BACK TO BLUEFIELD is a collection of ten short stories set in the fictional small town of Bluefield, Ohio. Like “Dance of the Happy Shades” by Alice Munro, BACK TO BLUEFIELD highlights patriarchal limitations women often face in rural communities. In “This Little Light of Mine,” a teenage girl attempts to escape the sexual abuse inflicted on her by her father, while in “Praise Camp,” a youth pastor counsels a teenager to repress homosexual feelings, yet cannot bury her own unrequited love for her female best friend. In the spirit of Hemingway’s “The End of Something,” each story contain a high, clear note of grief. In “Lottie’s Winter,” a widow pushes away a new chance at love because of her lasting grief over her husband’s death. Disoriented by profound loss, and limited by Bluefield’s cultural expectations and economic struggles, each character confronts staggering gaps between their realities and their desires.

Master of Science / Food Science Institute / Elizabeth Boyle / Intrinsic factors impact Listeria monocytogenes growth in ready-to-eat poultry products. Sliced deli turkey was formulated with in-going concentrations of 1.5% NaCl or 0.75% NaCl/0.75% KCl, 0 ppm or 200 ppm NaNO[subscript]2, and using 10% or 45% pump for a total of 8 treatments. Turkey roasts were sliced and inoculated with a 5-strain L. monocytogenes cocktail or peptone water (control), vacuum packaged, and stored at 4[degree]C. Treatments were sampled on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 63, and 91 of storage to determine L. monocytogenes mean log growth and aerobic plate count (APC). The pH, water activity, residual nitrite concentration, and percent fat, moisture, protein, and sodium were measured using control treatments on each sampling day. There was a nitrite by day and a percent pump by day interaction (P<0.05) for L. monocytogenes and APC populations. Listeria monocytogenes populations in treatments containing 200 ppm NaNO[subscript]2 were 0.70 to 2.39 log CFU/cm[superscript]2 lower compared with products formulated with 0 ppm NaNO[subscript]2. Using 10% pump reduced L. monocytogenes populations by 0.62 to 1.50 log CFU/cm[superscript]2 on days 7 to 28 and at day 63 compared with 45% pump treatments. Incorporating 1.5% NaCl or 0.75% NaCl/0.75% KCl into formulations did not affect (P>0.05) L. monocytogenes populations during storage. On days 7 through 91, APC populations were 0.76 to 2.96 log CFU/cm[superscript]2 lower with inclusion of 200 ppm NaNO[subscript]2 compared to 0 ppm NaNO[subscript]2. There was a treatment by day interaction (P<0.05) for L. monocytogenes populations and APC. The initial inoculum level of L. monocytogenes averaged 2.21 log CFU/cm[superscript]2 and was similar (P>0.05) for all treatments on day 0. Listeria monocytogenes populations increased (P<0.05) from day 0 to 14 by 1.30 to 5.04 log CFU/cm[superscript]2. Overall, L. monocytogenes populations increased during storage and by day 91 L. monocytogenes populations were similar regardless of NaNO[subscript]2 level used except for treatments formulated with 0.75% NaCl/0.75% KCl and 10% pump. Listeria monocytogenes and APC populations were influenced by nitrite concentration and percent pump, while inclusion of NaCl or NaCl/KCl did not affect L. monocytogenes growth during refrigerated storage in vacuum packed sliced deli turkey.

Understanding potential cross contamination pathways is essential to reducing the risk of food product contamination. The use of a fluorescing abiotic surrogate (GloGermTM) to visualize the potential spread of bacteria may be beneficial to researchers. To quantify cross contamination during experimental trials in a mock retail deli, a rating method for visualization of fluorescence levels using a trained sensory panel was developed. Panelists feedback led to a pre-defined strategy allowing for characterization of contamination seen in photographs and reduced variability within responses. Following validation, GloGermTM was used to visually represent how bacteria may spread through a deli environment. Six origination sites (slicer blade, meat chub, floor drain, preparation table, employee's glove, employee's hands) were evaluated separately and spread was photographed throughout the mock deli. The trained sensory panel then analyzed the photographs. Five of the six contamination origination sites transferred GloGermTM to surfaces throughout the mock deli. Contamination from the floor drain did not spread to any food contact surfaces. To determine the potential of using a GloGermTM/ bacteria mixture to simultaneously track and sample contamination spread; surfaces were co-inoculated with GloGermTM and bacteria to determine if co-inoculation would affect the recoverability of microorganisms from these surfaces. Three common foodborne bacteria (E. coli O157:H7,Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua) were inoculated on 2 by 2 stainless steel coupons alone and with GloGermTM . There was no significant difference found (p > 0.05) between the recovery of bacteria alone and the mixture for all bacteria. Finally, the use of co-inoculation was further explored by inoculating two contamination origination sites with either bacteria alone (L. monocytogenes and L. innocua) or a GloGermTM/bacteria cocktail. Nine recipient sites were sampled after a series of deli procedures were performed. Generally, no significant differences (p>0.05) were seen between the transfer of bacteria inoculated alone and the transfer of bacteria inoculated with GloGermTM to the selected recipient sites, regardless of contamination source or bacteria. These results suggest there may be potential in using L. innocua in combination with GloGermTM to visually track and sample contamination from a known source throughout a retail deli environment. / Ph. D.

Listeriosis caused by Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) has been of public concern since the 1980s. Among all the RTE food, deli meats are the major carrier for this pathogen. Eliminating or lowering the initial level of L. monocytogenes in RTE meat and poultry product in the plants is an important practice in reducing the risk of L. monocytogenes to the public due to the growth potential of L. monocytogenes in the RTE food product during storage. Research identifying the contamination at plants provided information for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to establish the Interim Final Rule, requiring the food processing plants that produce post-lethality exposed RTE meat and poultry product choose one of the three alternative plans to ensure good sanitation conditions during food processing or suppress the growth of L. monocytogenes during storage: post-processing treatment and use of growth inhibitor (Alternative1), post-processing alone (Alternative 2a) or use of growth inhibitor and sanitation program (Alternative 2b), and sanitation program alone (Alternative 3). This research developed a comprehensive model that simulated the entire processes of RTE food production, taking into account potential transfer and growth of L. monocytogenes in RTE meat and poultry products. This plant-to-consumption model analyzed the effectiveness of the three alternative processes on reducing the L. monocytogenes in the RTE food products and also investigated the optimal sampling and sanitizing program. Results showed that formulation of food products with growth inhibitor has the greatest impact on reducing the risk of L. monocytogenes, followed by the post-processing treatment and sanitation intervention. Risk can also be reduced depending on alternatives. For example, 70% reduction if all are switched to alternative 2b and 91% reduction if all are switched to Alternative 1, compared with the current alternative selection by food establishments. This study investigated several important factors in the sanitation program, analyzed the sensitivities of these factors, and proposed the reasonable improvement of the hold-and-test strategies by the plant-to-consumer mathematic model. Holding all the lots during the food contact surface (FCS) testing period instead of holding lots after finding the positive FCS would increase the detection rate of positive lots by three "times. These results may help the food establishments under Alternative 3 choosing the proper sampling and sanitation program or switching to Alternative 1 or 2. / Ph. D.