•Green infrastructure (GI) is being used to mitigate dense urban areas impacts.•Incentive policies have great impact on green infrastructure implementation.•Some green roofs/walls included as GI have ...high upfront installation costs.•GI incentive policies are mainly concentrated in Europe and North America.•Most used incentive policies are financial subsidies and obligations by law.
Worldwide, green infrastructure is increasingly used to mitigate the impacts of dense urban areas, contributing towards the naturalization of the built environment. However, for investors, these systems often emerge as requiring substantial upfront cost (high installation costs) and, depending on the solution, might also have significant maintenance costs. On the other hand, policymakers are placing green infrastructure on the agenda, as a solution to consider in urban planning and design. There is a mismatch between the economic/social/environmental value of green infrastructure and their financial analysis. As the quantified benefits of these solutions may not compensate the high implementation costs, discouraging building owners to invest in them. The alignment of both expectations, public and private agents, regarding the development of green infrastructure, is done through the use of incentives, with distinct configurations and nature, that promote and facilitate the adoption of green infrastructure by private investors. This research aims to identify and analyse the incentive policies used by several municipalities to promote the installation of green roofs and/or green walls. The data set includes 113 cities in 19 countries. The incentive policies were classified into six different categories: tax reductions, financing, construction permit, sustainability certification, obligations by law and agile administrative process. The results show that incentive policies are mainly concentrated in Europe and North America, and most incentive policies focus on the promotion of green roofs, as no exclusive incentive policies for the promotion of green walls were found. From all incentive policies studied, financial subsidies and obligations by law are the most used ways to promote green infrastructure worldwide.
Aflatoxins are highly toxic compounds produced as secondary metabolites by some Aspergillus species, whose occurrence have been reported predominantly in several types of foods of low moisture ...content, while aflatoxin biotransformation products have been reported mainly in milk and milk products. This review deals with the occurrence of aflatoxins in some of the major food products in the last 5 years including regulatory aspects, and recent advances in detoxification strategies for contaminated foods. Aflatoxin contamination in cereals including corn and peanut is still a public health problem for some populations, especially in African countries. Despite that most of physical and chemical methods for aflatoxin detoxification may affect the nutritional properties of food, or are not safe for human consumption, gamma-radiation and ozone applications have demonstrated great potential for detoxification of aflatoxins in some food matrices. Biological methods based on removal or degradation of aflatoxins by bacterial and yeast have good perspectives, although further studies are needed to clarify the detoxification mechanisms by microorganisms and determine practical aspects of the use of these methods in food products, especially their potential effects on sensory characteristics of foods.
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•Aflatoxin occurrence and decontamination approaches are presented.•Gamma-radiation and ozone have great potential for detoxification of aflatoxins.•Microbial methods may help to degrade/decontaminate aflatoxins.•Potential application of methods for aflatoxin decontamination of food is discussed.
Urban mobility is experiencing a profound change. Mobility patterns are becoming more complex, and typical home–work–home travel is no longer the rule, as journeys tend to connect multiple points in ...a rather inconstant pattern. This has changed the approach to transport planning. Existing transportation planning and operation approaches have been focussed on the ability to identify and forecast typical home–work/school–home travel and subsequently plan the transport system accordingly. The traditional approach has been: Forecast - > plan - > deliver. New mobility patterns and mobility solutions are characterised by greater flexibility, taking advantage of the “sharing concept” and simultaneously providing solutions that have lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These dynamics and an evolving environment raise several new challenges at different levels, fostering the development of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). This system transforms the physical transportation system into a commodity and takes advantage of the internet of things (IoT). However, the onset of MaaS solutions is anything but linear. Several business models have emerged, with different partners originating from different industries (e.g., technological, transport operators, infrastructure managers, etc.) developing their own solutions, often in competition with others. It is not unusual to find different MaaS solutions in the same city, which integrate different solutions. This paper intends to provide an analysis on the main challenges affecting mobility in general, and MaaS in particular, as well as the main business models used for delivering MaaS solutions. The paper uses a case study in Lisbon to illustrate some of the challenges.
The inaccuracy of traffic forecasts has long stood as a central research theme in the field of infrastructure and transportation studies. The literature presents several motives for this phenomenon, ...ranging from a political bias, insufficient technical preparation, changing urban patterns, and economic dynamics. Uncertainty due to the inaccuracy of forecasts can have a profound impact on the infrastructure development process, right through from the preliminary studies up until the operation and re-negotiation of contracts (in cases when projects are developed using a concessions model). This paper provides an extensive systematic review of forecast inaccuracy in roads and railways projects (analyzing trends, causes, and results). The research found that: (1) forecasts in rail projects are generally more optimistic than in road projects; (2) over the last couple of decades the accuracy of forecasts has not improved significantly, and; (3) there has been a generalized ramp-up effect in forecasts.
This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in cheese and in the environment of three small-scale dairy plants (A, B, C) located in the Northern region state of São Paulo, ...Brazil, and to characterize the isolates using conventional serotyping and PFGE. A total of 393 samples were collected and analyzed from October 2008 to September 2009. From these, 136 came from dairy plant A, where only L. seeligeri was isolated. In dairy plant B, 136 samples were analyzed, and L. innocua, L. seeligeri and L. welshimeri were isolated together with L. monocytogenes. In dairy plant C, 121 samples were analyzed, and L. monocytogenes and L. innocua were isolated. Cheese from dairy plants B and C were contaminated with Listeria spp, with L. innocua being found in Minas frescal cheese from both dairy plants, and L. innocua and L. monocytogenes in Prato cheese from dairy plant C. A total of 85L. monocytogenes isolates were classified in 3 serotypes: 1/2b, 1/2c, and 4b, with predominance of serotype 4b in both dairy plants. The 85 isolates found in the dairy plants were characterized by genomic macrorestriction using ApaI and AscI with Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Macrorestriction yielded 30 different pulsotypes. The presence of indistinguishable profiles repeatedly isolated during a 12-month period indicated the persistence of L. monocytogenes in dairy plants B and C, which were more than 100km away from each other. Brine used in dairy plant C contained more than one L. monocytogenes lineage. The routes of contamination were identified in plants B and C, and highlighted the importance of using molecular techniques and serotyping to track L. monocytogenes sources of contamination, distribution, and routes of contamination in dairy plants, and to develop improved control strategies for L. monocytogenes in dairy plants and dairy products.
•L. monocytogenes isolates from 3 cheese manufacturing plants in Brazil were evaluated.•Isolates were classified in 4 serotypes, with predominance of serotype 4b.•PFGE analysis showed different sources of contamination and persistence in 2 plants.•L. monocytogenes was widely distributed and adapted to the dairy plant environment.
The installation of green roof systems is being used as a specific action towards a broader objective of increasing the sustainability of the built environment. Yet, their development is still ...limited by the absence of a full understanding of their economic value. There is an underlying assumption that these solutions can enhance the value of cities, however contrasting results of past studies do not allow to draw specific conclusions about their real economic contribution.
This paper intends to improve the decision-making process by providing an adequate methodology to perform cost-benefit analyses of installing green roofs. The proposed economic evaluation balances costs and benefits at three levels of analysis: financial, economic and socio-environmental. The first level compares construction, maintenance and replacement costs of green roofs with private benefits as discount on fire insurance, energy consumption, improvement of photovoltaic performance and urban rooftop farming. The second level also includes the economic gains from increase of property value, aesthetics, recreation and sound insulation. The third level adds social benefits related to storm water management, noise reduction, air pollution removal, mitigation of the urban heat island effect, public health and ecological preservation. The all-inclusive methodology is successfully applied to Lisbon, Portugal. The study confirmed the economic feasibility of green roofs in the long term at a social level but not at a financial level. The estimated net present value of green roofs implementation in Lisbon is about 320 million euros. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to the costs/benefits included. The results show that aesthetics, recreational value and sound insulation have the highest influence on the economic value.
•Economic evaluation of the life-cycle of green roofs to support urban revitalization.•Results show economic non profitable investment at a private level.•Results show economic feasibility of green roofs at a social level.•The net present value of green roofs in Lisbon is about 320 million €.•Aesthetics, recreational value and sound insulation are key parameters.
Studies have suggested that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) causes changes in the intestinal microbiota composition and function due to anatomical and physiological modifications. The role of ...probiotic supplementation after bariatric procedures remains to be determined.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of
Lactobacillus acidophilus
NCFM and
Bifidobacterium lactis
Bi-07 supplementation on nutritional and metabolic parameters after RYGB.
Materials and Methods
This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients were assigned to receive either a probiotic supplement (FloraVantage®) or placebo for three consecutive months, beginning 7 days after surgery. Anthropometric and biochemical indexes were evaluated in the preoperative period and at the end of the study.
Results
Following RYGB, serum 25-OH vitamin D increased in both groups compared to baseline; however, this increase was significant only in the probiotic group (
p
= 0.004). Vitamin B
12
levels tended to be higher in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group (
p
= 0.063), and triglyceride levels showed a significant reduction in the probiotic group only (
p
< 0.001). In addition, a significant reduction was observed in the anthropometric parameters and glycemic profile (
p
< 0.05) in both groups.
Conclusion
Probiotic supplementation after RYGB improves the vitamin and lipid profile.
Bariatric surgery may cause undesirable gastrointestinal symptoms due to anatomical, functional and intestinal microbiota changes.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ...probiotic supplementation on gastrointestinal symptoms and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).
Materials and Methods
This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The patients were randomized into Control Group (CG) (
n
= 39) and Probiotic Group (PG) (
n
= 34). The PG received tablets containing
Lactobacillus acidophilus
and
Bifidobaterium lactis
(5 billion CFU/strain) for 90 days, and the CG received tablets with starch. Both the Gastric Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire and 3-day food record were answered before surgery (T0) and after 45 days (T1) and 90 days of surgery (T2). At T0 and T2, hydrogen breath test was used to verify the presence of SIBO.
Results
The prevalence of SIBO was similar among times, and the mean score of GSRS responses did not differ between groups at any time. However, PG patients reported less bloating compared to CG, more abdominal pain at T1 (which reduced at T2), more episodes of soft stools and nausea and less hunger pain after surgery, with no reports of urgent episodes to evacuate, even though they consumed more fat than the CG.
Conclusions
The supplementation of
L. acidophilus
and
B. lactis
is effective in reducing bloating, but without influencing the development of SIBO in the early postoperative period.
Clostridioides
(
Clostridium
)
difficile
infection (CDI) is an evolving global healthcare problem, and owing to the diverse and dynamic molecular epidemiology of
C
.
difficile
, new strains continue ...to emerge. In Brazil, only two cases of CDI due to the so called hypervirulent PCR ribotype (RT) 027 belonging to clade 2 have ever been reported, whereas incidence of CDI due to another “hypervirulent” RT078 (clade 5) has not yet been reported. In contrast, novel clade 2 strains have been identified in different hospitals. To better understand the epidemiology of CDIs in Brazil, this study aimed to genotypically and phenotypically characterize three novel Brazilian clade 2 strains (RT883, 884, and 885) isolated from patients with confirmed CDI. In addition, to better understand the circulating RTs, a two-year sampling was conducted in patients from the same hospital and in several domestic and wild animal species. The three strains examined showed lower production of A/B toxins than the control RT027, although two of these strains harbored a truncated
tcdC
gene. All strains showed swimming motility similar to that of RT027, while RT883 showed higher spore production than the reference strain. In the
in vivo
hamster model, the lethality of all strains was found to be similar to that of RT027. Both cgMLST and cgMLSA analyses revealed a high genetic similarity among the three-novel clade 2 isolates. In the two-year survey in animals and humans, RT883, 884, and 885 were not detected; however, three new RTs (RT988, RT989, and RT990) were isolated, two of which were genetically related to the three previously reported clade 2 strains. RT106 and RT126 were most frequently detected in humans (47.9%) and animals (57.9%), respectively. Furthermore, RT027 and RT078 were not detected in humans. The results of this study suggest that these novel clade 2 strains have virulence potential and that new strains from clade 2 continue to emerge in our setting, indicating the need for long-term local surveillance.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
With growing environmental concerns, reverse logistics (RL) assumes a significant role in the sustainability of the construction industry to the extent that it can contribute to mitigating some of ...the negative environmental impacts related to its activity. However, despite the benefits that can be attributed to RL, its implementation level in the construction industry is still very low. This research determines the root barriers to adopting RL in construction (ARLC) using the case of the Portuguese construction market. The methodology involved focus groups and a combined Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and Matrices d’Impacts cross-multiplication appliqúe a classmate (MICMAC) approach. The root barriers that have been identified by the application of the methodology to the ARLC are: lack of financial incentives to incorporate recycled materials, lack of knowledge about RL, lack of technical support, standard codes and regulations in favor of using recycled materials, lack of information sharing, cooperation and coordination among entities of the supply chain, current buildings have not been designed for deconstruction, and lack of construction and demolition waste (CDW) management and recycling infrastructures and markets for the materials resulting from CDW. The highest hierarchical level includes barrier B10 (lack of financial incentives to incorporate recycled materials into the construction); this barrier influences all the other barriers and, as such, it is considered the key barrier to the ARLC in Portugal. The research has also identified 17 different mitigation measures to tackle these barriers, with different natures: fiscal, regulatory, financial, etc.
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