An ambient temperature stable and ready-to-use loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detection of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in outbreak settings

Cholera, caused by Vibrio cholerae is a foodborne disease that frequently reported in food and water related outbreak. Rapid diagnosis of cholera infection is important to avoid potential spread of disease. Among available diagnostic platforms, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is regarded as a potential diagnostic tool due to its rapidity, high sensitivity and specificity and independent of sophisticated thermalcycler. However, the current LAMP often requires multiple pipetting steps, hence is susceptible to cross contamination. Besides, the strict requirement of cold-chain during transportation and storage make its application in low resource settings to be inconvenient. To overcome these problems, the present study is aimed to develop an ambient-temperature-stable and ready-to-use LAMP assay for the detection of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in low resource settings. A set of specific LAMP primers were designed and tested against 155 V. cholerae and non-V. cholerae strains. Analytical specifity showed that the developed LAMP assay detected 100% of pathogenic V. cholerae and did not amplified other tested bacterial strains. Upon testing against stool samples spiked with toxigenic V. cholerae outbreak isolates, the LAMP assay detected all of the spiked samples (n = 76/76, 100%), in contrast to the conventional PCR which amplified 77.6% (n = 59/76) of the tested specimens. In term of sensitivity, the LAMP assay was 100-fold more sensitive as compared to the conventional PCR method, with LOD of 10 fg per μL and 10 CFU per mL. Following lyophilisation with addition of lyoprotectants, the dry-reagent LAMP mix has an estimated shelf-life of 90.75 days at room temperature

Application of the kelingkan embroidery process in Malaysia

Kelingkan is a unique Malay handicraft and artistic heritage. The refinement and detail required in the production of kelingkan demands that the embroiderer possesses a high degree of skill. In the past, kelingkan was largely produced by the Malays, especially Malay women, using metal strips coated in gold or silver, which is then embroidered onto the surface of soft cloth. In accordance to the changing times, new materials have emerged in the form of colourful metal strips, which are now available on the market. Kelingkan embroidery belongs to a group of embroidery that is used to decorate cloth. There are various unique kelingkan products that are still made to this day, but the most popular are women's shawls, which can be divided into two types, the selayah and selendang. Only 3 states still have active embroiderers, namely Sarawak, Selangor and Kelantan, but each state has a different process to reflect its own identity. To formulate the problem, two questions have arisen: (1) What is the kelingkan embroidery process in each of the three states? (2) What factors cause them to use a different process, as to reflect the identity of each state? Therefore, a study that uses the qualitative approach through field work such as observational interviews with embroiderers and collection studies. The data analysis method used is a descriptive qualitative approach, and to test the validity and reliability of the data, triangulation is used. The findings of this study concludes that the kelingkan embroidery made in Malaysia has an identity of its own with differences in terms of materials, techniques and tools used in each state. In summary, Sarawak is known for the thread count technique and the use of a frame, whereas Selangor is known for the ribbon technique in each design, and does not use of a frame. Meanwhile, In Kelantan, the sketch before embroidery method is applied without the thread count technique and with a different frame than the Sarawak one. Among the factors that have influenced the differences are culture and modernity. Culture refers to the concept of ethnicity, which differentiates people based on culture and social interactions, while modernity refers to the concept of ethnicity, which relates to the world's changes, in terms of technology, inventions, fashion and the community from the past to this day. Through this research, it can be formulated that applications in the kelingkan embroidery process can reflect the identity and uniqueness of each state and it makes it easier for Malaysians to identify the origins of kelingkan. As an implication, the findings of this study can be used as a resource of knowledge so that this art form may be sustained in the lives of the Malay people

Organizational socialization process of MBA graduates

Extant literature on organizational socialization has not focused on the relation of education and learning with adjusting to work. As a result, little is known about the contribution of an MBA learning experience towards the process of organizational socialization. The purpose of this study is to understand the organizational socialization process of MBA graduates in their first six months of work. This qualitative study involved interviews with MBA graduates who had been employed within a period of one to six months. This study found that MBA graduates utilized their communication and analytical skills that were enhanced during the MBA education in support of their socialization tactics of relationship building, information gathering and learning. Graduates’ skills and prior experiences were mobilized through the facilitation of immediate superiors and/or supported by mentorship and help by senior co-workers