The fact that loosely bonded DNA bases could tolerate large structural fluctuations, form a dissipative environment for a charge traveling through the DNA. Nonlinear stochastic nature of structural fluctuations facilitates rich charge dynamics in DNA. We study the complex charge dynamics by solving a nonlinear, stochastic, coupled system of differential equations. Charge transfer between donor and acceptor in DNA occurs via different mechanisms depending on the distance between donor and acceptor. It changes from tunneling regime to a polaron assisted hopping regime depending on the donor-acceptor separation. Also we found that charge transport strongly depends on the feasibility of polaron formation. Hence it has complex dependence on temperature and charge-vibrations coupling strength. Mismatched base pairs, such as different conformations of the G・A mispair, cause only minor structural changes in the host DNA molecule, thereby making mispair recognition an arduous task. Electron transport in DNA that depends strongly on the hopping transfer integrals between the nearest base pairs, which in turn are affected by the presence of a mispair, might be an attractive approach in this regard. I report here on our investigations, via the I –V characteristics, of the effect of a mispair on the electrical properties of homogeneous and generic DNA molecules. The I –V characteristics of DNA were studied numerically within the double-stranded tight-binding model. The parameters of the tight-binding model, such as the transfer integrals and on-site energies, are determined from first-principles calculations. The changes in electrical current through the DNA chain due to the presence of a mispair depend on the conformation of the G・A mispair and are appreciable for DNA consisting of up to 90 base pairs. For homogeneous DNA sequences the current through DNA is suppressed and the strongest suppression is realized for the G(anti)・A(syn) conformation of the G・A mispair. For inhomogeneous (generic) DNA molecules, the mispair result can be either suppression or an enhancement of the current, depending on the type of mispairs and actual DNA sequence.

INTRODUÇÃO: Os processos oxidativos têm sido implicados no envelhecimento cerebral. O consumo de frutas e hortaliças, fontes de vitaminas antioxidantes, poderia estar relacionado à melhores performances em testes cognitivos e à prevenção do comprometimento cognitivo em idosos. OBJETIVO: Investigar as possíveis associações entre o consumo de frutas e hortaliças, e de vitaminas antioxidantes provenientes destes alimentos, e o funcionamento cognitivo de idosos de baixa renda do município de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: O presente estudo é parte da coorte prospectiva de base populacional São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH), com idosos com 65 anos ou mais, residentes de áreas pobres do Distrito do Butantã, zona oeste do município de São Paulo. Após identificação, foram conduzidas entrevistas nos domicílios dos participantes, seguindo um protocolo padronizado. O funcionamento cognitivo foi avaliado pelo Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI-D) e o comprometimento cognitivo foi definido como escores cognitivos 1,5 desvios-padrão da média. O consumo de frutas e hortaliças foi estimado pela aplicação das respectivas seções de um Questionário de Freqüência Alimentar (QFA) desenvolvido para população da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, a partir do qual também foram obtidas as ingestões individuais de carotenóides (alfa e beta-caroteno, licopeno, beta-criptoxantina, luteína/zeaxantina) e vitamina C. Avaliamos as associações entre o consumo de frutas e hortaliças e o funcionamento ou comprometimento cognitivo (sim/não) por modelos de regressão linear múltipla e regressão logística multivariada, respectivamente, em dois momentos diferentes no tempo: na inclusão da coorte (2003-2005) e no seguimento, 2 anos depois (2005-2007). RESULTADOS: Na análise transversal (n=1849), realizada na inclusão do SPAH, o consumo elevado de frutas e hortaliças combinadas (508g/dia) representou um aumento médio de 0,87 pontos (I95%C 0,43- 1,32) no escore de funcionamento cognitivo dos idosos, após o ajuste por potenciais variáveis de confusão. O consumo diário de beta-caroteno dos participantes do maior quartil de consumo (3,2mg/dia) resultou num aumento médio de 1 ponto no escore cognitivo. Idosos que atingiram as recomendações da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) para a ingestão diária adequada de frutas e hortaliças combinadas (400g/dia) tiveram um risco 42% menor de apresentar declínio cognitivo. Nas análises de seguimento (n=1428; 17,8% de perdas), consideramos como exposição principal a média do consumo de frutas e hortaliças entre as duas aplicações do QFA e os desfechos foram o escore de funcionamento cognitivo ou o comprometimento cognitivo (sim/não), após 24 meses. As associações que encontramos mantiveram a mesma direção daquelas que observamos nas análises da inclusão, porém, esta tendência não foi significativa. CONCLUSÃO: Embora apenas 19,8% dos participantes tenham atingido as recomendações atuais da OMS para ingestão diária de frutas e hortaliças, nossos resultados apontaram na direção do papel protetor do consumo adequado destes alimentos, e de beta-caroteno, na preservação do funcionamento cognitivo de idosos. Políticas públicas de incentivo ao consumo de frutas e hortaliças no Brasil, com foco em idosos de baixa renda e escolaridade, devem ser instituídas, visando a preservação do funcionamento cognitivo nesta população. / BACKGROUND: Oxidative processes have been implicated in brain ageing. The intake of fruits and vegetables, sources of antioxidants vitamins, could be related to better performances in cognitive tests and to the prevention of cognitive impairment in elders. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible associations between fruits and vegetables intake, and antioxidants provided by these foods, and cognitive function in low income elderly of the city of São Paulo. METHODS: The present study is part of the population-based prospective cohort São Paulo Health & Angeing Study (SPAH), with elders of 65 years-old or more, residents of poor areas of the Butantã district, in the western side of São Paulo. After identification, interviews were conducted in the participants homes, following a standardized protocol. The cognitive function was assessed by the Comunnity Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI-D) and cognitive impairment was defined as escores 1.5 standarddeviations of the mean. The fruits and vegetables intake was estimated by the administration of the respective sections of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), developed to the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo population, from wich it was also obtained the individual intake of carotenoids (alfa and beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-criptoxantin, lutein/zeaxantin) and vitamin C. The associations between the fruits and vegetables intake, and antioxidant intake, and the congitive function or impairment (yes/no) were investigated using multiple linear regression and logistic regression, respectivelly, in two different moments in time: in the cohort baseline (2003- 2005) and in the follow-up, 2 year later (2005-2007). RESULTS: In the crosssectional analysis (n=1849), carried out in baseline of SPAH, the combined high intake of fruits and vegetables (508g/day) represented an average increase of 0.87 points (CI95% 0.43-1.32) in the score of cognitive function of the elderly, after adjustment for potential confounder. The daily intake of beta-carotene of the participants of the highest quartile of consumption (3.2mg/day) resulted in an average increase of 1 point in the cognitive score. The elders that accomplished the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for the adequate daily intake of fruits and vegetables (400g/dia) presented a risk 42% lower of cognitive impairment. In follow-up analysis (n=1428; 17.8% of losses), we considered the mean intake of fruits and vegetables, and antioxidants, between the two administrations of the FFQ as the main expositions and the outcomes were the score of cognitive function and the cognitive impairment (yes/no), after 24 months. The associations that we found have maintained the same directions of those we have observed in the baseline analysis, but this tendency was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Although only 19.8% of the participants have reached the current WHO recommendations for the daily intake of fruits and vegetable, our findings pointed in the direction of the protector role of the adequate consumption of these foods, and of beta-carotene, in the preservation of cognitive function in the elderly. Public policies to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables in Brasil, focusing at low income and low schooling elders, should be instituted for the cognitive impairment prevention in this population.

Submitted in partial fulfilment for the Degree of Master of Technology: Food Technology, Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / Leafy vegetables provide valuable nutrients to humans. Indigenous or traditional vegetables are rapidly being replaced by exotic plants. These vegetables are often costly and not easily available to communities. This study was undertaken to determine the nutritional composition of the leaves of twenty traditional leafy vegetables namely Solanum nigrum, Physalis viscosa, Cucumis metuliferus, Momordica balsamina, Amaranthus spinosus, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus dubius, Asystasia gangetica, Justicia flava, Emex australis, Oxygonum sinuatum, Bidens pilosa, Cleome monophylla, Portulaca oleracea, Wahlenbergia undulata, Senna occidentalis, Chenopodium album, Ceratotheca triloba, Galinsoga parviflora and Centella asiatica from different locations in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The leafy vegetables were analysed for protein, moisture, fat, fibre, carbohydrates, ash, energy values and nutritionally valuable mineral elements (Ca, P, Na, Zn, Mg, Mn and Fe). / M

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is the most common turfgrass used on golf course putting greens in the southeastern United States (Lyman et al., 2007). In 2013, the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) started a 5-year trial of warm-season putting green cultivars. One of the bermudagrass cultivars in the study is MSB-285 (experimental cultivar). MSB-285 is a sister plant of MSB-264 (Philley and Munshaw, 2011) and is a distinct cultivar of C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis. MSB-285 has a more extensive root system and upright growth habit than traditional bermudagrass putting green cultivars (Philley and Munshaw, 2011). Due to MSB-285’s unique genetic makeup and growth habit, the objectives of this research were to determine if best management practices used to maintain ultradwarf bermudagrasses would be suitable for MSB-285 and to determine the water-use characteristics of MSB-285 compared to industry standard cultivars.

The presence of postharvest sanitizers has shown to be an effective approach to reducing microbial cross contamination in agricultural washing operations. However, choosing an appropriate sanitizer can be challenging due to produce commodity, processing conditions and interference with organic load. Current research shows a wide variety of methods to mimic the organic load of vegetable processing conditions, with paddle mixing and blender as the most commonly used. Controlling and understanding the physiochemical properties of wash water is key in maintaining sanitizer efficacy. The effects of simulated wash water preparation method on the physiochemical properties were tested at 0 and 50 COD(mg/L) and no significant difference was observed. However, at high levels of organic load results showed a significant difference between turbidity values at 1,500 COD. Free residual chlorine titration methods were compared, using DPD-titrimetric and Iodometric method. Results showed a significant difference between titration methods in organic load heavy environments. Commercially available chlorine based sanitizers, Pure Bright™ Germicidal Bleach and Clorox® Germicidal Bleach, were compared to a concentrated solution of sodium hypochlorite. Pure Bright™ Germicidal Bleach showed to perform the best by reducing 7 log CFU/ml of E. coli O157:H7 after 30 seconds in no organic load environments, whereas Clorox Germicidal bleach was able to reduce 7 log CFU/ml of E. coli O157:H7 after 30 minutes. These studies aim to provide best management practices for small in medium growers in the implementation of antimicrobial solutions for the maintenance of water quality in postharvest washing solutions.

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to examine how the Swedish parliamentary left viewed Brexit and its expected consequences. The standpoints concerning Brexit that were presented by the Social Democrats (S; SAP), the Left Party (V) and the Greens (MP) during the foreign policy debates of 2016 and 2017, and during eight of the consultations with the Committee on EU Affairs, from December 2015 to September 2016, are analysed. The actions of the three parties are explained with the help of the concepts politicization, programme realization, vote maximization and maximization of parliamentary influence. The standpoints are categorized using a qualitative text analysis. The conclusion is that the Social Democrats and the Greens had a negative attitude towards the United Kingdom leaving the EU, and they argued that the result of the referendum was a matter of regret. According to the Social Democrats and the Greens, Brexit meant that the EU had to start fulfilling the wishes of the citizens; otherwise the legitimacy of the union would be damaged even further. The Left Party neither approved nor disapproved of Brexit, but it did consider the event a historic opportunity to reform the EU. The analysis of the standpoints showed that Brexit couldn’t be classified as a politicized (contentious) question for the Swedish left. The actions of the Social Democrats are seen as an attempt to achieve all the strategic goals: programme realization, vote maximization and maximization of parliamentary influence. The Left Party prioritized vote maximization over the other goals, while the Greens prioritized maximization of parliamentary influence at the expense of programme realization.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:50:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3659.pdf: 3353734 bytes, checksum: fda60de37bd1c48b5461dafda0d972ac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-28 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Leading supermarkets have developed the category of Fruits, Vegetables and Greens (FVG) as a strategy of differentiation. Some companies are promoting changes in the way they source, decreasing the spot market purchase and seeking greater proximity to the productive sector. In operational terms, is highlighted by the use of own distribution centers and tools for performance evaluation. Commercially, the strategy turns to direct relationships with farmers. This process has brought new demands for rural production: economies of scale and scope, regularity and quality of products, adoption of more efficient technologies of production, reorganization of suppliers, etc., especially for small and medium farmers. This process of change has been supported by an expansion of areas of contact, encouraging communication and exchange information, underpinned by the adoption of information systems. Existing studies of transactions between supermarket companies and producers don´t explore the dynamics of changes in transactions and governance relating them to advantages and disadvantages that they entail. Thus, the present work describes the changes in the supply of a large supermarket company, the reflections on the transactions and adjustments made in the structure of governance, while also addressing the advantages and disadvantages for the greens producers and for the company. Primary data were collected from interviews with the company and the suppliers of supermarket responsible for supply stores in São Paulo with fresh greens. Data were analyzed qualitatively. As a result, it was found that changes in the supply structure altered transactions and the organizational form adopted to coordinate them. The approach of the supermarket sector has enabled control over production, driving actions for improvement. For this, the company made use of training programs, auditing and performance tracking tools, elements necessary to supplement the contract that formalizes the transaction. Were found elements of hybrid governances, with predominance of strong leadership from the supermarket company in the adequacy of the productive sector, providing greater adaptability to the agents facing the demands of market. The adoption of a hybrid structure has brought advantages and disadvantages for agents. Access to market information and training programs were among the highlights advantages to the producer. The weakening of the supplier's trademark was a disadvantage identified. For the supermarket company, advantage in controlling the supply was identified. On the other hand, high cost of the control structure was the greater disadvantage. In the perception of agents, advantages outweigh disadvantages. The process of change involved selection of suppliers, excluding those who could not meet minimum requirements. However, informal organizational arrangements have been building among producers and have enabled the inclusion of other actors in the transactions. The study contradicts assumptions that the requirements imposed by supermarket companies are factors of exclusion of suppliers, and highlights its importance in driving positive change in the supply chain of fresh greens. / Empresas supermercadistas líderes vêm desenvolvendo a categoria de Frutas, Legumes e Verduras (FLV) como estratégia de diferenciação. Para isso, algumas empresas vêm promovendo mudanças no modo como se abastecem, diminuindo a compra do mercado spot e buscando maior proximidade com o setor produtivo. Em termos operacionais, ganha destaque o uso de centrais de distribuição próprias e de ferramentas de avaliação de desempenho. Comercialmente, a estratégia volta-se para relações diretas com produtores rurais. Este processo trouxe novas exigências para a produção rural: economias de escala e de escopo, regularidade na disponibilidade e na qualidade dos produtos, adoção de tecnologias mais eficientes de produção, reorganizações entre fornecedores, etc., especialmente para pequenos e médios produtores de verduras. Na condução deste processo de mudanças, houve uma expansão das áreas de contato com o produtor, favorecendo a comunicação e a troca de informações, sustentadas pela adoção de sistemas de informação. Os estudos existentes sobre transações entre empresas supermercadistas e produtores de verduras não abordam suficientemente a dinâmica das mudanças nas transações e na governança adotada para coordená-las, nem as vantagens e desvantagens que delas decorrem. Assim, o presente trabalho descreveu as mudanças na estrutura de abastecimento de uma grande empresa supermercadista, os reflexos sobre as transações e as adequações feitas na estrutura de governança, abordando também as vantagens e desvantagens para os produtores de verduras e para a empresa. Dados primários sobre as transações foram coletados a partir de entrevistas junto à empresa supermercadista e os fornecedores de verduras responsáveis pelo abastecimento das lojas da Grande São Paulo, sendo analisados de forma qualitativa. Como resultado, foi constatado que as mudanças no modelo de abastecimento alteraram as transações e a forma organizacional adotada para coordená-las. A aproximação do setor supermercadista do produtor rural permitiu maior controle sobre a produção, direcionando ações de melhoria. Para isto, a empresa fez uso de programas de capacitação, auditorias e de ferramentas de controle de desempenho, elementos necessários para complementar o contrato que formaliza a transação. Foram encontrados elementos característicos das governanças híbridas, com predominância de forte liderança da empresa supermercadista na adequação do setor produtivo, conferindo maior capacidade de adaptação aos agentes frente às exigências do mercado. A adoção de uma estrutura híbrida trouxe vantagens e desvantagens para os agentes. Acesso às informações de mercado e aos programas de capacitação foram destaques entre as vantagens ao produtor. Já o enfraquecimento da marca do fornecedor foi uma desvantagem identificada. Para a empresa supermercadista, houve vantagens no controle sobre o abastecimento, com desvantagens pelos elevados custos da estrutura de controle. Na percepção dos agentes, as vantagens se sobrepõem às desvantagens. O processo de mudança no abastecimento envolveu seleção inicial de fornecedores, com exclusão daqueles que não conseguiam atender requisitos mínimos. Entretanto, arranjos organizacionais informais vêm se formando entre produtores e têm viabilizado a inserção de outros agentes nas transações. O estudo contraria as suposições de que as exigências impostas por empresas supermercadistas são fatores de exclusão de fornecedores, e valoriza sua importância no direcionamento de mudanças positivas na cadeia produtiva de verduras.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:55:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PauloFB.pdf: 617080 bytes, checksum: 5f9c06266e137d13c8b810163ede788d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-08-25 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Microstrip antennas are widely used in modern telecommunication systems. This is particularly due to the great variety of geometries and because they are easily built and integrated to other high frequency devices and circuits. This work presents a study of the properties of the microstrip antenna with an aperture impressed in the conducting patch. Besides, the analysis is performed for isotropic and anisotropic dielectric substrates. The Multiport Network Model MNM is used in combination with the Segmentation Method and the Greens function technique in the analysis of the considered microstrip antenna geometries. The numerical analysis is performed by using the boundary value problem solution, by considering separately the impedance matrix of the structure segments. The analysis for the complete structure is implemented by choosing properly the number and location of the neighboor element ports. The numerial analysis is performed for the following antenna geometries: resonant cavity, microstrip rectangular patch antenna, and microstrip rectangular patch antenna with aperture. The analysis is firstly developed for microstrip antennas on isotropic substrates, and then extended to the case of microstrip antennas on anisotropic substrates by using a Mapping Method. The experimental work is described and related to the development of several prototypes of rectangular microstrip patch antennas wtih and without rectangular apertures. A good agreement was observed between the simulated and measured results. Thereafter, a good agreement was also observed between the results of this work and those shown in literature for microstrip antennas on isotropic substrates. Furthermore, results are proposed for rectangular microstrip patch antennas wtih rectangular apertures in the conducting patch / As antenas de microfita s?o estruturas muito utilizadas nos sistemas de telecomunica??es atuais. Isto decorre, principalmente, da diversidade de configura??es e da facilidade de constru??o e integra??o dessas antenas com outros dispositivos e circuitos de altas freq??ncias. Neste trabalho, o m?todo de an?lise empregado ? o Modelo de Circuito de M?lti-Porta (Multiport Network Model MNM), que combinado com o M?todo da Segmenta??o e a t?cnica da Fun??o de Green, mostra-se adequado ao estudo da antena de microfita com abertura no patch condutor. A partir do equacionamento do problema do valor de contorno, ? ent?o realizada uma an?lise num?rica que consiste em avaliar a estrutura da antena considerada a partir da integra??o dos elementos em que ela foi dividida. Nessa an?lise, os elementos s?o representados por matrizes de imped?ncia e a integra??o ? implementada atrav?s de portas de circuitos adequadamente escolhidas em n?mero e posicionamento. Na an?lise num?rica, foram consideradas as seguintes estruturas: a cavidade ressonante, a microfita com patch retangular convencional (sem abertura) e a microfita com patch retangular com abertura. A an?lise foi efetuada para substratos isotr?picos e estendida para o caso de antenas com substratos anisotr?picos uniaxiais atrav?s do M?todo do Mapeamento. S?o apresentados resultados para a freq??ncia de resson?ncia e para a imped?ncia de entrada de antenas de microfita. A parte experimental do trabalho consistiu no projeto, constru??o e medi??o de v?rios prot?tipos de antenas de microfita com patches retangulares com e sem abertura. Observou-se que os resultados obtidos, atrav?s da simula??o num?rica, apresentaram uma boa concord?ncia com os das medi??es efetuadas. Os resultados deste trabalho, tamb?m, concordaram com os resultados de outros autores, dispon?veis na literatura

Despite the modernization of retail and urban growth, free trade shows continue to be a space of sociability in an economic, social and cultural dynamic. The central problem of the research was to understand if the communication interactions adopted by the FLV (fruits, vegetables and greens) marketers have influenced the perception of the customers under the market compound, in the free fair of Paripiranga-BA. The city fair takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the configuration of this work is limited to researching the marketers and shoppers who circulate in commerce earlier in the week, that is, on Tuesdays. The fundamental hypothesis of the work, oriented to the marketers selling fruits and vegetables was due to the preference of the customers for free markets, to have the belief that the foods sold there are always fresh and of superior quality, besides being negotiable. This space of commerce is generally the heart of the fair, place of greater flow of customers and with a high degree of communication and marketing. The justification for studying this outdoor trade comes from its historical representativeness through symbolic elements that reflect the memory and cultural value of the region, also highlighting the commercial movement, since the city is located on the border between Sergipe and Bahia, A large number of marketers from the surrounding regions of the two States. The main objective of the research was to evaluate the communication interactions of the fruit, vegetable and greens vendors (FLV), at the point of sale, based on the perception of the customers before the market compound, at the free fair of the city of Paripiranga-BA. The theoretical framework of marketing management (marketing concept, customer value, marketing compound, commodities and service marketing) and communication (questions of communication interactions: popular, verbal and non-verbal) was adopted for this clipping. Methodologically, participant observation techniques and interviews were carried out. It was a 15-month ethnographic study of the marketing and communications practices of 8 (eight) marketers with anthropological perspective (sociability, photographs and notes in field journals) and an analysis of the consumption behavior of 65 (sixty five) customers. The results obtained through observation, dialogue with the marketers and records of images revealed that verbal communication through orality becomes more evident in the negotiation process, modifying the way of communicating, organizing and selling, because the products Commercialized in the segment of FLV (fruits, vegetables and greens) are not fresh due to the movement of the fair to other fairs. / Apesar da modernização do varejo e crescimento urbano, as feiras livres continuam sendo um espaço de sociabilidade em uma dinâmica econômica, social e cultural. O problema central de pesquisa foi entender se as interações comunicacionais adotadas pelos feirantes de FLV (frutas, legumes e verduras) tem influenciado à percepção dos fregueses sob o composto mercadológico, na feira livre de Paripiranga-BA. A feira da cidade acontece às terças e sextas-feiras e a configuração desse trabalho limitou-se a pesquisar os feirantes e fregueses que circulam no comércio no início da semana, ou seja, às terças-feiras. A hipótese fundamental do trabalho, orientadas aos feirantes que comercializam frutas, legumes e verduras foi devido à preferência dos fregueses por feiras livres, terem a crença de que os alimentos ali comercializados são sempre frescos e de qualidade superior, além de negociáveis. Esse espaço do comércio é geralmente o coração da feira, local de maior fluxo de fregueses e com um elevado grau comunicacional e mercadológico. A justificativa para estudar esse comércio ao ar livre provém da sua representatividade histórica por meio de elementos simbólicos que traduzem a memória e valorização cultural da região, destacando também a movimentação comercial, pois a cidade fica localizada na divisa entre Sergipe e Bahia, reunindo assim, um grande número de feirantes das regiões circunvizinhas dos dois Estados. O objetivo principal da pesquisa foi avaliar as interações comunicacionais dos feirantes FLV (frutas, legumes e verduras), no ponto de venda, a partir da percepção dos fregueses diante do composto mercadológico, na feira livre da cidade de Paripiranga-BA. Para esse recorte foi adotado referencial teórico da administração mercadológica (conceito do marketing, valor para o cliente, composto de marketing, commodities e marketing de serviço) e comunicação (questões de interações comunicacionais: popular, verbal e não verbal). Em termos metodológicos, foram realizadas as técnicas de observação participante e entrevistas. Tratou-se de um estudo etnográfico que durou 15 meses sobre as práticas mercadológicas e comunicacionais de 8 (oito) feirantes com olhar da antropologia (sociabilidade, fotografias e anotações em diários de campo) e uma análise do comportamento de consumo de 65 (sessenta e cinco) fregueses. Os resultados obtidos por meio de observação, diálogo com os feirantes e registros de imagens revelaram que a comunicação verbal através da oralidade se torna mais evidente no processo de negociação, modificando a maneira de se comunicar, se organizar e vender, pelo fato de os produtos comercializados no segmento de FLV (frutas, legumes e verduras) não serem frescos devido ao deslocamento dos feirantes para outras feiras.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agricultural Economics / John A. Fox / Mail surveys are used to gather information in order to make inferences about populations. This study examines cost effective methods to maximize response rates to a mail survey. A consumer mail survey was developed and used to study consumer demand for safer foods. In addition, the study will verify if additional responses from follow-up mailings changes econometric analysis results, thus validating follow-up mailing costs. A test was created to maximize response rates and incentives were used in both mailings. An Ordinary Least Square (OLS) model was developed to analyze response rates and mail survey costs while a willingness to pay model and an ordered probit were used for the consumer demand analysis. Results showed that when a consumer survey was sent to a city within the school's state no incentive should be included while if sent to a city outside the school's state an incentive should be included. Moreover, if the outcome from the first mailing resulted in a low response rate a monetary incentive should be included in the follow-up mailing to increase response rates. Results from the consumer willingness to pay for irradiated salad greens showed that consumers are willing to pay higher prices for irradiated salad greens. Furthermore, results showed that there is no statistical difference between the coefficients, in both the willingness to pay and the ordered probit, from the model using additional observations from follow-up mailing and the model that included only observations from the first mailing. Even though coefficients were not statistically different in the ordered probit, significance of the marginal effects for some variables were different between models.