Protein content of the Great Northern beans was 26.10 percent on a dry weight basis. The apparent isoelectric pH of the NaCl extractable proteins was about 4.4. Among the several solubilizing agents, Na2CO3, K2S04, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and NaOH at the respective concentrations of 0.5, 5.0, 5.0 (all w/v), and 0.02 N were the best protein solubilizing agents, solubilizing 93.6 grams Lowry protein per 100 grams Kjeldahl protein. AIbumins and globulins accounted for 21.18 and 73.40 percent, respectively, of the total bean proteins. The bean proteins were fractionated and protein concentrates and protein isolates were prepared. The bean flour proteins, albumins, globulins, protein concentrates, and protein isolates (heretofore referred to as fractions) were studied electrophoretically. Several functional properties of the fractions were investigated. Protein concentrates had the highest water and oil absorption capacity (5.93 and 4.12 g/g, respectively) and emulsion capacity (72.6 g oil emulsified/g). Albumins registered the highest emulsion stability (780 hours at 21 °C). Foaming performance of the Great Northern bean proteins was fair and concentration dependent. Sorption isotherms studies indicated that the bean flour had higher equilibrium moisture content at corresponding temperature and equilibrium relative humidity than other fractions. Buffer capacity of the bean proteins over a pH range of 4-8 was modest. Modification (succinylation and oxidation) improved the water and oil absorption capacity of the bean proteins. Globulins registered the highest stickiness (92 N) among all the fractions. Alkali solubilization of the bean proteins resulted in significant reduction in trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activities and elimination of hemagglutinating activity. Protein concentrates were essentially void of flatulence activity. Amino acid profiles indicated that the bean flour proteins, albumins, and protein isolates contained high acidic amino acids, while globulins and protein concentrates were characterized by high proportions of hydrophobic amino acids. Sulfur containing amino acids and leucine were the first and second limiting amino acids in the Great Northern bean proteins. Heat treatment of the fractions improved the in vitro protein digestibility. Baking studies indicated that replacement of wheat flour by the bean flour and the protein concentrates for improved nutritionality of cookies and bread was possible without adversely affecting the sensory quality attributes. In cookie preparation, bean flour and protein concentrates could replace wheat flour up to 30 percent and 20 percent (by weight), respectively; the corresponding figures for the wheat flour replacement in breadmaking were 10 percent and 10 percent (by weight). Fermentation of the Great Northern beanrice blends suggested the potential for these beans in developing fermented foods. The beans contained 59.20 percent (on a dry weight basis) of starch. Starch granule size ranged from 12 X 12 μm to 58 X 40 μm (length X width) and the granule shape was round to oval to elliptical, and in certain cases, concave as well. Lamellae were present on all the starch granules observed. Amylose content of the starch was 10.20 percent (on starch basis). Stable gel formation by the bean starch was observed at concentrations of 7 percent and above (w /v). The viscoamylographic studies of the isolated starch indicated the restricted swelling character of the bean starch. Solubility and swelling of the bean starch was both pH and temperature dependent. The addition of free fatty acids to the isolated starch reduced the viscosity and raised the gelatinization temperature of the bean starch. Modifications (acetylation and oxidation) of the isolated starch resulted in altered solubility and swelling characteristics. Replacement of wheat flour by the bean starch caused an increase in alkaline water retention capacity. The bean contained an arabinogalactan type mucilage principle (arabinose:galactose ratio of 2.0: l.7), the viscosity of which was dependent on concentration, pH, and temperature.

The Hindu-Kush Himalayan region possesses a large resource of snow and ice, which acts as a freshwater reservoir for irrigation, domestic water consumption or hydroelectric power for billions of people in South Asia. Monitoring hydrologic resources in this region is challenging because of the difficulty of installing and maintaining a climate and hydrologic monitoring network, limited transportation and communication infrastructure and difficult access to glaciers. As a result of the high, rugged topographic relief, ground observations in the region are extremely sparse. Reanalysis data offer the potential to compensate for the data scarcity, which is a barrier in hydrological modeling and analysis for improving water resources management. Reanalysis weather data products integrate observations with atmospheric model physics to produce a spatially and temporally complete weather record in the post-satellite era. This dissertation creates an integrated hydrologic modeling system that tests whether streamflow prediction can be improved by taking advantage of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) remote sensing and reanalysis weather data products in physically based energy balance snow melt and hydrologic models. This study also enhances the energy balance snowmelt model by adding capability to quantify glacier melt. The novelty of this integrated modeling tool resides in allowing the user to isolate various components of surface water inputs (rainfall, snow and glacier ice melt) in a cost-free, open source graphical-user interface-based system that can be used for government and institutional decision-making. Direct, physically based validation of this system is challenging due to the data scarcity in this region, but, to the extent possible, the model was validated through comparison to observed streamflow and to point measurements at locations in the United States having available data

Magister Scientiae (Medical Bioscience) - MSc(MBS) / The incidence of male infertility is increasing, with up to 50% of infertile males having “unexplained” (idiopathic) infertility. Newly developed molecular techniques have great value in detecting subtle causes of male infertility, as compared to idiopathic infertility which may be explained by standardizing and optimizing sperm functional and structural tests in non-human primate (NHP) sperm. The aim of the study was to evaluate sperm functionality utilizing the sperm of two NHP species, i.e.1) the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) and 2) the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops), and further evaluate the effect of physiological media (including commonly used, and newly formulated sperm wash and sperm capacitating media) on NHP sperm functionality. Sperm functionality was evaluated by investigating the following sperm functions i.e.: sperm motility, vitality, acrosome reaction (AR), hyperactivation, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Sperm functional tests included computer-aided semen analysis (CASA), motility analysis, BrightVit staining for sperm vitality, flourescenin isothiocyanate (FITC)- conjugated peanut agglutinin (PNA) staining for sperm acrosome integrity, induction of hyperactivation by stimulants (sperm preparation media containing capacitating ingredients), and mitochondrial inhibitor (Oligomycin-A) for testing MMP. All functional and structural tests were investigated in both species, except for acrosome integrity, mitochondrial inhibition and functional tests compared over time that could not be successfully completed and investigated in the rhesus species. Motility analysis tests proved that within the vervet species, the use of different physiological media results in statistically significant differences in motility and kinematic parameters over a 1 hour time period. Hyperactivation tests proved that capacitating physiological media produced significantly higher percentages hyperactivation when compared to sperm wash media within the vervet species over a 1 hour time period. Furthermore, within both NHP species, sperm structural analysis (vitality and acrosome integrity) results showed that no significant differences are present when making use of different physiological media over a period of 1 hour incubation. The incubation of vervet sperm with different concentrations of mitochondrial inhibitor, Oligomycin-A (0 μM, 5 μM, and 25 μM), resulted in motility inhibition over a 1 hour incubation period. By the evaluation of these tests it was found that the use of different sperm wash [Human tubal fluid (HTF), Ham‟s F-10® and HD Sperm Wash Plus (HDSWP)] and sperm capacitation media [Human tubal fluid with added caffeine (HTFC) and HD Sperm Capacitating Plus (HDSCP)] resulted in significantly different results within sperm functional tests as compared to sperm structural tests. The study indicates that the composition of media, varying from simple to more complex, used for semen preparation plays an important role in determining NHP sperm functionality. Based on these findings further investigation in larger NHP sample groups and human sperm are required to evaluate the role of certain ingredients in the development of more cost-effective media producing satisfactory results in terms of sperm functionality for artificial reproductive technologies (ART).

Le présent travail sinscrit dans le cadre de la recherche dune meilleure compréhension de l'incidence des traitements de séchage du maïs sur la séparation des fractions amylacées et protéiques ainsi que sur les propriétés techno-fonctionnelles de ces fractions. Létude de linfluence des températures de séchage sur les propriétés techno-fonctionnelles du maïs a montré que les températures élevées du séchage provoquent une insolubilisation des protéines salino-solubles et de la zéine, rendant difficile la séparation des protéines et des amidons au fractionnement du maïs par voie humide. Lévolution des rendements dextraction de lamidon et des indices de solubilité des protéines en fonction des températures de séchage a été ajustée dune façon satisfaisante à laide dun modèle sigmoïdal à deux asymptotes. Ce modèle a lavantage dinclure dans sa structure mathématique, des informations sur la dynamique interne de la variation des paramètres suivis. Les corrélations entre les indices de solubilité de différentes familles de protéines du maïs et laptitude au fractionnement des grains permettent de préconiser lutilisation des indices de solubilité des protéines salino-solubles totales comme paramètre dévaluation de la sévérité de traitement thermique subis par les grains au régard des rendements dextraction damidons observés. Les températures élevées de séchage confèrent aux granules damidon une rigidité thermique, qui se manifeste par laugmentation de leurs températures de début de gélatinisation, par la diminution de leur capacité de gonflement et de rétention deau, ainsi que par la diminution de leur solubilité à la gélatinisation. Cette rigidité résulte des restructurations internes aux granules et est la principale cause de laltération du comportement des amidons pendant leur cuisson en milieu aqueux et de la modification des propriétés rhéologiques et texturales des gels quils forment.

Background and problem: As Internet usage has become increasingly common and important in our society it is crucial for companies to acknowledge the impact of online branding. As differences between products are decreasing it is no longer sufficient to compete solely on price or quality. Thus the importance of brands and branding is increasing. Even though branding is a heavily research topic, almost all research has been performed with consumer markets in mind, more or less ignoring industrial markets. This is done in spite of most markets being predominated by industrial firms. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how printer manufac-turers’ online brand messages can be perceived regarding functional benefits and representational satisfaction, and how this may affect the examined brands. Method: To fulfil our purpose we chose to conduct a qualitative method, since this would provide us with in-depth answers. To structure our study we created a questionnaire to use as an analysical tool for our examination of the selected companies. Conclusions: The conclusions drawn from this study are that printer manufacturers mainly emphasise the functional factors of their products to a large extent. Further, almost all brands of our sample can be perceived to be augmented ones. Of the few companies with highly developed brands, those with separate web sites for business and consumer buyers were in majority. Finally, since most printer manufacturers stress functionality the added-value of their brands is not as sustainable as it could be.

Functional size is among the few software size measures for which well-structured and standardized methods exists for its measurement. Although Functional Size Measurement(FSM) methods have gone a long way, one ongoing criticism on FSM methods is the discrepancies in the measurement results of the same software obtained by different measures. In this thesis study the sources of discrepancies that involve the functional properties of measurands and constructs of the FSM method models are investigated in two exploratory case studies. In the light of the findings, a software functionality model for functional size measurement is proposed. The model is founded on a characterization of software functionality from a requirements engineering point of view and it aims is to facilitate reliable size measurements on the basis of formalized concepts and rules. Two case studies are conducted in order to evaluate the applicability of the model and validate its effectiveness.

A digital signature scheme is the process of signing an electronic message that can be transmitted over a computer network. Digital signatures provide message authentication that can be proved to a third party. With the rise of electronic communications over the Internet, digital signatures are becoming increasingly important, especially for the exchange of messages of legal significance. In 1988, Goldwasser, Micali and Rivest (GMR) [31] defined a signature scheme as a collection of algorithms: key generation, signature generation and signature verification. They defined a signature scheme as secure if it was existentially unforgeable against a chosen-message attack. These general definitions suited most signatures at the time, however, over the last decade digital signatures have emerged for which the GMR definitions are unsuitable. These signature schemes, together with their applications and security and efficiency considerations, will be explored in this thesis. These signature scheme variations have been classified by the additional services they provide to ordinary signature schemes, namely increased efficiency, increased security, anonymity, and enhanced signing and verifying capabilities.

A digital signature scheme is the process of signing an electronic message that can be transmitted over a computer network. Digital signatures provide message authentication that can be proved to a third party. With the rise of electronic communications over the Internet, digital signatures are becoming increasingly important, especially for the exchange of messages of legal significance. In 1988, Goldwasser, Micali and Rivest (GMR) [31] defined a signature scheme as a collection of algorithms: key generation, signature generation and signature verification. They defined a signature scheme as secure if it was existentially unforgeable against a chosen-message attack. These general definitions suited most signatures at the time, however, over the last decade digital signatures have emerged for which the GMR definitions are unsuitable. These signature schemes, together with their applications and security and efficiency considerations, will be explored in this thesis. These signature scheme variations have been classified by the additional services they provide to ordinary signature schemes, namely increased efficiency, increased security, anonymity, and enhanced signing and verifying capabilities.

Purpose: The analytical purpose of this thesis is to link theory on how business processes should be designed to strenghten customer relationships, with empirical data on what these processes presently look like. The empirical purpose is to formulate a CRM strategy for Volvo Penta. This will be done by analyzing how the current processes of the company are designed and what limitations and possibilities the market characteristics offer. Method: A triangulated research method with focus on qualitative interviews is used in the form of in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Thirteen such interviews have been conducted with representatives of different departments within Volvo Penta. Findings: The empirical data has brought several findings on what needs to be done and thought through in order to optimize a CRM-strategy. One such finding is that Volvo Penta does not have thorough directions on how their processes and customers should be approached. Another important finding is that the level of cross-functionality within the processes is too low.

People¡¦s individual personality and aesthetics tastes regarding living milieu can be examined and understood through their preferences on designs of living-room furnishing. The current research investigated college students¡¦ needs and cognition about living-room furnishing, sifted out various factors for living-room functionality demands, and understood cluster analysis among the groups derived from the factors. Additionally, the current study analyzed the relationships between functionality demands and furnishings of living-room, as well as the cognition situation of the students in the different groups regarding designs of living room. Forty-five (45) students of the National Sun Yat-San University were recruited as participants in the quasi-experiment for similarity of living room designs. In addition, one hundred and fifty (150) were collected for the questionnaire of living room needs and preferences. The methods for the data analysis in the current research included factor analysis, cluster analysis, MDS, and association and preference analysis. The major findings are listed as the followings. 1. The people¡¦s needs of living room functionality have three factors: family gathering, aesthetic taste, and sociableness. 2. The higher education level, the more demanding on the functions of ¡§family gathering and aesthetic taste¡¨. The higher monthly living budget, the more inclining for the function of ¡§sociableness¡¨. 3. Each group has different cognition dimensions and preference patterns about living designs.