La station moustérienne de plein air de Neufechingen-« Auf Wappenhöh » (Sarre, Allemagne)

Présentation d’une série lithique relevée en prospection de surface à Neufechingen-« Auf Wappenhöh » près de Sarrebruck (D) sur une moyenne terrasse de la vallée de la Sarre. Par les caractères techno-typologiques rencontrés (débitage Levallois et Discoïde, retouche Quina), cette industrie en silex est attribuable au Paléolithique moyen. Il est à souligner que cette station de plein air moustérienne se développe à proximité de gîtes de matières premières siliceuses, en l’occurrence diverses variétés de silex du Muschelkalk qui affleurent en position primaire et secondaire. Cette industrie se démarque des séries moustériennes régionales sur quartzite.This article presents a lithic series recovered from surface prospections of a middle terrace of the Sarre Valley at Neufechingen 'Auf Wappenhöh', near Sarrebruck (D). Based on its techno-typological characteristics (Levallois and Discoid debitage, Quina retouch), this flint industry can be attributed to the Middle Palaeolithic. This Mousterian open-air site is located in proximity to siliceous raw materials, including diverse varieties of Muschelkalk flint, that outcrop in primary and secondary position and differs from other regional Mousterian series made on quartzite. (trad. Brad Gravina)Präsentation einer Steingeräteserie, die bei Oberflächenprospektionen auf einer mittleren Terrasse der Saar in Neufechingen-« Auf Wappenhöh », Regionalverband Saarbrücken, aufgesammelt wurde. Anhand ihrer techno-typologischen Kriterien kann diese Silexindustrie ins Mittelpaläolithikum datiert werden. Des weiteren zeichnet sich diese Freilandstation des Moustérien dadurch aus, dass sie nahe primärer und sekundärer Muschelkalkhornsteinvorkommen liegt. (trad. Susanne Rick

La station moustérienne de plein air de Neufechingen-« Auf Wappenhöh » (Sarre, Allemagne)

Présentation d’une série lithique relevée en prospection de surface à Neufechingen-« Auf Wappenhöh » près de Sarrebruck (D) sur une moyenne terrasse de la vallée de la Sarre. Par les caractères techno-typologiques rencontrés (débitage Levallois et Discoïde, retouche Quina), cette industrie en silex est attribuable au Paléolithique moyen. Il est à souligner que cette station de plein air moustérienne se développe à proximité de gîtes de matières premières siliceuses, en l’occurrence diverses variétés de silex du Muschelkalk qui affleurent en position primaire et secondaire. Cette industrie se démarque des séries moustériennes régionales sur quartzite.This article presents a lithic series recovered from surface prospections of a middle terrace of the Sarre Valley at Neufechingen 'Auf Wappenhöh', near Sarrebruck (D). Based on its techno-typological characteristics (Levallois and Discoid debitage, Quina retouch), this flint industry can be attributed to the Middle Palaeolithic. This Mousterian open-air site is located in proximity to siliceous raw materials, including diverse varieties of Muschelkalk flint, that outcrop in primary and secondary position and differs from other regional Mousterian series made on quartzite. (trad. Brad Gravina)Präsentation einer Steingeräteserie, die bei Oberflächenprospektionen auf einer mittleren Terrasse der Saar in Neufechingen-« Auf Wappenhöh », Regionalverband Saarbrücken, aufgesammelt wurde. Anhand ihrer techno-typologischen Kriterien kann diese Silexindustrie ins Mittelpaläolithikum datiert werden. Des weiteren zeichnet sich diese Freilandstation des Moustérien dadurch aus, dass sie nahe primärer und sekundärer Muschelkalkhornsteinvorkommen liegt. (trad. Susanne Rick

The design of modified atmosphere perforated plastic packaging for fresh chillies : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Packaging Technology at Massey University

The quality of fresh chillies changes rapidly and under the Thai ambient conditions (30 ± 5 °C and 75 ± 5 % RH), these products spoil in a short time frame. This rapid quality deterioration causes a direct loss in returns to growers and marketers. The objectives of this study were to design a modified atmosphere perforated plastic packaging system to extend shelf life and marketability of fresh chillies. Physiological data about fresh green 'Cayenne' chillies was measured; respiration rate, internal partial pressure of O (P O ) and CO (p CO ), skin permeance to O (P′O ), CO (P′CO ) and water vapour (P′HO) as well as, water activity (a ). The extent to which these attributes were affected by a range of temperatures 5, 10, 20 and 30°C was also characterised. Respiration dramatically increased as storage temperature was increased from 5 to 30°C, whilst P′O and P′CO slightly increased. The differing effects of temperature on these two variables were responsible for the depression of internal partial pressure of O and elevation of CO internal partial pressure. The skin permeances to O and CO were very close (approximate ratio P′CO :P′O as 1.06) and it was determined that the major pathway for gas exchange of green 'Cayenne' chillies was dominated by movement through pores (through the stem area), rather than the cuticle. Average value of skin permeance to water vapour of green 'Cayenne' chillies was 201.78 nmol·s ·m ·Pa . Water vapour permeances were inconsistent over the 5-30°C temperature range due to errors from thermistor probes and environment around chillies. Surface area of green 'Cayenne' chillies provided the positive relationship with fresh weight, volume and the rate of water loss (measured at ambient temperature ≈20°C). Fresh weight and a of fresh chillies decreased as the storage temperature increased from 5 to 30°C. Storage temperatures (5, 10, 20 and 30°C) and packaging types (perforated/nonperforated plastic bags and unpackaging) had significant impact on storage qualities (colour, firmness, weight and decay) of fresh green 'Cayenne' chillies during a 2-week storage trial period. Refrigerated storage temperatures and perforated plastic bag showed promise in reducing quality attributes changes and eliminating condensation. At 5 and 10°C, no signs of chilling injury were detected on green 'Cayenne' in any packaging type used during the trial period. The atmospheres inside perforated plastic bag were similar to ambient air condition, thus ensuring that there were aerobic conditions inside. The rate of weight loss of packaged chillies varied with storage temperature, perforation area and size of perforation. The optimum storage condition and package for a 100g retail pack of chillies during a 2-week storage period is 5°C and 152.40 × 228.60 mm plastic bag with 0.49% perforation area (2.5 mm perforation size). Chillies stored under this condition had low percentage of weight loss (less than 2.5%) with no signs of chilling injury and their quality attributes were within the marketable levels. Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) were used to study effects of postharvest disinfecting treatments (sodium hypochlorite (NaClO, 2%w/v) and hot water dip (HWD, 53°C 4 minutes)) on storage quality. Both disinfectants significantly reduced decay appearances on bell peppers particularly on those stored at high temperature (20 and 30°C), during a trial 2-week storage period. The application of these disinfecting treatments will be further researched on fresh chillies, for minimising decay appearance. The 'Weight Loss Simulator' model developed by Tanner (1998) was tested by comparing predicted weight loss with experimental data. The model had general agreement with the experimentally observed trends. Lack of fit of model predictions to experimental data however, was obvious in some cases. Variations, e.g. storage temperature/relative humidity, packaging and dynamic changes in biological properties of stored chillies can deviate the predicting result of this model. Sensitivity analyses performed on the model showed that the observed lack of fit could largely be explained by estimated uncertainties in the respiration rate data. From this model testing, the accuracy of the 'Weight Loss Simulator' model appeared to be limited by assumptions, input data and uncertainties occurred during data collection rather than by shortcomings in the model itself

ความชุกและสมบัติการเกาะติดของสปีชีส์ไบฟิโดแบคทีเรียในช่องปากและช่องคลอด

Thesis (Ph.D. (Oral Health Sciences)) Prince of Songkla University, 201

Mathematical modelling of active packaging systems for horticultural products : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Packaging Technology at Massey University, New Zealand

Active packaging systems can offer significant advantages in preventing quality loss in horticultural products through control of microbial and/or physiological activity. By delivering and sustaining volatile active agents at effective levels in a package atmosphere, significant shelf life extension can thus be achieved. Design of these systems is complicated by the number of possible package, product, active agent and carrier combinations that can be employed and the significant interactions that may occur between these components. Mathematical modelling can be used to simplify system design and reduce the number of experimental trials required to achieve optimal active packaging systems. In this study a generalised modelling methodology was developed and validated to facilitate the design of active controlled volatile release packaging systems for horticultural products. The modelling methodology was developed using an example system which comprised tomatoes packed under a modified atmosphere (MA; 5 % (v/v) CO2 and 10 % (v/v) O2) in a LDPE bag with a polymer film sealed sachet containing silica gel pre-saturated with the antifungal agent hexanal. Experimental trials showed that for this system a target sustained hexanal concentration of 40-70 ppm was required. This was shown to be (i) the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for controlling Botrytis cinerea growing on tomatoes stored at 20°C and ~99%RH, (ii) to have only a relatively minor influence on the postharvest quality of tomatoes under these active MA conditions, and (iii) to promote only a small apparent uptake of hexanal from the atmosphere by the tomatoes. The effective hexanal permeabilities of Tyvek , LDPE and OPP sachet films were characterised using the isostatic method and shown to exhibit a dependence on both temperature (10 and 20°C) and concentration (over a range of 0.01-0.22 mol m[superscript -3). Average permeabilities decreased in the order of Tyvek > LDPE > OPP, respectively, at all temperatures at comparable hexanal partial pressures. Hexanal sorption isotherms for silica gel at both 10 and 20ºC were determined using the gravimetric method and were reasonably well described by the Langmuir equation. The equilibrium amount adsorbed was significantly reduced at the higher temperature but the pre-adsorption of water vapour on hexanal uptake on silica gel showed no uniform trend on the sorption characteristics suggesting that multicomponent sorption is complex. A generalised modelling methodology was developed through conceptualising key mass transfer processes involved in these active MA packaging systems. Quantitative methods for deciding the relative importance of each process were established together with guidelines for when simplifying assumptions could be made. This information was formalised into a decision tree to allow appropriate assumptions to be made in model formulation without unacceptable loss of model accuracy. Methods to develop generalised equations from these assumptions to describe changes in the sachet, package headspace and outer bag film with respect to an active agent and MA gases were then identified. The mathematical modelling methodology was applied to the example hexanal release active MAP tomato packaging system. For these systems there was a high initial peak in package headspace concentration during the first 24 h which declined to a quasi steadystate concentration over a period of days. The quasi steady-state headspace concentrations were generally in the MIC range and were well predicted by the model. Interactions between water vapour and silica gel may have been responsible for the relatively higher hexanal concentration at the onset of release from the Tyvek sachet (a highly porous material). However the influence of water vapour (>95% RH in the MA bag containing tomatoes) during the quasi steady-state period appeared to be insignificant for all sachet films. The model was successfully applied to a range of packaging configurations and storage temperatures. A lack of fit was evident between model predictions and experimental trials during the initial (unsteady-state) stages of the release pattern for both headspace vapour concentrations and adsorbed mass on the silica gel. These differences were attributed to (i) model input uncertainties, chiefly with regard to the estimated coefficients of both the Langmuir isotherm equation and film permeability, and (ii) overestimated effective permeability values predicted by extrapolation of the concentration dependence of film permeability beyond the conditions for which the permeability was measured. These results suggest improved models for the effective permeabilities of the films, quantified under a range of vapour concentrations and concentration gradients, are required for better describing fluxes across the sachet film. Despite these limitations, the model did describe the general release pattern. The model was then used to pose a range of ‘what-if’ scenarios investigating the release patterns predicted for different active packaging designs. This analysis gave useful insights into how sorption isotherm shape and package/sachet design parameters can be manipulated to achieve different volatile release platforms. The work clearly demonstrated the importance of accurate data for permeability of volatile compounds through polymer films and for sorption of the active agent on the carrier phase. More work on characterising these systems is recommended to further improve modelbased design methods for active MAP systems. Overall the generalised methodology developed can be confidently adopted for constructing a mathematical model that provides sufficient accuracy and simplicity to be implemented for designing active packaging systems for horticultural and food products

Relationships between female-headed rural micro-enterprises and micro-enterprise assistance providers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Rural Development at Massey University, New Zealand

Although there are financial and other services extensively provided by formal micro-enterprise assistance providers, including micro-finance institutions (MFIs) and government agencies, in order to assist female-headed rural micro-enterprises (female-headed RMEs), there is much evidence to show that these entrepreneurs still seek other services, in particular from moneylenders. Such evidence reflects the need for improvement in the relationship between formal providers and these entrepreneurs. This research aims to explore and understand existing social networks between the counterparts, the tenet underlying relationship developments. The research employs the qualitative approach, principally using purposive sampling and in-depth interview techniques. The case (thirty eight enterprises and six providers) are those operating in Khon Kaen province, Northeast Thailand — its economically poorest region of Thailand. The study found that these entrepreneurs’ social networks were limited but specific. Individual entrepreneurs (IEs) would rather develop relationships with moneylenders and (to a lesser extent) with MFIs. Relationships with government agencies are apparently absent. In contrast, community-based enterprises (CBEs) had strong relationships with government agencies, because, importantly, CBEs are fully supported by these agencies. The study found the establishment of certain CBEs was initiated by government agencies, although community members may not have had their own intentions to do so. The viability of such enterprises is solely dependent on the financial grants provided by the agencies. In order to gain resources for operating enterprises, IEs are willing to become indebted with loans issued by local moneylenders, whilst nearly all members of CBEs will solely apply for further grants from the providers. The members will leave the enterprises, if they become liable for debt incurred after joining a CBE. The research findings highlight that the characteristics of entrepreneurs are key factors affecting their relationship development with the providers. Small-scale activities, such as those of retailers and vendors, chiefly specified their relationships with moneylenders who promptly responded to their financial needs. Meanwhile, micro-entrepreneurs involved in larger scale activities tended to apply for assistance from government departments. The Relationships between female-headed RMEs and micro-enterprise assistance providers findings suggest that the absence of service branches of formal providers, at (or nearby) villages where entrepreneurs reside, could push them to apply for services from moneylenders. Whilst there is limited evidence of gender discrimination, female entrepreneurs prefer not to develop relationships with formal providers because they perceive that the application procedure for the formal providers is time-consuming. The entrepreneurs, accordingly, leave the application for their husbands to deal with. The female entrepreneurs would rather seek loans from the moneylenders, who, typically, provide quick services with minimal document requirements. The present work provides insights into social networks, in addition to relationship development and the key factors affecting relationships. These insights could be beneficial in assisting practitioners and providers, when they design and implement services consistent with the needs of female-headed RMEs

Factors affecting release of ethanol vapour in active modified atmosphere packaging systems for horticultural products

The active modified atmosphere packaging (active MAP) system , which provides interactive postharvest control , using ethanol vapour controlled release, is one of the current interests in the development of active packaging for horticultural products. A number of published research work have discussed the relationship between the effectiveness of ethanol vapour and its concentration in the package headspace, including its effect on postharvest decay and physiological controls. This is of importance because a controlled release system should release and maintain ethanol vapour at effective concentrations during the desired storage period. A balance among the mass transfer processes of ethanol vapour in the package results in ethanol vapour accumulation in the package headspace. Key factors affecting these processes include ethanol loading, packaging material, packaged product and storage environment (temperature and relative h umidity). This article reviews their influences and discusses future work required to better understand their influences on ethanol vapour release and accumulations in active MAP

Unter Buchungen ueb er die I a?e, Ausderftang und J5i?enschaften des cerebralen regulato ri schen H er aner en c e a tr ums.

CHECK1894OPLADEN-RUG0