Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-08"
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- Patterns of human behaviour in public urban green spaces: on the influence of users' profiles, surrounding environment, and space designPublication . Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Patoilo Teixeira, Catarina; Fernandes, Cláudia; Olszewska-guizzo, Agnieszka; Dias, Ricardo; Vilaça, Helena; Barros, Nelson; Maia, Rui LeandroPublic urban green spaces (PUGS) play a vital role in the dense urban fabric as places of Nature-Society contact and socialization. Despite some advances in the field, the relationship between the PUGS surroundings and their users' behaviours remains unclear. This study examined the patterns of human behaviour in four PUGS of the city of Porto, on the north Portuguese coast, where the behavioural mapping method was applied. Observational data regarding 979 PUGS users' socio-demographics and behaviours were recorded on a base map and a grid between August and November 2020. The use patterns during different times of the day were disaggregated across behaviours and users' profiles, and their relationship with the surroundings and design elements was assessed with ANOVA, Chi-Square test, and Pearson correlation. The findings presented may pave the way for future studies and inform the urban planning and design of the effectiveness of new interventions, namely providing more accurate aligning between the greenspace design language with users' needs. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of considering the sociodemographic background of PUGS users and the surroundings to guide designers and planners.
- International tourism as a source of income generation in PortugalPublication . Rodrigues, Carlos; Campina, AnaA brief consultation of UNESCO's "World Heritage List" (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list) shows us that Portugal currently has 17 (seventeen) sites classified as UNESCO World Heritage, allowing us to highlight the "Historic Centre of Oporto", since 1996, or the "Alto Douro Wine Region", since 2001, as two regions of the country that are interconnected by "Port Wine". The classification given by UNESCO to several Portuguese regions as "UNESCO World Heritage" has boosted Portugal as an international tourism destination. This fact has multiple implications in the dynamics of income generation by Portugal, namely in terms of Gross Value Added - GVA, Gross Domestic Product - GDP, balance of international transactions with tourism trips to and from Portugal. Obviously, this analysis can be made under such a multiplicity of parameters, however all of them are demonstrative of the financial growth generated by international tourism that seeks Portugal as a destination for the most varied types of tourism. We intend with this study to analyze the income generated in Portugal by international tourism, both at the domestic and international market levels, both from the perspective of the economic development generated by the increasing number of tourists coming to Portugal and motivating the increase of companies dedicated to tourism-related activities, as in the increasing employability generated to satisfy the demand that tourism generates in those companies. As we will have the opportunity to present through the data, tourism has been a driving factor for economic activity in Portugal and, consequently, an increasing factor for the well-being of residents in the country.
- Sustainable pharmaceutical waste management: pharmacist and patient perception in ghanaian hospitalsPublication . Debrah, Justice; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Dinis, Maria Alzira PimentaPharmaceutical waste (PW) is known to be a health problem in developing countries, being harmful to human beings, animals, and the environment, with a high potential for the transmissibility of diseases. This study aims to address the implementation of strategies in the hospital context in Ghana, Africa, regarding the proper pharmaceutical waste management and the relationship with the environment and public health from both pharmacists and patients. Based on a questionnaire and observation, a cross-sectional exploratory-descriptive study with quantitative and qualitative approaches (mixed method) was carried out in selected hospitals in Ghana. A total of 111 responses were received, with 23 (76.7% rate response) being the professional pharmacists and 88 (60.7% rate response) from patients. The survey used random sampling, and the data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 27. The result shows that most of the participants were aware of what constitutes PW and had social awareness of PW. The majority of both types of respondents do not segregate PW, resulting in poor disposal. Unsegregated PW from the professionals was due to a lack of logistics like color-coding. The problems associated with PW in Ghana will be better managed through continued education and awareness at all levels to promote waste segregation.
- Commentary - empty promises: why declarations and international cooperation on sustainable development often fail to deliverPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Vasconcelos, Claudio R. P.; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Viera Trevisan, LaísOver the past decades, many declarations on sustainable development (SD) have been produced, various of which led to no real changes or improvements. This article discusses the role of declarations and international cooperation on SD, outlining their evolution. It also highlights the reasons why instruments and international cooperation have failed to meet their targets and specifies measures that may be deployed so that they may yield the SD’s expected benefits. To this end, it is recommended that more significant efforts be made to operationalise the commitments established in the declarations and international cooperation. Also, it is important to develop and implement SD follow-up strategies, once these have been agreed upon. The implications of this article to society and other studies are two-fold. Firstly, it shows the need for greater care when writing declarations on SD, since they are not always followed up and do not fulfill their purposes. Secondly, it is important to mobilise the relevant actors so that the actions the SD declarations expected to trigger, through international cooperation, are implemented. Moreover, future declarations and commitments should ideally have institutions and infrastructures in place to implement the SD actions called upon. The evidence gathered in this article also points out the need to intensify investment in education, science, technology, and innovation, while encouraging the expansion of international cooperation strategies aimed at supporting the declarations and promoting SD.
- The European problem regarding the acceptance, integration and prevention of crime towards migrants and refugeesPublication . Campina, Ana; Rodrigues, CarlosThe Migration in a global perspective is contemporary of the Human life, with the most different motivations, in each time and place, within the specific legal frame-works depending on the State law and the International Law. Consequently, in the human global mobility there are different positions and possibilities to these human beings by political, social, economic, and cultural powers. The continuous research is an academic and scientific need, being focus on the global migration and refugees, considering the international legal meaning. There are Regions and States where the Migrants and Ref-ugees are welcome, accepted, and integrated, not only by the legal point of view but the governs behaviors, public policies, social reception, economic and financial support/in-vestment, but in contrast, there are completely opposite positions generating serious problems since the denial to the abandon of millions of human beings. Since the Arab Spring, the reality for millions of Refugees is dramatic by the violation of the Human Rights, the International Law, and States Fundamental Rights. The Opinion Public Opin-ion is vulnerable to the manipulated information in different States, so it has provoked the discrimination, rejection, and violence against Migrants and Refugees. However, it´s basic to understand the serious context as there are international movements, involving International organized crime acting with Migrants and Refugees – human trafficking, smuggling, exploitations, violence, and all kind of violations. The International Security – legal, protection and criminal (re)action, police authorities – between States and Inter-national Organizations have developed different reactions. This is a serious and difficult problem needing a permanent effective work of all structures to protect millions of Hu-man beings. The European Union, working together the international community, as well as with the most different movements – public and/or private – need to develop a con-certed and strategic work receiving and integrating the Refugees, which measures must cover and protect all in Europe, regardless their origin.
- Overview of irradiation: advantages to foods of plant originPublication . Ferreira da Vinha, Ana; Silva, Carla Sousa eThe technology of food irradiation is gaining more attention around the world. This method is recognized by using ionising radiation in order to control foodborne pathogens, reduce microbial load and insect infestation, inhibit the germination of root crops, extend the durable life of perishable produce, and reduce plant-derived allergens. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), more than 50 countries have approved the use of irradiation for about 50 different types of food, and 33 are using the technology commercially. Despite the fact that irradiation has been used for decades for food disinfection that satisfies quarantine requirements in trade, health concerns over the consumption of irradiated food continue to attract attention. This low-cost method has the advantage that the organoleptic properties of irradiated foods are not altered, allowing, however, to increase their bioactivity and nutritional quality. This review focuses on the advantages of irradiation applied to foods of plant origin. With proper application, irradiation can be an effective means of eliminating and/or reducing microbial and insect infestations along with the foodborne diseases they induce, thereby improving the safety of many foods as well as extending shelf life
- Barriers to institutional social sustainabilityPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Salvia, Amanda Lange; Vasconcelos, Claudio Ruy Portela; Anholon, Rosley; Rampasso, Izabela Simon; Eustachio, João Henrique Paulino Pires; Liakh, Olena; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Olpoc, Raquel Cementina; Bandanaa, Joseph; Aina, Yusuf A.; Lukina, Regine Lolekola; Sharifi, AyyoobSocial sustainability is a work field characterised by an emphasis on social aspects, e.g. equity, ethics, health, gender balance, or empowerment, within a broader sustainability context. Although the concept seems to be reasonably well established and deemed worthy of pursuing, some obstacles prevent its wide dissemination. Through a bibliometric analysis focusing on the literature on social sustainability at institutions, with a focus on companies, this paper aims to investigate and describe some of the barriers associated with social sustainability implementation. Apart from identifying that sustainability reporting, environmental disclosure and financial performance play a central role in successfully achieving social sustainability, in the context of which gender-related issues seem more tangential, the results indicated some solutions commonly reported for overcoming barriers and obstacles to a company’s social sustainability implementation within different sectors. These solutions have to do, among many other factors addressed in this study, with strengthening communication transparency and trust, contributing to awareness, using technology to document and promote social sustainability. Thus, empowering organizations and citizens, recognized as essential factors to social development, and addressing the challenges in a multi-dimensional way.
- Editorial: waste challenges in the context of broad sustainability challengesPublication . Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Neto, Belmira; Begum, Halima; Vidal, Diogo GuedesEditorial on the Research Topic Waste Challenges in the Context of Broad Sustainability Challenges