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- HomeTree: an art inspired mobile eco-feedback visualizationPublication . Quintal, Filipe; Nisi, Valentina; Nunes, Nuno; Barreto, Mary; Pereira, LucasThis paper presents HomeTree a prototype of an art-inspired mobile eco feedback system. The system is implemented on a tablet PC and relies on a non intrusive energy-monitoring infrastructure to access consumption and power event information. Our prototype addresses an important problem in eco feedback, which is the fact that users loose interest about their energy consump tion after a period of several weeks. To accomplish this HomeTree implements a dual visualization strategy. Initially HomeTree presents users with a screensa ver that shows energy consumption mapped in a dynamic illustration of the lo cal forest. Through this strategy we leverage the emotional connection between the short-term energy consumption and the long-term effects on nature through the local depicted landscape. In a second mode of operation users can interact with HomeTree directly by checking the historical records of their consumption data, and check which days or weeks they have reduced or increased consump tion. Furthermore a comparison with a more objective baseline, such as the city of Funchal energy consumption is provided, in order to give users a sense of the level of their consumption in a wider context.
- Review of sewage sludge as a soil amendment in relation to current international guidelines: a heavy metal perspectivePublication . Nunes, Nuno; Ragonezi, Carla; Gouveia, Carla S. S.; Carvalho, Miguel Â. A. Pinheiro deOverexploitation of resources makes the reutilization of waste a focal topic of modern society, and the question of the kind of wastes that can be used is continuously raised. Sewage sludge (SS) is derived from the wastewater treatment plants, considered important underused biomass, and can be used as a biofertilizer when properly stabilized due to the high content of inorganic matter, nitrate, and phosphorus. However, a wide range of pollutants can be present in these biosolids, limiting or prohibiting their use as biofertilizer, depending on the type and origin of industrial waste and household products. Long-term applications of these biosolids could substantially increase the concentration of contaminants, causing detrimental effects on the environment and induce hyper accumulation or phytotoxicity in the produced crops. In this work, some critical parameters for soils and SS agronomic use, such as organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK), and heavy metals concentration have been reviewed. Several cases of food crop production and the accumulation of heavy metals after SS application are also discussed. SS production, usage, and legis lation in EU are assessed to determine the possibility of sustainable management of this bioresource. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines are addressed. The opportunity to produce bioenergy crops, employing sewage sludge to enhance degraded land, is also considered, due to energy security. Although there are numerous advantages of sewage sludge, proper screening for heavy metals in all the variants (biosolids, soil, food products) is a must. SS application requires appropriate strict guidelines with appropriate regulatory oversight to control contamination of agricultural soils.
- Different seaweeds use for iodine deficiency overcomePublication . Ferraz, Sónia; Ragonezi, Carla; Nunes, Nuno; Valente, Sofia; Carvalho, Miguel A. A. Pinheiro deIodine deficiency is one of the three most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide and is a global public health problem that affects particularly the young children, pregnant women and elderly. The consequences of iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) include goiter and cretinism. The traditional consumption of iodine via supplemented salt should be monitored to reduce population sodium intake due to hypertension problems and the uncertain bioavailability of iodine in the supplemented salt. One approach for an effective and cost-efficient iodine supplementation is the use of seaweeds in food intake. Seaweeds, among all foods, are the most famous and reliable source of natural iodine. In this minireview we pretend to explore the different uses of seaweeds to fill the iodine deficiency and improve life quality.
- Why don't families get along with eco-feedback technologies?Publication . Barreto, Mary; Karapanos, Evangelos; Nunes, NunoEco-feedback domestic technologies have gained momentum over the last decade. Yet, while a wide range of research prototypes and commercial products has been proposed, their acceptance by families is still limited. In this paper we report on our findings from interviews with 15 dual income families, during a year-long deployment of an eco-feedback technology that attempted to inquire into the factors that prohibited its adoption. We found the non adoption of our system to be rooted in a number of systemic failures, relating to the physical context, the families’ social dynamics and the roles assumed by family members, as well as families’ priorities and the non-negotiability of their routines. Motivated by prior work and our empirical findings we propose three distinct dimensions but also phases in the adoption of eco-feedback technologies: orientation, incorporation and social integration, and discuss how these may hint at different barriers in the adoption of eco-feedback technologies.
- Nutraceutical potential of Asparagopsis taxiformis (Delile) Trevisan extracts and assessment of a downstream purification strategyPublication . Nunes, Nuno; Valente, S.; Ferraz, Sónia; Barreto, Maria Carmo; Carvalho, M .A. A. Pinheiro deThe main goal of the present work was to determine the nutraceutical potential of Asparagopsis taxiformis D. extracts from Madeira Archipelago south coast. Extraction methodologies consisted either/or in 72 hours stirring, at room temperature (M1), or 6 cycles of Soxhlet extraction (M2), both with re-extraction. Solvents used were distilled water, ethanol, methanol and ethyl acetate. M1 allowed to obtain the highest values for extraction yield (31.65 g.100g 1 dw) using water, whereas iodine content (3.37 g.100g 1 dw), TPC (1.71 g GAE.100g 1 dw) and chlorophyll a (45.96 mg.100g 1 dw) were obtained using ethanol, and TCC (36.23 mg.100g 1 dw) with methanol. Extracts that showed higher reduction activity in M1 were derived from ethanol extraction (1,908 mg AAE.100g 1 dw). Water and ethanol were the best solvents for higher DPPH scavenging activity in M2, both with same result (IC50 1.37 mg.mL 1 ). The lowest value of IC50 for chelating activity (1.57 mg.mL 1 ) was determined in M1, using ethyl acetate. The remaining residue was used to obtain other products, i.e. lipid extraction (M1, 2.05 g.100g 1 dw), carrageenans (M2, 21.18 g.100g 1 dw) and cellulose (M1, 23.81 g.100g 1 dw) with subsequent FTIR ATR analysis. Our results show that A. taxiformis is a valuable source of bioactive compounds. The M1 extraction methodology using ethanol is the most effective solvent to produce an iodine rich bioactive extract with potential of being used as a nutraceutical supplement. Also, we have demonstrated a possible downstream strategy that could be implemented for multiple compound extraction from A. taxiformis residue. This has a vital importance for future feasibility, when using this biomass as an industrial feedstock for multiple products production. Statistical analysis, using SPSS 24.0, was also performed and important correlations were found between assays and methods.
- Encapsulation with Natural Polymers to Improve the Properties of Biostimulants in AgriculturePublication . Jiménez-Arias, David; Morales-Sierra, Sarai; Silva, Patrícia; Carrêlo, Henrique; Gonçalves, Adriana; Ganança, José Filipe Teixeira; Nunes, Nuno; Gouveia, Carla S. S.; Alves, Sónia; Borges, João Paulo; Carvalho, Miguel Â. A. Pinheiro deEncapsulation in agriculture today is practically focused on agrochemicals such as pes ticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers to enhance the protective or nutritive aspects of the entrapped active ingredients. However, one of the most promising and environmentally friendly technologies, biostimulants, is hardly explored in this field. Encapsulation of biostimulants could indeed be an excellent means of counteracting the problems posed by their nature: they are easily biodegradable, and most of them run off through the soil, losing most of the compounds, thus becoming inaccessible to plants. In this respect, encapsulation seems to be a practical and profitable way to increase the stability and durability of biostimulants under field conditions. This review paper aims to provide researchers working on plant biostimulants with a quick overview of how to get started with encapsulation. Here we describe different techniques and offer protocols and suggestions for introduction to polymer science to improve the properties of biostimulants for future agricultural applications.
- A global monitoring system for electricity consumption and production of household roof-top PV systems in MadeiraPublication . Torabi, Roham; Rodrigues, Sandy; Cafôfo, Nuno; Pereira, Lucas; Quintal, Filipe; Nunes, Nuno; Dias, Fernando MorgadoThis paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless-based remote monitoring system for household energy consumption and generation in Madeira Island, Portugal. It contains three different main sections: (1) a monitoring system for consumed and produced energy of residencies equipped with photovoltaic (PV) systems, (2) developing a tool to predict the electricity production, (3) and proposing a solution to detect the PV system malfunctions. With the later tool, the user (owner) or the energy management system can monitor its own PV system and make an efficient schedule use of electricity at the consumption side. In addition, currently, the owners of PV systems are notified about a failure in the system only when they receive the bill, whereas using the proposed method conveniently would notify owners prior to bill issue. The artificial neural network was employed as a tool together with the hardware-based monitoring system which allows a daily analysis of the performance of the system. The comparison of the predicted value of the produced electricity with the actual production for each day shows the validity of the method.
- Yasmine’s adventures: an interactive urban exploring the sociocultural potential of digital entertainmentPublication . Nisi, Valentina; Dionisio, Mara; Hanna, Julian; Ferreira, Luis; Nunes, NunoUrban computing systems impact quality of life in densely populated areas. With the widespread availability of wireless networks and portable devices, ur ban areas are fast becoming a hybrid of the physical environment and the digital datasphere. This paper describes Yasmine’s Adventures, a location aware story telling platform that leverages on urban computing strategies to create an inter active walk through the Mehringplatz area, surrounding the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Yasmine’s Adventures (YA) is a mobile application that delivers a se quence of animations clips tailored specifically to the Mehringplatz neighbour hood. The story follows an adventurous local girl as she walks home alone, vis iting local landmarks. Yasmine’s perceptions of the landmarks, identified by community members in an earlier workshop, reflect the real concerns of the community. This interactive experience was created to engage visitors of the Jewish Museum to explore the relatively neglected streets of the area in which the museum is situated.
- Pharmacological and cosmeceutical potential of Seaweed Beach-Casts of MacaronesiaPublication . Zárate, Rafael; Portillo, Eduardo; Teixidó, Sílvia; Carvalho, Miguel A. A. Pinheiro de; Nunes, Nuno; Ferraz, Sónia; Seca, Ana M. L.; Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Barreto, Maria CarmoSeaweed beach-casts are a seasonal phenomenon that regularly deposits tons of algae biomass on beaches, which are usually disposed of in landfills. The present work aimed to contribute to the valorization of this biomass by studying bioactivities that reveal its potential in the pharmaceutical and/or cosmeceutical industries. Methanol and ethanol extracts and fractions from 15 beach-casts biomass were tested for a range of bioactivities. Eight of the most active samples exhibit IC50 values between 11.38 µg/mL and 19.28 µg/mL and selectivity indexes higher than 3.8, against NCI-H1299 (lung cancer) and T47D (breast cancer). Concerning antiaging potential, all the extracts tested presented UV protection, with SPF values above 30, like the standard sunscreen. Regarding aging-related enzymes, 24 samples were tyrosinase inhibitors exhibiting IC50 values from 9.01 µg/mL to 200.09 µg/mL. Eight extracts inhibited collagenase (IC50 < 248.76 µg/mL), two of them more actively than positive control EDTA (IC50 = 59.26 µg/mL). In addition to UV protection, the cumulative effect of antityrosinase and anticollagenase activities shown by the samples suggest that they may play a significant role in preventing skin photoaging. The results obtained demonstrate the high potential of beach-cast seaweed biomass as sources of cosmetic bioproducts with antiaging effects, and of selective cytotoxic metabolites.
- Sewage sludge fertilization—A case study of Sweet Potato yield and heavy metal accumulationPublication . Ragonezi, Carla; Nunes, Nuno; Oliveira, Maria Cristina O.; Freitas, José G. R. de; Ganança, José Filipe T.; Carvalho, Miguel Â. A. Pinheiro deSewage sludge (SS) is derived from wastewater treatment plants and can be used as a biofertilizer when properly stabilized. This work aimed to evaluate SS application for agricultural production improvement. SS was tested on Porto Santo Island (Portugal). The experiment was randomly designed with three 25 m2 plots for each treatment (2 SS concentrations + control without SS) and performed in two consecutive cycles. For the first cycle, dehydrated sludge was mixed with soil, obtaining final concentrations of 0.8 kg/m2 (C1) and 1.6 kg/m2 (C2). Half of the concentration was used for the second cycle. Fifty-eight sweet potato plants were used in each plot. SS application boosted the agronomic parameters of biomass, productivity, and shoot biomass. Furthermore, improvements in soil properties were observed, mainly for pH, CEC, and NO3 -N, with no significant increase in heavy metals. For the edible parts, heavy metal concentrations decreased, and Pb was the only one that still exceeded the maximum limits. The results demonstrated that SS application to low-fertility soil is effective in improving the agronomic parameters of sweet potato and enhancing soil features. Further studies considering other variables, i.e., SS origin, soil properties, and the crop, must be carried out to propose custom applications.