Campylobacter spp. have been isolated from live poultry, production environment, processing facility, and raw poultry products. The detection of Campylobacter using both quantitative and qualitative techniques would provide a more accurate assessment of pre- or post harvest contamination. Environmental sampling in a poultry grow-out house, combined with carcass rinse sampling from the same flock may provide a relative assessment of Campylobacter contamination and transmission. Air samples, fecal/litter samples, and feed pan/drink line samples were collected from four commercial chicken grow-out houses. Birds from the sampled house were the first flock slaughtered the following day, and were sampled by post-chill carcass rinses. Quantitative (direct plating) and qualitative (direct plating after enrichment step) detection methods were used to determine Campylobacter contamination in each environmental sample and carcass rinse. Campylobacter, from post-enrichment samples, was detected from 27% (32/120) of house environmental samples and 37.5% (45/120) of carcass rinse samples. All sample types from each house included at least one positive sample except the house 2 air samples. Samples from house 1 and associated carcass rinses accounted for the highest total of Campylobacter positives (29/60). The fewest number of Campylobacter positives, based on both house environmental (4/30) and carcass rinse samples (8/30) were detected from flock B. Environmental sampling techniques provide a non-invasive and efficient way to test for foodborne pathogens. Correlating qualitative or quantitative Campylobacter levels from house and plant samples may enable the scheduled processing of flocks with lower pathogen incidence or concentrations, as a way to reduce post-slaughter pathogen transmission. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

Throughout the history of mankind, sheep have played a very important and unique part in the economies of the world. They have been a source of meat, milk, skins and fiber. They have become adapted to nearly every kind of husbandry, from nomadic types to intensively managed flocks on small farms and have thrived under nearly all climatic conditions, ranging from sub-artic regions of Greenland to hot areas of the mediterranean countries; from desert areas of Africa to wet lowland of England. Domestic sheep were introduced on the American continent by Spanish discovered and conquerors in 1493. (8, p.281) The other route by which they came was from England in 1607. (e, p. 21)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the economic aspects of farm flock sheep production in Utah. Using 1979 as a base year, costs and returns were calculated from data obtained from twenty- six Utah farms. Characteristics that typify the states· farm flock sheep production, at this writing, with regard to: 1) the farm flock producers and 2) the farm flock enterprise, were presented. Various models were dev eloped and examined using Multiple Regression and Linear Programming analytical techniques. Multiple Regression was us ed to estimate the effects that different variables had on the profitability of the sheep enterprise. The most significant variables were found to be: 1) the number o f years each producer has been involved in sheep production and 2) number of years rams are retained for breeding purposes. Linear Programming was used to maximize the relative net returns between : 1 ) a traditional method of farm flock sheep production in Utah. 2) an accelerated production program where three lamb crops are produced in two years, and 3) an intensive program where two lamb crops are produced in one year. The accelerated lambing program producing three lamb crops in two years consistently demonstrated the highest relative net return. Recommendations of future related research were also included.

No description available.

The objectives of this thesis were to investigate some physiological, cellular and molecular changes from genetic selection, flock age and egg storage on embryonic metabolism, cell viability and gene expression in poultry species. Embryonic heat production (EHP), the parameter used to evaluate metabolic status of two turkey genetic strains (Nicholas and Hybrid) and four flock ages (30 wk, 34 wk, 55 wk, 60 wk) were determined. The results showed that embryos of older flocks had higher EHP than all other flock ages. The higher metabolism can cause overheating in embryos from older flocks during the later part of incubation. The EHP values can assist incubator manufacturers and hatchery managers to manage incubation temperatures to increase embryo survival. The EHP was also determined in two Ross 308 broiler breeder egg storage durations (4 d and 14 d) to assess the impact of long-term egg storage on embryonic metabolism. The embryos from 4 d stored eggs had higher body weight and EHP than embryos from 14 d stored eggs. To investigate what could be the fundamental reasons for the metabolic differences, blastoderms from eggs in these egg storage treatments were isolated, dissociated into single cells, stained with fluorescent dyes and subjected to flow cytometry analysis to differentiate between viable (live), apoptotic and necrotic cell populations. Quantitative real time PCR analysis was then used to compare the expression of selected apoptotic genes (Bak, Bax, Bok, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL) in blastoderms and embryos from 6 d incubated eggs. While percentage of viable cells decreased significantly, an unregulated amount of apoptosis increased with egg storage duration (p < 0.0001). Expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bak, Bax, and Bok) were up regulated as storage duration increased at the blastodermal level but all genes were down regulated after 6 d of incubation. This suggests that an increment in egg storage duration can cause activation of apoptotic cell death mechanisms at the blastodermal level, which can be one of the molecular mechanisms that led to the reduced daily embryonic growth and metabolism observed in 14 d stored eggs. The thesis suggests there are molecular and cellular implications of egg storage. / Animal Science

Wall-Couture is a project within the textile design field, which aims to explore methods for surface design in digitally printed wallpaper. Through a practice based working method, textile after-treatment techniques have been used to manipulate digitally printed wallpaper with hand-painted motives. Practices borrowed from haute couture have influenced the working method. The result is a range of design examples displaying various expressions of the techniques. The project shows that several surface materials could be applied in ways that enhance tactility and visual depth to digitally printed wallpaper, and also that methods from craftsmanship could be use to design contemporary wallpaper. The combination of techniques increases the designer’s opportunities to design wallpaper by using alternative approaches to material and surfaces. The work also strives to higher the value of handicraft, decoration and ornamentation in the design field. Another value is to strengthen the position of digital printing in the textile industry; the work encourages technical progress for creating digital print in combination with surface treatments.

Por meio de ensaios em reatores estáticos (em equipamento de jarteste) foram estudados os efeitos da ruptura e da refloculação na sedimentação dos flocos, para diferentes velocidades de sedimentação. A água de estudo foi preparada com substâncias húmicas aquáticas (SHA) extraídas de água coletada do rio Itapanhaú - Bertioga/SP, resultando cor verdadeira de 100 uH, e coagulada com sulfato de alumínio e cloreto férrico. Para os dois coagulantes, foram realizadas as etapas de coagulação, mistura rápida, floculação, ruptura (G=50, 100 e 150/s) e refloculação (G=10 e 20/s). Na sedimentação sem a ocorrência de ruptura o cloreto férrico teve um desempenho superior ao sulfato de alumínio, principalmente nas velocidades de sedimentação mais altas. Isso se deve ao fato da floculação da água coagulada com o cloreto férrico ter gerado flocos de tamanho muito superior aos flocos gerados com o sulfato de alumínio. A ruptura, em poucos segundos, prejudicou a remoção dos flocos por sedimentação. Quanto maior o gradiente de velocidade na ruptura, maiores foram os valores da cor aparente remanescente, mesmo após a refloculação. A refloculação, mesmo nos primeiros minutos, diminuiu a cor aparente remanescente se comparada a logo após a ruptura. O menor gradiente de velocidade durante a refloculação testado (10/s) apresentou menores valores da cor aparente remanescente. Tanto na água coagulada com o sulfato de alumínio quanto na coagulada com o cloreto férrico a refloculação se comportou de modo semelhante, havendo recuperação na eficiência de remoção de cor sem, porém, atingir os resultados obtidos antes da ruptura. / By using the jar test equipment, the effects of breakage and reflocullation on the efficiency of floc sedimentation were studied, using different settling velocities. Water of study was prepared with aquatic humic substances (AHS) extracted from the Itapanhaú river (Bertioga, SP, Brazil), resulting a true color of 100 uH. Coagulation was performed by using aluminum sulfate and ferric chloride. For both coagulants, coagulation, flocculation, breakage (G=50, 100 and 150/s) and reflocculation (G=10 and 20/s) tests were carried out. In the sedimentation without the floc breakage occurrence the ferric chloride had a superior performance to aluminum sulphate, mainly in higher settling velocities. This occurred because of flocculation of the ferric chloride coagulated water have generated higher size flocs than that generated with aluminum sulphate. The breakage of flocs, in few seconds, hindered the settling removal. The higher the average shear rate in the break-up, the higher result the residual turbidity even after the reflocculation. The reflocculation, even in the first minutes, decreased the apparent color if compared to the results just after the break-up and sedimentation. The lower average share rate used during the reflocculation (10/s) resulted lower values of the remaining apparent color. During the flocculation, the aluminum sulphate coagulated water as well as in the ferric chloride coagulated water held in similar way, recovering the efficiency of removal of color without, however, reach the results gotten before the breakage.

Durante a floculação, a agitação promove dois efeitos simultaneamente, a agregação e a ruptura. A ruptura ocorre devido à atuação de forças de cisalhamento sobre os flocos. O aumento da agitação com, conseqüentemente, aumento do gradiente de velocidade médio, em água com flocos formados, promove o aumento das forças de cisalhamento e a degradação parcial ou total dos mesmos, em poucos segundos. Retornando à condição anterior de agitação, pode ocorrer o recrescimento dos flocos. Através de ensaios em reatores estáticos (em equipamento de jarteste) foram estudados os efeitos da ruptura e da refloculação na sedimentação dos flocos, para velocidades de sedimentação entre 0,9 e 7,0 cm/min. A água de estudo foi preparada com caulinita, resultando turbidez de 100 uT, e coagulada com sulfato de alumínio. Foram realizadas as etapas de coagulação, mistura rápida, floculação, ruptura (G=75, 150 e 250 \'S POT.-1\') e refloculação (G=25, 20 e 15 \'S POT.-1\'). A ruptura, em poucos segundos, prejudicou a remoção dos flocos por sedimentação. Quanto maior o gradiente de velocidade na ruptura, maiores foram os valores da turbidez remanescente do sobrenadante, mesmo após a refloculação. A refloculação, mesmo nos primeiros minutos, diminuiu a turbidez remanescente do sobrenadante se comparada a logo após a ruptura. Quanto menor o gradiente de velocidade durante a refloculação, menores foram os valores da turbidez remanescente do sobrenadante. Apenas para velocidades de sedimentação, gradientes de velocidade de ruptura e gradientes de velocidade de refloculação menores ou iguais a 2,5 cm/min, 75 \'S POT.-1\' e 15 \'S POT.-1\', respectivamente, foi possível obter sobrenadante com valores de turbidez remanescente similares aos encontrados inicialmente, sem ruptura. / During the flocculation, the shear rate promotes two effects simultaneously, growth and breakage of flocs. The break up of flocs is caused as a result of disruptive forces. The increase of the shear rate in water with formed flocs increases the disruptive forces and it also can break the flocs partial or totally in a few seconds. Restoring the previous low shear conditions, flocs can grow back. By using the jar test equipment, the effects of breakage and reflocullation on the efficiency of floc sedimentation were studied, using settling velocities between 0.9 e 7.0 cm/min. Water of study was prepared with groundwater and kaolin, resulting a turbidity of approximately 100 NTU. Coagulation was performed by using aluminum sulfate. Coagulation, flocculation, breakage (G=75, 150 e 250 \'S POT.-1\') and reflocculation tests were carried out. In a few seconds the breakage of flocs hindered the settling removal of turbidity. The higher the average shear rate in the break-up, the higher result the residual turbidity even after the reflocculation. In the first minutes, the reflocculation decreased the residual turbidity after sedimentation if compared to the residual turbidity just after the break-up and sedimentation. The lower the average shear rate during the reflocculation, the lower result the supernatant values of residual turbidity. Supernatant could only be obtained with the value of residual turbidity similar to the values found initially (without breakage of flocs) for the settling velocity, the average velocity gradient of break-up and the average velocity gradient of reflocculation equal or less than 2.5 cm/min, 75 \'S POT.-1\' e 15 \'S POT.-1\', respectively.

<p>Ulf Lundell is one of the most famous songwriters and authors in Sweden. He has written fifteen works of fiction and they’ve all same theme – a lonely man trying to look into his own past life. They are all built on a character, writing from an I-perspective, having a bit of Lundells own biography in there’s personality.</p><p> The aim of his thesis is to find out how Ulf Lundell presents him self in his fictive characters, and will trace the authors development from a psychological point of view. The theoretic starting points are Lacans Freudian concepts “idealego”, “egoideal” and “the superego”, describing the psychological alteration at the author.                   </p><p>The examination contains an analysis of Lundells novels <em>Jack</em>, <em>En varg söker sin flock</em> and <em>Värmen</em>, and throws light on the relationship between the author and his characters, and how it developes and changes with Lundells literary development. In this consideration are narrative theories a basic factor.  </p><p>This work will also try to illustrate what has inspired Lundell in creating his fiction figures, and finally how he creates his own lived life on these literary characters.</p>

Swarm Intelligence (SI) is a young field of study from which solutions to complex problems have been proposed based on how some natural organisms (e.g. ants, bees and others) achieve many of their daily tasks through simple sets of interactions. This thesis proposes two models for area exploration and coverage based on SI principles. These two models present a novel approach based on the combination of: ants’ pheromones, in order to keep track of visited places; and bird flocks or fish schooling, so as to move and collaborate. An implementation of both models was done in order to simulate and evaluate both the emergent behavior of the agents as well as their area exploration and coverage performance. Based on the outcome of the simulations it is concluded that both models are able to perform the exploration and coverage task and that one model is better than the other.