Consumers' behavior in quantitative microbial risk assessment for pathogens in raw milk: Incorporation of the likelihood of consumption as a function of storage time and temperature

Foodborne disease as a result of raw milk consumption is an increasing concern in Western countries. Quantitative microbial risk assessment models have been used to estimate the risk of illness due to different pathogens in raw milk. In these models, the duration and temperature of storage before consumption have a critical influence in the final outcome of the simulations and are usually described and modeled as independent distributions in the consumer phase module. We hypothesize that this assumption can result in the computation, during simulations, of extreme scenarios that ultimately lead to an overestimation of the risk. In this study, a sensorial analysis was conducted to replicate consumers' behavior. The results of the analysis were used to establish, by means of a logistic model, the relationship between time\u2013temperature combinations and the probability that a serving of raw milk is actually consumed. To assess our hypothesis, 2 recently published quantitative microbial risk assessment models quantifying the risks of listeriosis and salmonellosis related to the consumption of raw milk were implemented. First, the default settings described in the publications were kept; second, the likelihood of consumption as a function of the length and temperature of storage was included. When results were compared, the density of computed extreme scenarios decreased significantly in the modified model; consequently, the probability of illness and the expected number of cases per year also decreased. Reductions of 11.6 and 12.7% in the proportion of computed scenarios in which a contaminated milk serving was consumed were observed for the first and the second study, respectively. Our results confirm that overlooking the time\u2013temperature dependency may yield to an important overestimation of the risk. Furthermore, we provide estimates of this dependency that could easily be implemented in future quantitative microbial risk assessment models of raw milk pathogens

Compassion on University Degree Programmes at a UK University: The Neuroscience of Effective Group work

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/ licences/by/4.0/legalcodePurpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the neuroscience that underpins the psychology of compassion as a competency. We explain why this cognitive competency is now taught and assessed on modules of different degree subjects in a UK university. Design/methodology/approach The paper is divided into first, an exploration of recent psychology and neuroscience literature that illuminates the differences, and relationship, between empathy and compassion for safeness building in teams. Within that, the role of oxytocin in achieving social and intellectual rewards though the exercise of cognitive flexibility, working memory and impulsive inhibitory control (Zelazo, et al, 2016) is also identified. The literature findings are compared against relevant qualitative data from the above university’s, so far, nine years of mixed methods action research on compassion-focused pedagogy (CfP). Findings These are that the concept and practice of embedding compassion as a cognitive competency into assessed university group work is illuminated and rationalised by research findings in neuroscience. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the study are that, so far, fMRI research methods have not been used to investigate student subjects involved in the compassion-focused pedagogy now in use. Practical implications The paper has implications for theory, policy and practice in relation to managing the increasing amount of group work that accompanies widening participation in Higher Education. Originality/value A review of this kind specifically for student assessed group and its implications for student academic achievement and mental health has not, apparently, been publishedPeer reviewe

PROBABILISTIC MODELLING IN FOOD SAFETY: A SCIENCE-BASED APPROACH FOR POLICY DECISIONS

This thesis deals with use of qualitative and quantitative probabilistic models for the animal-derived food safety management. Four unrelated models are presented: three quantitative and one qualitative. Two of the quantitative models concern the risk posed by pathogens in raw milk, in the first study, a probabilistic approach for the inclusion of the variability and the uncertainty in the consumers\u2019 habits and the bacterial pathogenic potential is proposed while the second study, demonstrate how the overlook of the relationship between the storage time and temperature has led to overestimated results in raw milk-related models published so far and an equation to address the issue is provided. In the third study, quantitative modelling techniques are used to simulate the dynamics underlying the spread of Campylobacter in broiler flocks and quantify the potential effects that different on-farm mitigation strategies or management measures have on the microbial load in the intestine of infected birds at the end of the rearing period. In the qualitative study, a general approach for the estimation of the likelihoods of introduction of live parasites in aquaculture implants and the commercialization of infested product is outlined by using the example of Anisakids in farmed Atlantic salmon

EL ESPEJISMO DE LAS CLASES VIRTUALES

El presente ensayo brota desde las inquietudes que (nos) genera la inédita pandemia por coronavirus y su respectivo aislamiento social, preventivo y obligatorio. El paso de las clases presenciales a la virtualidad implicó un gran desafío para docentes y estudiantes, que es necesario (des)hilvanar. Voy a bucear, en particular, sobre las dificultades que emergen en las clases virtuales respecto a la imagen corporal y la devolución que las pantallas generan de la misma, como un espejismo de nuestrxs cuerpxs. La indagación será (auto)biográfica y reflexiva, a partir del fenómeno corporal y sus proyecciones como imágenes visuales que se me presentan, a modo de viajera nómada, siempre inquieta, para observar cómo impactan en la subjetivación –tanto como docente y estudiante– en el actual contexto. El objetivo es el movimiento como invitación a devenir juntxs, de manera situada, en un intento de contagio favorecedor de cambios que no queden anclados solo en la perspectiva individual, sino que puedan ser abordados de manera colectiva, en un análisis más allá de este acontecimiento, así como de lo (in)disciplina

Quantitative risk assessment of hepatitis E virus: modelling the occurrence of viraemic pigs and the presence of the virus in organs of food safety interest

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen with consumption of pork and derived products identified in different countries as a risk factor for human exposure to HEV. Great efforts have been made to understand the dynamics of virus transmission within domestic swine populations through modelling. However, from a food safety prospective, it is critical to integrate the parameters involved in the transmission dynamics with those governing the actual presence of HEV in the bloodstream, the liver, gallbladder or faeces. To date, several aspects related to the pathogenesis of the disease are still unknown or characterized by significant levels of uncertainty, making this conjunction challenging. We used published serological data obtained from pigs in a farrow-to-finish farm to implement an Immune-Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (MSIR) model reproducing the on-farm dynamics that lead to the occurrence of viraemic pigs at slaughter. Expert opinion on the length of time infectious HEV can be detected in liver, gallbladder/bile and faeces after recovery from viraemic status were used to inform a stochastic model aimed at estimating the expected proportion of viraemic pigs, pigs with infectious HEV in liver, gallbladder/bile and faeces entering the slaughterhouse. To simulate the potential effect of on-farm mitigation strategies, we estimated the changes in outcomes of interest as a function of variations in the baseline transmission parameters. The model predicted a proportion of viraemic pigs entering the slaughterhouse of 13.8% while the proportions of, and ranged from 13.8% to 94.4%, 13.8% to 94.7% and from 25.3% to 30.8% respectively, due to the uncertainty surrounding the experts’ opinions. Variations in MSIR model’s parameters alert of the need to carefully consider the application of mitigation strategies aimed at delaying the decay of maternal immunity or the peak of the within herd transmission. When the rate of decay of maternal immunity and the transmission rate were decreased between 80% and 5% and 40% and 5% from the baseline values respectively, adverse effects on were observed. The model highlights the relevance of specific aspects in the pathogenesis of the disease from a food safety prospective and it was developed to be easily reproducible and updatable as soon as accurate data becomes available. As presented, the model can be directly connected to existing or future pig-related models to estimate the significance of the identified parameters on the risk of human exposure to HEV through consumption of pork products

Utilización del fideicomiso inmobiliario como herramienta de inversión en la actividad constructora en Argentina

El presente trabajo de investigación abordará el estudio y análisis del uso del fideicomiso como herramienta de financiación e inversión en el sector de la construcción en Argentina. Debido a que los fideicomisos contribuyeron al desarrollo y al crecimiento del país luego de la crisis del 2001 y 2002, es que nos resultó interesante analizar esta herramienta. Para ello realizamos una investigación bibliográfica adecuada comenzando con una breve reseña histórica, siguiendo con los aspectos básicos del fideicomiso hasta profundizar en el fideicomiso inmobiliario. Además se realizaron entrevistas con especialistas con el fin de obtener información respecto de la evolución de la construcción en la República Argentina y Mendoza complementándose con un análisis estadístico. Con toda la documentación analizada pudimos determinar los pasos a seguir para llevar a cabo un fidecomiso inmobiliario en la práctica y destacar los aspectos más importantes a tener presentes al momento de realizarlo. De esta manera pretendemos demostrar, en base a toda la información analizada, que efectivamente el fideicomiso inmobiliario es una herramienta útil en la actividad de la construcción.Fil: Sabariz Cisterna, Marlene. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Miranda Calderón, Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Desgens Berenguer, Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Mercado Crotta, Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas

Taller de experimentación proyectual de base fenomenológica

En el ámbito de la investigación superior desarrollada en la UNCuyo se propuso realizar un “taller experimental” con un grupo de estudiantes de los cursos finales de la carrera de arquitectura.&nbsp