Orientador: Lara Durães Sette / Banca: André Rodrigues / Banca: Rafaella Costa Bonugli Santos / Resumo: As coleções de culturas de micro-organismos apresentam importante contribuição para a preservação, manutenção e disponibilização de material microbiológico para uso acadêmico e em pesquisa. A Central de Recursos Microbianos da UNESP (CRM-UNESP) tem como missão dar suporte ao conhecimento da biodiversidade microbiana, bem como ao desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico, apoiando projetos de relevância. A CRM-UNESP possui um acervo associado de fungos filamentosos e leveduras de ambientes incomuns e/ou extremos. Neste contexto, o presente estudo tem como objetivo reorganizar o acervo de fungos marinhos da costa brasileira, marinhos e terrestres da Antártica e prospectar as enzimas xilanase e L-asparaginase. Para tanto, cerca de 696 fungos marinhos oriundos da costa brasileira e 185 fungos isolados de ambientes antárticos foram avaliados quanto à viabilidade e pureza, fotografados e preservados por dois métodos distintos: criopreservação e Castellani. Destes, 71% dos isolados foram considerados puros e viáveis e submetidos às triagens quantitavas e qualitativas para enzima xilanase e L-asparaginase. Na triagem qualitativa (meio sólido) 112 fungos produtores de xilanase foram isolados de ambiente marinho da costa brasileira e 19 de ambiente antártico. Estes foram submetidos à triagem quantitativa (meio liquído), na qual, o fungo LAMAI 31 identificado como Aspergillus tubingensis apresentou o melhor resultado de produção enzimática (49,41 U/mL). Para a enzima L-asparaginase além dos 622 isolados, 17 fungos filamentosos adicionais foram analisados na triagem qualitativa, totalizando 510 de origem marinha da costa brasileira e 129 de origem Antártica. Dentre estes, 407 fungos foram positivos para L-asparaginase em meio sólido e foram submetidos à triagem em meio liquido. A L-asparaginase foi produzida na faixa de 0,02 a 1,65 U/mL por 103 isolados. Delineamentos experimentais foram aplicados aos isolados que... / Abstract: Microbial culture collections have an important contribution to the preservation, maintenance, and availability of the microbial material for academic and research pourpose. The mission of the Central of Microbial Resources of the UNESP (CRM-UNESP) is to provide support for the knowledge of the microbial biodiversity, as well as for the scientific and technological development, supporting relevant projects. CRM-UNESP has an associated collection of filamentous fungi and yeast from uncommon and/or extreme environments. In this context, the present study aims to reorganize the marine-derived fungal collection from brasilian coast and the marine and terrestrial collection from Antarctica and to prospect the enzymes xylanase and L-asparaginase. For that end, about 696 marine fungi originating from brasilian coast and 185 isolated from antarctic environments had their viability and purity assessed and were photographed and preserved by two different methods: criopreservation and Castellani. Among them, 71% isolated were considered pure and viable and were submitted to the quantitative and qualitative screening for the production of xylanase and L-asparaginase. In the qualitative quantitative screening (solid medium) 112 filamentous fungi able to produce xilanases were isolated from marine environment (brasilian coast) and 19 from the antartic environment. These isolates were submitted to quantitative screening (liquid medium), in which, the fungus LAMAI 31 indentified as Aspergillus tubingensis presented the best result of enzymatic production (49.41 U/mL). For L-asparaginase besides the 622 isolates, 17 additional filamentous fungi were analysed, being 510 originated from the brasilian marine coast and 129 from Antarctica. Among them, 407 fungi were positive for L-asparaginase in solid medium and were submitted to the screening in liquid medium. L-asparaginase was produced in a range of 0.02 to 1.65 U/mL by 103 isolated. Experimental designs ... / Mestre

Research purpose: This study aimed to explore the professional identity construction of accountants from previously disadvantaged groups. The study considered the significance of context and the influence of whiteness and racial micro-aggressions on individual identity construction. Motivation for this study: Little is known about the struggle that people from previously disadvantaged groups in South Africa have to go through to negotiate their professional identities. This study provided a platform for these individuals to share their journey in becoming a professional accountant and understanding the impact of context on their professional identity construction. Research design, approach and method: The study followed a qualitative design, and a multiple case study method was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted through a narrative lens to explore the individual stories of the participants’ experiences. Non-probability purposive sampling was used. The sample consisted of five black professional accountants from previously disadvantaged groups. Data analysis took the form of individual case narratives followed by a thematic analysis across cases. Main findings: The history of apartheid is still present in South African organisations today in the form of racial micro-aggression and whiteness which create barriers to the professional identity construction of people from previously disadvantaged groups. It was found that the following contexts influence identity construction: political, legislative, socio-economic, educational, organisational, professional, family and cultural contexts. Practical Implications: Legislation such as BBEEE, AA and the EEA are in place to support the transformation agenda of South African organisations. However, in this study it became clear that legislation does not achieve its intended impact. If organisations do not start supporting professionals of colour, it will have a major impact on their skills and career development as well as on talent retention within organisations. Value/Study contribution: The results could become a valuable resource for educational institutions, professional bodies and managers within organisations to enable them to eliminate the barriers of whiteness and micro-aggression and to support people from previously disadvantaged groups to construct positive professional identities. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Human Resource Management / MCom / Unrestricted

One of the factors that maintains fruit quality is its microbial flora. Fruit holds a natural non-pathogenic epiphytic microflora but can become contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms during export, causing either postharvest decay or possibly resulting in a food safety risk. In order to study microbial dynamics on fruit surfaces and the environment fruit moves through in the export chain, fruit washings were made, surfaces were sampled and total populations and diversities determined per cm2. Hygiene and safety levels for fruit export environments were hereby determined by sampling various points along the apple export chain, which included two farms and a harbour in South Africa and two harbours, two repacking facilities and two retail centres in Europe. In this first study of its kind, all the surfaces that were sampled exceeded the international standard for cleaning efficacy of food-processing equipment that is <5 cfu/cm2, while several areas exceeded the maximum acceptable index level of microbial air contamination of 22 cfu/h in food industries. Washing of containers on a harbour in South Africa did not have a significant impact on microbial populations. Regarding fruit quality, it was determined that apple microflora fluctuate throughout the export process and that postharvest pathogens that are known to cause great economic losses in the apple industry, proved to be of little significance in this investigation. The presence of six foodborne pathogens i.e. Shigella sonnei, Salmonella muenchen, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidi/s was monitored throughout the chain. Of these, only S. aureus and E. coli were recorded, although pathogenicity was not confirmed for the latter. Staphylococcus aureus was found in containers and at a retail centre in Europe, and S. aureus and S. epidermidis were recorded on apple surfaces for the first time. Escherichia coli was present in great numbers in fruit washing water on a farm in South Africa. Since the standard for food premises is very stringent and perhaps inapplicable for fresh fruit handling and holding facilities, future research should include development of a more realistic hygiene standard for fresh fruit environments. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric) : Plant Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Microbiology and Plant Pathology / unrestricted

[pt] O presente trabalho apresenta uma estrutura balanceada em quadratura para linearização de amplificadores de potência em RF e microondas. Várias técnicas de linearização têm sido utilizadas para reduzir a intermodulação. Alguns exemplos, tais como Feedback, Pre-distorsion e Feedforward, podem ser mencionados. A característica ímpar de nosso arranjo é que ele não precisa de ajustes, enquanto que os outros métodos precisam. A desvantagem de nosso arranjo é que ele reduz apenas os produtos de intermodulação de terceira ordem. Um trabalho prático foi conduzido, mostrando que nosso arranjo é capaz de reduzir o conteúdo de intermodulação de terceira ordem em até 17 dB. / [en] The present work introduces a quadrature balanced structure for linearization of RF and microwave amplifiers. Several linearization techniques have been used to reduce intermodulation products. Some examples such as Feedback, Pre-distorsion and Feedforward may be mentioned. The unique feature of our arrangment is that it does not need adjustments, while the other methods do. The drawback of our arrangement is that it only reduces the third-order intermodulation products. A pratical work was carried out, showing that our arrangement is able to reduce the third-order intermodulation content up to 17 dB. / [es] EL presente trabajo presenta una extructura balanceada en cuadratura para linealización de amplificadores de potencia en RF y microondas. Varias técnicas de linealización han sido utilizadas para reducir la intermodulación. Algunos ejemplos como Feedback, Pre-distorsion y Feedforward, pueden ser mencionados. La principal ventaja de nuestro arreglo frente a los otros métodos es que éste no precisa de ajustes. La desventaja de nuestro arreglo es que reduce solamente los produtos de intermodulación de tercer orden. Se condujo un trabajo práctico, mostrando que nuestro arreglo es capaz de reducir el contenido de intermodulación de tercera orden en hasta 17 dB.

Many of the most pressing global challenges today and in the future center around the scarcity of sustainable energy and water sources. The innovative microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology addresses both as it utilizes bacteria to convert wastewaters into electricity. Advancing this technology requires a better understanding of the optimal materials, designs and conditions involved. The micro-sized MFC was recently developed to serve this need by providing a rapid testing device requiring only a fraction of the materials. Further, development of micro-liter scale MFCs has expanded into potential applications such as remote and self-sustained power sources as well as on-chip energy generators. By using microfabrication, the fabrication and assembly of microsized MFCs is potentially inexpensive and mass produced. The objective of the work within this dissertation was to explore and optimize the micro-sized MFC to maximize power and current generation towards the goal of a usable and application-oriented device. Micro-sized MFCs were examined and developed using four parameters/themes considered most important in producing a high power generating, yet usable device: Anode- The use of nano-engineered carbon nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes and graphene, as anode as well as testing semiconductor industry standard anode contact area materials for enhanced current production. 5 Cathode- The introduction of a membrane-less air cathode to eliminate the need for continuous chemical refills and making the entire device mobile. Reactor design- The testing of four different reactor designs (1-75 μLs) with various features intended to increase sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and usability of the microsized MFC. Fuels- The utilization of real-world fuels, such as industrial wastewaters and saliva, to power micro-sized MFCs. The micro-sized MFC can be tailored to fit a variety of applications by varying these parameters. The device with the highest power production here was designed to be an inexpensive and robust power source in applications like point-of-care diagnostics in developing countries. This 25 μL graphene nanomaterial anode, air cathode device in an inexpensive flexible rubber architecture was powered by saliva and achieved 3.55 μW/cm2 and 35.2 W/m3. The continued optimization of MFC technology promises many interesting and innovative applications.

<div>Single phase immiscible fluid flow in porous media is often described by Darcy’s law. However, in two-phase or multi-phase conditions, the properties of porous medium rely on the saturation of each phase. One of the constitutive equations, the relationship between capillary pressure and saturation, exhibits hysteresis property. To accurately describe two-phase immiscible fluid in porous media, some researchers used interfacial area per volume (IAV) as an additional variable. Previous experiments were done by other experimenters to support the uniqueness of IAV in capillary pressure – saturation hysteresis relationship by externally changing the capillary pressure. </div><div>A technique called Electro-Wetting On Dielectric (EWOD) was developed for sealed micro-models to examine the saturation-pressure relationship by internally manipulating the saturation which in turns affects IAV. Single-plate EWOD samples were used to select material properties and experimental parameters. These experiments found that Poly-Di-Methyl-Siloxane (PDMS) is a good dielectric material that enabled changes in the contact angle between a droplet and PDMS from ~120° (non-wetting) to ~50° (wetting). Double-plate EWOD was used to demonstrate that discrete electrodes (with PDMS as dieletric on both plates) enabled the transportation and merging of droplet(s).</div><div>A novel method was developed to incorporate EWOD into a wedge-shaped PDMS micro-model. Imbibition and drainage scans of the capillary pressure – saturation relationship (Pc-S) were performed in the channel with and without voltage. The drainage curves differed significantly between the two conditions, while the imbibition curves were similar with and without voltage. The total energy for Pc-S decreased by 70 nJ with the application of EWOD with most of difference arising from a 20 Pa decrease in pressure for the same saturation condition during drainage.</div><div>Studies were also performed to examine the amount of energy associated with depiing of fluid interfaces. A 5-step wedge-shaped micro-model with EWOD was fabricated to increase the probability of pinning during an experiment. The amount of energy released as a fluid depinned was observed to be a function of capillary pressure. More energy was released at the 1st step for higher the pressures than lower pressures. The energy released from depinning at the first step in the channel ranged from 30 – 100 nJ for pressures from 70 to 100 Pa. The occurrence and magnitude of additional depinnings along the step-shaped channel also depended on the pressure. Each successive depining released less energy.</div><div>Finally, experiments were performed to examine the range of EWOD in a sealed micro-model with discrete electrodes. When voltage was not applied directly on the fluid-fluid interface but on the solution, the voltage could still actuate the interface causing it to move and advance farther into a channel. The ability of the application of EWOD to drive fluid-fluid interfaces decreases with active electrode distance from the interface.</div>

Sweden hosted the first environmental development conference in 1972 and since then has been a European role model in sustainability issues (UN, 1972), following the triple bottom line: concern for the planet, people and profit (Coombs &amp; Holladay, 2012). The present study deals with the application of micro-ethnography in sustainable communication, in the case of the municipality of Gnosjö in Sweden. Based on internal, external and strategic communication literature, the case study of Gnosjö, in which different areas of organisational communication were represented and how they affected the sustainable development of the organisation, is presented and analysed. It was investigated, which communication channels the municipality uses, how these channels look like and which aspects influence the communication and its development. The approaches of micro-ethnography were applied to collect and evaluate data. For this purpose, data were collected from participating observations with employees at Gnosjö town hall and the collection of seven interviews with informants from the fields of communication and sustainability and constantly compared.  The exploratory data analysis reveals how the employees remained powerless in performing their work routine. Politicians, as the main decision-makers, play an important role in the development of the municipality. Therefore, they should attend training programs to understand the importance of sustainable communication internally and externally.

Using the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Centers (ITRC) drip/micro evaluation program, global, or system, DUlq is computed by combining the component DUlq values of: pressure variation, uneven spacing between emitters, unequal drainage and “other” causes. “Other” causes include plugging, wear and manufacturing coefficient. The program also computes what percentage of the non-uniformity is due to each component. Burt (2004) showed that over 95% of the non-uniformity is due to “Other” causes and pressure differences. This thesis looks at what specifically in those components is driving the non-uniformity by analyzing various equipment and field practices and their impact on the distribution uniformity. A regression analysis is used to analyze trends in distribution uniformity in an open environment. The results indicate that more information, specifically water quality, is needed to better analyze which components influence the distribution uniformity of a system.

South Africa‘s education system is in dire straits with few people having access to tertiary education. This has resulted in a skills shortage across all industries. Private companies as well as public companies are experiencing problems due to this skills shortage. This paper investigated whether private companies feel they have a duty to assist in resolving this problem, considering Milton Friedman‘s assertion that the sole purpose of a company is to make money for the shareholders compared with the notion of conscious capitalism. A literature review was followed by a qualitative study where CEOs of private companies were interviewed. These companies included unlisted companies, partnerships and sole proprietors. During the interview process, they were asked whether in their opinion they have a duty to be involved in solving the problem of lack of access to tertiary education, whether they are currently involved and the reasons why they are involved or not. The question was asked whether in their opinion the theory of Friedman or conscious capitalism is more applicable to their environment through investment in education. It was found that the small business owner does experience a sense of duty and responsibility towards solving problems in tertiary education. In some cases, this was due to legislation promulgated by government. This sense of duty is limited to their immediate environment. It was shown how legislation has interfered with the theory of conscious capitalism in terms of the four constructs on which it is built and how various other factors need to be taken into account when considering whether conscious capitalism is relevant in the business environment. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Nanofluids are homogeneous mixture of dispersed solid particles in base fluids. These solid particles are usually smaller than 100nm. Suspended nanoparticles modify the properties of based fluids. It is claimed, in some literature, for nanofluids to have greater than expected heat transfer performance. Due to this, nanofluids have gained great attention from both research and development and industries active in cooling systems. This thesis reports several measurements of convective heat transfer coefficient in a horizontal open micro-tube test section under laminar flow regime. The test section has an inner diameter of 0.5mm made of stainless steel and it has a length of 30cm. Two different test sections have been built. The first one has 13 thermocouples attached on the wall and the second one has 10. These thermocouples are used to measure the wall temperature distribution along the tube. In addition, two more thermocouples are used inside the micro-tube, at the inlet and outlet, to measure the bulk temperature of the nanofluids. A syringe pump is used for injecting the nanofluids through the micro-tube. A DC power supply provides constant heat flux along the test section and a differential pressure transducer measures the pressure drop of the test section. Aqueous based Al2O3 (9 wt %), ZrO2 (9 wt %), TiO2(9 wt %), CeO2 (9wt %), CNT (0.15 wt %), and diamond (1 wt %) have been tested in this thesis. Local Shah’s correlation predicts very well the behaviour of these nanofluids. The results are compared with water in six different ways: heat transfer forconstant Reynolds numbers, volume and mass flow rates, pressure drops andpumping powers. Enhancement in heat transfer is recognisable only in thegraphs of Nu numbers for constant Reynolds numbers. This can be attributed to the higher viscosity for nanofluids. Moreover, friction factor for constant Reynolds numbers has been compared. All the nanofluids with the exception of Al2O3 and diamond suit quite well with Darcy-Weisbach correlation.