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Why waste a trip doing only one thing?
No full textTHIS week, I am wearing both my hats, as a troubadour and an academic. I am on the northern leg of my John Bangi Blues album solo tour – hitting George Town, Sungai Petani and Lumut – while also doing a performance-lecture at the International Association of the Study of Popular Music South East Asia (IASPM-SEA) and International Council of Traditional Music (ICTM) Conference 2023 at the Penang House of Music in George Town.
Every time I have a conference out of town, I would use the opportunity to tour locally.
In this manner, killing two birds with one stone is a way of life for me, not just a saying. Why waste a trip
Artist in the age of social media
No full textTWO weeks ago, I launched the music video for “Skodeng Blues”, the latest single from my album “John Bangi Blues”, on my YouTube channel.
As a one-man operation, I’ve had limited opportunity to promote it while touring. In my experience as an independent musician, publicity is often overlooked, but it’s crucial for success
History should not be viewed through rose-tinted glasses
No full textABOUT a decade ago, I had one diploma student who came to class wearing a Nirvana T-shirt – the 1990s rock band, not the memorial park – which was a rare thing to see among his Gen Z peers.
My reflection on this incident was concurring with the general pattern of cultural trends being cyclical and I guess at the moment in the early 2010s the popular culture of the 1990s had come full circle
Rolling on the music highway
No full textLAST night, my band and I, Azmyl & the Truly Asia, took a half-day trip on the music highway from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky for a gig.
Naturally, the first stop after loading up our musical gear at our venue, Camp Social Club in a nondescript back alley downtown, was Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
After filling up at a gas station (as Americans call it), we looked up the closest KFC drive-thru and made our way there in our rented van
Celebrating the Malaysia spirit
No full textI DON’T know about you but it has been an eventful couple of weeks for me leading to the Malaysia Day weekend.
While I’m booked to play two back-to-back concerts this weekend, I also had the chance to meet Malaysian-born Japan-based independent filmmaker Lim Kah Wai just after Merdeka Day.
He was back home to screen his latest film at the Japan Foundation’s Japanese Film Festival and hold filmmaking masterclasses
Performance comparison of 2D nickel phosphate nanoparticles prepared via sonochemical and microwave-assisted hydrothermal routes for supercapattery
No full textMetal phosphates are broadly applied in electrochemical energy storage applications because of their abundance in nature, cost-effectiveness, and excellent electrochemical performance. Herein, we compare the performance of nickel phosphate (Ni3(PO4)2) prepared through sonochemical and microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction (MW) synthesis routes for supercapattery. These methods are efficient, rapid, and facile, yielding a high quantity of nanoparticles. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy reveals that Ni3(PO4)2 nanoparticles synthesized via the MW method are smaller than those produced via the sonochemical method. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the MW method, followed by calcination at 200 °C for 3 h (NiPO4-MWB sample), produces amorphous nanoparticles, providing more exposure to redox-active sites. This work demonstrates that the NiPO4-MWB sample exhibits the highest specific capacity of 256.54C g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 compared to its counterpart electrode prepared via the sonochemical. A device fabricated using NiPO4-MWB//activated carbon (AC) delivered an energy density of 10.33 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 750 W kg−1, retaining 99.42 % of its capacity after 5000 cycles. The notable capacity retention makes it an attractive candidate for supercapattery electrodes. These findings suggest that MW synthesis can be used for the rapid production of tailored nanoparticles for electrochemical energy storage applications
Immunoinformatics-based potential multi-peptide vaccine designing against Jamestown Canyon Virus (JCV) capable of eliciting cellular and humoral immune responses
No full textJamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a deadly viral infection transmitted by various mosquito species. This mosquito-borne virus belongs to Bunyaviridae family, posing a high public health threat in the in tropical regions of the United States causing encephalitis in humans. Common symptoms of JCV include fever, headache, stiff neck, photophobia, nausea, vomiting, and seizures. Despite the availability of resources, there is currently no vaccine or drug available to combat JCV. The purpose of this study was to develop an epitope-based vaccine using immunoinformatics approaches. The vaccine aimed to be secure, efficient, bio-compatible, and capable of stimulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study, the protein sequence of JCV was obtained from the NCBI database. Various bioinformatics methods, including toxicity evaluation, antigenicity testing, conservancy analysis, and allergenicity assessment were utilized to identify the most promising epitopes. Suitable linkers and adjuvant sequences were used in the design of vaccine construct. 50s ribosomal protein sequence was used as an adjuvant at the N-terminus of the construct. A total of 5 CTL, 5 HTL, and 5 linear B cell epitopes were selected based on non-allergenicity, immunological potential, and antigenicity scores to design a highly immunogenic multi-peptide vaccine construct. Strong interactions between the proposed vaccine and human immune receptors, i.e., TLR-2 and TLR-4, were revealed in a docking study using ClusPro software, suggesting their possible relevance in the immunological response to the vaccine. Immunological and physicochemical properties assessment ensured that the proposed vaccine demonstrated high immunogenicity, solubility and thermostability. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the strong binding affinities, as well as dynamic and structural stability of the proposed vaccine. Immune simulation suggest that the vaccine has the potential to effectively stimulate cellular and humoral immune responses to combat JCV infection. Experimental and clinical assays are required to validate the results of this study
Unveiling the volatile compounds and antibacterial mechanisms of action of Cupressus sempervirens L., against Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
No full textCupressus sempervirens is a known traditional plant used to manage various ailments, including cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases. In this investigation, we aimed to explore the chemical profile of Cupressus sempervirens essential oil (CSEO) as well as their antibacterial mode of action. The volatile components were characterized using gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The results revealed remarkable antibacterial properties of EO derived from C. sempervirens. GC-MS analysis indicated that C. sempervirens EO characterized by δ-3-carene (47.72%), D-limonene (5.44%), β-pinene (4.36%), β-myrcene (4.02%). The oil exhibited significant inhibitory effects against a range of bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 13048, Bacillus cereus (Clinical isolate), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. These inhibitory effects surpassed those of conventional antibiotics. Furthermore, the EO demonstrated low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), indicating its bactericidal nature (MBC/MIC < 4.0). Time-kill kinetics analysis showed that CSEO was particularly effective at 2 × MIC doses, rapidly reduced viable count of B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa within 8 h. This suggests that the oil acts quickly and efficiently. The cell membrane permeability test further demonstrated the impact of CSEO on the relative conductivity of B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa, both at 2 × MIC concentrations. These observations suggest that EO disrupts the bacterial membrane, thereby influencing their growth and viability. Additionally, the cell membrane integrity test indicated that the addition of CSEO to bacterial cultures resulted in the significant release of proteins from the bacterial cells. This suggests that EO affects the structural integrity of the bacterial cells. Furthermore, the anti-biofilm assay confirmed the efficacy of CSEO as a potent anti-biofilm agent. It demonstrated the oil's ability to inhibit quorum sensing, a crucial mechanism for biofilm formation, and its competitive performance compared to the tested antibiotics
Reviewing the Prospective Pharmacological Potential of Isothiocyanates in Fight against Female-Specific Cancers
No full textGynecological cancers are the most commonly diagnosed malignancies in females worldwide. Despite the advancement of diagnostic tools as well as the availability of various therapeutic interventions, the incidence and mortality of female-specific cancers is still a life-threatening issue, prevailing as one of the major health problems worldwide. Lately, alternative medicines have garnered immense attention as a therapeutic intervention against various types of cancers, seemingly because of their safety profiles and enhanced effectiveness. Isothiocyanates (ITCs), specifically sulforaphane, benzyl isothiocyanate, and phenethyl isothiocyanate, have shown an intriguing potential to actively contribute to cancer cell growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, epigenetic alterations, and modulation of autophagy and cancer stem cells in female-specific cancers. Additionally, it has been shown that ITCs plausibly enhance the chemo-sensitization of many chemotherapeutic drugs. To this end, evidence has shown enhanced efficacy in combinatorial regimens with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs and/or other phytochemicals. Reckoning with these, herein, we discuss the advances in the knowledge regarding the aspects highlighting the molecular intricacies of ITCs in female-specific cancers. In addition, we have also argued regarding the potential of ITCs either as solitary treatment or in a combinatorial therapeutic regimen for the prevention and/or treatment of female-specific cancers. Hopefully, this review will open new horizons for consideration of ITCs in therapeutic interventions that would undoubtedly improve the prognosis of the female-specific cancer clientele. Considering all these, it is reasonable to state that a better understanding of these molecular intricacies will plausibly provide a facile opportunity for treating these female-specific cancers
Insights into In Vitro Adaptation of EV71 and Analysis of Reduced Virulence by In Silico Predictions
No full textEV-A71 is a common viral pathogen that causes hand, foot and mouth disease. It is a single-stranded RNA virus that has a low fidelity RNA polymerase and, as a result, spontaneous mutations frequently occur in the EV-A71 genome. The mutations within the genome give rise to quasispecies within the viral population that could be further defined by haplotypes. In vitro virulence of EV-A71 was shown by plaque size in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells, which was substantiated by in vitro characterizations of growth, RNA replication, binding, attachment and host cell internalization. Viruses could exhibit different host cell adaptations in different cell lines during viral passaging. The EV-A71/WT (derived from EV-A71 subgenotype B4) was shown to comprise six haplotypes through next-generation sequencing, where only EV-A71/Hap2 was found to be cultivable in RD cells, while EV-A71/Hap4 was the only cultivable haplotype in Vero cells. The EV-A71/WT produced plaques of four different sizes (small, medium, big, huge) in RD cells, while only two plaque variants (small, medium) were present in Vero cells. The small plaque variant isolated from RD cells displayed lower RNA replication rates, slower in vitro growth kinetics, higher TCID50 and lower attachment, binding and entry ability when compared against EV-A71/WT due to the mutation at 3D-S228P that disrupted the active site of the RNA polymerase, resulting in low replication and growth of the variant