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With many historic areas being diverse with life, color, and use, the idea of representing multiple complementary aspects, or hues, offers opportunities to support functions within a project that ordinarily might stand alone. The roles of historic preservation and conservation to promote green commerce and self-reflection have long been coming into discussion. Yet how can this be used to push standards for protecting the planet and shifting existing building types and expectations? Nature and history offer the hues in which to explore new hybrids of environmentally conscious architecture, definitions of preservation, and will serve as the setting for this project. The intent of this thesis is two-fold in nature. First, there will be an analysis of the treatment of historic structures and properties within the purview of both architecture and historic preservation. Identifying shared values as a framework, and building upon techniques in these two fields, this project will introduce an approach towards adaptive reuse and sustainable preservation that generates a meaningful use of a resource. The project aims to be forward-looking with respect to management, materials, program, and use. Second, a historical and structural analysis followed by a final schematic design for the Phelps Farmhouse is intended to apply this research and assist in creating a preservation plan for the property in Hadley Massachusetts.

Microwave Blanching instructions for a variety of vegetables have recently been published by several sources. More research is needed, however, to establish microwave blanching times that are sufficient to destroy enzymes which cause nutritional and sensory deterioration in frozen vegetables while maintaining optimal quality. In the present study the General Electric Company's recommended blanch times for carrots and green beans were investigated using three microwave ovens. Peroxidase was used as an indicator enzyme for measuring blanching adequacy. It was determined that oven variation had no significant effect on percent residual peroxidase activity in either vegetable (p > 0.05). A large degree of standard deviation in the percent residual peroxidase activity was found among the blanched portions of vegetable. This variation was attributed to the inconsistent levels of peroxidase enzyme in the vegetables themselves. Blanch time had the most significant impact on percent residual peroxidase activity (p < 0.01). After a four-minute blanch, carrots retained approximately 21-25% peroxidase activity and green beans retained approximately 37-46% peroxidase activity. These ranges are much higher than the acceptable level of 5% residual peroxidase activity. Six minutes of blanching for green beans and five minutes of blanching for carrots were required to reduce residual peroxidase activity to acceptable levels. Vegetables with such low peroxidase activity show no deleterious enzyme related changes during frozen storage. Microwave blanching has the potential to be an acceptable alternative to hot water blanching, but further research is needed to optimize microwave blanching procedures. / Master of Science

Sodium phosphite was evaluated for inhibition of growth of spoilage yeasts in laboratory media and in two commercial carbonated beverages. In addition, the effects of pH and atmosphere in combination with sodium phosphite were also examined in laboratory media. Inhibition studies in laboratory media were performed with optimal or near optimal growth conditions for each yeast. Growth was monitored by measuring optical density at 600 nm. A time to significant growth was determined for experiments in laboratory media and was used to evaluate the effect that sodium phosphite and other test variables had on growth. A time to detectable growth was determined for experiments in commercial carbonated beverages and post incubation counts on observations with undetectable growth were used to evaluate the effects of sodium phosphite on yeast growth. Sodium phosphite was most effective in inhibiting growth of Zygosaccharomyces bailii, and less effective against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Saccharomyces uvarum respectively. Results from this investigation show the potential use of sodium phosphite as an antimicrobial food preservative has potential. / Master of Science

Post-traumatic stress, while not unique to war, results from normal human reactions to combat. Historically, civilizations provided communal rituals to support and treat returning warriors. We do not. When combat stress reactions adversely affect normal functioning, we label them Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, implying something wrong with the sufferer, when in reality what is wrong is war itself. Not all veterans develop diagnosable PTSD or seek treatment, but all deal with post-traumatic stress. Complex, with moral, societal, and spiritual dimensions, combat stress manifests physically and emotionally. Veteran support should address both. Battlefields are places to contemplate the nature of war and martial sacrifice, and to experience emotional empathy with those who fought there. The ground itself is the link to this empathy. Battlefield landscapes can be designed to help veterans process their responses to combat, recognize them as normal human reactions inherent to the warrior experience, and participate in meaningful communalization experiences to aid in social reintegration. These concepts were applied at Fredericksburg, Virginia, resulting in a 26-mile battlefield trail linking experientially important sites and ending at an outdoor amphitheater. The trail offers the stress-relieving benefits of exercise. It also allows veterans to examine their own experiences in the context of others' and prepares them for communal experiences at the culminating public space. Pilgrimage on hallowed battlefield ground helps veterans tell themselves their own story. Telling that story to others allows the community to share the burden of peace and helps veterans complete their warrior's journey home. / Master of Landscape Architecture

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of utilizing potassium sorbate as a fungistatlc agent in country ham processing. The study was divided into three phases: the first utilized 60 and 90 day old cured country (long cut) ham; the second used country ham slices; and the third phase utilized 70 day old country cured (packer style cut) hams. Samples were incubated at various temperatures and relative humidities to determine the extent of protection offered by sorbate against fungal growth. Intensity of fungal growth was determined subjectively through periodic visible evaluations and were quantitated by culture plating methods. A UV spectrophotometric technique was utilized to determine the concentrations of sorbic acid deposited on ham surfaces or slices by various methods of application. Of the different methods of application that were tested, the 5% (W/V) 1 minute spray offered the lowest effective level for inhibition of fungal growth. The 5% l minute spray significantly lowered initial mold and yeast colony counts and protected the hams for 30 to 60 days under conditions conducive to fungal outgrowth (21.1±5°C and 70±5% relative humidity). An analogous 10% spray provided a slightly greater measure of mold inhibition than the 5% treatment under identical conditions. / Master of Science

A previously developed technique was adapted to study the influence of certain microbiological populations and their effects on processed meat. The technique consisted of an initial reduction of surface bacteria on conventionally handled muscle tissue via a hot water dip, followed by processing at 28ºC in a sterile plastic isolator where Pediococcus cerevisiae was introduced into the curing solution. This treatment was compared to Reduced Initial Count and Conventional samples. Identification of the bacteria in the curing solution of each treatment indicated that a Lactobacillus spp. was predominant in the Reduced Initial Count treatment. The inoculated Pediococcus cerevisiae was predominant in the Gnotobiotic treatment, while Staphylococcus epidermidis and Flavobacterium diffusum were predominant in the Conventional treatment depending upon the trial. Tenderness, pH, and bacterial load were significantly affected by treatment. Oxidation and muscle composition were not affected by treatment. Samples from all treatments were acceptable organoleptically. / Master of Science

The intensification of land uses in the United States results from population growth, rapid expansion in the service sector, and residential land use growth. These trends cause diminishment of open space and increase sprawl-type land development. So-called "livability" issues are of growing importance in many metropolitan and rural areas across the country. Exasperating this transformation of land use, current demographic trends in the U.S. imply a near-future turnover of a large percentage of farmland and open space land in the form of estate transfer. Current U.S. estate tax policy could be accelerating the transfer of open spaces to developed land uses. Local zoning ordinances, as well as state and federal infrastructure subsidies are also compounding this trend. To date, no method exists which evaluates the economic feasibility of open space preservation. This thesis proposes to establish such a method. A landholder may conserve their land parcel in a non-developed use in perpetuity by placing a Conservation Easement on the property. This land value, the development rights of the land parcel, can be donated to a non-profit organization. The landowner may then deduct the development right value from their income tax as a charitable donation. This thesis compares the economic viability of a landholder that donates a Conservation Easement and invests the tax benefits, with that of a landholder that sells their land parcel to development interests. Further, this thesis explores the demographic profile for which preserving open space may be economically beneficial for the donor of a conservation easement. This thesis is the intersection of three literatures, drawing together three separate land preservation paradigms. First, the altruistic philanthropy landowners exhibit when donating development rights without economic impetus. Second, the thesis introduces the income tax benefits, and their investment potential, available in the Internal Revenue Code for charitable donations. Third, federal land preservation mandates and subsequent funding availability is examined. These tools function together to provide implications for facilitating the deterrence of sprawl-type development. Further, these tools will be compared to the current methods of land preservation, consisting of local zoning ordinances and the purchase of development rights by governmental agencies. These current policies possess serious shortcomings in ameliorating conflict between land uses, as well as diverting sub-urban development from prime farm and open space land. Conservation Easements are shown to have applications in the protection of land subject to estate turnover, control of land uses that cause nuisance externalities, and general local land policy. A spreadsheet algorithm in Microsoft Excel Solver format is included that determines the economic feasibility of performing an easement at the individual landholder level. / Master of Science

This thesis is an analysis of methods by which modern interventions uphold the existing architectural fabric of a historic place, thereby establishing a connection and legitimacy that should endure for the life of both the building and the setting. / Master of Architecture / Although there are several approaches architects may take when designing new structures in historic settings, this thesis studies two particular methods that offer the most promise of success and chance of survival for subsequent generations.

Sodium hypophosphite was evaluated for inhibition of growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum in a model meat system. Fresh comminuted pork was formulated to contain 0, 1000, or 3000 ppm sodium hypophosphite, with or without 50 ppm sodium nitrite, and 156 ppm sodium nitrite. The test formulations were inoculated with an equal mixture of 9 different strains of C. botulinum spores, vacuum packaged, pasteurized, and incubated for 60 days at 27°C. Packages were removed from incubation as swells developed and were analyzed for botulinal toxin by the mouse bioassay. In the first experiment, first toxic samples occurred at 5, 12, and 60 days of incubation for 0, 1000, and 3000 ppm sodium hypophosphite, respectively. Combinations of 1000 or 3000 ppm hypophosphite with nitrite delayed toxic swells by 17 and 14 days respectively, as compared to 6 days for 50 ppm nitrite alone. An experiment on the effects of sodium chloride on sodium hypophosphite inhibition showed that as the sodium chloride level was increased from O to 1.25 to 2.5%, hypophosphite inhibition was enhanced. For any sodium chloride level tested, increasing the hypophosphite concentration, caused a reduction in the rate of toxic swell formation. A combination of 2.5% salt, 50 ppm nitrite, and 3000 ppm sodium hypophosphite was the most effective combination tested. First toxic swell was delayed to day 24, and subsequent swells to day 33. The effects of various divalent cations on hypophosphite inhibition were studied. Cations produced no effect on sodium hypophosphite inhibition of C. botulinum. All experiments showed sodium hypophosphite to delay swell and toxin formation caused by Clostridium botulinum. / M.S.