Estándares territoriales de innovación : análisis de las regiones de Portugal

Competitiveness among regions and innovation dynamics are intimately related and depend on a solid and effective innovation system. This study aims to measure innovativeness in different Portuguese regions and to evaluate the nature of the innovation process and the relationship between innovativeness and its region of origin. To characterize the territorial innovation processes and to identify innovation patterns by regions, it analyzes their main distinctive factors, based on the Community Innovation Survey results for each region. Thus, it compares the Portuguese regions by verifying the existence of subjacent clusters and finding out the characteristics that distinguish the different groups of regions. The results point to the existence of four groups of regions, and the factors identified are related to the innovation process, namely objectives of innovation, sources of innovation, collaborative networks, triple helix performance, and obstacles to innovation.RESUMEN: La competitividad entre las regiones y la dinámica de la innovación están íntimamente relacionadas y dependen de un sistema de innovación sólida y eficaz. Este estudio tiene como objetivo medir la capacidad de innovación en diferentes regiones portuguesas y evaluar la naturaleza del proceso de innovación y la relación entre la capacidad de innovación y su región de origen. Para la caracterización de los procesos de innovación territoriales y identificar estándares de innovación en las regiones, este artículo analiza sus factores distintivos principales, con base en los resultados de las encuestas comunitarias sobre innovación para cada región. Por lo tanto, se comparan las regiones portuguesas mediante la verificación de la existencia de agrupaciones subyacentes y descubrir las características que distinguen a los diferentes grupos de regiones. Los resultados apuntan a la existencia de cuatro grupos de regiones, y los factores identificados están relacionados con el proceso de innovación, es decir, los objetivos de la innovación, las fuentes de innovación, redes de colaboración, el funcionamiento de la triple hélice, y los obstáculos a la innovación.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluating the determinants of national innovative capacity among european countries

Copyright © 2011 Maria Manuela Santos Natário, João Pedro Almeida Couto, Maria Teresa Borges Tiago, Ascensão Maria Martins Braga. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This paper reflects upon the factors that influence the national innovative capacity that is based on the European Innovation Scoreboard database. The aim is to reflect on, and evaluate, the factors influencing national innovative capacity. A cluster analysis was conducted to verify how different countries are positioned in terms of innovation outputs and determine which factors distinguish their level of innovative capacity. The results point to the existence of four groups of countries. On the other hand, the factors identified are related to the dimensions of institutional efficiency, namely the efficiency of institutions, types of regulation, effective rule of law and level of corruption, societies’ cultural values associated with the level of hierarchy or "power distance" and "uncertainty avoidance." Aspects are related to the innovation framework, such as doctorates in science and engineering, business Research & Development expenses, and the level of collaboration for innovation

Quantitative and qualitative determination of CLA produced by bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria by combining spectrophotometric and Ag+-HPLC techniques

Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), especially from the genera Lactobacillus and Lactococcus, are commonly used in the production of fermented dairy products due to their potential probiotic characteristics. Moreover, some strains of these microorganisms also have the ability to produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) from linoleic acid (LA), which has attracted much attention as a novel type of beneficial functional fermented milk. In the present work 22 probiotic bacteria were tested for the production of CLA, using a UV screening method and HPLC techniques. Five microorganisms, two strains of the genera Bifidobacterium, two Lactobacillus and one Lactococcus were selected for their ability to produce CLA after incubation in skim milk with free LA as a substrate. It was possible to quantify the production of CLA (in the range of 40–50 lg CLA/ml) and identify the CLA isomers produced as C18:2 cis 9, trans 11 (60–65%), C18:2 trans 10, cis 12 (30–32%), C18:2 trans 9, trans 11 and C18:2 trans 10, trans 12 (2–5%)

Dengue disease, basic reproduction number and control

Dengue is one of the major international public health concerns. Although progress is underway, developing a vaccine against the disease is challenging. Thus, the main approach to fight the disease is vector control. A model for the transmission of Dengue disease is presented. It consists of eight mutually exclusive compartments representing the human and vector dynamics. It also includes a control parameter (insecticide) in order to fight the mosquito. The model presents three possible equilibria: two disease-free equilibria (DFE) and another endemic equilibrium. It has been proved that a DFE is locally asymptotically stable, whenever a certain epidemiological threshold, known as the basic reproduction number, is less than one. We show that if we apply a minimum level of insecticide, it is possible to maintain the basic reproduction number below unity. A case study, using data of the outbreak that occurred in 2009 in Cape Verde, is presented.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definitive form has appeared in International Journal of Computer Mathematics (2011), DOI: 10.1080/00207160.2011.55454

Indicators of acid mine drainage in an affected system: the case of the mine Santo António de Penedono

O presente estudo descreve os efeitos da evolução geoquímica e mineralógica dos resíduos mineiros acumulados na escombreira de Santo António de Penedono, Penedono. Mediante a aplicação de diferentes tipos de indicadores: físico-químicos, ecológicos e mineralógicos, descrevem-se as propriedades do ambiente de drenagem superficial. Os resultados demonstram o caráter ácido do efluente e sugerem a eficácia de algas acidófilas como indicadoras de contaminação mineira. A análise mineralógica põe em evidência o papel dos precipitados de drenagem ácida no controle da mobilidade de poluentes, em especial do arsénio.The present study describes the effects of geochemical and mineralogical evolution of Penedono mine waste-dumps by applying different types of indicators: physical-chemical, ecological and mineralogical. The results obtained demonstrated the typical sulfated nature of acid mine drainage (AMD) and suggested the effectiveness of acidophilic algae as indicators of mining pollution. Mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy highlights the role of AMD-precipitates controlling the mobility of pollutants, in particular of arsenic.(undefined

(2,2′-Bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)bromido(1,4,7-trithia­cyclo­nonane-κ3 S,S′,S′′)ruthenium(II) hexa­fluoridophosphate

The title compound, [RuBr(C10H8N2)(C6H12S3)]PF6 or [RuBr(bpy)([9]aneS3)]PF6 ([9]aneS3 is 1,4,7-trithia­cyclo­nonane and bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine), exhibits a very similar octahedral coordination geometry for the Ru2+ atom to that of its [RuCl(bpy)([9]aneS3)]+ analogue, with only the chloride ligand being substituted by a bromide ligand. The presence of a PF6 − anion (alongside with the coordinated bromide ligand) promotes the existence of an extensive network of weak C—H⋯X (X = F, Br) inter­actions

A Stochastic View of Spliceosome Assembly and Recycling in the Nucleus

How splicing factors are recruited to nascent transcripts in the nucleus in order to assemble spliceosomes on newly synthesised pre-mRNAs is unknown. To address this question, we compared the intranuclear trafficking kinetics of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNP) and non-snRNP proteins in the presence and absence of splicing activity. Photobleaching experiments clearly show that spliceosomal proteins move continuously throughout the entire nucleus independently of ongoing transcription or splicing. Using quantitative experimental data, a mathematical model was applied for spliceosome assembly and recycling in the nucleus. The model assumes that splicing proteins move by Brownian diffusion and interact stochastically with binding sites located at different subnuclear compartments. Inhibition of splicing, which reduces the number of pre-mRNA binding sites available for spliceosome assembly, was modeled as a decrease in the on-rate binding constant in the nucleoplasm. Simulation of microscopy experiments before and after splicing inhibition yielded results consistent with the experimental observations. Taken together, our data argue against the view that spliceosomal components are stored in nuclear speckles until a signal triggers their recruitment to nascent transcripts. Rather, the results suggest that splicing proteins are constantly diffusing throughout the entire nucleus and collide randomly and transiently with pre-mRNAs

Metals and arsenic enrichment processes in sulfide-rich waste dumps - the role of the clay size fraction

[Extract] 1. Purpose Abandoned mines pose some of the most outstanding environmental risks, namely related with potentially toxic metals and metalloids in mining soils. Mobilization or fixation of these elements in the soil particles can be regulated by the interactions between several biogeochemical and mineralogical processes. In this context, the present study is focused on the detection of metals and arsenic enrichment processes in different particle size fractions of two distinctive sulphide-rich waste dumps. Furthermore, the study evaluates the role of typical clay size minerals, such as oxyhydroxides and clay minerals in the retention of toxic elements...info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Azadirachta indica A. Juss. In Vivo Toxicity—An Updated Review

The Neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss., is known for its large spectrum of compounds with biological and pharmacological interest. These include, among others, activities that are anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. Some neem compounds are also used as insecticides, herbicides, and/or antifeedants. The safety of these compounds is not always taken into consideration and few in vivo toxicity studies have been performed. The current study is a literature review of the latest in vivo toxicity of A. indica. It is divided in two major sections—aquatic animals toxicity and mammalian toxicity—each related to neem’s application as a pesticide or a potential new therapeutic drug, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio