The apple rootstock ‘Geneva® 41’ (‘G.41’), is desirable for its resistance to fire blight, Erwinia amylovora, while producing high yields. However, ‘G.41’ and other Geneva® selections tend to form weak graft unions in the nursery that are susceptible to breaking in the wind, at harvest, or during shipment. In order to understand and remedy this graft union weakness, six scions (‘Fuji’, ‘Gala’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘McIntosh’, ‘Pink Lady’, and ‘Scilate’) by seven rootstocks (‘G.41’, ‘G.935’, ‘G.214’, ‘G.11’, ‘M.9-NIC 29’, ‘B.9’ and ‘EMLA 26’), by two grafting methods (chip bud and saddle graft) in a factorial design were tested for graft union flexural strength and flexibility. Additionally, plant growth regulators (PGR) were applied to trees with ‘G.41’ as rootstock as a solution to overcome graft union weakness. Transpiration rate and hydraulic resistance were measured for comparison of a weak graft forming rootstock (‘G.41’) to a strong graft forming rootstock (‘M.9-NIC 29’). ‘G.41’ consistently formed a weaker graft union regardless of scion or grafting method. Scions such as ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Pink Lady’ formed stronger graft unions, while ‘Scilate’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ form weaker graft unions. Saddle grafting did not improve graft union strength. Nurseries that graft on ‘G.41’ should choose scions that form stronger graft unions. Benzyl adenine (BA) in a latex paint increased the strength and flexibility of the graft union relative to scion cross sectional area (SCSA), but further research is needs to identify more efficient methods of application. Rootstock effect on transpiration rate was different between years. No detectable differences were found for hydraulic resistance through the graft union of different rootstocks, suggesting weaker graft unions did not limit hydraulic conductance or transpiration rate. Thus graft union weakness is not an indicator of poor vascular connection.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The Flesh Browning (FB) disorder of ‘Cripps Pink’ apples presents a significant threat to the established market identity of the ‘Cripps Pink’ apple in Australian and export markets. Climatic conditions during fruit growth and development predispose ‘Cripps Pink’ apples to developing the FB disorder during storage. The FB disorder can be classified into two distinct disorders based on their physiological and structural differences and by seasonal climatic conditions. The diffuse type of FB (DFB) is a chilling injury, occurring in districts or seasons accumulating less than 1100 growing degree days (GDD) above 10oC between full bloom and harvest. In these climatic conditions, ‘Cripps Pink’ apples have delayed postharvest ethylene production. Diffuse FB effects fruit cortex tissue and is characterised as cellular collapse. Storing fruit at 3oC can reduce the incidence of DFB. The radial type of FB (RFB) is primarily a senescent disorder, occurring in districts or seasons accumulating greater than 1400 GDD above 10oC between full bloom and harvest. In these climatic conditions, postharvest ethylene production is not delayed. Radial FB affects the cells adjacent to the vascular tissue of the fruit and is characterised by damaged cell walls. Storing fruit at 1oC can reduce the incidence of RFB. Harvest maturity and the level of CO2 in the storage atmosphere are additive influences on the development of RFB. Seasons or districts accumulating more than 1700 GDD have a very low risk for developing RFB. Seasonal climatic conditions can provide a guide for predicting the risk of developing RFB and DFB during storage.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Nutrition))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Background: The Internet has created new efficient channels of doing business. For this nontraditional market, a business strategy that is both effective and efficient needs to be employed. The Long Tail business strategy was developed by Chris Anderson in 2006. It is possible that the Long Tail strategy not only can increase revenue by offering more “niche” products, but also can enhance customers’ loyalty toward the company. However, in order to achieve the latter, companies need to communicate with customers in more effective and more efficient ways. Therefore, communication is inevitably the fundamental element for companies’ efforts to build customer relationships. The Long-Tail, suggested by Anderson and Sugaya, to be an effective strategy for enhancing customer loyalty. But can it fit in the case of Swedish Apple Premium Resellers?   Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to test if the Long-Tail strategy can enhance e-loyalty by adding value to online marketing communications in the case of Apple Premium Resellers’ customers in Sweden. Method: The data collection was mainly through questionnaires -- a quantitative approach. The target group was Apple Premium Resellers’ customers in Sweden. The questionnaire was distributed in Stockholm and Jönköping. Various statistical techniques as well as theories and models were used for data analysis. Conclusion:It can be concluded that the Long Tail strategy can add value to the online marketing communications, and improved online marketing communications can enhance customer loyalty in e-commerce. Therefore, the Long-Tail strategy can enhance e-loyalty by adding value to online marketing communications in the case of Swedish Apple Premium Resellers.

Von 2003 bis 2011 wurden 65 Apfelsorten und Mutanten im Rahmen einer Sortensichtung am Standort Dresden-Pillnitz getestet, um geeignete Sorten für die notwendige Erneuerung der Sortenstruktur im sächsischen Erwerbsobstbau zu ermitteln. Neben Erhebungen zum Blühverhalten, zum Ertrag, zur Farb- und Größensortierung der Früchte sowie zur Lagerfähigkeit wurden wertgebende Inhaltsstoffe bestimmt und der Geschmack bewertet. Ergänzend dazu erfolgten Kundenbefragungen zum Kaufverhalten. Grenzwerte zur Bestimmung des optimalen Erntetermins von bekannten und neuen Sorten wurden aktualisiert bzw. neu aufgenommen. Im Ergebnis können zwei Sommer-, vier Herbst- und vier Lagersorten oder Mutanten für den Intensivobstanbau in Sachsen empfohlen werden.

A chemical solution composed of paraffin wax, chloroform, and methyl yellow biological indicator was shaped into a solid 3-D apple phantom to determine absorbed dose from e-beams and X-rays. The purpose of this research was to determine the most uniform irradiation treatment on apple-phantoms (a complex shaped target) and GAFCHROMIC® HD-810 films using electron beams from (1) a 2 MeV Van de Graaff (VDG) accelerator, (2) a 10 MeV Linear Accelerator (LINAC), and (3) X-rays from a 5 MeV LINAC. Irradiation with the VDG accelerator confirmed that tilting the apple-phantom yaxis towards the e-beam source by 90 degrees, 45, and 22.5 degrees resulted in more uniform treatment in both the methyl yellow apple phantom and HD-810 film. The phantoms were over-exposed at the top and bottom regions when their y-axis was oriented exactly parallel to the e-beam at 22.5-degrees. The 45-degree orientation ensured uniformity throughout the whole apple surface without overexposing it at the top and bottom. In contrast, the 90-degree orientation resulted in the least effective treatment with the bottom and top region not receiving any radiation. A 10 MeV dual e-beam showed uniform penetration from top to bottom in the HD-810 film and apple phantoms. The HD-810 film responded linearly with doses up to 1.5 kGy while the methyl yellow response was non-linear up to 0.5 kGy maximum. The X-ray irradiation completely penetrated the apple phantoms from top to bottom showing excellent lateral uniformity at different penetration depths.

No description available.

Computer-vision technology methods for assessing food quality were evaluated for their ability to provide non-contact measurements of apple slices. The methods evaluated were camera calibration, measurements of physical parameters of apple slices, and measurement of biochemical changes in apple slices. Each measure of food quality that was assessed by computer-vision was compared to a conventional method of measurement. The computer-vision system was capable of measuring area, thickness and volumes of apple slices. Color measurements from the computer-vision system were correlated with phenolic compound degradation in the beginning of the drying process and with hydroxymethylfurfural development later in the drying process.

Bio-conversion of agricultural wastes provides a viable solution to multiple environmental problems as well as production of natural products. Apple processing for manufacturing juice, pies and sauce results in significant volumes of underutilized by-products. This study aims to optimize the method for producing fermentable sugars from apple processing by-products. The conditions required for pre-treatment, polyphenol removal and enzymatic hydrolysis were optimized. The optimized conditions for dilute sulfuric acid-based hydrothermal pre-treatment were acid concentration of 1.5% (w/v) at 91 oC for 16 min. The final yield of 12.7% fermentable sugars (glucose, fructose and galacturonic acid) was obtained after multistep hydrolysis using commercial cellulase, pectinase and ?-glucosidase at 9, 38 and 8 enzyme units/g FW, respectively. The other optimum conditions were temperature of 40 oC, pH at 4.0 and 24 h of reaction time. These fermentable sugars can further be converted into bio-ethanol and organic acids using specific yeast and bacteria.

This thesis has been performed for the company System Andersson as a part of the bachelors degree in information technology at the School of Engineering in Jönköping. The thesis is based on the development of an iPhone application. System Andersson has an application for Android that is being used for their MPS system (material and production control system). Their customers, however, have also showed interest in being able to use this application for iPhone. The students handle the subject of iOS developing, including the design of the application, the use of the development language Objective-C, the use of the scripting language of Json used for server connections and SQL. The primary goal with this thesis has been to improve the students knowledge in such subjects as application development for mobile platforms, in such areas as Xcode, which is the development platform that Apple uses and Objective-C, which is the development language being used.   The result of this thesis is an almost fully functional iOS application, similar to the Android application with some functionality missing. / Detta examensarbete har utförts åt företaget System Andersson i samband med utbildningen på Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping. Arbetet gick ut på att utveckla en applikation för iPhone. System Andersson har sedan tidigare en applikation kopplad till sitt MPS-system (material och-produktionsstyrningssystem) för operativsystemet Android och deras kunder har visat intresse för en liknande applikation för iOS. Studenterna går i denna rapport igenom utvecklingen av en applikation för iOS, samt designen, med hjälp av utvecklingsspråket Objektive-C, skriptspråket Json och SQL. Målet med detta examensarbete var främst att få bra kännedom om att utveckla mobila applikationer, att lära känna utvecklingsmiljön som Apple använder samt att få kunskap om Objective-C. Resultatet av examensarbetet har blivit en näst intill fullt fungerande applikation, som dock i dagsläget saknar vissa funktioner.