Media Under the Microscope: A Practice-Based Analysis of Australian Media Coverage of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Exegesis and creative artefact submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Journalism Studies) to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p

THE INFLUENCE OF THE TYPE OF STARTER CULTURE ON RIPENING PROCESSES, PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND SENSORIC CHARACTERISTICS OF WHITE CHEESE

Traditional starters are used for different types of cheese, a mixed associations of microorganisms. The mixed starters contain more species and strains of bacteria isolated from traditional starters. Depending on the type of cheese are produced, they prevail mesophilous bacteria: Leuconostoc lactis ssp lactis and Leuconostoc lactis ssp cremoris, strains of the genus Leuconostoc or thermophilous: Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp bulgaricus Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp lactis and Lactobacillus Helveticus. Starter cultures are used for cheese production for conversion into lactic acid from lactose from milk, decreases with pH value of the middle and have influence on the aroma of the resulting cheese with fermentation of lactose in combination with the degradation of proteins, thus affecting the taste of cheese. Cheese which is obtained by using starter cultures have better organoleptic properties and is more acceptable by consumers. Starter cultures of bacteria are active during the whole process of producing the cheese. In this thesis are considered the most important issues that define the biochemical changes during thirty days ripening of the white cheese obtained with the use of starter cultures. In order to obtain soft white cheese two starter cultures are used: 1.Thermophil starter (Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. Bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) and 2.Mixed starter (Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbruecki, subspecies bulgaricus). Changes that occur in lactose, protein, moisture content, the content of milk fat, contributes to the formation of aroma and texture of the cheese.Based on the results obtained it can be deferred that the cheese obtained with mixed starter has showed improved sensory features, which means a greater acceptance of the same the consumer

Web-based ERP Systems : With a focus on SMEs

Web-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems deployed through theSoftware-as-a-Service (SaaS) model are a major disruptive technology in the fieldof ERP systems. The defining features of the SaaS are that they are hosted remotelyand are completely used through the web; they are subscription-payment basedand they operate on a multi-tenant fashion. This technological innovation redefinestraditional technical and economic ERP paradigms. This Bachelor’s thesis aims through interviews with vendors, users and consultants,as well as by researching various academical and professional publications onthe subject of Web-based (SaaS) ERPs to study these pehomena, and produce a listof their benefits to SMEs. It also analyses their opportunities and challenges via anumber of interesting facts, thus allowing for thought-provoking observations andspawning of stirring discussions. The benefits of Web-based ERPs were reported to be similar to the ones characteristicfor the On-premise ERPs. They furthermore included remote data access, costefficiency,flexibility, scalability, as well as the esublishment of a new customerdrivenrelationship with the ERP vendor. The major disadvantages of SaaS wereconsidered to be security, cost (in the long run), and customizability. These disadvantages,which were first reported years ago, are continuously dismissed by theadavncements and innovations made in Web-based solutions. Findings from previousstudies and trends suggest that issues of security, cost and customizabilityare gradually disappearing as technology improves and industry dynamics becomesmore customer-centric. Security, which was a major issue in 2007 slowlyfaded and is not regarded as the concern it used to be. From 2008 till now the issuesof customizability and TCO have been heavily disputed about Web-based ERPsolutions. The problem of customizability has also been found to be diminishingdue to technologically advanced capabilities of these systems; new systems haveemerged and old systems have improved enough to provide this feature. Cost hasnever been a transparent issue when it comes to IT investments and has beenshown to be higher in On-Premise solutions through the TVO approach whichlooks at other hidden and non-financial costs. All of the above sheds new light intothe once-‘static’ benefits and drawbacks of Web-based solutions, and provides afresh insight into this developing phenomenon