Nuno Neves

Schistosomiasis remains a significant public health concern in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in low-and-middle-income countries. In Brazil, control measures have reduced the disease’s prevalence, creating low-endemic areas. However, environmental and climate dynamics, coupled with inadequate urbanization, pose risks of re-emergence. The middle Paranapanema basin, São Paulo state, exemplifies such a region. Here, the presence of Biomphalaria snail species ( B. glabrata, B. straminea , and B. tenagophila ), inadequate sanitation, and environmental changes signal potential schistosomiasis resurgence. This study aimed to develop a methodological framework to better understand schistosomiasis transmission mechanisms in low-endemic areas. It integrated demographic, environmental, malacological, and climatic data to identify transmission risk areas. The framework comprised a spatial hydrological model to assess fecal-contaminated water bodies, an exploratory spatial model for transmission hotspots, and snail dispersal analysis within drainage networks, incorporating climate projections. The methodology used geoprocessing tools to analyze hydrological, demographic, malacological, and climatic datasets. A spatial hydrological model combined sewage treatment and population density data with digital elevation models to identify potential transmission foci. Snail occurrence and schistosomiasis cases were spatially analyzed, with climate indices (1951–2022) providing rainfall trend projections. Land use datasets facilitated host habitat assessments, and outputs correlated potential foci with disease incidence. Results revealed that streams near urban areas with high concentrations of blackwater were associated with schistosomiasis cases. Streams hosting B. glabrata upstream had the strongest association with disease, while mixed-species habitats underscored hydrological connectivity’s role. Urban and agricultural land-use areas overlapped with snail habitats, identifying high-risk zones. Climate projections indicated increasing extreme rainfall events, enhancing flooding and erosion, which may facilitate snail dispersal and extend schistosomiasis foci downstream. Effluent from municipalities like Ourinhos could intensify contamination, impacting neighboring areas like Salto Grande. The findings emphasize integrating hydrological, climatic, and ecological perspectives into schistosomiasis control strategies. Simple hydrological models assessing fecal-contaminated water bodies provide valuable insights for sanitation policies, and climate-related snail dispersal scenarios highlight emerging risks in connected areas. Addressing these challenges is crucial for eliminating schistosomiasis, particularly in low-endemic regions. This study’s novel integrated hydrological–spatial models, based on freely available data, offer reproducible methods for identifying schistosomiasis transmission risks and guiding surveillance and control efforts in similar settings across Brazil.

Invasive alien species are responsible for several negative impacts worldwide. Managing biological invasions is often difficult and the success rate is quite low, but with good planning it is possible to achieve good results. Besides employing the correct methods and techniques, an overall strategy based on landscape dynamics and expected spatial patterns can be fundamental to achieve success. The decision of where to act can be embedded in a general strategy based on several criteria/goals such as control of large populations, connectivity disruption, and so on. This work focused onAcacia dealbatain a Natura 2000 site in Portugal, how the current amount and distribution can affect the spread pattern, and different possible strategies to approach the management. Based on the species dispersal traits, we argue that not only the area but also the perimeter (therefore, the shape) and location of the patches should be considered when fighting the invasion. Three scenarios were designed and compared using the perimeter–area ratio, a landscape dynamics analysis, and a connectivity index. Results show that removing the patches with higher perimeter–area ratio (mostly small satellite patches) would be more impactful than removing the larger patch or removing random intermediary perimeter–area patches first. After this approach based on landscape dynamics, the employment of a connectivity assessment provided an ordered list of patches to remove sequentially. Overall, this approach can be valuable in the early steps of the planning process, supporting better decisions regarding the available resources and contributing to maximize the effectiveness of the action.

The tendency to build Net-Zero Energy Buildings increases the need to know and control the energy used in them. This research aims to identify and quantify the energy used in the construction of healthcare centres and propose indicators based on different operational variables. For this purpose, seven healthcare centres built between 2007 and 2010 were analysed, and the energy embodied in the manufacturing, transport and placement of materials on-site, including the final tests and commissioning of the building, were calculated. The results show that the average embodied energy is 9.97 GJ per unit of built area, 0.011 for each euro invested in construction and 2.18 GJ for each user. Emissions per worker, construction working hour, electrical power and energy consumed were also typified, and different reference indicators were proposed. Equations have also been devised using multivariate regression to determine the embodied energy of a healthcare centre according to its built area (m2), investment in construction (€) and the number of users (No). The building elements with the most embodied energy were also identified, and the authors found that the average embodied energy is 29.31 times higher than that consumed in a year at the healthcare centre.