Determinaçao das características físicas de duas variedades de melâo (Cucumis melo L.).

O conhecimento preciso das características físicas dos frutos reveste-se do maior interesse pois permite minimizar as perdas por danos mecânicos, fornece dados para o desenho de novas maquinas e facilita a determinação das condições ideais de conservação. À determinação das características físicas de melão, a sua resistência aos danos físicos o seu comportamento quando sujeito a forças de deforma çao, sao estudadas mediante a utilização de diversos métodos. Foram seleccionadas duas variedades de melão ( Cucumis melo L.), as mais significativas em Espanha e Portugal respectivamente " Piei de Sapo " e " Melão Branco da Lezíria ". Ambos foram cultivados nas mesmas condições edafo-climáticas e sujeitos ã iguais práticas agronómicas, tendo sido os seus frutos sujeitos a diversos testes no " Laboratorio de Propiedades Físicas " da " Escola Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Madrid ". Foram estudados diversos parâmetros como: " impact loading ", penetração, deformação e ruptura de frutos e ainda deformação e ruptura de amostras cilíndricas. O efeito do armazenamento em cámaras de frio sobre as propiedades físicas dos frutos foi também objecto de estudo

Impact testing in melon (Cucumis melo L.)

The application of Rheology to study biological systems is a new and very extensive matter, in which melon is absolutely unknown. The goal of this work is to determine some physical characteristics of this fruit, immediately after harvest and during its conservation in cold storage. Portugal and Spain are the most interested countries in these studies, as they are important producers of melon. The varieties Branco da Leziria and Piel de sapo were chosen because they are the most popular in both countries. The fruit were studied on the day they were harvested, and then were conserved in cold storage in the "Instituto del Frio" in Madrid, and they were periodically tested again. Thus during seven days the same fruits, and new fruits, were picked up and tested. On the first day of testing we had 20 fruits to study and at the end of the testing period we had used 80 fruits. The results from the non-destructive impact test were very significant and they may contribute to standardise methods to measure fruit maturity. These results were confirmed by those obtained from compression tests. The results obtained during the Impact tests with melon were similar to those obtained previously with other fruits. There is a close relationship between the results of the Impact tests and Compression tests. Tests like Impact and Compression can be adapted to melon, varieties 'Piel de Sapo" and 'Branco de Leziria', allowing us to continue further work with this species. The great number of data obtained during performance of the tests allowed us to go on with this work and to contribute to standardise methods of measurement and expression of characteristics of a new biological product. During the "Impact damage in fruits and vegetables" workshop, held in Zaragoza in 1990, these matters were included in the priority list

Storabelity of melon for different ripeness stages at harvest. Selection of instrumental procedures for quality assessment.

The consumption of melon (Cucumis melo L.) has been, until several years ago, regional, seasonal and without commercial interest. Recent commercial changes and world wide transportation have changed this situation. Melons from 3 different ripeness stages at harvest and 7 cold storage periods have been analysed by destructive and non destructive tests. Chemical, physical, mechanical (non destructive impact, compression, skin puncture and Magness- Taylor) and sensory tests were carried out in order to select the best test to assess quality and to determine the optimal ripeness stage at harvest. Analysis of variance and Principal Component Analysis were performed to study the data. The mechanical properties based on non-destructive Impact and Compression can be used to monitor cold storage evolution. They can also be used at harvest to segregate the highest ripeness stage (41 days after anthesis DAA) in relation to less ripe stages (34 and 28 DAA).Only 34 and 41 DAA reach a sensory evaluation above 50 in a scale from 0-100

Electrochemical sensors modified with combinations of sulfur containing phthalocyanines and capped gold nanoparticles: A study of the influence of the nature of the interaction between sensing materials

Producción CientíficaVoltametric sensors formed by the combination of a sulfur-substituted zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPcRS) and gold nanoparticles capped with tetraoctylammonium bromide (AuNPtOcBr) have been developed. The influence of the nature of the interaction between both components in the response towards catechol has been evaluated. Electrodes modified with a mixture of nanoparticles and phthalocyanine (AuNPtOcBr/ZnPcRS) show an increase in the intensity of the peak associated with the reduction of catechol. Electrodes modified with a covalent adduct-both component are linked through a thioether bond-(AuNPtOcBr-S-ZnPcR), show an increase in the intensity of the oxidation peak. Voltammograms registered at increasing scan rates show that charge transfer coefficients are different in both types of electrodes confirming that the kinetics of the electrochemical reaction is influenced by the nature of the interaction between both electrocatalytic materials. The limits of detection attained are 0.9 × 10−6 mol∙L−1 for the electrode modified with the mixture AuNPtOcBr/ZnPcRS and 1.3 × 10−7 mol∙L−1 for the electrode modified with the covalent adduct AuNPtOcBr-S-ZnPcR. These results indicate that the establishment of covalent bonds between nanoparticles and phthalocyanines can be a good strategy to obtain sensors with enhanced performance, improving the charge transfer rate and the detection limits of voltammetric sensors.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (projects RTI2018-097990-B-I00 / CTQ2017-87102-R)Junta de Castilla y Leon - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project VA275P18

Estudo de caso : análise das informações gerenciais de uma unidade hospitalar

Orientador: Vicente PachecoMonografia (Especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, Departamento de Contabilidade, Curso de Especialização em Gestão de Negócios.Inclui referências.Resumo: Essa monografia tem como objetivo realiza um estudo na empresa Unidade Hospitalar ( nome fictício dado ao Hospital), verificando, descrevendo, analisando e detalhando as informações coletadas nesta entidade, sendo o estudo organizado da seguinte maneira : Capítulo I - Introdução do trabalho, apresentando o motivo da elaboração deste estudo na área de Sistema de Informação Gerencial, o objetivo e a abrangência do estudo. Capítulo II - Apresenta a fundamentação teórica, através de um levantamento bibliográfico sobre assuntos relacionados a Sistema de Informação Gerencial, identificando os principais conceitos e desenvolvimentos básicos de cada item da área estudada. Este levantamento constitui o arcabouço teórico fundamental para a análise e conclusão do trabalho apresentado. Capítulo III - Estão representados os procedimentos metodológicos, definindo o tipo de pesquisa que foi desenvolvida, os procedimentos adotados na coletada de dados e como estes dados foram analisados e quais as limitações para a realização da pesquisa. Capítulo IV - Especifica o histórico da empresa, a estrutura, métodos de coletas, processo de atendimentos, a utilização dos relatórios, quais informações geradas para a empresa, visando detalhar sua composição e atual situação. Junto com a apresentação dos dados da empresa, foram feitas análises separadamente por setor, e uma análise geral dos dados coletados bem como algumas sugestões, devido a extensão do mesmo, sendo observado neste capítulo o objetivo da pesquisa delimitada. Capítulo V - Finalmente no último capítulo foi feita a apresentação da conclusão e recomendações para melhoria do processo produtivo da empres

A Continuous Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model From Plate Scanning Technique

[EN] This paper presents a methodology for the dynamic estimation of traffic flows on all links of a network from observable field data assuming the first-in-first-out (FIFO) hypothesis. The traffic flow intensities recorded at the exit of the scanned links are propagated to obtain the flow waves on unscanned links. For that, the model calculates the flow-cost functions through information registered with the plate scanning technique. The model also responds to the concern about the parameter quality of flow-cost functions to replicate the real traffic flow behaviour. It includes a new algorithm for the adjustment of the parameter values to link characteristics when its quality is questionable. For that, it is necessary the a priori study of the location of the scanning devices to identify all path flows and to measure travel times in all links. A synthetic network is used to illustrate the proposed method and to prove its usefulness and feasibilityRivas, A.; Gallego, I.; Sánchez-Cambronero, S.; Ruiz-Ripoll, L.; Barba, R. (2016). A Continuous Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model From Plate Scanning Technique. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1132-1141. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.4215OCS1132114

Caffeine Dose-Response Relationship and Behavioral Screening in Zebrafish

It has been centuries since humans consume coffee and get the benefits of this bean. Many researches worldwide continue to show healthful properties of coffee, while others suggest a number of side effects. In fact, anything consumed in excess may cause disturbance of the body functioning, whereas caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that increases focus and improves performance, its high concentration can cause insomnia, dizziness, and vomiting. Thus, the question is: which coffee dose promotes benefits and prevents risks? To answer it, we used the zebrafish, a popular animal model that is at the vanguard of psychopharmacological research due to its unique combination of complexity and simplicity, translational relevance and applicability to high throughput behavioral drug screens. In the current study, we examine time-course and dose-dependent changes in zebrafish following exposure to caffeine. Our data show an inverted U-shaped path for the locomotor parameters and crescent path for the anxiety-like parameters. High doses are harmful to the individual, because the stimulating effect disappears and anxiogenic effects take place. We conclude that temporal analysis of zebrafish behavior is a sensitive method for the study of acute caffeine exposure–induced functional changes in the vertebrate brain

Improvement and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography in tandem mass spectrometry method for monitoring of omeprazole in Plasma

Omeprazole (OME) is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) with 58% bioavailability after single oral dose, presenting large inter-individual variations and significant drug-drug interactions. A simple and rapid liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) with solid phase extraction (SPE) and isotope-labelled internal standard (IS) method was developed to monitor the plasma levels of OME for application in pharmacokinetics and drug-drug interactions studies. OME and its IS (OME-D3), were eluted with Zorbax extend C-18 rapid resolution (4.6 mm x 50 mm, 3.5 μm) at 25ºC, under isocratic conditions through a mobile phase consisting of 1 mM ammonium acetate, pH 8.5 (55%), and acetonitrile (ACN, 45%). The flow rate was 0.8 mL/min and the run time of chromatogram was 1.2 min. OME was detected and quantified by LC-MS/MS with positive electrospray ionization (ESI) that operates in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method was linear in the range of 1.5- 2000 ng/mL for OME. The validation assays of accuracy and precision, matrix effect, extraction recovery and stability of the samples for OME did not deviate more than 20% for the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) and no more than 15% for other quality controls (QCs), according to regulatory agencies.This work was also supported by FIS No. PI052124 and CA12/00122 to ARN and FPU12/02220 to AW

Relationship between Innovation and the Performance of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in the Industrial Sector: The Mediating Role of CSR

©. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This document is the Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in [Economies]. To access the final edited and published work see[https://doi.org/10.3390/economies11030092]This paper analyses the effect of innovation on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mediates this relationship. In order to evaluate our assumptions, a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was applied to a sample of 769 Spanish SMEs through a telephone survey conducted with company managers. The findings show that innovation and CSR have an impact on performance. Additionally, to these strong direct effects, CSR has a side effect that strengthens the beneficial effects of innovation on performance. Finally, the results demonstrate significant implications for both SME managers and owners, as they help them to develop innovation-related strategies, which will lead to higher organizational performance

Disentangling the effect of ICT adoption on SMEs performance: The mediating roles of Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation

©2022. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This document is the Submitted, Accepted, Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in OeconomiA copernicana. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.24136/oc.2022.024Research background: The literature on the effects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on performance is extensive and shows a significant positive effect. Likewise, the use of ICT to facilitate and report on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices implement-ed by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) contributes to improve business performance. Moreover, through innovative activities, firms also obtain competitive advantages that impact positively on their performance, even more so when they are impacted by CSR. For this reason, it is expected that the adoption of ICTs in companies through a CSR-oriented strategy will increase their impact on business performance. Purpose of the article: This article tries to examine how ICT affects SMEs’ performance through CSR and innovation. Methods: We tested our hypotheses using a sample of 2,825 Spanish SMEs and by applying a Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) with a double confirmatory and predictive purpose: to identify the causal relationships between latent variables, and to evaluate the ability of the model to make predictions for individual cases. Findings & value added: The results show that CSR-oriented ICT impacts innovation by changing strategies and business model in companies. Moreover, the implementation of CSR practices gave them competitive advantages to increase their performance. We highlight how innovation gives companies greater capacity to respond to changes in their environment and how innovation positively impacts the link between CSR and performance. Finally, our research makes two significant contributions to the literature by incorporating two sequential mediating effects into the model. On the one hand, the indirect effect of ICT on innovation through CSR. On the other hand, the indirect effect of CSR on SME performance through innovation