Digital Commons Network^™

Development, Expression And Characterization Of Humanized Anti-C2 Monoclonal Antibody / Suba Dharshanan A/L Panja Bernam, Panja Bernam Suba Dharshanan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Humanized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are widely used for diagnosis and treatment of cancer due to their reduced immunogenicity and high specificity. In this project, we aimed to develop procedures to produce, with high efficiency in terms continuity of production, lowered cost and increased speed, humanized mAbs against C2-antigen (hum-C2 mAbs), a marker specifically expressed in colorectal and ovarian cancer, from mAb of mouse origin. The resulting hum-C2 mAbs must still retain their original specificity and functionality, but possess reduced immunogenicity. Two methods of humanization were compared to identify potential immunogenic mouse amino acids in the variable regions: a deimmunization method …

The Influence Of Simon Stevin (1548-1620) Principles On Dutch Towns And Buildings Outside The Netherlands: Case Study Of Melaka / Robert C.M. Weebers, Robert C.M. Weebers

Student Works (2010-2019)

This research concentrates on the influence of the Dutch architect and mathematician Simon Stevin (1548-1620). Stevin's ideas on forts, town planning and buildings are laid down in treatises and have had a great influence on the construction of forts in the Netherlands and forts and outposts of the VOC/Dutch in Asia specifically in East Indies, India, Sri Lanka and Malaya (Melaka). The objectives of this research are: to study and clarify Dutch architectural principles to establish new towns (settlements) outside the Netherlands. Specifically in East Indies India, Sri Lanka, and Malaya (Melaka). To study the implementation of Dutch treatise principles …

A Comparison Of Native And Non-Native Efl Teachers Based On Learner Performance And Stakeholders’ Perceptions / Hossein Ali Majlesifard, Ali Majlesifard Hossein

Student Works (2010-2019)

Controversies on the native and non-native English teacher dichotomy have been historically a matter of concern according to many pioneering scholars of the field. Although a great deal of research in the field of teaching English as a foreign language has compared native and non-native speaking English teachers (henceforth N/NNSETs), to the best of the researcher’s knowledge no attempt has been made so far to examine the outcome of the performance of these two teacher types in the Iranian EFL context. Be that as it may, this study focused on EFL learners, EFL teachers, and policy makers in Iran. The …

Evaluation Of The Dopamine And Serotonin Receptor Binding Activity Of Selected Aporphines / Vani A/P Munusamy, Munusamy Vani

Student Works (2010-2019)

Alteration in dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission influences various neurological and mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and drug abuse. The naturally occurring aporphine alkaloids are well known for their activity at D1, D2 and 5-HT1A receptors, but only a few have been shown to bind to the 5-HT2A receptor. Aim of this study was to identify aporphines with significant activity at dopamine and serotonin receptors using both in silico and in vitro screening approaches. A 3D homology model of the rat 5-HT2A receptor was generated using the crystal structure of the human β2-adrenergic receptor (PDB ID: 2RH1) …

A Study Of Micro Rna Profiles In Ischaemic Stroke And Its Risk Factor In Development Of The Novel Biomarker Of Young Stroke Patients / Gan Chye Sheng, Chye Sheng Gan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Recent global stroke surveillance conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 15 million people suffer from stroke per annum. Approximately one-third of the stroke causes mortality placing it as the second leading cause of death after cardiac arrest. Knowledge pertaining stroke has been valuable and utmost desired in order to deliver effective education, prevention, diagnosis/classification and management. Emergence of microRNA expression level delivering promising biomarker has driven diligent researches in developing novel biomarkers for stroke. MicroRNA is a class of ~22 nucleotide-long non-coding RNAs, which is shown to orchestrate protein expression at posttranscriptional levels, hence earlier detection prior manifestation. …

Quorum Sensing And Quorum Quenching Studies In Clinical Acinetobacter Isolates From Ummc / Deepa Anbazhagan, Deepa Anbazhagan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Quorum sensing is a term that describes an environmental sensing system that allows bacteria to monitor their own population density. Many gram negative bacteria use N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as autoinducing quorum sensing signal molecules. This cell-density dependent regulation of gene expression contributes significantly to the size and development of the biofilm. Acinetobacter spp. are now emerging as important nosocomoial pathogens and it has been shown that they form biofilms with enhanced antibiotic resistance. In this study, we sought to find out if the biofilm formation among clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. is under the control of autoinducing quorum sensing molecules. …

Gender Differences In The Reactivity Of Normoglycemic And Diabetic Rat Aorta And The Effects Of Quercetin And 17Β-Estradiol / Aloysius Umelo Iguegbe, Umelo Iguegbe Aloysius

Student Works (2010-2019)

Background & objectives: Diabetes is a stronger risk factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases in the female than the male gender. Diabetes-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) alters the function of endogenous vasoconstrictors for which the antioxidant, quercetin, has been shown to restore in diabetic male rats, which has not been proven in the female. The female hormone, estradiol (a potent antioxidant), combined with quercetin may offer greater protection against diabetes/ROS-induced vascular reactivity. Therefore, the influence of gender on the response of normoglycemic/diabetic aorta to vasoconstrictors in the presence/absence of quercetin/estradiol, including mechanisms underlying any differences in tissue responses was …

Studies On Antidiabetic And Other Biological Activities Of Centratherum Anthelminticum / Aditya Arya, Aditya Arya

Student Works (2010-2019)

In search of phytomedicine for diabetes, this preliminary screening was conducted on twelve (12) different plants for hypoglycemic activity and antioxidant potential in the in vitro and in vivo study models. Amongst all, Centratherum anthelminticum seeds demonstrated maximum hypoglycemic and antioxidant potential. Therefore, the defatted crude methanolic fraction of the Centratherum anthelminticum seeds (CAMFs) was selected for detailed antidiabetic activity on the in vitro cell-based biological studies on mouse pancreatic cells, β-TC6 and on type 1 and type 2 diabetic rats for 4-weeks. The results of this study indicate that CAMFs showed potential antidiabetic effect on β-TC6 cells and confirmed …

The Role Of Gelam Honey In Modulating The Immune Reponse Of Sepsis In Animal Model / Mustafa Kassim, Mustafa Kassim

Student Works (2010-2019)

Persistent systemic inflammatory response syndrome is a serious health condition that may lead to multiple organ dysfunction, organ failure, and ultimately death. It leads to both acute inflammation, caused by either infective (microbes or lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) or non-infective (chemicals) sources, and sepsis, an infection caused by a lethal dose of LPS (endotoxemia). These conditions have similar inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, nitric oxide (NO), high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), suggesting that they may result from similar pathogenic mechanisms. Previous studies have investigated the applications of natural products in targeting these inflammatory mediators. Honey, for example, is used …

Molecular Epidemiology Of Giardia And Cryptosporidium Among Outpatients In Sana’A City, Yemen / Naelah Abdulaziz Alyousefi, Naelah Abdulaziz Alyousefi

Student Works (2010-2019)

Giardia and Cryptosporidium are two common causative agents of protozoan infections in developed and developing worlds. Currently, there is insufficient information on the molecular epidemiology of these protozoa in Yemen. This study was conducted to identify the molecular epidemiology of these two protozoan parasites by evaluating the risk factors that contribute towards understanding the possible role of transmission of these protozoa among Yemeni patients. Samples were collected from September 2008 to March 2009. All information were gathered using a standard pre-tested questionnaire; permissions were obtained from the heads of every hospital and patients were randomly and voluntarily selected. In case …

Association Of Tcf7l2 Variants With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Susceptibility And Treatment Outcome In A Multi-Ethnic Malaysian Population / Muhammad Huzaimi Bin Haron, Haron Muhammad Huzaimi

Student Works (2010-2019)

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial disease, where a combination of risk factors interacts and plays different roles, culminating in the disease proper. One such risk factor is genetics. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in several genes have been implicated in rising T2DM risk; one such gene is the transcription factor 7-like-2 (TCF7L2), which has been showed to blunt incretin action (specifically glucagon-like peptide-1, GLP-1), leading to impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion. Furthermore, these SNPs were also associated with an impaired therapeutic response to the sulfonylurea group of oral antidiabetic agents. To date, there is only one small scale study …

Chemical Constituents Of Walsura Pinnata Hassk / Mahfuzah Yusoff, Mahfuzah Yusoff

Student Works (2010-2019)

The chromatographic separation of the n-hexane extract from the stem bark of Walsura pinnata Hassk (Meliaceae) which was collected at Kuala Lipis, Pahang, led to the isolation of nine chemical constituents. Their structures were characterized to be ledol (115), oplopanone (116), betulonic acid (117), oleanonic acid (118), 3-oxoolean-11-en- 13β(28)-olide (119), 12α-hydroxy-3-oxooleanano-28,13-lactone (120), 3-oxoursolic acid (121), 3-ketours-11-en-13β(28)-olide (122), 3β-hydroxy-5-glutinen-28-oic acid (123). The structural elucidation of these compounds was determined by spectroscopic data interpretation. Betulonic acid (117) and 3β-hydroxy-5-glutinen-28-oic acid (123) were found to be cytotoxic against a series of human cancer cell lines with an IC50 = 19 μM, 18 μM …

Prisons, Poverty And Power, Daria Roithmayr

Publications

No abstract provided.

Economic Development And The Problem With The Problem-Solving Approach, Justin Deystone

Publications

Scholars and practitioners alike have recently pointed to the idea of a "new moment" in the field of law and economic development, as well as a hope for a fruitful rethinking of political economy. The idea is that we have passed out of the period of high "neoliberalism," associated at one time with Reagan, Thatcher, and the so-called Washington Consensus and now eclipsed by the ascendance of the Obama Administration. The hope attending the new consensus is that, in the wake of neoliberal law and policy, the field of law and development might be on the verge of a new …

Planetarian Identity Formation And The Relocalization Of Environmental Law, Sarah Krakoff

Publications

Local food, local work, local energy production--all are hallmarks of a resurgence of localism throughout contemporary environmental thought and action. The renaissance of localism might be seen as a retreat from the world's global environmental problems. This Article maintains, however, that some forms of localism are actually expressions, appropriate ones, of a planetary environmental consciousness. This Article's centerpiece is an in-depth evaluation of local climate action initiatives, including interviews with participants, as well as other data and observations about their ethics, attitudes, behaviors, and motivations. The values and identities being forged in these initiatives form the basis for timely conceptions …

Escaping The Sporhase Maze: Protecting State Waters Within The Commerce Clause, Mark S. Davis, Michael Pappas

Publications

Eastern states, though they have enjoyed a history of relatively abundant water, increasingly face the need to conserve water, particularly to protect water-dependent ecosystems. At the same time, growing water demands, climate change, and an emerging water-oriented economy have intensified pressure for interstate water transfers. Thus, even traditionally wet states are seeking to protect or secure their water supplies. However, restrictions on water sales and exports risk running afoul of the Dormant Commerce Clause. This Article offers guidance for states, particularly eastern states concerned with maintaining and improving water-dependent ecosystems, in seeking to restrict water exports while staying within the …

The International Effort: Building The Bridge For Translational Medicine: Report Of The 1st International Conference Of Translational Medicine (Ictm), Xiaoming Chen, Roland Andersson, William Cs Cho, David Christiani, Richard Coico, Jeffery Drazen, Markus Ege, Thomas Fehniger, Hongwei Gao, Kunlin Jin, Michael N. Liebman, Elena Lopez, Giuseppe Marraro, Gyorgy Marko-Varga, Francesco M. Marincola, Laurentiu M. Popescu, Claudio Spada, Aamir Shahzad, Ena Wang, Wei Wang, Xiangdong Wang, Yong-Xiao Wang, Jinglin Xia, Jia Qu

Research outputs 2012

Background : Supported by the International Society for Translational Medicine (ISTM), Wenzhou Medical College and the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, the International Conference on Translational Medicine (ICTM) was held on October 22–23, 2011 in Wenzhou, China. Nearly 800 registrants attended the meeting, primarily representing institutes and hospitals in Europe, The United States of America, And Asia, and China. The meeting was chaired and organized by Dr. Xiangdong Wang, Xiaoming Chen, Richard Coico, Jeffrey M. Drazen, Richard Horton, Francesco M. Marincola, Laurentiu M. Popescu, Jia Qu and Aamir Shahzad.

Findings : The meeting focused on the communication of …

Narrative Environmental Ethics, Nature Writing, And Ecological Science As Tradition: Towards A Sponsoring Ground Of Concern, John Ryan

Research outputs 2012

Over the last 30 years, environmental philosophers and ecological researchers have turned their attention to the possibilities of narratives: the stories people tell about their lives in conjunction with the human and non-human agents they live with. An interest in narrative environmental ethics reflects a re-evaluation of canonical ecophilosophical texts. Works such as Paul W. Taylor’s Respect for Nature suggest an essentialist view of environmental ethics in which predetermined principles are imposed on places and situations. On the other hand, Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac combines first-person prose with science-based explanations of the “biotic pyramid” towards the development of …

Multi-Wavelength Laser Sensor For Intruder Detection And Discrimination, Kavitha Venkataraayan, Sreten Askraba, Kamal E. Alameh, Clifton L. Smith

Research outputs 2011

An intruder detection and discrimination sensor with improved optical design is developed using lasers of different wavelengths to demonstrate the concept of discrimination over a distance of 6 m. A distinctive feature of optics is used to provide additional transverse laser beam scanning. The sample objects used to demonstrate the concept of discrimination over a distance of 6 m are leaf, bark, black fabric, PVC, wood and camouflage material. A camouflage material is chosen to illustrate the discrimination capability of the sensor. The sensor utilizes a five-wavelength laser combination module, which sequentially emits identically-polarized laser light beams along one optical …

A Review Of Bennelongia De Deckker & Mckenzie, 1981(Crustacea, Ostracoda) Species From Eastern Australia With The Description Of Three New Species, Rylan Shearn, Annette Koenders, Stuart Halse, Isa Schoen, Koen Martens

Research outputs 2012

Australia is predicted to have a high number of currently undescribed ostracod taxa. The genus Bennelongia De Deckker & McKenzie, 1981 (Crustacea, Ostracoda) occurs in Australia and New Zealand, and has recently shown potential for high speciosity, after the description of nine new species from Western Australia. Here, we focus on Bennelongia from eastern Australia, with the objectives of exploring likely habitats for undiscovered species, genetically characterising published morphological species and scanning classical species for cryptic diversity. Two traditional (morphological) species are confirmed to be valid using molecular evidence (B. harpago De Deckker & McKenzie, 1981 and B. pinpi De …

Which To Become? Encountering Fungi In Australian Poetry, John Ryan

Research outputs 2012

As a largely unexplored group of organisms, fungi are ecologically complex members of the Australian biota. Fungi represent non-human alterity and interstitiality-neither animal not plant, beautiful yet evanescent, slimy and lethal, and eliding scientific categorisations. Donna Haraway's notion of "companion species" and Anna Tsing's "arts of inclusion" remind us that sensory entanglements are intrinsic to human-fungi relations. Drawing conceptually from Haraway and Tsing, this paper will examine examples of poetry from John Shaw Neilson, Jan Owen, Douglas Stewart, Geoffrey Dutton, Caroline Caddy, Michael Dransfield, Philip Hodgins, Jaime Grant and John Kinsella that represent sensory involvements with fungi based in smell, …

Influence Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genetic Polymorphisms On The Ages Of Onset For Heroin Dependence In A Chinese Population, Chao Meng, Jie Lan, Youxin Wang, Manshu Song, Xuan Gao, Longjin Ran, Moira Sim, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2012

Aim: The study aims at evaluating the association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms and heroin-dependent patients in the Chinese population. Three polymorphisms of the BDNF-gene (rs10835210, rs16917234, and rs6265) in 486 heroin-dependent patients and in 226 healthy controls were genotyped for analyzing the association of these polymorphisms with age of onset of heroin dependence. We defined the healthy cases as “unknown phenotype” and used the endophenotype (behavior traits) to stratify the heroin dependents group on the basis of self-reporting traits for examining the association between BDNF polymorphisms (rs10835210, rs16917234, and rs6265) and heroin dependence. Results: Allelic distributions of …

Passive Flora? Reconsidering Nature's Agency Through Human-Plant Studies (Hps), John Ryan

Research outputs 2012

Plants have been—and, for reasons of human sustenance and creative inspiration, will continue to be—centrally important to societies globally. Yet, plants—including herbs, shrubs, and trees—are commonly characterized in Western thought as passive, sessile, and silent automatons lacking a brain, as accessories or backdrops to human affairs. Paradoxically, the qualities considered absent in plants are those employed by biologists to argue for intelligence in animals. Yet an emerging body of research in the sciences and humanities challenges animal-centred biases in determining consciousness, intelligence, volition, and complex communication capacities amongst living beings. In light of recent theoretical developments in our understandings of …

Compositional Variation In Sugars And Organic Acids At Different Maturity Stages In Selected Small Fruits From Pakistan, T Mahmood, F Anwar, M Abbas, Mary Boyce, N Saari

Research outputs 2012

Selected soluble sugars and organic acids were analyzed in strawberry, sweet cherry, and mulberry fruits at different ripening stages by HPLC. The amounts of fructose, glucose and sucrose were found to be: strawberry (1.79-2.86, 1.79-2.25 and 0.01-0.25 g/100 g FW), sweet cherry (0.76-2.35, 0.22-3.39 and 0.03-0.13 g/100 g) and mulberry (3.07-9.41, 1.53-4.95 and 0.01-0.25 g/100 g) at un-ripened to fully-ripened stages, respectively. The strawberry, sweet cherry and mulberry mainly contained tartaric, citric and ascorbic acids in the range of 16-55, 70-1934 and 11-132 mg/100 g; 2-8, 2-10 and 10-17 mg/100 g; 2-118, 139-987 and 2-305 mg/100 g at un-ripened to …

Olfactory Discrimination Predicts Cognitive Decline Amongst Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Hamid Sohrabi, Kristyn Bates, Michael Weinborn, Anb Johnston, A Bahramian, Kevin Taddei, Simon Laws, Mark Rodrigues, Michael Morici, Matthew Howard, Georgia Martins, A Mackay-Sim, Se Gandy, Ralph Martins

Research outputs 2012

The presence of olfactory dysfunction in individuals at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease has significant diagnostic and screening implications for preventive and ameliorative drug trials. Olfactory threshold, discrimination and identification can be reliably recorded in the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases. The current study has examined the ability of various olfactory functions in predicting cognitive decline in a community-dwelling sample. A group of 308 participants, aged 46–86 years old, were recruited for this study. After 3 years of follow-up, participants were divided into cognitively declined and non-declined groups based on their performance on a neuropsychological battery. Assessment of olfactory functions …

Intense Physical Activity Is Associated With Cognitive Performance In The Elderly, Belinda Brown, Jeremiah Peiffer, Hamid Sohrabi, Alinda Mondal, Veer Bala Gupta, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Kevin Taddei, S Burnham, K Ellis, C Szoeke, C L Masters, D Ames, C Rowe, Ralph Martins

Research outputs 2012

Numerous studies have reported positive impacts of physical activity on cognitive function. However, the majority of these studies have utilised physical activity questionnaires or surveys, thus results may have been influenced by reporting biases. Through the objective measurement of routine levels of physical activity via actigraphy, we report a significant association between intensity, but not volume, of physical activity and cognitive functioning. A cohort of 217 participants (aged 60-89 years) wore an actigraphy unit for 7 consecutive days and underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The cohort was stratified into tertiles based on physical activity intensity. Compared with individuals in the lowest …

Optimal Body Size With Respect To Maximal Speed For The Yellow-Spotted Monitor Lizard (Varanus Panoptes; Varanidae), Christofer J. Clemente, Philip C. Withers, Graham Thompson

Research outputs 2012

Studies of locomotor performance often link variation in morphology with ecology. While maximum sprint speed is a commonly used performance variable, the absolute limits for this performance trait are not completely understood. Absolute maximal speed has often been shown to increase linearly with body size, but several comparative studies covering a large range of body sizes suggest that maximal speed does not increase indefinitely with body mass but rather reaches an optimum after which speed declines. Because of the comparative nature of these studies, it is difficult to determine whether this decrease is due to biomechanical constraints on maximal speed …

The Evolution Of Notational Innovations From The Mobile Score To The Screen Score, Lindsay Vickery

Research outputs 2012

This article examines the evolution of music notational practices from avant-garde-era experiments in ‘mobility’ to the advent of the digital ‘screen score’. It considers the varied goals of the composers who initiated these developments and the dissonance between these goals and the practical possibilities actually afforded by the paper score. The advent of graphical computing is charted along with the consequent expansion of possibilities afforded by screening the score from a platform that also provides the potential for performer coordination, sound synthesis and transformation. The performative, interactive and formal implications of these possibilities are considered.

Altered Expression Of Alzheimer's Disease-Related Proteins In Male Hypogonadal Mice, Eleanor S. Drummond, Ralph Martins, D J Handelsman, A R Harvey

Research outputs 2012

Age-related depletion of estrogens and androgens is associated with an increase in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology and diminished cognitive function. Here we investigated AD-associated molecular and cellular changes in brains of aged hypogonadal (hpg) male and female mice. hpg Mice have a spontaneous, inactivating genetic mutation in the GnRH gene resulting in lifelong deficiency of gonadotropins and gonadal sex hormones. Western blot analysis revealed low levels of amyloid precursor protein and high levels of presenilin 1, amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment, and β-amyloid 42 in brains of aged male, but not female, hpg mice. Changes were confined to the …

The Hippo Pathway Member Yap Plays A Key Role In Influencing Fate Decisions In Muscle Satellite Cells, Robert Judson, Annie Tremblay, Paul Knopp, Robert White, Roby Urcia, Cosimo De Bari, Peter Zammit, Fernando Camargo, Henning Wackerhage

Research outputs 2012

Satellite cells are the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle. Mitotically quiescent in mature muscle, they can be activated to proliferate and generate myoblasts to supply further myonuclei to hypertrophying or regenerating muscle fibres, or self-renew to maintain the resident stem cell pool. Here, we identify the transcriptional co-factor Yap as a novel regulator of satellite cell fate decisions. Yap expression increases during satellite cell activation and Yap remains highly expressed until after the differentiation versus self-renewal decision is made. Constitutive expression of Yap maintains Pax7+ and MyoD+ satellite cells and satellite cell-derived myoblasts, promotes proliferation but prevents differentiation. In …