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Following a pause, with a relatively flat rate, from 1998 to 2008, the long-term trend of university patenting rising as a share of all patenting has resumed, driven by the internationalization of academic entrepreneurship and the persistence of US university technology transfer. The authors disaggregate this recent growth in university patenting at the US Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO) in terms of nations and patent classes. Foreign patenting in the United States almost doubled during the period 2009-2014, mainly due to patenting by universities in Taiwan, Korea, China and Japan. These nations compete with the United States in terms of patent portfolios, whereas most European countries--with the exception of the United Kingdom--have more specific portfolios, mainly in biomedical fields. In the case of China, Tsinghua University holds 63% of the university patents in USPTO; followed by King Fahd University with 55.2% of the national portfolio.

Rationale, Aims and Objectives: Randomized trials are considered the gold standard when assessing the efficacy of new therapeutic agents. In clinical situations where no standard of care therapy is approved, randomized trials usually compare experimental agents to either a placebo or an open‐label nonintervention arm (i.e., best supportive care). We surveyed Canadian medical oncologists to understand their attitudes towards each design. Methods: Members of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. Standardized case scenarios were used to determine participants' attitudes regarding the role of open‐label versus placebo‐controlled trials. Results: A total of 322 medical oncologists and trainees were invited to participate and 86 responded (response rate 27%). Fifty‐one (59%) believed that open‐label trials are an acceptable alternative to placebo‐controlled design when investigating a therapeutic agent in the adjuvant setting. Thirty‐eight (49%) deemed it acceptable to compare the investigational agent to an open‐label arm instead of a placebo to assess progression‐free survival in the metastatic setting. Twenty‐eight (38%) of respondents felt that open‐label design was acceptable when assessing the quality of life endpoint. Most physicians were unsure whether the US Food and Drug Administration require a placebo‐controlled arm in oncology trials. Conclusion: Canadian medical oncologists participating in this survey are divided in their opinions regarding the acceptability of an open‐label design in randomized‐controlled trials, where no standard therapy is approved. Clearer guidance from regulatory bodies on the adequacy of different trial designs is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the clinical impact of the Canadian criteria for identifying patients and families at risk for hereditary renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The Canadian hereditary RCC risk criteria were applied to patients from 16 centres in the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system (CKCis) prospective database. The primary end point was the proportion of patients who met at least one criterion. Between January 2011 and May 2017, 8388 patients were entered in the database; 291 had inadequate risk data; 2827 (35%) met at least one criterion for genetic testing (at-risk population). Most (83%) met just one criterion. The criterion of non-clear cell histology contributed the largest proportion of at-risk patients (59%), followed by age ≤ 45 years (28%). Sixty-one patients had documentation of genetic testing, with 56 being classified at-risk (2% of at-risk). Twenty patients (35%) of the patients at risk and tested for hereditary RCC were found to harbour a germline mutation. Application of the Canadian hereditary RCC risk criteria to a large prospective database resulted in 35% of patients being identified at risk for hereditary RCC who could qualify for genetic testing. However, the true incidence of hereditary RCC in this population is unknown as most patients did not have documented genetic testing carried out and, thus, the sensitivity and specificity of the criteria cannot be determined. The low proportion of at-risk patients who underwent genetic testing is disappointing and highlights that there may be gaps in reporting, knowledge and/or barriers in access to genetic testing. • 2827 patients (35% of patients diagnosed with RCC) met the criteria for at risk for hereditary RCC. • 56 of the patients at risk were tested and 35% of them were found to harbour a germline mutation. • Low proportion of at-risk patients were referred for genetic testing. • Research is warranted to identify barriers to referrals and testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from diagnostic analyses to understand the seasonal evolution of the large-scale climatic state responsible for the development and melt of the winter snowpack, and spring–early summer precipitation in the Churchill Falls region on the Québec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada, are presented in the context of the development of an empirical model for seasonal to annual streamflow forecasting, with a special emphasis on the May–July spring freshet. Teleconnection indices and gridded global measures of atmospheric circulation inferred from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis are used as climatic indicators. Composite and correlation analyses are applied to the climatic indicators conditioned on the spring streamflow for identification of potential predictors. Meridional and zonal atmospheric fluxes over the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans emanating from regionally persistent sea surface temperature/sea level pressure modes are identified as potential carriers of information. We speculate on the ocean-atmosphere and regional hydrologic mechanisms that may be involved in lending multiseasonal predictability to streamflows in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of different models and procedures for forecasting aggregated May–July streamflow for the Churchill Falls basin on the Québec-Labrador peninsula is compared. The models compared have different lead times and include an autoregressive model using only past streamflow data, an autoregressive with exogenous input model utilizing both past streamflow and precipitation, and a linear regression model using the principal components of exogenous measures of atmospheric circulation inferred from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis project. The forecast skills of the different approaches are compared using a variety of measures of performance. The results indicate that relatively accurate forecasts using only measures of atmospheric circulation can be issued as early as in December of the prior year. A multimodel combination approach is found to be more effective than the use of a single forecast model. In addition, it is concluded that forecasting models utilizing atmospheric circulation data are useful, especially for basins where hydroclimatic observations are scarce and for basins where flows and other hydroclimatic variables are not strongly autocorrelated (do not depend on their past). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the course of rehabilitation in patients with complicated acute myocardial infarction after primary ventricular fibrillation in Kingston, Ontario. Resumption of work, sexual activity and driving; Examination of the mortality rate; Consideration of age, occupation, time of ventricular fibrillation and site of infarct.