Business model innovation and transition to a sustainable food system: A case study in the Lisbon metropolitan area

The food systems’ transition towards a sustainable involves structural changes, namely the emphasis on local production, short supply chains, and the preference for organic products. The shift in the agri-food system is taking place through the creation of entirely new businesses and individual farms moving towards organic production. In both cases, the enterprises use a combination of well-established agricultural knowledge and techniques, new scientific knowledge on productive methods and new technological platforms for commercialization. These mixed sources permit the creation of innovative business models (BMs). They exemplify how traditional industries can absorb/generate innovation at technological and organizational levels, and become part of the new knowledge-based era. The study has three objectives: to analyse the emerging agri-food businesses in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA); to characterize innovative sustainable BMs within the transition dynamics; to reflect on the challenges that the characteristics of the food system pose for the emergence of these BMs. The study is part of an interdisciplinary project on Spatial Planning for Change (SPLACH). The analysis addresses the food system transition in a specific territory, namely the LMA. The paper presents results of the research conducted, focusing on the case of an organic food initiative, Quinta do Oeste.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The effect of chemotherapy on health-related quality of life in mesothelioma: Results from the SWAMP trial

© 2015 Cancer Research UK. All rights reserved. Background: The effect of chemotherapy on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is poorly understood. Patient-individualised prognostication and prediction of treatment response from chemotherapy is useful but little evidence exists to guide practice. Method: Consecutive patients with MPM who were fit for first-line chemotherapy with pemetrexed and cisplatin\carboplatin were recruited and followed up for a minimum of 12 months. This study focussed on the HRQoL outcomes of these patients using the EQ-5D, EORTC QLQ-C30 and LC13. Results: Seventy-three patients were recruited of which 58 received chemotherapy and 15 opted for best supportive care (BSC). Compliance with HRQoL questionnaires was 98% at baseline. The chemotherapy group maintained HRQoL compared with the BSC group whose overall HRQoL fell (P=0.006) with worsening dyspnoea and pain. The impact of chemotherapy was irrespective of histological subtype although those with non-epithelioid disease had worse HRQoL at later time points (P=0.012). Additionally, those with a falling mesothelin or improvement on modified-RECIST CT at early follow-up had a better HRQoL at 16 weeks. Conclusions: HRQoL was maintained following chemotherapy compared with a self-selected BSC group. Once chemotherapy is initiated, a falling mesothelin or improved RECIST CT findings infer a quality-of-life advantage