Microbiological indicators for the assessment of performance in the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system in meat lasagna production

The HACCP system is being increasingly used to ensure food safety. This study investigated the validation of the control measures technique in order to establish performance indicators of this HACCP system in the manufacturing process of Lasagna Bolognese (meat lasagna). Samples were collected along the manufacturing process as a whole, before and after the CCPs. The following microorganism s indicator (MIs) was assessed: total mesophile and faecal coliform counts. The same MIs were analyzed in the final product, as well as, the microbiological standards required by the current legislation. A significant reduction in the total mesophile count was observed after cooking (p < 0.001). After storage, there was a numerical, however non-significant change in the MI count. Faecal coliform counts were also significantly reduced (p < 0.001) after cooking. We were able to demonstrate that the HACCP system allowed us to meet the standards set by both, the company and the Brazilian regulations, proved by the reduction in the established indicators

Contextual, but not auditory, fear conditioning is disrupted by neurotoxic selective lesion of the basal nucleus of amygdala in rats

The basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) is involved in acquisition of contextual and auditory fear conditioning. However, the BLA is not a single structure but comprises a group of nuclei, including the lateral (LA), basal (BA) and accessory basal (AB) nuclei. While it is consensual that the LA is critical for auditory fear conditioning, there is controversy on the participation of the BA in fear conditioning. Hodological and neurophysiological findings suggest that each of these nuclei processes distinct information in parallel; the BA would deal with polymodal or contextual representations, and the LA would process unimodal or elemental representations. Thus, it seems plausible to hypothesize that the BA is required for contextual, but not auditory, fear conditioning. This hypothesis was evaluated in Wistar rats submitted to multiple-site ibotenate-induced damage restricted to the BA and then exposed to a concurrent contextual and auditory fear conditioning training followed by separated contextual and auditory conditioning testing. Differing from electrolytic lesion and lidocaine inactivation, this surgical approach does not disturb fibers of passage originating in other brain areas, restricting damage to the aimed nucleus. Relative to the sham-operated controls, rats with selective damage to the BA exhibited disruption of performance in the contextual, but not the auditory, component of the task. Thus, while the BA seems required for contextual fear conditioning, it is not critical for both an auditory-US association, nor for the expression of the freezing response. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation technique for determining wheel performance in the grinding of aerospace materials

Nickel-based super alloys are used in a variety of applications in which high-temperature strength and resistance to creep, corrosion, and oxidation are required, such as in aircraft gas turbines, combustion chambers, and automotive engine valves. The properties that make these materials suitable for these applications also make them difficult to grind. Grinding systems for such materials are often built around vitrified cBN (cubic boron nitride) wheels to realize maximum productivity and minimum cost per part. Conditions that yield the most economical combination of stock removal rate and wheel wear are key to the successful implementation of the grinding system. Identifying the transition point for excessive wheel wear is important. The aim of this study is to compare the performance of different cBN wheels when grinding difficult-to-grind (DTG) materials by determining the 'wheel wear characteristic curve', which correlates the G-ratio to the calculated tangential force per abrasive grain. With the proposed methodology, a threshold force per grit above which the wheel wear rate increases rapidly can be quickly identified. A comparison of performance for two abrasive product formulations in the grinding of three materials is presented. The obtained results can be applied for the development of grinding applications for DTG materials.

Compton suppression instrumental neutron activation analysis performance in determining trace- and minor-element contents in foodstuff

In 2003-2004, several food items were purchased from large commercial outlets in Coimbra, Portugal. Such items included meats (chicken, pork, beef), eggs, rice, beans and vegetables (tomato, carrot, potato, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce). Elemental analysis was carried out through INAA at the Technological and Nuclear Institute (ITN, Portugal), the Nuclear Energy Centre for Agriculture (CENA, Brazil), and the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab of the University of Texas at Austin (NETL, USA). At the latter two, INAA was also associated to Compton suppression. It can be concluded that by applying Compton suppression (1) the detection limits for arsenic, copper and potassium improved; (2) the counting-statistics error for molybdenum diminished; and (3) the long-lived zinc had its 1115-keV photopeak better defined. In general, the improvement sought by introducing Compton suppression in foodstuff analysis was not significant. Lettuce, cabbage and chicken (liver, stomach, heart) are the richest diets in terms of human nutrients.

Number of options in a movement sequence affects learners' behavior in a self-controlled practice condition

Self controlling practice implies a process of decision making which suggests that the options in a self controlled practice condition could affect learners The number of task components with no fixed position in a movement sequence may affect the (Nay learners self control their practice A 200 cm coincident timing track with 90 light emitting diodes (LEDs)-the first and the last LEDs being the warning and the target lights respectively was set so that the apparent speed of the light along the track was 1 33 m/sec Participants were required to touch six sensors sequentially the last one coincidently with the lighting of the tar get light (timing task) Group 1 (n=55) had only one constraint and were instructed to touch the sensors in any order except for the last sensor which had to be the one positioned close to the target light Group 2 (n=53) had three constraints the first two and the last sensor to be touched Both groups practiced the task until timing error was less than 30 msec on three consecutive trials There were no statistically significant differences between groups in the number of trials needed to reach the performance criterion but (a) participants in Group 2 created fewer sequences corn pared to Group 1 and (b) were more likely to use the same sequence throughout the learning process The number of options for a movement sequence affected the way learners self-controlled their practice but had no effect on the amount of practice to reach criterion performance.

Effects of recovery type after a judo match on blood lactate and performance in specific and non-specific judo tasks

The objective of the present study was to verify if active recovery (AR) applied after a judo match resulted in a better performance when compared to passive recovery (PR) in three tasks varying in specificity to the judo and in measurement of work performed: four upper-body Wingate tests (WT); special judo fitness test (SJFT); another match. For this purpose, three studies were conducted. Sixteen highly trained judo athletes took part in study 1, 9 in study 2, and 12 in study 3. During AR judokas ran (15 min) at the velocity corresponding to 70% of 4 mmol l(-1) blood lactate intensity (similar to 50% (V) over dotO(2) peak), while during PR they stayed seated at the competition area. The results indicated that the minimal recovery time reported in judo competitions (15 min) is long enough for sufficient recovery of WT performance and in a specific high-intensity test (SJFT). However, the odds ratio of winning a match increased ten times when a judoka performed AR and his opponent performed PR, but the cause of this phenomenon cannot be explained by changes in number of actions performed or by changes in match`s time structure.

PERFORMANCE OF THE MODEL CALLED ACQUANETXL IN THE ALLOCATION OF WATER IN COMPLEX WATER RESOURCE SYSTEMS

This article presents a tool for the allocation analysis of complex systems of water resources, called AcquaNetXL, developed in the form of spreadsheet in which a model of linear optimization and another nonlinear were incorporated. The AcquaNetXL keeps the concepts and attributes of a decision support system. In other words, it straightens out the communication between the user and the computer, facilitates the understanding and the formulation of the problem, the interpretation of the results and it also gives a support in the process of decision making, turning it into a clear and organized process. The performance of the algorithms used for solving the problems of water allocation was satisfactory especially for the linear model.

Application of the essential work of fracture method in ranking the performance in service of high-density polyethylene resins employed in pressure pipes

High-density polyethylene resins have increasingly been used in the production of pipes for water- and gas-pressurized distribution systems and are expected to remain in service for several years, but they eventually fail prematurely by creep fracture. Usual standard methods used to rank resins in terms of their resistance to fracture are expensive and non-practical for quality control purposes, justifying the search for alternative methods. Essential work of fracture (EWF) method provides a relatively simple procedure to characterize the fracture behavior of ductile polymers, such as polyethylene resins. In the present work, six resins were analyzed using the EWF methodology. The results show that the plastic work dissipation factor, beta w(p), is the most reliable parameter to evaluate the performance. Attention must be given to specimen preparation that might result in excessive dispersion in the results, especially for the essential work of fracture w(e).

Growth and acidification performance of probiotics in pure culture and co-culture with Streptococcus thermophilus: The effect of inulin

Inulin was used as a prebiotic to improve the quality and consistency of skim milk fermented by co-cultures and pure Cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Bifidobacterium lactis with Streptococcus thermophilus. We compared, either in the presence or absence of 4 g inulin/100 g, the results of the main kinetic parameters, specifically the generation time (t(g)), the maximum acidification rate (V(max)). and the times to reach V(max) (t(max)), to attain pH 5.0 (t(pH5.0)) and to complete the fermentation (t(pH4.5)). Post-acidification, lactic acid formation and cell counts were also determined and compared, either 1 day after the fermentation was complete or after 7 day storage at 4 degrees C. In general, inulin addition to the milk increased in co-cultures V(max), decreased t(max), t(g) and t(pH4.5), favored post-acidification, exerted a bifidogenic effect, and preserved almost intact cell viability during storage. In addition, S. thermophilus was shown to stimulate the metabolism of the other lactic bacteria. Contrary to co-cultures, most of the effects in pure Cultures were not statistically significant. The most important aspect of this paper is the use of the generation time as a toot to investigate the microbial response to inulin addition. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UV-Derivative Spectrophotometric and Stability-Indicating High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Methods for Determination of Simvastatin in Tablets

A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and a second-order derivative spectrophotometric (UVDS) analytical methods were validated and compared for determination of simvastatin in tablets. The HPLC method was performed with isocratic elution using a C18 column and a mobile phase composed of methanol:acetonitrile:water (60:20:20, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The detection was made at 239 nm. In UVDS method, methanol and water were used in first dilution and distilled water was used in consecutive dilutions and as background. The second-order derivative signal measurement was taken at 255 nm. Analytical curves showed correlation coefficients > 0.999 for both methods. The quantitation limits (QL) were 2.41 mu g/ml for HPLC and 0.45 mu g/ml for UVDS, respectively. Intra and inter-day relative standard deviations were < 2.0 %. Statistical analysis with t- and F-tests are not exceeding their critical values demonstrating that there is no significant difference between the two methods at 95 % confidence level.

Liquid-phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the enantioselective analysis of mefloquine in plasma samples

A simple and rapid method, which involves liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) followed by HPLC analysis using Chiralpak AD column and UV detection, was developed for the enantioselective determination of mefloquine in plasma samples. Several factors that influence the efficiency of three-phase LPME were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the mean recoveries were 33.2 and 35.0% for (-)-(SR-)-mefloquine and (+)-(RS)-mefloquine, respectively. The method was linear over 50-1500 ng/ml range. Within-day and between-day assay precision and accuracy were below 15% for both enantiomers at concentrations of 150, 600 and 1200 ng/ml. Furthermore, no racemization or degradation were seen with the method described. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of early malnutrition and environmental stimulation in the performance of rats in the elevated plus maze

Malnourished rats since birth (mothers fed on 6% of protein) or controlled ones (16% of protein), half of each group received environmental stimulation (ES) from the age of 0-35th day, were studied. The performance in the elevated plus maze (EPM) was assessed on the last day. ES increased time spent and also the entries into open arms of EPM, but malnourished non-stimulated rats visited more segments near the central area than the distant ones. Data suggests an anxiolytic effect of ES which is less evident in malnourished rats. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of proportional assisted ventilation on exercise performance in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients

Background: Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) present an important ventilatory (imitation reducing their exercise capacity. Non-invasive ventilatory support has been shown to improve exercise capacity in patients with obstructive diseases; however, its effect on IPF patients remains unknown. Objective: The present study assessed the effect of ventilatory support using proportional, assist ventilation (PAV) on exercise capacity in patients with IPF. Methods: Ten patients (61.2 +/- 9.2 year-old) were submitted to a cardiopulmonary exercise testing, plethysmography and three submaximal. exercise tests (60% of maximum load): without ventilatory support, with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and PAV. Submaximal tests were performed randomly and exercise capacity, cardiovascular and ventilatory response as well as breathlessness subjective perception were evaluated. Lactate plasmatic levels were obtained before and after submaximal. exercise. Results: Our data show that patients presented a limited exercise capacity (9.7 +/- 3.8 mL O(2)/kg/min). Submaximal. test was increased in patients with PAV compared with CPAP and without ventilatory support (respectively, 11.1 +/- 8.8 min, 5.6 +/- 4.7 and 4.5 +/- 3.8 min; p < 0.05). An improved arterial oxygenation and lower subjective perception to effort was also observed in patients with IPF when exercise was performed with PAV (p < 0.05). IPF patients performing submaximal exercise with PAV also presented a lower heart rate during exercise, although systolic and diastolic pressures were not different among submaximal tests. Our results suggest that PAV can increase exercise tolerance and decrease dyspnoea and cardiac effort in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance of Brazilian long and short IQCODE on the screening of dementia in elderly people with low education

Background: Dementia screening in elderly people with low education can be difficult to implement. For these subjects, informant reports using the long (L) (26 items) and short (C) (16 items) versions of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) can be useful. The objective of the present study was to investigate the performance of Brazilian versions of the IQCODE L, S and a new short version (SBr) (15 items) in comparison with the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) for dementia screening in elderly people with low education. Methods: Thirty-four patients with mild to moderate dementia, diagnosed according to ICD-10 criteria, and 57 controls were evaluated and divided into three groups based on their socioeconomic status and level of education. Patients were evaluated using the MMSE and the informants were interviewed using the IQCODE by interviewers blind to the clinical diagnosis. Results: Education was correlated with MMSE results (r = 0.280, p = 0.031), but not with the versions of the IQCODE. The performance of the instruments, evaluated by the ROC curves, was very similar, with good internal consistency (Cronbach`s alpha = 0.97). MMSE correctly classified 85.7% of the subjects while the three IQCODE versions (L, S and SBr) correctly classified 91.2% of the subjects. Conclusions: The long, short and the new short Brazilian IQCODE versions can be useful as a screening tool for mild and moderate patients with dementia in Brazil. The IQCODE is not biased by schooling, and it seems to be an adequate instrument for samples with low levels of education.

Effects of bromazepam in frontal theta activity on the performance of a sensorimotor integration task: A quantitative electroencephalography study

Our objective is to verify the modulatory effects of bromazepam on EEG theta absolute power when subjects were submitted to a visuomotor task (i.e., car driver task). Sample was composed of 14 students (9 males and 5 females), right handed, with ages varying between 23 and 42 years (mean = 32.5 +/- 9.5), absence of mental or physical impairments, no psychoactive or psychotropic substance use and no neuromuscular disorders (screened by a clinical examination). The results showed an interaction between condition and electrodes (p=0.034) in favor of F8 electrode compared with F7 in both experimental conditions (t-test; p=0.001). Additionally, main effects were observed for condition (p=0.001), period (p=0.001) and electrodes (p=0.031) in favor of F4 electrode compared with F3. In conclusion, Br 6 mg of bromazepam may interfere in sensorimotor processes in the task performance in an unpredictable scenario allowing that certain visuospatial factors were predominant. Therefore, the results may reflect that bromazepam effects influence the performance of the involved areas because of the acquisition and integration of sensory stimuli processes until the development of a motor behavior based on the same stimuli. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.