Accurately assessing the physiological status of firefighters during work in the heat is critical to ensuring their safety. Evaluating core temperatures (Tc) in the field is problematic due to cost and limitations in technology and accuracy. As such, fire services rely on individual perceptions of wellbeing. The present study aimed to establish whether perceptual responses measured using the pe...

Most tissues in the body are under mechanical tension, and while enzymes mediate many cellular and extracellular processes, the effects of mechanical forces on enzyme reactions in the native extracellular matrix (ECM) are not fully understood. We hypothesized that physiological levels of mechanical forces are capable of modifying the activity of collagenase, a key remodeling enzyme of the ECM. ...

an analytical nonlinear stress-strain model and a microscopic damage index for confined and unconfined concretes together with a macroscopic damage index for reinforced concrete (rc) structures under cyclic loading are proposed. in order to eliminate the problem of scale effect, an adjustable finite element computer program was generated to simulate rc structures subjected to cyclic loading. by...

For the military and civilian first responders heat injury is a very real concern. Several real-time physiological monitoring systems exist that can utilize heat strain indexes [e.g. physiological strain index (PSI)] and provide alerts to medical personnel. However, these systems depend on core temperature measurement using ingested pill thermometers which can suffer inaccuracies from ingested ...

Marine microorganisms have unique physiological properties and novel metabolites such as biosurfactant to live in extreme habitats (e.g. oil polluted environment). The aim of this study was to characterize some biosurfactant-producing bacteria collected from sediment and seawater samples from the Caspian Sea. These bacteria were isolated using enrichment method in ONR7a medium with crude oil as...