An Overview of Chemical Mixtures Assessment and Modelling in the Aquatic Environment

The objective of this review is to assess what is known on the effect of mixtures in order todevelop ecological models that incorporate these effects in a coherent way, allowing for a correct description of the effects of exposure in aquatic ecosystems, and to developthresholds for contaminant concentrations that incorporate the knowledge of the effects of chemical mixtures and are not onlybased on a single compound.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Retomando o estruturalismo

The global economic crisis rescued Keynesianism. The current trends of the Brazilian economy, in what has been called "reprimarization", make timely reinvest structuralism in a position of greater prominence in the national economic debate. This is the main objective of this article. For this, we discuss a version of the macroeconomic model of "two-sectors," whereby it sought to show its relevance as a guide to thinking for a number of relevant socioeconomic issues, especially for third world countries. We seek also to demonstrate its consistency with certain empirical evidence and how it can be used as a basis for objective criticism of certain economic strategies that have been proposed for Brazil.Structuralism, macroeconomics, two sector model, Brazil, Political Economy,

Impactos macroeconômicos do desempenho agropecuário

The current mundial economic crisis is contributing to show theoretical fails of neoliberalism. The time is ripe to rescue other visions theoretical. Among these are those which may be used to question the preaching for exploiting the agronomic potential of Brazil, as strategy of national insertion in world economy. This is the primary goal of this paper. Accordingly, was applied a two-sector macroeconomic model to identification and analysis of macroeconomic consequences of parametric changes in market agricultural goods. The results of exercises carried out by using the model showed misunderstandings contained in certain views of great presence in the brazilian economic debate.Macroeconomics and agriculture, Two-sector model, Brazil, Agricultural and Food Policy,

Benthic meiofauna as indicator of ecological changes in estuarine ecosystems: The use of nematodes in ecological quality assessment

a b s t r a c t Estuarine meiofauna communities have been only recently considered to be good indicators of ecological quality, exhibiting several advantages over macrofauna, such as their small size, high abundance, rapid generation times and absence of a planktonic phase. In estuaries we must account not only for a great natural variability along the estuarine gradient (e.g. sediment type and dynamics, oxygen availability, temperature and flow speed) but also for the existence of anthropogenic pressures (e.g. high local population density, presence of harbors and dredging activities). Spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns of meiofauna and freeliving marine nematodes were studied in the Mondego estuary (Portugal). Both taxonomic and functional approaches were applied to nematode communities in order to describe the community structure and to relate it with the environmental parameters along the estuary. At all sampling events, nematode assemblages reflected the estuarine gradient, and salinity and grain size composition were confirmed to be the main abiotic factors controlling the distribution of the assemblages. Moreover, the low temporal variability may indicate that natural variability is superimposed by the anthropogenic pressures present in some areas of the estuary. The characterization of both meiofauna and nematode assemblages highlighted the usefulness of the integration of both taxonomic and functional attributes, which must be taken into consideration when assessing the ecological status of estuaries

O processo de mudança em um hospital de Belo Horizonte: a visão da enfermeira-gerente

Aiming at analizing manager-nurses’ perceptions and wits as to processes of structural and managerial changes in a hospital organization this work was written. It is a case study- qualitative approach- carried out in a extra-sized charity hospital in Belo Horizonte. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 manager-nurses, submitted to analisis of content. According to the results obtained it was verified that the managers realize, as facilitators, the managerial and structural changes occurred in the organization, namely the decentralization of decision-making, the increase in the managerial groups’ autonomy, the improvement in the communication and information system, as well as the re-definition of the nurses’professional role. Also identified was a new workspace for the orderly in hospital management and changes in the managers’ professional posture which showed themselves as being open to innovation, to the challenges imposed by the job and the need to obtain further knowledge in order to perform such job. The innovator character of the changes in the hospital organization as well as the participation of the nurse/orderly in the process of management deserve special attention in their diverse aspects, for they can come to constitute an important professional alternative for the nurse and for other hospital organizations in a moment of turbulence and transition in the health sector.manager-nurses, hospital, changes,

Comportamento e distribuição do gasto público em agricultura em Minas Gerais: multifuncionalidade ou fragmentação?

Este artigo tem o principal objetivo de identificar o comportamento dos gastos públicos em agricultura no estado de Minas Gerais, no período de 1985 a 2001. Constatou-se tendência à diminuição do volume desses gastos e à pulverização institucional destes, o que indica progressivo esvaziamento de tradicionais atribuições do Estado de apoio e fomento ao setor agrícola, acompanhado de crescente superposição de competências para gastar a verba pública alocada na função agricultura e de sua conseqüente diluição entre distintos sistemas operacionais da administração pública. Se o padrão de distribuição do gasto público em agricultura em Minas Gerais representa bem o que ocorre no resto do país, pode-se concluir que, no que concerne à intervenção do Estado na economia do setor agropecuário, o Brasil está na contramão das tendências atuais dos países mais desenvolvidos, nos quais, cada vez mais, esse setor é enfocado num contexto holístico, envolvendo, de forma integrada, múltiplos objetivos e políticas de preservação do meio ambiente e das culturas autóctones, a segurança alimentar, a inclusão social e a ocupação do espaço nacional.Despesa pública, Agricultura multifuncional, Sustentabilidade, Produtivite, Public Economics,