Reaching up, reaching out : a guide to organizing local solar events /

Mode of access: Internet.

Carbon credit trading in Brazil: an overview of a new business sector

This article discusses the Carbon Credit Trading Market in Brazil and opportunities for technological development and innovation related. The international trade in carbon credits becomes a source of opportunities for developing countries because of the Clean Development Mechanism. Committed to reduce polluting levels from 2008 to 2012, and ahead, industrialized countries started to seek ecological solutions internally or compensatory actions such as buying carbon credits from low-emission countries. This strategy brought up a brand-new industrial sector that still requires productive structures and a solid international commercialization system. This is a qualitative study, based on documentary research, referring to the Brazilian territory. The data obtained point out a set of efforts such as researching and developing products and processes environment friendly. Other findings indicate opportunities to expand Green Economy Sector through supporting a set of newborn firms such as waste management and recycling, in addition to other actions that reinforce sustainable development opportunities to the country and, at the end, to the world.

Value Assessment of Orphan Drugs and Treatments for Rare Diseases

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Essays on Entrepreneurship and Founder Pre-entry Knowledge

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Should the knowledge-based economy be a savant or a sage? Wisdom and socially intelligent innovation

Discourse about knowledge-based economies rarely moves beyond the commercialization of science and engineering, and is locked in the discursive limits of functionalism. We argue that these discourses limit the scope of what knowledge-based economies might achieve because they are uninformed by an adequate conception of knowledge. In particular, knowledge management and knowledge-based economy discourse has not included the axiological dimension of knowledge that leads to wisdom. Taking an axiological perspective, we can discuss policy frameworks aimed at producing the social structures needed to bring fully formed and fully functioning knowledge societies into being. We argue that while the dominant discourse of industrial modernity remains rationalist, functionalist, utilitarian and technocratic, knowledge-based economies will resemble a savant rather than a sage. A wisdom-based renaissance of humanistic epistemology is needed to avoid increasing social dysfunction and a lack of wisdom in complex technological societies.

Clay-based polymer nanocomposites: Research and commercial development

This paper reviews the recent research and development of clay-based polymer nanocomposites. Clay minerals, due to their unique layered structure, rich intercalation chemistry and availability at low cost, are promising nanoparticle reinforcements for polymers to manufacture low-cost, lightweight and high performance nanocomposites. We introduce briefly the structure, properties and surface modification of clay minerals, followed by the processing and characterization techniques of polymer nanocomposites. The enhanced and novel properties of such nanocomposites are then discussed, including mechanical, thermal, barrier, electrical conductivity, biodegradability among others. In addition, their available commercial and potential applications in automotive, packaging, coating and pigment, electrical materials, and in particular biomedical fields are highlighted. Finally, the challenges for the future are discussed in terms of processing, characterization and the mechanisms governing the behaviour of these advanced materials.

AS FEIAS (E OS FEIOS) QUE ME DESCULPEM, MAS BELEZA É FUNDAMENTAL : O USO CONTEMPORÂNEO DA IMAGEM E SUA INFLUÊNCIA NA MUDANÇA DOS PARADIGMAS ESTÉTICOS UTILIZADOS NA MÚSICA GOSPEL NO BRASIL

Este trabalho analisa sociologicamente na contemporaneidade o campo imagético na música gospel e de que forma, este influencia na mudança dos paradigmas imagético - estéticos utilizados pelas produtoras fonográficas em seu marketing religioso para a comercialização da música gospel no mercado da música evangélica brasileira, proporcionando neste modelo atual um crescimento qualitativo e quantitativo dos produtos destinados ao público evangélico. A pesquisa identifica nas produções visuais de divulgação e comercialização de CDs, DVDs, sites das produtoras fonográficas, feiras e premiações musicais, os mecanismos utilizados para a construção de um novo paradigma imagético que proporciona no campo religioso, o surgimento de um novo imaginário evangélico mimeticamente construído para alimentar um mercado gospel fomentado pela tríade social: espetáculo, consumo e entretenimento. Desta forma, a analise tem o seu recorte nas mudanças paradigmáticas que surgem a partir dos primeiros cantores e cantoras da década de 1950 até culminar na explosão da música gospel no início da década de 1990.(AU)

A propaganda de medicamentos de venda livre: um estudo do discurso e das questões éticas

A pesquisa identifica as características do discurso da propaganda de medicamentos de venda livre, analisando a relação entre o seu conteúdo, as questões éticas e as normas legais que orientam a comercialização desses medicamentos. O corpus de análise é constituído de 31 peças publicitárias de mídia impressa, de merchandising em pontos de venda PDVs, em campanhas de divulgação/comercialização de medicamentos de venda livre por um laboratório nacional EMS Sigma Pharma, e um multinacional Aventis Pharma. A metodologia de investigação é a Análise do Discurso subjacente às mensagens veiculadas nas peças de PDV, tendo como orientação os pressupostos dos teóricos de linha francesa, além dos fundamentos da propaganda e a legislação que a rege bem como os direitos do consumidor. A investigação mostra que a propaganda de medicamentos de venda livre, com seus argumentos altamente persuasivos a fim de seduzir o consumidor, não evidencia uma preocupação responsável com o consumidor e trata os medicamentos como quaisquer outros produtos, restringindo-se ao cumprimento das determinações legais em seus aspectos mínimos. Os princípios éticos e os valores sociais são ignorados, na maioria das peças, o que vale dizer que os emissores pecam por omissão na construção de seu discurso.

DE PROFESSOR A EMPRESÁRIO: CONTRIBUIÇOES DE ANTONIO VERONEZI AO ENSINO SUPERIOR

A história da fundação e desenvolvimento de uma instituição educacional, não pode ser desvinculada dos acontecimentos do país, sobretudo se ocorrida no último meio século, período ímpar na história, em que o ensino superior se expandiu de forma acelerada, sobretudo o privado. Este estudo do ensino superior brasileiro, contemplando a história da Universidade Guarulhos, tem como pano de fundo a história de vida de seu fundador e atual Chanceler Antonio Veronezi, como método de investigação qualitativa, construído por meio de entrevistas autobiográficas. Identificando nas narrativas momentos marcantes da história da educação brasileira, foram eles contextualizados no aspecto político, econômico e social. As transformações do processo de industrialização foram também pesquisadas procurando apresentar o desenvolvimento da própria cidade de Guarulhos, geradora da demanda por ensino superior desde a década de 1970 mantida até o momento. A trajetória educacional, a entrada no setor de educação, o desenvolvimento de habilidades de gestão e a transformação do professor do ensino médio em um dos mais importantes empresários e representante do setor, dotam de sentido as questões suscitadas, que poderão ser respondidas por pesquisadores da história, da pedagogia, da linguística ou da administração, entre as quais: a democratização do acesso, a qualidade do ensino superior, as representações sociais dos gestores e a mercantilização do setor.

On the thermal stabilization of carbon-supported SiO2 catalysts by phosphorus:evaluation in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene and a comparison with relevant catalysts

A strategy to enhance the thermal stability of C/SiO2 hybrids for the O2-based oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene (ST) by P addition is proposed. The preparation consists of the polymerization of furfuryl alcohol (FA) on a mesoporous precipitated SiO2. The polymerization is catalyzed by oxalic acid (OA) at 160 °C (FA:OA = 250). Phosphorous was added as H3PO4 after the polymerization and before the pyrolysis that was carried out at 700 °C and will extend the overall activation procedure. Estimation of the apparent activation energies reveals that P enhances the thermal stability under air oxidation, which is a good indication for the ODH tests. Catalytic tests show that the P/C/SiO2 hybrids are readily active, selective and indeed stable in the applied reactions conditions for 60 h time on stream. Coke build-up during the reaction attributed to the P-based acidity is substantial, leading to a reduction of the surface area and pore volume. The comparison with a conventional MWCNT evidences that the P/C/SiO2 hybrids are more active and selective at high temperatures (450–475 °C) while the difference becomes negligible at lower temperature. However, the comparison with reference P/SiO2 counterparts shows a very similar yield than the hybrids but more selective to ST. The benefit of the P/C/SiO2 hybrid is the lack of stabilization period, which is observed for the P/SiO2 to create an active coke overlayer. For long term operation, P/SiO2 appears to be a better choice in terms of selectivity, which is crucial for commercialization.

How screening criteria change during brand development

Purpose - Despite the increasing sophistication of new product development (NPD) research, the reliance on traditional approaches to studying NPD has left several areas in need of further research. The authors propose addressing some of these gaps, especially the limited focus on consumer brands, evaluation criteria used across different project-review points in the NPD process, and the distinction between "kills", "successes", and "failures". Moreover, they propose investigating how screening criteria change across project-review points, using real-time NPD projects. Design/methodology/approach - A postal survey generated 172 usable questionnaires from a sample of European, North American, Far Eastern and Australian consumer packaged-goods firms, providing data on 314 new product projects covering different development and post-commercialization review points. Findings - The results confirm that acceptance-rejection criteria vary through the NPD process. However, financial criteria dominate across all the project-review points. Initial screening is coarse, focusing predominantly on financial criteria. Fit with organizational, product, brand, promotional, and market requirements dominate in the detailed screen and pre-development evaluation points. At pre-launch, decision-makers focus on product, brand, and promotional criteria. Commercial fit, production synergies, and reliability of the firm's market intelligence are significant discriminators in the post-launch review. Moreover, the importance of marketing and channel issues makes the criteria for screening brands different from those of industrial markets. Originality/value - The study, although largely descriptive and involves a relatively small sample of consumer goods firms, offers new insights into NPD project evaluation behavior. Future, larger-scale investigations covering a broader spectrum of consumer product sectors are needed to validate our results and to explain the reasons behind managers' decisions. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Compressed orally disintegrating tablets:excipients evolution and formulation strategies

Introduction: Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) have emerged as one of the novel solid oral dosage forms with a potential to deliver a wide range of drug candidates to both paediatric and geriatric patient populations. Of the plethora of available technologies, compression of excipients offers a cost-effective and translatable methodology for the manufacture of ODTs. Areas covered: The review is a modest endeavour from the authors to assemble literature published over the last couple of decades on formulation development of compressed ODT. It describes the main ODT excipients used since the introduction of this dosage form in the 1990s and explores the switch from cellulose-based excipients towards sugar/polyols. Furthermore, it unfolds the key properties of ODT fillers, binders and disintegrants with an emphasis on their advantages and drawbacks. The review also provides a critical assessment of the various strategies employed for performance enhancement of compressed ODT with a focus on the underlying mechanisms for fast disintegration and acceptable mechanical strength. Expert opinion: Recent increase in the total number of compression-based technologies for ODT development promises to reduce the manufacturing cost of this dosage form in the future. However, some of the developed methods may affect the stability of tablets due to susceptibility to moisture, collapse of pores or the generation of less stable polymorphs which require rigorous testing prior to commercialization. © 2013 Informa UK, Ltd.

Fiber bragg gratings:advances in fabrication process and tools

Successful commercialization of a technology such as Fiber Bragg Gratings requires the ability to manufacture devices repeatably, quickly and at low cost. Although the first report of photorefractive gratings was in 1978 it was not until 1993, when phase mask fabrication was demonstrated, that this became feasible. More recently, draw tower fabrication on a production level and grating writing through the polymer jacket have been realized; both important developments since they preserve the intrinsic strength of the fiber. Potentially the most significant recent development has been femtosecond laser inscription of gratings. Although not yet a commercial technology, it provides the means of writing multiple gratings in the optical core providing directional sensing capability in a single fiber. Femtosecond processing can also be used to machine the fiber to produce micronscale slots and holes enhancing the interaction between the light in the core and the surrounding medium. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

The early career researcher's toolkit:translating tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and cell therapy products

Although the importance of translation for the development of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies is widely recognized, the process of translation is less well understood. This is particularly the case among some early career researchers who may not appreciate the intricacies of translational research or make decisions early in development which later hinders effective translation. Based on our own research and experiences as early career researchers involved in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine translation, we discuss common pitfalls associated with translational research, providing practical solutions and important considerations which will aid process and product development. Suggestions range from effective project management, consideration of key manufacturing, clinical and regulatory matters and means of exploiting research for successful commercialization.

Toward a scalable and consistent manufacturing process for the production of human MSCs

The development of novel, affordable and efficacious therapeutics will be necessary to ensure the continued progression in the standard of global healthcare. With the potential to address previously unmet patient needs as well as tackling the social and economic effects of chronic and age-related conditions, cell therapies will lead the new generation of healthcare products set to improve health and wealth across the globe. However, if many of the small to medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in much of the commercialization efforts are to successfully traverse the ‘Valley of Death’ as they progress through clinical trials, there are a number of challenges that must be overcome. No longer do the challenges remain biological but rather a series of engineering and manufacturing issues must also be considered and addressed.