These studies focused on maximizing the nutrition and safety of raw whole
muscle beef while minimizing quality and shelf-life alteration. The first study used
response surface methodology to predict fluid loss from injected beef strip loins and
steaks as influenced by levels of salt and sodium phosphates (SP) in the...
There are presently two successful methods used to refine fish muscle proteins: surimi and fish protein isolate (FPI). Both surimi and FPI have the ability to form an elastic gel upon comminution and heating. However, their gelation behaviors are different as they are refined in a biochemically opposite way based...
Plant viruses have been instrumental in our understanding of the biophysical properties pertaining to non-enveloped icosahedral virus particles. A substantial amount of research has been performed over five decades on Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV), arguably one of the most extensively studied icosahedral plant viruses and the type-member of the...
In this dissertation, I describe the experimental investigation of catching ions in superfluid helium droplets. The ultimate goal of our project is to build a coherent electron diffraction apparatus for atomic structure determination from oriented single macromolecules. This involves generating protein ions from electrospray ionization (ESI) and doping them in...
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and abdominal obesity (AbOb) increase the risk of
developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Energy restriction (ER), highprotein
(PRO) intake and high-intensity interval training (HIT) can independently
improve MetS and AbOb. However, ER reduces metabolically active lean body
mass (LBM) in addition to body fat (BF). Purpose: To...
The sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium and obligate human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, remains a significant health and economic burden worldwide. In the absence of a protective vaccine, antimicrobial agents are the only pharmacological intervention for patients with gonorrhea. However, due to the remarkable ability of gonococcus...
C. perfringens is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic pathogenic
bacterium capable of causing a wide variety of diseases in both humans and animals.
However, the two most common illnesses in humans are C. perfringens type A food
poisoning (FP) and non-food-borne (NFB) gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses . These two
major diseases are...
Cells represent microcosms of spatial and temporal structural organization, with the achievement of internal spatial organization relying upon a collection of macromolecular motor complexes to transport and localize components throughout the cell. Cytoplasmic dynein is one such motor complex, and is the principal ATP-dependent motor for retrograde transport along microtubules...
Dysfunction of mitochondria has been linked to aging and the pathogenesis of many degenerative diseases. Aside from their primary function in energy production, mitochondria are considered as a major source and target of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in cells as well. The mitochondrial thiol proteome is a subset...
Detection of biomolecules is important for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Low concentration detection, specific biomolecule detection, and point-of-care use are appealing characteristics for biosensors because of the possibility of early detection and quick results of specific biomolecules. Furthermore, inexpensive biosensors are appealing so that they are accessible to...