A Conceptual Framework for Developing of Regional Innovation Ecosystems

The article highlights a conceptual framework for developing of regional innovation ecosystems at the NUTS 1 level. The authors' definition of the innovation ecosystem of the region has been given. The ranking of EU-27 NUTS 1 regions by R&D intensity indicator allowed identifying most innovatively active regions and draw the conclusion about their concentration in three science-intensive macro-clusters. The conceptual model of the regional innovation ecosystem of Ukraine has been suggested taking into account features of its current territorial division. The key dimensions of the model include the goal of the ecosystem, its actors, the environment and the system of internal and external interrelationship. Considering the specifics of regional governance in Ukraine, it was substantiated that it is advisable to use the existing network of regional research centres as institutional tools to support regional innovation ecosystems at NUTS 1 level. It is suggested to create special coordination centres, in particular, regional innovation councils at NUTS 2 level. Keywords: innovation ecosystem, innovation process, region, economic area, NUTS, actor, stakeholder, institutional tool, European Union, Ukraine

The 154Gd neutron capture cross section measured at the n_TOF facility and its astrophysical implications

The (n, γ) cross sections of the gadolinium isotopes play an important role in the study of the stellar nucleosynthesis. In particular, among the isotopes heavier than Fe, 154Gd together with 152Gd have the peculiarity to be mainly produced by the slow capture process, the so-called s-process, since they are shielded against the β-decay chains from the r-process region by their stable samarium isobars. Such a quasi pure s-process origin makes them crucial for testing the robustness of stellar models in galactic chemical evolution (GCE). According to recent models, the 154Gd and 152Gd abundances are expected to be 15-20% lower than the reference un-branched s-process 150Sm isotope. The close correlation between stellar abundances and neutron capture cross sections prompted for an accurate measurement of 154Gd cross section in order to reduce the uncertainty attributable to nuclear physics input and eventually rule out one of the possible causes of present discrepancies between observation and model predictions. To this end, the neutron capture cross section of 154Gd was measured in a wide neutron energy range (from thermal up to some keV) with high resolution in the first experimental area of the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF (EAR1) at CERN. In this contribution, after a brief description of the motivation and of the experimental setup used in the measurement, the preliminary results of the 154Gd neutron capture reaction as well as their astrophysical implications are presented.

Case Report: Facial injury due to a firearm projectile in a Brazilian adolescent

Background: Deaths and injuries from firearms are significant public health problems. This article presents a case of face injury caused by a firearm projectile with atrial involvement. Case report: A 13-year-old male Black patient was admitted as an emergency victim of an accident caused by a firearm projectile. On physical examination, a hemorrhage was diagnosed in the right ear pinna region from the wound, and an increase of volume, of hardened consistency, in the right genic region, suggestive of local infection. On radiographic examination, a radiopaque, dense, foreign body was identified in the right zygomatic process region. The patient underwent surgery to remove the projectile. Conclusion: The care provided to the victim of a firearm injury depends on the systemic conditions, the available professional staff, the resources and the infrastructure of the environment. Prior to initiating therapy, it is important to stabilize the patient to ensure survival.

Estimating Non-Conformance Using the Modified Tolerance Region Method and the Target Distance Method

In many cases, the quality of a manufactured product is determined by more than one characteristic and often, these quality characteristics are correlated. A number of methods for dealing with quality evaluation of multivariate processes have been proposed in the literature. However, some of these studies do not consider correlation among quality characteristics. In this paper, two new approaches for estimating the proportion of non-conformance for correlated multivariate quality characteristics with nominal specifications are proposed: (i) the modified tolerance region approach and (ii) the target distance approach. In the first approach, the p number of correlated variables are analysed based on the projected shadow of the p-dimensional hyper ellipsoid so that the ability to visualise the tolerance region and the process region for is preserved. In the second approach, the correlated variables are combined and a new variable called the target distance is introduced. The proportion of non-conformance results estimated using both methods were used to compute the multivariate capability index and the total expected quality cost. This study also suggest modification to the NMCp index as proposed in Pan and Lee (2010) such that the process capability for can be measured correctly. The application of both approaches is demonstrated using two examples and it is shown that both methods i.e. the modified tolerance region and the target distance methods are capable of estimating the capability of multivariate processes.

The use of planar bone scintigraphy and HiSPECT for diagnosis of primary and concomitant flexor enthesopathy in the canine elbow

SummaryObjective: To investigate the possibilities and limitations of planar bone scintigraphy and high resolution single photon emission computed tomography (HiSPECT) to diagnose flexor enthesopathy and to distinguish primary flexor enthesopathy from the concomitant form.Materials and methods: A prospective study of 46 dogs with primary flexor enthesopathy, concomitant flexor enthesopathy, medial coronoid disease, and normal elbows was performed. All dogs underwent planar bone scintigraphy and HiSPECT imaging. The obtained images were visually scored for increased radiopharmaceutical uptake in the medial humeral epicondylar and medial coronoid process region using a score from 1-3.Results: Planar bone scintigraphy demonstrated increased radiopharmaceutical uptake in all diseased elbow joints, except for one. HiSPECT demonstrated increased radiopharmaceutical uptake of the medial humeral epicondyle in nearly all clinically affected joints with primary and concomitant flexor enthesopathy. Additional uptake of the medial coronoid process was recorded in all clinically affected joints with concomitant flexor enthesopathy and in six out of 18 with primary flexor enthesopathy. No difference in intensity of the uptake was noticed.Clinical significance: Planar bone scintigraphy allows the attribution of lameness to the elbow joint in cases of primary flexor enthesopathy with minimal or even absent radiographic changes. The more detailed HiSPECT enables the localization of pathology within the elbow joint and is a sensitive technique to detect flexor enthesopathy. However HiSPECT is insufficient to distinguish primary from concomitant flexor enthesopathy.

Weld Seam Detection Based on the Genetic Algorithm

A new weld seam detection based on the genetic algorithm has been presented. Firstly, the experimental platform has been setup, and the welding images can be captured by the CCD camera in real time. On this basis, the process region, which is in front of the weld pool, has been determined. Then the median filter has been applied to reduce the disturbance of the noise producing during the welding period. Moreover, the GA has been deeply researched and applied to the weld seam detection. In the end, some experiments have been caught out, and the results show that compared with the traditional Ostu process method, the weld seam images, which are processed by the genetic algorithm, are more clearer and have less noise, which can meet the satisfy of auto welding system.