A importância da Listeria monocytogenes como patógeno veiculado por alimentos, causador de grave quadro de infecção é bem conhecida. Devido a sua grande capacidade de sobrevivência às condições adversas do ambiente, o presente trabalho teve como objetivos verificar a freqüência de L. monocytogenes em mortadelas comercializadas no município de São Paulo, SP; avaliar o comportamento de 2 níveis de inóculos de L. monocytogenes frente ao processamento térmico de mortadelas de 2 formulações em diferentes condições de estocagem e avaliar o comportamento de L. monocytogenes naturalmente presente em mortadelas fatiadas, embaladas a vácuo, comercializadas e estocadas sob refrigeração, durante sua vida de prateleira. As amostras foram analisadas pelos métodos de Presença/Ausência ou NMP/g. Verificou-se que 26,7% das amostras de mortadelas analisadas foram positivas para L. monocytogenes. O processamento térmico convencional aplicado na cocção das mortadelas (74ºC no ponto mais frio) foi suficiente para redução dos inóculos em até 3 ciclos log independente da formulação do produto. A temperatura de estocagem, refrigeração ou temperatura ambiente, não interferiu na recuperação do microrganismo. Nas mortadelas fatiadas e embaladas a vácuo foi observado aumento médio de 2,5 ciclos log do NMP de L. monocytogeneslg durante a vida de prateleira do produto, com níveis de L. monocytogenes próximos a 2,0 log NMP/g no final da vida de prateleira do produto. De acordo com os resultados obtidos concluiu-se que L. monocytogenes é um patógeno freqüente em mortadelas; o tratamento térmico de mortadelas é suficiente para redução de até 3 ciclos logarítmicos de L. monocytogenes, não tendo sido observada presença do microrganismo durante estocagem por 30 dias e que mortadelas fatiadas e embaladas a vácuo mantidas sob refrigeração são susceptíveis a multiplicação de L. monocytogenes durante sua estocagem refrigerada, representando um risco à população susceptível. / L. monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause life threating infections. The importance of L. monocytogenes as a foodborne pathogen is well known. Its capacity to resist to adverse environmental conditions makes this microorganism a cause of concern for the food industry. The objectives of this study were to evaluate: the incidence of L. monocytogenes in mortadella samples commercialised in São Paulo, SP, BR; the behaviour of 2 leveis of L. monocytogenes during the processing of 2 formulations of the product stored at difterent conditions and the behaviour of indigenous L. monocytogenes present in vaccum-packed sliced mortadella during the shelf life of the product. Samples were analised by the Presence/Absence technique or By MPN. 26.7% of the mortadella samples were positive for L. monocytogenes. The conventional cooking process (74°C in the coldest point) was sufficient to reduce the population of the microorganism in up to 3 log and the formulation of the product did not interfere with this reduction. L. monocytogenes was not detected during storage of the product for up to 30 days under cold storage (5-8°C) or room temperature (25°C). The vaccum-packed sliced product showed a mean increase of 2.5 log of MPN/g during its shelf life with the bacterium reaching populations around 2 log MPN/g by the end of the período It could be concluded that L. monocytogenes is very frequent in mortadellas; for this product the cooking process is sufticient to reduce up to 3 log of L. monocytogenes. This microorganism could not be recovered during storage for up to 30 days, indicating no sub-Iethal damage. The vaccum-packed sliced product stored under refrigeration is susceptible to L. monocytogenes growth and can be considered risky to susceptible population.

Dados mundiais apontam haver uma associação entre o aumento do comércio de vegetais minimamente processados prontos para o consumo (VPC) e o aumento da ocorrência de surtos de enfermidades transmitidas por alimentos. Durante o processamento industrial de VPC, a desinfecção é a principal etapa de inativação de micro-organismos patogênicos presentes, mas nessa etapa também pode ocorrer contaminação cruzada, com transferência de contaminantes de produtos contaminados para não-contaminados. Neste trabalho, foram coletadas informações sobre as práticas empregadas na etapa de desinfecção em dez importantes indústrias produtoras de VPC no Estado de São Paulo, avaliando-se, em seguida, a influência dessas práticas na qualidade microbiológica dos produtos e na inativação de Salmonella Typhimurium, bem como na ocorrência de contaminação cruzada por este patógeno. Um modelo de avaliação quantitativa de risco microbiológico foi elaborado para estimar o impacto da contaminação cruzada durante a etapa de desinfecção no risco de infecção por Salmonella devido ao consumo de VPC. Observou-se que, em todas as indústrias visitadas, a desinfecção dos vegetais era feita com produtos à base de cloro em concentrações de 50 a 240 mg/L, que resultava em redução de até 1,2 log na carga microbiana dos vegetais que entravam na linha de processamento. Ao avaliar a influência das características da água de processamento (pH, temperatura, concentração de matéria orgânica e concentração de dicloroisocianurato de sódio) e do tempo de contato entre a água clorada e os vegetais na redução de Salmonella, observou-se que a concentração do produto à base de cloro foi o parâmetro que apresentou maior influência (p<0.05). Concentrações de dicloroisocianurato de sódio acima de 10 mg/L foram necessárias para controle da contaminação cruzada durante a etapa de lavagem. O modelo de avaliação de risco construído indicou quantitativamente haver uma relação entre a concentração de dicloroisocianurato de sódio na água de desinfecção e o risco de ocorrência de surtos causados por Salmonella em VPC. Cenários simulando uso de dicloroisocianurato de sódio em concentrações abaixo de 5 mg/L indicaram que mais de 96% dos casos preditos de infecção por Salmonella poderiam ser atribuídos à ocorrência de contaminação cruzada, enquanto que em cenários com concentrações acima de 50 mg/L, casos de infecção devidos à contaminação cruzada não foram preditos. Estes resultados mostram que o controle da qualidade da água e o monitoramento da concentração de sanitizante na etapa de desinfecção são essenciais para evitar a ocorrência de contaminação cruzada e garantir a produção de VPC seguros para o consumo. / Surveillance data in several countries show an association between consumption of minimally processed ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables and increased occurrence of foodborne diseases outbreaks. During RTE vegetables processing, washing-disinfection is the main step aiming to ensure inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms, but also is the step in which cross-contamination may occur, with transfer of contaminants from contaminated to non-contaminated products. In this study, we collected information on the practices employed during the washing-disinfection step in ten RTE vegetables processing plants located in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and evaluated the influence of these washing practices on the microbial quality of the products and inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium, as well as on the occurrence of cross-contamination by this pathogen. A quantitative microbial risk assessment model was built in order to estimate the impact of cross-contamination during the washing step on the risk of infection by Salmonella due to the consumption of RTE vegetables. In all visited processing plants, the disinfection step was done using chlorine-based products, in concentrations ranging from 50 to 240 mg/L, achieving a reduction of up to 1.2 log in the microbial load of vegetables entering the processing line. When the influence of washing water parameters (pH, temperature, organic load and sodium dichloroisocyanurate concentration) and time of contact between chlorinated water and vegetables on reduction of Salmonella were evaluated, sodium dichloroisocyanurate concentration influenced the most (p<0.05). Concentrations above 10 mg/L were necessary for avoiding cross-contamination during washing step. The risk assessment model indicated quantitatively a relationship between sodium dichloroisocyanurate concentration and the risk of illness caused by Salmonella in RTE vegetables. When simulation was done with less than 5 mg/L of sodium dichloroisocyanurate, most (>96%) of the illnesses arose from cross-contamination. However, when the concentration was 50 mg/L or higher, no illnesses arising from cross-contamination were predicted. These results show that controlling the quality of the water and monitoring the concentration of the sanitizer in the disinfection step are essential to avoid occurrence of cross contamination and ensure production of RTE vegetables that are safe for consumption.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how online food delivery companies changed the language in their advertising and took advantage of lockdown restrictions when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Using advertising technique theory and Norman Fairclough’s three dimensional framework for analyzing advertising discourse, this study scrutinized the Twitter advertising of four major online food delivery companies in the United States and the United Kingdom (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Deliveroo, and Just Eat) from 1 February 2020 to 30 April 2020 for the purposes of understanding how these companies advertised on Twitter just before the pandemic began and how they pivoted to new advertising techniques and discourses at the beginning of the pandemic. The results show that before the pandemic began, the online food delivery companies’ Twitter advertising generally depended on self-indulgence and giving audiences an excuse to use their service. When the pandemic began, however, the results of this study show the online food delivery companies' conscious efforts to leverage the economic struggle of the food industry caused by the pandemic to their benefit by shifting their advertising techniques and discourses in various ways.

Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (M/S TBI) is a growing public health concern with significant impact on the cognitive functioning of survivors. Cognitive control and deficits in awareness have been linked to poor recovery and rehabilitation outcomes. One way to research cognitive control is through awareness of errors using electroencephalogram and event-related potentials (ERPs). Both the error-related negativity and the post-error positivity components of the ERP are linked to error awareness and cognitive control processes. Attentional capacity and levels of apathy influence error awareness in those with M/S TBI. There are strong links between awareness, attention, and apathy. However, limited research has examined the role of attention, awareness, and apathy using electrophysiological indices of error awareness to further understand cognitive control in a M/S TBI sample. The current study sought to elucidate the role of apathy in error awareness in those with M/S TBI. Participants included 75 neurologically-healthy controls (divided randomly into two control groups) and 24 individuals with M/S TBI. All participants completed self-report measures of mood, apathy, and executive functioning, as well as a brief neuropsychological battery to measure attention and cognitive ability. To measure awareness, participants completed the error awareness task (EAT), a modified Stroop go/no-go task. Participants signaled awareness of errors committed on the previous trial. The M/S TBI group decreased accuracy while improving or maintaining error awareness compared to controls over time. There were no significant between-group differences for ERN and Pe amplitudes. Levels of apathy in the M/S TBI group were included in three multiple regression analyses predicting proportion of unaware errors, ERN amplitude, and Pe amplitude. Apathy was predictive of error awareness, although not in the predicted direction. Major analyses were replicated using two distinct control groups to determine potential sample effects. Results showed consistent results comparing both control groups to a M/S TBI group. Findings show variable levels of awareness and accuracy over time for those with M/S TBI when compared to controls. Conclusions include varying levels of attention and awareness from the M/S TBI group over time, evidenced by improving awareness of errors when they are happening, but an inability to regulate performance sufficiently to improve accuracy. Levels of apathy are playing a role in error awareness, however, not in predicted directions. The study provides support for the role of attentional impairments in error awareness and encourages future studies to look for varying levels of performance within a given task when using populations linked to elevated levels of apathy and attentional deficits.

Technical debt is used to describe the changing or to maintain a system due to expedient shortcuts done during its development. In the context of the software development industry, technical debt is regarded as a critical issue in terms of the negative consequences such as increased software development cost, low product quality, decreased maintainability, and slowed progress to the long-term success of developing software. Code Smells are well informed in the domain of Technical Debt. They indicate to the common bad practices that may impair the future quality of the software system. By identifying those Code Smells, it is possible to give an improved solution or make the developers aware of a possible deficiency. I explore the premise that technical debt within the enterprise should be viewed as a tool. Extensible and Appropriate tools can check the Code Smells automatically and improve the quality assessment accordingly. However, in the field of Enterprise Architecture(EA), common bad habits in EA can be called EA Smells. EA Smells itself can be a component of EA Debt. Enterprise Architecture Debt can be defined as such a metric that depicts the deviation of the currently present state of an enterprise from a hypothetical ideal state.In this thesis, we introduce SmellCull as an extensible tool for capturing, tracking and managing Enterprise Architecture debt in the EA field. SmellCull allows measuring different kinds of Enterprise Architecture debts for EA Model. SmellCull is extensible since different types of Model can be integrated as input into the tool environment and provides developers with a lightweight tool to capture EA debt and make it easier to understand them indicating corresponding parts in the implementation. The tool is used to create propagation paths for the EA debt. This allows for an up-to-date and accurate presentation of EA debt to be upheld, which enables developer conducted implementation-level micromanagement as well as higher-level debt management.Since the tool is sophisticated enough, automated detection supports the design process and ongoing change of EAS(Enterprise Architecture System). This includes the strategic development of EAS with the corresponding roadmaps, as well as design assurance and performance monitoring to assess the quality of data in EA repositories and the compliance with certain standards defined by EA Smells. Due to the limited scope of master thesis, the tool will identify a few number of EA debt. At the end, some future work suggestions in the context of identifying more salable Enterprise Architecture Debts with this tool are given. / Teknisk skuld dvs dålig eller kortsiktig programutveckling som belastning på IT-system måste förr eller senare återbetalas. I industrin betraktas teknisk skuld som en kritisk fråga när det gäller de negativa konsekvenserna som ökad mjukvaruutvecklingskostnad, låg produktkvalitet, minska underhåll och långsammare framsteg till den långsiktiga framgången med att utveckla programvara. Dålig kodkvalitet “code smell” är vanligt förekommande teknisk skuld. Det uppkommer i vanliga dåliga metoder “anti-patterns” som försämrar programvarans framtida kvalitet. För att kunna identifiera bristande kodkvalitet är det möjligt att skapa en förbättrad lösning eller göra utvecklare medvetna om de möjliga bristerna. Jag undersöker förutsättningarna att en sådan teknisk skuld i företag bör undersökas med en programvara. Utbyggbara och ändamålsenliga programvaror kan analysera källkod och hitta var kvaliteten behöver förbättras. Företagens tekniska skuld kan definieras som ett mått som visar avvikelsen från ett hypotetiskt idealtillstånd genom att jämföra det aktuella tillståndet med praktiska rekommendationer “best practice”. I detta examensarbete introducerar jag SmellCull som ett utbyggbart verktyg för att hitta, spåra och hantera bristfällig kodkvalitet inom företagsarkitektur (EA). SmellCull tillåter mätning av olika typer av tekiska skulder för EA modellen. SmellCull är utbyggbart genom att olika typer av datamodeller kan integreras som indata i miljön, och det ger utveck-lare ett lätt verktyg för att hantera teknisk skuld i programmeringsprojekt och hjälpa projektdeltagarna i programmeringsprojekt att förstå vad orsakar brister i kodkvalitet.  Eftersom verktyget är tillräckligt sofistikerat finns det automatiserad spårning, designprocess och kontinuerlig förbättring av EAS (Enterprise Architecture System). Detta inkluderar strategisk utveckling av EAS med motsvarande färdplan, samt konstruktionssäkerhet och prestandäovervakning för att bedöma kvaliteten på data i EA förvar och efterlevnaden av vissa standarder som definieras av EA code smell detection. På grund av den begränsade omfattningen av examensarbetet kommer verktyget att  identifiera några få EA skuld. I slutet, några framtida arbetsförslag i samband med identifiering mer säljbara företagsarkitekturskulder med detta verktyg ges.

This thesis examines the convergence of neoliberal rhetoric across popular media, academic, and institutional discourses, and draws connections between contemporary women's travel literature and common scripts in study abroad promotion. Finding such narratives to be freighted with ethnocentric constructs and tacit endorsements of market-based globalization, I critique the mainstreaming of neoliberal attitudes that depict travel as a commodity primarily valuable for its role in increasing the worth of U.S. American personhood. I question both the prevailing definitions of "global citizenship" and the ubiquitous claims that study abroad prepares students for "success in the global economy" as ideological signifiers of a higher education system that is increasingly corporatized. Utilizing a postcolonial and transnational feminist theoretical framework, the thesis offers a literary analysis of contemporary women's travel memoirs, examining patterns of narcissism and "othering" in their depictions of cross-cultural encounter, and connects these neoliberal trends to consumerism in higher education, study abroad, and post-second wave feminism. Shared themes in the representation of privileged U.S./Western women abroad and the student-consumer model in higher education bespeak a movement toward individual international engagements that reinforce corporate motives for travel and endorse the commodification of global environments, cultures, and people. In hopes of contesting this paradigm, I argue for the reassertion of a social justice-oriented definition of global citizenship and for educational models that foster self-criticism and the decolonization of knowledge. / Graduation date: 2012

Treemaps are a popular space-filling visualization of hierarchical data that maps an attribute of a datum, or a data aggregate, to a proportional amount of area. Assuming a rectangular treemap consisting of nested rectangles (also called tiles), there are multiple possible valid tiling arrangements. A common criterion for optimization is aspect ratio. Nevertheless, treemaps usually consist of multiple rectangles, so the aspect ratios need be aggregated. The basic definition of aspect ratio (width divided by height) cannot be meaningfully aggregated. Given this, a definition of aspect ratio that does not differentiate height from width was suggested. This definition allows for meaningful aggregation, but only as long as there are no large differences in the data distribution, and the target aspect ratio is 1:1. Originally, a target aspect ratio of 1:1 was deemed to be axiomatically ideal. Currently, perceptual studies have found an aspect ratio of 1:1 to lead to the largest area estimation error. However, with any other target this definition of aspect ratio cannot be meaningfully aggregated. This thesis suggests a correction that can be applied to the current metric and would allow it to be meaningfully aggregated even when there are large value differences in the data. Furthermore, both the uncorrected and corrected metrics can be generalized for any target (i.e. targets other than 1:1). Another issue with current evaluation techniques is that algorithm fitness is evaluated through Monte Carlo trials. In this method, synthetic data is generated and then aggregated to generate a single final result. However, tiling algorithm performance is dependant on data distribution, so a single aggregateresult cannot generalize overall performance. The alternative suggested in this thesis is visual cluster analysis, which should hold more general predictive power.All of the above is put into practice with an experiment. In the experiment, a new family of tiling algorithms, based on criteria derived from the results of the perceptual tests in literature,is compared to the most popular tiling algorithm, Squarify. The results confirm that there are indeed vast but consistent value fluctuations for different normal distributions. At least for a target aspect ratio of 1.5, the new proposed algorithms are shown to perform better than Squarify for most use cases in terms of aspect ratio.

Objective: Evaluate how a social marketing approach compares to traditional nutrition education curriculum for promoting behavioral changes related to eating and food. Design: Nonequivalent comparison group, entry-exit design. Participants from 12 Kentucky counties assigned either comparison or pilot group. Comparison group received traditional nutrition education curriculum and pilot group received the social marketing program, Cook Together, Eat Together (CTET) curriculum. EFNEP’s Behavior Checklist and 24-Hour Dietary Recall were administered at entry and exit of the 8-week programs. Participants: Females (18-72 years of age) from families eligible to receive SNAP benefits (n=64 comparison group participants, n=60 pilot group participants). Intervention: Comparison group completed an 8-week standard lesson and pilot group completed CTET program in varying time frames (1-8 weeks). Main Outcome Measures: Eating behavior changes between entry and exit for comparison versus pilot. Analysis: Quantitative data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests with significance of P≤ 0.05 and 0.10. Results: Groups were demographically similar. Both had significant differences in entry and exit scores for Behavior Checklist and 24-Hour Recall (P≤ 0.05). Conclusion and Implications: Positive behavior change was observed in both comparison and pilot groups. A social marketing program proves to be a promising approach to nutrition education.

A presente dissertação, apresentada em dois estudos, buscou verificar as condições de boas práticas de higiene e manipulação (BPHM) e de infraestrutura (IE) de oito restaurantes/lanchonetes e de sete pontos de comércio ambulante localizados na Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira (CUASO-USP) e a qualidade higiênico-sanitária de 45 amostras de alimentos prontos para o consumo colhidas nos mesmos. O primeiro estudo traz uma abordagem exploratória e qualitativa através da aplicação de listas de verificação; o segundo analisa laboratorialmente aspectos higiênico-sanitários dos alimentos comercializados pelos estabelecimentos alvo do estudo anterior. Concluiu-se que 1) os estabelecimentos de comércio alimentício da CUASO-USP apresentaram índices regulares de cumprimento de BPHM e adequação de IE, sendo que o eixo de higiene e manipulação de alimentos mostrou-se em melhor situação quando comparado ao de infraestrutura; 2) os ambulantes analisados apresentaram melhores resultados no cumprimento das normas de BPHM e IE e na avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias quando comparados aos estabelecimentos fixos de comércio alimentício. Constatou-se que é possível a prática do comércio de alimentos de rua com qualidade higiênico-sanitária, sem caracterizar uma ameaça à saúde publica, desde que o empreendedor conheça e aplique os procedimentos necessários e críticos à obtenção da garantia dos produtos comercializados, assumindo responsabilidade social ao realizar o seu modo de produção mercantil simples, porém comprometido moralmente com a sociedade. / This investigate, presented in two studies, examined the good hygiene practices and handling (GHPH) and the infrastructure (IS) conditions from eight restaurants and seven street vendors located in University City Armando de Salles Oliveira (UCASO-USP) and the sanitary conditions of 45 samples of ready to eat food harvested in them. The first study provides an exploratory and qualitative approach through the application of checklists; the second laboratory analyzes the hygienic and sanitary aspects of the food sold by the previously discussed establishments. We concluded that 1) the UCASO-USP food trade establishments showed regular compliance rates of GHPH and appropriateness of IS, and the axis of hygiene and food handling proved to be better off compared to the infrastructure; 2) the street vendors analyzed showed better results in meeting the GHPH and IS standards and in the evaluation of sanitary conditions when compared to fixed establishments of food trade. It was found that it is possible to practice the street foods trade in sanitary conditions, without characterizing a public health threat, provided that the enterprising know and apply the necessary and critical procedures to obtaining the products marketed assurance, with social responsibility while make their commodity production simple mode.

A presente dissertação, apresentada em dois estudos, buscou verificar as condições de boas práticas de higiene e manipulação (BPHM) e de infraestrutura (IE) de oito restaurantes/lanchonetes e de sete pontos de comércio ambulante localizados na Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira (CUASO-USP) e a qualidade higiênico-sanitária de 45 amostras de alimentos prontos para o consumo colhidas nos mesmos. O primeiro estudo traz uma abordagem exploratória e qualitativa através da aplicação de listas de verificação; o segundo analisa laboratorialmente aspectos higiênico-sanitários dos alimentos comercializados pelos estabelecimentos alvo do estudo anterior. Concluiu-se que 1) os estabelecimentos de comércio alimentício da CUASO-USP apresentaram índices regulares de cumprimento de BPHM e adequação de IE, sendo que o eixo de higiene e manipulação de alimentos mostrou-se em melhor situação quando comparado ao de infraestrutura; 2) os ambulantes analisados apresentaram melhores resultados no cumprimento das normas de BPHM e IE e na avaliação das condições higiênico-sanitárias quando comparados aos estabelecimentos fixos de comércio alimentício. Constatou-se que é possível a prática do comércio de alimentos de rua com qualidade higiênico-sanitária, sem caracterizar uma ameaça à saúde publica, desde que o empreendedor conheça e aplique os procedimentos necessários e críticos à obtenção da garantia dos produtos comercializados, assumindo responsabilidade social ao realizar o seu modo de produção mercantil simples, porém comprometido moralmente com a sociedade. / This investigate, presented in two studies, examined the good hygiene practices and handling (GHPH) and the infrastructure (IS) conditions from eight restaurants and seven street vendors located in University City Armando de Salles Oliveira (UCASO-USP) and the sanitary conditions of 45 samples of ready to eat food harvested in them. The first study provides an exploratory and qualitative approach through the application of checklists; the second laboratory analyzes the hygienic and sanitary aspects of the food sold by the previously discussed establishments. We concluded that 1) the UCASO-USP food trade establishments showed regular compliance rates of GHPH and appropriateness of IS, and the axis of hygiene and food handling proved to be better off compared to the infrastructure; 2) the street vendors analyzed showed better results in meeting the GHPH and IS standards and in the evaluation of sanitary conditions when compared to fixed establishments of food trade. It was found that it is possible to practice the street foods trade in sanitary conditions, without characterizing a public health threat, provided that the enterprising know and apply the necessary and critical procedures to obtaining the products marketed assurance, with social responsibility while make their commodity production simple mode.