural dispersal vectors (i.e., waterbirds).
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This work is focused on a case study of a small-scale Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) adopted for electricity production from low-grade industrial waste heat recovery. This kind of applications raises a ...great interest due to the high amount of low-grade waste heat recoverable within industrial processes, but lacks of in-depth experimental investigations on the topic. The main reason is the difficulty to reach profitable small-scale projects, so more cost-effective solutions are being explored in the literature through thermo-economic optimizations. Nonetheless, the results obtained cannot be discussed with respect to actual operating data. In light of this, this paper proposes to conduct the thermo-economic optimization on the basis of an experimental application. In this manner, a comprehensive model of the facility is developed, calibrated, and validated from actual operating data. The model is used to conduct the thermo-economic optimization, revealing the influence of the organic fluid, cycle architecture, geometric parameters of main components, or control strategy used to obtain the best cost-effective solution. The main results show that, by means of a multivariable optimization using cost-effective ratios as objective function, a cheaper and powerful solution adapted to each specific project may be designed.
•ORC for low-grade waste heat recovery is assessed in industrial processes.•A thermodynamic an economic model of the ORC has been developed.•The model is used to perform a multivariable optimization.•Cost-effective ratios are used as objective functions.•A cheaper and powerful solution has been obtained for the case study.
Despite its relative low incidence, PDAC is one of the most aggressive and lethal types of cancer, being currently the seventh leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of ...10.8%. Taking into consideration the necessity to improve the prognosis of these patients, this research has been focused on the discovery of new biomarkers. For this purpose, patients with BL and resectable disease were recruited. Serum cytokines and growth factors were monitored at different time points using protein arrays. Immune cell populations were determined by flow cytometry in peripheral blood as well as by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in tumor tissues. Several cytokines were found to be differentially expressed between the study subgroups. In the BL disease setting, two different scores were proven to be independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) (based on IL-10, MDC, MIF, and eotaxin-3) and OS (based on eotaxin-3, NT-3, FGF-9, and IP10). In the same context, CA19-9 was found to play a role as independent prognostic factor for OS. Eotaxin-3 and MDC cytokines for PFS, and eotaxin-3, NT-3, and CKβ8-1 for OS, were shown to be predictive biomarkers for
-paclitaxel and gemcitabine regimen. Similarly, oncostatin, BDNF, and IP10 cytokines were proven to act as predictive biomarkers regarding PFS, for FOLFIRINOX regimen. In the resectable cohort, RANTES, TIMP-1, FGF-4, and IL-10 individually differentiated patients according to their cancer-associated survival. Regarding immune cell populations, baseline high levels of circulating B lymphocytes were related to a significantly longer OS, while these levels significantly decreased as progression occurred. Similarly, baseline high levels of helper lymphocytes (CD4+), low levels of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CD8+), and a high CD4/CD8 ratio, were related to a significantly longer PFS. Finally, high levels of CD4+ and CD8+ intratumoural infiltration was associated with significantly longer PFS. In conclusion, in this study we were able to identify several prognostic and predictive biomarker candidates in patients diagnosed of resectable or BL PDAC.
RESUMEN Introducción y objetivos: La Asociación de Cardiología Intervencionista de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología (ACI-SEC) y el Grupo de Trabajo de Hemodinámica de la Sociedad Española de ...Cardiología Pediátrica y Cardiopatías Congénitas (GTH-SECPCC) presentan su informe anual de actividad hemodinámica en cardiopatías congénitas correspondiente al año 2021. Métodos: Se invitó a participar a los centros españoles con laboratorio de hemodinámica y actividad intervencionista en cardiopatías congénitas. La recogida de datos fue telemática y su análisis lo efectuó una empresa externa junto con miembros de la ACI-SEC y el GTH-SECPCC. Resultados: Participaron 16 centros (15 públicos y 1 privado) que acumulan 34 salas de hemodinámica con actividad en cardiopatías congénitas, 7 (20,5%) de ellas con dedicación exclusiva a pacientes pediátricos. Se registraron 1.094 estudios diagnósticos (5,1% más que en 2020) y 1.553 cateterismos intervencionistas (6,4% más que en 2020). Las técnicas más frecuentes fueron el cierre de comunicación interauricular (336 casos), la angioplastia de ramas pulmonares (231 casos) y el cierre de ductus (228 casos). Respecto al año anterior se incrementaron significativamente las técnicas de implantación de válvulas percutáneas (29,3%), cierre de ductus (20,6%) y angioplastia aórtica (12,8%). La tasa de éxito en los procedimientos intervencionistas fue del 95%, con una tasa de complicaciones mayores del 2,7% y una mortalidad intrahospitalaria del 0,2%. Conclusiones: Este trabajo es la segunda publicación del Registro Español de Intervencionismo en Cardiopatías Congénitas. Se ha constatado un aumento significativo de los procedimientos diagnósticos y terapéuticos, destacando el incremento en la implantación de válvulas percutáneas, el cierre de ductus y la angioplastia aórtica. La mayoría de las técnicas intervencionistas siguen demostrando excelentes datos de seguridad y eficacia.
Since Darwin's time, waterbirds have been considered an important vector for the dispersal of continental aquatic invertebrates. Bird movements have facilitated the worldwide invasion of the American ...brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, transporting cysts (diapausing eggs), and favouring rapid range expansions from introduction sites. Here we address the impact of bird migratory flyways on the population genetic structure and phylogeography of A. franciscana in its native range in the Americas. We examined sequence variation for two mitochondrial gene fragments (COI and 16S for a subset of the data) in a large set of population samples representing the entire native range of A. franciscana. Furthermore, we performed Mantel tests and redundancy analyses (RDA) to test the role of flyways, geography and human introductions on the phylogeography and population genetic structure at a continental scale. A. franciscana mitochondrial DNA was very diverse, with two main clades, largely corresponding to Pacific and Atlantic populations, mirroring American bird flyways. There was a high degree of regional endemism, with populations subdivided into at least 12 divergent, geographically restricted and largely allopatric mitochondrial lineages, and high levels of population structure (Φ ST of 0.92), indicating low ongoing gene flow. We found evidence of human-mediated introductions in nine out of 39 populations analysed. Once these populations were removed, Mantel tests revealed a strong association between genetic variation and geographic distance (i.e., isolation-by-distance pattern). RDA showed that shared bird flyways explained around 20% of the variance in genetic distance between populations and this was highly significant, once geographic distance was controlled for. The variance explained increased to 30% when the factor human introduction was included in the model. Our findings suggest that bird-mediated transport of brine shrimp propagules does not result in substantial ongoing gene flow; instead, it had a significant historical role on the current species phylogeography, facilitating the colonisation of new aquatic environments as they become available along their main migratory flyways.
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