Innovations, intellectual protection rights and information technology: an empirical investigation in the MENA region

This paper examines innovation, patents, research and development, intellectual protection, information technology, and other related activities in the Middle East and North Africa regions. The paper primarily focuses on the importance of intellectual property rights, reforms, and information technology in affecting innovation, and finds strong positive associations with regards to quantity as well as the quality of innovations. Additionally, the paper finds support for the role of economic freedom, foreign direct investment, and bank loans in contributing to innovative activities.     

High precision Mössbauer furnace for 1100 K

Detailed designs are given for a high precision M?ssbauer furnace that may be used up to temperatures of 1100 K. With proper precautions the furnace designs described yield long-term temperature instability better than approximately 0.02 K and temperature inhomogeneity of better than 0.05 K.     

Cost benefit of emerging technology in localized carcinoma of the prostate

PURPOSE: In a health care environment strongly concerned with cost containment, cost-benefit studies of new technology must include analyses of loco-regional tumor control, morbidity, impact on quality of life, and financial considerations. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This nonrandomized study analyzes 124 patients treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT) and 153 with standard irradiation (SRT) between January 1992 and December 1995, for histologically proven adenocarcinoma of prostate, clinical Stage T1 or T2. Mean follow-up is 1.4 years. Three-dimensional CRT consisted of six or seven coplanar oblique and lateral and, in some patients, AP fields designed to treat the prostate with a 1 to 1.7 cm margin. SRT consisted of 120 degrees bilateral arc rotation. Total doses to prostate were 67 to 70 Gy when pelvic lymph nodes were irradiated or 68.4 to 73.8 Gy when prostatic volume only was treated; dose per fraction was 1.8 Gy. Patients were interviewed weekly for severity of 12 acute intestinal and urinary pelvic irradiation side effects (0 to 4+ grading). Time and effort for 3D RTP and daily treatment with 3D CRT and SRT were recorded. Dose-volume histograms (DVHs) were calculated for gross tumor volume, planning target volume, bladder, and rectum. Actual reimbursement to the hospital and university was determined for 41 3D CRT, 43 SRT, and 40 radical prostatectomy patients treated during the same period. RESULTS: Average treatment planning times (in minutes) were: 101 for 3D conformal therapy simulation, 66 for contouring of target volume and sensitive structures, 55 for virtual simulation, 39 for plan preparation and documentation, 65 for physical simulation, and 20 for approval of treatment plan. Daily mean treatment times were 19 min for 3D CRT with Cerrobend blocking, 16 with multileaf collimation, and 10 with bilateral arc rotation. Dosimetric analysis (DVHs) showed a reduction of 50% in volume of bladder or rectum receiving doses higher than 65 Gy. Acute side effects included dysuria, moderate difficulty in urinating, and nocturia in 25-39% of both SRT and CRT patients; loose stools or diarrhea in 5-12% of 3D CRT and 16-22% of SRT patients; moderate proctitis in 3% of 3D CRT and 12% of SRT patients (p = 0.01). Chemical disease-free survival (prostate-specific antigen < or =2 ng/ml) at 3 years was 90% with 3D CRT and 80% with SRT (p = 0.01). Average initial treatment reimbursements were $13,823 (3D CRT), $10,864 (SRT), and $12,250 (radical prostatectomy). Average total treatment reimbursement and projected cost of management of initial therapy failures per patients were $15,173, $16,264, and $16,405, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional CRT irradiated less bladder and rectum volume than SRT; CRT initial reimbursement was 28% higher than SRT and 12% higher than radical prostatectomy. Because of projected better local tumor control, average total cost of treating a patient with 3D CRT or radical prostatectomy is equivalent to cost of SRT. Treatment morbidity was lower with 3D CRT. Our findings reflect an overall benefit with 3D CRT as a new promising technology in treatment of localized prostate cancer. Dose-escalation studies may enhance its efficacy and cost benefit.     

High-temperature superconducting beam forming network forcommunication system applications

This paper presents an application of the high-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology to the development of a high-performance antenna beam forming network (BFN) for communication systems. Design and measurements are made in Ku-band with a multiple power divider technique involving a cascade of 3-dB branch-line couplers. Three microstrip couplers are integrated to form a one-to-four BFN. An experimental prototype is fabricated with TlBaCaCuO thin film deposited onto LaAlO ₃ substrate. Power handling capability of related HTS components such as line, bend, and BFN are also studied together with third-order intermodulation characteristics. It is shown that theoretical prediction is consistent with experimental results, presenting insertion loss of the four output ports ranging from 6.1-6.4 dB and return loss better than 14 dB at 11.95 GHz. These preliminary results demonstrate the potential of extending such a power divider technique in designing an N-port BFN. It is also indicated that the proposed HTS BFN scheme can offer advantages compared to its conventional counterpart, namely, a significant reduction in size/weight and low power loss     

Design technique and performance assessment of new multiportmultihole power divider suitable for M(H)MICs

Novel power-dividing structures are studied for application in solid-state power amplifiers and array-antenna related beam-forming networks. This paper is directed to the design and study of a class of compact sinusoidally tapered power dividers suitable for use in monolithic and hybrid microwave integrated circuits at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. An efficient computer-aided design (CAD) technique is used in the accurate design of such planar circuits generally having irregular topologies and contours. A so-called multiport and multihole power divider is developed and modeled and a 1-9 power divider is designed through a cascading of four sets of 1-3 simple multihole dividers. Compared to conventional structures, advantageous features of the new power divider are demonstrated such as small size, short linearly aligned ports, potential high-power handling capability, potential large bandwidth, and easy post-fabrication tuning. Capacity of the proposed CAD technique is shown in the design of an electrically large multiport power dividing circuit for which only limited computer resource and time are required. Electrical performance and design effectiveness of the new multiport and multihole divider are assessed with design prediction and experimental results for Ku-band prototypes     

Physician resource utilization in radiation oncology: a model based on management of carcinoma of the prostate

The lamellar spacing dl of purple membrane (PM) multilayer systems was investigated with neutron diffraction as a function of temperature and of the level of hydration. The observed large T-dependent variations of dl indicate that PM is partially dehydrated when cooled below a "hydration water freezing point". This phenomenon is reversible, but a hysteresis is observed when PM is rehydrated upon reheating. The hydration water remaining bound to the membrane below about 240 K is non-freezing. Its amount was found to be hnf=0.24(+/-0.02) g 2H2O/g BR for all samples equilibrated at room temperature in the presence of 2H2O vapour at >/=84% r.h. It is evident, that the dehydration/rehydration behaviour of PM is strongly correlated with the temperature-dependent behaviour of the dynamical structure factor. Above the well-known "dynamical transition" announcing the onset of localized diffusive molecular motions between 190 K and 230 K, a second dynamical transition is caused by the temperature-induced rehydration of the PM starting near 255 K. This is also correlated with the deviation from a pure Arrhenius law of the rate-limiting process in the photocycle, known to occur upon cooling beyond the ice point into the same temperature region. Our results suggest that the phenomenon of dehydration and rehydration induced by cooling and reheating, respectively, is a general property of biological membranes.     

Biocompatible Light Guide-Assisted Wearable Devices for Enhanced UV Light Delivery in Deep Skin

Phototherapy represents an attractive route for treating a range of challenging dermatological diseases. Existing skin phototherapy modalities rely on direct UV illumination, although with limited efficacy in addressing disorders of deeper tissue and with requirements for specialized illumination equipment and masks to shield unaffected regions of the skin. This work introduces a skin-integrated optoelectronic device that incorporates an array of UVA (360 nm) light emitting diodes in layouts that match those of typical lesional plaques and in designs that couple to biocompatible, penetrating polymer microneedle light waveguides to provide optical access to deep skin. Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results in phantom skin suggest that these waveguides significantly enhance light delivery to deep skin, with a >4-fold increase for depths of >500 µm. In ex vivo human skin, the devices show reduced measures of phototoxicity compared to direct illumination and enhanced modulation of gene expression relevant to sclerosing skin diseases. These systems are also compatible with design principles in soft, skin-compatible electronics and battery-powered wireless operation. Collectively, the favorable mechanical and light delivery properties of these devices expand possibilities in targeting of deep skin lesions beyond those attainable with clinical-standard UV light therapy approaches.     

Integrated approach for disassembly processes generation and recycling evaluation of an end-of-life product

An integrated approach for noble recycling is presented that puts forward the functional value of products and components. In a first step, the approach determines all feasible automatic disassembly sequences and in a second step all applicable recycling activities. This allows one to determine the most appropriate recycling process for an end-of-life product considering concurrent recycling techniques. The feasible automatic disassembly sequences are established by simulation in a virtual environment. The required generic disassembly product model, as well as the generic disassembly activity model, is presented by means of static and dynamic object-oriented diagrams. The recycling evaluation establishes an efficient solution responding to economic and ecological decision criteria. It is calculated applying a Goal-Programming approach transforming the multi-objective linear problem into a monocriteria linear program. The techno-economic decision model applied is Linear Activity Analysis. It allows one to integrate the generated disassembly processes based on single disassembly activities as well as other recycling techniques.