Modified atmosphere efficiency in the quality maintenance of Eva apples

Modified atmosphere is a method of food preservation that provides increased lifetime, decreases deterioration losses, and facilitates marketing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different plastic films in modifying the atmosphere around Eva apples to assure quality maintenance during postharvest storage. The fruits were cleaned and separated into three treatment groups: polypropylene, low density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene packing with a total of 5 fruits per package for each evaluation period. A group of control apples was not submitted to atmospheric modification. After the treatment, all fruits were stored at 0.5±0.5°C (cold storage) for up to 225 days. The analyses were performed at 45, 135, and 225 days after cold storage. Respiration, ethylene production, firmness, mass loss, total pectin, soluble pectin, soluble solids, total acidity, and epidermis background color of each treatment group were evaluated. The high density polyethylene film treatment did not show a decrease in ethylene production during storage and allowed the fruits to maintain a greater firmness and smaller percentage of mass loss during the study period. Moreover, the storage of the Eva apple cultivar under modified atmosphere allowed the preservation of quality for up to seven months.

Effect of different covering materials used during the pre-harvest stage on the quality and storage life of 'Sultana Seedless' grapes

Covering the grapevine rows to delay the maturity and harvest date became widely practiced in 'Sultana Seedless' vineyards. The research work was conducted to test different cover materials (polypropylene cross-stitch, life pack, mogul and transparent polyethylene) in respect to their effects on grape quality and storability. Harvest was delayed for one month in covered plots. Harvested grapes were packed and transferred to storage rooms after pre-cooling. During packing, the grape clusters were sealed in PE bags with sulphur dioxide pads. The grapes were stored for 90 days in the first year and 120 days in the second year, at -0.5ºC and 90% RH. All the grape clusters were healthy and of marketable quality after 90 days of storage period. In the first year, at the end of the storage, only those grapes harvested from the rows covered with polypropylene cross-stitch showed fungal growth. The sensory quality scores revealed a lower level of preference after 120 days of storage. The effects of the covering materials tested were similar regarding grape quality and storage performance except the transparent polyethylene that damaged the grapevine leaves.

Effect of previous chilling storage on quality loss in frozen (–20 °C) sierra (Scomberomorus sierra) muscle packed with a low-density polyethylene film containing butylated hydroxytoluene

Rancidity development during frozen storage (–20 °C) of sierra fish (Scomberomorus sierra) was studied. Fillets were packed in low-density polyethylene films with and without butylated hydroxytoluene added (BHT-LDPE and LDPE respectively). Fillets stored with no package were used as control. Special attention was given to the effect of previous ice storage (0, 3, 6, 9 and 15 days) on the quality of the frozen fish. Physical (pH and texture) and chemical (peroxide value, PV and thiobarbituric acid index, TBA-i) analyses were carried out. Lipid oxidation increased with ice storage time in fish muscle without film packing, being greater than the film packed muscle (with and without antioxidant). An effect of previous ice storage time was observed on the frozen product (in all treatments). However, fish muscle with film packing containing antioxidant showed less lipid deterioration. Under the conditions applied in this study, the plastic films with antioxidant prevented the lipids oxidation during the cold handling of the sierra muscle.

Development of Project Logistics in Engineering, Procurement and Construction Projects

The aim of this Master’s Thesis is to develop project logistics functions in large scale en-gineering, procurement and construction projects. The background of the research topic is compounded from two separate subjects; OPAL Program and case study of an actual EPC project. The purpose is to examine Project Logistics process in accordance with OPAL Program as well as logistics process in focus EPC project. Both entities are researched by using the case study research methodology. Logistics process of the focus EPC project is described as well as presented and in addi-tion, logistics related findings and observations are introduced. Significant findings and observations are found from logistics costs as well as shipment volume estimations in the early phase of the focus ECP project. A notable finding is also that because goods were transported as readily assembled as possible it caused expensive oversized cargo deliveries. From findings and observation of the focus EPC project it can be derived that logistics has to be involved in the early sales phase in order to receive more accurate logistics cost esti-mations for project deliveries. It is also noticed that in order to obtain savings in logistics costs, oversized deliveries must be avoided.

Optimization of Transportation System by Tailored Logistics Network: A Case Study in Automotive Industry

This thesis aims to redesign the supply chain system in an automotive industry in order to obtain space reduction in the inventory by using tailored logistics network. The redesigning process by tailored supply chain will combine all possible shipment methods including direct shipment, milk-run, milk-run via distribution center and Kanban delivery. The current supply chain system in Nissan goes rather well when the production volume is in moderate level. However, when the production volume is high, there is a capacity problem in the warehouse to accommodate all delivered parts from suppliers. Hence, the optimization of supply chain system is needed in order to obtain efficient logistics process and effective inventory consumption. The study will use primary data for both qualitative and quantitative approach as the research methods. Qualitative data will be collected by conducting interviews with people related to procurement and inventory control. Quantitative data consists of list of suppliers with their condition in several parameters which will be evaluated and analyzed by using scoring method to assign the most suitable transportation network to each suppliers for improvement of inventory reduction in a cost efficient manner.

Luomu- ja lähiruoan pakkaaminen : pakkausten vaatimukset ja tulevaisuuden trendit eteläsuomalaisten elintarvikeketjun toimijoiden näkökulmasta

Luomu- ja lähiruoan kysyntä Suomessa on kasvussa mutta niiden markkinoiden kasvua hidastavat muun muassa logistiset ja markkinoinnilliset haasteet. Yksi keino näiden haasteiden ylittämiseen on luomu- ja lähiruoan pakkausten kehittäminen. Tämän diplomityön tarkoituksena on kartoittaa luomu- ja lähiruoan pakkausten ja pakkaamisen nykyisiä vaatimuksia ja tulevaisuuden trendejä elintarvikeketjun toimijoiden näkökulmasta. Tavoitteena on tuottaa uutta tietoa hyödynnettäväksi pakkauskehityksessä. Tutkimuksen teoreettisessa osassa kartoitetaan luomu- ja lähiruokamarkkinoita Suomessa ja Euroopassa, elintarvikeketjua ja sen toimijoiden rooleja sekä pakkausten tehtäviä ja elementtejä. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on käytetty laadullista haastattelututkimusta ja tutkimuksen empiiristä osuutta varten haastateltiin 18 elintarvikeketjun toimijaa Etelä-Suomen alueelta. Elintarvikeketjun toimijoiden tärkeimmät vaatimukset luomu- ja lähiruoan pakkauksille liittyvät tuotteiden suojaamiseen ja säilyttämiseen sekä pakkausten erottumiseen tavanomaisen ruoan pakkauksista. Vaatimukset ovat hyvin pitkälti samoja eri toimijaryhmien kesken. Tulevaisuudessa luomu- ja lähiruoan pakkaukset ovat toimijoiden näkemyksen mukaan entistä erottuvampia, ekologisempia sekä tarkemmin asiakkaan ja tuotteen tarpeiden mukaan mietittyjä. Lisäksi pakkauksiin tullaan laittamaan aktiivisia ja älykkäitä ominaisuuksia, vaikka osa toimijoista näkeekin ne tarpeettomina.

Metal oxides prepared through the nanocasting approach-mechanistic study, surface interactions and applications in separation

Mesoporous metal oxides are nowadays widely used in various technological applications, for instance in catalysis, biomolecular separations and drug delivery. A popular technique used to synthesize mesoporous metal oxides is the nanocasting process. Mesoporous metal oxide replicas are obtained from the impregnation of a porous template with a metal oxide precursor followed by thermal treatment and removal of the template by etching in NaOH or HF solutions. In a similar manner to the traditional casting wherein the product inherits the features of the mold, the metal oxide replicas are supposed to have an inverse structure of the starting porous template. This is however not the case, as broken or deformed particles and other structural defects have all been experienced during nanocasting experiments. Although the nanocasting technique is widely used, not all the processing steps are well understood. Questions over the fidelity of replication and morphology control are yet to be adequately answered. This work therefore attempts to answer some of these questions by elucidating the nanocasting process, pin pointing the crucial steps involved and how to harness this knowledge in making wholesome replicas which are a true replication of the starting templates. The rich surface chemistry of mesoporous metal oxides is an important reason why they are widely used in applications such as catalysis, biomolecular separation, etc. At times the surface is modified or functionalized with organic species for stability or for a particular application. In this work, nanocast metal oxides (TiO2, ZrO2 and SnO2) and SiO2 were modified with amino-containing molecules using four different approaches, namely (a) covalent bonding of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), (b) adsorption of 2-aminoethyl dihydrogen phosphate (AEDP), (c) surface polymerization of aziridine and (d) adsorption of poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) through electrostatic interactions. Afterwards, the hydrolytic stability of each functionalization was investigated at pH 2 and 10 by zeta potential measurements. The modifications were successful except for the AEDP approach which was unable to produce efficient amino-modification on any of the metal oxides used. The APTES, aziridine and PEI amino-modifications were fairly stable at pH 10 for all the metal oxides tested while only AZ and PEI modified-SnO2 were stable at pH 2 after 40 h. Furthermore, the functionalized metal oxides (SiO2, Mn2O3, ZrO2 and SnO2) were packed into columns for capillary liquid chromatography (CLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Among the functionalized metal oxides, aziridinefunctionalized SiO2, (SiO2-AZ) showed good chemical stability, and was the most useful packing material in both CLC and CEC. Lastly, nanocast metal oxides were synthesized for phosphopeptide enrichment which is a technique used to enrich phosphorylated proteins in biological samples prior to mass spectrometry analysis. By using the nanocasting technique to prepare the metal oxides, the surface area was controlled within a range of 42-75 m2/g thereby enabling an objective comparison of the metal oxides. The binding characteristics of these metal oxides were compared by using samples with different levels of complexity such as synthetic peptides and cell lysates. The results show that nanocast TiO2, ZrO2, Fe2O3 and In2O3 have comparable binding characteristics. Furthermore, In2O3 which is a novel material in phosphopeptide enrichment applications performed comparably with standard TiO2 which is the benchmark for such phosphopeptide enrichment procedures. The performance of the metal oxides was explained by ranking the metal oxides according to their isoelectric points and acidity. Overall, the clarification of the nanocasting process provided in this work will aid the synthesis of metal oxides with true fidelity of replication. Also, the different applications of the metal oxides based on their surface interactions and binding characteristics show the versatility of metal oxide materials. Some of these results can form the basis from which further applications and protocols can be developed.

Factors Affecting Runnability of Press Forming Equipment

The growth of the food packaging industry has raised more interest in bio-based fibre packing. The use of petroleum based packages is unfriendly to the environment while bio-based is a sustainable option for food packing. In this Master Thesis the aim was to discover how the press forming machineries runnability is affected by parameters of the press and how it also affects formability of paperboard trays. Familiarisation of the working operation parameters was done with the KAMA ST 75 flat-bed die cutting machine and the VP3-70 mould press. Some small test runs of moulding trays where done to get acquainted to the adjustment parameters of the machines. Literature study was done on how paperboards physical properties react to the forces applied during press forming. The study of what kind of defects to the paperboard tray might occur during forming process and the causes for these defects. Also how the parameters of the press forming machine affects formability of the tray. Maintenance procedures was done to the press forming machine to enhance the reliably of production process. Tool alignment measurement was done to determine proper alignment. Laboratory test of the physical properties of the test material was done to find any connection to how the test material performs in press forming. An evaluation criterion was made to evaluate the dimensions and defects of the tray. From the test result a conclusion can be drawn on how the parameters of the press forming process affect the paperboard material. Based on the results the adjustment the parameters of moulding machines to the mechanical properties of paperboard it is possible to produce high quality fibre passed trays for the food packaging industry.

Molecular mechanics calculations of tin-bis (triphenylphosphine oxide) complexes

The capability of molecular mechanics for modeling the wide distribution of bond angles and bond lengths characteristic of coordination complexes was investigatecl. This was the preliminary step for future modeling of solvent extraction. Several tin-phosphine oxide COrnI)le:){es were selected as the test groUl) for t.he d,esired range of geometry they eX!libi ted as \-vell as the ligands they cOD.tained r Wllich were c\f interest in connection with solvation. A variety of adjustments were made to Allinger's M:M2 force·-field ill order to inl.prove its performance in the treatment of these systems. A set of u,nique force constants was introduced for' those terms representing the metal ligand bond lengths, bond angles, and, torsion angles. These were significantly smaller than trad.itionallY used. with organic compounds. The ~1orse poteIlt.ial energ'Y function was incorporated for the M-X l')ond lE~ngths and the cosine harmonic potential erlerg-y function was invoked for the MOP bond angle. These functions were found to accomodate the wide distribution of observed values better than the traditional harmonic approximations~ Crystal packing influences on the MOP angle were explored thr"ollgh ttle inclusion of the isolated molecule withil1 a shell cc)ntaini11g tl1e nearest neigl1'bors duri.rlg energy rninimization experiments~ This was found to further improve the fit of the MOP angle.

Mechanism of tocopherol transfer by human α-tocopherol transfer protein (α-hTTP)

Vitamin E is a well known fat soluble chain breaking antioxidant. It is a general tenn used to describe a family of eight stereoisomers of tocopherols. Selective retention of a-tocopherol in the human circulation system is regulated by the a -Tocopherol Transfer Protein (a-TIP). Using a fluorescently labelled a-tocopherol (NBD-a-Toc) synthesized in our laboratory, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay was developed to monitor the kinetics of ligand transfer by a-hTTP in lipid vesicles. Preliminary results implied that NBD-a-Toe simply diffused from 6-His-a-hTTP to acceptor membranes since the kinetics of transfer were not responsive to a variety of conditions tested. After a series of trouble shooting experiments, we identified a minor contaminant, E coli. outer membrane porin F (OmpF) that co-purified with 6-His-a-hTTP from the metal affinity column as the source of the problem. In order to completely avoid OmpF contamination, a GST -a-hTTP fusion protein was purified from a glutathione agarose column followed by an on-column thrombin digestion to remove the GST tag. We then demonstrated that a-hTTP utilizes a collisional mechanism to deliver its ligand. Furthennore, a higher rate of a-tocopherol transfer to small unilamellar vesicles (SUV s) versus large unilamellar vesicles (LUV s) indicated that transfer is sensitive to membrane curvature. These findings suggest that ahTTP mediated a-Toc transfer is dominated by the hydrophobic nature of a-hTTP and the packing density of phospholipid head groups within acceptor membranes. Based on the calculated free energy change (dG) when a protein is transferred from water to the lipid bilayer, a model was generated to predict the orientation of a-hTTP when it interacts with lipid membranes. Guided by this model, several hydrophobic residues expected to penetrate deeply into the bilayer hydrophobic core, were mutated to either aspartate or alanine. Utilizing dual polarization interferometry and size exclusion vesicle binding assays, we identified the key residues for membrane binding to be F 165, F 169 and 1202. In addition, the rates of ligand transfer of the u-TTP mutants were directly correlated to their membrane binding capabilities, indicating that membrane binding was likely the rate limiting step in u-TTP mediated transfer of u-Toc. The propensity of u-TTP for highly curved membrane provides a connection to its colocalization with u-Toc in late endosomes.

New Building Blocks for Dual-Property Molecule-Based Magnets

Two classes of compounds have been prepared and characterized as building blocks for chiral magnets and ferromagnetic conductors. In the fIrst project, the organic framework of a pentadentate, (N302) macro cycle has been synthetically modifIed to introduce phenyl substituents into its organic framework and the synthesis of four new [Fe(In(N302)(CN)2] complexes (I) - (IV) is presented. [Molecular diagram availble in pdf] This work represents the fIrst structural and magnetic studies of a family of spin crossover macrocycles that comprise of both structural and stereo-isomers. Magnetic susceptibility and Mossbauer data for the R,R-complex (I) is consistent with both a thermal and a light induced spin crossover transition. The X-ray data supports a change in geometry accompanying the thermal spin transition, from a high spin (HS) 7 -coordinate complex at room temperature to a low spin (LS) 5-coordinate complex at 100 K. The crystal structure ofthe racemic complex (III) reveals a HS, 7-coordinate complex at 200 K that undergoes no signifIcant structural changes on cooling. In contrast, the magnetic - susceptibility and Mossbauer data collected on a powder sample of the racemic complex are consistent with a LS complex. Finally, the meso complex (IV) was prepared and its structure and magnetic properties are consistent with a 5-coordinate LS complex that remains low spin, but undergoes conformational changes on cooling in solution. The chiral [Fe(H)(N302)(CN)2] macro cycle (I), together with its Mn(H) and Fe(H) derivatives have also been exploited as building blocks for the self-assembly of chiral magnets. In the second project, a synthetic route for the preparation of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) donors covalently attached to a diisopropyl verdazyl radical via a cross conjugated pyridyl linker IS presented. Following this strategy, four new TTF-py- (diisopropyl)verdazyl radicals have been prepared and characterized (V) - (VIII) . [Molecular diagram available in pdf] The first (2:1) charge transfer complex ofa TTF-py-(diisopropyl)verdazyl radical donor and a TCNQ acceptor has been prepared and structurally characterized. The crystal packing shows that the donor and acceptor molecules are organized in a mixed stacking arrangement consistent with its insulating behaviour. EPR and magnetic susceptibility data support intramolecular ferromagnetic interactions between the TTF and the verdazyl radicals and antiferromagnetic interactions between TTF donors within a stack. In an attempt to increase the intramolecular exchange interaction between the two radicals, a TTF-x-(diisopropyl)verdazyl radical (IX) was prepared, where the two radicals are connected ia a conjugated divinylene linker. The neutral radical donors stack in a more favourable head-to-head arrangement but the bulky isopropyl groups prevent the donor radicals from stacking close enough together to facilitate good orbital overlap. [Molecular diagram available in pdf].

A Study of Ordered Gene Problems Featuring DNA Error Correction and DNA Fragment Assembly with a Variety of Heuristics, Genetic Algorithm Variations, and Dynamic Representations

Ordered gene problems are a very common classification of optimization problems. Because of their popularity countless algorithms have been developed in an attempt to find high quality solutions to the problems. It is also common to see many different types of problems reduced to ordered gene style problems as there are many popular heuristics and metaheuristics for them due to their popularity. Multiple ordered gene problems are studied, namely, the travelling salesman problem, bin packing problem, and graph colouring problem. In addition, two bioinformatics problems not traditionally seen as ordered gene problems are studied: DNA error correction and DNA fragment assembly. These problems are studied with multiple variations and combinations of heuristics and metaheuristics with two distinct types or representations. The majority of the algorithms are built around the Recentering- Restarting Genetic Algorithm. The algorithm variations were successful on all problems studied, and particularly for the two bioinformatics problems. For DNA Error Correction multiple cases were found with 100% of the codes being corrected. The algorithm variations were also able to beat all other state-of-the-art DNA Fragment Assemblers on 13 out of 16 benchmark problem instances.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 27 March 1920

The letter describes some difficulty Arthur has had with a man named Walter. She also describes her activities for the day. Eleanore Celeste mentions all of the things she is packing to bring to Shelter Bay when she leaves to be with Arthur. Accompanying this letter is a letter to "Aunt Lessie". It appears to be signed "Love from all and more than ever from Pal". This letter discusses his writing and soon sending it to a magazine and boxing gloves he has just purchased.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 10 March 1920

Eleanore Celeste is packing up their things for the move. She has been to a Lenten Service and had a visit with Miss Ketcham. The letter is labelled number 148.

Letter - E.C. Schmon to Arthur A. Schmon, 28 March 1920

Eleanore Celeste has returned from an evening church service and is now packing up her family home. Her family is moving from the city to a "suburban town".