Personal values and the `country-of-origin effect`: the moderating role of consumers` demographics

This article has addressed the following research problem: what consumers` personal values most influence the country-of-origin effect? Furthermore, it has verified whether there are differences on this influence, in terms of consumers` demographic characteristics such as gender, age and country familiarity. A descriptive and quantitative empirical research has been used to analyse the product category of Chinese home appliances, using a sample of Brazilian executives. Results have shown that consumers` personal values exert different influences on the evaluation of foreign products. Most influences of personal values on the country-of-origin effect are negative; the more important the personal values, the more negative the products are evaluated. Exceptions are for women. With the results of this research, marketing professionals and theoreticians may better manage the use of a product`s country of origin as a marketing tool in international marketing activities.

Atividade de plasmina e plasminogênio no leite longa vida com alta e baixa contagem de células somáticas durante o armazenamento

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da contagem de células somáticas (CCS) do leite na atividade de plasmina e plasminogênio durante o período de armazenamento do leite longa vida integral. Os leites crus foram categorizados em grupos de CCS de baixa (342.000-487.000 células mL-1) e alta contagem (603.000-808.000 células mL-1). Dois lotes de leite longa vida em cada categoria de CCS foram analisados para determinação de plasmina e plasminogênio após 10, 30, 60, 90 e 120 dias de armazenamento em temperatura ambiente. Para a fabricação do leite longa vida, o leite cru foi submetido à pasteurização rápida seguida da esterilização industrial do leite por injeção de vapor pelo método direto e embalagem asséptica do produto. A CCS não apresentou efeitos sobre as características físico-químicas do leite cru, e nem sobre a atividade de plasmina e plasminogênio nos leites cru e longa vida, armazenados por 120 dias. Entretanto, independentemente da CCS, a atividade de plasmina e plasminogênio aumentou no leite longa vida ao longo do armazenamento, indicando a possibilidade de aumento da proteólise no produto durante sua vida de prateleira.

Systematic Management of Variability in UML-based Software Product Lines

This paper presents SMarty, a variability management approach for UML-based software product lines (PL). SMarty is supported by a UML profile, the SMartyProfile, and a process for managing variabilities, the SMartyProcess. SMartyProfile aims at representing variabilities, variation points, and variants in UML models by applying a set of stereotypes. SMartyProcess consists of a set of activities that is systematically executed to trace, identify, and control variabilities in a PL based on SMarty. It also identifies variability implementation mechanisms and analyzes specific product configurations. In addition, a more comprehensive application of SMarty is presented using SEI's Arcade Game Maker PL. An evaluation of SMarty and related work are discussed.

Direct evidence of singlet molecular oxygen generation from peroxynitrate, a decomposition product of peroxynitrite

The decomposition of peroxynitrite to nitrite and dioxygen at neutral pH follows complex kinetics, compared to its isomerization to nitrate at low pH. Decomposition may involve radicals or proceed by way of the classical peracid decomposition mechanism. Peroxynitrite (ONOOH/ONOO(-)) decomposition has been proposed to involve formation of peroxynitrate (O(2)NOOH/O(2)NOO(-)) at neutral pH (D. Gupta, B. Harish, R. Kissner and W. H. Koppenol, Dalton Trans., 2009, DOI: 10.1039/b905535e, see accompanying paper in this issue). Peroxynitrate is unstable and decomposes to nitrite and dioxygen. This study aimed to investigate whether O(2)NOO(-) formed upon ONOOH/ONOO(-) decomposition generates singlet molecular oxygen [O(2) ((1)Delta(g))]. As unequivocally revealed by the measurement of monomol light emission in the near infrared region at 1270 nm and by chemical trapping experiments, the decomposition of ONOO(-) or O(2)NOOH at neutral to alkaline pH generates O(2) ((1)Delta(g)) at a yield of ca. 1% and 2-10%, respectively. Characteristic light emission, corresponding to O(2) ((1)Delta(g)) monomolecular decay was observed for ONOO(-) and for O(2)NOOH prepared by reaction of H(2)O(2) with NO(2)BF(4) and of H(2)O(2) with NO(2)(-) in HClO(4). The generation of O(2) ((1)Delta(g)) from ONOO(-) increased in a concentration-dependent manner in the range of 0.1-2.5 mM and was dependent on pH, giving a sigmoid pro. le with an apparent pK(a) around pD 8.1 (pH 7.7). Taken together, our results clearly identify the generation of O(2) ((1)Delta(g)) from peroxynitrate [O(2)NOO(-) -> NO(2)(-) + O(2) ((1)Delta(g))] generated from peroxynitrite and also from the reactions of H(2)O(2) with either NO(2)BF(4) or NO(2)(-) in acidic media.

Fermentation of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) seeds with a hybrid Kluyveromyces marxianus strain improved product quality attributes

Fermentation of Theobroma cacao (cacao) seeds is an absolute requirement for the full development of chocolate flavor precursors. An adequate aeration of the fermenting cacao seed mass is a fundamental prerequisite for a satisfactory fermentation. Here, we evaluated whether a controlled inoculation of cacao seed fermentation using a Kluyveromyces marxianus hybrid yeast strain, with an increased pectinolytic activity, would improve an earlier liquid drainage (`sweatings`) from the fermentation mass, developing a superior final product quality. Inoculation with K. marxianus increased by one third the volume of drained liquid and affected the microorganism population structure during fermentation, which was detectable up to the end of the process. Introduction of the hybrid yeast affected the profile of total seed protein degradation evaluated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with improved seed protein degradation, and reduction of titrable acidity. Sensorial evaluation of the chocolate obtained from beans fermented with the K. marxianus inoculation was more accepted by analysts in comparison with the one from cocoa obtained through natural fermentation. The increase in mass aeration during the first 24 h seemed to be fundamental for the improvement of fermentation quality, demonstrating the potential application of this improved hybrid yeast strain with superior exogenous pectinolytic activity.

Systematic review and cladistic analysis of the genus Eusarcus Perty 1833 (Arachnida, Opiliones, Gonyleptidae)

Eusarcus Perty 1833 is one of the oldest described genera of Pachylinae, comprising 36 species distributed from northeastern to southern Brazil (including the central west region), northeastern Argentina, eastern Paraguay and Uruguay. The genus is reviewed and a new classification is proposed based on a cladistic analysis. A cladistic analysis was performed with the 34 valid species of Eusarcus and 11 species belonging to certain Gonyleptidae subfamilies. The data matrix has 67 characters: 14 from dorsal scutum and pedipalp, 38 from male legs and 15 from male genitalia. Two equally parsimonious trees were found (L=319; C. I.=0.26, R. I.=0.61). Pygophalangodus gemignanii uruguayensis Ringuelet 1955a and Pygophalangodus gemignanii gemignanii Mello-Leitao 1931b are here elevated to the category of species, and the following new combinations are proposed: E. catharinensis (Mello-Leitao 1927); E. berlae (Mello-Leitao 1932); E. gemignanii (Mello-Leitao 1931b); E. signatus(Roewer 1949); E. sooretamae (Soares & Soares 1946a); E. uruguayensis (Ringuelet 1955a). The following generic synonymies are proposed: Eusarcus Perty 1833 (type species E. armatus Perty 1833) = Metagraphinotus Mello-Leitao 1927 (type species M. catharinensis Mello-Leitao 1927), Pareusarcus Roewer 1929 (type species P. corniculatus Roewer 1929), Pygophalangodus Mello-Leitao 1931b (type species P. gemignanii-gemignanii Mello-Leitao 1931b) and Antetriceras Roewer 1949 (type species A. signatus Roewer 1949). The following specific synonymies are proposed: Eusarcus hastatus Sorensen 1884 = Pucrolioides argentina Roewer 1913, E. guimaraensi H. Soares 1945, Jacarepaguana pectinifemur Piza 1943, Canestrinia canalsi Mello-Leitao 1931a, and E. maquinensis H. Soares 1966b; E. armatus Perty 1833 = E. curvispinosus Mello-Leitao 1923b, and Enantiocentron montis Mello-Leitao 1936; Eusarcus catharinensis (Mello-Leitao 1927) = E. antoninae Mello-Leitao 1936, E. perpusillus Mello-Leitao 1945, E. tripos Mello-Leitao 1940, and Metagraphinotus trochanterspinosus Soares & Soares 1947b; E. nigrimaculatus Mello-Leitao 1924 = Pareusarcus centromelos Mello-Leitao 1935a, E. furcatus Roewer 1929, Orguesia armata Roewer 1913, and Pareusarcus corniculatus Roewer 1929; E. oxyacanthus Kollar in Koch 1839a = Enantiocentron doriphorus Mello-Leitao 1932, and E. spinimanu Mello-Leitao 1932; E. pusillus Sorensen 1884 = E. vervloeti B. Soares 1944c; E. berlae Mello-Leitao 1932 = Metagraphinotus arlei Mello-Leitao 1935a. Metapucrolia armata (Sorensen 1895) is revalidated, transferred to Eusarcus and considered as a species inquirenda. A new name, Eusarcus metapucrolia is proposed for this species to avoid homonymy with the type species of Eusarcus, E. armatus Perty 1833. Eusarcus aberrans Mello-Leitao 1939a is considered as a species inquirenda. The male of E. teresincola Soares & Soares 1946a is described. Female of the following species are described: E. bifidus Roewer 1929; E. dubius B. Soares 1943b; E. insperatus B. Soares 1944a; E. schubarti Soares & Soares 1946a; E. sooretamae (Soares & Soares 1946a). The following new species are described from Brazil: E. acrophthalmus (type locality: Bahia, Ilheus, Parataquice); E. alpinus (Rio de Janeiro, Santa Maria Madalena, Parque Estadual do Desengano); E. caparaoensis (Minas Gerais, Alto Caparao, Parque Nacional do Caparao); E. cavernicola (Goias, Sao Domingos, Parque Estadual de Terra Ronca, Lapa da Angelica); E. didactylus (Rio de Janeiro, Teresopolis, Parque Nacional Serra dos Orgaos); E. garibaldiae (Santa Catarina, Itajai); E. geometricus (Rio de Janeiro, Teresopolis, Parque Nacional Serra dos Orgaos); E. manero (Rio de Janeiro, Marica, Itaipuacu); E. matogrossensis (Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimaraes); E. mirabilis (Minas Gerais, Marlieria, Parque Estadual Rio Doce); E. sergipanus (Sergipe, Itabaiana, Parque Nacional de Itabaiana) and E. tripectinatus (Minas Gerais, Rio Preto). The holotype of E. curvispinosus is proposed as the neotype of E. armatus Perty 1833, the type material of which has been lost. Lectotypes for the following species were designated: E. aduncus; E. hastatus; E. oxyacanthus.

Endurance in judogi grip strength tests: comparison between elite and non-elite judo players

Background and Study Aim: The ability to develop a strong grip and maintain it during a judo match has become an important element for judo athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine differences between measurements of maximal isometric time on judogi pull-up, and number of repetitions during dynamic judogi pull-up. Material/Methods: The sample was composed by two groups: 16 high-level judo athletes from the male Brazilian National Team and 12 male state-level judo athletes, with at least one athlete per weight category. The tests were compared through analysis of co-variance (body mass as co-variable), followed by a post-hoc test (Scheffe). Significance level was set at 5%. Results: No difference was found in the isometric test: Brazilian Team: 35 +/- 18s; Regional: 39 +/- 14s. However, the Brazilian Team performed a high number of repetitions (12 +/- 5 rep) compared to regional group (9 +/- 4 rep) during the dynamic grip strength endurance test. Conclusions: Thus, dynamic grip strength endurance seems to be a discriminating variable between judo athletes, probably because judo combat involves many elbow extensions and flexions in order to avoid the opponent`s grip and to subdue them.

The game inside the school: a representation of 5(th) graders physical education classes

Since the beginning of Physical Education entrance in the brazilin public schools, the game has been frequently used as content, and in the course of time that practice seems to be intensified. In spite of many approaches of different purposes to justify its pedagogic usefulness, the game has been used as an indiscriminate way due to the fascination that it provides to the students. The present study searches for a description and analysis of children`s (10-12 years old) attitudes behaviors in games, on Physical Education classes, inside a public school. The study was accomplished with the researcher also attending as a teacher (action research). For the accomplishment of the study 55 children were filmed in four different games, of different kinds (exposed, transformed, and spontaneous). The classes` description and analysis were focused in the attitude axis and it was defined four topics for the discussion: Conflicts, Respect of rules, Expressiveness, and Competitiveness. The relationship between the individual with the game and its culture were pointed as the main characteristics in the configuration of the ludicrous activity atmosphere. It was also possible to observe specific situations of this relationship, once the games were limited to the social games (Piaget category), in a school atmosphere where children have students roles. Due to the obtained results, the study proposes a reflexive practice in which the students notice their own attitudes and try to adapt the game to their needs and not he other way around. In this perspective, the teacher has an important mediator roll, once he will be responsible to point out the students` difficulties and promote discussions in favor to provide teamwork.

A special judo fitness test classificatory table

Background and Study Aim: Judo is very physiological demanding sport, but there are no many physical fitness specific tests. One of the most used specific judo tests is the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) proposed by Sterkowicz ( 1995). Although this test has been used by many coaches in different countries no classificatory table was found to classify the judo athletes according to their results. Thus, the aim of this work was to present a classificatory table for this test. Material/Methods: For this purpose 141 judo athletes ( mean +/-standard deviation: 21.3+/-4.5years-old; 74.2+/-15.9 kg of body mass and 176.7+/-8.2 cm of height; judo ranking between 3(rd) kyu and 3(rd) dan) familiarized with the SJFT performed it once in order to provide data to establish a classificatory table. Results: After the analysis of data distribution a five scale table (20% for each classificatory category) was developed considering the variables used in the SJFT ( number of throws, heart rate after and 1 min after the test and index). Conclusions: The classificatory table can help coaches using the SJFT to classify their athletes` level and to monitor their physical fitness progress.

Efficiency and feasibility of product disassembly: A case-based study

The productivity associated with commonly available disassembly methods today seldomly makes disassembly the preferred end-of-life solution for massive take back product streams. Systematic reuse of parts or components, or recycling of pure material fractions are often not achievable in an economically sustainable way. In this paper a case-based review of current disassembly practices is used to analyse the factors influencing disassembly feasibility. Data mining techniques were used to identify major factors influencing the profitability of disassembly operations. Case characteristics such as involvement of the product manufacturer in the end-of-life treatment and continuous ownership are some of the important dimensions. Economic models demonstrate that the efficiency of disassembly operations should be increased an order of magnitude to assure the competitiveness of ecologically preferred, disassembly oriented end-of-life scenarios for large waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) streams. Technological means available to increase the productivity of the disassembly operations are summarized. Automated disassembly techniques can contribute to the robustness of the process, but do not allow to overcome the efficiency gap if not combined with appropriate product design measures. Innovative, reversible joints, collectively activated by external trigger signals, form a promising approach to low cost, mass disassembly in this context. A short overview of the state-of-the-art in the development of such self-disassembling joints is included. (c) 2008 CIRP.

Integrating technology roadmapping and portfolio management at the front-end of new product development

Many authors point out that the front-end of new product development (NPD) is a critical success factor in the NPD process and that numerous companies face difficulties in carrying it out appropriately. Therefore, it is important to develop new theories and proposals that support the effective implementation of this earliest phase of NPD. This paper presents a new method to support the development of front-end activities based on integrating technology roadmapping (TRM) and project portfolio management (PPM). This new method, called the ITP Method, was implemented at a small Brazilian high-tech company in the nanotechnology industry to explore the integration proposal. The case study demonstrated that the ITP Method provides a systematic procedure for the fuzzy front-end and integrates innovation perspectives into a single roadmap, which allows for a better alignment of business efforts and communication of product innovation goals. Furthermore, the results indicated that the method may also improve quality, functional integration and strategy alignment. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge transfer in product development processes: A case study in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the metal-mechanic sector from Sao Paulo, Brazil

This paper reports a research that evaluated the product development methodologies used in Brazilian small and medium-sized metal-mechanic enterprises (SMEs), in a specific region of Sao Paulo. The tool used for collecting the data was a questionnaire, which was developed and applied through interviews conducted by the researchers in 32 companies. The main focus of this paper can be condensed in the synthesis-question ""Is only the company responsible for the development?"" which was analyzed thoroughly. The results obtained from this analysis were evaluated directly (through the respective percentages of answers) and statistically (through the search of an index which demonstrates if two questions are related). The results point to a degree of maturity in SMEs, which allows product development to be conducted in cooperation networks. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reaction rate and product morphology in carbon composite iron ore pellets with and without Portland cement

The aim of this work is to study the reaction rate and the morphology of intermediate reaction products during iron ore reduction when iron ore and carbonaceous materials are agglomerated together with or without Portland cement. The reaction was performed at high temperatures, and used small size samples in order to minimise heat transfer constraints. Coke breeze and pure graphite were the carbonaceous materials employed. Portland cement was applied as a binder, and pellet diameters were in the range 5.6-6.5 mm. The experimental technique involved the measurement of the pellet weight loss, as well as the interruption of the reaction at different stages, in order to submit the partially reduced pellet to scanning electron microscopy. The experimental temperature was in the range 1423-1623 K, and the total reaction time varied from 240 to 1200 s. It was observed that above 1523 K the formation of liquid slag occurred inside the pellets, which partially dissolved iron oxides. The apparent activation energies obtained were 255 kJ mol(-1) for coke breeze containing pellets, and 230 kJ mol(-1) for those pellets containing graphite. It was possible to avoid heat transfer control of the reaction rate up to 1523 K by employing small composite pellets.

Medium carbon steel deep drawing: A study on the evolution of mechanical properties, texture and simulations, from cold rolling to the end product

Medium carbon steels are mostly used for simple applications; nevertheless new applications have been developed for which good sheet formability is required. This class of steels has an inherent low formability. A medium carbon hot rolled SAE 1050 steel has been selected for this study. It has been cold rolled with reductions in the 7-80% range. Samples have been used to assess the cold work hardening curve. For samples with a 50 and 80% thickness reduction, an annealing heat treatment has been performed to obtain recrystallization. The material has been characterized in the ""as received"", cold rolled and annealed conditions, using several methods: optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (texture), Vickers hardness and tensile testing. The 50% cold rolled and recrystallized material has been further studied in terms of sheet metal formability and texture evolution during the actual stamping of a steel toecap that has been used to validate the finite element simulations. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On Building a Memory Evolutive System for Application to Learning and Cognition Modeling

We address here aspects of the implementation of a memory evolutive system (MES), based on the model proposed by A. Ehresmann and J. Vanbremeersch (2007), by means of a simulated network of spiking neurons with time dependent plasticity. We point out the advantages and challenges of applying category theory for the representation of cognition, by using the MES architecture. Then we discuss the issues concerning the minimum requirements that an artificial neural network (ANN) should fulfill in order that it would be capable of expressing the categories and mappings between them, underlying the MES. We conclude that a pulsed ANN based on Izhikevich`s formal neuron with STDP (spike time-dependent plasticity) has sufficient dynamical properties to achieve these requirements, provided it can cope with the topological requirements. Finally, we present some perspectives of future research concerning the proposed ANN topology.