The effect of Etlingera elatior (Kantan) inflorescene aqueous extract on abberant crypy foci in Sprague dawley rats

This study investigated the effect of Kantan flowers (Etlingera elatior) aqueous extract on aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in Spraque dawley rats. They were divided into 8 groups; four groups each for cancer and normal. The rats were fed with respective concentrations of the flower extractions according to their groups. At the 17th week, the rats were sacrificed. The colons were removed and examined grossly and microscopically followed by scoring of aberrant crypt foci. Result showed no significant difference (p> 0.05) in the body weight increment,colon weight and colon pH among all groups also in the aberrant crypt foci (ACF) scores in proximal colon of cancer groups as well as in distal colon. Besides that, comparison between ACF score of proximal and distal colon using ANOVA and posthoc test revealed no significant differences (p> 0.05) in the ACF numbers between proximal and distal colon of rats. Histological result showed that no abnormal structures were seen in crypts of normal treatment groups Etlingera elatior inflorescence aqueous extract did not have significant effect in reducing aberrant crypt foci formation in Sprague dawley rats

Forced back into shape: Mechanics of epithelial wound repair

Wound repair, the closing of a hole, is inherently a physical process that requires the change of shape of materials, in this case, cells and tissues. Not only is efficient and accurate wound repair critical for restoring barrier function and reducing infection, but it is also critical for restoring the complex three-dimensional architecture of an organ. This re-sculpting of tissues requires the complex coordination of cell behaviours in multiple dimensions, in space and time, to ensure that the repaired structure can continue functioning optimally. Recent evidence highlights the importance of cell and tissue mechanics in 2D and 3D to achieve such seamless wound repair

An Investigation On The Coupled Gas-Solid Reactions Using Matlab- Nickel Oxide Reduction By Carbon

Nickel is an important industrial catalyst and has several important applications. Thus, it is important to discover a simpler and more effective reductive process to produce nickel. In this study, nickel oxide reduction by carbon is performed experimentally using Design of Experiment (DOE) in variation of parameters. The parameters studied are reduction temperature (800oC to 1000oC), reduction time (1 hour to 2 hours) and molar ratio of C to NiO (0.5 to 1.5). Shrinking core model for isothermal and non-isothermal conditions is employed using MATLAB programming for the kinetic modelling of reduction process to determine the extent of reduction and the reaction rate. The models are developed from independently measured physical and thermodynamic properties of the reaction system, and experimentally measured properties. The predicted extent of reduction is then compared with the experimentally measured results. From the DOE analysis, as compared to other parameters, reduction time shows most significant effect on the percentage of weight reduction and extent of reduction. SEM and XRD analysis are also done to ensure the reduction process has taken place effectively. From the study, the extent of reduction increases with increasing reduction temperature, reduction time and molar ratio of C to NiO. The highest extent of reduction in this study is 77.88%, which is achieved at reduction temperature of 1000oC, 2 hours of reduction time and molar ratio of C to NiO at 1.5. From the result of kinetic modelling, both isothermal and non-isothermal shrinking core model show similar trend and significant closeness to the experimental result

Accurate Gene and miRNA Quantification in Neuronal Differentiation

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

Normalization with genes encoding ribosomal proteins but not GAPDH provides an accurate quantification of gene expressions in neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gene regulation at transcript level can provide a good indication of the complex signaling mechanisms underlying physiological and pathological processes. Transcriptomic methods such as microarray and quantitative real-time PCR require stable reference genes for accurate normalization of gene expression. Some but not all studies have shown that housekeeping genes (HGKs), β-actin (ACTB) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which are routinely used for normalization, may vary significantly depending on the cell/tissue type and experimental conditions. It is currently unclear if these genes are stably expressed in cells undergoing drastic morphological changes during neuronal differentiation. Recent meta-analysis of microarray datasets showed that some but not all of the ribosomal protein genes are stably expressed. To test the hypothesis that some ribosomal protein genes can serve as reference genes for neuronal differentiation, a genome-wide analysis was performed and putative reference genes were identified based on stability of expressions. The stabilities of these potential reference genes were then analyzed by reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR in six differentiation conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty stably expressed genes, including thirteen ribosomal protein genes, were selected from microarray analysis of the gene expression profiles of GDNF and NGF induced differentiation of PC12 cells. The expression levels of these candidate genes as well as ACTB and GAPDH were further analyzed by reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR in PC12 cells differentiated with a variety of stimuli including NGF, GDNF, Forskolin, KCl and ROCK inhibitor, Y27632. The performances of these candidate genes as stable reference genes were evaluated with two independent statistical approaches, geNorm and NormFinder.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The ribosomal protein genes, RPL19 and RPL29, were identified as suitable reference genes during neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells, regardless of the type of differentiation conditions. The combination of these two novel reference genes, but not the commonly used HKG, GAPDH, allows robust and accurate normalization of differentially expressed genes during PC12 differentiation.</p

An innovative approach to multi-method integrated assessment modelling of global climate change

© 2020, University of Surrey. All rights reserved. Modelling and simulation play an increasingly significant role in exploratory studies for informing policy makers on climate change mitigation strategies. There is considerable research being done in creating Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), which focus on examining the human impacts on climate change. Many popular IAMs are created as steady state optimisation models. They typically employ a nested structure of neoclassical production functions to represent the energy-economy system, holding aggregate views on variables, and hence are unable to capture a finer level of details of the underlying system components. An alternative approach that allows modelling populations as a collection of individual and unevenly distributed entities is Agent-Based Modelling, often used in the field of Social Simulation. But simulating huge numbers of individual entities can quickly become an issue, as it requires large amounts of computational resources. The goal of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework for developing hybrid IAMs. This novel modelling approach allows us to reuse existing rigid, but well-established IAMs, and adds more flexibility by replacing aggregate stocks with a community of vibrant interacting entities. We provide a proof-of-concept of the application of this conceptual framework in form of an illustrative example. Our test case takes the settings of the US. It is solely created for the purpose of demonstrating our hybrid modelling approach; we do not claim that it has predictive powers

The Impact in the Costs of Raising a Child on Parents’ Decision to Have Children

Singapore is the second country within the Asia Pacific that had the lowest birth rate percentiles in 2020, which calls for immediate attention. The objective of the research is to determine whether the cost of raising a child will affect the decision of having children in Singapore. The focal area of analysis is due to the gaps that were identified within past literature that had little to no data concerning the studied relationship. Therefore, the contribution is the bridging of the literature. The analysis will be concentrated on 34 OECD countries and a selection of non-OECD countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. The independent variables are the cost of raising children, cost of living, and income (GDP), and the dependent variable is the birth rate. A line graph will be used to analyze the performance of birth rate, regression analysis to identify factors that have influenced the birth rate, and a t-test to examine any statistically significant differences in the birth rate between developed and developing countries. The results aim to show if the costs of raising a child in Singapore have an effect on a parent’s decision of having children

Validation of Computerised Aptitude Selection System (Compass) In Predicting Success of Uav Applicants in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (Rsaf)

The study examined the predictive validity of the Computerised Aptitude Selection System (COMPASS) that was set up to support the RSAF in its selection of pilots and other vocations. COMPASS measures cognitive abilities theoretically identified to be relevant to the vocation and was introduced for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilot selection since 2003. With fast changing technological advancement of the UAVs, it is important that validation studies are regularly conducted to improve the effectiveness of the test suite in predicting training success. 219 UAV Pilot applicants’ COMPASS scores were analysed against their actual training outcomes to determine a theoretically and statistically sound selection composite. Hierarchical multiple regression was done, and findings revealed that the current composite of tests remained to be significantly correlated with applicant success in UAV pilot training. The paper discusses the practical considerations in streamlining the tests to be included in the final assessment composite. Future studies should consider exploring non-cognitive assessment to improve the predictive validity of the overall selection system beyond COMPASS

Quantitative single molecule analysis of podoplanin clustering in fibroblastic reticular cells uncovers CD44 function

Upon initial immune challenge, dendritic cells (DCs) migrate to lymph nodes and interact with fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) via C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2). CLEC-2 binds to the membrane glycoprotein podoplanin (PDPN) on FRCs, inhibiting actomyosin contractility through the FRC network and permitting lymph node expansion. The hyaluronic acid receptor CD44 is known to be required for FRCs to respond to DCs but the mechanism of action is not fully elucidated. Here, we use DNA-PAINT, a quantitative single molecule super-resolution technique, to visualize and quantify how PDPN clustering is regulated in the plasma membrane of FRCs. Our results indicate that CLEC-2 interaction leads to the formation of large PDPN clusters (i.e. more than 12 proteins per cluster) in a CD44-dependent manner. These results suggest that CD44 expression is required to stabilize large pools of PDPN at the membrane of FRCs upon CLEC-2 interaction, revealing the molecular mechanism through which CD44 facilitates cellular crosstalk between FRCs and DCs

Factors Affecting Online Hotel Booking Intention: A Study on UUM Students

With the high-speed development of the Internet and artificial intelligence, the hotel booking method was also undergoing innovative changes. Compared with traditional information dissemination media, the Internet has a stronger dissemination ability, wider scope and larger audience. Online reviews about one's experience in using hotel service could be simply disseminated using the Internet platform, which consequently affects the hotel booking intention of future customers. In this regard, it is vital to understand the impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions in order to develop strategies that will sustain the hotel industry. This study examined the impact of online review in four dimensions which are usefulness, valence, volume and trust towards online hotel booking intention. Besides, the study also investigated the role of self-efficacy towards online hotel booking intention to capture the user's technological capacity dimension. Data were collected using survey questionnaires from 255 UUM undergraduate students. The analysis was performed with the aid of SPSS statistical analysis software. The results suggest that only two dimensions in the online review have significant impact toward online hotel booking intention, namely volume and trust. Moreover, the role of self-efficacy was not observed. Studying online reviews and consumer behavior is beneficial for hotel managers to have a more comprehensive grasp of the factors that affect customers' intention to book hotels online. Implications of this study are further discussed