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While their expertise and scientific excellence make academic star scientists attractive collaboration partners for firms, this study indicates that firms face difficulties in capturing value from collaborations with academic stars. Stars are time constrained, may be less committed to commercialization, and can be a source of undesired knowledge spillovers to other firms. The purpose of this study is to recognize the contingencies under which collaboration with star scientists is positively associated with a firm’s ability to produce valuable patents (invention performance). We analyze a panel dataset on the collaborations in basic research(publication data) and invention performance (patent output) of 60 prominent pharmaceutical firms. We find that basic research collaboration with academic stars is on average not associated with a performance premium above the overall positive influence of collaborating with academia. We only observe this premium if the star scientist abstains from simultaneous collaboration with other firms (‘dedication’) and extend her collaboration with the firm to involvenot only basic but also applied research (‘translation’). Extending prior work that has focused on corporate star scientists, we find that if the collaboration involves an internal firm star scientist, a translational contribution of the academic star is no longer a prerequisite, and may even be detrimental to inventive performance. Our findings inform the literatures on industry-science links and firms’ (scientific) absorptive capacity by revealing the crucial contingencies for firms to benefit from partnering with the best and brightest among academic scientists. Practitioner Points: - Intuitively we may expect that collaborating with the very top among academics benefits firms, yet collaborating with these academic star scientists also entails important challenges. - Organizations seeking to benefit from the extraordinary expertise of academic star scientists should take into account two important conditions: o The top academic should be a dedicated collaboration partner, and avoid simultaneous collaboration with other firms. o The top academic should not only be involved in basic research but also in applied research collaboration with the firm, enhancing her ability to assist the firm in the translation of research into a marketable product. - When the firm also employs a star scientist who is engaged in the collaborative research with an academic star scientist, the translation of the joint research is better performed by the internally employed star scientists instead of the academic star scientist. ispartof: Journal Of Product Innovation Management vol:39 issue:2 pages:222-264 status: Published online

Biomechanical models often need to describe very complex systems, organs or diseases, and hence also include a large number of parameters. One of the attractive features of physics-based models is that in those models (most) parameters have a clear physical meaning. Nevertheless, the determination of these parameters is often very elaborate and costly and shows a large scatter within the population. Hence, it is essential to identify the most important parameters (worth the effort) for a particular problem at hand. In order to distinguish parameters which have a significant influence on a specific model output from non-influential parameters, we use sensitivity analysis, in particular the Sobol method as a global variance-based method. However, the Sobol method requires a large number of model evaluations, which is prohibitive for computationally expensive models. We therefore employ Gaussian processes as a metamodel for the underlying full model. Metamodelling introduces further uncertainty, which we also quantify. We demonstrate the approach by applying it to two different problems: nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery in a complex, multiphase tumour-growth model, and arterial growth and remodelling. Even relatively small numbers of evaluations of the full model suffice to identify the influential parameters in both cases and to separate them from non-influential parameters. The approach also allows the quantification of higher-order interaction effects. We thus show that a variance-based global sensitivity analysis is feasible for complex, computationally expensive biomechanical models. Different aspects of sensitivity analysis are covered including a transparent declaration of the uncertainties involved in the estimation process. Such a global sensitivity analysis not only helps to massively reduce costs for experimental determination of parameters but is also highly beneficial for inverse analysis of such complex models.

The insulation material of high voltage motors and generators is a polymer composite which is composed of mica, which is inorganic silica (SiO 2 ), and organic polymer materials. In this section, concept of the electrical insulation design of the machines is introduced and the importance of partial discharge endurance is explained. Then, historical basic research on nano‐composite materials is reviewed in terms of partial discharge characteristics. Finally, recent progress in the development of nano‐composite application to high voltage generators is described. As another topic of polymer composite in generators and motors, stress grading system for coil end termination is briefly mentioned.

This paper studies the endogenous timing of moves in a game with competition in basic research between a university and a commercial firm. It examines the conditions under which the two entities end up investing in innovation at equilibrium, both under simultaneous and sequential moves. It argues that when the innovation process is not too costly, under any timing, the firm conducts research despite the opportunities for complete free‐riding. The two sequential move games with either player as leader emerge as equilibrium endogenous timings, with both entities realizing higher profits in either outcome than in a simultaneous move game. Each entity also profits more by following than by leading. Finally, as a proxy for a welfare analysis, we compare the propensities for innovation across the three scenarios and find that university leadership yields a superior performance. This may be used as a selection criterion to choose the latter scenario as the unique outcome of endogenous timing.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) non‐invasively measures the activity of the human brain and provides a unique technological tool for investigating aspects of the human brain including cognition, development, and disorders. As one of the main funding agencies for basic research in China, the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China (NSFC) has initiated various research programs during the last two decades that are related to fMRI research. In this review, we collected and analyzed the metadata of the projects and published studies in research fields using fMRI that were funded by the NSFC. We observed a trend of increasing funding amounts from the NSFC for fMRI research, typically from the General Program and Key Program. Leading research institutes from economically developed municipalities and provinces received the most support and formed close collaboration relationships. Finally, we reviewed several representative achievements from research institutions in china, involving data analysis methods, brain connectomes, and computational platforms in addition to their applications in brain disorders., Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) non‐invasively measures the activity of the human brain and provides a unique technological tool for investigating aspects of the human brain including cognition, development, and disorders. As one of the main funding agencies for basic research in China, the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China (NSFC) has initiated various research programs during the last two decades that are related to fMRI research.

© 2021 The Authors. Many biomedical applications require accurate non-rigid image registration that can cope with complex deformations. However, popular diffeomorphic Demons registration algorithms suffer from difficulties for complex and serious distortions since they only use image greyscale and gradient information. To address these difficulties, a new diffeomorphic Demons registration algorithm is proposed using hierarchical neighbourhood spectral features namely HNSF Log-Demons in this paper. In view of three important properties of hierarchical neighbourhood spectral features based on line graph such as rotation invariance, invariance of linear changes of brightness, and robustness to noise, the hierarchical neighbourhood spectral features of a reference image and a moving image is first extracted and these novel spectral features are incorporated into the energy function of the diffeomorphic registration framework to improve the capability of capturing complex distortions. Secondly, the Nystr ö o ̈ m approximation based on random singular value decomposition is employed to effectively enhance the computational efficiency of HNSF Log-Demons. Finally, the hybrid multi-resolution strategy based on wavelet decomposition in the registration process is utilised to further improve the registration accuracy and efficiency. Experimental results show that the proposed HNSF Log-Demons not only effectively ensures the generation of smooth and reversible deformation field, but also achieves better performance than state-of-the-art algorithms. National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: 61762058, 61861024, 61871259; Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province of China. Grant Number: 20JR5RA404; Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi. Grant Number: 2021JC-47.

Globally, 13% of all hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are caused by genotype 4 (GT4), which consists of 17 subtypes with various levels of susceptibility to anti-HCV therapy. This genotype is endemic in the Middle East and Africa and has considerably spread to Europe lately. The molecular features of HCV-GT4 infection, as well as its appropriate therapeutics, are poorly characterized as it has not been the subject of widespread basic research. As such, in this review, we aim to gather the current state of knowledge of this genotype with a particular emphasis on its heterogeneity, sequence signatures, resistance-associated substitutions, and available in vivo and in vitro models used for its study. We urge developing more cell-culture models based on different GT4 subtypes to better understand the virology and therapeutic response of this particular genotype. This review may raise more awareness about this genotype and trigger more basic research work to develop its research tools. This will be critical to design better therapeutics and help to provide adequate guidelines for physicians working with HCV-GT4 patients.

Scientific research and student involvement are critical to the formation of physicians, yet the number of medical researchers has decreased over time. To implement corrective strategies, the variables associated with positive research attitudes and productivity among medical students must be identified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variables associated with students interested or involved in research. A validated questionnaire was applied to the student members of an established anatomy research group in a Mexican medical school with a six-year medical program. Data were collected and analyzed. A total of 85.5% (n = 77/90) students answered the survey with most respondents being second-year medical students. The majority of respondents indicated that the important component of conducting research was a contribution to the new knowledge (45.5%) and to the scientific community (42.9%). More than half of respondents mentioned a professor or a peer as the initial motivation to become involved in research. Lack of time was the main limitation (59.7%) to research involvement. Perceived benefits were knowledge and team work skills. Of those involved, most (85.7%) wished to continue participating in research as a complement to their clinical work. Professors and student colleagues were found to play an important motivational and recruitment role for medical research. These efforts in turn have developed into long-lasting mentor-mentee relationships. Students also anticipated that early involvement in research will positively influence the likelihood of future physicians' contribution and collaboration in research.

Objective To perform a bibliometric analysis of research on articular cartilage repair published in Chinese and English over the past decade. Fundamental and clinical research topics of high interest were further comparatively analyzed. Methods Relevant studies published from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2018 (10 years) were retrieved from the Wanfang database (Chinese articles) and six databases, including MEDLINE, WOS, INSPEC, SCIELO, KJD, and RSCI on the website “Web of Science” (English articles), using key words: “articular cartilage” AND “injury” AND “repair”. The articles were categorized according to research focuses for a comparative analysis between those published in Chinese vs English, and further grouped according to publication date (before and after 2014). A comparative analysis was performed on research focus to characterize the variation in research trends between two 5‐year time spans. Moreover, articles were classified as basic and clinical research studies. Results Overall, 5762 articles were retrieved, including 2748 in domestic Chinese journals and 3014 in international English journals. A total of 4937 articles focused on the top 10 research topics, with the top 3 being stem cells (32.1%), tissue‐engineered scaffold (22.8%), and molecular mechanisms (16.4%). Differences between the numbers of Chinese and English papers were observed for 3 topics: chondrocyte implantation (104 vs 316), osteochondral allograft (27 vs 86), and microfracture (127 vs 293). The following topics gained more research interest in the second 5‐year time span compared with the first: microfracture, osteochondral allograft, osteochondral autograft, stem cells, and tissue‐engineered scaffold. Articles with a focus on three‐dimensional‐printing technology have shown the fastest increase in publication numbers. Among 5613 research articles, basic research studies accounted for the majority (4429), with clinical studies described in only 1184 articles. The top 7 research topics of clinical studies were: chondrocyte implantation (28.7%), stem cells (21.9%), microfracture (19.2%), tissue scaffold (10.6%), osteochondral autograft (10.5%), osteochondral allograft (6.3%), and periosteal transplantation (2.8%). Conclusion Studies focused on stem cells and tissue‐engineered scaffolds led the field of damaged articular cartilage repair. International researchers studied allograft‐related implantation approaches more often than Chinese researchers. Traditional surgical techniques, such as microfracture and osteochondral transplantation, gained high research interest over the past decade., Studies focused on stem cells and tissue‐engineered scaffolds led the field of damaged articular cartilage repair. International researchers studied allograft‐related implantation approaches more often than Chinese researchers. Traditional surgical techniques, such as microfracture and osteochondral transplantation, gained high research interest over the past decade.

What is the economic rationale for investing in science? Based on an open economy model of creative destruction, we characterize four key factors of optimal investment in basic research: the stage of economic development, the strength of the manufacturing base, the degree of openness, and the share of foreign-owned firms. For each of these factors, we analyze its bearings on optimal basic research investment. We then show that the predicted effects are consistent with patterns observed in the data and discuss how the factor-based approach might inform basic research policies. (JEL H41, O30, O32, O33, O38).

Murray Sidman's statements regarding variability, experimental control, and generality are interwoven with examples from the literature on conditional discrimination. Sidman's position was that statistical inferences from group studies produce no information about the behavior of individual subjects and that statistical treatment of individual subject data masks variability which may represent conditions that are not controlled. Sidman's work on conditional discrimination provides excellent examples of how complex discriminations should be examined in detail with accuracy levels obtained for each type of discrimination within an experiment. Sidman made important contributions to the foundation of behavior analysis with extensive basic research as well as applications of methods and principles to clinical and educational settings.

The importance of thyroid hormones in the regulation of development, growth, and energy metabolism is well known. Over the last decades, mass spectrometry has been extensively used to investigate thyroid hormone metabolism and to discover and characterize new molecules involved in thyroid hormones production, such as thyrotropin-releasing hormone. In the earlier period, the quantification methods, usually based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, were complicated and time consuming. They were mainly focused on basic research, and were not suitable for clinical diagnostics on a routine basis. The development of the modern mass spectrometers, mainly coupled to liquid chromatography, enabled simpler sample preparation procedures, and the accurate quantification of thyroid hormones, of their precursors, and of their metabolites in biological fluids, tissues, and cells became feasible. Nowadays, molecules of physiological and pathological interest can be assayed also for diagnostic purposes on a routine basis, and mass spectrometry is slowly entering the clinical laboratory. This review takes stock of the advancements in the field of thyroid metabolism that were carried out with mass spectrometry, with special focus on the use of this technique for the quantification of molecules involved in thyroid diseases.

The emergence of high-throughput technologies for the comprehensive measurement of biomolecules, also referred to as "omics" technologies, has helped us gather "big data" and characterize microbial communities. In this article, we focus on metaproteomic and metabolomic approaches that support hypothesis-driven investigations on various oral biologic samples. Proteomics reveals the working units of the oral milieu and metabolomics unveils the reactions taking place; and so these complementary techniques can unravel the functionality and underlying regulatory processes within various oral microbial communities. Current knowledge of the proteomic interplay and metabolic interactions of microorganisms within oral biofilm and salivary microbiome communities is presented and discussed, from both clinical and basic research perspectives. Communities indicative of, or from, health, caries, periodontal diseases, and endodontic lesions are represented. Challenges, future prospects, and examples of best practice are given.

In this essay, I recount my career experiences as a research consultant in Washington DC. These experiences, over the course of 23 years, provide examples of how theory and research can be used to guide practice. The account is chronological, beginning with my first consulting assignment in 1975, where I worked with a US delegation on resolving a negotiation impasse, to the 1990s where I directed study groups on a variety of human performance and international conflict resolution topics. These projects consisted both of applications of research-based knowledge and the generation of research ideas for new projects. By immersing myself in both theory and practice, I could transform basic research into applied insights and induce research ideas from practice. This was the kind of career that Jeff Rubin aspired to having. The IACM Rubin award recognizes the way that his aspiration was fulfilled by one of his colleagues.

We characterize equilibrium investments in basic research by the commercial and university sectors contingent on public funding of the university. We find that firms invest in basic research despite the opportunities for free riding and we present conditions under which firms even have incentives to augment the public funding to the university. We characterize the socially optimal volume of public funding for the university sector. Finally, we compare total investments in a mixed duopoly with those of duopolies composed of two universities as well as two profit‐maximizing firms.

Aim The aim of the present study was to characterize the role of Smad3 signalling on high glucose‐induced podocyte injury. Methods Synchronized conditionally immortalized mouse podocyte cell line (MPC5) cells were treated with either D‐glucose alone or D‐glucose plus the Smad3 inhibitor SIS3. The distribution of F‐actin and transgelin in a high glucose‐induced model of podocyte injury were examined by immunofluorescence. Levels of transgelin and Smad3 signalling proteins in MPC5 cells were determined by Western blot. Results A disordered distribution of F‐actin, as well as co‐localization of F‐actin and transgelin, was observed in podocytes exposed to high glucose. Increased levels of transgelin were first observed 10 minutes after treatment with glucose, suggesting that this protein is sensitive to hyperglycaemic injury. Levels of phosphorylated Smad3 and cleaved caspase 3 increased significantly with glucose stimulation. Moreover, expression of the downstream protein c‐Myc, but not JAK1/STAT3, was induced in conditions of high glucose. The Smad3‐specific inhibitor SIS3 prevented the effects of high glucose on Smad3 phosphorylation, expression of transgelin and c‐Myc, caspase 3 cleavage and cytoskeletal organization. Expression of the tumour suppressor protein p15INK4B increased after podocyte injury but was unaffected by Smad3 inhibition, suggesting that Smad3 regulation of high glucose‐induced podocyte injury occurs through a p15INK4B‐independent mechanism. Conclusion Smad3 signalling plays a critical role in the modulation of hyperglycaemic injury. Targeted inhibition of the Smad3 pathway may offer a novel route for treatment of podocyte damage, especially in cases of diabetic nephropathy., SUMMARY AT A GLANCE Podocyte damage is characteristic of diabetic kidney disease. This study showed that inhibition of Smad‐3 signalling using the specific inhibitor SIS3 in vitro, could alleviate podocyte abnormalities induced by high glucose including actin cytoskeletal rearrangement and actviation of cell death pathways.

Size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a widely adopted method for the isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from complex samples. SEC can efficiently remove high‐abundant proteins, while often requires multiple fractionation operation using diversified column settings. In this study, we aim to establish a simplified SEC method to acquire high quality EVs. In comparison of all three cross‐linked Sepharose resins with the sample types of FBS and human serum (HS), CL‐6B and CL‐4B showed superior performance in regular SEC to CL‐2B in terms of significantly narrower EV and protein peaks, higher resolutions and EV purity. By increasing their bed volumes to 20 ml, the resolutions of CL‐6B and CL‐4B columns could be significantly improved, while the CL‐6B column had the best performance with higher particle yields and tighter EV peaks. With the CL‐6B 20 ml column, we further established a simplified dichotomic SEC method that only requires two bulk elutions to acquire EVs in the Eluate 1 and proteins in the Eluate 2. We further justified that such CL‐6B columns were reusable for at least 10 consecutive times, and the dichotomic SEC was applicable to EV isolations from HS and FBS‐free supernatants of fluorescently labelled and unlabelled SW620 cells. The proteomics analysis implicated that although the two methods had dissimilar abilities in removing different co‐isolating contaminant proteins from EVs, the dichotomic SEC and ultracentrifugation could isolate EVs from human plasma with comparable purity. This dichotomic SEC has its intriguing potential to be used for EV preparation toward clinical testing and/or basic research.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system is a state-of-the-art tool for versatile genome editing that has advanced basic research dramatically, with great potential for clinic applications. The system consists of two key molecules: a CRISPR-associated (Cas) effector nuclease and a single guide RNA. The simplicity of the system has enabled the development of a wide spectrum of derivative methods. Almost any laboratory can utilize these methods, although new users may initially be confused when faced with the potentially overwhelming abundance of choices. Cas nucleases and their engineering have been systematically reviewed previously. In the present review, we discuss single guide RNA engineering and design strategies that facilitate more efficient, more specific and safer gene editing.

The role of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) system in depression has received considerable attention in recent years. To understand the role of this system, it is important to identify the specific members of the FGF family that have been implicated and the various mechanisms that they modulated. Here, we review the role of FGFs in depression and integrate evidence from clinical and basic research. These data suggest that changes in the FGF family are involved in depression and possibly in a wider range of psychiatric disorders. We analyse the abnormalities of FGF family members in depression and their roles in modulating depression-related molecules. The role of the FGF family in depression and related disorders needs to be studied in more detail.

We gratefully acknowledge the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017K2A9A1A06042191) and the Belarusian Republican Foundation for Basic Research (X18KOP-003).

This study was supported by the Basic Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea (Grant number NRF-2016R1A2B4007452).

National Key RD National Basic Research Program of China, Grant/Award Number: 2015CB654605; National Nature Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 51672293 and 51831010; Instrument Developing Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant/Award Number: ZDKYYQ20180004; Chinese Academy of Sciences President's International Fellowship Initiative, Grant/Award Number: 2017VMA0018 and 2011T2G03

Two experiments examined interactions between the effects of food and water motivating operations (MOs) on the food- and water-reinforced operant behavior of mice. In Experiment 1, mice responded for sucrose pellets and then water reinforcement under four different MOs: food deprivation, water deprivation, concurrent food and water deprivation, and no deprivation. The most responding for pellets occurred under food deprivation and the most responding for water occurred under water deprivation. Concurrent food and water deprivation decreased responding for both reinforcers. Nevertheless, water deprivation alone increased pellet-reinforced responding and food deprivation alone likewise increased water-reinforced responding relative to no deprivation. Experiment 2 demonstrated that presession food during concurrent food and water deprivation increased in-session responding for water relative to sessions where no presession food was provided. Conversely, presession water during concurrent food and water deprivation did not increase in-session responding for pellets. These results suggest that a) the reinforcing value of a single stimulus can be affected by multiple MOs, b) a single MO can affect the reinforcing value of multiple stimuli, and c) reinforcing events can also function as MOs. We consider implications for theory and practice and suggest strategies for further basic research on MOs.

The stem cells, owing to their special characteristics like self-renewal, multiplication, homing, immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory, and dedifferentiation are considered to carry an "all-in-one-solution" for diverse clinical problems. However, the limited understanding of cellular physiology currently limits their definitive therapeutic use. Among various stem cell types, currently mesenchymal stem cells are extensively studied for dog clinical applications owing to their readily available sources, easy harvesting, and ability to differentiate both into mesodermal, as well as extramesodermal tissues. The isolated, culture expanded, and characterized cells have been applied both at preclinical as well as clinical settings in dogs with variable but mostly positive results. The results, though positive, are currently inconclusive and demands further intensive research on the properties and their dependence on the applications. Further, numerous clinical conditions of dog resemble to that of human counterparts and thus, if proved rewarding in the former may act as basis of therapy for the latter. The current review throws some light on dog mesenchymal stem cell properties and their potential therapeutic applications.

Objectives Recently, more accurate description of the femoral geometry has become of interest to engineers and orthopedic surgeons. However, an appropriate database is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present morphological parameters and their correlations, which are relevant for medical issues such as impingement after total hip replacement, as well as for implant design and the etiology of hip fractures. Methods We investigated 12 well‐known morphological parameters of the femur in 169 healthy human subjects through evaluation of 3D‐reconstructed CT scans. Pearson's coefficients of correlations were calculated using a statistical t‐test method for each pair of parameters. Results The mean, maximum, minimum, median, and standard deviation values are reported for all parameters. Histograms showing the distribution of each morphological parameter are also presented. It is shown that absolute and horizontal offsets, total femur length, and NCVD parameters are normally distributed, but NCDF and NCDS are not. Furthermore, an inter‐correlation matrix was reported to reveal statistical correlations between these parameters. The strongest positive correlation existed between absolute offset (OSA) and horizontal offset (OSH), while the least positive correlation was found between NCDF and total femur length (TFL), and also between NCDS and NCDF. Anteversion angle (ATA) and OSA showed the least negative correlation. However, the strongest negative correlation was found between neck‐shaft angle (NSA) and greater trochanter height (GTH), as well as between OSA and NCVD. Conclusions Comprehending patients’ native bone morphology, including the variations and correlations, is essential for orthopedic surgeons to undertake preoperative planning and surgery as well as to appropriately design medical devices. Thus, more population‐based detailed databases are necessary. We investigated an extensive set of proximal femoral morphology parameters using a statistically standardized method to expand the existing knowledge. The results of our study can be used for diverse medical and biomechanical purposes.

The 18th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (WCP2018), coordinated by IUPHAR and hosted by the Japanese Pharmacological Society and the Japanese Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, was held in July 2018 at the Kyoto International Conference Center, in Kyoto, Japan. Having as its main theme 'Pharmacology for the Future: Science, Drug Development and Therapeutics', WCP2018 was attended by over 4500 delegates, representing 78 countries. The present report is an overview of a symposium at WCP2018, entitled Pharmacogenomics in Special Populations, organized by IUPHAR´s Pharmacogenetics/Genomics (PGx) section. The PGx section congregates distinguished scientists from different continents, covering expertise from basic research, to clinical implementation and ethical aspects of PGx, and one of its major activities is the coordination of symposia and workshops to foster exchange of PGx knowledge (https://iuphar.org/sections-subcoms/pharmacogenetics-genomics/). The symposium attracted a large audience to listen to presentations covering various areas of research and clinical adoption of PGx in Oceania, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Undergraduate research (UR) refers to a series of scientific research activities for undergraduates. For the past few years in China, medical colleges and universities have increasingly attached importance on UR, aiming to provide undergraduates with better scientific research conditions, improve their understanding about scientific research and their basic scientific skills. Chinese medical undergraduates participate in scientific research spontaneously. However, the specific effects of UR are still unclear. In China, few quantitative standards to evaluate the detailed roles and effects of medical undergraduates' UR are available yet. To explore how UR influences Chinese medical undergraduates' scientific research abilities and their individual development, we conduct a cross-sectional analytical study by anonymous self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires access the scientific research capabilities and qualities of students. The results show that students who participate in UR are equipped with better self-evaluation of designing research projects, using statistical software, making figures and charts, evaluating experimental results and performing experiments than those who do not; and the students who persist in UR have the highest self-evaluation on the abilities mentioned above. Hence, through quantitative criteria, it can be concluded that UR can help Chinese medical undergraduates build interest in scientific research, develop scientific thinking and basic research capacities, and set a solid foundation for future research. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(1):41-50, 2018.

The study of early actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes) from the Devonian has been hampered by imperfect preservation in the majority of taxa. The Late Devonian (early Frasnian) Gogo Formation of north-western Western Australia is notable in producing complete fossil actinopterygians with exceptional three-dimensional preservation of both the dermal and endoskeletal anatomy. Four taxa have been described and have proved invaluable in understanding the anatomy of early representatives of this clade. Here, we present a fifth Gogo taxon, based on a single exceptionally preserved specimen and representing a new genus and species of early ray-finned fish. The neurocranium was CT scanned, permitting a detailed examination of the endocast. The new taxon possesses unusual features including a greatly enlarged spiracular opening and extensive spinose ornamentation on the dermal skull bones, median ridge scutes and lepidotrichia. The endocast displays a mosaic of characters, some of which are similar to Mimipiscis and non-actinopterygian outgroups, while other features are more akin to Raynerius from the Late Devonian of France as well as several stratigraphically younger taxa. A phylogenetic analysis resolves the new form as sister taxon to fishes from the Late Devonian of the Northern Hemisphere and all post-Devonian actinopterygians, confirming that the assemblage of fossil ray fins from the Gogo Formation is part of the wider Devonian actinopterygian radiation .

Characteristic features like self-renewal, multilineage differentiation potential, and immune-modulatory/anti-inflammatory properties, besides the ability to mobilize and home distant tissues make stem cells (SCs) a lifeline for an individual. Stem cells (SCs) if could be harvested and expanded without any abnormal change may be utilized as an all-in-one solution to numerous clinical ailments. However, slender understanding of their basic physiological properties, including expression potential, behavioral alternations during culture, and the effect of niche/microenvironment has currently restricted the clinical application of SCs. Among various types of SCs, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extensively studied due to their easy availability, straightforward harvesting, and culturing procedures, besides, their less likelihood to produce teratogens. Large ruminant MSCs have been harvested from various adult tissues and fetal membranes and are well characterized under in vitro conditions but unlike human or other domestic animals in vivo studies on cattle/buffalo MSCs have mostly been aimed at improving the animals' production potential. In this document, we focused on the status and potential application of MSCs in cattle and buffalo.

Despite the growing interest of practitioners and scholars in technology roadmapping (TRM), our knowledge regarding how TRM can be embedded into the overall innovation process of a firm and used to enhance this process is relatively limited. This study aims to fill this gap. We describe an action research project conducted with Pirelli and the innovative approach to TRM this company developed during the 2010s to cope with the increasing complexity and dynamism of the tire industry. We show that TRM is currently fully integrated into the firm’s R&D activities and contributes to increasing the effectiveness of new product development. TRM supports the systematic gathering, sharing, and elaboration of information across the different functions and business units of Pirelli from the basic research to the commercialization of new products.

The reproducibility of stem cell research relies on the constant availability of quality-controlled cells. As the quality of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can deteriorate in the course of a few passages, cell banking is key to achieve consistent results and low batch-to-batch variation. Here, we provide a cost-efficient route to generate master and working cell banks for basic research projects. In addition, we describe minimal protocols for quality assurance including tests for sterility, viability, pluripotency, and genetic integrity. © 2020 The Authors. Basic Protocol 1: Expansion of hiPSCs Basic Protocol 2: Cell banking of hiPSCs Support Protocol 1: Pluripotency assessment by flow cytometry Support Protocol 2: Thawing control: Viability and sterility Support Protocol 3: Potency, viral clearance, and pluripotency: Spontaneous differentiation and qRT-PCR Support Protocol 4: Identity: Short tandem repeat analysis.

Introduction: Different patterns of detrusor overactivity (DO) have been described and included in several standardization terminology documents. However, it is unclear if these different patterns have any clinical significance. Methods: This is a report of the proceedings of Proposal 3: "Are there different patterns of detrusor overactivity which are clinically relevant?" from the annual International Consultation on Incontinence-Research Society (ICIRS) meeting, which took place from 14 to 16 June 2018, in Bristol, UK. Results: We have collected and discussed, as a committee, the evidence about different urodynamic (UD) patterns of detrusor overactivity and their potential clinical significance. We reviewed the important previous basic research and clinical studies and compiled summaries. The discussion focused on clinical relevance of different UD patterns of DO and what further research is required. Conclusions: There are several UD definitions of patterns of detrusor overactivity, however the clinical relevance of these definitions remains unclear. Future research should concentrate on defining the pattern of DO in relation to clinical diagnosis, gender, age, and treatment outcomes.

This article argues that evidence, even when used politically, contributes to high-quality democratic discourse. Research results on the use of evidence in referendum campaigns in Switzerland show that (1) evidence fosters discourse quality and shifts the focus away from politics to policy; (2) evaluations and basic research contribute positively to discourse, but not opinion surveys and statistics; (3) the participation of experts and administrative practitioners in discourse is crucial to make evidence available to the public; and (4) evidence is always used as a part of a narrative and can alter the constructed images used in a story. In conclusion, the implications for practitioners are discussed.

Nord University Russian Foundation for Basic Research Russian Scientific Foundation Polish‐Norwegian Research Program

This study was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No.2014CB440902) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41572072).

Nanobodies can be seen as next‐generation tools for the recognition and modulation of antigens that are inaccessible to conventional antibodies. Due to their compact structure and high stability, nanobodies see frequent usage in basic research, and their chemical functionalization opens the way towards promising diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In this Review, central aspects of nanobody functionalization are presented, together with selected applications. While early conjugation strategies relied on the random modification of natural amino acids, more recent studies have focused on the site‐specific attachment of functional moieties. Such techniques include chemoenzymatic approaches, expressed protein ligation, and amber suppression in combination with bioorthogonal modification strategies. Recent applications range from sophisticated imaging and mass spectrometry to the delivery of nanobodies into living cells for the visualization and manipulation of intracellular antigens.

Nanobodies can be considered as next-generation life science tools for the recognition and modulation of antigens that are inaccessible to conventional antibodies. Due to their compact structure and high stability, nanobodies see frequent usage in basic research. Their chemical functionalization facilitates powerful diagnostic tools and opens the way towards promising therapeutic applications. In this review, central aspects of nanobody functionalization are given together with selected applications in molecular cell biology. While first-generation conjugation strategies rely on random modification of natural amino acids, more recent studies focus on a site-specific attachment of functional groups. Such techniques include chemoenzymatic approaches, expressed protein ligation and amber suppression in combination with bioorthogonal modification strategies. With an ever growing toolkit of protein synthesis and conjugation, functional applications are on the rise as well. Such recent applications range from sophisticated imaging and mass spectrometry to the delivery of nanobodies into living cells, enabling visualization and manipulation of intracellular antigens.