The innovation impact of EU emission trading: findings of company case studies in the German power sector

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of how the European Emission Trading System (EU ETS) as the core climate policy instrument of the European Union has impacted innovation. Towards this end, we investigate the impact of the EU ETS on research, development, and demonstration (RD&D), adoption, and organizational change. In doing so, we pay particular attention to the rela-tive influences of context factors (policy mix, market factors, public acceptance) as well as firm characteristics (value chain position, technology portfolio, size, vision). Empirically, our analysis is based on multiple case studies with 19 power generators, technology providers, and project developers in the German power sector which we conducted from June 2008 until June 2009. We find that the innovation impact of the EU ETS has remained limited so far because of the scheme’s initial lack in stringency and predictability and the relatively greater importance of context factors. Additionally, the impact varies tremendously across technologies, firms, and innovation dimensions, and is most pronounced for RD&D on carbon capture technologies and corporate procedural change. Our analysis suggests that the EU ETS by itself may not provide sufficient incentives for fundamental changes in corporate climate innovation activities at a level adequate for reaching political long-term targets. Based on the study’s findings, we derive a set of policy and research recommendations. --EU ETS,emission trading,innovation,technological change,adoption,diffusion,organizational change,power sector

Percepções geográficas sobre os animais não-humanos

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Geografia.Este trabalho de conclusão de curso é sobre as relações entre humanos e não-humanos, especialmente da dimensão ética dessas relações como um objeto de estudo da Geografia. Trata-se de uma temática fundamental no atual período histórico, visto que, ao explorar as razões pelas quais o tema é uma questão geográfica, é possível estimular mais geógrafos a abordarem as relações humanos/não-humanos e deixarem sua contribuição em uma causa urgente, que é a situação de desconsideração moral em que a maioria dos não-humanos deste planeta se encontram. O objetivo deste trabalho é entender como as relações humanos/não humanos vêm sendo e podem ser abordadas na ciência geográfica. Com esse fim, a metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa exploratória de artigos e livros que trouxeram conceitos envolvendo a ética do relacionamento humanos/não-humanos para a Geografia, sobretudo estudos internacionais pouco abordados no contexto brasileiro. Através da análise bibliográfica, ficou evidente que a Geografia tem o importante papel de trazer visibilidade a situações que permanecem invisíveis e contar geografias que permanecem não contadas. Há espaços a serem explorados! Concluiu-se que, ao remapear a paisagem dos seres moralmente consideráveis, o geógrafo tem a possibilidade de atuar na prevenção da crueldade e do sofrimento dos seres que habitam a biosfera.This final paper is about the relations between humans and non-humans, especially the ethical dimension of these relations as an object of study of Geography. It is a fundamental theme in the current historical period, since, by exploring the reasons why the theme is a geographical issue, it is possible to encourage more geographers to approach human/non-human relations and leave their contribution to an urgent cause, which is the moral disregard situation in which most non-humans of this planet are found. The goal of this paper is to understand how human/non-human relationships have been and can be approached in geographic science. To this end, the methodology used was the exploratory research of articles and books that brought concepts involving the ethics of human/non-human relationships to Geography, especially international studies that are rarely addressed in the Brazilian context. Through the bibliographic analysis, it became evident that Geography has an important role in bringing visibility to situations that remain invisible and telling geographies that remain untold. There are spaces to be explored! It was concluded that, by remapping the landscape of morally considerable beings, the geographer has the possibility to act in the prevention of cruelty and suffering of beings that inhabit the biosphere

DESENVOLVIMENTO DE CREME DE MESA TIPO MAIONESE A BASE DE BIOMASSA:: Comparação com molho de maionese tradicional

Desenvolveu-se um molho tipo maionese com substituição do óleo vegetal por biomassa de banana verde (MT), comparando-o com a MC. Foi analisado teores de umidade, cinzas, lipídeos, proteínas e carboidratos. Características físicas, viscosidade e cor, e propriedades de conservação, pH e atividade de água. Destaca-se para MT o teor de lipídeos e proteínas, e também viscosidade e resistência à agitação. Além do pH e a atividade de água da MT que podem influenciar na estabilidade microbiológica do produto. Portanto a substituição do óleo vegetal por biomassa de banana verde é uma alternativa viável, além de apresentar atributos sensoriais favoráveis

Investigating the association of ventral and dorsal striatal dysfunction during reward anticipation with negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals

Background Negative symptoms are a core feature of schizophrenia and also found in healthy individuals in subclinical forms. According to the current literature the two negative symptom domains, apathy and diminished expression may have different underlying neural mechanisms. Previous observations suggest that striatal dysfunction is associated with apathy in schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether apathy is specifically related to ventral or dorsal striatal alterations. Here, we investigated striatal dysfunction during reward anticipation in patients with schizophrenia and a non-clinical population, to determine whether it is associated with apathy. Methods Chronic schizophrenia patients (n = 16) and healthy controls (n = 23) underwent an event- related functional MRI, while performing a variant of the Monetary Incentive Delay Task. The two negative symptom domains were assessed in both groups using the Brief Negative Symptoms Scale. Results In schizophrenia patients, we saw a strong negative correlation between apathy and ventral and dorsal striatal activation during reward anticipation. In contrast, there was no correlation with diminished expression. In healthy controls, apathy was not correlated with ventral or dorsal striatal activation during reward anticipation. Conclusion This study replicates our previous findings of a correlation between ventral striatal activity and apathy but not diminished expression in chronic schizophrenia patients. The association between apathy and reduced dorsal striatal activity during reward anticipation suggests that impaired action-outcome selection is involved in the pathophysiology of motivational deficits in schizophrenia

Predictors and outcomes in primary depression care (POKAL) – a research training group develops an innovative approach to collaborative care

BACKGROUND: The interdisciplinary research training group (POKAL) aims to improve care for patients with depression and multimorbidity in primary care. POKAL includes nine projects within the framework of the Chronic Care Model (CCM). In addition, POKAL will train young (mental) health professionals in research competences within primary care settings. POKAL will address specific challenges in diagnosis (reliability of diagnosis, ignoring suicidal risks), in treatment (insufficient patient involvement, highly fragmented care and inappropriate long-time anti-depressive medication) and in implementation of innovations (insufficient guideline adherence, use of irrelevant patient outcomes, ignoring relevant context factors) in primary depression care. METHODS: In 2021 POKAL started with a first group of 16 trainees in general practice (GPs), pharmacy, psychology, public health, informatics, etc. The program is scheduled for at least 6 years, so a second group of trainees starting in 2024 will also have three years of research-time. Experienced principal investigators (PIs) supervise all trainees in their specific projects. All projects refer to the CCM and focus on the diagnostic, therapeutic, and implementation challenges. RESULTS: The first cohort of the POKAL research training group will develop and test new depression-specific diagnostics (hermeneutical strategies, predicting models, screening for suicidal ideation), treatment (primary-care based psycho-education, modulating factors in depression monitoring, strategies of de-prescribing) and implementation in primary care (guideline implementation, use of patient-assessed data, identification of relevant context factors). Based on those results the second cohort of trainees and their PIs will run two major trials to proof innovations in primary care-based a) diagnostics and b) treatment for depression. CONCLUSION: The research and training programme POKAL aims to provide appropriate approaches for depression diagnosis and treatment in primary care

PREVALÊNCIA DE USO DE MEDICAMENTOS E REMÉDIOS CASEIROS PARA PREVENÇÃO DE Covid-19: estudo de base populacional

Introduction: the Covid-19 pandemic brought a behavior of the population regarding the use of medicines without proven effectiveness. Objective: to measure the prevalence and profile of use of medicines and home remedies for the prevention of Covid-19 in the Vale do Rio Pardo region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Method: a population-based cross-sectional study carried out in four stages, whose collection was carried out at home from August to October 2020. Questions were asked about the use of medicines and home remedies, and demographic, socioeconomic, clinical and behavioral data were also collected, with rapid test for IgM and IgG antibodies. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed between medication use and sociodemographic data. The linear trend and the heterogeneity of proportions were evaluated using the chi-square test, considering the value of p<0.05. Results: the sample consisted of 4252 individuals. The prevalence of use of medicines and home remedies was 7.8% (95%CI: 6.5-8.17). The most used medications were German Balm® (Vitamin E) (43.7%), ivermectin (26.6%) and other vitamins (17.9%). The most reported home remedies were propolis (70.4%) and teas (25.6%). Medication use was higher in individuals aged 60 years or over (8.1%), with higher education (10.4%), family income greater than R$6271.00 (10.3$6.271 (10,3%), moradores da zona rural (6,9%) e com pelo menos uma morbidade (8,0%) (p<0,05). Conclusão: apesar de baixo, destacou-se consumo de medicamentos e remédios caseiros sem comprovação científica para prevenção da Covid-19. É necessária uma discussão sobre o tipo de acesso às informações e a necessidade de uma assistência farmacêutica mais difusa e efetiva no cuidado da população, viabilizando o uso racional de medicamentos

UTILIZAÇÃO DE COLEÇÕES ENTOMOLÓGICAS NO IFC-CAMPUS CAMBORIÚ: Uma proposta didática

As aulas práticas são essenciais na aprendizagem na área de entomologia, pois aboa formação dos estudantes passa por experiências que transcendem o campoteórico e despertam a curiosidade. Na disciplina de Defesa Sanitária Vegetal doCurso Técnico em Agropecuária do IFC-Camboriú os alunos dos segundos anos, sãoestimulados a elaborar coleções didáticas entomológicas. O objetivo principal éproporcionar uma vivência prática dos conhecimentos repassados em sala, dentreeles, reconhecimento do habitat, ciclo biológico, comportamento, além das principaisordens e famílias, causadoras de danos irreparáveis às culturas agrícolas. Todas ascoleções foram incorporadas no Museu Entomológico

The PlcR Virulence Regulon of Bacillus cereus

PlcR is a Bacillus cereus transcriptional regulator, which activates gene expression by binding to a nucleotidic sequence called the ‘PlcR box’. To build a list of all genes included in the PlcR regulon, a consensus sequence was identified by directed mutagenesis. The reference strain ATCC14579 sequenced genome was searched for occurrences of this consensus sequence to produce a virtual regulon. PlcR control of these genes was confirmed by comparing gene expression in the reference strain and its isogenic Δ-plcR strain using DNA microarrays, lacZ fusions and proteomics methods. The resulting list included 45 genes controlled by 28 PlcR boxes. Forty of the PlcR controlled proteins were exported, of which 22 were secreted in the extracellular medium and 18 were bound or attached to cell wall structures (membrane or peptidoglycan layer). The functions of these proteins were related to food supply (phospholipases, proteases, toxins), cell protection (bacteriocins, toxins, transporters, cell wall biogenesis) and environment-sensing (two-component sensors, chemotaxis proteins, GGDEF family regulators). Four genes coded for cytoplasmic regulators. The PlcR regulon appears to integrate a large range of environmental signals, including food deprivation and self cell-density, and regulate the transcription of genes designed to overcome obstacles that hinder B. cereus growth within the host: food supply, host barriers, host immune defenses, and competition with other bacterial species. PlcR appears to be a key component in the efficient adaptation of B. cereus to its host environment

The co-evolution of policy mixes and socio-technical systems: towards a conceptual framework of policy mix feedback in sustainability transitions

Understanding how policymaking processes can influence the rate and direction of socio-technical change towards sustainability is an important, yet underexplored research agenda in the field of sustainability transitions. Some studies have sought to explain how individual policy instruments can influence transitions, and the politics surrounding this process. We argue that such individual policy instruments can cause wider feedback mechanisms that influence not only their own future development, but also other instruments in the same area. Consequently, by extending the scope of analysis to that of a policy mix allows us to account for multiple policy effects on socio-technical change and resultant feedback mechanisms influencing the policy processes that underpin further policy mix change. This paper takes a first step in this regard by combining policy studies and innovation studies literatures to conceptualise the co-evolutionary dynamics of policy mixes and socio-technical systems. We focus on policy processes to help explain how policy mixes influence socio-technical change, and how changes in the socio-technical system also shape the evolution of the policy mix. To do so we draw on insights from the policy feedback literature, and propose a novel conceptual framework. The framework highlights that policy mixes aiming to foster sustainability transitions need to be designed to create incentives for beneficiaries to mobilise further support, while overcoming a number of prevailing challenges which may undermine political support over time. In the paper, we illustrate the framework using the example of the zero carbon homes policy mix in the UK. We conclude with deriving research and policy implications for analysing and designing dynamic policy mixes for sustainability transitions