Promoting water efficiency in a student residence as a contribution to sustainability: hydroSAAP innovation project

In addition to the constraints on water availability caused by climatic factors, many urban areas face demographic and pollution phenomena that can affect the efficient supply of water to the population. Therefore, it is increasingly important to implement water efficiency measures, such as reducing consumption by installing water-efficient devices (e.g., taps, showers, and flushing cisterns), without neglecting behavioral aspects, and using alternative sources for non-potable uses. Thus, the “HydroSAAP” innovation project was designed and launched in May 2023 to improve the management of water consumption in a student residence of a Higher Education Institution in the northeast of Portugal, while promoting technical and scientific knowledge about rainwater harvesting systems, still little explored in Portugal. The project phases are: (1) installation of a rainwater harvesting system for non-potable uses, such as floor washing and irrigation of green areas, and water-efficient devices; (2) estimation of water consumption per use after installation of the system and devices (by carrying out a survey to the residents and employees), and promotion of technical and scientific knowledge about the system (e.g., evaluation of the quality of the collected rainwater considering the type of roof, local climatic conditions, and storage time in the reservoir) and (3) knowledge transfer to the academic community and other stakeholders: (i) disseminate the system and devices installed and the knowledge obtained in phase 2; (ii) raise awareness of the importance of the project in water management and (iii) organize seminars, lectures and school visits to the building, as well as activities in collaboration with civil society institutions such as the Ciência Viva Centre. The results of this project include the completion of phase 1 in July, with the installation of the system, seven showers and a kitchen tap with a class A water efficiency rating and certified by a national organization. Phases 2 and 3 are underway. In phase 2, the quality of the rainwater collected by the system has been analyzed since September. The survey about “Water consumption habits in the student residence” was approved by the Institution's Ethics Committee at the end of November and will be addressed to the residents and employees. In phase 3, the project has already been combined with educational practice, having been disseminated to the academic community through the organization of the seminar “Sustainability in the use of water: Importance, techniques and challenges”, which took place in November at the Institution, with the participation of experts in the field of sustainable water use and reuse, mostly involving students from Civil and Environmental Engineering and local stakeholders. It is important to note that the involvement of the students and stakeholders in this project will help to disseminate the obtained knowledge and could be the starting point for further promoting education for sustainable water use. It is also intended to replicate this project for other types of buildings and other non-potable uses, and to extend it to the industrial and agricultural sectors. As the activities of this project will be extended beyond the funding period (planned until December 2023), it is hoped that it will make an overall contribution to promoting sustainable water management in urban areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Yield and morphology of Nopalea cochenillifera under N fertilization and biological inoculation

Received: August 15th, 2023 ; Accepted: October 30th, 2023 ; Published: November 9th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] objective was to evaluate the effect of inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and levels of nitrogen fertilization on the productive aspects of the spineless cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera). The experiment was carried in Ribeirão do Largo, Southwest region of the state of Bahia, from April 2019 to April 2020. The experiment was carried out in a 2×4 factorial, in a randomized block design with eight treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of the absence or inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and nitrogen fertilization levels 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg– ¹ of N ha–¹ . There was a positive effect for the use of the bacteria on cladode area index, height, number of secondary, tertiary and total cladodes, total weight for cladodes of all orders and also for final weight per ha–¹ . There was a significant effect of the use of the inoculant for the levels of total soluble sugars and starch, where there was a decrease in the values for the treatments submitted to the use of the bacteria. There was a quadratic effect for the weight of the tertiary cladodes, number of tertiary cladodes and total of spineless cactus when submitted to nitrogen fertilization levels. There was a linear test for cladodes area index when nitrogen fertilization was used. The use of Azospirillum brasilense is positive for the cultivation of spineless cactus, improving development and increasing crop productivity

Associations between movement behaviours and obesity markers among preschoolers compliant and non-compliant with sleep duration:A latent profile analysis

This study identifies physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) clusters in preschoolers compliant (C) or non-compliant (NC) with sleep recommendations; and associates these clusters with obesity markers. PA and SB were objectively assessed (Actigraph WGT3-X) in 272 preschoolers (4.4 ± 0.7 years old). Sleep duration was parent-reported, and preschoolers were classified as C (3–4 years old: 600–780 min/day; 5 years old: 540–660 min/day) or NC with sleep recommendations. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were assessed according to international protocols. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and light physical activity (LPA) were categorized as low/high (60 min/day or <180 min/180 min/day, respectively). SB was defined according to mean values between clusters. Latent profile analysis was performed. Associations between the observed clusters and obesity markers were determined using linear regression (RStudio; 1.3.1073). Four cluster solutions for C and NC preschoolers were identified. A negative association between C/Low MVPA cluster and BMI, and a positive association between NC/Low MVPA and BMI (β = −0.8, 95%CI = −1.6;−0.1, and β = 0.9, 95%CI = 0.1;1.7, respectively) were observed. No association was seen for SB clusters. Adequate sleep duration may have a protective role for preschoolers’ BMI, even if the children do not comply with MVPA recommendations

Improving water efficiency in a municipal indoor swimming-pool complex: a case study

This study aimed to determine the water demand of a municipal swimming pool complex to propose water use efficiency measures. Concomitantly, the possibility of recycling and reusing the water from filter backwashing was evaluated. The pools consumed 25.6% of water, the filter backwashing 24.5%, and the showers 34.7%. Despite the current impossibility of reducing water consumption in pools and filter backwashing, it is feasible to promote more efficient use of water through reducing water consumption by adopting simple water-saving initiatives for showers, taps, and flushing cisterns. These were organized into three distinct scenarios: (a) flushing cistern volume adjustment and the replacement of washbasin and kitchen taps; (b) flushing cistern volume adjustment and shower replacement and (c) flushing cistern volume adjustment, shower, washbasin, and kitchen taps replacement. Under scenarios 1, 2, and 3, the water consumption reduction was 8.0, 13.2, and 20.4%, respectively. The initial investment for scenario 1 was €2290.5, €859.0 for scenario 2 and €3149.5 for scenario 3; the annual water bill reduction was €7115.4, €11,518.1, and €17,655.9, respectively. Therefore, the turnover of the investment was four (scenario 1), one (scenario 2), and three months (scenario 3). The filter washings attained the required standard for irrigation after being subjected to 15 h of sedimentation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Macromineral balance in lambs fed diets containing spineless cactus species

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of spineless cactus species in diets of feedlot lambs on intake, apparent absorption and retention of macrominerals. Thirty-six uncastrated male Santa Inês lambs presenting an average body weight of 22.0±2.87 kg were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments [diet containing Tifton-85 hay as exclusive roughage (control), Miúda cactus cladodes-based diet or Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM) cactus cladodes-based diet] and twelve replicates. The calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) intakes (from feed and total) were higher (P=0.001) for animals fed diets supplemented with Miúda spineless cactus. The spineless cactus, regardless of species, caused a mean decrease of 45.4% in sodium intake (P=0.001). There was a net loss of Ca by lambs fed OEM spineless cactus (P=0.001). The absorption and retention of P was higher in control diet compared to the OEM diet (P<0.05). The amount apparently absorbed, and body retention of Mg were higher for lambs fed Miúda spineless cactus-diet (P=0.001). Therefore, the diet containing Miúda spineless cactus increases the intake and body retention of Ca and Mg in lambs. However, the use of OEM spineless cactus may be unsuitable for a long-term