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Facility management (FM) plays an important role in the attainment of a sustainable built environment during the building operational stage since it is responsible for decisions that influence materials’ durability, waste, cost reduction and energy efficiency. However, the integration of the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach in FM presents some difficulties in obtaining complete inventories for building components, tracking material flows and defining system boundaries. This paper aims to establish the environmental impact comparison between maintenance actions and replacement interventions performed during the life cycle of a steel frame from a building facade.

For this purpose, the effects of different repair/maintenance actions and end-of-life scenarios were analysed using two tools: an LCA building information modelling-based tool and an LCA open-source tool.

The results showed that repairing and maintaining the steel structure is essential for the safety and preservation of the steel structure. However, steel maintenance and repair practices that involve fewer environmental impacts need to be explored.

It also emphasises the crucial role of facility managers in promoting sustainability and supporting informed decision-making throughout the building’s life cycle, thereby aiding in the pursuit of sustainable development and the goal of decarbonisation by 2050.

This study reveals that maintenance processes in building management have a greater environmental impact compared to material replacement activities, especially concerning the steel structure within the case study building, as assessed using two LCA software tools. The findings provide valuable insights into the environmental impacts of maintenance and replacement phases and underscore the need for further investigation into more sustainable maintenance practices within facility management. Additionally, the study raises public awareness and engagement in environmental responsibility, contributing positively to the achievement of a sustainable built environment.

This paper aims to compare the possible environmental impacts of different rehabilitation solutions proposed to a case study of a Portuguese vernacular building, bearing in mind the need to search for less impactful practices in accordance with global agendas and, simultaneously, the importance of preserving heritage assets.

The two proposed solutions differ from each other in the selection of materials, varying from the exclusive use of conventional contemporary materials to the use of locally sourced and natural-based materials, considering the Portuguese and local scenario. Results obtained from Life Cycle Assessment procedures are the basis of comparison, which were developed using a Building Information Model (BIM)-integrated analytical plugin.

Producing Heritage Building Information Model (HBIM) models was essential to the analysis, and therefore is a vital part of the used methodology; nevertheless, the modelling of heritage buildings itself plays an important part in preserving heritage assets once it provides precise documenting and managing tools. The results depict variation in values for different indicators in both cases, whose interpretation might need further development to get to deeper conclusions. It has been found that the software tools are still not well adapted to analyse heritage or historic buildings, and therefore adaptations had to take place to overcome these limitations.

The study distinguishes itself by involving the production of HBIM models and the use of BIM-integrated Life Cycle Assessment plugins as well as its analyses, to validate this approach.

The purpose of this paper is to measure and compare the technical efficiency of construction companies in seven European countries: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, during the 2008–2015 period. The analysis involves nine sectors grouped into three divisions: construction of buildings (F41), civil engineering (F42) and specialized construction activities (F43), by NACE classification.

Multidirectional efficiency analysis was adopted to investigate the levels of efficiencies, the differences in those levels and the possible causes of such differences by further defining two new indices.

It showed that F43 is the most efficient division during the study period, followed by F42 and F41. The sectors/countries with less efficiency are: construction of roads and railways/Poland, construction of other civil engineering projects/Hungary, demolition and site preparation/Poland, other specialized construction activities/Portugal. Globally, the development of building projects sector uses resources in the most inefficient way and there was a drop in the efficiency in 2011 and 2013, showing a delay in the crisis impact. After 2010, civil engineering projects required a substantial effort to access resources. Other features regarding (in)efficiency were further identified.

The analysis was conducted with one of the most effective techniques in frontier analysis. The first introduced index allows for comparing efficient/inefficient subgroups, and the other index measures the resource acquisition effort, allowing a better comparison along years. The study provides a good understanding of the performance of the construction industry and indirectly exposes the strategies to overcome the crisis, through the identification of the inputs/outputs which are well/badly used.

This study aims to evaluate and compare the occurrence of sweet craving and eating practices related to the consumption of sweets among undergraduate students of health courses in Brazil and Spain, as well as associated factors.

Sociodemographic data, presence of sweet craving and characterization of practices related to the consumption of sweets were assessed.

The prevalence of sweet craving was higher among Brazilian students (46.6% vs. 32.9%, p = 0.020). The percentage of students who reported they could not resist the sweet cravings (p < 0.001); consumed sweets to feel better (p < 0.001); ate increasingly higher quantities of sweets (p < 0.001); and consumed more sweets than intended (p < 0.001), was also higher among Brazilian ones. Gender, age and college major were not associated with sweet craving. However, the fact that students were Brazilian was independently associated with consuming sweets to feel better [odds ratio (OR): 4.02; 95% confidence interval (CI95%): 2.39–6.77], eating increasingly higher quantities of sweets (OR: 5.79; CI95%: 2.86–11.71) and always eating more than intended (OR: 3.33; CI95%: 2.03–5.46). Body mass index (BMI) was independently associated with sweet craving in both countries (OR: 1.09; CI95%: 1.03–1.16). The results of the present research show that cultural elements are interwoven with craving and eating practices related to sweets.

The manuscript investigated the occurrence of sweets cravings and eating habits related to the consumption of sweets among university students of health courses in Brazil and Spain, as well as the associated factors. The results highlight the influence of cultural elements on eating practices related to sweets. The research is relevant to the journal Nutrition and Food Science for its contribution to understanding cultural differences in food choices and their impact on health, which can inform strategies to promote healthy eating habits in different contexts.

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

A literature review was conducted in order to establish a detailed definition of a knowledge-intensive process (KiP). Moreover, relevant theories from humanities – especially the fields of linguistics and philosophy – were thoroughly researched and adapted for establishing descriptive and analytical foundations for the phenomena involved. Finally, a cognitive business process management (BPM) theory was proposed in order to assess how sufficient are its respective explanatory and predictive powers. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.

This study proposes a novel theory for KiPs that describe the process flow based on the participants' interactions and their beliefs, desires and intentions as the main drivers of the process enactment and execution.

The proposal puts forth a comprehensive definition of a KiP, depicting knowledge intensity, participant interaction and decision-making. The inner dynamics of each of these two elements (as well as other associated elements) are described as an information systems (IS) theory that enables the study of KiPs in detail, going beyond the typical techniques of the BPM field and common obstacles.

A theory proposal for KiP that applies concepts from speech act theory and intentional states as the main drivers for understanding the process dynamics are, to the best of the authors' knowledge, not present at the literature. Being an original proposal, the real-world scenario discussed brings up the explanatory and predictive powers of the theory as well as its innovative value for research in the field.

Literature on internationalization focuses widely on the challenges that firms face when entering new countries, leaving an opportunity to understand the role of the home country and the exchange of emerging multinational enterprises (EMNEs) with local politicians. We argue that, in the case of EMNEs, nurturing political connections with the home country government is an important driver of internationalization. We use publicly traded Brazilian firms and data covering 2006–2009, comprising years before and after the 2006 election. We measure political connections through corporate financial contribution to candidates in the 2006 election. We find that politically connected firms show greater levels of internationalization than their non-connected counterparts when comparing before and after the election. Our results suggest that EMNEs pursue connections with political actors within their home country's institutions in order to reinforce their international position.

To map nurses’ actions performed during the care transitions from hospital to home of Covid-19 patients.

A scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines was carried out. We searched in seven databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, BDENF, LILACS, SciELO, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. A two-step screening process and data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. The findings were summarized and analyzed using a content analysis technique.

Of the total 5,618 studies screened, 21 were included. The analysis revealed nurses’ actions before and after patient’ discharge, sometimes planned and developed with the interprofessional team. The nurses’ actions included to plan and support patients’ discharge, to adapt the care plan, to use screening tools and monitor patients’ clinical status and needs, to provide health orientation to patients and caregivers, home care and face-to-face visiting, to communicate with patients, caregivers and other health professionals with phone calls and virtual tools, to provide rehabilitation procedures, to make referrals and to orient patients and families to navigate in the health system.

The results provide a broader understanding of the actions taken and challenges faced by nurses to ensure a safe care transition for Covid-19 patients from hospital to home. The interprofessional integration to discharge planning and the clinical nursing leadership in post-discharge monitoring were highlighted.

The nurses’ actions for Covid-19 patients performed during care transitions focused on coordination and discharge planning tailored to the needs of patients and caregivers at the home setting. Nurses monitored patients, with an emphasis on providing guidance and checking clinical status using telehealth tools.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of Saccharomyces boulardii on the kinetics of fermentation for organic and conventional apple pulp and to verify the effect of the antioxidant quercetin on the response to cellular oxidative stress.

The kinetic parameters, the content of phenolic compounds, the quantity of quercetin and the antioxidant activity were determined during the fermentation process. The effect of quercetin on cellular oxidative stress was also investigated.

The content of phenolic compounds, the antioxidant activity and the quercetin concentration were higher in the organic fermented apple pulp (ORG) than in the conventional fermented apple pulp (CON). However, both apple pulps were considered ideal substrates for the growth of S. boulardii, suggesting that they are potentially probiotic. After fermentation, the quercetin concentration in the ORG treatment and YPDQ treatment (YPD broth with 0.1 mg quercetin rhamnoside/mL) increased viability by 9%, while in the CON treatment generated there was an increase of 6% in viability, compared to the YPD control treatment (YPD broth).

The high concentration of quercetin in the organic apple pulp supports the proposal that quercetin reduces the oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species through its antioxidant action on S. boulardii that have similarities to mammalian eukaryotic cells. These findings suggest that fermented organic apple pulp could be consumed as a potential non-dairy probiotic product.

The objective of this study is to review the main studies of social entrepreneurship (SE) in Latin America, to categorize them into four categories. To accomplish this, a bibliometric literature review is carried out based on data from the Web of Science database, to locate the Latin American collection of studies. In this way, the main studies are described and grouped, following a qualitative scheme that allows to substantiate the main findings of the Latin authors. Consequently, the progress made in the literature of the SE for Latin America is corroborated, by visualizing that the SE turns out to be a forceful fact to manage well-being, but that it is faced with an inconsistent development.