Self-rated health in urban adults, perceptions of the physical and social environment, and reported comorbidities: The BH Health Study

Abstract This study assesses the prevalence of poor self-rated health and investigates its association with individual and environmental characteristics in adults with and without reported morbidity. A household survey assessed 4,048 adults in two districts of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. We used Poisson regression with robust variance stratified by the presence of reported morbidity. Prevalence of poor self-rated health was 29.9% (42.6% in those with morbidity and 13.1% in the group without morbidity). All assessed domains were associated with self-rated health in subjects with reported morbidity. In the group without reported morbidity, the following were associated with self-rated health: social environment, socio-demographic factors, lifestyle, and psychological health. Perceived problems in the environment were associated with poor self-rated health in both groups, even after hierarchical adjustment. The results suggest the importance of investigating self-rated health stratified by reported morbidity and reinforce the need to include variables that characterize the physical and social environment

EFSA BIOHAZ Panel (EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards), 2013. Scientific Opinion on the public health hazards to be covered by inspection of meat (bovine animals).

A risk ranking process identified Salmonella spp. and pathogenic verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) as current high-priority biological hazards for meat inspection of bovine animals. As these hazards are not detected by traditional meat inspection, a meat safety assurance system for the farm-to-chilled carcass continuum using a risk-based approach was proposed. Key elements of the system are risk-categorisation of slaughter animals for high-priority biological hazards based on improved food chain information, as well as risk-categorisation of slaughterhouses according to their capability to control those hazards. Omission of palpation and incision during post-mortem inspection for animals subjected to routine slaughter may decrease spreading and cross-contamination with the high-priority biological hazards. For chemical hazards, dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls were ranked as being of high potential concern; all other substances were ranked as of medium or lower concern. Monitoring programmes for chemical hazards should be more flexible and based on the risk of occurrence, taking into account the completeness and quality of the food chain information supplied and the ranking of chemical substances, which should be regularly updated to include new hazards. Control programmes across the food chain, national residue control programmes, feed control and monitoring of environmental contaminants should be better integrated. Meat inspection is a valuable tool for surveillance and monitoring of animal health and welfare conditions. Omission of palpation and incision would reduce detection effectiveness for bovine tuberculosis and would have a negative impact on the overall surveillance system especially in officially tuberculosis free countries. The detection effectiveness for bovine cysticercosis, already low with the current meat inspection system, would result in a further decrease, if palpation and incision are removed. Extended use of food chain information could compensate for some, but not all, the information on animal health and welfare lost if only visual post-mortem inspection is applied

Adubação nitrogenada e potássica de bromeliáceas cultivadas em fibra de coco e esterco bovino Nitrogen and potassium fertilization of Bromeliaceae grown in coconut fiber and cattle manure

Neste trabalho objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de doses de nitrogênio e de potássio no crescimento e teor foliar de nutrientes de quatro bromeliáceas comerciais e propor uma formulação de adubação adequada para cada planta estudada. O experimento foi em esquema fatorial (4 x 4), sendo quatro doses de nitrogênio (0; 375; 562,6 e 750 mg de N L-1) e quatro doses de potássio (0; 468,8; 703,2 e 937,6 mg de K L-1), em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições para Aechmea blanchetiana e Neoregelia 'Sheba' e três repetições para Orthophytum gurkenii e Vriesea gigantea, duas plantas por parcela. As mudas de Aechmea blanchetiana e Neoregelia 'Sheba' foram cultivadas em substrato composto por 50% de fibra de coco + 50% de esterco bovino; as de Orthophytum gurkenii e Vriesea gigantea, em 100% de fibra de coco. As doses de nitrogênio 0; 375; 562,6 e 750 mg de N L-1 e potássio 0; 468,8; 703,2 e 937,6 mg de K L-1 no substrato correspondem, respectivamente, a 0; 187,5; 281,3 e 375 mg N/planta e 0; 234,4; 351,6 e 468,8 mg K/planta. A adubação fosfatada foi fixa, 50 mg de P L-1 no substrato, correspondendo a 25 mg P/planta, exceto para Neoregelia 'Sheba', que foi inoculada com 25 mL/vaso do inóculo micorrízico misto (Glomus geosporum, Acaulospora laevis, Acaulospora mellea) e não recebeu adubação fosfatada. A adubação com 305,1 mg N/planta foi a que proporcionou maior incremento na altura de Aechmea blanchetiana. Em Orthophytum gurkenii; a adubação com 250 mg N/planta proporcionou o maior número de folhas e o maior diâmetro da roseta. As adubações nitrogenada e potássica não beneficiaram o crescimento das plantas de Vriesea gigantea. Em Neoregelia 'Sheba', a dose de 315 mg N/planta causou maior incremento em altura e diâmetro da roseta.<br>Levels of nitrogen and potassium fertilization were evaluated on leaf nutrient contents of four commercial bromeliads, to recommend a suitable fertilization formula for each kind of plant. The experiment was a factorial (4x4) with four nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) levels (0; 375; 562.6 and 750 mg L-1of N and 0; 468.8; 703.2 e 937.6 mg L-1 of K), in randomized blocks, using four replications for Aechmea blanchetiana and Neoregelia 'Sheba' and three replications for Orthophytum gurkenii and Vriesea gigantea, and two plants per plot. Aechmea blanchetiana and Neoregelia 'Sheba' plants were grown in 50% coconut fiber + 50% cattle manure, whereas Orthophytum gurkenii and Vriesea gigantea were grown in 100% coconut fiber. The N (0; 375; 562.6 and 750 mg L-1) and K levels (0; 468.8; 703.2 and 937.6 mg L-1), on the substrate, correspond, respectively, to 0; 187.5; 281.3; 375 mg/plant of N and 0; 234.4; 351.6; 468.8 mg/plant of K. The P fertilization was fixed as 50 mg L-1 of P corresponding to 25 mg/plant of P, except for Neoregelia 'Sheba' which was inoculated with 25 mL/container (0.5 L) of the mixed inoculum (Glomus geosporum, Acaulospora laevis, Acaulospora mellea) without P fertilization. The fertilization with 305.1 mg/plant of N was the most efficient for Aechmea blanchetiana increment of plant height. In Orthophytum gurkenii the fertilization with 250 mg/plant of N caused the highest leaf number and rosette diameter. The N and K fertilization was not beneficial for Vriesea gigantea plants. In Neoregelia 'Sheba' 315 mg/plant of N caused the greatest plant height and rosette diameter

The Real Effects of Private Equity Buyouts

Private equity buyouts have become a common element in the industrial development process. I survey the literature on the real economic effect of buyouts: employment, wages, productivity, and long-run investments. Employment tend to marginally fall after a buyout in most countries studied, with the exception being France. There are clear evidence of productivity gains following a buyout, with part of these being shared with worker through higher wages. The evidence is mixed regarding effects on long-run investments