Assessment of sustainable development through a multi-criteria approach: Application in brazilian municipalities.

In the last decades, there has been an increase in impacts on the environment, driven by the industrialization process. As a result, society's social and environmental awareness increased, and business organizations began to promote corporate social responsibility initiatives to positively contribute to better working and environmental conditions, and other sustainability issues. This article aims to verify the performance of 217 Brazilian municipalities from 31 indicators segmented in the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social), selected from the literature review, to contribute to the sustainable investment strategy of organizations. To this end, we used the multi-criteria decision making method, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and proposed an analytical sustainability dashboard. The main results of this paper were the sustainable performance rankings of the municipalities and the dashboard with three analytical panels that contributed to identifying the points of improvement of each municipality, consequently contributing to the investment strategy in these locations. This research consists, therefore, of an important methodology, combining the multi-criteria method and the sustainability dashboard, to assess the sustainable development of the municipalities in the triple bottom line dimensions.

Spatial distribution of water quality in the Amazonian region: implications for drinking water treatment procedures.

Riparian communities in the Amazon suffer from water-borne diseases due to the lack of adequate water treatment capabilities. Therefore, small local water treatment plants are necessary, but the selection of treatment procedures depends largely on the physico-chemical characteristics of the water. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the physico-chemical characteristics of the water in the Amazon River and its tributaries, in order to determine customized processes for water treatment. Data from 54 fluviometric monitoring stations were organized and used to construct distribution maps. The parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, and the concentration of suspended matter, turbidity and flow rates were evaluated. Results showed that pH was very acidic (4-5) in the northwestern portion of the region while conductivity was quite low in the entire Amazonian region (<140 µS cm-1). Both parameters were strongly influenced by geological settings and sources of organic matter. Suspended matter and turbidity were affected by weathering processes. It was concluded that considering the acidity of the waters, mechanical procedures like filtration or slow settling should be applied to remove suspended matter rather than chemical procedures. For disinfection, instead of chemicals, solar energy should be applied.

Planning dredging services in contaminated sediments for balanced environmental and investment costs.

Dredging of contaminated sediments has shown to be a harmful activity for the environment, because a number of contaminants can be resuspended and become available to the organisms. Furthermore, dredged contaminated sediments may cause significant damages in the dumping site. In order to avoid the drawbacks of this activity, better techniques have to be developed and the present article presents a new procedure for the planning of dredging that reduces the environmental impacts by reducing the amount of dredged sediments and, at the same time, reduces costs. The new technique uses screening of contaminant concentrations in the sediments that are normally part of the environmental impact assessment for dredging activity. A detailed mapping of the contamination, layer by layer is carried out and the areas where the action levels are reached are outlined with polygons, establishing limits within which sediments have to be dredged with safe procedures. In the case presented, construction of a harbor in Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the safe procedure is cutter/suction dredging and pumping into a sub-aquatic confined disposal facility (CDF). A detailed evaluation of costs showed that if the whole layers of sediment were to be dumped into the CDF, the cost of the activity would be at least 63.82% more expensive than the proposed procedure, constituting an attractive advantage. Furthermore, as the size of the CDF is significantly smaller, less dredging is necessary, causing smaller environmental impact.

Digital transformation: a review on artificial intelligence techniques in drilling and production applications.

The use of digital and artificial intelligence technologies has expanded and influenced business models and the opening of opportunities for the generation of value in several organizations, in a movement known as industry 4.0. The oil industry has been following the path of several other industrial sectors and has implemented digitalization to solve different challenges and problems. The present work, supported by extensive research carried out in the specialized literature, shows relevant applications of digital transformation to solve problems in drilling and production operations during the life cycle of an oil well. The main issues addressed in the research were stuck pipes and hydrate formation. The achievements show that control systems and the various sensors used during drilling and the useful life of an oil well generate data that creates opportunities for the use of computational and artificial intelligence techniques. New technologies associated with digital transformation include smart surveillance systems, real-time monitoring, and intelligent equipment. In a well oil environment, these novelties are associated with fault detection and prediction systems to avoid or reduce problems or accidents that may cause costs or, in extreme cases, lead to the loss of the well. The study also points out that the oil industries, research centers, and universities are increasingly working together to understand the challenges and overcome the problems associated with the implementation and greater use of digital transformation technologies.

Performance analysis of professional soccer goalkeepers by Composition of Probabilistic Preferences / Análise de desempenho de goleiros do futebol profissional por Composição Probabilística de Preferências / Análisis del rendimiento de porteros de fútbol profesional por Composición Probabilística de Preferencias

ABSTRACT This research aims to assist managers and technical commissions to choose professional soccer goalkeepers. A sample of 64 goalkeepers playing in Argentina and Brazil was studied. Their performance in the matches of two seasons were analyzed considering three criteria: goals against per minute played, percentage of goals and percentage of matches without conceded goals. The Composition of Probabilistic Preferences (CPP) was the method chosen for modeling, considering the random variability in the problem data and in football, considered one of the most unpredictable sports. CPP allowed to compare the choice based on the data analysis to the latest goalkeeper call-ups for these countries' national teams. The selected goalkeepers corresponded to those presenting the best individual performance, which confirms the model.

RESUMO Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo auxiliar gestores e comissões técnicas na escolha de goleiros do futebol profissional. Foi estudada uma amostra de 64 goleiros que atuam na Argentina e no Brasil. Foram analisados seus desempenhos em jogos de duas temporadas, considerando três critérios: gols sofridos por minutos jogados, percentual de gols evitados e percentual de partidas sem sofrer gols. A Composição Probabilística de Preferências foi o método escolhido para a modelagem, por considerar a variabilidade aleatória dos dados do problema e do futebol, considerado um dos esportes mais imprevisíveis. A aplicação comparou a escolha baseada na análise dos dados com as últimas convocações de goleiros para as seleções desses países. Os goleiros selecionados corresponderam aos de melhor desempenho individual, confirmando o modelo.

RESUMEN Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo ayudar a gerentes y comisiones técnicas para elegir a los porteros de fútbol profesional. Una muestra de 64 porteros de Argentina y Brasil fue estudiada. Las actuaciones en los partidos de dos temporadas fueran analizadas, considerando tres criterios: goles concedidos por minutos jugados, porcentaje de goles evitados y porcentaje de partidos en los que al portero no le encajaron goles. La Composición Probabilística de Preferencias fue el método elegido, considerando la variabilidad aleatoria de los datos del problema y del fútbol, considerado uno de los deportes más impredecibles. La aplicación comparó la muestra con las últimas convocatorias de porteros de las selecciones nacionales de estos países. Los porteros seleccionados correspondieron a los de mejor rendimiento individual, confirmando el modelo.