Fruit volatile analysis using an electronic nose.

Numerous and diverse physiological changes occur during fruit ripening, including the development of a specific volatile blend that characterizes fruit aroma. Maturity at harvest is one of the key factors influencing the flavor quality of fruits and vegetables. The validation of robust methods that rapidly assess fruit maturity and aroma quality would allow improved management of advanced breeding programs, production practices and postharvest handling. Over the last three decades, much research has been conducted to develop so-called electronic noses, which are devices able to rapidly detect odors and flavors. Currently there are several commercially available electronic noses able to perform volatile analysis, based on different technologies. The electronic nose used in our work (zNose, EST, Newbury Park, CA, USA), consists of ultra-fast gas chromatography coupled with a surface acoustic wave sensor (UFGC-SAW). This technology has already been tested for its ability to monitor quality of various commodities, including detection of deterioration in apple; ripeness and rot evaluation in mango; aroma profiling of thymus species; C(6) volatile compounds in grape berries; characterization of vegetable oil and detection of adulterants in virgin coconut oil. This system can perform the three major steps of aroma analysis: headspace sampling, separation of volatile compounds, and detection. In about one minute, the output, a chromatogram, is produced and, after a purging cycle, the instrument is ready for further analysis. The results obtained with the zNose can be compared to those of other gas-chromatographic systems by calculation of Kovats Indices (KI). Once the instrument has been tuned with an alkane standard solution, the retention times are automatically converted into KIs. However, slight changes in temperature and flow rate are expected to occur over time, causing retention times to drift. Also, depending on the polarity of the column stationary phase, the reproducibility of KI calculations can vary by several index units. A series of programs and graphical interfaces were therefore developed to compare calculated KIs among samples in a semi-automated fashion. These programs reduce the time required for chromatogram analysis of large data sets and minimize the potential for misinterpretation of the data when chromatograms are not perfectly aligned. We present a method for rapid volatile compound analysis in fruit. Sample preparation, data acquisition and handling procedures are also discussed

The place of ideas about property in political theory in Great Britain between 1750-1850 : with special reference to labour and value theories, and the distribution of wealth between classes

This dissertation is concerned with ideas about property presented in British political theory between 1750-1850. It focuses not only on the major traditions of Utilitarianism and Natural Rights, but, also, since there is an obvious gap in the literature, on those ideas about property implicit in classical political economy. The study begins with the theory of property advanced by Adam Smith, concentrating on the relationship between property and the stadial thesis, observing that this latter thesis represents a referential framework for Smith's ideas on property, with property differentiation a defining characteristic of each stage. Next we examine the links between labour, value, and distribution in Smith's economics, concluding that the ambiguities within Smithian value and distribution theory provide both impetus and material for the Ricardians' conception of value and distribution. We then examine the Ricardians' views on value and distribution, concluding that both represent empirical/explanatory theories, founded upon the assumed legitimacy of the prevailing property structure. This discussion is followed by an account of the Utilitarian theory of property, centring on the connections between security and equality. It is the same concern with security found in the Utilitarian thought, we conclude, that underlies classical political economy, and not notions derived from Locke as frequently asserted. Thomas Hodgskin's natural rights theory of property provides the substance of the next chanter. Here we illuminate the various senses with which Hodqskin invests the term "natural", and consider the tension between those Smithian and Lockean elements incorporated into Hodgskin's theory. The theories of just appropriation advanced by the anti-Ricardians, and their links with "exploitation", the exchange mechanism, and monopoly ownership of the means of production, are our next concern. Finally, we consider the various plans designed by the anti-Ricardians to reconcile labour with its product, which include am artisanal model, three communitarian schemes, and two proposals for monetary reform

Sense-making of consumer wellbeing in information technology-enabled services from a relational ontology position

Information technology (IT) built into products and services have become the key drivers for service innovation. How information technology-enabled services (ITESs) affect consumer wellbeing has increasingly become a concern to service scholars. In response to this, transformative service research (TSR) has emerged as a new stream in service research. This paper investigates consumer wellbeing derived from the consumption of ITESs in consumers’ daily lives. A mixed-method approach was employed in our study, including self-reflective reports, in-depth interviews and visual artistic methods. We demonstrated that a relational ontology, drawing on the ‘focal things’ concept (Borgmann, 1984) and sociomateriality (Orlikowski, 2009), could be used as a lens for us to understand consumer wellbeing in ITESs. We used four vignettes to demonstrate how relational ontology can enhance our understanding of consumer wellbeing in ITESs. Theoretically, this paper contributes to TSR by proposing and demonstrating the need to shift or at least extend the extant predominant technology ontology in marketing literature to make sense of consumer experiences and wellbeing in ITESs. In practice, this research encourages ITESs designers to emphasise the relational entanglement of technology with consumer routine practices in their service innovations for the purposes of consumer wellbeing

Adolescent Perceptions of Parent-Adolescent Communication and Adolescent Pregnancy

Identification of adolescent perceptions of parent-adolescent communication, a significant factor in family functioning and connectedness, is important if effective interventions are to be provided by health care professionals related to decreasing the number as well as the adverse effects of adolescent pregnancy in the United States. The purpose of this descriptive, non-experimental, triangulated study was to examine the relationship between the perceived quality and effectiveness of parent-adolescent communication and pregnancy from the perspective of pregnant adolescent women in the Banning/Beaumont area of southern California. The theoretical framework for this study was based on adolescent and family developmental theories, family communication theory, and health-behavior theory. The convenience sample of 56 pregnant female subjects was obtained from four sites in the Banning/Beaumont area of southern California including Banning High School, the Family Care Center, Dr. Yoo\u27s Clinic, and Rancho Paseo Medical Group Clinic. The data was collected on site at each location during school hours or after a prenatal clinic appointment. The research design allowed for collection of data from fifty-six subjects utilizing the Parent Adolescent Communication Scale (PAC) (Olson et al, 1985), a demographic questionnaire, and audio-taped interviews to capture personal feelings and perspectives of adolescents related to parent-adolescent communication patterns, which were used to further describe the PAC scores. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample and the study variables. Individual PAC scores for adolescents related to their mothers and adolescents related to their fathers were tabulated and compared with established norms set up by the PAC scale. A descriptive comparison was made between each demographic variable and adolescent-mother and adolescent-father PAC scores. Each comparison was discussed and interpreted. A Pearson correlation was run for the demographic characteristic “age” and the PAC scores for adolescents related to their mothers and fathers. A t-test was performed between the PAC scores of adolescents related to their mothers and adolescents related to their fathers. Qualitative interview data identified six major themes. Conclusions drawn from the findings indicate that adolescent perceptions of communication between adolescents and their parents in Banning, CA are very poor. Adolescent perceptions of communication with their mothers are considerably lower than with their PAC normed counterpart adolescents. Adolescent perceptions of communication between these adolescents and their fathers are much more troubled than communication between PAC normed adolescents related to their fathers. The t-test confirms statistical significance that adolescents score much lower on their perceptions of communication with their fathers (46.1) than in their communication with their mothers (56.26). The qualitative data documents patterns of poor communication, a perception that pregnancy increases adolescent-parent communication and relationships, and poor family connectedness. Recommendations were made for further research

Contemporary Usage of CASE Tools in U. S. Colleges and Universities

CASE tools have been incorporated into Information Systems curriculums for years. Curriculum guidelines in both disciplines call for the use of CASE tools. This paper describes the findings of a study of U.S. college and university information technology programs to determine in which classes CASE was taught, the extent to which the tools were being used, the degree of coverage of tools\u27 functional aspects, and reasons why some academics were not using CASE. The results, which confirm continued CASE usage in academia in accordance with the guidelines, present implications for both the quality of the tools as perceived by academics, as well as their continued use. We note that, at present, there is no academic consensus on choice of a CASE tool, and that the drawing features of CASE tools seem to be used more heavily than other more complex and powerful capabilities. Based on the survey results we conclude that schools should reevaluate their teaching curricula and model curriculum guidelines to justify the importance of teaching and using CASE tools

Early education pilot for two year old children : evaluation

This report provides the findings of the evaluation of the early education pilot for disadvantaged two year old children (the pilot). This study aimed to assess the impact of the pilot by looking at: how well the pilot was targeted, parents’ experiences of taking up a pilot place, the quality of the pilot settings, the impact on the children’s behaviour, and parents’ views and experiences of using a pilot place. The pilot provided free early years education to over 13,500 disadvantaged two year olds between 2006 and 2008. The main purpose of the pilot was to improve children’s social and cognitive outcomes, e.g. their social confidence and independence, and their verbal skills and reasoning ability. Additional aims were to have a positive impact on children’s parents and wider family e.g. on the relationship between parents and their children, or on parent’s emotional wellbeing. The funding offered these children 7.5 or in a small number of local authorities 12.5 hours of early years education per week for 38 weeks of the year. The pilot places were available in a variety of early years settings e.g. nurseries, play groups and with childminders, but all were required to operate the Birth to Three Matters curriculum.© National Centre for Social Research 2009. The full text of this report is not available in ORA. You may be able to access the report at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-pilot-for-2-year-old-children-evaluation (URL checked 26 March 2014) or via the publication website link above

Reliability of GRBAS evaluation of voice quality in children who have a history of airway reconstruction surgery and how this compares to parental report of voice-related quality of life

Voice evaluation includes laryngoscopy, perceptual judgement of voice quality, evaluation of respiratory function, acoustic analysis of the voice signal and patient reported subjective impact of voice on quality of life. This is recommended in adults (Dejonkere et al 2001) and children (Cohen et al 2012). Perceptual evaluation of voice often follows the CAPE-V (ASHA 2002) or GRBAS (Hirano 1981). Children requiring laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) surgery tend to have this procedure during infancy, where subglottic stenosis forms following intubation in medically fragile or premature infants. Clinicians require reliable measures, particularly where there is a degree of subjectivity. Aspects of the CAPE-V show a high degree of reliability in rating of severity, pitch, breathiness and roughness (Krival et al 2007, Kelchner et al 2008). UK clinicians favour the GRBAS though there is little published information about reliability in a paediatric population. Comparison of clinician perceptual evaluation with patient report shows weak agreement in adults (Karnell et al 2006) reinforcing the need for both measurements. The extent to which the same is the case in children needs further exploration