Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The influence of malolactic fermentation (MLF) in most red and some white wines is one of many factors that determine or influence wine quality, because it affects the flavour and sensory profile of wine. This process is a decarboxylation process conducted by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as Oenococcus, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Leuconostoc. Mostly Oenococcus oeni, but recently also Lactobacillus plantarum is used in commercial starter cultures and also the first mixed MLF starter culture (NT 202 Co-Inoculant) was commercialized in 2011. The reason for the predominant use of O. oeni and recently L. plantarum is due to their tolerance to the harsh wine environment. Malolactic fermentation leads to a decrease in acidity and an increase in pH that leaves the wine with a softer mouthfeel. Another reason to conduct MLF is the improvement of microbial stability by the removal of malic acid as carbon source. Research focus has recently shifted to the ability of LAB and MLF as well as the interaction of LAB with yeast to alter the wine aroma profile via the modification and/or production of certain aroma compounds. The main goal of this study was to assess the impact of yeast and nutrient addition on the ability of the NT 202 Co-Inoculant to conduct MLF during co-inoculation and to evaluate the aroma compound production in the final wine. The first aim was to evaluate the impact of different red and white wine yeast strains on the ability of the NT 202 Co-Inoculant to conduct MLF during co-inoculation in Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz. Malolactic fermentation was unsuccessful in the Chardonnay due to a low pH, but successful in Merlot and Shiraz. Based on the malic acid degradation ability of the NT 202 Co- Inoculant, the yeasts were grouped into three categories: inhibitory, neutral or stimulatory towards MLF. Co-inoculated MLF showed a clear decrease in total fermentation time while yeast strains such as WE 372 and Exotics showed positive compatibility with the NT 202 Co- Inoculant. The impact of the yeast-bacterial combinations on the aroma compound production in the final wine was evaluated. Co-inoculated MLF showed positive aroma changes in the red wines with a general increase in total esters (associated with fruity characters in wine) especially ethyl lactate and diethyl succinate that also contribute to the mouthfeel of the wine. Production of esters, volatile fatty acids and higher alcohols seemed to depend on the yeastand LAB strain used. The NT 202 Co-Inoculant contributed to the monoterpenes produced and MLF led to increased concentrations of diacetyl and acetoin, which are associated with buttery characters in wine. The second aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of wine additives (used during coinoculation) such as yeast- and bacterial nutrients, clarifying- and detoxifying agents on the ability of the NT 202 Co-Inoculant to conduct MLF and to assess their impact on the aroma compound production in the final wine. No negative or positive impact on the malic acid degradation of the NT 202 Co-Inoculant or the resulting aroma compound production was observed for the different wine additives used in this study. The results generated from this study showed that the selection of yeast strains is important as it will influence both the fermentation duration and final wine aroma. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die invloed van appelmelksuurgisting (AMG) in die meeste rooi- en witwyne is een van baie faktore wat wynkwaliteit beïnvloed, omrede dit die geur en sensoriese profiel van wyn beïnvloed. Hierdie proses is 'n dekarboksileringsaksie wat deur melksuurbakterieë (MSB), soos Oenococcus, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus en Leuconostoc, uitgevoer word. Die mees algemene bakterieë wat gebruik word, is Oenococcus oeni, maar onlangs het Lactobacillus plantarum ook na vore getree in die gebruik van kommersiële aanvangskulture. Die eerste gemengde AMGaanvangskultuur (NT 202 Co-Inoculant) is in 2011 gekommersialiseer. Die rede vir die oorheersende gebruik van O. oeni en L. plantarum word toegeskryf aan hul gehardhiedsgraad in ‘n uitdagende wynomgewing. Appelmelksuurgisting lei tot 'n afname in die suurheidsgraad en 'n toename in die pH van die wyn, wat 'n sagter mondgevoel tot gevolg het. Nog 'n rede waarom AMG deurgevoer word, is om die mikrobiese stabiliteit van die wyn te verbeter deur die verwydering van appelsuur as koolstofbron. Die navorsingsfokus het onlangs verskuif na die vermoë van MSB en AMG, sowel as die interaksie van MSB met die gis, om die wynaromaprofiel te verander deur middel van die verandering en/of produksie van sekere aromaverbindings. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die impak van die gis en voedingstof te evalueer ten opsigte van die vermoë van die NT 202 Co-Inoculant om AMG uit te voer tydens koïnokulasie. Die produksie van aromakomponente in die finale wyn is ook geëvalueer. Die eerste doelwit was om die impak van verskillende rooi- en witwyngisrasse te evalueer ten opsigte van die vermoë van die NT 202 Co-Inoculant om AMG uit te voer tydens koïnokulasie in Chardonnay, Merlot en Shiraz. Appelmelksuurgisting was onsuksesvol in die Chardonnay weens 'n lae pH, maar suksesvol in Merlot en Shiraz. In terme van die appelsuurafbraakvermoë van die NT 202 Co-Inoculant, is die giste in drie kategorieë gegroepeer: inhiberend, neutraal of stimulerend teenoor AMG. Ge-koïnokuleerde AMG het 'n duidelike afname in die totale fermentasietyd getoon, terwyl gisrasse, soos WE 372 en Exotics, ‘n positiewe verenigbaarheid met die NT 202 Co-Inoculant getoon het. Die impak van die gisbakteriële kombinasies op die aromakomponentproduksie in die finale wyn is geëvalueer. Gekoïnokuleerde AMG het positiewe aromaveranderinge in die rooiwyne getoon met 'n algemene toename in die totale esters (wat geassosieer word met vrugtige karakters in wyn), veral etiellaktaat en dietielsuksinaat, wat ook bydra tot die mondgevoel van die wyn. Dit het voorgekom dat produksie van esters, vlugtige vetsure en hoër alkohole moontlik afhanklik kan wees van die gis- en bakteriële ras gebruik. Die NT 202 Co-Inoculant het bygedra tot die monoterpene wat geproduseer is en AMG het gelei tot verhoogde konsentrasies van diasetiel en asetoïen, wat geassosieer word met botteragtige karakters in wyn. Die tweede doelwit van hierdie studie was om die impak van wyntoevoegingsmiddels (wat tydens koïnokulasie gebruik word) bv. gis- en bakteriese voedingstowwe, verhelderingsagente, asook detoksifiserende agente, te evalueer ten opsigte van die vermoë van die NT 202 Co- Inoculant om AMG uit te voer en om hul impak op die produksie van die aromakomponente van die finale wyn te ontleed. Geen negatiewe of positiewe effekte is waargeneem vir die verskillende wyntoevoegingsmiddels, wat in hierdie studie gebruik is, in terme van die appelsuurafbraak van die NT 202 Co-Inoculant of die gevolglike produksie van aromakomponente nie. Hierdie studie se resultate toon dat die keuse van die gisras belangrik is, omdat dit die fermentasietydperk, asook die finale wynaroma, beïnvloed. / Anchor Yeast, Oenobrands, The National Research Foundation and THRIP, for financial support

Dans cette thèse, le canal Gaussien à interférence à deux utilisateurs avec voie de retour dégradée par un bruit additif (GIC-NOF) est étudié sous deux perspectives : les réseaux centralisés et décentralisés. Du point de vue des réseaux centralisés, les limites fondamentales du GIC-NOF sont caractérisées par la région de capacité. L’une des principales contributions de cette thèse est une approximation à un nombre constant de bits près de la région de capacité du GIC-NOF. Ce résultat est obtenu grâce à l’analyse d’un modèle de canal plus simple, le canal linéaire déterministe à interférence à deux utilisateurs avec voie de retour dégradée par un bruit additif (LDIC-NOF). L’analyse pour obtenir la région de capacité du LDIC-NOF fournit les idées principales pour l’analyse du GIC-NOF. Du point de vue des réseaux décentralisés, les limites fondamentales du GIC-NOF sont caractérisées par la région d’η-équilibre de Nash (η-EN). Une autre contribution de cette thèse est une approximation de la région η-EN du GIC-NOF, avec η > 1. Comme dans le cas centralisé, le cas décentralisé LDIC-NOF (D-LDIC-NOF) est étudié en premier et les observations sont appliquées dans le cas décentralisé GIC-NOF (D-GIC-NOF). La contribution finale de cette thèse répond à la question suivante : “À quelles conditions la voie de retour permet d’agrandir la région de capacité, la région η-EN du GIC-NOF ou du D-GIC-NOF ? ”. La réponse obtenue est de la forme : L’implémentation de la voie de retour de la sortie du canal dans l’émetteur-récepteur i agrandit la région de capacité ou la région η-EN si le rapport signal sur bruit de la voie de retour est supérieure à SNRi* , avec i ∈ {1, 2}. La valeur approximative de SNRi* est une fonction de tous les autres paramètres du GIC-NOF ou du D-GIC-NOF. / In this thesis, the two-user Gaussian interference channel with noisy channel-output feedback (GIC-NOF) is studied from two perspectives: centralized and decentralized networks. From the perspective of centralized networks, the fundamental limits of the two-user GICNOF are characterized by the capacity region. One of the main contributions of this thesis is an approximation to within a constant number of bits of the capacity region of the two-user GIC-NOF. This result is obtained through the analysis of a simpler channel model, i.e., a two-user linear deterministic interference channel with noisy channel-output feedback (LDIC-NOF). The analysis to obtain the capacity region of the two-user LDIC-NOF provides the main insights required to analyze the two-user GIC-NOF. From the perspective of decentralized networks, the fundamental limits of the two-user decentralized GIC-NOF (D-GIC-NOF) are characterized by the η-Nash equilibrium (η-NE) region. Another contribution of this thesis is an approximation of the η-NE region of the two-user GIC-NOF, with η> 1. As in the centralized case, the two-user decentralized LDIC-NOF (D-LDIC-NOF) is studied first and the lessons learnt are applied in the two-user D-GIC-NOF. The final contribution of this thesis consists in a closed-form answer to the question: “When does channel-output feedback enlarge the capacity or η-NE regions of the two-user GIC-NOF or two-user D-GIC-NOF?”. This answer is of the form: Implementing channel-output feedback in transmitter-receiver i enlarges the capacity or η-NE regions if the feedback SNR is beyond SNRi* , with i ∈ {1, 2}. The approximate value of SNRi* is shown to be a function of all the other parameters of the two-user GIC-NOF or two-user D-GIC-NOF.

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The question of who is participating in today’s debate around theologies of other religions is important. Religious difference and the many ways of dealing with it are issues in political, social and theological initiatives. The reality of religious plurality in daily life leaves some Christians wondering about the best way to relate to non-Christian neighbors. In light of this, a series of questions emerges about who is shaping conversations with people of other faiths and what priorities they reflect. A Lutheran voice is lacking in this debate. Despite this, there has been a wide response from other Christian traditions. In some cases denominations have raised questions of religious pluralism as a theological issue, while elsewhere individual theologians have contributed to the debate. The project that follows will examine such contributions from three ecclesial traditions (Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Protestant) and individual theologians in order to chart some common concerns in the theology of religions debate. In an effort to highlight a tradition-constituted approach to the other, connections will also be made between individuals’ positions and their ecclesial traditions. This thesis will also propose a distinctively Lutheran theology of religions first by using the works of Martin Luther to introduce the Lutheran history of engagement with non-Christians. Then, Lutheran statements and resources, partnerships and institutions will be examined to discover the ways in which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America engages non-Christians. Finally, this project will propose crucial elements for a specifically Lutheran theology of religions. These elements will be put in conversation with individual Lutheran theologians who have made contributions to the debate. Ultimately a theology of kinship will emerge. Using distinctively Lutheran themes, this theology recognizes a connection between all people and calls Lutherans to live in kinship with the religious other.

No description available.

(kein Abstract vorhanden) / Series: Forschungsberichte / Institut für Sozialpolitik

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No description available.

The present study argues that the central notion and practice unifying Edward Said’s oeuvre is that of “secular” criticism, which he conceives of as the defining activity and tool of the humanistic intellectual. We also argue that Said sees the intellectual’s moral mission of “secular” criticism as based in Said’s understanding of “humanism” as intellectual production aimed at concrete change in the real world of human struggles for universal justice and human emancipation from oppression of all types. Related to Said’s particular and perennial upholding of a particular understanding of humanism, Said wields a religious-secular rhetoric as a weapon to expose and question the ironic fact of the “religiosity” of those persons, movements, and ideologies claiming their basis in the unswervingly “secular.” Within the overall body of Said commentary, Said’s effort to recover humanism as a useable praxis of human emancipation from oppressive systems has been largely neglected. This is largely due to the misrecognition of Orientalism as Said’s defining project and the consequent sublation of equally if not more significant, defining elements in the Saidian oeuvre than Orientalism , e.g. “secular” criticism. This study finds that the religious-secular trope conveys Said’s notion of what criticism is and does in a re-constructed humanism, a “humanism of liberation,” as Saree Makdisi has aptly called it, and not, as some commentators have seen it, an expression of a self-contradictory disdain for religion with a concomitant defensive posture toward Islam. In this thesis, Said’s religious-secular rhetoric is analyzed for its meaning, for its role in Said’s idea of criticism, and for its significance in Said’s effort to re-construct humanism as an emancipatory practice. Finally, this study argues that Said’s writing to and on the Arab-Islamic world, and particularly his writing on Palestine-Israel, exemplifies what Said means by the term “secular” criticism. In this sense, Said’s work on the problematic of Palestine-Israel is a synechdoche of his entire critical project. This interpretation is unique in that it challenges the idea that Said’s work on Palestine-Israel is an endeavor outside his professional vocation as a humanist and is motivated merely by Said’s passionate attachment to his homeland. This thesis aims to show how Said’s work on the problematic of Palestine-Israel is not only a model of what Said means by the term “secular criticism,” but avers further that, coupled with Said’s writing to and on the Arab Islamic world, his work on Palestine-Israel represents the most significant labor of his “non-humanist” humanism, or the “humanism of liberation” as a still valid practice, and as an intellectual, ethical framework, and a means of concretely furthering the struggle for universal human emancipation—which Said defines as completely in line with his work as a humanist. In other words, Said’s work on the problematic of Palestine-Israel is not a political side-line apart from his work as a man of letters but is a body of quintessentially humanistic production at the heart of the concept of “secular criticism.” The present study argues that the central notion and practice unifying Edward Said’s oeuvre is that of “secular” criticism, which he conceives of as the defining activity and tool of the humanistic intellectual. We also argue that Said sees the intellectual’s moral mission of “secular” criticism as based in Said’s understanding of “humanism” as intellectual production aimed at concrete change in the real world of human struggles for universal justice and human emancipation from oppression of all types. Related to Said’s particular and perennial upholding of a particular understanding of humanism, Said wields a religious-secular rhetoric as a weapon to expose and question the ironic fact of the “religiosity” of those persons, movements, and ideologies claiming their basis in the unswervingly “secular.” Within the overall body of Said commentary, Said’s effort to recover humanism as a useable praxis of human emancipation from oppressive systems has been largely neglected. This is largely due to the misrecognition of Orientalism as Said’s defining project and the consequent sublation of equally if not more significant, defining elements in the Saidian oeuvre than Orientalism , e.g. “secular” criticism. This study finds that the religious-secular trope conveys Said’s notion of what criticism is and does in a re-constructed humanism, a “humanism of liberation,” as Saree Makdisi has aptly called it, and not, as some commentators have seen it, an expression of a self-contradictory disdain for religion with a concomitant defensive posture toward Islam. In this thesis, Said’s religious-secular rhetoric is analyzed for its meaning, for its role in Said’s idea of criticism, and for its significance in Said’s effort to re-construct humanism as an emancipatory practice. Finally, this study argues that Said’s writing to and on the Arab-Islamic world, and particularly his writing on Palestine-Israel, exemplifies what Said means by the term “secular” criticism. In this sense, Said’s work on the problematic of Palestine-Israel is a synechdoche of his entire critical project. This interpretation is unique in that it challenges the idea that Said’s work on Palestine-Israel is an endeavor outside his professional vocation as a humanist and is motivated merely by Said’s passionate attachment to his homeland. This thesis aims to show how Said’s work on the problematic of Palestine-Israel is not only a model of what Said means by the term “secular criticism,” but avers further that, coupled with Said’s writing to and on the Arab Islamic world, his work on Palestine-Israel represents the most significant labor of his “non-humanist” humanism, or the “humanism of liberation” as a still valid practice, and as an intellectual, ethical framework, and a means of concretely furthering the struggle for universal human emancipation—which Said defines as completely in line with his work as a humanist. In other words, Said’s work on the problematic of Palestine-Israel is not a political side-line apart from his work as a man of letters but is a body of quintessentially humanistic production at the heart of the concept of “secular criticism.” The present study argues that the central notion and practice unifying Edward Said’s oeuvre is that of “secular” criticism, which he conceives of as the defining activity and tool of the humanistic intellectual. We also argue that Said sees the intellectual’s moral mission of “secular” criticism as based in Said’s understanding of “humanism” as intellectual production aimed at concrete change in the real world of human struggles for universal justice and human emancipation from oppression of all types. Related to Said’s particular and perennial upholding of a particular understanding of humanism, Said wields a religious-secular rhetoric as a weapon to expose and question the ironic fact of the “religiosity” of those persons, movements, and ideologies claiming their basis in the unswervingly “secular.” Within the overall body of Said commentary, Said’s effort to recover humanism as a useable praxis of human emancipation from oppressive systems has been largely neglected. This is largely due to the misrecognition of Orientalism as Said’s defining project and the consequent sublation of equally if not more significant, defining elements in the Saidian oeuvre than Orientalism , e.g. “secular” criticism. This study finds that the religious-secular trope conveys Said’s notion of what criticism is and does in a re-constructed humanism, a “humanism of liberation,” as Saree Makdisi has aptly called it, and not, as some commentators have seen it, an expression of a self-contradictory disdain for religion with a concomitant defensive posture toward Islam.

Este trabalho examina a disciplina legal do dividendo mínimo obrigatório, a partir da compreensão de suas funções dentro da organização societária e das implicações práticas de sua existência, manifestáveis ao longo do procedimento de formação e partilha do lucro social. Trata-se de estudo que, embora gravite em torno do art. 202 da Lei das Sociedades por Ações, estende-se para os fundamentos do direito societário, excursionando por temas que vão desde as razões da celebração do contrato de sociedade e da função empresarial do lucro até as mais modernas reflexões a respeito do conflito de interesses e do papel dos administradores e dos controladores na sociedade. Além de uma análise detalhada das etapas de apuração, declaração e pagamento do dividendo mínimo obrigatório, o estudo oferece as seguintes principais proposições: (i) a de que o dividendo mínimo obrigatório consiste em solução contratual, estimulada pela lei, para redução dos custos da decisão de partilha do lucro social; (ii) a de que o direito ao dividendo é diverso do direito de participação nos lucros sociais e de que aquele, ao contrário deste último, é tanto derrogável, quanto renunciável; e (iii) a de que o dividendo mínimo obrigatório possui natureza substancialmente específica, reclamando análise autônoma de seu funcionamento. Entre as contribuições esperadas, estão o aperfeiçoamento da aplicação da disciplina legal do dividendo mínimo obrigatório e a retomada da investigação científica da matéria, inexplicavelmente negligenciada pela doutrina brasileira. Estruturalmente, o texto encontra-se dividido em oito capítulos, além da introdução e das considerações finais. O primeiro apresenta o papel do lucro e do dividendo na sociedade. O segundo reproduz o raciocínio doutrinário que conforma o direito do acionista ao dividendo mínino obrigatório, examina as justificativas para sua tutela jurídica e analisa a necessidade contemporânea da manutenção dessa tutela. No terceiro capítulo são discutidas as questões relacionadas à titularidade do dividendo mínimo obrigatório. Os capítulos quarto e quinto tratam, respectivamente, da apuração e da declaração do dividendo mínimo obrigatório. As hipóteses de retenção regular e irregular de lucros sociais são tratadas nos capítulos sexto e sétimo. Do capítulo oitavo constam explicações sobre o pagamento do dividendo mínimo obrigatório. As considerações finais retomam as principais conclusões obtidas ao longo dos capítulos e arrematam o trabalho. / This thesis examines the legal discipline of the minimum mandatory corporate dividend, based on an analysis of its functions within organizations and on the practical implications of its existence, reflected in the procedures for social profits formation and distribution. Although this study centers on article 202 of the Brazilian Corporations Law, it also touches on corporate laws foundations, covering subjects ranging from the reasons for settling a corporate contract and the corporate functions of profits to modern thinking on conflicts of interest and the roles of managers and controlling shareholders. Besides a detailed analysis of the steps in accounting for, declaring, and paying the minimum mandatory dividend, this study also suggests these main propositions: (i) that the minimum mandatory dividend consists of a contractual solution, stimulated by law, that aims to reduce the costs related to the decision to share social profits; (ii) that the right to the minimum mandatory dividend and the right to participate in social profits are not equivalent and that the former, as distinct from the latter, is as revocable as it is renounceable; and (iii) that the minimum mandatory dividend has a substantially singular nature, which requires an independent analysis of its mechanisms. The expected contribution of this study is twofold: to improve the application of the minimum mandatory dividends legal discipline, and to bring to light the scientific investigation of dividend subjects, which inexplicably has been neglected by Brazilian legal doctrine in recent decades. The text is divided into eight chapters, besides the introduction and the final remarks. The first chapter presents the role of profits and dividends in companies. The second explains the doctrinal rationality that sustains the right of shareholders to the minimum mandatory dividend, examines the justifications for its jurisdictional protection, and analyzes the contemporary necessity for this protection. In the third chapter, issues related 181 to the minimum mandatory dividends ownership are debated. The fourth and fifth chapters concern, respectively, accounting for and declaring minimum mandatory dividends. The hypotheses of regular and irregular retention of social profits are discussed in the sixth and seventh chapters. Explanations of the rules for paying the minimum mandatory dividend are given in the eighth chapter. The final remarks section distills the main conclusions from the eight chapters.