Análise da aplicação do licenciamento ambiental às estações de tratamento de esgoto: uma contribuição a partir de estudos de caso na bacia hidrográfica do rio São Francisco

A pesquisa qualitativa, ora apresentada, visa analisar a aplicação do licenciamento ambiental às estações de tratamento de esgoto no estado da Bahia através de um conjunto de estudos de caso dessa natureza localizados na bacia hidrográfica do rio São Francisco. Para tanto, foram formulados modelos analíticos que buscam indicar os elementos essenciais a serem observados nessa aplicação. A questão de pesquisa que deu origem ao trabalho surgiu da observação primária, feita pelo pesquisador, das percepções que os representantes dos proponentes e do órgão ambiental tinham acerca da aplicação desse instrumento. Essa observação inicial se configurou em um conjunto de pressupostos iniciais do trabalho, os quais foram submetidos a um processo científico de verificação, através das entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas. O confronto entre a prática, captado através dos pareceres técnicos que fundamentam as licenças, e os modelos analíticos foi realizado nos estudos de caso elencados. Esses estudos se referem aos processos de licenciamento ambiental dos sistemas de esgotamento sanitário dos municípios de Barreiras, Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Sento Sé e Remanso. De forma geral, verificou-se que os pressupostos iniciais do trabalho não se mostraram evidentes, através da metodologia adotada. Em relação ao atendimento dos critérios elencados, evidenciou-se que, de forma geral o procedimento de licenciamento ambiental, da forma como seus preceitos conceituais são fundamentados, não é devidamente seguido, nos casos estudados. Tornou-se evidente a necessidade de medidas de aprimoramento na aplicação desse instrumento às estações de tratamento de esgoto

Estratégias de rega para um campo de Golfe : estudo de caso: campo de golfe Axis Ponte de Lima

Dissertação de mestrado em Gestão Ambiental e Ordenamento do Território, apresentada à Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Viana do CasteloSendo cada vez mais a água recurso de maior valor, principalmente face à sua crescente escassez e dado que o clima mediterrâneo não garante na totalidade a satisfação das necessidades hídricas da vegetação, é necessário recorrer à rega para suprimir estas deficiências em água. Desta forma, a utilização deste recurso torna-se de grande importância na rega dos espaços verdes, nomeadamente a rega dos campos de golfe. O projeto realizado tem como objetivo definir, simular e analisar diferentes estratégias de rega de um campo de golfe aplicado ao caso de estudo do campo Axis Golfe de Ponte de Lima, através de uma análise integrada dos aspetos técnicos e económicos. Para tal, foram determinadas as necessidades hídricas da vegetação para as duas hidrozonas do campo de golfe, recorrendo ao modelo de simulação de balanço hídrico WinISAREG. Esta aproximação permitiu por um lado determinar os consumos numa situação de satisfação total das necessidades de água e por outro estudar estratégias de rega deficitárias que visam a poupança de água mantendo a estética do relvado. Para tal, recorreu-se à avaliação da viabilidade da adoção de técnicas de rega deficitária visando a poupança do recurso. Os resultados obtidos permitiram não só a determinação da calendarização de rega a adotar, demonstrando a capacidade do modelo WinISAREG para apoio do gestor, como também analisar as poupanças de água obtidas como base para uma decisão economicamente ambiental. Com o presente projeto, foram também estudadas fontes alternativas de água para a rega do camo de golfe, com maior ênfase no estudo da instalação de uma Fito-ETAR para tratamento das águas residuais para utilização posterior na rega.As increasingly more valuable water resource, especially given its increasing scarcity and given that the Mediterranean climate ensures not fully meeting the water needs of the vegetation, it is necessary to resort to irrigation to suppress these shortcomings in water. Thus, the use of water becomes very important in irrigation of green spaces, notably the irrigation of golf courses. The project undertaken aims to define, simulate and analyze different strategies for irrigation of a golf course applied to the case study of the field of Golf Axis Ponte de Lima, through an integrated analysis of the technical and economic aspects. To this end, we determine the water requirements of vegetation for both hidrozonas golf course, using the simulation model of water balance WinISAREG. This approach allowed firstly determine the intake in a situation of total satisfaction of the needs of water and other study strategies aimed at deficit irrigation water savings while maintaining the aesthetics of the turf. To this end, we resorted to assess the feasibility of adopting deficit irrigation techniques aimed at saving the resource. The results allowed not only the determination of the watering schedule to adopt, demonstrating the ability of the model to support WinISAREG manager, but also analyze the water savings achieved as a basis for environmental decision economically. With this project, were also studied alternative sources of water for irrigation field golf, with greater emphasis on the study of installing a Phyto-treatment plant for treatment of waste water for later use in irrigation

Basketball small-sided games: effects of varying formats and using successive bouts

This study compared athletes’ rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the number of their technical-tactical actions in small-sided basketball games (SSG) played within the same relative area with adjusted bout durations in (a) varied game formats; and (b) in two successive bouts of different formats. Ten young female basketball players (14.3±1.3 years) played two bouts of five small-sided game (SSG) formats (1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and 5x5). The number of technical-tactical actions per player per minute decreased from the smaller to the larger SSG format, and players’ RPE tended to be higher in larger compared to smaller formats. We concluded that the smaller basketball SSG formats increased players’ participation. In addition, adjustments of the relative playing area and bout duration seemed to decrease players’ effort. The use of two SSG bouts did impact the number of technical-tactical actions and RPE

Iliac vein injury after anterior transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion cage migration

Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is an effective treatment for many spine conditions. Anterior cage migration is one of the known complications and major vessels injury after that is a rare but potentially disastrous complication. We present a case of a 65-year-old female patient who underwent a TLIF for the treatment of an instable low grade spondylolisthesis. During the procedure, anterior dislodgment of the cage was verified and it was not possible to retrieve it by this approach. Has no bleeding or change in hemodynamical status was verified, it was decided not to proceed to removal at that moment. A CT-scan was performed and showed the position of the cage migrated through the posterior wall of the confluence of the left internal and external iliac veins. A new surgery was performed by an anterior approach to remove the cage and repair the vessel injury, by a vascular surgeon. In this case, cage migration occurred mostly because of implant malfunction. Surgeons must be aware that anterior cage migration can cause vascular injuries, and removal of this implants is effective by an anterior approach but a vascular surgeon must be part of the team

An integer programming approach for sensor location in a forest fire monitoring system

Forests worldwide have been devastated by fires. Forest fires cause incalculable damage to fauna and flora. In addition, a forest fire can lead to the death of people and financial damage in general, among other problems. To avoid wildfire catastrophes is fundamental to detect fire ignitions in the early stages, which can be achieved by monitoring ignitions through sensors. This work presents an integer programming approach to decide where to locate such sensors to maximize the coverage provided by them, taking into account different types of sensors, fire hazards, and technological and budget constraints. We tested the proposed approach in a real-world forest with around 7500 locations to be covered and about 1500 potential locations for sensors, showing that it allows obtaining optimal solutions in less than 20 min.This work has been supported by FCT Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope UIDB/00319/2020 and within project PCIF/GRF/0141/2019 “O3F - An Optimization Framework to reduce Forest Fire” and also the project UIDB/05757/2020 and Forest Alert Monitoring System (SAFe) Project through PROMOVE - Funda¸c˜ao La Caixa. Beatriz Flamia Azevedo is supported by FCT Grant Reference SFRH/BD/07427/2021, Thadeu Brito was supported by FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/08598/2020

Hyperbaric oxygenation therapy treatment option in perioperative visual loss in spine surgery

Perioperative vision loss (POVL) is a catastrophic complication of spine surgery and several risk factors are identified. As spine fusion surgery is rising in number, POVL incidence is increasing. Preventive strategies can decrease the risk of this complication. Prognosis depends on the level of occlusion and how quickly oxygen supply can be restored to retina. We present a 65-year-old female patient with multiple cardiovascular risk factors that who underwent lumbar fusion. Upon waking up from anesthesia, the patient reported total loss of vision in her left eye. An occlusion of the central retinal artery due to a probable embolic cause was diagnosed and the patient promptly started treatment with anti-aggregation therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) with good results. The combination of HBOT with anti-aggregation therapy may have had a synergistic effect contributing to the good outcome presented in this case and may be a good option for the treatment of this patients.

POLÍTICA DE CONCESSÃO DE CRÉDITO RURAL: OS MECANISMOS DO AGROAMIGO DO NORDESTE

Brazil, due to its extensive territorial dimension, is considered a benchmark in agricultural production among developing countries. Within this context, agriculture plays a crucial role in the Brazilian economy as it contributes significantly to the balance of trade. Thus, the Brazilian agricultural production experience since year 2004, excellent prospects for sustainable growth and consistency, strong leadership in achieving the production of soybeans, corn, coffee, meat, sugar and others. Thus, since 1990 there are some institutions implementing microcredit programs. One of the most prominent is the Bank of Northeast of Brazil with Agroamigo. The present study describes how the methodology for granting credit - Agroamigo – to the farmers. The methodology used in this study was exploratory and descriptive. Research resources were books, articles, journals, reports, theses and dissertations, and especially official databases. The Agroamigo method had given positive results to communities in the municipality, as there was also a growth in rural activities, according to the BNB (2009), in the order of 40%. The program has enhanced access to rural credit for small farmers and provided improvements in their lives

CRITÉRIOS ANALÍTICOS PARA LICENCIAMENTO AMBIENTAL DE ESTAÇÕES DE TRATAMENTO DE ESGOTOS: UMA CONTRIBUIÇÃO A PARTIR DE ESTUDOS DE CASOS NA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO RIO SÃO FRANCISCO

As estações de tratamento de esgotos (ETE) têm o seu planejamento, implantação e operação dependentes de apreciação técnica realizada no âmbito do Licenciamento Ambiental, já que são normativamente classificadas como atividades ou empreendimentos potencialmente poluidores. Este artigo propõe dois modelos analíticos, a saber, um referente à Licença Prévia e outro à Licença de Instalação, contendo os elementos de análise utilizados pelos órgãos ambientais durante a apreciação dessas licenças. Ademais, é também apresentada a análise da prática do órgão ambiental do estado da Bahia, por meio de quatro estudos de caso de Licenciamento Ambiental de ETE integrantes de Sistemas de Esgotamento Sanitário localizados na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio São Francisco. Constatou-se que a prática do órgão ambiental não incorpora os elementos propostos nos modelos. A análise da adequação da ETE ao ambiente local mostrou-se limitada, evidenciando um baixo nível de estudos dos principais impactos associados a essa tipologia. Observou-se, também, a falta de fundamentação para a conclusão de deferimento ou não das licenças, bem como das medidas propostas para minimização dos impactos negativos. A apreciação realizada se mostra insuficiente para que a função primordial do Licenciamento Ambiental seja, de fato, cumprida. Como medida de aprimoramento, os resultados da pesquisa sugerem uma padronização mínima dos elementos técnicos a serem analisados durante o processo de licenciamento dessas unidades

The Use of Statistical Analyses in Papers and Graduate Programs in the Environmental Sciences area in Brazil

Environmental issues emerge in complex dimensions, which require an interdisciplinary framework in Environmental Sciences. Due to the diversity in statistic methods, the graduate programs need to update to form the environmental scientists. We test the hypothesis that QUALIS A1 Journals in the Environmental Science area use more complex statistical analyses. We describe the tests offered by graduate programs with PhD degree in the Environmental Sciences. 33.5% of 1560 papers evaluated, didn’t present statistical analysis. A1 Journals used more T-test, Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney than B1 Journals. There was no difference in the use of univariate, multivariate and Bayesian analyses. In Brazil there are 37 undergraduate programs in Environmental Sciences, of which 10 don’t offer statistics course. Of 38 courses offered, 73.7% provide only univariate statistics and 34.2% provide multivariate statistics. We conclude that the quality in papers doesn’t depend on the complexity of used statistical analyses, but on their theoretical framework.Os problemas ambientais emergem de dimensões complexas, exigindo um arcabouço interdisciplinar em Ciências Ambientais. Diante da diversidade de métodos estatísticos, os programas de pós-graduação precisam se atualizar para formar os cientistas ambientais. Nós testamos a hipótese que revistas de Qualis A1 na área de Ciências Ambientais usam estatísticas mais avançadas. Identificamos os testes estatísticos ofertados pelas disciplinas em programas de pós-graduação com doutorado em Ciências Ambientais. Dos 1560 artigos avaliados, 33.5% não apresentaram análise estatística. Revistas A1 utilizam mais Teste-T, Qui-Quadrado e Mann-Whitney que as B1. Não houve diferença no uso de análises univariadas, multivariadas e Bayesianas. No Brasil há 37 programas de pós-graduação em Ciências Ambientais, sendo que 10 não possuem disciplina de estatística. Das 38 disciplinas ofertadas, 73.7% oferecem estatística univariada e apenas 34.2% as multivariadas. Diante destes resultados, inferimos que a qualidade dos artigos não depende da complexidade das análises utilizadas, mas de seu arcabouço teórico

COVID-19 or threat of a nuclear war in Europe? A cross-sectional study of anxiety levels in adults living in Portugal

Background: Since 2019, Europe has experienced ongoing stressors with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian–Ukrainian War, which have had social, financial, physical, and psychological impacts. Studies suggest that anxiety, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other psychological disorders are common in such situations, and there is a need for more research on the impact of the war on mental health in Portugal. The main goal of the present study was to assess the impact of the fear of COVID-19 and anxiety related to nuclear war on the general anxiety levels of adult individuals living in Portugal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2022 using an online questionnaire built on the Google Forms platform. Portuguese-speaking male and female individuals aged 18 years or older, who provided informed consent and agreed to participate, were included. The outcome variable was defined using the Portuguese version of the GAD-7 scale, while the main predictors were the FCV-19S and the NWA Scale in Portuguese. Linear and logistic regression models were used to test associations between predictors and outcome variable. Results: The study included 1,182 participants, with a mean age of 46.5 (±11.7) years, mostly women (80.6%). The global mean GAD-7 score was 5.8 (±4.5) points, and 17.9% of the participants scored above the 10-point cutoff. Higher scores were found in both the FCV-19S and the NWA scale among participants with anxiety, as measured by both a 10-point cutoff (p < 0.001), and GAD-7 scale mean scores (p < 0.001). The study showed that fear of COVID-19 [OR of 1.133 (95%CI: 1.097–1.170)] and, at a lesser extent, nuclear war anxiety [OR of 1.020 (95%CI, 1.009–1.031)] contribute to anxiety in the general population. This is also true for those with a personal history of anxiety, revealed by multiple regression. Discussion: This study contributes to the research on COVID-19’s impact on anxiety and provides the first comprehensive assessment of nuclear war anxiety in Portugal. Results highlight the need for long-term care for anxiety, as prevalence is expected to increase due to the pandemic and war, even in non-conflict areas like Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio