Study of the shelf-life of a mixed araça (Psidium guineensis Sw.) and marolo (Annona crassiflora Mart.) jam

The objective of this study was to add value to araça and marolo fruits by developing jams and verifying changes in their physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters during storage. The analyses were carried out every 2 months. From the results, it was shown that the levels of moisture (35.89 - 26.34%), lipids (0.43 - 0.27%), sucrose (30.62 - 28.98%), total pectin (0.83 - 0.50%), soluble pectin (0.52 - 0.38%), total phenolic compounds (180.31 - 135.52 mg.GAE 100 g-1), and organic acids (401.1 - 68.5 µg.g-1 citric acid) decreased during storage. However, the levels of protein (0.83 - 0.95%), carbohydrate (62.52 - 72.5%, calories (257,11 - 295,931 kcal), fiber (0.72 - 1.4%), total soluble sugar (62.52 - 70.44%), reducing sugar (32.05 - 41.41%), soluble solids (68.4 - 72.18 °Brix), consistency (0.33 - 0.44 N), total antioxidant potential (11.3 - 22.63%), and color (a* 7.56 - 9.49, and b* 8.63 - 10.49) increased during 1-year storage. The quality of the fruit jams studied was in accordance with the microbiological standards established by the Brazilian legislation. It was concluded that the mixed araça and marolo jam can be stored for 1 year without the addition of additives.

Application of exploratory factor analysis to assess fish consumption in a university community

The objective of this research was to use the technique of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) for the adequacy of a tool for the assessment of fish consumption and the characteristics involved in this process. Data were collected during a campaign to encourage fish consumption in Brazil with the voluntarily participation of members of a university community. An assessment instrument consisting of multiple-choice questions and a five-point Likert scale was designed and used to measure the importance of certain attributes that influence the choice and consumption of fish. This study sample was composed of of 224 individuals, the majority were women (65.6%). With regard to the frequency of fish consumption, 37.67% of the volunteers interviewed said they consume the product two or three times a month, and 29.6% once a week. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to group the variables; the extraction was made using the principal components and the rotation using the Quartimax method. The results show clusters in two main constructs, quality and consumption with Cronbach Alpha coefficients of 0.75 and 0.69, respectively, indicating good internal consistency.

Artificial neural networks (ANN): prediction of sensory measurements from instrumental data

The objective of this study was to predict by means of Artificial Neural Network (ANN), multilayer perceptrons, the texture attributes of light cheesecurds perceived by trained judges based on instrumental texture measurements. Inputs to the network were the instrumental texture measurements of light cheesecurd (imitative and fundamental parameters). Output variables were the sensory attributes consistency and spreadability. Nine light cheesecurd formulations composed of different combinations of fat and water were evaluated. The measurements obtained by the instrumental and sensory analyses of these formulations constituted the data set used for training and validation of the network. Network training was performed using a back-propagation algorithm. The network architecture selected was composed of 8-3-9-2 neurons in its layers, which quickly and accurately predicted the sensory texture attributes studied, showing a high correlation between the predicted and experimental values for the validation data set and excellent generalization ability, with a validation RMSE of 0.0506.

Microencapsulation of babassu coconut milk

The objective of this study was to obtain babassu coconut milk powder microencapsulated by spray drying process using gum Arabic as wall material. Coconut milk was extracted by babassu peeling, grinding (with two parts of water), and vacuum filtration. The milk was pasteurized at 85 ºC for 15 minutes and homogenized to break up the fat globules, rendering the milk a uniform consistency. A central composite rotatable design with a range of independent variables was used: inlet air temperature in the dryer (170-220 ºC) and gum Arabic concentration (10-20%, w/w) on the responses: moisture content (0.52-2.39%), hygroscopicity (6.98-9.86 g adsorbed water/100g solids), water activity (0.14-0.58), lipid oxidation (0.012-0.064 meq peroxide/kg oil), and process yield (20.33-30.19%). All variables influenced significantly the responses evaluated. Microencapsulation was optimized for maximum process yield and minimal lipid oxidation. The coconut milk powder obtained at optimum conditions was characterized in terms of morphology, particle size distribution, bulk and absolute density, porosity, and wettability.

Antitromboottisten lääkeaineiden enantiomeerien kromatografinen fraktiointi

Suuri osa käytössä olevista lääkeaineista on kiraalisia yhdisteitä. Lääkevalmisteet sisältävät yhdisteen enantiomeerien ominaisuuksista riippuen joko yksittäistä enantiomeeria tai näiden seosta. Antitromboottisiin eli veren hyytymistä estäviin lääkeaineisiin kuuluvat varfariini ja rivaroksabaani ovat kiraalisia yhdisteitä, joiden enantiomeerien ominaisuudet poikkeavat antitromboottisen vaikutuksen voimakkuuden suhteen. Varfariinia käytetään kliinisesti enantiomeeriensa raseemisena seoksena, kun taas rivaroksabaani on käytössä lääkevalmisteena puhtaana S-enantiomeerinaan. Lääkeaineen enantiomeerien erottaminen toisistaan on tärkeää esimerkiksi enantiomeerien puhdistamiseksi, lääkevalmisteen oikean koostumuksen varmistamiseksi tai yksittäisten enantiomeerien käyttäytymisen arvioimiseksi elimistössä. Tässä kirjallisuustyössä käsiteltiin nestekromatografian käyttöä antitromboottisiin lääkeaineisiin kuuluvien antikoagulanttien enantiomeerien fraktioinnissa. Kirjallisuudesta saadun tiedon perusteella arvioitiin, millä erotusmateriaaleilla ja millaisissa koeolosuhteissa varfariinin sekä rivaroksabaanin enantiomeerit tulisi erottaa toisistaan. Varfariinin enantiomeerien erotukseen parhaiten sopivaksi erotusmateriaaliksi todettiin kirjallisuuden perusteella kiraalinen vankomysiinipohjainen stationaarifaasi (Chirobiotic V) metanolin, etikkahapon ja veden seoksen toimiessa eluenttina. Eluentin virtausnopeudella 0,3 mL/min ja pienellä injektiotilavuudella varfariinin enantiomeerit saatiin erottumaan täydellisesti ja nopeasti toisistaan. Kirjallisuuden perusteella rivaroksabaanin enantiomeerien erotuksessa erotusmateriaalina toimii parhaiten kiraalinen selluloosapohjainen stationaarifaasi (Chiralcel OD-RH), kun eluenttina käytetään n-heksaanin ja isopropanolin seosta virtausnopeudella 1 mL/min. Varfariinin ja rivaroksabaanin enantiomeerien fraktiointiin parhaiten sopivia menetelmiä voidaan käyttää eri tilanteissa, kuten lääkevalmisteiden laadunvarmistuksessa tai enantiomeerien erotuksessa niiden synteesin jälkeen.

Weber e Schumpeter: a ação econômica do empreendedor

Weber and Schumpeter: the Economic action of the entrepreneur. Is there any specificity to be raised in the relations established between entrepreneurs and institutions? Recently, the term entrepreneurship is being widely employed. Enterprising is not anymore a restricted activity to the private sector, but also the Third Sector and the Public Administration. It does not only circumscribe the space of innovation, but also of the adapting changes. In this sense, such elastic concept runs the risk to lose consistency. It seems to be appropriate, therefore, to rescue the meaning that many authors, considered classic in Social Sciences, had attributed to the subject, to show that, although deep socioeconomic transformations occurred since Schumpeter wrote the Theory of the Economic Development, is still necessary to emphasize a basic dimension of the enterprising action: resistance and institutional conflict.

Integrated reporting – a new form of a firm’s interaction with stakeholders

This study examines a new kind of public reporting, called integrated reporting as a form of a firm’s interaction with stakeholders. The study concerned issues such as how the studied organization defined its stakeholders and how this definition evolved during the transition period from 2009 to 2013, how has the integrated reporting of the organization evolved as an instrument of interaction with stakeholders over the transition period, and how the organization reported its value creation according to the international integrated reporting framework in the final, full-featured report. In examining the theory, the study used a qualitative analysis method that allowed deriving conceptual tools necessary to carry out the study. This study is based on the material of the five integrated reports written in Russian from a subsidiary of a Russian public company. The subsidiary carried out the transition to an integrated reporting for the five years from 2009 to 2013. A comparative qualitative method was used in reviewing the empirical material. During the research, an active cooperation of the organization with key stakeholders was revealed, which occurred during the whole period of development of integrated reporting. As a result, integrated reports were produced in cooperation with various key stakeholders, allowing balancing the financial and non-financial information in the reports. The study found that during the transition period, integrated reports gradually changed in the direction of greater clarity and ease of access to perception, consistency of presentation and materiality. The integrated reporting of the organization began reflect the basic requirements of the international integrated reporting framework regarding the content elements and guiding principles. Thus, the organization’s reports began including features of financial and non-financial reporting and connecting the three aspects of the organization's activities: economic, environmental and social. This study reveals the importance of identifying key stakeholders and their influence on the creation of organizational value. The new form of reporting suits better the requirements of modern organizations to interact with their stakeholder groups. The integrated reporting, which reflects the principles of the international integrated reporting framework, is an active resource for companies to communicate with stakeholders and a platform of transmission the necessary information on the creation of value in the long term.

Mäntyöljyn tislauksen esikäsittely

Raakamäntyöljy on selluteollisuuden sivutuote. Suopa erotetaan mustalipeästä ja palstoitetaan tuottaen siten raakamäntyöljyä. Raakamäntyöljy tislataan tavanomaisesti viiteen pääjakeeseen: rasvahapot, hartsihapot, mäntyöljytisle, esiöljy ja mäntyöljypiki. Näiden jakeiden lisäksi raakamäntyöljyssä on erityisesti mustalipeästä siihen erottuneita epäpuhtauksia, jotka haittaavat raakamäntyöljyn prosessointia. Epäpuhtauksia ovat orgaaniset ja epäorgaaniset yhdisteet, kuten metallit, suolat ja ligniini. Nämä epäpuhtaudet aiheuttavat haitallisia reaktioita prosessissa huonontaen siten lopputuotejakeiden laatua. Tämän lisäksi epäpuhtaudet aiheuttavat saostumia prosessilaitteissa alentaen siten prosessointitehokkuutta. Raakamäntyöljyn esikäsittelyllä tehostetaan tislauksen toimintaa. Työssä esitetään esikäsittelymenetelmistä mm. degumming-menetelmä, laimea happopesu, hiilidioksidikäsittely, valkaisu ja lämpökäsittely. Menetelmien pohjalta valitaan tätä työtä varten yksi menetelmä, jonka pohjalta suunnitellaan kokeellisessa osassa suoritettavat kokeet. Kokeellinen osuus koostuu esikokeista, varsinaisista kokeista ja lisäkokeista. Menetelmän tarkoituksena on saavuttaa epäpuhtauksille 90–95 % reduktioaste. Kokeiden onnistumista tutkitaan analysoimalla alkuperäinen raakamäntyöljy, sekä jokaisen kokeen jälkeen erotetut faasit. Työssä saavutettiin hyvä erotustehokkuus. Alkuperäisen tavoitteen mukaista reduktioastetta ei pystytty määrittämään eri analyysimenetelmien ja niiden analyysituloksissa ilmenneiden eroavaisuuksien vuoksi, mutta lisäkokeiden ansiosta pystyttiin vahvistamaan kyseisen koejärjestelmän optimaalinen poistoaste. Lisäksi työssä havaittiin että esikäsittelytulos on hyvin riippuvainen käsiteltävän raaka-aineen koostumuksesta.

Internal communication during an organizational change: An ethnographic case study

This study discusses the importance of internal communication during organizational change of a case study company X. The purpose of this study is to find out how to use internal communication effectively during organizational change. This study is an ethnographic cade study where a unique case of an organizational change was chosen as the research object. The theoretical background of this study consists of literature relating to the concepts of communication, organizational communication, organizational change, change management and communication of change. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on an ethnographic research method where data was collected through participant observation, informal interviews and field records in the form of a research diary. The research data was collected between September and December 2015. During this period the researcher was working within the case study organization while observing the internal communication during the organizational change process. Triangulation was used to analyze the research data in order to build a united and theoretical picture of the topic. The study finds that without clear internal communication strategy the effectiveness of communication is ought to be poor, which may lead to resistance of change, lack of trust and lower level of overall job satisfaction. Moreover the study findings highlight the importance of managerial presence during an organizational change process and consistency in using formal and informal communication and utilizing multiple communication channels. Based on the findings of this research the study suggests that during an organizational change process a clear internal communication strategy should be carefully planned and executed. The goals of internal communication should be clearly stated and communicated to the company’s employees. The findings of this study enhance importance of managers promoting sense of belonging, developing awareness of the overall change process and contributing to the manager employee relationships and trust. In addition this study points out the key factors that should be included in the internal change communication strategy which are how to ensure that the communications, both vertical and horizontal, are constant. Future research is however necessary in order to gain a more comprehensive view of the research and wider perspective of the case study. Nevertheless, this study deepens the understanding of how to use internal communication effectively during organizational change.

Early detection and intervention for infants at risk of autism spectrum disorders

Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by abnonnal social interactions and communications as well as repetitive and restricted activities and interests. There is evidence of a genetic component, as 5% of younger siblings are diagnosed if their older sibling has been diagnosed. Autism is generally not diagnosed until age 3 at the earliest, yet it has been shown that early intervention for children with autism can greatly increase their functioning. Because of this, it is important that symptoms of autism are identified as early as possible so that diagnosis can occur as soon as possible to allow these children the earliest intervention. This thesis was divided into two parts. The first looked at the psychometrics of two proposed measures, the Parent Observation Checklist (POC), administered monthly, and the Infant Behavior Summary Evaluation (mSE), administered bimonthly, to see if they can be used with the infant population to identify autistic symptoms in infants who are at high risk for autism or related problems because they have an older sibling with autism. Study 1 reported acceptable psychometric properties of both the POC and IBSE in terms of test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity and predictive validity. These results provide preliminary evidence that parent report measures can help to detect early symptoms of ASD in infants. The POC was shown to differentiate infants who were diagnosed from a matched group that was not diagnosed by 3 years of age. The second part of this thesis involved a telephone interview of parents who reported developmental and/or behavior problems in their high-risk infants that may be early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). During the interview, a service questionnaire was administered to see what interventions (including strategies recommended by the researchers) their at risk infants and affected older siblings were receiving, how satisfied the parents were with them and how effective they felt the interventions were. 3 Study 2 also yielded promising results. Parents utilized a variety of services for at risk infants and children with ASD. The interventions included empirically validated early intervention (e.g., ABA) to non-empirically validated treatments (e.g., diet therapy). The large number of nonempirically validated treatments parents used was surprising, yet parents reported being involved and satisfied, and thought that the services were effective. Parents' perceptions of their stress levels went down slightly and feelings of competence rose when they accessed services for their infants. Overall, the results of this thesis provide new evidence that parent-report methods hold promise as early detection instruments for ASD in at-risk infants. More research is needed to further validate these instruments as well as to understand the variables related to the parents' choice of early intervention for their at risk and affected children.

Organizational commitment and perceived relatedness as correlates of the intention to continue officiating in track and field

The objectives of the present study were to explore three components of organizational commitment (affective [AC], normative [NC] and continuance [CC] commitment; Allen & Meyer, 1991), perceived relatedness (Oeci & Ryan, 1985; 2002), and behavioural intention (Ajzen, 2002) within the context of volunteer track and field officiating. The objectives were examined in a 2-phase study. Ouring phase 1, experts (N = 10) with domain familiarity assessed the item content relevance and representation of modified organizational commitment (OC; Meyer, Allen & Smith, 1993) and perceived relatedness (La Guardia, Oeci, Ryan & Couchman, 2000) items. Fourteen of 26 (p < .05) items were relevant (Aiken's coefficient V) and NC (M = 3.88, SO = .64), CC (M = 3.63, SD = .52), and relatedness (M = 4.00, SD = .93) items had mean item content-representation ratings of either "good" or "very good" while AC (M = 2.50, SD = 0.58) was rated "fair". Participants in phase 2 (N = 80) responded to items measuring demographic variables, perceptions of OC to Athletics Canada, perceived relatedness to other track and field officials, and a measure of intention (yiu, Au & Tang, 2001) to continue officiating. Internal consistency reliability estimates (Cronbach's (1951) coefficient alpha) were as follows: (a) AC = .78, (b) CC = .85, (c) NC = .80 (d) perceived relatedness = .70 and, (e) intention = .92 in the present sample. Results suggest that the track and field officials felt only minimally committed to Athletics Canada (AC M = 3.90, SD = 1.23; NC M = 2.47, SD = 1.25; CC M = 3.32; SD = 1.34) and that their relationships with other track and field officials were strongly endorsed (M = 5.86, SD = 0.74). Bivariate correlations (Pearson r) indicated that perceived relatedness to other track and field officials demonstrated the strongest relationship with intention to continue officiating (r = .346, p < .05), while dimensions of OC were not significantly related to intention (all p's > .05). Together perceived relatedness (j3 = .339, p = .004), affective commitment (j3 = -.1 53, p = .308), normative commitment (j3 = -.024, p = .864) and continuance commitment (j3 = .186, P = .287) contribute to the prediction of intention to continued officiating (K = .139). These relationships remained unaffected by the inclusion of demographic (j3age = -.02; P years with Athletics Canada = -.13; bothp's > .05) or alternative commitment (j3sport = -.19; P role = .15; Pathletes = .20; all p' s > .05) considerations. Three open-ended questions elicited qualitative responses regarding participants' reasons for officiating. Responses reflecting initial reasons for officiating formed these higher order themes: convenience, helping reasons, extension of role, and intrinsic reasons. Responses reflecting reasons for continuing to officiate formed these higher order themes: track and field, to help, and personal benefits. Responses reflecting changes that would influence continued involvement were: political, organizational/structural, and personal. These results corroborate the findings of previous investigations which state that the reasons underpinning volunteer motivations change over time (Cuskelly et al., 2002). Overall, the results of this study suggest that track and field officials feel minimal commitment to the organization of Athletics Canada but a stronger bond with their fellow officials. Moreover, the degree to which track and field officials feel meaningfully connected to one another appears to exert a positive influence on their intentions to continue officiating. As such, it is suggested that in order to promote continued involvement, Athletics Canada increases its focus on fostering environments promoting positive interactions among officials.

Public service reform and the role of the Auditor General /

The objective of this thesis is to study the involvement of the Auditor General in the proposal, implementation and review of major public service reform initiatives during a period spanning nearly forty years, from the early 1960s to 2001 . This period began with the Glassco Commission and concludes at the end of the term in office of Auditor General Denis Desautels in 2001. It has been demonstrated throughout this work that the role of the OAG has varied, from proponent to critic, from instigator to reviewer. In the past forty years the OAG's mandate has changed to meet the requirements of critical analysis of government operations and this has been aptly demonstrated in the office's relationship to the issue of public service reform. It has been argued that many of the problems facing the public service are cultural in nature. Reform initiatives have taken on a number of various forms with each addressing a different set of priorities. However, there has been a great deal of consistency in the cultural values that these initiatives articulate. Throughout this thesis attention has been paid to values. Values define a culture and cultural change is required within the Canadian federal public service. How and when this cultural change will occur is but one question to be answered. During the period under consideration in this thesis the government undertook several significant public service reform initiatives. Those examined in this thesis include: The Royal Commission on Government Organization, The Special Committee on the Review of Personnel Management and the Merit Principle, The Royal Commission on Financial Management and Accountability, Increased Ministerial Authority and Accountability, Public Service 2000, Program Review and finally La Releve. The involvement, or interest, of the Auditor General's Office on the subject of public service reform is generally articulated through the means of its annual reports to Parliament although there have been supplementary undertakings on this issue. Such material relevant to this study include: Towards Better Governance: Public Service Reform in New Zealand (1984-94) and its Relevance to Canada and Reform in the Australian Public Service. Annual reports to Parliament include: "Values, Service and Performance," (1990), "Canada's Public Service Reform and Lessons Learned from Selected Jurisdictions," (1993), "Maintaining a Competent and Efficient Public Service," (1997), and "Expenditure and Work Force Reduction in Selected Departments,"

Quality time: exploring meaningful mandatory community involvement programs in secondary schools /

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of 5 stakeholder groups—students, parents, community organization representatives, guidance counsellors, and secondary school principals—in dealing with a mandatory secondary school graduation requirement in Ontario. The requirement is that students must complete 40 hours of eligible community involvement activities during their high school years in order to graduate. Ten stakeholders were interviewed regarding the nature of the community involvement program, what makes it work, and suggestions for improvement. The study found that although this program has the potential to provide a meaningful experience for students, and students are seen to gain from their experience in multiple ways, it depends substantially on the commitment of students, educators, and community organizations to make it worthwhile. Stakeholders recommended changes to the current program, which included making it a more structured process that would increase the consistency ofhow this program is implemented, finding ways to curb cheating and to reduce the administrative burden on schools, having more support from the Ontario provincial government and Ontario Ministry of Education and Training in the promotion and communication of this program, and developing partnerships between community organizations and schools to enrich the application of this program. This study concludes with a recommendation that the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training consider introducing Service-Learning, a curriculum-based experiential service and learning process, as an enhancement to the current community involvement program.

Athletic injury care training in high school coaches

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the client and occupational therapist experiences of a mental health group. A secondary aim was to explore the extent to which this group seemed to have reflected a client-centred approach. The topic emerged from personal and professional issues related to the therapist as teacher and to inconsistencies in practice with the profession's client-centred philosophy. This philosophy, the study's frame of reference, was established in terms of themes related to the client-therapist relationship and to client values. Typical practice was illustrated through an extensive literature review. Structured didacticexperiential methods aiming toward skill development were predominant. The interpretive sciences and, to a lesser extent, the critical sciences directed the methodology. An ongoing support group at a community mental health clinic was selected as the focus of the study; the occupational therapist leader and three members became the key participants. A series of conversational interviews, the . core method of data collection, was supplemented by observation, document review, further interviews, and fieldnotes. Transcriptions of conversations were returned to participants for verification and for further reflection Analysis primarily consisted of coding and organizing data according to emerging themes. The participants' experiences of group, presented as narrative stories within a group session vignette, were also returned to participants. There was a common understanding of the group's structure and the importance of having "air time" within the group; however, differences in perceptions of such things as the importance of the group in members' lives were noted. All members valued the therapeutic aspects of group, the role of group as weekly activity and, to a lesser extent, the learning that came from group. The researcher's perspective provided a critique of the group experience from a client-centred perspective. Some areas of consistency with client-centred practice were noted (e.g., therapist attitudes); however the group seemed to function far from a client-centred ideal. Members held little authority in a -relationship dominated by the leaders, and leader agendas rather than member values controlled the session. Possible reasons for this discrepancy ranging from past health care encounters through to co-leader discord emerged. The actual and potential significance of this study was discussed according to many areas of implications: to OT practice, especially client-centred group practice, to theory development, to further areas of research and methodology considerations, to people involved in the group and to my personal growth and development.

Set-up and evaluation of a mid-infrared reflectometer and investigation of the optical properties of doped tin telluride

A system comprised of a Bomem interferometer and a LT3-110 Heli-Tran cryostat was set up to measure the reflectance of materials in the mid-infrared spectral region. Several tests were conducted to ensure the consistency and reliability of the system. Silicon and Chromium, two materials with well known optical properties were measured to test the accuracy of the system, and the results were found to be in good agreement with the literature. Reflectance measurements on pure SnTe and several Pb and Mn-doped alloys were carried out. These materials were chosen because they exhibit a strong plasma edge in the mid infrared region. The optical conductivity and several related optical parameters were calculated from the measured reflectance. Very low temperature measurements were carried out in the far-infrared on Sn9SMn2Te, and the results are indicative of a spin glass phase at 0.8 K. Resistivity measurements were made at room temperature. The resistivity values were found, as expected, to decrease with increasing carrier concentration and to increase with increasing manganese concentration.