Effect of Heat Treatment on Camel Milk Proteins

Camel milk is important in the dry and arid lands because of its cultural, nutritional, and therapeutic properties. Milk proteins are known to be affected by various treatments including heating. The structure of proteins are known to change upon exposure to temperatures due to unfolding/folding and intra- and inter-molecular interactions. The aim of this thesis was to study the effect of various heating temperatures (60-130 °C) and times (0, 1, 10, and 30 min) on camel milk proteins. Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), free thiol groups, and hydroxymethylfurfural were used to observe the changes in proteins after the heat treatments. It was found that considerable changes in the proteins happen already during the first minute of heating. Camel whey proteins were more sensitive to heat than the caseins. As camel milk is devoid of β-Lacto globulin, the major whey protein is α-Lactalbumin. α-Lactalbumin showed an increase in intensity with heating, which was not reported before. This might be due to complexation with fatty acids and formation of Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumor cells (AMLETs). The free thiol content decreased while hydroxymethylfurfural increased with heating time and temperature

Sympathetic Loading in Critical Tasks

In this dissertation I developed or perfected unobtrusive methods to quantify sympathetic arousals. Furthermore, I used these methods to study the sympathetic system's role on critical activities, arriving at intriguing conclusions. Sympathetic arousals occur during states of mental, emotional, and/or sensorimotor strain resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. They are key elements of human physiology's coping mechanism, shoring up resources to a good effect. When the intensity and duration of these arousals are overwhelming, however, then they may block memory and disrupt rational thought or actions at the moment they are needed the most. Arousals abound in three types of critical activities: high-stakes situations, challenging tasks, and critical multitasking. Accordingly, my research was based on three studies representative of these three activity types: `Subject Screening', `Educational Exam', and `Distracted Driving'. In the first study I investigated the association of sympathetic arousals with deceptive behavior in interrogations. In the second study, I investigated the relationship between sympathetic arousals and exam performance. In the third study, I investigated the interaction between sympathetic arousals and driving performance under cognitive, emotional, and sensorimotor distractions. In the interrogation study, I used for the first time a contact-free electrodermal activity measurement method to quantify arousals. The method detected deceptive behavior based on differential sympathetic responses in well-structured interviews. In the exam study, I documented that sympathetic arousals positively correlate with students' exam performance, dispelling the myth of `easy going' super achievers. Finally, in the driving study, my results revealed that not only apparent sensorimotor stressors (texting while driving) but also hidden stressors (cognitive or emotional) could have a significant effect on driving performance.Computer Science, Department o

Freeform Fabrication of Ti3SiC2 Structures

This paper introduces a three-stage process to fabricate highly dense Ti3SiC2 structures. The properties of Ti3SiC2 material, the synthesis of the ceramic powder, the procedure involved in the 3-stage fabrication process and the preliminary results on fabricating fully dense Ti3SiC2 structures are presented. The characterization and microstructure evaluation of the mechanical, morphological and structural properties covering the compressive strength, Vickers micro hardness, damage tolerance, thermal shock, shrinkage and porosity of Ti3SiC2 structures printed using the 3-stage process are presented.Mechanical Engineerin

Rapid Prototyping Assisted Design and Development of Inter-Vertebral Implants

This paper presents a case study of applying rapid prototyping in assisting in the design and development of inter-vertebral implants for spine fusions. The major process of design and implant development, its biological and mechanical requirements, the approach for developing a 3D reconstructive vertebral anatomy model, the inter-vertebral implant CAD model, and the integration with a finite element analysis for the implant's structural analysis are presented. The process of 3D Printing of the vertebral anatomy and the inter-vertebral implant is described. The application of the prototyping model in assisting in the inter-vertebral anatomic fitting, in guiding the implant's geometric design, in helping with the virtual surgical planning, and in understanding the implant's mechanical properties and structural stability are discussed.Mechanical Engineerin

Where to now? A systematic review of moulage in health professions education

The use of moulage in medical education dates to 17th century Europe. The word moulage means “to mould”, describing the technical process of making a negative mould of a body part and then filling it with wax. Despite its long history in medical education, moulage has been underappreciated in modern teaching. There has been very little research to inform the theoretical and practicalapplication of moulage. This abstract describes a systematic review that explored the effects of moulage interventions in simulation- based education and training, for learner experience. A secondary aim was to understand which pedagogical frameworks were embedded in moulage interventions.Method:Four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EmBase, Proquest Central) were systematically searched to October 2021 for studies utilising moulage in simulation- based education experiences. There were no date exclusions, however manuscriptsother than English language were excluded. Outcomes we sought to explore focused on learner satisfaction, confidence, immersion, engagement,performance or knowledge.Results:A total of 19 studies (n=7490) were included in the study. These studies were primarily conducted in medicine (n=9 studies) and nursing (n=4 studies) and less frequently across other health disciplines. The findings demonstrated greaterlearner satisfaction, confidence, and immersion when moulage was used against a comparator group. Minimal improvements in knowledge andperformance were identified. Only one study underpinned the intervention with a pedagogical theory.Conclusions:Moulage contributes to improved learner experience in simulation training, but not knowledge or clinical performance. Gaps in the literature remain in areas outside of medicine and in work that includes strong learning theories

An ACE2 Microbody Containing a Single Immunoglobulin Fc Domain Is a Potent Inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2

Soluble forms of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) have recently been shown to inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We report on an improved soluble ACE2, termed a “microbody,” in which the ACE2 ectodomain is fused to Fc domain 3 of the immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain. The protein is smaller than previously described ACE2-Ig Fc fusion proteins and contains an H345A mutation in the ACE2 catalytic active site that inactivates the enzyme without reducing its affinity for the SARS-CoV-2 spike. The disulfide-bonded ACE2 microbody protein inhibits entry of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein pseudotyped virus and replication of live SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and in a mouse model. Its potency is 10-fold higher than soluble ACE2, and it can act after virus bound to the cell. The microbody inhibits the entry of β coronaviruses and virus with the variant D614G spike. The ACE2 microbody may be a valuable therapeutic for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that is active against viral variants and future coronaviruses

Dissecting Driver Behaviors Under Cognitive, Emotional, Sensorimotor, and Mixed Stressors

In a simulation experiment we studied the effects of cognitive, emotional, sensorimotor, and mixed stressors on driver arousal and performance with respect to (wrt) baseline. In a sample of n = 59 drivers, balanced in terms of age and gender, we found that all stressors incurred significant increases in mean sympathetic arousal accompanied by significant increases in mean absolute steering. The latter, translated to significantly larger range of lane departures only in the case of sensorimotor and mixed stressors, indicating more dangerous driving wrt baseline. In the case of cognitive or emotional stressors, often a smaller range of lane departures was observed, indicating safer driving wrt baseline. This paradox suggests an effective coping mechanism at work, which compensates erroneous reactions precipitated by cognitive or emotional conflict. This mechanisms’ grip slips, however, when the feedback loop is intermittently severed by sensorimotor distractions. Interestingly, mixed stressors did not affect crash rates in startling events, suggesting that the coping mechanism’s compensation time scale is above the range of neurophysiological latency