25 research outputs found
Chinese literary works translated into Baba Malay: a bibliographical study
No full textAnalyses 68 unique titles of Baba translated works published between 1889 and 1950. The titles are held in the libraries of the University of Malaya (UM), Science University Malaysia (USM), National University of Malaysia (UKM), the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), National University of Singapore (NUS), National Library of Singapore (NLS) and the British Library (BL). The results reveal three periods of active publication of Baba translated works. A total of 18 works were translated before World War I, followed by 10 just after the war, 39 titles were published before the break of the World War II and 1 was identified in 1950. There were 103 persons involved in the 68 translated works, some of whom are responsible for more than one title. The most prominent translators were Chan Kim Boon, Wan Boon Seng, Seow Chin San and Lee Seng Poh. Some of the translators were also be editors, illustrators or editors. There were 31 publishers and 21 printing presses involved, all were located in Singapore. The most active publishers were Wan Boon Seng, Kim Seck Chy Press and Nanyang Romanised Malay Book Co. The translated works mainly cover historical classical Chinese stories, chivalrous stories, romances, folklore and legends. The titles were priced between 10 cents to 2 dollars in Straits currency. The University of Malaya Library held the largest number of unique title (62) out of which 15 were unique titles
Developing a long-term microfluidic system to study the mesoscopic dynamics of Piezo1 activity
No full textThe cellular microenvironment (or cell niche) is a complex and specialised environment, consisting of physical, chemical, and biological factors that collectively influence the cells residing within. Interactions within this dynamic microenvironment play a critical role in regulating and maintaining cellular activities and function. Within the cellular microenvironment, resident cells constantly experience various mechanical force stimuli, which previous in vitro studies cannot fully recapitulate. Hence, the inclusion of mechanical forces (for example fluid shear stress) in the cell culturing system would yield a more physiologically relevant investigation of cellular behaviour.
Cells commonly express mechanosensitive proteins and receptors to sense and transduce external mechanical stimuli to respond appropriately. A widely expressed mechanosensitive ion channel, Piezo1, has been shown to play an important role in cellular mechanotransduction. Our lab previously generated a genetically-encoded Piezo1 sensor (GenEPi), which allows precise detection of Piezo1-specific activities. To investigate the activities of Piezo1 in near-physiological conditions, I developed a microfluidic-based system to study the dynamics of Piezo1 in mammalian cells using our GenEPi sensor.
Using my developed system, I discovered that Piezo1 clusters exhibit more directed diffusive motion after fluid shear stress. By studying the dynamics of the protein, I revealed differential Piezo1 responses across fluid shear stress magnitudes. I also reported a mechanical threshold to HEK-Piezo1 activation during constant fluid shear stress. Through the GenEPi dynamic responses, I observed that cellular Piezo1 activations are synchronised to mechanical shear triggers but become increasingly asynchronous under sustained shear stress. Crucially, the characteristics of Piezo1’s dynamic within cells reported here will significantly advance our understanding of the interplay between mechanical forces and cellular behaviour within the cellular microenvironment. This system can also be a model for others to adopt in investigating the dynamics of other mechanosensitive proteins expressed in the cells.Open Acces
An investigation into the use of the computer as a communication tool in managerial work
No full textThis thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author.
Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to
make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field
Entrepreneurship education: training technopreneurs in Singapore
No full textIn the Knowledge Economy that characterizes the 21st century, Governments around the world are attempting to stimulate the creation of technical entrepreneurs or technopreneurs. Singapore is no different. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) of Singapore (Wong et al 2005) highlights that high tech entrepreneurship is a catalyst for economic growth, and since 1999, the Singapore Government has been pushing for increased levels of Technopreneurship. As elsewhere the Singapore Education system has been charged with initiating a more entrepreneurial culture, and it has responded by introducing innovation into its teaching. Using Singapore as the base case, the first author is undertaking a doctoral study to research on the training programmes for technopreneurs, and hopes that the research findings could contribute knowledge to entrepreneurship education research, thereby assisting educators and policy makers to further improve the quality and performance of the training programmes globally. This paper therefore gives a report on the status of this on-going research project, and shares the research findings
MicroRNA Regulation in Infectious Diseases and Its Potential as a Biosensor in Future Aquaculture Industry: A Review
No full textAn infectious disease is the most apprehensive problem in aquaculture as it can lead to high mortality in aquatic organisms and massive economic loss. Even though significant progress has been accomplished in therapeutic, prevention, and diagnostic using several potential technologies, more robust inventions and breakthroughs should be achieved to control the spread of infectious diseases. MicroRNA (miRNA) is an endogenous small non-coding RNA that post-transcriptionally regulates the protein-coding genes. It involves various biological regulatory mechanisms in organisms such as cell differentiation, proliferation, immune responses, development, apoptosis, and others. Furthermore, an miRNA also acts as a mediator to either regulate host responses or enhance the replication of diseases during infection. Therefore, the emergence of miRNAs could be potential candidates for the establishment of diagnostic tools for numerous infectious diseases. Interestingly, studies have revealed that miRNAs can be used as biomarkers and biosensors to detect diseases, and can also be used to design vaccines to attenuate pathogens. This review provides an overview of miRNA biogenesis and specifically focuses on its regulation during infection in aquatic organisms, especially on the host immune responses and how miRNAs enhance the replication of pathogens in the organism. In addition to that, we explored the potential applications, including diagnostic methods and treatments, that can be employed in the aquaculture industry
Non-Invasive Multimodality Imaging Directly Shows TRPM4 Inhibition Ameliorates Stroke Reperfusion Injury
No full textThe transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channel has been suggested to play a key role in the treatment of ischemic stroke. However, in vivo evaluation of TRPM4 channel, in particular by direct channel suppression, is lacking. In this study, we used multimodal imaging to assess edema formation and quantify the amount of metabolically functional brain salvaged after a rat model of stroke reperfusion. TRPM4 upregulation in endothelium emerges as early as 2 h post-stroke induction. Expression of TRPM4 channel was suppressed directly in vivo by treatment with siRNA; scrambled siRNA was used as a control. T2-weighted MRI suggests that TRPM4 inhibition successfully reduces edema by 30% and concomitantly salvages functionally active brain, measured by F-FDG-PET. These in vivo imaging results correlate well with post-mortem 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining which exhibits a 34.9% reduction in infarct volume after siRNA treatment. Furthermore, in a permanent stroke model, large areas of brain tissue displayed both edema and significant reductions in metabolic activity which was not shown in transient models with or without TRPM4 inhibition, indicating that tissue salvaged by TRPM4 inhibition during stroke reperfusion may survive. Evans Blue extravasation and hemoglobin quantification in the ipsilateral hemisphere were greatly reduced, suggesting that TRPM4 inhibition can improve BBB integrity after ischemic stroke reperfusion. Our results support the use of TRPM4 blocker for early stroke reperfusion.sponsorship: This work was supported by grant NMRC/1283/2011 from the
Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council to
P.L. and funding from the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency
for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to J.G. (Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council|NMRC/1283/2011, Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR))status: Publishe
古典诗歌教学与写作能力之研究 ─ 以新加坡小学四年级生为例 (Teaching of classical Chinese poetry and enhancing writing skills: A study on primary four pupils in Singapore)
No full text在新加坡，将修辞教学融入语文教学方面的研究并不多见，对新加坡小学生的修辞技巧的应用现况的分析和研究也不多。这样的情况，促使笔者有意开展这方面的研究，希望借此能够提高小学生的写作能力外，也希望在小学任教的华文老师，在教学时，能够有意识地融入修辞的教学，以提高学生的语文素养。本研究通过行动研究，以圣婴女校（客洛）小四深广班学生为研究对象，在第四学期及课程结束后，针对全班三十二位学生进行前后问卷及作文测试，比较教学前、后，学生之写作兴趣、态度与能力是否有显著的变化。在全班三十二位学生第一次独立写作后，由笔者依据学生写作作品分高、中、低三组进行分析。分析其经教学后作品的变化，从中来探寻以古典诗歌在语言上的特点，进行写作教学，对学生写作表现之影响。初步统计数据表明，经过写作教学的训练后，学生对教材内容与教学活动之学习兴趣明显提升，对写作态度也有显著的改善。此外，学生在语文表达方面的表现也有明显进步。修辞手法运用得当，将使文章的表现手法较为娴熟、活泼、生动，但并不一定与取得高分有直接的关系。但是，写作教学的训练，对学生的写作能力产生积极的影响。In Singapore, it is rather rare to see the teaching of Rhetoric incorporated into language teaching, rarer still, the analysis and study of the extant of how primary school pupils in Singapore use Rhetoric. This motivated the author to carry out research in this area. It is hoped that through the teaching of rhetoric, the writing skills and subsequently, the language ability of primary school pupils could be improved.This study is carried out by way of action research. A group of 32 primary four pupils from CHIJ (Kellock) were involved in this study. Data was collected and analyzed from pupils’ questionnaires as well as independent writing (pre and post teaching) to evaluate whether the students’ attitude and ability towards learning of writing through classical Chinese poetry have any significant impact. At the beginning of the writing programme, pupils had to write a composition. Their writings were assessed and evaluated by the author and placed into three groups. The pupils were then taught rhetorical skills in their writing lessons. They were then tasked to write another composition after the writing programme. These compositions were subsequently analyzed to gauge how the teaching of rhetoric has impacted on the pupils’ writing.Preliminary statistics show that, after teaching the writing package, the pupils’ interest in learning and involvement in writing activities improved significantly. Their attitude towards writing have also improved significantly. In addition, significant progress was also observed in the pupils’ language expression. Thus, rhetorical skills when used properly, would make the pupils’ writing more lively and vivid, but not necessarily translate into a high score for the pupils’ writing. Nonetheless, the teaching of the writing package has a positive impact on students' writing skills
Publication productivity of Malaysian researchers in the field of Computer Science and Information Technology
No full textSearches made in the CD-ROM databases, COMPENDEX (1987-1999), IEL (IEE/IEEE Electronic Library) (1988-1999) and INSPEC (1990-1998) revealed a total of 389 publications contributed by Malaysian researchers in the field of computer science and information technology. The trend in output indicates rapid growth that is expected to continue in future. A total of 458 unique Malaysian authors contributed to the 389 publications. Collaboration between two authors was the dominant authorship pattern. Single-authored or more than 3-authored works were rare. The active authors were affiliated to a few institutions, with the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaya accounting for the highest number of publications, either in the form of journalarticles or papers in conference proceedings. The most active research areas include simulation system, control engineering, computer-assisted instruction, programming techniques, expert systems, asynchronous transfer mode, image processing, software engineering and digital signal processing and applications
An inclusion initiative in Singapore for preschool children with special needs
No full textThis paper describes a preschool inclusion initiative in Singapore, which currently has no mandate for integrating children with special needs in mainstream schools. This very small-scale qualitative study involving children with mild learning disabilities discusses a therapy outreach programme by a local children’s hospital. It explores the supports and challenges of this experience based on interviews with therapists, teachers, principals, and parents. Facilitators of inclusion included communication, collaboration, availability of training and resources, and a readiness for inclusion. Barriers to inclusion included person-related hindrances, structural obstacles, gaps in program delivery, and limited specialized training and resources. We learned that in the absence of mandatory provisions for inclusion, children with special needs can be supported in regular education when there is “buy in” for early inclusion and intervention amongst key stakeholders. Practical strategies toward this end are discussed.Accepted versio
ДИЗАЙН КОРЧАГ ЭПОХИ ФРАКИЙСКОГО ГАЛЬШТАТА
No full textWith the help of a logical analysis of the form, typical for modern culture of design activity, the author put forward a hypothesis about the lost technology of making clay from Thracian cradles, reflected in their morphology. This study relates to the field of application of modern achievements of project activities (of a designer), in particular, to the category of the technological form of an object, as a tool for restoration of lost technologies for the manufacture of ceramic products of the era of the Thracian Hallstatt. The technological form of an object, as a category of design, “determines the subject and tasks of the technological component of the design activity”: “technological form is a projection of technological process on the material of the thing”, therefore, the designer must “present the morphology as an objectified technological process, and the technology – as a morphology embodied in the method of production of things” [6, p. 63]. Thracian ceramic vessels had various sizes and proportions. The body of the cradles is almost spherical or biconical. The lower part of the cradles’ neck, at the point of transition from the neck to the shoulder, is as if pressed into the body, thereby emphasizing the conjugation of the form. The bottom of all these vessels is fl at. Among the variety of regional formative characteristics inherent in these clay objects, the nipple-shaped shoots look unusual. These shoots are directed both up and down. Functionally, the archeologist A. Mieliukova [5, p. 43] examines the nipple-shaped shoots as an ornament, while historians V. Lapushnian [4, p. 70] and I. Nikulitse [7, p. 112] – as handles-stops. From the point of view of morphology and technological process of production, i.e. their technological image, expressed in the morphology of the product (outlines of the body and neck; the shape, number, location and direction of nipple-shaped shoots, etc.) (see Fig. 1, 2), with a visual analysis of the patterns of organization of the form of cradles with shoots allowed the author to put forward a hypothesis: about the embodiment of the production method of the cradles in their morphology; about technological origin of the shoots due to the manufacture of cradles from the “sheet” of clay paste. To confirm the described hypothesis, it is necessary to study the nipple-shaped juts and portions of the supposed sweep connection lines in the vessel. If this assumption is true, then using modern methods of studying ceramic products can be detected the following: whether the ornament of nipple-shaped juts is stuck on the body of a cradle or the juts belonged to the body of the vessel, in other words collected from the common mass of clay paste with a certain shape; whether there are shaped stitches on the body of the vessel, corresponding to the cuts when cutting the clay “sheet” in the form of a sweep; is there shaped stitch at the junction of the bottom and the body of the vessel? There were done two types of studies on these fragments of the cradles: • visual morphological analysis [1, p. 23], conducted by the author; • petrographic analysis of the structure and phase composition [8, p. 10] of fragment № 1 and fragment № 2 of the cradles, held at PJSC “The URIR named after A. S. Berozhnoi”, Kharkiv, in 2007 and in 2017, respectively. Visual morphological analysis of fragment № 1 of cradle of revelation the traces of nipple-shaped jut on its fracture (see Fig. 4) showed that the fragment of the body is homogeneous and dense, no traces of clay stuck (typical roughness, irregularities) were found. Visual morphological analysis of the lower part of the cradle (fragment № 2) along the line of junction of the bottom contour and vessel wall for identifi cation of voids and irregularities characteristic of clay paste (see Fig. 5) showed that from the inside of the vessel the junction of the bottom and wall junction has a rounded form, typical for fi fingerprint, leveling the added clay paste at the junction of surfaces. From the outside of the bottom the seam traces were not found, they were probably smoothed out. Petrographic analysis showed that both of the studied cradles from the Hallstatt epoch were not subjected to fi ring: fragment № 1 – “this sample was formed and dried under conditions of temperatures not higher than 300–350 ºС” (see “Conclusion on the results of the study (by the petrographic method) of the structure and phase composition of the nipple-shaped juts of the Hallstatt epoch (fragment № 1), 2007”); Fragment № 2 – “the ceramic product was not subjected to fi ring, but was most likely dried, and then used for cooking. This is evidenced by a strong carburization” (see “Conclusion on the results of the study (by the petrographic method) of the structure and phase composition of the lower part of the Hallstatt epoch cradles’ fragment (fragment № 2), 2017”). (The fi ring temperature of ceramics is considered to be > 1000 ºС.) Conclusions. Thus, when studying ceramic objects of the cultural layer of the era of the Thracian Hallstatt, the following hypotheses were confirmed (partially or completely) by visual and petrographic analyzes of two fragments of the cradles: • about technological, rather than applied, shaping of the nipple-shaped shoots in cradles; • about the likely existence of a method for constructing a hollow body – rolling clay paste into a “sheet”; • on the peculiarities of the production of cradles: they are constructed from two separate parts – the body and the bottom. However, confirmation of the put forward by the author hypothesis as a whole requires further studies of additional archaeological material, in particular, studying the structure of ceramics on the alleged upper and lower sections of the clay vessel sweep, as well as confirmation of the use of templates when cutting the swee
