Method and system for fecal detection

A method of and apparatus for detecting the presence of fecal or ingesta matter contaminants on a poultry or meat item is described. The poultry or meat is exposed to excitation light of a selected bandwidth(s) and certain bandwidth(s) is(are) measured and compared to a threshold, above which indicates contaminants. Suitable excitation bandwidth and measuring bandwidth are selected such that the ratio of or difference between the resulting sample fluorescence and contamination fluorescence are greater than a certain ratio or difference. If contaminants are present, a controller can generate a signal and/or send the contaminated items to a wash station

Ecology, behaviour and management of the European catfish

The extreme body sizes of ‘megafishes’ associated with their high commercial values and recreational interests have made them highly threatened in their native range worldwide by human-induced impacts such as overexploitation. Meanwhile, and because of the aforementioned interests, some megafishes have been introduced outside of their native range. A notable exampled is the European catfish (Silurus glanis), one of the few siluriforms native from western Europe and among the 10 largest freshwater fish worldwide, attaining a total length over 2.7 m and a documented mass of 130 kg. Its distinct phylogeny and extreme size imply many features rare among other European fish such as peculiar behaviours (massive aggregations, beaching), consumption of large bodied prey, fast growth rate, long lifespan, high fecundity, nest guarding and large eggs. The spread of the species is likely to continue due to illegal introduction coupled with natural range extension due to current and future climate change. Based on these attributes and potential future risks, this introduced giant predator in European fresh waters could provide a novel model species of high utility for testing aspects of ecological and invasion theory and associated hypotheses. Here, we reviewed the most recent knowledge on the current distribution and the ecology of the species to understand how this can help advance our understanding of biological invasions. We also identified key research questions that should help stimulating new research on this intriguing, yet largely unknown, species and, more generally, on the ecology of invasive species

Use of quaternary ammonium compounds to remove salmonella contamination from meat products

A composition and method for removing and preventing Salmonella contamination of meat products, in particular poultry, is disclosed. The composition comprises an effective amount of a quaternary ammonium compound in an aqueous solution. The quaternary ammonium compound are selected from the group consisting of alkylpyridinium, tetra-alkylammonium, and alkylalicyclic ammonium salts. Preferably, the quaternary ammonium compounds are cetylpyridinium chloride and cetylpyridinium bromide. Mutagenicity studies are also disclosed

A machine vision system using circular autoregressive models for rapid recognition of salmonella typhimurium

The objective of this research was to develop a machine vision system using image processing and statistical modeling techniques to identify and enumerate bacteria on slides containing Salmonella typhimurium. Pictures of bacterial cells were acquired with a CCD camera attached to a motorized fluorescence microscope. A shape boundary modeling technique, based on the use of circular autoregressive model parameters, was used. A feature weighting classifier was trained with ten images belonging to each shape class (rod shape and circle shape). In order to enhance the discrimination of circular shapes, a size range was added to the recognition algorithm. Experimental results showed that the model parameters could be used as descriptors of shape boundaries detected in digitized binary images of bacterial cells. The introduction of the rotated coordinate method and the circular size restriction, reduced the differences between automated and manual recognition/enumeration from 7% to less than 1%. The computer analyzed each image in approximately 5 s (a total of 2 h including sample preparation), while the bacteriologist spent an average of 1 min for each image

Method for reducing or eliminating microorganisms in substances by electric stimulation

Describes a method for the reduction or elimination of microbes in liquid or food products. The passage of a waveform, such as a DC square-wave, of a specific amplitude, duty cycle and current through the liquid or food product for a specific time period, allows for the elimination of microbes such as Salmonella Typhimurium from a variety of substances, including water, milk and solid food products

Technische Grundlagen der Beschallung von Räumen

Jegliche Form der Beschallung, von kleinen Einbaulautsprechern im Auto bis zu großvolumigen Line Array Systemen in Sportstadien oder bei Open Air Events mit 100.000 Zuhörern, benötigt ein elektroakustisches Wandlersystem, d. h. ein Gerät, das elektrische Energie in Schallwellen verwandelt. Die Eigenschaften des damit aufgebauten Lautsprechers hängen vom physikalischen Prinzip und von der Konstruktion des Wandlers (auch als Treiber bezeichnet) ebenso ab wie von seinem Einbau in ein Gehäuse und der vorgeschalteten Elektronik. Sobald mehr als ein einzelner Lautsprecher betrieben wird, ergeben sich die Eigenschaften der Beschallungsanlage als Ganzes daraus, wie verschiedene Lautsprecher zusammenwirken, um in einem mehr oder weniger ausgedehnten Hörbereich einen gut ausbalancierten Höreindruck zu erreichen. Dies reicht von der zweikanaligen Stereo-Wiedergabe bis zu Systemen mit mehreren Hundert Lautsprechern und entsprechend komplexer Signalverteilung. Dieser Systematik folgt der Aufbau des Kapitels, das zunächst den Aufbau eines einzelnen Lautsprechers behandelt, um in einem zweiten Abschnitt auf Prinzipien beim Zusammenwirken mehrerer Lautsprecher einzugehen, die man je nach Anwendung als Wiedergabeverfahren oder als Beschallungstechnik bezeichnen kann

Phase noise characterisation of a 2-km hollow-core nested antiresonant nodeless fibre for twin-field quantum key distribution

The performance of quantum key distribution (QKD) is heavily dependent on the physical properties of the channel over which it is executed. Propagation losses and perturbations in the encoded photons' degrees of freedom, such as polarisation or phase, limit both the QKD range and key rate. The maintenance of phase coherence over optical fibres has lately received considerable attention as it enables QKD over long distances, e.g., through phase-based protocols like Twin-Field (TF) QKD. While optical single mode fibres (SMFs) are the current standard type of fibre, recent hollow core fibres (HCFs) could become a superior alternative in the future. Whereas the co-existence of quantum and classical signals in HCF has already been demonstrated, the phase noise resilience required for phase-based QKD protocols is yet to be established. This work explores the behaviour of HCF with respect to phase noise for the purpose of TF-QKD-like protocols. To achieve this, two experiments are performed. The first, is a set of concurrent measurements on 2 km of HCF and SMF in a double asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. The second, uses a TF-QKD interferometer consisting of HCF and SMF channels. These initial results indicate that HCF is suitable for use in TF-QKD and other phase-based QKD protocols

Broad spectrum prevention and removal of microbial contamination of food by quaternary ammonium compounds

A method of using quaternary ammonium compounds for inhibiting attachment of and removing a broad spectrum of foodborne microbial contamination from food products is described. The method uses quaternary ammonium compounds for inhibiting attachment of and removing microorganisms such as, Staphylococcus, Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Listeria, Aeromonas, Bacillus, Salmonella, non-toxin producing Escherichia, and pathogenic toxin-producing Escherichia such as O157:H7, fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum, and parasites such as Entameba histolytica from a broad range of food. The foods that can be treated by this method are meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit

Effects of Two Species of VA Mycorrhizal Fungi on Drought Tolerance of Winter Wheat

Roots and soils from western Nebraska fields of native and planted grasslands, and winter wheat of varied fallow-wheat cultivation duration, were evaluated for vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal root infection and spore numbers and types. Increased cultivation decreased percentage mycorrhizal infection in wheat and reduced spore numbers of Glomus fasciculatus, the dominant VA mycorrhizal fungus in these soils. Spore numbers of other VA mycorrhizal fungi did not change significantly with cultivation although mean numbers of G. mosseae increased with continued wheat production. Water relations and growth were determined for greenhouse-grown non-mycorrhizal, G. fasciculatus-infected, and G. mosseae-infected wheat in wet and dry soils. Stomatal conductances were higher in mycorrhizal than in non-mycorrhizal plants in both wet and dry treatments. Stomatal closure in mycorrhizal plants occurred at lower leaf water potentials (ψ1) and after greater desiccation than in non-mycorrhizal plants, but some leaves of G. masseae-infected plants showed no stomatal response to drought and continued to transpire at ψ1 as low as -4◦1 MPa. Leaf osmotic adjustment was greater for G. fasciculatus-infected plants. Non-mycorrhizal and G. fasciculatus-infected plants had equal dry wts in both wet and dry conditions. Infection by G. fasciculatus appeared to increase wheat drought tolerance while infection by G. mosseae did not

Concentrated, non-foaming solution of quaternary ammonium compounds and methods of use

A concentrated quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) solution with a concentration from greater than about 10% by weight and at least one solubility enhancing agent, such as an alcohol, is disclosed. A diluted QAC solution is used to contact food products to prevent microbial growth on the food products from a broad spectrum of foodborne microbial contamination. A method of contacting the food products with the dilute QAC for an application time of at least 0.1 second is disclosed. The foods that can be treated by this method are meat and meat products, seafood, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, pet foods and snacks, and any other food that can be treated and still retain its appearance and texture. One of the treatment methods is spraying and misting the QAC solutions on the food products for an application time of at least 0.1 second to prevent broad spectrum foodborne microbial contamination