No abstract

The HIV BioBank represents a novel approach to HIV research that might be of general interest not only for basic and clinical research teams working on HIV, but also for those groups trying to establish large networks focused on research on specific clinical problems. It also represents a model to stimulate cooperative research among large numbers of research groups working as a network on specific clinical problems. The main objective of this article is to show the structure and function of the HIV BioBank that allow it to very efficiently release samples to different research project not only in Spain but also in other countries.

Reports on the genetic variability and evolution of natural populations of DNA viruses are scarce in comparison with the abundant information on the variability of RNA viruses. Geminiviruses are plant viruses with circular ssDNA genomes that are replicated by the host plant DNA polymerases. Whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses (WTG) are the agents of important diseases of crop plants and best exemplify emerging plant viruses. In this report we have analyzed the genetic diversity of cotton leaf curl geminivirus (CLCuV), a typical emerging WTG. No genetic differentiation was observed between isolates from different host plant species or geographic regions. Thus, the analyzed isolates represented a unique, undifferentiated population. Genetic variability, estimated as nucleotide diversities at synonymous positions in open reading frames (ORFs) for the AC1 (=replication) protein and coat protein (CP = AV1), was very high, exceeding the values reported for different genes in several plant and animal RNA viruses. This was unexpected in a virus that uses the DNA replication machinery of its eukaryotic host. Diversities at nonsynonymous positions, on the other hand, indicated that variability may be constrained in the genome of CLCuV. The ratio of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitutions varied for the different ORFs: they were higher for CP than for AC1 and lower still for the AC4 and AV2 ORFs, which overlap AC1 and CP ORFs, respectively. Analysis of nucleotide diversities at synonymous and nonsynonymous positions of the AC4 and AV2 ORFs suggest that their evolution is constrained by AC1 and CP, respectively. Data suggest that AC4 and AV2 are new genes that may have originated by overprinting on the preexistent AC1 and CP genes. Evidence for recombination was found for the AC1 and CP ORFs and for the noncoding intergenic region (IR). Data indicate that the origin of replication is a major recombination point in the IR, but not the only one. Analyses of the IR also suggest that recombinants may be frequent in the population and that recombination may have an important role in the generation of CLCuV variability.

The paper investigates the direction of knowledge flows and, more generally, the pattern of open innovation that is taking place within services across Europe. Using the Eurostat Fourth Community Innovation Survey (CIS4) dataset, on 17 service sectors across 18 countries, we find significant differences between service innovation leaders and followers. Key findings are that a concentration of radical innovation is to be found mainly in knowledge-intensive research and development sectors; that leading innovators across all sectors tend to use intellectual property rights to protect their ideas; and that leading service innovators engage in international sales. We do not find evidence that external sources of information acquisition are significant in radical service product innovation. By contrast, innovation followers rely more extensively on external sourcing of knowledge and new ideas (with decreasing returns to innovation performance), and tend not to export. These findings contribute significantly to our understanding of the knowledge flows and the asymmetries in knowledge sharing in service sectors across Europe.

Real-time display of doses to staff members warns interventionists whenever the scatter dose rates are too high or the radiation protection tools are not being properly used, providing an opportunity to improve personal protection accordingly.

Hypermethylation of a 5′ CpG island of p16 gene has been Materials and methodsrecently described as a possible way of inactivation of this tumor suppressor gene, alternative to deletions and mutations. Tumor samplesWe have investigated if hypermethylation of a 5′ CpG island of p16 occurs in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and normal A total of 82 lymphomas diagnosed were analyzed, according

Description of these families suggests that short C9ORF72 hexanucleotide expansions are also related to frontotemporal cognitive deterioration.

Organizational innovations are often neglected in innovation theory. However, organizational change does have an impact on firm output, first directly and second, through its interrelationship with technical innovation. This article focuses on the second aspect. By means of a multidimensional approach, the results show that organizational innovation is of particular relevance in the case of small firms. New empirical evidence is provided at the European level: the data is taken from 18 countries of the CIS4. The results suggest that, in contrast with large enterprises, small firms show an innovation pattern that complements organizational innovation with expenditure on in-house R&D activities and an intensive use of external knowledge. In contrast with earlier research, a broader analysis of countries and industries has been undertaken to show the transferability of previous country and industry-focused results.