Geography, environmental efficiency and Italian economic growth: a spatially-adapted Environmental Kuznets Curve

The present paper tests the hypothesis that environmental degradation and per capita income follow an inverted-U-shaped relationship (the so-called Environmental Kuznets Curve) at the Italian Nut3 level over the period 1990-2005. We adopt a spatial econometric approach to account for the localised nature of environmental damage. In this spatially-adapted EKC, we explicitly introduced the role of energy intensive sectors to control for local industrial structure. The experiment brought to light the existence of significant heterogeneity at the Italian Nut3 level and highlighted major differences between geographical clusters from the point of view of “ecological efficiency”.Environmental Kuznets curves; Spatial econometrics; global and local pollutants; Geographically Weighted Regression Model.

Spatial patterns of innovation and trade competitiveness

A renewed concern has been growing recently for the role that the spatial organisation of innovation and production plays in determining trade performances. Purely technological externalities can be seen as a core component of this process, and their degree of influence can be investigated in terms of how factors that shape the structure of the innovative activity are definite in space. In the present paper we explore the relationship between technological and trade performances by focusing on the spatial configuration of different structures of the innovative activity in high technology industries in Italy. The data used in the analysis are based on the European Patent Office data base and on trade statistics from the five digit S.I.T.C. classification, and are spatially referenced to the Italy NUT 3 regional partition. Technological and knowledge externalities are modelled through the use of information associated to the connectivity structure of the geographical system under study. The analysis is ultimately aimed at investigating how technology factors evolve with respect to specific and space related carachteristics of the industrial context giving rise to cumulativeness of technology advantages, and to what extent these factors appear to affect trade competitiveness in specific industries. Keywords: spatial externalities. spatial innovation systems. trade competitiveness

Technological change and industry competitiveness through the evolution of localised comparative advantages - The case of Italy

The influence of technological change on industry performances is nowadays being increasingly investigated under the broad category of "national systemic competitiveness". Moreover theoretical works have shown that the relationship between technology and economic performance not only takes different forms in different socio-economic contexts, but is also powerfully influenced by the way that innovation processes evolve over time along strongly localised patterns. The present study is focused on the evolution of trade competitiveness of the manufacturing sector in Italy over the past ten years and addresses to the role played by localised comparative advantages in shaping the model of national competitiveness. The data used in the analysis, drawn by the Enea Observatory on high tech industries, are based on trade statistics at the SITC five digit level and are spatially referenced to the Italy NUT3 regional partition. The effects of localised trade specialisation on manufacturing competitiveness are first assessed through spatial econometric tecniques. Spatial variation in the relationships found is further explored in order to give additional hints on the specific contribution of localised comparative advantages. According to major trends which have recently characterised manufacturing trade competitiveness in Italy, the analysis is expected to bring into evidence significant changes in the contribution of industrial localities to national competitiveness.

Against the decline, make way for basic research

n/

Avaliação da atividade antibacteriana de extratos metanólicos de diferentes espécies de algas e plantas halófitas

Dissertação de mest., Engenharia Biológica, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Univ. do Algarve, 2011Os organismos marinhos são uma fonte fundamental de novos compostos bioativos com potencial interesse para a indústria farmacêutica e com diversas atividades biológicas. Sendo o tratamento de infeções bacterianas cada vez mais dificultado pela capacidade das bactérias de desenvolverem resistência aos agentes antimicrobianos é necessário a contínua descoberta e desenvolvimento de novos compostos antibacterianos para assegurar um futuro sustentável do ponto de vista da saúde pública. Deste modo, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a atividade antibacteriana de extratos de metanol de diferentes espécies de macro- e microalgas, ervas marinhas e plantas halófitas contra estirpes bacterianas potencialmente patogénicas, pelo método de difusão em agar. As diferentes espécies de macroalgas foram colhidas na praia de Olhos d’Água (Albufeira) entre julho e novembro de 2009. As amostras de microalgas foram fornecidas pelo Laboratório Experimental de Organismos Aquáticos (LEOA, UAlg) e pela NECTON S.A. As plantas halófitas foram colhidas em maio de 2010 na Praia de Faro e Ludo. A atividade antibacteriana foi determinada segundo os protocolos padronizados pelo Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, através do método de difusão em agar. Foram utilizadas 4 estirpes bacterianas nomeadamente B. cereus NCTC 7464, S. aureus NCTC 6571 (Gram-positivas), E. coli NCTC 9001 e P. aeruginosa NCTC 10662 (Gram-negativas). Não foram observadas zonas de inibição nos controlos negativos (metanol) e todos os antibióticos utilizados (ácido nalidíxico, gentamicina, penicilina G e tetraciclina) resultaram em inibição do crescimento bacteriano respetivo. Observaram-se zonas de inibição em Staphylococcus aureus na presença dos extratos metanólicos de Cystoseira nodicaulis (8,44 ± 0,53 mm) e C. tamariscifolia (11,12 ± 0,78 mm). Os restantes extratos metanólicos de algas e ervas marinhas foram inativos em relação às estirpes estudadas. Os extratos de microalgas e de plantas halófitas testados não demonstraram atividade antibacteriana contra as estirpes estudadas. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho indicam que os extratos de C. nodicaulis e C. tamariscifolia apresentam atividade antibacteriana. Os restantes extratos não demonstraram, porém, qualquer atividade

Microalgae Biorefinery Routes and Unit Operation Pre-Project Design, Selection and Sizing

Microalgae, or microscopic algae, have been studied as a natural marine resource for a number of economically relevant applications and several options exist for recovering and pro-cessing the biomass to obtain intracellular metabolites. This work presents the laboratory results from two proposed Nannochloropsis sp. microalgae biorefineries for the production of oil, high-value pigments, proteins and carbohydrates. Concerning the microalgal cell disruption processes, an overview of the technologies available was performed and bead milling was found to be potentially suitable for large scale microalgae biorefineries. Since petroleum-derived solvents such as dichloromethane, toluene or hexane are toxic and non-renewable, innovative and sustainable extractions using D-limonene, olive oil and etha-nol were tested to extract valuable lipids and pigments. Different membranes were also tested aiming the solvent recovery of ethanol and D-limonene. Regarding rejections of pigments and fatty acids, high values were achieved using organic solvent resistant membranes, proving to be possible to fractionate valuable biomolecules with a green and clean process. Afterwards, the laboratory results were extrapolated to mass balance calculations to select the biorefinery route by conducting a simplified economic analysis through equipment sizing and the cost estimation of the major equipments. The biorefinery route using olive oil as solvent was found to be the most promising process to study because, combined with the lower estimated CAPEX, the olive oil extract might be a highly profitable product rich in EPA fatty acid, as a product with significant health benefits for the human population

Aprofundamento da análise das patologias em alvenarias de compartimentação induzidas pela deformação dos suportes

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Civil - Especialização em Construções. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

To what extent are knowledge-intensive business services contributing to manufacturing? A subsystem analysis

The rise of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) may be considered as one of the decisive trends of economic evolution of industrialised countries in recent decades. This paper uses the concept of vertical integrated sectors and the subsystem approach to input-output matrix analysis to study the vertical integration of knowledge-based business services into manufacturing sectors. To date, companies increasingly rely on outside innovation for new products and processes and have become more active in licensing and selling results of their innovation to third parties. At the same time, they may rely on the marketing and financial consulting offered by third parties. As a consequence, considering manufacturing and KIBS as vertically inter-related sectors, the hypothesis of a virtuous circle can be expressed in the following way: the higher the degree of integration between KIBS and manufacturing sectors along what we could define as a ‘knowledge-based value chain’, the easier the knowledge diffusion and the competitiveness of the economic system as a whole. The study covers Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom over the period 1995-2005. Results decisively support both the existence of structural differences among the countries considered, and a significant heterogeneity to the extent to which manufacturing outsources to knowledge-intensive business services.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Factores que influyen en el rendimiento laboral del personal de enfermería

La profesión de enfermería a sido considerada como una profesión estresante debido a las características físicas como emocionales a que los enfermeros se deben enfrentar. La muerte, al dolor, múltiples problemas, hacen que estos profesionales estén continuamente tomando decisiones bajo presión y con un grado importante de responsabilidad. Hay diversas fuentes que afectan al rendimiento: como la recarga laboral, la falta de comunicación, el entorno laboral, la excesiva responsabilidad que conlleva su trabajo, las emociones, los propios pacientes y familiares y, los conflictos con los médicos entre otros. Como también pueden ser factores que inciden en el rendimiento, la situación socioeconómica, familiar, y el bajo rendimiento de productividad y eficacia del trabajo. En el caso específico del personal de enfermería que se desempeña en el Hospital de Malargüe, se ha observado que en el transcurso del segundo semestre del año 2009 y primer semestre del año 2010, las enfermeras manifestaron ciertas conductas como por ejemplo: licencias por enfermedad a repetición, insatisfacción la boral, falta de compromiso, etc.Fil: Berón, Daniela. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Enfermería..Fil: Palma, Flavia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Enfermería.

Cosmological simulations of a momentum coupling between dark matter and quintessence

Dark energy is frequently modelled as an additional dynamical scalar field component in the Universe, referred to as "quintessence", which drives the late-time acceleration. Furthermore, the quintessence field may be coupled to dark matter and/or baryons, leading to a fifth force. In this paper we explore the consequences for non-linear cosmological structure formation arising from a momentum coupling between the quintessence field and dark matter only. The coupling leads to a modified Euler equation, which we implement in an N-body cosmological simulation. We then analyse the effects of the coupling on the non-linear power spectrum and the properties of the dark matter halos. We find that, for certain quintessence potentials, a positive coupling can lead to significantly reduced structure on small scales and somewhat enhanced structure on large scales, as well as reduced halo density profiles and increased velocity dispersions.Comment: 19 pages, 20 figures, accepted by MNRA