Frontier Of Innovation Research Articles

MER based analysis of local field potentials with deep brain stimulation subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson\'s disease using coherence and entropy techniques

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a device-based well-developed and well-established innovative frontier surgical-therapeutic method which reduces the symptoms of Parkinson‘s disease (PD) and restores and increases the motor-functioning. DBS gives a unique-opportunity to study the electricaloscillatory( harmonic-ripples) neural-activity of various sub-cortical-structures in PD-subjects. However, the electrically-stimulating local field potentials (LFPs) are fundamentally concerned during subthalamicnuclei (STN) recording. The fluctuations, measured to signify collective neuronal-discharge from neurons surrounding the electrode. The acquisition of extracellular activity of irregular-patterns of STN-activity typically acquired from a population-of-neurons detected as” local field potentials” has discard luminosity on the pathophysiology and seizes the latent to pilot to elegance in modern DBS management. The recordings are often gathered with either intraoperative microelectrode for neuronal-activity and/or DBSleads for chronic-macro-stimulation and reflect oscillatory-activity within nuclei of the basal-ganglia (BG) and thalamic-targets for diagnosing PD. LFP-recordings have numerous clinical implications and presently used to optimize DBS outcomes in closed-loop adaptive-devices/systems. However, the origins of the LFPs are implied softly and implicitly. Thus, the goal of this present study is to analyze LFP recordings within the milieu of clinical-applications for clinical-significancy and this goal is attained with frequency analysis ranging the band from 1Hz-250Hz and coherence band between 0 and 1 level. The results of the study suggest that the spatial-reach of the LFP can extend several millimeters. This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the existing research which gives insights into the origin of LFP-signals and identify the variables that need to be considered when analyzing LFP-signals in clinical settings principally

Dynamically evaluating technological innovation efficiency of high-tech industry in China: Provincial, regional and industrial perspective

This study firstly adopts Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) window analysis with an ideal window width to dynamically investigate the technological innovation efficiency of China's high-tech industry during 2009–2016, simultaneously from provincial, regional and industrial perspective. The ideal window widths in the high-tech industry and its five sub-industries are all 4. The findings indicate that the efficiency of high-tech industry is low and presents a wave-shaped trend, as well as presents large inter-provincial and inter-regional differences. The efficiency in eastern region is always the highest, while the efficiency in northeastern region is the lowest. Moreover, the efficiencies in eastern region and western region both presented wave-shaped decrease trends, while the efficiencies in central region and northeastern region both presented wave-shaped increase trends. There are significant inter-regional and inter-provincial differences in efficiency of each sub-industry. The distributions of efficiencies of various provinces in five sub-industries are different. No province has always been on the innovation frontier for the entire evaluation period. The province with larger number of years on the frontier generally has the higher efficiency score, although there are some exceptions. Among the provinces on the frontier in various industries, the eastern provinces account for a large proportion.

Sustained upgrading of technological capability through ambidextrous learning for latecomer firms

ABSTRACT Many prior studies have examined latecomer firms’ learning and upgrading; however, the context of upgrading changes significantly when they passed the initial catch-up stage and we know very little about how latecomer firms achieve continuous upgrading after they enter into beyond catch-up stage. This study employs a longitudinal case study to investigate how a latecomer firm pursued ambidextrous learning and achieved technological upgrading successfully in three different stages. We find that latecomer firms can achieve sustained technological upgrading through ambidextrous learning and that the specific learning mode in different stages can evolve with windows of opportunity and technological capabilities. These findings extend our understanding of how latecomer firms can upgrade to the innovation frontier and shed new insights into the ambidextrous learning literature. Implications for policy are discussed and directions for further research are outlined.

Sulla centralità di spazio e territorio nel progetto di rigenerazione delle montagne e delle aree interne

The crisis brought on by Covid-19 has dramatically highlighted how the territorial dimension has long been excluded from national policies to be reduced to a mere diagrammatic and abstract space to be reduced in a mere diagrammatic and abstract space. An unphysicality of things that also goes through philosophies of smart or replicable best practices, in the idea that it is enough to follow a procedure to solve the complexities of contemporary life. The crisis has also brought to light the theme of internal, mountain and marginal areas, which have already received strong and growing attention in recent years. All the researches of the last few years demonstrate how the frontier of innovation is placed along the margin lines, in territories such as the Alpine and Apennine ones: regeneration projects based on culture, community cooperatives, resettlement that arises on the recovery of legacy and on the new technologies. These are experiments as fragile as the places they insist on, but where the territorial and spatial dimension plays an active and new role, which should be carefully observed thanks to the new openings it can offer. The essay identifies some nodes that arise from a long process of analysis and field experiences, and which intertwine two strategic issues: on the one hand, the need for policies capable of actively addressing the issue of territories – overcoming the contrast between socio-economic and spatial disciplines –, and on the other hand the project of reactivation and regeneration of mountain and marginal spaces.

Current coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches: An updated review until June 2020.

Coronaviruses are a group of enveloped viruses with non-segmented, single-stranded, and positive-sense RNA genomes. In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in Wuhan City, China. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic in March 2020. Fever, dry cough and fatigue are found in the vast majority of all COVID-19 cases. Early diagnosis, treatment and future prevention are keys to COVID-19 management. Currently, the unmet need to develop cost-effective point-of-contact test kits and efficient laboratory techniques for confirmation of COVID-19 infection has powered a new frontier of diagnostic innovation. No proven effective therapies or vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 currently exist. The rapidly increasing research regarding COVID-19 virology provides a significant number of potential drug targets. Remdesivir may be the most promising therapy up till now. On May 1, 2020, Gilead Sciences, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational Remdesivir as a potential antiviral for COVID-19 treatment. On May 7, 2020, Gilead Sciences, announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has granted regulatory approval of Veklury® (Remdesivir) as a treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19 acute respiratory syndrome, under an exceptional approval pathway. Also, Corticosteroids are recommended for severe cases only to suppress the immune response and reduce symptoms, but not for mild and moderate patients where they are associated with a high-risk side effect. Based on the currently published evidence, we tried to highlight different diagnostic approaches, side effects and therapeutic agents that could help physicians in the frontlines.

Exploring the university-industry cooperation in a low innovative region. What differences between low tech and high tech industries?

University–Industry (U-I) cooperation is defined as “the interaction between any parts of the higher educational system and industry aiming mainly to encourage knowledge and technology exchange” (Ankrah and Al-Tabba 2015). In recent years, we have observed an intensification of this phenomenon based on the common belief that collaborative research by academia and industry may be a powerful source of innovation (Ambos et al. 2008; Mansfield 1998) and generate advantages for both partners. Consequently, in recent years, the phenomenon of U-I cooperation has increased greatly and has begun to include regions that are not at the frontier of innovation and sectors that are not traditionally high-tech. Nevertheless, extant studies overlook the important role of regional contexts in shaping the patterns of U-I cooperation in different regional contexts, including the analysis of how U-I cooperation patterns vary across low-tech and high-tech industries. This paper attempts to fill this gap by exploring patterns of U-I cooperation in four industry-specific clusters in the low-innovative region of Campania (Italy) with regard to three specific aspects (i.e., motivations, barriers and cooperation channels). Overall, our findings contrast the arguments made by previous literature focused on the sectoral effect of U-I collaboration in highly innovative regions by showing that in low-innovative regions, sectoral differences in motivations, channels and barriers of U-I cooperation are less clear-cut or come in different forms than in highly innovative regions. We believe that our study provides an original contribution to the existing literature by providing a more comprehensive view of of the phenomenon’s complexity by assessing the sectoral effect on three dimensions, considering both the perspectives of the university and the firm and by contextualizing the research in a low-innovative region, while mainstream literature tends to privilege the focus on highly innovative regions.

Harry John Espiner: medical innovator who invented the Espiner bag

Harry Espiner was a distinguished surgeon, researcher, lecturer, and medical innovator who also designed equipment used by surgeons worldwide. He performed some of the earliest laparoscopic surgery in the UK and developed a special retrieval sac, the Espiner bag, used in keyhole operations such as gallbladder removal. He was always “pushing at the frontiers of innovation,” say colleagues, having also initiated research into the harmful effects of starch powder used in surgical gloves. Espiner, a New Zealander, arrived in the UK in the late 1950s as a well regarded surgical trainee and went on to have a distinguished career as a consultant surgeon at Bristol Royal Infirmary and lecturer at the University of Bristol. He became a pioneer in laparoscopic cholecystectomy and “one of the very first surgeons to take on the new technique in the south west region,” says Alan Roe, who worked with him as a senior registrar and co-researcher. He was also among the first in the world to remove a cancerous tumour of the colon solely by minimal …

Upsetting the apple CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy) - sustainability mandates USA innovation.

Seldom has a medical advance in cancer therapy been as pivotal as the advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell immunotherapy. While the first applications targeted the CD19 antigen on lymphoid malignancies, the incredible specificity of these 'living drugs', curative potential and generalisability to other targets have richly justified their declaration as 2019's breakthrough of the year by Science magazine. Two CAR-T products, Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) and Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) were Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved in the USA in late 2017, with the FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb heralding 'a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient's own cells to attack a deadly cancer'. Building upon early enthusiasm, nearly 1000 cell- and gene-therapy investigational new drug applications are pending with the FDA, which expects to review and approve between 10 and 20 such treatments annually by 2025. Despite the enormous promise and urgent unmet need fulfilled by CAR-T cells, the real-world adoption of the two FDA-approved treatments has been slow.

Preface

Chemistry is often regarded as the central of science, while material science is considered as the mother of technology. The pair holds an important role in advancing the quality of life, environment, and welfare. The International Conference on Chemistry and Material Science (IC2MS) is organized to provide an international platform for promoting mutual exchange between scientists, discussing innovative ideas in scientific research, and as a building block for academicians to expand their global perspective and to initiate collaboration, and for government and industrial sectors to update their information with the newest research findings for their future research-based plans and policies.This year, the conference is organized by the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Brawijaya University, in collaboration with Chemistry Departments of State University of Malang, Jember University, and Ma Chung University. The 2nd IC2MS was held on 2-3 November 2019 with a theme of “Advancing to the Frontier of Innovation in Chemistry and Material Science”. The conference covers not only in chemistry area (Organic, Inorganic, Physical, Analytical, Biochemistry), but also promote papers in material science such as molecular science, functional material, material synthesis and characterisation, nanomaterials and nanodevices, as well as renewable energy and fuel cell.List of Editorial Board, Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee, Proceedings Layouts and Technical Team, Keynote Speakers, Invited Speakers, Link for Presented Papers and Selected Pictures Taken from the IC2MS-2019 are available in this pdf.

Reviews - Book Interview. Starting up outside Silicon Valley

We're moving away from the entrenched idea that successful tech start-ups need to have their roots in San Francisco says author Alexandre Lazarow, whose new book examines the emergence of global innovation frontiers.

College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Resources Recommendation Based on Collaborative Filtering and Recommendation Technology

The 21st century is the era of big data. With the soaring of user data index, information data will be more diversified and complex. This is an era full of a lot of information data. Therefore, when we want to get valuable information, we have to spend a lot of time and energy to filter the accuracy and adaptability of information, which can be improved by personalized recommendation algorithm, such as collaborative filtering recommendation technology. Innovation and entrepreneurship is a project to train students’ ability to think and solve problems independently, which is the frontier of innovation in Colleges and universities. Through continuous improvement and improvement, we can form a college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship resource recommendation scheme, which can help college students choose more suitable projects. First of all, this paper analyzes the current situation of College Students’ innovation and entrepreneurship resources recommendation. Then, this paper proposes an algorithm of collaborative filtering recommendation technology.

Public R&D Investment in Economic Crises

We study the cyclicality of public R&D in 28 OECD countries (1995 – 2017). While procyclical on average, public R&D reacts asymmetrically over different phases of the business cycle and becomes acyclical during recessions. It is also heterogeneous across countries: Innovation leaders and followers behave countercyclically during recessions while moderate innovators behave procyclically. Furthermore, the share of public R&D allocated to the business sector is countercyclical, but the thematic composition remains stable. These results, not driven by countries’ financial constraints, imply that countries behind the innovation frontier might strengthen their resilience to economic crises by adopting countercyclical R&D strategies.

Making the Subjective Objective: Machine Learning and Rhinoplasty.

Machine learning represents a new frontier in surgical innovation. The ranking Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is a novel machine learning algorithm that helps elucidate patterns and features of aging that are not always appreciable with the human eye. The authors sought to determine the impact of aesthetic rhinoplasty on facial aging employing a multidimensional facial recognition and comparison software. A retrospective chart review and subsequent analysis was carried out on all female patients who underwent open rhinoplasty with the senior author from 2014 through 2018 and had postoperative photos at 12 or more weeks follow-up. All photos were analyzed with Microsoft Azure Face API (Redmond, WA), which estimates patients' age by cropping the face from a photograph and then extracting a CNN-based prediction through multiple deep neural networks. A total of 100 patients ultimately met full inclusion criteria. The average post-surgical follow up for this cohort was 29 weeks (median, 14 weeks; range, 12-64 weeks). Patients ranged from 16 to 72 years old (mean, 32.75 years; median, 28.00 years; standard deviation, 12.79 years). The ranking CNN algorithm on average estimated patients preoperatively to be 0.03 years older than their actual age. The correlation coefficient between actual age and predicted preoperative age was r = 0.91. On average, patients were found to look younger post-open rhinoplasty (-3.10 vs 0.03 years, P < 0.0001). The ranking CNN algorithm is both accurate and precise in estimating human age before and after cosmetic rhinoplasty. Given the resulting data, the effects of open rhinoplasty on reversing signs of facial aging should be revisited.

Environmental regulatory spillovers, institutions, and clean technology innovation: A panel of 32 countries over 16 years

The empirical literature on environmental regulatory-induced innovation is extensive and finds equivocal results, following the seminal works by Lanjouw and Mody (1996) who show a positive innovation effect and Jaffe and Palmer (1997) who largely find a negative effect of regulations on environmental technology innovation. Yet most of the literature explores domestic regulatory effects on domestic firms’ innovations, while the small amount of studies on cross-border induced innovation is typically confined to a small group of OECD countries. Our departure is to conceive of a global cleantech paradigm whereby domestic firms are induced by foreign country environmental regulations, under the important condition that institutional quality distance between the sending and receiving country is not very far apart. In short, this article demonstrates an important relationship between environmental regulations, institutional quality, and clean technology innovations. Our main hypothesis is that institutional distance moderates the inducement effect of foreign regulations on domestic innovators. To test this hypothesis, we collect a sample of 32 countries, including select OECD countries and the colloquially-named “BRICS” countries. The results of our models suggest there is indeed a significant inducement effect across borders from foreign regulations. These findings are important for both innovators and policymakers. While the former already appear to participate in the global clean technology paradigm, the latter should be aware of the potential ramifications of pioneer regulations for the global clean technology innovation frontier.

Farming Reimagined: A case study of autonomous farm equipment and creating an innovation opportunity space for broadacre smart farming

As agriculture meets digital technologies, a new frontier of innovation is emerging and creating multiple pathways to a smart farming future. This paper presents a case study of a smart farming innovation originating from a small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) that designs and manufactures machinery used in broadacre, conservation tillage farming. The innovation, known as DOT™, is an entrepreneur’s response to problems in the agriculture industry. Applying the innovation opportunity space (IOS) conceptual framework, this study identified the process of innovation was based on synthesis of tacit knowledge (experience-based knowledge of farming and agribusiness) and codified knowledge (drawing on computer programming). The innovation offers a solution for farming problems, and other firms are incorporating the autonomous functionality into their short-line manufacturing operations through licensing agreements, and early farmer adoption is positive. However, this smart farming IOS is presently an Unstable IOS and there remain some gaps: public policy for safe deployment of autonomous agriculture vehicles is lagging behind the invention and commercialization; the new business models for manufacture and commercialization of high-tech equipment are just emerging, and data ownership and control remain unresolved; and evidence of the value of smart farming technologies to farmers and the larger social system and biosphere remains scant.

Social Entrepreneurship Policy: Evidences from the Italian Reform

Social entrepreneurship (third sector) is an increasingly important global economic phenomenon that is squarely under the academic lens. Social entrepreneurship represents an interesting opportunity for policy makers to explore new frontiers of economic growth and implement innovation in a potentially growing services sector with possible job opportunities coming from new job creation in the upcoming decades. Based on evidence from Italy, this paper considers the broader picture of this phenomenon. Addressing the need to better understand the drivers of social entrepreneurship policy, we propose a model for interpreting the impact of the recent Italian reform of the third sector at various levels of the ecosystem, which favors innovation, technology adaptation, and greater employability. The presented results contribute to laying the foundation for the further development of a theory of entrepreneurship policy.

A Legal Perspective on Technology and the Capital Markets: Social Media, Short Activism and the Algorithmic Revolution

In this essay, I examine the technological revolution in the capital markets through the normative lenses of law, policy and regulation. Do new media platforms necessarily enhance market efficiency? Or do they facilitate fraud and manipulation of stock prices? I focus on the rise of short activism on Twitter, Seeking Alpha and similar forms of social media: much like a stock promoter induces others to buy so he or she can sell at a profit, so a short activist might dupe others into selling so he or she can lock in profits before the stock rises again. Second, I examine the ways in which the rise of algorithmic trading shapes the emergence of accurate prices in the capital markets, from cybersecurity risk to limit order cancellations. There is growing evidence that prosecutors are taking technologically induced price distortions quite seriously. Finally, I consider emerging frontiers of technological innovation in the capital markets. The jury is still out on whether the benefits of digital ledger technology exceed the costs of the rampant investor deception which has led to a steady stream of crypto prosecutions and enforcement actions.

Barriers to the international diffusion of technological innovations

This paper examines the role of diffusion barriers in explaining differences in technological innovation across countries through an index of economic complexity. The barriers are captured by genealogical distance from the world’s technology frontier. We hypothesize that greater the genetic distance between a country’s population and the technology innovator the lower will be levels of technological innovations. Utilizing data for 100 countries, our empirical estimates offer solid support for the negative influence of genetic distance from the global frontier on innovation. A number of sensitivity checks also confirm that our findings are robust. Overall, the evidence lends strong support to the barriers effect of genetic distance from the frontier whereby it prevents the diffusion of productivity enhancing innovations across countries by affecting the country’s capability to imitate and adopt frontier innovations and technologies.

A Study on the Influence of Ionization Method on Single Cell Initial Performance: Electrospray Method

Various catalysts showing high ORR activity have been developed over the past several years, and the results of evaluating actual fuel cells prepared using highly ORR-active catalysts have been reported. However, in contrast to rotating disk electrode (RDE) results showing high ORR activity, it is difficult to implement the high activity in actual fuel cell testinghen using the same catalysts. The most significant difference compared to the RDE is that there is an interface between the electrolyte and the surface of the catalyst in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In order to improve the coating properties of the electrolyte binder on the surface of the catalyst and the distribution of the electrolyte binder in the catalyst layer, various slurry[1] and catalyst layer preparation methods have been studied[2,3,4]. In this study, the catalyst layers were prepared using the electrospray (ES) method, and two different ionization methods (positive, negative) were used, based on surface charge analysis of the electrolyte binder (-35 mV) and electrolyte binder-coated catalysts (-43 mV). Structural differences in the catalyst layer were observed for the different ionization methods used. Mainly, it was observed that greater than 1 μm diameter pores were formed in the catalyst layer prepared by the positive ionization method. In contrast, with the negative ionization method, relatively uniform pores were formed in the catalyst layer. The initial performance of the MEAs prepared by the negative ionization method revealed improved initial performance over that of the positive ionization method: at 0.85 V, O2 supply, positive: 0.074, negative: 0.091 A/mgPt; at 0.65 V, air supply, positive: 1.26, negative: 2.10 A/mgPt; and O2 supply, positive: 3.86, negative 6.31 A/mgPt). The initial performance difference according to the ionization method can be understood through a structural difference in the catalyst layer analyzed by STEM and TEM, and through electrochemical analysis: i) different electrolyte binder morphology. ii) structural differences in the catalyst layer, and iii) proton transport resistance in the catalyst layer. Therefore, it was confirmed that, when the catalyst layer was prepared by the electrospray method using the same electrolyte binder content, the negative ionization method yielded around 1.5 times better initial performance, regardless of the single cell operating conditions. Acknowledgement This work was partially supported by funds for the “Superlative, Stable, and Scalable Performance Fuel Cell (SPer-FC) Project" from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the "Yamanashi Frontier for Innovation and Ecosystem Project" from Regional Innovation Ecosystems of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Universities in the National Innovation Systems: Emerging Innovation Landscapes in Asia-Pacific

Historically, universities and institutions of higher learning have gone through three academic revolutions, namely, teaching, research, and innovation. Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in the last two decades have come to occupy an important part in the national innovation systems (NIS), which is a complex of ‘all important economic, social, political, organizational, institutional and other factors that influence the development, diffusion and use of innovations’. From a broader perspective, universities, together with public Research and Development (R&amp;D) labs and science agencies, public policies (on industry, research, innovation and higher education, etc.) and business enterprises are now considered as important actors in the NIS of Asia-Pacific economies. The rise of Asia in the global knowledge-based economy from mid-1990s is closely associated with the rise of knowledge institutions of higher learning and scientific research output. Every Asia-Pacific country embraced and introduced policies relating to innovation in varying forms. Consultancy and collaborative links with industry being traditional forms of engagement, new policy and institutional measures in technology transfer and innovation to engage with society and business enterprises are gaining prominence. Policies for incubation, start-ups, and spin-offs, technology transfer offices (TTOs), and science and technology parks have gained tremendous prominence in leading Asia-Pacific universities. Different national innovation systems in the Asia-Pacific region have given rise to varying roles of universities. Whilst universities in Southeast Asian countries and India continue to play a traditional role of teaching and generating human capital, there are countries such as Singapore, China, Taiwan, and Japan, wherein universities are being transformed as entrepreneurial universities. Science and innovation policies in these countries have orchestrated the goal direction of universities as frontiers of innovation. Universities in Australia and New Zealand have so far been quite successful in marketing higher education to neighboring Asian countries. They have in recent years begun to embark on innovation and commercialization of research. The paper focuses on South East Asia and draws some comparison with more dynamic university ecosystems in East Asia. In doing so, the paper brings into focus the emerging innovation landscapes across the region.