Inovação aberta e sustentabilidade: um estudo do processo de colaboração em projetos de P&D para a descarbonização da pecuária brasileira.

O modelo de inovação que funcionou no século XX, em que empresas mantinham sua pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D) fechada com total controle interno, não atende aos desafios do século XXI

First report in italy of the exotic mosquito species Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus, a potential vector of arboviruses and filariae

BACKGROUND: In the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy) an entomological surveillance system has been implemented since the introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in 1991. During the routine monitoring activity in a tiger mosquito-free area, an unexpected mosquito was noticed, which clearly did not belong to the recorded Italian fauna. FINDINGS: At the end of May 2011, twelve larvae and pupae were collected in a small village in Belluno province (Veneto region) from a single manhole. Ten adults reared in the laboratory were morphologically and genetically identified as Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus (Edwards, 1917), a species native to Southeast Asia. The subsequent investigations carried out in the following months in the same village provided evidence that this species had become established locally. Entomological and epidemiological investigations are currently ongoing in the surrounding area, to verify the eventual extension of the species outside the village and to trace back the route of entry into Italy. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report in Italy of the introduction of the exotic mosquito Ae. koreicus. This species has been shown experimentally to be competent in the transmission of the Japanese encephalitis virus and of the dog heartworm Dirofilaria immitis and is considered a potential vector of other arboviruses. Thus, the establishment of this species may increase the current risk or pose new potential threats, for human and animal health. This finding considerably complicates the entomological monitoring of the Asian tiger mosquito Ae. albopictus in Italy and stresses the importance of implementing the entomological surveillance for the early detection of and the rapid response against invasive mosquito species

Simultaneous OWLS and EIS monitoring of supported lipid bilayers with the pore forming peptide melittin

A simultaneous optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement was carried out for the investigation of a supported lipid bilayer and its interactions with a pore-forming peptide, melittin. It was achieved only after the optimization of the ITO coating on the waveguide to increase the electrical sensitivity and the functionalization of the waveguide with a polyelectrolyte to form a lipid bilayer over the ITO surface. The combined system enabled monitoring of melittin pore activities in a wider range of melittin concentrations than either technique alone (1 μg/ml < Cmelittin < 200 μg/ml). Furthermore, it provided unique information that could not be obtained by the individual methods, such as a better identification of the melittin-pore formation and an insight about the correlation between the total pore area vs. adsorbed amount of melittin

Does Resilience Reduce Food Waste? Analysis of Brazilian Supplier-Retailer Dyad

Food waste negatively impacts the three dimensions of sustainability. Environmentally and financially, it represents a waste of natural resources and increases the cost respectively. Socially, it represents an ethical issue as about 800 million people are suffering from hunger worldwide. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore if and how resilience contributes to food waste reduction in fruits and vegetables distribution in the Brazilian market. Multiple case studies were conducted in the supplier-retailer dyad of four retail chains. Results have shown that resilience plays the role of both enabler and barrier to food waste reduction. On the positive side, collaboration, communication, flexibility, innovation, knowledge management, leadership, security technologies and supply chain design contributed to food waste reduction; especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the negative side, financial health and redundancy increased the level of food waste. Additionally, it was observed that flexibility can reduce or increase food waste. Our findings have implications for academics and practitioners as the developed framework summarizes the role of resilience to food waste reduction. As a social impact, the implementation of food waste reduction initiatives by non-governmental organizations and retailer associations can result in increased communication, knowledge diffusion, and training about how to build resilience and improve food waste reduction practices among different agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study that explores the relationship among elements of resilience and food waste. Thus, it advances the current literature by operationalizing resilience to reduce food waste

An Evolvable Driver for a Non-Linear Damped Pendulum

In this work, an evolvable hardware technique has been applied to a real control environment composed by a damped pendulum. A combinatorial 4 bit circuit input/output driver design by genetic algorithms will be implemented in an Altera Cyclone II FPGA, aiming to prove the efficiency of the evolvable design. A proportional driver tuned by a genetic algorithm (Kp-AG) was also implemented and subjected to the same tests to compare their performance against the Evolvable Hardware design. Experiments use a square reference signal to force overshoot errors, and, a sinusoidal signal to sample the response for both drivers. The results obtained by the experiments show that the evolutionary approach to design drivers can be competitive and improve considerably the control in this particular case of nonlinear control using low resolution feedback information.2035258University of Alcala [CCG2013/EXP-064]Spanish and Brazilian Program through EINTA project [PHB2006-0077-PC]University of Alcala [CCG2013/EXP-064]Spanish and Brazilian Program through EINTA project [PHB2006-0077-PC

Cleaner Production Practices, Implementation Concerns and Measurement: A Systematic Literature Review

This study conducts a systematic literature review to investigate the state of the art of Cleaner Production (CP) across various dimensions. First, we categorize and discuss CP practices within distinct domains, including Product Change, Change Input Materials, Technology Change, Reuse Material On-site, and Improved Housekeeping. Subsequentially, we map and analyze the phases of CP implementation \textendash including the planning, pre-assessment, assessment, and implementation options \textendash underscoring the pivotal role of senior management commitment, multidisciplinary teams, and employee training. Lastly, we delve into multiple facets of CP evaluation, covering corporate governance, measurement of CP practices, benefits of CP implementation, evaluation of CP projects, and the instruments employed. We also pinpoint contradictions and research gaps in the field and propose diverse avenues for future research. This research makes significant contributions by synthesizing, integrating and discussing existing CP categories, highlighting trends and gaps in the literature, and offering practical insights to industry practitioners, policymakers, and organizations. © 2023 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Gene therapy augments the efficacy of hematopoietic cell transplantation and fully corrects mucopolysaccharidosis type I phenotype in the mouse model

Type I mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS I) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficiency of α-L-iduronidase, which results in glycosaminoglycan accumulation in tissues. Clinical manifestations include skeletal dysplasia, joint stiffness, visual and auditory defects, cardiac insufficiency, hepatosplenomegaly, and mental retardation (the last being present exclusively in the severe Hurler variant). The available treatments, enzyme-replacement therapy and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, can ameliorate most disease manifestations, but their outcome on skeletal and brain disease could be further improved. We demonstrate here that HSC gene therapy, based on lentiviral vectors, completely corrects disease manifestations in the mouse model. Of note, the therapeutic benefit provided by gene therapy on critical MPS I manifestations, such as neurologic and skeletal disease, greatly exceeds that exerted by HSC transplantation, the standard of care treatment for Hurler patients. Interestingly, therapeutic efficacy of HSC gene therapy is strictly dependent on the achievement of supranormal enzyme activity in the hematopoietic system of transplanted mice, which allows enzyme delivery to the brain and skeleton for disease correction. Overall, our data provide evidence of an efficacious treatment for MPS I Hurler patients, warranting future development toward clinical testing

Gene therapy augments the efficacy of hematopoietic cell transplantation and fully corrects mucopolysaccharidosis type I phenotype in the mouse model

Type I mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS I) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficiency of α-L-iduronidase, which results in glycosaminoglycan accumulation in tissues. Clinical manifestations include skeletal dysplasia, joint stiffness, visual and auditory defects, cardiac insufficiency, hepatosplenomegaly, and mental retardation (the last being present exclusively in the severe Hurler variant). The available treatments, enzyme-replacement therapy and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, can ameliorate most disease manifestations, but their outcome on skeletal and brain disease could be further improved. We demonstrate here that HSC gene therapy, based on lentiviral vectors, completely corrects disease manifestations in the mouse model. Of note, the therapeutic benefit provided by gene therapy on critical MPS I manifestations, such as neurologic and skeletal disease, greatly exceeds that exerted by HSC transplantation, the standard of care treatment for Hurler patients. Interestingly, therapeutic efficacy of HSC gene therapy is strictly dependent on the achievement of supranormal enzyme activity in the hematopoietic system of transplanted mice, which allows enzyme delivery to the brain and skeleton for disease correction. Overall, our data provide evidence of an efficacious treatment for MPS I Hurler patients, warranting future development toward clinical testing. © 2010 by The American Society of Hematology