Pescado é o termo genérico que compreende peixes, crustáceos, moluscos, anfíbios, quelônios, mamíferos de água doce e salgada, usados na alimentação humana. De acordo com a Food and Agricultural Organization o comércio de peixes e derivados está na linha de frente na questão de segurança alimentar. Trata-se da commodity mais comercializada internacionalmente. Quaisquer comprometimentos da qualidade do pescado geram prejuízos para todos os participantes da cadeia produtiva: parte da produção acaba sendo descartada; o preço final passa a não ser competitivo com outras fontes de proteína animal e, em termos de inocuidade, aumentam as probabilidades do pescado em transmitir perigos biológicos e químicos ao consumidor. Imediatamente após a captura, o pescado deve ser submetido, ainda no barco, à conservação no gelo. A necessidade de aperfeiçoamento dos produtos alimentícios levou ao desenvolvimento e aprimoramento das análises sensoriais, capazes de avaliar as características identificáveis pelos sentidos humanos. No caso do pescado são empregadas como técnica de rotina para a inspeção em entrepostos e indústrias de processamento. Trata-se do recurso mais utilizado para se julgar o grau de frescor dos produtos aquáticos, durante o processo de comercialização. Sob as considerações acima, o presente estudo teve por objetivo explorar os atributos sensoriais de relevância na avaliação do frescor da pescada Macrodon ancylodon (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), utilizando a Análise Descritiva Quantitativa e o Teste de Aceitabilidade e a partir daí, confrontar esses métodos com o Método do Índice de Qualidade identificando fatores favoráveis e limitantes para o uso desses recursos na avaliação da pescada em comercialização. Os resultados deste estudo permitiram concluir que: os atributos melhores explicadores na avaliação do frescor da pescada Macrodon ancylodon (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) são: coloração das brânquias; odor característico; odor pútrido; e avaliação global de frescor; o quanto você gostou do aroma do produto e cheiro de algas, fresco. É necessário e urgente que novos estudos desta natureza envolvendo outras espécies de pescado sejam realizados e da mesma forma seus resultados sejam amplamente divulgados tanto para os envolvidos na cadeia produtiva quanto para os consumidores finais. / Seafood is the generic term that includes fish, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, aquatic reptiles, aquatic mammals used as food for Human beings. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization the fish and fish derivatives trade is at the forefront of the food safety issue. This is the most internationally traded commodity. Any seafood quality impairment generates losses to all participants in the production chain: part of the production tends to be dumped, the final price becomes less competitive in relation to other sources of animal protein, moreover, in terms of safety, the probability of biological and chemical hazards transmission to consumers through the seafood increases. Right after its capture, the fish should be put on ice, on the boat, in order to preserve it. The necessity to improve food products provided the development and improvement of sensory analysis, which was able to assess the characteristics identified by human senses. In relation to seafood, the sensory analysis is used as a routine technique for inspections in seafood warehouses and seafood processing industries. It is the most used resource for assesses the freshness degree of aquatic products during the marketing process. According to the considerations above, the present study aims to explore the relevance of sensory attributes in fish freshness assessment hake Macrodon ancylodon (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis and Test Acceptability and from that on, to confront these methods with the Index Quality Method IQM, identifying favorable and limiting factors for the use of these resources in product assessment hake in marketing. The results of this study showed that: the attributes which better described the hake Macrodon ancylodon freshness assessment (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) were: gills color; characteristic odor; putrid odor; and an overall freshness assessment; how much you liked the product flavor and the smell of seaweed, fresh. It is necessary and urgent that not only further researches of this nature involving other species of fish should be made but also their results should be widely spread out both to those involved in the production chain and to consumers

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:23:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joao Fernando _Apel Miguel.pdf: 2365694 bytes, checksum: 7d9d98b6d57859a97870ad98e9d6d788 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-15 / This trial aimed at determining the S index using a drip irrigated viticulture in a nitossol. Twenty soil samples were collected for chemical analyses at the same familiar farm in Salto do Lontra city, southwestern Paraná. Richards chamber methodology was applied to make the water retention curve. Statistical process control was chosen to check which elements were under statistical control. Only three elements of the chemical properties were within control chart limits: phosphorus, calcium and aluminum. The calculated values of S index were below the critical value of S = 0.035, which means good physical condition of the soil. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o índice S para um Nitossolo sob viticultura irrigada por gotejamento. Foram coletadas 20 amostras de solo para análises químicas na mesma propriedade agrícola, no município de Salto do Lontra, Sudoeste do Paraná. Foi utilizada a metodologia da câmara de Richards para a confecção da curva de retenção de água no solo. O controle estatístico de processo foi usado para verificar quais elementos químicos estavam sob controle estatístico. Os elementos das propriedades químicas que se apresentaram dentro dos limites dos gráficos de controle foram: fósforo, cálcio e alumínio. Os valores calculados do índice S ficaram abaixo do valor crítico de S = 0,035, o que significa boa condição física do solo.

Minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, are the most abundant species of mysticetes in the North Atlantic Ocean; however, little is known about their site fidelity and population size in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Field work was conducted off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, mostly during the summer months of 1997 to 2000 and 2002 to 2005 with some field seasons starting as early as April and ending as late as October. During 218 days of boat-based surveys, 614 photographs (black and white film and digital) of minke whales were collected. All photographs were assigned a qualitative quality value (Q1-Q4, best to poor, respectively), and 321 were assigned Q3 or better. A total of 111 individuals were identified, although only 80 individuals had at least one high quality photograph (Q3 and higher). While many individuals were re-identified on the same day, only five individuals were resighted on separate days. Two individuals were resighted within the same year (up to 90 days apart), and three individuals were resighted in separate years (a little over three years apart). Additional photographs collected opportunistically in 2007 yielded two additional resightings of the same individual sighted four years earlier. A discovery curve that failed to reach an asymptote indicated that new individuals continued to enter the study area, thereby classifying the study area as open. Using the POPAN module available in SOCPROG 2.3, abundance was estimated to be 454 individuals (Jackknife s.e. = 398) with an estimated mortality rate of 26% per year (Jackknife s.e. = 27%). It is likely that permanent emigration and mark-loss account for much of this estimated mortality rate. Continued long term photo-identification within the study area is required to improve the abundance estimate and properly assess the degree of site fidelity. A lack of site fidelity could signify either unreliable or low density prey distribution, a limited sample size or a much larger home range than the study area. Therefore, expansion of both the study area and field effort is recommended.

In this study, I investigate how successful provided response questions, such as multiple choice questions, are as an assessment format compared to the conventional constructed response questions. Based on the literature on mathematics assessment, I firstly identify an assessment taxonomy, consisting of seven mathematics assessment components, ordered by cognitive levels of difficulty and cognitive skills. I then develop a theoretical framework, for determining the quality of a question, with respect to three measuring criteria: discrimination index, confidence index and expert opinion. The theoretical framework forms the foundation against which I construct the Quality Index (QI) model for measuring how good a mathematics question is. The QI model gives a quantitative value to the quality of a question. I also give a visual representation of the quality of a question in terms of a radar plot. I illustrate the use of the QI model for quantifying the quality of mathematics questions in a particular undergraduate mathematics course, in both of the two assessment formats – provided response questions (PRQs) and constructed response questions (CRQs). I then determine which of the seven assessment components can best be assessed in the PRQ format and which can best be assessed in the CRQ format. In addition I also investigate student preferences between the two assessment formats. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Mathematics and Applied Mathematics / unrestricted

Orientador: Rafael Montanari / Resumo: A qualidade do solo não é algo que se pode medir diretamente, no entanto, pode ser avaliada pelos atributos que caracterizam seu estado físico, químico e biológico. A escolha de atributos mais relevantes e a interpretação das medidas obtidas não é algo simples, devido aos efeitos da mudança de uso da terra e as interações entre eles e as condições climáticas e serviços ecossistêmicos de cada região. O objetivo desse estudo foi fornecer uma visão geral de alguns indicadores de qualidade física e química do solo no contexto de restauração de pastagens do Cerrado Brasileiro. A tese é disposta em capítulos, compondo além das considerações gerais apresentadas no Capítulo 1, os Capítulos 2 e 3, que são estudos científicos de avaliação da qualidade física e química do solo. Os experimentos foram desenvolvidos no município de Selvíria – MS em duas áreas destinadas à pecuária extensiva de corte, subsidiadas pela planta forrageira Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. Malhas experimentais de 2,7 e 1,4 hectares, com 70 e 65 pontos, respectivamente, foram instaladas nas áreas e amostras de solo de estrutura deformada e indeformada foram tomadas para avaliação dos atributos físicos e químicos. Também se avaliou os estoques de carbono orgânico total, suas frações granulométricas e a emissão de CO2 nas áreas, visando enxergar os efeitos da reforma sob o aporte de carbono e as emissões de gases de efeito estufa. Em uma das áreas avaliou-se a curva de retenção de água do solo e índice S em todos os... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Soil quality is not something that can be directly measured; however, it can be assessed by the attributes that characterize its physical, chemical and biological state. The choice of more relevant attributes and the interpretation of the measures obtained is not a simple matter, due to the effects of land use change and the interactions between them, the climatic conditions and ecosystem services of each region. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of some indicators of physical and chemical quality of the soil in the context of pasture restoration in the Brazilian Cerrado. The thesis is laid out in chapters, composing in addition to the general considerations presented in Chapter 1, Chapters 2 and 3, which are scientific studies to assess the physical and chemical quality of the soil. The experiments were carried out in the municipality of Selvíria – MS in two areas for extensive beef cattle, subsidized by the forage plant Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. Experimental meshes of 2.7 and 1.4 hectares, with 70 and 65 points, respectively, were installed in the areas and soil samples of deformed and undeformed structure were taken to assess the physical and chemical attributes. The total organic carbon stocks, their particle size fractions and the CO2 emission in the areas were also evaluated, aiming to see the effects of the reform under the carbon input and the greenhouse gas emissions. In one of the areas, the soil water retention curve and S index were evaluated ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Insurance has been considered as a useful tool for farmers to mitigate income volatility. However, there remain concerns that insurance may distort crop production decisions. Positive mathematical programming (PMP) models of farmers’ cropping decisions can be applied to study the effect of agricultural business risk management (BRM) policies on farmers’ decisions on land use and their incomes. Before being used to examine agricultural producer responses to policy changes under the expected utility framework, the models must first be calibrated to obtain the values of the risk aversion coefficient and the cost function parameters. In chapter 2, three calibration approaches are compared for disentangling the risk parameter from the parameters of the cost function. Then, in chapter 3, to investigate the impacts on production incentives of changes in Canada’s AgriStability program, farm management models are calibrated for farms with different cost structures for three different Alberta regions. Results indicate that farmers’ observed attitudes towards risk vary with cost structure. After joining the program, all farmers alter their land allocations to some extent. The introduction of a reference margin limit (RML) in the AgriStability program under Growing Forward 2 (2013-2018), which was retained in the replacement legislation until 2020, has the most negative impact on farmers with the lowest costs. The removal of RML significantly increases the benefits to low-cost farmers. Traditional insurance products provide financial support to farmers. However, for fruit farmers, the products’ quality can be greatly affected by the weather conditions during the stage of fruit development and ripening, which may lead to quality downgrade and a significant loss in revenue with little impacts on yields. Hence, chapters 4 and 5 investigate the conceptual feasibility of using weather-indexed insurance (WII) to hedge against non-catastrophic, but quality-impacting weather conditions to complement existing traditional insurance. Prospect theory is applied to analyze a farmer’s demand for WII. The theoretical model demonstrates that an increase in the volatility of total revenue and the revenue proportion from blueberries increases the possibility of farmers’ participation in WII. On the other hand, the increase in the value loss aversion coefficient and WII’s basis risk leads to less demand for WII. To design a WII product for blueberry growers to hedge against quality risk, a quality index must be constructed and the relationship between key weather conditions, such as cumulative maximum temperature and cumulative excess rainfall, and the quality index should be quantified. The results from a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) show that the above goals are achievable. Further, rainfall and temperature can be modelled via a time-series model and statistical distributions, respectively, to provide reasonable estimates for calculating insurance premia. / Graduate / 2022-08-05

This diploma thesis deals with evaluation of voltage events regarding to immunity of electric appliances. This thesis is divided into three logical sections. In the first part are shown the voltage events, their definitions, causes and spreading in the mains. The second part deals with measurements and existing possibilities of evaluation of voltage events. The third part deals with suggestion of new evaluation of voltage events regarding to immunity of electric appliances and verification in practice.

Nowadays, frequency of so called civilization diseases is raising and current life style of an industrial society brings increased number of sleep disorders. Various non-physiological and pathological phenomena, for which humans do not have and cannot have any adaptation mechanisms created, can be seen in our culture and society. The purpose of this thesis is to examine sleep habits of two groups of healthy adult persons (young adults and seniors) and determine factors having an influence on sleep quality. Three hypotheses were stated (Hypothesis No. 1: Sleep length and quality are changing throughout the life. Hypothesis No. 2: Sleep length has an influence on BMI. Hypothesis No. 3: Sleep length is dependent on a life style). Validity of these hypotheses was verified. The sample consisted of a group of young adults (76 women, 51 men) and of a group of active seniors (50 women, 40 men). Sleep behavior was investigated by a questionnaire form. Every person answered to 50 questions. Their answers were statistically processed. Basic somatic characteristics as body height, body weight and Body Mass Index were measured during the contact with respondents. Statistically significant difference (p < 0,05) in sleep behavior of young adults and seniors in weekdays and weekend was found out. Young adults were...

Background: Chronic plaque-type psoriasis is a major dermatosis, but a significant question is still unanswered: What defines severity in chronic plaque-type psoriasis? While objective assessments like the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) have frequently been used in clinical trials, quality of life (QOL) questionnaires are currently becoming more and more popular. Objective: This article summarizes the most important objective and subjective measurements of severity in psoriasis. For every dermatologist it is critically important to distinguish between severe psoriasis and psoriasis that severely affects QOL. Even if the PASI also has disadvantages, it is the most adequate instrument available to evaluate severity in plaque-type psoriasis. Result: We provide reasons why PASI >12 defines severe, PASI 7–12 moderate and PASI <7 mild chronic plaque-type psoriasis. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Background: According to current guidelines the cost of productivity loss should be considered in pharmacoeconomic analyses. The cost of health-related productivity loss in psoriasis patients is unknown. Objective: To estimate the cost of productivity loss in psoriasis and its association with health-related quality of life and clinical disease severity. Methods: Cross-sectional study, recruitment of adult participants through Internet advertisements. 201 (72.3%) out of 278 eligible participants completed the study. Health-related work productivity loss, quality of life and clinical severity of psoriasis were assessed by standardized instruments. Results: Indirect costs of productivity loss clearly exceed the total direct cost. In contrast to objective clinical disease severity, health-related quality of life (measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index) is an independent predictor of work productivity. Conclusions: There is good reason to believe that intervention can reduce health-related productivity loss by improving patients’ quality of life. Savings from increased work productivity might offset comparatively high acquisition costs of biological agents. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.