Cellobiose dehydrogenase/ epoxy-graphite composite with aryl diazonium reduction for lactose detection

Milk is an important ingredient in our day to day diet because of the high quality nutrients in it. In the dairy industry including cheese fermentation processes, there is a need to control the release of lactose into wastewater streams. There are methods adopted to recover the lactose and to transform the lactose into energy through renewable energy (RE) pathways. These methods however are expensive and require certain skill to operate them. In this study, in-house electrode, which is simple and can be applied after one day of fabrication were investigated. The method was by using graphite-epoxy composite electrode, surface modified with cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) enzyme using aryl diazonium. These designed composite electrodes were tested on its capability as biosensor for sensitivity on detecting the lactose as well as its capability as an anode in enzymatic fuel cell (EFC) on long term electrochemical stability in generating electricity from lactose oxidation. The results showed that the CDH-Aryl diazonium modified on surface of fabricated graphite-epoxy electrodes had Michaelis Menten constant Kₘ for CDH (0.65 – 0.75 mM) comparable to available commercial electrodes reported in the literature (0.7 mM). They are also conductively sensitive with the current intensity 86% more with the above mentioned electrodes when modified with embedded multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and gave a high reproducibility signal (63% more than fabricated electrodes without MWCNT). In addition to the above, its performance stability in continuous mode operation for 25 days, recorded almost consistent in current detection (19.2 ± 3.8 µA/ cm² ). Hence, these fabricated electrodes give alternative for a sensitive lactose detector which is cheap and simple to fabricate

A Descriptive Study on Registered Nurses' Continuing Educational Needs in Research from Three Different Health Care Institutes in Singapore

Introduction: Nurses are encouraged to engage in research activities in order to stay abreast with the current nursing practice. However, limited knowledge about the research process may influence their level of involvement and utilisation of research in their daily nursing practices. This study examines Singapore nurses' perceived knowledge and educational needs in research as well as to explore their preferred mode and duration of education delivery. Methods: This is a multi-site, cross-sectional study that recruited 2248 registered nurses working in Singapore. A self-administered tool was used to examine nurses' perceived knowledge and educational needs in research. Descriptive statistics were used to present the nurses' demographic data; the Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests were used to examine the relationship between the nurses' education level and their perceived knowledge and educational needs in research. Results: Nurses in this study perceived low levels of knowledge in research. Majority of those who were involved in research activities had a bachelor's degree. There were statistically significant differences between education level and perceived knowledge (p=0.001). However, there was no significant difference between education level and perceived educational needs. Younger nurses (19–35 years old) preferred shorter duration when attending workshops compared to older nurses (36 years old and above). Skill-based workshop and tutorial or seminar that last no longer than a week was the most preferred educational mode and duration. Conclusion: Nurses with high level of education perceived a higher level of research knowledge and thus reported lower educational needs in research. The results showed the need for continual training programs, even for nurses with bachelor's and master's degrees, in order to better prepare them for evidence-based practice. Understanding the demographic of the nurses and their learning styles is important when devising strategies to teach research