Suchergebnisse

Purpose
This study aims to present the environmental management system implemented at UNISINOS and demonstrate some of the main results obtained in more than 15 years carrying out the environmental management of the campuses in São Leopoldo and Porto Alegre. The focus is on the main environmental impacts: electricity consumption, water consumption and solid waste management.


Design/methodology/approach
Sustainable development of universities has gradually become a common practice, as the knowledge shared in the higher education institutions reflects in the behavior of society. In a university, an environmental management system is used to plan, implement and manage processes referring to the environmental, social and economic aspects, so as to improve their performance and comply with legal requirements. For this, national or international standards and/or methodologies can be followed, which serve as a guide for the institution to reach sustainability in a staggered manner, according to the availability of data and resources for environmental management.


Findings
After 16 years of certification, based on the monitoring performed, positive performance was observed, reflecting a better and attentive university, with an environmental policy that goes beyond the borders of the campuses and transmits solid concepts of environmental education to the academic community, under the rigid control of the ISO 14001 tool.


Originality/value
In 2004, UNISINOS became the first Latin American university with an ISO 14001 certification. In 2018, the certification was extended to the UNISINOS Campus in Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. All the support activities conducted and implemented in the campuses (São Leopoldo and Porto Alegre) follow the same rules implemented by the UNISINOS environmental management system. After the experience of implementing the ISO 14001 requirements, UNISINOS included other normative requirements in 2013, adopting an integrated management system.

19 pages, 10 figures.-- This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License ; The growing requirement for sustainable processes has boosted the development of biodegradable plastic-based materials incorporating bioactive compounds obtained from waste, adding value to these products. Chitosan (Ch) is a biopolymer that can be obtained by deacetylation of chitin (found abundantly in waste from the fishery industry) and has valuable properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, antimicrobial activity, and easy film-forming ability. This study aimed to produce and characterize poly(lactic acid) (PLA) surfaces coated with β-chitosan and β-chitooligosaccharides from a Loligo opalescens pen with different molecular weights for application in the food industry. The PLA films with native and depolymerized Ch were functionalized through plasma oxygen treatment followed by dip-coating, and their physicochemical properties were assessed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, water contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy. Their antimicrobial properties were assessed against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida, where Ch-based surfaces reduced the number of biofilm viable, viable but nonculturable, and culturable cells by up to 73%, 74%, and 87%, respectively, compared to PLA. Biofilm growth inhibition was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results suggest that Ch films of higher molecular weight had higher antibiofilm activity under the food storage conditions mimicked in this work, contributing simultaneously to the reuse of marine waste. ; This research was funded by Base Funding—UIDB/00511/2020 of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE) funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), and "CVMAR+I—Industrial Innovation and Marine Biotechnology Valorization" project, funded by INTERREG V Espanha Portugal (POCTEP) (0302_CVMAR_I_1_P). The research was also supported by the SurfSAFE project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 952471. L.C.G. thanks the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the financial support of her work contract through the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Individual Call—(CEECIND/01700/2017). J.A.V. and J.V. also offer their thanks to Xunta de Galicia by Xunta de Galicia (Grupos de Potencial Crecimiento, IN607B 2018/2019) for the financial support ; Peer reviewed

Bio-contamination of water through biofouling, which involves the natural colonization of submerged surfaces by waterborne organisms, is a global socio-economic concern, allied to premature materials bio-corrosion and high human health risks. Most effective strategies release toxic and persistent disinfectant compounds into the aquatic medium, causing environmental problems and leading to more stringent legislation regarding their use. To minimize these side effects, a newly non-biocide-release coating strategy suitable for several polymeric matrices, namely polydimethylsiloxane and polyurethane (PU)-based coatings, was used to generate antimicrobial ceramic filters for water bio-decontamination. The best results, in terms of antimicrobial activity and biocide release, showed an expressed delay and a decrease of up to 66% in the population of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on ceramic filters coated with polyurethane (PU)-based coatings containing grafted Econea biocide, and no evidence of biocide release after being submerged for 45 days in water. Biocidal PU-based surfaces were also less prone to Enterococcus faecalis biofilm formation under flow conditions with an average reduction of 60% after 48 h compared to a pristine PU-based surface. Biocidal coated filters show to be a potential eco-friendly alternative for minimizing the environmental risks associated with biofouling formation in water-based industrial systems. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

RESUMO A pandemia do novo coronavírus afetou a dinâmica do cotidiano escolar, obrigando os(as) professores(as) a um movimento de adaptação para dar conta das demandas impostas pelo distanciamento social. Esse cenário também atingiu as pesquisas, cujas técnicas de coletas de dados se davam de maneira presencial e tiveram que ser realizadas remotamente. O objetivo deste texto é descrever a trajetória da Comunidade Ampliada de Pesquisa, adaptada para o ambiente virtual (CAP on-line), como parte da pesquisa que buscou examinar as novas exigências do ensino remoto e suas implicações para a saúde dos(as) professores(as). Foram realizadas três oficinas com a participação de professores(as) do Ensino Fundamental e Médio. Observou-se que o processo de pesquisa tem correlações com os próprios resultados do estudo, especialmente no que se refere aos novos aprendizados trazidos pelo ensino remoto. Conclui-se que o compartilhamento de experiências de trabalho por meio da CAP on-line é uma possibilidade. No entanto, o aperfeiçoamento nos modos de interação virtual, o domínio do aparato tecnológico e o acesso a equipamentos de qualidade são elementos a serem observados para o aperfeiçoamento dessa abordagem coletiva de investigação.

17 pages, 5 figures.-- This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License ; Implantable medical devices (IMDs) are susceptible to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation, which lead to several clinical complications, including the occurrence of implant-associated infections. Polylactic acid (PLA) and its composites are currently used for the construction of IMDs. In addition, chitosan (CS) is a natural polymer that has been widely used in the medical field due to its antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties, which can be dependent on molecular weight (Mw). The present study aims to evaluate the performance of CS-based surfaces of different Mw to inhibit bacterial biofilm formation. For this purpose, CS-based surfaces were produced by dip-coating and the presence of CS and its derivatives onto PLA films, as well surface homogeneity were confirmed by contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial activity of the functionalized surfaces was evaluated against single- and dual-species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chitosan-based surfaces were able to inhibit the development of single- and dual-species biofilms by reducing the number of total, viable, culturable, and viable but nonculturable cells up to 79%, 90%, 81%, and 96%, respectively, being their activity dependent on chitosan Mw. The effect of CS-based surfaces on the inhibition of biofilm formation was corroborated by biofilm structure analysis using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), which revealed a decrease in the biovolume and thickness of the biofilm formed on CS-based surfaces compared to PLA. Overall, these results support the potential of low Mw CS for coating polymeric devices such as IMDs where the two bacteria tested are common colonizers and reduce their biofilm formation. ; This research was funded by Base Funding—UIDB/00511/2020 of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE) funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), and "CVMAR + I—Industrial Innovation and Marine Biotechnology Valorization" project, funded by INTERREG V Espanha Portugal (POCTEP) (0302_CVMAR_I_1_P). The research was also supported by the SurfSAFE project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 952471. R.T.-S. acknowledges the receipt of a junior researcher fellowship from the Project PTDC/BII-BIO/29589/2017—POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029589—funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020—Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES. L.C.G. thanks the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the financial support of her work contract through the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Individual Call—[CEECIND/01700/2017]. J.A.V. and J.V. also thanks to Xunta de Galicia by Xunta de Galicia (Grupos de Potencial Crecimiento, IN607B 2018/2019) for the financial support ; Peer reviewed

Bio-contamination of water through biofouling, which involves the natural colonization of submerged surfaces by waterborne organisms, is a global socio-economic concern, allied to premature materials bio-corrosion and high human health risks. Most effective strategies release toxic and persistent disinfectant compounds into the aquatic medium, causing environmental problems and leading to more stringent legislation regarding their use. To minimize these side effects, a newly non-biocide-release coating strategy suitable for several polymeric matrices, namely polydimethylsiloxane and polyurethane (PU)-based coatings, was used to generate antimicrobial ceramic filters for water bio-decontamination. The best results, in terms of antimicrobial activity and biocide release, showed an expressed delay and a decrease of up to 66% in the population of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on ceramic filters coated with polyurethane (PU)-based coatings containing grafted Econea biocide, and no evidence of biocide release after being submerged for 45 days in water. Biocidal PU-based surfaces were also less prone to Enterococcus faecalis biofilm formation under flow conditions with an average reduction of 60% after 48 h compared to a pristine PU-based surface. Biocidal coated filters show to be a potential eco-friendly alternative for minimizing the environmental risks associated with biofouling formation in water-based industrial systems. ; This research work was supported by national funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of research units grants to BioISI (UIDB/04046/2020 and UIDP/04046/2020), and also by Base Funding-UIDB/00511/2020 of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology, and Energy-LEPABE-funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). O. Ferreira also acknowledges the Grant PD/BD/128370/2017. L.C.G. and E.R.S. thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for their work contracts through the Scientific ...

Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a percepção de universitários da Região Amazônica acerca da gestão de resíduos sólidos assim como suas ações, fazendo uma leitura quanto à educação ambiental sustentável. A educação ambiental sustentável busca incluir questões-chave sobre o desenvolvimento sustentável, bem como fazer que cada pessoa reflita e possa assumir o papel de membro principal do processo de ensino aprendizagem. Através de pesquisa descritiva e quantitativa, subdividida entre revisão de literatura e coleta de dados primários, realizada durante workshop que abordou a responsabilidade quanto à gestão dos resíduos sólidos. Os resultados revelaram que 72% dos universitários considera acima da média seu nível de conhecimento quanto a educação ambiental. Concluiu-se ao final do estudo que suas ações estão relacionadas à educação ambiental sustentável, contudo, aquelas consideradas não sustentáveis se justificam pela falta de ambiente que propicie torná-las mais sustentáveis.