Content: A Conventional technique of bovine hide preservation requires approximately 40-50% sodium chloride or table salt on raw hide weight or 95% saturated brine in case of wet salting. This salt resides in wastewater after the soaking process and generates a huge environmental pollution in the form of total dissolved solids (TDS) and chloride (Cl-) during leather processing. The current research has developed an antiseptic based hide curing formulation using 45% saturated brine solution which reduces 50% salt usage in compare to the traditional method. For hide preservation, it is essential to arrest microbial attack on hide as the main constituent of raw hide is protein which is very susceptible for bacterial degradation. The newly developed formulations have been found more effective in limiting microbial growth on cured hide than the conventional method preserving the bovine hide for more than 30 days. In-process analysis of cured hides during storage period reveals the compatibility of the alternative curing process. Post-leather analysis e.g. grain pattern, scanning electron microscopic images, mechanical properties and organoleptic evaluation reveal that the crust leather produced from alternatively cured hides are comparable to the control obtained from traditionally preserved hide. The efficacy of the alternative system is also assessed by monitoring the environmental impacts caused by the leather processing effluents on the basis of TDS and chloride content, total solids (TS), total aerobic bacterial counts in soaking liquor, Bio-Chemical oxygen demand (BOD) and Chemical oxygen demand (COD). The environmental advantages of the alternative hide curing method are determined particularly by 50% reduction of TDS and chloride content. Therefore, this new development will not only preserve hide through better protection from microorganisms but also offer improved conservation of the environment. Take-Away: Environmentally friendly technique of animal hide preservation Hide preservation through better protection from microbial degradatoin than the traditional technique

Children with autism spectrum disorders often have deficits in the area of social skills. Because of this deficit many children with autism avoid engaging in play activities with typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the utility of a photographic activity schedule, with embedded scripts, to teach three children with autism to play a complex social game with typically developing peers. In this study we used activity schedules to train children with autism to play hide-and-seek in a group with typically developing peers. All participants were prompted using physical guidance to follow the activity schedules to play hide-and-seek. Two activity schedules were present during teaching sessions, one was the seeker schedule and the other was the hider schedule. Each group member played the role of the seeker once and then the game ended. All of the participants were able to follow the activity schedules to play hide-andseek. We then systematically faded the activity schedules to the least intrusive version necessary. We were able to fade all of the scripts and several components of the activity schedules. For two of the three participants with autism we were able to fade the schedule from two binders to a visual cue displaying the order of the seekers. For the third participant we were able to fade one binder and the majority of the components in the second binder. The participants were able to continue to play hide-and-seek with the faded versions of the schedules in a novel environment and 2-weeks after treatment concluded.

<p>U radu je ispitan i razvijen novi pristup tretmanu kože goveda prirodnom smolom &scaron;elak, koja je dozvoljena za kori&scaron;ćenje u hrani, u cilju redukcije unakrsne mikrobiolo&scaron;ke kontaminacije sa kože na goveđe meso. Mehanizam ovog tretmana je baziran na imobilizaciji mikroorganizama na dlaci tretirane kože i prevenciji njihovog fizičkog prenosa sa dlake na meso trupova tokom procesa obrade zaklanih goveda.<br />U in vitro uslovima, tretman uzoraka vizuelno čiste i suve kože 23% rastvorom &scaron;elaka u etanolu je redukovao prenos sa kože na sunđere kojima je koža uzorkovana brisevima: ukupne mikroflore (TVC) za 6,6 log (&gt;1000 puta vi&scaron;e u odnosu na 2,9 log redukcije kod tretmana samo etanolom), generičke Escherichia coli za najmanje 2,9 i Enterobacteriaceae za najmanje 4,8 log. Ove redukcije sve tri grupe mikroorganizama su bile značajno vi&scaron;e u odnosu na redukcije postignute tretmanom kože kombinacijom ispiranja sanitajzerom i vakumiranja. Značajno vi&scaron;e redukcije prenosa TVC sa kože na sunđerske briseve su postignute kori&scaron;ćenjem vi&scaron;ih koncentracija &scaron;elaka (23% i 30%) u odnosu na niže (4,8-16,7%) i u slučajevima kada je temperatura rastvora &scaron;elaka bila 20, 30 ili 40oC u odnosu na 50oC i 60oC. Takođe, tretman kože &scaron;elakom je značajno (3,7 puta) redukovao prevalencu E. coli O157 na prirodno kontaminiranoj, neinokulisanoj koži, kao i broj E. coli O157 na ve&scaron;tački inokulisanim kožama (redukcija od 2,1 log), u odnosu na odgovarajuće netretirane kontrole.<br />U uslovima laboratorijskog modela direktnog kontakta kože i mesa, tretman kože (različitih kategorija čistoće) 23% rastvorom &scaron;elaka je značajno smanjio prenos mikroorganizama sa tretirane kože na sterilno goveđe meso: do 3,6 log cfu/cm2 redukcije ukupnog broja bakterija (TVC), do 2,5 log cfu/cm2 Enterobacteriaceae (EC) i do 1,7 log cfu/cm2 generičke E. coli (GEC). Redukcija prenosa TVC je bila značajno vi&scaron;a, a redukcije EC i GEC slične, u odnosu na redukcije nakon tretiranja kože kombinacijom ispiranja-vakumiranja sanitajzerom.<br />U uslovima male komercijalne klanice sa nezadovoljavajućom procesnom praksom (klanje prljavih goveda i neadekvatna higijena procesa klanja i obrade), tretman koža zaklanih goveda 23% rastvorom &scaron;elaka je rezultirao značajnom mikrobnom redukcijom na mesu trupova goveda nakon skidanja kože: 1,7 log cfu/cm2 TVC, 1,4 log cfu/cm2 EC i 1,3 log cfu/cm2 GEC. Redukcija TVC na mesu trupova je bila značajno vi&scaron;a, a redukcije EC i GEC slične, u odnosu na redukcije nakon tretiranja kože ispiranjem-vakumiranjem sanitajzerom.<br />Ova istraživanja su po prvi put pružila naučne dokaze da se tretman kože goveda u cilju imobilizacije mikroflore na dlaci može uspe&scaron;no koristiti u cilju smanjenja kontaminacije mesa trupova tokom procesa skidanja kože, unapređenja finalnog mikrobiolo&scaron;kog statusa mesa i bezbednosti goveđeg mesa uop&scaron;te. Da bi se ostvario puni potencijal ovog novog tretmana u praksi, neophodna su dalja istraživanja u cilju njegove tehničke optimizacije u uslovima industrije mesa.</p> / <p> In this research, a new approach to cattle hide treatments, based on using a natural, food-grade resin, Shellac, to reduce microbial cross-contamination from the hides onto carcass meat, was developed and evaluated. The basis of this treatment is immobilisation of microorganisms on cattle hide&rsquo;s hair and subsequent reduction of their transmissibility from the hair onto carcass meat during dressing of slaughtered cattle.<br /> Under in vitro conditions, treatment of samples of visually clean and dry hides with 23% Shellac-in-ethanol solution reduced sponge-swabbing recoveries of general microflora (TVC) by a factor of 6.6 logs (&gt;1000-fold greater than the 2.9 log reduction observed by ethanol alone), and of generic E. coli (GEC) and Enterobacteriaceae (EC) by factors of at least 2.9 and 4.8 logs, respectively. The reductions of these three groups of microorganisms were superior to those achieved by a sanitizer rinse-vacuum hide treatment. Significantly greater reductions of TVC recoveries from hides were achieved when using higher Shellac concentrations (23.0% and 30.0% rather than 4.8-16.7%) and when Shellac solution temperatures were 20-40&deg;C rather than 50-60&deg;C. Furthermore, the Shellac-based treatment also markedly reduced the E. coli O157 prevalence (3.7-fold reduction) on natural, uninoculated hides, as well as the counts of E. coli O157 on artificially inoculated hides (2.1 log reduction) when compared to corresponding untreated controls.<br /> Under the conditions of a hide-to-meat direct contact laboratory-based model, treatment of hides (of varying visual cleanliness) with the 23% Shellac solution produced significant reductions of microbial transfer from treated hide onto sterile beef: up to 3.6 log10 CFU/cm2 of TVC, up to 2.5 log10 CFU/cm2 of EC and up to 1.7 log10 CFU/cm2 of GEC. TVC reductions of microbial transfer from treated hide onto beef achieved by the Shellac hide treatment were superior to those achieved by the comparative sanitizer rinse-vacuum hide treatment, but reductions of EC and GEC did not differ between the two hide treatments.<br /> In a small commercial abattoir with unsatisfactory process practices (slaughtering dirty cattle, inadequate process hygiene), treatment of hides with Shellac produced significant microbial reductions on skinned beef carcasses: 1.7 log10 CFU/cm2, 1.4 log10 CFU/cm2 and 1.3 log10 CFU/cm2 of TVC, EC and GEC, respectively. TVC reductions on skinned beef carcasses achieved by the Shellac hide treatment were superior to those achieved by the comparative sanitizer rinse-vacuum hide treatment, but reductions of EC and GEC did not differ significantly between the two hide treatments.<br /> These investigations produced the first scientific evidence that treatment of cattle hides with aim of immobilising microflora on the hair can be very successfully used to reduce carcass meat contamination during the skinning operation, thus improving the microbiological status of the final beef carcasses as well as the beef safety in general. To achieve the full potential of this new treatment in practice, further research aimed at its further technical optimization under real-life meat industry conditions is necessary.</p>

The Military Police Corps' active shooter preparedness plan is inadequate because several updated tactics, techniques, and procedures that have been developed over the past 20 years and implemented by civilian law enforcement agencies have not been incorporated, leaving the Corps less prepared during active shooter events. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how Military Police Corps leaders trained their law enforcement and support personnel to respond to an active shooter event. The institutional analysis and development framework was used to analyze the day-to-day operational decisions within the Military Police Corps. Data for the qualitative case study were collected through semi structured interviews with 15 Military Police Corps leaders and soldiers across 5 military police battalions in the United States and Europe and military police training records. These data were subjected to axial and open coding, followed by a thematic analysis procedure. Participants perceived that the Corps' active shooter preparedness training hours and methodology are insufficient to maintain proficiency in active shooter preparedness, that dispatchers are not properly trained on receiving active shooter calls, and that live exercise training for first responders is inadequate. Recommendations for Military Police Corps leadership include updating the training methodology for first responders and dispatchers, providing better tactical equipment for first responders, and revising policies in order to improve the Military Police Corps' active shooter preparedness program. Implementation of these recommendations may promote public safety.

Tracking of a single ground target using GMTI radar detections is considered. A Variable Structure- Autonomous- Interactive Multiple Model (VS-A-IMM) structure is developed to address challenges of ground target tracking, while maintaining an acceptable level computational complexity at the same time. The following approach is used in this thesis: Use simple tracker structures / incorporate a priori information such as topographic constraints, road maps as much as possible / use enhanced gating techniques to minimize the eect of clutter / develop methods against stop-move motion and hide motion of the target / tackle on-road/o-road transitions and junction crossings / establish measures against non-detections caused by environment. The tracker structure is derived using a composite state estimation set-up that incorporate multi models and MAP and MMSE estimations. The root mean square position and velocity error performances of the VS-A-IMM algorithm are compared with respect to the baseline IMM and the VS-IMM methods found in the literature. It is observed that the newly developed VS-A-IMM algorithm performs better than the baseline methods in realistic conditions such as on-road/o-road transitions, tunnels, stops, junction crossings, non-detections.

Multiple Cooling Multi Objective Simulated Annealing algorithm has been combined with a conceptual design code written by the author to carry out a multi objective design optimization of an Agricultural Aerial Robot. Both the single and the multi objective optimization problems are solved. The performance figures of merits for different aircraft configurations are compared. In this thesis the potential of optimization as a powerful design tool to the aerospace problems is demonstrated.

Content: A comprehensive analysis of the molecular and structural components of deer skin and cow hide was undertaken. These skins known to be strong, however they derive their strength from different combinations of molecular and structural properties. Firstly, the physical properties of deer skin and cow hide including the tensile strength, tear strength and denaturation temperature were measured. Secondly, the structure of the collagen fibrils and glycosaminoglycans was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Finally, the chemical composition of deer skin and cow hide such as amino acids, crosslinks and glycosaminoglycans were analysed. Our results showed that physical properties of deer skin and cow hide are derived from different combinations of several chemical components resulting in different architecture. It was found that the large and “wavy” collagen fibres in deer skin made up of collagen fibrils with small diameters. Additionally, deer skin fibrils appeared to be linked by regular arrays of filaments of large glycosaminoglycans that are distributed uniformly. Deer skin contained higher proportion of trivalent collagen crosslinks. In contrast, the collagen fibrils in cow hide were large, contained a diverse glycosaminoglycan distribution and a higher proportion of tetravalent collagen crosslinks, resulting in straight collagen fibres. This study suggests that although deer skin and cow hide are both strong, they have different structural and molecular features. Take-Away: Deer skin and cow hide have different structural and molecular make up which are reflected in their physical properties particularly strength. Glycosaminoglycans are important for the organisation of collagen fibrils in deer skin and cow hide. Deer skin and cow hide contain different ratios of collagen natural crosslinks which are essential collagen stability.

Content: Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most interesting nanomaterials in recent years. In order to explore its potential application in leather making process, a study on evaluating the effects of GO on the thermal stability and decomposition kinetics of bovine hide powders (HP) was performed by thermogravimetry. It was shown that the GO-doped hide powders (GO-HP) exhibit better thermal stability than those of raw hide powders. The kinetic and mechanism analysis of the decomposition stage used an integrated procedure involving model-free methods and universal master-plots method. Various methods were employed to calculate the activation energy of the fibers, including the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Modified Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (MKAS) and Friedman methods. The activation energy values of GO-HP and raw hide powder were found to be 240.5 and 184.7 kJ/mol, respectively. Comparison of the experimental and theoretical master plots of various reaction mechanisms showed that when the conversion values are below 0.5, the most probable decomposition mechanism for HP and GO-HP is D1. Above 0.5, the decomposition mechanisms of HP and GO-HP are most probably described by A3 and R3 models, respectively. Take-Away: Graphene oxide (GO) doped hide powders (GO-HP) exhibit better thermal stability than those of raw hide powders. The activation energy values of GO-HP and raw hide powder were found to be 240.5 and 184.7 kJ/mol, respectively.

No description available.

This study focuses on emerging E. coil serotypes and has developed methods for the isolation and identification of non-0157 STEC and EPEC. A basal medium for the isolation of these pathogens was developed as well as a serogroup specific PCR assay for the detection of the 02 serogroup. These culture and molecular based techniques have proven to be valuable in the detection, identification, and epidemiological investigation of these groups of emerging pathogens. These methods were applied to 1) a farm study, whereby samples (faecal and soil) and 2) an abattoir study, whereby samples (hide and carcass) were analysed for the presence of non-0157 STEC and EPEC. Isolates were subsequently characterised in terms of serotype/serogroup and virulence markers. The data generated by this work has illustrated the extent of non-0157 STEC and EPEC contamination in the farm and abattoir environments, thus providing scientific background upon which control strategies may be based.