Application of sous vide method in processing of beef

Magistritöö Liha- ja piimatehnoloogia õppekavalMagistritöös uuriti erinevatel temperatuuridel (55, 60, 65 ja 70 ℃) ja aegadel (4, 5, 6, 24, 48 tundi) töödeldud veiserümba välisfilee füüsikalis-keemilisi muutuseid. Töö eesmärgiks oli uurida eelnevalt mainitud aegadel ja temperatuuridel tekkinud muutuseid liha omadustes ja lisaks uuriti, kas liha eelnev pruunistamine toob välja olulisi muutuseid liha omadustes. Eksperimentaalses osas viidi läbi veiserümba välisfilee kuumtöötlemine sous vide meetodil eelnevalt mainitud temperatuuride ja aegade kombinatsioonidel, millest sooritati kolm korduskatset. Töötlemata lihast mõõdeti pH-väärtus, määrati värv ja veesiduvusvõime. Kuumtöötlusel jälgiti loggeritega lihas toimuvaid temperatuuri muutuseid. Töödeldud lihast arvutati küpsetuskadu, määrati värvus, lõiketugevus, keemiline koostis NIR-analüüsiga ja sooritati sensoorne hindamine. Tulemustest selgus, et liha eelnev pruunistamine tulemustes suurt muutust ei toonud. Täheldati küpsetuskao vähenemist vaid 60 ℃ juures 4, 5 ja 6 tundi töödeldud lihadel, kus kahel pikemal töötlusajal küpsetuskadude vahe kahanes. Oodatust erinevad tulemused saadi lõiketugevuse osas, kus kirjanduses on toodud välja, et pikenenud küpsetusaeg peaks märgatavalt liha pehmust suurendama. On leitud, et 24 tundi 50-60 ℃ töödeldud veiseliha tulemused olid 26-72% pehmemad, kui neid võrreldi näiteks ühe tunni jooksul töödeldud lihaga. Vastupidiselt käesolevas lõputöös läbiviidud katsetes kahel pikemal ajal (24 ja 48 tundi) töödeldud lihade pehmused oluliselt ei erinenud. Lühematest töötlusaegadest pehmemad tulemused saadi vaid 70 ℃ töödeldud lihadest. Liha värvus muutus võrreldes toore lihaga heledamaks. Sealjuures liha punasuse väärtus võrreldes toore lihaga oli 3 suurem 55 ℃ töödeldud lihal. Üle 60 ℃ liha punasus vähenes, kuna sel temperatuuril toimub müoglobiini denatureerumine. Sensoorses hindamises, kus osales 24 inimest, hindasid töödeldud lihade välimust, lõhna, maitset, õrnust, mahlasust ja kummisust. Kahel madalamal temperatuuril ja ajal töödeldud lihad on punasemad ja mida kõrgemaks tõusis töötlustemperatuur, seda pruunimaks liha muutus. Lõhna ja maitset hinnati madalamatel temperatuuridel vere ja/või metalli ning maksa maitset meenutavaks. Töötlusaja pikenedes leiti sarnasusi pigem veise ja keeduliha lõhna ja maitsega. 55 ℃ ja 60 ℃ töödeldud lihad olid degustaatorite jaoks pehmed ja väga pehmed, kuid kahel kõrgemal temperatuuril hinnati õrnust pigem vintskeks. Sarnased muutused olid ka mahlasuse ja kummisuse hindamisel. Täiendavalt tuleks veel läbi viia korduskatseid leidmaks ajast ja temperatuurist sõltuvaid muutuste trende.The aim of this master’s thesis was to study beef sirloin physical-chemical properties based on different temperatures (55, 60, 65 and 70 ℃) and times (4, 5, 6, 24, 48 hours). In addition, to determine if meat pre-searing would bring out any important changes in meat properties. In experimental part of the thesis, the beef sirloin was sous vide cooked at predefined temperature and time combinations three times per combination. pH-value, colour and water-holding capacity were measured from raw material. Sous vide cooked meat temperature changes were tracked with data loggers. Cooking loss, colour, shear-force and chemical composition were measured from thermally treated meat. Also sensory evaluation was carried out. Results showed that pre-searing meat did not have any affect on it’s physical-chemical properties. Reduction in cooking loss was noted only at 60 ℃ temperature, at 4, 5 and 6 hours cooking time, where at two longest cooking times the difference of cooking loss decreased between pre-seared and not seared meats. The results of shear-force differed from the ones expected. In articles it was brought out that longer treatment time should noticeably increase tenderness of meat. It was found that cooking for 24 hours at 50-60 ℃ increased meat tenderness by 26-72%, in comparison with one hour cooking time. Contrary to this, the result found in this study showed that longer treatment (24 and 48 hours) time did not bring out significantly higher tenderness. Out of the shorter cooking times more tender results were achieved at 70 ℃. Meat colour turned lighter compared to raw meat. Thereby, meat redness in comparison to raw meat was 5 highest at 55 ℃. Over 60 ℃ treated meat redness decreased because at this temperature myofibrillar proteins start denaturating. 24 people participated in the sensory evaluation, where they assessed sous vide cooked meat appearance, smell, taste, tenderness, moisture and rubberiness. At two lowest treating temperatures and times meats were more red and the higher the temperature rised the more brown meats became. Smell and taste were evaluated at lower temperatures resembled blood/metal and liver. At longer treatments that property changed to beef and boiled meat. 55 and 60 ℃ treated meats tenderness was rated tender and very tender, but at two higher temperatures tenderness was judged tough. Same trends were observed for moisture and rubberiness evaluation. Further research should be conducted to find time and temperature related property trends

Preliminary results on the long term operation of RPCs with eco-friendly gas mixtures under irradiation at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility

Since 2019 a collaboration between researchers from various institutes and experiments (i.e. ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, LHCb/SHiP and the CERN EP-DT group), has been operating several RPCs with diverse electronics, gas gap thicknesses and detector layouts at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF++). The studies aim at assessing the performance of RPCs when filled with new eco-friendly gas mixtures in avalanche mode and in view of evaluating possible ageing effects after long high background irradiation periods, e.g. High-Luminosity LHC phase. This challenging research is also part of a task of the European AidaInnova project. A promising eco-friendly gas identified for RPC operation is the tetrafluoruropropene (C$_{3}$H$_{2}$F$_{4}$, commercially known as HFO-1234ze) that has been studied at the CERN GIF++ in combination with different percentages of CO$_2$. Between the end of 2021 and 2022 several beam tests have been carried out to establish the performance of RPCs operated with such mixtures before starting the irradiation campaign for the ageing study. Results of these tests for different RPCs layouts and different gas mixtures, under increasing background rates are presented here, together with the preliminary outcome of the detector ageing tests

A multi-criteria framework for assessing eco-friendly gas alternatives for particle detectors: Case Study of CERN's Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) Detectors

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Obey the Law and Do a Little Bit Extra?

The paper provides evidence on how stakeholder friendly and stakeholder hostile corporations are associated with standard measures of corporate governance using the panel of 1778 US companies during the period of 1995-2006. We construct two binary indicators, one measuring stakeholder hostility and the other stakeholder friendliness using KLD social responsibility ratings in local and global community, employee, customer and environment areas. Based on these indicators, we classify firms into four groups representing stakeholder hostile, neutral, friendly and "friendlyXX1hostile" firms. The results from the descriptive analysis show that stakeholder friendly and stakeholder hostile firms tend to have significantly lower insider ownership, smaller option grants, lower pay-performance sensitivities, larger boards, older executive officers and directors, lower institutional ownership and larger number of anti-takeover defenses than the firms in the neutral group. The regression analysis shows that the probability of a firm belonging to stakeholder friendly or "friendlyXX1hostile" group is decreasing in pay-performance sensitivity and increasing in the number of anti-takeover defenses controlling for size, industry and other firm characteristics. We also find that the probability of stakeholder hostile activity is positively related to the strength of corporate governance, but the effect is insignificant except in local and global community areas. A possible explanation is that in these areas stakeholders are protected mainly by ethics and social norms rather than by various regulations that is commonplace in labour, environment and customer related areas. The latter lends support for the idea that stakeholders are best protected by various regulations

The design of a special solution towing trailer

Käesolevas töös erilahendusega puksiirhaagise projekteerimine on projekteeritud sõidukite pukseerimiseks mõeldud O2 kategooriasse kuuluv haagis. Võrreldes olemasolevate haagistega, toimub sõidukite peale laadimine ja maha laadimine palju lihtsamalt ning kiiremini. Peamiselt lahendati liiklusseadusega kooskõlla viimist ning tõste mehhanismi ehitusega seonduvaid probleeme, sest arvestades selle haagise sihtotstarvet siis on kõige olulisemaks kriteeriumiks liiklusohutus ja vastupidavus. Samuti sai välja selgitatud antud haagisele rakenduvad liiklusseadused ja tehnonõuded ning sellest saab järeldada, et sellist tüüpi haagistega, ilma inertspiduritega tohib vedada veost ehk sõidukit mille kogumass ei ületa 600 kg. Kuna sellise massiga sõidukeid on vähe siis tuleks lisada neile haagistele pidurid, kui raam ja muud detailid on projekteeritud sellise koormuse vedamiseks. Projekteerimine ja analüüsimine viidi läbi programmis CATIA V5R21. Esmalt valiti rehvid, et teada saada nende laius. Seejärel hakati välja töötama õõtshooba mis vastaks võimalikele nõuetele ja vastupidavatele jõududele. Lõplikuks tehniliseks lahenduseks osutus rattaõlg, millega sai pneumosilindrid toodud haagise ratta ette. Selline lahendus tagab parima vahe kahe haagise ratta vahel ning manööverdamine muutus ohutumaks. Kuna enne haagise projekteerimist ei olnud eesmärk teha haagis võimalikult odav vaid muuta kasutajasõbralikumaks. Seetõttu haagise omahind valmistamiseks kujunes neli korda kallimaks kui Eestis müügis olevate ilma tõsteseadmeteta haagistel ehk lõpphind kujunes 4378,78 €. Kuid kuna toode pakub kasutajatele mugavust ning kiirust, siis on ka kindlasti selle haagiste kasutajateks rohkem inimesed, kes teevad sellega igapäevast tööd. Projekteeritud haagis vastab töö sissejuhatuses püstitatud ülesandele ning on võimalik ühe nupulevajutusega mugavalt ja ohutult maadligi lasta ning sõidukeid teisaldada. Õhksilindritega haagiseid teadaolevalt Eestis hetkel ei toodeta, kuna selline lahendus on piisavalt uudne, kuid võimalus selliseid haagiseid toota oleks küllaltki reaalne.The design of a special solution towing trailer is an O2 category trailer meant for towing vehicles has been designed within this thesis. Compared to the existing trailers, the loading and unloading of vehicles is much easier and faster with this trailer. The main problems to be solved involved bringing the trailer into conformity with the Traffic Act and problems relating to the construction of the lifting mechanism, as considering the intended purpose of the trailer, the most important criteria were road safety and durability. Additionally, different traffic acts and technical requirements applicable to this trailer were identified and thus, we can conclude that trailers without a retarder system can only tow cargo or vehicles whose total weight is below 600 kg. As there are very few vehicles with such a weight, a retarder system had to be added to those trailers, as the chassis and other parts were designed to tow such loads. The design and analysis were carried out in the programme CATIA V5R21. First, tyres were chosen in order to find out their width. Then, the development of a track-control arm that would meet the possible requirements and resistive forces was initiated. The final technical solution turned out to be the wheel arm, which helped bring the pneumatic cylinders to the front of the trailer’s wheel. Such a solution ensures the best distance between the two wheels of the trailer and makes manoeuvring safer. Before the design of the trailer, the aim was not to make the trailer as cheap as possible, but more user-friendly. Therefore, the production cost of the trailer turned out to be four times more expensive than that of the trailers without lifting equipment sold in Estonia, i.e. the final price was 4,378.78 euros. However, as the product offers more convenience and speed to people using it, the users of this trailer will surely be those who work with it on a daily basis. The designed trailer corresponds to the task set out in the introduction of the thesis and with a single press of a button, it is possible to safely and comfortably lower the trailer to the ground and transport vehicles. Trailers with air cylinders are not known to be produced in Estonia at the moment, as such a solution is rather innovative, but the possibility to produce these kinds of trailers is quite realistic

Corporate governance and the firm's behaviour towards stakeholders [Elektronisk resurs]

Obey the Law and Do a Little Bit Extra? The paper provides evidence on how firms’ stakeholder orientation is associated with standard measures of corporate governance using a panel of 1778 US companies during the period of 1995-2006. We construct two binary indicators, one measuring stakeholder hostility and the other stakeholder friendliness using data from KLD ratings agency. Based on these indicators, we classify firms into four groups representing stakeholder hostile, neutral, friendly and ”friendly and hostile” firms. Our results show that both stakeholder friendly and hostile firms tend to have significantly lower insider ownership, smaller option grants, lower pay-performance sensitivities, larger boards, older executive officers and directors, lower institutional ownership and larger number of anti-takeover defenses than the firms in the neutral group. We also find that the probability of stakeholder hostile activity is positively related to the strength of corporate governance, but the effect is insignificant except in local and global community areas. A possible explanation is that in these areas stakeholders are protected mainly by ethics and social norms rather than by various regulations that is commonplace in labour, environment and customer related areas. These findings lend support for the idea that stakeholders are best protected by various regulations. Corporate Governance and Workplace Safety. This paper examines how the weakening in corporate governance affects workplace safety. We use anti-takeover laws in the US in the 1980s as a source of variation in corporate governance. Our measures of workplace safety are the number of violations of OSHA workplace safety regulation, penalties paid for these violations, the number of accidents and employees’ complaints about their workplace safety. We find that firms affected by the regulation presented significantly more workplace safety violations and penalties than otherwise similar firms that were not affected by the regulation. Accidents and complaints tend to decrease as a result of the anti-takeover regulation, but the results are not entirely robust. We also document that the increase in workplace safety violations was significantly smaller in unionized firms. This suggests that unions can play an important role in curbing managerial discretion. How Responsible is Private Equity? The financial success of leveraged buyout targets (LBOs) is frequently associated with deteriorating conditions for other stakeholders, such as workers, customers, suppliers, tax-payers and society as a whole. We obtain a comprehensive set of stakeholder ratings for a sample of 373 LBOs and examine the pre-and post-LBO performance of these ratings. LBO targets are characterized by weak stakeholder relations across a number of measures compared to their peers, in terms of corporate governance, transparency, employee relations and community relations. Controlling for this selection, we do not find systematic evidence in favor of the idea that private equity funds gain at the expense of other stakeholders. Private equity ownership alters targets in the direction of higher pay, improved work-life benefits, increased charitable giving, and decreased concerns related to retirement benefits, adverse economic impact, tax disputes, unfair marketing practices and antitrust problems

Corporate Governance and Workplace Safety

This paper examines how the weakening in corporate governance affects workplace safety. We use anti-takeover laws in the US in the 1980s as a source of variation in corporate governance. Our measures of workplace safety are the number of violations of OSHA workplace safety regulation, penalties paid for these violations, the number of accidents and employees’ complaints about their workplace safety. We find that firms affected by the regulation presented significantly more workplace safety violations and penalties than otherwise similar firms that were not affected by the regulation. Accidents and complaints tend to decrease as a result of the anti-takeover regulation, but the results are not entirely robust. We also document that the increase in workplace safety violations was significantly smaller in unionized firms. This suggests that unions can play an important role in curbing managerial discretion

Põlva Forestowners Association - overview of activities

Bakalaureusetöö eesmärk on anda ülevaade ühistegevuse ajaloost ja erametsaomanike ühendavatest organisatsioonidest Eestis. Kronoloogiliselt on kirjeldatud MTÜ Põlva Metsaomanike Seltsi tegevust aastatel 2000 kuni 2012. Töö eesmärk on analüüsida tervet maakonda hõlmava suure liikmete arvuga metsaühistu tööd ülaltoodud ajavahemikus ja anda hinnang erametsaomanike ühistegevusele üldiselt. Uurimismetoodikana võrreldi Põlva Metsaomanike Seltsi liikmete arvu, majandusnäitajaid, toetuste taotlemist ja läbi viidud projekte aastatel 2007 kuni 2012. Saadud tulemused on märkimisväärsed: vabariigis ollakse liikmete arvult suurim ühistu, liikmete omandis oleva metsamaa pindalalt esimese viie seas, tegutsetakse omavahendite eest ostetud majas, praktilisi koolitusi viiakse läbi oma kinnistutel. Aktiivselt osaletakse KÜ Eramets poolt korraldatavates üle vabariigilistes ühistes tehingutes: metsamaterjali ja hakkepuidu müük, istikute ost jne. Toimub pidev kogemuste vahetamine teiste metsaühistutega. Suure liikmete arvuga metsaühistud on eelisolukorras erinevate siseriiklike ja EL toetuste taotlemisel. Antud töös tehtud järeldusi saab kasutada Põlva Metsaomanike Seltsi edaspidises tegevuses. Põlva Metsaomanike Selts, kui näide edukalt toimivast metsaühistust võib aidata nii mõnelgi erametsaomanikul langetada positiivne otsus liitumiseks metsaühistuga ja väiksematel metsaühistutel omakorda regionaalseks liitumiseks.The purpose of this barchelor thesis is to give an overview about history of coopera-tion's and institutions of private forestowner's in Estonia. Chronologically is described activities of NPO Põlva Forestowners Association between 2000 and 2012th. The purpose of this work is to analyze forestry association with large number of members covering the entire county above period and to evaluate generally activities of the forestowners associations. Research methodology compared Põlva Forestowners Association membership number, indicators of economic, apply for grants and projects carried out between 2007 and 2012th. The results are remarkable: in republic, it is association with the largest number of members, in the first five by members-owned forestland area, operates in the house bought of own-funds, practical trainings will be carried out on their own forestproperties. Actively participates of common deals over the republic organized by central cooperative Eramets: selling timber and hacktimber, buing of transplants ect. There is a constant exchange of experience with other forestassociations. Forestassociations with a large number of members have an advantage when they applying for different internal ja EU grants. This work's conclusions can be applied activities of Põlva Forestowners Association from now on. Põlva Forestowners Association, as an example of successful functioning forest-association can help some of private forest owners to make a positive decision to join forestassociation and smaller forestassociations turn further regional integration in