Innovation and the circular economy: A systematic literature review

The circular economy emerged as an alternative model to the linear system, which now appears to be reaching its physical limitations. To transition to a circular economy, companies must not only be aware of but also engage in more sustainable practices. For such a transition, companies must rethink and innovate their business models and the ways they propose value to their clients while simultaneously considering environmental and social facets. This systematic literature review sought to map out from the company perspective the key topics interrelated with innovation and the circular economy, describing the internal and external factors to consider in such transition processes. Key lines of research were identified, and suggestions for future research and for facilitating movement toward a circular economy are provided. This work contributes to deepening the literature by identifying the priority areas concerning the circular economy and encouraging future research that meets international standards of excellence.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysing the correlation between social network analysis measures and performance of students in social network-based engineering education

Social network-based engineering education (SNEE) is designed and implemented as a model of Education 3.0 paradigm. SNEE represents a new learning methodology, which is based on the concept of social networks and represents an extended model of project-led education. The concept of social networks was applied in the real-life experiment, considering two different dimensions: (1) to organize the education process as a social network-based process; and (2) to analyze the students' interactions in the context of evaluation of the students learning performance. The objective of this paper is to present a new model for students evaluation based on their behavior during the course and its validation in comparison with the traditional model of students' evaluation. The validation of the new evaluation model is made through an analysis of the correlation between social network analysis measures (degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality, and average tie strength) and the grades obtained by students (grades for quality of work, grades for volume of work, grades for diversity of work, and final grades) in a social network-based engineering education. The main finding is that the obtained correlation results can be used to make the process of the students' performance evaluation based on students interactions (behavior) analysis, to make the evaluation partially automatic, increasing the objectivity and productivity of teachers and allowing a more scalable process of evaluation. The results also contribute to the behavioural theory of learning performance evaluation. More specific findings related to the correlation analysis are: (1) the more different interactions a student had (degree centrality) and the more frequently the student was between the interaction paths of other students (betweenness centrality), the better was the quality of the work; (2) all five social network measures had a positive and strong correlation with the grade for volume of work and with the final graThe authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through the Grants "Projeto Estrategico-UI 252-2011-2012'' reference PEst-OE/EME/UI0252/2011, "Ph.D. Scholarship Grant'' reference SFRH/BD/85672/2012, and the support of Parallel Planes Lda.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Noonops.

48 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm. Part of the oonopid PBI project. Cf. acknowledgments.A new genus, Noonops, is established to contain 23 species of soft-bodied, New World oonopine spiders that differ from those of Oonops Templeton and similar genera in having the male palpal bulb fused to the cymbium, and from those of Wanops Chamberlin and Ivie and Oonopoides Bryant in having shorter legs. Six specific names are transferred from Oonops to Noonops: O. floridanus (Chamberlin and Ivie) from Florida and Georgia (chosen as the type species), O. gertschi Chickering from the Bahama Islands (which is placed as a junior synonym of N. floridanus), O. furtivus Gertsch from Texas and Tamaulipas, O. sonora Gertsch and Davis from Arizona, California, Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, O. puebla Gertsch and Davis from Puebla, and O. chilapensis Chamberlin and Ivie from Guerrero. Males of N. sonora and females of N. furtivus are described for the first time; 18 new species are described: N. ocotillo, N. mortero, N. joshua, N. skinner, N. coachella, and N. californicus from Arizona and southern California and N. willisi, N. mesa, N. naci, N. tarantula, N. miraflores, N. culiacan, N. taxquillo, N. chapul, N. beattyi, N. iviei, N. tonila, and N. minutus from Mexico

Copper-catalysed selective hydroamination reactions of alkynes

The development of selective reactions that utilize easily available and abundant precursors for the efficient synthesis of amines is a long-standing goal of chemical research. Despite the centrality of amines in a number of important research areas, including medicinal chemistry, total synthesis and materials science, a general, selective and step-efficient synthesis of amines is still needed. Here, we describe a set of mild catalytic conditions utilizing a single copper-based catalyst that enables the direct preparation of three distinct and important amine classes (enamines, α-chiral branched alkylamines and linear alkylamines) from readily available alkyne starting materials with high levels of chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity. This methodology was applied to the asymmetric synthesis of ​rivastigmine and the formal synthesis of several other pharmaceutical agents, including ​duloxetine, ​atomoxetine, ​fluoxetine and ​tolterodine.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (GM58160

Pentanol isomer synthesis in engineered microorganisms

Pentanol isomers such as 2-methyl-1-butanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol are a useful class of chemicals with a potential application as biofuels. They are found as natural by-products of microbial fermentations from amino acid substrates. However, the production titer and yield of the natural processes are too low to be considered for practical applications. Through metabolic engineering, microbial strains for the production of these isomers have been developed, as well as that for 1-pentanol and pentenol. Although the current production levels are still too low for immediate industrial applications, the approach holds significant promise for major breakthroughs in production efficiency

Glucosinolates, myrosinase hydrolysis products, and flavonols found in rocket (Eruca sativa and Diplotaxis tenuifolia)

Rocket species have been shown to have very high concentrations of glucosinolates and flavonols, which have numerous positive health benefits with regular consumption. In this review we highlight how breeders and processors of rocket species can utilize genomic and phytochemical research to improve varieties and enhance the nutritive benefits to consumers. Plant breeders are increasingly looking to new technologies such as HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS and GC-MS to screen populations for their phytochemical content to inform plant selections. Here we collate the research that has been conducted to-date in rocket, and summarise all glucosinolate and flavonol compounds identified in the species. We emphasize the importance of the broad screening of populations for phytochemicals and myrosinase degradation products, as well as unique traits that may be found in underutilized gene bank resources. We also stress that collaboration with industrial partners is becoming essential for long-term plant breeding goals through research

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of strength and balance Exergames to reduce falls risk for people aged 55 years and older in UK assisted living facilities: A multi-centre, cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal unintentional injuries in older people. The use of Exergames (active, gamified video-based exercises) is a possible innovative, community-based approach. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a tailored OTAGO/FaME based strength and balance Exergame programme for improving balance, maintaining function and reducing falls risk in older people. Methods: A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial recruiting adults aged 55 years and older living in 18 assisted-living (sheltered housing) facilities (clusters) in the UK. Standard care (physiotherapy advice and leaflet) was compared to a tailored 12-week strength and balance Exergame programme, supported by physiotherapists or trained assistants. Complete-case analysis (intention to treat) was used to compare Berg Balance Scale (BBS) at baseline and at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included: fear of falling, mobility, falls risk, pain, mood, fatigue, cognition, healthcare utilisation and health-related quality of life; self-reported physical activity and falls. Results: Eighteen clusters were randomised (9 to each arm) with 56 participants allocated to the intervention and 50 to the control (78% female, mean age 78 years). Fourteen participants withdrew over the 12 weeks (both arms), mainly for ill health. There was an adjusted mean improvement in balance (BBS) of 6.2 (95% CI 2.4 to 10.0), reduced fear of falling (p=0.007) and pain (p=0.02) in Exergame group. Mean attendance at sessions was 69% (mean exercising time of 33 minutes/week). 24% of control group and 20% of Exergame group fell over trial period. The change in falls rates significantly favoured the intervention (incident rate ratio 0.31 (95% CI 0.16 to 0.62, p=0.001)). The point estimate of the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was £15,209.80 per QALY. Using 10,000 bootstrap replications, at the lower bound of the NICE threshold of £20,000 per QALY, there was a 61% probability of Exergames being cost-effective, rising to 73% at the upper bound of £30,000 per QALY. Conclusions: Exergames, as delivered in this trial, improve balance, pain and fear of falling and are a cost-effective fall prevention strategy in assisted living facilities for people aged 55 years or older