Abstract: The past two decades have witnessed an ever-growing scholarly interest in regional clusters. The focus of research has mainly been on exploring why clusters exist and what characteristics “functioning” clusters possess. Although the interest in more dynamic views on clusters is not new, in recent years, however, greater attention has been paid to providing better explanations of how clus

Old industrial regions in many cases suffer from a predominance of basic and traditional industries as well as a lack of modern sectors and of innovation. Often we find this type of region oriented to traditional sectors and technology paths. The development of new sectors such as software might help to overcome such problems and contribute to diversification and a better innovation performance of

Innovation is regarded as a highly open and interactive process, where companies absorb, generate and apply knowledge relying both on internal and external sources. They maintain links to various knowledge sources from local to global levels using particular channels for acquiring such knowledge. Although global knowledge networks might render the regional environment less important, we argue that

Regional innovation policies are often applied in a standardized way oriented at best practice models developed elsewhere. These policies fail to take specific sectoral and regional characteristics sufficiently into account. However, innovation processes and problems vary for firms in particular sectors since these exhibit distinct features dependent on their knowledge base. Also, companies are lo

Strengthening of load-bearing masonry walls might often be a solution to extend the life cycle and area of use of existing buildings. In the present work, strengthening of masonry walls by means of externally bonded steel-grid is studied. Full scale clay brick masonry walls were constructed and tested in laboratory under eccentric axial compressive loading. By use of a steel-grid embedded in the rStrengthening of load-bearing masonry walls might often be a solution to extend the life cycle and area of use of existing buildings. In the present work, strengthening of masonry walls by means of externally bonded steel-grid is studied. Full scale clay brick masonry walls were constructed and tested in laboratory under eccentric axial compressive loading. By use of a steel-grid embedded in the r

Pancreatic islet hormone secretion is central in the maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis. During development of hyperglycaemia, the β-cell is under pressure to release more insulin to compensate for increased insulin resistance. Failure of the β-cells to secrete enough insulin results in type 2 diabetes (T2D). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA molecules suitable for rapid regulation

Numerous bioactive biophenol secoiridoids (BPsecos) are found in the fruit, leaves, and oil of olives. These BPsecos play important roles in both the taste of food and human health. The main BPseco bioactive from green olive fruits, leaves, and table olives is oleuropein, while olive oil is rich in oleuropein downstream pathway molecules. The aim of this study was to probe olive BPseco downstream

Introduction: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers have the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of Alzheimer's disease, yet there is a lack of harmonized preanalytical CSF handling protocols. Methods: This systematic review summarizes the current literature on the influence of preanalytical variables on CSF biomarker concentration. We evaluated the evidence for three core CSF biomarkers:

Cell free hemoglobin impairs vascular function and blood flow in adult cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that free fetal hemoglobin (fHbF) compromises vascular integrity and function in the fetoplacental circulation, contributing to the increased vascular resistance associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR). Women with normal and FGR pregnancies were recrui

Context: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) affects people of all ages and is associated with poor prognosis. Chronic breathlessness affects almost all people with PAH. Objectives: This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study aimed to evaluate the effects of regular, low-dose, extended-release (ER) morphine for PAH-associated chronic breathlessness. Methods: Participants w

The coastal cliffs in Klaksvík (Borðoyar Bay) are the only known locality with Eemian sediments in the Faroe Islands. Previous studies carried out there focused on the sedimentology, tephra chemistry, paleoecology including aquatic environment, or the age of the deposits. In the lacustrine, clayey to silty gyttja we collected scattered wood fragments, identified as Larix sp., Pinus sp., Taxus sp.

Background and purpose: Pain is highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD), impacting patients’ ability, mood and quality of life. Detecting the presence of pain in its multiple modalities is necessary for adequate personalized management of PD. A 14-item, PD-specific, patient-based questionnaire (the King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Questionnaire, KPPQ) was designed corresponding to the rater-ba

Severe droughts in the Northern Hemisphere cause a widespread decline of agricultural yield, the reduction of forest carbon uptake, and increased CO2 growth rates in the atmosphere. Plants respond to droughts by partially closing their stomata to limit their evaporative water loss, at the expense of carbon uptake by photosynthesis. This trade-off maximizes their water-use efficiency (WUE), as meas