Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Technological aspects'

This thesis demonstrates how factors of technological innovation in filmmaking and anthropological ethical considerations will have an influence over how a particular film will be theorized, created and distributed. The definitions of ethnographic and anthropological film are examined as well as the methods of presenting anthropological information in a film. Technological advances and how they apply to filming, editing and distribution possibilities are also described. The process of creating my own anthropological films about the Asmat and Korowai developed my thesis argument that technology and ethical sensitivities will have a developmental aspect in creating an anthropological film not only in the shooting of footage but the editing of that footage for audience viewing. The proposed goal of the film will also define what will be filmed and how the filmmaker will adapt to the challenges of the field and the construction of the culture.
Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology

La prévention contre la corrosion est un facteur déterminant pour la durabilité des matériaux. Historiquement, le développement des applications des matériaux avancés n'est pas envisageable sans une approche scientifique poussée des mécanismes fondamentaux qui conduisent à la dégradation en service. L'histoire humaine a été ponctuée par les progrès technologiques, qui ont tous été permis par les progrès de la science des matériaux, de l'âge du fer à l'âge de silicium. Par exemple, c'est la fusion du minerai qui a fait basculer l'humanité de l'âge de pierre aux premiers alliages (bronze) et la fondation ultérieure d'une société basée sur les métaux. Ces métaux retournent à l'état naturel en suivant des lois thermodynamiques et cinétiques. l'objet de la thèse vise à comprendre le comportement de certains matériaux dits passivables pour tenter de proposer des lois de comportement à partir du modèle du défaut ponctuel. Cette approche s'appuie sur des caractérisations électrochimique et physico-chimique des matériaux métalliques considérés
Corrosion control is an important facet of durable and responsible engineering. Historically, the development of advanced materials applications stymied without sufficient scientific understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that dominate degradation in the system of application. Human history has been punctuated by advances in technology, all of which were enabled by advances in materials science, from the iron age to the silicon age. For instance, it was the invention of smelting ores that brought humanity out of the stone age, leading to the first alloys (bronze) and the subsequent foundation of a metals based society. During the infancy of the planet earth, around four billion years ago, the first photosynthesizers began converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. However, oxygen gas was not released into the atmosphere in great quantities because it was immediately bound up with dissolved metals in the ocean; mostly iron, forming a large fraction of the iron ores we rely upon. Producing such metals from oxides formed during the previous four billion years involves flying in the face of the thermodynamic desire to return to the oxide state

La prévention contre la corrosion est un facteur déterminant pour la durabilité des matériaux. Historiquement, le développement des applications des matériaux avancés n'est pas envisageable sans une approche scientifique poussée des mécanismes fondamentaux qui conduisent à la dégradation en service. L'histoire humaine a été ponctuée par les progrès technologiques, qui ont tous été permis par les progrès de la science des matériaux, de l'âge du fer à l'âge de silicium. Par exemple, c'est la fusion du minerai qui a fait basculer l'humanité de l'âge de pierre aux premiers alliages (bronze) et la fondation ultérieure d'une société basée sur les métaux. Ces métaux retournent à l'état naturel en suivant des lois thermodynamiques et cinétiques. l'objet de la thèse vise à comprendre le comportement de certains matériaux dits passivables pour tenter de proposer des lois de comportement à partir du modèle du défaut ponctuel. Cette approche s'appuie sur des caractérisations électrochimique et physico-chimique des matériaux métalliques considérés
Corrosion control is an important facet of durable and responsible engineering. Historically, the development of advanced materials applications stymied without sufficient scientific understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that dominate degradation in the system of application. Human history has been punctuated by advances in technology, all of which were enabled by advances in materials science, from the iron age to the silicon age. For instance, it was the invention of smelting ores that brought humanity out of the stone age, leading to the first alloys (bronze) and the subsequent foundation of a metals based society. During the infancy of the planet earth, around four billion years ago, the first photosynthesizers began converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. However, oxygen gas was not released into the atmosphere in great quantities because it was immediately bound up with dissolved metals in the ocean; mostly iron, forming a large fraction of the iron ores we rely upon. Producing such metals from oxides formed during the previous four billion years involves flying in the face of the thermodynamic desire to return to the oxide state

The active substance, deproteinized calf blood hemoderivative (DCBH), is a mixture of natural substances such as inorganic electrolytes – chlorides, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium ions, nitrogen compounds and organic substances – glucose, acetates, lactates, amino acids, peptides, nucleosides, glycosphingolipids, and other metabolic products [1]. Despite a sufficient number of cattle, Ukraine does not have its own technology for the production of DCBH. The technological aspects of obtaining DCBH for the purpose of further industrial production have been studied. Thus, a deproteinized calf blood derivative has been obtained for the subsequent studies of its low molecular weight fractions.

2011/2012
Nowadays, the main objective of pharmaceutical companies is to develop innovative oral dosage forms for both prolonged and immediate drug releases. In fact, oral delivery has the peculiar advantage of being highly versatile dosage-wise. However, actives suffering from low oral bioavailability may not always be administered by using traditional dosage forms or common controlled release devices, due to the bioavailability’s strict dependence on both drug solubility in gastrointestinal fluids and on drug permeability through the cellular membranes. Recently, both conventional and modified release oral dosage forms have been developed by applying innovative technologies such as a) melt extrusion, and b) solid-state mechanochemistry. a) Melt extrusion Melt extrusion is a viable technology since it allows the production of a final dosage form having the desired shape and dimension. This is achieved by means of suitable thermoplastic polymeric carriers or by using non-polymeric carriers capable of softening or melting during the process. The loaded drug can be dissolved or dispersed in both crystalline and amorphous forms. Despite the efforts of the scientific community, this process still requires an adequate technology transfer, due to the high number of physical, chemical, physicochemical, mechanical and pharmacokinetics variables influencing the melt extruded product. In this context, the first part of the thesis (Chapter 2) presents an innovative contribution, i.e., the production of unconventional melt helical shaped extrudates with a ram extruder. These extrudates, based on mixtures of microcrystalline wax and theophylline, were characterized in terms of morphology (by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)), of in vitro dissolution, of solid- state (by means of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD)) and by checking the presence of the drug on the surface (by Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)). Finally, an ad hoc in vitro-vivo modeling, suitably describing, and predicting the drug release and absorption from such kind of systems, was designed. b) Mechanochemistry Mechanochemical activation has been successfully employed to ameliorate the oral performance of drugs having scarce solubility, and therefore, low bioavailability. Through this solvent-free solid-state process, drug-carrier composites containing the drug in a highly available form are obtained thanks to the modification of its physicochemical properties (e.g. in an amorphous or nanocrystalline drug). This is the objective of the first part of Chapter 3, where mechanochemical process has been applied to improve dissolution performance, and therefore, absorption, of two scarcely soluble highly crystalline actives, namely, vinpocetine and vincamine. The drugs were subjected to mechochemical treatment in a lab scale planetary mill, using crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone as a carrier for vinpocetine, and sodium crosscarmellose or crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone as carriers for vincamine. These studies demonstrated the suitability of these materials to the mechanochemical process, the influence of these carriers on the disruption of the crystalline lattice, and the positive influence of the carriers on the dissolution performances and in vivo absorption. The drug-carrier coground composites were then characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), DSC, PXRD, and Raman spectroscopy/imaging. A second possibility of application of the mechanochemical process is the mechanochemical synthesis: this is the focus of the second part of Chapter 3, where the mechanochemical synthesis is employed, under suitable experimental conditions, to promote the solid-state salification of both vinpocetine and vincamine. Citric acid was selected as a reagent, while crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone and sodium cross carmellose were chosen as fillers and process adjuvants in the case of vinpocetine and vincamine, respectively. In both cases, several cogrounds (differing from one another in terms of grinding time, active–to-citric acid molar ratio, presence, or absence of the filler) were prepared. This way, by means of a proper experimental design, the influence of the above mentioned formulation and process variables were studied. XPS and high-resolution TEM were used to obtain qualitative and quantitative information about the produced salt forms and to get some insight into the salification mechanism.
Oggi, l’obiettivo principale dell’industria farmaceutica consiste nel progettare forme farmaceutiche innovative convenzionali a rilascio immediato e/o protratto, adatte per uso orale, poiché i vantaggi di questo tipo di somministrazione consistono nella versatilità del dosaggio. Tuttavia, questa strategia fallisce quando si trattano principi attivi con una bassa biodisponibilità e che quindi non possono essere somministrati in forma classica, o con i normali metodi di rilascio controllato; dove la stessa biodisponibilità è legata a parametri chiave, tra cui la solubilità del farmaco nei fluidi gastrointestinali e la sua permeabilità attraverso le membrane cellulari. Con lo scopo di migliorare sia la biodisponibilità dei principi attivi poco solubili, che di ottenere forme a rilascio controllato, recentemente, l’applicazione di tecnologie innovative, quali l’estrusione per fusione e l’attivazione meccanochimica allo stato solido, hanno permesso la realizzazione di diverse forme farmaceutiche orali convenzionali e quelle non convenzionali. L’estrusione per fusione è un processo vantaggioso perché, utilizzando opportuni leganti basso-fondenti, consente la realizzazione di prodotti farmaceutici dotati di forma e dimensioni omogenee; tutto ciò è possibile poiché con l’estrusione si sfruttano sia la termoplasticità dei polimeri sia il rammollimento o la fusione dei carrier non polimerici, per dare origine a matrici all’interno delle quali il farmaco può esser disciolto, intrappolato o disperso sotto forma cristallina. Purtroppo, benché grandi sforzi siano stati intrapresi dalla comunità scientifica per il trasferimento tecnologico del suddetto processo, rimane ancora un compito parzialmente irrisolto a causa del numero elevato di variabili fisiche, chimiche, farmacocinetiche e meccaniche correlate al processo stesso. In correlazione a questo, la prima parte di tesi (Capitolo 2) ha valuto portare un contributo innovativo, dove la preparazione di forme farmaceutiche solide per uso orale ad azione protratta, consiste nella progettazione, formulazione e caratterizzazione di estrusi con una forma non convenzionale, cioè elicoidale, in un estrusore a pistone, composti da teofillina e cera microcristallina come agente matriciale. Gli estrusi ottenuti, sono stati in seguito caratterizzati in vitro, effettuando studi morfologici mediante microscopia elettronica a scansione (SEM), test di dissoluzione, studio dello stato solido utilizzando la calorimetria a scansione differenziale (DSC), la difrattometria a raggi X per polveri (XRPD), analisi del farmaco in superficie mediante spettroscopia di fotoemissione (XPS) e una modellizzazione in vitro-vivo, che si è dimostrata adeguata alla descrizione e alla previsione del meccanismo di rilascio e di assorbimento. Per ciò che concerne l’attivazione meccano-chimica allo stato solido, quest’ultima si basa su processi che consentono di migliorare le “performance” dei principi attivi, caratterizzati da una scarsa solubilità e quindi bassa biodisponibilità. Tale tecnologia consente, infatti, di realizzare la miglior combinazione tra un principio attivo e un materiale “trasportatore”, che permette la realizzazione di materiali compositi, così da aumentarne la biodisponibilità e quindi l’efficacia del prodotto. Nel processo non si utilizzano solventi (processo allo stato solido), ma vengono migliorate le proprietà chimico-fisiche, dove un principio attivo cristallino viene trasformato in amorfo e/o nanocristallo. Una prima applicazione della suddetta tecnologia è stata trattata nella prima parte del Capitolo 3, dove allo scopo di migliorare le performance dissolutive e conseguente assorbimento, due principi attivi cristallini poco solubili quali la vinpocetina e la vincamina sono stati sottoposti ad un processo di comacinazione, in un mulino planetario, in presenza del polivinilpirrolidone reticolato per la vinpocetina, mentre sia del polivinilpirrolidone reticolato che della sodiocarbossimetilcellulosa reticolata per la vincamina. Tale strategia ha permesso di riscontrare l’attitudine di tali materiali al processo di attivazione meccanochimica, l’influenza dei carrier sulla destrutturazione del reticolo cristallino nonché la positiva influenza dei due polimeri sulle proprietà dissolutive e sull’assorbimento per via orale. I compositi ottenuti sono stati caratterizzati mediante microscopia e trasmissione elettronica (TEM), spettroscopia di risonanza magnetica nucleare allo stato solido (SSNMR), DSC, XRPD, Raman spectroscopy/imaging. Una seconda possibile applicazione del processo meccanochimico, a cui viene introdotto il lettore nella seconda parte del Capitolo 3, è la sintesi meccano-chimica allo stato solido. In questo caso tale processo è stato impiegato al fine di promuovere mediante comacinazione in un molino planetario, in opportune condizioni sperimentali, la salificazione della vinpocetina e della vincamina usando quale reagente l’acido citrico. Veniva inoltre valutata la presenza in qualità di diluente adiuvante il polivinilpirrolidone reticolato nel caso della vinpocetina, e della sodio carbossimetilcellulosa per la vincamina. E’ stata preparata un’ampia serie di comacinati, in diverse condizioni sperimentali (differente durata della comacinazione, rapporto molare principio attivo/acido citrico, presenza assenza del diluente) e l’influenza di quest’ultime variabili sul processo di salificazione è stata stimata mediante opportuni design sperimentali, dove la spettroscopia di fotoemissione (XPS) e la microscopia a trasmissione elettronica ad alta risoluzione (HRTEM) hanno permesso di fornire non solo informazioni qualitative e quantitative sul prodotto salificato, ma anche quelle sul meccanismo della reazione di salificazione stessa.
XXV Ciclo
1985

Mestrado em Viticultura e Enologia - Instituto Superior de Agronomia / Faculdade de Ciências. Universidade do Porto
The work investigates the technological and legal aspects of producing and commercializing alcohol reduced wine. For various reasons – related to health concerns, consumer fashions, and tax regimes among others – the global wine consumer market currently demands lower alcohol products. In response, industry and researchers have been working together to examine how to produce alcohol-reduced wines that maintain the technological features and organoleptic character of quality wine. As part of this effort, this work reviews the current state of the art in wine alcohol reduction technology, especially the stabilization of the wines during storage and their organoleptic quality. Through a series of cellar-based trials, the work shows that 50 mg/L of free SO2 are efficient to avoid microbial spoilage in wines containing 4% and 8% (v/v), respectively. Moreover, based on a series of sensorial taste panels, the work makes recommendations on how to improve the organoleptic quality of alcohol-reduced wines, especially with regard to acidity, bitterness and body. At a different level, the work examines the legal framework for alcohol-reduced wines. It argues that once the actually available technology allows the production of quality alcohol-reduced wines and consumers desire such products, current OIV and EU regulations defining wine as grape fermented beverage containing at least 8.5% (v/v) may need to be revised. It is recommended to create a new legal category for ‘light wines’ containing between 4% and 8,5% (v/v).

This thesis examines the technological economics of glass recycling in Britain. Attention was focused on recovery schemes operated within Scotland, comparisons being made with schemes in the rest of Britain and in Europe. An examination was made of general recycling problems and of glass recycling problems in particular. The various systems for glass recycling were reviewed and were put in the context of the waste management system as a whole. A survey was undertaken of Local Authorities operating glass recycling schemes. The aim was to provide a comprehensive data set to enable a consistent assessment of glass recovery schemes to be taken. This emphasised the importance of taking a standard approach to assessing the viability of recovery schemes. This needs to be done in terms of both private and social costs and benefits to provide a full economic assessment of the system. A general computer model has been developed to allow local authorities to check the viability of their on-going operations. As they operate under different conditions this model was split into separate assessment of a Bottle Bank scheme and a trade collection scheme. In addition, an investment appraisal model was developed to cover both situations. These allow managers to assess the viability of their schemes and can be used to highlight key costs. An International review was undertaken to see what lessons may be learned and what actions may be taken by the local authorities, industry, the general public, and by central government.

La mesure locale de la constante de diffusion fournit des informations sur l'environ-nement microscopique cellulaire des molécules d'eau. L'information sur la microstructure issue des images IRM de diffusion peut servir à déterminer la structure des fibres neu-ronales. Bien que cette possibilité soit très prometteuse pour le diagnostic, son applica-tion en routine clinique a été jusqu'à ce jour rendue difficile par le fait que la géométrie complexe des structures fibreuses du cerveau complique le traitement des données et l'interprétation des résultats. Le travail présenté dans cet ouvrage a été inspiré par l'idée séduisante d'utiliser les expériences de diffusion pour sonder la microstructure neuronale dans des systèmes neuronaux à forte symmétrie, comme la moelle. Malheureusement, l'IRM de diffusion hors du cerveau est assez difficile à réaliser à cause de la forte sensi-bilité de la technique aux mouvements. D'autre part, l'utilisation de séquences d'imagerie rapide avec de tels systèmes nécessite une approche méthodologique soignée. Parce que l'analyse de systèmes neuronaux organisés offre un grand potentiel en terme de diagnostic d'affections qui induisent des changements pathologiques perturbant cette symmétrie, une étude clinique a été initiée dans le but de tester cette hypothèse. De plus, le développement de séquences d'imagerie et des techniques de traitement de données inhérentes aux mesures de diffusion sur la moelle nous a permis d'appliquer les méthodes d'imagerie paramétrique par IRM à des systèmes anatomiques plus compliqués, comme le rein. Dans ce cas précis, le temps d'imagerie court, ainsi que l'influence des mouvements respiratoires et des artéfacts de susceptibilité ont poussé les méthodes d'imagerie dans leurs derniers retranchements.

Extra-virgin olive oil is a very appreciated vegetable fat used mainly for food purposes due to its pleasant flavour and taste and to the demonstrated and well-known health promoting effects, which include anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions and protection against cardiovascular diseases. Olive oil quality depends on many factors, among which environmental (climate and soil), genetic (variety), agronomic and technological factors play important roles. Among the agronomic factors, the maintenance and use of healthy fruits, and, most of all, the choice of the best ripening stage of olive fruits represent the factors having a prominent role in determining olive oil quality. The ideal cultivation area for olive tree is the Mediterranean region, which usually has mild winters and long dry summers. Despite these climatic limitations, olive trees grown in marginal areas such as Northern Italy are known to yield extra-virgin olive oils with a pleasant flavour and an overall high quality profile. However, the often unfavourable climatic conditions in this area make necessary optimising the choice of the best harvesting period and setting up technological factors in order to improve oil quality. Many different approaches have been suggested so far for the definition of a simple and reliable way to assess the right harvesting time and to maximise oil quality. More in detail, physiological and biochemical changes that occur throughout olive ripening have been taken into account, such as loss of firmness, skin colour changes, pigment content or ratio, sugar content, oil accumulation, decrease in phenolics and some others. Results were however often conflicting due to the great variability among cultivars, growing areas, and technological aspects. It is therefore necessary to study all these factors in every specific growing area. In this dissertation different approaches have been chosen to characterise a cultivar grown locally in Veneto, i.e. cv. Grignano, yielding a unique oil with lemon peel aromatic notes and to evaluate factors involved in the definition of oil quality also in comparison with Frantoio, a common Italian variety. First of all, a study on anoxic oil extraction has been performed in order to understand the influence of the absence of oxygen, which can oxidise olive oil components but is also a required reagent for the biosynthesis of flavour compounds, on the global volatile profile of oils extracted from olives harvested at four consecutive ripening stages across véraison. The analysis of the volatile components of oils has been performed by means of PTR-MS (Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry), a spectrometric technique that allows an evaluation of the global volatile fingerprint of samples without any preparatory step. This “real-time” evaluation of the spectral signature of extra-virgin olive oils from cv. Grignano coupled with unsupervised multivariate analyses, i.e. principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering, allowed to explore the complex spectra by means of the construction of a heat map. Results showed that the ripening stage has a predominant effect on the definition of the global volatile profile compared to anoxic extraction, and that the progression of ripening is characterised by the biosynthesis of specific groups of volatiles that seem to be “expressed” only transiently. Moreover, the progression of fruit ripening causes a saturation effect in the volatile profile. Consequently, given that ripening is predominant over technological factors, an in depth study regarding olive ripening in Veneto region has been carried out focusing on fruit firmness, oil accumulation, chlorophyll a content, colorimetric analyses (calculating colour indices), and gene expression profiles. Results demonstrated that in Grignano and Frantoio cvs. ripening-related events were different, since Grignano showed an earlier and faster ripening course, both in loss of firmness and in oil accumulation. These findings suggest that monitoring cv. Grignano ripening stages is more difficult, since changes in ripening-related physiological parameters occur very quickly. Moreover, differences among two consecutive harvest seasons were observed resulting in a complex reading of the overall ripening profile. Statistical analyses have been performed, and principal component analysis established that cultivar Frantoio shows a greater variability in oil accumulation data, confirming that cv. Grignano ripening course is somehow more compact. One of the colour indices calculated in this study, namely CI, was suitable to distinguish drupe samples picked at different ripening stages. Then, to investigate on the peculiar flavour features of Grignano oil, a study on the terpenic metabolism in olive has been carried out isolating and characterising for the first time three enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of terpenes (terpene synthases) in this species. To this end, a thorough search for putative terpene synthases in a published olive EST (expressed sequence tag) database was performed. Fragments have been then amplified and the full length genes have been used to deduce the amino acidic sequence to be heterologously expressed in E. coli. Expressed proteins have been checked for enzymatic activity and one of them turned out to be an active geraniol synthase, whilst the other two terpene synthases seemed inactive, a phenomenon not unusual in terpene metabolism. qPCR demonstrated that the three isolated terpene synthase genes have a ripening-dependent trend in transcript accumulation, suggesting a role in flavour development. Finally, gene expression analyses performed in the previous works emphasised the absence of validated reference genes suitable for gene expression studies in olive. Therefore, an extensive search for candidate reference genes to be used for olive gene expression studies has been performed using the above-mentioned EST database and retrieving studies regarding validated reference genes in other plant species. 13 candidate genes were identified for Olea europaea, which were tested both in olive drupes and leaves for their transcriptional stability. Stability analyses performed with genormPLUS and NormFinder software packages showed that 12 over the 13 genes in this work represented actually good reference genes and that, among these genes, the optimum number that must be used for good data normalisation was two. The best two reference genes identified in the study, specifically suitable for normalisation of gene expression data in fruit samples at different developmental stages, were GAPDH2 and PP2A1.
L’olio extravergine di oliva è un olio vegetale molto apprezzato utilizzato principalmente per scopi alimentari a causa del profilo aromatico piacevole e a effetti salutistici noti e dimostrati, che includono proprietà antinfiammatorie e antiossidanti e una protezione nei confronti di alcune malattie cardiovascolari. La qualità dell’olio di oliva dipende da molti fattori, e tra questi fattori ambientali (clima e suolo), genetici (cultivar), agronomici e tecnologici hanno un ruolo importante. Tra i fattori agronomici, la gestione e l’uso di frutti sani e, soprattutto, la scelta dello stadio di maturazione adatto dei frutti rappresentano le variabili che hanno un ruolo fondamentale nella determinazione della qualità globale dell’olio di oliva. Le zone adatte per la coltivazione dell’olivo sono le regioni mediterranee, che sono caratterizzate solitamente da inverni miti ed estati lunghe e secche. Nonostante queste limitazioni climatiche, olivi cresciuti in zone marginali come l’Italia settentrionale conferiscono oli extravergini con profili aromatici gradevoli e di alta qualità. Le condizioni climatiche spesso avverse in queste aree rendono però necessarie un’ottimizzazione della scelta del miglior periodo di raccolta e l’implementazione di processi tecnologici allo scopo di migliorare la qualità dell’olio. Molti approcci diversi sono stati proposti finora per la definizione di un modo semplice e affidabile per valutare il periodo di raccolta corretto e massimizzare la qualità dell’olio estratto. Più in dettaglio, i cambiamenti fisiologici e biochimici che si verificano durante la maturazione dell’oliva sono stati presi in considerazione, come ad esempio la perdita di consistenza, cambiamenti del colore superficiale delle drupe, contenuto di pigmenti o loro rapporti, contenuto in zuccheri, inolizione, diminuzione di componenti fenoliche e altri. I risultati si sono dimostrati però molto spesso discordanti, a causa della grande variabilità presente tra diverse cultivar, aree di coltivazione e aspetti tecnologici. Si rende perciò necessario uno studio di questi fattori in ogni singola area di coltivazione. In questa tesi diversi approcci sono stati adottati per la caratterizzazione di una varietà coltivata localmente in Veneto, la cultivar Grignano, da cui si estrae un olio dal profilo sensoriale unico con note di buccia di limone, e per la valutazione di fattori coinvolti nella determinazione della qualità dell’olio anche attraverso un confronto con la cultivar Frantoio, una varietà diffusa comunemente in tutta Italia. Inizialmente è stato condotto uno studio che prevedeva l’estrazione di olio in atmosfera priva di ossigeno, che può essere responsabile dell’ossidazione di componenti dell’olio ma è anche un reagente richiesto nella biosintesi di composti aromatici, per valutare l’effetto dell’estrazione in atmosfera controllata sul profilo volatile globale di oli ottenuti da olive raccolte in quattro stadi consecutivi di maturazione a cavallo dell’invaiatura. L’analisi delle componenti volatili è stata condotta mediante PTR-MS (spettrometria di massa con reazione di trasferimento di protoni), una tecnica di spettrometria che permette una valutazione del fingerprint globale dei volatili senza fasi preliminari o trattamento dei campioni. Questa valutazione “real-time” dei profili spettrali di oli extravergini da cultivar Grignano unita a analisi multivariata dei dati, mediante analisi delle componenti principali e clustering gerarchico, ha permesso di proiettare i complessi spettri ottenuti tramite l’analisi spettrometrica in una heat map. I risultati hanno dimostrato che lo stadio di maturazione ha un effetto predominante sulla definizione del profilo volatile rispetto all’estrazione in atmosfera controllata, e che il progredire della maturazione è caratterizzato dalla biosintesi di specifici gruppi di molecole volatili che sembrano quindi “espresse” in modo transiente. Inoltre, è stato osservato un effetto saturazione nel profilo volatile con il progredire della maturazione. Conseguentemente, dato che lo stadio di maturazione ha un effetto prevalente rispetto ai fattori tecnologici studiati, uno studio approfondito della fisiologia della maturazione in Veneto è stato condotto ponendo particolare attenzione a perdita di consistenza, inolizione, contenuto in clorofilla a, dati colorimetrici (calcolo di indici di colore) e dati di espressione genica. I risultati hanno dimostrato che gli eventi collegati alla maturazione sono differenti nelle cultivar Grignano e Frantoio, dato che Grignano manifesta una dinamica di maturazione più precoce e rapida, sia considerando la perdita di consistenza che l’accumulo di olio nella drupa. Questi risultati suggeriscono come monitorare la maturazione in Grignano sia più difficile, dato che i cambiamenti nei parametri di maturazione si verificano molto velocemente. Inoltre, sono state osservate differenze importanti nei parametri elencati in due stagioni successive, da cui consegue una notevole difficoltà nella comprensione del profilo globale di maturazione. Sono state condotte analisi statistiche sui campioni descritti e l’analisi delle componenti principali ha stabilito che la cultivar Frantoio mostra maggiore variabilità nei dati di inolizione, confermando che il decorso di maturazione della cultivar Grignano è in qualche modo più compatto. Tra gli indici di colore calcolati nello studio, uno, cioè CI, sembra appropriato per distinguere campioni raccolti in diversi stadi di maturazione. Successivamente, per approfondire le caratteristiche aromatiche tipiche della cultivar Grignano, è stato condotto uno studio riguardante il metabolismo terpenico in olivo, con l’isolamento e la caratterizzazione di tre enzimi responsabili della biosintesi di terpeni (terpene sintasi) per la prima volta in questa specie. A questo scopo è stata condotta una ricerca approfondita di putative terpene sintasi in un database di EST (expressed sequence tag) di olivo recentemente pubblicato. I frammenti selezionati sono stati amplificati permettendo di ottenere i geni full length, le cui sequenze sono state utilizzate per dedurre le sequenze aminoacidiche che sono state espresse in E. coli. Le proteine espresse sono state sottoposte a saggi enzimatici per determinarne l’attività e una di queste si è dimostrata una geraniolo sintasi attiva, mentre le altre due proteine non hanno dato prodotti anche se la presenza di terpene sintasi inattive non è così infrequente. Analisi qPCR hanno dimostrato come le tre terpene sintasi isolate abbiano un andamento legato alla maturazione nell’espressione genica, ed è possibile perciò un loro ruolo nella determinazione del profilo aromatico. Infine, l’utilizzo della qPCR come analisi di espressione genica nei lavori precedenti ha evidenziato come geni reference validati e adatti per studi di espressione genica in olivo non siano disponibili in letteratura. Una ricerca di geni reference candidati per questo scopo è stata quindi condotta utilizzando il database di EST citato sopra e cercando in letteratura studi riguardanti la validazione di geni reference in altre specie vegetali. Sono stati quindi identificati 13 geni candidati in Olea europaea, la cui stabilità dei trascritti è stata testata sia in drupe che in foglie di olivo. Analisi di stabilità condotte mediante gli strumenti genormPLUS e NormFinder hanno dimostrato che 12 tra questi geni sono effettivamente geni reference funzionali e utilizzabili per studi di espressione genica in olivo e che, tra questi, il numero di geni ottimale da utilizzare per una buona normalizzazione dei dati corrisponde a due. I migliori geni reference identificati in questo studio, adatti per analisi di espressione genica in frutti a diversi stadi di sviluppo, sono stati GAPDH2 e PP2A1.

La mise en place de services réseau avec qualité garantie en interdomaine soulève de nombreux défis qui vont bien au-delà des seuls aspects techniques. De fait, les problèmes concernent bien sûr des aspects techniques comme l'établissement de chemins avec qualité garantie de bout en bout et l'interopérabilité des différents domaines, mais également des aspects économiques voir même culturels ou politiques. Dans cette thèse l'ambition est de traiter de la qualité de service en interdomaine d'une manière holistique, en prenant en compte certains aspects techniques mais aussi les aspects économiques de ce sujet. Nous nous intéressons d'abord à un problème technique soulevé par la mise en place de chemins avec qualité de service en interdomaine. Puis nous traitons de problématiques économiques, en considérant les conflits d'intérêts entre différents acteurs comme les fournisseurs de services de réseau (Network Service Provider) qui doivent collaborer pour fournir une qualité de bout en bout, et les acheteurs de chemins avec qualité garantie. Cas acheteurs sont typiquement des diffuseurs utilisant les services d'opérateurs de réseaux (Over the Top). Ensuite nous adoptons une approche plus holistique en considérant les interactions entre la couche de mesure de la qualité de service et la couche économique, et les effets que les décisions économiques ont sur le comportement des acheteurs. Plus précisément, nous proposons un schéma de tarification pour la vente de services avec qualité qui est simple et nous l'étudions en détail. Ce schéma propose de faire la vente des services en utilisant les enchères de premier prix et en assurant l'acheteur d'être remboursé d'un certain pourcentage du prix payé pour le service si la qualité de service n'est pas atteinte
Providing end-to-end quality-assured services implies many challenges, which go beyond technical ones, involving as well economic and even cultural or political issues. In this thesis we first focus on a technical problem and then intent a more holistic regard to the whole problem, considering at the same time Network Service Providers (NSPs), stakeholders and buyers' behaviour and satisfaction. One of the most important problems when deploying interdomain path selection with Quality of Service (QoS) requirements is being able to rely the computations on metrics that hold for a long period of time. Our proposal for solving that problem is to compute bounds on the metrics, taking into account the uncertainty on the traffic demands. We then move to a NSP-alliance scenario, where we propose a complete framework for selling interdomain quality-assured services, and subsequently distributing revenues. At the end of the thesis we adopt a more holistic approach and consider the interactions with the monitoring plane and the buyers' behaviour. We propose a simple pricing scheme and study it in detail, in order to use QoS monitoring information as feedback to the business plane, with the ultimate objective of improving the seller's revenue

The overall aim of the collected published works is to investigate how different policy interventions in the field of energy efficiency (including zero carbon homes, low carbon heat networks, and domestic energy efficiency schemes) are experienced and made sense of by a range of key actors. A further aim is to understand these interventions in the context of existing theories within the field of domestic energy efficiency including socio-technical theory and Actor Network Theory. More specifically, this research advances existing knowledge in the following areas: The nature of the socio-technical challenges encountered in the introduction of more energy efficient buildings, and the importance of achieving a balance between socially acceptable and technically optimal environments. (Papers 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8) The value of qualitative research in gaining a more nuanced understanding of our relationship with the home and the implications of this for domestic energy efficiency interventions and the design of low energy buildings (all papers). The influence of tenure as determinant of access to a more energy efficient home and in particular, the stubborn and complex barriers to achieving higher standards of energy performance within the private rented sector. (Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4) The significance of identity, setting and notions of home in the context of domestic energy efficiency interventions. (Papers 1 and 4) As these themes suggest, this PhD is not just concerned with carbon reduction and energy saving as technical objects, but as a way of life. More specifically, it considers the interactions between the two and contends that technical or policy instruments, no matter how sophisticated, cannot succeed if they are not compatible with our ways of life (and ways of doing business) or if our ways of life cannot be reasonably adapted to accommodate them.

This dissertation consists of three papers on the theme of technological capabilities. Patent information can be viewed as indicators of inventive activities emanating from a certain underlying technological capability. Cumulative patents may, therefore, be considered as the r&barbelow;evealed manifestations of those t&barbelow;echnological c&barbelow;apabilities (hereafter abbreviated as RTC) Patent databases have stored a wealth of publicly-held and verified knowledge. Each of the papers in this thesis takes-up the challenge of examining some particular aspects of RTC based on patents; and will advance our knowledge of the subject modestly in a different direction, by taking advantage of invaluable competitive information contained in patent databases. In the sense of data-mining into knowledge, we formulate and introduce a series of concepts, measurements and a methodology under the title of " patent calculation" in the first paper to mine this invaluable information. We apply this methodology, with multiple indicators, to detect the existence of technological capabilities and examine it in relation to the pattern of global collaboration in patented inventions. In the second paper we study the over time, patterns of technological capabilities in a number of countries in relation to their market and industrial structure. In the third paper we search for' potential patterns of selective concentration and specialization in the patent-intensive industries of newly industrializing countries by using the index of revealed technological advantage (RTA), which has been used as the conventional indicator in advanced countries since 1960s in technology-oriented studies. We also examine if the inherent complexities of this measure impacts the remits. In summary, we develop concepts, measures and tools, in the three essays, to take advantage of patent information to characterize the patterns of revealed technological capabilities and its variations in relation to collabor

We are currently living in a society that is undergoing a rapid digitalization, spurring organizations to adapt and evolve their ways of operating through technology. But is it realistic to accept that all these technological changes come without some form of resistance? Technological resistance is not a new term, tracking back several centuries it is considered to be one of the side-effects that has followed the development of technology. The study utilizes a case study to investigate a department in the swedish public sector that is currently being introduced to intelligent automation (IA). By collecting insights through interviews from the perspectives of essential parties connected to the automation-project, we came to the understanding that the perceptions of a resistance can differ between actors. In this case, the technological resistance boiled down to a fear of technology’s limitations. It also became clear that the organizational form, the implementation, confusion about roles/responsibilities and the system itself were contributing factors to the technological resistance experienced in the case. The study shows the multifacetedness of technological resistance as well as how factors connected to an organization can impact the perception of the phenomenon.

The author calls into question the primacy of the optimism/pessimism split within modern discourses on technology and suggests rather that the dominant thematic division in these discourses is that between mastery over and enslavement to technology. Each of these is criticized with respect to the faulty conception of control it implies. The author concludes with a view of technology as a social practice in order to move beyond mastery or enslavement.

The research performed throughout this dissertation aims at implementing quantitative methods in order to assess economic and technological performances of firms, i.e. it tries to assess the impacts of the determinants of technological activity on the results of this activity. For this purpose, a representative sample of the most important R&D firms in the world is constituted. The micro-economic nature of the analysis, as well as its international dimension are two main features of this research at the empirical level.

The second chapter illustrates the importance of R&D investments, patenting activities and other measures of technological activities performed by firms over the last 10 years.

The third chapter describes the main features as well as the construction of the database. The raw data sample consists of comparable detailed micro-level data on 2676 large manufacturing firms from several countries. These firms have reported important R&D expenditures over the period 1980-1994.

The fourth chapter explores the dynamic structure of the patent-R&D relationship by considering the number of patent applications as a function of present and lagged levels of R&D expenditures. R&D spillovers as well as technological and geographical opportunities are taken into account as additional determinants in order to explain patenting behaviours. The estimates are based on recently developed econometric techniques that deal with the discrete non-negative nature of the dependent patent variable as well as the simultaneity that can arise between the R&D decisions and patenting. The results show evidence of a rather contemporaneous impact of R&D activities on patenting. As far as R&D spillovers are concerned, these externalities have a significantly higher impact on patenting than own R&D. Furthermore, these effects appear to take more time, three years on average, to show up in patents.

The fifth chapter explores the contribution of own stock of R&D capital to productivity performance of firms. To this end the usual productivity residual methodology is implemented. The empirical section presents a first set of results which replicate the analysis of previous studies and tries to assess the robustness of the findings with regard to the above issues. Then, further results, based on different sub samples of the data set, investigate to what extent the R&D contribution on productivity differs across firms of different industries and geographic areas or between small and large firms and low and high-tech firms. The last section explores more carefully the simultaneity issue. On the whole, the estimates indicate that R&D has a positive impact on productivity performances. Yet, this contribution is far from being homogeneous across the different dimensions of data or according to the various assumptions retained in the productivity model.

The last empirical chapter goes deeper into the analysis of firms' productivity increases, by considering besides own R&D activities the impact of technological spillovers. The chapter begins by surveying the alternative ways proposed in the literature in order to asses the effect of R&D spillovers on productivity. The main findings reported by some studies at the micro level are then outlined. Then, the framework to formalize technological externalities and other technological determinants is exposed. This framework is based on a positioning of firms into a technological space using their patent distribution across technological fields. The question of whether the externalities generated by the technological and geographic neighbours are different on the recipient's productivity is also addressed by splitting the spillover variable into a local and national component. Then, alternative measures of technological proximity are examined. Some interesting observations emerge from the empirical results. First, the impact of spillovers on productivity increases is positive and much more important than the contribution of own R&D. Second, spillover effects are not the same according to whether they emanate from firms specialized in similar technological fields or firms more distant in the technological space. Finally, the magnitude and direction of these effects are radically different within and between the pillars of the Triad. While European firms do not appear to particularly benefit from both national and international sources of spillovers, US firms are mainly receptive to their national stock and Japanese firms take advantage from the international stock.

Doctorat en sciences économiques, Orientation économie
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Digital Video Communication (DVC) is an emerging technology which ultimately extends to include applications of "Virtual Reality" where both computers and participants interact in created worlds: "worlds of information, hubs, data bases and networks," which overlay "the physical manifestations of power, walls, boundaries, highways and cities" (Mulgan, 1991, p.3). This new technology combines the power of the current visual media with the power of the computer, creating an intelligent communication system with increased data capacity, greater reliability and a greater potential for synergism. The direction and development of DVC can be influenced by the key stakeholders with interests in the business, industry service and entertainment sector of technology. Knowledge of the interpretive frameworks that key stakeholders use to understand DVC may help to clarify the present and future courses of DVC. In particular the possibility of public influence on the emergence of DVC is examined. This study, then, is an attempt to describe the ways in which key stakeholders understand the emergence of DVC as revealed by their communication about DVC. The analysis therefore emerges from the described experiences of the people who comprise the study group To achieve this, detailed secondary analyses of interviews with twenty of Australia's key stakeholders in the emergence of DVC were conducted. Follow-up interviews were conducted with twelve of the original respondents to review the original transcripts as well as to establish a longitudinal perspective. Theoretically, the study is anchored in the debate regarding technological determinism. The thesis takes the perspective that an extreme determinist stance must be rejected as part of the process of making decisions and implementation of this emerging technology. The themes of analysis revealed in the study were: • The Technological Mindset, • The Economic Rationalist Mindset, • Decision Making, Control and Knowledge, • Participation and Consultation, • New Technology and Information Access. In place of a deterministic model for technology, DVC will be viewed as being socially constructed. However, it is argued that a holistic, co-evolutionary approach be adopted for introducing new technologies such as DVC where there is an emphasis on human values and human actions which affect future systems outcomes (Stevenson, 1992). In sum, this thesis will argue that the process of technological development ought to be open to the influence by the "collective will." This development should not assume the diffusion of technology through society and thereby become a singular power of repressive interest to enforce ownership and participation (Hill, 1988), but rather it should merge economic and social goals with individual goals, and in doing so, recognise that different types of ends must necessarily co-exist in any system of communication (Mulgan, 1991).

A challenge facing higher education institutions is the level of technological entrepreneurship of first-year students in the field of technological programmes. This challenge has put pressure on management of higher education institutions to introduce an entrepreneurial mindset and encourage innovation. According to Development Policy Research Unit (2007:18), 23 percent of students choose qualifications mainly for the employment opportunities. According to Shein, Crous, and Schepers (2010:1), not only in growing economies such as South Africa‟s, entrepreneurship contributes to a national growth and contributes to job creation. Shein, et al. (2010:1), further claim that recent studies have shown a shift towards studying entrepreneurship in an attempt to uncover its fundamentals and its importance in adding to the well-being of the country.

This thesis is an effort to identify the roots and dynamic of the contemporary 'arms race using' a syntheses of various perspectives. The basic approach is to trace the development of the technological aspects of military affairs in the modern period. Technology is then used as a reference point to investigate wider social, economic and political issues. The main themes of the thesis are: 1/ the modern 'arms race’ is increasingly determined by technological features, 2/ it is necessary to recognise the social political and economic forces acting on the historical process of military-related technological development, and 3/ this process occurs in an environment of international relations which is also fundamentally, but not entirely, determined by technological factors. The thesis attempts an overriding view of 'human society’ as opposed to any specific national perspective, but concentrates on the experiences of Britain and the United States as the nations of central importance in the development of global political-economy. It argues that in general, and especially in Britain and the U.S., military technology has had a major role in the general development of technological capability. This is especially true in that the major generative force in the development of the modern world has been and remains technologically-based industrial capitalism. The thesis argues that the radical increase in capability of military technology is part of the greater process of increasing state management of industrial societies, and especially technical innovation. The thesis concludes with the exposition of an interpretive framework to relate the identified processes of technological advancement and national military and political matters.

Italy is the first producer of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheeses in Europe-28, and thus the dairy industry plays a central role in the agriculture and food sectors. About 70% of available milk in Italy is used for cheese production and 35% is transformed into PDO products. In the last few years, the interest for milk and dairy products has grown, especially in relation to their technological and healthy features. Coagulation properties, titratable acidity (TA) and mineral content of milk are among the main topics discussed at research and dairy industry level. Milk coagulation properties (MCP), namely rennet coagulation time (RCT), curd firming time (k20) and curd firmness (a30), influence the efficiency of cheese-making process. TA plays a fundamental role in the aggregation rate of para-casein micelles, reactivity of rennet, and rate of syneresis. Finally, mineral composition of milk has an impact on human bone health and on milk technological properties, which affects cheese-making process. The overall aim of the present work was to study the phenotypic and genetic aspects of coagulation traits, mineral content and acidity of bovine milk predicted by mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS). The analysis of the literature (Chapter 1) demonstrated the feasibility of MIRS to predict milk fatty acid, protein and mineral composition, MCP, acidity, ketone bodies, body energy status, and methane emissions, with different accuracies and improvement of prediction equations. In general, the reviewed papers underlined the influence of data variability, reference method, and unit of measurement on the development of robust models. A crucial point in favour of the application of MIRS is to stimulate the exchange of data among countries to develop equations that take into account the biological variability of the traits under different conditions. Due to the large variability of reference methods used for MIRS calibration, it is essential to standardize the methods within and between countries. Chapter 2 investigated the ability of MIRS to predict not coagulating (NC) from coagulating milks. Results showed that there is no specific spectral information that distinguishes NC from coagulating samples. The most accurate prediction model was developed for RCT followed by k20 and a30. Mid-infrared models to predict calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and TA were developed in Chapter 3 and results were satisfactory: coefficients of correlation of cross-validation for CA, P and TA were greater than 0.73. Moreover, favourable relationships of these traits with MCP were estimated. Exploitable additive genetic variation for predicted Ca, P, and TA exists (Chapter 4) and heritability estimates were 0.10, 0.12, and 0.26 for Ca, P and TA, respectively. Positive moderate to strong phenotypic correlations were estimated between Ca, P and TA, while phenotypic weak to moderate correlations were assessed between these traits with both milk quality and yield. Moderate to strong genetic correlations existed between Ca, P, and TA, and between these predicted traits with both milk fat and protein percentage. The present thesis demonstrated that MIRS might be used as phenotyping tool to predict MCP, mineral content and acidity of milk. The feasibility of using MIRS on a large scale coupled with the existence of a genetic basis for the aforementioned predicted features, represent the starting point to set up specific genetic programs to improve these nutritional and technological characteristics of milk.
Tra i Paesi dell’Europa-28, l’Italia è il primo produttore di formaggi a Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP); di conseguenza, l’industria casearia riveste un ruolo centrale nei settori agricolo e alimentare italiani. Circa il 70% del latte disponibile in Italia viene utilizzato per la produzione di formaggio e il 35% è trasformato in prodotto DOP. Negli ultimi anni, vi è stata una crescita dell’interesse per il latte e i suoi derivati, specialmente per le loro caratteristiche tecnologiche e nutrizionali. Le proprietà coagulative del latte, la sua acidità titolabile e il suo contenuto minerale sono al momento gli argomenti maggiormente discussi e studiati a livello d’industria casearia e di ricerca. L’attitudine casearia, che comprende il tempo di coagulazione (RCT, min), il tempo di rassodamento (k20, min) e la consistenza del coagulo (a30, mm), influenza l’efficienza dell’intero processo produttivo. L’acidità titolabile gioca un ruolo fondamentale sulla velocità di aggregazione delle micelle para-caseiniche e sineresi e sulla reattività del caglio. Infine, la composizione minerale del latte riveste importanza sia a livello tecnologico, influenzando il processo di produzione casearia, sia sulla salute umana. L’obiettivo generale della presente tesi di dottorato è stato quello di studiare gli aspetti fenotipici e genetici delle proprietà coagulative del latte, della sua acidità titolabile e del suo contenuto minerale, predicendo questi parametri attraverso la spettroscopia del medio infrarosso (MIRS). Nel primo capitolo si è analizzata la bibliografia inerente alla tecnologia MIRS applicata all’analisi del latte ed è stata riscontrata la capacità del MIRS nel predire, con differenze a livello di accuratezza, gli acidi grassi del latte, la sua composizione proteica e minerale, le MCP, la sua acidità, i corpi chetonici e lo stato energetico della vacca e le emissioni di metano. In generale, gli articoli analizzati hanno evidenziato come la variabilità dei dati, i metodi di riferimento e le unità di misura influenzino notevolmente la robustezza dei modelli di predizione. Un punto cruciale a favore dell’applicazione del MIRS è il possibile scambio di dati tra diversi Paesi al fine di sviluppare equazioni che tengano conto della variabilità biologica dei parametri in base alle differenti condizioni. Data la grande variabilità dei metodi di analisi di riferimento utilizzati per le calibrazioni MIRS, sembra essenziale una standardizzazione di questi tra i diversi Paesi. Nel secondo capitolo si è studiata la capacità del MIRS di predire i latti che non coagulano e i risultati ottenuti hanno dimostrato che a livello spettrale non vi è una specifica informazione che permetta una distinzione a priori tra questo tipo di campioni e quelli che coagulano. Il modello di predizione più accurato si è ottenuto per il tempo di coagulazione del latte, seguito da quelli per il tempo di rassodamento e coesistenza del coagulo a 30 minuti. Nel terzo capitolo si sono sviluppati i modelli di predizione MIRS per il contenuto di calcio (Ca) e fosforo (P) del latte e per la sua acidità titolabile (TA), ottenendo risultati soddisfacenti: per tutti e tre i parametri è stato ottenuto un coefficiente di correlazione in cross-validazione maggiore di 0.73. Inoltre, sono state rilevate delle correlazioni favorevoli tra questi caratteri e le proprietà coagulative del latte. Infine, nel quarto e ultimo contributo, è stata dimostrata l’esistenza di una varianza genetica additiva per Ca, P e TA predetti col MIRS, per i quali si sono stimate ereditabilità pari a 0.10, 0.12 e 0.26, rispettivamente. Inoltre, tra i tre suddetti caratteri sono state stimate correlazioni fenotipiche da moderate a forti, mentre da deboli a moderate tra essi e la composizione qualitativa e quantità del latte. La presente tesi di dottorato ha dimostrato come la tecnologia MIRS possa essere un utile strumento per predire le proprietà coagulative, l’acidità titolabile e il contenuto minerale del latte. La possibilità di sfruttare il MIRS su vasta scala e l’esistenza di una base genetica per i caratteri precedentemente menzionati, rappresentano un punto di partenza per definire specifici programmi genetici per il miglioramento delle caratteristiche tecnologiche e nutrizionali del latte.

This thesis examines the theory of technological determinism, which espouses the view that technological change drives social change, through an analysis of the impact of new media on higher education models in the United States of America. In so doing, it explores the impacts of new media technologies on higher education, in particular, and society in general. The thesis reviews the theoretical shape of the discourse surrounding new media technologies before narrowing in on utopian claims about the impact of new media technologies on education. It tests these claims through a specific case study of higher education in the USA. The study investigates whether 'new' media technologies (eg the Internet) are resulting in new forms of higher education in the USA and whether the blurring of information and entertainment technologies has caused a similar blurring in education and entertainment providers. It uses primary data gathered by the author in a series of interviews with key education, industry and media representatives in North America in 1997. Chapter 2 looks at the literature and history surrounding several topics central to the thesis - the discourses of technological determinism, the history of technology use and adoption in education, and impacts of new media technologies on education. Chapter 3 presents the findings of the American case study on the relationship between media and higher education and Chapter 4 concludes and synthesises the investigation.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The interface between science and technology and the society has led to the notion of science as a social contract, in which scientists, politicians and the general public are called upon to acknowledge the urgency of using all fields of science and technology to address human needs. Science and technology is used as an instrument of change for a better quality of life and sustainable development for the present and future generations. The object of science and technology policies is to achieve specific development objectives. It is thus imperative to adopt science and technology policies that support the national development strategies. It is also important to set up science and technology structures to facilitate the proper functioning of the science and technology system. Competitiveness constitutes one of the most important challenges facing Southern Africa today. With globalization and the expansion of world trade competition, it has become more difficult for Southern African enterprise to keep up with the pace of technological developments. In the light of these challenges, most countries are driving towards the adoption of a national system of innovation (NSI) to encourage the interaction of policies, research and development, human resource development and industrial development. The study is induced by major science and technology set backs, which are common across countries in Southern Africa namely, poor co-ordination mechanisms, poor science and technology infrastructure and a lack of funding. The study provides background information on the theoretical framework of the concept of NSI. For the research method, a qualitative research design was followed with content analysis of existing documents. Published documents were used to provide information on the three countries, which were used as case studies namely Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. The main focus of the case studies is on the following: an outline of the policy goals of each of the three countries, the concept of the NSI as it is expressed by each of the countries and the science and technology structures in the three countries. The study identified poor co-ordination of science and technology activities as the key problem of all three countries. The structures differ slightly and in particular, the placement of the management of science and technology determines the efficiency of the system. The South African NSI is well established as its network is strengthened by the National Advisory Council for Innovation and the National Research and Development Strategy. Next is Namibia which has a system in place, while Malawi is still at the initial stages of setting up its NS!.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die koppelvlak tussen wetenskap en tegnologie en die gemeenskap het gelei tot die siening van wetenskap as 'n sosiale kontrak waarin wetenskaplikes, politici en die algemene publiek versoek word om te erken dat dit nodig geword het om alle vertakkinge van wetenskap en tegnologie aan te wend om menslike nood te verlig. Wetenskap en tegnologie word gebruik as 'n instrument om verandering teweeg te bring ter bevordering van 'n beter kwaliteit lewe en volhoubare ontwikkeling vir die huidige en toekomstige generasies. Die doel van 'n wetenskap en tegnologiebeleid is om spesifieke ontwikkelingsdoelstellings te verwesenlik. Dit is dus noodsaaklik dat hierdie beleid in ooreenstemming met die nasionale onwikkelingsstrategieë ontwerp moet word. Dit is ook belangrik om wetenskap en tegnologiestrukture in plek te stel wat die effektiewe funksionering van die sisteem kan vergemaklik. Mededingbaarheid is een van die grootste uitdagings wat Suider Afrika tans in die gesig staar. Met globalisering en die uitbreiding van wêreldhandel het dit moeiliker geword vir Suider Afrikaanse ondernemings om in pas te bly met tegnologiese ontwikkeling. In die lig van hierdie uitdagings stuur die meeste lande in die rigting van 'n Nasionale Sisteem vir Innovasie (NSI) om interaksie tussen beleid, navorsing en ontwikkeling, menslike hulpbronontwikkeling en industriële ontwikkeling aan te moedig. Wat aanleiding gegee het tot hierdie studie is die wetenskap en tegnologieprobleme wat algemeen voorkom in die lande in Suider Afrikaanse, naamlik onvoldoende koërdinasie meganismes, swak wetenskap en tegnologie-infrastruktuur en 'n gebrek aan fondse. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp is gevolg waarin analise van die inhoud van dokumente as navorsingsmetode gebruik is. Die studie verskaf agtergrond-inligting oor die teoretiese raamwerk van die NSI konsep. Gepubliseerde dokumente is gebruik om inligting te verskaf oor die drie lande wat as gevallestudies dien, naamlik Malawi, Namibië en Suid-Afrika. Die hooffokus van die gevallestudies is soos volg: 'n raamwerk van die beleidsdoelstellings van elk van die drie lande, die konsep NSI soos toegepas deur elkeen en die wetenskap en tegnologiestrukture in elk van die betrokke lande. Die studie het swak koërdinasie van wetenskap en tegnologie-aktiwiteite as die sleutelprobleem van aldrie lande geïdentifiseer. Die strukture verskil effens van mekaar en veral die plasing van die wetenskap en tegnologiebestuur bepaal die effektiwiteit van die stelsel. Die Suid Afrikaanse NSI is goed gevestig omdat sy netwerk versterk word deur die Nasionale Adviesraad vir Innovasie en die Nasionale Navorsing- en Ontwikkelingstrategie. Volgende is Namibië wat 'n sisteem in plek het, terwyl Malawi nog maar in die beginstadium is van die daarstelling van hul NSI.

Des de la seva aparició com a alternativa per la conversió d’energia fotovoltaica, el camp de les cel·les solars orgàniques ha experimentat un progrés significatiu, especialment en els darrers 15 anys. El gran interès en la tecnologia fotovoltaica orgànica (OPV, per les sigles en anglès) es deu principalment al seu potencial baix cost. Rellevants avenços científics han empès les eficiències de conversió energètica fins al 12%, fet que encoratja a acostar les OPV al mercat. Tanmateix, altres aspectes decisius per la seva industrialització han estat menys atesos. Aquesta tesi tracta tres qüestions clau que la tecnologia OPV ha d’afrontar per tal d’assolir una transferència fiable del laboratori a la industria. En primer lloc, es necessiten estratègies pel processat i post-processat a gran escala, idealment amb un cost reduït. En aquest treball es presenta una amplia investigació en inkjet printing. És necessari tenir un profund coneixement d’aquesta tècnica compatible amb roll-to-roll per tal d’assolir morfologies de capa adequades. S’ha trobat que la cinètica d’assecat de les capes és especialment crítica. En relació a això, s’ha desenvolupat un nou mètode per determinar patrons d’impressió apropiats per la deposició de la capa activa. A més, s’ha demostrat l’ús d’un tractament alternatiu anomenat vapour printing en dispositius OPV. Utilitzant aquest mètode amb vapor de dissolvent adequat, el tractament de la capa activa es pot assolir en temps molt més curts en comparació a altres tècniques. Un altre aspecte que ha estat poc atès està relacionat amb els dissolvents utilitzats pel processat dels OPV, especialment per la deposició de la capa activa. Típicament s’utilitzen dissolvents halogenats, com el clorbenzè o el diclorbenzè, essent alguns d’ells prohibits per aplicacions industrials. Substituir-los per formulacions verdes és, per tant, una necessitat primordial. Per tal de trobar sistemes aptes de dissolvents verds, s’ha utilitzat un mètode basat en la solubilitat. Aquest mètode, prèviament demostrat per cel·les solars polimèriques, s’estén de manera satisfactòria en aquesta tesi en dispositius basats en petita molècula. També s’aporten nous coneixements sobre la precisió del mètode. L’oxid d’indi i estany (ITO, per les seves sigles en anglès), freqüentment utilitzat com a elèctrode conductor transparent, contribueix de manera important en el cost d’un mòdul OPV. Altres raons per reemplaçar aquest component inclouen la seva modesta flexibilitat i conductivitat, el que pot limitar l’extracció de corrent elèctric en dispositius de gran àrea. Una possible alternativa són les xarxes metàl·liques combinades amb una capa transparent semiconductora. Tot i resoldre l’aspecte de la conductivitat, altres factors limiten encara l’extracció de corrent. El nou mètode utilitzat en aquest treball per preparar aquestes estructures venç aquests factors. Es demostren dispositius eficients lliures de ITO.
Desde su aparición como alternativa para la conversión de energía fotovoltaica, el campo de las células solares orgánicas ha experimentado un progreso significativo, especialmente en los últimos 15 años. El gran interés en la tecnología fotovoltaica orgánica (OPV, por sus siglas en inglés) se debe principalmente a su potencial bajo coste. Relevantes avances científicos han empujado las eficiencias de conversión energética hasta el 12%, lo que alienta el acercamiento de las OPV al mercado. Sin embargo, otros aspectos decisivos para su industrialización han sido menos atendidos. Esta tesis trata tres cuestiones clave que la tecnología OPV tiene que afrontar para alcanzar una transferencia fiable del laboratorio a la industria. En primer lugar, se necesitan estrategias para el procesado y post-procesado a gran escala, idealmente con un coste reducido. En este trabajo se presenta una amplia investigación en inkjet printing. Es necesario tener un profundo conocimiento sobre esta técnica compatible con roll-to-roll para obtener morfologías de capa adecuadas. Se ha encontrado que la cinética de secado de la capa es especialmente crítica. En relación a esto, se ha desarrollado un nuevo método para determinar patrones de impresión adecuados para la deposición de la capa activa. Además, se ha demostrado el uso de un tratamiento alternativo llamado vapour printing en dispositivos OPV. Utilizando este método con vapores de disolvente aptos, el tratamiento de la capa activa se puede alcanzar en tiempos mucho más cortos en comparación con otras técnicas. Otro aspecto que ha sido poco atendido está relacionado con los disolventes utilizados en el procesado de las OPV, especialmente en la deposición de la capa activa. Típicamente se emplean disolventes halogenados, como el clorobenceno o diclorobenzeno, estando alguno de ellos prohibidos en aplicaciones industriales. Su substitución por formulaciones verdes es, por tanto, una necesidad primordial. Para encontrar sistemas aptos de disolventes verdes, se ha utilizado un método basado en la solubilidad. Este método, previamente demostrado para células solares poliméricas, se extiende de manera exitosa en esta tesis para dispositivos basados en pequeña molécula. También se aportan nuevos conocimientos sobre la precisión del método. El óxido de indio y estaño (ITO, por sus siglas en inglés), frecuentemente utilizado como electrodo conductor transparente, contribuye de manera importante en el coste de un módulo OPV. Otros motivos para substituir este componente incluyen su modesta flexibilidad y conductividad, lo que puede limitar la extracción de corriente eléctrica en dispositivos de gran área. Una posible alternativa son las redes metálicas combinadas con una capa transparente semiconductora. A pesar de que el aspecto de la conductividad queda solucionado, otros factores limitan aún la extracción de corriente. El nuevo método utilizado en este trabajo para preparar estas estructuras vence estos aspectos. Se demuestran dispositivos eficientes libres de ITO.
Since its emergence as an alternative for photovoltaic energy conversion, the field of organic solar cells has experienced significant progress, especially in the last 15 years. The high interest in organic photovoltaics (OPV) technology is mostly due to its lowcost potential. Relevant scientific advances have pushed power conversion efficiencies up to 12%, which is encouraging for bringing OPV to market. However, other decisive aspects for their industrialisation have been less attended. This thesis deals with three key issues that OPV technology has to face in order to achieve a reliable lab-to-fab transfer. First, approaches for large-scale processing and post-processing are needed, ideally with reduced cost. In this work a broad investigation in inkjet printing is presented. A deep understanding on this roll-to-roll compatible technique is necessary to achieve suitable layer morphology. The drying kinetics of the wet film has been found to be especially critical. In relation to this, a new method to determine appropriate printing patterns for active layer deposition has been developed. Moreover, an alternative post-processing treatment called vapour printing is demonstrated for OPV devices. Using this method with suitable solvent vapour, the annealing of the active layer can be achieved in much shorter times as compared to other treatments. Another aspect that has been poorly attended is related to the solvents used for OPV processing, specifically for active layer deposition. Typically halogenated solvents such as chlorobenzene or o-dichlorobenzene are employed, being some of them banned for industrial applications. Their replacement by green formulations is therefore a major need. In order to find suitable green solvent systems, a method based on solubility has been used. This method, previously demonstrated for polymeric solar cells, is successfully extended in this thesis for small molecule based devices. New insights into the accuracy of the method are also provided. A major contributor to the cost of an OPV module is the indium-tin-oxide (ITO), commonly used as a transparent conductive electrode. Further reasons to replace this component include its modest flexibility and conductivity, which may limit current extraction in large area devices. One possible alternative are metallic grids combined with a transparent semiconductor layer. Although the conductivity issue is solved, other factors still limit current extraction. The new method used in this work to prepare such structures overcomes these features. Efficient, ITO-free devices are demonstrated.

L’innovation, bien que clé pour le développement des entreprises peut être extrêmement compliquée. L’incertitude associée à la valeur qu’elle peut générer est souvent très dissuasive. Pour des petites entreprises, gérer un projet d’innovation de rupture technologique représente un challenge important. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous nous concentrons sur cette problématique. Dans le cadre d’une recherche-action menée dans la PME L’Hotellier, nous avons mis au point une méthode permettant de faciliter la prise de décisions critiques dans les projets d’innovation de rupture technologique pour de petites entreprises. Cette approche est basée sur l’étude des valeurs créées par l’innovation et sur l’analyse des risques menaçant cette création de valeur. Ce travail se concentre sur l’étude des petites et moyennes entreprises (PMEs). A travers une analyse bibliographique, nous mettons en évidence certains handicaps de ces structures : leurs faibles ressources (humaines et financières) et leurs difficultés à accéder à certaines connaissances spécifiques. Cette faiblesse peut être rédhibitoire pour le développement d’innovation dans ces structures également caractérisées par une faible formalisation des connaissances et des processus. Le second élément de contexte considéré est le type d’innovation développée. Ce que nous appelons ici innovations de rupture technologique sont des innovations qui présentent une haute incertitude technologique et qui mettent en jeu une discontinuité vis-à-vis du marché par rapport aux pratiques traditionnelles de l’entreprise. En conséquence, ces innovations sont caractérisées par un manque de connaissance vis-à-vis de la technologie et du marché. Cette analyse du contexte nous permet de souligner que pour une PME, un des plus importants défis des projets d’innovation de rupture technologique est l’identification et l’accès à ces connaissances clés. En plus de cette analyse, nous avons listé et identifié les forces et faiblesses des principaux modèles des processus d’innovation existants dans la littérature, tant dans le champ du management d’innovation que dans celui des sciences de la conception. Nous mettons en évidence que ces modèles décrivent généralement les processus d’innovation comme une succession d’activités et de décisions éventuellement mettant en œuvre des boucles de rétroaction. A cause de l’incertitude induite par les projets d’innovation de rupture technologique, nous soulignons que la gestion des phases de décisions constitue une problématique peu couverte par la littérature. Notre modèle vise à faciliter la prise des décisions critiques dans les différentes étapes du processus de conception. Nous définissons ces décisions comme des décisions ayant un impact important sur le projet d’innovation (qualité, coûts, délais) et ayant une incertitude significative concernant leurs alternatives. Ces décisions peuvent être liées au produit, au processus de fabrication ou au marché. L’objectif de l’innovation étant de créer de la valeur, nous montrons que deux informations sont nécessaires pour une prise de décision de qualité : la connaissance de la valeur qui va être créée pour les parties prenantes du projet pour chaque alternative ainsi que le niveau de risque associé à cette création de valeur. Nous en retirons l’hypothèse suivante : la prise de décision critique dans des projets d’innovation de rupture technologique en PME est plus facile, rationnelle et robuste lorsque les décideurs connaissent l’impact en termes de création de valeur et de risque de chaque alternative de la décision. Cela nous a conduits à définir un modèle en quatre étapes pour aider à la décision dans de tels projets. Une pose du problème consiste à définir les objectifs et contraintes liées à la décision et à les traduire en termes de création de valeur. [...]
Innovation, however key for the development of companies, can be a real adventure. The uncertainty related to the value it can create is often an important dissuasive factor. For small companies dealing with disruptive technological innovation it represents an important and specific challenge. In this thesis we tackle this particular issue. In a research action conducted in the SME “L’Hotellier”, we devised a method that aims to helpmanagers to pilot disruptive technological innovation projects in SMEs through the control of the criticaldecisions of the project. This approach is based on the study of the values created by the innovation and of the risks threatening this value creation. This thesis is divided in five main parts. We begin by studying the context of our research. Then we identify and analyze our problematic. Based on the results of this analysis, we propose a model for the management of these critical decisions. This model is then experimented twice in an innovation project in L’Hotellier. The results of these experimentations are analyzed in order to assess the validity and value of our model. Finally, a conclusion summarizes our contribution to the scientific field of design sciences and discusses the limits and perspectives of our work

The application of powder metallurgy (PM) technologies to the manufacturing of Oil & Gas turbomachineries’ components was investigated in the course of research collaboration with the Material and Processes Engineering Department of General Electric Oil & Gas (Italy). The thesis focused on the study of the pressure-assisted Hot Isostatic Pressing technology for the processing of the corrosion resistant Ni-base alloy N07626. The densification behaviour of the N07626 metal powder in condition of pressure assisted sintering was investigated by experiments conducted on a small scale by uniaxial hot pressing condition using a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) machine in the aim of extending the result to the initial stage of densification of HIP. The SPS exepriments demonstrated that the densification rate is strongly affected by the process temperature and it is less sensitive to the variation of applied pressure. The microstructure and mechanical properties of full-dense HIPped N07626 alloy, produced according to a fixed proprietary cycle and several experimental deviations were analyzed. The microstructure was studied by Optical Metallography, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersed X-Ray Spectroscopy and Electron Backscatter Diffraction. The mechanical properties of the alloy were assessed by tensile testing, conventional and instrumented Charpy V-Notch testing, JIC fracture toughness tests and fatigue crack growth rate testing. The tensile and impact toughness properties resulted sensitive to the local accumulation of oxygen in Oxygen Affected Zones (OAZs), that leads to a ductile to brittle transition in the impact toughness of the material. Two models for formation of OAZs were proposed based on the phase transformation and the oxidation/reduction reactions taking place in the HIP. The mechanical properties were discussed on the base of the microstructure of the Prior Particle Boundaries (PPBs) interface, focusing of the phase transformation products, represented by a thin layer of submicrometric oxides and carbides. The fracture mode was explained by the analogy with models of ductile micro-mechanisms of void nucleation and coalescence and with fracture models of particulate reinforced metal-matrix-composite. The Charpy impact toughness and the fracture toughness were correlated to the oxygen concentration and to the density of inclusions. The fatigue crack propagation behavior was discussed focusing on the effect of clustering of inclusions on the crack propagation path. A relation between the Paris slope with the impact toughness was found. Finally the increase of processing temperature (HIP and heat treatment) was found significanty beneficial for the toughness. This effect was investigate by grain-size analysis and was proposed to be related to a reduction of density of PPBs inclusions.

The application of powder metallurgy (PM) technologies to the manufacturing of Oil & Gas turbomachineries’ components was investigated in the course of research collaboration with the Material and Processes Engineering Department of General Electric Oil & Gas (Italy). The thesis focused on the study of the pressure-assisted Hot Isostatic Pressing technology for the processing of the corrosion resistant Ni-base alloy N07626. The densification behaviour of the N07626 metal powder in condition of pressure assisted sintering was investigated by experiments conducted on a small scale by uniaxial hot pressing condition using a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) machine in the aim of extending the result to the initial stage of densification of HIP. The SPS exepriments demonstrated that the densification rate is strongly affected by the process temperature and it is less sensitive to the variation of applied pressure. The microstructure and mechanical properties of full-dense HIPped N07626 alloy, produced according to a fixed proprietary cycle and several experimental deviations were analyzed. The microstructure was studied by Optical Metallography, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersed X-Ray Spectroscopy and Electron Backscatter Diffraction. The mechanical properties of the alloy were assessed by tensile testing, conventional and instrumented Charpy V-Notch testing, JIC fracture toughness tests and fatigue crack growth rate testing. The tensile and impact toughness properties resulted sensitive to the local accumulation of oxygen in Oxygen Affected Zones (OAZs), that leads to a ductile to brittle transition in the impact toughness of the material. Two models for formation of OAZs were proposed based on the phase transformation and the oxidation/reduction reactions taking place in the HIP. The mechanical properties were discussed on the base of the microstructure of the Prior Particle Boundaries (PPBs) interface, focusing of the phase transformation products, represented by a thin layer of submicrometric oxides and carbides. The fracture mode was explained by the analogy with models of ductile micro-mechanisms of void nucleation and coalescence and with fracture models of particulate reinforced metal-matrix-composite. The Charpy impact toughness and the fracture toughness were correlated to the oxygen concentration and to the density of inclusions. The fatigue crack propagation behavior was discussed focusing on the effect of clustering of inclusions on the crack propagation path. A relation between the Paris slope with the impact toughness was found. Finally the increase of processing temperature (HIP and heat treatment) was found significanty beneficial for the toughness. This effect was investigate by grain-size analysis and was proposed to be related to a reduction of density of PPBs inclusions.

The strategic importance of the adoption of innovative processing technologies was analyzed for building products businesses. This study examined the two components of wood building products businesses: the structural panel industry and the softwood Iumber industry. To ensure that the relevance of adopting of innovative processing technologies was examined within an accurate contextual environment, additional important strategies and performance were also measured. A mail survey of the seventy-five largest North American producers of these two products provided the primary data necessary to investigate the strategic importance of process technology adoption, forward vertical integration, relative market share, grade sector focus, and investment intensity on firm performance as measured by profitability surrogates and changes in relative market share. This survey collected direct measures of the proportion of 1987 production produced by respondent firms that used controlled distribution channels and each of twentythree processes indicative of innovative technologies in the manufacture of building products. Information concerning the other strategic and performance factors was collected from secondary data sources. Results indicate that the adoption of innovative processing technologies has a positive impact on firm profitability. Investment intensity and grade sector focus also contributed to superior profitability. Forward vertical integration, and relative market share had no impact in differences between performance levels for the firms studied. Technologies were examined for underlying dimensions that group different process technologies together. Firms were clustered according to their level of adoption of innovative processing technologies and these clusters were then described according to a variety of firm-dependent characteristics, strategies, and performance measures. A strategy-performance model was developed for standardized, industrial product-markets and empirically tested using the data collected for the building products industry as an industry representative of this type of competitive environment.
Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008.
Committee Chair: Elizabeth D. Mynatt; Committee Member: Jay D. Bolter; Committee Member: Rebecca E. Grinter; Committee Member: W. Keith Edwards; Committee Member: Wendy A. Kellogg

This thesis studies the role of learning as a mechanism of economic change. Two areas are considered where this would seem to be important. First, how firms learn about new technology; and secondly, how agents learn to behave in interactive situations. A model of research and development is presented which models the process by which firms solve specific design problems. This may be by individual experimental search or by partial imitation. In the latter case, a close parallel is drawn between biological evolution, based on genetic reproduction, and technological evolution, based on firms blending existing technologies. Some economic implications of these processes are explored, including their application to stochastic learning curves, patent design and the transfer of technology to developing countries. The thesis continues by critically assessing the analogy between biological and cultural evolution often used to model how agents learn to behave in interactive situations. It is argued that the methods used by economists exploiting this analogy are often ill-suited to an economic context. Models are presented which deal with specific issues in the transition from a biological context to an economic context, including models of partnership formation, models of imperfect imitation, and models without payoff-monotonic dynamics. The issue of imperfect imitation is expanded upon in an evolutionary model of the infinitely repeated prisoners' dilemma, where it is shown that the problem of inter-generational copying fidelity may allow one to restrict attention to strategies with a very simple stochastic structure.

The present study aimed at characterizing pineapple, apple and melon by-products and evaluating their potential as an ingredient for the partial substitution of wheat flour in cookie formulations. The addition of fruit by-products contributed to rise the cookies fiber content. Melon by-product was prominent for its mineral content, whereas apple by-product presented more relevant results for phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and ABTS). Such behaviors reflected in the cookie formulations. Eight phenolic compounds (vanillic acid, gallic acid, sinapic acid, salicylic acid, p-coumaric acid, catechin, epicatechin and rutin) were identified and quantified by HPLC in both the by-products and cookies. Regarding the antinutritional factors and mineral bioavailability, it was observed that the addition of fruit by-products in cookies reduced the contents of phytate and oxalate and promoted changes in calcium, iron and zinc bioavailability. Facing the technological aspects, it was observed that the use of by-products interfered in the color of the cookies, making them slightly darker and also weakened the gluten formed, promoting variations in diameter and expansion factor. On the other hand, it was observed that increasing concentrations of by-products led to higher values of hardness, making the cookies firmer and crunchier. In the sensory point of view, it was verified that the cookie with 15% of pineapple by-product demonstrated the highest acceptance, followed by cookies with 15% of apple by-product, control and 15% of melon by-product. By quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), it was found that the addition of fruit by-products altered the sensory profile of the cookies. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the fruit by-products are potential ingredients for cookie formulation, attributing to them specific physicochemical, technological, nutritional and sensory properties which can vary according to the by-products employed.
O presente estudo visou caracterizar subprodutos de abacaxi, maçã e melão e avaliar seu potencial como ingrediente para substituição parcial de farinha de trigo em formulações de biscoitos. A adição de subprodutos de frutas contribuiu para elevar o teor de fibras dos biscoitos. O subproduto de melão se destacou por seu conteúdo mineral, enquanto que o subproduto de maçã apresentou resultados mais relevantes para compostos fenólicos e capacidade antioxidante (DPPH e ABTS). Tais comportamentos se refletiram nas formulações de biscoitos. Oito compostos fenólicos (ácido vanílico, ácido gálico, ácido sinápico, ácido salicílico, ácido p-cumárico, catequina, epicatequina e rutina) foram identificados e quantificados por HPLC tanto nos subprodutos como nos biscoitos. Com relação aos fatores antinutricionais e biodisponibilidade mineral, observou-se que a adição de subprodutos de frutas em biscoitos diminuiu os teores de fitato e oxalato e promoveu mudanças na biodisponibilidade de cálcio, ferro e zinco. Frente aos aspectos tecnológicos, observou-se que o uso de subprodutos interferiu na cor dos biscoitos, tornando-os levemente mais escuros e também enfraqueceu a rede de glúten formada, promovendo variações do diâmetro e fator de expansão. Por outro lado, observou-se que quanto maior a concentração de subprodutos, maiores foram os valores de dureza (textura), sendo as amostras consideradas mais firmes e crocantes. Do ponto de vista sensorial, verificou-se que o biscoito com 15% de subproduto de abacaxi foi o que demonstrou maior aceitação, seguido pelos cookies com 15% de subproduto de maçã, controle e 15% de subproduto de melão. Por meio de análise descritiva quantitativa (ADQ), observou-se que a adição de subprodutos de frutas alterou o perfil sensorial dos biscoitos. A partir dos resultados obtidos, concluiu-se que os subprodutos de frutas se apresentam como potenciais ingredientes para formulações de cookies, atribuindo-lhes propriedades físico-químicas, tecnológicas, nutricionais e sensoriais específicas as quais podem variar de acordo com o subproduto empregado.

The national laboratories (NLs) play a critical role in the economic and social development of technological latecomer countries, yet no academic study has ever quantified how knowledge inflows and internal knowledge impact the performance of the NLs. This dissertation identifies and ranks the importance of factors pertaining to knowledge inflows and project-internal knowledge, which determine the success or failure of research projects in the NLs of Thailand. A survey of 123 project managers in the NLs, which covers 208 R&D projects, has been conducted. It consists of a questionnaire and unstructured interviews in which the project managers discuss their project(s). Data from the questionnaire are analyzed by factor analysis, multiple regression and logistic regression; qualitative data from the interviews are used to interpret the quantitative results from the questionnaire. The research finds that, regardless of a project's mission, knowledge inflows from outside the project group impact performance more significantly than knowledge from inside the project group does. Second, the capacity of R&D project groups within the NLs to absorb knowledge from external sources is very selective. Absorptive capacity does not just pertain to prior related knowledge; it is also a function of the source of external knowledge, the knowledge pathway into the project group, the source of complementary or substitutive knowledge that resides within the project group, and the mission to which the knowledge contributes. Third, the NLs face an ambidexterity challenge that is commonly observed in private industry--exploiting current capabilities interferes with the national laboratories' capability to explore. The discovery of selective absorption of knowledge provides practicing managers with a toolkit of micro-levers with which they can enhance performance as measured by a variety of metrics in highly specific ways. The dissertation also proposes and validates a theoretical framework for knowledge management that decomposes the national laboratory system into nine knowledge subsystems, which can be managed at a relatively low level of the organization. The methods by which this research has been conducted can be used as a tool to benchmark how knowledge management practices in different R&D organizations and environments impact performance. Guidelines for structural adjustments to the national innovation system, which are based on these contributions, should enable policymakers in most countries to implement an Open Innovation program for their national laboratories and enhance the ambidexterity of their organizations.

This dissertation addresses technological, social and economIC aspects of gold production and use in the Late Iron Age of southern Africa. The topic is approached in two ways. The first is to define the fabrication technology employed in producing gold artefacts. The second is to use trace element fingerprinting to try to determine which geological deposits were exploited by gold miners of this period. Three assemblages exist that allow these questions to be addressed; Mapungubwe (1 ath - 13th century AD), Great Zimbabwe (12th - 15th century AD) and Thulamela (l4th - 17th century AD). Previous descriptions of the fabrication technology of southern African gold exist, but this is the first, systematic study of all three assemblages. The fabrication technology reconstruction used three lines of analysis; visual inspection with the naked eye, microscopy of the surfaces, and microhardness testing and metallography of selected polished samples. Fifty eight specimens were studied from Mapungubwe, two hundred and sixty eight pieces from Great Zimbabwe and fifteen from Thulamela. Trade and socio-economic effects of southern Africa's Later Iron Age are discussed in the light of the now available trace element analysis and fabrication technology of the gold artefacts studied here. No tools for working gold have been found, and inferences have been made by modelling them on tools for copper and iron working. The basic toolkit consisted of a blade, hammer, chisel, a punch and an anvil. There were four basic artefact types; wire, beads, foil and tacks. There was no significant stylistic change in artefact types and the number of artefact types in the three assemblages. Cold working and annealing were standard practices in fabrication. Ten finished artefacts types have been identified; wrapped, rolled and punched beads, foil, strips cut from foil, tacks, straight and coiled wire, rod sections and links. Other gold artefacts were recovered but were either offeuts or in the process of being made into one of the ten types described above. These are prills, discs and offcuts. Trace element groups were based on grouping the samples by similarities in the signature profiles. Identification was on the basis of the presence and absence of metallic impurities. It was deduced that alluvial gold mining was practised alongside reef gold mining. Mixing of gold ores occurred. Alloying was not intentionally practised. Identification of the gold sources would require further analysis of unworked material from potential geological sources.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.
Committee Chair: Fisk, Arthur D.; Committee Member: Corso, Gregory; Committee Member: Essa, Irfan A.; Committee Member: Roberts, James S.; Committee Member: Rogers, Wendy A.; Committee Member: Van Ittersum, Koert.. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Creativity and innovation are significant for the creation of a knowledge and productive base economy with its associated growth, sustainability and job creation. However it is noticed that students will need to employ the techniques on creativity and innovation in order to prepare themselves sufficiently to become business owners and entrepreneurs in this current global world where government jobs are difficult to come by. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine creative and innovative techniques that will prepare final-year students to become entrepreneurs. A hard copy Word document questionnaire was considered an appropriate measurement method for this study. The targeted population of the study included entrepreneurial experts, business owners, teachers and lecturers of business management/studies in the Sisonke District of Kwazulu Natal Province. Thus, some 100 entrepreneur experts, owners of businesses, teachers and lecturers were identified as part of the sampling frame. A total number of 67 questionnaires were administered out of the 100 targeted– giving a response rate of 67%. The quantitative data were processed using Excel, leading to appropriate descriptive statistical analyses, including frequencies, means, medians and standard deviations. In order to obtain a better understanding of a model that will prepare final year students to become entrepreneurs, problem statements and sub-problems were stated and a t-test was used to establish demographic variables, whilst correlation analysis among skills was conducted regarding the model of creative and innovative techniques. Factor analysis was conducted using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient which confirms that training in the model will prepare students to become entrepreneurs. The results from the empirical study revealed that a model of creative and innovative techniques will prepare students to become entrepreneurs, with a total of 70% of respondents attesting to it. Based on the relevant literature study and the empirical results, recommendations were made in order to support the training needs of students on creativity and innovation techniques. However, the unavailability of an exhaustive entrepreneurial experts database and small number of further education and training colleges in the Sisonke District, did not allow the research to draw on a larger representative sample. Thus, this limitation has impeded in-depth statistical analysis that would have allowed the research to obtain more accurate findings. Further studies could be investigated from lecturers, business owners and experts whether an introduction of a special curriculum on creativity and innovation in further education and training schools may prepare students to become entrepreneurs.

The field of media assistance has grown ever more complex with the inclusion of ‘new media’ networks, channels, tools and practices (such as the Internet, satellite television, mobile devices, social media and citizen journalism) to the media development mix. Adding to the ferment is the increasing convergence between the formerly discrete terrains of ICT for development, media for development and (mass) media development. Much of the discussion regarding the utility and objectives of media development in general and ‘new media’ in particular has been viewed through a modernist and techno-determinist prism which offers a limited ideological view of media development and its objects and consequently, a limited set of communication approaches and strategies. This study contextualises the assumptions of media development historically and critically, with particular focus on new media’s roles and relationships with the media environment, and its objectives democratisation and development. Through the application of literature, theory and various research studies, this thesis establishes a broader view of new media’s role and diverse consequences for media development, democracy and development. The study recommends greater collaboration, contextual research and theorisation of media development and new media as part of mixed media systems and cognisant of the multi-dimensional natures of its objects of democracy and development. One implication is the need for professionalisation of the media development and media assistance sector. In relation to the influences of new media on media use and the media as an institution, it motivates the need to address digital divides and emphasise the sustainability of the practice of journalism.

While most scholars agree that the development of increasingly sophisticated computer-based technologies over the past thirty years and their ubiquitous use in work settings are important technological transformations, it is still question whether they constitute large-scale and meaningful social transformations. In this dissertation, it is argued that transformations cannot be understood by studying technologies in isolated and circumscribed analyses, rather they must be understood in the historical and socio-political context of their development and use. Several important questions are being asked: Will social relations in work settings be transformed so that they are more collaborative and less hierarchical, as many proponents of new group support systems predict? Will workers in computer-using organizations share equally in the production and control of skills and knowledge? Or will the use of new technologies reinforce and reproduce the current distribution of power, authority and knowledge in organizations? In order to answer these questions, a meta-analytic framework is developed. It comprises a continuum from micro- to macro-social interaction contexts, including six key fields of action surrounding the use of new technologies: (1) design; (2) use; (3) infrastructure of support; (4) work group governance; (5) organizational contexts; and (6) organizational fields. Four field studies are conducted with in vivo, ongoing organizational work groups using three new computer-based information technologies. There is little indication that hierarchical forms of work group governance are being restructured along the lines of more flexible and collaborative forms of work organization. There is, however, some evidence for power shifts among relatively disenfranchised high status participants in ongoing project teams. In addition, distinctive cultures emerged in ongoing groups that used group collaboration systems. In the desktop computing and desktop group support system work groups, skills and knowledge about their own computing environment were differentially distributed, so that lower status workers were less knowledgeable. Thus, the routine use of new technologies is most likely to reinforce the current distribution of authority and power in organizations.

This study employs duality theory to model the dairy industry. Supply and demands for milk, cull cows, feed, labor and veterinary services were simultaneously estimated using Weighted Least Squares. Elasticities and partial adjustments were obtained for the Nation and the following regions, Appalachia, Cornbelt, Northeast, Pacific, Southern Plains and Upper-Midwest. Predictions for the change in quantity of goods demanded and supplied were made assuming a parallel shift in the supply of milk and demand for feed. In conclusion, predictions on the impact of bovine Somatotropin are made assuming all results are correct.

Includes bibliograhical references (leaves 239-251) Concerned with the influence that the production of innovative goods has on the economic growth rate of a country. Proposes that amongst the developed economies, the higher the level of production of innovative goods within a country, the higher the GDP growth rate, all else being equal.

Technological change and time preference are two important factors affecting the mechanics of the process of economic growth, and the endogeneity of these factors receives increasing attention in recent studies. This thesis provides analyses of the roles of endogenous technological change and endogenous time preference in the growth process, With particular interests in long—run growth7 the organization and direction of innovation, equilibrium dynamics, and improvements of household welfare. The thesis consists of the following chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research. Chapter 2 reviews the related literature and the modelling foundations that are extended in the thesis. Chapter 3 extends the basic Schumpeterian growth model to investigate the relation between the cooperative R&D decision by firms and the aggregate technological Change (productivity growth). In a duopolistic intermediate—good market, duopolistic firms are concerned With their individual R&D cost and profits in noncooperative R&D, Which yields a constant successful probability of innovation; whereas in cooperative R&D, the learning ability and the probability of successful innovation for the duopohsts increase as the level of technology grows, but the R&D cost and profits are shared equally. We show that the duopolists prefer to cooperate in R&D as the economy converges Closer toward the frontier, Which is consistent With our empirical evidence. Moreover, we analyse the dynamics of the convergence paths induced by both R&D cooperation options, implying that if the learning ability of the duopolists is sufficiently high, the economy converges toward a high—technology steady state near the frontier; however, the economy’s technology relative to the frontier may stop growing in a nonconvergence trap if the cost of imitation is relatively low. Chapter 4 focuses on the direction of technological change and its effect on the growth process and individual welfare. This chapter proposes a directed technological change model where managerial skills become complementary to the production skills in intermediate—good production, and it provides the solutions of high— relative to low—skilled technologies and long-run growth rates. We derive several results from this framework. First, weak and strong equilibrium biases of technological change still hold for the management sectors such that an increase in the relative managerial skills raises the wage inequality between high— and low-skilled managers, which explains the empirical evidence in the US, Australian and British labour markets. Second, the transitional dynamics of the economy—wide technology implies that a sectoral management shock causes temporary growth in both the aggregate total factor productivity and the aggregate output, which is higher than the balanced growth path level. Third, we show that education but not on—the—job training can be a feasible scheme to acquire managerial skills if individuals are heterogeneous in their ability. Chapter 5 investigates the determinants of time preference and their effects on equilibrium dynamics in the canonical neoclassical growth model, the AK model, and the real business cycle (RBC) model. Two types of marginal impatience endogenize the representative household’s discount function to alter its time preference: increasing (Koopmans—Uzawa type) and decreasing (Becker-Mulligan type), which are induced by current consumption and future—oriented capital, respectively. In the canonical neo—classical growth model, we derive a set of sufficient conditions for a unique steady state equilibrium, in which local stability still holds when marginal return to capital decreases more slowly than marginal impatience. Moreover, based on functional forms and assumptions, this framework can be extended to the endogenous version of neo—classical growth: the AK model, which sustains long—run growth. In an application of the uncertainty version—the RBC model in a small open economy—the equilibrium level of future—oriented capital is obtained in a reduced form, which simultaneously overcomes the nonstationarity problem. The positive relation (procyclicality) between the turnover of future—oriented and current consumption is also consistent with the empirical evidence from Australia. Chapter 6 summarises the research results and points out directions of future research. This thesis has implications for improving a household’s welfare. In Chapter 3, we find that the representative household in a country that converges towards the frontier along the cooperative R&D path can have higher welfare than the household in a country along the noncooperative R&D convergence path. Moreover, we claim that the government could contribute a lump—sum subsidy as a growth maximization policy for the economy to ameliorate the under contribution to learning ability of duopolistic firms resulted from the decentralized equilibrium, which could lead to growth and welfare maximization, simultaneously. Chapter 4 shows that subsidies to encourage education can increase the supply of one type of skill. If an individual belongs to this type of skilled group, the between-group wage inequality will increase this individual’s welfare if the bias of technological change is strong enough to offset the time cost of education. Finally, Chapter 5 demonstrates that expenditures by the household on particular goods reduce the remoteness of future pleasures. If the effect of these expenditures on the rate of time preference exceeds their counterpart in current utility, the household’s welfare will also be improved.