The United Nations and Mozambique 1992-1995
In: African affairs: the journal of the Royal African Society, Band 96, Heft 382, S. 141-142
ISSN: 1468-2621
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In: African affairs: the journal of the Royal African Society, Band 96, Heft 382, S. 141-142
ISSN: 1468-2621
The aim of the current paper is to analyse international research collaborations in order to define patterns of international knowledge sharing. Research collaborations have become the norm in scientific and technological research. These collaborations often materialise in formal research projects. In this paper we will focus on research projects funded by the European Commission with Portuguese participation, mainly within the context of the Framework Programmes (FPs). We adopt the Triple Helix framework to investigate the way Portuguese universities, companies and other organisations are inserted in these collaborations and the role they play within them, in a dynamic form. This framework stresses the complex dynamics between academia, industry and government in the processes of knowledge production and innovation. We use Social Network Analysis to capture the composition and configuration of these international collaborations, considering them as knowledge networks. The empirical analysis of this research draws on data from the CORDIS database. We consider only projects that involve at least one Portuguese partner and address the "Renewable Sources of Energy" subject. We have identified 427 different projects, involving 2530 organisations from 83 countries. The analysis covers the period between 1985 and 2014. The results uncover an evolution consistent with the propositions of the Triple Helix framework. First, we witness the importance of universities, which are becoming more and more central in the knowledge network. Second, we observe the increasing participation of companies in the research, raising their share in the network composition to values similar to those of universities. Finally, the results reveal the strengthening of the interaction between the three agents: projects that bring together academia, industry and universities are now the most frequent type, unlike what occurred at the beginning of the period under review. This study contributes to further the understanding of cross-border knowledge sharing and creation, considering several types of actor and interaction and their dynamics. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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The aim of the current paper is to analyse international research collaborations in order to define patterns of international knowledge sharing. Research collaborations have become the norm in scientific and technological research. These collaborations often materialise in formal research projects. In this paper we will focus on research projects funded by the European Commission with Portuguese participation, mainly within the context of the Framework Programmes (FPs). We adopt the Triple Helix framework to investigate the way Portuguese universities, companies and other organisations are inserted in these collaborations and the role they play within them, in a dynamic form. This framework stresses the complex dynamics between academia, industry and government in the processes of knowledge production and innovation. We use Social Network Analysis to capture the composition and configuration of these international collaborations, considering them as knowledge networks. The empirical analysis of this research draws on data from the CORDIS database. We consider only projects that involve at least one Portuguese partner and address the "Renewable Sources of Energy" subject. We have identified 427 different projects, involving 2530 organisations from 83 countries. The analysis covers the period between 1985 and 2014. The results uncover an evolution consistent with the propositions of the Triple Helix framework. First, we witness the importance of universities, which are becoming more and more central in the knowledge network. Second, we observe the increasing participation of companies in the research, raising their share in the network composition to values similar to those of universities. Finally, the results reveal the strengthening of the interaction between the three agents: projects that bring together academia, industry and universities are now the most frequent type, unlike what occurred at the beginning of the period under review. This study contributes to further the understanding of cross-border knowledge sharing and creation, considering several types of actor and interaction and their dynamics. ; FCT
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Researchers have acknowledged that the flow of knowledge is influenced by the non-structural and structural features of networks. This paper aims to further develop an understanding of the institutional and structural features of knowledge networks by relating the brokerage roles of actors to the types and locations of organisations in biotechnology and software networks. The study is set within the context of the European Union (EU) research and innovation policy. It is designed as a social network analysis of EU research projects in biotechnology and software that took place between 1995 and 2016, wherein organisations from the Baltic States participated. The results of the study revealed that higher education and research organisations and public bodies acted as the main knowledge brokers and brokered more frequently across different regions in biotechnology networks. In software, it was the universities and research organisations that fulfilled this role. Thus, this study contributes to an understanding about the institutional and structural aspects of knowledge networks by focusing on brokers and their brokerage roles and relating these factors to specific organisation types and the locations of actors within the two sectors. It also adds the empirical context of the Baltic States in the areas of biotechnology and software collaborative research projects to the studies of knowledge networks, and offers practical suggestions for implementing collaborative research projects. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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The concept of social innovation is not new but "has returned to prominence in the last 15 years, after a period of neglect" (McCallum, Moulaert et al, 2009, p.2). However, and according to Ionescu, "social innovation is a relatively new analysis subject when it comes to the development of the theoretical approaches which rend the projected social development possible and efficient, but also within the context of other approaches which put emphasis on dispersed knowledge, decentralization and the capacity of communities and social groups to self-organize and formulate specific and new solutions to the problems they are dealing with" (Ionescu, 2015, p.54). The history of the concept revels that the association between the terms 'innovation' and 'social' has moved from its consideration as one of the dimensions of political and organizational change (Benjamin Franklin, Emile Durkheim, Joseph Schumpeter) to a change in itself: "the introduction of the social to innovation - as well as of the innovation to the social" (McCallum, Moulaert et al, 2009, p. 2). According to the same authors, "The concept enlarges the economic and technological reading of the role of innovation in development to encompass a more comprehensive societal transformation of human relations and practices (Moulaert and Nussbaumer 2008, in McCallum, Moulaert et al, 2009, p.2), being much more than innovations that enhance economic efficiency (Moulaert et al. 2005, 1973; Moulaert and Nussbaumer 2005, in McCallum, Moulaert et al, 2009, p.2) The work of Chambon, David and Devevey (1982) (Que sais- je?) offers an important synthesis on social innovation, namely the "relationship between social innovation and the pressures bound up within societal changes, and show how the mechanisms of crisis and recovery both provoke and accelerate social innovation". According to the authors, "social innovation signifies satisfaction of specific needs thanks to collective initiative, which is not synonymous with state intervention" (in Moulaert, 2009, p.13), and "can occur in different communities and at various spatial scales, but is conditional on processes of consciousness raising, mobilization and learning" (Idem, ibidem, p.13). The literature on the subject refers also the different elements involved in the dynamic of social innovation: objectives, processes, results and impact. In fact, "social innovations are innovations in both their ends and their means" (Ionescu, 2015, p.56); "social innovation is innovation in social relations, as well as in meeting human needs" (McCallum, Moulaert et al, 2009, p.2). ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
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In: Metropolitan Sustainability, S. 99-117
The paper discusses the entry strategies adopted by research-based firms introducing advanced renewable energy technologies in the electricity production sector, which combines strong incumbent power with fast technological change. Drawing on contributions from the literatures on sustainability transitions and on strategic management of technology we build an analytical framework to address the conditions faced by the new entrants and the attitude of established incumbents towards their technologies. This framework is applied through in-depth case studies of new firms in two energy fields that display different levels of technological maturity: wind and wave energy. The paper presents preliminary results from a first set of case studies, which provide some insights into the "commercialisation environment" prevailing in those fields. They suggest that research-based firms tend to depend on the complementary assets possessed by incumbents, but have conditions to protect their technologies; and that the technology is relevant for (at least some) incumbents, which show interest on them, or are directly involved in their development/use. This is, in most cases, conducive to "cooperation" strategies, which assume different forms according to the stage of development of the technology and its proximity to incumbent competences and business models ; FCT QREN – Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors, the European Union – European Regional Development Fund and National Funds Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under Project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-011377, Project PEst-C/EGE/UI4105/2011 and Project Project Pest-OE/EME/UI0252/2011 INESC Coimbra
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This paper deals with the efficiency and sustainability of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) management in 30 Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA) (the 28 European Union countries plus Norway and Iceland) for the period 2010-2016 using Exploratory Data Analytics (EDA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The first stage of the proposed methodology is EDA with already available (the CDW recovery rate) and suggested indicators (e.g., building stock characterization, dwelling occupancy ratio, macroeconomic ratios and CDW breakdown) to characterize the efficiency and sustainability of CDW management. The second stage is to assess the efficiency of countries using DEA through two original CDW production models, one for sustainability, measuring the efficiency of the construction sector for reducing itsCDW, and the second a model to score the efficiency of maximizing the CDW recovery rate. The main outcome of the paper is the proposed methodology, which is a candidate for replacing current indicators in order to evaluate the performance of CDW policy, due to is adaptive nature, promoting the continuous improvement and overcoming the limitations of the poor quality of metrics, data and parametric indicators. The methodology has been experimentally validated using Eurostat data for 30 Member States of EEA, ranking them according to the two DEA model scores, to point out the countries considered efficient among those of their scale, as a reference for sustainable and efficient practices. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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New Delhi is the second largest megacity in the world with a population of 26 million inhabitants (United Nations, 2016). Its metropolitan area its under severe vulnerabilities due to the lack of control of planning instruments on urban transformations. Needs in housing, resources (water and energy), infrastructures, transports, public services (health and education) among others are definitely going beyond local and regional government response capacities (Kapuria, 2014). Planning efforts, polices and regulations seem to have been instrumentalized under distinct historical moments, namely colonization, state control over land and nowadays capitalism and globalization. This leaded to the advent of an unplanned urbanism, with its extreme consequences and risks. It is intended to establish this nexus by revisiting the key planning moments in Delhi along with its different socioeconomic, cultural and political frameworks across time. Finally, we draw conclusions on how contemporary urban development models such as 'sustainability', 'resilience', 'participated governance' or 'smart cities' are being framed, perceived and applied under the context of Delhi urban planning instruments, polices and research. It seems that these narratives are serving as means to achieve specific goals by different drivers and actors. The discourse of sustainability is used to sell gated urbanizations for higher income classes, situated in greened areas, far way from slums and pollution. Resilience and horizontal governance is pursuit by the state as a mean to make citizens resistant and accountable to deal with city problems withdrawing public institutions from its own responsibility. Smart Cities Agenda is based on a huge investment on technologic information systems (Delhi is home to many ICT companies) on the hope to end mobility and pollution problems, leaving aside the fact that 77% of Delhi population live under poverty, in precarious housing or without infrastructure (sewage systems, water distribution and services) (Kushwaha, 2016). It is intended to highlight the importance of this reflection for a deep rethinking on concepts and practices in urban planning field, specially in what concerns its normative generalization without taking into account the influences and consequences of distinct political, social, ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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The aim of this work is to find patterns for products included in the customs tariffs of the USA and the EU (composed of over 5000 products disaggregated at the 6 digit-level) which share similarities, defined by a set of international trade variables, namely the index of revealed comparative advantages (RCA), the Grubel-Lloyd index, and other indicators of international trade. There is a strand in the literature advancing a theory that links the degree of intra-industry trade with the level of protectionism. In order to test this theory we use cluster analysis as a method of data analysis and the Grubel-Lloyd index as a classification variable between groups. For each of the analyzed regions we obtain four different groups. Thereafter each of these four clusters are further characterized with the help of the other international trade indicators and the tariffs. Finally, we establish a comparison between the two regions by examining possible differences and similarities. The results show a significant difference in the tariffs applied between the USA and the EU, with the USA presenting a lower level of protectionism. Additionally, the results for the USA show a positive relationship between the degree of intra-industry trade and a lower level of protectionism, while for the EU the results are not conclusive. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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OBJECTIVES--To document the effects of land mines on the health and social conditions of communities in four affected countries. DESIGN--A cross design of cluster survey and rapid appraisal methods including a household questionnaire and qualitative data from key informants, institutional reviews, and focus groups of survivors of land mines from the same communities. SETTING--206 communities, 37 in Afghanistan, 66 in Bosnia, 38 in Cambodia, and 65 in Mozambique. SUBJECTS--174,489 people living in 32,904 households in the selected communities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Effects of land mines on food security, residence, livestock, and land use; risk factors: extent of individual land mine injuries; physical, psychological, social, and economic costs of injuries during medical care and rehabilitation. RESULTS--Between 25% and 87% of households had daily activities affected by land mines. Based on expected production without the mines, agricultural production could increase by 88-200% in different regions of Afghanistan, 11% in Bosnia, 135% in Cambodia, and 3.6% in Mozambique. A total of 54,554 animals was lost because of land mines, with a minimum cash value of $6.5m, or nearly $200 per household. Overall, 6% of households (1964) reported a land mine victim; a third of victims died in the blast. One in 10 of the victims was a child. The most frequent activities associated with land mine incidents were agricultural or pastoral, except in Bosnia where more than half resulted from military activities, usually during patrols. Incidences have more than doubled between 1980-3 and 1990-3, excluding the incidents in Bosnia. Some 22% of victims (455/2100) were from households reporting attempts to remove land mines; in these households there was a greatly increased risk of injury (odds ratio 4.2 and risk difference 19% across the four countries). Lethality of the mines varied; in Bosnia each blast killed an average of 0.54 people and injured 1.4, whereas in Mozambique each blast killed 1.45 people and wounded 1.27. Households ...
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New Delhi is the second largest megacity in the world, housing around 26 million inhabitants, it's also a city of extremes.1 Uneven growth and social segregation, massive urbanization, environmental threats, lack of public services, infrastructural weaknesses are a daily routine, and not some future dystopian scenario. 2 According to Delhi Master Plan (2021), only 24% of the population lives in considered legal areas, with the remaining 76% of the population inhabiting unauthorized areas, with poor access to basic services such as house, water, electricity, health or education. 3 The majority of urban population seems to have been forgotten across time or doomed to social-spatial exclusion, enunciating an outstanding gap between planning practice and the dynamics and needs of the city. We may question whether the perpetuation of this gap hasn't been always embedded in planning and policy practice, constituting an echo of political, economic, institutional and scientific 'influences' ? from the West to the East or a mirror of the Indian fragmented society. 4 Three urban planning moments will be revisited in this paper, corresponding also to specific historical contexts, urban models, polices and regulations: Colonial planning driven by the interests of the British empire; modernist planning motivated by post-independence democracy; and, more recently, what one may venture to categorize as neoliberal planning, boosted by economic structural adjustments in the 90's.56 It's intended to demonstrate the nexus between the exercise of planning and police making and the growing detachment between a 'planned city' and an 'unplanned city', with its extreme consequences and risks. Finally, the paper presents some concluding remarks on the importance to critically analyse the permeability of concepts, models and practices to external influences, and how urban planning field may be undermined and/or undermining the solving of urban challenges around the World. This paper presents preliminary results of a research exchange at the Centre for the Study of Science Policy, Jawarlal Nehru University (New Delhi) under the European Marie Currie project "Crossing Borders. Knowledge, Innovation and Technology transfer across borders". Main results are based on literature review, consultation of planning/policy tools and the analysis of a set of interviews conducted to researchers from several disciplinary fields and to public institutions related to urban planning. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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In: Journal of the International AIDS Society, Band 15, Heft S4, S. 1-1
ISSN: 1758-2652
The western Africa is the origin of the HIV2 infection where Guinea Bissau has been the country where the rate of infection is higher. This infection have extended to Europe through the relationship established between European countries and there African colonies in the past. At 2010, 1.295 cases of HIV 2 infection were notified in Portugal, which represents nearly 3.3% of all HIV infections. Almost 510 of these cases are classified as AIDS. Although the majority of notified cases is from African patients there is still a significant contribution of the Portuguese people in these numbers. Retrospective analysis of HIV2 infected women and men followed at Faro's Hospital HIV/AIDS consult between January 1992 and June 2012. In this sample were included every patient older than 15 years and were excluded every patient than haven't been at the consult for a period superior to 18–24 months. Deceased patients and address change were also exclusion factors. Of all 1500 patients followed in consult, 35 of them were infected with HIV2 (2.3%); 18 women and 17 men. There were 3 patients that were co‐infected with HIV1 and HIV2. Mean age were 52.9 years. 19 of the infected patients were leucodermic and 16 were melanodermic. The majority of patients (19 cases) were Portuguese. The rest of them were from Africa where Guinea Bissau were the only country represented. In opposition to the HIV1 infection, the sexual transmission is by far the more common way of being infected. There's no case of vertical transmission known in our population. At the first contact, the majority of patients appear asymptomatic (16 cases) while a minority (4 cases) manifest themselves by AIDS. There is an AIDS case that result from HIV1 and HIV2 co‐infection (only one intravenous drug user in the group). The more common treatment is the association of NRTI and PI. The HIV2 infection is characterized by a longer clinical evolution when compared to the HIV1 infection. That fact explains why the mean age of patients is higher in the first case. This study shows that there isn't a gender incidence difference between men and women. Despite what happens at a national level, at local level the HIV2 infection is more prevalent among patients born in Portugal. It's important to notice that the HIV1 and HIV2 co‐infection is rising and that leads to some questions like viral synergism with consequent rapid disease progression.
Several spectroscopic techniques, as infrared, Raman, fluorescence and/or mass spectrometry, have been tested in the context of bacterial typing being the degree of success highly dependent of the taxonomic level. Instrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, due to the natural bacterial fluorophores, have been claimed to be a reliable alternative to the standard typing methods with some published works reporting its success. In this work we evaluate the ability of this technique to discriminate four closely related species belonging to the so-called Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Acinetobacter baumannii complex. Single-point and two dimensional fluorescence spectral data were acquired at room temperature and 25ºC. Spectra were analysed by partial least squares discriminant analysis and soft independent modelling of class analogy. The percentage of correct species assignments, ranging from 4.2 - 97.7%, is highly dependent of the experimental conditions and the data analysis. It seems that the results benefit from a strictly temperature control being those achieved with two-dimensional data slightly better. Nevertheless, it was impossible to achieve a satisfactory percentage of correct assignments for the four species simultaneously pointing to several limitations of this technique for such purposes. ; This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265) and National Funds (FCT/MEC, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Educação e Ciência) under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 UID/QUI/50006/2013. Cristina Quintelas was supported by a postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/101338/2014). Clara Sousa was funded through the NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000024 – "New Technologies for three Health Challenges of Modern Societies: Diabetes, Drug Abuse and Kidney Diseases". Thanks are due to Alexandr Nemec from the Laboratory of Bacterial Genetics, National Institute of Public Health, Prague – Czech Republic, for providing all the bacterial isolates used in this ...
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In: Children and youth services review: an international multidisciplinary review of the welfare of young people, Band 155, S. 107191
ISSN: 0190-7409