703 research outputs found
The doctoral research abstracts. Vol:10 2016 / Institute of Graduate Studies, UiTM
Foreword: Congratulations to Institute of Graduate Studies on the continuous efforts to publish the 10th issue of the
Doctoral Research Abstracts which showcases the research carried out in the various disciplines range
from science and technology, business and administration to social science and humanities.
This issue captures the novelty of research contributed by seventy (70) PhD graduands receiving their
scrolls in the UiTMâs 85th Convocation. As of October 2016, this year UiTM has produced 138 PhD
graduates soaring from125 in the previous year (2015). It shows that UiTM is in the positive direction to
achive the total of 1200 PhD graduates in 2020.
To the 70 doctorates, I would like it to be known that you have most certainly done
UiTM proud by journeying through the scholarly world with its endless challenges
and obstacles, and by persevering right till the very end.
This convocation should not be regarded as the end of your highest scholarly
achievement and contribution to the body of knowledge but rather as the beginning
of embarking into more innovative research from knowledge gained during this
academic journey, for the community and country.
This year marks UiTMâs 60th Anniversary and we have been producing many
good quality graduates that have a major impact on the socio-economic
development of the country and the bumiputeras.
As alumni of UiTM, we hold you dear to our hearts. We sincerely wish
you all the best and may the Almighty guide you to a path of excellence
and success. As you leave the university as alumni we hope a new
relationship will be fostered between you and the faculty in soaring
UiTM to greater heights. âUiTM Sentiasa di Hati Kuâ / Prof Emeritus Datoâ Dr Hassan Said
Vice Chancellor
Universiti Teknologi MAR
2012 Annual Research Symposium Abstract Book
2012 annual volume of abstracts for science research projects conducted by students at Trinity College
Recommended from our members
Neurochemical modulation of affective and behavioural control: Models and applications for psychiatry
Impairments in emotional reactivity and behavioural flexibility are pervasive across disparate psychiatric conditions as traditionally defined. Here, I provide new evidence on how these processes are altered by neuromodulators in humans, with a primary focus on serotonin (5- HT; 5-hydroxytryptamine). Emotional reactions prepare the body for action. Some emotion is primitive, implicit, and critical for surviving threats, yet can inappropriately persist in times of safety. Other emotions are more complex, self-conscious and important in maintaining harmonious interpersonal relationships. At the same time, learned behaviours that are adaptive in the first instance, may become irrelevant or even disadvantageous as circumstances change. In Chapters 3 through 6, I report on experiments in healthy human volunteers that employed the dietary technique acute tryptophan depletion (ATD). ATD temporarily lowers serotonin synthesis and release by depleting its biosynthetic precursor tryptophan. Chapter 3 is a study of self-reported social emotion. ATD enhanced emotion in response to social injustice non-specifically; however, consideration of personality traits revealed that highly empathic participants reported more guilt under ATD, whereas individuals high in trait psychopathy demonstrated more annoyance. Chapter 4, in contrast, considers evolutionarily ancient automatic emotional reactions to threats. This was assayed instead by an objective measure, the skin conductance response (SCR). Here, ATD conversely attenuated the retention of Pavlovian conditioned emotional memory to threat. Traits again influenced this response: individuals more intolerant of uncertainty displayed the greatest attenuation of emotional reactions. Chapter 5 both extends the studies on emotion and bridges to the remaining empirical work by investigating reversal learning, an index of cognitive flexibility, in two experiments. Individuals again underwent Pavlovian (stimulus-outcome) threat conditioning, whereby one stimulus predicted threat, and another was safe. These contingencies then swapped (reversed). In a separate experiment, participants underwent instrumental (stimulus-response-outcome) conditioning on a deterministic schedule (the correct option was always correct), followed by reversal of the contingencies. ATD impaired both Pavlovian and instrumental reversal learning. Chapters 6 through 8 instead examine instrumental reversal learning that was probabilistic (the correct option was correct most but not all of the time), rather than deterministic. Chapter 6 expands on previous ATD studies of probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) in the literature, which had not found effects on choice behaviour. Despite nearly tripling the sample size, behaviour here assessed by conventional methods was unaffected, replicating previously published null results. Applying reinforcement learning (RL) models, however, revealed ATD elevated a basic perseverative tendency, referred to as âstimulus stickinessâ; behaviour was more stimulus-bound and insensitive to the outcome of actions, consistent with the deterministic instrumental reversal impairment following ATD. Chapters 7 and 8 apply RL models as well, to existing datasets on PRL for comparison. Chapter 7 shows that healthy volunteers under lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which acts both at serotonin but also dopamine receptors, showed enhanced learning from positive feedback in particular, which was related to perseveration. Chapter 8 applies computational methods to PRL in clinical populations. RL modelling revealed a computational signature that dissociated PRL in stimulant use disorder (SUD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Individuals with SUD showed heightened stimulus stickiness, as occurred following ATD in healthy volunteers, whereas the OCD group (under serotonergic medication) demonstrated lower stimulus stickiness than healthy controls. Dopaminergic agents remediated a reward learning deficit in SUD, among other measures. The general discussion considers these various findings in terms of theories of central serotonin function, in relation to the animal literature, and its relevance to mental disorder. These results, collectively, advance knowledge of neurochemical and computational mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions trans-diagnostically, with implications for revised psychiatric classifications in line with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC).Gates Cambridge Trust
Wellcome Trus
Navigating intimacy with ecstasy: The emotional, spatial and boundaried dynamics of couplesâ MDMA experiences
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine or âecstasyâ) is well-known for its
empathic and sociable effects (Bogt, Engels, Hibbel & Van Wel, 2002). Indeed, there
is a body of work that discusses the role the drug plays in social bonding (Beck &
Rosenbaum, 1998; Duff, 2008; Farrugia, 2015; Hinchliff, 2001; Solowij, Hall & Lee,
1992). However, there has been extremely limited research looking at MDMAâs
impact specifically on romantic relationships (Vervaeke & Korf, 2006). Hence, this
thesis explored couplesâ experiences of intimacy on MDMA and how this intertwines
with their relationship. Semi-structured interviews with ten couples, using visual
methods (Reavey, 2011; Del Busso, 2009; Majumdar, 2011), and eight individual
written diaries (Kenten, 2010) were analysed using a thematic approach (Braun &
Clarke, 2006). A âbubbleâ (Sloterdijk, 1999 cited in Klauser, 2010) is argued to
organically form around couples on MDMA, producing a distinct affective
atmosphere of muted fear, worry and shame and heightened feelings of safety and
love, which mediates emotional and discursive âpracticesâ of intimacy (Gabb & Fink,
2015). Movement, spaces and objects are also argued to facilitate intimacy,
producing new subjectivities which alter boundaries: between self and world; within
the self; and between self and other (Brown & Stenner, 2009). Yet beneath the
seeming âflowâ to MDMA experiences, couples construct clear, symbolic boundaries,
segmenting these experiences from both everyday life (Douglas, 2001), and other
people (Stenner, 2013). The research is argued to have key implications for drug
theory and practice, namely that drug use is not only an individual act (Duff, 2008)
but also relational in nature â its meaning partly determined by how it interweaves
with important relationships in peopleâs lives
The Influence of Maternal Childbirth Experience on Early Infant Behavioural Style
The use of interventions during childbirth is increasing (WHO, 2018) and, while such interventions can be life-saving, they may have a negative impact on the motherâs experience of birth and her psychological wellbeing post birth. They may also adversely affect the newborn infantâs physiology and behaviour (Taylor, Swift & Glover, 2000; Gitau et al., 2001; Douglas & Hill, 2013). However, little is known about whether the birth and early postnatal experiences influence infant behavioural style (known as temperament) (Thomas & Chess, 1977) beyond the initial postnatal period. Employing an exploratory mixed methods approach, the overarching aim of this thesis was to explore how any potential impacts of birth experience on newborn infant behaviours may occur, and if so, whether they persist beyond the neonatal period; as well, to explore how the motherâs response to her birth experience might mediate such effects. Part One involved a qualitative exploration of the experiences and beliefs of eighteen health professionals and twenty-two mothers in relation to childbirth and early infant behavioural style. Health professionals interviewed in Study One believed that the birth experience could have a direct impact on newborn wellbeing and behaviour as well as influencing it indirectly via the motherâs response to the birth and her subsequent perceptions of and interactions with her baby. In contrast, most of the mothers interviewed in Study Two did not perceive any association between their birth experience and their babyâs early behavioural style. However, a simple content analysis highlighted strong patterns in the data between reported maternal physical and emotional birth experiences and perceived infant temperament during the first year. Part Two (Study Three) involved a detailed online survey of approximately a thousand mothers, employing quantitative methods of analysis. Although physical birth factors contributed to the newborn babyâs response (e.g. alert-content or cry-fuss behaviours), it was subjective and psychological birth factors that predicted ongoing infant behavioural style (0-6 months), for example alert-responsive or unsettled, irritable infant behaviours. Taken together, the data suggest that subjective and psychological factors could be as important as objective physical factors in post-birth mother-infant wellbeing and developing infant temperament. These findings may have important implications for future maternity and perinatal care of mothers and their infants
Biosensors
A biosensor is defined as a detecting device that combines a transducer with a
biologically sensitive and selective component. When a specific target molecule interacts
with the biological component, a signal is produced, at transducer level, proportional to the
concentration of the substance. Therefore biosensors can measure compounds present in the
environment, chemical processes, food and human body at low cost if compared with
traditional analytical techniques.
This book covers a wide range of aspects and issues related to biosensor technology,
bringing together researchers from 11 different countries. The book consists of 16 chapters
written by 53 authors. The first four chapters describe several aspects of nanotechnology
applied to biosensors. The subsequent section, including three chapters, is devoted to
biosensor applications in the fields of drug discovery, diagnostics and bacteria detection.
The principles behind optical biosensors and some of their application are discussed in
chapters from 8 to 11. The last five chapters treat of microelectronics, interfacing circuits,
signal transmission, biotelemetry and algorithms applied to biosensing
- âŠ