Se ha estudiado el efecto del volumen de la barrica, el tostado y origen de la madera de roble y la tonelería sobre los parámetros cromáticos, aromáticos, sensoriales y nutricionales de vinos de Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon y Petit Verdot elaborados en la D.O. Jumilla. Los resultados han mostrado que los parámetros de la barrica afectan más a los aromas del vino y su caracterización sensorial que a los parámetros cromáticos y nutricionales. Los vinos de Monastrell envejecidos en barricas de menores volúmenes y mayor nivel de tostado presentan una mayor concentración de compuestos aromáticos, aunque son menos preferidos sensorialmente. Para la crianza de los vinos de Cabernet Sauvignon, la preferencia sensorial se ha correspondido con vinos envejecidos en barricas de volúmenes pequeños, de roble americano y tostado M+, donde aparecen mayores concentraciones de compuestos aromáticos, no aportando la tonelería diferencias muy grandes. Resultados similares se han encontrado en los vinos de Petit Verdot / The effect of barrel volume, toast level, oak wood origin and cooperage on chromatic, aromatic, sensory and healthy properties of Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot wines has been studied. The results have shown that Monastrell wines aged in the smallest barrels and with the highest toast level showed the highest aromatic compound concentrations although they were sensorially less preferred. The use of small American oak barrels, with M+ toast level for Cabernet Sauvignon ageing showed wines with the higher volatile compound concentrations and the better sensory properties. Similar results were observed in Petit Verdot wines. Chromatic properties and antioxidant capacity of the wines did hardly show any correlation with the different factors studied.

<p>In the search for companies to distinguish themselves from the mass, so called non-traditional trade marks have become increasingly popular, and in particular colour marks. It is now clear that abstract colour marks can be registered as trade marks, and the number of registered colour marks has increased considerably in recent years. However, it remains a lot more uncertain, mainly due to lack of case law, what the extent of colour marks’ scope of protection is. Are colours actually worth protecting? The purpose of this thesis is to examine the scope of protection of registered abstract colour marks from an EU perspective. Through this examination it will also be established whether colours are worth protecting.</p><p>The essential function of trade marks is to indicate the origin of products. Signs that are capable of being represented graphically and capable of distinguishing goods and services from one undertaking from those of other undertakings can be registered as trade marks. Colours can fulfil these criteria in certain circumstances, however, colours can practically never have distinctive character per se. Instead, they must have acquired distinctive character through use. Since it is quite difficult to register colour marks, a colour mark proprietor should be prepared to have the validity of his trade mark challenged if he issues proceedings for infringement.</p><p>There are a few national cases from EU Member States that have concerned infringement of colour marks, and in all of these the plaintiff was successful in claiming infringement. Through the decisions in these cases, general legal principles and statements made in literature, the scope of protection of colour marks has been examined. Infringement of a colour mark occurs in three different situations: where there is likelihood of confusion, where there is double identity and where there is dilution of a trade mark with a reputation.</p><p>Some of the most important findings are that confusingly similar colours include adjacent shades, but in order to prove likelihood of confusion, the infringing colour must probably be perceived by the public as an indication of origin and other signs that appear together with the colour must probably be taken into account, which limits the scope of protection to some extent. However, since colour marks must almost always have acquired distinctive character through use, consumers are used to perceiving that colour as a trade mark in relation to those types of goods/services, and are therefore more likely to do so also when the colour is used by the third party. Furthermore, there have to be an individual assessment in each case in order to determine whether surrounding signs exclude a likelihood of confusion, where all factors should be considered, including the distinctiveness of the colour mark and how clear and prominent the other signs are.</p><p>In situations of double identity, the infringing sign does not have to be used as a trade mark, which is advantageous for colour mark owners. Furthermore, identical colours can possibly include other shades if they are so similar that the difference is barely perceptible in a direct comparison.</p><p>Colour marks can often qualify as trade marks with a reputation, since the assessment of whether trade marks have a reputation is similar to the assessment of whether trade marks have acquired distinctive character through use. Trade marks with a reputation has an extended protection meaning that if a third party uses a sign that is identical or similar to a trade mark with a reputation, and that use without due cause takes unfair advantage of, or is detrimental to, the distinctive character or repute of the trade mark, then that use constitutes infringement. This applies both in relation to identical, similar and dissimilar products, however, it will probably only apply in relation to identical or similar products when it comes to colour marks, due to the extensive use of colours in the market. The extended protection could be relevant in particular in situations where likelihood of confusion cannot be proven, because the public does not perceive the infringing sign as a trade mark or because of surrounding prominent signs.</p><p>This examination shows that the scope of protection of colour marks is not great, it has some weaknesses. However, it is definitely not worthless either, which clearly shows in the fact that the plaintiffs were successful in claiming infringement in all of the infringement cases. By registering a colour as a trade mark, a company can to some extent stop others from using the same or similar colour, and it will also most likely have a discouraging effect. However, some carefulness should still be applied in relation to colour marks, since this is still a very new phenomenon and additional case law can take another direction. But considering how the situation looks today, colours are worth protecting as trade marks.</p>

This dissertation is about sound in context. Since sensory processing is inherently multimodal, research in sound is necessarily multidisciplinary. The present work has been guided by principles of systematicity, ecological validity, complementarity of  methods, and integration of science and art. The main tools to investigate the mediating relationship of people and environment through sound have been empiricism and psychophysics. Four of the seven included papers focus on perception. In paper A, urban soundscapes were reproduced in a 3D installation. Analysis of results from an experiment revealed correlations between acoustic features and physiological indicators of stress and relaxation. Paper B evaluated soundscapes of different type. Perceived quality was predicted not only by psychoacoustic descriptors but also personality traits. Sound reproduction quality was manipulated in paper D, causing two effects on source localisation which were explained by spatial and semantic crossmodal correspondences. Crossmodal correspondence was central in paper C, a study of colour association with music. A response interface employing CIE Lab colour space, a novelty in music emotion research, was developed. A mixed method approach supported an emotion mediation hypothesis, evidenced in regression models and participant interviews. Three papers focus on design. Field surveys and acoustic measurements were carried out in restaurants. Paper E charted relations between acoustic, physical, and perceptual features, focussing on designable elements and materials. This investigation was pursued in Paper F where a taxonomy of sound sources was developed. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed perceptual and crossmodal effects. Lastly, paper G discussed how crossmodal correspondences facilitated creation of meaning in music by infusing ecologically founded sonification parameters with visual and spatial metaphors. The seven papers constitute an investigation into how sound affects us, and what sound means to us. / Denna doktorsavhandling handlar om ljud i sammanhang. Eftersom informationsbehandling genom sinnena alltid är multimodal så kräver ljudforskning en tvärvetenskaplig forskningsansats. Arbetet i denna avhandling har vägletts av principer såsom systematik, ekologisk validitet, samspel mellan metoder, och integration av vetenskap och konst. De viktigaste redskapen för att undersöka den ömsesidiga påverkan mellan människa och miljö genom ljud har varit empiri och psykofysik.Fyra artiklar handlar om perception. I artikel A återskapades urbana ljudlandskap i en 3D-ljudinstallation. Analys av experimentresultat avslöjade samband mellan akustiska mått och fysiologiska markörer av stress och avslappning.  Artikel B utvärderade olika typer av ljudlandskap. Upplevd kvalitet kunde prediceras inte bara av psykoakustiska mått utan även av personlighetsdrag. Ljudåtergivningskvalitet manipulerades i artikel D och orsakade två effekter på lokalisering av en ljudkälla vilka förklarades av rumslig och semantisk korsmodala kopplingar. Korsmodalitet var huvudpunkten i artikel C, en studie av färgassociation till musik. Ett användargränssnitt utvecklades som använder färgrymden CIE Lab, en nyhet i forskningfältet musik och känslor. En abduktiv metod stödde hypotesen att känslouttryck medierar korsmodala kopplingar, vilket framgick av regressionsmodeller och intervjuer med försökspersonerna.Tre artiklar handlar om design. Fältundersökningar och ljudmätningar utfördes i restauranger. Artikel E kartlade samband mellan akustiska, fysiska och perceptuella särdrag, med fokus på formbara element och material. Detta arbete fortsattes i artikel F varigenom en taxonomi av ljudkällor utvecklades. Analys av enkätdata avslöjade perceptuella och korsmodala effekter. Slutligen, artikel G diskuterade hur korsmodala kopplingar främjade meningsskapande i musik genom att ekologiskt motiverade sonifikationsparametrar samverkade med visuella och spatiala uttryck. De sju artiklarna utgör landmärken i avhandlingens utforskande av hur ljud påverkar oss, och vad ljud betyder för oss. / <p>QC 20151118</p>

Η ανάπτυξη ενός ενσωματωμένου στο όχημα συστήματος υποβοήθησης του οδηγού για αποφυγή συγκρούσεων με άλλα οχήματα, βρίσκεται τελευταία στο επίκεντρο του ενδιαφέροντος. Στα συστήματα αυτά η αξιοπιστία αποτελεί ένα πολύ σημαντικό παράγοντα. Στην παρούσα εργασία αναπτύσσεται ένα σύστημα αναγνώρισης προπορευόμενου οχήματος βασισμένο σε εικόνες οι οποίες λαμβάνονται από βιντεοκάμερα που έχει ενσωματωθεί στο όχημα. Η μεθοδολογία την οποία επιλέξαμε να εργαστούμε περιλαμβάνει τον εντοπισμό των κόκκινων εικονοστοιχείων στην εικόνα και τη δημιουργία της αντίστοιχης δυαδικής εικόνας. Στη συνέχεια, με μορφολογική επεξεργασία της δυαδικής εικόνας εντοπίζουμε τις περιοχές που αντιστοιχούν στα πιθανά φανάρια του οχήματος. Με βάση τα σημεία των πιθανών φαναριών καθορίζουμε την περιοχή στην οποία περικλείεται το όχημα. Για την επιβεβαίωση της ύπαρξης οχήματος στην περιοχή αυτή, εκτελούμε έναν έλεγχο συμμετρίας βασιζόμενοι στην ομοιότητα των υποεικόνων και συνεχίζουμε με τον προσεγγιστικό υπολογισμό της απόστασής του. Τέλος, παρουσιάζουμε τα αποτελέσματα της μεθόδου, τα συμπεράσματα που προέκυψαν και προτείνουμε κατευθύνσεις για μελλοντικές βελτιώσεις. / Developing on-board automotive driver assistance systems aiming to alert drivers about possible collision with other vehicles has attracted a lot of attention lately. In these systems, robust and reliable vehicle detection is a critical step. In this work a vehicle detection system is developed based on video frames grabbed by a camera mounted on the vehicle. Vehicle detection is mainly based on the detection of its red rear-lights. First we detect all red pixels of the frame and create the corresponding binary image (mask). Then we detect the areas that possibly constitute vehicle’s rear-lights by performing morphological binary image processing. Based on that, we determine the boundary of the vehicle. To verify the presence of the vehicle in this area, we perform a symmetry test based on sub-image similarity. Finally, we present some experimental results and give directions for future improvements.

Poor diet precipitates significant social and economic burden, necessitating effective and economical dietary intervention strategies. Current population-level campaigns provide guidelines for living healthily and focus on the impact of lifestyle on chronic disease risk. Behavioural interventions which capitalise on individuals' existing cognitions are likely to be more effective. A programme of work is presented here which evaluates the feasibility and efficacy of an appearance-based dietary intervention approach. This project aims to improve fruit and vegetable consumption by illustrating the associated benefits to skin appearance. The impact of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin colour is assessed (Chapter 6), corroborating previous between-subjects evidence which finds that dermal yellowness (CIE b*) is positively associated with fruit and vegetable intake. This work also discovers that modest within-subject dietary change is sufficient to perceptibly alter skin colour within six weeks (Chapter 7). Perceptual preferences are examined (Chapters 5 to 9), finding that optimally healthy skin colouration is that associated with increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Two behavioural intervention trials are conducted (Chapters 6 and 9) to evaluate whether visualising the impact of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin colour motivates dietary improvement. Relative to control groups, participants receiving an appearance-based intervention (in which the above effects are illustrated and explained) reported improvements in diet, particularly when illustrations were performed upon images of one's own face. It may be valuable to disseminate such an intervention at a population level, though a number of further longitudinal studies are necessary to determine the wider effectiveness of this approach.

EFI Colorproof XF was found to be more convenient from a user’s aspect, and had features which are covered in the ISO 12647-7 standard (e.g. the ability to simulate screening and print margin information), which Photoshop CS3 lacked. None of the proofing systems distinguished itself in a clear way from the other; sometimes, on certain substrates, Photoshop CS3 produced most accurate colours, sometimes EFI Colorproof XF did. Further investigations need to be carried out to tell more exactly which system produce most accurate colours. Only 6 out of 34 simulation-combinations had colours within the tolerances in the standard. The result also shows that the production substrates should not be used as proofing substrates. Instead the proofing papers especially made for ink jet should be used to obtain more colour-accurate prints.

Introduction. At low temperature the preservation of foodstuffs is one of the best ways of their storage and therefore this method is widely used in meat industry. The low temperature suppresses the activity of microorganisms and tissue ferments. Therefore the meat preserved by freezing keeps for a long time its initial properties and there are only minimal changes of food value and taste. At low temperature the activity of ferments slows down but does not stop. Work object. The work object is the determination of the change of physical-chemical properties of meat during freezing and keeping in - 180 C and - 860 C temperature. Work methodics. The research as fulfilled at the laboratory of the evaluation of the cattle meat properties and the meat quality. For the rersearch taken 14 Lithuanian white pig meat samples the mean weight of which was 500 g. were taken. They were put into special freezing bags and were frozen at temperature -180 C, and -860 C. Before freezing it the physical-chemical properties of the meat were determined. Two examples from each meat samples were researched. The determination of the physical-chemical properties of the meat was fulfilled every month. Also were was taken 6 Lithuanian white pig meat samples the mean weight of which was 500 g. Before freezing it the physical-chemical properties of the meat were determined. After that was made green tea extract, 500 ml. Water ant 50 g tea. All extract was inject in to the meat samples. They were put... [to full text]

This thesis demonstrates how two early nineteenth century British novels, William Earle’s Obi, or The History of Three-Fingered Jack (1800) and the anonymously-written The Woman of Colour; A Tale (1808), feature prominent women of colour that move beyond the silenced, enslaved, minor representations of black and mixed race women made popular in previously published texts throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The progression of Amri and Olivia’s positions through the use of literary strategies, such as Homi K. Bhabha’s mimicry, Paul Gilroy’s double consciousness, and gender-reversals reveal the inherent ambivalence of the women’s positions in each narrative and the importance of these representations against the hegemonic female position. Although I argue that neither author succeeds in overturning traditional limitations of representing women of colour in literature of the period, investigating these texts is crucial to understanding the autonomous, influential women of colour in later nineteenth century literary works.

It has been suggested that fruit features such as nutrient content, size and colour have co-evolved with dispersal agent behaviour, physiology and morphology. Avian nectarivore feeding ecology is relatively well studied; however, less is known about fruit selection in avian frugivores. Previous work highlights the importance of individual factors that contribute towards fruit preferences, but few studies bring these factors together. Consequently the aim of this dissertation was to attempt this in terms of frugivory by investigating behavioural, physiological and morphological aspects of fruit selection in generalist avian dispersers. This was achieved by manipulating the nutritional content, size and colour of fruits (artificial fruits) under controlled conditions. The first part of the dissertation addresses physiological aspects of fruit selection in Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio, Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus and Dark-Capped Bulbul Pycnonotus tricolor. Assimilation efficiency of birds fed glucose and sucrose diet treatments of varying concentration was observed. All study species showed high apparent assimilation efficiency irrespective of artificial fruit sugar concentration and type (with the exception of Red-winged Starlings on an all sucrose diet). The second part of the dissertation addresses behavioural aspects of fruit selection in the same three species by observing selective preferences between glucose and sucrose fruits of varying concentration and molarity. While Mousebirds displayed no preference for any of the diet treatments, Bulbuls occasionally favoured glucose diets over sucrose diets and Starlings always favoured glucose diets over sucrose diets. Another behavioural aspect of fruit selection was addressed in the third part of the dissertation. Colour preferences of Red-winged Starling and Speckled Mousebird were observed. Although study species did not conform to trends by favouring black and red fruits, they did show avoidance of green fruits and (Starlings) presented evidence of learning. A morphological aspect of fruit selection is presented in the fourth part of the dissertation. Starlings, Bulbuls and Mousebird beak morphology was measured to investigate if this has an effect on fruit size preferences. Starlings with the largest beak dimensions were more selective of fruit size classes than Bulbuls and Mousebirds which displayed the importance of feeding method (thrashing/swallowing/mashing) to compensate for larger fruit sizes. The final section of this dissertation is a synthesis of the observed behavioural, physiological and morphological aspects of fruit selection in Red-winged Starlings, Dark-capped Bulbuls and Speckled-Mousebirds. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Pollinators are believed to have played a key role in the radiation of flowering plants. The Grant-Stebbins model of pollinator-mediated speciation, in which evolutionary shifts between pollinators result in phenotypic diversification and enforce reproductive isolation, is one of the most compelling hypotheses for the rapid diversification of angiosperms. A key principle in this model is that plant pollination systems tend towards specialization, resulting in convergent suites of floral traits (syndromes) associated with particular types of pollinators. However, the expectation of pollination system specialization is not always supported by ecological data and has also been questioned on theoretical grounds. In this thesis, I examine pollination by Hemipepsis spider-hunting wasps (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae, Pepsinae) and use this system to address questions about levels and proximal mechanisms of floral specialization, floral shifts and convergent evolution of floral traits. Specialized pollination by Hemipepsis wasps is a newly described pollination system within the angiosperms. I document pollination by these wasps for the first time in 15 South African grassland plant species, including two species of Eucomis (Hyacinthaceae) and 13 asclepiads (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae). In one of the asclepiads, Xysmalobium undulatum, I describe a bimodal pollination system involving both Hemipepsis wasps and a cetoniine beetle. I also describe an unusual and potentially antagonistic pollination mechanism whereby wasps are systematically dismembered during the insertion of pollinia in the two asclepiads Pachycarpus asperifolius and P. appendiculatus. I have used these and previous case studies to establish the existence of a new pollination guild, consisting of at least 21 plant species (across 10 genera and three families), that are reliant on four functionally similar species of Hemipepsis wasp for pollination. Plants in the guild are distributed throughout the moist grasslands of eastern South Africa and flower from September through until early May, peaking in December/January. The Hemipepsis-wasp pollination guild is characterized by high levels of functional specialization (17 of the 21 known guild members are pollinated exclusively by Hemipepsis wasps), despite the absence of morphological adaptations to prevent non-pollinating insects from accessing nectar. I used field and laboratory based experiments to explore the function of floral traits in enforcing specialization. These showed that Hemipepsis wasps primarily use scent, rather than visual cues, to locate flowers, but I was unable to firmly identify specific compounds responsible for the attraction of these wasps (compounds that elicited antennal responses in preliminary GC-EAD experiments did not attract wasps in bioassays). The chemical composition of the floral scents of guild members was examined for 71 individuals representing 14 species in addition to previous studies, and found to comprise complex blends of volatiles (usually containing between 30 and 50 compounds), typically dominated by aliphatics and monoterpenes with small amounts of aromatics. I also showed that the floral colours of guild members are similar to background vegetation, suggesting that floral colours are adapted for crypsis to avoid detection by non-pollinating insects. Palatability choice experiments with honeybees showed that non-pollinating insects find the nectars of at least three of the asclepiad guild members distasteful. Plants in this guild thus appear to achieve specialization through biochemical filters (scent as an attractant and differentially palatable nectar) and cryptic coloration. Pollinator-mediated convergence in floral traits is the fundamental basis for pollination syndromes, but has seldom been rigorously analyzed. Flowers in the Hemipepsis-wasp pollination guild share several qualitative traits, including dull greenish- or brownish-white colour, often with purple blotches, exposed sucrose dominant nectar with a relatively high sugar concentration (typically over 50% sugar by weight) and a sweet/spicy fragrance to the human nose. To test for convergent evolution in guild members, I compared scent, nectar and colour traits of guild members to those of congeners with different pollinators. Although traits often differed between guild members and their congeners, I found little evidence for overall convergence in floral scent profiles and nectar properties, but floral colours in the guild were significantly closer to the colour of background vegetation than those of congeners. At this stage, the lack of knowledge about specific floral volatiles that influence Hemipepsis-wasp behaviour and secondary nectar constituents that limit non-pollinator visits makes it difficult to identify the extent of biochemical convergent evolution within the guild. The directions and functional traits involved in evolutionary transitions between pollination by Hemipepsis wasps and other vectors are currently difficult to ascertain as there is limited phylogenetic data for the plant families concerned. In the genus Eucomis, fly and Hemipepsis-wasp pollinated species are very similar in floral morphology and colour, but differ strongly in floral scent. Using manipulative field experiments in conjunction with detailed analyses of colour, scent and morphology, I was able to show that a shift between wasp and fly pollination could be induced simply by manipulating oligosulphides in the scent emission from inflorescences. When considered in combination with other experiments highlighting the importance of scent as a pollinator attractant for all guild members, this suggests that scent properties may have played a key role in the evolutionary transitions between pollination by Hemipepsis wasps and other vectors. This research has established that pollination by Hemipepsis spider-hunting wasps is more geographically and phylogenetically widespread than was previously known, and has confirmed that these wasps are important and consistent pollinators in southern African grassland ecosystems. I have shown that a distinct guild of plants is specialized for pollination by these wasps. The high levels of specialization within this guild highlight the effectiveness of biochemical filters and cryptic coloration in limiting the spectrum of flower visitors. The major challenge ahead will be to identify the floral volatiles that attract Hemipepsis wasps and the non-sugar constituents that make the nectars of some guild members differentially palatable. These would both contribute greatly to our understanding of floral specialization and the mechanisms involved in the radiation of the angiosperms. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.