Technology transfer, climate change mitigation, and environmental patent impact on sustainability and economic growth: a comparison of European countries

Most of the literature on technology transfer has tended to focus on the country or regional level, neglecting to look at the continent-level flow of knowledge that is becoming more important due to regional trading blocs. This study sought to fill the gap in research on the role of technology transfer in the European continent (i.e., countries inside and outside the Eurozone) by focusing on environment-related patents. The research also included examining the effects of environmental water-related adaptation technology and climate change mitigation patents on real gross domestic product. The results contribute to the literature on technology transfer policies by highlighting how environmental patents influence Europe’s economic growth rate and whether countries’ geographical location can affect their level of entrepreneurship and innovation. The technology-organization-environment (TOE) and sustainability perspectives were used as a theoretical framework for understanding how geographical contexts influence technology transfer in terms of environment-related patents. Implications for management, theory and policy are discussed together with the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wearing failure as a path to innovation

Innovation is a widely acknowledged key component of corporate performance management. However, most of the literature on this topic has tended to focus on determinants of corporate failure, thereby neglecting to look at the role of innovation failure in triggering innovative initiatives. By using a sample of companies covered by 2014 Community Innovation Survey data and applying econometric models, this study sought to analyze the impacts of innovative project failure. The results show that innovation failure is negatively correlated with companies’ experience and acquisition of external knowledge. The main findings are consistent with the scarce literature on this research topic, and highlight the positive role that companies’ accumulated experience has in their assimilation of knowledge flows.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

To be or not to be digital, that's the question! Implications for firm innovation capability and performance

Digital transformation emerges today as a process for attaining competitive advantages and company differentiation. However, what are the implications of these digital processes for the innovative capability and performance of companies? This study seeks to contribute towards a better understanding of this framework, analysing the factors that lead companies to adopt new digital processes and their consequences in terms of innovation capability and performance. Using a sample of 940 companies and recourse to multivariate statistical analysis, we conclude that the profile of the owner/manager and the adoption of new digital processes reflect in the greater competitiveness of these (digital) companies.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Detecting and developing new business opportunities in society 5.0 contexts: A sociotechnical approach

Rapid technological evolution has become a great challenge for businesses and societies due to the openness provided by new digital technologies, platforms, and infrastructure and to the impacts of these innovations on how people work and live. The concept of a super-smart society (i.e., Society 5.0) comprises a fresh way to apply these innovations, in which human beings contribute to adapting technologies to daily activities in their society and making Society 5.0 ideas applicable to different areas of each individual’s life. Digital transformation and technological innovation are basic components of this paradigm. This study sought to develop a decision-support model that can help companies structure and prioritize new business opportunities within Society 5.0 contexts. The analysis system relies on a constructivist approach that promotes debates between specialists and combinations of methodologies such as cognitive mapping and interpretive structural modeling. The results highlight the most important areas in which new business opportunities can arise, thereby demonstrating that the proposed model is a valuable tool for incorporating a future orientation into business technological innovation initiatives.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Drinking of Salvia officinalis tea increases CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in mice

In a previous study, the drinking of a Salvia officinalis tea (prepared as an infusion) for 14 days improved liver antioxidant status in mice and rats where, among other factors, an enhancement of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity was observed. Taking in consideration these effects, in the present study the potential protective effects of sage tea drinking against a situation of hepatotoxicity due to free radical formation, such as that caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), were evaluated in mice of both genders. Contrary to what was expected, sage tea drinking significantly increased the CCl4-induced liver injury, as seen by increased plasma transaminase levels and histology liver damage. In accordance with the previous study, sage tea drinking enhanced significantly GST activity. Additionally, glutathione peroxidase was also significantly increased by sage tea drinking. Since CCl4 toxicity results from its bioactivation mainly by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1, the expression level of this protein was measured by Western Blot. An increase in CYP 2E1 protein was observed which may explain, at least in part, the potentiation of CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity conferred by sage tea drinking. The CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity was higher in females than males. In conclusion, our results indicate that, although sage tea did not have toxic effects of its own, herb–drug interactions are possible and may affect the efficacy and safety of concurrent medical therapy with drugs that are metabolized by phase I enzymes.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BD/6942/2001, POCI/AGR/62040/200

Phenolic compounds protect HepG2 cells from oxidative damage : relevance of glutathione levels

Prova tipográfica (In Press)In the present work, the potential hepatoprotective effects of five phenolic compounds were evaluated against oxidative damages induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) in HepG2 cells in order to relate in vitro antioxidant activity with cytoprotective effects. t-BHP induced considerable cell damages to HepG2 cells as shown by significant LDH leakage, increased lipid peroxidation, DNA damage as well as decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. All tested phenolic compounds significantly decreased cell death induced by t-BHP (when in co-incubation). If the effects of quercetin are given the reference value 1, the compounds rank in the following order according to inhibition of cell death: luteolin (4.0) > quercetin (1.0) > rosmarinic acid (0.34) > luteolin-7-glucoside (0.30) > caffeic acid (0.21). The results underscore the importance of the compound’s lipophilicity in addition to its antioxidant potential for its biological activity. All tested phenolic compounds were found to significantly decrease lipid peroxidation and prevent GSH depletion induced by t-BHP, but only luteolin and quercetin significantly decreased DNA damage. Therefore, the lipophilicity of the natural antioxidants tested appeared to be of even higher importance for DNA protection than for cell survival. The protective potential against cell death was probably achieved mainly by preventing intracellular GSH depletion. The phenolic compounds studied here showed protective potential against oxidative damages induced in HepG2 cells that could be beneficial against liver diseases where it is known that oxidative stress plays a crucial role.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia -SFRH/BD/6942/2001; POCTI/AGR/62040/2004

Contribution for the knowledge of mechanical characteristics of contaminated dune sand with gasoline

Portugal, country of the Southwest of the Europe, has extensive areas of granular lands constituted by sands of dunes that are located next to the coast. The unsustainable development of the society has lead to the intensive occupation of these lands. As consequence sometimes arise contaminated soils where are or can be built buildings or other structures. Therefore, this work presents some results of a group of classic tests in the ambit of the Soils Mechanics (identification, compaction, direct shear and oedometer), in the sense of acquiring sensibility concerning the way as these soils behave when they are contaminated with gasoline.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - CECUBI