PATSTAT revisited

This study provides a comprehensive summary of and guidance for using the EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT), one of the most widely used patent databases for researchers. We highlight the three most important issues that PATSTAT users must consider when performing patent data analyses and suggest ways to deal with those issues. Although PATSTAT is chosen in this study, the issues that we discuss are also applicable to other patent databases.

Descriptive analysis of the knowledge network formation in East Asia

This paper shows descriptively how the knowledge network in East Asia has been formed. In addition, the correlation between the knowledge network and economic growth is also examined. Evidence is provided to show that plugging into the knowledge network of developed countries could be a key for increasing innovativeness in a country.

Consumption-based accounting of U.S. CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2010

To tackle global climate change, it is desirable to reduce CO2 emissions associated with household consumption in particular in developed countries, which tend to have much higher per capita household carbon footprints than less developed countries. Our results show that carbon intensity of different consumption categories in the U.S. varies significantly. The carbon footprint tends to increase with increasing income but at a decreasing rate due to additional income being spent on less carbon intensive consumption items. This general tendency is frequently compensated by higher frequency of international trips and higher housing related carbon emissions (larger houses and more space for consumption items). Our results also show that more than 30% of CO2 emissions associated with household consumption in the U.S. occur outside of the U.S. Given these facts, the design of carbon mitigation policies should take changing household consumption patterns and international trade into account.

Dangerous unions : mapping human smuggling and human trafficking in international marriage through Japan's legal response

This working paper explores human smuggling and human trafficking through international marriage. It focuses on Japan's criminal justice response, while examining the major stakeholders involved in this activity. The paper focuses on the time period from 2008-2013. International marriages, particularly commercially brokered arrangements, have rapidly increased throughout East and Southeast Asia, with more women from less developed countries moving to richer destinations. The increasing prevalence of brokered marriages, and the overall numbers of marriage migrants, provides cover for criminal organizations to smuggle labor migrants on false marriages, and to send some migrants into what are clearly human trafficking situations.

A New Multidisciplinary Home Care Telemedicine System to Monitor Stable Chronic Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients: A Randomized Study

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy has changed the natural history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in developed countries, where it has become a chronic disease. This clinical scenario requires a new approach to simplify follow-up appointments and facilitate access to healthcare professionals. METHODOLOGY: We developed a new internet-based home care model covering the entire management of chronic HIV-infected patients. This was called Virtual Hospital. We report the results of a prospective randomised study performed over two years, comparing standard care received by HIV-infected patients with Virtual Hospital care. HIV-infected patients with access to a computer and broadband were randomised to be monitored either through Virtual Hospital (Arm I) or through standard care at the day hospital (Arm II). After one year of follow up, patients switched their care to the other arm. Virtual Hospital offered four main services: Virtual Consultations, Telepharmacy, Virtual Library and Virtual Community. A technical and clinical evaluation of Virtual Hospital was carried out. FINDINGS: Of the 83 randomised patients, 42 were monitored during the first year through Virtual Hospital (Arm I) and 41 through standard care (Arm II). Baseline characteristics of patients were similar in the two arms. The level of technical satisfaction with the virtual system was high: 85% of patients considered that Virtual Hospital improved their access to clinical data and they felt comfortable with the videoconference system. Neither clinical parameters [level of CD4+ T lymphocytes, proportion of patients with an undetectable level of viral load (p = 0.21) and compliance levels >90% (p = 0.58)] nor the evaluation of quality of life or psychological questionnaires changed significantly between the two types of care. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual Hospital is a feasible and safe tool for the multidisciplinary home care of chronic HIV patients. Telemedicine should be considered as an appropriate support service for the management of chronic HIV infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical-Trials.gov: NCT01117675.

Las normativas de construcción con tierra en el mundo/The earth building normative documents in the world

La tierra ha sido utilizada como material de construcción desde hace siglos. No obstante, la normativa al respecto está muy dispersa, y en la mayoría de países desarrollados surgen numerosos problemas técnicos y legales para llevar a cabo una construcción con este material. Este artículo estudia el panorama normativo para las construcciones con tierra cruda a nivel internacional, analizando cincuenta y cinco normas y reglamentos de países repartidos por los cinco continentes, que representan el estado del arte de la normalización de la tierra cruda como material de construcción. Es un estudio referenciado sobre las normas y reglamentos vigentes desarrollados por los organismos nacionales de normalización o autoridades correspondientes. Se presentan las normativas y los organismos que las emiten, analizando la estructura y contenido de cada una. Se estudian y analizan los aspectos más relevantes, como la estabilización, selección de los suelos, requisitos de los productos y ensayos existentes, comparando las diferentes normativas. Este trabajo puede ser de gran utilidad para el desarrollo de futuras normas y como referencia para arquitectos e ingenieros que trabajen con tierra. For centuries, earth has been used as a construction material. Nevertheless, the normative in this matter is very scattered, and in the most developed countries, carrying out a construction with this material implies a variety of technical and legal problems. This article analyzes, in an international level, the normative panorama about constructions with earth, analyzing fifty five standards and regulations of countries all around the five continents; these represent the state of art that normalizes the earth as a construction material. It is a study indexed on the actual procedures and regulations developed by the national organisms of normalization or correspondent authorities. The standards and the organisms that produce them appear, analyzing the structure and the content of each one. We have studied and analyzed the most relevant aspects, such as stabilization, soil selections, the requisites of the products and the existent test, comparing the diverse normative. The knowledge from this study could be very useful for the development of future standards and as a reference for architects and engineers that work with earth.

Forecasting Electricity Prices and their volatilities using Unobserved Components.

The liberalization of electricity markets more than ten years ago in the vast majority of developed countries has introduced the need of modelling and forecasting electricity prices and volatilities, both in the short and long term. Thus, there is a need of providing methodology that is able to deal with the most important features of electricity price series, which are well known for presenting not only structure in conditional mean but also time-varying conditional variances. In this work we propose a new model, which allows to extract conditionally heteroskedastic common factors from the vector of electricity prices. These common factors are jointly estimated as well as their relationship with the original vector of series, and the dynamics affecting both their conditional mean and variance. The estimation of the model is carried out under the state-space formulation. The new model proposed is applied to extract seasonal common dynamic factors as well as common volatility factors for electricity prices and the estimation results are used to forecast electricity prices and their volatilities in the Spanish zone of the Iberian Market. Several simplified/alternative models are also considered as benchmarks to illustrate that the proposed approach is superior to all of them in terms of explanatory and predictive power.

An iPhone-based application for promoting type 2 diabetic patients self- management towards healthy lifestyle habits

— In 2000, according to the World Health Organization, at least 171 million people, 2.8% of the population worldwide, suffered from diabetes. The Centres for Disease Control has defined it as an epidemic disease. Its incidence is increasing rapidly, and it is estimated that by 2030 this number will almost double. Diabetes mellitus occurs throughout the world, but is more common (especially type 2) in the more developed countries. Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when pancreas does not assure enough insulin secretion or when the body does not consume the insulin produced. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. The effect of uncontrolled diabetes is the hyperglycaemia (blood sugar), which eventually seriously damage many organs and systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. Diabetes type 2 (most common type of diabetes) is highly correlated with elderly people, obesity or overweight. Promoting a healthy lifestyle helps patients to improve their quality of life and in many cases to avoid complications related to the disease. This paper is intended to describe an iPhone-based application for self-management of type 2 diabetic patients, which allow them improving their lifestyle through healthy diet, physical activity and education

Contribución a las nuevas tendencias en el diseño de tuberías en construcción naval

En la situación actual, tanto las posibilidades de contratar como los resultados económicos de un astillero, dependen de su capacidad para construir un buque en el plazo mas corto posible. Dentro de los trabajos de diseño y construcción de de un buque el trabajo de tuberías ha sido el que tradicionalmente ha condicionado los plazos de construcción. En este estudio se considerara que se han tenido en cuenta los criterios necesarios para que las instalaciones del buque funcionen correctamente y se verá como los sistemas de diseño influyen en el coste y plazo del buque y, por tanto, en la productividad del astillero. Se estudian los distintos procesos de diseño, fabricación y montaje de tuberías, la evolución de estos procesos a lo largo del tiempo, los módulos de armamento que se realizan en los astilleros, los modelos de cámara de máquinas, y los sistemas de ayuda al diseño por ordenador. El autor, en su puesto de Jefe de la Oficina Tecnológica de la Factoría de Sevilla de Astilleros Españoles en los últimos 12 años, ha tomado parte activa en esta evolución, formando parte de un equipo que ha situado a este astillero entre los mas avanzarlos de Europa. Todo lo anterior sirve de base para la segunda parte de este estudio, donde se abordan las que, en opinión del autor, son las nuevas tendencias en el diseño de tuberías en la construcción naval. V Integración del CAD/CAM o CIM : CAD = computer aided design o diseño asistido por ordenador, CAM = computer aided manufacturing o fabricación asistida por ordenador, CIM = computer integrated manufacturing o fabricación integrada por ordenador. Se estudia la integración de los procesos de diseño con el resto de los procesos de gestión y de producción de un astillero, proponiéndose un modelo de cómo el autor ve esta integración. Se comenta la actual tendencia a pasar de las automatizaciones duras con maquinas especializadas para cada proceso, a las automatizaciones blandas en las que un robot puede realizar distintos procesos modificando su programación. Se estudian las nuevas posibilidades de la normal i zacio'n, de los planos parametrizados y de la tecnología de grupos aportando algunos ejemplos. Se estudia también como los procesos anteriores conducirán a una optimización del producto en sí, es decir a conseguir mejores buques. En las conclusiones destacamos como el camino que tienen los países desarrollados, como el nuestro, para mantener una industria competitiva de construcción naval va por la mecanización de los procesos constructivos siguiendo las tendencias anteriores y obteniendo buques optimizados. vi SUMMARY Under the present situation the possibilities to contract and the economical results of a Shipyard depend on its capacity to build a ship within the shortest time. i Within the works of design and construction of a ship, piping work has traditionally conditioned the construction time. In this study it shall be considered that the necessary criteria for the ship installations to operate correctly have been taken into account and it shall be noticed how the design systems influence on the cost and time of a ship and therefore on the Shipyard's productivity. Studies are made of different design processes, manufacturing and installation of piping, evolution of these processes along the time, outfitting modules made in the Shipyard, engine room models and computerized design aid systems. The author, in his post of Chief of the Technological Office of Sevilla Shipyard of Astilleros Españoles for the last 12 years, has taken an active part in this evolution, making part of a team which has placed this Shipyard among the most advanced in Europe. All of the above is used for the second part of this study, whereby an approach is made to those who, in the author's opinion, are the new trends in the piping design of shipbuilding. vii Integration of CAD/CAM or CIM: CAD = computer aided design, CAM = computer aided manufacturing, CIM = computer integrated manufacturing. i A study is made of the integration of design processes with the remaining step and production Shipyard processes, proposing a model of how the author views this integration. Comments are made on the present trend to go from hard automations with specialized machines for each process to soft automations, in which a robot can carry out different processes modifying its programmes. Studies are made of: New possibility of standardization, parametrized drawings and group technology, bringing some examples. It is also studied how the above processes shall lead to optimize the product itself, that is, to obtain better ships. In the conclusions we stand out how the way of developed countries (as ours) to maintain a competitive shipbuilding industry is by computerizing constructive processes, following the above trends and obtaining better ships.

Approximation to earth material from international normative

For centuries, earth has been used as a construction material. Nevertheless, the normative in this matter is very scattered, and the most developed countries, to carry out a construction with this material implies a variety of technical and legal problems. In this paper we review, in an international level, the normative panorama about earth constructions. It analyzes ninety one standards and regulations of countries all around the five continents. These standards represent the state of art that normalizes the earth as a construction material. In this research we analyze the international standards to earth construction, focusing on durability test (spray and drip erosion tests). It analyzes the differences between methods of test. Also we show all results about these tests in two types of compressed earth block.

Kinetics of CO2 absorption into aqueous solutions in CO2

This research has been performed to emphasize about the problem known as ?climate changes? occurring due to the greenhouse gases emissions (Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4),Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Ozone (O3), Chlorofluorocarbons (artificial). Specially, the project will be focused on the CO2 emissions produced mainly from the fossil fuels burning in power plants and other kind of industrial processes. To understand how important the global is warming and therefore the climate change, both the increase of emissions and the evolution of those will be studied in this project drawing conclusions about its effect. The Kyoto Protocol, the most important agreement internationally, signed by a great majority of the industrialized and developed countries, which try to limit the CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, will be cited in this project. Taking into account the effects of global warming and applying the international legislation on emissions of greenhouse gases, a number of measures will be exposed, where the CO2 capture will be studied deeply. Three different kind of CO2 capture technologies will be studied, drawing the conclusion that the post-combustion capture, in particular by amine chemical absorption, is the most efficient one.

Design of a solar incubator. Part 1: Monitoring temperature and enthalpy gradients under commercial production

The real increase in energy prices and the intention of reducing pollutant emissions in developed countries makes interesting to use solar energy in all the processes where its application is possible. As it is demonstrated in countries sited at latitudes with optimal conditions of solar radiation and temperature, it is possible to use solar energy as heat source for small-scale hatchery [1,2], but beyond, making a design for proper installation; it is possible to use solar energy as main or support energy source in medium and large size incubators . Monitoring of a normal actual process using temperature and relative humidity sensors is necessary to know the actual operating conditions that the solar heating system must be designed and sized for. Moreover, the identification and analysis of temperature and enthalpy gradients inside the incubator is of major importance.

UBURYO: open source software for managing microcredits in education

One of the major problems in developing countries is minority access to higher education. Traditional scholarships usually focus on paying tuition fees for bringing brilliant students to developed countries (from where they seldom return). But local grants seldom target the more needy students. We propose a system of student loans to pay tuition fees in exchange for technical work. This appears to be a satisfactory and sustainable solution. We also provide UBURYO (a Kirundi word meaning opportunity). UBURYO is the free open source software, that we have developed, to manage this loan system in a simple, trustworthy, fair and efficient way.

A graphical tool for designing interactive video cognitive rehabilitation therapies

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) has become one of the most common causes of neurological disability in developed countries. Cognitive disorders result in a loss of independence and therefore patients? quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation aims to promote patients? skills to achieve their highest degree of personal autonomy. New technologies such as interactive video, whereby real situations of daily living are reproduced within a controlled virtual environment, enable the design of personalized therapies with a high level of generalization and a great ecological validity. This paper presents a graphical tool that allows neuropsychologists to design, modify, and configure interactive video therapeutic activities, through the combination of graphic and natural language. The tool has been validated creating several Activities of Daily Living and a preliminary usability evaluation has been performed showing a good clinical acceptance in the definition of complex interactive video therapies for cognitive rehabilitation.

Safety and health in forest harvesting operations. Diagnosis and preventive actions. A review

Aim of study: to review the present state of the art in relation to the main labour risks and the most relevant results of recent studies evaluating the safety and health conditions of the forest harvesting work and better ways to reduce accidents. Area of study: It focuses mainly on developed Countries, where the general concern about work risks prevention, together with the complex idiosyncrasy of forest work in forest harvesting operations, has led to a growing interest from the forest scientific and technical community. Material and Methods: The main bibliographic and Internet references have been identified using common reference analysis tools. Their conclusions and recommendations have been comprehensively summarized. Main results: Collection of the principal references and their most important conclusions relating to the main accident risk factors, their causes and consequences, the means used towards their prevention, both instrumental as well as in the aspects of training and business management, besides the influence of the growing mechanization of logging operations on those risks. Research highlights: Accident risk is higher in forest harvesting than in most other work sectors, and the main risk factors such as experience, age, seasonality, training, protective equipment, mechanization degree, etc. have been identified and studied. The paper summarizes some relevant results, one of the principal being that the proper entrepreneurial risk management is a key factor leading to the success in minimizing labour risks..