Suchergebnisse

Abstract Purpose: The contributions of individuals in the innovative process and the way they learn are crucial. However, the various entrepreneurial learning modes are neglected in discussions about innovation. That said, innovation is considered to emerge from continuous learning processes and the accumulation and development of knowledge from relationships, experiences, skills, and information. Thus, this work aims to identify how small business entrepreneurs adopt the different learning modes in their innovation actions. Originality/value: The academic contribution of this research is to present initial steps regarding entrepreneurial learning modes in conjunction with innovation. On the other hand, the practical contribution refers to understanding the different forms of learning that can be considered for innovation, which the study will provide to small business entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach: The research strategy adopted was multiple case studies and content and cross-case analysis techniques were used for data analysis. Findings: Research results show that experiential, through networks, formal, and vicarious learning are important modes to help entrepreneurs achieve market distinction through innovative solutions. Thus, the knowledge accumulation provided by the different learning modes studied resulted in implementing various innovation actions, mainly in services, in the companies participating in the study.

22 páginas, 2 figuras, 5 tablas.-- The final publication is available at www.springerlink.com ; Background, aim, and scope In this work, an environmental risk assessment of reusing organic waste of differing origins and raw materials as agricultural fertilizers was carried out. An inventory of the heavy metal content in different organic wastes (i.e., compost, sludge, or manure) from more than 80 studies at different locations worldwide is presented. Materials and methods The risk analysis was developed by considering the heavy metal (primarily Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in different organic residues to assess their potential environmental accumulation and biotransfer to the food chain and humans. A multi-compartment model was used to estimate the fate and distribution of metals in different environmental compartments, and a multi-pathway model was used to predict human exposure. Results The obtained hazard index for each waste was concerning in many cases, especially in the sludge samples that yielded an average value of 0.64. Among the metals, Zn was the main contributor to total risk in all organic wastes due to its high concentration in the residues and high biotransfer potential. Other more toxic metals, like Cd or Pb, represented a negligible contribution. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Government (Science and Innovation Ministry) through the Project INDIE (CTM2010-18893). Marta Herva wishes to thank the University of Santiago de Compostela for her pre-doctoral contract. Dr. Amaya Franco-Uría would like to thank MICINN for the support provided by the "Juan de la Cierva" Subprogram. ; Peer reviewed

RESUMO Atualmente, o Brasil é o maior consumidor de agrotóxicos do mundo. Diversos estudos comprovam os malefícios para a saúde humana e ambiental da exposição aos agrotóxicos. Realizou-se uma revisão sistemática no período de 2011 a 2017 acerca desse tema em bases de dados científicos. Foram incluídos 116 estudos que demonstraram o impacto negativo para a saúde humana e ambiental. É essencial a realização de estudos sobre os efeitos da exposição crônica e simultânea a diversos agrotóxicos, além de estudos sobre os nexos de determinação estrutural do uso dos venenos e suas consequências.

14 páginas, 3 tablas ; Fish discards and by-catch issues are highly topical subjects that are permanently under a social focus. Two main approaches are being considered to address this discard problem: reducing the by-catch and increasing by-catch utilization. Interest in increased by-catch valorization may arise from a greater demand for fish products, such as the development of new markets for previously discarded species, the use of low-value specimens for aquaculture or the creation of value-added fish products for the food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries. However, contaminants present in fish discards may be transferred to their valorized products, leading to possible long-term bioaccumulation and subsequent adverse health effects. In this valorization framework, the aim is to promote responsible and sustainable management of marine resources. The pollutant levels in catches from European fisheries and the best available decontamination techniques for marine valorized discards/by-products are compiled and analyzed in this work. ; The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the LIFE + Program of the European Union (FAROS Project – LIFE08 ENV/E/000119). ; Peer reviewed

O objectivo deste artigo é mostrar, através da análise de uma equipa virtual internacional, a importância crescente do trabalho colectivo na economia global, bem como a virtualização da cooperação utilizando as TIC como meios de comunicação. No que diz respeito à metodologia, foi adoptada uma abordagem descritiva e exploratória, no qual foram aplicados instrumentos de investigação quantitativa e qualitativa, com especial destaque para a utilização de materiais de fontes primárias, nomeadamente a recolha de mensagens electrónicas trocadas entre os elementos da equipa durante o processo da formação e consolidação da equipa. A análise dos dados sugere que a equipa não conseguiu estabelecer regras formais de comunicação, o que afectou negativamente a eficiência do trabalho, mas em simultâneo foi capaz de superar parcialmente o problema mediante a construção progressiva de afinidade e confiança.

Aim: The aims of this study were to identify clustering of behaviours in young adolescents and to analyse differences in food intake according to clusters. Subject and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on adolescents' behaviours comprising 2,160 adolescents aged 13 years attending schools of Porto, Portugal. We used data of 875 girls and 737 boys with complete information for all variables considered in the cluster definition (tobacco and alcohol use, sport activities, fruit intake, daily sleep hours). The average method was used to find the natural structure of clusters. Results: We identified three clusters: cluster 1 characterized by never smokers and never drinkers represented those with higher intake of fruits and lower intake of soft drinks. Cluster 2 comprised essentially tobacco and alcohol experimenters and was almost similar to cluster 1 regarding the other characteristics. Cluster 3 represented mostly regular smokers and drinkers, and those with the lowest daily sport activities, the lowest number of daily sleep hours, the lowest mean of fruit consumption and the highest intake of sweets and soft drinks. Conclusion: Our findings show that even in the early stages of adolescence there is a cluster of smoking, alcohol use and food intake, providing further evidence of the clustering of unhealthy behaviours.

7 páginas, 3 figuras, 2 tablas ; Sustainability of the fisheries sector is nowadays a key issue due to the significant impact that this activity may have on the environment. Besides fishing activity itself, other indirect impacts, like those originated from related activities and services also need to be addressed. For assessing the environmental burden of this sector, the Ecological Footprint (EF) indicator can be used. The application of EF to the fisheries sector is still uncommon and studies of associated activities (such as ports) even more. In this work, classical EF methodology was applied in order to evaluate the environmental impact of the fisheries sector, taking as a representative sample the global activity (fishing and transportation) of the Port of Vigo (Spain), one of the biggest fishing ports in the world. A high value of total EF for both port and fishing activities was obtained. However, relative EF is much higher in the case of fishing, due to the low natural productivity associated to fish resources. Energy-land and sea area were the most affected land-components within the footprint, while among the different categories, resources consumption was the main contributor to the EF value in all the assessed scenarios. ; European Union through the LIFE Environment Program of the European Union (LIFE05 ENV/E000267-BE FAIR and LIFE08 ENV/E/000119-FAROS) ; Peer reviewed

8 páginas, 5 tablas, 1 figura ; Organic and inorganic pollutant levels were determined for the most discarded species from trawlers operating in Great Sole and Spanish coastal fishing grounds. Results for heavy metals indicated that Cd can reach values higher than legal limits for some species and tissues, while Hg and Pb concentrations are below established values. No significant variation was noticed with fishing grounds, but both season influences in the case of Pb and interspecies variation for Hg and Cd have been detected. Valorization recommendations could be therefore established according to the levels found in the different species ; The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the LIFE + Program of the European Union (FAROS Project — LIFE08 ENV/E/000119, LIFE iSEAS Project — LIFE13 ENV/ES/000131). Amaya Franco-Uría belongs to the Galician Competitive Research Group GRC 2013-032, program co-funded by ERDF, and to CRETUS (AGRUP2015/02). Amaya Franco-Uría and Luis T. Antelo would also like to thank Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación for the support provided by the "Ramón y Cajal" Subprogram. ; Peer reviewed

This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats from micro-regions of the state of Piauí (Brazil). From six randomly selected properties, 145 goats were examined. Serum samples of the animals were analyzed by ELISA for the presence or absence of antibodies against T. gondii. Of these, 22% were seroreactive for T. gondii. Individual records were also taken for each property. These analyses showed that factors such as sex, age, water source, and presence of cats were associated with animal seropositivity. In addition, there was also a positive correlation (p > 0.04) between animal sex and T. gondii contamination. The presence of cats in the facilities and animal pasture fields appeared to be a risk factor for the contamination of goats in the assessed properties (p > 0.03). The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is present in the goat herds of southern Piauí state, and females are more likely to be contaminated.

Objective: To model the reduction in premature deaths attributed to noncommunicable diseases if targets for reformulation of processed food agreed between the Portuguese health ministry and the food industry were met. Methods: The 2015 co-regulation agreement sets voluntary targets for reducing sugar, salt and trans-fatty acids in a range of products by 2021. We obtained government data on dietary intake in 2015-2016 and on population structure and deaths from four major noncommunicable diseases over 1990-2016. We used the Preventable Risk Integrated ModEl tool to estimate the deaths averted if reformulation targets were met in full. We projected future trends in noncommunicable disease deaths using regression modelling and assessed whether Portugal was on track to reduce baseline premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases in the year 2010 by 25% by 2025, and by 30% before 2030. Findings: If reformulation targets were met, we projected reductions in intake in 2015-2016 for salt from 7.6 g/day to 7.1 g/day; in total energy from 1911 kcal/day to 1897 kcal/day due to reduced sugar intake; and in total fat (% total energy) from 30.4% to 30.3% due to reduced trans-fat intake. This consumption profile would result in 248 fewer premature noncommunicable disease deaths (95% CI: 178 to 318) in 2016. We projected that full implementation of the industry agreement would reduce the risk of premature death from 11.0% in 2016 to 10.7% by 2021. Conclusion: The co-regulation agreement could save lives and reduce the risk of premature death in Portugal. Nevertheless, the projected impact on mortality was insufficient to meet international targets.