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Characterization of 3D Printing Using Protein Reinforced Food Ink
No full textThis study investigates the development and optimization of food inks for 3D printing using protein-starch composites and hydro-oleocolloid (HOC) systems. The research investigates mashed potato (MP), pea protein (PP), and their combinations, as well as HOC formulations comprising whey protein solution (WPS) and oleogels (OG). By analyzing their mechanical and structural properties, the study identifies optimal formulations for achieving print fidelity, dimensional accuracy, and overhang stability in intricate designs.
The findings reveal that mashed potato with a 1:4 mashed potato-to-water ratio (MP_1:4) and pea protein with a 1:3 protein-to-water ratio (PP_1:3) offer superior printability compared to other tested ratios in their specific food ink category, exhibiting less shape distortion. While formulations with higher water content showed excessive spreading and poor structural retention and with those of lower water content resulted in inconsistent extrusion, the optimal formulations achieved balanced moisture content and viscosity characteristics, enabling a smooth extrusion and structural (overhang) stability. A combination of MP (1:4) and PP (1:3) in a 1:1 weight ratio demonstrates improved overhang stability compared to single-component inks, resulting in enhanced structural integrity and geometric precision particularly in the overhang structures.
Additionally, for the hydro-oleocolloid (HOC) systems, extended storage at 5°C for 24 hours significantly improves protein-lipid network crystallization compared to 1-hour room temperature conditioning. The formulation containing 40% whey protein isolate and 27% oleogel (40:27 WPS:OG ratio) emerges as optimal, displaying superior dimensional accuracy and overhang stability compared to other tested ratios. This composition achieves better print precision through enhanced network formation during cold storage, maintaining shape fidelity particularly in complex geometrical features.
This research highlights the critical interplay between ingredient composition, processing conditions, and 3D printing performance, paving the way for personalized nutrition and sustainable food production. Future work will focus on rapid conditioning protocols, alternative structuring agents, and smart material integration to expand the scope of 3D food printing applications
Mining Steroidal Withanolides and Nonribosomal Peptides for Anticancer and Antibacterial Activity
No full textCancer presents a significant global health challenge, accounting for over 9 million deaths annually. A class of steroidal lactones derived from the Solanaceae family were examined for anti-cancer activity. Among these, withanolide J and physaperuvin G from Withania obtusifolia, showed inhibitory activity against leukemia cells and central nervous system glioma cells. In silico molecular docking simulations examined molecular docking with phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), elucidating a potential role of withanolides in cancer apoptosis. Withanolides were also examined in silico for docking with hemagglutinin (HA), a key surface glycoprotein for viral transmission in H5N1 influenza virus. A comprehensive withanolide library was compiled for HA inhibition, facilitating rapid screening of potential inhibitors. Molecular docking, pharmacokinetic analyses, and molecular dynamics simulations identified three promising compounds: 2-[(1S)-1-hydroxy-1-[(2S,4S,5S,10R,14S)-5-hydroxy-10,14-dimethyl-9-oxo-15-pentacyclo[9.7.0.02,4.05,10.014,18] octadic 7-enyl]ethyl]-4,5-dimethyl-2,3-dihydropyran-6-one, (1S,2R,6S,7R,9R,11S,12S,15R,16S)-15-[(1S)-1-[(2R)-4,5-dimethyl-6-oxo-2,3-dihydropyran-2-yl]ethyl]-6-hydroxy-2,16-dimethyl-8-oxapentacyclo[9.7.0.02,7.07,9.012,16]octadecan-3-one, and Exodeconolide F which exhibited superior binding affinities (-6.086, -6.087, and -6.373 kcal/mol, respectively) compared to the positive control, umifenovir (-3.139 kcal/mol).
Non-ribosomal peptides are synthesized by peptide synthetases and exhibit structurally complex architectures and potent antimicrobial activity. To assess the biosynthetic potential of bacteria for producing cationic non-ribosomal peptides, an in silico analysis was conducted on over 11,000 bacterial genomes to determine the most genetically competent microbe for producing polymyxins. When purified from Paenibacillus polymyxa and identified through MALDI-TOF/TOF and nano-spray analyses, polymyxin B exhibited a 20-fold increase in specific activity. The compound effectively inhibited the growth of multidrug-resistant pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (≤4 mg/ml), Klebsiella pneumoniae (≤2 mg/ml), and Acinetobacter baumannii (≤2 mg/ml). Collectively, these findings identify the potential of withanolides and non-ribosomal peptides as agents for cancer, bacterial, and viral treatment
Anna Kim's MM Violin Recital 2
No full textSonata No. 1 in G Minor for solo violin, BWV 1001, J.S. Bach
La Capricieuse Op. 17, Edward Elgar
Speak, Memory, Lera Auerbach
Sonata in E-flat Major, K. 302, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, Felix MendelssohnRelated performance for this degree -- Anna Kim's MM Violin Recital 1: https://hdl.handle.net/2346/102311Recital recordings are archival copies for educational purposes only. Members of the TTU community may request to listen/view them for educational purposes via the PDF link to the left
Eigenvector biomarker for prediction of epileptogenic zones and surgical success from interictal data
No full textIntroduction: More than 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy. Approximately 30% of epileptic patients suffer from medically refractory epilepsy (MRE), which means that over 15 million people must seek extensive treatment. One such treatment involves surgical removal of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) of the brain. However, because there is no clinically validated biomarker of the EZ, surgical success rates vary between 30%–70%. The current standard for EZ localization often requires invasive monitoring of patients for several weeks in the hospital during which intracranial EEG (iEEG) data is captured. This process is time-consuming as the clinical team must wait for seizures and visually interpret the iEEG during these events. Hence, an iEEG biomarker that does not rely on seizure observations is desirable to improve EZ localization and surgical success rates. Recently, the source-sink index (SSI) was proposed as an interictal (between seizure) biomarker of the EZ, which captures regional interactions in the brain and in particular identifies the EZ as regions being inhibited (“sinks”) by neighbors (“sources”) when patients are not seizing. The SSI only requires 5-min snapshots of interictal iEEG recordings. However, one limitation of the SSI is that it is computed heuristically from the parameters of dynamical network models (DNMs).
Methods: In this work, we propose a formal method for detecting sink regions from DNMs, which has a strong foundation in linear systems theory. In particular, the steady-state solution of the DNM highlights the sinks and is characterized by the leading eigenvector of the state-transition matrix of the DNM. To test this, we build patient-specific DNMs from interictal iEEG data collected from 65 patients treated across 6 centers. From each DNM, we compute the average leading eigenvectors and evaluate their potential as a biomarker to accurately predict EZ and surgical success.
Results: Our findings show the ability of the leading eigenvector to accurately predict EZ (average accuracy 66.81% ± 0.19%) and surgical success (average accuracy 71.9% ± 0.22%) with data from 65 patients across 6 centers from 5 min of data, which we show is comparable with the current method of localizing the EZ over several weeks.
Discussion: This eigenvector biomarker has the potential to assist clinicians in localizing the EZ quickly and thus increase surgical success in patients with MRE, resulting in an improvement in patient care and quality of life
Trash Compaction and Processing System (TCPS) Risk Reduction Work: Various Trash Input Testing and Offgassing Analysis
No full textJanine Young, Bastion Technologies, United StatesGregory S. Pace, Bastion Technologies, United StatesSerena Trieu, Bastion Technologies, United StatesTra-My Justine Richardson, NASA Ames Research Center, United StatesSteve A. Sepka, NASA Ames Research Center, United StatesJessica Kong, Amentum Services, United StatesICES304: Physico-Chemical Life Support- Waste Management
Systems- Technology and Process DevelopmentThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.The current lab-scale Trash Compaction and Processing
System (TCPS) at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) consists
of two subsystems: Heat Melt Compactor (HMC), which
physically compacts the trash into a tile with heat and
pressure, and the Source Contaminant Control System (SCCS),
which aims to reduce the contaminants that are released by
the trash processing. The Solid Waste Management group
addressed two areas of the risk reduction work. Firstly,
testing non-typical trash in the TCPS, which incorporates
items that are not included in the current waste models but
common enough items that crew members use, and observed
their trash processing performance. Secondly, the group is
working on an updated analysis for tile offgassing with the
current nominal waste model by using a diffusive sampling
method with thermal desorption tubes. This paper summarizes
the current risk reduction activities and TCPS testing
being addressed at ARC
Supporting English Learners in the ESL Content-Based Program Through Targeted Teacher Intervention
No full textThis design-based school improvement study focused on targeted teacher intervention to support the needs of English learners enrolled in the English as Second Language Content-Based program. Through a professional development session and intervention cycles, the researcher’s goal was to improve the knowledge and skills of the participants to allow for intentional implementation of effective instructional strategies as noted in the PLUSS model (Sanford et al., 2012). These instructional strategies included pre-teach critical vocabulary, language modeling and opportunities for practice, and using visuals and graphic organizers (Sandford et al., 2012).
The researcher utilized a PD session to increase participant knowledge on EL accountability data and three collaborative intervention cycles, specifically focused on of pre-teach critical vocabulary, language modeling and opportunities for practice, and using visuals and graphic organizers to support ELs in the learning environment. The researcher provided explicit knowledge during the PD and intervention cycles that is supported by relevant literature review on effective instructional strategies for second language acquisition. The study sought to gauge if deficit thinking has an impact on the support provided for ELs that are enrolled in the ESL Content-Based program. With this insider action research model, the researcher utilized the root cause of the campus to develop driving forces that will lead to the study’s goal. The findings of this study centered around the increase in awareness and willingness to implement instructional strategies for ELs and the influence of deficit thinking
Towards Dust-tolerant Smoke Detection in Future Space Missions
No full textMarit E. Meyer, Northrop Grumman Corporation, United StatesThorsten R. P. Schultze, University of Duisburg-Essen, GermanyJan C. Balzer, University of Duisburg-Essen, GermanyICES509: Fire Safety in Spacecraft and Enclosed HabitatsThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.Smoke detection in any space vehicle or habitat is
fundamental for safety and mission assurance. If early
warning of a fire scenario fails, the contingency may
progress to catastrophic outcomes, including loss of crew,
loss of vehicle, and loss of mission. Operational
experience with smoke detection in spacecraft is currently
limited to low Earth orbit, but space missions to farther
destinations have different concepts of operations and more
extreme environments that levy additional requirements on
the hardware. Smoke detection on missions to the Moon and
Mars will be particularly challenging as lunar and Martian
dust will inevitably enter vehicles and habitats via human
activities, despite the best mitigation techniques.
Typical spacecraft cabin dust that is airborne in low Earth
orbit has been an ongoing challenge, causing false alarms
and requiring operational controls, such as turning off
smoke detectors during housekeeping. This practice has
been acceptable in low Earth orbit but should not be the
norm for dusty destinations. This paper will present
background information on smoke detection and airborne
particulate matter in spacecraft, limitations of existing
technologies, and scenarios for false alarms. Further
discussion will look at future mission environments with
more stringent requirements, including vehicle autonomy and
cabin pressures. A previous paper introduced a smoke
detector to prevent false alarms in lunar missions by
smoke-dust discrimination (ICES-2020-125), and this paper
augments the technology summary with engineering hardware
considerations for future missions
Culturally Responsive Discipline Practices: A Critical Analysis of the Student Code of Conduct
No full textThis dissertation critically examines the evolution and impact of culturally responsive discipline practices within the context of the Student Code of Conduct in a culturally diverse school district. The study explores how zero-tolerance and exclusionary discipline policies have historically shaped the educational landscape, often leading to disproportionate disciplinary actions against students of color. Through a comparative analysis of majority-white and majority-Black campuses, the research investigates the integration of culturally responsive practices in school discipline policies and their effectiveness in fostering equitable learning environments. Key findings highlight the significance of culturally responsive approaches in mitigating the school-to-prison pipeline, addressing implicit biases, and promoting restorative practices. The study underscores the need for ongoing professional development, stakeholder involvement, and policy revisions to ensure that discipline practices are inclusive, supportive, and reflective of students' diverse cultural backgrounds. By providing insights into the challenges and successes of implementing culturally responsive discipline, this dissertation contributes to the broader discourse on educational equity and the development of fair and effective school discipline policies
CubeSat Thermal Testing Methods and Thermal Environment Simulation Trade-off
No full textDaphne Papadatos, Carleton University - Aerospace Engineering, student, CanadaRomain Peyrou-Lauga, European Space Agency (ESA), NetherlandsICES107: Thermal Design of Cubesats, Nanosats, and Other
Small SatellitesThe 54th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Prague, Czechia, on 13 July 2025 through 17 July 2025.Spacecrafts face a harsh thermal environment with thermal
variabilities induced by a varying sun flux, eclipse, or
change in altitude, which emphasizes the importance of
spacecraft thermal control verification, and in particular
thermal vacuum test.
A wide variety of solutions are currently used in agencies
and industries around the world, however, when it comes to
the selection of a simulation method, questions arise as to
which method is best to implement. This is primarily
regarding the spacecraft's specific needs of spectral
coverage, lead time, cost, simulation accuracy (spatial
uniformity), thermal controllability (cooling rate), and
the overall representation accuracy of the thermal space
environment.
On another side, in academia, such as in CubeSat teams
around the world, solar flux simulations are rarely
implemented into their subsystem-level thermal vacuum
tests. This is due to the anticipated complexity of the
engineered sunlight as well as the justification for it.
This paper will outline a thorough trade-off of the current
approaches to sun simulation for regular sized spacecrafts,
as well as a secondary trade-off highlighting the possible
methods that can be used with more limited resources for
CubeSat teams. Both these trade-offs will take into account
a generic single-node study of typical CubeSat orbits (e.g.
Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary
Orbits) to provide a more justifiable selection. In
addition, European and North American CubeSat team’s
current approaches to thermal tests will be illustrated.
This paper aims to encourage CubeSat teams to use solar
simulator flux during their thermal vacuum tests by
providing a trade-off of possible approaches, and also ease
the method selection for larger spacecrafts