The curse of technological race: the red queen effect

Economic prosperity is tied to scientific development, i.e., there is a strong correlation between science, technology and the wealth of nations. We collected data from scientific and technological production of 183 countries of the last thirty years (1974 to 2003) and applied a super-paramagnetic clustering technique on them, finding nations divided in three regimes, distinguished by the interactions between the agents of their National Systems of Innovation (NSI). The identification of these groups allows us to define the dynamical behavior of the thresholds, that grow exponentially and whose growth rate we have calculated. We show that for the period 1974-2003 the threshold between the immature and the developed NSIs increases by an annual rate of 6.6% (per capita). We identify clearly a "Red Queen Effect". Finally we show that the transitions between the regimes are discontinuous, represented by a structural breakthrough. Therefore, the prerequisite to move from regime I to regime II, and then to regime III are structural changes within NSIs.national systems of innovation; super-paramagnetic clustering technique; moving thresholds

Modeling economic growth fuelled by science and technology

This paper suggests a simulation model to investigate how science and technology fuel economic growth. This model is built upon a synthesis of technological capabilities represented by national innovation systems. This paper gathers data of papers and patents for 183 countries between 1999 and 2003, GDP and population for 2003. These data show a strong correlation between science, technology and income. Three simulation exercises are performed. Feeding our algorithm with data for population, patents and scientific papers, we obtain the world income distribution (R=0.99). These results support our conjecture on the role of science and technology as a source of the wealth of nations.simulation models; systems of innovation; economic growth

Matrices of science and technology interactions: implications for development

Scientific and other non-patent references (NPRs) in patents are important tools to analyze interactions between science and technology. This paper organizes a database with 514,894 USPTO patents granted globally in 1974, 1982, 1990, 1998 and 2006. There are 165,762 patents with at least one reference to science and engineering (S&E) literature, and there are 1,375,503 references. In 2006 there are 83 countries with USPTO patent citing S&E literature. Through a lexical analysis 71.1% of this S&E literature is classified by S&E fields. These data underscore the elaboration of global and national tri-dimensional matrices (by OST technological domains, ISI science and engineering fields and number of references). Descriptive statistics investigate how science and technology linkages differ over time across countries and across levels of development. This paper highlights how the existence (or not) of a pattern of structured growth differentiates mature and immature systems of innovation.science and technology linkages, stages of economic development, systems of innovation

RealROC: a shiny based application for ROC curve study with covariate adjustment

Dissertação de mestrado em BioinformaticsA curva ROC (Receiver operating characteristic) é uma ferramenta analítica eficaz para testes clínicos. A análise permite visualizar a variação de sensibilidade e especificidade para uma dada região de corte através de um simples, mas robusto gráfico bidimensional. Num contexto biológico, testes podem ser influenciados por múltiplas variáveis externas e como tal a análise ROC pode não ser a ideal ou gerar resultados incompletos. É então necessário saber que variáveis afetam determinado teste clínico de forma a determinar os melhores parâmetros para determinado teste ou até descartar determinada metodologia mediante a situação. O ajuste da curva ROC a covariáveis permite a normalização do efeito das mesmas ou diretamente ajustar a curva para os seus efeitos. Software direcionado ao ajuste da curva ROC é, infelizmente, escasso e muitas vezes difícil de manusear por utilizadores não especializados. Recentemente o pacote AROC foi lançando para R que disponibiliza vários recursos para estes ajustamentos, no entanto a dificuldade de utilização mantém-se. A combinação deste pacote com a estrutura Shiny, um pacote que permite o desenvolvimento de aplicações interativas, tem por objetivo a criação de um programa grátis e acessível que permita uma análise mais aprofundada disponível para todos os investigadores. RealROC foi capaz de replicar resultados de um caso de estudo que analisou a influência do sexo no sistema de pontuação CRIB e respetiva previsão de mortalidade, demonstrando a usabilidade e acessibilidade do programa que será disponibilizado online e potencialmente contribuir para novos desenvolvimentos na área.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are a powerful analytical tool for clinical tests. The analysis allows the visualization of varying sensitivity and specificity for a given threshold through a simple, yet robust, two-dimensional plot. In a biological framework, tests can be influenced by multiple external variables, as such, standard ROC analysis may not be suitable or may provide incomplete data. It is then necessary to know which variables influence clinical test results to determine optimal conditions for trials or even to disregard a given method of evaluation in certain contexts. Adjusting for covariates allows ROC analysis to normalize the effects of the variable in question or to directly adjust the curve for its effects. Unfortunately ROC software that is able to conduct such an adjustment is sparse and proven difficult to use for non technical users. Recently, the AROC package for R was released and provides a robust resource for such adjustments however with he same usability problems previously stated. By combining this package with the Shiny framework, an R package that allows the creation of interactive applications, we hope to provide an accessible and free software that allows this extra depth of analysis to be available for all researchers. RealROC was able to mimic the results of a case study analysing the affects of sex to the CRIB score and resulting mortality rates that proving its practicality and will be made available online and hopefully contribute to the advancement of software in this field

Use of pulp mill inorganic wastes as alternative liming materials

A laboratory aerobic incubation study was performed during 18 weeks under controlled conditions to assess the effects of applying different doses of pulp mill inorganic wastes on the physical–chemical properties of an acid Dystric Cambissol. Three different inorganic wastes were tested – wood ash, dregs and grits, and an agriculture limestone was used as reference. Results showed that increasing the dose applied of the different inorganic wastes tested always led to significant raises of soil pH at different incubation times demonstrating that its use as alternative-liming materials could be a valid and less expensive option to the use of commercial agricultural limestone. Moreover, no immediate concerns seem to be expected related to soil exchangeable sodium (Na) content, at least for the doses needed to increase soil pH until the targeted value 6.5. Particularly for wood ash a pronounced increase on soil extractable potassium and phosphorous was observed, indicating that besides the liming effect this waste can contribute to improve soil fertility by supplying significant available amounts of these nutrients. Finally, metals do not seem to be a limiting factor for the application to land of these byproduct

Machine learning algorithms and techniques for sentiment analysis in scientific paper reviews: a systematic literature review

Sentiment analysis also referred to as opinion mining, is an automated process for identifying and classifying subjective information such as sentiments from a piece of text usually comments and reviews. Supported by machine learning algorithms, it is possible to identify positive, neutral or negative opinions, being possible to rank or classify them in order to reach some kind of conclusion or obtain any type of information. Thus, this paper aims to perform a systematic literature review in order to report the state-of-the-art of machine learning techniques for sentiment analysis applied to texts of reviews, comments and evaluations of scientific papers.This work has been supported by IViSSEM: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-28284, COMPETE: POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013

Avaliação qualitativa de impactos ambientais para licenciamento de Jardim Botânico

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Ambiental, Florianópolis, 2012A presente dissertação visou a elaboração de metodologia de avaliação qualitativa de impactos ambientais em empreendimentos do tipo Jardim Botânico. Entende-se por Jardim Botânico um local de visitação para contemplação de reserva de vegetação nativa e exótica, expostas ao ar livre e em estufas climatizadas. Empreendimento sem enquadramento específico na DN 74 no estado de Minas Gerais, não há um método específico para análise dos impactos ambientais da criação e funcionamento do mesmo. Os objetivos específicos propostos para este trabalho foram: (i) elaboração de matriz qualitativa cruzando as informações das atividades impactantes e fatores ambientais relevantes nos meios biótico, físico e antrópico; (ii) derivação de check-list descritivo para caracterização dos impactos ambientais. Para a consecução destes objetivos utilizou-se as seguintes metodologias: (i) matriz qualitativa e (ii) método Check-list descritivo. Gerou-se um método avaliativo qualitativamente de impactos ambientais para empreendimentos do tipo Jardim Botânico. Este método, relevante sob o prisma acadêmico e com utilidade prática, torna-se uma importante ferramenta para futuras análises de impactos, proposição de medidas mitigadoras e compensatórias, e processos de regularização ambiental. Esta dissertação é gerou um método de avaliação qualitativa de impactos ambientais de empreendimentos tipo Jardim Botânico, cujos resultados podem fornecer subsídios para políticas públicas. Abstract: Global biodiversity suffers loss through intense pressure from population expansion. Gathered together in an international effort, Botanical Gardens around the world represent an important mechanism for conservation and preservation of biodiversity. In Brazil, the National Environment Policy (PNMA) argues that natural resources are goods of common use, and they must be preserved. In this sense, was implemented an environmental licensing system. This system works as a preventive administrative supervision for the environment, permitting or not the operation of any enterprise. Environmental impact assessment is a specific, comprehensive and detailed evaluation environmental impacts mechanism that defines potentiating and mitigation actions for the project under analysis. This study defines the requirements for the process of Environmental Impact Assessment to support studies of Licensing and also proposes to adapt suitable methodologies for qualitative assessment of environmental impacts during the operation phase of this kind of activity. The methodologies Matrix of Interaction and "Check List" represent the best forms of qualitative analysis of environmental impacts. The data for this analysis were obtained from visit to botanical garden sites and virtual visits on botanical gardens web sites. The Matrix of Interaction and the "Check List" show that the Botanical Garden activity has a tendency to positive impacts, making the enterprise positive. Environmental measures are well balanced, with a slight tendency to the predominance of preventive minimization measures. The present study demonstrates that the adapted methodologies have great relevance and efficiency for environmental impact assessment, when applied in this type of activity and for the purpose of subsidizing the licensing of Botanical Gardens in Brazil. It is concluded that Botanical Garden is a beneficial activity to the location of its implementation, strengthening its mission: conservation and preservation of global biodiversity

Effect of the Substitution of Agricultural Uses by Forest on the Hydrological Processes in a Tropical Watershed. Analysis through Hydrological Simulation

Forests play an important role in watershed hydrology, regulating the transfer of water within the system. Their role in maintaining the hydrological regime of watersheds is still a controversial issue. Due to the uncertainty, our first objective was to identify, through GIS techniques, “Environmentally Sensitive Areas” (ESAs) in the Pinhal watershed, subsequently, to simulate land use scenarios with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model. In one of these scenarios, we considered these areas as protected by forest cover. This scenario we compared to the current scenario regarding watershed sediment yield and hydrological processes. The results showed a reduction in sediment yield of 54% between the two scenarios, whereas watershed water yield was reduced by 19.3%

Utilização do resíduo sólido industrial (lama-de-cal) em pavimentos de estradas florestais

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do resíduo sólido industrial (lama-de-cal) nas propriedades geotécnicas de amostras de solo da região de Alagoinhas, BA, Brasil. Das sete amostras coletadas, apenas duas foram selecionadas, por apresentar maior potencial geotécnico. Utilizaram-se ensaios de caracterização, CBR e permeabilidade, cujos resultados indicaram que a amostra de solo denominada good gravel quando estabilizada com lama-de-cal, na dosagem de 20 e 25%, foi a mais promissora. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of industrial solid waste (whitewash mud) on geotechnical properties considering the following engineering parameters: California Bearing Ratio (CBR), Atterberg limits and Permeability test. Seven soil samples derived from Alagoinhas, Bahia - Brazil, were classified by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) system. Two were selected as having a great geotecnical potential classified as A-3 (0) and A-2-4 (0), whitewash mud contents 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% dry weight and medium compaction effort were studied in the laboratory testing program. The results indicated the soil denominated good gravel as being the most promising one, when stabilized with whitewash mud, reaching the best results with the dosage of 20 and 25% of whitewash mud

Sazonalidade no turismo: novos desafios à sustentabilidade: o caso prático do Troiaresort

Projeto / Classificação JEL: L83, M31A variação da procura é um dos grandes desafios da atividade turística. Origens naturais e sociais, bem como múltiplas repercussões ao nível empresarial e local, têm vindo a ser alvo de vários estudos. Mas, apesar do vasto trabalho reflexivo, a sazonalidade está ainda longe de ser controlada, representando uma das maiores ameaças à sustentabilidade do sector. Compreendido como um fenómeno inerente ao sector e difícil de combater, a sua previsibilidade permitiu porém identificar inúmeras estratégias para atenuar os seus impactos económicos e sociais, nomeadamente ao nível da diversificação do produto. A partir do contexto particular do caso do troiaresort, este projeto pretende contribuir para o ajuste do plano de marketing do destino, propondo boas práticas de gestão da sazonalidade. Como na maioria dos destinos de "sol e mar", o reduzido número de turistas fora da época alta, em contraste com os meses de verão, provoca o encerramento de alguns estabelecimentos da região. Posto isto, propõem-se dois eixos de intervenção: a captação de turistas estrangeiros e a notoriedade de Tróia enquanto destino. Para a estabilização da procura ao longo do ano – principal foco de uma das maiores indústria de Portugal – é fundamental aumentar a perceção de valor da experiência turística.Seasonality on demand is commonly considered one of the major challenges within the tourism business. Comprehensive studies have been developed explaining its natural or social causes and several impacts can be pointed out at an enterprise and local level. Although it is a largely researched subject this phenomenon is yet far from being under control and it represents one of the most problematic threats to the sustainability of tourism business. Mitigating seasonality is generally perceived as a doubtful cause but countless strategies have been endorsed to reduce its economical and social impacts, mostly regarding product diversification. Within the specific context of the troiaresort case, this project intends to contribute to the adjustment of the marketing plan of a destination by proposing more favorable solutions to overcome seasonality. Like most “sun and sea” destinations worldwide, the scarce number of tourists during off peak season, in contrast to that on the summer months, implies the closing of some services and enterprises working in the region. Two main streams on which to work are proposed: searching for foreign tourists and raising the awareness of Tróia as a destiny. It is critical to elevate the experience’s perceived value in order to achieve a stabilization of the demand throughout the year, which represents the main struggle of one of the largest industries in Portugal