Environmental impact assessment of energy crops cultivation in the Mediterranean Europe

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Energia e Bioenergia

Municipal solid waste management system: decision support through systems analysis

Thesis submitted to the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering

Enteroparasitosis and their ethnographic relationship to food handlers in a tourist and economic center in Paraná, Southern Brazil

This study reports on the occurrence of enteroparasites based on data from an ethnographic study of food handlers in the city of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil. Fecal material from 343 food handlers of both sexes, between 14 and 75 years of age, was analyzed using Lutz, modified Ritchie and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques. Ethnographic relationships were investigated by means of specific questionnaires. Positive fecal samples were found for 131 (38.2%) handlers. Endolimax nana (67.9%) was the predominant species, followed by Entamoeba coli (35.9%), Blastocystis hominis (28.2%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (10.1%) and Giardia duodenalis (8.4%). Protozoan infections were more common than helminth infections (p = 0.00). The positive results for some parasites were associated with the male sex, professional category, and the performance of other activities (p < 0.05). The high overall occurrence of enteroparasites found indicates improper hygiene and sanitation conditions. Effective educational measures should be implemented to prevent the transfer of pathogenic organisms to food via handling.

Sectors and routes in solid waste collection

Collecting and transporting solid waste is a constant problem for municipalities and populations in general. Waste management should take into account the preservation of the environment and the reduction of costs. The goal with this paper is to address a real-life solid waste problem. The case reveals some general and specific characteristics which are not rare, but are not widely addressed in the literature. Furthermore, new methods and models to deal with sectorization and routing are introduced, which can be extended to other applications. Sectorization and routing are tackled following a two-phase approach. In the first phase, a new method is described for sectorization based on electromagnetism and Coulomb’s Law. The second phase addresses the routing problems in each sector. The paper addresses not only territorial division, but also the frequency with which waste is collected, which is a critical issue in these types of applications. Special characteristics related to the number and type of deposition points were also a motivation for this work. A new model for a Mixed Capacitated Arc Routing Problem with Limited Multi-Landfills is proposed and tested in real instances. The computational results achieved confirm the effectiveness of the entire approach.

Waste collection routing-limited multiple landfills and heterogeneous fleet

This article deals with a real-life waste collection routing problem. To efficiently plan waste collection, large municipalities may be partitioned into convenient sectors and only then can routing problems be solved in each sector. Three diverse situations are described, resulting in three different new models. In the first situation, there is a single point of waste disposal from where the vehicles depart and to where they return. The vehicle fleet comprises three types of collection vehicles. In the second, the garage does not match any of the points of disposal. The vehicle is unique and the points of disposal (landfills or transfer stations) may have limitations in terms of the number of visits per day. In the third situation, disposal points are multiple (they do not coincide with the garage), they are limited in the number of visits, and the fleet is composed of two types of vehicles. Computational results based not only on instances adapted from the literature but also on real cases are presented and analyzed. In particular, the results also show the effectiveness of combining sectorization and routing to solve waste collection problems.

Electromagnetism based approach to Sector design in Waste Collection

For efficient planning of waste collection routing, large municipalities may be partitioned into convenient sectors. The real case under consideration is the municipality of Monção, in Portugal. Waste collection involves more than 1600 containers over an area of 220 km2 and a population of around 20,000 inhabitants. This is mostly a rural area where the population is distributed in small villages around the 33 boroughs centres (freguesia) that constitute the municipality. In most freguesias, waste collection is usually conducted 3 times a week. However, there are situations in which the same collection is done every day. The case reveals some general and specific characteristics which are not rare, but are not widely addressed in the literature. Furthermore, new methods and models to deal with sectorization and routing are introduced, which can be extended to other applications. Sectorization and routing are tackled following a three-phase approach. The first phase, which is the main concern of the presentation, introduces a new method for sectorization inspired by Electromagnetism and Coulomb’s Law. The matter is not only about territorial division, but also the frequency of waste collection, which is a critical issue in these types of applications. Special characteristics related to the number and type of deposition points were also a motivation for this work. The second phase addresses the routing problems in each sector: new Mixed Capacitated Arc Routing with Limited Multi-Landfills models will be presented. The last phase integrates Sectoring and Routing. Computational results confirm the effectiveness of the entire novel approach.

Farm 2.0 Using Wordpress to Manage Geocontent and Promote Regional Food Products

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

PREVALENCE OF INTESTINAL PARASITES AMONG FOOD HANDLERS IN WESTERN IRAN

Parasitic infection is one of the problems that affect human health, especially in developing countries. In this study, all of the fast food shops, restaurants, and roast meat outlets of Khorramabad (Western Iran) and all the staff employed by them, some 210 people, were selected through a census and their stools were examined for the presence of parasites. The parasitological tests of direct wet-mount, Lugol's iodine staining, formaldehyde-ether sedimentation and Trichrome staining techniques were performed on the samples. The data was analyzed with a chi-square test and logistic regression was selected as the analytical model. The results showed 19 (9%) stool specimens were positive for different intestinal parasites. These intestinal parasites included Giardia lamblia2.9%, Entamoeba coli 4.3%, Blastocystis sp. 1.4%, and Hymenolepis nana 0.5%. There was a significant difference between the presence of a valid health card, awareness of transmission of intestinal parasites, participation in training courses in environmental health with intestinal parasites (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between the rate of literacy and gender among patients infected with intestinal parasites (p > 0.05). To control parasitic infection in food handlers, several strategies are recommended such as stool examinations every three months, public education, application of health regulations, controlling the validity of health cards and training on parasitic infection transmission. In this regard, the findings of the present study can be used as a basis to develop preventive programs targeting food handlers because the spread of disease via them is a common problem worldwide.

Análise Económica da Produção de Óleo a Partir de Microalgas

Os biocombustíveis apresentam um interessante potencial de redução da dependência energética relativamente aos combustíveis fósseis. A produção de microalgas apresenta vários benefícios ambientais como sejam a utilização mais efetiva de terrenos, a captura de dióxido de carbono, a purificação de águas quando associada a um processo de tratamento de águas residuais e não provoca a disputa entre a produção de matéria-prima para alimentação e combustíveis. A cultura de microalgas para a produção de biodiesel tem recebido uma grande atenção nos últimos anos devido ao seu potencial. Neste trabalho pretende-se criar as etapas de processamento das microalgas em biodiesel onde são implementadas medidas de eficiência energética e aproveitamento de fontes poluidoras como o CO2. Para isso, formulou-se um modelo no programa Aspen Plus para simulação do processo desde a produção, colheita até à extração de óleo das microalgas e posterior avaliação económica do mesmo. Concluiu-se que para o projeto fosse pago no tempo de vida útil seria preciso vender o óleo a 13 $/kg. Aos preços atuais do óleo o projeto não é economicamente viável.

ANTIMICROBIAL DRUG RESISTANCE IN STRAINS OF Escherichia coli ISOLATED FROM FOOD SOURCES

A variety of foods and environmental sources harbor bacteria that are resistant to one or more antimicrobial drugs used in medicine and agriculture. Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli is of particular concern because it is the most common Gram-negative pathogen in humans. Hence this study was conducted to determine the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of E. coli isolated from different types of food items collected randomly from twelve localities of Hyderabad, India. A total of 150 samples comprising; vegetable salad, raw egg-surface, raw chicken, unpasteurized milk, and raw meat were processed microbiologically to isolate E. coli and to study their antibiotic susceptibility pattern by the Kirby-Bauer method. The highest percentages of drug resistance in isolates of E. coli were detected from raw chicken (23.3%) followed by vegetable salad (20%), raw meat (13.3%), raw egg-surface (10%) and unpasteurized milk (6.7%). The overall incidence of drug resistant E. coli was 14.7%. A total of six (4%) Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) producers were detected, two each from vegetable salads and raw chicken, and one each from raw egg-surface and raw meat. Multidrug resistant strains of E. coli are a matter of concern as resistance genes are easily transferable to other strains. Pathogen cycling through food is very common and might pose a potential health risk to the consumer. Therefore, in order to avoid this, good hygienic practices are necessary in the abattoirs to prevent contamination of cattle and poultry products with intestinal content as well as forbidding the use of untreated sewage in irrigating vegetables.

Desenho e desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Informação em Oracle ADF

Um Sistema de Informação consiste num sistema capaz de armazenar, organizar e estruturar dados para ajudar a responder às necessidades das empresas, passando também pela capacidade de resposta às questões diárias das empresas. Assim, um Sistema de Informação pode ser definido como o software que ajuda a organizar e analisar dados, tendo como objetivo fornecer informação útil na altura certa para que possa ser utilizada para a tomada de decisões ou para uma gestão mais eficiente dos diversos fluxos que uma empresa pode conter. Neste sentido, o projeto apresentado centra-se no desenho e construção de um Sistema de Informação capaz de gerir o negócio de uma empresa do setor alimentar, mais propriamente do setor da transformação de carnes. Foi desenvolvido em Oracle ADF, de forma a aproveitar as vantagens inerentes à tecnologia e ao desenvolvimento web. Sendo uma tecnologia relativamente nova no mercado e dominada por poucos, a sua utilização neste momento pode tornar-se uma grande vantagem. Para o desenvolvimento da aplicação foi realizado o levantamento e análise de requisitos, foi criada a base de dados capaz de suportar o funcionamento do software e desenvolvido um sistema de login, capaz de gerir as sessões de cada utilizador. Foi implementado um processo de introdução e edição de informação, nomeadamente o registo de entradas, transformações e saídas. Contemplou-se também uma secção com dados mestre da empresa com a possibilidade de inserção, atualização e/ou remoção. Além disso, foram incorporadas validações em todos os processos que são usados pelos utilizadores, de modo a evitar a existência de dados incoerentes ou duplicados. Relativamente à lógica de negócio, foi embutida na aplicação de forma a permitir consultar a informação de forma clara, rápida e em diversos lugares, reduzindo tempo e tarefas ao colaborador/utilizador, visto que os processos foram automatizados. Com a implementação deste Sistema de Informação, a empresa pode usufruir de um sistema integrado capaz de gerir e controlar todo o seu processo produtivo, reduzindo custos e desperdícios, aumentando a produtividade e eficiência.

PREVALENCE OF INTESTINAL PARASITES AMONG FOOD HANDLERS OF SARI, NORTHERN IRAN

Parasitic infection is highly prevalent throughout the developing countries of the world. Food handlers are a potential source of infection for many intestinal parasites and other enteropathogenic infections as well. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasite carriers among food handlers attending the public health center laboratory in Sari, Northern Iran for annual check-up. The study was performed from August 2011 through February 2012. Stool samples were collected from 1041 male and female food handlers of different jobs aged between 18 to 63 years and were examined following standard procedures. Sociodemographic, environmental and behavioral data analysis of the food handlers were recorded in a separate questionnaire. Intestinal parasites were found in 161 (15.5%) of the studied samples. Seven species of protozoan or helminth infections were detected. Most of the participants were infected with Giardia lamblia (53.9%) followed by Blastocystis hominis (18%), Entamoeba coli (15.5%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (5.5%), Cryptosporidium sp. (3.1%), Iodamoeba butschlii (3.1%) and Hymenolepis nana (1.9%) as the only helminth infection. The findings emphasized that food handlers with different pathogenic organisms may predispose consumers to significant health risks. Routine screening and treatment of food handlers is a proper tool in preventing food-borne infections.

BIOFILM FORMATION OF Vibrio cholerae ON STAINLESS STEEL USED IN FOOD PROCESSING

Vibrio cholerae represents a significant threat to human health in developing countries. This pathogen forms biofilms which favors its attachment to surfaces and its survival and transmission by water or food. This work evaluated the in vitro biofilm formation of V. cholerae isolated from clinical and environmental sources on stainless steel of the type used in food processing by using the environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Results showed no cell adhesion at 4 h and scarce surface colonization at 24 h. Biofilms from the environmental strain were observed at 48 h with high cellular aggregations embedded in Vibrio exopolysaccharide (VPS), while less confluence and VPS production with microcolonies of elongated cells were observed in biofilms produced by the clinical strain. At 96 h the biofilms of the environmental strain were released from the surface leaving coccoid cells and residual structures, whereas biofilms of the clinical strain formed highly organized structures such as channels, mushroom-like and pillars. This is the first study that has shown the in vitro ability of V. cholerae to colonize and form biofilms on stainless steel used in food processing.