Evaluation of process parameters in the industrial scale production of fish nuggets

This work reports the use of experimental design for the assessment of the effects of process parameters on the production of fish nuggets in an industrial scale environment. The effect of independent factors on the physicochemical and microbiological parameters was investigated through a full 24 experimental design. The studied factors included the temperature of fish fillet and pulp in the mixer, the temperature of the added fat, the temperature of water and the ratio of protein extraction time to emulsion time. The physicochemical analyses showed that the higher temperature of the pulp and fillet of fish, the lower the protein in the final product. Microbiological analyses revealed that the counting of Staphylococcus coagulase positive, total and thermo-tolerant coliforms were in accordance with the current legislation.

In natura açaí beverage: quality, pasteurization and acidification

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the physical, physicochemical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of in natura açai (Euterpe precatoria Mart.)beverageprocessed and commercialized in Rio Branco, Acre, submitting it to acidification and pasteurization treatments and evaluating their effects. Açaí fruits were processed to obtain the beverage as generally consumed. A 25 L sample was collected from a processing unit at a market in Rio Branco and transported to the Laboratory of Food Technology at the Federal University of Acre, for sampling of the experiments in a completely randomized design. Analyses of total solids, pH, total titrable acidity, proteins, lipids, moulds and yeasts, total and heat-tolerant coliforms at 45 ºC were performed in in natura beverage and after treatments. The results of the ANOVA showed, except for lipids, difference (p < 0.01) in the parameters. The in natura açaí beverage presented an elevated contamination by total and heat-tolerant coliforms at 45 ºC, moulds and yeasts, being in hygienic-sanitary conditions both unsatisfactory and unsafe for consumption. Pasteurization was efficient in reducing the beverage microbiota; it reduced contamination to an acceptable level according to the legislation, warranting food quality and safety. The acidified treatment partially reduced the microbiota. The beverage was classified as fine or type C.

Physiological response of cowpea seeds to salinity stress

This work aimed to evoluate physiological response of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) seeds submitted to salt stress. Seeds of cultivars 'Epace-10'; 'Canapu' and 'Pitiúba' of cowpea, were submitted to germination test in germinator at 25(0)C, in "germitest" papers imbibed in distilled water or in 0, 10, 50, 100 and 200mol m-3 NaCl solutions. At the first and second counting of the germination test, normal seedlings were accounted, weighted and dried, obtaining data for vigor, total germination, fresh matter weight and dry matter weight. The seedlings hypocotyls, root and total length were measured total proteins content in cotyledons were obtained from germinating seeds. The presence of salt at concentrations higher than 50mol m-3 NaCl affect the germination, seedlings growth and cotyledons total protein synthesis of all cowpea cultivars. The seeds of cultivar pitiúba were is more tolerant to salinity, than the cultivars Canapu and Epace-10.

Characterisation of Cladonia rangiferina transcriptome and genome, and the effects of dehydration and rehydration on its gene expression

Lichens are symbiotic organisms, which consist of the fungal partner and the photosynthetic partner, which can be either an alga or a cyanobacterium. In some lichen species the symbiosis is tripartite, where the relationship includes both an alga and a cyanobacterium alongside the primary symbiont, fungus. The lichen symbiosis is an evolutionarily old adaptation to life on land and many extant fungal species have evolved from lichenised ancestors. Lichens inhabit a wide range of habitats and are capable of living in harsh environments and on nutrient poor substrates, such as bare rocks, often enduring frequent cycles of drying and wetting. Most lichen species are desiccation tolerant, and they can survive long periods of dehydration, but can rapidly resume photosynthesis upon rehydration. The molecular mechanisms behind lichen desiccation tolerance are still largely uncharacterised and little information is available for any lichen species at the genomic or transcriptomic level. The emergence of the high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and the subsequent decrease in the cost of sequencing new genomes and transcriptomes has enabled non-model organism research on the whole genome level. In this doctoral work the transcriptome and genome of the grey reindeer lichen, Cladonia rangiferina, were sequenced, de novo assembled and characterised using NGS and traditional expressed sequence tag (EST) technologies. RNA extraction methods were optimised to improve the yield and quality of RNA extracted from lichen tissue. The effects of rehydration and desiccation on C. rangiferina gene expression on whole transcriptome level were studied and the most differentially expressed genes were identified. The secondary metabolites present in C. rangiferina decreased the quality – integrity, optical characteristics and utility for sensitive molecular biological applications – of the extracted RNA requiring an optimised RNA extraction method for isolating sufficient quantities of high-quality RNA from lichen tissue in a time- and cost-efficient manner. The de novo assembly of the transcriptome of C. rangiferina was used to produce a set of contiguous unigene sequences that were used to investigate the biological functions and pathways active in a hydrated lichen thallus. The de novo assembly of the genome yielded an assembly containing mostly genes derived from the fungal partner. The assembly was of sufficient quality, in size similar to other lichen-forming fungal genomes and included most of the core eukaryotic genes. Differences in gene expression were detected in all studied stages of desiccation and rehydration, but the largest changes occurred during the early stages of rehydration. The most differentially expressed genes did not have any annotations, making them potentially lichen-specific genes, but several genes known to participate in environmental stress tolerance in other organisms were also identified as differentially expressed.

Multicultural Belonging. Individuals across cultures, languages and places

The article-based doctoral dissertation deals with adult individuals in Western societies who were born into multilingual and multicultural families and have parents of different nationalities. The study’s participants grew up outside their parents’ countries of origin and relate to a multitude of bonds that link them across various cultures, languages and places. The study explores the social dimension of cultural belonging and examines diverse approaches that enable the participants to create notions of belonging and identification despite possessing at times contradictory transnational allegiances. The works offers new perspectives on transnational belonging and makes a timely contribution to discussions in the fields of cultural heritage studies, ethnology and transnational studies. The dissertation combines qualitative research methods with an insider perspective. The empirical material is based on semi-structured interviews with fifteen participants, among which are also the author’s siblings. The study addresses the relevance of the author’s personal situatedness and her multi-faceted roles as well as ethical concerns related to the methodological approach of insider research. The social dimension of cultural identities affect both the participants’ identification with their multiple attachments and language use in everyday life. The key research findings present interrelated discussions of the participants’ notion of being a mixture, the importance of family bonds and multilingualism, a specific mixed family lifestyle, the notion of non-belonging and the study participants’ sense of otherness as a means of creating communality with others. The study discusses the participants’ various life strategies of flexible relativising, juggling with multiple affiliations, the approach of “blending in” and their sense of ironic nation-ness for constructing a coherent sense of belonging. The author argues that multicultural belonging is inextricably connected to an association with multiple languages, cultures and places. Multicultural belonging is relational and depends on the context, social relationships and locations. The study proposes that multicultural belonging creates a tolerant understanding of membership and enables experiences of cosmopolitanism and selected notions of allegiance.

Reserve mobilization during imbibition of stored Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Steud. (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae) seeds

Gliricidia sepium is a drought-tolerant species, easily multiplied by seeds, and has been exploited by farmers as a source of forage in the semi-arid region of northeast Brazil. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of seed storage on the mobilization of reserves during imbibition of "Gliricidia" seeds. Freshly-harvested seeds were packed in kraft paper bags and stored for three and six months in the laboratory under ambient conditions (25 º C ± 3 T and 75% ± 3 RH). Cotyledons were isolated from imbibed seeds and macerated for the extraction and quantification of total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, sucrose and starch, as well as of proteins, amino acids and for amylase activity. Storage under these conditions resulted in an increase in seed water content although germination remained at relatively high levels (86%). Seed macromolecule levels showed significant variation with the storage period and imbibition and these variations were associated with a loss in seed viability due to inadequate storage conditions.

Detection of adventitious presence of genetically modified seeds in lots of non transgenic soybean

The difficulty on identifying, lack of segregation systems and absence of suitable standards for coexistence of non trangenic and transgenic soybean are contributing for contaminations that occur during productive system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two methods for detecting mixtures of seeds genetically modified (GM) into samples of non-GM soybean, in a way that seed lots can be assessed within the standards established by seed legislation. Two sizes of soybean samples (200 and 400 seeds), cv. BRSMG 810C (non-GM) and BRSMG 850GRR (GM), were assessed with four contamination levels (addition of GM seeds, for obtaining 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% contamination), and two detection methods: immunoassay of lateral flux (ILF) and bioassay (pre-imbibition into 0.6% herbicide solution; 25 ºC; 16 h). The bioassay is efficient in detecting presence of GM seeds in seed samples of non-GM soybean, even for contamination lower than 1.0%, provided that seeds have high physiological quality. The ILF was positive, detecting the presence of target protein in contaminated samples, indicating test effectiveness. There was significant correlation between the two detection methods (r = 0.82; p < 0.0001). Sample size did not influence efficiency of the two methods in detecting presence of GM seeds.

Conflicting Memory in Estonia: How Do Estonian Russian-speakers Understand the Events of 1939-40?

This thesis studies the collective memory of the Russian-speaking minority living in Estonia. The minority is exposed to two national narratives regarding the incorporation of Estonia into the Soviet Union in 1940. According to the Estonian narrative, Estonia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union while the Soviet-Russian narrative sees the actions to have been legal and voluntary. This thesis firstly examines thoughts the existence of these two opposing narratives evoke among the Russian-speaking minority and secondly it explores whether the views of the minority compare with the two official yet divergent narratives. The study focuses on the second and third generation minority members. The topic belongs to the field of memory studies. The objective is to understand the views the Russian minority have towards the controversial events of the years 1939-40. To accomplish the objectives set, a web-based survey using open-ended and multiple-choice questions was conducted. The open-ended questions addressed the main research questions while the multiple-choice questions contributed to forming a more comprehensive understanding of the subject in question. In order to interpret the data, qualitative content analysis has been applied. Based on the findings, the Russian-speaking minority respondents’ understanding of the events of 1939-40 could be described as fragmented, inconsistent and including viewpoints that resulted from the merger of different storylines. There is no single cohesive or coherent narrative of the past amongst the minority. In addition to that, their views do not generally comply with the narrative of the Russian Federation as often referred to in literature, even though the minority respondents do not want to see the Soviet involvement as critically as the Estonian narrative does. Many respondents conceive the events of 1939-40 as ambiguous revealing the ability to be tolerant and receptive in their views regarding the past.

Kaksoiskäämitty hybridibussin kestomagneettiajomoottori

Tämä työ on tehty Lappeenrannan teknilliselle yliopistolle, joka on suunnitellut ja toteuttanut hybridibussin. Hybridibussin ajomoottorissa käytetään kaksoiskäämitystä, joka mahdollistaa bussin ajamisen vikatilanteessa, jossa toinen käämityksistä on epäkunnossa. Työn tavoitteena on selvittää, millainen kaksoiskäämitys toimii parhaiten tämän hybridibussin kestomagneettiajomoottorissa. Työssä tutustutaan ajomoottoreihin ja niiltä vaadittaviin ominaisuuksiin sekä vikasietoisiin sähkömoottoreihin. Tutkimuksessa löydettyihin vikasietoisiin ajomoottoreihin perustuen päädyttiin neljään kaksoiskäämitysvaihtoehtoon. Näitä kaksoiskäämityksiä tutkittiin FE-analyysiä hyödyntäen. Kaksoiskäämitysten toimintaa simuloitiin nimellis- ja vikatilanteessa. Simuloinnin tuloksista selvisi, että kaksoiskäämitys, jossa jokaisessa urassa oli puolet yhtä käämitystä ja puolet toista (kaksoiskäämitys 1), ei toiminut kunnolla nimellistilanteessa eikä vikatilanteessa. Suurin ongelma oli vikatilanteessa aiheutuva suuri oikosulkuvirta. Kaksoiskäämitys, jossa kaksi napaa oli samaa käämitystä (kaksoiskäämitys 2), toimi moitteettomasti nimellistilanteessa. Vikatilanteen toiminnassa kuitenkin havaittiin epäjaksollisuutta magneettivuontiheydessä, mikä on haitallista moottorin käynnille ja vaaraksi roottorille. Kaksoiskäämityksiä, joista ensimmäisessä oli neljäsosa konetta samaa käämitystä (kaksoiskäämitys 3) ja toisessa puolet koneesta samaa käämitystä (kaksoiskäämitys 4), tutkittiin vikatilanteessa vain magneettivuontiheyden osalta. Puolet ja puolet käämityn koneen osalta magneettivuontiheys osottautui epäjaksolliseksi kuten oli odotettu. Neljäsosiksi käämityn koneen magneettivuontiheys oli säännöllisen jaksollinen. Nimellispisteessä kaksoiskäämityksillä 3 ja 4 havaittiin suuri vääntöväre verrattuna kaksoiskäämityksiin 1 ja 2. Johtopäätöksenä kaksoiskäämitys 3 vaikuttaa lupaavalta, mikäli suuri nimellispisteen vääntöväre saadaan hallintaan käyttämällä uravinoutta staattorissa.

Remote Observation of Radioactive Permit-Required Confined Spaces – Case: Posiva Oy’s Fuel Handling Cell

Posiva Oy’s final disposal facility’s encapsulation plant will start to operate in the 2020s. Once the operation starts, the facility is designed to run more than a hundred years. The encapsulation plant will be first of its kind in the world, being part of the solution to solve a global issue of final disposal of nuclear waste. In the encapsulation plant’s fuel handling cell the spent nuclear fuel will be processed to be deposited into the Finnish bedrock, into ONKALO. In the fuel handling cell, the environment is highly radioactive forming a permit-required enclosed space. Remote observation is needed in order to monitor the fuel handling process. The purpose of this thesis is to map (Part I) and compare (Part II) remote observation methods to observe Posiva Oy’s fuel handling cell’s process, and provide a possible theoretical solution for this case. Secondary purpose for this thesis is to provide resources for other remote observation cases, as well as to inform about possible future technology to enable readiness in the design of the encapsulation plant. The approach was to theoretically analyze the mapped remote observation methods. Firstly, the methods were filtered by three environmental challenges. These are the high levels of radiation, the permit-required confined space and the hundred year timespan. Secondly, the most promising methods were selected by the experts designing the facility. Thirdly, a customized feasibility analysis was created and performed on the selected methods to rank the methods with scores. The results are the mapped methods and the feasibility analysis scores. The three highest scoring methods were radiation tolerant camera, fiberscope and audio feed. A combination of these three methods was given as a possible theoretical solution for this case. As this case is first in the world, remote observation methods for it had not been thoroughly researched. The findings in this thesis will act as initial data for the design of the fuel handling cell’s remote observation systems and can potentially effect on the overall design of the facility by providing unique and case specific information. In addition, this thesis could provide resources for other remote observation cases.

Water quality and fish populations of the Welland River, Ontario /

The water quality and fish populations of the Welland River were observed to decline with distance downstream. This coincided with increased agricultural , domestic and industrial waste loadings. The river upstream of the City of Welland received considerable loadings from agricultural sources. Centrarchids, sciaenids, ictalurids, cyprinids and esocids characterized this upper section of the river. Most of these species were tolerant of low dissolved oxygen concentrations and the high turbidity which prevailed there . The river near Port Robinson receives many industrial and domestic wastes as evidenced by the water quality data. The fish in this section were less abundant and the observed population was comprised almost solely of cyprinids. Further downstream, near Montrose, the Welland River received shock loads of chemical wastes that exceeded a specific conductance of ISiOOO ;umhos/cm. Few fish were captured at this site and those that were captured were considered to be transients. A review of the literature revealed that none of the common indices of water quality in use today could adequately predict the observed distributions. In addition to the above, the long-term trend (l3 yrs) of water quality of the lower Welland River revealed a gradual improvement. The major factor thought to be responsible for this improvement was the operation of the Welland Sewage Treatment Plant. The construction of the New Welland Ship Canal coincided with large fluctuations of the total solids and other parameters downstream. These conditions prevailed for a maximum of three years (1972- 1975)' Furthermore, spawning times and temperatures, geographic distributions, length-weight regressions and many other descriptive aspects of the ecology of some 26 species/ taxa of fish were obtained. Several of these species are rare or new to southern Ontario.

Seasonal changes in behavioural and thermoregulatory responses to hypoxia in the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) /

Mammalian heterotherms, such as hibemators, are known to be more tolerant of low oxygen tensions than their homeothermic counterparts. It has been suggested that this relative hypoxia tolerance is related to their ability to deal with dramatic changes in body temperature during entry to and arousal from torpor. However, hibemators demonstrate dramatic seasonality in both daily heterothermy and overall torpor expression. It was of interest to test if seasonal comparisons of normothermic individuals within a single species with the capacity to hibernate produce changes in the response to hypoxia that would reflect a seasonal change in tolerance to low oxygen. In particular, the species studied, the Eastern chipmunk {Tamias striatus), is known to enter into torpor exclusively in the winter. To test for seasonal differences in the metabolic and thermoregulatory responses to hypoxia, flow-through respirometry was used to compare metabolic rate, minimum thermal conductance, body temperature, and a thermal gradient used to assess selected ambient temperature in response to hypoxia in both summer and winter acclimated animals. Although the animals periodically expressed torpor throughout the winter, no differences between season in resting metabolic rate, body temperature or minimum thermal conductance were observed in normoxia. The metabolic trials indicated that chipmunks are less responsive to hypoxia in the winter than they are in the summer. Although body temperature dropped in response to hypoxia in both seasons, the decrease was less in the winter, and there was no corresponding decrease in metabolic rate. Providing the animals with a choice of ambient temperatures in hypoxia resulted in a blunting of the drop in body temperature in both seasons, suggesting that the reported fall in body temperature set point in hypoxia is not fully manifested in the behavioural pathways responsible for thermoregulation in chipmunks. Instead, body temperature in hypoxia appears to be highly dependent on ambient temperature and oxygen concentration. The results of this study suggest that the season in which the responses to hypoxia are measured is important, especially in a heterotherm where seasonality can affect the degree to 1 which the animal is tolerant of hypoxia. Winter-acclimated chipmunks appear more capable of defending metabolic heat production in hypoxia, a response consistent with the increased thermogenic capacity observed in animals that must periodically enter and arouse from torpor during hibernation.

Properties and algorithms of the hyper-star graph and its related graphs

The hyper-star interconnection network was proposed in 2002 to overcome the drawbacks of the hypercube and its variations concerning the network cost, which is defined by the product of the degree and the diameter. Some properties of the graph such as connectivity, symmetry properties, embedding properties have been studied by other researchers, routing and broadcasting algorithms have also been designed. This thesis studies the hyper-star graph from both the topological and algorithmic point of view. For the topological properties, we try to establish relationships between hyper-star graphs with other known graphs. We also give a formal equation for the surface area of the graph. Another topological property we are interested in is the Hamiltonicity problem of this graph. For the algorithms, we design an all-port broadcasting algorithm and a single-port neighbourhood broadcasting algorithm for the regular form of the hyper-star graphs. These algorithms are both optimal time-wise. Furthermore, we prove that the folded hyper-star, a variation of the hyper-star, to be maixmally fault-tolerant.

Algal and protozoan response to Holocene climate change and anthropogenic impact: a case study from Sluice Pond, MA

Sluice Pond is a small (18 ha) and deep (Zmax 20.0 m) partially meromictic, pond in Lynn, Massachusetts that contains a diverse dinocyst record since the early Holocene. High dinocyst concentrations, including morphotypes not previously described, as well as the preservation of several specimens of cellulosic thecae are attributed to low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the basin. The fossil protozoan record supports the interpretation- thecamoebians were unable to colonize the basin until the middle Holocene and only became abundant when the drought-induced lowstand oxygenated the bottom waters. Protozoans tolerant of low DO became abundant through the late Holocene as water levels rose and cultural eutrophication produced a sharp increase in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) beginning in the 17th century. Recent sediments contain a dominance of Peridinium willei, indicating cultural eutrophication and the planktonic ciliate Codonella cratera and the thecamoebian Cucurbitella tricuspis in the deep basin. Above the chemocline however, a diverse difflugiid thecamoebian assemblage is present.

A DFT Guided/Experimental Approach to Asymmetric Allylation and Phase-Transfer Catalysis

The Dudding group is interested in the application of Density Functional Theory (DFT) in developing asymmetric methodologies, and thus the focus of this dissertation will be on the integration of these approaches. Several interrelated subsets of computer aided design and implementation in catalysis have been addressed during the course of these studies. The first of the aims rested upon the advancement of methodologies for the synthesis of biological active C(1)-chiral 3-methylene-indan-1-ols, which in practice lead to the use of a sequential asymmetric Yamamoto-Sakurai-Hosomi allylation/Mizoroki Heck reaction sequence. An important aspect of this work was the utilization of ortho-substituted arylaldehyde reagents which are known to be a problematic class of substrates for existing asymmetric allylation approaches. The second phase of my research program lead to the further development of asymmetric allylation methods using o-arylaldehyde substrates for synthesis of chiral C(3)-substituted phthalides. Apart from the de novo design of these chemistries in silico, which notably utilized water-tolerant, inexpensive, and relatively environmental benign indium metal, this work represented the first computational study of a stereoselective indium-mediated process. Following from these discoveries was the advent of a related, yet catalytic, Ag(I)-catalyzed approach for preparing C(3)-substituted phthalides that from a practical standpoint was complementary in many ways. Not only did this new methodology build upon my earlier work with the integrated (experimental/computational) use of the Ag(I)-catalyzed asymmetric methods in synthesis, it provided fundamental insight arrived at through DFT calculations, regarding the Yamamoto-Sakurai-Hosomi allylation. The development of ligands for unprecedented asymmetric Lewis base catalysis, especially asymmetric allylations using silver and indium metals, followed as a natural extension from these earlier discoveries. To this end, forthcoming as well was the advancement of a family of disubstituted (N-cyclopropenium guanidine/N-imidazoliumyl substituted cyclopropenylimine) nitrogen adducts that has provided fundamental insight into chemical bonding and offered an unprecedented class of phase transfer catalysts (PTC) having far-reaching potential. Salient features of these disubstituted nitrogen species is unprecedented finding of a cyclopropenium based C-H•••πaryl interaction, as well, the presence of a highly dissociated anion projected them to serve as a catalyst promoting fluorination reactions. Attracted by the timely development of these disubstituted nitrogen adducts my last studies as a PhD scholar has addressed the utility of one of the synthesized disubstituted nitrogen adducts as a valuable catalyst for benzylation of the Schiff base N-diphenyl methylene glycine ethyl ester. Additionally, the catalyst was applied for benzylic fluorination, emerging from this exploration was successful fluorination of benzyl bromide and its derivatives in high yields. A notable feature of this protocol is column-free purification of the product and recovery of the catalyst to use in a further reaction sequence.