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Production systems are being restructured to close production cycles via implementing circular economy (CE) practices. The planted tree industry in Brazil has shown potential for applying CE practices due to its efficient use of resources and inclination towards environmental innovation. However, some gaps and difficulties have been observed in several industrial segments so that the logic of the circular production system is put into practice more effectively and intensely. In this context, the aim was to investigate the use and impacts of CE practices in the Brazilian planted tree industry by sector of operation and scale of enterprises based on the ReSOLVE framework. Data were collected from 34 companies that answered a questionnaire, corresponding to 47.2% of Brazilian planted tree industry companies. Data analysis involved univariate and multivariate statistical techniques, considering the grouping of companies by sector of activity (forest producer, pulp and paper, and timber processing) and scale (small, medium, and large). The results revealed that "pulp and paper" and medium- and large-scale companies had the most significant application of CE practices and reported more significant impacts. [Display omitted] • Explores a segmented analysis of the circular economy by scale and sub-sector groups. • Scores of circular practices and their impacts are presented according to the groups. • The association between circular practices and impacts by group are analyzed. • Propositions to enable the adoption of circular practices are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity markets offer considerable promise but are accompanied by controversies. Here, we map the utilization of native species (NS) from Brazil's biodiversity across eleven industrial sectors: foodstuffs, beverages, textiles, clothing, leather, wood, pulp and paper, biofuels, pharmochemicals, rubber and furniture. We show that there exists a diverse range of NS use in industrial products (48%) and activities (73%). These economic activities represent potential annual exports of approximately USD $50 billion. However, we found that only 1% of the potential business, USD $500 million of annual exports, is consolidated and can be traced to such products. We show that biodiversity markets and larger annual revenues locate in municipalities away from places in which biodiversity products originate. Therefore, the biodiversity business in Brazil remains largely untapped. This prompts a critical examination of the role of biodiversity within the Brazilian industry and its alignment with the Brazilian Biodiversity Law and the Nagoya Protocol. Our study is a pioneering effort that provides strategic recommendations. We suggest that the responsibility for sustainable NS utilization predominantly falls on sectors dominated by major corporations, most notably pharmochemicals and biofuels. These industry sectors possess the potential to lead the transition towards responsible and sustainable biodiversity practices within Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to introduce a new sustainable business excellence model, called Knowledge Management Excellence Model 21 (KMEM21), a theoretical framework that combines Knowledge Management and Business Excellence Models (BEMs), proposing an approach applicable to organizations to directly contribute towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper through a qualitative-exploratory methodology makes an analysis and benchmarking, emphasizes the integration of Knowledge Management and three specific Business Excellence Models (Management Excellence Model (MEG) from Brazil, Baldrige Excellence Framework, and EFQM). This integration uncovers relationships between organizational concepts associated with Knowledge Management and BEMs, which contributes to new insights in the literature regarding these concepts' interplay. BEMs are presented as tools that can catalyze the power of Knowledge Management towards achieving SDGs. However, it's noted that the existing BEMs might not be adequate, as the goal extends beyond organizational improvement and excellence to encompass sustainable development aligned with SDGs. The article suggests that specific organizational concepts, identified through a literature review and aligned with Knowledge Management and BEMs, can be selected as indicators associated with the constructed KMEM21 and the SDGs. These indicators are intended to form a bridge between the new model and the SDGs. However, given the comprehensive nature of the theory, model development, application, result acquisition, and analysis, the article's primary contribution will be in its focus on elaborating the instrument and technique, demonstrating the creation of a theoretical framework for the SDGs. Future works will showcase the application of the proposed KMEM21 method in five Brazilian organizations, members of Global Compact, to compare the achieved objectives and the results obtained with the organizations' performance and their sustainability reports. [Display omitted] • There is a visible relationship between knowledge management and business excellence models, aided by shared organizational concepts. • Achieving the SDGs in organizations can be done by using the traits incorporated into knowledge management and business excellence models. • The Knowledge Management Excellence Model 21 represents an original approach, acting as a new sustainable business excellence model. • A comprehensive model can be constructed using a methodology that incorporates an instrument, a technique, and a method. • KMEM21 presents a strategic path that aligns with business excellence principles and the sustainable development objectives, offering a framework for organizational success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multifractal analysis of the Ionosphere Layer. • Intermittence in Ionosphere Layer. • Ionosphere Layer out-of-equilibrium. A digital ionosonde of the type known as Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI) is operational at Jatai ( 17.2 o S , 51.9 o W), Brazil. This ionospheric sounding station is located under the equatorial ionospheric anomaly crest. The F-layer electron density profile presents considerable day-to-day variability, even during the undisturbed conditions, and is still one of the less understood aspects of the physics of the ionosphere. The propagation of waves into the ionosphere may be playing an important role in this day-to-day ionospheric variability. In this paper we used the multifractal approach in order to understand the physical process underlying to rise to plasma bubbles. Results shown that the ionosphere layer is in out-of equilibrium, independent of the presence or not of the planetary waves (PW), equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) or another ones. Wavelet techniques are also used to investigate the action of these plasma bubbles over the planetary waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A human-jigger parasite system with control policies is established. • A time-optimal control problem with limited resources is proposed. • A numerical method combining the control parametrization scheme with the interior point algorithm is constructed. • A trade-off between the optimal eradication time and the effective funding is provided. Tungiasis, as an epidermal parasitic skin disease, leads to long-term injury and life threats to humans in resource-limited countries. In this paper, we aim to minimize the epidemic duration of tungiasis disease with limited resources. A human-jigger parasite system with four control policies for humans and jiggers is established. We propose a time-optimal control problem, in which the eradication time and limited resources are involved. By applying the Pontryagin's minimum principle, we prove that, only bang-bang controls are admitted for all the control policies. Furthermore, a numerical scheme combining the control parametrization scheme with the interior point algorithm is constructed. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out using actual data of humans and jiggers in Brazil. From all the results, we conclude that, there is a trade-off between the optimal eradication time and the effective funding; once the effective funding is properly used, the disease can be controlled effectively; strengthening personal protections, improving treatments for humans and making adulticiding efforts contribute to keeping humans away from the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the potential implications of the proposed European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the recently adopted United Kingdom (UK) legislation on deforestation-free supply chains (henceforth 'the legislation') for different stakeholders in Brazil. These regulations intend to address global commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation by ensuring that targeted commodities and products placed on (or exported from) markets are of minimal risk of being associated with - in the EU - deforestation and forest degradation or - in the UK - illegal deforestation. The paper examines potential compliance readiness in cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybean and tropical timber supply chains in Brazil, indicating specific challenges that may arise. Through the construction of a "Compliance Likelihood Index", our research provides comparable indications to policymakers on sectors and stakeholders that may need stronger support to meet the requirements, in order to maintain Brazil's access to EU and UK markets. The paper indicates that coffee is the sector with the highest level of incentivization and smallest hurdles for compliance, while the cattle sector may face stronger challenges to rapidly adjust its production system towards a deforestation-free value chain and prove compliance. Results of our analysis also highlight the need for collaboration between the EU/UK and Brazil in order to promote alignment between domestic and demand-side legislations so that they are mutually reinforcing. Results of this exercise, which has a focus on the producer-country view of demand-side legislation, will contribute to discussions on the merits of different approaches to strengthen the governance of deforestation-risk commodity trade. [Display omitted] • Brazil's coffee sector may currently have the greatest likelihood of ready compliance. • Cattle may be the sector to which the regulations may pose the greatest challenges. • The EU and UK should focus on providing financial means and technical assistance for smallholders. • The EU and UK legislation will need to be accompanied by domestic policies and regulations in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the embedded systems along with the first in-orbit results of FloripaSat-I, a complete CubeSat mission developed at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The satellite's service module has three main subsystems, each with an embedded processor and its peripherals. This paper presents an overview of the nanosatellite architecture designed for the mission, including the embedded systems, functionalities, and components. Launched in December 2019 atop a Chinese Long March 4B rocket, FloripaSat-I has been since then transmitting mission data, which is a metric used to validate its open-source service platform through flight heritage. The results collected in orbit are presented and discussed, as well as the student's perception about the challenges in the project. With the analysis of the results, it is possible to identify technical points to be improved by external groups with interest to reuse the open-source service platform for the next missions, and the impact that this teaching–learning methodology has in the students. • We present the FloripaSat-I embedded systems. • Flight results regarding the first three months are presented. • We validate the FloripaSat-I service platform with flight inheritance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical climate-smart agriculture could be a cost-effective and scalable nature-based solution toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming decades. Nevertheless, the lack of integrated on-farm CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O flux measurements remains a barrier to including these systems in certification programs and the carbon (C) market. This systematic literature review critically examines field-measured GHG emission studies within climate-smart agri-systems in Brazil, aiming to: (i) integrate GHG-measured data, (ii) explore geographical representativeness and connections between organizations and authors, (iii) analyze distributions of studied GHG molecules, climate-smart system types, and productive components, (iv) conduct a meta-analysis on the adoption of climate-smart agriculture, and (v) identify methodological and scope gaps, providing insights for future research directions. The systems considered include no-till, well-managed pasture, integrated crop-livestock, and integration with trees (i.e., crop-forestry, livestock-forestry, crop-livestock-forestry, and multistrata agroforestry). Out of 1200 papers mentioning GHGs and climate-smart systems, 74 contained reliable on-farm flux measurements. Most authors were Brazilians affiliated with Embrapa and public Universities. Studies concentrated on the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, with scarce data for other biomes. Over half of the trials assessed individual GHG molecules and only one climate-smart system. Urochloa spp. and Avena spp. were the most studied forage genera, while soybeans and corn dominated annual crops. Eucalyptus spp. and beef cattle were common trees and animals. No-till, integrated crop-livestock, and agricultural integrations involving trees showed soil C–CH 4 influx from 0.8 to 1.0 kg ha−1 y−1. Transitioning from pasture monoculture to integrated systems decreased N–N 2 O emissions by up to 1.63 kg ha−1 y−1. Converting extensive grazed land to intensified-integrated systems reduced animal CH 4 intensity, with cuts of up to 122 g CH 4 per kg of average daily weight gain. Future research must urgently address methodological issues, such as de-standardization (e.g., 8–10 flux units found per GHG molecule) and the absence of crucial ancillary variables. In conclusion, adopting diversified climate-smart agri-systems shows potential to mitigate GHG emissions, but caution is advised when extrapolating our numerical findings due to limited data across Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions. We urge scientists to prioritize frequent on-farm measurements of all three GHGs (CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4) along with agroecosystem C sequestration across multiple climate-smart systems, enabling reliable and comparable net GHG flux calculations to identify the most sustainable option. Advancing and standardizing GHG measurements in Brazil offer an opportunity to enhance GHGs inventory accuracy, calibrate models, and promote policies and investments that expand refined tropical climate-smart agriculture. [Display omitted] • We systematically reviewed GHG measurements in Brazilian climate-smart agri-systems. • Well-managed pastures, no-till, and integration-based systems mitigate GHG emissions. • Brazilian GHG dataset incompletely represents systems and environmental complexities. • Producing agri-GHG field data is still vital for policies, investments, and C market. • Future GHG research should standardize flux units and include ancillary variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looking at Brazilian privatisations between 1991 and 2018, we investigate how net privatisation prices react to restructuring policies that are implemented before the sale as well as to private ownership structures that emerge at the sale. We innovate by accounting for restructuring and ownership at the same time and also by exploring a unique dataset that covers 139 transactions, mainly built through fieldwork. The paper provides policymakers with a "do's and don'ts" checklist to extract higher value from the sale. The checklist can be used as a policy guideline for new privatisations in Brazil and potentially in other emerging economies. • An empirical study on net privatisation prices arising from auctions is conducted. • A unique dataset of Brazilian privatisations between 1991 and 2018 is explored. • Bidding strategies are sensitive to restructuring policies implemented before the sale. • Revenues react to private ownership structures that emerge at the sale. • Policy prescriptions for privatisations in emerging markets are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 20 years, extreme weather-related events like floods, landslides, droughts, and wildfires have caused the death of 1.23 million people and a loss of 2.97 trillion dollars. Studies show that low and lower-middle income countries are the most impacted ones given the lack of investment in disaster risk management. To reduce the impact of these events, weather researchers have been developing numerical weather models that inform public agencies about the impending extreme events in advance. Despite being powerful tools, these models can suffer from several sources of uncertainty, ranging from the approximation of micro-scale physical processes to the location-dependent calibration of parameters, which is especially critical in developing countries. To minimize uncertainty effects, researchers generate several different weather scenarios to compose an ensemble of simulations that typically are inspected using manual, laborious, and error-prone approaches. In this paper, we propose an interactive visual analytics system, called X-Weather , developed in close collaboration with weather researchers from Brazil. Our system contributes a set of statistics and probability-based visualizations that allows the assessment of extreme weather events by effortlessly navigating through and comparing ensemble members. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the system through two case studies analyzing tragic events that happened in the mountain region of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. [Display omitted] • Our visualizations help identify extreme weather scenarios in large simulation ensembles. • Our web-based system enables the investigation of individual weather ensemble members. • Two case studies highlight our system's utility by analyzing extreme weather events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two economic activities have been integrated in southern Brazil: olive cultivation and sheep farming. The favorable edaphoclimatic conditions in the southern region for cultivating olive trees and cultural preferences for the consumption of sheep meat make this integration a valuable strategy. Considering that every activity causes environmental impact and the exploitation of natural resources, new systems that promote sustainable development and the efficient use of these resources become necessary. This paper presents the first study of the carbon footprint of the life cycle of integrating of sheep and olive farming, with the objective to build an inventory based on primary data collected on olive and sheep farms in Brazil, determine the carbon footprint of the conventional and integrated system and estimate the potential for mitigating GHG emissions. The evaluation was performed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The study focuses on the detailed analysis of the processes and activities that are responsible for GHG emissions, including enteric methane emissions, methane emissions from manure management, emissions from nitrogen fertilizer use and limestone application and energy consumption. For this, two major scenarios were considered, the first centered around on the traditional olive cultivation and sheep farming systems individually, and the second involved their synergistic integration. The findings indicate that the conventional system is associated with a global warming impact of 6.8 kg CO 2 eq per liter olive oil and kg live weight. In contrast, the integrated system demonstrates a significant mitigation potential of 27.7%, resulting in a reduced global warming impact of 4.92 kg CO 2 eq. This advantage is a consequence of the synergy between the systems, as they now occupy the same area, which allows the sharing of agricultural activities and agrochemical inputs, in addition to optimizing nutrient recycling and complementing each other. Additionally, the results of a sensitivity analysis showed that enteric methane from sheep and the application of limestone to the soil are the most influential parameters on the carbon footprint, indicating that they are key parameters for the development of GHG mitigation strategies, some of which were discussed in the article. • First life cycle assessment of integration between olive and sheep farming in Brazil. • The inventory was constructed with primary data collected in situ. • The study assesses the carbon footprint of the olive and sheep farming system. • The results show environmental advantages of the integration of olive and sheep farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we developed and evaluated the potential synergistic effect of a hybrid two-step sequential modification of a coconut shell activated carbon (AC) by oxidative treatment with HNO 3 (ACO), followed by aluminum impregnation (ACO-Al) by incipient wetness method (Al(NO 3) 3.9 H 2 O - 2% of Al) aiming to improve the adsorbent properties (i.e diffusivity, adsorption capacity and adsorbent-adsorbate affinity) for desulfurization of tiophenic compounds. Characterization of the adsorbent (TPD, FTIR, XPS) confirmed acidic oxygenated functional groups (carboxylic acids, anhydrides, lactones, phenols, and quinones) and aluminum compounds (AlO(OH) and Al 2 O 3) on the adsorbent's surface, which promoted enhanced interactions between adsorptive and adsorbent (i.e., sulfur-metal (S-M) interactions) that improved the performance of the adsorbent on dibenzothiophene (DBT) adsorption, besides π-π stacking interactions with the aromatic structures of the DBT molecule. Textural properties were slightly affected, indicating that the modifications provided surface modifications Aiming to support the understanding of the phenomena involved in the process, a phenomenological modeling approach was used, wherein adsorption equilibrium data was described by Langmuir isotherm and kinetic data by applying mass transfer kinetic models. The equilibrium and kinetic experiments showed an increment of 59% in the maximum adsorption capacity and 23% in the adsorption rate (controlled by the internal diffusion), respectively, for ACO-Al compared with the ACO adsorbent. Furthermore, the ACO-Al adsorbent showed a remarkable potential to remove different thiophenic compounds in binary systems (for benzothiophene (BT), dimethyldibenzothiophene (DMDBT), besides the DBT), and also to operate in adsorption-desorption cycles. Overall, the proposed hybrid adsorbent modification proved to be efficient in boosting the performance of activated carbon performance towards desulfurization given the specific oxygen groups and sulfur-metal interactions provided. [Display omitted] • Activated carbon (AC) derived from a coconut shell (abundant residue in the Brazil). • Efficient functionalization of AC with oxygenated groups and aluminum species. • Improvement of the adsorption capacity and kinetics of the functionalized AC. • Functionalized AC exhibited potential of adsorption in multicomponent systems. • Functionalized AC showed ability of regeneration and reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pastureland maintenance is seen as a land-based measure to reduce dependency on feed concentrates and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock production in the EU, while providing other ecosystems services. This paper assesses potential market-mediated impacts, including global Land Use Change (LUC) and GHG emissions, from increased subsidies to pasture-based livestock production in the EU. A tax recycling strategy (TRS) is simulated against a baseline up to 2030 under the shared socioeconomic pathway 2 (SSP2). This implies a budget-neutral increase in the level of pasture subsidies in individual Member States, as land subsidies for other cropping activities decrease. We employ the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model GTAP in its recursive-dynamic version, GTAP-RDEM, extended with the Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) database FABIO to disaggregate agri-food sectors from 21 to 31. This approach allows considering price- and income-dependent feedbacks when assessing long-run changes in the global economy, improving the sectoral resolution relative to GTAP v10. The policy increases pastureland areas and cattle production in almost all EU Member States, whereas cropland and crop production decrease, causing significant changes across EU agri-food markets. Crop prices increase, leading to the reduced output of intensive animal production sectors, mainly pig and poultry. Cropland areas decrease and most EU countries increase imports of grain, oilseeds, and cakes, essentially soybean cake from Brazil and North America. While GHG emissions decrease in those EU countries where pasturelands expand mainly at the cost of croplands, GHG emissions increase in those countries where pastureland expansion comes with forest loss. As a result, net GHG emissions increase in the EU-27 in 2030 (+2.49 Mt CO 2 -eq). Emissions from LUC in major non-EU grain- and oilseed-exporting countries increase, e.g., by 102.52 Mt CO 2 -eq in Brazil and by 129.17 Mt CO 2 -eq in North America. The simulated policy shows that promoting extensive livestock per se does not meet the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy and the EU Green Deal. The TRS should be complemented with policies to foster crop diversification and promote the use of domestic feed sources (e.g., legumes) to effectively ensure feed self-sufficiency and that extensive cattle production in the EU does not lead to deforestation in carbon-rich countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal stresses produced on TCABR tokamak during baking analyzed for the first time. • Maximum equivalent stress on vacuum vessel below limit calculated by ASME BPVC. • Stress on other components below ASME limit, but above material yield strength. • Stress on vacuum vessel below ASME limit, despite high rigidity support structure. TCABR is a small-sized tokamak located at the University of São Paulo, in Brazil. It is planned to undergo an extensive upgrade, which includes a baking system. However, this tokamak wasn't designed considering baking as a possible wall conditioning technique. This paper analyzes whether a baking system with ohmic heating could in principle be installed on TCABR, considering the thermal stresses that it might produce on the vacuum vessel. An analytical steady-state heat transfer model was used to estimate the heat fluxes required to reach a target temperature of 200 °C. Thermal and structural transient finite element method models were developed using ANSYS Workbench®. The temperature distribution was used to calculate the thermal stresses, also considering the effects of gravity and vacuum pressure. The stresses produced in the vacuum vessel by baking were below the limit defined by the ASME stress code, but the graphite tiles' support rails reached stress values above their material's yield strength. The resulting temperature distribution was not uniform, with some regions far from the 200 °C target. A redesign of the baking system will be required to reach a more uniform temperature field and avoid stresses above yield strength for some components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Committed to achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century, South America faces unique challenges in carbon mitigation due to its distinct socio-economic, technological, and institutional backgrounds compared to developed and other developing economies. Previous research on South America's carbon emissions has limited country and sector coverage and typically adopts a top-down approach that focuses on the overall emissions of an economy, neglecting individual energy sources and emission sectors. Therefore, this paper compiles a comprehensive inventory of CO 2 emissions for South American countries based on a meticulous bottom-up approach and multi-source data integration, followed by a thorough analysis of their temporal evolution patterns and the driving forces behind them. Between 2010 and 2020, South America's overall emissions peaked in 2014 at 1092.3 Mt., led by emissions from oil consumption and from the transport and electricity sectors, and dropped to 865.6 Mt. in 2020, due to the economic fluctuations and COVID-19. Specifically, Brazil was the largest emitter, Chile experienced the most significant increase in emissions, and Paraguay recorded the highest emission growth rate. Generally, expanding population was constant driver of emission growth. High energy intensity led to significant emission increases in Brazil and Ecuador, while elevated carbon intensity was the main driver in Argentina. Energy structure changes played a positive role in most countries to different extents (e.g., much more significant in Brazil than in Chile) but aggrevated emissions in Paraguay and Guyana. Therefore, carbon mitigation strategies should be tailored to each country's unique national circumstances. • During 2010–2020, South America's CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels peaked in 2014. • Transport and electricity sectors comprised over 60% of total emissions. • Brazil was the top emitter, while Chile saw the largest increase in emissions. • Emission patterns and driving factors varied significantly across countries. • Carbon reduction strategies should be tailored to local circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a model of coastal barrier progradation where the development of a prograded plain was a product of the successive formation of foredune ridges followed by their burial by transgressive sand sheets and dunefields. The results are based on direct lithological data from drill holes and geomorphological analyses, indirect geophysical data (GPR), and 14C and OSL dating. Barrier progradation started at 6.69 ka (OSL) or 7.2 ka (14C), under sea-level rise. At around 5.0 ka (OSL), or thereabouts, a forced regression condition started to operate, when sea-level started to fall after it reached a maximum of 2.34 ± 0.8 m. During barrier progradation sets of foredunes were formed, and at least some of them were buried by sands of transgressive dunefields (TDF), which later evolved to transgressive sand sheets (TSS). A total of 11+ phases of TSS and a modern phase of TDF were formed in a time span of 6.69 ka (OSL) or 7.2 ka (14C), corresponding to one phase formed at each 560 or 600 yrs. Two models of possible development of the surface of Curumim barrier are proposed. • Arare record of aforedune plain buried by transgressive sandsheets formation. • The cyclic formation of transgressive dunefieldsand transgressive sand sheets. • The foredune/beach contact as a proxy of sea-level position. • Distinct contributions of normal and forced regressionon barrier progradation. • Possibletransformation of a transgressive dunefield in a transgressive sand sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent disastrous tailings dam failures have heightened public concerns about the safety of these structures. Typically, tailings are disposed of as a slurry in a loosely saturated state, making them susceptible to static liquefaction. The widely used limit equilibrium method for analysing tailings dams may overlook potential failures and is incapable of simulating static-liquefaction-type dam failures. This paper presents simulations of the initiation of progressive failure within a finite element framework, using a well-described tailings dam in Brazil as a basis. Three different constitutive models (Hardening Soil, SANISAND2004, and NorSand) were employed to demonstrate a numerical modelling procedure for simulating tailings dam static liquefaction and a practical approach to numerically account for the effects of fines content in slime layers. Models that incorporate the state parameter (ψ) as an integral part can realistically depict the loss of strength in loose granular materials during a liquefaction process. Stress–strain paths of representative points in critical zones of the studied tailings dam indicate localized shear deformations that lead to progressive failure due to static liquefaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is the world's leading charcoal producer, mainly used as an energy source and reducing agent for iron ore in the pig iron and steel industry. Despite its vast production, much of the Brazilian charcoal production remains low-tech and inefficient, with limited utilization of by-products. To address potential environmental impacts, promote a circular economy, and reduce energy waste in the charcoal production chain, this study presents the benefits of using wood carbonization by-products through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The analysis was performed by comparing four scenarios: i) Current wood carbonization; ii) Wood carbonization with combustion of non-condensable gases; iii) Wood carbonization with energy recovering of non-condensable gases for electricity generation; and iv) Assessing the utilization of insoluble tar and biomass waste for generating additional electricity, and the use of Pyroligneous Extract (PE) in eucalyptus cultivation. The results demonstrate that by-product utilization prevents energy waste, with an estimated potential to generate 0.19–0.26 MWh per ton of charcoal in Scenarios 3 and 4. Furthermore, 3.3 t of CO2 eq./t of charcoal are sequestered from the atmosphere, and Scenarios 2, 3, and 4 can increase this amount by 5.06%, 6.7%, and 0.48%, respectively. This paper introduces an innovative assessment of PE utilization during eucalyptus cultivation, resulting in a 6.16% reduction in greenhouse gas emission and a 46.98% decrease in abiotic resource consumption, attributed to PE's potential to partially reduce pesticide consumption. [Display omitted] • Photochemical Oxidation is the main impact category due to CO emissions in carbonization kilns. • Potential to generate 0.19–0.26 MWh of electricity per ton of charcoal through by-products utilization. • Forest residues and insoluble tar increase electricity generation potential by 36%. • Charcoal by-products offset GHG emissions from 14 to 203 kg/ton of charcoal. • Pyroligneous Extract use leads to 6% lower GHG emissions and 47% decrease in abiotic resource consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed generation (DG) plays a strategic role in transitioning from a fossil to a renewable energy matrix, encouraging the reduction of energy poverty and access to green energy in traditional communities. This paper proposes a statistical model based on structural equations to analyze the influence of DG on Well-Being (CWB), and to estimate the causal relationships between the latent variables: economic (ECO), environmental (ENV), social (SOC), distributed generation system (DGS) and well-being (CWB) in a rural area in Brazil. The research is carried out in a Quilombola Community located in the south of Brazil. In the data collection process, a questionnaire was used in a Likert scale format, applied in loco to the residents of the Quilombola community. This database was imported into the SmartPLS software for analysis using a partial least squares approach. Structural equation-based modelling (SEM) results confirmed 66% of the hypotheses. The latent variables SOC and DGS directly and positively affected CWB with (β = 0.573) and (β = 0.433), respectively. The Economic variable with (β = 0.396) had a direct and positive effect on the DGS variable, and the DGS variable with (β = 0.404) had an immediate and positive impact on the CWB. The variables observed with the highest participation in the latent variables were: belonging (62%), social capital (31%), greenhouse gases (56%) and incentive policies (45%). The proposed model demonstrates that socioeconomic changes, carried out from specific public policies around the installation of DG, should contribute to the well-being of traditional communities and the reduction of energy poverty. • An analysis of the well-being development of a rural community was done. • For data collection process was used a Likert scale. • Only the social dimension had a direct effect on the well-being of the community. • The designed model demonstrated that the variables are susceptible to changes, influencing on public policies. • DG promotes well-being beyond technical issues and should encourage its installation in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For native species seeds, the triphasic imbibition pattern is the rarest to occur. • The imbibition curve pattern may change according to the type of data used. • The use of single or multiple samples changes both germination speed and imbibition pattern. • More accurate imbibition curves must be established by fresh weight variations. • Use of alternative data for obtain the triphasic standard may affect future research. Although providing the basis for seed germination studies, there is little information available on seed imbibition curves for Brazilian forest species. Among the few studied species, the theoretical triphasic pattern may not apply, hampering the conduction of subsequent studies that require a clear definition of imbibition phases. In this paper, we characterize the seed imbibition curves of 25 Brazilian forest species and compare them with those from other studies and with the classic triphasic pattern. We collected seeds of the chosen species in the region of Lavras, MG, Brazil, and measured their fresh weight before and during the entire germination process. Seed weight data were used to calculate the weight gain percentage of each species. We defined the imbibition curves of Peltophorum dubium seeds using seed fresh weight and seed weight gain percentage of both single and multiple samples, as well as using water content (on fresh and dry bases) to compare potential changes in imbibition patterns caused by differences in data. When only weight gain was considered, we observed the triphasic pattern in 11 species; however, only in four of them, the germination coincided with the third phase of imbibition. The triphasic pattern did not emerge for the remaining 14 species. Considering seed water content instead of weight resulted in some changes in the pattern of the imbibition curve, influencing the accuracy of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Buildings Labels (GBL) are indicated as one of the means with the potential to contribute to sustainable development. Worldwide, more than 850,000 green buildings have already had their project and development helped by just three of the GBLs (LEED, BREEAM, and BASIX). Brazil, however, has only 874 LEED-certified projects. Aiming to propose strategies to foster the adoption of GBL in the country, this paper developed an interpretative model involving barriers to them in Brazil. For this, the technique of Validated Interpretative Structural Modeling (VISM) was developed aiming to add statistical validity to interpretative models even in situations of research with small sample sizes. VISM is a modeling technique that incorporates the simplicity of Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) with the significance testing procedures of Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Adopting the VISM, the barriers model was then developed in five steps: (1) identification of indicators; (2) definition of constructs; (3) identification of relations between constructs; (4) validation of relations between constructs; and (5) creation of the conceptual model. As a result, VISM proved to be an effective innovative modeling technique in the development of models for exploratory research and presents results consistent with the reality studied. Regarding the model developed, the main barriers identified by the study to the adoption of GBL in Brazil are: "environmental protection mechanisms"; "costs and return on investment"; "mistrust of the benefits from GBL"; "corporate and public awareness"; "maturity and market economics"; and the "project, construction, and operation of green buildings". • The paper develop a model of barriers to adoption of green buildings labels in Brazil. • The paper present the technique of Validated Interpretative Structural Modeling. • The technique can help exploratory research with small sample sizes. • ISM models with circular and cross relationships can be validated. • Environmental protection mechanisms and costs hinder green buildings labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The obligations arising from legislation and other instruments affect the macro-level decision-making related to the transition toward a circular economy (CE), which is a multifaceted topic since it tries to aggregate the interests of different stakeholders. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the current policies, strategies and initiatives related to the CE transition from a multicriteria perspective and under the lens of NIT (New Institutional Theory). This is the first approach that analyses which CE strategies and related practices boost the transition from a macro-level perspective, using a multicriteria method and considering developed and emerging economies. For this reason, this paper can be helpful for researchers and practitioners involved in implementing strategy and policymaking aimed at the transition toward a CE. It also contributes to the discussion on the global transition to the CE by identifying differences and similarities between countries. The proposed methodology has been applied to compare the realities in Italy and Brazil. The perceptions of several stakeholders from the two countries have been gathered through a questionnaire to evaluate numerous strategies against several social, environmental, economic, and technical criteria. The main results are: Italy presents a proactive behaviour, a higher level of institutionalisation, and a coercive isomorphism related to European regulations and strategies. In contrast, Brazil has reactive behaviour, a lower level of institutionalisation, and is impelled by mimetic isomorphism. Although it is possible to observe several advances in the last years in Brazil, the transition to a CE is still in the early stages compared to Italy. [Display omitted] • Transitioning to a new economic model is not a quick and straightforward process. • Transition requires changes in countries, regions, cities, supply chains and companies. • Some strategies and related practices have been adopted to enable the transition. • National legislation and Action Plans can boost the transition toward a circular economy. • In developing countries, the exploration of CE concept and its potential benefits has been rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A generic optimization model for biorefineries design overarching the entire supply chain, from biomass to market, that allows the modeling of complex biomass systems, such as forests. • A robust formulation that handles uncertainties on both biomass productivity and product selling prices. • An uncertainty model that allows the control of the degree of conservatism regarding negative uncertainties materialization. • A case study for a eucalyptus biorefinery implementation in Brazil producing paper-grade pulp, electricity, and lignin illustrating the capabilities of the proposed model. The dependence of biomass growth on uncontrolled environmental factors and the lack of confidence in product selling price estimation imposes challenges for the efficient design of biorefineries, especially for forest systems, which present complex and long-termed growth behavior. The present work proposes the expansion of an optimization framework for forest biorefineries design to handle uncertainties on both biomass productivity and product selling prices. A robust formulation is proposed under a box and polyhedral uncertainty set formulation allowing its conservatism degree to be controlled. A case study of a eucalyptus biorefinery in Brazil illustrates the model's capabilities. The canonical worst-case approach to uncertainties on selling prices leads to a null optimal Net Present Value (NPV) and, on biomass growth, leads to a design that uses a 70% excess of lands. Scenarios of a controlled degree of conservatism lead to designs closer to the uncertainty-free optimal NPV of 136 bi BRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students graduating in a recession have been shown to face large and persistent negative effects on their earnings, health, and other outcomes. This paper investigates whether students delay graduation to avoid these effects. Using data on the universe of students in higher education in Brazil and leveraging variation in labor market conditions across time, space, and chosen majors, the paper finds that students in public institutions delay graduation to avoid entering depressed labor markets. A typical recession causes the on-time graduation rate to fall by 6.5% in public universities and there is no effect on private institutions. The induced delaying increases average graduation by 0.11 semesters, consistent with 1 out of 18 students delaying graduation by one year in public universities. The delaying effect is larger for students with higher scores, in higher-earnings majors, and from more advantaged backgrounds. This has important implications for the distributional impact of recessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School dropout is a relevant socio-economic problem across the globe. Predictive models have been developed to determine the likelihood of students dropping out of their studies precociously to overcome such a problem. Academic systems, which gather data from many students, are potential sources for datasets that feed dropout prediction algorithms, thus leading to general improvements in education quality. Despite successful past attempts to predict dropout, several works depict small datasets with features that are hard to reproduce. Furthermore, predicting whether a student will drop out is not enough to diagnose and prevent the problem as it is also necessary to provide potential justifications for the dropout. This paper proposes an approach for creating and enriching a dataset for dropout prediction, which has been applied for dropout prediction using data from 19 schools in Brazil. With this dataset and using classifiers and model explaining techniques, our experiments achieved Area Under the Precision–Recall Curve (AUC-PR) scores of up to 89.5%, Precision up to 95%, Recall up to 93%, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) rates up to 97% when predicting dropout at different year moments. This study also shows differences when predicting dropouts in different educational stages, such as preschool and secondary education, with the former being more complex than the latter. In addition to the high recognition rates, our proposal identifies potential reasons for student dropout, which are relevant for educational institutions to take preemptive actions. • Dropout prediction is performed with educational, financial, and public data. • Dropout analysis is conducted in different educational stages and time of the year. • Explainable machine learning allows reasoning behind potential dropouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate the scientific production on public relations addressing Latin America through a quantitative content and bibliometric analysis of articles and special issues published between 1980 and 2020, written in the official languages of the region: Spanish and Portuguese. The results of 123 articles confirm a substantial increase of studies since 2011, and some limitations of scientific dissemination. Although almost half of the authors were based in Brazil (40%), 17 base countries were counted. This work complements the latest studies on the object of study in English (Thelen, 2021) and provides the scientific community with recognition and access to native production. • A set of 123 native language articles where analised on public relations addressing Latin America. • There is a significant increase in the number of studies from 2016 onwards (29%). • Brazil accumulated the largest number of papers in the period (n = 49). • It was found that the impact in native languages (4.2) was lower than in English (43.2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Deforestation-induced rainfall changes negatively impact soybean and maize yields in Brazil. • Soybean and maize yields could have been 6.6 % and 9.9 % higher per year if rainfall patterns hadn't been altered by deforestation. • Agricultural efficiency improvements insufficient to counteract rainfall-changes effects on yields. • Study underscores the vital role of forest preservation for agricultural resilience and food security. • Forests' critical role in regulating the water cycle highlighted in the face of climate change. Whereas the global demand for food, fiber and energy is increasing, the capacity of ecosystems services to sustain agricultural production is being compromised worldwide. Brazil is a global food supplier that has benefitted from agricultural intensification in the past decades. At the same time, expansion of cropland has led to deforestation that, in turn, is increasingly affecting rainfall patterns thereby influencing crop yields. This study examines how loss in forest cover has impacted agricultural yields through change in rainfall. To do so, we use modelled data on changes in rainfall patterns due to deforestation as input to a crop model. We assess yield changes within the soybean-maize double cropping system, the country's most relevant agricultural system, in five states within the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. Findings revealed that soybean and maize yields would have been respectively 6.6 % and 9.9 % higher per year in the last decade if rainfall patterns hadn't been altered by deforestation from 1982 onwards. Although agricultural efficiency improved between 2011 and 2020, it was insufficient to offset the negative effect of altered rainfall on yields. Our paper reveals the link between deforestation and crop yields, emphasizing the need to preserve forest cover for agricultural resilience and food security. It reinforces the critical role of forests in regulating the water cycle, particularly in the face of climate change-induced warmer and drier conditions that can impact agricultural production and other human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the golden mussel in Brazil is a matter of great concern and causes harm to the country, particularly affecting the power generation sector. Infestation control represents a challenge, and there is a need to mathematically describe the dynamics of the problem. This work proposes to analyze a mathematical model based on differential equations that relate the populations of larvae, mussels, and algae. For this model, the critical points and stationary states are determined, seeking steady-state conditions stability, through the basic reproduction rate. In addition, it presents the sensitivity analysis of the parameters involved. The paper results are relevant as they allow mathematical interpretation of the golden mussel infestation potential through the basic reproduction rate. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis suggests how important the parameters are for this potential. For that matter, this work can provide baseline information to guide future control strategies as it provides quantification of the species involved over time as well as a condition for infestation. • Mussel-algae interaction model. • Stability analysis of stationary solutions of the model. • Basal reproduction rate for the golden mussel model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts in one country can lead to impacts in distant locations, for example, via internationally traded crops. Previous work has highlighted a need to include cross-border climate change impacts in climate risk assessments, to describe the exposure and transmission of cross-border climate risk across actors, and understand options for managing this risk. In a case study of the Brazil-Europe soy supply chain, this paper aims to explore how stakeholders perceive past and future shocks, how climate change impacts affect stakeholders differently, and how they might respond. Soy is a key internationally traded commodity and Europe relies on imports for the majority of its soy consumption, used widely in livestock feed. Via 96 semi-structured expert interviews, we found different stakeholder groups are vulnerable to different types of weather shocks, experience different price and supply consequences, and have different capacities to respond. While some responses can reduce risk of impacts across the supply chain (e.g. new soy cultivars, improving transport infrastructure), we also identified examples where responses exacerbate risk for other stakeholders (e.g. export bans, changing demand). A holistic cross-border approach to analysing risk in the soy supply chain can help avoid maladaptation and offer opportunities for more collaborative adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vaccination rate for COVID-19 in Brazil is one of the highest in the world. • Additional vaccination for new variants, including omicron, will be necessary. • The country ranks second in aesthetic procedures worldwide. • Hypersensitivity to hyaluronic acid after COVID-19 vaccine administration is observed. • Aesthetic professionals should be aware and advise patients of this possibility. Brazil ranked second in the world for the number of aesthetic procedures carried out in 2019. Five case reports of delayed hypersensitivity reaction to hyaluronic acid dermal filler after COVID-19 vaccination are presented in this paper. Additional vaccination for new variants, including omicron, will be necessary; therefore, aesthetic professionals should be aware of this possibility and advise patients accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Building policies must be rooted in a good understanding of the targeted population. • Building performance standards may benefit from creating databases of weather files. • A thermal performance analysis should consider multiple key performance indicators. • Building performance policies should address the thermal resilience of buildings. This paper presents the main challenges faced and lessons learned when developing a new method to assess the thermal performance of residential buildings for the recently updated Brazilian building performance standard, NBR 15575–1:2021. It touches on subjects related to the representation of occupant behavior, climate, and thermal acceptability in building performance simulation, as well as the use of reference models, key performance indicators, and performance levels in policies. NBR 15575 provides a thorough procedure to analyze thermal performance, allowing buildings to be assessed while in passive operation mode and also accounting for energy needs when active operation is necessary. Multiple key performance indicators are introduced to provide a comprehensive evaluation. The main difficulty found was dealing with diversity. Given the vast scale of Brazil's territory, a high variation in culture, climate and construction techniques is expected, thus requiring a compromise between detail and scalability. There are still many opportunities for improvement, especially regarding the representation of occupants, and adjustments of the characteristics of reference models to promote high thermal performance, considering the diverse climates, regional practices, and economic needs. This paper might help researchers and other stakeholders to develop and improve other local standards and protocols, especially for warm climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the long-term impact on earnings of attending a tuition-free, top-quality university in Brazil. We identify the causal effect through a sharp discontinuity in an admission process based on test scores. If admitted, low-income students are found to increase their earnings by 26% ten years later. However, admission has a small and insignificant effect on high-income students. The difference between income groups is not explained by educational attainment, program choice, or selection into better-paying jobs. The evidence suggests that most low-income applicants, if not admitted, still graduate from college but with much lower returns to education. High-income applicants who just miss the cutoff, however, can find other opportunities such that earnings trajectories are unchanged. Our results underscore the role of affordable higher education in promoting social mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• IoT and machine learning promote soil moisture forecast for smart irrigation. • Our approach is fully data-driven and independent of domain-knowledge features. • Results come from twelve fields on four farms, from eight crop types in four years. • Boosting outperforms neural networks, and blended models improve performance. • Poor data quality is a challenge for machine learning soil moisture forecast. The rise of the Internet of Things allowed higher spatial–temporal resolution soil moisture data captured through in situ sensing. Such abundance of data enables machine learning-based soil moisture forecast as an alternative to traditional mechanistic approaches for irrigation water need estimation. This paper develops a guideline for soil moisture forecast modeling based on machine learning, tested in a real case analysis comprehending eight crop types in twelve fields from four farms distributed over diverse climatic scenarios in Brazil. Instead of a single value, we predict the following days' minimum and maximum values as targets to monitor risks of extreme soil moisture values. Furthermore, modeling soil moisture directly in volumetric water content (VWC) is better than modeling soil matric potential (SMP) to later convert in soil moisture VWC. We test several algorithms and find out that LightGBM outperforms linear regression, decision tree, random forest, multilayer perceptron, LSTM, and StemGNN. Also, blending predictions via algorithm ensemble provides an additional accuracy gain. For model training and accuracy measurement, we use weighted datasets to privilege rare but critical data points. We show that soil moisture forecast reaches its maximum performance considering only past soil moisture, a context-aware index, and a precipitation forecast. Finally, we demonstrate that traditional domain-knowledge features - such as evapotranspiration, crop phenology, and soil hydraulic behavior - are not relevant to improving SM forecast performance. Consequently, our paper suggests full data-driven approaches for irrigation water need estimation, observed some care regarding data quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a medium-term distribution plan for a pharmaceutical network, considering distribution center (DC) location and transportation decisions. The problem is characterized by low DC opening costs due to outsourced warehousing services. Therefore, transportation costs have a higher impact on location decisions and should be carefully evaluated. In addition, medicines vary widely in sales price and volume, demand behavior, and physical characteristics, which affects the distribution planning. This paper proposes a multi-product, multi-period, and multi-modal mathematical model integrating network design and distribution planning decisions, such as product flow, transportation modes, type of freight shipping, fleet sizing, and escorting services for high-value cargo. The mathematical formulation takes into consideration realistic features such as value-added tax, whose rate varies among locations. A Local Branching matheuristic taking advantage of the hierarchical problem structure is introduced. The result of tests using real-life data demonstrate the model's effectiveness to support the trade-off between the location and transportation problem, corroborating the relevance of making these decisions simultaneously. A comparison of the results with a company shows opportunities to reduce overall logistics costs plus the total amount of chargeable taxes. Regarding computational running times, the proposed matheuristic outperformed CPLEX in 75% of instances. • Focus on the medium-term distribution planning for multiple high-value products. • A location–transportation problem considering value-added tax issues is addressed. • We deal with issues such as freight types, cargo insurance, and escorting decisions. • The study was motivated by a real case of a global pharmaceutical company in Brazil. • The problem is solved using a Local Branching based heuristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expensive multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems have constraints in the number of objective function evaluations due to time, financial, or resource restrictions. As most combinatorial problems, they are subject to a high number of duplicated solutions. Given the fact that expensive environments limit the number of objective function evaluations, the existence of duplicated solutions heavily impacts the optimization process due to poor diversity and low convergence speed. This paper proposes the Novel-First Tabu Search, a greedy-strategy mechanism that uses Knowledge-Assisted Local Search methods to preserve the population diversity and increase the exploration and exploitation ability of MOEA/D. Experiments are conducted on constrained, unconstrained, multimodal, deceptive, linear, convex, and non-convex Pareto Front multi-objective combinatorial optimization benchmark problems. This paper also conducts an experiment on the real-world, expensive problem of Well Placement Optimization using a benchmark case based on the Namorado oil field, located in the Campos Basin, Brazil. The experimental results and performance comparison with state-of-the-art algorithms demonstrate that the proposed design significantly preserves diversity and increases convergence without violating the constraint in the number of objective function evaluations. • A greedy strategy that uses knowledge-assisted local search methods is developed. • The greedy strategy is combined with the MOEA/D algorithm. • The method is evaluated on five well-known multi-objective combinatorial problems. • The method is evaluated on the real-world problem of Well Placement Optimization. • It achieves faster convergence in comparison with state-of-the-art algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an Internet-of-Things (IoT) based energy management system (EMS) for the optimal operation of unbalanced three-phase AC microgrids. The system utilizes a software architecture based on microservices, which includes a stochastic economic dispatch optimizer (EDO), a database, a web-based graphical user interface (GUI), and an application programming interface (API). The EDO uses a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to ensure the day-ahead dispatch of the distributed energy resources (DERs) in the microgrid while adhering to grid constraints such as voltage, current, and power limits. Additionally, the optimization module takes into account security constraints for unplanned islanded operation, as well as stochastic scenarios of local demand and renewable generation. To assess the performance of the proposed IoT-based EMS, tests are conducted using a real-time simulator in a software-in-the-loop (SIL) experimental setup. Actual data from a microgrid located at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil is utilized for the tests. The microgrid consisted of a photovoltaic (PV) system, a battery energy storage system (BESS), a thermal generation unit, and variable demands. Results indicated the effectiveness of the proposed IoT-based EMS in monitoring the operation of the microgrid and defining the optimal day-ahead dispatch of local DERs. • An IoT-based energy management system (EMS) for microgrids is presented. • A database, a web-based GUI, an API, and an optimization module comprise the EMS. • Optimal day-ahead dispatch is defined considering grid and security constraints. • Real-time simulations in a software-in-the-loop environment are implemented. • EMS is efficient in defining the dispatch and monitoring the operation of microgrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lifecycle benefits/harms of solar/electric ships were demystified quantitatively. • Live-Life Cycle Assessment was introduced to overcome the lack of data available. • Environmental performance of solar ships was subject to geographical conditions. • Green electric grids were suggested to contribute to net zero-emission shipping. This paper was born to introduce a novel methodology termed Live-Life Cycle Assessment using a simulation-based data generation technique that can remedy the inherent shortcomings of conventional practices of lifecycle assessment. To demonstrate its excellence, the proposed method was applied to one of the most challenging topics in the marine industry. That was to tackle the fundamental doubt of whether solar-electric propulsion ships could truly be the future energy solution of maritime transports by fulfilling new environmental conventions and goals around the world. The case study began with an existing hybrid short route ferry running on diesel and plug-in battery power. Credible PV systems for the case ship was modelled to produce ship performance data under various operational/environmental circumstances of the coastal zones across 29 countries in the platform of MATLAB/Simulink. As a key functionality of Live-Life Cycle Assessment, the produced data was directly fed, as inputs, into life cycle assessment to avoid conventional practices that heavily rely on outdated data libraries. Results of the case study clearly revealed and quantified the correlations of the performance of PV-battery systems with climate parameters such as temperature and irradiance of subject areas as well as national power production methods. For example, in terms of Global Warming Potential, the case ship with the PV system was estimated to reduce 40,812 kg CO 2 eq. per year in Brazil (average temp.: 27.4 ℃, major energy source: hydro). Interestingly, the same vessel was found to achieve greater reductions in India (average temp.: 27.5 ℃, major energy source: coal) or Australia (average temp.: 20.1 ℃, major energy source: coal) where are overly laden with coal-based power plants. Therefore, their reduction levels were estimated at 152,887 kg CO 2 eq. per year and 141,517 kg CO 2 eq. per year respectively. This paper clearly shows the excellence of the proposed method to demystify/quantify the impacts of parametric variables on the performance of the PV-electric ship. Moreover, it highly suggests the Live-Life Cycle Assessment could be a solution as a new standard to respond to strong demand to obtain general observation of lifecycle benefits/harms of new technologies across all industries, not necessarily limited to the maritime sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how resource-based windfalls to Brazilian municipalities' revenues affects their provision of education. Using within-municipality variation in per capita oil revenues transferred to municipalities, we find that receiving more oil royalties increases municipal education expenditures, which translates into more teachers, classrooms, and schools per capita. These effects are present only for municipally funded schools, implying that increased educational provision is due to better funding and not through increased demand for schooling. We also find, however, that some evidence that some types of school infrastructure and services may be affected by oil royalties, implying that this additional schooling coverage may be of lower quality. Interestingly, despite the increased provision of education student outcomes like the dropout rate worsen with higher oil royalties, although this may be due to changes in student composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the incorporation of green liquor dregs, an inorganic solid waste from Kraft pulp mill, and flat glass cutting waste (FGCW) into red ceramic formulations. Since in Brazil sanitary landfills are still the main destination of industrial wastes such as those used in this research, a survey was conducted to identify the number of landfills in the region of origin of each waste and the amount of waste that could have this destination avoided. The effects of firing temperature and simultaneous incorporation of both industrial wastes were analyzed to optimize heat treatment and waste content in the formulation to manufacture red ceramic products. The influence of green liquor dregs and FGCW incorporation into clayey mass was evaluated varying waste content between 0 and 50 wt%. The specimens were prepared by uniaxial pressing, fired at 850 and 950 °C, and had their physical-mechanical properties and mineralogical and microstructural characteristics analyzed. The best results were obtained for the formulation with 10 wt% green liquor dregs and 30 wt% FGCW fired at 950 °C. This result highlights the potential of using green liquor dregs, a waste difficult to be recycled due to its chemical composition, associated with FGCW, which acts as a fluxing agent in ceramic formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a multi-period dynamic emergency material distribution (EMD) model under uncertain demand by considering the disaster degree and demand of different affected areas to improve the reasonability of disaster relief material distribution in post-disaster emergencies. The objective is to minimize the unsatisfied demand, materials distribution cost, and the risk of choosing the path to distribute materials. The model also focuses on the heterogeneity of emergency materials, the dynamics of demand, and the diversity of transportation tools. In addition, the demands and transportation times are described by fuzzy numbers to better fit with the real situation. To solve the problem we propose a hybrid multi-objective salp swarm algorithm and sine cosine algorithm (HMSSA-SCA). Furthermore, numerical examples of different scenarios and scales are solved and compared with the multi-objective salp swarm algorithm (MSSA), multi-objective evolutionary decomposition algorithm for emergency resource scheduling (MOEA/D-mdERS), non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II), and strength pareto evolutionary algorithm 2 (SPEA2) to verify the performance of the HMSSA-SCA algorithm. Finally, the floods and landslides disaster event in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil is used to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the model and algorithm in the real case. • A multi-period dynamic emergency material distribution (EMD) model is proposed. • An improved multi-objective salp swarm algorithm (HMSSA-SCA) is presented. • Several new mechanisms are designed to propose HMSSA-SCA. • Numeric experiments are carried out to validate the effectiveness of HMSSA-SCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The positive results of manufacturing companies adopting lean production practices certainly impacted the adaptation of Lean Manufacturing principles to the service sector, culminating in what we know today as Lean Office. Based on this approach, many Universities have adopted lean principles and practices to improve their administrative processes and thus add value to their students, faculty and staff. From this perspective, but going further, the present research has the general objective of raising the main sustainable impacts generated by a University through the application of Lean Office in its administrative processes. Methodologically, the research is supported by a case study at a Federal Public University in Brazil, where two service processes will be analyzed, one aimed at students and the other at employees (teachers and technicians). The work is conducted according to the phases and steps recommended by the LEFI Method (Lean Evaluation and Future Improvement), with a significant part of the results obtained by the steps related to Value Stream Mapping. As the main results, it is observed that the elimination of waste in administrative processes at the University target of the present study culminated, only in the year 2021, in the saving of 444,754 sheets of printed paper that, due to all its consequences, indirectly impacted the economy of 1,380,000 L of water, in the non-emission of 43.82 kg of CO2 and the preservation of 67 trees. • The Lean philosophy has been gaining relevance in service processes • There is a synergy between Lean principles and Business Sustainability • The Lean office contributes to the users' satisfaction with university services • Value Stream Mapping is an excellent starting point for eliminating waste • The application of Lean Office in Universities contributes to Sustainable results [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil and climatic conditions allied to advanced forestry technologies have enabled the development of planted forests in some regions of Brazil with some of the highest productivity rates in the world. However, the intense use of agricultural inputs and mechanization of production and wood transportation imply significant environmental impacts, such as the emission of carbon and nitrogen compounds. The purpose of this paper is to compare a model of an Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry System with more conventional eucalyptus forestry using a Cleaner Production approach to demonstrate the economic and environmental advantages of such a system. This is based on an environmental, energy, and economic analysis integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Cleaner Production approaches. Life Cycle Inventories consist of primary data obtained from the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais in Brazil, in partnership with Forestry Producers and a Forestry Company, which is the largest producer of hardwood pulp in the world. The inventories of conventional short-cycle eucalyptus production systems to supply the Forestry Company were quantified from seedling preparation to harvesting operations. The following production systems were evaluated: Reference system – Planting + Replanting (S1); Planting + Regrowth (S2), and Crop-Livestock-Forestry (S3). The adoption of CP measures in S3 reduced the use of inputs by 35% and increased gross revenue compared to S1. The processes that most contributed to the impact categories analyzed were soil preparation, emissions of inputs used in the field, and mechanized harvesting. However, biogenic carbon sequestration included −783 kg CO 2 eq/m3 of wood for S1. The S2 system had lower impacts compared to S1. Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry System - S3 showed a better environmental performance for most of the impact categories analyzed and presented a better financial return compared with S1 and S2. The implementation of the CP measures in S3 provides an immediate payback. Based on the conditions of this study, the CP strategy for silviculture is an economically viable option to increase the net CO 2 sequestration of forest production. This research intends to promote the study of eucalyptus forest production under tropical conditions, using the combined use of LCA and CP approach presented in this study from primary data. The CP and LCA integration provided methodological advances and more detailed information on the environmental performance of short-cycle eucalyptus production by identifying operational practices for the analyzed systems yielding environmental and financial gains. CP proved to be effective in providing information for decision-making at the process level without losing the broader view of the environmental performance of the analyzed product systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil and climatic conditions allied to advanced forestry technologies have enabled the development of planted forests in some regions of Brazil with some of the highest productivity rates in the world. However, the intense use of agricultural inputs and mechanization of production and wood transportation imply significant environmental impacts, such as the emission of carbon and nitrogen compounds. The purpose of this paper is to compare a model of an Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry System with more conventional eucalyptus forestry using a Cleaner Production approach to demonstrate the economic and environmental advantages of such a system. This is based on an environmental, energy, and economic analysis integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Cleaner Production approaches. Life Cycle Inventories consist of primary data obtained from the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais in Brazil, in partnership with Forestry Producers and a Forestry Company, which is the largest producer of hardwood pulp in the world. The inventories of conventional short-cycle eucalyptus production systems to supply the Forestry Company were quantified from seedling preparation to harvesting operations. The following production systems were evaluated: Reference system – Planting + Replanting (S1); Planting + Regrowth (S2), and Crop-Livestock-Forestry (S3). The adoption of CP measures in S3 reduced the use of inputs by 35% and increased gross revenue compared to S1. The processes that most contributed to the impact categories analyzed were soil preparation, emissions of inputs used in the field, and mechanized harvesting. However, biogenic carbon sequestration included −783 kg CO 2 eq/m3 of wood for S1. The S2 system had lower impacts compared to S1. Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry System - S3 showed a better environmental performance for most of the impact categories analyzed and presented a better financial return compared with S1 and S2. The implementation of the CP measures in S3 provides an immediate payback. Based on the conditions of this study, the CP strategy for silviculture is an economically viable option to increase the net CO 2 sequestration of forest production. This research intends to promote the study of eucalyptus forest production under tropical conditions, using the combined use of LCA and CP approach presented in this study from primary data. The CP and LCA integration provided methodological advances and more detailed information on the environmental performance of short-cycle eucalyptus production by identifying operational practices for the analyzed systems yielding environmental and financial gains. CP proved to be effective in providing information for decision-making at the process level without losing the broader view of the environmental performance of the analyzed product systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regions of significant social, economic, and environmental vulnerability, such as the Amazon, managing municipal solid waste (MSW) is challenging because of limited infrastructure, climatic and demographic characteristics, and the need to preserve indigenous areas. This study analyzes the eco-efficiency transition of MSW management systems in the Amazon , considering both environmental and economic factors as an instrument to support decision-making. The database used was supported by a gravimetric evaluation of MSW in Humaitá, Amazonas State, Brazil, together with consideration of environmental, social, economic, and logistical aspects. We performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis, integrated with economic performance, quantified the environmental impacts and evaluated the financial viability of the base scenario (Sbase) (100% of the waste sent to landfills) and four other scenarios with increasing levels of waste separation (metals, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), paper, and cardboard), with subsequent shipment along the Madeira River to the recycling market in the city of Manaus, in addition to composting organic waste. The transition from Sbase to a scenario of 100% composting of organic waste generated in the urban area, together with 100% separation of PET and metals generated in urban, rural, and indigenous areas, led to the best eco-efficiency transition, shown by a reduction of 152.70 Mpt per US$ invested. The results demonstrate the potential of the eco-efficiency transition approach to assist decision-making in MSW management in the Amazon environment. The analysis performed enables the evaluation of the effects of implementing different scenarios in progressive stages, aiming to achieve continuous improvement in similar sectors of society. • The eco-efficiency in solid waste management (SWM) in the Amazon was studied. • The method applied Life Cycle Assessment associated with the economic performance. • The higher recyclables segregation increases, at most, 25% of the SWM current cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emergent strategy to target sustainability involves an understanding of the water-energy interconnections. It takes water to produce energy, and it takes energy to source, treat, and distribute water. Sanitation and energy distribution are the world's pre-eminent development challenges. They are a magnifier of poverty, ill-health and mortality, and gender inequality. The word 'nexus' means the understanding of these interdependencies, tensions, and trade-offs. This paper investigates water-energy interconnections through critical analysis. We applied a bottom-up approach to describe Sao Paulo state's river basins, in Southeast Brazil, from the household to the regional scale. Initially, water availability, energy consumption and wastewater treatment data are inferred using per capita data. The subsequent data analysis then considered the positive and negative linkages among the basins. Local and state levels of dependency are also assessed, considering environmental and socioeconomic impacts. The significance of this paper lies in understanding these interconnections and their interdependence within the local context and individuals' behaviour. The results allow a comprehensive analysis of the water-energy Nexus across Sao Paulo state. The critical analysis also shows how the primary drivers contribute to urbanisation levels, population growth, and industrial activities. • Regional WE Nexus analysis is undertaken for the most industrialised state of Brazil. • The increase in wastewater treatment highlights the sustainability path. • Wastewater treatment growth rates are higher than population and GDP rates. • It develops a unique database for future studies using the Nexus approach. • Population growth, GDP, and industrial intensity are the main drivers in the WE Nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the Deepwater Horizon oil spill accident in 2010, around 7.000 m3 of chemical dispersants were applied to a subsea blowout until the release of crude oil to the environment was ended. Since then, chemical dispersion has become one of the major capabilities for oil spill response around the world. Because of this relevancy, this article aims at expanding the current knowledge of interfacial phenomena related to chemical dispersants application at oil spills, with focus in a representative Brazilian crude oil which has never before been assessed with this purpose. Therefore, first this oil was characterized, and a weathering process was simulated by preparing samples with different distillation and emulsification features. After this, samples dispersion effectiveness's was evaluated using a low-energy method and a commercial product: Corexit EC9500A. Because only the fresh oil condition result was considered satisfactory, its interfacial behavior was investigated with more details. First, the interfacial tension was investigated as a function of water salinity and dispersant concentration. Dynamic interfacial tension was measured individually for dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS), Tween 80 and Span 80, the main components many of current commercial chemical dispersants. Finally, the partition coefficients and dilational rheology parameters were evaluated for different concentrations and conditions. The individual surfactants behavior assessment results published in this paper will allow further comprehension of the interfacial behavior in this specific oil-water system, thus providing data for future researches aimed at optimizing chemical dispersion effectiveness for similar crudes produced in maritime sea basins of Brazil and also supporting regulators in the decision-making process necessary for protecting environmental resources during an oil spill. A future paper will explore mathematical correlations between chemical dispersion effectiveness and surfactants' mixture ratios, emulsions' stabilities and other interfacial properties of some Brazilian crude oils. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global economy is advancing towards a low-carbon future. Alongside this energy transition, the sustainability concept has become a fundamental value of our society, encouraging a worldwide discussion on the consideration of socio-environmental issues by the energy sector. In Brazil, the electricity generation expansion planning has not been doing enough to incorporate these issues into its decision-making process, especially in regards to alternative and renewable energy sources. Considering that Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is suitable for addressing this situation, we focus on one of its first steps, which consists of defining a set of indicators able to communicate sustainability issues. With this in mind, this paper aims at incorporating sustainability into the decision-making process concerning electricity generation in Brazil by formulating a set of indicators. We carry out a systematic review for collecting the leading environmental, social, and economic indicators used by scientific papers focused on recent and practical LCSA studies concerning electricity generation and that contemplate alternative and renewable energy sources. Thus, we analyze the frequency of indicators in a sample of 41 papers and screen them against selection criteria and their relevance for the Brazilian context. As a result, we establish a set of 28 indicators (18 environmental, four social, and six economic). It is clear from our findings that LCSA practitioners have been facing different levels of methodological and practical challenges depending on the dimension of sustainability, which reflects on the number of environmental, social, and economic indicators collected from the overall sample. • 28 indicators have been selected from a systematic review of practical LCSA studies. • Traditional communities and protected areas were included in this set of indicators. • The final set of indicators covers environmental, social, economic dimensions. • They can be used to incorporate sustainability into the Brazilian electricity sector. • Practical LCSA studies in the electricity sector mainly address environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A top-down analysis of the non-residential building stock in Brazil is proposed. • The share of each building typology in the country energy consumption was assessed. • A statistical analysis showed variation of EUI according to type of building and region. • Reference values for the commercial building stock in Brazil is provided. This paper provides a pioneering, top-down analysis of the non-residential building stock in Brazil. A country-wide dataset was used, comprising 10,000 buildings divided into 12 typologies. Key indicators include floor area, energy use intensity, and operation patterns. In addition, predominant wall constructions, lighting systems, equipment, water heating, and HVAC systems for each typology were identified, including average density power for the systems. Data from the Brazilian Energy Balance report was correlated with the sample of buildings to determine the proportion of each building typology in the total energy consumption of the country, considering different energy sources. This study provides an innovative and up-to-date status of the characteristics of non-residential buildings in Brazil. A complementary statistical analysis addressed the correlation between energy use intensity and the building characteristics including an ANOVA test and a regression analysis in order to investigate the influence of the energy usage indicators (Lighting Power Density, Equipment Power Density, Cooling capacity) on the energy use intensity of each building typology in Brazil. This study is intended to serve as a reference for building characteristics and building energy performance in Brazil, and hence support diverse research regarding country-level building stock modeling, energy benchmarking, climate change impacts, and energy-efficiency related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the performance of seven methods of retrieving the planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) from lidar measurements carried out in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP) during two MCITY - BRAZIL field campaigns of 2013. The performance is objectively assessed considering as reference the PBLH retrieved from rawinsonde carried out every 3 h during these campaigns. The role of clouds and aerosol load in the performance of the seven methods is analysed considering three case study scenarios representative of typical atmospheric conditions in the MRSP : (a) winter clean atmosphere, (b) summer low clouds and aerosol multilayers, (c) summer sea-breeze intrusion. Corroborating the case study results, the objective analysis indicated that most of the lidar methods retrieved PBLH closer to the top of the entrainment zone than the mixed layer, contradicting their definition. During daytime, the Wavelet Covariance Transform Method performs better than all the other six methods. The Inflexion Point Method performed better to estimate the Residual Layer height during night-time. In average, the diurnal evolution of the PBLH and its local rate of change based on lidar and rawinsonde measurements are in agreement. • Most analysed lidar methods estimate the Entrainment Zone height. • Sea-breeze can reduce the aerosol concentration in the Residual Layer. • The Wavelet Covariance Transform has the best result among the analysed methods. • Lidar methods require an adaptation to the local climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The project 'Tropical Biomass & Carbon' and its main product TB&C App is introduced. • TB&C App is an user-friendly tool that estimates C stored in forests of Brazil. • Model performance analysis proved reliability >95% of the TB&C App's models. • Carbon in Amazonian forests can be accurately and precisely estimated. • A dataset containing 64,000 plots with forest variables is delivered as supplement. This article introduces the Tropical Biomass & Carbon Application – the 'TB&C App', a web application available on the permanent link www.tropicalbiomass.com. The TB&C App requires as input attributes 'the smallest and largest diameters', 'number of trees ha−1', basal area ha−1, and 'parameters of the diameter (beta) distribution' describing stand structure. The App delivers outputs at two levels: (1) Stand level, including mean aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon (AGC), in Mg ha−1, along with confidence intervals (CIs) as measures of uncertainty, and; (2) Tree level estimates, with AGB and diameter for every simulated tree. Phase 1 of the project TB&C comprises four Brazilian forest (and non-forest) formations: Campinarana, Floresta estacional, Floresta ombrofila , and Savana. This article aims to (i) describe the algorithm written for the TB&C App, and (ii) present results of Phase 1. This first phase counts on a standardized database of 1,428 trees with field-measured dry AGB, from plots across the different formations, which is the largest tree-biomass database compiled so far in Brazil. Model uncertainties were incorporated into the modeling process, allowing computation of CIs through an uncertainty approach. The total variance of residuals of AGB was also modeled, aiming at predicting CIs as a function of the quantity of AGB. An analysis of reliability of the equations implemented in the TB&C App indicates that more than 95% (n = 64,000) of the true AGB's fit into the CI outputted by the TB&C App. A comparison with other approaches in the literature shows significant agreement with previous estimates and more conservative estimates where previously-published estimates disagreed with the TB&C App. We cite as advantages of the TB&C App; (i) reliability of the outputs, (ii) a user-friendly layout, (iii) AGB and AGC estimates provided along with robust CIs, and (iv) estimates at the stand and tree levels with consistent totals. A biomass dataset containing information on 64,000 plots is also delivered as supplement of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]