Análise da secção F. Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis realizada pelo Grupo de Trabalho Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis

Em muitos países, as universidades ou mais genericamente, as Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES), estão a assumir um papel cada vez mais ativo no desenvolvimento sustentável de uma região, contribuindo para a qualidade de vida e o bem-estar das comunidades, agregando valor aos processos de desenvolvimento regional, difundindo o conhecimento e a inovação regional ( GUNI Network , 2020 ). O papel tradicional das IES como criadoras e disseminadoras de conhecimento está a mudar, adotando gradualmente modelos colaborativos de envolvimento cívico e participação da sociedade para apoiar as comunidades a enfrentar os diversos desafios societais e globais da sustentabilidade (EUA, 2014). De uma forma geral, este é um processo de cocriação que, idealmente, tira partido da colaboração e partilha de conhecimento entre vários atores regionais envolvendo a academia, indústria, autoridades públicas e os cidadãos/comunidade. Na prática, o papel e a influência que as IES têm sobre o desenvolvimento sustentável das cidades e das comunidades difere de região para região. O tipo de universidade, a realidade económica, as políticas regionais e a capacidade das organizações públicas e privadas locais de absorver e utilizar o conhecimento criado nas universidades, são fatores determinantes que refletem uma diversidade de soluções, processos e abordagens. Foi neste contexto, que o Grupo de Trabalho em Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis da Rede Campus Sustentável (RCS) aceitou o desafio de colaborar na elaboração do Inquérito de caracterização do Ensino Superior em Portugal no que diz respeito à sustentabilidade, centrando a sua participação na área de atuação, efetuando o levantamento e o estudo de soluções inovadoras e de exemplos de boas práticas sustentáveis que estão a ser implementadas de forma colaborativa na interação entre o Campus e as Cidades ou Comunidades. Qual o papel das Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) na sustentabilidade urbana? Que projetos promovidos pelas IES se dirigem à comunidade local e promovem uma sociedade mais sustentável? Como fortalecer esta interação de forma colaborativa, na interação entre o Campus e as Cidades ou Comunidades. O estudo que se segue, corresponde à análise da seção F - Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis, um dos 11 temas do Inquérito realizado às Instituições de Ensino Superior Portuguesas promovida pela RCS, Portugal. De forma a manter o compromisso de confidencialidade assumido com as Instituições participantes, o reporte dos resultados da análise do inquérito aqui apresentado, vai ser disponibilizado de forma anonimizada e por isso sem a comparação direta entre IES participantes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sensor Networks For Aquaculture Monitoring Systems

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food producing sectors in the world, and its economic importance is increasing. Due to the increased demand for food, market pressure and growing concern about environmental and food quality issues, special techniques have been developed and applied to increase food production and improve product quality. Scientific advances in recent years in this sector have been facilitated largely by the application of science and the introduction of new technologies[1]. Emerging technologies in areas of sensor network, network computing and ubiquitous computing are enabling the development of practical and innovative solutions, improving monitoring and decision-making capabilities[2]. Innovations in water quality monitoring, fish feeding, biomass estimation, fish behavior monitoring, disease diagnosis and food waste management can not only improve the degree of automation of aquaculture and the level of scientific management, but also reduce the cost of production, improve environmental control and increase product quality[3]. Despite the great progress of science and technology, the optimization and management of production processes of aquaculture systems is facing great challenges[4]. The objectives of the present work are to review and analyze the currently scientific advances in technology applied in aquaculture systems, exploring the processes, architectures, the automation level and the role of sensors and new information technologies in this sector of activity.Research is supported by Portugal 2020 AQUATROPOLIS project. The “AQUATROPOLIS - Intelligent Management System for Sustainable Aquaculture” is an Incentive System for Research and Technological Development (SI I&DT) project in cooperation with the following entities: Compta - Emerging Business, S.A.; AlgaPlus - Production and Commercialization of Algae and its Derivatives Lda; Domatica - Global Solutions, S.A.; Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (IPL); Polytechnic Institute of Tomar (IPT) and Tagusvalley - Association for the Promotion and Development of the Tecnopolo Valley of the Tagus Valley. The main objective of the “Aquatropolis” project – Intelligent Management System for Sustainable Aquaculture – is to develop a disruptive solution for an intelligent, optimized and automated management of aquaculture operations, in order to promote the sustainable development of the Aquaculture industry in the countries of the Atlantic region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Remote Monitoring of Energy-autonomous Constructed Wetlands

Constructed Wetlands systems (CW) are nature-based and sustainable technology for treating wastewater, contributing to the management and protection of freshwater resources. Moreover, CW can contribute to valorizing waste materials, producing reclaimed water for diverse applications, and producing plant biomass that can be material and energetically valorized. Because CW efficiency depends on several mechanisms such as physical, chemical, and biological, its real-time monitoring is essential to provide a better use of this technology. This work describes a smart framework for monitoring CW based on IoT devices and sensors, and data science tools providing real-time processing of gathered water quality parameters and environmental variables. Furthermore, the framework manages renewable energy sources to provide the required energy for CW operation and monitoring. Data collected from the sensor network show significant daily variations in water quality parameters. The future processing of these data can provide the development of models to improve the efficiency of the CW.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reproductive tract development and puberty in two lines of Nellore heifers selected for postweaning weight

AbstractThe objective was to evaluate reproductive tract development (ovary and uterus) and onset of puberty in two lines of Nellore heifers (Bos indicus) selected for postweaning weight. A total of 123 heifers, including 46 from the control Nellore line (NeC) and 77 from the selection Nellore line (NeS) were used. Every 18 to 21 days from 12 to 24 months of age, average ovarian area (OVA), endometrial thickness (ETh), and diameter of the largest follicle in each ovary were evaluated (using transrectal ultrasonography), and body weight, hip height, and body condition score were measured. There were no differences between NeS and NeC heifers for ETh or OVA (P < 0.05). Genetic selection for higher postweaning weight had no negative influence on the onset of puberty, with 52% and 48% of NeC and NeS heifers, respectively, pubertal at 24 months of age (P = 0.49). Heifers that reached puberty at the end of the study were heavier (NeC, 296.9 vs. 276.7 kg; NeS, 343.5 vs. 327.9 kg; P < 0.01) and younger (NeC, 23.4 vs. 24.2 mo; NeS, 22.7 vs. 24.0 months; P < 0.01) than those that did not. Furthermore, heifers that were heavier at weaning reached puberty earlier. Pubertal heifers had a greater OVA (4.15 vs. 3.14 cm2; P < 0.01) and ETh (12.15 vs. 9.93 mm; P < 0.01) than nonpubertal heifers. Taken together, OVA and ETh had positive effects (P < 0.01) on the onset of puberty and were suitable indicator traits of heifer sexual precocity in pasture management systems. However, selection for weight did not alter ovarian or endometrial development, or manifestation of puberty at 24 months of age. Among the growth traits studied, weaning weight and weight at puberty had significant positive effects on manifestation of first estrus

Smart monitoring of constructed wetlands to improve efficiency and water quality

The Smart monitoring of constructed wetlands to improve efficiency and water quality (SmarterCW) project aims to monitor biological wastewater treatment processes by gathering continuous data from remote water and environmental sensors. The acquired data can be processed and analysed through data science tools to better understand the complex and coupled phenomena underneath wastewater treatment, as well as, to monitor and optimize the system performance. The results will improve the efficiency and control of nature-based wastewater treatment technologies. The methodology comprises the following tasks and activities: Implementation of a set of electrochemical sensors in the input and output flow streams of pilot-scale constructed wetlands; Acquisition of water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, and ionic compounds; Acquisition of environmental parameters, such as temperature and humidity; Application of data analysis tools to design and optimize conceptual models to correlate pollutants removal with operative parameters in green technologies for wastewater treatment. This methodology was applied to a patent-protected pilot-scale modular constructed wetland in which filling media consists of a mixture of solid waste. The system is complemented by a high-level IoT communication layer structure to support remote real-time water and environmental monitoring, system performance, and data dissemination. The project contributes to: Water and Environment through the efficient management and use of water resources and waste reduction, management, treatment, and valorisation; Materials and raw-materials through efficient, secure, and sustainable use of resources; and Environmental Education promoting environmental awareness and best environmental practices through the dissemination of scientific data and results using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and IoT platforms. The project also contributes to giving response to Societal Challenges, such as Environment protection, sustainable management of natural resources, water, biodiversity, and ecosystems; Enabling the transition to a green society and economy through eco-innovation.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Study of the requirements of an autonomous system for surface water quality monitoring

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the preservation, protection and sustainable use of natural resources. Water resources, being one of the most important natural resources, face major threats due to contamination by pollutants of various types and origins. Maintaining the quality of water resources requires more robust, reliable and more frequent monitoring than traditional techniques of data collection based on sporadic, discontinuous and manual processes. The management of large geographical areas, the insufficient spatiotemporal discretization of the values of samples collected by traditional processes and the unpredictability of natural phenomena, require a new approach to data collection procedures. This article, which is the result of ongoing research, defines the technical requirements and technologies used in a continuous and regular monitoring of surface water quality in freshwater systems, whose data acquisition system helps to identify the sources of pollution and the contaminants flow along the waterways. The design of a versatile real-time water quality monitoring system, which, due to its environmental constraints should be based on renewable energies and wireless transfer of energy, will contribute to improve the management and effective protection of water resources.This work was supported by Centro2020, Portugal 2020 and European Union (EU) under the grants, CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-024052E – Libélula: Mobile robotic surface water quality monitoring system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O papel da inovação tecnológica e da ciência aberta no desenvolvimento sustentável das cidades e regiões – Um caso prático

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Illusions of general relativity in Brans-Dicke gravity

Contrary to common belief, the standard tenet of Brans-Dicke theory reducing to general relativity when omega tends to infinity is false if the trace of the matter energy-momentum tensor vanishes. The issue is clarified in a new approach using conformal transformations. The otherwise unaccountable limiting behavior of Brans-Dicke gravity is easily understood in terms of the conformal invariance of the theory when the sources of gravity have radiation-like properties. The rigorous computation of the asymptotic behavior of the Brans-Dicke scalar field is straightforward in this new approach.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, to appear in Physical Review