Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6028.pdf: 5665248 bytes, checksum: 6c72cfa1aa75c6afdbbc1ad8801ac70d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-04 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The construction of wastewater collection systems and the implantation of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) are not guarantees that environmental and public health problems on the wastewater are fully resolved, because the WWTPs require inputs to function and generate wastes and tailings during their operation and may, thus, also become sources of environmental pollution and cause damage to the population. Besides the Environmental Licensing, which includes the Preliminary License, Installation License and Operating License, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), two management tools can assist the management of WWTPs in this way: the NBR ISO 14001:2004, for the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS), and NBR ISO 14004:2005, which recommends conducting an Initial Environmental Review before installing the system, although does not have tools that can be used for this purpose. Thus, the general objective of this work was to develop tools to aid in conducting this Review in WWTPs, having as object of study WWTP-Monjolinho - São Carlos-SP, which wastewater treatment consists of: preliminary treatment, biological treatment with UASB reactors, dissolved-air flotation - preceded by flocculation with metallic coagulants and polymers -, ultraviolet (UV) radiation disinfection and postaeration of treated wastewater by cascade aeration before its throwing to Monjolinho river. The research was performed in four stages. At first, it was performed theoretical background; in the second, the knowledge of the object of study; in the third, the tools of Initial Environmental Review were developed and applied to WWTP-Monjolinho; and in the fourth stage there was the presentation and discussion of the results, as well as the research finals considerations. Eight tools and also the results of their application to WWTP-Monjolinho were obtained. It is considered that, through the tools developed in this work, the WWTPs, as WWTP-Monjolinho, can guide themselves more appropriately in search of the EMS installation and improve their activities, in order to more adequately meets increasing aspirations from society for a better quality of life and environmental protection and conservation. / A construção de redes coletoras e a implantação de Estações de Tratamento de Esgoto sanitários (ETEs) não são garantias de que os problemas ambientais e de saúde pública acerca do esgoto sanitário sejam plenamente resolvidos, pois as ETEs necessitam de insumos para funcionar e geram resíduos e rejeitos durante sua operação e podem, portanto, também tornar-se fontes de poluição ambiental e causar danos à população. Além do Licenciamento Ambiental, que inclui a Licença Prévia, a Licença de Instalação e a Licença de Operação, e da Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental (AIA), duas ferramentas gerenciais podem auxiliar o gerenciamento das ETEs neste sentido: a NBR ISO 14001:2004, para a implantação de um Sistema de Gestão Ambiental (SGA), e a NBR ISO 14004:2005, que recomenda a realização de uma Análise Ambiental Inicial antes da instalação do sistema, embora não apresente instrumentos que possam ser utilizados para esta finalidade. Assim, o objetivo geral deste trabalho foi desenvolver instrumentos de auxílio à realização desta Análise em ETEs, tendo como objeto de estudo a ETE-Monjolinho - São Carlos-SP, cujo tratamento de esgoto sanitário é constituído por: tratamento preliminar, tratamento biológico com reatores UASB, flotação por ar dissolvido - precedido de floculação com coagulantes metálicos e polímeros -, desinfecção com radiação ultravioleta (UV) e por pós-aeração do esgoto tratado em escada hidráulica, antes de seu lançamento ao rio Monjolinho. A pesquisa foi realizada em quatro etapas. Na primeira, foi realizado embasamento teórico; na segunda, o conhecimento do objeto de estudo; na terceira, foram elaborados os instrumentos de Análise Ambiental Inicial e realizada sua aplicação à ETE-Monjolinho; e na quarta etapa realizaram-se a exposição e discussão dos resultados, bem como as considerações finais do trabalho. Foram obtidos oito instrumentos, e também os resultados de sua aplicação à ETE-Monjolinho. Considera-se que, por meio dos instrumentos desenvolvidos neste trabalho, as ETEs, como a ETE-Monjolinho, podem guiar-se de maneira mais apropriada em busca da instalação de um SGA e melhorar suas atividades, de forma a atender mais adequadamente aos anseios crescentes da sociedade por mais qualidade de vida e proteção e conservação ambientais.

The thesis focuses on one particular organization and analyzes its options for introducing an integrated management system. The author takes a close look at the processes of that organization, and makes a list of all the important things that are related to the processes (including their limits and conditions) and that should be carefully considered when the directives and regulations of the organization are being made.

Besides the braking system the steering system is one of the most important systems on vehicles. The reliability and the performance of a steering system decides on the controllability of the vehicle under normal conditions as well as emergency situations. In everyday use the characteristics, the connectivity to assistance systems and the energy efficiency of the steering system become more and more important to fulfill the increasing demands regarding fuel consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and comfort. To meet these demands, new steering systems must be implemented and new technologies have to be developed. This contribution compares different approaches regarding functionality and energy efficiency to give an indication which system is the most promising solution for future front axle steering systems as well as rear steered axles (tag- or pusher axle) on trucks.

In this study the aim was to investigate and nuance how the Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE) production Hub can evolve their environmental work, at Chinese wheel loader producer Shandong Lingong (SDLG), to reach Volvo standard. The study also aimed to investigate what international companies in China should take into consideration in their environmental work. The work was carried out by answering the following research questions; In which way or ways can the VCE Hub at SDLG evolve their environmental work to reach Volvo standard? What should international companies take into consideration in their environmental work when establishing on the Chinese market, and why? A lot of the information in this Thesis is based on empirical data, i.e. interviews. Three interviews with Swedish companies have been carried out. They are all highly valuing Environmental work but use different methods, their situations are unlike and they produce diverse products. Several interviews with people working with environmental issues in different ways have also been done, as well as with the SGS; a Chinese certification body. Three different companies with production in or around Shanghai were chosen; Volvo CE, SKF, and Sandvik. All three companies are originally Swedish but with production in China. Environmental work is highly prioritized in Sweden and the companies have global environmental policies and goals. The three companies were chosen because they are in different production areas but they are striving in the same direction with environmental issues in China. They are working differently and their situations are of various kinds. In 2006 Volvo CE invested in a Chinese wheel loader producer named Shandong Lingong. Volvo CE has a Hub, at the plant, which runs independently. SDLG are still not ISO 14001 certified and do not have an environmental management system (EMS) that is conformably with the Volvo demands. The most important to take into consideration when doing business in China is according to the study; top management support, to do training for the employees, mediate the importance of awareness, and to have knowledge about Chinese regulations. These are some of the issues International companies have to deal with when doing business in China. A well established EMS is a necessity for a good environmental work. To implement an EMS in the Hub as a pilot project is the best solution according to the information gathered in this thesis. SDLG could be a part-, they can evaluate-, and later it could be possible to implement the process in the whole SDLG. Due to this methodology they will learn how to work according to Volvo requirements and obtain benefits of an implementation. There are three different alternatives for the ISO 14001 certification of the Hub according to this work. For the Hub to be ISO 14001 certified together with another Volvo plant seems to be the best alternative thought it reduces the amount of work with legal authorities. VCE’s EMS will also not be compared with SDLG and it will be moneysaving. The policies and Environmental aspects (EA) though have to be rewritten to be suitable for both the factories.

Quinoa has been utilized for millennia in the Andes region of South America as a nutritious and hardy food crop. In recent years interest in quinoa has grown as need increases for an alternative to traditional cereal crops that can tolerate marginal environments while offering superior nutrition. Growers outside the Andes have experienced several complications adopting quinoa, including undesirable secondary metabolites, poor yield, lodging, and height inconsistency. Unfortunately, access to native ecotypes for crop improvement is limited, and desirable traits are difficult to introduce into available quinoa cultivars because of its allotetraploid genome and tendency to self-pollinate. A genome-wide survey of induced mutations in 244 sequenced M2 families was created from a bank of EMS-treated quinoa seeds and assembled into a library of mutant lineages with predicted variants and their effects on genes to assist in identifying agronomically valuable mutations in target genes as a supplement to crop improvement efforts. Using this library, eight families containing mutations in genes associated with reduced height "GAI1, GA20OX, GID1, and L " were identified. Several individuals exhibited a shorter than average phenotype; however, because each family contains thousands of EMS-induced mutations, the causative mutation of the reduced height phenotype in each family could not be definitively identified. In one family, absence of the GAI1 mutant allele, but the presence of a mutant CKX3 allele, provided a correlation between a mutation and the short phenotype. Genotyping each generation would be required for a targeted mutant allele to be tracked through selection.

No description available.

Prebiotics and probiotics, proposed alternatives to antibiotics in shrimp aquaculture, are reported to improve growth parameters, promote disease resistance, and influence the gut microbial community. This study aimed to investigate the influence of prebiotic- or probiotic-coated feed and/or exposure to the Early Mortality Syndrome-causing strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus ( VP-EMS) on the mid and hindgut microbiome of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). A monoculture probiotic strain of Bacillus subtilis spores: O14VRQ, and a prebiotic product of cultured Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls: MOS, were administered to shrimp as feed additives for 14 days, before a pathogen challenge to VP-EMS. Based on previous efforts, animals in this study were fed experimental diets for 14 days to allow ample amount of time for the prebiotic to be metabolized by health-promoting bacteria and for the probiotic spores to germinate. The pathogen challenge consisted of negative disease control (no VP-EMS exposure, commercial feed), positive disease control (VP-EMS exposure, commercial feed) and two treatment groups, probiotic (VP-EMS exposure) and prebiotic (VP-EMS exposure). DNA extraction, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sequencing were utilized to create an overview of the mid and hindgut microbial composition. No significant differences in survival were shown between experimental diets following exposure to sublethal levels of VP-EMS. Bioinformatic analyses revealed no distinct shifts in the mid and hindgut microbiome of shrimp across experimental diets and time points. Results of this data revealed that dominant members of the intestinal microbiome, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Flavobacteriaceae, Demequinaceae, Vibrionaceae, Shewanellaceae, Rhodobacteriaceae, and Rubritaleaceae were relatively stable across treatments and time points. Sequencing methods such as metagenomics or metatranscriptomics should be utilized for a higher microbiome resolution. Furthermore, the use of quantitative polymerase chain reaction to quantify ingested probiotic spores, prebiotic-associated bacteria, and VP-EMS is recommended. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Shrimp aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing aquaculture sectors that provides another supply of feed that save wild fish populations. The use of prebiotics and probiotics are reported to improve growth, provide disease protection, influence the gut community, improve the immune system, and serve as substitutes to antibiotics. In this study, the effect of probiotic-, or prebiotic-coated diets and/or exposure to the Early Mortality Syndrome-causing Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP-EMS) strain on the gut communty of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) was investigated. DNA extraction, 16S rRNA gene amplification, and sequencing were utilized to identify the microbes in the intestines of shrimp. Based on previous studies, animals in this study were fed experimental diets for 14 days to allow enough time for prebiotic-associated bacteria and probiotic spores to multiply within the intestines. Exposure to a sublethal level of VP-EMS did not significantly affect shrimp survival between treatments. Analyses showed no noticeable differences in the intestinal microbial communities between treatments and time points. This research provided initial proof of what microbes occupy the mid and hindgut microbiome. A higher resolution sequencing method is recommended to gain a better understanding of the microbes and their roles in the intestines. The use of quantitative polymerase chain reaction is warranted to evaluate the amount of ingested probiotic spores, prebiotic-associated bacteria, and VP-EMS.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: One of the main features of the Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) learning area is that it prepares learners to participate in an economically complex society where social justice and a healthy environment are key concerns. Teachers are faced with an important learning outcome in the EMS curriculum, namely Sustainable Growth and Development, requiring them to equip learners with an understanding of sustainability and to encourage critical reflection on the related processes. This research aims to explore EMS teachers’ underlying conceptual understanding of sustainable development and to establish how these understandings relate to their teaching practices. The meaning of sustainable development has elicited multiple and contested reactions in the literature. Many authors are in agreement that development strategies should be consistent with the planet’s resources and linked to a balance between society, economy and the environment. However, increased production and consumption resulting from neoliberal economic policies and intensified global competition invariably disturb the earth’s ecosystem. On the one hand, increased economic activity has the advantage of resource development (capital, natural and human resources) that promotes economic growth. On the other hand, this growth occurs at the expense of resource exploitation which in turn leads to environmental degradation, the erosion of cultural identities, health risks and, in many instances, unsustainable lifestyles. There is a growing consensus that knowledge and a changed mindset are required for developing an enhanced focus towards a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) provides the knowledge, skills, values and theories for promoting sustainable development. The research was conducted within a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm. A case study design strategy, as part of a qualitative research approach, was selected to best answer the research question. The data collection was done by means of the literature reviewed, in-depth interviews and subject-object interviews (written explanations). This was followed by the systematic categorisation and coding of the data by means of content analysis. The main finding of the study was that EMS teachers had a single focus with regard to sustainable development: their understanding predominantly related to the economic pillar of sustainable development. The interrelatedness of the economy, society and the environment to achieve sustainable development objectives was not subjected to much scrutiny. This research showed that there is a need for ESD to be integrated into the EMS discourse. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Een van die uitstaande kenmerke van die leerarea: Ekonomiese en Bestuurswetenskappe (EBW) is dat dit leerders voorberei vir deelname binne 'n ekonomies komplekse samelewing waar maatskaplike geregtigheid en ‘n gesonde omgewing ‘n kern-uitdaging vorm. Onderwysers word gekonfronteer met 'n belangrike leeruitkoms in die EBW-kurrikulum, naamlik Volhoubare Groei en Ontwikkeling, wat van hulle verwag om leerders toe te rus met 'n begrip van volhoubaarheid en om kritiese refleksie oor verwante prosesse te stimuleer. Hierdie navorsing het ten doel om die onderliggende konseptuele begrip van volhoubare ontwikkeling by EBW-onderwysers te verken en vas te stel hoe hierdie begrip betrekking het op hul onderrig praktyke. Die betekenis van volhoubare ontwikkeling het verskeie en omstrede reaksies in die literatuur ontlok. Baie outeurs stem saam dat die ontwikkeling van strategieë in ooreenstemming moet wees met die planeet se hulpbronne en gekoppel moet word aan 'n balans tussen die samelewing, die ekonomie en die omgewing. Verhoogde produksie en verbruik, as gevolg van die neoliberale ekonomiese beleid, versterk egter wêreldwye mededinging en versteur sodoende die aarde se ekosisteem. Enersyds het toenemende ekonomiese aktiwiteit die voordeel van hulpbronontwikkeling (kapitaal, natuurlike en menslike hulpbronne) wat ekonomiese groei bevorder. Andersyds vind hierdie groei plaas ten koste van hulpbronbenutting, wat weer lei tot die agteruitgang van die omgewing, die aftakeling van kulturele identiteit, gesondheidsrisiko's, en, in baie gevalle, nie-volhoubare lewenstyle. Daar is 'n groeiende konsensus dat kennis en 'n verandering in denkwyse nodig is om ‘n sterker fokus op 'n volhoubare toekoms te verseker. Opvoeding vir Volhoubare Ontwikkeling (OVO) verskaf die kennis, waardes en teorieë vir die vestiging van volhoubare ontwikkeling. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem binne 'n konstruktivisties-interpretivistiese paradigma. Om die beste antwoord op die navorsingsvraag te bied, is ‘n kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gekies en ‘n gevallestudie-ontwerpstrategie gevolg. As deel van die data-insameling is die literatuur voortdurend verken en in-diepte onderhoude is gevoer, gevolg deur geskrewe verduidelikings. Hierna is die sistematiese kategorisering en kodering van die data deur middel van 'n inhoudsanalise gedoen. Die belangrikste bevinding van die studie was dat die EBW-onderwysers 'n enkele fokus gehad het ten opsigte van volhoubare ontwikkeling: hul begrip het hoofsaaklik betrekking gehad op die ekonomiese pilaar van volhoubare ontwikkeling. Daar was deurgaans 'n gebrek aan kritiese refleksie oor die interverwantskap tussen die ekonomie, die samelewing, die omgewing en die wyse waarop die doelwitte van volhoubare ontwikkeling bereik kan word. Hierdie navorsing het getoon dat daar 'n behoefte bestaan om OVO binne die EBWleerarea te integreer.

Das Equine Metabolische Syndrom (EMS) beschreibt einen Cluster von metabolischen Störungen, die durch Adipositas, Insulinresistenz und Hufrehe im Zusammenhang stehen. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den Einfluss einer achtwöchigen oralen Supplementierung von Chrom, Metformin beziehungsweise von einer Kombination aus Chrom und Metformin auf die Insulinsensitivität und die Glukosetoleranz bei adipösen Pferden und Ponys zu untersuchen. Für diese Studie standen 24 Pferde und Ponys (14,4 ± 3,87 Jahre, 14 Stuten und 10 Wallache) mit Adipositas, Insulinresistenz und Hufrehe zur Verfügung. Während der achtwöchigen Versuchsphase bekamen die Tiere eine Heuration (1,5 kg Heu/100 kg Körpermasse (KM)) und zweimal täglich das ihnen zugewiesene Supplement (Chrom: 25 µg/kg KM, Metformin: 15 mg/kg KM, Chrom+Metformin: 25 µg/kg KM Chrom + 15 mg/kg KM Metformin in jeweils 25 g Grünmehl/100 kg KM) verabreicht. Eine vierte Gruppe erhielt als Placebo 25 g Grünmehl/100 kg KM ohne Supplement. Vor Versuchsbeginn und nach Versuchsende durchliefen die Pferde und Ponys, an zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Tagen, nach jeweils einer zwölfstündigen Fastenperiode einen kombinierten Glukose-Insulin-Toleranztest (KGIT) zur Bestimmung der Insulinsensitivität und einen oralen Glukose-Toleranz-Test (OGTT) zur Bestimmung der Glukoseabsorption und -toleranz. Im Verlauf des Versuchszeitraums konnte bei den Pferden ein durchschnittlicher Gewichtsverlust von 2,77 ± 2,99 % verzeichnet werden (Behandlung p > 0,05). Beim OGTT zeigte sich keine signifikante Veränderung der Glukose- und Insulinreaktionen zwischen Versuchsbeginn und Versuchsende. Die Seruminsulinmaximalwerte der mit Metformin und der mit Chrom+Metformin supplementierten Gruppen waren nach der Versuchszeit numerisch gesunken (Metformin Versuchsbeginn: 452 ± 642 µU/ml, Versuchsende: 202 ± 121 µU/ml; Chrom+Metformin Versuchsbeginn: 388 ± 347 µU/ml, Versuchsende: 342 ± 164 µU/ml, Behandlung p > 0,05). Im KGIT zeigten sich bei den Glukosewerten keine signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Behandlungsgruppen und zwischen den Werten vor Versuchsbeginn und nach Versuchsende. Die Seruminsulinkonzentrationen lagen im KGIT vor Versuchsbeginn bei allen Probanden zum Zeitpunkt Minute 45 über 100 µU/ml. Somit gelten alle Versuchsteilnehmer per definitionem als insulinresistent. Nach den acht Wochen Supplementierung befanden sich beim KGIT zum Zeitpunkt Minute 45, mit Ausnahme eines Probanden aus der Chrom+Metformin-Gruppe, alle Seruminsulinwerte weiterhin >100 µU/ml. Somit sind die übrigen 23 Pferde und Ponys weiterhin als insulinresistent einzustufen. Weder Chrom, noch Metformin oder die Kombination von Chrom+Metformin konnte in den hier im Versuch angewandten Dosierungen die Insulinsensitivität und Glukosetoleranz der erkrankten Pferde und Ponys verbessern.

The trend of outsourcing within the electronic industry has contributed to the creation of new types of extended enterprises. These extended enterprises must be able to manage a challenging situation with shorter product life cycles and increased collaboration between companies during the vital product introduction process. For the electronic industry, which is currently acting in an “era of hyper-competition”, it is a challenge to implement an efficient and flexible collaboration within an extended enterprise during the product introduction process. In the product introduction process, a product design is prepared for and transferred into production. During the course of this research, the electronic industry has changed continuously. Empirical data were first collected within an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that was responsible for its own production. Based on a strategic decision at the OEM, a new extended enterprise was established. In general, these new extended enterprises within the electronic industry consist of: a “product owner” in the form of an OEM that owns the product design and its brand; a “producer” in the form of an Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) company that is responsible for the production; and suppliers of services, material, components, equipment etc. However, in the later stages of this research the studied EMS was responsible for the product introduction, production and distribution of the product to the end user. In order to compare and contrast trends and lessons learned in similar industries, case studies within the mechanical engineering and aerospace industries also were performed. The dissertation primarily describes the process of collaborative product introduction (PI) within the electronic industry, and presents among other things a number of general conditions for efficient collaborative PI within an EE in that industry. First, a clearly communicated definition of what is included in product introduction is needed. A second condition is that early participation from all involved partners in the EE’s product introduction process supports efficient collaboration. Third, clear communication and information handling within the extended enterprise – both internally and externally – was found to facilitate collaboration. Fourth, business approaches should be built on trust, reliability and respect for each other’s competence. Finally, the importance of cultural awareness, both between different companies and countries, cannot be ignored. This research also presents a framework for supporting collaborative product introduction within an extended enterprise, which serves to both synthesize and summarize much of the research. / On the day of the public defence the status of article VIII was Accepted and the title was "Coordination in Collaborative Manufacturing Mega-Networks: Observations from a Case in the Commercial Aerospace Industry".