Sensory profiles of chocolates produced from cocoa cultivars resistant to Moniliophtora Perniciosa

The present study evaluated the sensory quality of chocolates obtained from two cocoa cultivars (PH16 and SR162) resistant to Moniliophtora perniciosa mould comparing to a conventional cocoa that is not resistant to the disease. The acceptability of the chocolates was assessed and the promising cultivars with relevant sensory and commercial attributes could be indicated to cocoa producers and chocolate manufacturers. The descriptive terminology and the sensory profile of chocolates were developed by Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA). Ten panelists, selected on the basis of their discriminatory capacity and reproducibility, defined eleven sensory descriptors, their respective reference materials and the descriptive evaluation ballot. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Tukey's test to compare the means. The results revealed significant differences among the sensory profiles of the chocolates. Chocolates from the PH16 cultivar were characterized by a darker brown color, more intense flavor and odor of chocolate, bitterness and a firmer texture, which are important sensory and commercial attributes. Chocolates from the SR162 cultivar were characterized by a greater sweetness and melting quality and chocolates from the conventional treatment presented intermediate sensory characteristics between those of the other two chocolates. All samples indicated high acceptance, but chocolates from the PH16 and conventional cultivars obtained higher purchase intention scores.

Järjestelmätoimittajan sopimusriskien hallinta: Case Oy Teräs-Astra Ab

Järjestelmätoimittaja toimii yritysten muodostamassa yhteistyöverkostossa. Sillä on alihankkijansa ja osatoimittajansa samalla, kun se toimittaa tuotantoaan päähankkijalle. Yhteistyöhön pohjautuvissa toimitussopimuksissa jatkuvat muutokset ovat normaalia toimintaa. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytetään empiiristä ja normatiivista tutkimusta. Empiiria koostuu järjestelmätoimittajana toimivan caseyrityksen sopimusten tarkastelusta ja sopimuksia laativien henkilöiden haastatteluista. Normatiivinen osuus muodostuu kirjallisuuskatsauksen pohjalta syntyvästä eri teorioita yhdistävästä synteesistä. Työssä kartoitetaan toimitussopimusten riskejä ja ne minimoiva sopimustekniikka. Tavoitteena on laatia caseyritykselle tarkistuslista sopimusten laadintaan. Parhaimmat keinot sopimusriskien hallintaan ovat luotettavien kumppanien valinta, toimintojen onnistunut integrointi, yhteistyötaidot ja kyky joustaa yhteisten päämäärien saavuttamiseksi. Tämän lisäksi sopimuksissa erityishuomiota tulisi kiinnittää muutosten hallintaan.

The Early Phases of Innovation Process - Case: New Wireless E-Business Opportunities in Forest Industry

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli soveltaa innovaatioprosessiteorioita käytäntöön konteksti huomioonottaen, koska langattoman sähköisen liiketoiminnan nopeat muutokset, metsäteollisuuden erityispiirteet ja ei-kaupallisuus asettavat erityistarpeita innovoinnille. Painopiste on prosessin aikaisissa vaiheissa, koska ne ovat kriittisiä koko innovaatioprosessin menestymisen kannalta. Tähtäimenä oli löytää yrityssektorille uusia langattomia sähköisen liiketoiminnan mahdollisuuksia, jotka hyödyttävät tutkimuksessa mukanaolevaa yritystä. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin konstruktiivista tutkimusotetta ja metodeina sähköistä aivomyrskyä, tarkistuslistaa sekä GDSS- ja postikyselyä.Tutkimuksen tuloksena on esitetty innovaatioprosessin aikaiset vaiheet kirjallisuudesta, metsäteollisuuden erityispiirteet ja innovaatioprosessisovellus. Lisäksi tämä tutkimus tuotti uusia sähköisen liiketoiminnan ideoita, suoritti niille seulonnan ja kävi läpi alustavan tutkimuksen.

Acerca de los tipos de dos Veronica rifeñas.

Hace unos años, se publicó en esta misma sección una nota sobre Veronica rosea (Soriano, 1996), en la que se anticipaba el tratamiento de este taxón en la checklist de la fl ora del norte de Marruecos (Valdés & al. 2002; Soriano, 2002). Entre otras cosas, se formalizaba en ella la descripción de V. rosea subsp. atlantica var. macrantha, propuesta por Pau como V. rosea var. macrantha y distribuida por Font Quer en el Iter maroccanum de 1930, aunque sin la diagnosis correspondiente.

Riskitiedon tehokkaampi hyödyntäminen kansainvälisessä projektiliiketoiminnassa

Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin riskitiedon siirtoon ja hyödyntämiseen käytettyjä työkaluja ja toimintatapoja projektin myynti- ja toteutusvaiheessa. Toisena tavoitteena oli tuoda esille projektiympäristössä riskitiedon tehokkaaseen siirtämiseen ja hyödyntämiseen vaikuttavat seikat. Työssä peilataan kirjallisuudessa esitettyjä riskienhallinnan käytäntöjä yrityksen riskienhallinnan toimintatapoihin ja etsitään sopivia tapoja muokata nykyisiä riskitiedon hyödyntämistapoja tehokkaammaksi. Tutkimus toteutettiin tapaustutkimuksena ja aineistoa kerättiin syventävän haastattelun avulla, päivittämällä riskien tarkastuslista, tutkimalla järjestelmistä saatavia dokumentteja sekä GPSII -kehitysyhteistyöhankkeen tuloksia. Tutkimuksen tuloksena löydettiin riskitiedon hyödyntämiseen liittyviä ongelmia. Lisäksi todettiin selkeä tarve kehittää muutoksenhallintaan liittyvää tietokantajärjestelmää että tarve lisätä riskien tarkastuslistan läpikäyntikertojen määrää ja säännöllisyyttä.

The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statement.

Routinely collected health data, obtained for administrative and clinical purposes without specific a priori research goals, are increasingly used for research. The rapid evolution and availability of these data have revealed issues not addressed by existing reporting guidelines, such as Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely collected health Data (RECORD) statement was created to fill these gaps. RECORD was created as an extension to the STROBE statement to address reporting items specific to observational studies using routinely collected health data. RECORD consists of a checklist of 13 items related to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion section of articles, and other information required for inclusion in such research reports. This document contains the checklist and explanatory and elaboration information to enhance the use of the checklist. Examples of good reporting for each RECORD checklist item are also included herein. This document, as well as the accompanying website and message board (http://www.record-statement.org), will enhance the implementation and understanding of RECORD. Through implementation of RECORD, authors, journals editors, and peer reviewers can encourage transparency of research reporting.

Subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidity using cluster and discriminant analysis of MMPI-A profiles

The main aim of this study was to replicate and extend previous results on subtypes of adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD), according to their Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for adolescents (MMPI-A) profiles. Sixty patients with SUD and psychiatric comorbidity (41.7% male, mean age = 15.9 years old) completed the MMPI-A, the Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI), the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), and were interviewed in order to determine DSMIV diagnoses and level of substance use. Mean MMPI-A personality profile showed moderate peaks in Psychopathic Deviate, Depression and Hysteria scales. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four profiles (acting-out, 35% of the sample; disorganized-conflictive, 15%; normative-impulsive, 15%; and deceptive-concealed, 35%). External correlates were found between cluster 1, CBCL externalizing symptoms at a clinical level and conduct disorders, and between cluster 2 and mixed CBCL internalized/externalized symptoms at a clinical level. Discriminant analysis showed that Depression, Psychopathic Deviate and Psychasthenia MMPI-A scales correctly classified 90% of the patients into the clusters obtained.

Sentiment d'impuissance et coping de l'aidant familial lors de l'hospitalisation du proche en milieu de soins aigus : étude descriptive corrélationnelle

Problématique. Le vieillissement de la population continuera à transformer la démographie. Sa conséquence est une augmentation des besoins de santé chez les personnes âgées que le système sanitaire ne peut couvrir à lui seul. La contribution conséquente des aidants familiaux constitue un pilier nécessaire et essentiel du maintien à domicile. Or, les exigences du rôle d'aidant peuvent dépasser ses capacités et conduire à une hospitalisation. Ces sources de stress, auxquelles s'ajoutent les manifestations de la maladie du proche et des difficultés de collaboration avec les professionnels de santé, peuvent générer un sentiment d'impuissance chez l'aidant. Ce dernier s'ajuste à ce stress par des stratégies de coping, influencées par le degré de contrôle perçu, dont le niveau le plus bas est l'impuissance. But. Explorer la relation entre le sentiment d'impuissance et le coping chez l'aidant à l'occasion de l'hospitalisation du proche. Méthode. Cette étude corrélationnelle descriptive a été conduite auprès de 33 aidants familiaux dont le proche est hospitalisé, recrutés selon un échantillonnage de convenance. Le questionnaire auto-administré comportait trois1 instruments : (a) questionnaire sociodémographique, (b) Ways of Coping Checklist-R, (c) sous-échelle d'impuissance de l'Empowerment Scale (allant de 1 à 4, quatre correspondant à un faible degré d'impuissance). Des comparaisons de moyennes et des corrélations de Pearson ont été effectués. Résultats. L'échantillon est constitué de 45,45 % d'hommes aidants, âgés en moyenne de 61 ans. Les participants viennent en aide à des proches âgés en moyenne de 79 ans. Pour la plus grande part, les aidants assistent leurs proches pour les activités instrumentales de la vie quotidienne. La moitié de l'échantillon fournit de 1 à 5 heures d'aide par semaine. Les participants se sentent relativement peu impuissants (M = 2,55). Cependant, plus l'âge des aidants augmente, plus l'impuissance augmente (r = -0,45 ; p < 0,0106). L'impuissance est plus élevée chez les hommes que chez les femmes (M = 2,40 vs M = 2,67 ; p = 0,0270). Dans cet échantillon, il n'y a pas de différence de sentiment d'impuissance selon que les aidants fournissent ou non une aide pour les activités de la vie quotidienne (AVQ), ni selon le nombre d'heures d'aide fournies par semaine. Le style de coping privilégié par les aidants est le coping centré sur le problème, puis sur la recherche de soutien social et finalement sur l'émotion. Les aidants fournissant de l'aide dans les AVQ privilégient le coping centré sur l'émotion alors qu'il n'existe pas de différence pour les deux autres styles de coping. Aucune relation entre l'impuissance et le coping n'apparaît. Conclusions. Malgré les limites de l'étude, notamment liées à la mesure de l'impuissance, les présents résultats sont compatibles avec les études antérieures. Il est néanmoins préconisé d'approfondir les connaissances utiles au renforcement du rôle infirmier auprès des aidants familiaux. Cela doit contribuer à préserver la santé de l'aidant, son rôle auprès du proche et le maintien à domicile de ce dernier.

Stress, coping and personal strengths and difficulties in internationally adopted children in spain

This study analyses the types of coping strategies used by internationally adopted children, and explores the relation between these strategies and personal strengths and difficulties. The Kidcope checklist (Spirito, Stark, & Williams, 1998) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997) were administered to a sample of 35 Spanish adoptees (25.7% boys and 74.3% girls, aged 8-12 years) and their parents. Self-reported problems were categorised and their relation with coping strategies and psychological adjustment was explored. Results indicated that adopted children report problems of interpersonal nature. The content of the problems mainly refers to relationships and health, illness, or accidents. Parents reported that children were generally well-adjusted and they had no problems outside the normal range. International adoptees used mainly control-oriented coping strategies. Escape-oriented coping was linked to parents' ratings of total difficulties, with self-criticism accounting for the highest percentage of the variance.

Statistics in Public Understanding of Science review: How to achieve high statistical standards?

This article proposes a checklist to improve statistical reporting in the manuscripts submitted to Public Understanding of Science. Generally, these guidelines will allow the reviewers (and readers) to judge whether the evidence provided in the manuscript is relevant. The article ends with other suggestions for a better statistical quality of the journal.

Eficacia de las intervenciones de prevención de caídas en pacientes geriátricos institucionalizados. Revisión sistemática y metaanálisis

Objetivo: Determinar la eficacia de las intervenciones de prevención de caídas en personas mayores institucionalizadas. Material y métodos: La población de estudio consistió en ensayos clínicos controlados y aleatorizados acerca de intervenciones de prevención primaria de caídas, en ancianos institucionalizados en residencias y unidades de larga estancia, publicados en los últimos 15 años en el ámbito mundial. Se realizó un análisis de metaanálisis para determinar la eficacia de las intervenciones de prevención de caídas. Resultados: El equipo investigador revisó un total de 2.382 estudios, de los cuales se seleccionaron 156; finalmente se analizan 7 estudios de forma enmascarada, previo examen de su calidad metodológica mediante Checklist of Consort Statement (2002). Las intervenciones de prevención de caídas en pacientes geriátricos, institucionalizados en residencias geriátricas y unidades de larga estancia reducen de forma global la posibilidad de caerse (odds ratio = 0,63; intervalo de confianza del 95%, 0,53-0,74). Conclusiones: Las intervenciones de prevención de caídas en residencias geriátricas y unidades de larga estancia consiguen disminuir en 1,58 veces la posibilidad de caerse. Se destaca la formación del equipo como uno de los aspectos clave en la prevención, acompañada por un enfoque del problema multifactorial, interdisciplinar e individualizado.

Step-by-step of ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy of the breast: review and technique

Ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy has high sensitivity in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The present study is aimed at detailing the main steps of such procedure, including indications, advantages, limitations, follow-up and description of the technique, besides presenting a checklist including the critical steps required for an appropriate practice of the technique. In the recent years, an increasing number of patients have required breast biopsy, indicating the necessity of a proportional increase in the number of skilled professionals to carry out the procedures and histological diagnoses. A multidisciplinary approach involving the tripod clinical practice-radiology-pathology is responsible for the highest rate of accuracy of the technique and must always be adopted.

Voting advice applications : impact on voting decisions in the 2011 Swiss national elections

In most democracies voting Advice Applications (VAAs) advising citizens which candidate or party they should vote for become more and more popular. It is therefore crucial to know more about the functioning and the effects of such tools. After some general remarks about the spread of these tools and their possible effects gathered so far in various studies, this paper presents the latest results from a research conducted in the course of the 2011 Swiss national elections. They confirm that VAAs can lead to better informed voters and are likely to have a positive impact on electoral turnout. Additionally it can be shown that the Swiss VAA smartvote made voters change their voting intention and that they voted for a different party. This was particularly advantageous for the Green Liberal Party. At the moment, only a minority of voters rely on the voting recommendation by smartvote. This might change dramatically with the introduction of e-voting. Once people can vote electronically, there are hardly any possibilities to prevent voters from transferring their selection of candidates based on the recommendation given by a VAA into the official electronic ballot paper. If this is possible, e-voting will become more popular than postal voting.

Combining Customer Requirements and Modularity in Complete Tap Water Solution

This thesis studies forming a complete solution concept for tap water systems in project business environment. The aim of the study is to find tools and means for the target company to determine the scope of their tap water solution offering and to research what kind of organizational capabilities and resources are needed to supply such system solutions. With the help of literature, the characteristics of systems selling and project business and thematics of systems integration and integrated solutions are examined, and the significance of modularity and customer requirements in the given operational environment is discussed. After this, a checklist tool for customer requirements management is developed for the tap water system along with a module allocation method. The study proposes that with the checklist and module allocation the technical specifications can be extensively and innovatively defined for the system. The tools developed are a part of a complete tap water solution concept, which suggests that integrated solutions might constitute possibilities for the company to outperform its competitors when the traditional business methods of the industry are becoming obsolete.