The development and evaluation of measurements on spaghetti with diverse quality characteristics

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Pasta manufacturing is a process whereby wheat flour is converted into a shelf-stable food that is more desirable than native wheat flour. It can be fortified and may serve as a valuable source of nutrition in developing countries. Quality measures are of importance in the production process to ensure a consistent and acceptable finished product. Literature provides information on many aspects of wheat types, milling techniques and processing of pasta. Protein content and quality of cultivated wheat varieties is of major importance to produce quality pasta products. Wheat types of lower protein content are more readily available than traditionally used durum wheat. As in all food products, the cost of final products is of major importance. Bread wheat is generally less expensive than durum wheat. However, product quality (and thus acceptability) may be lower. Direct measurements of product quality are currently limited to protein content, moisture content, colour analyses and certain other characteristics measurable in a laboratory, for example mechanical strength and firmness. Direct measurements of defects that may affect final product quality, such as cracks and fissures on the strands of spaghetti, different types of spots and lines on the strands, broken units, units sticking together and odd shapes are not well documented. During the first part of this study, spaghetti quality evaluation techniques were reviewed, improved or developed and thereafter standardised. This developmental research was conducted to establish valid and reliable measures (with a high degree of repeatability) for the evaluation of dry and cooked pasta quality characteristics. A wide variety of available products on the South African market were evaluated for different quality characteristics. From this evaluation standards were drawn up, tested for validity and reliability by means of repeatability. Minimum sample sizes for the evaluation of different quality characteristics were calculated and presented in the study, together with reference photographs that can be used to evaluate spaghetti. This study found that colour evaluation by means of commercially available apparatus needs revision. This study suggests the use of multiple layers when evaluating translucent food products for colour. The occurrence of fissures and flour spots are of importance for the quality of the final product. This study provides a set of valid and reliable measurements for measuring the quality of dry and cooked spaghetti. Simple techniques can therefore be used to detect the presence or absence of these defects. Thereafter an empirical study was conducted to describe the differences between spaghetti prepared from durum and non-durum wheat, dried at different temperatures and at different relative humidity. Spaghetti samples of diverse perceived quality, from different manufacturers, were purchased and evaluated. Standard methods and the newly developed testing methods were used to test whether these methods effectively distinguish between spaghetti of diverse quality, reflecting on the validity of the methods. Correlations were calculated between dependent and independent variables in an attempt to find possible explanations for certain defects or quality differences, and to test certain theories in the literature. Certain relationships between quality characteristics were found, while others were questioned. The most important proven relationships were between protein content and its effects on reducing quality defects such as fissures, breakages and cooking losses. The relationship between ash content and spaghetti colour could not be confirmed in this study. This study confirmed that protein remains one of the most important variables to ensure consistent quality spaghetti.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Pastavervaardiging is ‘n proses waartydens koring meel omskep word in a produk met ‘n stabiele en lang rakleeftyd wat meer gewens is as die oorspronklike koring meel. Pasta kan gefortifiseer word and kan dien as a waardevolle voedingsbron in ontwikkelende lande. Om ‘n konstante en aanvaarbaare finale produk te verseker is kwaliteitmetings gedurende die produksie proses belangrik. Die literatuur voorsien heelwat inligting rakende aspekte van belang vir pastakwaliteit, byvoorbeeld koringtipes, maaltegnieke en die vervaardigingsproses. Proteïninhoud en die kwaliteit daarvan is van groot belang tydens die produksie van hoë kwaliteit pasta. Koringtipes met ‘n laer proteïninhoud is meer geredelik beskikbaar as tradisionele durumkoring. Soos met alle voedselprodukte, is die koste van die finale produk van groot belang. Oor die algemeen verhandel broodkoring teen laer pryse as durumkoring. Die produkkwaliteit en aanvaarbaarheid van pasta vervaardig van broodkoring kan egter laer wees as dié van durumkoring. Direkte metings van produkkwalitiet is tans beperk tot proteïninhoud, voginhoud, kleuranalise en sekere eienskappe meetbaar in ‘n laboratorium, byvoorbeeld meganiese sterkte en fermheid. Die direkte meting van defekte wat finale produkkwaliteit kan beïnvloed, byvoorbeeld barste, krake, meel kolletjies, strepe op spaghetti-eenhede, gebreekte eenhede, eenhede wat aan mekaar kleef en ongewone vorms, is nie goed gedokumenteer nie. Gedurende die eerste gedeelte van hierdie studie, is ‘n oorsig van spaghetti evaluasie tegnieke beskikbaar in die literatuur gdoen, waarna sekeres verbeter is, ander ontwikkel is en finaal gestandariseer is. Hierdie navorsing is uitgevoer om geldige en betroubare metings (met ‘n hoë graad van herhaalbaarheid) vir die evaluasie van droë- en gaar pastakwalitietseienskappe vas te stel. ‘n Wye verskeidenheid van produkte beskikbaar op die Suid-Afrikaanse mark is ge-evalueer ten opsigte van verskillende kwaliteitseienskappe. Vanuit hierdie evaluasies is standaarde saamgestel en getoets vir geldigheid en betroubaarheid deur middel van herhaalbaarheid. ‘n Minimum steekproefgrootte per kwaliteitseienskap is bereken en word vermeld in hierdie studie. Daarmeesaam word verwysingsfoto’s aangebied wat gebruik kan word tydens die evaluasie van spaghetti. Hierdie studie bied a stel geldige en betroubare meting vir die kwaliteit van droe en gaan spaghetti. Eenvoudige tegnieke kan dus gebruik word om die voorkoms van hierdie defekte te meet. Met afloop van die verkennende studie, is ‘n empiriese studie gedoen om die verskille te beskryf tussen pasta vervaardig van durum en brood koring, gedroog teen verskillende temperature en relatiewe humiditeit. Spaghettimonsters met oënskynlike diverse kwaliteit, vervaardig deur verskillende maatskappye, is aangekoop en ge-evalueer. Standaardmetings en nuutontwerpte metings is gebruik om te bevestig of die metings kan onderskei tussen spaghetti met uiteenlopende kwaliteit, wat reflekteer op die geldigheid van die metingsmetodes. Korrelasies is bereken tussen afhanklike en onafhanklike veranderlikes in ‘n poging om moontlike verklarings vir sekere defekte of kwaliteitsverskille te vind, en ook om sekere teoriëe in die literatuur te toets. Die verband tussen sekere kwaliteitseienskappe is bevestig en bewys, terwyl ander bevraagteken was. Die mees belangrike verband was proteïninhoud en die effek daarvan om die voorkoms van defekte, soos barste, gebreekte eenhede en kookverliese te verlaag. Die verband tussen asinhoud en spaghettikleur kon nie in hierdie studie bevestig word nie. Hierdie studie het bevestig dat proteïn die mees belangrike veranderlike is wat oorweeg moet word wanneer ‘n konstante hoë kwaliteit spaghettiproduk vervaardig word. Kleurevaluasie met behulp van kommersieel-beskikbare apparaat vereis hersiening. Hierdie studie stel voor dat tydens kleur evaluasie van voedsel wat lig deurlaatbaar is, dit in veelvoudige lae evalueer moet word. Die voorkoms van defekte soos barste, krake of meel kolletjies is van belang ten opsigte van finale produkkwaliteit. Hierdie studie bied riglyne vir die evaluasie van die genoemde defekte. Die voorkoms van hierdie defekte is van groter belang as die graad waarteen die defek voorkom. Eenvoudige tegnieke kan vervolgens gebruik word om die teenwoordigheid of afwesigheid van hierdie defekte te bepaal

Relaxed performances: supporting aural diversity and neurodiversity among classical concert audiences in the United Kingdom

Current discourse at the intersection between sound studies and disability studies has highlighted the phonocentric nature of conventional understandings of listening – especially in relation to engagement with classical music performance. The perpetuation of ableist notions of “normal” and “expert” listening risk overlooking multimodal and embodied listening practices of the kind advocated by aurally-diverse and neurodiverse concert audiences. In this article, we evaluate the extent to which Relaxed Performances (RPs) may offer opportunities for such diverse ways of listening, through surveying the existing provision of RPs in the United Kingdom and reviewing three examples of performances by the Graeæ Theatre Company, the English National Opera, and the BBC Proms. We conclude that further work needs to be undertaken for emergent RP practices to be codified and become widespread, but highlight the importance of this work in making classical music performance more accessible and beneficial for people who experience differences in sensory processing

Musical vulnerability: Receptivity, susceptibility, and care in the Key Stage 3 music classroom

Over the past decade, music education policy, pedagogy, and research in England has been shaped by a neoliberal discourse of invulnerability, in which the benefits of music upon academic achievement, health and wellbeing, and social development have been extolled for their influence upon the education of prosperous and independent individuals. However, research in music studies suggests that such benefits are far from universal. On the contrary, music-making—especially within compulsory classroom education—often reveals individuals’ shortcomings and dependencies. Such diverse experiences in the music classroom highlight an urgent need for music education to be reframed by an understanding of ‘musical vulnerability’: individuals’ inherent and situational openness to being affected by the semantic and somatic properties of music. Drawing on existing vulnerability studies, I evaluate how music can foster both positive receptivity and negative susceptibility, depending on its delineation of self-identity, social identity, and space, and its embodiment through aural receptivity, mimetic participation, and affective transmission. Using a two-phase phenomenological ethnography, I investigate teachers’ and pupils’ lived experiences of musical vulnerability in the Key Stage 3 (KS3) music classroom (ages 11–14). In Phase 1, interviews with music teachers reveal the interaction between interpersonal and personal vulnerabilities—including musical, personality, and neurological differences—in instances of musical receptivity and susceptibility. Phase 2 comprises ethnographic observations and a focus group interview with pupils in one KS3 music class. It exposes how values espoused in the music classroom require pupils to negotiate conflicting musical expectations, identities, and abilities while making music together. While this can prompt fruitful compromise and resilience, it can also cause exclusion and resignation. I therefore conclude that music education policy, pedagogy, and research should prioritise a ‘critical pedagogy of care’, acknowledging music’s capacity both to heal and to harm, and equipping teachers and pupils to respond critically and care-fully in situations of musical vulnerability

A study of the need for a state supervisor of business education

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston UniversityThe primary purposes of this investigation were to determine: (1) the present duties and the possible future activities of the state supervisors of business education in the sixteen states having this service, and (2) to present this list of duties to the heads of the business departments in the high schools of Massachusetts to determine whether or not such services are desired by business teachers and to find out Whether those teachers contacted would like to have a state supervisor of business education

The application of exfoliative cytology to the detection of uterine cancer in a healthy population

Abstract Not Provided

A molecular investigation of the otrB locus of Streptomyces rimosus

The gene cluster encoding production of oxytetracycline (OTC) by Streptomyces rimosus (the commercial producer) has been studied in this laboratory. The topic of this thesis was the region of the otc cluster including and upstream of the OTC-resistance gene otrB, which has been shown previously to be responsible for reduced accumulation of the antibiotic. The otrB gene was sequenced. The sequence revealed some discrepancies with previously-published data on tet347 (Reynes et al., 1988; Journal of General Microbiology 134: 585-598), an OTC-resistant determinant from another strain of S.rimosus. The deduced gene product of the otrB showed considerable identity with efflux proteins from other Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. These proteins contain conserved functional motifs, and OtrB was analysed in this context. The transcriptional start of otrB was identified. Several short investigations were undertaken into the physiology of antibiotic production. (1) A transcriptional fusion vector (pIJ2843) using catechol oxygenase as a reporter was used to monitor the response of transcription of various regions of the otc cluster (cloned from a high-producing strain) to changes in external phosphate concentration. These data were compared in relation to antibiotic production by the wild-type strain. (2) A transposon mutagenesis strategy was used to attempt to generate novel mutations within the otc cluster. (3) The presence of genetically-engineered haemoglobin cloned into S.rimosus production strains was investigated. The relationship between expression of the recombinant protein, antibiotic production and the aeration of the S.rimosus cultures is discussed

New proof-of-concept in viral inactivation: virucidal efficacy of 405 nm light against feline calicivirus as a model for norovirus decontamination

The requirement for novel decontamination technologies for use in hospitals is ever present. One such system uses 405 nm visible light to inactivate microorganisms via ROS-generated oxidative damage. Although effective for bacterial and fungal inactivation, little is known about the virucidal effects of 405 nm light. Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreaks often occur in the clinical setting, and this study was designed to investigate potential inactivation effects of 405 nm light on the NoV surrogate, feline calicivirus (FCV). FCV was exposed to 405 nm light whilst suspended in minimal and organically-rich media to establish the virucidal efficacy and the effect biologically-relevant material may play in viral susceptibility. Antiviral activity was successfully demonstrated with a 4 Log10 (99.99%) reduction in infectivity when suspended in minimal media evident after a dose of 2.8 kJ cm−2. FCV exposed in artificial faeces, artificial saliva, blood plasma and other organically rich media exhibited an equivalent level of inactivation using between 50–85% less dose of the light, indicating enhanced inactivation when the virus is present in organically-rich biologically-relevant media. Further research in this area could aid in the development of 405 nm light technology for effective NoV decontamination within the hospital environment