Innovation and productivity in services and manufacturing : The role of ICT investment

Several studies have highlighted ICT as a driver of firm productivity in developed countries. However, the evidence about the impacts of ICT on services and manufacturing and particularly for developing countries is scarce. This paper focuses on understanding the determinants of investments in ICT at firm level and how this adoption ultimately affects innovation and productivity of Uruguayan services firms vis a vis manufacturing. Results show that ICT investments are more subject to economies of scale than other types of investments, are important for obtaining product or process innovations in services and its absence conspires against non-technological (organisational or marketing) innovations. Both ICT and other innovation investments are positively associated with productivity in services but only ICT affect productivity in manufacturing. Interestingly, the absence of investment in ICT is associated with lower levels of productivity

Are We Underestimating Benthic Cyanotoxins? Extensive Sampling Results from Spain

Microcystins (MCs) are potent hepatotoxins, and their presence in water bodies poses a threat to wildlife and human populations. Most of the available information refers to plankton, and much less is known about microcystins in other habitats. To broaden our understanding of the presence and environmental distribution of this group of toxins, we conducted extensive sampling throughout Spain, under a range of conditions and in distinct aquatic and terrestrial habitats. More than half of the tested strains were toxic; concentrations of the hepatotoxin were low compared with planktic communities, and the number of toxic variants identified in each sample of the Spanish strains ranged from 1–3. The presence of microcystins LF and LY (MC-LF and MC-LY) in the tested samples was significant, and ranged from 21.4% to 100% of the total microcystins per strain. These strains were only detected in cyanobacteria Oscillatoriales and Nostocales. We can report, for the first time, seven new species of microcystin producers in high mountain rivers and chasmoendolithic communities. This is the first report of these species in Geitlerinema and the confirmation of Anatoxin-a in Phormidium uncinatum. Our findings show that microcystins are widespread in all habitat types, including both aerophytic and endolithic peat bogs and that it is necessary to identify all the variants of microcystins in aquatic bodies as the commonest toxins sometimes represent a very low proportion of the total

Implications of cyanophyta toxicity on biological monitoring of calcareous streams in north-east Spain

8 páginas, 3 tablas, 8 figurasThere is increasing evidence that benthic cyanophytes in Mediterranean calcareous streams can influence the macroinvertebrate community, probably directly due to toxicity. A study was therefore planned to establish whether this also influenced the results of indices used for the biological monitoring of stream water quality. Two indices (BMWPc based on macroinvertebrates; IBD based on diatoms) widely used to assess water quality based on the diversity of macroinvertebrate and diatom assemblages were calculated for two unpolluted Mediterranean calcareous streams in north-east Spain. The toxicity levels of the cyanophyte communities were quantified by the Microtox test. There was a clear inverse relationship between the dominance of cyanophytes and the values obtained for the biological indices. It is recommended that cyanophyte biomass should be incorporated in some way in the calibration of index values; the use of phycobiliprotein concentration and/or the chlorophyll a:phycobiliprotein ratio is proposed.This paper summarizes some of the results of the project AMB97-1176-C02 of the CICYT of the Spanish Ministry of Science.Peer reviewe

Molecular and chemical characterization of a Sphagnum palustre clone: Key steps towards a standardized and sustainable moss bag technique

This work aimed to define the molecular and chemical signature of a S. palustre clone developed in the framework of the EU-FP7 Mossclone project to improve the standardization and reliability of the moss-bag technique. The molecular characterization was performed by a set of DNA molecular markers (RAPD, ISJ, PCR-RFLP, sequencing and microsatellites) to tag the clone produced within the project. Molecular characterization also provided new DNA markers that can be applied in systematic analyses of Sphagnum, and gave new insights to implement well established techniques. The elemental composition of the clone was measured by ICP-MS analysis of 54 major and trace elements, with and without commonly applied pre-exposure treatments (oven devitalization and EDTA washing). Concentrations of almost all analyzed elements were significantly lower (from 10 to 100 times) in the clone than in conspecific field moss, apart from some elements (K, Mo, P and Na) deriving from the culture medium or EDTA treatment. Oven devitalization and EDTA washing did not significantly affect the clone composition. A comparison between the elemental composition of the clone with that of naturally growing Sphagnum species proved the particularly low elemental content of the clone. Therefore, in view of a rigorously standardized moss-bag protocol for the monitoring of persistent atmospheric pollutants, the use of the S. palustre clone, a biomaterial with very low and constant element composition, and homogenous morphological characteristics is strongly recommended