Commercial Perspective Research Articles

Energy extraction from ocean currents using straight bladed cross-flow hydrokinetic turbine

Harvesting marine renewable energy remains to be a prime focus of researchers across the globe both in environmental and in commercial perspectives. India is blessed with a long coastline, and the seas around Indian peninsula offer ample potential to tap various ocean energy forms. National Institute of Ocean Technology carries out research and various ocean energy technologies, out of which harnessing kinetic energy in seawater currents is one. This article presents the open sea trials recently carried out on National Institute of Ocean Technology’s cross-flow hydrokinetic ocean current turbine in South Andaman. The turbine was designed to generate 100 W electricity at 1.2 m/s current speed and was built in-house. The turbine was initially tested in a seawater channel and then was deployed in Macpherson Strait in Andaman. It was fitted below a floating platform designed especially for this purpose, and the performance of the turbine was continuously logged inside an on-board data acquisition system. The trials were successful and in line with computations.

Effect of mixing different kinds of fruit juice with sour cherry puree on nutritional properties.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of mixing sour cherry puree with apple, pear, quince and flowering quince juices on characteristics of 17 different products (12 smoothies and 5 semi-products). Compounds (phenolic compounds, vitamin C, sugar, pectin), antioxidant activity (ORAC, ABTS, FRAP), and physicochemical parameters (titratable acidity, soluble solids, viscosity, colour) of different products were evaluated. Depending on the type of product, 8 to 20 phenolic compounds, belonging to the anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, hydroxycinnamic acids, and dihydrochalcone, were identified by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/QTOF-MS). The highest content of polyphenols was observed in the sour cherry-flowering quince smoothie, while the lowest was observed in the sour cherry-pear smoothie. The study showed that the major polyphenols compounds in the smoothies were polymeric procyanidins, which were positively correlated with antioxidant activity. In addition, some kind of synergistic effect was observed between some compounds of sour cherry and flowering quince which could increase the antioxidant activity of the final product. The mixing of various fruit products could be interesting from a nutritional as well as commercial perspective.

Dependence of Predicted Areal Density on Common Optimization Strategies for Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

The ultimate user storage-area density for heat-assisted magnetic recording is an important consideration both from research and commercial perspectives. We propose two new algorithms to accelerate recording simulations based on general-purpose computing graphics processing units. We predict user areal density with current technologies and those expected to be available in the near future. Micromagnetic simulation predicts a user areal density of 1.8 Tb/in2. Optimization of track pitch in the absence of track misregistration increases the density to 5 TBit/in2 for perfect recording.

Realising the Right to Data Portability for the Internet of Things

There is an increasing role for the IT design community to play in regulation of emerging IT. Article 25 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016 puts this on a strict legal basis by establishing the need for information privacy by design and default (PbD) for personal data-driven technologies. Against this backdrop, we examine legal, commercial and technical perspectives around the newly created legal right to data portability (RTDP) in GDPR. We are motivated by a pressing need to address regulatory challenges stemming from the Internet of Things (IoT). We need to find channels to support the protection of these new legal rights for users in practice. In Part I we introduce the internet of things and information PbD in more detail. We briefly consider regulatory challenges posed by the IoT and the nature and practical challenges surrounding the regulatory response of information privacy by design. In Part II, we look in depth at the legal nature of the RTDP, determining what it requires from IT designers in practice but also limitations on the right and how it relates to IoT. In Part III we focus on technical approaches that can support the realisation of the right. We consider the state of the art in data management architectures, tools and platforms that can provide portability, increased transparency and user control over the data flows. In Part IV, we bring our perspectives together to reflect on the technical, legal and business barriers and opportunities that will shape the implementation of the RTDP in practice, and how the relationships may shape emerging IoT innovation and business models. We finish with brief conclusions about the future for the RTDP and PbD in the IoT. NOTE - Updated v.2 added 30 May 2017.

A method to assess and support exploitation projects of university researchers

Assessing the exploitation potential of university research is needed to improve the efficiency of a Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and to increase chances of picking up and supporting viable entrepreneurial projects. The paper proposes an assessment method that jointly looks into the technology and the commercialization perspectives of research exploitation projects. The commercialization perspectives are further subdivided to criteria characterizing the market opportunities and management team. The method is applied to an ad hoc TTO in the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA). In addition to selecting exploitation projects proposed by AUA researchers, the method is also used to design support services for the research teams during the commercialization process. Relating the assessment outcome to the support of exploitation is a topic that received limited attention so far. In the case of universities that are about to start investing in technology transfer, the proposed approach can assist management to define strategies and corresponding services for academic entrepreneurship that are in line with the organization’s research profile. For more mature technology transfer environments, the method can be used to diversify the services of the TTO, by including forms of interaction with industry and businesses better serving the research community.

ChemInform Abstract: Engineering High Permeability: Mn‐Zn and Ni‐Zn Ferrites

AbstractReview: 78 refs.

Host range extension of Cydia pomonella granulovirus: adaptation to Oriental Fruit Moth, Grapholita molesta

Among various Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) isolates, the Mexican isolate (CpGV-M) has demonstrated a significant ability to reduce damage induced by the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (=Cydia molesta) in peach crops. To obtain a more efficient virus for G. molesta control, an experimental virus population was constructed by mixing various CpGV isolates. This mixture was then selected for replication in a G. molesta laboratory colony. After 12 successive passages on this alternative host, the insecticidal efficacy of the virus population had improved. The concentration of virus occlusion bodies required to kill 90 % of neonate larvae was 450-fold lower than that of the original isolate mixture, and 120-fold lower than that of the CpGV-M isolate alone. Following adaptation to this alternative host, the efficacy against its natural host, the codling moth, C. pomonella, was conserved. This mixed isolate population can be produced on C. pomonella without loss of efficacy, which is useful from a commercial production perspective. This adapted virus isolate mixture is likely to prove more effective than individual component isolates at controlling G. molesta.

‘Why not make films for New York?’: the interaction between cultural, political and commercial perspectives in Swedish film policy 1963–2013

During the last two decades, film support, film policy and the public financing of audiovisual production in Scandinavia and particularly Sweden have undergone extensive change. These transformations may be seen as responses to globalisation, to increased sub-national regional independence as well as to the emergence of ideas related to the nurturing of the ‘creative industries’. They may also be seen to be a consequence of the increasing permeability of the borders of European nation-states. This article traces a history of film policy in a geographically marginal part of Europe that has been characterised by a range of tensions as a result of competing definitions of film as art and commerce. These tensions are traced back to the 1960s when film support were first introduced and the first seeds of conflict – still discernible in the present situation – were planted.

The Use of Induced Somatic Sector Analysis (ISSA) for Studying Genes and Promoters Involved in Wood Formation and Secondary Stem Development.

Secondary stem growth in trees and associated wood formation are significant both from biological and commercial perspectives. However, relatively little is known about the molecular control that governs their development. This is in part due to physical, resource and time limitations often associated with the study of secondary growth processes. A number of in vitro techniques have been used involving either plant part or whole plant system in both woody and non-woody plant species. However, questions about their applicability for the study of secondary stem growth processes, the recalcitrance of certain species and labor intensity are often prohibitive for medium to high throughput applications. Also, when looking at secondary stem development and wood formation the specific traits under investigation might only become measurable late in a tree's lifecycle after several years of growth. In addressing these challenges alternative in vivo protocols have been developed, named Induced Somatic Sector Analysis, which involve the creation of transgenic somatic tissue sectors directly in the plant's secondary stem. The aim of this protocol is to provide an efficient, easy and relatively fast means to create transgenic secondary plant tissue for gene and promoter functional characterization that can be utilized in a range of tree species. Results presented here show that transgenic secondary stem sectors can be created in all live tissues and cell types in secondary stems of a variety of tree species and that wood morphological traits as well as promoter expression patterns in secondary stems can be readily assessed facilitating medium to high throughput functional characterization.

Enigma: Aspects of Multimodal Inter-Semiotic Translation

Commercial and creative perspectives are critical when making movies. Deciding how to select and combine elements of stories gleaned from books into multimodal texts results in films whose modes of image, words, sound and movement interact in ways that create new wholes and so, new stories, which are more than the sum of their individual parts. The Imitation Game (2014) claims to be based on a true story recorded in the seminal biography by Andrew Hodges, Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983). The movie, as does its primary source, endeavours to portray the crucial role of Enigma during World War Two, along with the tragic fate of a key individual, Alan Turing. The film, therefore, involves translation of at least two "true" stories, making the film a rich source of data for this paper that addresses aspects of multimodal inter-semiotic translations (MISTs). Carefully selected aspects of tales based on "true stories" are interpreted in films; however, not all interpretations possess the same degree of integrity in relation to their original source text. This paper assumes films, based on stories, are a form of MIST, whose integrity of translation needs to be assessed. The methodology employed uses a case-study approach and a "grid" framework with two key critical thinking (CT) standards: Accuracy and Significance, as well as a scale (from "low" to "high"). This paper offers a stretched and nuanced understanding of inter-semiotic translation by analysing how multimodal strategies are employed by communication interpretants.

Budget Impact of Adding Ivabradine to Standard of Care in Patients with Chronic Systolic Heart Failure in the United States.

Heart failure (HF) costs $21 billion annually in direct health care costs, 80% of which is directly attributable to hospitalizations. The SHIFT clinical study demonstrated that ivabradine plus standard of care (SoC) reduced HF-related and all-cause hospitalizations compared with SoC alone. To estimate the budget impact of ivabradine from a U.S. commercial payer perspective. A budget impact model estimated the per-member-per month (PMPM) impact of introducing ivabradine to existing formularies by comparing a reference scenario (SoC) and a new drug scenario (ivabradine + SoC) in hypothetical 1 million-member commercial and Medicare Advantage plans. In both scenarios, U.S. claims data were used for the reference cumulative annual rates of hospitalizations (HF, non-HF cardiovascular [CV], and non-CV), and hospitalization rates were adjusted using SHIFT data. The model controlled for mortality risk using SHIFT and U.S. life table data, and hospitalization costs were obtained from U.S. claims data: HF-related = $37,507; non-HF CV = $28,951; and non-CV = $17,904. The annualized wholesale acquisition cost of ivabradine was $4,500, with baseline use for this new drug at 2%, increasing 2% per year. Based on the approved U.S. indication, approximately 2,000 commercially insured patients from a 1 million-member commercial plan were eligible to receive ivabradine. Ivabradine resulted in a PMPM cost savings of $0.01 and $0.04 in years 1 and 3 of the core model, respectively. After including the acquisition price for ivabradine, the model showed a decrease in total costs in the commercial ($991,256 and $474,499, respectively) and Medicare populations ($13,849,262 and $4,280,291, respectively) in year 1. This decrease was driven by ivabradine's reduction in hospitalization rates. For the core model, the estimated pharmacy-only PMPM in year 1 was $0.01 for the commercial population and $0.24 for the Medicare Advantage population. Adding ivabradine to SoC led to lower average annual treatment costs. The negative PMPM budget impact indicates that ivabradine is an affordable option for U.S. payers. This study was funded by Amgen. Patel is employed by Amgen; Kielhorn was employed by Amgen at the time of the study but is no longer affiliated with Amgen. Borer, Böhm, Ford, and Komajda have received scientific support, consultative fees, and/or speakers honoraria from Servier and Amgen in connection with SHIFT, the trial underlying this analysis. Borer also has received consultative fees from Celladon, Pfizer, ARMGO, Cardiorentis, Novartis, and Takeda USA. Kansal, Dorman, Krotneva, and Zheng are employees of Evidera, which was hired to assist with this study. Tavazzi has received research grants and consultation fees from Servier in connection with this study and has had advisory board memberships with Boston Scientific, Servier, Cardiorentis, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, and CVie Therapeutics. Study concept and design were contributed by Dorman and Keilhorn, along with the other authors. Tavazzi, Komajda, Ford, BÖhm, and Borer oversaw collection of the data. Tavazzi, Komajda, Ford, BÖhm, and Borer (along with Karl Swedberg) formed the Executive Committee of SHIFT, the trial underlying this analysis. The manuscript was written by Kansal, along with the other authors, and revised by Borer and Patel, with assistance from the other authors.

Enigma: Aspects of Multimodal Inter-Semiotic Translation

Commercial and creative perspectives are critical when making movies. Deciding how to select and combine elements of stories gleaned from books into multimodal texts results in films whose modes of image, words, sound and movement interact in ways that create new wholes and so, new stories, which are more than the sum of their individual parts.The Imitation Game (2014) claims to be based on a true story recorded in the seminal biography by Andrew Hodges, Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983). The movie, as does its primary source, endeavours to portray the crucial role of Enigma during World War Two, along with the tragic fate of a key individual, Alan Turing. The film, therefore, involves translation of at least two “true” stories, making the film a rich source of data for this paper that addresses aspects of multimodal inter-semiotic translations (MISTs). Carefully selected aspects of tales based on “true stories” are interpreted in films; however, not all interpretations possess the same degree of integrity in relation to their original source text.This paper assumes films, based on stories, are a form of MIST, whose integrity of translation needs to be assessed. The methodology employed uses a case-study approach and a “grid” framework with two key critical thinking (CT) standards: Accuracy and Significance, as well as a scale (from “low” to “high”). This paper offers a stretched and nuanced understanding of inter-semiotic translation by analysing how multimodal strategies are employed by communication interpretants.

Correlated response of flesh color to selection for harvest weight in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Chilean coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) represents about 90% of the worldwide production. From a commercial perspective rapid growth to market weights and product quality are important aspects of profitability. The objective of this study was to determine genetic parameters, genetic trends and correlated response of flesh color (FC) after eight generations of selection for harvest weight (HW) in two coho salmon populations spawning independently in even and odd years. A total of 41,597 and 37,319 records for HW and 4946 and 6731 for FC were included in the analysis for the even and odd populations, respectively. A linear bivariate animal model was used to estimate genetic parameters and compute breeding values for both traits. Estimated heritabilities for HW and FC were 0.41±0.03 and 0.08±0.02 in the even population and 0.22±0.03 and 0.04±0.01 the in odd population, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between HW and FC were 0.15±0.11 and 0.07±0.02 in the even population and 0.25±0.14 and 0.12±0.02 in odd population, respectively. Response to selection was measured as the slope of the linear regression fitted on the mean breeding values per generation per trait. We found a positive genetic trend for both traits after eight generations of selection for HW. The increase in HW per generation was 0.31±0.01 and 0.26±0.02kg for the even and odd populations, respectively. The correlated increase in FC was 0.04±0.01 and 0.04±0.00 fan units per generation in the even and odd population, respectively, showing that selection for HW can increase FC.Statement of relevance.Correlated response in color to selection for growth in coho

Evaluation of the Lifetime Impact Identification Analysis: Two tests in a changeable context

Asset Life Cycle Management aims to maximize the value realized from physical assets over their complete lifetime. Over the years, the operation and maintenance of the assets must continually be adapted to changes in goals and context. In an earlier publication, we proposed the Lifetime Impact Identification Analysis to identify such changes. This paper tests this method through an application at two different companies. The method proved to result in a shared and integral overview of long-term challenges and opportunities for the asset, based on experts discussing the asset's future from a technical, economic, compliance, commercial and organizational perspective.

Mitigating change in the goals and context of capital assets: Design of the Lifetime Impact Identification Analysis

Physical assets are essential in manufacturing, and typically have lifetimes of several decades. Over such a period, many changes in goals and context may occur. Such changes should be dealt with to prevent a premature end to the asset's useful life. However, current maintenance methodologies focus mainly on the short term and on operation in a stable context. Based on a case study of Asset Management practices and the literature, we developed the Lifetime Impact Identification Analysis (LIIA) method. The method uses Technical, Economic, Compliance and Commercial perspectives to identify long-term challenges and opportunities for the asset.

Mirabegron for the treatment of overactive bladder: cost-effectiveness from US commercial health-plan and Medicare Advantage perspectives

Background and objective: The first class of oral pharmacologic treatments for overactive bladder (OAB) are antimuscarinics that are associated with poor persistence, anticholinergic adverse events, and increased anticholinergic burden (ACB) with risk of cognitive impairment. Mirabegron, a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, is an oral treatment that does not contribute to ACB and has early evidence of improved persistence. The objective of the analysis was to assess the cost-effectiveness of mirabegron for OAB vs six antimuscarinics in the US.Methods: A Markov state-transition model assessed US commercial health-plan and Medicare Advantage perspectives over a 3-year time horizon in an OAB patient population. Transition probabilities between five micturition and five incontinence severity states were derived from a network meta-analysis of 44 trials of oral OAB treatments. Therapy beginning with an oral OAB agent could discontinue or switch to another oral agent and could be followed by tibial nerve stimulation, sacral neuromodulation, or onabotulinumtoxinA. The primary outcome was cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Utilities were mapped from incontinence and micturition frequencies as well as demographics. Based on analysis of data from a large healthcare system, elevated ACB was associated with increased healthcare utilization and probability of cognitive impairment.Results: From both commercial and Medicare Advantage perspectives, mirabegron was the most clinically effective treatment, while oxybutynin was the least expensive. Tolterodine immediate release (IR) was also on the cost-effectiveness frontier. The analysis estimated costs per QALY of $59,690 and $66,347 for mirabegron from commercial health plan and Medicare Advantage perspectives, respectively, compared to tolterodine IR. Other antimuscarinics were dominated.Conclusions: This analysis estimated that mirabegron is a cost-effective treatment for OAB from US commercial health plan and Medicare Advantage perspectives, due to fewer projected adverse events and comorbidities, and data suggesting better persistence.

English

According to the democratic peace theory, democratic states are less likely to go to war with other democratic states. Consequently, the ultimate goal of the theory is to create a world of democracies that is, a world without war. However, from the realist perspective in some cases democracies go to war with other democracies to influence their power. This paper will critically analyze the validity of democratic peace theory in its assumption that democracies rarely fight each other, by providing the example of the establishment of the European Union, in which democracies are co-operating with each other to achieve their common good. The paper is divided into three parts; the first one will provide an explanation of the Peace Democratic theory and its main assumptions. The second one will evaluate to what extent these assumptions are practical ones through the application of the case studies. Then a counter-argument for one of its assumption will be included questioning the core claim of the democratic peace theory from the commercial peace theory perspective. Key words: Democracy, peace theory, war, co-operation.

Phylogenetics and population genetics of Plotosus canius (Siluriformes: Plotosidae) from Malaysian coastal waters.

Plotosus canius (Hamilton, 1822) is a significant marine species in Malaysia from nutritional and commercial perspectives. Despite numerous fundamental research on biological characteristics of P. canius, there are various concerns on the level of population differentiation, genomic structure, and the level of genetic variability among their populations due to deficiency of genetic-based studies. Deficiency on basic contexts such as stock identification, phylogenetic relationship and population genetic structure would negatively impact their sustainable conservation. Hence, this study was conducted to characterize the genetic structure of P. canius for the first time through the application of mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene, cross amplification of Tandanus tandanus microsatellites, and a total of 117 collected specimens across five selected populations of Malaysia. The experimental results of the mitochondrial analysis revealed that the haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity varied from 0.395–0.771 and 0.033–0.65 respectively. Moreover, the statistical analysis of microsatellites addressed a considerable heterozygote insufficiency in all populations, with average observed heterozygosity (Ho) value of 0.2168, which was lower than the standard heterozygosity in marine populations (Ho = 0.79). This alongside the high Fis values estimation, high pairwise differentiation among populations and low within population variations are supposed to be associated with small sample size, and inbreeding system. Besides, the significant finding of this study was the sharing of common haplotype KR086940, which reflects a historical genetic connectivity between Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo populations due to the geological history of Southeast Asia during Pleistocene era. Demographic analyses showed that all populations were in an equilibrium state with no significant evidence of population expansion. To put it briefly, the current study has managed to provide an initial genomic database toward understanding of the genetic characterization, phylogenetic, molecular diversification and population structure in P. canius, and should be necessary highlighted for appropriate management and conservation of species. Further studies must be carried out involving more geographical and sampling sites, larger population size per site, and utilization of species specific microsatellites loci.

An Overview of Recent Advances of the Catalytic Selective Oxidation of Ethane to Oxygenates

The selective partial oxidation of short chain alkanes is a key challenge within catalysis research. Direct ethane oxidation to oxygenates is a difficult aim, but potentially rewarding, and it could lead to a paradigm shift in the supply chain of several bulk chemicals. Unfortunately, low C–H bond reactivity and kinetically labile products are just some reasons affecting the development and commercialisation of such processes. Research into direct ethane oxidation is therefore disparate, with approaches ranging from oxidation in the gas phase at high temperatures to enzyme catalysed hydroxylation under ambient conditions. Furthermore, in overcoming the barrier posed by the chemically inert C–H bond a range of oxidants have been utilised. Despite years of research, this remains an intriguing topic from both academic and commercial perspectives. Herein we describe some recent developments within the field of catalytic ethane oxidation focusing on the formation of oxygenated products, whilst addressing the key challenges which are still to be overcome.

Transformación de mercados municipales de Madrid: De espacio de consumo a espacio de esparcimiento

From a commercial perspective, gentrification —understood as a class and social restructuration process— can be observed as a procedure in which commercial activity is focused on high-income groups, the result being the substitution of this kind of activity in terms of the participation of traders and the supply of products —a situation that is clearly identified in municipal markets. In this way, there is a dissemination of a market-oriented “model” which, apart from meeting the food requirements of a given neighborhood, creates leisure areas. Such a transformation was preceded by a discourse that uses the deterioration of amenities and the decline of commercial activity as an excuse to transform the market. This paper offers two case studies. The San Anton market, which is an old commercial space that was transformed into a space focused on the provision of gourmet and restoration services. The second case refers to the Los Mostenses market, which through a discourse of deterioration and decline has been transformed into a leisure space.