The innovation ecosystem construct has emerged as a promising approach in the literature on strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship. It draws upon former business ecosystem literature. However, the ...term innovation ecosystem has been employed in very polysemic and sometimes competing ways. Many adjectives used with reference to innovation ecosystems render the consolidation of the construct more difficult - which its characteristics, boundaries and relation with other, to some extent competing, constructs, such as supply chain and value chain are. To clarify concepts, to identify trends and research opportunities, we conducted a systematic literature review from 1993 to 2016, with a hybrid methodology including bibliometric and content analysis. Besides highlighting the most influential papers and exhaustively discussing the innovation ecosystem concept and its variations, we identify a turning point in the literature, the transition from business ecosystem to innovation ecosystem. Business ecosystem relates mainly to value capture, while innovation ecosystem relates mainly to value creation. We conclude by describing six research streams in innovation ecosystem: industry platform × innovation ecosystem; innovation ecosystem strategy, strategic management, value creation and business model; innovation management; managing partners; the innovation ecosystem lifecycle; innovation ecosystem and new venture creation. These streams lead us to propose opportunities for further research to solidify the innovation ecosystem concept.
Radically innovative products and services are frequently developed and commercialized by new ventures. In this context, entrepreneurs may face the challenge of coordinating a complex network of ...actors in the presence of individual and collective uncertainties. Previous literature on entrepreneurship has focused on how entrepreneurs manage individual uncertainties (those that affect a single firm) rather than collective uncertainties that also affect members of the innovation ecosystem, which in turn may fundamentally affect the survival and growth of new ventures. Drawing on five longitudinal, inductive, in-depth case studies of start-ups and their innovation ecosystems, we find that current approaches for coping with individual uncertainties do not consider the impacts of uncertainties and actions on the innovation ecosystem partners. In that sense, entrepreneurs themselves may contribute to the propagation of uncertainties in the innovation ecosystem. We also identify processes by which entrepreneurs manage collective uncertainties in the innovation ecosystem, i.e., perceiving collective uncertainties, bridging uncertainties, conducting collective learning experiments and building a common template. This study improves understanding of how entrepreneurs act in uncertain environments.
•How do entrepreneurs manage collective uncertainties in the innovation ecosystem?•Collective uncertainties affect a group of firms or other types of organizations.•We researched five innovation ecosystems created by start-ups.•We identified processes by which entrepreneurs manage collective uncertainties.•Entrepreneurs may contribute to the propagation of uncertainties.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) is a Brazilian Pentecostal church known for its incessant struggle against the Devil. Internationalisation has challenged the Church's institutional ...discourse against evil, which originally targeted the local spirits of its home country-specifically Afro-Brazilian entities-during exorcism rituals. This article uses interviews and participant observation to analyse the differences between UCKG exorcisms in Brazil and Madrid. The data indicate that demonic spirits are more secularised in Spain, where they no longer belong to the pantheon of rival religions in Brazil. In Madrid, UCKG demons are more closely aligned with problems of everyday life, such as the health and wealth of Church members. In this analysis of UCKG demonology in Madrid, I also observe how the dialogue between institutional discourse and local beliefs arises, while also assessing its impact on exorcism performances.
The innovation process has traditionally been understood as a predefined sequence of phases: idea generation, selection, development, and launch/diffusion/sales. Drawing upon contingency theory, we ...argue that innovation process may follow a number of different paths. Our research focuses on a clear theoretical and managerial question, i.e., how does a firm organize and plan resource allocation for those innovation processes that do not easily fit into traditional models. This question, in turn, leads to our research question: Which configuration of innovation processes and resource allocation should be employed in a given situation, and what is the rationale behind the choice? Based on a large-scale study analyzing 132 innovation projects in 72 companies, we propose a taxonomy of eight different innovation processes with specific rationales that depend on a project׳s contingencies.
•Not all innovation projects fit in the traditional linear process from-idea-to-launch.•Which configuration and rationale of the innovation process for which situation?•We researched 132 cases of innovation projects in 72 companies.•We propose eight types of innovation processes according to specific contingencies.•Uncertainties shape the structure and the content of the innovation process.
This study investigated the chemical composition, immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities, and histopathological analysis of mice tissues treated with methanolic extract from R. marina poison. ...Marinobufagin, telecinobufagin and bufalin were identified in the chemical profile. The biochemical results demonstrated an effect between doses in the period of 7 days, an immunomodulatory effect was observed regarding the production capacity of interleukin (IL)-12p70 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α at 7 and 30 days, respectively. The lower dose suggests better bioactivity to the treated animal than the higher dose. Histopathological analyses of the lung, heart, kidney and liver showed tissue damage in all organs, mainly in the lung, and were proportional to the dose and the treatment period. We observed that the treatment modulated cytokine production, and therefore this effect may be related to the tissue damage observed. This study demonstrates a positive effect in the antioxidant and immune system, indicating that the molecules found in the extract have biotechnological potential.
The development of novel phytotoxic compounds has been an important aim of weed control research. In this study, we synthesized fluorinated chalcone derivatives featuring both electron‐donating and ...electron‐withdrawing groups. These compounds were evaluated both as inhibitors of the photosystem II (PSII) electron chain as well as inhibitors of the germination and seedling growth of Amaranthus plants. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence assay was employed to evaluate their effects on PSII, while germination experiments were conducted to assess their impact on germination and seedling development. The results revealed promising herbicidal activity for (E)‐3‐(4‐bromophenyl)‐1‐(4‐fluorophenyl)prop‐2‐en‐1‐one (7 a) and (E)‐1‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐en‐1‐one (7 e). Compounds 7 a and 7 e exhibited a reduction in Chl a parameters associated with performance indexes and electron transport per reaction center. This reduction suggests a decrease in PSII activity, attributed to the blockage of electron flow at the quinone pool. Molecular docking analyses of chalcone derivatives with the D1 protein of PSII revealed a stable binding conformation, wherein the carbonyl and fluorine groups interacted with Phe265 and His215 residues, respectively. Additionally, at a concentration of 100 μM, compound 7 e demonstrated pre‐ and post‐emergent herbicidal activity, resulting in a reduction of the seed germination index, radicle and hypocotyl lengths of Amaranthus weeds.
We report the synthesis of twelve indole derivatives bearing nitro or amide groups via Fischer indole methodology followed by reduction/acetylation and amidation reactions. After thorough ...characterization, these indoles were subjected to a number of studies in order to evaluate their bioactive potential as photosynthesis and plant growth inhibitors. Firstly, these molecular hybrids were evaluated as photosystem II (PSII) inhibitors through chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence measurement. In this study, 6‐chloro‐8‐nitro‐2,3,4,9‐tetrahydro‐1H‐carbazole (15a) and 5‐chloro‐2,3‐dimethyl‐7‐nitro‐1H‐indole (15b) showed the best results by reducing the phenomenological parameters of reaction centers ABS/RC, TR0/RC and ET0/RC of PSII. Electron chain blockage by these compounds may lead to diminished ATP synthesis and CO2 fixation which interrupt the plant development. The compounds 15a and 15b both act as postemergent herbicides, reducing the dry biomass of Ipomoea grandifolia and Senna alata weeds by an average of 40% and 37%, respectively, corroborating the fluorescence results. Additionally, the molecular docking study revealed that the presence of strong electron‐withdrawing groups at the indole phenyl ring is important for the ligand’s interaction with the binding pocket of protein D1 on PSII. The optimization of these molecular features is the goal of our research group in further understanding and development of new potent herbicides.
This work reports the synthesis of indole nitrogen hybrids and their bioactive potential as photosystem inhibitors. The molecular hybrids were evaluated as photosystem II inhibitors through chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements and plant growth inhibitors. Compounds 6‐Chloro‐8‐nitro‐2,3,4,9‐tetrahydro‐1H‐carbazole and 5‐chloro‐2,3‐dimethyl‐7‐nitro‐1H‐indole showed the best results by reducing the phenomenological parameters of the reaction center, diminishing ATP synthesis and CO2 fixation which interrupt the plant development. Additionally, the molecular docking study revealed that the presence of strong electron withdrawing groups at the indole phenyl ring are important for the ligands’ interaction with the binding pocked of protein D1.
The microwave-assisted interesterification of babassu oil with methyl, ethyl and butyl acetates was carried out via acid catalysis, using sulfuric, phosphoric, methanesulfonic and acetic acids for ...the production of biodiesel with triacetin as an additive. Dielectric measurements in the range of 0.3 to 13 GHz of pure reactants and reactions media lead to a clear understanding of the interaction between the medium and microwave irradiation, allowing achieving optimal conditions in terms of microwave power, kind and catalyst concentration, reactant molar ratios, and temperatures. Using ethyl acetate, reactions were carried out at various oil to acetate molar ratio (1:12 to 1:72) using sulfuric acid (0.5% m/mT) as a catalyst. For 1:60 molar ratio, the experiments were carried out with 0.5 to 2% m/mT sulfuric acid. The kind of catalyst and the applied microwave power to mass ratio were investigated using H3PO4, CH3COOH and CH3SO3H. The best catalytic activities were achieved with H2SO4 and CH3SO3H. It was found that under microwave or conventional heating the reactivity follows the ethyl→methyl→butyl trend. The best results were achieved using ethyl acetate with H2SO4 which yields 91.1% biodiesel and 18.3% triacetin in 120 min under microwave heating while using CH3SO3H yields 80.1% biodiesel and 11.2% triacetin.
PHOTOSYSTHEM II INHIBITORS: AN ALLELOCHEMICAL PERSPECTIVE. The process of photosynthesis involves the absorption of light energy by photosynthetic pigments found in the thylakoid membrane of ...chloroplasts in order to produce chemical energy. In the presence of photosynthetic inhibitors, plant development is affected mainly by the reduction of the electron chain, which leads to growth inhibition. In this context, chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence is an important technique used to identify the effects of inhibitors on the photosynthetic apparatus employing the JIP-test, which correlates the Chl a fluorescence transient to biophysical parameters, providing valuable information about the efficiency of photosystems I and II. Natural products have been highlighted as photosynthesis inhibitors due to the continued use of synthetic herbicides, which leads to the development of invasive plants resistant to these pesticides, in addition to the toxicity caused to humans and the environment. Thus, this review describes the main applications of extracts and isolated secondary metabolites obtained from plants and microorganisms in the investigation of electron transport inhibition on photosystem II.
The intake of almonds and nuts demonstrates benefits to human health due to their bioactive compounds. In Brazil, baru almonds and Brazil nuts are largely explored in communities through ...cooperatives. The objective of the present work was to develop and evaluate a nutritive bar with Brazil nut (BN) and baru almond (BA) byproducts at concentrations of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% in formulations. Baru almonds showed higher protein content (24.95 g/100 g) than Brazil nuts (14.74 g/100 g), while Brazil nuts showed higher lipidic content (59.36 g/100 g). All the nutritive bar formulations could be classified as high mineral content, mainly iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and magnesium. The firmness (instrumental texture) was the highest for BA100 (217.9 N), while the adhesiveness was the lowest (−23.62 N). The highest acceptability indexes for taste and texture (59 and 67%, respectively) were observed for BN25:BA75 while BA100 achieved the highest acceptability index for odor, color, and global perception (71, 73, and 72%, respectively). Therefore, BN25:BA75 could be the most suitable formulation to be produced as it had a good nutritional content balance and obtained higher acceptance and preference in the sensory evaluation.
•Brazil nut and baru almond byproducts are good raw material for nutritive bars production.•Ready-to-eat food with Brazil nut and baru almond.•Nutritive bars had good sensory acceptability.
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