Prediction of architectural coating performance using titanium dioxide characterization applying artificial neural networks

Prediction of paint properties is a critical issue for the coatings industry, since experimentation is time consuming and a lot of financial and human resources are needed to test or develop new products. In current market conditions, cost savings and product innovation are critical issues. In this article, an artificial neural network, of the feed forward type, was trained using as inputs key properties of titanium dioxide and two formulation parameters (pigment volume concentration and titanium dioxide content) for a water-based architectural coating. The outputs of this research were spread rate, color (L*, a*, b*) and tinting strength. Test data were used to check the accuracy of the model, demonstrating the viability of paint properties prediction related to the properties of the titanium dioxide formulation with high correlation (>95%).     

Is there convergence in international research collaboration? An exploration at the country level in the basic and applied science fields

This paper examines the patterns of convergence in international scientific collaboration across a set of developed and developing countries from 1997 through 2012. The empirical analysis was carried out in a novel way applying the methodology developed by Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75:1771–1855, 2007; J Appl Econom 24:1153–1185, 2009) to international co-publication data from a US National Science Foundation dataset (NSF in National Center for Science and Engineering statistics, http://www.nsf.gov/, 2014). First, the convergence analysis across countries is carried out for all research fields combined and, secondly, for the basic and applied science fields separately. The results suggest that there has not been an overall convergence in international scientific collaboration patterns during the analyzed period. In contrast, there is evidence of four scientific convergence clubs and three divergent countries in the aggregate of all research fields. However, our results seem to indicate that there is a tendency toward a gradual convergence among the more scientifically developed countries. The results also show the existence of international research collaboration convergence clubs for the fields of basic science research and applied science with five and four convergence clubs, respectively.

     

Role of Salivary MicroRNA and Cytokines in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent oral malignant tumor worldwide. An early diagnosis can have a major positive impact on its prognosis. Human saliva contains cytokines, DNA and RNA molecules, circulating cells, and derivatives of tissues and extracellular vesicles, among other factors that can serve as biomarkers. Hence, the analysis of saliva may provide useful information for the early diagnosis of OSCC for its prognosis. The objective of this review was to determine the potential usefulness of salivary biomarkers (cytokines and microRNA) to diagnose OSCC and improve its prognosis. A combination of salivary miRNA and proteomic data could allow a definitive and early diagnosis to be obtained. However, there remains a need to optimize and standardize the protocols used to quantify miRNAs.     

Evidence for a shift from place navigation to directional responding in one variant of the Morris water task.

Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that rats display a preference for directional responding over place navigation in a wide range of procedural variants of the Morris water task (Hamilton, Akers, Weisend, & Sutherland, 2007; Hamilton et al., 2008). A preference for place navigation has only been observed when the pool is reduced as a cue by filling it with water. Studies using dry land mazes have suggested that rats place navigate early in training and later switch to other forms of responding (e.g., motor). The present study evaluated whether rats switch from place navigation to directional responding in the “full-pool” variant of the water task. Rats were given 12, 24, or 36 hidden platform training trials. Probe trials with the pool repositioned in the room revealed a preference for place navigation in rats given 12 trials, an equal division of response preferences in rats given 24 trials, and a preference for directional responding in rats given 36 trials. These results indicate that the early preference for place navigation in the full-pool water task is transient and yields to a preference for directional responding with continued training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Club convergence in innovation activity across European regions

The goal of this paper is to analyse the innovation activity convergence process across European regions from 2002 to 2012. A novel methodology that allows either detection of overall convergence or endogenous identification of groups of regions was applied. The results support the club convergence hypothesis for explaining the convergence process of Europe's regions during the period analysed and seven innovation convergence clubs were identified. In addition, the research results indicate that initial regional R&D expenditure is the most relevant factor driving the formation of the convergence clubs after controlling for the effects of regional structural characteristics.