Conservação de produtos cárneos : avaliação da estabilidade microbiológica de fiambres

Nas últimas décadas, a indústria alimentar tem demonstrado uma grande capacidade de desenvolvimento, quer nas metodologias de produção dos géneros alimentícios, quer nos meios de controlo da segurança dos alimentos. A contaminação e desenvolvimento de microrganismos é uma preocupação sempre presente na indústria de produtos cárneos. De modo a controlar este problema garantindo a inocuidade microbiológica e a estabilidade comercial dos alimentos, o uso de boas práticas de fabrico associadas a tecnologias de conservação são essenciais. Dado que os produtos cárneos fatiados são alimentos mais susceptíveis ao desenvolvimento microbiano, influenciando a sua qualidade e segurança, neste estudo, visou-se comparar a evolução microbiológica do fiambre em peça e fatiado e a influência dos conservantes no prolongamento da vida útil garantindo a segurança do consumidor, para este efeito, avaliou-se a qualidade higiénico-sanitária do fiambre bem como o efeito do diacetato de sódio na estabilidade microbiológica do mesmo, durante o seu período de vida útil sob temperaturas de refrigeração diferenciadas. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que os fiambres analisados não demonstraram a presença de microrganismos patogénicos. No entanto, o fiambre fatiado revelou a presença de microrganismos de deterioração, não se verificando, contudo, diferenças significativas entre o fiambre teste e controlo.

Fate of prions in soil: Longevity and migration of recPrP in soil columns

Research into transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases has become a high priority worldwide in recent years yet remarkably little is known about the behaviour of TSE infectivity in the environment. The resilience and stability of prion proteins could lead to soils becoming a potential reservoir of TSE infectivity as a result of contamination from activities such as infected carcass burial or the dispersion of effluents from slaughter houses, or by contamination of pastures by infected animals, (e.g. scrapie in sheep). Knowledge of the fate of prion proteins in soils, and associated physico-chemical conditions which favour migration, can be used to help prevent re-infection of animals through grazing, to protect watercourses and develop good management practices. In two consecutive experiments of 9 and 6 months, the migration of recombinant ovine PrP (recPrP) in soil columns was followed under contrasting levels of microbial activity (normal versus reduced), under varying regimes of soil water content and redox potential, and in two different soil types (loamy sand and clay loam). At each analysis time (1, 3, 6 or 9 months), in both soil types, full-length recPrP was detected in the original contaminated layer, indicating the resilience and stability of recPrP under varied soil conditions, even in the presence of active soil microbial populations. Evidence of protein migration was found in every soil column at the earliest analysis time (1 or 3 months), but was restricted to a maximum distance of 1 cm, indicative of limited initial mobility in soils followed by strong adsorption over the following days to weeks. The survival of recPrP in the soil over a period of at least 9 months was demonstrated. In this study, recPrP was used as an indicator for potential TSE infectivity, although infectivity tests should be carried out before conclusions can be drawn regarding the infection risk posed by prions in soil. However, it has been demonstrated that soil is likely to act as a significant barrier to the dispersion of contaminated material at storage or burial sites. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discerning policy and drivers for sustainable facilities management practice

Due to the changing nature of the facilities management (FM) profession, facilities managers are increasingly engaged with the evolving sustainability agenda in the UK and the development or uptake of sustainability policies within their organisations. This study investigates how facilities managers are engaging with the sustainability agenda and the drivers, policy issues and information they use to improve their sustainability performance management. A web based self-administered questionnaire survey of facilities managers in the UK was conducted to identify drivers and issues that influence and support good sustainable practices. A total of 268 facilities managers responded. The results indicate that legislation is the most important driver for the implementation of sustainable practices. Corporate image and Organisational ethos are also recognised. However demand for efficient monitoring, management and reporting on environmental impact is not highly rated even though the top three issues of sustainability managed by facilities managers are energy management, waste and recycling management and carbon footprint. In addition, facilities managers are expected to take ownership of activities assigned to the reduction of carbon emission. Government industries and organisation with high turnover are more likely to have a sustainability policy. Financial constraints are the main barriers while legislations are the main driver for implementing sustainability. For non-profit organisations and the charitable sector, financial constraints are no hindrance to implementing a sustainability policy. The conclusion drawn is that sustainability agendas continue to be influenced by regulated environmental issues rather than a balanced approach which takes into consideration the wider social and economic aspects of sustainability. While this scenario is far from ideal, the expectation is that the organisation will trust FM to take a vital role in delivering a comprehensive sustainability policy due to the rising tide of legislation, public scrutiny, as well as the needed business case for genuinely embracing sustainability. However, as the integration of sustainability with core business strategies is continuously evolving the emphasis on different drivers will vary from organisation to organisation as well as the responsibilities of facilities managers.

A longitudinal study of child sleep in high and low risk families: relationship to early maternal settling strategies and child psychological functioning

Objectives To investigate whether sleep disturbances previously found to characterise high risk infants: (a) persist into childhood; (b) are influenced by early maternal settling strategies and (c) predict cognitive and emotional/behavioural functioning. Methods Mothers experiencing high and low levels of psychosocial adversity (risk) were recruited antenatally and longitudinally assessed with their children. Mothers completed measures of settling strategies and infant sleep postnatally, and at 12 and 18 months, infant age. At five years, child sleep characteristics were measured via an actigraphy and maternal report; IQ and child adjustment were also assessed. Results Sleep disturbances observed in high-risk infants persisted at five years. Maternal involvement in infant settling was greater in high risk mothers, and predicted less optimal sleep at five years. Poorer five year sleep was associated with concurrent child anxiety/depression and aggression, but there was limited evidence for an influence of early sleep problems. Associations between infant/child sleep characteristics and IQ were also limited. Conclusions Early maternal over-involvement in infant settling is associated with less optimal sleep in children, which in turn, is related to child adjustment. The findings highlight the importance of supporting parents in the early development of good settling practices, particularly in high-risk populations.

Governança corporativa e desempenho de empresas: novas evidências do caso brasileiro

A governança corporativa ganhou importância crescente a partir da última década, quando ocorreram escândalos de fraudes financeiras em grandes empresas. As boas práticas de governança corporativa passaram a ser vistas como forma de proteger os direitos dos acionistas, garantir igualdade de tratamento entre acionistas controladores e minoritários e assegurar a transparência na divulgação de informações. Este trabalho apresenta novas evidências sobre a relação entre práticas de governança e desempenho das empresas no Brasil. Utilizamos uma metodologia inédita na literatura brasileira. Com base em um índice de práticas de governança corporativa, computamos a variação anual na qualidade de governança e classificamos as empresas em 3 grupos (variação positiva, neutra e negativa). Em seguida, verificamos se existe diferença entre variações na governança e variações no desempenho das empresas. Nossos resultados indicam que variações positivas (negativas) na qualidade da governança estão associadas a variações positivas (negativas) no desempenho operacional das empresas. Por outro lado, não existem evidências que variações na qualidade de governança tenham impacto no retorno das ações.

Convênios para implantação de obras públicas: accountability em risco

Convênios estão sendo cada vez mais usados na implementação de programas e na prestação de serviços públicos, como uma ferramenta de administração para compartilhar poder e autoridade com os parceiros do governo na tomada de decisões. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se a estrutura (framework) de governança dos convênios firmados entre o Estado do Rio de Janeiro e diversos municípios para a implantação de obras públicas tem sido adequada. Em particular, verificar se essas ações públicas descentralizadas atendem aos princípios da liderança, do interesse público, da transparência e da accountability, oferecendo, aos stakeholders e aos cidadãos, meios apropriados para que também exerçam o controle social sobre a execução das ações governamentais. Nesta pesquisa, foram examinadas as principais questões referentes à efetiva participação em convênios, identificados os atributos desejáveis desses acordos de cooperação, assim como algumas boas práticas de implementação. Na avaliação, constata-se que a accountability ao legislativo é fraca e que a boa governança nem sempre está assegurada, dada a reduzida capacidade de celebrar, acompanhar e fiscalizar a execução, assim como de avaliar os resultados e as prestações de contas.

A política pública para resposta às ameaças químicas, biológicas, radiológicas, nucleares e explosivas

Esta pesquisa objetiva verificar de que forma, no Brasil, as políticas públicas relacionadas às ameaças químicas, biológicas, radiológicas, nucleares e explosivas (QBRNE) contribuem para o preparo de resposta a um incidente de tal natureza. No mundo contemporâneo há uma concentração das populações nos centros urbanos, tornando-as vulneráveis a desastres químicos, biológicos, radiológicos e nucleares, os quais podem ser desencadeados por eventos adversos, intencionais ou não, resultando em grandes impactos humanos, ambientais, materiais, sociais e econômicos à nação. O terrorismo é uma das possibilidades de ocorrência de um grande desastre, utilizando-se principalmente de atentados com explosivos e podendo se valer dos efeitos dos agentes contaminantes. Então, foram pesquisadas e apresentadas políticas públicas e ações do governo federal norte-americano para o trato de ameaças QBRNE, as quais são comparadas à situação prospectada no território brasileiro, por meio da legislação, políticas públicas, orçamento, documentos e bibliografia. Diversas instituições foram avaliadas quanto ao papel a ser desempenhado em uma situação emergencial, sendo os dados tratados por análise de conteúdo e historiografia. A literatura sobre política pública é ampla, com rica discussão sobre as boas práticas de gestão pública, a evolução do papel dos servidores públicos para um ser técnico e político simultaneamente e de que maneira é influenciada a concepção de uma política pública. O Modelo de Fluxos Múltiplos e a Teoria de Equilíbrio Pontuado são usados para compreender o processo dinâmico de construção da agenda decisória no governo federal para o tema estudado. Concluiu-se que as políticas públicas de resposta para ameaças QBRNE surgem dispersas em diversas instituições, promovidas pelas equipes técnicas, de maneira descentralizada e sem uma orientação do governo central, o que acarreta sobreposição de atividades, havendo casos de problemas não tratados, desprezando-se a complementação de recursos e efetivos.

Adequando práticas e modelos de gestão bem sucedidos ao Programa Netuno: a implementação do balanced scorecard

Há tempo busca-se um aperfeiçoamento do aparelho estatal no Brasil e, ao longo dos anos. os governos que se sucedem no poder vêm buscando alternativas para melhorar a eficiência do Estado. Mais recentemente, no Governo do Presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, foi instituído o Programa Nacional de Gestão Pública e Desburocratização (Gespública), que incentiva órgãos públicos a implementarem sistemas de gestão, participando de um processo de avaliação com premiações para as melhores práticas gerenciais voltadas à qualidade dos serviços aos cidadãos. No âmbito da Marinha do Brasil o Programa foi adaptado às peculiaridade da Força e nasceu, assim, o Programa Netuno que visa à institucionalização de boas práticas de gestão, permitindo que as organizações da Marinha do Brasil busquem a melhoria contínua dos processos inerentes a suas atividades. Uma das ferramentas que se pretende incorporar ao Programa é o Balanced Scorecard, geralmente utilizado na gestão estratégica e na avaliação do desempenho de organizações. Portanto, com a finalidade de contribuir para o aprimoramento da eficiência da gestão das Organizações Militares da Marinha do Brasil, este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar as vantagens, desvantagens e dificuldades da implementação do Modelo de Gestão Balanced Scorecard (BSC), tomando como base as experiências bem sucedidas de outras organizações da iniciativa privada e pública, bem como do Exército Brasileiro, que já implementaram e utilizam o modelo.

Governança no setor público: diagnóstico das práticas de gestão da Polícia Federal à luz do estudo 13 do PSC/IFAC

No Brasil, a sociedade observa atônita a corrupção, o descaso com o dinheiro público e a prestação de serviços essenciais, que ficam aquém de suas expectativas. Para que haja mudanças no setor público, torna-se imprescindível a adoção de boas práticas de governança que promovam a adequação dos serviços prestados, de forma que possam se tornar mais eficientes e eficazes. Nessa seara, incluem-se as instituições provedoras de segurança pública, que, para cumprir suas atribuições, precisam estar bem equipadas, possuir recursos humanos suficientes e apresentar uma gestão íntegra, transparente e responsável. Nesse contexto, esta dissertação teve como objetivo diagnosticar as práticas de gestão da Polícia Federal e compará-las aos padrões de boa governança no setor público recomendados pelo Estudo 13 do PSC/IFAC. Os resultados demonstraram que grande parte das práticas de gestão adotadas pela Polícia Federal apresenta-se em conformidade com as boas práticas de governança sugeridas no referido Estudo. Destacaram-se positivamente as práticas relacionadas a padrões de comportamento e a estruturas e processos organizacionais. Por outro lado, constatou-se a inexistência de um código de conduta próprio e a ausência de treinamento inicial do membro do grupo governante, quando de sua nomeação ou durante seu mandato. Quanto às práticas de gestão relacionadas a controle, foram diagnosticadas falhas em gestão de riscos, em decorrência da falta de aplicação em todos os objetivos organizacionais. Comportamento semelhante foi observado no controle interno, que, apesar de ser constantemente monitorado, não pode ser avaliado quanto à adequação e efetividade. Quanto às práticas relativas a relatórios externos, constatou-se que a instituição elabora relatórios equilibrados, transparentes e de fácil compreensão, em conformidade com a legislação vigente e padrões contábeis. Entretanto, a Polícia Federal não demonstrou expressamente o cumprimento de códigos de governança, tampouco empregou indicadores de desempenho suficientes para mostrar que os recursos vêm sendo usados com eficiência. Concluiu-se que a Polícia Federal adota boas práticas de gestão, mas ainda pode implementar outras recomendações de boa governança, contribuindo para que o país caminhe para atingir a excelência na gestão dos recursos públicos e assuma uma posição de destaque no cenário internacional.

Regulation and wage adjustment patterns : non parametric evidence from longitudinal data

This paper gives a first step toward a methodology to quantify the influences of regulation on short-run earnings dynamics. It also provides evidence on the patterns of wage adjustment adopted during the recent high inflationary experience in Brazil.The large variety of official wage indexation rules adopted in Brazil during the recent years combined with the availability of monthly surveys on labor markets makes the Brazilian case a good laboratory to test how regulation affects earnings dynamics. In particular, the combination of large sample sizes with the possibility of following the same worker through short periods of time allows to estimate the cross-sectional distribution of longitudinal statistics based on observed earnings (e.g., monthly and annual rates of change).The empirical strategy adopted here is to compare the distributions of longitudinal statistics extracted from actual earnings data with simulations generated from minimum adjustment requirements imposed by the Brazilian Wage Law. The analysis provides statistics on how binding were wage regulation schemes. The visual analysis of the distribution of wage adjustments proves useful to highlight stylized facts that may guide future empirical work.

Avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias da produção de refeições à base de carne da alimentação escolar no município de Natal-RN

The National School Nutrition Program is the oldest program in the country directed at food and nutrition safety. Its aims are to offer nutritional food as a supplement to students of public and philanthropic schools. Studying school nutrition transcends the investigation as a purely social program, given that it reaches the fields of public health, nutrition and food, using a wide variety of approaches. Thus, it is characterized by a multidisciplinary study, where the disciplines work side by side in distinct aspects of a single problem. Aim: This study aims to assess hygiene practices during the preparation of meat-based meals in public schools in the city of Natal, Brazil. Methods: A list was applied at 27 schools to identify the procedures of good food preparation practices. In addition, cooking and meal distribution temperature were measured and a microbiological analysis of the final preparation and of the water used in preparing it was performed. For microbiological analyses of the food, we analyzed coliforms at 45°C, coliforms at 35°C and Enterococcus, and for the water, we analyzed thermotolerant coliforms and total coliforms, using the methods recommended by APHA, 1995. Results: Most of the schools did not meet the required standards in all the variables related to good food preparation practices, except for the time spent preparing the meat, in which 89% were within the norm. Cooking temperature of the meals was within the standard; however, the temperature at distribution and the time spent dispensing the meals were inadequate. Of the 27 schools, 22 (81.5%) showed the presence of coliforms at 35° C in at least one meal sample and 18 (66.7%) had values above the recommended limit for coliforms at 45°C. The presence of E. coli was identified in 6.1% of the samples analyzed. The presence of Enterococcus was not found at any of the schools. With respect to the water, the North district of the city was the only one that did not meet the standards for the two indicators evaluated. The contamination found was not associated with the hygiene or food storage problems observed. Conclusions: The results show that the hygiene-sanitary conditions of meat-based public school meals were unsatisfactory, demonstrating the need for improvements in the production process to preserve the health of the student population. Multidisciplinarity: Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics took part in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing the research as multidisciplinary

Avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias de manipuladores de alimentos e utensílios de mesa de escolas públicas municipais de Natal, RN

In Brazil school food is constitutionally guaranteed to public school students at the preschool and elementary level. This food must be nutritious, hygienic and sanitary. The aim of the present study was to assess the hygienic/sanitary conditions of food and table utensil handlers in municipal public schools in Natal, Brazil. In total, 27 public schools were assessed, using a checklist and microbiological analysis of the hands and table utensils. For the microbiological analyses of the hands, coliforms were analyzed at 45ºC and for the utensils aerobic mesophilic bacteria, using methods recognized by AOAC, 2002 and APHA, 1992, respectively. Most of the schools studied did not exhibit good food and utensil handling practice procedures in any of the variables analyzed. It was shown that 74.1% of the handlers received no periodic training, 51.9% did not undergo annual health examinations and 100% did not practice proper hand hygiene, which reflected significantly (p < 0.05) in hand contamination, where fecal coliforms were detected on 55.6% of the hands analyzed. With respect to the utensils, it was found that 100% of the schools studied did not follow correct hygiene practices and most were classified as very bad ; that is, aerobic mesophilic bacteria values above the limits established by PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), with schools in the north and south districts recording the highest percentages. The results show that the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the food and utensil handlers in the schools studied were inadequate, demonstrating the need for implanting good handling practices aimed at protecting the health of children that take part in the program and offering safer foods. Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics participated in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing it as multidisciplinary

Eutrofização e qualidade da água na piscicultura: consequências e recomendações

The eutrophication (cultural or anthropogenic) is induced by man and can have different origins, such as domestic sewage, industrial and agricultural activities, including the effluent still breeding systems of aquatic organisms. The expansion of aquaculture, with production of biomass and increase of nutrients in water may cause acceleration of productivity of algae, changing the ecology of aquatic systems. In addition, these waste water may present a risk to health through the transfer of pathogens from manure, plant residues, composted material, among others that are major sources of organic waste in some farming systems. Depending on the trophic level of fish ponds, which are dynamic environments, different planktonic species with short reproductive cycle and adapted to the changes contained in these systems can appear in high abundance. Water quality in the systems for raising fish is related to several factors, such as water source, management (liming, fertilizing, cleaning), cultivated species and quantity and composition of exogenous food. In order to minimize environmental impacts, there are techniques to improve the quality of water in fish farming systems and thus satisfactory answers can be obtained through the application of management practices. This paper aims to review the subject that deals with changes in water quality resulting from the activity of freshwater fish culture in Brazil. Search also recommend techniques of good management practices to minimize the impact generated by the activity.

Abordaje práctico sobre cómo mejorar el bienestar en los bovinos

Current challenges of humanity require a new paradigm for animal production, and invest time and attention to the development of new production techniques that take into account the principles of sustainability and animal welfare science. To do this, we must be committed to promoting animal welfare and health, ensure environmental sustainability, consumer satisfaction and profitability for producers. To change our relationship with animals there is no need for changes in market conditions or large investments, it is enough to know better the needs of the animals we raise, the management system adapted to its characteristics. Even in the most favorable management conditions, on farms that have technological resources and trained personnel, there is much to change, especially in the daily management of the animals. Some of the risks more evident in the traditional systems of beef production are: problems during parturition, morbidity and mortality of calves, lack of shade in the pastures, improper handling of animals, risk of injury, inadequate infrastructure, poor management practices during routine processing (marking, castration, vaccination, dehorning), poor welfare during loading, transport, unloading and slaughter. To remedy this, you can adopt good management practices, which have been shown to reduce risk and improve the welfare of cattle in different stages of the production chain. The objective of this review is to show some of the risks that reduce the welfare of cattle and examples of how the adoption of best management practices impact on improving the productivity of these production systems. Finally, some indicators for assessing welfare in production systems are shown.