In this study, a number of experiments were undertaken to investigate possible methods for effective improvement of the texture and flavour of canned late-run chum salmon. These included removal of the skin and bones from the fish, processing of the boneless-skinless steaks in retort pouches, brine treatment using two washes with an 8% salt solution for one hour each time, and a precanning treatment in which the boneless-skinless steaks were soaked in a solution of 10% tripolyphosphate and 2% brine for two minutes. Only fish of advanced sexual maturity were used. The canned salmon was steam processed at 120°C for 65 minutes in an FMC laboratory retort. This was based on a known commercial process for 307 x 115 cans. Heat penetration studies were carried out to design the process schedules for the pouched samples. It was found that the pouched product required 48% less thermal processing time than the canned product to achieve similar lethality. Sensory results showed that the removal of the skin and bones did not produce any significant improvement in the flavour and acceptability of the fish. There was no significant difference between the polyphosphate/brine samples and the untreated (control) samples for all attributes tested. The brine treatment also did not improve the texture of the samples. However, there was less detection of late-run flavour in the brine treated samples when compared to the control. Comments offered by panelists described these samples as having a salty/briny flavour. Pouched samples had a firmer, drier and more fibrous texture than the canned product. They also scored better in terms of late-run flavour. Acceptance of the fish however was only moderate. As a consequence, although this study demonstrated an improvement in the texture and flavour of the pouched late-run chum in comparison to the canned product, it was concluded that a more acceptable pouched product could probably be obtained by using late-run salmon of less advanced sexual maturity. Results of linear regression analysis showed that significant relationships were obtained between sensory firmness, fibrousness and chewiness and instrumental hardness, maximum slope and chewiness. However, none of the sensory parameters were well predicted by the instrumental results. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Ph.D. (Chemistry) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Orientador: Frederico Ozanam Papa / Banca: José Antônio Dell'Aqua Júnio / Banca: Rubens Paes de Arruda / Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se a adição do plasma seminal autólogo ao sêmen criopreservado de jumentos, aliado a lavagem uterina pós-inseminação artificial influencia nos índices de fertilidade em jumentas. Para isso, dois experimentos foram realizados: No experimento I foram analisados os parâmetros de cinética espermática pelo método computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA), análise da integridade de membrana plasmática e acrossomal (MPAI), peroxidação lipídica (PERO) e teor de espécie reativa de oxigênio intracelular (EROS) pela técnica de citometria de fluxo, de 15 ejaculados de 3 jumentos, diluídos em INRA-96®(IC - INRA, IMV Technologies, France) - Rota et al., (2012) ou em BotuCrio® (BC - Botupharma, Botucatu, Brasil), com e sem adição de plasma seminal (PS) após a descongelação. Os resultados do CASA foram semelhantes para os 2 diluentes (P>0,05), no entanto o BC proporcionou uma maior integridade de MPAI além da PERO menor que o IC, resultando em menor EROS (P<0,05). A adição do PS reduziu os parâmetros do CASA (p<0,05), porém sem ação na MPAI e PERO (p>0,05). No experimento II, avaliou-se a influência da adição do PS autólogo na pós-descongelação e sua associação à lavagem uterina (L) pós-inseminação artificial (IA), na fertilidade de jumentas. Foram utilizados 86 ciclos de 33 jumentas, divididas em 8 grupos: G1) BC + PS + L e G2) IC + PS + L foram testados mediante inseminações em 14 ciclos cada; G3) BC + L e G4) IC + L foram testadas em 11 ciclos cada, todas as L foram feitas 10 horas após a IA; G5) BC + PS e G6) IC + PS foram empregados em 8 ciclos cada, e o G7) BC e G8) IC foram avaliados em 10 ciclos cada. Verificou-se que o PS não influiu na fertilidade de jumentas (p = 0,6582) contudo a L,10 h pós-IA, interferiu positivamente na taxa de prenhez (p = 0,0097) elevando de 0% (G7 e G8) para 42,9% (G1 e G2) / Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of autologous seminal plasma to frozen donkey semen, coupled uterine flushing after artificial insemination influence on fertility rates in jennies. Two experiments were conducted: experiment I, the parameters of sperm kinetics were analyzed by using computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA), analysis of plasma membrane integrity and acrosome (MPAI), lipid peroxidation (PERO) and reactive species content intracellular oxygen (ROS) by the technique of flow cytometry, 15 ejaculated 3 donkeys, diluted in INRA-96® (IC - INRA, IMV Technologies, France) -. Rota et al, (2012) or BotuCrio® (BC - Botupharma, Botucatu, Brazil), with and without addition of seminal plasma (SP) after thawing. The results were similar for CASA to 2 extenders (P> 0.05), however BC provided greater MPAI integrity beyond smaller PERO than the IC, resulting in lower EROS (P <0.05). The addition of PS reduced the parameters of CASA (P <0.05), but no action on the MPAI and Pero (P> 0.05). Experiment II, evaluated the influence of the addition of autologous SP in post-thaw and its association with uterine lavage (L) pos-IA, in the fertility jennies. 86 cycles of 33 jennies were used, divided into 8 groups: G1) BC + SP + Land G2) IC + SP + L, were tested by 14 cycles each; G3) BC+L and G4) IC+ L, were tested on each 11 cycles, all L were made 10 hours after AI; G5) BC + SP and G6) IC + SP were used in 8 cycles each, and the G7) BC and G8) IC were evaluated in 10 cycles each. It was found that the SP, had no effect on fertility jennies (p = 0.6582) however L 10 h post-IA, increased pregnancy rate (p = 0.0097) increasing from 0% (G7 and G8) to 42.9% (G1 and G2) / Mestre

<p>Retail environments are critical transmission points for <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> to humans. Past studies have shown <i>L. monocytogenes</i> contamination varies widely across retail environments. <i>L. monocytogenes</i> can transmit among environmental surfaces and subsequently from environment to food via cross-contamination. Modified SSOPs (sanitation standard operating procedures) have been shown to have limited impact on reducing <i>L. monocytogenes</i> prevalence in retail deli environments. Food safety culture and climate, such as beliefs, values, and hygiene behaviors, have been identified as factors impacting food safety performance and microbial outputs. Handwashing and its compliance are among the most prominent personal hygiene aspects subjected to investigation in the past decade, illustrating hygiene behavior as a risk factor and an important consideration to ensure food safety. Additionally, effective management and well-designed infrastructure, such as vertical and lateral communication, employees’ training, accountability, and equipment designed to prevent cross-contamination, have also been described as critical contributors to a sustainable food safety program. However, given such a deadly foodborne pathogen as <i>L. monocytogenes</i>, the correlation between food safety culture and its prevalence remains unknown. We hypothesized that there was a relationship among food safety culture management, infrastructure, and <i>L. monocytogenes</i> prevalence at retail. Our goal is to identify additional risk factors on <i>L. monocytogenes </i>control, develop feasible recommendations, and direct resources to enhance food safety. </p> <p>In the present dissertation, we developed and implemented a predictive risk model, along with employee- and management-implemented SSOPs, in 50 deli establishments across six U.S. states to evaluate and control <i>L. monocytogenes</i> contamination risk and prevalence (Chapter 2). The predictive risk model, based on logistic regression, uses five environmental sites to predict <i>L. monocytogenes</i> prevalence in the entire deli environment. It identified 13 high-risk stores, seven of which were confirmed during subsequent monthly sampling. We found that deep clean intervention reduced <i>L. monocytogenes </i>prevalence on non-food contact surfaces both immediately after the intervention and during follow-up, with marginal significance (α_adj=0.0125). The employee- and management-implemented deep clean can control <i>L. monocytogenes</i> prevalence in retail delis; the predictive risk model, though conservative, will require further validations and can be useful for surveillance purposes. </p> <p>Complementary to the above study, we tackled the <i>L. monocytogenes</i> challenge via food safety culture and climate approach (Chapter 3). Concurrently to the monthly environmental sampling, we distributed food safety culture and climate survey to the 50 stores, with one manager and up to five associates from each establishment, over a 12-month period and overlapped with before, after, and follow-up deep clean. We found that stores with lower <i>L. monocytogenes</i> contamination risk had better food safety culture, including greater sense of commitment to food safety program (p_adj=0.0317) and more complete training (p_adj=0.0117). Deep clean improved managers’ (p_adj=0.0243) and associates’ (p_adj=0.0057) commitment to food safety. This study indicates that food safety culture and climate are crucial component in building a viable, sustainable food safety program. </p> <p>Another survey tool was used to evaluate infrastructure designs, management strategies, and sanitation practices in relation to <i>L. monocytogenes</i> control in retail produce environments (Chapter 4). We distributed the survey to 30 retail produce departments across seven U.S. states. Hand hygiene, minimizing cross-contamination, and maximizing equipment cleanability were the most prominent factors in <i>L. monocytogenes</i> control.</p>

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Prevention and early-intervention programmes that promote and assist parents in acquiring the skills and knowledge required to parent children effectively, with or without behavioural issues are a crucial to childcare. The Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005, as well as the South African Constitution declare that the needs of a child are important; therefore, when the parents are equipped with adequate knowledge and skills, prevention of a family breakdown could be achieved. This current research study, therefore, involves an exploration of the experiences of parents, who had participated in parental intervention strategies, in the form of positive parenting skills training.

Due to the fast-pace of urban development, there is a large demand for labor in big cities in China. Also, because of a huge income gap between countryside and cities, an increasing number of youths in rural areas have chosen to leave their homes and transfer to the cities causing a rapid decline of population and the vacancy of properties. This phenomenon is referred to as “Hollow Village”. Especially in case of some remote historic villages, due to labor turnover, villages which has precious historic and culture value are abandoned and stopped from development. Only children and elders are left in those villages without prospects. Ling is among those backward areas. It has held a vital place in Huizhou culture during the history of Chinese rural settlements and contains a few ancient villages which share some common but features while being distinctive. However, with the lag of population and development, it is gradually losing its style and forgotten by moderns. This district needs to be preserved and developed while its feature is protected. This thesis will analyze Ling’s current living conditions, tracing to its cultural and social changes through history and seeking to find architectural solutions, also by offering strategies that can lead to the revitalization of the place, while simultaneously creating some economic stimulations. The thesis aims to developing people’s sense of belonging and identity towards such villages, in the hope of revving as a prototype for other remote villages in China.

This master’s thesis is focused on detailed analysis of possibilities of implementing a private cloud and secure data archiving for a long period of time using open-source tools. It describes the individual standards and processes of data preparation, as well as the OAIS reference model for long-term preservation. From the analyzed information, a complete design of the final solution is created, with a description of the functionality and the method of deployment in the environment of Docker containers. The design implementation and the main functionality of individual systems such as Archivematica or Nextcloud are thoroughly described and also the hardware requirements and cryptographic security were evaluated.

The earth home, in its many varieties and styles, played an important role in the development of the American Great Plains during the mid-nineteenth century. However, the lack of further study into the material culture of these homes has allowed many of these homes to be misrepresented in the historical record as temporary shelters. Not all of the earth homes constructed during this period were temporary. Further study of the materials used, the locations in which they were built, and their construction methods suggest that many of these homes were built to last. The three case studies used in this thesis represent a large number of earth homes still standing today. The findings of this study enhance the history of the region and open up new avenues for further research on earth homes as well as the possibilities and the importance of their preservation.

La préservation statique à froid (SCS) est l’étalon-or de la préservation des organes après une greffe. En raison de la pénurie d’organes et de l’augmentation du nombre de patients figurant sur la liste d’attente, le recours aux organes provenant des donneurs à critères élargis, lesquels sont très sensibles au syndrome d’ischémie-reperfusion (IRS), ce qui entraîne une non-fonction primaire (PNF) ou un dysfonctionnement précoce (EAD), est de plus en plus fréquent.Cette recherche avait pour but d’étudier et d’identifier de nouvelles stratégies pour améliorer la qualité de la préservation des organes - d'atténuer les séquelles de l'IRS en utilisant la machine de perfusion hépatique à différentes températures et à différentes périodes d'utilisation après le prélèvement de l'organe ou en ajoutant une hémoglobine extracellulaire en tant que transporteur d'oxygène pendant le SCS.Deux modèles différents ex-vivo ont été analysés : L’un chez le petit animal avec des foies de rats normaux et stéatosiques, pour la perfusion hypothermique (HMP) et SCS avec le transporteur d'oxygène et au niveau préclinique, des foies humains stéatosiques récusés, pour la perfusion normothermique (NMP).Les résultats ont confirmé de manière significative l'intérêt de l’HMP dans la phase pré-ischémique du SCS et celui de l'utilisation de l'hémoglobine extracellulaire en améliorant la fonction hépatique, le maintien de l'anatomie des hépatocytes et en réduisant des marqueurs du stress oxydatif, de l'apoptose et de l'inflammation. Egalement, l'utilisation de NMP a permis d'analyser les foies sévèrement stéatosiques pouvant être récupérés pour une transplantation dans un avenir très proche.Cette recherche met en évidence de nouvelles approches en matière de préservation d'organes susceptibles d'augmenter le pool d'organes et d'améliorer les résultats en transplantation hépatique.Mots-clés : greffe de foie, stockage froid dans le froid, perfusion dans une machine à foie, lésion de reperfusion par ischémie, transporteur d'oxygène. / Static cold storage (SCS) is the gold standard of organ preservation after being procured for transplantation. Due to the organ shortage and the increase of number of patients in the waiting list have pushed the use organs from extended criteria donors which are very susceptible to the ischemia reperfusion syndrome (IRS) leading to primary non-function (PNF) or to early allograft dysfunction (EAD).This research was aimed to study and identify new strategies to improve the quality of organ preservation -liver, to attenuate the IRS sequels by using the liver perfusion machine (LPM) at different temperatures and times of usage after the organ procurement or by adding an extracellular hemoglobin as an oxygen carrier during SCS.Two different ex-vivo models were analyzed: small animal -normal and steatotic rat livers, for hypothermic perfusion (HMP) and SCS with the oxygen carrier and preclinical -steatotic discarded human livers, for normothermic perfusion (NMP).The results significantly confirmed the benefit of the HMP in the preischemic phase of SCS and that of the use of the extracellular hemoglobin by improving the liver function, maintenance of the hepatocytes anatomy and by a reduction of the oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation markers. Also, the use of NMP permitted to analyze the severely steatotic livers that can be rescued for transplantation in the very near future.This investigation unveils new approaches in organ preservation that could increase the pool of organs and improve the results in liver transplantation. Key words: liver transplantation, static cold storage, liver machine perfusion, ischemia reperfusion injury, oxygen carrier.

Les foies dits "marginaux" sont utilisés pour répondre à la pénurie d’organes et à l’augmentation du nombre de patients sur liste d’attente. Tout l’enjeu aujourd’hui est de réussir à diminuer les complications post-opératoires souvent associées à ces greffons en améliorant la qualité de leur préservation. L’estimation de la qualité d’un foie, afin de prédire sa reprise de fonction, est souvent réalisée chez le donneur. Cependant, bien qu’elle influe directement sur la qualité du foie, les conséquences liées à la période d’ischémie ne sont que très rarement considérées car il n’existe pas de marqueurs spécifiques pour les évaluer en dehors d’un système de perfusion normothermique.Le glycocalyx, une couche polysaccharidique présente à la surface des cellules endothéliales, a déjà démontré son potentiel comme biomarqueur pour évaluer la qualité des foies. Chez des foies stéatosiques de rats, une diminution des lésions d'ischémie-reperfusion a été observée lorsque les composants du glycocalyx étaient mieux préservés avec la solution IGL-1, potentiellement due à la présence de l'agent oncotique PEG35. Ces résultats ont été confirmés en préservation dynamique, chez des foies non-steatosiques de rats, avec une protection améliorée des foies soumis à une perfusion hypothermique oxygénée (HOPE) avant la phase d'ischémie froide. Dans un contexte pré-clinique, nous avons pu démontrer qu’après 6h de perfusion normothermique, 3 foies humains sur 11, initialement refusés pour la transplantation, auraient potentiellement pu être transplantés en se basant sur des critères de viabilité évalués au cours de la perfusion.Une meilleure évaluation de la préservation des greffons hépatiques grâce au glycocalyx, tout en diminuant les risques associés aux foies marginaux grâce aux machines de perfusion normothermiques, pourrait permettre de faire face aux besoins croissant d’organes. / "Marginal" livers are used to respond to the shortage of organs and the increase in the number of patients on the waiting list. The challenge is to successfully reduce the post-operative complications associated with these grafts by improving the quality of organ preservation. Assessing the quality of a liver to predict its function recovery is often performed while the organ is still in the donor. However, although the ischemia period directly affects the quality of the liver, the consequences of that period for the liver are rarely considered. No markers exist to evaluate those consequences, beyond a system of perfusion.Glycocalyx, a polysaccharidic layer at the surface of endothelial cells, has already proven its potential as a biomarker to evaliate the quality of livers. In steatotic rat livers, ischemia-repefusion injury decreased when glycocalyx components were better preserved in static conditions with preservation solution IGL-1, potentially due to the oncotic agent PEG35. These results were confirmed in dynamic preservation, with an improved liver protection when livers were subjected to hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) before static cold storage. In pre-clinical settings, we also demonstrated that after 6h of normothermic perfusion, 3 out of 11 human livers, originally discarded for the transplantation, could have been potentially transplanted based on their viability criteria during perfusion.Better evaluation of hepatic graft preservation using glycocalyx, together with reducing the risks associated with marginal livers using normothermic perfusion machines, could help to meet the growing need for organs.