Atitudes e conhecimento dos consumidores sobre os alimentos irradiados: um inquérito conduzido em Natal, Brasil

The aim of this study is to assess the attitudes and knowledge of consumers about irradiated foods. The study sample corresponded to 65.52% women and the mean age was 41.82 (SD: 14.33) years. Only 66.9% of respondents consumers consult the list of ingredients on the label of packaged foods, and 13.4% of them said they had detected the phrase “FOOD TREATED BY IRRADIATION PROCESS.” Furthermore, 86.6% considered that irradiation becomes unsafe food and thus 94.9% of those not consume these foods, as well as 29.6% of those who felt otherwise. Women had a score of attitude towards irradiated foods less favorable than men. The television was considered the most efficient means of communication to report on irradiated foods. We conclude that consumers of the city of Natal lack information about food irradiation and acceptance of these products depends on how the policies are directed to food security and health education, including through the use of sources of mass information dissemination. The information on the labels of irradiated foods is controversial, although sufficient instruments for detection of irradiated foods by these consumers.

Programa de aquisição de alimentos (2003-2010): avaliação da implementação pela CONAB no Rio Grande do Norte

This thesis aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Food Acquisition Program(PAA) through CONAB RN in the period of 2003-2010 with the perception of all agents involved in the implementation of the government program.For the methodological trajectory it was adopted a descriptive bibliographical and documentary approach with triangular qualitative and quantitative, also called evaluative research.The theoretical model was supported by the authors Draibe (2001), Aguilar and Ander-Egg (1994) and Silva(2001), among others, that focused on family farming and evaluation of implementation of public policy having as a category of analysis the size implementation of policy and the latter divided into 10 theoretical dimensions.The universe consisted of three groups: the first were the managers and technicians from CONAB(RN and Brasilia), totaling 15 subjects. The second group was of associations/cooperatives that participated in the programin 2010, totaling a sample in each access of 15 representatives. The third group of subjects totaled with 309 representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations that received donations of food for the same period. Semi-structured interviews and forms were adopted as instruments of data collection.The data were processed qualitatively by the analysis of content (interviews and documents) and quantitatively by means of statistical tests that allowed inferences and adoption of frequencies. Among the key find ingests that the program is not standing as a structure supported by planning. The interests of the performers do not necessarily converge with the objectives of the Food Acquisition Program (PAA). A shockof goals was identified (within the same program) when comparingthe financial agent (Ministry of Rural Development and of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger Ministry r) and the executor, CONAB/RN. Within the assessed dimensions, the most fragileis the sub-managerial decision-making and Organizational Environment and internal assessment, still deserves attention the sizeof logistical and operational Subsystem, as this also proved weak.The focusin the quest toexpand thequantificationof the resultsof theFood Acquisition Program (PAA)by CONAB/RN does forget a quality management focused on what really should be:the compliance with the institutional objectives of the government program.Finally, the perspective for the traded implementation should be re-examined because excessive discretion by managers along with technical staff has characterized there al role of the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) as public policy. We conclude that the implementation model, which apparently aggregates values to the benefitted citizens, has weakened the context of work on family farms having the management model of the implementation process be reviewed by the Federal Government and point too ther paths, which have as a guide line the emancipation and developmentof the field or in the field andat the same time enables the reduction of nutritional deficiency of beneficiaries in a balanced and coherent way

Motivação e satisfação à luz do modelo ASH: estudo de caso em indústria de alimentos

Neste estudo, foram examinadas as relações existentes entre a motivação e a satisfação do trabalhador no espaço laboral. O estudo empírico foi conduzido em uma única etapa, por meio da qual buscou-se conhecer as dimensões latentes identificadas e, a partir das dimensões validadas, buscou-se estabelecer relações com características motivacionais, como antecedentes, e satisfação pelo trabalho realizado, como conseqüência do atendimento das necessidades manifestadas pelo trabalhador. Foram entrevistados 38 (trinta e oito) funcionários da empresa Água Mineral Cristalina, incluindo-se os que ocupam cargos de chefia. Como instrumento de coleta de dados, foi utilizada parte do complexo da Auditoria do Sistema Humano ASH, criado por Quijano (1999), que se trata de um modelo de pesquisa na área de Psicologia Social, incluindo a Administração de Recursos Humanos, que analisa os processos psicológicos e psicossociais nas organizações. Para esta pesquisa, foram utilizados dois formulários sugeridos pelo autor citado, (anexos 01 e 02). O primeiro denomina-se condições para a motivação , com 15 (quinze) questões do tipo likert. O segundo, "trabalho bem feito e satisfação de necessidades", tem 22 (vinte e duas) questões, também do tipo likert. O instrumento foi respondido por colaboradores, independente da posição hierárquica, em aproximadamente 10 (dez) a 15 (quinze) minutos. A aplicação foi realizada diretamente pelo pesquisador nas unidades de produção e de administração da empresa. Por meio de modelagem de equações estruturais, foi estabelecido um modelo de relações causais entre as dimensões latentes relacionadas à motivação e o desempenho do empregado quando tem satisfeitas as suas necessidades. Quanto ao tratamento dos dados, este ocorreu de forma quantitativa. Quanto à análise, aconteceu após os dados terem sido tratados. Nesta pesquisa, os dados foram analisados por meio de estatísticas descritivas, atualizando-se os recursos de softwares específicos como Statistic ou SPSS Statistic Package for Social Sciences. Usou-se a técnica de Análise de Regressão, na qual foi utilizado o método STEPWISE que inclui na equação de explicação de uma variável dependente somente aquelas que auxiliam ou incrementam sua explicação. Como variáveis dependentes, foram utilizadas as variáveis do formulário "trabalho bem feito e satisfação de necessidades" e como variável independe as variáveis do questionário "condições para motivação". Sob o ponto de vista prático, este estudo mostrou que um determinado conjunto de características motivacionais influi positivamente na satisfação do trabalhador, que poderá realizar um trabalho bem feito; do lado teórico, a pesquisa verificou explicitamente a hipótese de que os aspectos motivacionais contribuem para que o empregado, sentindo-se satisfeito, desempenhe melhor as atribuições que lhe são conferidas

Desevolvimento de nanocompósitos de poli(metacrilato de metila)/argila processados por mistura no estado fundido

Poly(methyl methacrylate)/clay nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing using a montmorillonite-rich clay (MMT). The clay in natura was treated with acrylic acid to facilitate the dispersion in the polymer matrix. A masterbatch of PMMA/clay was prepared and combined with the pure PMMA and then subjected to extrusion process using singlescrew and twin-screw extruders followed by injection. Nanocomposites were processed with clay contents of 1, 3, 5 and 8 wt.%. The effect of shear processing on the morphology of the nanocomposites was evaluated by XRD, SEM and TEM. Thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated through TGA, DSC, HDT, VICAT, tensile and impact tests, to evaluate the effect of the addition of clay to the PMMA matrix. Flammability tests were also conducted to investigate the effect of the addition of clay on the flame retardation properties. SEM images of the nanocomposites indicated the presence of clay agglomerates, which resulted in the reduction of properties such as thermal stability, mechanical strength and impact resistance, and increased the rate of burning for materials processed by both extrusion routes

Desenvolvimento e caracterização de compósitos poli(tereftalato de etileno) reciclado (PET reciclado) com flocos de vidro.

The growing concern with the solid residues management, observed in the last decade, due to its huge amount and impact, has motivated the search for recycling processes, where these residues can be reprocessed to generate new products, enlarging the cycle of materials and energy which are present. Among the polymeric residues, there is poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET). PET is used in food packaging, preferably in the bottling of carbonated beverages. The reintegration of post-consumer PET in half can be considered a productive action mitigation of environmental impacts caused by these wastes and it is done through the preparation of several different products at the origin, i.e. food packaging, with recycling rates increasing to each year. This work focused on the development and characterization mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical, dynamic mechanical thermal and morphology of the pure recycled PET and recycled PET composites with glass flakes in the weight fraction of 5%, 10% and 20% processed in a single screw extruder, using the following analytical techniques: thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile, Izod impact, Rockwell hardness, Vicat softening temperature, melt flow rate, burn rate, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of thermal analysis and mechanical properties leading to a positive evaluation, because in the thermograms the addition of glass flakes showed increasing behavior in the initial temperatures of thermal decomposition and melting crystalline, Furthermore was observed growing behavior in the mechanical performance of polymer composites, whose morphological structure was observed by SEM, verifying a good distribution of glass flakes, showing difference orientation in the center and in the surface layer of test body of composites with 10 and 20% of glass flakes. The results of DMTA Tg values of the composites obtained from the peak of tan ä showed little reductions due to poor interfacial adhesion between PET and recycled glass flakes.