The evolution of universities' relations with the business sector in Brazil: What national publications between 1980 and 2012 reveal

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the changes in university-industry relations in Brazil regarding innovation activities. It is based on a survey of articles published in major national journals or presented at the most relevant Brazilian and regional conferences, between 1980 and 2012. The year 1980 was chosen due to the creation of the Technological Innovation Offices (NITs), which was the first government initiative to encourage knowledge transfer from universities to companies; the second was the Innovation Act of 2004. Our assumption was that after the Act the number of academic papers on this subject would increase, bringing new ideas and propositions of models to enhance this relationship. The methodology employed a qualitative, exploratory approach, using bibliographical research and a bibliometric analysis of 247 papers. Literature review of international studies shows the discussion of problems and suggestions for improvements, while in Brazil there is still a debate on whether this collaboration should occur, and if this is a legitimate role for the university. Despite the numerical growth, the content analysis showed few papers on new configurations and procedures for partnership management. We conclude that university-industry relations are not a regular and totally accepted process in Brazilian public universities, which reflect an ideological bias against cooperation with firms.

Public Employment Relations Board Agency Performance Plan

Agency Performance Plan

Relations entre la pharmacocinétique de population de l'imatinib et l'alpha-1-glycoproteine acide chez des patients hémato-oncologiques

Introduction: La disposition de l'imatinib (Glivec®) implique des systèmes connus pour de grandes différences inter-individuelles, et l'on peut s'attendre à ce que l'exposition à ce médicament varie largement d'un patient à l'autre. L'alpha-1-glycoprotéine acide (AAG), une protéine circulante liant fortement l'imatinib, représente l'un de ces systèmes. Objectif: Cette étude observationnelle visait à explorer l'influence de l'AAG plasmatique sur la pharmacocinétique de l'imatinib. Méthode: Une analyse de population a été effectuée avec le programme NONMEM sur 278 échantillons plasmatiques issus de 51 patients oncologiques. L'influence des taux d'AAG sur la clairance (CL) et le volume de distribution (Vd) a ainsi été étudiée. Résultats: Un modèle à un compartiment avec absorption de premier ordre a permis de décrire les données. Une relation hyperbolique entre taux d'AAG et CL ou Vd a été observée. Une approche mécanistique a donc été élaborée, postulant que seule la concentration libre subissait une élimination du premier ordre, et intégrant la constante de dissociation comme paramètre du modèle. Cette approche a permis de déterminer une CLlibre moyenne de 1310 l/h et un Vd de 301 l. Par comparaison, la CLtotale déterminée initialement était de 14 l/h. La CLlibre est affectée par le poids corporel et le type de pathologie. Qui plus est, ce modèle a permis d'estimer in vivo la constante d'association entre imatinib et AAG (5.5?106 l/mol), ainsi que la fraction libre moyenne de l'imatinib (1.1%). La variabilité inter-individuelle estimée pour la disposition de l'imatinib (17% sur CLlibre et 66% sur Vd) diminuait globalement de moitié avec le modèle incorporant l'impact de l'AAG. Discussion-conclusion: De tels résultats clarifient l'impact de la liaison protéinique sur le devenir de l'imatinib. Des taux élevés d'AAG ont été présumés représenter un facteur de résistance à l'imatinib. Toutefois, cela est peu probable, notre modèle prédisant que la concentration libre reste inchangée. D'un autre côté, s'il est un jour démontré que l'imatinib requiert un programme de suivi thérapeutique (TDM), la mesure des concentrations libres, ou la correction des concentrations totales en fonction des taux d'AAG, devraient être envisagées pour une interprétation précise des résultats.

Dynamic diagnosis based on interval analytical redundancy relations and signs of the symptoms

A model-based approach for fault diagnosis is proposed, where the fault detection is based on checking the consistencyof the Analytical Redundancy Relations (ARRs) using an interval tool. The tool takes into account the uncertainty in theparameters and the measurements using intervals. Faults are explicitly included in the model, which allows for the exploitation of additional information. This information is obtained from partial derivatives computed from the ARRs. The signs in the residuals are used to prune the candidate space when performing the fault diagnosis task. The method is illustrated using a two-tank example, in which these aspects are shown to have an impact on the diagnosis and fault discrimination, since the proposed method goes beyond the structural methods

Rates and pattern of evolution among Cretaceous radiolarians: relations with global paleoceanographic events

We present a new approach for analyzing the turnover rates of Cretaceous radiolarians recorded in pelagic sequences of western Tethys, The analysis of major extinction-radiation events and the fluctuation of diversity are compared with major paleoceanographic events and variation of diversity in dinoflagellates, calcareous nannoplankton and ammonites. There is an extraordinary correlation between biotic changes and sea level changes, temperatures, O, C and Sr isotopes, phosphorus accumulation rates and anoxic episodes. This reveals a predominantly abiotic control on the evolution of radiolarians. The rate of turnover and the diversity through time of two major orders of radiolarians (nassellarians and spumellarians) exhibits (1) the quasi-parallelism of their diversity curves, excluding a direct competition between them, (2) greater resistance of spumellarians to extinction during the early stage of extinction intervals and (3) a stronger post-extinction recovery of nassellarians. Evolutionary rates of radiolarians can be a good means of monitoring global environmental changes and allowing us to understand more clearly the relationship between plankton evolution, climate and pale oceanographic processes.

Perinatal assessment of infant, parents, and parent-infant relationship: prematurity as an example.

This article reviews the stresses for parents, infants, and other caregivers during the period surrounding the birth of the premature infant. Principles of assessment of infant discomfort, parental stress, the parent-infant relationship, and the match of the medical caregiving environment to the individual infant's needs are discussed. Relevant tools to aide in these aspects of assessment are reviewed. The role of early assessment as preventive intervention and the indication for subsequent intervention in complicated cases of premature infants and their parents are further discussed. The article offers detailed clinical examples to illustrate these and other points throughout.

A comparison between joint coordinate system and attitude vector for multi-segment foot kinematics.

The joint angles of multi-segment foot models have been primarily described using two mathematical methods: the joint coordinate system and the attitude vector. This study aimed to determine whether the angles obtained through these two descriptors are comparable, and whether these descriptors have similar sensitivity to experimental errors. Six subjects walked eight times on an instrumented walkway while the joint angles among shank, hindfoot, medial forefoot, and lateral forefoot were measured. The angles obtained using both descriptors and their sensitivity to experimental errors were compared. There was no overall significant difference between the ranges of motion obtained using both descriptors. However, median differences of more than 6° were noticed for the medial-lateral forefoot joint. For all joints and rotation planes, both descriptors provided highly similar angle patterns (median correlation coefficient: R>0.90), except for the medial-lateral forefoot angle in the transverse plane (median R=0.77). The joint coordinate system was significantly more sensitive to anatomical landmarks misplacement errors. However, the absolute differences of sensitivity were small relative to the joints ranges of motion. In conclusion, the angles obtained using these two descriptors were not identical, but were similar for at least the shank-hindfoot and hindfoot-medial forefoot joints. Therefore, the angle comparison across descriptors is possible for these two joints. Comparison should be done more carefully for the medial-lateral forefoot joint. Moreover, despite different sensitivities to experimental errors, the effects of the experimental errors on the angles were small for both descriptors suggesting that both descriptors can be considered for multi-segment foot models.

Talking about sexuality with the physician: are patients receiving what they wish?

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY/PRINCIPLES: Little is known concerning patients' expectations regarding sexual history taking by doctors: to ascertain expectations and actual experience of talking about sexuality among male patients attending outpatient clinics, and their sexual behaviour. METHODS: Patients consecutively recruited from two outpatient clinics in Lausanne, Switzerland were provided with an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Survey topics were: patients' expectations concerning sexual history taking, patients' lifetime experience of sexual history taking, and patients' sexual behaviour. RESULTS: The response rate was 53.0% (N = 1452). Among respondents, 90.9% would like their physician to ask them questions regarding their sexual history in order to receive advice on prevention (60.0% yes, 30.9% rather yes). Fifteen percent would be embarrassed or rather embarrassed if asked such questions. Nevertheless, 76.2% of these individuals would like their physician to do so. Despite these wishes, only 40.5% reported ever having a discussion "on their sexual life in general" with a doctor. Only one patient out of four to five was asked about previous sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the number of sexual partners and their sexual orientation. No feature of their sexual life distinguishes those who had discussed sexual issues with a doctor from those who had not, except a history of previous consultation for health problems related to sexuality. Conversely, being embarrassed about conducting this discussion was significantly associated with lack of discussion regarding sexuality. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the gap existing in the field of STI prevention in terms of doctors' advice and patients' wishes.

Relations among several nuclear and electronic density functional reactivity indexes

A set of connections among several nuclear and electronic indexes of reactivity in the framework of the conceptual Density Functional Theory by using an expansion ofthe energy functional in terms of the total number of electrons and the normal coordinates within a canonical ensemble was derived. The relations obtained provided explicit links between important quantities related to the chemical reactivity of a system. This paper particularly demonstrates that the derivative of the electronic energy with respect to the external potential of a system in its equilibrium geometry was equal to the negative of the nuclear repulsion derivative with respect to the external potential

Assessing AIDS/HIV prevention: what do we know in Europe?

An EC concerted action on the assessment of AIDS/HIV prevention strategies was conducted between 1989 and 1992. The aim of this concerted action (CA) was to bring together researchers who are active in this assessment field, make an initial appraisal of the results of AIDS prevention efforts, in various population groups in Europe and develop an assessment methodology. Five areas of study were selected for the CA: the population as a whole ("general population"), men who have sexual relations with other men, intravenous drug users, migrant populations, monitoring of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to determine changes in behaviour. For each of these areas, a working group composed of the leading researchers in the field in Europe was constituted and commissioned by the project administration and coordination team to collate and analyse data on prevention efforts and their assessment in different countries of Europe. This review presents the main results from the groups responsible in each area in the concerted action. A number of general conclusions from the results of this concerted action are drawn.