Transmission of Bacterial Zoonotic Pathogens between Pets and Humans: The Role of Pet Food

Recent Salmonella outbreaks associated with dry pet food and treats raised the level of concern for these products as vehicle of pathogen exposure for both pets and their owners. The need to characterize the microbiological and risk profiles of this class of products is currently not supported by sufficient specific data. This systematic review summarizes existing data on the main variables needed to support an ingredients-to-consumer quantitative risk model to (1) describe the microbial ecology of bacterial pathogens in the dry pet food production chain, (2) estimate pet exposure to pathogens through dry food consumption, and (3) assess human exposure and illness incidence due to contact with pet food and pets in the household. Risk models populated with the data here summarized will provide a tool to quantitatively address the emerging public health concerns associated with pet food and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. Results of such models can provide a basis for improvements in production processes, risk communication to consumers, and regulatory action.     

Consumer evaluation of palatability characteristics of a beef value-added cut compared to common retail cuts

The objectives of this study were to educate consumers about value-added beef cuts and evaluate their palatability responses of a value cut and three traditional cuts. Three hundred and twenty-two individuals participated in the beef value cut education seminar series presented by trained beef industry educators. Seminar participants evaluated tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall like of four samples, bottom round, top sirloin, ribeye, and a value cut (Delmonico or Denver), on a 9-point scale. The ribeye and the value cut were found to be similar in all four attributes and differed from the top sirloin and bottom round. Correlations and regression analysis found that flavor was the largest influencing factor for overall like for the ribeye, value cut, and top sirloin. The value cut is comparable to the ribeye and can be a less expensive replacement.     

High piezoelectric actuation response in graded Nd2O3 and ZrO2 doped BaTiO3 structures

High electromechanical strains have been developed in this study in Barium Titanate ceramics, suitably doped with Nd and Zr to form a controlled concentration gradient, leading to a dome-like structure on sintering. Compacted pellets constituted of layers of barium titanate powder of varying minor amounts of Nd and Zr powders, incorporated as nitrates precursors, acquire this dome shape on sintering at 1300?C1320^oC and cooling to the ambient temperature, the result of the residual thermoelastic strain. The dome structures exhibit high electromechanical responses, and the piezoelectric coefficients (deduced from electric field induced strains measurements in dome-up and dome-down positions) are also found to be exceptionally high. These Nd and Zr doped barium titanate structures could find applications as an environmentally benign material for fabrication of high displacement functionally graded electromechanical actuators in a single sintering step process.     

Renzo Piano: Poet of Technology

The architecture of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) is renowned internationally for the formal refinement of its components and detailing as well as for its sensitive responses to context, both in terms of its physical surroundings and local construction traditions. But, as architectural author and Piano specialist Peter Buchanan reminds us, the central concern of the practice remains focused on the original core impetus of expandingthe bounds of what technology and materials can achieve.     

化学合成制药综合废水的处理

本文介绍了化学合成制药废水的处理工艺、原理和运行效果,该工艺处理后的污水完全达到国家规定的污水排放标准。     

精炼工艺对椰子油品质的影响

研究了精炼工艺对椰子油品质的影响。分析了毛椰油、碱炼油、脱色油、脱臭油的理化指标、脂肪酸、甘油酯组成和脂肪伴随物(甾醇、生育酚、多酚)的变化情况。结果表明:精炼工艺使椰子油的酸值、过氧化值显著降低,脂肪酸和甘油酯组成无显著变化;总甾醇、总生育酚和多酚含量显著降低,损失率分别为63.77%、68.03%、71.20%。综上表明,精炼能够显著影响油脂品质,需注重油脂适度加工技术的应用。     

Starch Xanthide Styrene-Butadiene Rubbers. Effect of Humidity and Outdoor Weathering

Conventional and starch xanthide (SX) reinforced styrene-butadiene (SBR) rubbers from several molding compounds and a tire tread compound were compared during 90 days' storage at various controlled humidities and during 1 year's outdoor weathering. For practical compounds, where SX served as a replacement for silica or as a partial replacement for carbon black, there was little difference between conventional and corresponding SX reinforced SBR rubbers. Properly formulated SX reinforced rubbers would prove satisfactory even in demanding applications.     

Crystallography and Morphology of Niobium Carbide in As-Cast HP-Niobium Reformer Tubes

The microstructures of two as-cast heats of niobium-modified HP stainless steels were characterized. Particular attention was paid to the interdendritic niobium-rich carbides formed during solidification of these alloys. At low magnifications, these precipitates are grouped in colonies of similar lamellae. Higher magnifications revealed that the lamellae actually obtain two distinct morphologies. The type I morphology exhibits broad planar interfaces with a smooth platelike shape. Type II lamellae have undulating interfaces and an overall reticulated shape. To provide further insight into the origin of these two different morphologies, the microstructure and crystallography of each have been studied in detail using high resolution scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, various electron diffraction methods (electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), selected area diffraction (SAD), and convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED)), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.     

The power of multiple methods and evidence sources: Raising the profile of Canadian counselling psychology research.

In counselling psychology, research and practice are viewed as mutually informative, and Canadian counselling psychologists conduct research in a wide range of areas, utilizing a wide range of research methods. However, there are few Canadian publications that give prominence to counselling psychology scholarly work. Over the past decade, two trends have become more prominent in the practice of counselling psychology: evidence-based practice and outcome-focused intervention. Traditionally, empirical evidence for the efficacy of practice interventions has come from randomized controlled trials. This fails to reflect the diversity of methods and practice that Canadian counselling psychologists utilize. To address this discrepancy, in this article we provide some alternate ways for obtaining empirical support for the predictive efficacy of counselling interventions. We conclude by addressing some challenges currently facing counselling psychologists in Canada (i.e., publication venues, funding for research, the connection between research and practice, preparation of students) and describing some ways for raising the profile of counselling psychology research and practice in Canada. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relating microbiological criteria to food safety objectives and performance objectives

Microbiological criteria, food safety objectives and performance objectives, and the relationship between them are discussed and described in the context of risk-based food safety management. A modified method to quantify the sensitivity of attributes sampling plans is presented to show how sampling plans can be designed to assess a microbiological criterion. Examples presented show that testing of processed foods for confirmation of safety is often not a practical option, because too many samples would need to be analysed. Nonetheless, in such cases the classical “ICMSF cases” and sampling schemes still offer a risk-based approach for examining food lots for regulatory or trade purposes.