50 research outputs found
Influence of preharvest treatments to reduce the seasonality of persimmon production on color, texture and antioxidant properties during storage
[EN] Persimmon production has increased considerably, thanks to techniques for removing astringency whilst maintaining the strong consistency.
Currently, the needs of cooperatives are focused on increasing the commercial period. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the effect
of preharvest treatments (paclobutrazol (PBZ) and Ethephon to accelerate ripening and GA3 to delay it) on persimmon size, composition,
color index (CI), texture and antioxidant properties over 11 days of postharvest storage at 4ÂșC. The results showed that the size of fruits
subjected to preharvest treatment was smaller than in untreated fruit. Moreover, CI of the apical zone was higher in samples of standard
ripening throughout the first few days of storage. It is also noteworthy that the treated fruits at the beginning of storage reported greater
antioxidant properties. Finally, the evolution of the antioxidants has been fitted with a first-order model to predict their kinetic degradation
depending on the persimmon harvest period.The authors thank the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for the PhD scholarship of the author Ruth Martinez Las Heras.MartĂnez Las Heras, R.; Amigo-SĂĄnchez J.C.; Heredia GutiĂ©rrez, AB.; CastellĂł GĂłmez, ML.; AndrĂ©s Grau, AM. (2015). Influence of preharvest treatments to reduce the seasonality of persimmon production on color, texture and antioxidant properties during storage. CyTA - Journal of Food. 14(2):333-339. doi:10.1080/19476337.2015.1113204S33333914
Knowledge management related training strategies in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia construction industry: An empirical study
The growing popularity of knowledge management (KM) in the construction industry
has, unfortunately, not been matched by parallel empirical research in training and benefits of
KM for construction industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This paper discusses the
KM related training strategies implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia construction
industry. Given the relatively new and unexplored nature of the research problem, qualitative
research method was adopted to collect and analyse data. Results are based on the analysis of
data from 46 professionals from KSA construction organisations. This paper concludes that
training interventions are a complex and context-embedded activity. The current study results
suggests that for effective implementation of KM strategies, there is an urgent need for KSA
construction industry to develop and deploy appropriate KM related management training
programmes. Leadership plays an important role in breaking down barriers in achieving KM
strategies. The practical implication of this research is that the KM should not only focus on the
specific knowledge to be captured, shared, mapped and transferred between individuals but
should also address strategic concerns at group and organisational levels
The impact of employee perceptions of training on organisational commitment and turnover intentions: a study of multinationals in the Chinese service sector.
This study examines the impact of employee perceptions of training on organizational commitment, and the latterâs relationship with turnover intentions. Structured equation modelling is conducted on survey data from 437 Chinese employees of five multinational enterprises operating in the Chinese service sector. The results of the survey are consistent with social exchange theory. They highlight the importance of training as a tool to enhance the affective organisational commitment of employees, and reduce turnover. The findings differ from previous studies in non-Chinese settings. No evidence was found of any impact of motivation to learn and perceived benefits of training on organizational commitment. This may be explained by three factors; the involuntary nature of employee training, the limited career development opportunities on offer to local employees of multinational enterprises and the difficulty employees face in applying learnt skills given cultural differences. The implications for research and practice are discussed
The job demandsâresources model and counterproductive work behaviour: The role of job-related affect
The Job Demands\u2013Resources (JD-R) model postulates that job demands and job resources constitute two processes: the health impairment process, leading to negative outcomes, and the motivational process, leading to positive outcomes. In the current research we extended the JD-R model by including both counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) as a behavioural stressreaction and job-related affect as a mediator in both processes. In a sample of 818 public-sector employees we found support for a model where job demands (workload, role conflict, and interpersonal demands) were associated with abuse/hostility CWB, whereas job resources (decision authority, social support, and promotion prospects) were associated with work engagement.
Furthermore, job-related negative affect mediated the relationship between job demands and abuse/hostility CWB, whereas job-related positive affect mediated the relationship between job resources and work engagement. We also found that the impact of job demands on negative affect was attenuated by job resources
Effects of simulated acid rain on the pollen germination and pollen tube growth of apple (Malus sylvestris Miller cv. Golden)
The pollens of apple flowers have been treated with simulated acid rain solutions in range of pHs 2.9 to 5.0 in order to determine the threshold proportion values that lead the observed symptoms of detriments of acid rain. Compared to controls (pH 6.5), pollen germination decreased by 41.75% at pH 3.3 and pollen tube elongation decreased by 24.3% at pH 3.4. Acid rain threshold proportion value was around pH 3.3 and 3.4 for apple pollen germination and pollen tube elongation, respectively. Furthermore, pollen tube elongation was determined to be more sensitive to acid rain than pollen germination. The pH values below 3.1 resulted in complete destruction of pollen tubes. Pollen germination entirely stopped at around pH 3.0. Finally, it has been shown that the acid rain has a blocking effect on pollen germination and pollen tube elongation in apple. The conclusion is that not only pH value but also the quantity of acid rain is important factor in germination. The results were found statistically significant through the LSD Test at levels of p<0.05 and p<0.01