E. coli O157:H7 has been found to survive in dry sausages and cause disease. Isothiocyanates have been studied for their capacity to eliminate pathogens from foods and are attractive from the consumer perspective because of their natural origin. There is a need to better understand how isothiocyanates kill microorganisms and their behaviour in food matrices. It was found that glutathione and cysteine naturally present in meat can react with AIT, forming a conjugate with no or low bactericidal activity against an E. coli O157:H7. In addition, AIT presented higher anti-E. coli activity at lower pH values; therefore, it should be more efficient in acid foods. AIT was also found to inhibit the activity of thioredoxin reductase and acetate kinase; hence, enzymatic inhibition may represent a way in which AIT kills E. coli O157:H7. Mustard powder is used as a spice (active myrosinase) and/or binder (inactive myrosinase) in meat products. Both of these powders killed E. coli O157:H7 in dry fermented sausage. This was not expected since the powder lacking myrosinase is not able to produce isothiocyanates. Starter cultures and E. coli were found to consume significant amounts of glucosinolates. Pediococcus pentosaceus UM 121P and Staphylococcus carnosus UM 123M (higher myrosinase-like activity) were compared against P. pentosaceus UM 116P + S. carnosus UM 109M for their ability in reducing E. coli viability in dry sausage. Sausage batches containing powders of hot mustard, cold mustard, autoclaved mustard and no powder were prepared. Both pairs of starters yielded similar results. Reduction >5 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 occurred after 31 d for hot powder and 38 d for cold powder; there was no reduction in the control. E. coli O157:H7 itself has greater effect on glucosinolate degradation than either pair of starters, which may be more important in determining its survival. Autoclaved powder caused >5 log CFU/g reduction after 18 d. This may be the result of synergistic/additive interaction among E. coli O157:H7 myrosinase-like activity, the presence of newly formed/released antimicrobials in the autoclaved powder and the multiple hurdles present in the dry sausage. Autoclaved mustard powder has potential as a novel food ingredient for the meat industry.

Escherichia (E.) coli O157:H7 survival in dry cured (uncooked) meat products leading to human illness outbreaks is an international problem. Their manufacture does not involve a heat kill step to ensure the destruction of the organism, and the adverse conditions created during processing may not be sufficient to prevent E. coli O157:H7 survival. Deodorized yellow mustard powder has antimicrobial properties from glucosinolate (sinalbin) hydrolysis catalyzed by the endogenous enzyme myrosinase, generating antimicrobial isothiocyanate (PHBIT). Previous work has shown that its addition during dry sausage manufacture was capable of eliminating the pathogen. In this study, its use for the same purpose was investigated during dry cured Westphalian ham production. Hams were inoculated with a 7.5 log cfu•g-1 cocktail of E. coli O157:H7, surface applied with 4% or 6% (w/w) deodorized yellow mustard powder, and monitored for E. coli O157:H7 survival during 80d ham maturation. One trial included the inoculation of Staphylococcus (S.) carnosus, a meat starter culture with myrosinase-like activity, onto the hams (after salt equilibration) to accelerate formation of antimicrobial isothiocyanate from mustard glucosinolate and help control the pathogen. In both trials, E. coli O157:H7 was reduced 3 log cfu•g-1 by 21d on hams treated with mustard powder, whereas only a 1 log cfu•g-1 reduction was found in the inoculated control which was not treated with mustard. By 45d, hams treated with mustard powder showed a reduction of >5 log cfu•g-1 E. coli O157:H7, whereas it took 80d to for numbers in control hams to be similarly reduced. Since a 5 log kill of E. coli O157:H7 was achieved in control hams by the end of 80d, dry cured Westphalian ham manufacture would be considered capable of controlling the risk of E. coli O157:H7 survival by North American regulatory agencies. However, deodorized yellow mustard powder at 4%, and to a greater extent at 6%, eliminated the pathogen at a significantly faster rate than the control during ham processing. Addition of the S. carnosus starter culture in trial 2 may have contributed to the maintenance of this effect through isothiocyanate formation. It also helped restore numbers of staphylococci, which were found to be sensitive to deodorized mustard powder.

The 2010 National Education Technology Plan steadily replaces paper textbooks with study materials on computers. One risk of increased computer usage is increased Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) symptoms. I researched multiple studies to analyze the effects of computer use on dry eye and eye strain and how these symptoms can progress to musculoskeletal pain, headaches, decreased quality of life, loss of confidence and even anxiety and depression. Currently, there is not much data on tablet use so I propose two future experiments to determine if tablets can also cause CVS ocular symptoms.

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of using alcohol sales as an indicator of development or lag associated with development in Kentucky counties using summary statistics, shift-share analysis and an econometric model. The summary statistics are used to evaluate possible lines of causality and the Shift-share analysis and econometric model deal the specific characteristics of the county that are assumed to be influenced by the sale of alcohol. Limitations to the county level data were limiting to the time period evaluated in this thesis. As a result, much of the findings were inconclusive as to the relationship between county level economic development in Kentucky and the sale of alcohol.

This study evaluates the relationship of the Civilian Conservation Corps' stonework in Indiana's state parks and the National Park Service's design guidelines for stone landscape features. The design guidelines were instrumental in establishing an overall design approach for many of the stone structures evaluated in this study. A general history of the Civilian Conservation Corp program provides the context for the program as well as the relationship to stonework in Indiana's state parks. Through a sampling of stone landscape features in six Indiana state parks it can be concluded that the Civilian Conservation Corps were impacted by the National Park Service's design guidelines. At the same time the Civilian Conservation Corps deviated from the guidelines and improvised with their own variation. / Department of Architecture

Silicone rubber insulators have been replacing conventional insulators made from toughened glass and porcelain in the power system, due to the non-wetting properties of silicone rubber insulation housing. However, silicone elastomers will eventually wet-out leading to leakage current and dry-band arcing giving rise to erosion of the silicone housing material, and eventually insulation failure. Well-established formulations of insulation housing composites have been developed and validated for erosion performance using the standard inclined plane tracking and erosion test, yet no such formulations have been developed and validated for DC. With the assumption that equivalent performance will be obtained, an adjustment to the creepage distance has been the measure taken in using the AC insulators for DC, without taking into consideration the differing aspects of the DC as compared to the AC dry-band arcing. This practice questions the existing DC insulators as an unknown entity that requires further investigation to ensure the reliability of the power supply. In addition recent demands have been raised to develop housing composites specifically for DC outdoor insulation, particularly with the increased interest in DC. It follows that developing a standard DC inclined plane tracking and erosion test is necessary for the development of more suitable materials for outdoor DC insulation applications. This thesis provides a thorough study of the DC dry-band arcing mechanism as opposed to the well understood mechanism of the AC dry-band arcing and provides a mechanistic understanding to the dry-band arcing leading to erosion as a foundation for the development of a standard DC inclined plane tracking and erosion test. To this end, the influence of inorganic fillers in silicone rubber on resisting erosion due to dry-band arcing is also presented, as an essential step towards obtaining more suitable silicone composite for DC outdoor insulation applications.

Yellow and oriental mustards deodorized by a laboratory autoclave method have been shown to reduce the number of E. coli O157:H7 greater than the mandatory 5 log CFU/g during sausage manufacture. However, E. coli O157:H7 was inconsistently controlled by different deodorized mustards. The antimicrobial action of mustard results from the conversion of naturally present glucosinolates into inhibitory isothiocyanates by plant myrosinase in untreated hot mustard and by bacterial myrosinase-like activity when present in thermally-treated (deodorized) mustard. Variable results with deodorized mustards suggested that plant myrosinase might not have been completely inactivated during laboratory thermal treatment using the autoclave. Results obtained showed that when a 2 cm thick layer of mustard was used during autoclave treatment, plant myrosinase activity periodically remained. However, the completely deodorized mustard failed to reduce bacterial viability as effectively as yellow mustard containing residual or slight amount of myrosinase. As a result, a small amount of myrosinase activity was highly likely contribute to the overall antimicrobial activity of deodorized mustard against E. coli O157:H7 in dry sausage.

The movement of passengers, goods, and information has always been fundamental components of human societies. It is all related to transport costs as well as to the attributes of what is being transported. However, regulations, laws, and tariffs can influence transportability. Countries around the world have been changing their international trade policies by reducing both tariff and non-tariff barriers. Informal barriers hinder trade and the benefits of export, such as economic growth, that come with the achievement of trade liberalisation. It was found that the impact of transport costs on trade patterns has become an important study. Theoretical and empirical work in international trade only recently began considering the geography of exports as a possible explanation for high transport costs. For instance, factors such as distance, market size, scale economies, and agglomeration affect transportation costs around the world. Transport costs in South Africa are a relevant issue due to its geographical position. South Africa is situated far from its major trading partners. In addition, the majority of South African exports originate in Gauteng, which is around 600km from the nearest seaport. For South African exports to remain competitive, domestic transport costs must be reduced. One method of cutting costs is by connecting a container dry port with an intermodal transport system to the major seaports (namely Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Cape Town). The empirical study was conducted in the form an interview-based questionnaire. A total of 18 questions were asked to individuals at a terminal in Gauteng. The purpose of the questionnaire was to gather information on the service delivery of South African inland terminals. This led to the conclusion that City Deep functions well in terms of service delivery and provides extra services to both exporters and importers. Potential problems regarding City Deep's infrastructure were identified. It was found that train and truck congestion within City Deep is an everyday phenomenon. The existing infrastructure cannot handle the train and truck traffic entering City Deep. It was found that clients prefer road transportation to rail transportation, therefore, the amount of trucks entering and leaving City Deep causes congestion. This not only affects the infrastructure at City Deep, but also that of South Africa. More trucks on the roads exacerbate air pollution and road accidents, and overloaded trucks damage South African roads. / Thesis (M.Com. (Economics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

E. coli O157:H7 has been found to survive in dry sausages and cause disease. Isothiocyanates have been studied for their capacity to eliminate pathogens from foods and are attractive from the consumer perspective because of their natural origin. There is a need to better understand how isothiocyanates kill microorganisms and their behaviour in food matrices. It was found that glutathione and cysteine naturally present in meat can react with AIT, forming a conjugate with no or low bactericidal activity against an E. coli O157:H7. In addition, AIT presented higher anti-E. coli activity at lower pH values; therefore, it should be more efficient in acid foods. AIT was also found to inhibit the activity of thioredoxin reductase and acetate kinase; hence, enzymatic inhibition may represent a way in which AIT kills E. coli O157:H7. Mustard powder is used as a spice (active myrosinase) and/or binder (inactive myrosinase) in meat products. Both of these powders killed E. coli O157:H7 in dry fermented sausage. This was not expected since the powder lacking myrosinase is not able to produce isothiocyanates. Starter cultures and E. coli were found to consume significant amounts of glucosinolates. Pediococcus pentosaceus UM 121P and Staphylococcus carnosus UM 123M (higher myrosinase-like activity) were compared against P. pentosaceus UM 116P + S. carnosus UM 109M for their ability in reducing E. coli viability in dry sausage. Sausage batches containing powders of hot mustard, cold mustard, autoclaved mustard and no powder were prepared. Both pairs of starters yielded similar results. Reduction >5 log CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 occurred after 31 d for hot powder and 38 d for cold powder; there was no reduction in the control. E. coli O157:H7 itself has greater effect on glucosinolate degradation than either pair of starters, which may be more important in determining its survival. Autoclaved powder caused >5 log CFU/g reduction after 18 d. This may be the result of synergistic/additive interaction among E. coli O157:H7 myrosinase-like activity, the presence of newly formed/released antimicrobials in the autoclaved powder and the multiple hurdles present in the dry sausage. Autoclaved mustard powder has potential as a novel food ingredient for the meat industry.

Escherichia (E.) coli O157:H7 survival in dry cured (uncooked) meat products leading to human illness outbreaks is an international problem. Their manufacture does not involve a heat kill step to ensure the destruction of the organism, and the adverse conditions created during processing may not be sufficient to prevent E. coli O157:H7 survival. Deodorized yellow mustard powder has antimicrobial properties from glucosinolate (sinalbin) hydrolysis catalyzed by the endogenous enzyme myrosinase, generating antimicrobial isothiocyanate (PHBIT). Previous work has shown that its addition during dry sausage manufacture was capable of eliminating the pathogen. In this study, its use for the same purpose was investigated during dry cured Westphalian ham production. Hams were inoculated with a 7.5 log cfu•g-1 cocktail of E. coli O157:H7, surface applied with 4% or 6% (w/w) deodorized yellow mustard powder, and monitored for E. coli O157:H7 survival during 80d ham maturation. One trial included the inoculation of Staphylococcus (S.) carnosus, a meat starter culture with myrosinase-like activity, onto the hams (after salt equilibration) to accelerate formation of antimicrobial isothiocyanate from mustard glucosinolate and help control the pathogen. In both trials, E. coli O157:H7 was reduced 3 log cfu•g-1 by 21d on hams treated with mustard powder, whereas only a 1 log cfu•g-1 reduction was found in the inoculated control which was not treated with mustard. By 45d, hams treated with mustard powder showed a reduction of >5 log cfu•g-1 E. coli O157:H7, whereas it took 80d to for numbers in control hams to be similarly reduced. Since a 5 log kill of E. coli O157:H7 was achieved in control hams by the end of 80d, dry cured Westphalian ham manufacture would be considered capable of controlling the risk of E. coli O157:H7 survival by North American regulatory agencies. However, deodorized yellow mustard powder at 4%, and to a greater extent at 6%, eliminated the pathogen at a significantly faster rate than the control during ham processing. Addition of the S. carnosus starter culture in trial 2 may have contributed to the maintenance of this effect through isothiocyanate formation. It also helped restore numbers of staphylococci, which were found to be sensitive to deodorized mustard powder.