This study was undertaken to determine the effect of different work methods, types of equipment, and the size of operation on the cost of packing apples in bushel units. The information in this study was based on plants packing from 9,000 to 108,000 bushels of apples during the 1956 packing season. The data collected at these plants revealed wide variations in methods of handling and packing apples which had significant influences on the cost of packing house operations. To determine the relative influence of these factors on the cost of packing apples, each of the major packing house operations was considered separately. / Master of Science

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the use of NUCHAR activated carbon and aluminum sulfate as agents for removing a significant amount of color V from the caustic extraction waste of a sulfate pulp process. After a thorough search of the related literature was completed, experimental tests were conducted using activated carbon and aluminum sulfate. Fourteen tests employing activated carbon were made at 25 °C, pH values of waste ranging from 3 to 11.4, carbon content of 0.1 and 0.3 gram per 100 milliliters of waste, and stirring times of 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes. Treatment of the waste with aluminum sulfate was s conducted at temperatures of 25, 60, 61, and 62 °C, pH values of waste of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, and alum additions of 0.6, 0.0, 1.2, and 1.5 grams alum per liter of undiluted waste, Stirring time for these e treatments was 5 minutes at 75 revolutions per minute and 25 minutes at 45 revolutions per minute. Filtration of the sludge from alum coagulation of the caustic waste was performed through a sand bed and by vacuum through filter aid. Filtration through filter aid indicates a greater possibility of development into a workable process. It was concluded from this investigation that NUGHAR CEE-N activated carbon will not remove a significant amount of color free the caustic waste at the above conditions, but alum coagulation of the waste at pH of 6, temperature of 25 °C„ alum dosage of 1.5 gram per liter of waste, and stirring of 5 minutes and 25 minutes at 75 and 45 revolutions per minute, respectively, will decrease the color content of the waste approximately 90 per cent. / Master of Science

Three profiles of the Beltsville soil from Fairfax County, Virginia were studied in relation to the mechanical composition, the mineralogical composition, and some of the chemical and physical properties. Soil samples were selected to represent a profile developed over Coastal Plain deposits, schist, and granite, respectively. A high kaolinite content, a low quartz and illite content, and the presence of gibbsite in the horizons below the fragipan indicate that this material has undergone more intensive or a different type of weathering than the material in the solum. Two horizons high in clay were found in each of the profiles studied: one above the fragipan, which is the present illuvial horizon, and the other below the fragipan, which may be a buried illuvial horizon. In two of the profiles the heavy textured horizon below the fragipan had a higher clay content than the present illuvial horizon. Fragipan formation possibly resulted from the deposition of material eluviated from a fine textured mantle above. The heavy texture of the material below the fragipan was probably effective in initiating the development of the fragipan. / Master of Science

The design of a church for the present time should combine an expression of the ultimate objectives of the Christian religion with an expression of the liturgical formulae as they have evolved through the centuries. A pedantic adherence to the opinions of contemporary critics of church architecture can hinder the designer and can be avoided by comparing the products of contemporary trends with the rubrical requirements that change only by gradual restoration and suppression, hut rarely by innovation. Therefore, a church should not be built solely as an experiment to test the acceptability of pure novelty or to express the ideals of one generation of people, but it should be designed with a basis in liturgical symbolism and tradition and with an interpretation in terms of contemporary materials. / Master of Science

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the ideal possibilities in planning an ideal medium-sized hospital, and to incorporate these possibilities into the design of a general hospital for Blacksburg and the surrounding communities. Before any planning can be done, the requirements of the hospital must be agreed upon. By making a thorough research, one is able to determine the hospital needs of a community; the problems relating to planning, maintenance and operation of the hospital; the number of beds required; and the types of services to be offered. All these requirements will be affected by the extent of other existing facilities in the community and by those facilities in surrounding communities. When the number of beds that will be required, and the services to be offered have been decided upon, a program is developed. This program will show with reasonable completeness the requirements of each department of the hospital as to its approximate area, its major equipment, and the number and classification of personnel employed in the department. When the program is complete, and the site for the hospital has been selected, we can proceed with the planning of the building and the preparation of drawings for it. The following program gives a complete compilation of the hospital’s requirements, and enough information so that they may be readily translated into the actual size, shape, and arrangement of the eventual building, and the building’s relationship to the site. / Master of Science

It was the purpose of this investigation to ascertain the qualitative nature of the interracial tension equilibrium characteristics of the systems hexane-acetone-water and toluene-acetone-water by studying the effect of drop velocity on drop weight through use of the modified drop weight procedure, and comparing these results with those obtained from systems known to have time dependent interfacial tension relationships; to then evaluate the effect of interfacial tension on the rate or mass transfer by obtaining extraction data for the above systems in a horizontal, countercurrent liquid-liquid extraction tube for a series of interfacial tension values achieved through variation of the total acetone concentration in the system; and finally, to attempt to obtain an equation correlating the overall mass transfer coefficient based on the solvent film with the physical and operational variables of the systems and extractor. The observation that some three component, ternary systems containing high molecular weight solutes required time to reach interfacial tension equilibrium, prompted a more careful consideration of the assumption that determinations or this property obtained under static conditions represented the values existing under extracting conditions. The drop weight method was selected for comparison studies. An equation relating drop weight to drop velocity was derived, and took the form: m = 2πrσØ/g - Aρv²/g where: m = drop weight, gm 2, π = constants r = tip radius, cm σ = interfacial tension, dynes/cm g = acceleration due to gravity, cm A = cross sectional area of capillary tube, sq cm ρ = density of fluid flowing in capillary, gm/cu cm v = drop velocity, drops/min Ø = correction factor for non-ideal drop detachment from tip. The equation predicted that if (σ') and (Ø) were constants, a plot or drop weight (m) versus the square or the drop velocity (v²) would result in a straight line. The systems used to test the validity of the above equation were arabic acid and acetone as solutes with each of the following liquid pairs: benzene-water, cyclohexane-water, and toluene-water. From this study, it was concluded that 1. Adjustment of interfacial tension for the systems acetone in toluene, benzene, or cyclohexane with water was so rapid that equilibrium was reached as quickly as the drops could be formed. 2. The interfacial tension values of systems containing solutes having a molecular weight of 50 to 60 measured by equilibrium methods will be representative of the interfacial tension values for the systems under extracting conditions. 3. Equilibrium methods are not suitable for evaluating interfacial tension under extracting conditions for solutes having a molecular weight on the same order of magnitude as that for arabic acid. 4. The experimental method used in this investigation failed to show any transient values of interfacial tension less than the equilibrium values as postulated by Christiansen and Hixon. Extraction tests were made on the systems toluene-acetone-water and hexane-acetone-water at 25 to 29 °C, in an effort to determine the effect of interfacial tension on the overall mass transfer coefficient. Phase flow rates covered a range of 1,000 to 10,000 pounds per hour per square foot for both phases. Concentration ranged from 35 to 5 weight per cent acetone in the inlet water stream, and 20 to zero weight per cent acetone in the inlet toluene stream. For the hexane system. the concentrations varied from 45 to 15 weight per cent in acetone in the inlet water phase, and 5 to zero per cent acetone in the inlet hexane phase. The results of this study led to the following conclusions: 1. The overall mass transfer coefficient for acetone from water to hexane based on the hexane film, increased from 0.012 to 0.060 with an increase in interfacial tension from 7.6 to 24.0 dynes per centimeter, as controlled by decreasing acetone concentration. 2. The overall mass transfer coefficient for acetone from water to toluene based on the toluene film, decreased from 0.145 to 0.048 with an increase in interfacial tension from 6.6 to 22.5 dynes per centimeter, as controlled by decreasing acetone concentration. 3. Because of the opposite effect of interfacial tension on transfer of acetone from water to hexane and to toluene, no generalization as to the effect of interfacial tension on the overall mass transfer coefficient could be made. 4. The mass transfer coefficient for acetone to toluene was 0.1 to 0.025 ot the transfer coefficient for acetone from water to toluene. 5. The overall mass transfer coefficient based on the solvent phase concentrations can be correlated with 67 percent accuracy with the physical properties of the system by the equation: K_sd/D_s = 2.708 x 10⁻²¹(dσ/μ_sD_s)^0.7227(μ_w/μ_s)^4.0592(μ_s/ρ_sD_s)^5.4361(dG_s/μ_s)^0.4701(dG_w/μ_w)^0.3027 where: K_s = overall mass transfer coefficient based on solvent phase, lb/hr- sq ft-ΔC d = diameter of horizontal extraction tube, ft D_s = diffusivity of solute in solvent, sq ft/hr σ = interfacial tension, lb/hr² ρ_s = density of solvent phase, lb/cu ft μ_w, μ_s = viscosity of water and solvent phases, respectively, lb/ft-hr G_w, G_s = mass velocity of water and solvent phases, respectively, lb/hr-sq ft. 6. Equations correlating the individual film coefficients with physical properties of the system derived from binary extraction studies could not be used to predict ternary overall mass transfer coefficients. / Ph. D.

A cellulose-decomposing bacterium isolated from bovine feces was purified, identified as a member of the genus, Cellvibrio, and the new species name gilvus was proposed. Cellulose decomposition was demonstrated and cellobiose was the only hydrolytic sugar product. Excellent growth was obtained on mineral salts medium containing cellobiose, a vitamin mixture, and organic nitrogen (casein hydrolyzate) which was required for growth. Volatile and non-volatile acids, volatile neutral compounds, and carbon dioxide constituted the fermentation products. A preference for cellobiose was shown by a 30 to 46% greater growth rate than resulted on glucose. An investigation was conducted to explain this disaccharide preference. Intact cells oxidized glucose and cellobiose immediately and the rate of glucose oxidation was 10% less than obtained from cellobiose. Thus, hypotheses that adaptive hexokinase, hexokinase deficiency or impermeability to glucose could explain the preference were dispelled. Oxygen assimilation ratios of equivalent amounts of glucose, cellobiose and a mixture of these were 100:110:140. Alternate metabolic pathways were indicated. Resting cells grown on cellobiose esterified inorganic phosphate in the presence of glucose or cellobiose showed that these sugars were metabolized to phosphate esters. Relative rates of utilization of both sugars revealed that 130% more cellobiose was used at pH 6.5 and 590% more at pH 7.0. On a molar basis 30% more acid was formed from glucose than from cellobiose. A phosphorylase was indicated by the stimulation of cellobiose respiration by inorganic phosphate. Disaccharide preference was associated with the intracellular enzymes because soluble enzymes utilized 7.25 uM of cellobiose but only 2.8 uM of glucose. The adenosine triphosphate requirement for glucose utilization indicated hexokinase activity. Inorganic phosphate increased cellobiose utilization two-fold and was accompanied by esterification. Soluble enzymes from glucose-grown cells produced a constitutive cellobiose enzyme. Phosphate depressed glucose utilization while adenosine triphosphate depressed cellobiose utilization. Fructose-6-phosphate was the only ester detected in cells grown on either sugar. Cellobiose-grown cells contained 6.5 mg total P/2 g cells whereas glucose-grown cells contained only 2.1 mg. Glucose was converted to glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate and fructose-1,6-diphosphate by cell-free enzymes in the presence of adenosine triphosphate. Fructose-1,6-diphosphate was metabolized to pyruvic acid. This was evidence for an Embden-Meyerhof pathway. A cellobiose phosphorylase was demonstrated as a reversible reaction producing glucose and alpha-D-glucose-1-phosphate. Conversion of glucose-1-phosphate to glucose-6-phosphate was not obtained but fructose-6-phosphate was formed. Ground cells oxidized fructose-1,6-diphosphate and fructose-6-phosphate in the presence of diphosphopyridine nucleotide, coenzyme-A and methylene blue. These preparations in which oxidizing systems were saturated with fructose-1,6-diphosphate and cofactors oxidized glucose and cellobiose at greatly increased rates above that obtained from the ester. Gluconic acid was detected in the final reaction mixtures. An explanation of the disaccharide preference resides in several factors. The very active direct phosphorylation of cellobiose yielding a hexose phosphate at less expense energy-wise than the adenosine triphosphate-requiring phosphorylation of glucose showed cellobiose to be a more efficient energy-yielding substrate. The weak hexokinase would limit the formation of hexose phosphates which in turn could impede the energy obtained as high energy phosphate compounds necessary for growth and reproduction. A portion of available glucose was probably wasted in the direct oxidation to gluconic acid. Finally, a proposed scheme for the metabolic pathways of glucose and cellobiose in Cellvibrio gilvus was presented. / Ph. D.

M.S.

Master of Science

The heat transfer coefficient between a horizontal tube and a shallow fluidized bed of alumina particles (335-1261 micron) was measured, and the effects of the tube elevation (10-40 mm), static bed height (10-40 mm), and the design of the distributor were investigated. The cloud zone effect i.e. a sudden increase of the heat transfer coefficient when the tube was located right above the static bed height, has been verified as a feature of shallow bed systems; furthermore, the jet region has shown a dominant effect on the behavior of the shallow bed heat transfer. The results showed that the heat transfer coefficient increased monotonically with increasing air velocity when the tube was located in the jet region, and the heat transfer coefficient increased when a distributor which induced a deeper jet penetration was used. However, the erosion problem and the relatively high pressure drop across the distributor still need to be solved in further studies, so that the greatest economic value of a shallow bed can be achieved. / M. S.