Cette thèse a pour objet l'étude des éléments radioactifs qui peuvent altérer le bon fonctionnement des composants électroniques au niveau terrestre. Ces éléments radioactifs sont appelés émetteurs alpha. Intrinsèques aux composants électroniques, ils se désintègrent et émettent des particules alpha qui ionisent la matière du dispositif électronique et déclenchent des SEU (Single Event Upset). Ces travaux visent à évaluer la fiabilité des circuits digitaux due à cette contrainte radiative interne aux composants électroniques. Dans ce but, tous les émetteurs alpha naturelles ou artificielles susceptibles de contaminer les matériaux des circuits digitaux ont été identifiés et classés en deux catégories : les impuretés naturelles et les radionucléides introduits. Les impuretés naturelles proviennent d'une contamination naturelle ou involontaire des matériaux utilisés. Afin d'évaluer leurs effets sur la fiabilité, le SER (Soft Error Rate) a été déterminé par simulations Monte-Carlo pour différents nœuds technologiques dans le cas de l'équilibre séculaire. Par ailleurs, avec la miniaturisation des circuits digitaux, de nouveaux éléments chimiques ont été suggérés ou employés dans la nanoélectronique. Les radionucléides introduits regroupent ce type d'élément naturellement constitué d'émetteurs alpha. Des études basées sur des simulations Monte-Carlo et des applications analytiques ont été effectués pour évaluer la fiabilité des dispositifs électroniques. Par la suite, des recommandations ont été proposées sur l'emploi de nouveaux éléments chimiques dans la nanotechnologie. / This work studies radioactive elements that can affect the proper functioning of electronic components at ground level. These radioactive elements are called alpha emitters. Intrinsic to electronic components, they decay and emit alpha particles which ionize the material of the electronic device and trigger SEU (Single Event Upset).This thesis aims to assess the reliability of digital circuits due to this internal radiative constraint of electronic components. For that, all alpha-emitting natural or artificial isotopes that can contaminate digital circuits have been identified and classified into two categories: natural impurities and introduced radionuclides.Natural impurities result from a natural or accidental contamination of materials used in nanotechnology. To assess their effects on reliability, the SER (Soft Error Rate) was determined by Monte Carlo simulations for different technology nodes in the case of secular equilibrium. Besides, a new analytical approach was developed to determine the consequences of secular disequilibrium on the reliability of digital circuits.Moreover, with the miniaturization of digital circuits, new chemical elements have been suggested or used in nanoelectronics. The introduced radionuclides include this type of element consisting of natural alpha emitters. Studies based on Monte Carlo simulations and analytical approches have been conducted to evaluate the reliability of electronic devices. Subsequently, recommendations were proposed on the use of new chemical elements in nanotechnology.

La contamination par les hydrocarbures peut altérer les propriétés physicochimiques et biologiques du sous-sol, par conséquent le diagnostic et l’évolution des contaminants peuvent être surveillés en couplant les analyses géochimiques et les techniques géophysiques. Dans ce travail, différentes méthodes géophysiques de sub-surface telles que la tomographie de résistivité électrique, la polarisation induite, le géoradar et le potentiel spontané ont été utilisées d’une manière combinée pour localiser les zones impactées par les hydrocarbures du site de l’ancienne raffinerie de Petit Couronne. Les investigations géophysiques par la tomographie de résistivité électrique en 2D ont révélés la présence des anomalies de fortes valeurs de conductivité et chargeabilité électrique associés aux zones contaminées de l’aquifère. Les résultats obtenus avec les profils d’ERT et IP indiquent que la contamination a modifié les parties capacitives et ohmiques de la conduction électrique dans les sédiments contaminés. Cette signature très conductrice des zones contaminées est due aux processus de biodégradation des hydrocarbures qui minéralisent les eaux de l’aquifère. Les panaches d’hydrocarbures ont été identifiés sur les profils de géoradar par une forte atténuation des amplitudes de signaux électromagnétiques. Les profils de potentiel spontané ont aussi fourni une cartographie spatiale des zones contaminées par leurs signatures électriques négatives qui est associées aux processus d'oxydoréduction et biodégradation à l’interface entre la zone non saturée et saturée. Une carte de potentiel redox a été reconstruite à partir de l'inversion des données résiduelles de potentiel spontané grâce au calcul des composantes de la densité du courant électrique. La contribution redox dans l'aquifère contaminé s'explique par des dipôles verticaux répartis sur la frange capillaire juste au-dessus de la nappe phréatique, en favorisant le mécanisme de la biogéobatterie sur ce site. L’ensemble de ces résultats ont été confirmés par les mesures géochimiques menées au niveau des forages. L'étude a montré que les altérations biologiques des hydrocarbures ont modifié les propriétés chimiques de l'eau porale et que l'étendue de la contamination des eaux souterraines peut être délimitée à partir du contraste géophysique observé entre les zones contaminées et les zones non contaminées. La combinaison des différentes méthodes géophysiques avec des analyses géochimiques ponctuelles au niveau des forages ont permis de mieux comprendre les différents processus qui sont à l’origine de modifications des propriétés biogéochimiques dans les sols et les eaux souterraines. / The presence of hydrocarbon contamination in the subsurface can modify the physiochemical and biological properties of soil and groundwater. The sensitivity of geophysical methods to biogeochemical changes occurring in contaminated media can be used to monitor hydrocarbon contamination in a fast and inexpensive way. As such, geophysical methods including, electrical resistivity tomography, induced polarization, ground penetrating radar, self-potential and magnetic susceptibility were used in this work to characterize the hydrocarbon contamination and investigate its effects on the soil and groundwater geophysical and geochemical properties at a site impacted by an aged hydrocarbon plume. The geophysical response to hydrocarbon contamination varies according to factors related to the contaminant in question and to the contaminated environment. Therefore, to achieve a better interpretation, the field geophysical data were constrained by geochemical soil boring data which showed that biodegradation is occurring in the site. This was shown through observing elevated total dissolved solids concentrations, elevated groundwater electrical conductivity values, negative redox potential values and depleted terminal electron acceptors concentrations in the contaminated locations. Throughout the investigation, the geophysical measurements supported the conductive model and consistently recorded low resistivity anomalies, high chargeability values and attenuated GPR reflections in the contaminated zones. Additionally, significant negative self-potential anomalies associated with oxidation-reduction processes coupled to the biodegradation of hydrocarbons were recorded in the groundwater contaminated zone. Based on this observation, a redox potential map of the contaminated site was constructed by the inversion of the field self potential data. Throughout the process, a groundwater model was first calibrated to remove the electrokinetic component from the SP signal. Then, the obtained residual self potential data was inverted for the electrical current density by using an inversion algorithm which includes minimizing a cost function with a data misfit contribution and a regularizer. As a result, the obtained current density was used to construct a map of redox potential showing the borders and the redox front of the contaminant plume. The redox contribution was explained by vertical dipoles distributed across the capillary fringe, supporting further the mechanism of bio-geo-battery which was created due to the existence of a strong redox potential gradient between the highly reducing conditions within the plume and the oxidizing conditions outside the plume. Furthermore, elevated magnetic susceptibility values were recorded in the biologically active transition zone where bio-precipitation of iron minerals is occurring. Given these results, this study showed that biological alterations of hydrocarbons induced subtle changes in the pore water biogeochemistry, which consequently modified the geophysical properties of the contaminated sediments. The extent of groundwater contamination was delineated according to the geophysical contrast between the contaminated and clean zones. Moreover, the combination of the different geophysical methods, constrained by the geochemical point measurements, provided insight on the different processes which might have modified the soil and groundwater biogeochemical properties at the contaminated site.

<p>U okviru ovog istraživanja ispitani su: (1) Procesi koji se odvijaju prilikom &nbsp;bioremedijacije zemlji&scaron;ta zagađenog naftom i derivatima nafte, koje je bilo izloženo&nbsp;spontanim abiotičkim i biotičkim procesima degradacije u toku 8 godina, tehnikama&nbsp;biogomila i povr&scaron;inske obrade na poluindustrijskoj (pilot) skali uz optimizaciju&nbsp;tehnolo&scaron;kih parametara sa ciljem povećanja efikasnosti i efektivnosti biodegradacije&nbsp;ugljovodonika; (2) Uticaj starenja, koncentracije, biodsotupnosti i strukture zagađujućih&nbsp;materija na procese biodegradacije i biotransformacije u kontrolisanim laboratorijskim&nbsp;uslovima. Tokom dve godine bioremedijacionog tretmana sadržaj mineralnih ulja opao&nbsp;je za 52% (od 27,8 g/kg do 13,2 g/kg) i 53% (od &nbsp;23,2 g/kg do 10,8 g/kg), dok je sadržaj&nbsp;ukupnih ugljovodonika opao za 43% (od 41,4 g/kg do 23,4 g/kg) i 27% (od 35,3 g/kg do&nbsp;25,8 g/kg) u biogomili i povr&scaron;inskoj obradi respektivno. Efikasnost uklanjanja&nbsp;mineralnih ulja iz zemlji&scaron;ta u dva posmatrana bioremedijaciona tretmana je praktično&nbsp;ista. Međutim, u pogledu sadržaja ukupnih ugljovodonika u biogomili uklonjeno je dva&nbsp;puta vi&scaron;e ukupnih ugljovodonika (gledajući &nbsp;apsolutnu količinu ukupno uklonjenih&nbsp;ugljovodonika). Kinetika biodegradacije mineralnih ulja i ukupnih ugljovodonika u toku&nbsp;tretmana u biogomili u saglasnosti je sa kinetičkim modelima lnC=lnC_0-kt i lnC=lnC_0-kt^0,5. Kinetika biodegradacije mineralnih ulja u toku povr&scaron;inske obrade relativno se&nbsp;dobro može opisati sa dva pomenuta kinetička modela, međutim, znatno bolju&nbsp;korelaciju pokazao je linearni model (C=C_0-kt) primenjen na prvih 92 i poslednjih 200&nbsp;dana eksperimenta. Promena sadržaja ukupnih ugljovodonika u toku povr&scaron;inske obrade&nbsp;zagađenog zemlji&scaron;ta relativno je u dobroj korelaciji samo sa kinetičkim modelom&nbsp;lnC=lnC_0-kt^0,5. Laboratorijska ispitivanja pokazala su da biodegradabilnost i sudbina&nbsp;ugljovodonika u životnoj sredini jako zavise od tipa, starosti i koncentracije zagađujućih&nbsp;materija. Naime, u slučaju zemlji&scaron;ta sveže kontaminiranog dizel uljem, već pri&nbsp;<br />koncentracijama od 20 mg/g uočen toksičan efekat koji je prevaziđen nakon dve nedelje&nbsp;tretmana kao posledica smenjenja prekomerne koncentracije rastvorenih ugljovodonika&nbsp;biotičkim i abiotičkim putem i adaptacije prisutne mikroflore. U slučaju većih&nbsp;koncentracija ovaj efekat je bio jo&scaron; izraženiji. Kod zemlji&scaron;ta kontaminiranog sirovom&nbsp;naftom isti efekat se javlja tek pri koncentraciji od 35 mg/g, kao posledica toga da&nbsp;sirova nafta sadrži manju količinu lako rastvornih ugljovodonika. Za razliku od sveže&nbsp;kontaminiranog zemlji&scaron;ta, na biodegradaciju starog naftnog zagađanja u zemlji&scaron;tu&nbsp;koncentracija nije imala uticaj, u ovakvom zemlji&scaron;tu respiracija je bila na veoma niskom&nbsp;nivou pri svim ispitivanim koncentracijama, ali ne kao posledica toksičnosti, već kao&nbsp;posledica činjenice da se degradabilni deo zagađujućih materija degradirao tokom&nbsp;procesa starenja, tako da su u zemlji&scaron;tu zaostali visokomolekularni &nbsp;te&scaron;ko rastvorni&nbsp;ugljovodonici (smole, asfaltne komponente i dr.) sekvestrovani u zemlji&scaron;tu. Merenja biodostupnosti ugljovodonika (ekstrakcijom sa Tween80) pokazala &nbsp;su da je u zemlji&scaron;tu sveže kontaminiranom dizel uljem i sirovom naftom i starim naftnim zagađenjem oko 95%, 85% i 40% ugljovodonika biodostupno, respektivno. Koncentracija rezidualne frakcije mineralnih ulja i ukupnih ugljovodonika dobijena nakon 48 dana laboratorijskog tretmana u skoro svim probama je veća od predviđenih, &scaron;to je posledica bifaznog pona&scaron;anja ugljovodonika u zemlji&scaron;tu, gde se jedan deo uklanja biodegradacijom, dok drugi deo difunduje u pore zemlji&scaron;ta i kompleksira se sa zemlji&scaron;nom organskom materijom. Količina ugljovodonika iz starog naftnog zagađenja zemlji&scaron;ta koja može da pređe u vodenu fazu je mala reda veličine nekoliko mg/l, međutim, u prirodnim uslovima usled spiranja ugljovodonika sa zemlji&scaron;ta ki&scaron;om, postoji verovatnoća da ovi ugljovodonici dospeju u podzemnu vodu iznad maksimalno dozvoljene koncentracije za vodu za piće (MDK = 10 &mu;g/l) i na taj način degradiraju njen kvalitet. Zbog nemogućnosti daljag uklanjanja zagađenja bioremedijacijom, preostala količina zagađujućih materija koja može dospeti u vodenu fazu bi trebalo da se ukloni nekim drugim remedijacionim tehnikama pre njegovog konačnog bezbednog odlaganja u životnu sredinu.</p> / <p>The aims of this study were to examine: (1) the processes that occur during bioremediation of soil contaminated by oil and oil derivatives, which was exposed to spontaneous abiotic and biotic degradation processes over 8 years, using pilot scale biopiles and landfarming techniques to optimise technological parameters with the aim of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of hydrocarbons biodegradation. (2) the effect of contaminants weathering, concentration, bioavailability and structure on the biodegradation and biotransformation process under controlled laboratory conditions. Over the two years of bioremediation treatment by biopiles and landfarming, the mineral oil content decreased by 52% (from 27.8 g/kg to 13.2 g/kg) and 53% (from 23.2 g/kg to 10.8 g/kg),&nbsp; and the total hydrocarbon content decreased by 43% (from 41.4 g/kg to 23.4 g/kg) and 27% (from 35.3 g/kg to 25.8 g/kg), respectively. The efficiency of mineral oil removal from soil in these two applied bioremediation treatments was practically the same. However, in terms ofthe absolute amount of total hydrocarbons, twice as many total hydrocarbons were removed in the biopile. The mineral oil and total hydrocarbons biodegradation kinetics in the biopile were in good agreement with&nbsp; the kinetic models lnC = lnC0-kt and lnC = lnC0-kt0.5. The mineral oil biodegradation&nbsp;kinetics during the landfarming treatment is relatively well described with those two kinetic models, however, significantly better correlation is obtained by the linear model (C = C0-kt) applied to the first 92 and last 200 days of the experiment. The change in total hydrocarbons content during the landfarming treatment is in relatively good correlation only with the kinetic model lnC = lnC-kt0.5. The laboratory biodegradation investigation showed that hydrocarbon biodegradability and its fate in the environment strongly depend upon the structure, concentration and weathering of the hydrocarbons. Thus, in the case of diesel contaminated soil, as a consequence of&nbsp; its structure, i.e. the presence in a higher concentration of the soluble and toxic midrange n-alkanes, a toxic effect is detected at a diesel oil concentration of 20 mg/g, although this effect is overcome after two weeks, as a consequence of the decreasing&nbsp; concentration of soluble hydrocarbons in biotic and abiotic processes and microbial adaptation. This effect was more pronounced in the case of the soil withthe highest diesel oil concentration. In crude oil contaminated soil, a toxic effect was observed at a much higher hydrocarbon concentration (35 mg/g) than in the diesel oil contaminated soil, which corresponds to the fact that crude oil contains significantly less soluble hydrocarbon. In contrast to these two freshly contaminated soils, the weathered contaminated soil contaminant concentration did not have an effect on hydrocarbon biodegradation, with biodegradation in this soil actually at a low level at all concentrations, not as a consequence of toxicity, but because the degradable part of the contaminant was already degraded during the weathering process, leaving behind only highly condensed hydrophobic organic contaminants (asphaltenes, resins, etc.) sequestered in the soil. The data obtained for hydrocarbons bioavailability (by Tween80 extraction) showed that the bioavailable hydrocarbon fraction from soils freshly contaminated with diesel oil and crude and weathered oil contamination were approximately 95%, 85% and 40%, respectively. The concentration of residual mineral oil fractions and total hydrocarbons obtained after 48 days of laboratory biodegradability treatment in almost all batches was greater than predicted, as a result of the biphasic behaviour of hydrocarbons in the soil, where some were degraded or lost from the soil and some transformed into the recalcitrant fraction. The amount of hydrocarbons from the weathered soil contamination that can be transferred into the water phase is small, of the order of a few mg/l in magnitude, however, under natural conditions, due to hydrocarbons leaching by rainfall, it is possible that these hydrocarbons infiltrate groundwater above&nbsp; the maximum permissible concentration for drinking water (MAC = 10 &mu;g/l) and thus degrade its quality. As it is not possible to achieve further contamination degradation by bioremediation, the remaining amount of pollutants which can be transferred into the water phase should be removed by some other remediation techniques before its final safe disposal in the environment.</p>

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Text in English / Fungal species and their mycotoxins are the most predorminant contaminants of dried agricultural products in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the main species of fungi that can synthesize mycotoxins are Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. In Africa, aflatoxin is labelled as a great threat to human and animal health due to its high contamination levels reported of aflatoxins in foods. The aim of this study was to survey fungi and aflatoxin contamination of small-scale processed foodstuffs sold at informal retail outlets in the Johannesburg metropolis, South Africa. A total of 270 food samples (10 starch and legume based foods, 11 meat and fish based foods, 22 spices and local condiments, 14 dried fruits and vegetables) were collected from retailers; and analysed four (4) times in different seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Out of the 270 samples analysed, only 27.8% were contaminated with fungal. Of all the six categories of foods analysed, roots and tubers (60.0%), nuts and seeds (40.0%), dried vegetables (37.1%), and the Meat and Insect foods (33.3%) respectively, had the most contaminated samples with fungal respectively. The least contaminated food groups were the fish foods (10.0%) and spices and local condiments (16.7%) respectively. Twenty percent of the 270 dried food analysed were contaminated by Aspergillus species out of which 61.1% of the contaminated samples had fungal counts above 103 cfu/g. Aspergillus niger was the most predominant Aspergillus species identified in all the categories of food samples analysed. Fruits and vegetables (24.4%) and the nuts and seeds (20.0%) food groups had the highest number of samples contaminated with aflatoxin. Peanut flour and Cardamom had the most incidence of aflatoxin. AFB1, AFB2 & AFG1 were the most prominent aflatoxin types recovered from the food samples. Almost all the food samples in which aflatoxin were identified had aflatoxin values above 10μg/ml. / Life and Consumer Sciences / M.Sc. (Life Science)

The newly planned lead recycling zone in Dong Mai village has been operating with primary treatment systems using lime to neutralize acid in wastewater is a good sign for the local environment, yet the real problem that needs further attention and proper solutions is the accumulation of heavy metals typically lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in agricultural land near the old Pb recycling area. In this context, 27 soil samples were collected and analyzed by AAS method to assess the situation and the quality of the agricultural soil. The results showed that the levels of Cd in the soil were still in acceptable level according to National Regulation. However, the lead contents in all of the soil samples exceeded National Regulation. The level of Pb pollution in soil was inversely proportional to the distance with old lead melting zone. The lead content in the soil sample collected at the distance of 50 m radius to the old melting zone reached 7070 ppm, which was 100 times higher than the allowable value of National Regulation. / Khu tái chế chì mới tại thôn Đông Mai đã được quy hoạch và đi vào hoạt động cùng hệ thống xử lý sơ bộ với vôi bột là một tín hiệu đáng mừng cho môi trường nơi đây, nhưng vấn đề cần quan tâm và giải quyết triệt để là sự tích lũy một lượng lớn kim loại nặng điển hình là chì (Pb) và cađimi (Cd) trong đất nông nghiệp gần những khu tái chế chì cũ. 27 mẫu đất đã được thu thập và phân tích bằng phương pháp AAS để đánh giá tình trạng, chất lượng đất nông nghiệp tại đây. Kết quả cho thấy hàm lượng Cd trong đất vẫn trong mức độ cho phép theo Quy chuẩn quốc gia. Tuy nhiên, 100% các mẫu đất đều có hàm lượng chì vượt quá mức cho phép theo Quy chuẩn quốc gia. Mức độ ô nhiễm Pb trong đất tỷ lệ nghịch với khoảng cách tới khu lò nấu chì cũ. Mẫu đất cách 50 m so với khu vực lò cũ có hàm lượng chì lên tới 7070 ppm, gấp hơn 100 lần so với Quy chuẩn quốc gia.

Aerosol particle deposition rates on surfaces inside a clean room are predicted by a model developed to account for particle convection, diffusion and sedimentation. External forces acting on the particle also influence the rate of deposition. Both electrical charge build up on product surfaces and temperature gradients in the air near the product surface are known to effect the rate of deposition. A description of an electrostatic and thermophoretic force on the particle is thus included in the model. The equations governing the particle deposition process and the approach used in obtaining a solution to these equations are both described. A finite element numerical solution is detailed, followed by a description of the electrostatic force models. Finally, predictions of the model are presented with a comparison to data experimentally obtained by other researchers.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Leland McKinney / Carryover of medicated feed additives between batches of feed can potentially result in harmful drug residues in the edible tissues of food-animals. Flushing the equipment with an ingredient, such as ground grain, is one method used to remove any residual medicated feed from the system. It is generally recommended that the quantity of flush used be between 5 and 10% of the mixer's capacity. However, there is little data that supports this recommendation. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to 1.)determine which manufacturing equipment is the major source of carryover, 2.)evaluate which flush size adequately prevents drug carryover, and 3.) quantify the interrelationship between flush size and drug concentration. In Experiment 1, feed medicated with nicarbazin (Nicarb 25%®; 0.0125%) was manufactured and conveyed from the mixer, through a drag conveyor and bucket elevator, and then into a finished product bin. The system was then flushed using ground corn in the amount of 2.5, 5, 10, 15, or 20% of the mixer's capacity (454.5 kg). Subsequently, a non-medicated diet was conveyed through the system and samples were collected and analyzed for nicarbazin. No significant (P > 0.05) differences were detected among the flush treatments, and all treatments were effective in preventing nicarbazin carryover to the non-medicated diet. In Experiment 2, feed medicated with three levels of monensin (Rumensin® 80; 100, 600, and 1,200 g/ton) was manufactured and handled in the same manner as in Experiment 1. The flushing treatments examined were: 1, 2.5, and 5% of the mixer's capacity. Samples of the non-medicated diet for each treatment were collected and analyzed for monensin. There was significant interaction (P < 0.05)between drug level and sampling location between treatments. As the drug level in the medicated diet increased, higher concentrations of monensin were detected in the non-medicated diet. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that a 2.5%, even a 1% flush size, is effective in preventing carryover of medicated feed additives. It was also demonstrated that the bucket elevator and finished product bin were the major sources of drug carryover in this particular feed manufacturing system.

Master of Science / Food Science Institute-- Animal Science & Industry / J. Scott Smith / Ammonia leaks in meat chilling/frozen storage or processing facilities are not uncommon. Often the meat products are packaged in polymer films that theoretically protect the product from contamination. Unfortunately, there is almost no data on whether ammonia can permeate packaging films. The objectives of this study were to evaluated meat contaminated by low levels of ammonia under frozen storage conditions (-17 ± 3[degree]C), and further evaluated the permeability of common meat packaging films including: low density polyethylene (LDPE), 3 mil Cryovac (E-2300), and 3 mil vacuum (V-PA/PE) at freezing (-17 ± 3 [degree]C) and room temperatures (21 ± 3 [degree]C). Fresh beef Semitendinosus muscles were fabricated to form 10 x 5 x 2.3 cm steaks. The packaging films were fabricated into 10 x 5 cm pouches and filled with 50 mL deionized water. The meat and the pouches were exposed in a plexiglass enclosure, contained in a freezer, to 50, 100, 250, and 500 ppm ammonia gas (85 mL/min) for exposure times of 6, 12, 24, and 48 hr. The ammonia levels in the meat samples were 34.2 (50 ppm exposure), 51.5 (100 ppm exp.), 81.1 (250 ppm exp.), and 116 ppm (500 ppm exp.), and the pH values ranged from 5.56 to 5.75 (control ranged from 5.31 to 5.43) at 48 hr. At freezing temperatures, ammonia residues remained undetected, and no differences in pH were found in the pouches. At room temperature, all pouches were slightly permeable to ammonia; the levels observed in the pouches were, 7.77 ppm (pH, 8.64) for E-2300, 5.94 ppm (pH, 8.38) for LDPE, and 0.89 ppm (pH, 7.23) for V-PA/PE at 500 ppm exposure for 48 hr (unexposed samples pH ranged from 5.49 to 6.44). The results showed that meat packaging materials have low ammonia permeability and thus protect meat products exposed to ammonia exposure during frozen storage. Moreover, meat content is low even with ammonia exposures as high as 500 ppm for up to 48 hr.

Master of Science / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Naiqian Zhang / Four permittivity probes have been developed and tested to measure contaminants in water and in biodiesel fuel. An impedance meter was also used to measure the same contaminants. The pollutants measured in water were nitrate salts (potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate) and atrazine. The contaminants measured in biodiesel were water, glycerol, and glyceride. Each sensor measured the gain and phase of a sample with a known concentration of one of these pollutants. The resulting signals were analyzed using stepwise regression, partial least squares regression, artificial neural network, and wavelet transformation followed by stepwise regression to predict the concentration of the contaminant using changes in the gain and phase data measured by the sensor. The same methods were used to predict the molecular weight of the nitrate salts. The reliability of the probes and the regression methods were compared using the coefficient of determination and the root mean square error. The frequencies selected using stepwise regression were studied to determine if any frequencies were more useful than others in detecting the contaminants. The results showed that the probes were able to predict the concentration and the molecular weight of nitrates in water very accurately, with R2-values as high as 1.00 for the training data and 0.999 for the validation data for both concentration predictions and molecular weight predictions. The atrazine measurements were somewhat promising, the training R2-values were as high as 1.00 in some cases, but there were many low validation values, often below 0.400. The results for the biodiesel tests were also good; the highest training R2-value was 1.00 and the highest validation R2-value was 0.966.