In Search of Competencies of an Exceptional QS in Public Entity: Building a Theoretical Foundation.

It is the government role in providing infra-structure and basic amenities for the public. In Malaysia the Work Ministry is formed to oversee this role. Ensuring effectiveness and efficiency, the Public Service Department must identify competencies require for every position created in the Work Ministry and one such position is the position of Quantity surveyor. Research thus far shows that individual employees performance is not just built around technical expertise possess but also important is the behaviour. Since organization successes stand on its employees performance thus it is utmost important for organization to identify not only the right technical but also behavioural competencies for each and every individual position created. This paper discusses the need to explore competencies of exceptional Quantity surveyors and in the process suggests the means to identify those competencies. It is also argued that undertaking this heavy task cannot be accomplished without the participation of experienced public Quantity surveyors. The importance of competencies model for Quantity surveyors is also discussed in relation to human capital development which includes promotion, training, and recruitment of young Quantity surveyors to serve the public service.Competencies, Exceptional Quantity surveyor, Quantity Surveying Profession, Public Sector, Delphi Study

In Search of Competencies of an Exceptional QS in Public Entity: Building a Theoretical Foundation.

It is the government role in providing infra-structure and basic amenities for the public. In Malaysia the Work Ministry is formed to oversee this role. Ensuring effectiveness and efficiency, the Public Service Department must identify competencies require for every position created in the Work Ministry and one such position is the position of Quantity surveyor. Research thus far shows that individual employees performance is not just built around technical expertise possess but also important is the behaviour. Since organization successes stand on its employees performance thus it is utmost important for organization to identify not only the right technical but also behavioural competencies for each and every individual position created. This paper discusses the need to explore competencies of exceptional Quantity surveyors and in the process suggests the means to identify those competencies. It is also argued that undertaking this heavy task cannot be accomplished without the participation of experienced public Quantity surveyors. The importance of competencies model for Quantity surveyors is also discussed in relation to human capital development which includes promotion, training, and recruitment of young Quantity surveyors to serve the public service

Development of 3D Printed Biodegradable Polyurethane Nanohybrid Scaffold for Heart Valve Regeneration

The currently available mechanical and bio-prosthetic heart valve (HV) have still not the rigorous clinical needs for HV replacement and multiple resizing operations are necessary for growing paediatric patients. Biodegradable elastomer scaffold has been the focus in this study as a cell delivery system for HV regeneration, where the polymer degrades after the development of cellular and matrix structure in the scaffold and ultimately leaving only functional tissue without foreign material. This study aims to develop scaffolds for HV regeneration, fabricated using 3D printing techniques in combination with thermally induced phase separation (3D-TIPS), from a biodegradable polymer. The polymer employed is a novel polyurethane, namely polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane – terminated poly(ethylene-diethylene glycol succinate-sebacate) urea-urethane (P(EDSS)UU-POSS), a biodegradable polyester-based polyurethane urea with nanocage POSS termination. The structure and physicochemical properties of 3D scaffolds manufactured under different processing conditions (TIPS at -20 °C and 0 °C; cast at 60 °C) and geometrical pore patterns (orthogonal, rectangular, honeycomb, triangular and circular) were characterised. Following the establishment of effective sterilisation techniques for biodegradable P(EDSS)UU-POSS using 8h-UV and 8h-UV + different components (phosphate buffer saline, PBS; ethanol, EtOH; polyhexamethylene biguanide, PHMB; and hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 solution), an in vitro study on cell responses to the elastomer was systematically investigated using different types of cells under different environments (endothelial cells on 2D and 3D scaffolds; fibroblasts on 3D scaffolds with different printed patterns; adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on different types of protein-coated 3D scaffolds), and their differentiation into HV interstitial cells was assessed. The cell ingrowth, matrix deposition, vascularisation, and inflammatory reaction generated by the scaffolds in vivo were examined by subcutaneous implantation in rats for 12 weeks. Lastly, a degradation study of the 3D-TIPS scaffolds was carried out for 10 weeks in vitro, under oxidative, enzymatic, and hydrolytic conditions. The findings from the characterisation study has provided an understanding regarding the influence of manufacturing parameters (porosity percentage, pore size, pore pattern) on the scaffolds’ physicochemical (biomechanical properties, wettability) properties, which can be controlled favourably at the micro- and macropores level using a combination of 3D printing with TIPS process respectively. The sterilisation of the porous scaffolds was achieved by exposed the scaffolds to 8h-UV + 1h-H2O2 solution. The in vitro study revealed that the cells highly proliferated on scaffolds with higher stiffness and hydrophilic properties (3D-TIPS), sharper curvature of pore pattern (triangular), and protein-functionalised scaffolds. The differentiation study of ADSCs towards HV cells showed encouraging outcomes, with phenotypic expressions and functional features of HVs. In vivo immunohistochemistry results exhibited positive cellular activity and minimal inflammatory response, with decreased mechanical strength and increased stiffness from week 4 to week 12 of the subcutaneous implantation. The degradation profile study confirmed degradation of 3D-TIPS as high as 4 % of mass loss in oxidative degradation buffer, followed by the enzymatic and hydrolytic. By taking the advantages of the optimised processing conditions and properties, a preliminary prototype of HV scaffolds has demonstrated that the biodegradable 3D-TIPS P(EDSS)UU-POSS scaffold holds great potential for the creation of viable and long-lasting valve substitutes with hyperelasticity and slow-degradability while promoting tissue regeneration, simultaneously decrease or minimise many undesirable characteristics that possessed by currently available replacement valves

Profiling of extracellular metabolites in CHO-K1 cells cultured in medium with different levels of serum and glutamine

Background: Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS)-based metabolomics has been shown to substantially contribute to understanding of the physiological state of mammalian producer cells leading to improved large-scale production of biopharmaceuticals. In this study, GCMSbased metabolomics (global metabolite analysis) approach was used to understand the effects of different levels of serum and glutamine on metabolite profiles associated with cell growth behaviour and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) protein production. Methods: CHO-KI cells producing IGF1 were obtained from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and grown in Tflask (37°C, 5 % CO2) until 70-80 % confluent in optimized medium, RPMI 1640 with different levels of of serum (%) and glutamine (mM). The different compositions of serum and glutamine were based on three levels full factorial design generated by MODDE, SIMCA P+Version 12 (Umetrics). Samples were then taken at 8-hourly intervals for routine cell counting, biochemical responses, IGF1 protein concentration and global metabolite analysis (GCMS). Conditioned media from each time point were spun down before injection into GCMS. Data from GCMS were then transferred to SIMCAP+ Version 12 (Umetrics) for chemometric evaluation using Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). Results: Experiment Run 3 which produced the highest cell density was discriminated from other runs based on the extracellular metabolites. This indicates that Run 3 although supplied with very little glutamine, was able to undergo active metabolism including glycolysis and as such has efficiently used up the nutrient sources to produce the highest cell number. However, no clear relationship can be delineated for the IGF1 production. Conclusion: Global metabolite analysis approach has been proven to be able to give more insights into the metabolism of cells as compared to routine biochemical studies where data was less informative

Effects of glutamine and serum on IGF- dependent cho-K1 cell growth in T-Flask

An effective mammalian cell culture based host system is highly desirable for production of bio-therapeutics. There are several strategies to achieve an effective system, one of which is regulation of media coupled with exploitation of inherent characteristics of cell line. In this present study, it is hypothesized that glutamine and serum may affect CHO-K1 cell growth through Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I)pathway. The effects of glutamine and serum on IGF-dependent CHO-K1 cell growth in T-flask were studied based on three-level Full Factorial Design generated by SIMCAP+v12 (Umetrics, Sweden). The combination factor of 0.50 mM glutamine and 10 % (v/v) serum was found to be the optimal condition producing 8.87 x 105 cells/ml. The CHO-K1 culture was also found to be able to grow in zero glutamine reaching 16.60 x 105 cells/ ml. Meanwhile, improvement of cell growth can also be achieved in reduced serum level with the presence of IGF-I protein

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells expressed native insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) gene towards efficient mammalian cell culture host system

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has been shown to promote cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of cells. These are two characteristics of mammalian cell culture which may lead to high density cell culture producing optimal desired yield of bioproducts. An inherent secretion of IGF-1 protein from host cells into the culture media is hypothesized to enable reduction or removable of serum from culture media, thus reducing cost. This study was set to investigate the IGF-1 gene expression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. The cells were first cultured in T-flask with three independent experiments. An 8-hourly sampling for responses (glucose, lactate, total protein and biomass) was done. PCR-based method was performed to study the expression of IGF-1 gene. To this end, it was confirmed that CHO-K1 cells used in this study expressed IGF-1 gene. The study also provides the baseline data on kinetics and biochemical responses of CHO-K1 cell growth. Together, the data would be particularly useful for further studies using CHO-K1 cells as efficient mammalian cell culture host system to produce biologics

Development of a prototype device for near real-time surface-enhanced Raman scattering monitoring of biological samples

peer reviewedWith the fast growth of bioanalytical surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), analytical methods have had to adapt to the complex nature of biological samples. In particular, interfering species and protein adsorption onto the SERS substrates have been addressed by sample preparation steps, such as precipitation or extraction, and by smart SERS substrate functionalisation. These additional handling steps however result in irreversible sample alteration, which in turn prevents sample monitoring over time. A new methodology, that enables near real-time, non-invasive and non-destructive SERS monitoring of biological samples, is therefore proposed. It combines solid SERS substrates, benefitting from liquid immersion resistance for extended periods of time, with an original protein filtering device and an on-field detection by means of a handheld Raman analyser. The protein removal device aims at avoiding protein surface fouling on the SERS substrate. It consists of an ultracentrifugation membrane fixed under a cell culture insert for multi-well plates. The inside of the insert is dedicated to containing biological samples. The solid SERS substrate and a simple medium, without any protein, are placed under the insert. By carefully selecting the membrane molecular weight cutoff, selective diffusion of small analytes through the device could be achieved whereas larger proteins were retained inside the insert. Non-invasive SERS spectral acquisition was then carried out through the bottom of the multi-well plate. The diffusion of a SERS probe, 2-mercaptopyridine, and of a neurotransmitter having a less intense SERS signal, serotonin, were first successfully monitored with the device. Then, the latter was applied to distinguish between subclones of cancerous cells through differences in metabolite production. This promising methodology showed a high level of versatility, together with the capability to reduce cellular stress and contamination hazards