Foreword

A toast to the Model Business Corporation Act (MBCA), and especially its forefathers, on its 60th Birthday! Now at age 60, the MBCA is still vibrant, meaningful, and it forms the bedrock for the health of the United States corporate economy

Unethical aspects of homeopathic dentistry

In the last year there has been a great deal of public debate about homeopathy, the system of alternative medicine whose main principles are that like cures like and that potency increases relative to dilution. The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology concluded in November 2009 that there is no evidence base for homeopathy, and agreed with some academic commentators that homeopathy should not be funded by the NHS. While homeopathic doctors and hospitals are quite commonplace, some might be surprised to learn that there are also many homeopathic dentists practising in the UK. This paper examines the statements made by several organisations on behalf of homeopathic dentistry and suggests that they are not entirely ethical and may be in breach of various professional guidelines

Impacts of conventional and diversified rotation systems on crop yields, profitability, soil functions and environmental quality

Comparisons were made among contrasting cropping systems within a long-term, large-scale field experiment in Boone County, Iowa. Combining crop diversity with lower herbicide inputs and non-transgenic crops was effective in reducing requirements for nitrogen fertilizer; maintaining or improving weed suppression, grain yields, and profi ts; and increasing several soil quality indicators

Response to ‘A well-established fact: Rapid mineralization of organic inputs is an important factor for soil carbon sequestration’ by Angers et al.

Letter to the edito

The new scintillating fiber detector of E835 at Fermilab

Abstract The scintillating fiber tracker for the measurement of the polar coordinate θ for experiment E835 at Fermilab has been upgraded, by adding two extra layers (240 fibers each), at R ≈9 cm from the beam axis. Photons from the fibers are detected by Visible Light Photon Counters (VLPCs). The high granularity, flexibility and fast response of the scintillating fibers, combined with the high quantum efficiency of the VLPCs, allow high rate capability, high efficiency, good tracking and time resolution. Signals from the outer two layers are used to provide θ information to the first-level trigger

Human development and food (In)Security in Brazil: prioritisation of regions for policies targeting rice and bean production.

The objective of this study was to identify the main poverty areas in Brazil and check if they are important in growing rice and beans in order to be considered as priority areas for agricultural research and extension services

Effectiveness of Three Decontamination Treatments against Influenza Virus Applied to Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are recommended for use as precautions against airborne pathogenic microorganisms; however, during pandemics demand for FFRs may far exceed availability. Reuse of FFRs following decontamination has been proposed but few reported studies have addressed the feasibility. Concerns regarding biocidal efficacy, respirator performance post decontamination, decontamination cost, and user safety have impeded adoption of reuse measures. This study examined the effectiveness of three energetic decontamination methods [ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), microwave-generated steam, and moist heat] on two National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-certified N95 FFRs (3M models 1860s and 1870) contaminated with H5N1. An aerosol settling chamber was used to apply virus-laden droplets to FFRs in a method designed to simulate respiratory deposition of droplets onto surfaces. When FFRs were examined post decontamination by viral culture, all three decontamination methods were effective, reducing virus load by \u3e4 log median tissue culture infective dose. Analysis of treated FFRs using a quantitative molecular amplification assay (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) indicated that UVGI decontamination resulted in lower levels of detectable viral RNA than the other two methods. Filter performance was evaluated before and after decontamination using a 1% NaCl aerosol. As all FFRs displayed \u3c5%penetration by 300-nm particles, no profound reduction in filtration performance was caused in the FFRs tested by exposure to virus and subsequent decontamination by the methods used. These findings indicate that, when properly implemented, these methods effectively decontaminate H5N1 on the two FFR models tested and do not drastically affect their filtering function; however, other considerations may influence decisions to reuse FFRs

Contabilidade de gestão ambiental como aliada na descarbonização da cadeia da carne de frango.

O objetivo deste artigo é identificar como a contabilidade de gestão ambiental contribui a descarbonização do frango de corte. A metodologia adotada foi o estudo de caso foi realizado em uma agroindústria de alimentos, de relevante importância econômica no estado de Goiás, a analisou apenas nas ações de gestão de resíduos sólidos, estação de tratamento de efluente química, fontes energética e emissões e reflorestamento. Os principais resultados sobre as informações sobre a gestão ambiental revelam que essa já eram uma preocupação da agroindústria. No entanto, não havia um estudo com conhecimentos coordenados e sistematizados à luz da contabilidade ambiental, ou seja, de caráter científico. Assim, a pesquisa mostrou que a contabilidade ambiental é uma opção viável, desde que exista monitoramento e assessoria de profissionais qualificados, tanto para implementação do modelo, como no processo de análise das informações contabilmente apuradas. Desse modo conclui-se que em se tratando da política de redução da poluição e tratamento dos efluentes gerados, assim ela conseguiu diminuir a quantidade de lodo biológico, devido à redução de materiais e resíduos gerados, e ainda, remove 85% da matéria orgânica e 95% de óleos e graxos dos resíduos gerados passíveis de reciclagem. Promove a redução de materiais e energia por unidade de produto ou serviço e favorece a competitividade, ao mesmo tempo em que diminui as ameaças sobre o meio ambiente. Conclui-se que a contabilidade de gestão ambiental é uma ferramenta imprescindível para o desenvolvimento da pegada de carbono, uma que ela possui elementos para subsidiar a elaboração do inventário e mapeamento das práticas de gestão ambiental. No entanto ela necessita amparar-se em estudos realizados por técnicos especializados para contribuir no processo de descarbonização do frango de corte, olhando para as práticas de gestão de resíduos sólidos, estação de tratamento de efluente química, fontes energética e emissões e reflorestamento. Assim a limitação desse estudo foi analisar apenas as práticas de gestão de resíduos sólidos, estação de tratamento de efluente química, fontes energética e emissões e reflorestamento. Diante do exposto o caminho para futuras pesquisas consiste em debruçar nos estudos multidisciplinares para a desenvolvimento de metodologia capaz de rastrear a pegada de carbono do frango de corte.SOBER 2023