Critical areas in a hospital, such as Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and isolation rooms, are designed to strict health standards. More often than not, these areas operate continuously to maintain designed indoor conditions in order to ensure the safety of patients, making them energy intensive areas. Several attempts have been made to design them to be more energy-efficient. However, cases have emerged in hot and humid countries like Malaysia where combination of poor design, operation and maintenance practices, exacerbated by the humid outdoor conditions especially during night time, have led to occurrences of mould growth in these critical areas. A question arise whether energy efficient design of a critical area can be achieved without incurring a risk of mould growth due to factors like moisture transfer, or continuous part load operation of HVAC systems. The objective of research in this thesis is to investigate the trade-off between optimizing the building and HVAC systems and minimizing the risk of mould growth in hospital buildings located in hot and humid climates. The problem formulation is a single zone isolation room with dimensions based from a real-life isolation room of a district hospital in Malaysia. The design variables, namely HVAC systems and the details of building constructions were selected as input files for energy performance evaluation using EnergyPlus. The output from the simulation will be compared with the selected existing mould growth model during post processing to determine the optimum solution. Simulation and the generation of solutions will be repeated until the most optimum solution is achieved. A binary-encoded Genetic Algorithm (GA) was used as an approach to the minimisation of hospital building energy use. The GA is proven to be effective in performing multi-objective optimisation, since the objective functions for this research are more than one; namely, the minimum annual energy use in the isolation room and the critical indoor surface conditions, such as temperature and relative humidity, below which there would be no mould growth. The research has shown that the normal practice of isolation room design for Malaysian hospitals does not work in minimising energy use and minimising the risk of mould growth and a new design guideline for isolation rooms in Malaysia is recommended. The principal originality of the research will be the application of optimisation methods to investigate the relationship, or trade-off between energy use and the risk of mould growth, particularly for hospital buildings in a hot and humid climate. In this respect, the new knowledge will be on the optimisation procedure and required modelling/analysis components. This combinatorial approach would serve as decision making tool for building and HVAC systems designers in designing more energy-efficient overall environment systems in hospitals, with particular attention to critical areas that are operating continuously.

Saproxylic species living in old hollow trees have low dispersal rate. Many of the species are threatened since their micro habitats are rare. To prevent some of these species from going extinct their habitats have to have the right management. In some areas artificial environment could be a solution. The aim of this study was to investigate if the insects that are dependent on tree cavities with wood mould would colonize an artificially created habitat: large wooden boxes filled with artificial wood mould placed on tree trunks. The boxes were filled with substrates like oak saw dust, oak leaves, dead hens, hen excrements, medicago (Medicago falcata flour) or potatoes. Over three years, 136 species and 10 380 specimens were caught in 47 boxes. The groups classified as specialists were in general statistically significant more often than groups classified as generalists. Dead hen was the substrate with the highest number of species, although differences were small. In conclusion, a large number of species, including red listed ones and saproxylic specialists used the boxes. A dead hen in the box gave some extra species and 1800 meters was too long for some of the species to disperse. Hence, the prospects for using artificial environments are good especially to reduce habitat availability gaps in time and space.

This thesis is an investigation of the potential of Allyl Isothiocyanate (AITC) derived from oriental mustard meal (Brassica juncea meal) as a natural preservative suppression moulds growth on bread. Currently, clean labels and natural antimicrobial agents are interests of alternative preservatives. In this study, an antimicrobial sachet/patch containing B. juncea meal was developed to produce AITC vapour in situ; the efficacy of gaseous AITC/B. juncea meal on suppression of Penicillium spp. and other mould growth was investigated. The growth was completely inhibited for 28 days at 23˚C in the presence of 0.7-1.3 ppm AITC in the headspace (released from 50-100 mg B. juncea meal). Fifty mg mustard meal showed fungistatic activity, and ≥100 mg were fungicidal. The shelf life of sliced white bread (600 g) was prolonged for 14 days using 3g of B. juncea meal at 23˚C thereby illustrating the potential of AITC as an alternative to chemical preservatives. / Developing Innovation Agricultural Products (DIAP) program of AAFC and Mustard 21 (RBPI 2109)

<p>Pesticides are designed to control or eliminate pests such as insects, rodents, weeds,<br /> bacteria, and fungi. They are used at a global scale for agricultural produce. Although<br /> pesticides play a significant role in increasing food production and eliminating diseases,<br /> exposure to pesticides may be harmful to non-target organisms. As a result concern over<br /> safety and resistance to pesticides has increased and there is pressure to reduce use and<br /> search for more environmentally and toxicologically safe and efficacious pesticides. Most<br /> pesticides currently in use are synthetic / therefore an alternative to synthetic pesticides is<br /> the use of naturally occurring products/ botanicals with pesticidal properties.</p> <p>Two plants indigenous to South African with pesticidal properties were chosen for this<br /> study. Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (D. rhinocerotis) and Galenia africana (G. africana)<br /> have potential antifungal properties thus, may have potential use on agricultural produce<br /> as fungicides. Galenia africana and D. rhinocerotis extracts inhibit growth of B. cinerea<br /> (a fungal pathogen) at concentrations greater than 31.25 mg/ml and 125mg/ml<br /> respectively. A major consideration in approving pesticides for use is whether they pose<br /> an unreasonable risk to humans and to the environment. Toxicity studies are required to<br /> determine the safety of the plant extracts.</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential toxicity of ethanol extracts of D.<br /> rhinocerotis and G. africana, which is important when designing practices to reduce or<br /> eliminate excess exposure to them. Natural plant products with pesticidal properties could<br /> provide an alternative to synthetic pesticides and may thus effectively reduce resistance<br /> levels.<br /> <br /> <br /> &nbsp / </p>

Dampness in the indoor environment have been a major issue of discussion the last decades since more and more people complain about their indoor environment. In the present situation there are difficulties to find what causes people’s discomfort in a damp environment even though there is a strong connection between dampness and human health. The aim of the thesis was to contribute to the work done today to achieve a better indoor environment in damp buildings. The purpose of the work was to evaluate whether the measures issued for dampness in the indoor environment contributes to the improvement of health and environment for those who are living or working in that space. Through a literature review, interview and survey the following three questions were answered to achieve the aim and purpose: How are people affected by the indoor environment in damp buildings? Which are the measures issued to prevent dampness in the indoor environment? Do these interventions contribute to a better indoor environment? How people are affected by the indoor environment in damp buildings and how these problems are prevented were the foundation for the continued work with the survey. The discomforts that are often related to dampness and mould are respiratory symptoms and asthma. In addition symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, nausea and reduced lung capacity are also connected to these problems. The measures that are recommended in prevalence of dampness and mould growth have either the intention to prevent dampness and mould growth in buildings or remove unpleasant odour from the indoor environment. The measures used are cleaning, dehumidification, underpressure, improved ventilation and deconstruction and reconstruction. Furthermore, a survey was conducted where 9 different projects participated where the employees experienced these problems. The result was then divided in two groups where they either had implemented all the measures proposed by specialists or had only implemented some of them. The result of the survey showed that the applied measures contributed to the improvement of the employees health since less people felt the symptoms such as irritation of eyes, nose or throat, dryness of the throat or skin and fatigue, headache or nausea. It was especially noticeable for those who were working at a project were all the measures had been implemented. Recommendations for future investigations in the subject are to study how different measures improve different health problem. Even though the measures appliance are known it is still unknown how they are related to different health problems. / Fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem har varit en stor diskussionsfråga de senaste decennierna då fler och fler människor klagar på sin inomhusmiljö. I dagsläget finns det svårigheter att hitta vad som orsakar människors upplevda besvär i en fuktig inomhusmiljö. Dock har studier visat att det finns en stark sammankoppling mellan fukt och människors hälsa.  Syftet med examensarbetet är att bidra i det arbete som görs för att uppnå en bättre miljö i byggnader med fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem. Målet med arbetet är att utvärdera om de åtgärder som utfärdas för fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem bidrar till en förbättring av miljön för de nyttjande i byggnaden. Genom litteraturstudie, intervjuer och enkät besvarades följande tre frågor för att uppnå mål och syfte:   Hur påverkas människor i byggnader med fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem? Hur åtgärdas fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem i byggnader idag? Bidrar dessa åtgärder till en bättre inomhusmiljö för de nyttjande? Fördjupningen av hur människan påverkas av fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem och vilka åtgärder som tillämpas vid dessa problem var grunden till det fortsatta arbetet med enkätundersökningen. De besvär som oftast relateras till fukt- och mögelproblem är respiratoriska symtom eller astmasymtom. Utöver det kan även symtom så som trötthet, huvudvärk, illamående och minskad lungkapacitet kopplas till dessa problem. De åtgärder som rekommenderas vid förekomsten av dessa besvär har som avsikt att förhindra fukt och mögelpåväxt i byggnader samt att avlägsna avvikande lukt från inomhusmiljön. Åtgärderna som genomförs är rensning, avfuktning, undertryck, förbättrad bostadsventilation samt rivning och återuppbyggnad. Vidare gjordes enkätundersökningen vid nio olika projekt där anställda upplevde hälsobesvär på arbetsplatsen. En indelning gjordes av projekten i två grupper, antingen hade samtliga åtgärder genomförts av de som hade föreslagits av fuktskadeutredare eller så hade endast en del av dem åtgärdats. Resultatet av enkätundersökningen visade att de tillämpade åtgärderna bidrog till att människorna mådde bättre efter att skadorna hade åtgärdats då färre kände av besvär så som irritation i ögon, näsa eller hals, torrhetskänsla i slemhinnor eller hud samt trötthet, huvudvärk eller illamående. Det var framförallt tydligt för de projekt som hade genomfört samtliga åtgärder.   Rekommendation för fortsatt arbete är att studera vilka åtgärder som förbättrar vilka hälsobesvär då åtgärdernas tillämpning är kända men deras koppling till hälsobesvär fortfarande oklara.

During the last ten years, the adverse health effects in upper respiratory system and irritation symptoms have become increasingly evident in residents living in moisture damaged houses with dampness and mould growth. In the mid of 1995, Finnish environmental health authorities faced the problem with an increasing demand for investigations to verify the microbial growth in suspected buildings and thereby taking appropriate control measures to protect the health of occupants. As an extension of an earlier relatively onerous method for quantification of microbial growth on surfaces, the Food Laboratory in Porvoo developed an applied direct streak method (DSM) aiming at a facilitation of the method verifying the presence of mould growth. The method was established in close collaboration with health inspectors. The DSM was compared to the original culture method (CM) and repeatability and reproducibility were good or very good. The DSM is a semi-quantitative method and enables the health inspectors to take surface samples without breaking the building structures and without being restricted to stiff surfaces. The results can demonstrate that the material is damaged by active viable mould growth. The DSM provides a powerful and useful tool for health inspectors to verify mould growth in buildings and it supports them to make decisions that are needed to protect the health of occupants. The cost of DSM is about one fourth of that of the more elaborate CM. The DSM is being increasingly used in Finland. / <p>ISBN 91-7997-123-7</p>

Darbo tikslas: įvertinti Lietuvos rinkoje esančių razinų mikrobinę taršą. Tyrimo objektas: buvo tiriamos šešių skirtingų gamintojų (importuotojų) Sultana rūšies razinos. Iš viso surinkti 42 razinų mėginiai, iš kurių 28 mėginiai buvo paimti iš supakuotų razinų ir 14 razinų mėginiai sudarė sveriamos razinos. Mielių ir pelėsinių grybų skaičiui (KSV/g) nustatyti naudotas YGC (Yeast Extract Glucose Chloramphenicol) agaras. E.coli auginimui naudota chromogeninė terpė Chromocult coliform agar. Visuose tirtų skirtingų gamintojų (importuotojų) razinų mėginiuose buvo aptikta mielių ir pelėsinių grybų tarša. / The aim of work: to analyze micriobiological contamination in raisins of Lithuanian market. The object of work: six different Sultana raisin producers were examined. 42 samples were collected, 28 were collected from packed raisins and 14 from unpacked. YGC (Yeast Extract Glucose Chloramphenicol) agar was used to count yeasts and molds number. For E. coli identification was used Chromocult coliform agar. In every raisin sample yeasts and molds were identified.

Strawberries are an extremely perishable fruit mainly due to their soft texture and sensitivity to fungal infection. The fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea is responsible for grey mould on strawberries and is the main causal agent of postharvest decay and subsequent economic loss. As an alternative to fungicides, manipulation of plant nutrition, such as calcium and boron, has been suggested as a means of disease management. This project investigated the effects of calcium and boron application on fruit quality and grey mould development in strawberry. The effect of calcium on fruit quality, grey mould development and leaf blight in strawberry cultivars ‘Aromas’ and ‘Selva’ was investigated through preharvest and postharvest applications. To determine the effect of preharvest application, calcium sulphate in 0.25X strength Hoagland’s solution was applied at 0, 100, 300 and 500 ppm Ca through fertigation. Fully-ripened fruit were harvested and evaluated for postharvest quality at harvest and then after storage at 10⁰C, 90±5% RH for 2 to 10 days. Although fruit firmness of both cultivars declined slightly during storage, this was not affected by preharvest calcium application. Similarly, preharvest calcium treatment had no effect on the external appearance, pH, soluble solids content (SSC) or titratable acidity (TA). No grey mould development was observed on fruit at harvest when flowers were inoculated with a conidia suspension of B. cinerea (10⁴ conidia per mL). However, fruit harvested from plants that received calcium at any concentration had less incidence of grey mould during storage at 10⁰C, 90±5% RH for 14 days than fruit harvested from plants that received no calcium for both cultivars. For ‘Aromas’, 79% and 51% of fruit, and for ‘Selva’, 69% and 43% of fruit, showed rot when treated with 0 and 500 ppm Ca, respectively. The shelf life of ‘Aromas’ and ‘Selva’ increased by about 8% when plants received 500 ppm Ca in comparison with plants that received 0 ppm Ca. After 7 days of incubation at 22 to 24⁰C, there was no difference between blight lesions on wound-inoculated detached leaves from different calcium treatments for either cultivar. However, the lesions on ‘Selva’ were smaller than on ‘Aromas’. The calcium levels in leaves from plants that received calcium at any concentration were adequate for strawberry growing and significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in leaves from plants that received 0 ppm Ca. However, calcium treatment did not ensure transfer of calcium to fruit tissues. Calcium lactate and calcium chloride were used as postharvest calcium treatments at 1500, 3000 and 4500 ppm Ca. Fruit of ‘Selva’ were dipped in calcium solution for 5 min and wound-inoculated with B. cinerea (10⁶ conidia per mL). Calcium lactate and calcium chloride at 3000 and 4500 ppm Ca, respectively, were most effective in delaying Botrytis rot development on ‘Selva’ after 7 days of storage at 10⁰C, 90±5% RH. Storage for least 24 h after calcium dips prior to inoculation was required to delay the development of fruit rot. Fruit harvested early in the season seemed to be less susceptible to grey mould than those harvested later. However, calcium treatment tended to be more effective when applied to late-season fruit. Preharvest boron treatment, applied as for calcium but at 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 ppm B, had no effect on fruit firmness of either cultivar. However, firmness of ‘Aromas’ fruit was slightly greater than ‘Selva’ fruit for all treatments. The amount of boron applied had no effect on the external appearance, pH, SSC or TA for either cultivar after storage of fruit for up to 10 days. Application of boron had no effect on fruit grey mould development in either cultivar. Furthermore, boron had minimal effect on the incidence of blight on woundinoculated detached leaves of ‘Aromas’ 7 days after inoculation. However, blight lesion diameters on ‘Selva’ leaves in the 1.0 ppm B treatment (8.0 mm) were significantly smaller (P < 0.001) than in the 0 ppm B treatment (13.0 mm). Phytotoxicity was observed in boron treatments even at the level considered optimum for strawberry growing. Severity increased with increasing boron concentration but no consistent effect on flower death or flower abortion was observed. In conclusion, strawberry is sensitive to boron toxicity. Calcium may enhance fruit firmness and, consequently, delay grey mould development if calcium penetrates the fruit. Postharvest calcium treatment tended to be more effective in delaying development of grey mould when applied to late-season fruit. Calcium lactate is a potential alternative to calcium chloride for reducing decay caused by B. cinerea in strawberry without providing undesirable bitterness. This finding may provide a basis for application in industry. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1331382 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine 2008

The cost of manufacturing high quality composite components can be significantly reduced by using Out of Autoclave (OOA) processes if they can achieve final parts with a finish quality as high as that obtained using an autoclave process. Much research has been carried out recognising that regardless of the reinforcement fibre orientation, manufacturing of preimpregnated (prepregs) carbon components is much affected during its forming stage by fibre deformation and failure modes. This work sought to reduce wrinkling in the moulding of prepregs by introducing slip layers within the lay-up. Three types of slip layers were used: a dry fabric, a resin rich layer and a resin film. In order for the slip layers to be fully incorporated into the final laminate the resin content within the slip layer must be adjusted prior to crosslinking. In the case of dry fabric layer, additional resin must be introduced and in the case of a resin rich layer and resin film layer, excess resin has to be removed. The laminates used in the project were based on 2/2 twill and unidirectional carbon prepregs. These were manufactured by either Resin Infusion (RI) or Vacuum Bagging (VB). Resin adjustments were made at the same time. The 2/2 twill and unidirectional carbon prepregs were first characterised by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) before RI and VB. Dry 2/2 twill and unidirectional carbon fabrics and/or Resin Film (for VB) or fabrics and Epoxy Resin (for RI) were introduced in several plybooks and then cured. Final parts were either made of 2/2 twill carbon or unidirectional carbon. The parts were used to investigate the relationship between individual plies during the consolidation of a plybook. The first characterisations were done on flat laminates. Also two moulds were manufactured and used to produce new parts for further characterisations. The first, an aluminium mould was machined using a Computer Numerical Control (CNC). The second mould was a fan blade, made using chopped strand mats. The final parts had 3, 4 or 6 plies. These parts were characterised using Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Torsion testing. The results provide a first step towards understanding how the friction at a ply/ply level can be influenced by the "starving" or the "enriching" of resin in a plybook during its consolidation. The work showed that in OOA manufacturing, the friction at a ply/ply level can be controlled by introducing Resin Film, Dry or Resin Rich Fabrics in a prepreg plybook. It was demonstrated that introducing lubrication to control ply friction during forming can result in quality part as high as that obtained from a traditional composite forming process. As the final parts were made using a fixed die mould and a vacuum bag, most of the plies in the layups could deform individually and accommodate interply shear. Torsion testing on a number of a random selection of samples showed negligible effects on shear stresses, strengths and modulus within the parts were negligible. It is argued that the flexibility of the vacuum bag could have had an impact on the layups during forming. The plies could conform to the mould easier. This work has potential for other applications. For example in match die moulding, introducing wet lubrication could improve interply shear during forming and help in improving accuracy and geometrical conformity of final parts. Furthermore, developing techniques to control friction during forming in OOA can be attractive to industries which could not afford to invest in this OOA prepreg technology. OOA processing times have become very attractive to industries such as the sporting good, automotive, wind energy and transportation. These industries could explore the opportunity presented by the work in this EngD thesis.

Le giclage de la bière est un phénomène de surmoussage qui a lieu lors de l’ouverture de la bouteille. Ce phénomène va être dépendant des conditions de développement du grain d’orge, la matière première de la bière, et notamment des conditions climatiques. Ces dernières années, le phénomène est observé de manière plus fréquente, et les techniques actuelles, comme la méthode Carlsberg, ne prédisent qu’un risque potentiel de giclage de la matière première avec une importante incertitude. Un test de criblage rapide de la matière première permettant l’identification de facteurs responsables du giclage est donc primordiale pour détecter précocement le risque de ce phénomène. Néanmoins, un manque d’informations et de recul sur les composés impliqués dans le giclage limite le développement de méthodes de prédiction rapide du risque. L’objectif principal de cette étude est d’identifier un ou des composés pouvant être à l’origine du phénomène de giclage de la bière. L’étude a été réalisée sur différents malts industriels présentant un risque giclage ou non et des orges artificiellement contaminées par des moisissures. Les extraits de malt obtenus sont des mélanges éminemment complexes. Ils ont été fractionnés par des procédés appropriés selon les propriétés de leurs constituants : par la taille, les propriétés moussantes et l’hydrophobie. Une réduction de la complexité de l’extrait a été nécessaire et obtenue par des techniques de séparation membranaire. Néanmoins, les macromolécules tels les glucides, les protéines et les polyphénols n’ont pas pu être isolés par ce procédé. La séparation par chromatographie de phase inverse a permis d’obtenir de bonnes informations sur la diversité des protéines présentes dans l’extrait mais l’analyse du potentiel giclage en aval reste limitée. Pour simuler des conditions réelles « comme au champ », une contamination artificielle de l’orge suivie d’une extraction en surface ont été réalisées. Le potentiel giclage des molécules issues de cette extraction a ensuite été analysé. Une purification de phase inverse a permis d’isoler une fraction concentrant les propriétés giclantes. Cette fraction contient des protéines très hydrophobes qui semblent être impliquées dans le giclage. L’identification des protéines après séparation en gel bidimensionnel a montré que ces protéines proviennent de la moisissure. Une protéine avec des propriétés proches des hydrophobines (hydrophobie et taille comparables) appelée Epl 1 a été identifiée et pourrait être un bon candidat responsable du giclage de la bière. En conclusion, la méthodologie développée dans la thèse a permis d’acquérir une meilleure connaissance des composés produits par les moisissures en surface d’orge et est applicable à d’autres orges contaminées ainsi qu’à du malt industriel / Beer gushing is an explosive over-generation of foam following the opening of a bottle. It is highly dependent on barley growing and harvesting climatic conditions and has been observed more frequently over the past years. Current technics, such as the modified Carlsberg test, only provide informations on a predictive gushing potential of malt with a large uncertainty. A rapid screening test on raw material leading to the identification of actual factor(s) responsible for the gushing is consequently highly required by the brewing industry. But a lack of informations about the compounds involved in gushing limits the development of such a technic. The initial goal of this study was to identify the compounds involved in beer gushing. This approach has been applied to industrial malts presenting gushing potential or not and artificially contaminated barleys in order to set a procedure to isolate compounds which may trigger gushing. In a first time, malt extracts, which are complex mixtures, have been produced and fractionated according to the properties of compounds such as their size, their foaming capacity or hydrophobicity. A good reduction of complexity of sample has been obtained after membrane filtration. Nevertheless, compounds like carbohydrates, proteins and polyphenols could not have been separated. Besides, separation by hydrophobicity has provided good information about the diversity of proteins but the analysis of their gushing potential remains difficult. Afterwards, in order to investigate the production of compounds by fungus at the surface of barley simulating real field crop production conditions, an artificial contamination was achieved and surface extraction with ultrapure water has been performed. Extracted molecules have been screened for their gushing activity. Thus, a purification of molecules by reverse phase chromatography allowed to isolate a gushing fraction from the surface extract. This fraction, which concentrates the gushing properties, is composed by proteins with high hydrophobicity which may be involved in gushing. This fraction was analyzed more in depth with a 2DE, and led to the identification of proteins all produced by fungus family. Among them, a protein called Epl1 appears to be of interest and could be a good candidate thanks its properties closed to hydrophobins (size and hydrophobicity). In conclusion, this methodology is developed to acquire a better knowledge about compounds produced by fungi at the surface of barley as well as to some industrial malt