Despite the importance of tropical forest ecosystems in the global carbon cycle, there have been few studies of carbon dynamics in this biome. The magnitude of carbon stocks in the tropics and their changes over time are poorly known since ground-based observations are lacking. In this study, total carbon stocks...
Biological organisms, phenomena and strategies, herein referred to as biological systems, provide a rich set of analogies that can be used to inspire engineering innovation. Biologically-inspired, or biomimetic, designs are publicly viewed as creative and novel solutions to human problems. Moreover, some biomimetic designs have become so commonplace that it...
This dissertation is separated into two parts according to the two major distinct research projects. In Part I, the full account of synthetic studies toward C10-functionalized lycopodium alkaloids is described. In Part II, the detailed discussion on the exploration of the Pummerer cyclization methodology and its application to the total...
Background: Supernumerary chromosomes have been found in many organisms. In fungi, these “accessory” or “dispensable” chromosomes are present at different frequencies in populations and are usually characterized by higher repetitive DNA content and lower gene density when compared to the core chromosomes. In the reference strain of the wheat pathogen,...
Gadoid fish, like Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting, have a high level of trimethylamine-N-oxide demethylase (TMAOase) that catalyzes the breakdown of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) to formaldehyde (FA) and dimethylamine (DMA) even during frozen storage. FA reacts with amino acid residues to promote covalent cross-links in the formation of inter- and intramolecular...
Consumption of seafood products continues to grow each year, but post-harvest losses and inedible seafood waste remain as high as 25%. Ice-based systems are the most common form of preservation to increase shelf life, preserve product quality, and enhance product safety. Slurry ice is a type of chilling media, consisting...
Oysters are filter-feeding bivalves, which filter water for nutrients and often accumulate contaminants and human pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus naturally occurring in the marine environment. These naturally occurring pathogens have been frequently isolated from raw shellfish, particularly oyster, in the United States and are recognized as...
Bacterial histamine formation in mackerel and albacore was studied by inducing histamine in the muscles under controlled storage conditions. The optimum temperature for histamine formation was 25°C. The highest level of histamine detected was 283 mg/100 g in the 2-day stored mackerel; and 67.1 mg/100 g in the 6-day stored...
Scombroid poisoning, caused by histamine intoxication, is one of the most prevalent illnesses associated with seafood consumption in the United States. The illness is usually accompanied with a variety of symptoms, such as rash, nausea, diarrhea, flushing, sweating, and headache. Incidence of scombroid poisoning has been consistently reported in the...
Articular cartilage damage is the primary cause of osteoarthritis. Very little literature work focuses on the microstructural damage mechanism of articular cartilage. In this article, a new numerical method that characterizes fluid coupling in particle model is proposed to study the damage mechanism of articular cartilage. Numerical results show that...