Evaluation of pig welfare in lairage and process hygiene in a single abattoir

Food safety is indirectly affected by the welfare of food animals, due to close links between animal welfare, animal health and food borne diseases. Stress factors and poor welfare can lead to increased susceptibility to disease among animals and may intensify the fecal shedding of food borne pathogens, e.g. Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, and human pathogenic STEC in the pre-slaughter phase: on-farm, in transport and in lairage. This study evaluated two aspects: a) assessment of pig welfare in abattoir lairage founded on animal-based categories, and b) the relationship between pig welfare and microbial process hygiene at slaughter. The results revealed that the animal-based category ‘manure on the body’ assessed in abattoir lairage corresponded with microbial process hygiene at slaughter

Mushroom polyphenols as immune system balancers: What's the mechanism behind it and possible interactions with dietary fibers?

Mushroom polyphenols have been proposed as a new therapy that can improve the immune system. Different immune cells express multiple types of polyphenol receptors that recognize and allow cellular uptake of polyphenols, which subsequently activate signaling pathways to initiate immune responses. Polyphenols can be useful for immunocompromised patients with malignancies, viral or bacterial infections and chronic disorders of organ systems, as well as for those whose immunity is naturally weakened. Cosmetic formulations rich in mushroom polyphenols have the potential to regulate inflammatory skin disorders, as well as eczema or atopic dermatitis and photocarcinogenesis. As primary antioxidants, polyphenols have an important role in preserving immune cells in a reduced environment and in protecting them against oxidative damages and immunosuppression as well as maintaining their suitable function. As signaling pathway modulators, mushroom polyphenols can affect immune cell regulation, cytokine synthesis, and gene expression, in both innate and adaptive immune responses. There are different pathways in the integrated immunomodulatory polyphenol response, such as: 1) the nuclear NF-κB signaling pathway leading to suppression of various inflammatory cytokines expression, and enzymes such as COX-2; 2) MAPK signaling pathways that play a key role in many fundamental cellular processes such as cell growth, proliferation, death and differentiation, and also regulate gene transcription and the activity of transcription factors involved in inflammation; 3) arachidonic acid signaling pathway leading to a decrease in the release of inflammatory mediators; and 4) the Nrf2 / ARE signaling pathway involved in the activation of genes encoding cytoprotective and antioxidant enzymes. Given that polyphenols represent great potential in the design of immune-boosting formulations in line with their widespread structural diversity, it should be noted that some functionality issues require further clarification. For instance different observations and conclusions were reported by the scientists in absence of enzymes involved in their biosynthesis steps. Concerning the dietary application of mushroom polyphenols, it is necessary to mention that after oral consumption they are recognized by the human body as xenobiotics and often a small amount is absorbed in the intestine. Likewise, there are significant differences between the activities of the metabolic form of phenols and their form in the mushroom nutraceutical matrix. For an example, dihydoferulic acid, a metabolite of the ferulic acid, expresses anti-inflammatory activity, opposite to metabolites derived after sulfation and glucuronidation. The scientific focus is on improving and increasing polyphenols bioavailability by designing colloidal systems and using nanosystems. Moreover many studies have found that polyphenols can interact with macromolecules like dietary fibers, i.e. chitin and β-glucans. It has been shown that these interactions can affect the bioaccessibility of polyphenols in a food matrix as well as in nutraceutical formulations. Therefore, chitin and β-glucans have an impact on polyphenols’ immunomodulating activities if they were applied together in commercial formulations. Another disadvantage in the commercialization of polyphenol-based formulations is quantitative and qualitative variations in their content among different mushroom species. As secondary metabolites with a protective role e.g. phenols, their content in mushrooms depends on the locality and environmental conditions of growth. Using extracts or preparations that are based on mycelia grown under controlled conditions may be the solution for the reduction of the natural variability in polyphenol composition. Integrated information on all aspects of functionality will confirm the use of polyphenol-rich mushroom formulations as effective enhancers of immunity

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Procedural Justice for Weaker Parties in Cross-border Litigation under the EU Regulatory Scheme

This article discusses how procedural justice for consumers, employees and insurance policy holders or other beneficiaries under insurance contracts has been ensured in the legal instruments of the EU legislator. The analysis focuses on the Brussels Jurisdiction Regulation, both under the current regulatory scheme and in its recently revised version. Thereby, the rules on jurisdiction, the enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, as well as instruments that unify certain rules of civil procedure have been analysed. Within the context of the rules on jurisdiction, the relevance of the EU legislation for the validity and enforceability of jurisdictional clauses against weaker parties is addressed. Thereby express provisions in EU legislation, as well as relevant case law of the CJEU, have been the subject of the analysis. The changes introduced by the revised Regulation are discussed in great detail

Private international law and cooperation in civil and commercial matters after Brexit – legislative gaps and future developments

Chapter 10 addresses the consequences of the UK withdrawal from the EU on the private international law legislative framework in civil and commercial matters primarily from the point of view of the EU. Throughout UK membership, private international law instruments were unified at the EU level primarily in the form of EU regulations and English law was, more often than not, the dominant choice of law for commercial contracts. However, because the Trade and Cooperation Agreement does not address judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters no part of the EU private law acquis applies to the UK. As Lazić and Okoli demonstrate this is likely to have a significant impact on choice of law for commercial contracts with English law arguably becoming less attractive due to possible challenges arising with dispute resolution and enforcement

Fabrication of Sio2-based microcantilevers by anisotropic chemical etching of (100) single crystal Si

The undercutting process of thermal SiO2 microcantilevers with different orientations on (100) Si wafer was studied. The silicon substrate was removed by anisotropic chemical etching with a 25 wt. % aqueous solution of TMAH or a 30 wt. % aqueous KOH solution at 80 °C. It was found that [110] oriented cantilevers were undercutting frontally along the length and [100] oriented cantilevers experience undercutting along the width of the cantilever, which is a less time consuming process. The studies showed that the [100] orientation of SiO2 microbridges enables theirs fabrication on a (100) oriented Si substrate.Izučavana je realizacija mikrogredica od termički deponovanog SiO2 na monokristalnim podlogama Si (100) orijentacije. Gredice su realizovane anizotropnim hemijskim nagrizanjem u sledećim vodenim rastvorima: 25 tež. % TMAH (tetrametilamonijum hidroksid) i 30 tež. % KOH. Temperatura nagrizanja je bila 80 °C. SiO2 mikrogredice orijentisane u [110] pravcu na Si (100) podlozi se oslobađaju čeonim podgrizanjem Si podloge i brzina realizacije gredice zavisi i od njene širine i od njene dužine. Utvrđene su i brzine nagrizanja SiO2 u ovim rastvorima i pokazalo se da promena debljine gredice, koja za ovako orijentisane gredice postoji po dužini, biva izraženija u rastvorima KOH. Na SiO2 mikrogredicama ove orijentacije je opažena pojava mikroprskotina koje su objašnjene samim mehanizmom podgrizanja Si u cilju "oslobađanja" mikrogredica ove orijentacije. SiO2 mikrogredice orijentisane u [110] pravcu na (100) Si podlozi se "oslobađaju" bočnim podgrizanjem Si podloge i brzina njihove realizacije ne zavisi od dužine mikrogredice već samo od njene širine. Mikromostiće od termički deponovanog SiO2 je moguće realizovati anizotropnim hemijskim nagrizanjem u razmatranim rastvorima samo kada su orijentisani u [100] pravcu na (100) Si podlozi.