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Nowadays, the issues related with environment preservation assume an increasing importance. Progressively, more sustainable solutions/techniques are being developed to combat environmental destruction. The decision to include themes related to the environment in the curriculum of technological courses in higher education aims to promote more sustainable behaviors and in an indirect way, increase the environmental literacy of the population. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the environmental literacy focusing on four topics, i.e., air pollution, water pollution, global warming, and energy resources. For this purpose, a questionnaire was developed and applied to a convenience sample, formed by individuals of both genders, aged between 20 and 81 years old. The questionnaire intended to collect data to characterize the sample and assess the literacy regarding environmental issues. In order to carry out the environmental literacy assessment, the respondents were asked to express their degree of agreement with some statements related with the environmental themes mentioned above. The data collected was analyzed using data mining tools. The results suggest that the population’s literacy is satisfactory in relation to some issues, but insufficient in relation to others, equally important, but less disseminated.

Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) are complex to manage due to their intermittent nature and their severe impact on the economy and human health. The conditions which promote HAB have not yet been fully explained, though climate change and anthropogenic intervention are pointed as significant factors. The rise of water temperature, the opening of new sea canals and the introduction of ship ballast waters all contribute to the dispersion and establishment of toxin-producing invasive species that promote the settling of emergent toxins in the food-chain. Tetrodotoxin, ciguatoxin, palytoxin and cyclic imines are commonly reported in warm waters but have also caused poisoning incidents in temperate zones. There is evidence that monitoring for these toxins exclusively in bivalves is simplistic and underestimates the risk to public health, since new vectors have been reported for these toxins and as well for regulated toxins such as PSTs and DSTs. In order to avoid public health impacts, there is a need for adequate monitoring programs, a need for establishing appropriate legislation, and a need for optimizing effective methods of analysis. In this review, we will compile evidence concerning emergent marine toxins and provide data that may indicate the need to restructure the current monitoring programs of HAB.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The Lived experience of climate change: interdisciplinary e-module development and virtual mobility project concerns education and lifelong learning in relation to climate change, to contribute to an informed and active European citizenry and to inform EU policy on this major challenge. Focusing on the lived experiences of climate change -- how individuals, communities and organisations conceive and respond to its perceived local impacts (e.g. extreme weather, biodiversity changes) – the project complements other work in the area. Through collaboration between nine participating institutions, designing innovative teaching modules and a virtual learning space, it aims to create a European community of scholars, students and citizens who collectively make a major contribution to the United Nations decade on education for sustainable development.This document contains Module 1 Textbook : "Introduction to climate change in the context of sustainable development". 504269-LLP-1-2009-1-UK-ERASMUS-ECDSP

Nowadays, the use of a drug to modify a person's behavior with criminal intentions has become a growing public concern. In fact, stealthy drink spiking with certain drugs can cause the incapacitation of a potential victim of assault and in extreme cases can even lead to death. Belonging to the group of drugs used to commit drug-facilitated crimes is glibenclamide, which not only exhibits high sedation secondary effects but when subject to an overdose intake can lead to intense hypoglycemic episodes that could end with death. Suicide attempts and homicides through overdose with glibenclamide have already been reported. In this work and for the first time, it was developed a new methodology for detection of glibenclamide in spiked liquid samples (teas) by fluorometry (λ(ex)=300 nm; λ(em)=404 nm). The novel methodology was also implemented in a miniaturized and portable automatic flow system based in the concept of multipumping with an in-line pre-separation unit. The separation of the drug from the liquid samples was achieved through adsorption of the drug into activated charcoal packed within a mini column followed by elution with a solution composed by ethanol, hydrochloric acid and the surfactant CTAB (70%, 1.0 mol L(-1), 0.01 mol L(-1), respectively). The results allowed to obtain a linear working range for glibenclamide concentrations of up to 50 mg L(-1) (r=0.9999) and the detection limit was about 0.81 mg L(-1) of glibenclamide.

Since 2019, the world has been experiencing a pandemic period due to the COVID-19 virus, which has brought the need for organizations in general, healthcare organizations and their professionals in particular, to focus on innovation as a way to fight an utterly unknown virus. Thus, this study aims to understand how nurses and their personal factors (stress, anxiety, work engagement, organizational support) impact their innovative behaviour and innovation outputs, contributing to innovation in the current pandemic period through changes in thoughts, values, behaviours and relationships among healthcare professionals and their organizations. For this purpose, the Job Demands-Resources model was used as a reference, and the measurement instrument was applied to 738 nurses working in healthcare units in Portugal. Therefore, it was found that the nurses’ personal factors have a positive effect on the nurses’ innovative behaviour and innovation outputs, with the innovative behaviour having the most significant impact on innovation outputs, which will benefit healthcare organizations and the healthcare provided to patients during the pandemic, through innovative behaviours and products. It is also possible to understand how the available resources and the demands imposed on nurses interfere with their innovative behaviour (Job Demands-Resources model).

This study explores the impacts of environmental pollution and the digital economy on the new energy industry with panel data on 30 Chinese provinces from 2005 to 2020. Mean group regression was performed, and fully modified OLS and dynamic OLS were conducted to check the robustness of the results. The authors reached two conclusions: (1) environmental pollution exerts significant negative impacts on the new energy industry. For every 1% increase in environmental pollution, the level of development of the new energy industry drops by 0.1658%. In other words, environmental pollution levels down the new energy industry. (2) The digital economy produces significant positive impacts on the new energy industry. For every 1% increase in the digital economy, the level of development of the new energy industry rises by 0.4262%. That is, the digital economy levels up the new energy industry. Our policy recommendations place equal stress on both the prevention and the control of environmental pollution, strengthening digital infrastructure, enhancing the government’s digital governance and service capabilities, protecting consumer rights, and replacing conventional energy with new energy.

Although the relationship between renewable energy and economic performance has attracted the interest of researchers in recent years, most of the analysis has focused on economic growth, which does not reflect the quality of standards of living. We employ a different approach measuring the impact of renewable energy consumption on the Human Development Index, which also considers qualitative characteristics. Using a simultaneous equation system approach that describes the interrelations between economic variables, renewable energy and pollution emissions with feedback effects, we provide robust evidence for a set of 28 OECD countries over the period 2004-2015, that renewable energy, human and physical capital are important factors for explaining the degree of sustainable development. Renewable energy consumption is mostly determined by higher levels of human capital, R&D, and the countries’ development stage. Furthermore, the development level, total energy consumption, and the education level are important for explaining environmental pollution.

Current data and scientific predictions about the consequences of climate change are accurate in suggesting disaster. Since 2019, climate change has become a threat to human health, and major consequences on health and health systems are already observed. Climate change is a central concern for the nursing discipline, even though nursing theorists’ understanding of the environment has led to problematic gaps that impact the current context. Today, nursing discipline is facing new challenges. Nurses are strategically placed to respond to the impacts of climate change through their practice, research, and training in developing, implementing, and sustaining innovation towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is urgent for them to adapt their practice to this reality to become agents of change.