<ul><li>As the human population expands, agricultural expansion and intensification will exert an increasing pressure on remaining habitats, especially in the tropics. Oil palm is one of the most rapidly expanding crops in these regions, and identifying management strategies that conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services in these landscapes is therefore a priority. I assess whether riparian forest fragments (riparian reserves) conserve species and the functions they support within oil palm landscapes. Riparian forests are legally required for their beneficial impact on hydrological dynamics and their potential to contribute to the conservation of terrestrial species is poorly documented. I focussed on two ecologically important indicator groups (ants and dung beetles) and the ecosystem processes that they support. Whilst protecting primary forest will remain the most important strategy for biodiversity conservation, I found that riparian reserves do support species of ants and dung beetles that would not otherwise persist in oil palm landscapes. However, the extent to which riparian reserves maintained key ecological functions differed between these two taxa. The amount of nutrient distribution carried out by ants in riparian reserves was similar to logged forest areas, and higher than in oil palm. In contrast, dung removal functions did not vary between these land uses. I also investigated how the vegetation structure and landscape context of riparian reserves affects the dung beetle communities they support. Increasing reserve width and proximity to other forest fragments had a positive impact on the species richness and diversity of dung beetles in riparian reserves. There was little evidence that riparian reserves enhance the provision of dung removal or pest control services in adjacent areas of oil palm. >The results provide evidence to support the introduction and/or enforcement of legislation to protect riparian forest reserves in order to conserve biodiversity and ecological processes in oil palm landscapes.

Les objectifs de ce travail visent à appréhender l'histoire évolutive et biogéographique du palmier dattier (Phoenix dactylifera L.), espèce d'une importance capitale pour les populations humaines des régions chaudes et arides d'Afrique du Nord et du Moyen-Orient, au moyen d'analyses génétiques et morphométriques. En effet, les origines de la domestication du dattier demeurent peu connues malgré les données archéologiques qui semblent attester de sa culture à partir de la fin du 4ème millénaire avant notre ère. L'analyse phylogénétique du genre Phoenix réalisée à partir de séquences chloroplastiques a permis d'identifier les parents proches du dattier. Des populations de dattiers sauvages sont reconnues pour la première fois grâce à des analyses de diversité et de structuration génétiques. De manière congruente, l'analyse morphométrique de contours de la graines s'appuyant sur la méthode des transformées elliptiques de Fourier met en évidence une nette différenciation entre les individus sauvages et cultivés. La caractérisation des changements de traits morphologiques de la graine liés à la domestication est exploitée pour définir le statut sauvage ou domestiqué de matériel mis au jour dans différents sites archéologiques du Pakistan et d'Egypte. En outre, l'étude génétique de dattiers d'origine diverses semble démontrer qu'au moins deux évènements de domestication ont eu lieu : l'un en Afrique et l'autre au Moyen-Orient. Finalement, les études génétiques et morphométriques, menées séparément ou conjointement selon le type et l'ancienneté du matériel analysé, permettent pour la première fois de discuter des origines, de l'histoire biogéographique et de la dynamique de l'agrobiodiversité du palmier dattier, dans le temps et dans l'espace. / The objectives of this work are to understand the evolutionary history and biogeography of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), a species of importance to human populations in hot, arid regions of North Africa and the Middle East using genetic and morphometric analyzes. Indeed, the origins of the domestication of the date palm remain poorly understood despite the archaeological data that seem to attest its culture from the late 4th millennium BCE.Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Phoenix made ​​from chloroplast sequences identified close relatives of the date palm. Populations of wild date palms are recognized for the first time through analyses of genetic diversity and structure. Congruently, morphometric analysis of the seed outline based on the method of elliptic Fourier transform highlights a clear differentiation between wild and cultivated individuals. Characterization of changes in seed morphological traits related to domestication is used to define the status of wild or domesticated material excavated from various archaeological sites in Pakistan and Egypt. In addition, the date palm genetic study of various origins seems to indicate that at least two domestication events took place: one in Africa and one in the Middle East. Finally, genetic and morphometric studies, conducted separately or together depending on the type and age of the material analyzed, allow for the first time to discuss the origins, history and biogeographic dynamics of date palm agrobiodiversity, in time and space.

This study examines six oral history projects that were conducted over fifty years in Palm Beach County, Florida. The projects recorded the history of African American neighborhoods in Delray Beach and Boca Raton; individual lives in their place and times; the pioneer and Flagler eras in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach; and people, places, and events chosen by oral history students at Florida Atlantic University. As with oral histories generally, those studied inherently contain numerous variables concerning their (1) historical context, (2) format, and (3) participants, which clearly affect the outcome of recorded interviews and their written representations. Among the variables considered, this study demonstrates that it is the purpose of a single oral history or project that most significantly affects the others, and which is closely tied to the academic disciplines or backgrounds of its planner and interviewer. Although oral history is a tool with many uses, it is also a discipline within that of history. As such, oral historians are obliged to preserve raw history in a form that is protected, accessible, and useful for interpretation by potential researchers in a variety of fields. Regardless of their primary purpose, oral historians from all disciplines should remain aware of this underlying purpose: to provide for the future. / by Lise M. Steinhauer. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

In this thesis I explore the circumstances in which pregnant Guatemalan Mayan women in South Florida communities found themselves. A local non-profit organization, the Guatemalan Maya Center (GMC), offered assistance to pregnant Mayan women to secure biomedical prenatal care, yet many continued to underutilize these services. The decision to utilize this form of care largely depended on whether a woman received care from a traditional midwife in the community. Women receiving care from a midwife generally did not seek biomedical care until late in their pregnancies. Women unable to locate a midwife often incorporated biomedical care once they suspected pregnancy. Due to the difficulties accessing the GMC's services prior to enrollment many of these women did not obtain "timely" care. A better understanding of the ways in which Guatemalan Mayan women incorporated biomedical prenatal care into their lives is the first step towards increasing their participation in these services. / by Colleen Supanich. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

No Brasil, a palmeira pupunha tem a região amazônica como seu habitat natural. Os frutos dessa palmeira, assim como o palmito, fazem parte da dieta alimentar dos povos da região Norte. Portanto, diante da relevância de seu cultivo, os objetivos dessa pesquisa foram avaliar os níveis de desenvolvimento vegetativo da pupunheira sob diferentes fontes de adubação (orgânica (esterco bovino e esterco suíno) e mineral), em condição irrigada. Buscou-se com isso, obter qual situação que fornecerá melhores condições de desenvolvimento vegetativo em termos de: altura da planta, diâmetro do caule, tamanho da folha (comprimento da raqui), espessura da raqui e por fim número de folhas. O experimento foi conduzido na área experimental do Departamento de Engenharia de Biossistemas, na fazenda Areão, pertencente à Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz ESALQ/USP, localizada no município de Piracicaba SP. Situada a uma altitude de 576 m acima do nível do mar cujas coordenadas geográficas são: 22° 42 30 latitude Sul e 47° 30 00 de longitude Oeste. O tipo de solo existente na área experimental é classificado como Terra Roxa Estruturada (Alfisolo), série Luiz de Queiroz, apresentando declividade média de 5%. Foi utilizado o delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso em esquema fatorial 4x4 com tratamentos dispostos em faixas totalizando 4 tratamentos e 4 repetições. Cada tratamento continha aproximadamente 175 plantas. Dispostas no espaçamento de 2 m entre linhas de plantio e 1 m entre as plantas. As covas tinham em torno de 0,3 m de profundidade. O sistema de irrigação empregado foi a microaspersão. No tratamento com adubação mineral, foram aplicados: 31,2 g de uréia, 181,46 g de super fosfato simples e 11,6 g de KCl por planta. Para aplicação do adubo orgânico (esterco bovino e suíno), tomou-se como base o o elemento fósforo (essencial para desenvolvimento de raízes), no caso de esterco suíno correspondeu a 8,54 kg planta-1 e no caso do esterco bovino correspondeu a 21,34 kg planta-1. As respostas da pupunheira aos tratamentos foram avaliados a cada 2 meses, a partir do plantio, mediante medições do desenvolvimento da cultura em todas as plantas úteis de cada parcela considerando-se as características conforme recomendações de Clement e Bovi (2000). Os itens avaliados foram: diâmetro do caule da planta (medido na região do colo da planta, aproximadamente de 10 a 15 cm acima do solo, com paquímetro); altura da planta (medida da base do tronco ao ponto de inserção da folha mais nova totalmente aberta, início da flecha); número de perfilhos por planta (feito por uma contagem simples). Assim que se iniciaram as avaliações foram analisadas planta a planta, num total de aproximadamente 700 palmeiras pupunha. As avaliações se estenderam durante o mês de julho/2010 a agosto/2011. De uma maneira geral, diante dos resultados obtidos, o tratamento que obteve melhor desenvolvimento foi o tratamento com aplicação de esterco suíno, em pelo menos 4 dos 5 itens avaliados (altura de planta, comprimento da raqui, diâmetro do caule e espessura da raqui). Pode-se dizer também que tanto a adubação mineral quanto o esterco bovino deram boas respostas dentro do experimento. / In Brazil, the peach palm has the Amazon region its natural habitat. The palm fruits and palm hearts, is part of the people diet of the North region of Brazil. Therefore, given the importance of its growth, the main objective of this research were to evaluate the levels of vegetative development of peach palm under different sources of fertilizer (organic (cattle manure and swine manure) and mineral) under irrigated condition. So, was looked to get which situation will provide optimum conditions for plant growth in terms of: plant height, stem diameter, leaf size (length of rachis), rachis thickness and finally the leaves number. The experiment was carried out at the experimental site of the Department of Biosystems Engineering, on a farm belonged to the College of Agriculture \"Luiz de Queiroz\" - ESALQ / USP, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. Located at an elevation of 576 m above sea level whose geographical coordinates are: 22 ° 42 \'30 \"South latitude and 47 ° 30\' 00\" west longitude. The soil type at the experimental area is classified as Structured Terra Roxa (alfisols) series Luiz de Queiroz, with an average slope of 5%. The adopted statistical design was in randomized blocks, in factorial scheme 4x4 with treatments arranged in strips totaling 4 treatments and 4 repetitions. Each treatment had 175 plants. Arranged in the spacing of 2 m between tree rows and 1 m between plants. The pits were around 0.3 m deep. The irrigation system was the microsprinkler. In the treatment with mineral fertilizer were applied: 31.2 g urea, 181.46 g of simple super phosphate and 11.6 g of KCl per plant. For the application organic fertilizer (swine and cattle manure) was followed by the element phosphorus (essential for root development) the sample of swine manure corresponds to 8.54 kg plant-1. In case of cattle manure sample corresponding to 21.34 kg plant-1. Responses of peach treatments were evaluated every 2 months from planting, through measurements of the development of the crop in all useful plants of each plot considering the characteristics as recommended by Clement and Bovi (2000). The items evaluated were: plant stem diameter (measured in the neck region of the plant, about 10 to 15 cm above the ground, with caliper), plant height (measured from the base of the trunk to the point of insertion of the youngest leaf fully open, beginning of the arrow), number of tillers per plant (made by a simple counting). Once started the evaluations were analyzed plant to plant, totaling approximately 700 peach palm. The evaluations were extended during the month of July/2010 to August /2011. In general, considering the results obtained, the treatment that had the best development was the treatment of swine manure application on at least four of the five items evaluated (plant height, spinal length, diameter and thickness of the spinal ). Both mineral fertilizer and the manure gave positive responses within the experiment.

O dendezeiro (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq.) é uma planta originaria da África, pertencente à família Arecaceae e gênero Elaeis. A Indonésia e a Malásia são os maiores produtores, responsáveis por 90% da produção, enquanto o Brasil representa apenas 0,5 %. Entretanto, esses países esgotaram sua áreas de plantio e não podem mais avançar por força de comitês internacionais de sustentabilidade que não permitem o plantio em áreas nativas. E nesse contexto, que o estado do Pará surge em potencial para assumir a produção mundial, principalmente depois do zoneamento ecológico e econômico do dendê no Brasil, proibindo os plantios em áreas nativas o que permite que a atividade cresça sem provocar o desmatamento de áreas nativas. Atualmente, os principais compradores de óleo de palma do mundo são certificados pela Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) que é a instituição sem fins lucrativos que normatiza os critérios e indicadores para uma produção de óleo de palma sustentáveis sobre o ponto de vista econômico, social e ambiental. Dessa forma o objetivo da tese foi compreender melhor os atuais cenários da dendeicultura na região, possíveis entraves, empecilhos e pontos de melhoria nas empresas de óleo de palma no Pará por meio de um estudo detalhado sobre foco da sustentabilidade da agroindústria de palma no seu tripé, econômico, social e ambiental. Na sustentabilidade econômica foram avaliados os principais tributos incidentes sobre a cadeia agroindustrial de palma e sua influencia sobre os custos de produção. Na questão ambiental, foi realizado uma analise sobre o ciclo de vida (ACV), identificando os principais emissores de CO2 na cadeia agroindustrial de palma desde o viveiro ate a extração de óleo na Industria.Ainda na questão ambiental, foram avaliados os recursos genéticos dos principais plantios e indicação de variedades resistentes a doenças da região. E por ultimo na sustentabilidade social foram avaliados o programa de agricultura familiar de palma na região. E por ultimo, todas essas informações foram confrontadas com os indicadores de sustentabilidade da RSPO para avaliar a realidade dos plantios frente ao principal comitê mundial de certificação de óleo de palma no mundo. Os encargos trabalhistas e com insumos são os principais fatores onerantes sobre os custos de produção, sendo a participação da agricultura familiar ainda bastante pequena, estruturada em contratos de 25 anos com as empresas na região. A utilização do diesel e de fertilizantes são os maiores responsáveis por emissão de CO2 e são utilizadas 10 variedades de dendê distribuídas em cinco pólos centrais de produção no estado do Pará. A gestão do uso da Água e destinação final dos efluentes são os maiores entraves dentro das não conformidades dos critérios da RSPO. / The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq.), originally from Africa, belongs to the family Arecaceae and genus Elaeis. Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest producers, accounting for 90% of the world production, while Brazil accounts for only 0.5%. However, those countries have used up their planting areas and are no longer able to expand them, under the guidelines of international committees for sustainability that do not allow the planting of native areas. In this context, the state of Pará Brazil becomes a potential to take over the world production, especially after the ecological and economic zoning of oil palm in Brazil, forbidding the cropping of native areas, which allows the activity to grow without causing deforestation of native forests. Currently, the main buyers of palm oil in the world are certified by the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a nonprofit institution that regulates the criteria and indicators for the sustainable production of palm oil under the economic, social and environmental perspectives. Thus, the aim of this research was to better understand the current scenarios of oil palm in the region, possible barriers, obstacles and areas for improvement in palm oil companies in Pará through a detailed study on the sustainability of the industry of palm oil under the economic, social and environmental aspects. In the economic aspect, we assessed taxes on the main agro-industrial chain of palm and their influence on production costs. In terms of environmental issues, an analysis was conducted on the life cycle assessment (LCA), identifying the major CO2 releasers in the agribusiness chain from the palm nursery until the extraction of oil in the industry. We also assessed the genetic resources of the main crops and indications of disease-resistant varieties of the region. Finally, we analyzed the social sustainability of the palm oil family farming program in the region. The data were analyzed in accordance to the RSPO sustainability guidelines to assess the compliance of the actual conditions to the certifications established by the main committee for palm oil plantations worldwide. Labor costs and inputs are the major considerable factors on production costs, with the participation of family farming still quite small, structured in 25-year contracts with companies in the region. The use of diesel and fertilizers account for most CO2 emissions and 10 varieties of palm oil trees are used in five production regions in the state of Pará. Water use management and disposal of effluents are the major nonconformities to the RSPO guidelines.

Avaliar a sensibilidade de sementes de pupunha à dessecação, por meio do teste de raios X e do teste de emergência de plântulas, determinando-se os níveis crítico e letal de tolerância à dessecação, foi o objetivo deste estudo. A perda de água das sementes foi monitorada e os tratamentos constituídos pela tentativa de decréscimo de 3% do teor de água do anterior, a partir do inicial (testemunha), até o mínimo de 11%; assim, o número de tratamentos teve relação direta com o teor de água inicial das sementes e cada tratamento foi representado por quatro repetições de 50 sementes. Após a secagem, as sementes foram radiografadas, determinados os espaços internos vazios e submetidas ao teste de emergência de plântulas em areia. As sementes de pupunha ao atingirem 36,4% de teor de água, durante o processo de secagem, têm o seu potencial fisiológico afetado negativamente (teor de água crítico) e, com o avanço do processo de secagem a partir de 12,2% ocorre a morte das sementes. O teste de raios X é eficaz na avaliação da morfologia interna das sementes durante a secagem. À medida que aumenta o espaço interno vazio diminui o potencial fisiológico das sementes e acima de 30% não ocorre a emergência de plântulas. / The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensibility of peach-palm seeds to desiccation and determine the critical and lethal levels for tolerating desiccation by using X-ray and seedling emergence tests. Water loss from the seeds was monitored and the treatments consisted of progressive 3% reductions in water content commencing with the control values until a minimum of 11% was reached; therefore, the number of treatments was directly related to the initial seed water content and each treatment was represented by four replications of 50 seeds. After drying, the seeds were X-rayed, the internal empty spaces determined and the seeds submitted to a seedling emergence test in sand. Peach-palm seeds dried to 36,4% of moisture content have reduction on physiological potential (critical level for tolerance desiccation); increased drying after 12.2% results in seed mortality. The X-ray test is effective in internal morphology evaluation of the peach-palm seeds as drying increased. As the internal empty space increases in the seeds, the physiological potential decreases; there is no seedling emergence when the internal empty space is greater than 30%.

<p>Oil palm (<i>Elaeis guineensis</i> Jacq.) is the world’s leading source of vegetable oil and an important driver of rural economic activity in Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the equatorial region of Latin America. In the Llanos region of Colombia, palm oil production is additionally an important vehicle for legal employment and social stability in a region deeply affected by the country’s longstanding and recently-concluded armed conflict. The economic viability of palm oil production is thus of great interest to both those directly employed in the industry and to the larger society around them, and yet oil palm remains a relatively understudied cropping system.</p> <p>Spending on fertilizer is one of the largest costs in palm oil production, and plantations face considerable pressure to apply fertilizer as efficiently as possible in order to maintain the profitability of their operations. However, developing strategies for optimizing fertilizer applications in oil palm can be considerably challenging given the particular characteristics of palm oil production systems. Oil palm has a typical life-cycle of 25 years, with harvesting done manually approximately every fifteen days for the duration of the palms productive life-cycle. The morphology of oil palm’s reproductive system makes it possible for environmental changes to affect yield in irregular ways, with the same soil or climate-related stressors having the potential to affect yields either immediately or multiple years after the event. It can therefore be difficult for plantations to link changes in yield patterns to individual management changes or environmental factors. Additionally, since unlike all other major oilseeds oil palms must be harvested manually, plantation managers do not have access to the kind of detailed yield data made possible by mechanized harvesting equipment, but must rely on much more irregular and coarser-resolution information to examine yield variability within plantations. Understanding how the particular soil conditions and fertilizer management history of an individual oil palm plantation drive variability in yields requires employing innovative approaches to maximize the insights to be learned from the available data. </p> <p> For this study, we worked with a 5,220 hectare oil palm plantation in the Colombian Llanos, in the municipality of Villanueva, Casanare. Despite uniform fertilizer applications and management practices, along with uniform climatic conditions within the plantation, significant yield variability existed within the plantation, with plantation managers initially unable to determine the underlying causes. We proposed and evaluated a methodology for using digital terrain and soil mapping for generating continuous soil data within an oil palm production system, based on Functional Soil Mapping (FSM) methods using the SRTM Global Digital Elevation model and geo-referenced soil sampling, with the goal of identifying soil physical, chemical and hydrological properties that could be directly linked to different yield responses to fertilizer application at the field scale. Furthermore, the economic implications for the plantation of infield variability in yield response to fertilizer arising from variation in soil properties were examined. </p> <p>The perennial nature and particularities in reproductive morphology of oil palm, including an approximately 8-10 year growth period before mature yields are reached, mean that developing site-specific yield response curves to different nutrient application levels in oil palm requires extensive time and resources. The PORIM model, developed by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) across multiple decades of extensive and continuous field testing, is one of the most commonly used methods by which plantations can estimate yield response at different levels of fertilizer application. Traditionally, the PORIM model is run by using site-specific low-resolution vector-layer soil analysis to adjust various parameters in multiple equation systems developed using statistical methods and many decades worth of field tests by the MPOB. In this study, the PORIM model is used as the basis for a methodology to employ a precision approach to fertilizer management in oil palm using high-resolution raster-layer soil property maps and a constrained-optimization model programmed in the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). </p>

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi melhorar as características sensoriais de uma emulsão alimentícia previamente desenvolvida pelo grupo de pesquisa, elaborada com a cepa probiótica B. animalis Bb-12, inulina e caseínomacropeptídeo (CMP), bem como caracterizar e avaliar a aceitabilidade do produto sob o ponto de vista sensorial, suas características físico-químicas e de textura instrumental durante seu armazenamento refrigerado e verificar a viabilidade da cepa probiótica incorporada à emulsão alimentícia e a sua sobrevivência in vitro a condições gastrointestinais simuladas. Foram preparadas 6 misturas binárias de gordura do leite (GL) (x1) e oleína de palma (OP) (x2) em diferentes proporções, sendo que duas delas correspondiam aos componentes isoladamente. Para as misturas GL:OP, foram determinados a composição em ácidos graxos, o índice de acidez (IA), os comportamentos de cristalização e fusão e a consistência. Adicionalmente, uma margarina comercial (MC) foi analisada como padrão de referência para as emulsões alimentícias potencialmente probióticas desenvolvidas e sua base gordurosa (BGMC) foi analisada como referência para a seleção das misturas GL:OP mais adequadas para a produção das emulsões. Após a seleção das misturas, foram produzidas duas emulsões alimentícias com adição de inulina, CMP e B. animalis Bb-12, que foram monitoradas durante o seu armazenamento a 5 °C no dia 0 (após o processamento) e após 1, 7, 14, 21 e 28 dias. Foram realizadas análises microbiológicas, de pH, teste de sobrevivência às condições gastrointestinais simuladas in vitro, análise de consistência e aceitação sensorial. Aos 35 dias de armazenamento, repetiu-se o ensaio in vitro para posterior extração de DNA do probiótico no produto a fim de comparar os métodos de semeadura em ágar seletivo e de qPCR com e sem tratamento com o agente intercalante de DNA Propidium Monoazide (PMA). Os ácidos palmítico e oleico foram os ácidos graxos mais abundantes nas misturas GL:OP, entre 30 e 34% e entre 10 e 50%, respectivamente. A adição de OP à GL resultou em um retardamento do início da cristalização das misturas binárias GL:OP, devido à interação física resultante da diluição dos triacilglicerois de alto ponto de fusão provenientes da GL. A consistência das misturas binárias GL:OP variou entre 385,9 e 12.172,3 gf/cm2 a 5 °C, sendo que as misturas GL:OP 40:60 e 20:80 apresentaram consistência mais semelhante à da BGMC a 10 °C. Dessa forma, as misturas GL:OP 40:60 e 20:80 foram selecionadas para a produção de emulsões alimentícias por apresentarem comportamento térmico e consistência mais adequados a este fim. Após a produção das formulações, as populações de Bb-12 permaneceram estáveis entre 8 e 9 log UFC/g durante os 28 dias de armazenamento a 5 °C (p>0,05) e sua viabilidade não foi influenciada pela diminuição de pH. Houve uma redução em até 2 ciclos logaritmos da população do probiótico das formulações após 6 horas de simulação gastrointestinal em todos os períodos estudados (7, 14, 21 e 28 dias) (p<0,05). No entanto, o período de armazenamento estudado não influenciou de maneira significativa a taxa de sobrevivência da Bb-12 (p>0.05) e, ao final dos 28 dias, a taxa de sobrevivência foi de 80% para EA 40:60 e 75% para a EA 20:80. Os métodos de semeadura convencional e de qPCR com PMA mostraram correlação positiva em quase todas as fases do ensaio in vitro. Contudo, a formulação EA 40:60 apresentou maiores contagens de células viáveis em qPCR com PMA, comparado ao método convencional em ágar. A aceitação sensorial das emulsões tiveram notas semelhantes, com notas entre 6,2 e 6,9, o que significa \"gostei ligeiramente\". As consistências das formulações variaram de 213,3 a 2466,6 gf/cm2 entre 5 e 15 °C. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a formulação EA 40:60 pode ser considerada a melhor formulação, uma vez que revelou características tecnológicas mais vantajosas e boa viabilidade do probiótico e sobrevivência ao estresse gastrointestinal, além de ter apresentado melhor aceitabilidade sensorial. / The purpose of this study was to improve the sensory attributes of a tablespread previously developed by our research group, supplemented with the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis Bb-12, besides inulin, and caseinomacropeptide, as well as to evaluate the product sensory acceptance, its physico-chemical and instrumental texture profile during refrigerated storage, and to verify the viability of the probiotic incorporated into the tablespread and its in vitro survival under conditions simulating the gastrointestinal tract during storage. Six binary blends of milk fat (MF) (x1) and palm olein (PO) (x2) were prepared in different proportions, whith two samples representing the pure components and four corresponding to binary blends, The fatty acid composition, free fatty acids, crystallization, and melting behaviors, and consistency analyses were performed for all MF:PO blends. Additionally, a commercial margarine (CM) was analyzed as a reference standard to the potentially probiotic tablespreads to be developed and its lipid base (CMLB) was analyzed as a reference for the selection of the MF:PO blends most suitable for the tablespreads preparation. Then, two MF:PO blends were selected to produce two tablespreads with Bb-12, inulin, and caseinomacropeptide, which were monitored during storage at 5 °C in time 0 (after processing), and after 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Microbiology assays, pH test, in vitro gastrointestinal survival, consistency, and sensory acceptance were performed. After 35 days of storage, the in vitro simulated gastrointestinal assay was repeated for subsequent probiotic DNA extraction in the food matrix in order to compare the different methods, including plate count and species-specific qPCR combined with the use of the Propidium Monoazide (PMA). All the MF:PO blends showed high concentration of palmitic and oleic acids, in the range between 30-34% and 10-50%, respectively. The addition of PO into MF resulted in an onset crystallization temperature delay for the MF:PO blends due to a physical interaction resulting from the MF high melting point triacylglycerol dilution. The consistency of the MF:PO blends varied between 385.9 and 12.172 gf/cm2 at 5 °C and 40:60 and 20:80 MF:PO blends presented consistency similar to (CMLB) at 10 °C. Thus, the 40:60 and 20:80 MF:PO blends were selected for the production of tablespreads, for presenting thermal behavior and consistency most suitable for this purpose. Following the tablespreads production, the Bb-12 populations remained stable ranging from 8 to 9 cfu/g throughout 28 days of storage at 5 °C (p>0.05) and their viability was not influenced by pH reduction. There was a decrease of up to 2 log cfu/g of the probiotic populations after 6 h of simulated gastrointestinal in vitro assay during all the studied periods (7, 14, 21, and 28 days) (p<0.05). On the other hand, the storage period did not significantly influence the survival rate of Bb-12 (p>0.05) and after 28 days the tablespreads TS 40:60 and 20:80 showed values of 80 and 75%, respectively. The different methods, count plate and qPCR with PMA, showed positive correlation in almost all steps of the in vitro assay. However, the tablespread TS 40:60 presented higher viable cell counts with the qPCR with PMA, when compared to the conventional plating method. The tablespreads sensory acceptability presented similar scores, ranging from 6.2 to 6.9, with consistency between 213.3 and 2,466.6 gf/cm2 between 5 and 15 °C. Therefore, the results obtained suggest that the TS40:60 tablespread may be considered the best formulation due the good technological parameters and good probiotic viability and survival under in vitro simulated gastrointestinal stress, besides presenting the highest sensory acceptance.

Researchers have determined that many factors, including school climate, may be contributing to the lack of academic achievement of many of our students. In an effort to better understand this issue, this study tested for possible relationships between the school climate of multiple schools in Palm Beach County, Florida, and their students' academic achievement. Separate analyses were done at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. For the purpose of this study, academic achievement (criterion variable) was measure by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, Math and Reading sections. School climate (predictor variable) was measured by the school district's yearly climate survey. In order to test the study's hypotheses, a linear multiple regression model using SPSS software was run to measure for any relationship between the criterion and predictor variables at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The relationships of individual predictors with the criterion were tested with correlations and the model including all seven predictors was tested with multiple regressions. / by Thomas Stacy Doyal. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.