Eco-entrepreneurship in developing countries: the case of renewable energy sector in Bolivia

The change towards a sustainable economic system represents a big challenge for the present as well as next generations. Such a process requires important long-term changes in technologies, lifestyle, infrastructures and institutions. In this scenario the innovation process is a crucial element for fostering sustainability as well as an egalitarian development in developing countries. For those reasons the concept of Eco-Innovation System is introduced and further considerations are provided for the case of less-developed countries. The paper illustrates that sustainable development is possible by exploiting local potential and traditional knowledge in order to achieve at the same time economic growth, social equality and environmental sustainability. In order to prove such an assumption a speci���c case study is described: The renewable energy sector in Bolivia. The case study summarizes many important dimensions of the innovation process in developing countries such as technological transfer, diffusion and adaptation, social dimension and development issues.

USO DE TEORIAS NO CAMPO DE SISTEMAS DE INFORMA����O: MAPEAMENTO USANDO T��CNICAS DE MINERA����O DE TEXTOS

Esta disserta����o visa apresentar o mapeamento do uso das teorias de sistemas de informa����es, usando t��cnicas de recupera����o de informa����o e metodologias de minera����o de dados e textos. As teorias abordadas foram Economia de Custos de Transa����es (Transactions Costs Economics TCE), Vis��o Baseada em Recursos da Firma (Resource-Based View-RBV) e Teoria Institucional (Institutional Theory-IT), sendo escolhidas por serem teorias de grande relev��ncia para estudos de aloca����o de investimentos e implementa����o em sistemas de informa����o, tendo como base de dados o conte��do textual (em ingl��s) do resumo e da revis��o te��rica dos artigos dos peri��dicos Information System Research (ISR), Management Information Systems Quarterly (MISQ) e Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS) no per��odo de 2000 a 2008. Os resultados advindos da t��cnica de minera����o textual aliada �� minera����o de dados foram comparadas com a ferramenta de busca avan��ada EBSCO e demonstraram uma efici��ncia maior na identifica����o de conte��do. Os artigos fundamentados nas tr��s teorias representaram 10% do total de artigos dos tr��s per��odicos e o per��odo mais prof��cuo de publica����o foi o de 2001 e 2007.(AU)

USO DE TEORIAS NO CAMPO DE SISTEMAS DE INFORMA����O: MAPEAMENTO USANDO T��CNICAS DE MINERA����O DE TEXTOS

Esta disserta����o visa apresentar o mapeamento do uso das teorias de sistemas de informa����es, usando t��cnicas de recupera����o de informa����o e metodologias de minera����o de dados e textos. As teorias abordadas foram Economia de Custos de Transa����es (Transactions Costs Economics TCE), Vis��o Baseada em Recursos da Firma (Resource-Based View-RBV) e Teoria Institucional (Institutional Theory-IT), sendo escolhidas por serem teorias de grande relev��ncia para estudos de aloca����o de investimentos e implementa����o em sistemas de informa����o, tendo como base de dados o conte��do textual (em ingl��s) do resumo e da revis��o te��rica dos artigos dos peri��dicos Information System Research (ISR), Management Information Systems Quarterly (MISQ) e Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS) no per��odo de 2000 a 2008. Os resultados advindos da t��cnica de minera����o textual aliada �� minera����o de dados foram comparadas com a ferramenta de busca avan��ada EBSCO e demonstraram uma efici��ncia maior na identifica����o de conte��do. Os artigos fundamentados nas tr��s teorias representaram 10% do total de artigos dos tr��s per��odicos e o per��odo mais prof��cuo de publica����o foi o de 2001 e 2007.(AU)

Innovative Tourism Clusters: Myth or Reality? Empirical Evidence from Benidorm

Paper submitted to TCVT3 Bozen/Bolzano, 10-12 April 2014, International workshop on Tourists as Consumers, Visitors, Travellers

Study on Electrochemical Capacitance using Templated Carbons

The template carbonization technique enables the production of porous carbons and carbon-based composites with precisely designed, controlled pore structures. The resulting templated carbons are therefore useful to investigate and understand the relation between carbon nanostructure and electrocapacitive properties. In this short review paper, we introduce our works on electrochemical capacitance using zeolite-templated carbons and carbon-coated anodic aluminum oxide.

Successful functionalization of superporous zeolite templated carbon using aminobenzene acids and electrochemical methods

A novel and selective electrochemical functionalization of a highly reactive superporous zeolite templated carbon (ZTC) with two different aminobenzene acids (2-aminobenzoic and 4-aminobenzoic acid) was achieved. The functionalization was done through potentiodynamic treatment in acid media under oxidative conditions, which were optimized to preserve the unique ZTC structure. Interestingly, it was possible to avoid the electrochemical oxidation of the highly reactive ZTC structure by controlling the potential limit of the potentiodynamic experiment in presence of aminobenzene acids. The electrochemical characterization demonstrated the formation of polymer chains along with covalently bonded functionalities to the ZTC surface. The functionalized ZTCs showed several redox processes, producing a capacitance increase in both basic and acid media. The rate performance showed that the capacitance increase is retained at scan rates as high as 100 mV s���1, indicating that there is a fast charge transfer between the polymer chains formed inside the ZTC porosity or the new surface functionalities and the ZTC itself. The success of the proposed approach was also confirmed by using other characterization techniques, which confirmed the presence of different nitrogen groups in the ZTC surface. This promising method could be used to achieve highly selective functionalization of highly porous carbon materials.

Pseudocapacitance of zeolite-templated carbon in organic electrolytes

Carbon and graphene-based materials often show some amount of pseudocapacitance due to their oxygen-functional groups. However, such pseudocapacitance is generally negligible in organic electrolytes and has not attracted much attention. In this work, we report a large pseudocapacitance of zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC) based on the oxygen-functional groups in 1 M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate dissolved in propylene carbonate (Et4NBF4/PC). Due to its significant amount of active edge sites, a large amount of redox-active oxygen functional groups are introduced into ZTC, and ZTC shows a high specific capacitance (330 F g���1). Experimental results suggest that the pseudocapacitance could be based on the formation of anion and cation radicals of quinones and ethers, respectively. Moreover, ZTC shows pseudocapacitance also in 1 M lithium hexafluorophosphate dissolved with a mixture of ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate (LiPF6/EC+DEC) which is used for lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion capacitors.

The impact of rehabilitation support services on health-related quality of life for women with breast cancer

As the number of women surviving breast cancer increases, with implications for the health system, research into the physical and psychosocial sequelae of the cancer and its treatment is a priority. This research estimated self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with two rehabilitation interventions for breast cancer survivors, compared to a non-intervention group. Women were selected if they received an early home-based physiotherapy intervention (DAART, n = 36) or a group-based exercise and psychosocial intervention (STRETCH, n = 31). Questionnaires on HRQoL, using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast Cancer plus Arm Morbidity module, were administered at pre-, post-intervention, 6- and 12-months post-diagnosis. Data on a non-intervention group (n = 208) were available 6- and 12-months post-diagnosis. Comparing pre/post-intervention measures, benefits were evident for functional well-being, including reductions in arm morbidity and upper-body disability for participants completing the DAART service at one-to-two months following diagnosis. In contrast, minimal changes were observed between pre/post-intervention measures for the STRETCH group at approximately 4-months post-diagnosis. Overall, mean HRQoL scores (adjusted for age, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, high blood pressure and occupation type) improved gradually across all groups from 6- to 12-months post-diagnosis, and no prominent differences were found. However, this obscured declining HRQoL scores for 20-40% of women at 12 months post-diagnosis, despite receiving supportive care services. Greater awareness and screening for adjustment problems among breast cancer survivors is required throughout the disease trajectory. Early physiotherapy after surgery has the potential for short-term functional, physical and overall HRQoL benefits.