1,721,000 research outputs found
La gestione del rischio: strumenti pubblici e privati in Ragionando di Sviluppo locale: una lettura “nuova” di tematiche “antiche”
No full textL’impresa è un sistema aperto che vive e agisce all’interno di un dedalo molto più ampio di relazioni con altri operatori economici dal cui intreccio si delinea una stratificazione di sistemi (finanziario, operativo, delle forni-ture, distributivo, ecc.) in condizione di sovra o subordinazione reciproca, finalizzati alla creazione e ottimale allocazione del valore fra tutte le parti
Considerations on the environmental and social sustainability of animal-based policies
No full textThe contribution of the livestock sector to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as the worsening of animal welfare, with the intensification of production methods, have become increasingly relevant. Our contribution investigates the environmental impacts, in terms of methane and nitrous oxide emissions, of animal-based policies supported by the European Union. We examine factors affecting the adoption and the magnitude of related budget of Measure 215-animal welfare-of Rural Development Programmes 2007-2013. Our focus is cattle farming in Italy. The results highlight that the problem of animal welfare is highly perceived in regions with greater livestock intensity, also where GHG emissions are relevant. Given the adoption of measure 215, more budget tends to be allocated in regions where livestock units are particularly high. In addition, from the analysis emerges the bargaining position of regions with a higher propensity to the agricultural sector
La gestione del rischio: strumenti pubblici e privati
No full textL’impresa è un sistema aperto che vive e agisce all’interno di un dedalo molto più ampio di relazioni con altri operatori economici dal cui intreccio si delinea una stratificazione di sistemi (finanziario, operativo, delle forni-ture, distributivo, ecc.) in condizione di sovra o subordinazione reciproca, finalizzati alla creazione e ottimale allocazione del valore fra tutte le parti
On the environmental impacts of voluntary animal-based policies in the EU: Technical and political considerations
Full text linkThe livestock sector has a large influence on direct and indirect (via land use change) greenhouse gas emissions, with potential negative impacts on climate change. We quantify the environmental impacts related to the introduction of a voluntary animal-based policy supported by the European Union (EU), the Measure 14 of Rural Development Programmes 2014–2020 on animal welfare. In particular, we focus on methane and nitrous oxide emissions (direct impacts), and on carbon-based and nitrous oxide emissions from land use change (indirect impacts). Our case study is the dairy sector of the EU Member States. We found that the animal-based measures have (on average) limited environmental impacts, although marked differences exist across Member States
The sourcing for collaborative knowledge translation in distributed R&D processes: a cross-regional study
No full textPurpose: We explore the impact of a specific knowledge management framework on the quality of innovation, the geographic distribution of R&D and the cross-regional integration. We use directly observed indicators of cross-regional knowledge application within the firm as well as examine collaborative mechanisms that firms may use to promote such knowledge translation. Design/methodology/approach: Our analysis is based upon successful patents in biotechnology sector applied for during 2011–2014. The empirical assessment follows a mixed method approach. The sample used for testing the empirical hypotheses is composed of 130,720 patents from 860 large US firms. The sample of patents was obtained from USPTO and NBER dataset. Findings: The idea of this paper was to introduce a model specifically developed for the process of knowledge translation. This research contributes to the literature related to the emergent and new issue namely collaborative knowledge translation (CKT), especially emphasizing the key role of the knowledge translation practices and tools for the internationalization of R&D teams and supporting the quality of innovations in different ways. Originality/value: This research is conceptually based on the broader concepts of spiral of knowledge of Nonaka and Takeuchi. In spite of the increasing research in innovation, few studies have been done about the diverse contexts' role in the knowledge flows supporting the innovation development. In the attempt to cover this gap, the objective of this research is to answer the following main research question: How to support and manage the process of knowledge translation in innovation processes occurring in collaborative teams
Price responsiveness of supply and acreage in the EU vegetable oil markets: Policy implications
No full textVegetable oil market is becoming of increasing interest in the global biofuel industry. This phenomenon has also interested the European Union (EU), where the growing expansion of biofuel production is affected by political interventions promoting fuel security and environmental goals. Yet, empirical evidence on the impacts that changes in price of one commodity may have on the supply of another commodity are rather scant. We investigate these dynamics for the major sources of biodiesel in the EU and conclude on cross-commodity linkages for palm, rapeseed, soy, and sunflower oils. We also examine the acreage response of domestically produced feedstocks to changes in prices of vegetable oils. Our findings suggest strong and diversified path dependencies among vegetable oils that should be considered in planning sustainable biofuel policies. In particular, the empirical analysis reveals the great relevance of sunflower and soy oils, which show a high price responsiveness, and the high competition in end uses of domestically produced vegetable oils (i.e. rapeseed, soy, and sunflower oils), that tend to be net substitutes in supply. In terms of land use effects, we find that an increase in the price of imported palm oil results in a displacement effect in land devoted to rapeseed cultivation, whereas a surge in the price of sunflower oil decreases the use of land for rapeseed. Land use effects would be relevant in northern EU countries where the production of rapeseed is the most intense. A policy measure in the EU, incentivising the production of renewable and environmental-friendly fuel from sustainable feedstocks, would be positive for the domestic market to the extent that it stimulates the production of vegetable oils (soy and sunflower oils) with the highest direct and indirect emissions saving. However, the expansion of oil palm plantations in extra-EU producing countries and of imports to the EU would determine important impacts in terms of indirect land use change emissions and direct emissions due to increased transports
Food waste recovery into energy in a circular economy perspective: A comprehensive review of aspects related to plant operation and environmental assessment
No full textFood Waste (FW) is increasingly viewed as a resource to be diverted from landfilling. In a circular economy where FW management is developed sustainably, FW has great potentials to be recovered, through a set of technologies like Anaerobic Digestion (AD), into high-value energy, fuel, and natural nutrients. In this context, a comprehensive review of existing life cycle environmental assessments of FW recovery through AD was made and discussed in this paper, with the aim of finding key aspects related to plant operation, as well as to methodology application and Climate Change (CC) impact. Based upon the papers reviewed, AD resulted to be characterised by a biogas yield being equal to an average of around 120 m3 t−1 FW which increases to around 480 m3 t−1 FW in the case of co-digestion of FW with other biomasses, so underscoring the influence played by the feedstock used. CC-impact values were found as ranging between nearly −860 and 290 kg CO2 eq per ton of FW treated in AD, depending upon: the amount of feedstock treated; the amounts of products and by-products and the way they are modelled; and the method used for development of life cycle impact assessment phase. Results are highly affected by the methodological choices and assumptions that are made as part of the environmental assessment. Finally, negative CC-impact values were documented to be due to the environmental benefits resulting from the modelling of energy and material substitutes being greater than the environmental impacts associated with the actual treatment system. This can be considered as part of the substitution effect which is often considered and recommended in attributional LCAs
Sensitized photooxygenation of the fungicide furalaxyl
No full textBackground. The photolysis of pesticides is of high current interest since light is one of the most important abiotic factors which are responsible for the environmental fate of these substances and may induce their conversion into noxious products. The action of light can also be mediated by oxygen and synthetic or naturally occurring substances which act as sensitizers. Our objective in this study was to investigate the photochemical behaviour of the systemic fungicide furalaxyl in the presence of oxygen and various sensitizers, and to compare the toxicity of the main photoproduct(s) to that of the parent compound. Previous reports on the direct photolysis of the pesticide demonstrated a very slow degradation and the only identified photoproducts were N-2,6-xylyl-D,L-alaninate and 2,6-dimethylaniline. Methods. Solutions of furalaxyl in CH3CN were photooxygenated using a 500W high-pressure mercury lamp (through a Pyrex glass filter, λ>300 nm) or a 650W halogen lamp or sunlight and the proper sensitizer. When sunlight was used, aqueous solutions were employed. The photodegradation was checked by NMR and/or GC-MS. The photoproducts were spectroscopically evidenced and, when possible, isolated chromatographically. Acute toxicity tests were performed on the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus, the crustacean cladoceran Daphnia magna and the anostracan Thamnocephalus platyurus, while chronic toxicity tests (sublethal endpoints) comprised a producer, the alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and the crustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia, as a consumer. Results and Discussion. In the presence of both oxygen and sensitizer, furalaxyl underwent rapid photochemical transformations mainly to N-disubstituted formamide, maleic anhydride and a 2(5H)-furanone derivative. The formation of these products was rationalized in terms of a furan endoperoxide intermediate derived from the reaction of furalaxyl with active dioxygenated species (singlet oxygen, superoxide anion or ground state oxygen). The 2(5H)-furanone exhibited a higher toxicity than the parent compound. Conclusion. This work reports the first data on the photosensitized oxygenation of furalaxyl with evidence of the high tendency of the pesticide to undergo photodegradation under these conditions leading, among other things, to a 2(5H)-furanone, which is more toxic than the starting furalaxyl towards aquatic organisms. Recommendations and Outlook. Investigation highlights that the photolytic fate of a pesticide, although quite stable to direct photoreaction due to its low absorption of solar radiation at ground level, can be significantly influenced in the environment by the presence of substances with energy or electron-transfer properties as natural dyes, e.g. chlorophyll, or synthetic pollutants, e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
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