Commerce in disguise : war and trade in the Caribbean free port of Gustavia, 1793–1815

ISBN 978-951-765-806-5Avhandlingen studerar frihamnen Gustavia på ön S:t Barthélemy, den svenska kolonin i Västindien, under de franska revolutionskrigen 1793-1815. Syftet är att kartlägga den ekonomiska aktiviteten genom Gustavia genom ett outforskat källmaterial och analysera hamnens roll i Västindien och i den atlantiska ekonomin under krigsåren. Det viktigaste resultatet av undersökningen är att den påvisar den kortvariga men exceptionella position som Gustavia fick under krigen, vilket ledde till att stora varuflöden gick genom den svenska kolonin och att sjöfart under svensk flagg i regionen tilltog. Krigskonjunkturen hämtade till ön ett stort antal nya invånare, framförallt från angränsande karibiska kolonier men också från USA och Europa. Frihamnen och ön fungerade kort under några decennier som en global marknadsplats i Västindien för handelsmän som kringgick blockader och handelsförbud. Vidare närmar sig även avhandlingen frågor om Sveriges engagemang i slavhandeln på ett systematiskt sätt, och demonstrerar att den svenska slavhandeln var mer omfattande än den tidigare forskningen visat, speciellt efter att rörelsen för slavhandelns förbud fått ett starkt fäste i Storbritannien. De tidigare stora internationella undersökningarna om slavhandeln har ofta missat det svenska inslaget. S:t Barthélemy har fått relativt lite uppmärksamhet i den svenska historieforskningen, och har ofta skildrats som ett exotiskt och ganska betydelselöst inslag i Sverige 1800-talshistoria. Mycket av den tidigare forskningen präglas av det nationalhistoriska perspektivet med kolonins länkar till Stockholm i blickfånget. Avhandlingen påvisar att länkarna mellan kolonin och Stockholm var fåtaliga och att dess ekonomiska betydelse för Sverige var ytterst liten. Däremot omvärderar avhandlingen kolonins betydelsefulla roll i ett större internationellt sammanhang. ----------------------------------------------------------- Väitöskirja käsittelee Gustavian vapaasatamaa Ruotsin Länsi-Intian siirtomaassa Saint-Barthélemyn saarella, Ranskan vallankumoussotien aikana 1793–1815. Tarkoitus on ollut kartoittaa Gustavian kautta kulkevaa taloudellista toimintaa tutkimattomien lähteiden avulla ja arvioida sataman asemaa Länsi-Intiassa sekä atlanttisessa taloudessa sotavuosina.Väitöskirjan tärkein tulos osoittaa sataman sotien aikana saavuttamaa lyhytkestoista mutta poikkeuksellista roolia, mikä johti suuren kaupankäynnin saapumiseen ruotsalaissiirtomaahan sekä siihen, että merenkulku ruotsalaisen lipun alla kiihtyi Länsi-Intian alueella. Sotatalouden nousukausi aikaansai pienelle saarelle muuttoliikkeen myötä suuren väestönkasvun, jonka lähteenä olivat pääsääntöisesti lähisaaret, mutta osa uusista asukkaista tuli myös Yhdysvalloista ja Euroopasta. Gustavian vapaasatama toimi muutaman vuosikymmenen ajan globaalina markkinapaikkana Länsi-Intian kauppamiehille, joilla oli tarve kiertää kauppasaartoja ja -kieltoja. Lisäksi väitöskirja lähestyy kysymystä Ruotsin osallistumisesta orjankauppaan ja osoittaa että ruotsalainen orjakauppa oli laajempaa kuin aiempi tutkimus on väittänyt, etenkin sen jälkeen kun kansanliike orjakauppaa vastaan oli saavuttanut vahvan tuen Iso-Britanniassa. Aiemmat laajat kansainväliset kartoitukset orjakaupasta ovat usein ohittaneet ruotsalaisten osallisuutta tässä yhteydessä. Saint-Barthélemy on aiemmin saanut suhteellisen vähän huomiota ruotsalaisessa historiankirjoituksessa, ja sitä on usein hahmoteltu eksoottisena ja melko merkityksettömänä osana Ruotsin 1800-luvun historiaa. Aiempaa tutkimusta on paljolti leimannut kansallinen historiankirjoitus, jonka keskeisenä kiinnostuksena ovat olleet saaren yhteydet Tukholmaan. Väitöskirja osoittaa kuitenkin että nämä yhteydet olivat heikkoja ja että siirtomaan taloudellinen merkitys Ruotsille oli hyvinkin pieni. Toisaalta väitöskirja arvioi siirtomaan todellista ja tärkeää roolia uudelleen sijoittamalla sen isompaan kansainväliseen asiayhteyteen.

Invoice-kaupan edut ja haitat verrattuna tavalliseen Tax Free kauppaan

Kandidaatintutkielmani käsittelee Invoice-kauppaa ja sitä, mitä etuja siihen liittyy verrattuna tavanomaiseen tax-free kauppaan. Invoice-veronpalautusjärjestelmässä EU:n ulkopuolella asuva asiakas saa veronpalautuksen samasta liikkeestä seuraavalla asiointikerralla. Arvonlisäveronpalautukset on kuitenkin haettava puolen vuoden sisällä ostosten tekemisestä. Tavanomaisessa tax-free kaupassa asiakas saa arvonlisäveronpalautuksen rajalta poistuessaan Suomesta. Invoicea käytettäessä asiakas saa verosta isomman osan takaisin kuin tavanomaisessa tax-free kaupassa, mutta palautuksen saaminen kestää kauemmin, koska Invoicea käytettäessä veronpalautuksen voi saada vain samasta liikkeestä, missä ostokset on tehty. Tutkielmani tarkastelee aihetta kauppiaan näkökulmasta. Kauppiaan kannalta Invoicen etuna on erityisesti asiakkaiden ”koukuttaminen”, koska veronpalautukset on aina haettava samasta liikkestä, mistä tuotteet on ostettu. Näin samat asiakkaat tulevat usein samaan liikkeeseen myös seuraavilla Suomen matkoilla saadakseen veronpalautukset. Tämä tuo liikkeille usein myös uusia kanta-asiakkaita.Toisaalta on huomioitava myös Invoicen käytöstä kauppiaalle ja kassoille mahdollisesti aiheutuva lisätyö ja kustannukset. Veronpalautusten maksaminen takaisin asiakkaille ja tullissa leimattujen kuittien käsittely vie kassoilla tavanomaista enemmän aikaa ja saattaa vaatia lisää henkilökuntaa. Tutkielma on toteutettu laadullisena eli kvalitatiivisena ja tutkimusmenetelmänä on käytetty haastatteluita. Haastateltavat ovat kauppiaita Kaakkois-Suomen alueelta. Tavoitteenani oli koota mahdollisimman monipuolinen haastateltavien joukko sisältäen niin vaate- ja vapaa-ajan liikkeitä kuin sekatavara- ja päivittäistavarakauppoja. Teorialähteinä käytin yliopiston kirjastosta lainattuja kirjoja, LUT:in tietokantojen ja Edilex-tietokannan artikkeleita sekä Verohallinnon dokumentteja ja verkkojulkaisuja. Lisäksi olen hyödyntänyt tutkielmassani myös ajankohtaisia uutisia sekä erilaisten paikallis- ja aikakauslehtien artikkeleita. Tutkielmani johtopäätöksissä tulin siihen tulokseen, että kauppiaan kannalta edullisinta on käyttää samanaikaisesti sekä Invoicea että perinteistä, palautusliikeiden palveluja hyödyntävää tax-free järjestelmää. Tämä mahdollistaa liikkeille mahdollisimman laajan asiakasjoukon. Suomessa usein käyvät ostosmatkailijat suosivat yleensä Invoicea täysimääräisen veronpalautuksen vuoksi. Palautusliikkeet taas veloittavat asiakkaalle maksettavasta veronpalautuksesta oman palvelumaksunsa. Suomessa harvemmin vieraileville taas palautusliikkeiden palvelut ovat edullisempia, sillä veronpalautukset saa rajalta maasta poistuttaessa, eikä tarvitse palata samaan liikkeeseen puolen vuoden sisällä. Palautusliikkeiden etuna Invoiceen nähden on myös asioinnin vaivattomuus, sillä eri liikkeissä asioivat ostosmatkailijat saavat kaikista matkalla tekemistään ostoksista arvonlisäveronpalautuksensa yhdestä paikasta sen sijaan, että kävisivät hakemassa ne joka liikkeestä erikseen.

Creating SHAREDVALUE: A How-to Guide for the New Corporate (R)evolution

Competitividad y valor compartido

The Big idea: Creating Shared Value

Competitividad y valor compartido

Anharmonic Helmholtz free energy to O(lambdaâ ´) in the non- leading term approximation /|nby Leslie Wilk. -- 260 St. Catharines, Ont. : [s. n.],

Expressions for the anharmonic Helmholtz free energy contributions up to o( f ) ,valid for all temperatures, have been obtained using perturbation theory for a c r ystal in which every atom is on a site of inversion symmetry. Numerical calculations have been carried out in the high temperature limit and in the non-leading term approximation for a monatomic facecentred cubic crystal with nearest neighbour c entralforce interactions. The numbers obtained were seen to vary by a s much as 47% from thos e obtai.ned in the leading term approximati.on,indicating that the latter approximati on is not in general very good. The convergence to oct) of the perturbation series in the high temperature limit appears satisfactory.

Modifications to the Suzuki reaction and mechanistic insights on the NBS mediated cleavage of benzylidene acetals /

One of the most challenging tasks for a synthetic organic chemist today, is the development of chemo, regio, and stereoselective methodologies toward the total synthesis of macromolecules. r . The objective of my thesis was to develop methodologies towards this end. The first part of my project was to develop highly functionalized chirons from D-glucose, a cheap, chiral starting material, to be utilized in this capacity. The second part of the project dealt with modifying the carbon-carbon bond forming Suzuki reaction, which is utilized quite often as a means of combining molecular sub units in total synthesis applications. As previously stated the first area of the project was to develop high value chirons from D-glucose, but the mechanism of their formation was also investigated. The free radical initiated oxidative fragmentation of benzylidene acetals was investigated through the use of several test-case substrates in order to unravel the possible mechanistic pathways. This was performed by reacting the different acetals with N-bromosuccinimide and benzoyl peroxide in chlorobenzene at 70^C in all cases. Of the three mechanistic pathways discussed in the literature, it was determined, from the various reaction products obtained, that the fragmentation of the initial benzylic radical does not occur spontaneously but rather, oxidation proceeds to give the benzyl bromide, which then fragments via a polar pathway. It was also discovered that the regioselectivity of the fragmentation step could be altered through incorporation of an allylic system into the benzylidene acetal. This allows for the acquisition of a new set of densely functionalized. chiral, valuable synthetic intermediates in only a few steps and in high yields from a-Dglucose. The second part of the project was the utilization of the phosphonium salt room temperature ionic liquid tetradecyltrihexylphosphonium chloride (THPC) as an efficient reusable medium for the palladium catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides, including aryl chlorides, under mild conditions. The cross-coupling reactions were found to proceed in THPC containing small amounts of water and toluene using potassium phosphate and 1% Pd2(dba)3. Variously substituted iodobenzenes, including electron rich derivatives, reacted efficiently in THPC with a variety of arylboronic acids and afforded complete conversion within 1 hour at 50 ^C. The corresponding aryl bromides also reacted under these conditions with the addition of a catalytic amount of triphenylphosphine that allowed for complete conversion and high isolated yields. The reactions involving aryl chlorides were considerably slower, although the addition of triphenylphosphine and heating at 70 ^C allowed high conversion of electron deficient derivatives. Addition of water and hexane to the reaction products results in a triphasic system in which the top hexane phase contained the biaryl products, the palladium catalyst remained fully dissolved in the central THPC layer, while the inorganic salts were extracted into the lower aqueous phase. The catalyst was then recycled by removing the top and bottom layers and adding the reagents to the ionic liquid which was heated again at 50 ^C; resulting in complete turnover of iodobenzene. Repetition of this procedure gave the biphenyl product in 82-97% yield (repeated five times) for both the initial and recycled reaction sequences.

John R.A. Mayer fonds, 1963-2007

John R.A. Mayer (de Berncastle) was a professor in the Philosophy Department at Brock University from 1965 to 1997. During his career at Brock he served as Chair of the Philosophy Department and as Associate Dean of Arts and Science. In 1972 he conceived the Master of Philosophy Program, along with G.M.C. Sprung. He was also a special member of the Brock Philosophical Society, a group of Brock alumni, faculty, students and Niagara citizens, which promoted an open and free discussion of ideas.

O6-Methylguanine-DNA-Methyltransferase methylation: prevalence and predictive value in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Introduction: Le gène O6-méthylguanine-ADN méthyltransferase (MGMT) code pour une enzyme spécifique réparatrice de l’ADN qui protège les cellules de la toxicité des agents alkylants. Ainsi, l’activité du MGMT est un mécanisme majeur de résistance aux agents alkylants. Il a été démontré qu’une diminution de l’expression du gène MGMT par une hyperméthylation du promoteur résulte en une amélioration de la survie chez les patients avec certains types de tumeurs qui sont traitées avec des agents chimiothérapeuthique alkylants. Objectifs: Déterminer la prévalence de la méthylation du gène MGMT chez des patients avec des cancers épidermoïdes localement avancés de la sphère ORL traités avec chimioradiothérapie et évaluer l’impact de cette méthylation sur la survie. Méthodes: Sur 428 patients consécutifs, traités avec chimioradiothérapie à notre institution et suivis pour un période médiane de 37 mois, 199 spécimens chirurgicaux paraffinés ont été récupérés. L’ADN était extrait et modifié par le traitement au bisulfite. Une réaction en chaîne de la polymérase, spécifique à la méthylation était entreprise pour évaluer l’état de méthylation du promoteur du gène du MGMT. Les résultats de laboratoire étaient corrélés avec la réponse clinique. L’analyse statistique était exécutée à l’aide du test de Fisher pour les données catégoriques et à l’aide des courbes de Kaplan-Meier pour les échecs au traitement. Résultats : Des 199 extraits d’ADN initiaux, 173 (87%) étaient modifiés au bisulfite avec succès. Des ces spécimens modifiés, 71 (41%) ont démontré une hyperméthylation du MGMT. Pour les cas de méthylation et nonméthylation du MGMT, les caractéristiques des patients n’étaient pas significativement différentes. Les taux de réponse étaient 71 et 73% (p=NS) respectivement. Le contrôle locorégional était respectivement 87 et 77% (p=0.26), la survie sans maladie était 80 et 60% (p=0.38), la survie sans métastase à distance était 92 et 78% (p=0.08) et la survie globale était 64 et 62% (p=0.99) à 3 ans. Conclusions : L’état de méthylation du MGMT est fortement prévalent (41%) et semble avoir un possible impact bénéfique sur la survie quand la chimioradiothérapie est administrée aux patients avec des stades avancés de cancers tête et cou.

Habileté de mentalisation chez les mères présentant un trouble de personnalité limite : orientation mentale maternelle lors d’interactions mère-bébé.

Contexte : Les personnes atteintes de trouble de personnalité limite (TPL) présenteraient un déficit de mentalisation, soit la capacité de percevoir et interpréter les états mentaux chez soi et chez l’autre. Dans le cadre de la relation mère-bébé, un tel déficit est susceptible d’entraîner des perturbations relationnelles ayant des conséquences néfastes sur le développement de l’enfant. L’orientation mentale se mesure par le biais des verbalisations du parent au sujet des états mentaux de son enfant et constitue donc un reflet de la mentalisation du parent durant cette interaction. Toutefois, aucune étude n’a encore investigué l’orientation mentale chez des mères avec TPL durant l’interaction avec leur bébé. Objectif : Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer l’orientation mentale de 38 mères en interaction avec leur enfant âgé de 12 mois, incluant 10 mères atteintes de TPL et 28 sans diagnostic psychiatrique. Méthode: L’orientation mentale maternelle fut évaluée à partir de vidéos d’interaction mère-enfant dans un contexte de jeu libre. Le TPL a été identifié à l’aide du Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II). Résultats: Les mères atteintes de TPL ne se sont pas distingué concernant la fréquence de commentaires faisant référence aux états mentaux de leur bébé. Toutefois, les commentaires mentaux des mères souffrant de TPL se sont avérés être 4.7 fois plus fréquemment jugés non-appropriés à l’état mental de l’enfant comparés à ceux des mères sans diagnostic psychiatrique. Conclusions : Les commentaires mentaux des mères atteintes de TPL semblent plus fréquemment empreints d’erreurs d’interprétation des états mentaux de leur enfant, ce qui pourrait poser un risque pour le développement de l’enfant.

Interaction d'Escherichia coli entérohémorragique (EHEC) avec Acanthamoeba castellanii et rôle du régulon Pho chez les EHEC

Les EHEC de sérotype O157:H7 sont des agents zoonotiques d’origine alimentaire ou hydrique. Ce sont des pathogènes émergeants qui causent chez l’humain des épidémies de gastro-entérite aiguë et parfois un syndrome hémolytique-urémique. Les EHEC réussissent leur transmission à l’humain à partir de leur portage commensal chez l’animal en passant par l’étape de survie dans l’environnement. L’endosymbiose microbienne est une des stratégies utilisées par les bactéries pathogènes pour survivre dans les environnements aquatiques. Les amibes sont des protozoaires vivants dans divers écosystèmes et connus pour abriter plusieurs agents pathogènes. Ainsi, les amibes contribueraient à transmettre les EHEC à l'humain. La première partie de mon projet de thèse est centrée sur l'interaction de l’amibe Acanthamoeba castellanii avec les EHEC. Les résultats montrent que la présence de cette amibe prolonge la persistance des EHEC, et ces dernières survivent à leur phagocytose par les amibes. Ces résultats démontrent le potentiel réel des amibes à héberger les EHEC et à contribuer à leur transmission. Cependant, l’absence de Shiga toxines améliore leur taux de survie intra-amibe. Par ailleurs, les Shiga toxines sont partiellement responsables de l’intoxication des amibes par les EHEC. Cette implication des Shiga toxines dans le taux de survie intracellulaire et dans la mortalité des amibes démontre l’intérêt d’utiliser les amibes comme modèle d'interaction hôte/pathogène pour étudier la pathogénicité des EHEC. Durant leur cycle de transmission, les EHEC rencontrent des carences en phosphate inorganique (Pi) dans l’environnement. En utilisant conjointement le système à deux composantes (TCS) PhoB-R et le système Pst (transport spécifique de Pi), les EHEC détectent et répondent à cette variation en Pi en activant le régulon Pho. La relation entre la virulence des EHEC, le PhoB-R-Pst et/ou le Pi environnemental demeure inconnue. La seconde partie de mon projet explore le rôle du régulon Pho (répondant à un stress nutritif de limitation en Pi) dans la virulence des EHEC. L’analyse transcriptomique montre que les EHEC répondent à la carence de Pi par une réaction complexe impliquant non seulement un remodelage du métabolisme général, qui est critique pour sa survie, mais aussi en coordonnant sa réponse de virulence. Dans ces conditions le régulateur PhoB contrôle directement l’expression des gènes du LEE et de l’opéron stx2AB. Ceci est confirmé par l’augmentation de la sécrétion de l’effecteur EspB et de la production et sécrétion de Stx2 en carence en Pi. Par ailleurs, l’activation du régulon Pho augmente la formation de biofilm et réduit la motilité chez les EHEC. Ceci corrèle avec l’induction des gènes régulant la production de curli et la répression de la voie de production d’indole et de biosynthèse du flagelle et du PGA (Polymère β-1,6-N-acétyle-D-glucosamine).

Plasma Polymerised Organic Thin Films-A Study on the Structural, Electrical and Nonlinear Optical Properties for Possible Applications

This proposed thesis is entitled “Plasma Polymerised Organic Thin Films: A study on the Structural, Electrical, and Nonlinear Optical Properties for Possible Applications. Polymers and polymer based materials find enormous applications in the realm of electronics and optoelectronics. They are employed as both active and passive components in making various devices. Enormous research activities are going on in this area for the last three decades or so, and many useful contributions are made quite accidentally. Conducting polymers is such a discovery, and eversince the discovery of conducting polyacetylene, a new branch of science itself has emerged in the form of synthetic metals. Conducting polymers are useful materials for many applications like polymer displays, high density data storage, polymer FETs, polymer LEDs, photo voltaic devices and electrochemical cells. With the emergence of molecular electronics and its potential in finding useful applications, organic thin films are receiving an unusual attention by scientists and engineers alike. This is evident from the vast literature pertaining to this field appearing in various journals. Recently, computer aided design of organic molecules have added further impetus to the ongoing research activities in this area. Polymers, especially, conducting polymers can be prepared both in the bulk and in the thinfilm form. However, many applications necessitate that they are grown in the thin film form either as free standing or on appropriate substrates. As far as their bulk counterparts are concerned, they can be prepared by various polymerisation techniques such as chemical routes and electrochemical means. A survey of the literature reveals that polymers like polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, have been investigated with a view to studying their structural electrical and optical properties. Among the various alternate techniques employed for the preparation of polymer thin films, the method of plasma polymerisation needs special attention in this context. The technique of plasma polymerisation is an inexpensive method and often requires very less infra structure. This method includes the employment of ac, rf, dc, microwave and pulsed sources. They produce pinhole free homogeneous films on appropriate substrates under controlled conditions. In conventional plasma polymerisation set up, the monomer is fed into an evacuated chamber and an ac/rf/dc/ w/pulsed discharge is created which enables the monomer species to dissociate, leading to the formation of polymer thin films. However, it has been found that the structure and hence the properties exhibited by plasma polymerized thin films are quite different from that of their counterparts produced by other thin film preparation techniques such as electrochemical deposition or spin coating. The properties of these thin films can be tuned only if the interrelationship between the structure and other properties are understood from a fundamental point of view. So very often, a through evaluation of the various properties is a pre-requisite for tailoring the properties of the thin films for applications. It has been found that conjugation is a necessary condition for enhancing the conductivity of polymer thin films. RF technique of plasma polymerisation is an excellent tool to induce conjugation and this modifies the electrical properties too. Both oxidative and reductive doping can be employed to modify the electrical properties of the polymer thin films for various applications. This is where organic thin films based on polymers scored over inorganic thin films, where in large area devices can be fabricated with organic semiconductors which is difficult to achieve by inorganic materials. For such applications, a variety of polymers have been synthesized such as polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyrrole etc. There are newer polymers added to this family every now and then. There are many virgin areas where plasma polymers are yet to make a foray namely low-k dielectrics or as potential nonlinear optical materials such as optical limiters. There are also many materials which are not been prepared by the method of plasma polymerisation. Some of the materials which are not been dealt with are phenyl hydrazine and tea tree oil. The advantage of employing organic extracts like tea tree oil monomers as precursors for making plasma polymers is that there can be value addition to the already existing uses and possibility exists in converting them to electronic grade materials, especially semiconductors and optically active materials for photonic applications. One of the major motivations of this study is to synthesize plasma polymer thin films based on aniline, phenyl hydrazine, pyrrole, tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil by employing both rf and ac plasma polymerisation techniques. This will be carried out with the objective of growing thin films on various substrates such as glass, quartz and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass. There are various properties namely structural, electrical, dielectric permittivity, nonlinear optical properties which are to be evaluated to establish the relationship with the structure and the other properties. Special emphasis will be laid in evaluating the optical parameters like refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), the real and imaginary components of dielectric constant and the optical transition energies of the polymer thin films from the spectroscopic ellipsometric studies. Apart from evaluating these physical constants, it is also possible to predict whether a material exhibit nonlinear optical properties by ellipsometric investigations. So further studies using open aperture z-scan technique in order to evaluate the nonlinear optical properties of a few selected samples which are potential nonlinear optical materials is another objective of the present study. It will be another endeavour to offer an appropriate explanation for the nonlinear optical properties displayed by these films. Doping of plasma polymers is found to modify both the electrical conductivity and optical properties. Iodine is found to modify the properties of the polymer thin films. However insitu iodine doping is tricky and the film often looses its stability because of the escape of iodine. An appropriate insitu technique of doping will be developed to dope iodine in to the plasma polymerized thin films. Doping of polymer thin films with iodine results in improved and modified optical and electrical properties. However it requires tools like FTIR and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy to elucidate the structural and optical modifications imparted to the polymer films. This will be attempted here to establish the role of iodine in the modification of the properties exhibited by the films

STANDARDIZATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS FOR READY TO EAT FISH PRODUCTS IN INDIGENOUS POLYMER COATED TIN FREE STEEL CANS

In the present work, Indigenous polymer coated Tin Free Steel cans were analyzed fortheir suitability for thermal processing and storage of fish and fish products following standard methods. The raw materials used for the development of ready to eat thermally processed fish products were found to be of fresh condition. The values for various biochemical and microbiological parameters of the raw materials were well within the limits. Based on the analysis of commercial sterility, instrumental colour, texture, WB-shear force and sensory parameters, squid masala processed to F0 value of 8 min with a total process time of 38.5 min and cook value of 92 min was chosen as the optimum for squid masala in tin free steel cans while shrimp curry processed to F0 7 min with total process time of 44.0 min and cook value of 91.1 min was found to be ideal and was selected for storage study. Squid masala and shrimp curry thermally processed in indigenous polymer coated TFS cans were found to be acceptable even after one year of storage at room temperaturebased on the analysis of various sensory and biochemical parameters. Analysis of the Commission Internationale d’ Eclirage L*, a* and b* color values showed that the duration of exposure to heat treatment influenced the color parameters: the lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*)decreased, and the redness (a*) significantly increased with the increase in processing time or reduction in processing temperature.Instrumental analysis of texture showed that hardness-1 & 2 decreased with reduction in retort temperature while cohesiveness value did not show any appreciable change with decrease in temperature of processing. Other texture profile parameters like gumminess, springiness and chewiness decreased significantly with increase of processing time. W-B shear force values of mackerel meat processed at 130 °C were significantly higher than those processed at 121.1 and 115 °C. HTST processing of mackerel in brine helped in reducing the process time and improving the quality.The study also indicated that indigenous polymer coated TFS cans with easy openends can be a viable alternative to the conventional tin and aluminium cans. The industry can utilize these cans for processing ready to eat fish and shell fish products for both domestic and export markets. This will help in reviving the canning industry in India.

Meiobenthos of the Shelf Waters of West Coast of India With Special Reference to Free-Living Marine Nematodes

Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Bioactivity Profile of Polyunsaturated Fattyacid extracts from Sardinella longiceps and Sardinella fimbriata – A comparative study

The oceans have proved to be an interminable source of new and effective drugs. Innumerable studies have proved that specific compounds isolated from marine organisms have great nutritional and pharmaceutical value. Polyunsaturated fattyacids (PUFA) in general are known for their dietary benefits in preventing and curing several critical ailments including Coronary heart disease (CHD) and cancers of various kinds. Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) are two PUFA which are entirely marine in origin – and small Clupeoid fishes like sardines are known to be excellent sources of these two compounds. In this study, we selected two widely available Sardine species in the west coast, Sardinella longiceps and Sardinella fimbriata, for a comparative analysis of their bioactive properties. Both these sardines are known to be rich in EPA and DHA, however considerable seasonal variation in its PUFA content was expected and these variations studied. An extraction procedure to isolate PUFA at high purity levels was identified and the extracts obtained thus were studied for anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic and anti-cancerous properties.Samples of both the sardines were collected from landing centre, measured and their gut content analysed in four different months of the year – viz. June, September, December and March. The fish samples were analyzed for fattyacid using FAME method using gas chromatography to identify the full range of fattyacids and their respective concentration in each of the samples. The fattyacids were expressed in mg/g meat and later converted to percentage values against total fatty acids and total PUFA content. Fattyacids during winter season (Dec-Mar) were found to be generally higher than spawning season (June-Sept). PUFA dominated the profiles of both species and average PUFA content was also higher during winter. However, it was found that S. longiceps had proportionately higher EPA as compared to S. fimbriata which was DHA rich. Percentage of EPA and DHA also varied across months for both species – the spawning season seemed to show higher EPA content in S. longiceps and higher DHA content in S. fimbriata. Gut content analysis indicate that adult S. fimbriata is partial to zooplanktons which are DHA rich while adult S. longiceps feed mainly on EPA rich phytoplankton. Juveniles of both species, found mainly in winter, had a gut content showing more mixed diet. This difference in the feeding pattern reflect clearly in their PUFA profile – adult S. longiceps, which dominate the catch during the spawn season, feeding mostly on phytoplankton is concentrated with EPA while the juveniles which are found mostly in the winter season has slightly less EPA proportion as compared to adults. The same is true for S. fimbriata adults that are caught mostly in the spawning season; being rich in DHA as they feed mainly on zooplankton while the juveniles caught during winter season has a relatively lower concentration of DHA in their total PUFA.Various extraction procedures are known to obtain PUFA from fish oil. However, most of them do not give high purity and do not use materials indicated as safe. PUFA extracts have to be edible and should not have harmful substances for applying on mice and human subjects. Some PUFA extraction procedures, though pure and non-toxic, might induce cis-trans conversions during the extraction process. This conversion destroys the benefits of PUFA and at times is harmful to human body. A method free from these limitations has been standardized for this study. Gas Chromatography was performed on the extracts thus made to ensure that it is substantially pure. EPA: DHA ratios for both samples were derived - for S. longiceps this ratio was 3:2, while it was 3:8 for S. fimbriata.Eight common strains of gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains were subjected to the PUFA extracts from both species dissolved in acetone solution using Agar Well Diffusion method. The activity was studied against an acetone control. At the end of incubation period, zones of inhibition were measured to estimate the activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration for each of the active combinations was calculated by keeping p < 0.01 as significant. Four of the bacteria including multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were shown to be inhibited by the fish extracts. It was also found that the extracts from S. fimbriata were better than the one from S. longiceps in annihilating harmful bacteria.Four groups of mice subjects were studied to evaluate the antidiabetic properties of the PUFA extracts. Three groups were induced diabetes by administration of alloxan tetra hydrate. One group without diabetes was kept as control and another with diabetes was kept as diabetic control. For two diabetic groups, a prescribed amount of fish extracts were fed from each of the extracts. The biochemical parameters like serum glucose, total cholesterol, LDL & HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, urea and creatinine were sampled from all four groups at regular intervals of 7 days for a period of 28 days. It was found that groups fed with fish extracts had marked improvement in the levels of total LDL & HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and creatinine. Groups fed with extracts from S. fimbriata seem to have fared better as compared to S. longiceps. However, both groups did not show any marked improvement in blood glucose levels or levels of urea.Cell lines of MCF-7 (Breast Cancer) and DU-145 (Prostate Cancer) were used to analyse the cytotoxicity of the PUFA extracts. Both cell lines were subjected to MTT Assay and later the plates were read using an ELISA reader at a wavelength of 570nm. It was found that both extracts had significant cytotoxic effects against both cell lines and a peak cytotoxicity of 85-90% was apparent. IC50 values were calculated from the graphs and it was found that S. longiceps extracts had a slightly lower IC50 value indicating that it is toxic even at a lower concentration as compared to extracts from S. fimbriata.This study summarizes the bioactivity profile of PUFA extracts and provides recommendation for dietary intake; fish based nutritional industry and indigenous pharmaceutical industry. Possible future directions of this study are also elaborated.