Remote collaboration fuses fewer breakthrough ideas.

Theories of innovation emphasize the role of social networks and teams as facilitators of breakthrough discoveries1-4. Around the world, scientists and inventors are more plentiful and interconnected today than ever before4. However, although there are more people making discoveries, and more ideas that can be reconfigured in new ways, research suggests that new ideas are getting harder to find5,6-contradicting recombinant growth theory7,8. Here we shed light on this apparent puzzle. Analysing 20 million research articles and 4 million patent applications from across the globe over the past half-century, we begin by documenting the rise of remote collaboration across cities, underlining the growing interconnectedness of scientists and inventors globally. We further show that across all fields, periods and team sizes, researchers in these remote teams are consistently less likely to make breakthrough discoveries relative to their on-site counterparts. Creating a dataset that allows us to explore the division of labour in knowledge production within teams and across space, we find that among distributed team members, collaboration centres on late-stage, technical tasks involving more codified knowledge. Yet they are less likely to join forces in conceptual tasks-such as conceiving new ideas and designing research-when knowledge is tacit9. We conclude that despite striking improvements in digital technology in recent years, remote teams are less likely to integrate the knowledge of their members to produce new, disruptive ideas.

Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time.

Theories of scientific and technological change view discovery and invention as endogenous processes1,2, wherein previous accumulated knowledge enables future progress by allowing researchers to, in Newton's words, 'stand on the shoulders of giants'3-7. Recent decades have witnessed exponential growth in the volume of new scientific and technological knowledge, thereby creating conditions that should be ripe for major advances8,9. Yet contrary to this view, studies suggest that progress is slowing in several major fields10,11. Here, we analyse these claims at scale across six decades, using data on 45 million papers and 3.9 million patents from six large-scale datasets, together with a new quantitative metric-the CD index12-that characterizes how papers and patents change networks of citations in science and technology. We find that papers and patents are increasingly less likely to break with the past in ways that push science and technology in new directions. This pattern holds universally across fields and is robust across multiple different citation- and text-based metrics1,13-17. Subsequently, we link this decline in disruptiveness to a narrowing in the use of previous knowledge, allowing us to reconcile the patterns we observe with the 'shoulders of giants' view. We find that the observed declines are unlikely to be driven by changes in the quality of published science, citation practices or field-specific factors. Overall, our results suggest that slowing rates of disruption may reflect a fundamental shift in the nature of science and technology.

Research on the spatial association network structure for innovation efficiency of China's new energy vehicle industry and its influencing factors.

It is of great significance to study the spatial network of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry innovation efficiency and its factors to promote the rational allocation of innovative resources and the coordinated development of Chinese NEV industry. First, the Super Efficiency Data Envelope Analysis model is used to measure innovation efficiency in the NEV industry in Chinese provinces, and based on the results, the improved gravity model is applied to construct a spatial correlation network. Then, by applying social network analysis (SNA) to study NEV industry development node spatial correlations, we conclude that there is no overall hierarchical structure. The SNA are applied to examine spatial correlations with respect to NEV industry innovation efficiency in each province, and to analyze the role and position of each province in the spatial correlation network. Finally, the influencing factors of spatial correlation of the innovation efficiency of China's NEV industry has been discussed. The result shows that the difference in spatial distance and R&D investment has a significant impact on the spatial correlation of the NEV industry.

The Innovative Use of Ureter Catheter in the Surgery of Obstructive Uropathy.

PURPOSE: Relieving obstruction and protecting renal function are the main therapeutic purposes of obstructive uropathy which often involve surgical treatment, and the ureter catheter is one of the surgical instruments commonly used in surgery. We aimed to explore the innovative use of a ureter catheter in the surgery of obstructive uropathy. METHODS: We used a ureteral catheter to innovate the surgical procedure of the most common causes of obstructive uropathy: ureteral calculi and stricture, establishing an internal circulation system (ICS), proposing a three-step dilatation method, and reviewing their effects on patients. Furthermore, we introduced a simple real-time intrapelvic pressure measurement device to monitor intrarenal pressure during operation. RESULTS: Postoperative laboratory examination showed that blood CRP, leukocyte neutrophil level, changes in the hemoglobin, urine occult blood, and positive rate of urine culture in the ICS group are significantly lower than those in the control group, corresponding to a lower incidence of bleeding and infection-related complications clinically. A three-month follow-up revealed 1/3 rate of ureteral stricture in the ICS group comparing to the control. We applied the three-step dilatation in patients with severe stenosis in which the balloon could not pass; the overall effective rate was 90.9%. The pressure of the renal pelvis was displayed on the monitor in real time. The surgeon could estimate the degree of filling of the renal pelvis and adjust the intake volume through the data. CONCLUSION: The innovative application of ureteral catheters in the operation of obstructive uropathy can realize the real-time monitor of intraoperative renal pelvis pressure, reduce the incidence of lithotripsy postoperative complications, and expand the indications of balloon dilatation in ureteral stricture, which has certain clinical significance.

Mapping CRISPR-Cas9 public and commercial innovation using The Lens institutional toolkit.

CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary technology because it is precise, fast and easy to implement, cheap and components are readily accessible. This versatility means that the technology can deliver a timely end product and can be used by many stakeholders. In plant cells, the technology can be applied to knockout genes by using CRISPR-Cas nucleases that can alter coding gene regions or regulatory elements, alter precisely a genome by base editing to delete or regulate gene expression, edit precisely a genome by homology-directed repair mechanism (cellular DNA), or regulate transcriptional machinery by using dead Cas proteins to recruit regulators to the promoter region of a gene. All these applications can be for: 1) Research use (Non commercial), 2) Uses related product components for the technology itself (reagents, equipment, toolkits, vectors etc), and 3) Uses related to the development and sale of derived end products based on this technology. In this contribution, we present a prototype report that can engage the community in open, inclusive and collaborative innovation mapping. Using the open data at the Lens.org platform and other relevant sources, we tracked, analyzed, organized, and assembled contextual and bridged patent and scholarly knowledge about CRISPR-Cas9 and with the assistance of a new Lens institutional capability, The Lens Report Builder, currently in beta release, mapped the public and commercial innovation pathways of the technology. When scaled, this capability will also enable coordinated editing and curation by credentialed experts to inform policy makers, businesses and private or public investment.

Species-independent analytical tools for next-generation agriculture.

Innovative approaches are urgently required to alleviate the growing pressure on agriculture to meet the rising demand for food. A key challenge for plant biology is to bridge the notable knowledge gap between our detailed understanding of model plants grown under laboratory conditions and the agriculturally important crops cultivated in fields or production facilities. This Perspective highlights the recent development of new analytical tools that are rapid and non-destructive and provide tissue-, cell- or organelle-specific information on living plants in real time, with the potential to extend across multiple species in field applications. We evaluate the utility of engineered plant nanosensors and portable Raman spectroscopy to detect biotic and abiotic stresses, monitor plant hormonal signalling as well as characterize the soil, phytobiome and crop health in a non- or minimally invasive manner. We propose leveraging these tools to bridge the aforementioned fundamental gap with new synthesis and integration of expertise from plant biology, engineering and data science. Lastly, we assess the economic potential and discuss implementation strategies that will ensure the acceptance and successful integration of these modern tools in future farming practices in traditional as well as urban agriculture.

Are the problem spaces of economic actors increasingly virtual? What geo-located web activity might tell us about economic dynamism.

The principal questions this research will address are: 1) whether a higher propensity to visit websites of interest to actual or nascent entrepreneurs is associated with higher rates of new firms births in an area; 2) whether a higher propensity to visit websites of interest to those working on design problems is associated with the quality of business in terms of orientations toward design or innovation; and 3) whether a higher propensity to visit websites of interest to those pursuing arts as an avocation is associated with an increased ability to find nonobvious solutions that might be manifest in business quality. The unique data that allow examining these questions were compiled from billions of web hits by geo-located devices. These data are combined with both detailed establishment level data with reliable information on the innovation and design orientation of firms, and a longitudinal census of all establishments with a formal credit relationship in the U.S. The findings confirm that businesses located in areas with a high propensity to visit design and arts avocation websites are more likely to pursue more far ranging innovation and are more likely to integrate design into their innovation processes. Firm birth rates are higher in areas with a high propensity to visit websites of interest to entrepreneurs, and the existence of high growth firms is strongly associated with demonstrated interest in design and arts avocation websites. The possible uses of these nontraditional measures as indicators of economic dynamism are discussed.

Searching for Digital Technologies in Containment and Mitigation Strategies: Experience from South Korea COVID-19.

Background: Korea has achieved health policy objectives in pandemic management so far, namely minimizing mortality, flattening the epidemic curve, and limiting the socio-economic burden of its measures. The key to the Korean government's success in combating COVID-19 lies with the latest digital technologies (DTs). The prompt and effective application of DTs facilitates both containment as well as mitigation strategies and their sub-policy measures. Methods: This article uses an experiential analysis based on an exploratory case study - analysis on field applications of the government's interventions. Information is collected by qualitative methods such as literature analysis, meeting materials, and a review of various government reports (including internal ones) along with academic and professional experiences of the authors. Findings: The article presents the unique Korean health policy approaches in the COVID-19 crisis. First, DTs allow the Korean government to embrace various policy measures together listed in containment strategy, namely altering and warning, epidemiological investigation, quarantine of contacts, case-finding, social distancing, and mask-wearing. Second, DTs allow Korea to integrate containment and mitigation strategies simultaneously. Along with the above measures in containment, healthcare service, medical treatment, and prophylaxis (presymptomatic testing) within mitigation are utilized to prevent a COVID-19 spread. Conclusions: Korea develops DTs in an integrated manner in the early pandemic stage under strong and coordinated government leadership. Above all, the DTs' functions in each pandemic developmental stage are continuously upgraded. Instead of prioritizing policy measures or strategies, therefore, Korea can implement diverse policies simultaneously by integrating DTs effectively. During the COVID-19 outbreak, DTs work as the enablers to connect these two strategies and their measures in Korea. Recommendations: DTs should be at the center of the disaster management paradigm, especially during a pandemic. DTs are facilitators and integrators of containing and mitigating strategies and their policy measures.

A COVID-19-Based Modified Epidemiological Model and Technological Approaches to Help Vulnerable Individuals Emerge from the Lockdown in the UK.

COVID-19 has shown a relatively low case fatality rate in young healthy individuals, with the majority of this group being asymptomatic or having mild symptoms. However, the severity of the disease among the elderly as well as in individuals with underlying health conditions has caused significant mortality rates worldwide. Understanding this variance amongst different sectors of society and modelling this will enable the different levels of risk to be determined to enable strategies to be applied to different groups. Long-established compartmental epidemiological models like SIR and SEIR do not account for the variability encountered in the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 disease across different population groups. The objective of this study is to investigate how a reduction in the exposure of vulnerable individuals to COVID-19 can minimise the number of deaths caused by the disease, using the UK as a case study. To overcome the limitation of long-established compartmental epidemiological models, it is proposed that a modified model, namely SEIR-v, through which the population is separated into two groups regarding their vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 is applied. This enables the analysis of the spread of the epidemic when different contention measures are applied to different groups in society regarding their vulnerability to the disease. A Monte Carlo simulation (100,000 runs) along the proposed SEIR-v model is used to study the number of deaths which could be avoided as a function of the decrease in the exposure of vulnerable individuals to the disease. The results indicate a large number of deaths could be avoided by a slight realistic decrease in the exposure of vulnerable groups to the disease. The mean values across the simulations indicate 3681 and 7460 lives could be saved when such exposure is reduced by 10% and 20% respectively. From the encouraging results of the modelling a number of mechanisms are proposed to limit the exposure of vulnerable individuals to the disease. One option could be the provision of a wristband to vulnerable people and those without a smartphone and contact-tracing app, filling the gap created by systems relying on smartphone apps only. By combining very dense contact tracing data from smartphone apps and wristband signals with information about infection status and symptoms, vulnerable people can be protected and kept safer.

What is the point of innovation in patient dose monitoring?

The Medical Futurist says that radiology is one of the fastest growing and developing areas of medicine, and therefore this might be the speciality in which we can expect to see the largest steps in development. So why do they think that, and does it apply to dose monitoring? The move from retrospective dose evaluation to a proactive dose management approach represents a serious area of research. Indeed, artificial intelligence and machine learning are consistently being integrated into best-in-class dose management software solutions. The development of clinical analytics and dashboards are already supporting operators in their decision-making, and these optimisations - if taken beyond a single machine, a single department, or a single health network - have the potential to drive real and lasting change. The question is for whom exactly are these innovations being developed? How can the patient know that their scan has been performed to the absolute best that the technology can deliver? Do they know or even care how much their lifetime risk for developing cancer has changed post examination? Do they want a personalised size-specific dose estimate or perhaps an individual organ dose assessment to share on Instagram? Let's get real about the clinical utility and regulatory application of dose monitoring, and shine a light on the shared responsibility in applying the technology and the associated innovations.

Innovation in Chinese internet companies: A meta-frontier analysis.

The innovation of a particular company benefits the whole industry when innovation technology transfers to others. Similarly, the development and innovation in internet companies influence the development and innovation of the industry. This investigation has applied a unique approach of meta-frontier analysis to estimate and analyze the innovation in internet companies in China. A unique dataset of Chinese internet companies from 2000 to 2017 has been utilized to estimate and compare the innovation over the period of study. The change in technology gap ratio (TGR) and a shift in production function have translated into innovation which was overlooked by previous studies. It is found that the production function of internet companies is moving upward in the presence of external factors such as smartphones invention, mobile internet, mobile payments, and artificial intelligence, etc. Consequently, a sudden increase in TGR is captured due to the innovation of some companies. Hence, the average TE of the industry falls caused by the increased distance of other companies form industry production function. However, the innovation advantage defused when other companies start imitating and the average TE elevates. A steady increase in the TGR index revealed that the continuous innovation-based growth of some companies lifting the production frontier upward. This provides the opportunity for other companies to imitate and provides continuous growth in the industry. This study provides a novel methodological approach to measure innovation and also provide practical implication by empirical estimation of innovation in Chinese internet companies.

Synergy effects and it's influencing factors of China's high technological innovation and regional economy.

The Chinese government adheres to the innovation driven strategy and emphasizes that technological innovation is the strategic support for improving social productivity and comprehensive national strength. This paper discusses the mechanism of technological innovation and regional economic co-evolution, and constructs an index system to assess them based on the principles of synergy and systematics. The authors use a dynamic coupling model to study the law of the cooperative evolution of composite systems and geo-detector methods to reveal the main factors controlling the degree of coordination among them. The results show that the total factor productivity of China's high-tech industry showed a "W"-type trend of change from 2006 to 2016, and the other indices exhibited a volatile trend. The total factor productivity, technical efficiency, scale efficiency, pure technical efficiency, and technological progress increased by 37%, 13.3%, 3.9%, 9%, and 20.8%, respectively. There was a significant spatial difference in changes in total factor productivity, forming a core-edge spatial pattern with the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River as the center of concentration. Most of China's technological innovation and regional economic complex systems were in a state of interactive development from 2007 to 2016, except in the three northeastern provinces of Zhejiang, Shanghai, and the western part of the country. The degree of coupling of the other provinces showed an increasing trend, and the overall degree of coupling exhibited the spatial pattern of Central > Eastern > Western > Northeastern. The three most influential factors for the degree of coupling of China's provincial complex system were the gross domestic product, efficiency of technological innovation, and expenditure on research and development, whereas the three most important factors affecting the degree of coupling of complex systems were the efficiency of technological innovation, gross domestic product, and number of high-tech enterprises as well as research and development personnel, respectively, in the eastern, central, western, and northeastern regions. Finally, the paper puts forward the suggestions of regional innovation driven coordinated development, technology innovation and regional economic coordinated development, in order to provide reference for the high-quality economic development of developing countries.

Regional technology gap and innovation efficiency trap in Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

OBJECTIVE: There is a huge technology gap between regions in Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which is the reality that must be faced. However, most of the available researches on innovation efficiency are based on the logic of a given technology level, ignoring the regional technological gap. This paper will stand from the perspective of technology gap and re-examine the innovation efficiency of pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in different regions of China and its impact on regional industrial competitiveness. METHODS: We use the DEA-BCC input-oriented model to measure innovation efficiency of 28 provinces from the data of China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The threshold model is constructed, with technology level as the threshold variable, innovation efficiency as the main explanatory variable, and industrial competitiveness as the dependent variable. In the threshold model, 28 regions are divided into three technical groups, and further, the impact of innovation efficiency on industrial competitiveness in different groups is analyzed and compared. RESULTS: According to the empirical research results, an U-shaped efficiency trap has been found in Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, and the areas with medium technical level are at the bottom of the trap. The improvement of innovation efficiency does not necessarily promote the improvement of regional industrial competitiveness. Only in high-level and low-level technology groups, innovation efficiency has effectively promoted the improvement of industrial competitiveness. In addition, the intensity of R&D investment has a similar impact on industrial competitiveness. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that, regions in the efficiency trap should strive to seek opportunities for industrial transformation and focus on the industrial transformation of new technology, new industry and new opportunities, instead of blindly pursuing R&D investment intensity and superstitious innovation efficiency. So as to free up innovation resources for high-quality technological innovation in other regions. In addition, the Chinese government should make use of its public hospital system to normalize and expand the centralized drug procurement and eliminate the low-quality innovation.

Analysis of patent innovation in the field of brachytherapy.

PURPOSE: To characterize inventions and assess trends in brachytherapy innovation based on brachytherapy-related patents awarded across the past 2 decades and provide insights that will help inform future research and entrepreneurship in the field. METHODS: The United States Patent and Trademark Office database was searched for patents awarded between 1999 and 2018 with a classification code corresponding to the broadest brachytherapy search category. Patent characteristics were stratified and compared by geographic location, affiliation, and theme of invention. RESULTS: There were 202 brachytherapy-related patents awarded from 2009 to 2018, which indicates a 56% increase in patent productivity and brachytherapy innovation compared with the previous decade from 1999 to 2008. Patents had an industry affiliation in 83% of cases from 1999 to 2008 and in 76% of cases from 2009 to 2018. Meanwhile, academic participation in brachytherapy patent innovation rose from 4% to 11% in that time. The focus and theme of inventions evolved across time, with radiation sources being the most common theme from 1999 to 2008 and falling to third place in 2009-2018. Conversely, development of brachytherapy-related patents involving exogenous agents such as drug-conjugates, radiosensitizers, and adjuncts to treatment increased substantially in the subsequent decade. While no collaboration was observed between academia and industry between 1999 and 2008, notable partnerships emerged in the subsequent decade which amounted to almost 5% of all patents awarded between 2009 and 2018. CONCLUSIONS: There has been an increase in overall brachytherapy patent production over time, and this has been accompanied by a greater variety of distinct patent themes. Collaboration between industry and academia is rare. Knowledge of brachytherapy patents may inform future research innovation in this field.

Innovation, Royalties, and Introduction of the Patent Hirsch Index within U.S. Academic Neurosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Historically, practicing neurosurgeons have been key drivers of neurosurgical innovation. We sought to describe the patents held by U.S. academic neurosurgeons and to explore the relationship between patents and royalties received. METHODS: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid CMS Open Payments Data was used to identify academic neurosurgeons who had received royalties and royalty amounts during a 5-year period (2013-2017). Online patent databases were used to gather patent details. Patent citations and 5-year individual and departmental patent Hirsch (h)-indexes were calculated. Royalties were correlated with the number of patents, patent citations, and patent h-index. RESULTS: We found that 119 academic neurosurgeons (7.8%) from 57 U.S. teaching programs (48.3%) had received royalty payments; 72 (60.5%) had published 648 patents. All surgeons were men, with approximately one half in the "late" stages of their career (45.3%) and subspecializing in spinal surgery (50.4%). The patented products or devices were most commonly used for spinal surgery (72.1%), with 2010-2019 the most productive period (n = 455; 70.2%). The median number of citations per patent was 32 (range, 0-620), with 33% having ≥100 citations. The highest individual and institutional patent h-index was 95; 25 (34.7%) neurosurgeons had a patent h-index of ≥5. The median total royalty payment per individual neurosurgeon was $111,011 (range, $58.05-$76,715,750.34). Royalties were correlated with the number of patents (Spearman r = 0.37; P ≤ 0.001), citations (Spearman r, 0.38; P ≤ 0.001), and inventor h-index (Spearman r = 0.38; P ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Few U.S. academic neurosurgeons (7.8%) receive royalties and hold patents (4.7%), with an even smaller select group having a patent h-index of ≥5 (1.6%).

Introducing a Future-Oriented Approach to Health-Care Technologies and Welfare Policies: An Innovative Ethics Project in Sweden.

This article is a description of a 2-year program (May 2017-April 2019) intended to introduce new approaches to addressing ethical issues resulting from the introduction of new health-care technologies and welfare policies. In contrast to the traditional retrospective approach in addressing ethical issues after they occur, this program intended to address ethical issues proactively, before they occurred. This future-focused approach is one way to better keep up with the acceleration of change that society confronts. This project introduced innovative approaches in dealing with unintended consequences and ethical issues resulting from the implementation of new health-care technologies and welfare policies in the Halland region of Sweden.

Technical Blossom in Medical Care: The Influence of Big Data Platform on Medical Innovation.

Medical innovation has consistently been an essential subject and a source of support for public health research. Furthermore, improving the level of medical research and development is of great concern in this field. This paper highlights the role of big data in public medical innovation. Based on a sample of China's listed firms in the medical industry from 2013 to 2018, this paper explores the exogenous shock effect of China's big data medical policy. Results show that the construction of the medical big data platform effectively promotes innovation investment and the innovation patent of medical firms. In addition, the heterogeneity of this promoting effect is reflected in firm size through the overcoming of different innovation bottlenecks. The research conclusions support the positive significance of the macro-led implementation of the medical big data platform, and suggest that the positive economic externalities generated by this policy are critical to public health.

Industrial structure, technological innovation, and total-factor energy efficiency in China.

The promotion of industrial restructuring and technological innovation is the most important and realistic way of improving energy efficiency. This thesis uses the modified Super-SBM method to measure China's total-factor energy efficiency and then uses the dynamic spatial panel model (DSPM) to verify the effect of industrial structure and technological innovation on total-factor energy efficiency. The study found that from 2003 to 2016, China's total-factor energy efficiency showed a fluctuating trend of "falling first and then rising." The inflection point appeared in 2012; total-factor energy efficiency in the Eastern region was significantly higher than the national average, while in the Central and Western regions, it was significantly lower. The results of the analysis show that both the service adjustment of the inter-industry structure and the productivity growth of the intra-industry structure significantly promote improvements in total-factor energy efficiency. However, due to the low conversion rate of scientific and technological achievements in China, the impact of technological innovation input on total-factor energy efficiency is not significant. This is in contradistinction to technological innovation output which does significantly improve total-factor energy efficiency. The above research conclusion is still robust and reliable after changing the measurement method and spatial weight matrix.