The purpose of this study was to address the aggressive marketing of commercial formula and breastfeeding cessation in Indonesia using an evaluation of a counter-marketing continuing education module. Using a convenience sample (N = 99) of breastfeeding educators and/or counselors, paired t-tests showed a significant increase in participants’ knowledge about counter-marketing after they participated in the training. Findings also showed significant increases post-training for stage of changes, self-efficacy, knowledge, and motivation to perform four key talking behaviors: i.e., involving talking to new and pregnant mothers about corporations’ inappropriate and aggressive marketing of formula, and the risks of becoming dependent on expensive formula and losing the ability to produce their own breast milk. These findings suggested that exposure to the counter-marketing continuing education training served as a brief intervention associated with significant improvements in level of knowledge about counter-marketing among participants and in stage of change self-efficacy, knowledge, and motivation for performing key behaviors of interest. Backward-stepwise regression revealed that higher level of motivation for taking an active role in the proposed campaign (i.e., A Campaign to Expose the Truth about Becoming Dependent on Commercial Formula and Breastfeeding Cessation) was significantly predicted by: (1) higher pre-training self-efficacy for talking to expectant and new mothers about the reasons to breastfeed their infant (β = .327, SEB = .118, p = .007); (2) lower pre-training knowledge for talking to expectant and new mothers about corporations’ inappropriate and aggressive marketing of commercial infant formula (β = -.270, SEB = .092, p = .004); and, (3) higher level of knowledge for taking an active role in the proposed campaign (β = .392, SEB = .083, p = .000). Participants rated the training as very good (74.7%, n = 74). Qualitative data showed that the training provided new knowledge and a new approach in addressing aggressive formula marketing by corporations. Further, participants found that the training has made them more confident and motivated to work with mothers and the community to advocate and educate about negative impacts from commercial formula.

In 1942, Paul C. Rosenbloom put out a definition of a Post algebra after Emil L. Post published a collection of systems of many–valued logic. Post algebras became easier to handle following George Epstein’s alternative definition. As conceived by Rosenbloom, Post algebras were meant to capture the algebraic properties of Post’s systems; this fact was not verified by Rosenbloom nor Epstein and has been assumed by others in the field. In this thesis, the long–awaited demonstration of this oft–asserted assertion is given. After an elemental history of many–valued logic and a review of basic Classical Propositional Logic, the systems given by Post are introduced. The definition of a Post algebra according to Rosenbloom together with an examination of the meaning of its notation in the context of Post’s systems are given. Epstein’s definition of a Post algebra follows the necessary concepts from lattice theory, making it possible to prove that Post’s systems of many–valued logic do in fact form a Post algebra.

This dissertation presents a self-tuning regulator (STR) design method developed based upon a state-space linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control strategy for rejecting a disturbance in a flexible structure in the face of model uncertainty. The parameters to be tuned are treated as additional state variables and are estimated recursively together with the system state that is needed for feedback. Also, the feedback gains are designed in the LQ framework based upon the estimated model parameters. Two problems concerning the uncertainty of model parameters are recognized. First, we consider the uncertainty in the system matrix of the state space model. The self-tuning regulator is implemented by computer and the control law is obtained based upon a discrete-time model; however, only selected continuous-time parameters with physical meanings to which the controller is highly sensitive are tuned. It is formulated as a nonlinear filtering problem such that both the estimated state and the unknown parameters can be obtained by an extended Kahman filter. The capability of this design method is experimentally demonstrated by applying it to the rejection of a disturbance in a simply supported plate. The other problem considered is that the location where the disturbance enters the system is unknown. This corresponds to an unknown disturbance influence matrix. Under the assumption that the system matrix is known and the disturbance can be measured, it is formulated as a linear filtering problem with an approximate discrete-time design model. Similarly, the estimated state for feedback and the unknown parameters are identified simultaneously and recursively. Also, the feedback gains are calculated approximately by recursively solving the discrete-time control Riccati equation. The effectiveness of the controller is shown by applying it to a simply-supported plate, when the location of the disturbance is assumed unknown. Since implementing LQG self-tuning controllers for vibration control systems requires significant real-time computation, methods that can reduce the computing load are examined. In addition, the possibility of extending the self tuning to disturbance model parameters is explored. / Ph. D.

This thesis examines the scientific language in different subjects by analysing all grade 8 science items from TIMSS 2011, using four characteristic meaning dimensions of scientific language – Packing, Precision and Presentation of information, and the level of Personification in a text. The results, as well as results from established readability measures, are correlated with test performances of different student groups. The TIMSS vocabulary is compared with three Swedish corpora where low frequency words are identified and further analysed. The thesis challenges the notion that there is a single scientific language, as results show that the language use varies between subjects. Physics uses more words, biology shows higher Packing and lower Precision, while physics shows the opposite pattern. Items are generally low in Personification but physics has higher levels, earth science lower. Chemistry often presents information in more complex ways. The use of meaning dimensions manages to connect the language use in science items to student performance, while established measures do not. For each subject, one or more of the meaning dimensions shows significant correlations with small to medium effect sizes. Higher Packing is positively correlated with students’ results in earth science, negatively correlated in physics, and has no significant correlations in biology or chemistry. Students’ performances decrease when placing items in everyday contexts, and skilled readers are aided by higher precision, while less-skilled seem unaffected. Many meaning dimensions that influence low performers’ results do not influence those of high performers, and vice versa. The vocabulary of TIMSS and school textbooks are closely matched, but compared with more general written Swedish and a more limited vocabulary, the coverage drops significantly. Of the low frequency words 78% are nouns, where also most compound–, extra long– and made-up words are found. These categories and nominalisations are more common in biology and, except for made-up words, rare in chemistry. Abstract and generalizing nouns are frequent in biology and earth science, concrete nouns in chemistry and physics.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / The purpose of this study was to evaluate Chinese parents' buying behaviour towards baby milk powder in the context of China's One-Child policy. The study examined the Chinese culture, social trends, the influence of product attributes among urban Chinese parents and parents' product knowledge of baby milk powder. This study is an exploratory study. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from 400 respondents at Shangdong University, China. There are 312 respondents' questionnaires used to analyse the results. The results were discovered through the use of four research objectives. Firstly, the results reflect that family and friends do have an influence on buying decisions on baby milk powder. There parents rely more on word-of-mouth communication and shop assistants play a negative role in parents' buying decision. Secondly, mothers need to opt for baby milk powder for their babies due to the flood of women into the job market and incomes from dual earners. Thirdly, parents perceive high price with good quality; the preferred brand by the parents have a significant impact on their brand loyalty and parents generally hold positive views of foreign-made baby milk powder. Fourthly, parents have a high level of subjective and objective knowledge of baby milk powder. This study was limited to the sample size and the geographic area. Consequently, results of this study can not be regarded as representative of the entire Chinese population. The results may help marketers develop more effective marketing programmes to affect consumers' buying decision. In addition, this study is one of a few studies that apply the theory of buying behaviour in the context of China's One-Child policy in the marketing field. / M

In today’s multicultural society it is increasingly important that information is made available in a way that allows it to reach as many people as possible. The present study investigates the readability of the information provided in English on a Swedish municipality’s website. While Umeå Municipality sets a good example when it comes to providing information in foreign languages, the question is how easy the information is to read. The methods used to measure the readability of the texts were three automated readability formulas as well as additional analyses focusing on sentence structure and the number of clauses per word. The results show that despite obvious efforts to follow the guidelines for providing public information, more attention needs to be given to the form of the texts themselves. The complexity of the texts as gauged by the reading formulas was in all cases greater than what is recommended for information written for the general public. Some of the texts would seem to require the reader to have a college degree to fully comprehend the information. The supplementary analyses, especially when it comes to the number of clauses per sentence, confirmed the complexity of the texts. The importance of ‘writing for your audience’ thus seems to have been neglected for parts of the analysed material, which implies that some readers may not fully understand their rights and responsibilities regarding the areas addressed on the municipality’s website.

Problemas provenientes de química atmosférica, possuem uma característica especial denominada stiffness, indicando que as soluções dos sistemas de equações diferenciais ordinárias envolvidos variam em diferentes ordens de grandeza. Isso faz com que métodos numéricos adequados devam ser aplicados no intuito de obter soluções numéricas convergentes e estáveis. Os métodos mais eficazes para tratar este tipo de problema são os métodos implícitos, pois possuem uma região de estabilidade ilimitada que permite grandes variações no tamanho do passo, mantendo o erro de discretização dentro de uma dada tolerância. Mais precisamente, estes métodos possuem a propriedade de A-estabilidade ou A(alpha)-estabilidade. Neste trabalho, comparamos dois métodos numéricos com estas características: o método de Rosenbrock e a fórmula de diferenciação regressiva (métodos BDF). O primeiro é usado no módulo de Química do modelo CCATT-BRAMS do Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos (CPTEC), sendo incluído na previsão numérica de regiões com intensas fontes de poluição. Este é um método de passo simples implícito com um controle de passo adaptativo. Aqui empregamos também o segundo, um método de passo múltiplo que dispõe de uma fórmula que permite variação no tamanho do passo e na ordem, empregando o pacote LSODE. Os resultados de nossas comparações indicam que os métodos BDF podem se constituir em interessante alternativa para uso no CCATT-BRAMS. / Problems from atmospheric chemistry have a special characteristic denominated stiffness, indicating that the solutions of the involved ordinary differential equations systems vary in different scales. This means that appropriate methods should be applied in order to get convergent and stable numerical solutions. The most powerful methods to treat problems like this are implicit schemes, since they have unlimited stabity regions, allowing large variations in step size, keeping the discretization error within a given tolerance. More precisely, these methods have the A-stability or A(alpha)-stability properties. In this work, we compared two numerical methods with those characteristics: the Rosenbrock method and the backward differentiation formula (BDF). The first one is employed in the Chemistry package within CCATT-BRAMS local weather model of CPTEC (Center for Weather Forecasts and Climate Studies), which is mainly used for the numerical forecasting of regions with intense pollution. This is a implicit one-step method with an adaptative stepsize control. We compare it with the second method, a multistep method with a formula that allows variations in step size and order, with the help of the LSODE package. The results of our comparisons indicate that BDF methods are an interesting alternative to be used within CCATT-BRAMS.

O consumo de fórmulas infantis no Brasil, utilizadas como substituto do leite materno, tem aumentado nos últimos anos de forma significativa. Tal fato é uma preocupação para os órgãos de saúde pois, o aleitamento materno exclusivo até no mínimo 6 meses, deixou de fazer parte de nutrição da maioria dos lactentes. Os produtos utilizados como substituto do leite materno contêm quantidades suficientes de vitaminas e nutrientes que ajudam no desenvolvimento normal do organismo dos lactentes. Entretanto, além de elementos essenciais, podem conter elementos potencialmente tóxicos presentes na matéria prima ou oriundos das etapas de processamento e armazenamento das mesmas. No presente trabalho foram desenvolvidos métodos analítico para determinar a presença de elementos potencialmente tóxicos (As, Cd, Pb e Tl) e essenciais (Cu e Mn) em fórmulas infantis, utilizando espectrometria de absorção atômica de alta resolução com fonte contínua e forno de grafite e análise direta de sólidos. As amostras utilizadas neste trabalho foram obtidas nos mercados da cidade de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, todas na forma sólida (pó) com diferentes composições e matéria prima (arroz, aveia, soja e leite). As curvas de calibração foram realizadas com soluções padrão aquosas e os métodos otimizados foram aplicados nas amostras em estudo. Em todas as amostras os elementos As, Cd, Pb e Tl apresentaram valores de concentração abaixo do limite de detecção. Das seis amostras analisadas, três apresentaram valores de concentração de Cu abaixo dos parâmetros mínimos estabelecidos pela legislação brasileira, enquanto que para o Mn todas amostras apresentaram valores de concentração dentro dos parâmetros mínimos da legislação brasileira. Os métodos desenvolvidos foram simples, exatos e precisos, podendo ser utilizados para análise de rotina. / The consumption of infant formula in Brazil, as a replacement of breast milk, has lately increased significantly. It is a major concern for health agencies because the exclusive breastfeeding up to at least 6 months is no longer part of most infants. The products used as a substitute of the breast milk contain sufficient amounts of vitamins and nutrients, which helps in the normal development of the infants. However, besides the essential elements, it may contain potentially toxic elements present in raw material or from of the processing and storage stages of the same. In the present work the presence of the essential (Cu e Mn) and potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Pb e Tl) in infant formulas were evaluated. For this, analytical methods were developed for the determination of As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Tl using high-resolution continnum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and direct solid sampling analysis in infant formulas. The samples were acquired in Porto Alegre’s market, RS, Brazil, all in powder form with different compositions and raw materials (rice, oats, soy and bovine milk). The calibration curves were performed with aqueous standard solutions and the optimized methods were applied in the study samples. In all samples, the concentration values of As, Pb, Cd and Tl were below of the limit of detection. For the analyzed samples, three of them present the concentration values of Cu lower than the minimum parameters established by Brazilian legislation, while for Mn, all samples present the concentration values within the minimum parameters of Brazilian legislation. The developed methods for the determination of these elements in infant formulas were simple, exacts and precise, and can be applicated for the routine analysis.

As equações polinomiais são estudadas desde a antiguidade e atualmente são utilizadas, por exemplo, para modelar problemas do cotidiano nas mais variadas áreas do conhecimento. As técnicas de solução de equações polinomiais nem sempre são triviais, principalmente quando envolvem equações de alta ordem e raízes complexas. O ensino desse tema no Ensino Básico é limitado a equações de segundo ou terceiro grau e coeficientes inteiros, o que restringe a aplicação em problemas mais realistas. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é trazer uma contribuição aos estudantes, aos professores do Ensino Básico e aos demais interessados, apresentando um material que aborde técnicas de resolução para equação polinomial de diversas naturezas. Iniciamos por uma revisão dos números complexos e dos polinômios, suas operações e propriedades. Embasamos o trabalho com teoremas e permeamos de exemplos com um crescente grau de dificuldade. Dividimos as técnicas de resolução em analíticas e numéricas. Entre as primeiras, tratamos das relações de Girard, das fórmulas resolventes e de alguns casos particulares de equações. Entre as técnicas numéricas, estudamos o método de Newton, o método das secantes e o método de Newton-Bairstow, este último para encontrar raízes complexas. / Polynomial equations have been studied since antiquity and are currently used, for example, to model everyday problems in the most varied areas of knowledge. The solution techniques of polynomial equations are not always trivial, especially when they involve high order equations and complex roots. The teaching of this subject in Basic Education is limited to second or third degree equations and integer coefficients, which restricts the application to more realistic problems. Thus, the objective of this work is to bring a contribution to students, teachers of Basic Education and other interested parties, presenting a material that treats of resolution techniques for polynomial equation of different natures. We begin with a review of complex numbers and polynomials, their operations and properties. We support the work with theorems and permeate examples with an increasing degree of difficulty. We divide the techniques of resolution into analytical and numerical. Among the first, we deal with Girards relations, the resolvent formulas, and some particular cases of equations. Among numerical techniques, we studied the Newton method, the secant method, and the Newton-Bairstow method, the last one to find complex roots.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A intenÃÃo desse trabalho serà de abordar de forma bÃsica e introdutÃria o estudo da Geometria Diferencial, que por sua vez tem seus estudos iniciados com as Curvas Planas. Serà necessÃrio um conhecimento de CÃlculo Diferencial, Integral e Geometria AnalÃtica para melhor compreensÃo desse trabalho, pois como seu prÃprio nome nos transparece Geometria Diferencial vem de uma junÃÃo do estudo da Geometria envolvendo CÃlculo. Assim abordaremos subtemas como curvas suaves, vetor tangente, comprimento de arco passando por fÃrmulas de Frenet, curvas evolutas e involutas e finalizaremos com alguns teoremas importantes, como o teorema fundamental das curvas planas, teorema de Jordan e o teorema dos quatro vÃrtices. O que, basicamente representa, o capÃtulo 1, 4 e 6 do livro IntroduÃÃo Ãs Curvas Planas de HilÃrio Alencar e Walcy Santos. / The intention of this work is to address in basic form and introductory study of Differential Geometry, which in turn has started his studies with Planas curves. It will require a knowledge of Differential Calculus, Integral and Analytic Geometry for better understanding of this work, because as its name says in Differential Geometry comes from the joint study of geometry involving Calculation. So we discuss sub-themes as smooth curves, tangent vector, arc length through formulas of Frenet, evolutas curves and involute and conclude with some important theorems, as the fundamental theorem of plane curves, Jordan 's theorem and the theorem of four vertices. What basically is, Chapter 1, 4 and 6 of the book Introduction to Plane Curves HilÃrio Alencar and Walcy Santos.