33 research outputs found
Investigating the impact of three washing methods on antimicrobial efficacy, texture, and color of spinach and tomatoes
No full textFresh produce is susceptible to contamination at various points in processing, leading to spoilage or foodborne illness. While current standard washing methods are widely used and accepted, it is important to re-evaluate their antibacterial effectiveness as various parameters determine the effectiveness of each method. Quality aspects should also be considered for a well-rounded analysis of the impact of current washing methods on produce after treatment and throughout storage. The antimicrobial efficacy of three washing methods (water, 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite, and 1% citric acid) were investigated on spinach and tomatoes. The washing method parameters were optimized and the immediate impact of the three washing methods on bacterial reduction, texture, and color was evaluated. These were also measured over the shelf-life of the samples. 1% citric acid proved to be the most effective antibacterial agent among the three washing solutions, especially in storage, without significant differences in texture or color
Architectural Components to Contribute to Social Interaction
No full textThe amount of people with feelings of loneliness has increased dramatically in recent years. Loneliness is an undesirable and horrible situation where one can feel completely abandoned. Solo dwellers and elderly are found to be the most vulnerable.Besides the devastating personal situation of people with feelings of loneliness, consequences of this problem also touches society.The main question of this research comprises the issue what architectural requirements a residential building should meet, in order to create a living environment that is designed to contribute to interaction between solo dwellers of different generations.From the problem statement, the target group emerged: single and isolated elderly and young adult and adult solo dwellers. The needs of this target group are examined into detail.The research thoughtfully examines how to stimulate interaction among this intended target group. This is considered on the level of spatial design as well as a psychological approach.In order to achieve a complete and accurate analysis, multiple theories and ideas from researchers, scientists, sociologists, and architects are consulted.In addition, existing projects and buildings were selected to obtain knowledge from existing buildings projects. During the research process, these contributed to gain information about the research subject as well as visualizing the knowledge gained from the literature and existing studies.Additionally, one of the selected building projects has been visited to conduct fieldwork research. This in order to experience the building physically and obtain first-hand experiences, views and opinions from residents.The study revealed that concerning social interaction, several factors are involved.BleijburchtAdvanced Dwelling: Ecology of InclusionArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Advanced Housing Desig
The Effect of Natural Language Processing in Bioinspired Design
No full textBioinspired design methods are a new and evolving collection of techniques used to extract biological principles from nature to solve engineering problems. The application of bioinspired design methods is typically confined to existing problems encountered in new product design or redesign. A primary goal of this research is to utilize existing bioinspired design methods to solve a complex engineering problem to examine the versatility of the method in solving new problems. Here, current bioinspired design methods are applied to seek a biologically inspired solution to geoengineering. Bioinspired solutions developed in the case study include droplet density shields, phosphorescent mineral injection, and reflective orbiting satellites. The success of the methods in the case study indicates that bioinspired design methods have the potential to solve new problems and provide a platform of innovation for old problems.
A secondary goal of this research is to help engineers use bioinspired design methods more efficiently by reducing post-processing time and eliminating the need for extensive knowledge of biological terminology by applying natural language processing techniques. Using the complex problem of geoengineering, a hypothesis is developed that asserts the usefulness of nouns in creating higher quality solutions. A designation is made between the types of nouns in a sentence, primary and spatial, and the hypothesis is refined to state that primary nouns are the most influential part of speech in providing biological inspiration for high quality ideas. Through three design experiments, the author determines that engineers are more likely to develop a higher quality solution using the primary noun in a given passage of biological text.
The identification of primary nouns through part of speech tagging will provide engineers an analogous biological system without extensive analysis of the results. The use of noun identification to improve the efficiency of bioinspired design method applications is a new concept and is the primary contribution of this research
Recent advances of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of bacteria
No full textRapid and sensitive bacteria detection and identification are becoming increasingly important for a wide range of areas including the control of food safety, the prevention of infectious diseases, and environmental monitoring. Raman spectroscopy is an emerging technology which provides comprehensive information for the analysis of bacteria in a short time and with high sensitivity. Raman spectroscopy offers many advantages including relatively simple operation, non-destructive analysis, and information on molecular differences between bacteria species and strains. A variety of biochemical properties can be measured in a single spectrum. This short review covers the recent advancements and applications of Raman spectroscopy for bacteria analysis with specific focuses on bacteria detection, bacteria identification and discrimination, as well as bacteria antibiotic susceptibility testing in 2022. The development of novel substrates, the combination with other techniques, and the utilization of advanced data processing tools for the improvement of Raman spectroscopy and future directions are discussed.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Research Enhancement Program (REP) at Texas Woman's University
Facing the Future: the Changing Shape of Academic Skills Support at Bournemouth University
No full textThis paper explores the potential impact of changes to higher education in England on student expectations, engagement, lifestyles and diversity, and outlines implications for the development of digital literacy within academic skills support at Bournemouth University (BU). We will investigate how tackling resource constraints with organisational change can also enable efficient, centralised provision of support materials that utilise networks to overcome the risk of fragmented support for digital literacy. We will also look at how changing delivery modes for support can accommodate changing student lifestyles whilst tackling a weakness of centralised support for digital literacy: that it can become detached from the student’s subject-focused academic practice. Finally we will explore how involving students in developing support can help us to face changes to student expectations and engagement whilst ensuring that materials are authentic and speak to learners in their own voice
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Broadening the Benefits of Dual Enrollment: Reaching Underachieving and Underrepresented Students with Career-Focused Programs
No full textA three-year study tracking outcomes for thousands of students across California shows that careerfocused dual enrollment programs can provide important benefits for those who are underachieving and underrepresented in higher education. Programs of this type, which allow high school students to take college courses and earn college credit, were once offered almost exclusively to high-achieving students seeking greater academic challenge
NPRB project 629 final report
No full textThis archived document is maintained by the Oregon State Library as part of the Oregon Documents Depository Program. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Title from cover"May 2009, revised March, 2010."Includes bibliographical referencesR/RCF-26Mode of access: Internet from the Oregon Government Publications Collection.Text in Englis
What were the historical reasons for the resistance to recognizing airborne transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic?
No full textAbstract The question of whether SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted by droplets or aerosols has been highly controversial. We sought to explain this controversy through a historical analysis of transmission research in other diseases. For most of human history, the dominant paradigm was that many diseases were carried by the air, often over long distances and in a phantasmagorical way. This miasmatic paradigm was challenged in the mid to late 19th century with the rise of germ theory, and as diseases such as cholera, puerperal fever, and malaria were found to actually transmit in other ways. Motivated by his views on the importance of contact/droplet infection, and the resistance he encountered from the remaining influence of miasma theory, prominent public health official Charles Chapin in 1910 helped initiate a successful paradigm shift, deeming airborne transmission most unlikely. This new paradigm became dominant. However, the lack of understanding of aerosols led to systematic errors in the interpretation of research evidence on transmission pathways. For the next five decades, airborne transmission was considered of negligible or minor importance for all major respiratory diseases, until a demonstration of airborne transmission of tuberculosis (which had been mistakenly thought to be transmitted by droplets) in 1962. The contact/droplet paradigm remained dominant, and only a few diseases were widely accepted as airborne before COVID-19: those that were clearly transmitted to people not in the same room. The acceleration of interdisciplinary research inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that airborne transmission is a major mode of transmission for this disease, and is likely to be significant for many respiratory infectious diseases.Indoor Environmen
Use of local electrochemical methods (SECM, EC-STM) and AFM to differentiate microstructural effects (EBSD) on very pure copper
No full textWhen aiming for an increased and more sustainable use of metals a thorough knowledge of the corrosion phenomenon as function of the local metal microstructure is of crucial importance. In this work, we summarize the information presented in our previous publications[1-3] and present an overview of the different local (electrochemical) techniques that have been proven to be effective in studying the relation between different microstructural variables and their different electrochemical behavior. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)[1], scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)[2], and electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM)[3] were used in combination with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Consequently, correlations could be identified between the grain orientation and grain boundary characteristics, on the one hand, and the electrochemical behavior on the other hand. The grain orientation itself has an influence on the corrosion, and the orientation of the neighboring grains also seems to play a decisive role in the dissolution rate. With respect to intergranular corrosion, only coherent twin boundaries seem to be resistant
Enteral feeding pumps: efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability
No full textHelen White, Linsey King Nutrition and Dietetic Group, School of Health and Wellbeing, Faculty Health and Social Science, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, United Kingdom Abstract: Enteral feeding is a long established practice across pediatric and adult populations, to enhance nutritional intake and prevent malnutrition. Despite recognition of the importance of nutrition within the modern health agenda, evaluation of the efficacy of how such feeds are delivered is more limited. The accuracy, safety, and consistency with which enteral feed pump systems dispense nutritional formulae are important determinants of their use and acceptability. Enteral feed pump safety has received increased interest in recent years as enteral pumps are used across hospital and home settings. Four areas of enteral feed pump safety have emerged: the consistent and accurate delivery of formula; the minimization of errors associated with tube misconnection; the impact of continuous feed delivery itself (via an enteral feed pump); and the chemical composition of the casing used in enteral feed pump manufacture. The daily use of pumps in delivery of enteral feeds in a home setting predominantly falls to the hands of parents and caregivers. Their understanding of the use and function of their pump is necessary to ensure appropriate, safe, and accurate delivery of enteral nutrition; their experience with this is important in informing clinicians and manufacturers of the emerging needs and requirements of this diverse patient population. The review highlights current practice and areas of concern and establishes our current knowledge in this field. Keywords: nutrition, perceptions, experienc
