Patent citation spectroscopy (PCS): Online retrieval of landmark patents based on an algorithmic approach

One essential component in the construction of patent landscapes in biomedical research and development (R&D) is identifying the most seminal patents. Hitherto, the identification of seminal patents required subject matter experts within biomedical areas. In this article, we report an analytical method and tool, Patent Citation Spectroscopy (PCS), for the online identification of landmark patents in user-specified areas of biomedical innovation. Using USPTO data, PCS mines the cited references within large sets of patents at the internet and provides an estimate of the historically most impactful prior work. We show the efficacy of PCS in three case studies of biomedical innovation with clinical relevance: (1) RNA interference (RNAi), (2) cholesterol and (3) cloning. PCS mined and analyzed cited references related to patents on RNA interference and correctly identified the foundational patent of this technology, as independently reported by subject matter experts on RNAi intellectual property. Secondly, we apply PCS to a broad set of patents dealing with cholesterol – a case study chosen to reflect a more general, as opposed to expert, patent search query. PCS mined through cited references and identified the seminal patent as that for Lipitor, the groundbreaking medication for treating high cholesterol as well as the pair of patents underlying Repatha. The final case study, cloning, highlights some of the advantages conferred by the PCS methodology in identifying seminal patents. These cases suggest that PCS provides a useful method for identifying seminal patents in areas of biomedical innovation and therapeutics. The interactive tool is free-to-use at: http://www.leydesdorff.net/comins/pcs/index.html.     

Examining the practice of beginning teachers’ micropolitical literacy within professional inquiry communities

This paper investigates beginning teachers collaboratively making sense of and responding to the micropolitical environments of their schools. Drawing on a qualitative multi-case study conducted within the context of a university-sponsored, inquiry-based induction program, this research employs a community of practice frame to examine how novice teachers came to practice “micropolitical literacy.” The paper identifies four dimensions of micropolitical discourse that surfaced in the situated setting of the inquiry groups. The analysis further illustrates how beginning teachers, while participating in inquiry groups, coconstructed understandings of the organizational structures and professional cultures of their schools.     

Bias and Bias Correction Method for Nonproportional Abilities Requirement (NPAR) Tests

Test items must often be broad in scope to be ecologically valid. It is therefore almost inevitable that secondary dimensions are introduced into a test during test development. A cognitive test may require one or more abilities besides the primary ability to correctly respond to an item, in which case a unidimensional test score overestimates the primary ability and creates interpretability problems. In this article, we demonstrate the nonproportional abilities requirement, a phenomenon with which secondary abilities are more required for difficult items. A novel and practical method for correcting bias in the primary ability is proposed and illustrated using a real data set from an international assessment. Simulation data are also used to evaluate the performance of the method.     

Canned Music and Captive Audiences: The Battle Over Public Soundspace at Grand Central Terminal and the Emergence of the New Sound

This article recounts the fight over public soundspace at Grand Central Terminal in 1949 after management began using Muzak, punctuated by commercial advertisements, to manage and monetize the soundscape. The public protests against these broadcasts in the press were followed by public hearings which weighed the commuter’s right to be left alone with his or her own thoughts against the company’s right broadcast sell the public soundspace. The author argue that this case, which was tied to a similar case before the Supreme Court, set a legal precedent allowing public soundspaces to be monetized in the same way as physical or visual spaces were, and set the stage for the ubiquitous engineering of public soundspaces that is the norm today.     

Insulator-based dielectrophoresis of mitochondria

Isolated mitochondria display a wide range of sizes plausibly resulting from the coexistence of subpopulations, some of which may be associated with disease or aging. Strategies to separate subpopulations are needed to study the importance of these organelles in cellular functions. Here, insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) was exploited to provide a new dimension of organelle separation. The dielectrophoretic properties of isolated Fischer 344 (F344) rat semimembranosus muscle mitochondria and C57BL/6 mouse hepatic mitochondria in low conductivity buffer (0.025–0.030 S/m) at physiological pH (7.2–7.4) were studied using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices. First, direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) of 0–50 kHz with potentials of 0–3000 V applied over a channel length of 1 cm were separately employed to generate inhomogeneous electric fields and establish that mitochondria exhibit negative DEP (nDEP). DEP trapping potential thresholds at 0–50 kHz were also determined to be weakly dependent on applied frequency and were generally above 200 V. Second, we demonstrated a separation scheme using DC potentials <100 V to perform the first size-based iDEP sorting of mitochondria. Samples of isolated mitochondria with heterogeneous sizes (150 nm–2 μm diameters) were successfully separated into sub-micron fractions, indicating the ability to isolate mitochondria into populations based on their size.     

A Needs-Assessment Process for Designing Geospatial Data Management Systems within Federal Agencies

Many federal agencies face challenges with designing geospatial data management systems. This paper presents and documents a needs-assessment process that can be employed to prioritize agencies’ geospatial information needs; identify agencies’ capacity to manage a centralized geodatabase; determine agencies’ capacity to deliver Web-mapping services to the public; and identify barriers, such as data security and limited financial resources, that constrain agencies’ ability to design and manage a geospatial data management system. The paper details the needs-assessment process and documents its application to the National Park Service (NPS) Conservation and Outdoor Recreation (COR) Branch programs. The NPS COR Branch is comprised of nine disparate programs, such as the National Trails System and the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program, each of which has specific geospatial data management and delivery needs. The needs-assessment process, tested through its application to the NPS COR Branch programs, provides a comprehensive and logical workflow for system developers and administrators to use as they create or refine geospatial data management systems.     

Body composition assessment of English Premier League soccer players: a comparative DXA analysis of first team,U21 and U18 squads

Professional soccer players from the first team (1st team, n = 27), under twenty-one (U21, n = 21) and under eighteen (U18, n = 35) squads of an English Premier League soccer team were assessed for whole body and regional estimates of body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Per cent body fat was lower in 1st team (10.0 ± 1.6) compared with both U21 (11.6 ± 2.5, P = 0.02) and U18 (11.4 ± 2.6, P = 0.01) players. However, this difference was not due to variations (P = 0.23) in fat mass between squads (7.8 ± 1.6 v 8.8 ± 2.1 v 8.2 ± 2.4 kg, respectively) but rather the presence of more lean mass in 1st team (66.9 ± 7.1 kg, P < 0.01) and U21 (64.6 ± 6.5 kg, P = 0.02) compared with U18 (60.6 ± 6.3 kg) players. Accordingly, fat mass index was not different (P = 0.138) between squads, whereas lean mass index was greater (P < 0.01) in 1st team players (20.0 ± 1.1 kg · m^?2) compared with U18 players (18.8 ± 1.4 kg · m^?2). Differences in lean mass were also reflective of higher lean tissue mass in all regions, for example, upper limbs/lower limbs and trunk. Data suggest that training and nutritional interventions for younger players should therefore be targeted to lean mass growth as opposed to body fat loss.     

Magnitude of multiplanar breast kinematics differs depending upon run distance

Recommendations for breast support, dynamic breast pain assessment, and implications for sports performance have been made within breast biomechanics research; however, these studies have been based upon short exercise protocols (2–5 min). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of breast support on multiplanar breast kinematics over a 5-kilometre run. Ten female participants (34D or 32DD) conducted two 5-kilometre runs, in a low and high breast support. Relative multiplanar breast kinematics were averaged over five gait cycles at six intervals of a 5-kilometre run. Increases in multiplanar breast kinematics were reported from the start to the end of the run, with the greatest rate of increase in breast kinematics reported within the first two kilometres of running. The greatest relative increases in breast range of motion (34%), velocity (33%), and acceleration (41%) were reported in the superioinferior direction at the fifth kilometre (33 min of running) in the high breast support. Key findings suggest that the run distance, and therefore run duration, employed for both fundamental research and product validation protocols should be carefully considered and it is suggested that running protocols for assessing breast biomechanics should exceed 7 min.     

The international,global and intercultural dimensions in schools: an analysis of four internationalised Israeli schools

Many educational systems worldwide are making substantial efforts to integrate an international dimension into local schools, fostering significant changes in the processes of instruction and learning as well as transformations at pedagogical and organisational levels. In this paper, we analyse data collected in four schools in Israel that the local press and educational authorities have acknowledged as schools that prominently and comprehensively incorporated international, global and intercultural dimensions. We employ a case-study approach based on interviews with principals and teachers; analysis of schools' websites and documents; and on-site observations, in order to analyse the expression of internationalisation, understand who is involved in the implementation process, and stimulate thinking about the broader impact of this process. We find that ideological and pragmatic reasons underlie schools' motivations to internationalise; their population and status comprise major factors in the decision regarding how, where, why, and when to integrate international and intercultural dimensions. The stakeholders interviewed perceive of internationalisation as offering both cosmopolitan capital to the students and a distinctive feature to the school. The schools demonstrate diverse internationalisation patterns that are neither monitored nor guided by any regulatory agency. These findings contribute to the identification of the factors promoting or delaying the internalisation process and to the understanding of the impact of this process on schools.