Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Auto-determination Theory"

This paper investigates a real-world distribution problem arising in the vehicle production industry, particularly in a logistics company, in which cars and vans must be loaded on auto-carriers and then delivered to dealerships. A solution to the problem involves the loading and optimal routing, without violating the capacity and time window constraints for each auto-carrier. A two-phase heuristic algorithm was implemented to solve the problem. In the first phase the heuristic builds a route with an optimal insertion procedure, and in the second phase the determination of a feasible loading. The experimental results show that the purposed algorithm can be used to tackle the transportation problem in terms of minimizing total traveling distance, loading/unloading operations and transportation costs, facilitating a decision-making process for the logistics company.

According to Self-determination Theory (SDT), there are only three psychological needs - competence, autonomy and relatedness - truly fundamental and essential for human being’s health and well-being, which can be satisfied by individuals while engaging in a wide variety of behaviors that may differ among individuals and be differentially manifest in different cultures. However, a number of questions have been raised about SDT’s contention that there are only those three basic psychological needs. The present study discusses the possibility that the security need should be considered as a basic need and its relation to the accepted three basic psychological needs. Using the Cultural Theory framework the degree of satisfaction of the basic needs, depending on the type of culture, is also presented.Keywords: Security needs, basic psychological needs, risks, self-determination, Cultural Theory.Las necesidades de seguridad: algunas consideraciones sobre su integración en la Teoría de la Auto-determinación (TAD)Resumen: De acuerdo con la Teoría de la Autodeterminación (SDT, por sus siglas en inglés) solamente existen tres necesidades psicológicas – competencia, autonomía y asociación – verdaderamente fundamentales y esenciales para la salud y el bienestar de los seres humanos, las cuales pueden ser satisfechas por los individuos en una gran variedad de comportamientos que pueden diferir entre los individuos y manifestarse de distinta manera en diferentes culturas. Sin embargo, han surgido una serie de cuestionamientos sobre la afirmación de la Teoría de la Autodeterminación de que sólo existen esas tres necesidades básicas. El presente estudio discute la posibilidad de que la necesidad de seguridad debe ser considerada como una necesidad básica y su relación con las tres necesidades psicológicas aceptadas.Palabras clave: Necesidades de seguridad, necesidades psicológicas básicas, riesgos, autodeterminación, Teoría Cultural.

In the last few years, water utilities have recognized the importance of evaluating the safety of water distribution networks from the potential risks of contamination, arising from failures or from intentional (targeted) or random attacks. Research literature has been recently focused on the optimal design of efficient detection systems, generally expressed as the problem of the optimal placement of monitoring sensors. In this paper, we introduce a methodology for calculating an index of vulnerability that represents the tendency of an injected contaminant to spread over the network. Epanet quality simulations are performed in order to determine the distribution function of the number of potentially contaminated nodes. The results show how such distribution is overall fitted by a stretched exponential law. The comparison with an auto-similar, tree-like network (described by a power-law) allows the determination of the Vulnerability Index, which quantifies how “far” the behavior of a given system deviates from pure scale-freeness. It is analytically calculated by a two-fold approximation of the stretched exponential and provides an alternative way of evaluating robustness against random water contamination. Different networks can then be directly compared, in order to assess and prioritize control measures and interventions.

AbstractResearch suggests that students put more effort into language learning when they feel that it is a voluntary and self-relevant activity or they enjoy the process of mastering that language (i.e., they have a more self-determined orientation). This orientation is fostered when learners feel autonomous, competent, and related to others in their learning environment. We followed 162 university students of French across one semester to examine these causal claims longitudinally. Latent growth curve modeling showed that feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and self-determined motivation increased across the semester while engagement declined. Parallel processes growth curve modeling showed that declines in engagement across the semester were attenuated to the extent that self-determined motivation increased. Auto-regressive cross-lagged analysis showed that, contrary to expectation, more engagement as the semester started predicted greater self-determination mid-semester (instead of vice versa), but these relations became reciprocal from mid-semester on. These findings are consistent with a dynamic model of motivation that emphasizes the reciprocal interplay between motivational constructs over the duration of a language course. The implications of these findings for motivation theory and instructional practices are discussed.

This paper is using the fundamental forecasting model, which is a monetarist theory of exchange rate determination, for the current forecasting. This theory is tested empirically by using data, spot and forward rates and a variety of macro-variables from seven different countries with respect the U.S., as our domestic country. A GARCH-M model is used to forecast the volatility of the spot exchange rate. The paper is also using a Vector Auto-regression (VAR) framework to forecast simultaneously spot (s_t) and forward (f_t) exchange rates by utilizing exogenous macro-variables, time trends, and policy instruments. Further, at the end an impulse response function and a Hodrick-Prescott filter are used to present visually the behavior of the spot exchange rate. The countries used in the empirical work are, U.S. with respect the Euro-zone, Mexico, Canada, U.K., Switzerland, Japan, and Australia. The results show that these methods are giving very good forecasting for these seven exchange rates by minimizing the standard error of the regression (SER) and the root mean squared error (RMSE). Of course, uncertainty exists always in the forecasting of any economic variables, due to unanticipated public policies (monetary, fiscal, and trade) and other “innovations” in our financial markets, plus the new philosophies (i.e., liberalism, lack of ethics, perversions, DEI, AI, wars, BRICS, etc.), official measurements, and value system in our markets, societies, and way of living.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unprecedented exposure to Potentially Morally Injurious Events (PMIEs) for nurses, in which they were both moral transgressors and moral victims, with deleterious consequences on their psycho-social health and functioning. Our experimental design compared memories of PMIEs with memories of severe moral transgressions (SMTs), in which participants were only moral transgressors. Drawing from Self-Determination Theory and research on moral auto-biographical episodic memories, we assessed a conceptual model describing the impact of recalling a single PMIE or SMT event on nurses’ burnout, work satisfaction and adaptive performance. Our convenience sample comprised 614 Romanian nurses, and data was analyzed with path analysis, general linear modelling, and t-tests. Findings showed that memories of PMIEs, compared to SMTs, were more autonomy thwarting, being associated with more controlled work motivation, less moral learning, higher burnout, less work satisfaction, and adaptive performance. Burnout, moral learning, and work satisfaction were significant mediators of the relationships between PMIE and SMT recall and, respectively, adaptive performance. Our results highlight the urgency for organizational practices of moral repair for nurses after the pandemic, along with interventions meant to increase their autonomy and self-determined work motivation.

In his writings on architecture Derrida defines it as "the last fortress of metaphysics" and supports the necessity of a deconstruction of architecture involving its theory as well as its practice. The essay intends to unfold the meaning of these propositions referring them to Derrida's determination of the Western concept and tradition of the political as "onto-topopolitics" (Spectres de Marx, 1993). In the Western culture the political has always been bound to the issue of the gathering within space, of the closing of frontiers as the condition of its living unity. The place and territory are not simple material elements that add to the political, but they are essential to the constitution of the dream of the living unity of the political, the metaphysical illusion of a full and pure auto-sufficiency keeping alterity and alteration out of what we take as our own individual, social, cultural and political identity. According to Derrida, the deconstruction of architecture has to demystify such illusion and to open the space of a different practice of architecture. A space where the possibility of the relationship to the other discloses itself as the irreducible condition of each form of identity

The welding process is characterized by its high energy density, making it imperative to optimize the energy consumption of welding robots without compromising the quality and efficiency of the welding process for their sustainable development. The above evaluation objectives in a particular welding situation are mostly influenced by the welding process parameters. Although numerical analysis and simulation methods have demonstrated their viability in optimizing process parameters, there are still limitations in terms of modeling accuracy and efficiency. This paper presented a framework for optimizing process parameters of welding robots in industry settings, where data augmentation was applied to expand sample size, auto machine learning theory was incorporated to quantify reflections from process parameters to evaluation objectives, and the enhanced non-dominated sorting algorithm was employed to identify an optimal solution by balancing these objectives. Additionally, an experiment using Q235 as welding plates was designed and conducted on a welding platform, and the findings indicated that the prediction accuracy on different objectives obtained by the enlarged dataset through ensembled models all exceeded 95%. It is proven that the proposed methods enabled the efficient and optimal determination of parameter instructions for welding scenarios and exhibited superior performance compared with other optimization methods in terms of model correctness, modeling efficiency, and method applicability.

The article deals with the dynamics of the semantic complex of dominant units in poetic text. Units of poetic text are divided into constant and dominant ones. Constant units realize the function of the context formation. They have one clear meaning. Dominant units realize the function of semantization. They are poly-interpretative. The methodology of the work is based on the theory of intertextuality which is viewed from the position of structural, interpretative and lingua-cultural approaches. The brief typology and characteristics of intertextual relations are given: auto- (self-quotations, self-allusions), in- (quotations, allusions), para- (structural and compositional units of a text such as a title, an epigraph, etc.) and arch-textuality (genre imitation; referring to well-known artistic images or cultural phenomena). The paper presents the model of analysis of dominant units in poetic text. The analysis is carried out in five steps: fragmentation, contextual analysis, search and determination of intertextual relations between the analyzed unit and units of address texts, contextual analysis of address texts, synthesis of the obtained contextual meanings. The practical material under study is the poem Elegy by the Canadian poet L. Cohen. The unit of analysis is the personal pronoun he in the given poetic text. The paper establishes intertextual relations between Elegy and texts from Greek mythology, the Holy Bible, Christian culture, and other works by L. Cohen. The conducted analysis shows that intertextual relations between the studied units initiate exchange and superimposition of their context meanings. As a result, the studied unit can have several meanings (some of which are not present in dictionaries but unique for the given author) within the same context. In this way, the dynamics of the semantic complex of the studied units and poetic text is realized.

The recent publication of André Bazin's Écrits complets (2018), an enormous two-volume edition of 3000 pages which increases ten-fold Bazin's available corpus, provides opportunities for renewed reflection on, and possibly for substantial revisions of, this key figure in film theory. On the basis of several essays, I propose a drastic rereading of Bazin's most explicitly philosophical notion of “ontology.” This all too familiar notion, long settled into a rather dust-laden couple (“Bazin and ontology”) nonetheless retains its fascination. Rather than attempting to provide a systematic reworking of this couple along well established lines, particularly those defined by realism and indexicality, this article proposes to shift the notion of ontology in Bazin from its determination as actual existence toward a more radical concept of ontology based on the notion of mimesis, particularly as articulated, in a Heideggerian mode, by Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe. This more properly ontological concept, also paradoxically and radically improper, is shown to be at work already in Bazin's texts, and it allows us to see that far from simplistically naturalizing photographic technology, Bazin does the contrary: he technicizes nature. If Bazin says that the photograph is a flower or a snowflake, he also implies that, like photographs, these are likewise a kind of technical artifact, an auto-mimetic reproduction of nature. Bazin likewise refers to film as a kind of skin falling away from the body of History, an accumulating pellicule in which nature and history disturbingly merge. This shifted perspective on Bazin's thinking is extended further in reference to Georges Didi-Huberman on the highly mimetic creatures known as phasmids, insects that mimic their environement. I extend this into the dynamic notion of eternal return, an implicit dimension of Bazin's thinking, clarified here in reference to Giorgio Agamben and the “immemorial image” which, like Bazin's “Death Every Afternoon,” presents an eminently repeatable deathly image, an animated corpse-world that can be likened to hell.

Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais<br>Nos atuais ambientes económicos, caracterizados pela sua constante mutação, a inovação das empresas tem-se tornado, cada vez mais, numa necessidade para a conquista de vantagens competitivas nos seus mercados de atuação. Assumindo a Criatividade como um dos primeiros passos no processo de inovação de uma empresa, este estudo pretende analisar os fatores que motivam o comportamento criativo dos colaboradores, tendo por base a Teoria da Autodeterminação, dando contributos à gestão sobre os vários caminhos de incentivo à Criatividade. Para tal, e partindo do modelo psicológico da criatividade de Amabile et al. (1993) e do modelo interacionista de Woodman e Schoenfeldt (1989), foi elaborado um questionário, aplicado ao setor das Tecnologias e Comunicações, por forma a inquirir a influência de fatores individuais, grupais e organizacionais na sua Criatividade no seio do seu local de trabalho. Os dados recolhidos foram analisados segundo uma metodologia mista: a aplicação da metodologia quantitativa permitiu averiguar as relações entre a criatividade e os vários fatores; a metodologia qualitativa, segundo a aplicação da fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), possibilitou a análise de quatro configurações causais explicativas do comportamento criativo e de outras quatro referentes à ausência de criatividade.<br>In today's economic environments, marked by their constant changes, innovation embraced by companies has become a growing necessity for gaining competitive advantages in corporate markets. By assuming Creativity as one of the first steps in a company's innovation process, this study aims to analyse the factors that motivate the creative behaviour of employees, based on the Self-Determination Theory, thus aiding management in many ways to encourage creativity. In order to do this and starting with the psychological model of creativity of Amabile et al. (1993) and the interactionist model of Woodman and Schoenfeldt (1989), a questionnaire was elaborated and applied to the Technologies and Communications sector. Its objective was to investigate the influence of individual, group and organizational factors on the Creativity of these employees at their workplace. The collected data was analysed according to a mixed methodology: the application of the quantitative methodology allowed an investigation to be carried out on the relationships between creativity and the various factors involved; the qualitative methodology, according to the application of the fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), allowed for an analysis to be performed on four explanatory causal configurations of creative behaviour and four others related to the absence of creativity.<br>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Cette recherche a été menée auprès d'étudiants de Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles Scientifiques. Un de ses objectifs est d'analyser l'influence des variables motivationnelles sur la performance académique. L’auto-efficacité académique, l’orientation des buts et la motivation autodéterminée sont souvent citées pour leur rôle majeur dans la réussite universitaire. Ces variables sont issues de cadres théoriques distincts et nous souhaitons étudier comment elles s'influencent mutuellement. Des outils psychométriques, dont une échelle d’auto-efficacité académique, ont été créés et validés. Des analyses en pistes causales ont été effectuées afin de proposer un modèle traduisant les influences qui existent entre variables motivationnelles et performances académiques.Nos résultats montrent que :- l’auto-efficacité est la seule variable motivationnelle à avoir une influence directe sur les performances académiques ;- le but d’approche de la maîtrise est sous influence de l’auto-efficacité et une orientation vers ce type de but influence positivement la motivation intrinsèque et négativement l’amotivation ;- le but d’approche de la performance a une influence positive sur les différentes formes de motivation extrinsèque et, parmi ces dernières, la motivation extrinsèque à régulation identifiée influence positivement l’auto-efficacité tandis que la motivation extrinsèque à régulation externe l’influence négativement ;- l’amotivation influence négativement l’auto-efficacité académique ;- l’impact de l’amotivation sur les performances académiques est totalement médiatisée par l’auto-efficacité.Des prolongements de cette étude et certaines applications sont proposés<br>This research has been carried out among French science students enrolled in CPGE (Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles). One of its objectives is to study how motivational variables influence academic achievement. Academic self-efficacy, achievement goals or self-determined motivation are reported to play an important part in academic achievement. By relating self-efficacy, goal orientations and motivation, as conceptualized in self-determination theory, to both preceding and subsequent academic achievement, it is possible to further investigate the structural relation between these variables. Therefore, we aim at analysing the mutual influences which exist among them.Psychometric tools, among which an academic self-efficacy scale, were created and validated. Path analysis were performed in order to produce a multivariate model including motivational variables, previous academic performance and subsequent academic achievement. Our results showed that:- self-efficacy is the only motivational variable that directly influences academic achievement; - mastery approach goal, which is influenced by self-efficacy, enhances intrinsic motivation but is negatively related to amotivation;- performance approach goal enhances extrinsic motivation and identified regulated extrinsic motivation is positively related to self-efficacy while externally regulated extrinsic motivation is negatively related to it;- amotivation is negatively related to self-efficacy;- Self-efficacy beliefs are mediators between amotivation and subsequent academic achievement.Future research could build on these findings. Suggestions of applications are provided

Du point de vue du philosophe Friedrich Nietzsche, il n’y a pas de réalité qui existe en soi, pas de fait brut, pas de réalité absolue : tout ce que nous définissons comme étant la réalité n’est, en fait, que le résultat de processus d’interprétation qui nous sont propres. Or, les données stockées sur les systèmes d’information ne sont souvent rien d’autre que la représentation codée de déclarations émises par des êtres humains, relevant donc intrinsèquement de l’interprétation humaine et étant par conséquent affectées par les mêmes biais et limites qui caractérisent la psyché humaine. Cette thèse propose un nouveau cadre conceptuel, le modèle "Data Binding and Reification" (DBR), qui décrit le processus d’interprétation des données, puis de réification de l’information, en utilisant une nouvelle approche qui place les mécanismes de perception humaine au cœur de celui-ci. En mobilisant les sciences cognitives et comportementales, cette approche permet d’identifier dans quelle mesure l’intervention de l’homme et la structure de l’environnement auquel il est soumis conditionnent l’apparition de biais cognitifs affectant ces processus. Les résultats expérimentaux valident partiellement ce modèle en identifiant les caractéristiques de l’environnement affectant, dans un contexte organisationnel, le processus de collecte de données et la qualité des informations produites. Ces travaux ouvrent de nombreuses perspectives, telles que l’élaboration d’une architecture de choix au sens de l’économiste Richard Thaler, pouvant améliorer le processus même de collecte de données en modifiant l’expérience des utilisateurs du système d’information<br>From the perspective of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, there is no reality that exists in itself, no raw fact, no absolute reality: everything that we define as reality is, in fact, only the result of interpretation processes that are unique to us. Mo-reover, the data stored in information systems is often nothing more than the coded representation of statements made by human beings, thereby inherently involving human interpretation and consequently being affected by the same biases and limitations that characterize the human psyche. This thesis introduces a new conceptual framework, the "Data binding and reification" (DBR) model, that describes the process of data interpretation, and then the reification of information, using a new approach that places human-perception mechanisms at the heart of this process. By mobilizing cognitive and beha-vioral sciences, this approach allows us to identify to what extent human intervention and the structure of the environment to which one is subjected condition the emergence of cognitive biases affecting these processes. Experimental results partially validate this model by identifying the characteristics of the environment that affect, in an organizational context, the data-collection process and the quality of the information produced. This work opens up numerous perspectives, such as the development of a choice architecture in the sense of the economist Richard Thaler, which could improve the very process of data collection by modifying the experience of users of the information system

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto Universitário<br>O presente estudo teve como principal objectivo analisar a relação entre diferentes variáveis motivacionais (estilos de auto-regulação) e diferentes indicadores de bem-estar associados à prática de exercício físico. Esta análise foi realizada há luz da Teoria da Auto-Determinação onde é proposto que os objectivos inerentes à motivação variam de sujeito para sujeito e são um continuum entre motivação intrínseca e motivação extrínseca, dependendo do grau de interiorização que o indivíduo faz das suas experiências. A amostra foi constituída por 431 pessoas, de ambos os sexos, com idades compreendidas entre os 17 e os 66 anos (M=29.12; DP=10.92), na qual foram identificados 316 praticantes de exercício físico e 115 nãopraticantes. Foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos: Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire 2, para avaliar os cinco estilos de regulação motivacional para a prática de exercício físico; Satisfaction With Life Scale, para avaliar o bem-estar subjectivo e a qualidade de vida; Flourishing Scale, para avaliar áreas importantes como: propósito na vida, relacionamentos, sentimento de competência e optimismo; Escala de Crescimento Pessoal, sendo uma das dimensões do Psychological Well-being Scale, avalia o desenvolvimento pessoal e a abertura a novas experiências; Subjective Happiness Scale, que avalia o nível de felicidade. Os resultados deste estudo indicam a existência de uma associação significativa entre variáveis de motivação e de bem-estar, destacando-se a regulação intrínseca (comportamento auto-determinado) que apresentou um poder, estatisticamente significativo, capaz de predizer diferentes variáveis de bem-estar, na prática de exercício físico.<br>ABSTRACT: This study's main objective was to analyze the relationship between different motivational variables (self-regulatory styles) and different well-being indicators associated with physical exercise. This analysis was performed under guidance consistent with the Self- Determination Theory where it is proposed that the objectives of the motivation vary from subject to subject and are a continuum between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, depending on the degree of internalization that individuals make their experiences. The sample consisted of 431 people, of both sexes, aged 17 to 66 (M=29.12; DP=10.92), in which 316 were identified exercise as practitioners and 115 non-practicing individuals. The following instruments were used: Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire 2, to evaluate the five styles of motivational regulation for physical exercise; Satisfaction With Life Scale to assess subjective well-being and quality of life; Flourishing Scale to assess important areas such as: purpose in life, relationships, feelings of competence and optimism; Personal Growth Scale, one of the dimensions of Psychological Well-being Scale, assesses personal development and openness to new experiences; Subjective Happiness Scale, which assesses the level of happiness. The results of this study indicate the existence of a significant association between motivation variables and well-being, highlighting the intrinsic regulation (self-determined behavior) who presented a power, statistically significant, able to predict different well-being variables in physical exercise.

Doutoramento em Motricidade Humana, especialidade em Saúde e Condição Física<br>The present Thesis was set within a longitudinal randomized controlled trial, consisting of a 1-year theory-based behavior change intervention and a 2-year follow-up period with no intervention. This trial included 239 overweight or obese women (age: 37.6±7 y; BMI: 31.5±4.1 kg/m2) who were premenopausal and free from identified disease. The main intervention was designed to increase physical activity and internal motivation, following self-determination theory (SDT). While tested before for other health behaviors with promising results, SDT had never been previously applied to weight management in longterm, controlled designs. Thus, the four studies comprising this Thesis were designed to provide a comprehensive analysis of how a theory-based intervention, implemented to affect specific theory-based mediators, would impact exercise adherence and body weight change both in short and long-term, from a SDT perspective. After a complete description of the study protocol, theoretical framework, and main intervention strategies (study 1), study 2 showed that the intervention was successful in affecting theory-driven mediators, physical activity, and weight change at 12 months (intervention’s end), demonstrating that the socio-contextual characteristics advanced by SDT Abstract -2- are amenable to manipulation, and revealing the potential utility of SDT to shape behavioral interventions targeting the promotion of physically active lifestyles and weight-change. Studies 3 and 4 searched for a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics of exercise motivation by exploring and testing mediational models aimed at outlining theory-based mechanisms and their impact on different types of physical activity at intervention’s end (study 3), and on long-term behavioral exercise regulations and physical activity (24-month) and 36-month weight change (study 4). Convergent with previous research, but extending it into the context of a randomized controlled trial, these studies indicated that perceived needsupportive health care climate, psychological needs for autonomy and competence, and intrinsic motivation mediate the effects of the experimental treatment climate on structured exercise behavior. Furthermore, these variables rested within the causal path of long-term weight loss, providing evidence from a link between experimentally-increased autonomous motivation, long-term physical activity adoption, and 3-year weight management. This application of SDT to physical activity and weight management provides experimental evidence that an autonomy-supportive context facilitates the internalization of regulatory processes, particularly through its effect on exercise-related constructs, which in turn promote long-term positive behavioral and clinical outcomes in overweight/obese women.<br>A presente tese foi desenvolvida no contexto de um estudo longitudinal, controlado e com distribuição aleatória, configurando uma intervenção comportamental teoricamente sustentada, com a duração de um ano, seguida de dois anos de follow-up (sem qualquer intervenção). Este estudo envolveu 239 mulheres com excesso de peso ou obesidade, prémenopausicas e sem patologia diagnosticada. O programa de intervenção foi desenhado de acordo com os princípios base da teoria da auto-determinação (TAD), visando sobretudo o aumento da motivação intrínseca para a actividade física, procurando-se promover a sua adesão a longo prazo. Apesar de este enquadramento conceptual já ter sido testado com resultados promissores na promoção de vários comportamentos de saúde, não há relato de um teste experimental, com avaliações no longo prazo, da TAD no âmbito do controlo do peso. Os 4 artigos que constituem esta tese, no seu conjunto, foram desenhados para permitir a análise do modo como uma intervenção teoricamente sustentada, desenhada e implementada para ter efeito em variáveis-alvo mediadoras poderá influenciar a adesão ao exercício e a alteração do peso corporal, tanto no curto como no longo prazo. Partindo de uma descrição pormenorizada do protocolo experimental, das principais estratégias de intervenção e do racional teórico que as sustenta (estudo 1), o estudo 2 veio demonstrar que, 1 ano após o seu inicio, a intervenção parece ter sido bem sucedida na promoção de actividade física e perda de peso, tendo exercido influência positiva ao nível das principais variáveis-alvo mediadoras (por comparação com o grupo de controlo). Este estudo evidenciou a possibilidade de manipulação experimental das principais características sóciocontextuais identificadas pela TAD como fundamentais na promoção de estilos de vida activos, compatíveis com a eficaz gestão do peso. Os estudos 3 e 4 representam a passagem do estudo do impacto da intervenção para a procura de entendimento dos principais mecanismos motivacionais envolvidos. Com recurso ao teste de modelos mediacionais, procurou-se estudar o efeito diferenciado das variáveis-alvo identificadas pela TAD na adopção de diferentes tipos de actividade física um ano após o inicio da intervenção (estudo 3), bem como o papel das referidas variáveis na adesão continuada à actividade física (follow-up 2º ano), e alteração do peso a longo prazo (follow-up 3º ano). De forma congruente com investigações anteriores, mas estendendo-as a um enquadramento experimental e controlado, os resultados encontrados sustentam a percepção de um clima de suporte à satisfação das necessidades psicológicas básicas (autonomia e competência), e a motivação intrínseca, como mediadoras dos efeitos produzidos pela intervenção na adesão à actividade física estruturada. Estas variáveis funcionaram também como mecanismos associados ao envolvimento continuado em actividades físicas (dois anos após o início da intervenção) e controlo do peso a longo prazo (3 anos após o início da intervenção). Com base nos resultados encontrados, esta aplicação da TAD à promoção da actividade física e do controlo do peso fornece evidência experimental de que um clima de suporte ao desenvolvimento de autonomia e competência pode facilitar a internalização de regulações motivacionais mais autónomas para a actividade física, as quais se constituem como facilitadoras de mudanças comportamentais importantes e com relevância clínica, em mulheres com excesso de peso ou obesidade.

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Clínica.<br>A prática de actividade física beneficia o sujeito praticante na sua saúde física e psíquica. No entanto em todo o mundo morrem, por ano, dois milhões de pessoas e a principal causa dessas mortes são as doenças que advém da sua inactividade física. (Rocha, 2010) O exercício físico, a sua prática regular, torna-se assim uma das principais acções de promoção de saúde na população, e para isso é necessário compreender de que forma a motivação e a auto-eficácia para ultrapassar barreiras influenciam a prática de exercício físico e a sua manutenção ao longo do tempo. A presente investigação tem como objectivo adaptar, para a população Portuguesa, o instrumento que mede a motivação para a prática de exercício físico e, numa segunda linha, avaliar que diferenças existem entre três grupos de exercício distintos relativamente à motivação para a prática de exercício físico e a auto-eficácia para ultrapassar barreiras na prática de exercício físico. A partir de uma amostra de 228 participantes, que responderam a um inquérito online, dividiu-se a mesma em três grupos distintos com base nas suas respostas demográficas: praticantes regulares, praticantes irregulares e não praticantes (segundo as delineações do CDC e da ASCM). Aplicaram-se os testes de motivação para o exercício físico e da auto-eficácia para ultrapassar barreiras. A escala da motivação apresentou uma consistência satisfatória (α= 0.650) pelo que se pode considerar adaptada para a população portuguesa. Nos grupos distintos de exercício físico, não se registaram diferenças significativas para a motivação para o exercício físico, e na auto-eficácia para ultrapassar barreiras verificaram-se diferenças significativas entre os praticantes regulares e os outros dois grupos de praticantes.<br>Physical Exercise benefits the participant physical and mental health. However, every year worldwide, two million people die due to diseases that come from inactivity (Rocha, 2010). Physical exercises, its regular practice, thus become one of rhe main actions to promote health in the population. Therefore its relevant to understand in which way motivation and barriers efficacy influences the practice of physical exercice and its maintenance over time. This research intends to adapt for the Portuguese population the instrument which measures motivation towards exercise and also measure if there are differences between the three disting groups of exercise regarding motivation to pratice physical exerceise and barriers efficacy in pratice of physical exercise. Among 228 participants, who have answered a query online, they were divided in three distint groups based on there socio-demographic answers: Regular exercisers, irregular exercisers and no exercise participants (According to CDC and ASCM instructions) motivation for physical exercise and barriers efficacy questionnaire were used in the research. The validation of the motivation instrument was satisfactory (α= 0.650) and instrument was sucessfully adapted to Portuguese Population. Regarding the three distinct groups, results showed there were no differences in the motivation for physical exercise and barriers-efficacy of regular exercisers were significantly different form the other two groups of exercise.

Trabalho Final do Mestrado em Psicologia do Trabalho, das Organizações e dos Recursos Humanos apresentado à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação<br>O presente estudo tem como objetivo verificar quais dimensões do Trabalho Digno combinam as condições necessárias e / ou suficientes para um determinado resultado em termos dos vários tipos de Motivação do Trabalho, de acordo com a tipologia definida pela Teoria da Autodeterminação. A Escala Multidimensional de Motivação para o Trabalho e o Questionário de Trabalho Decente foram aplicados a 83 trabalhadores em Portugal e a análise comparativa qualitativa dos conjuntos difusos foi realizada para o produto desses instrumentos. Dentre os diferentes resultados apresentados e discutidos mais adiante nesta pesquisa, os que apresentam maior consistência são a ausência da dimensão Remuneração Significativa para o Exercício da Cidadania, necessária à Amotivação, e a presença da dimensão Realização e Trabalho Produtivo como elemento necessário vinculado à motivação social extrínseca e introjetada no trabalho; e como condição suficiente para a motivação identificada no trabalho. Isso pode indicar, entre outras descobertas, a importância de uma remuneração significativa e como a realização da atividade de trabalho é percebida. As condições necessárias e suficientes são interpretadas como processos psicológicos. Os resultados deste estudo oferecem uma melhor compreensão dos vínculos entre as variáveis, incentivando pesquisas futuras em diferentes escalas e contextos. Outras implicações teóricas e práticas, limitações do estudo e perspectivas para o futuro são apresentadas na conclusão do estudo.<br>This present study aims to verify which dimensions of Decent Work combine as necessary and / or sufficient conditions for a given outcome in terms of the various types of Work Motivation, according to the typology defined by the Self-Determination Theory. The Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale and the Decent Work Questionnaire were applied to 83 workers in Portugal and the fuzzy sets Qualitative Comparative Analysis was performed to the product of these instruments. Among the different results presented and discussed further in this research, those who show the highest consistency are the absence of the dimension of Meaningful Remuneration for the Exercise of Citizenship as necessary for Amotivation, and the presence of the dimension of Fulfilling and Productive Work as a necessary element linked to Extrinsic Social and Introjected work motivation; and as a sufficient condition for Identified Work Motivation. This can indicate, among other findings, the importance of a meaningful remuneration and how fulfilling the working activity is perceived. The necessary and the sufficient conditions are interpreted as psychological processes. The results of this study offer a better understanding of the links between the variables, encouraging future research in different scales and contexts. Further theoretical and practical implications, limitations of the study and perspectives for the future are presented at the conclusion of the study.The International Labor Organization (ILO) introduced the concept of Decent Work (DW) (ILO, 1999a, 1999b; Ferraro et al., 2015) and defined it as “opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity” (ILO, 1999b p. 3,). Since then, several disciplines have studied DW, being Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (WOPP) one of them (Ferraro et al., 2017). The approach given by the WOPP perspective (individual and subjective) improves upon the knowledge previously achieved on this concept through a micro-level of analysis (Ferraro et al, 2017), and also can add to the theory by developing new psychometric measurements of DW.On the other hand, motivation has been a popular topic for various researches trough history. Trying to find an answer on how people are and remain motivated, we focus on The Self Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000, Gagné & Deci, 2005). SDT emphasize on the differences between the content (the “what”) of the outcomes and the regulatory processes (the “why”) through which the outcomes are pursued, this differentiation helps in making predictions for different contents and for different processes (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Fuzzy sets Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is especially attuned to multiple conjunctural causations (Vis, 2012), which can be a combination of conditions that produce an outcome, when there is more than one condition that generates the same outcome (equifinality), or when depending on the context, an outcome is the result from the presence of a condition or its absence (Vis, 2012) We apply fsQCA in order to analyze the relation between the DW factors and the WM

Enquadramento: A qualidade da motivacao para a pratica de atividade fisica e considerado um importante preditor deste comportamento a longo prazo, sendo um construto central da Teoria de Auto-Determinacao. O Behavioral Regulation for Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ) e um dos instrumentos mais utilizados para avaliar as regulacoes motivacionais, apresentando bons indicdores de validade e fiabilidade. Este instrumento tem sofrido varias alteracoes como resultado de multiplos estudos de analise psicometrica e evolucao da Teoria de Auto-Determinacao. Recentemente foi desenvolvida a Versao 4 do BREQ que apresenta modificações na subescala Introjectada, e a adição de novos itens. Objetivo: Contribuir para a validação da versão portuguesa do BREQ-4, numa amostra de adultos portuguese,s através da análise das suas qualidades psicométricas Metodologia: 364 sujeitos, 231 praticantes e 113 não praticantes de atividade física, de ambos os sexos (F=) com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 69 anos (M). Resultados: Foram obtidos bons níveis de consistência interna para o questionário e as suas subescalas. A análise Fatorial Confirmatória (AFC) revelou índices de qualidade de ajustamento inferiores ao modelo original do BREQ2 de 5 fatores. Os testes t-student demonstram diferenças significativas entre praticantes e não praticantes de AF. As correlações de Pearson com o Locus Of Causality Scale for Exercise (LCE) demonstram uma associação positiva e significativa nas subescalas de maiores índices de autonomia com o LCE1 e tornando-se negativa à medida que as subescalas diminuem a sua motivação intrínseca.Conclusões: Estes resultados, levam-nos a concluir que a nova versão do BREQ4 e respetiva adaptação à língua portuguesa, pode ser utilizada na avaliação do domínio motivacional para a prática de atividade física.<br>Background: The quality of motivation is what underlines people’s choices to initiate and maintain physical activity. Purpose: Contribute to the validation of the Portuguese version of the Behavioral Regulation for Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ), using the analyses of their psychometric qualities, with few modifications of some the introjected sub scale and addition of new items. Methods: 364 participants, in which 231 practiced physical activity and 113 not, from both genders and with ages between 18 and 69 years. Results: Internal consistence results were good for the questionnaire and its sub scales. The confirmatory factorial analyses revealed inferior adjustment quality index than the original BREQ model of 5 factors. The t-student test showed significant differences between subjects physical active and not. Pearson correlations with the Locus Of Causality Scale for Exercise (LCE) demonstrate a positive and significant association between de sub scales which have greater autonomy index, with the LCE1, and become more negative as the intrinsic motivation decreases. Conclusions: With the results found in the study we can conclude that the new version of the BREQ4 and his Portuguese language adaptation can be used to evaluate in the motivational domain for the practice of physical activity.

Enquadramento: Uma fatia crescente da população pratica exercício em ginásios. Os profissionais a trabalhar neste contexto têm um papel relevante. No entanto, a sua própria motivação tem sido pouco estudada. Objetivo: Com base na Teoria da Auto-Determinação, procurou-se caraterizar uma amostra de profissionais de exercício e testar associações entre a perceção de pressões e indicadores de motivação/bem-estar laboral, analisando potenciais variáveis moderadoras. Metodologia: 366 profissionais (193 ♂) foram avaliados quanto à perceção de pressões a 3 níveis (organizacionais; internas; por parte dos clientes), burnout e work engagement, através de análises descritivas, testes de correlação de Pearson e testes de moderação. Resultados: Encontraram-se associações positivas significativas entre a perceção de pressões organizacionais (r=,224) e o burnout. Já um baixo nível de pressões internas (maior auto-determinação para o trabalho) associou-se negativamente (r=,- 189) com o burnout. O work engagement revelou-se positivamente associado com baixo nível de pressões internas (r=,220). O género (feminino) e anos de experiência (10 ou mais anos) apresentaram-se como potenciais moderadores destas associações. Conclusões: Os resultados confirmam as premissas teóricas sublinhando o papel deletério que as pressões têm ao nível do engagement, potenciando o burnout. Comportam também potencial prático, a ser tido em conta na promoção de melhores ambientes de prática, não só para clientes, mas, para os profissionais que neles trabalham, contribuindo para alteração da ideia vigente de que a existência de pressão, é uma fonte de motivação positiva.<br>Background: An increasing number of persons exercise at gym contexts. Exercise professionals are an important piece of these environments. Their motivation needs to be studied. Purpose: Using SDT as a theoretical framework, the study aimed to: characterize an exercise professionals sample; test associations between pressure perceptions (3 levels) and work related well-being indicators (burnout and work engagement); test moderator’s variables in this associations. Methods: Participants were 366 exercise professionals (males=193). Questionnaires were used to assess the variables: pressure perceptions “from above”, “from within”. “from bellow”, burnout and work engagement. Descriptive analyses, Pearson correlation tests and moderation analyses were used. Results: Significant and positive associations between pressure perception “from above” (r= ,224) and burnout were found. Lower pressures “from within” (i.e higher self-determination towards work) (r= ,-189) were negatively related with burnout. Conversely, work engagement and lower pressures “from within” were significantly and positively associated (r= ,220). Gender (female) and years of experience (10 or more years) were moderators of effect. Conclusions: The results found in the study are aligned with the theoretical fundaments by showing that perception of pressures is detrimental to engagement and linked to burn-out. They have also practical implications highlighting that pressures are not good motivators as generally convened. Thinking about motivation will contribute to a better exercise environment, both for clients and professionals.

Les études antérieures ont démontré les bénéfices de la satisfaction des besoins intrinsèques et du soutien à l’autonomie dans le domaine de l’éducation. Or, l’applicabilité des tenants principaux de la Théorie de l’Auto-Détermination (TAD; Deci & Ryan, 2000) n’a pas été investiguée auprès d’une population clinique d’adolescents. L’objectif de cette thèse doctorale est de faire la lumière sur la façon dont l'adaptation scolaire et sociale peut être favorisée par les agents de socialisation dans le contexte de la réadaptation sociale. Cette thèse est composée de deux études s’intéressant à l’application des tenants clés de la TAD auprès de deux échantillons d’adolescents vivant des problèmes d’adaptation et recevant des services d’éducation spécialisée et de réadaptation sociale. Les relations entre les concepts motivationnels de base sont étudiés afin de déterminer si, comme la TAD le propose, la satisfaction des besoins intrinsèques des jeunes peut être soutenue par le style interpersonnel des agents de socialisation (c.-à-d., le soutien à l’autonomie, l’implication et la structure). Il est aussi vérifié si ces concepts motivationnels améliorent la motivation ainsi que d’autres conséquences qui résultent de leur expérience, proposées par la TAD. La première étude a évalué si le style interpersonnel des enseignants peut favoriser la satisfaction des besoins des élèves, leur style de motivationl, tout comme leur ajustement scolaire. Les élèves en difficulté d’adaptation (N = 115) inscrits aux écoles internes des Centres de Réadaptation en raison de leurs problématiques émotionnelles et comportementales ont rempli les questionnaires à deux reprises, au début et à la fin de l’année scolaire. Les analyses de modèles d’équations structurelles révèlent que l’augmentation du soutien à l’autonomie et de l’implication (mais pas de la structure) des enseignants pendant l’année est associée à une augmentation de la satisfaction des besoins des élèves qui, conséquemment, conduit à une motivation scolaire plus auto-déterminée et à une diminution d’intentions de décrochage à la fin de l’année scolaire. De plus, l’amélioration de la satisfaction des besoins mène directement à une meilleure expérience affective à l’école. La deuxième étude consiste en une recherche expérimentale conduite auprès d’adolescentes en difficulté d’adaptation (N = 29). Le devis expérimental a permis de comparer l’impact de la présence (c. absence) du soutien à l’autonomie sur l’internalisation d’une tâche et sur les conséquences motivationnelles et expérientielles des jeunes. La tâche, fastidieuse mais importante, consistait à de la résolution de problèmes interpersonnels (activité clinique). Les résultats suggèrent qu’un style interpersonnel soutenant l’autonomie a augmenté la motivation auto-déterminée, la perception de la valeur de la tâche et son appréciation, ainsi que diminué les affects négatifs comparativement à la condition sans soutien à l’autonomie. Les résultats sont discutés en lien avec les implications théoriques et pratiques d’étendre la portée de la TAD à une population clinique d’adolescents aux prises avec des difficultés d’adaptation.<br>Prior studies have demonstrated the benefits of intrinsic need satisfaction and autonomy support in the domain of education. It remains unclear whether the motivational constructs, derived from Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) are also beneficial for clinical populations. The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on how social and academic adjustment might be promoted by socializing agents in the context of social rehabilitation. This dissertation is composed of two studies investing SDT key tenets within two samples of maladjusted teenagers receiving special education and social rehabilitation services. The relations between key motivational constructs are investigated to determine if, as proposed by SDT, youths’ intrinsic need satisfaction might by promoted by socializing agents’ interpersonal style (i.e., autonomy support, involvement, and structure). It is also predicted that these constructs will lead to motivational and experiential benefits as proposed by SDT. The first study tested whether teachers’ interpersonal style can foster students’ need satisfaction, motivation style, as well as their academic adjustment. Teenagers (N = 115) enrolled in Social Rehabilitation Centers’ special schools for maladjusted youths with severe emotional and behavioral problems completed questionnaires twice, at the beginning and the end of the school year. Structural equation modeling analysis supports a model in which teachers’ improvements in autonomy support and involvement (but not structure) are associated with students’ higher need satisfaction, which in turns leads to self-determined academic motivation and less dropout intentions at the end of the school year. Furthermore, improvement in need satisfaction leads directly to a better affective experience at school. The second study was an experimental research conducted with maladjusted female adolescents (N = 29). The experimental design allowed comparing the impact of learning a tedious, but important clinical workshop with (vs. without) autonomy support on the internalization of the interpersonal problem solving task and positive motivational and experiential outcomes. The results suggest that an autonomy-supportive interpersonal style is beneficial to youths’ experience, leading to higher self-determined motivation, perceived task’s value, task liking as well as less negative affect compared to a condition without autonomy support. Results are discussed along with the theoretical and practical implications of extending the reach of SDT to a clinical population of maladjusted teenagers.

The presence of a relation between saving and investment which has been debated in the empirical literature following the pioneering of Feldstein-Horioka (1980) is paramount to the determination of economic policies. Feldstein-Horioka (1980) stated that the relationship between saving and investment depends on the degree of international capital mobility. A high correlation between saving and investment is often taken as evidence of capital immobility. The purpose of this study is to empirically test the validity of the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle. The model developed within the context of the theoretical framework was estimated by means of panel ARDL (auto-regressive distributed lag bound test) approach which is a panel vector error correction method using the data for Eurasian economics for the period 1992-2011. The data is taken from World Development Indicators. The short-run analysis supports the Feldstein-Horioko hypothesis and captured from error correction model (ECM). The results of the bounds test suggest that there is a long run relationship between savings and investment. Therefore, the Feldstein–Horioko correlations are not a puzzle for our sample because of the low correlation and high capital mobility.

A relatively large number of papers have been published on the topic of designing and evaluation of ergonomic convenience of the driver's seat of passenger cars. However, in the scientific and technical literature, it is extremely difficult to find an article that relates to the anthropometric determination of the width of the rear seats of sedans. The primary objective of this article is to consider the possibilities of positioning of passengers with different anthropometric dimensions on the rear seat of sedans. To make this possible, the research was necessary to start with the analysis of the current situation in the global auto industry from the aforementioned aspect. Analytical procedure was initiated by specifying the identical maximal percentiles of persons that can be accommodated on the rear seat of selected models of sedans. An additional, more complex analysis has included different combinations of accommodation of adults and children. Different combinations of 55 human dimensions and the possibilities of their positioning in various types of sedans were considered. This analysis was the basis that enabled the creation of diagrams of comfortable accommodation of passengers, depending on the width of the available space on the rear seat of a sedan.

The objectives of this project were to develop procedures and models, based on neural networks, for quality sorting of agricultural produce. Two research teams, one in Purdue University and the other in Israel, coordinated their research efforts on different aspects of each objective utilizing both melons and tomatoes as case studies. At Purdue: An expert system was developed to measure variances in human grading. Data were acquired from eight sensors: vision, two firmness sensors (destructive and nondestructive), chlorophyll from fluorescence, color sensor, electronic sniffer for odor detection, refractometer and a scale (mass). Data were analyzed and provided input for five classification models. Chlorophyll from fluorescence was found to give the best estimation for ripeness stage while the combination of machine vision and firmness from impact performed best for quality sorting. A new algorithm was developed to estimate and minimize training size for supervised classification. A new criteria was established to choose a training set such that a recurrent auto-associative memory neural network is stabilized. Moreover, this method provides for rapid and accurate updating of the classifier over growing seasons, production environments and cultivars. Different classification approaches (parametric and non-parametric) for grading were examined. Statistical methods were found to be as accurate as neural networks in grading. Classification models by voting did not enhance the classification significantly. A hybrid model that incorporated heuristic rules and either a numerical classifier or neural network was found to be superior in classification accuracy with half the required processing of solely the numerical classifier or neural network. In Israel: A multi-sensing approach utilizing non-destructive sensors was developed. Shape, color, stem identification, surface defects and bruises were measured using a color image processing system. Flavor parameters (sugar, acidity, volatiles) and ripeness were measured using a near-infrared system and an electronic sniffer. Mechanical properties were measured using three sensors: drop impact, resonance frequency and cyclic deformation. Classification algorithms for quality sorting of fruit based on multi-sensory data were developed and implemented. The algorithms included a dynamic artificial neural network, a back propagation neural network and multiple linear regression. Results indicated that classification based on multiple sensors may be applied in real-time sorting and can improve overall classification. Advanced image processing algorithms were developed for shape determination, bruise and stem identification and general color and color homogeneity. An unsupervised method was developed to extract necessary vision features. The primary advantage of the algorithms developed is their ability to learn to determine the visual quality of almost any fruit or vegetable with no need for specific modification and no a-priori knowledge. Moreover, since there is no assumption as to the type of blemish to be characterized, the algorithm is capable of distinguishing between stems and bruises. This enables sorting of fruit without knowing the fruits' orientation. A new algorithm for on-line clustering of data was developed. The algorithm's adaptability is designed to overcome some of the difficulties encountered when incrementally clustering sparse data and preserves information even with memory constraints. Large quantities of data (many images) of high dimensionality (due to multiple sensors) and new information arriving incrementally (a function of the temporal dynamics of any natural process) can now be processed. Furhermore, since the learning is done on-line, it can be implemented in real-time. The methodology developed was tested to determine external quality of tomatoes based on visual information. An improved model for color sorting which is stable and does not require recalibration for each season was developed for color determination. Excellent classification results were obtained for both color and firmness classification. Results indicted that maturity classification can be obtained using a drop-impact and a vision sensor in order to predict the storability and marketing of harvested fruits. In conclusion: We have been able to define quantitatively the critical parameters in the quality sorting and grading of both fresh market cantaloupes and tomatoes. We have been able to accomplish this using nondestructive measurements and in a manner consistent with expert human grading and in accordance with market acceptance. This research constructed and used large databases of both commodities, for comparative evaluation and optimization of expert system, statistical and/or neural network models. The models developed in this research were successfully tested, and should be applicable to a wide range of other fruits and vegetables. These findings are valuable for the development of on-line grading and sorting of agricultural produce through the incorporation of multiple measurement inputs that rapidly define quality in an automated manner, and in a manner consistent with the human graders and inspectors.

The objectives of this project were to develop nondestructive methods for detection of internal properties and firmness of fruits and vegetables. One method was based on a soft piezoelectric film transducer developed in the Technion, for analysis of fruit response to low-energy excitation. The second method was a dot-matrix piezoelectric transducer of North Carolina State University, developed for contact-pressure analysis of fruit during impact. Two research teams, one in Israel and the other in North Carolina, coordinated their research effort according to the specific objectives of the project, to develop and apply the two complementary methods for quality control of agricultural commodities. In Israel: An improved firmness testing system was developed and tested with tropical fruits. The new system included an instrumented fruit-bed of three flexible piezoelectric sensors and miniature electromagnetic hammers, which served as fruit support and low-energy excitation device, respectively. Resonant frequencies were detected for determination of firmness index. Two new acoustic parameters were developed for evaluation of fruit firmness and maturity: a dumping-ratio and a centeroid of the frequency response. Experiments were performed with avocado and mango fruits. The internal damping ratio, which may indicate fruit ripeness, increased monotonically with time, while resonant frequencies and firmness indices decreased with time. Fruit samples were tested daily by destructive penetration test. A fairy high correlation was found in tropical fruits between the penetration force and the new acoustic parameters; a lower correlation was found between this parameter and the conventional firmness index. Improved table-top firmness testing units, Firmalon, with data-logging system and on-line data analysis capacity have been built. The new device was used for the full-scale experiments in the next two years, ahead of the original program and BARD timetable. Close cooperation was initiated with local industry for development of both off-line and on-line sorting and quality control of more agricultural commodities. Firmalon units were produced and operated in major packaging houses in Israel, Belgium and Washington State, on mango and avocado, apples, pears, tomatoes, melons and some other fruits, to gain field experience with the new method. The accumulated experimental data from all these activities is still analyzed, to improve firmness sorting criteria and shelf-life predicting curves for the different fruits. The test program in commercial CA storage facilities in Washington State included seven apple varieties: Fuji, Braeburn, Gala, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and D'Anjou pear variety. FI master-curves could be developed for the Braeburn, Gala, Granny Smith and Jonagold apples. These fruits showed a steady ripening process during the test period. Yet, more work should be conducted to reduce scattering of the data and to determine the confidence limits of the method. Nearly constant FI in Red Delicious and the fluctuations of FI in the Fuji apples should be re-examined. Three sets of experiment were performed with Flandria tomatoes. Despite the complex structure of the tomatoes, the acoustic method could be used for firmness evaluation and to follow the ripening evolution with time. Close agreement was achieved between the auction expert evaluation and that of the nondestructive acoustic test, where firmness index of 4.0 and more indicated grade-A tomatoes. More work is performed to refine the sorting algorithm and to develop a general ripening scale for automatic grading of tomatoes for the fresh fruit market. Galia melons were tested in Israel, in simulated export conditions. It was concluded that the Firmalon is capable of detecting the ripening of melons nondestructively, and sorted out the defective fruits from the export shipment. The cooperation with local industry resulted in development of automatic on-line prototype of the acoustic sensor, that may be incorporated with the export quality control system for melons. More interesting is the development of the remote firmness sensing method for sealed CA cool-rooms, where most of the full-year fruit yield in stored for off-season consumption. Hundreds of ripening monitor systems have been installed in major fruit storage facilities, and being evaluated now by the consumers. If successful, the new method may cause a major change in long-term fruit storage technology. More uses of the acoustic test method have been considered, for monitoring fruit maturity and harvest time, testing fruit samples or each individual fruit when entering the storage facilities, packaging house and auction, and in the supermarket. This approach may result in a full line of equipment for nondestructive quality control of fruits and vegetables, from the orchard or the greenhouse, through the entire sorting, grading and storage process, up to the consumer table. The developed technology offers a tool to determine the maturity of the fruits nondestructively by monitoring their acoustic response to mechanical impulse on the tree. A special device was built and preliminary tested in mango fruit. More development is needed to develop a portable, hand operated sensing method for this purpose. In North Carolina: Analysis method based on an Auto-Regressive (AR) model was developed for detecting the first resonance of fruit from their response to mechanical impulse. The algorithm included a routine that detects the first resonant frequency from as many sensors as possible. Experiments on Red Delicious apples were performed and their firmness was determined. The AR method allowed the detection of the first resonance. The method could be fast enough to be utilized in a real time sorting machine. Yet, further study is needed to look for improvement of the search algorithm of the methods. An impact contact-pressure measurement system and Neural Network (NN) identification method were developed to investigate the relationships between surface pressure distributions on selected fruits and their respective internal textural qualities. A piezoelectric dot-matrix pressure transducer was developed for the purpose of acquiring time-sampled pressure profiles during impact. The acquired data was transferred into a personal computer and accurate visualization of animated data were presented. Preliminary test with 10 apples has been performed. Measurement were made by the contact-pressure transducer in two different positions. Complementary measurements were made on the same apples by using the Firmalon and Magness Taylor (MT) testers. Three-layer neural network was designed. 2/3 of the contact-pressure data were used as training input data and corresponding MT data as training target data. The remaining data were used as NN checking data. Six samples randomly chosen from the ten measured samples and their corresponding Firmalon values were used as the NN training and target data, respectively. The remaining four samples' data were input to the NN. The NN results consistent with the Firmness Tester values. So, if more training data would be obtained, the output should be more accurate. In addition, the Firmness Tester values do not consistent with MT firmness tester values. The NN method developed in this study appears to be a useful tool to emulate the MT Firmness test results without destroying the apple samples. To get more accurate estimation of MT firmness a much larger training data set is required. When the larger sensitive area of the pressure sensor being developed in this project becomes available, the entire contact 'shape' will provide additional information and the neural network results would be more accurate. It has been shown that the impact information can be utilized in the determination of internal quality factors of fruit. Until now,