Microorganisms Isolated from Surimi Processing Operations

Heterotrophic bacteria isolated from two shore-based surimi processing plants in Alaska were identified to the genus level. In one plant, the major bacterial constituents were Flavobacterium and Pseudomonas, followed by Moraxella, Aeromonas, Lactobacillus, Serratia, and Acinetobacter. In the other plant, major bacterial groups were Flavobacterium and Arthrobacter/Corynebacterium, followed by Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Serratia were capable of rapid growth as low as 8°C, with respective generation times 3.0, 3.1, and 3.6 hours. Freezing and thawing of surimi reduced microbial counts to 45–67% of the pre-frozen load; however, the composition of the microbial flora was maintained. The plant environment was a potential source of microbial contamination.     

PINK SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS GORBUSCHA) QUALITY DURING ICE AND CHILLED SEAWATER STORAGE

Pink salmon were stored up to ten days in ice, chilled seawater (CSW), transferred from ice to CSW and from CSW to ice, and evaluated by chemical, physical, microbiological, and sensory methods. The sensory quality of CSW-held fish declined at a faster rate than for iced fish. CSW-held fish had higher weight gain, higher salt and hypoxanthine levels and had softer texture than iced fish. Microbial counts were highest for iced fish and a two-log increase occurred during storage. Moraxella species were predominant in the microbial flora of iced fish whereas Pseudomonas species were predominant in the microbial flora of CSW-held fish. Ice was superior to CSW for maintaining salmon quality.     

REACHABILITY AND CONTROLLABILITY OF DISCRETE-TIME LINEAR DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

The concepts of reachability and controllability do not coincide but reflect a fundamental difference between the dynamical characteristics of different classes of multi-variable systems. This difference is discussed in relation to discrete-time linear dynamical systems and is illustrated by a simple numerical example.     

Effects of Cooking in Solutions of Varying pH on the Dietary Fiber Components of Vegetables

To study the effect of pH on dietary fiber components of vegetables, beans, cauliflower, potatoes, peas and corn were cooked in buffers of pH 2, 4, 6, and 10. Water-soluble pectin and hemicellulose, water-insoluble pectin and hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin were quantitated in raw, cooked vegetables and cooking medium. Tenderness and pH of raw and cooked vegetables were determined. Texture varied with cooking medium. Cooked vegetables were most firm at pH 4 and softest at pH 10. Dietary components found in cooking medium reflected these textural changes. Vegetables which showed greater pH effects exhibited greater changes in fiber components.     

GENDER,CAMPAIGN FINANCE,AND ELECTORAL SUCCESS IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

ABSTRACT: Despite high success rates when they run for office, women are still underrepresented in federal, state, and local elective office. Past research has explored factors that contribute to the scarcity of female candidates on the state and federal level, but little attention has been paid to the local level. This article begins to fill that gap by exploring electoral and fundraising patterns in mayoral and council elections in seven cities. We find that, similar to state and federal elections, women do just as well as men when they seek office but fewer women run. Further, of the women who do mount campaigns their backgrounds are quite similar to male candidates, raise comparable amounts of campaign funds, and receive contributions from the same sources. In general, we found few differences between male and female candidates. These findings highlight the importance of self‐selection in the decision to run for office.     

An evaluation of digitized APT data from the TIROS-N/NOAA-A, -J series of meteorological satellites

The TIROS-N/NOAA-A, -J series of meteorological satellites transmit imagery data to the Earth in both digital and analogue formats. The analogue data are a processed subset of the digital data and have lower resolution. A quantitative evaluation of a post-reception digitized version of this is made using the corresponding digital data as a standard. In nine comparisons the calibration of the infrared sensor on board was within 001°C. Sea surface temperature estimates from APT data were 0.3°C below the corresponding digitally transmitted data. The albedo estimates were within 0.2 per cent. Processed APT data are adequate for many mesoscale measurements in the fields of oceanography and meteorology and are more readily accessible than the digitally transmitted data.     

REQUISITE VARIETY IN THE SYSTEMS AND CONTROL SCIENCES†

Trends in the systems and control sciences are discussed in relation to certain results in cybernetics. In particular, optimal control theory is reviewed in the light of practical engineering requirements and servomechanism theory is considered in the light of Ashby's law of requisite variety.     

Humidity Drying of Plastic Clay

The humidity drying cycle gives rise to surface and body cracks in plastic clay. The cracks appear in the initial stages when the clay is being heated in a saturated atmosphere. Various factors affecting cracking in this initial heating stage were studied using a purified kaolin in the plastic state, and appropriate experimental models were used to isolate certain aspects for study. It is shown that the condensation of moisture on the clay surface is the major factor influencing the cracking of the plastic clay. The effect of thermal diffusion is insignificant and the loss of mechanical strength is of secondary importance. The balance af evidence from the literature and from this study indicates that capillarity plays a major part in the movement of moisture and the production of stresses during drying. When air spaces are present in the body, thermal capillarity may become important. Stresses caused by thermal expansion oppose those caused by drying shrinkage, while the thermal expansion of capillaries will have a negligible effect.     

Grain growth in samples of aluminum containing alumina particles

A study of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional grain size distributions before and after grain growth treatments has been made in samples having a range of oxide contents. In order to collect statistically useful amounts of data, an automatic image analyzer was used and the resulting data were subjected to a series of statistical tests which evaluate the difference between related distributions. Normal grain growth was observed in samples of the lowest oxide content; as the oxide level was increased, a significant narrowing of the grain size distribution was observed. In the latter samples the maximum or limiting grain size measured after prolonged heat treatment is approximately one half that predicted by Zener and is in broad agreement with the values calculated from the models due to Hillert and Gladman. Anomalous grain growth has been observed in samples where normal grain growth is restricted and where the initial grain size distribution is very wide.