6,344 research outputs found
Q&A: Peter Kimani, author of Dance of the Jakaranda, talks with Maëline Le Lay
No full textAfrica in Words. https://africainwords.com/2019/05/23/qa-peter-kimani-author-of-dance-of-the-jakaranda-talks-with-maeline-le-lay
Vulnerability assessment and blue carbon potential of two mangrove sites in Malaysia / Teh Lay Hoon
No full textCoastal blue carbon is an emerging subject in climate change science which looks into
coastal habitats such as mangrove forests for its ability to sequester and store carbon from
the atmosphere. Mirroring the concept of “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
Forest Degradation” (REDD+), the concept of coastal blue carbon is also about the
incentives given in return for preserving these coastal habitats for its role in climate
change mitigation.
As mangrove forests in Malaysia are facing rapid rate of degradation, this study is about
assessing the coastal blue carbon as a viability to facilitate better mangrove conservation
measures in Malaysia through its incentives.
For this study, two mangrove forest sites were selected from southern Johor to determine
the level of vulnerability that these habitats are facing, while taking into consideration of
the current management and policy in place. For this assessment, the baseline information
of the study sites were collected and used in developing criteria to which the vulnerability
assessment was conducted. The aim of the vulnerability assessment is to identify the
prevailing threats on mangrove forests and establish the notion that the current
conservation approaches may not be sufficient to protect these habitats. As a following
step, the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) were used as a tool to evaluate the
benefits of implementing coastal blue carbon in the current management approach.
Subsequently, gaps and challenges faced by the current management and policies relating
to mangrove conservation in Malaysia were identified, and case studies were conducted
as a mean to ascertain how best the coastal blue carbon mechanism can be adapted into
the current structure for it to be effective.
The research shows that while the mangrove in Malaysia has a large carbon storage
potential, the prevailing threats currently faced by the vulnerable mangrove forests are
quickly diminishing its capacity. It was also found that there is a need for Malaysia to establish an extensive network of collaborations among the relevant agencies within the
country, with concerting efforts from non-governmental organisations and academic
institutions in working towards proper carbon measurement and accounting. The main
aim is for a change in policy which can ensure that the protection of mangrove areas are
accounted more distinctively in the current policies and legislations. Given that the
importance of mangrove can be made quantifiable as an incentive in terms of carbon
credits and climate change mitigation, the conservation priority for mangrove could be
significantly increased
Pengaruh Lama Penyeduhan Teh Hijau Produk X terhadap Kadar Katekin Terlarut yang Ditetapkan Secara Kromatografi Cair Kinerja Tinggi
No full textTelah dilakukan penelitian tentang pengaruh lama penyeduhan teh hijau
produk "X" terhadap kadar katekin terlarut yang ditetapkan secara KCKT. Penelitian
ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui berapa lama waktu menyeduh teh hijau yang tepat,
sehingga bisa memperoleh kadar katekin yang optimal karena pada umumnya orang
menyeduh teh hijau dengan berbagai variasi waktu tanpa mengetahui seberapa besar
kandungan katekin tersebut dapat terlarut. Dalam penelitian ini, sampel teh hijau
produk "X" diseduh dengan air suhu 70oC, selama3,5, dan 7 menit kemudian kadar
katekin yang terlarut ditetapkan dengan KCKT...
Lay Down Your Arms
No full textDie Waffen nieder! (1889), translated into English in 1892 as Lay Down Your Arms, was an international bestseller. Its Austrian author Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914) chose the medium of fiction in order to reach as broad an audience as possible with her pacifist ideals. Challenging the narrow nationalisms of nineteenth-century Europe, Suttner believed that disputes between nations should be settled by means of arbitration rather than armed conflict. She devoted her life to campaigning for the cause of peace, and in 1905 became the first female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Suttner’s influential novel yields insights into the early development of calls for a united Europe and an end to the arms race.
This English translation of the novel was carried out as a ‘labour of love’ by the eminent Victorian surgeon and medical scholar Timothy Holmes (1825-1907), the editor of Gray’s Anatomy, for whom this was an unusual foray into the world of fiction. Holmes was Vice-Chairman of the London-based International Arbitration and Peace Association and a contemporary of Suttner. His translation helped to spread Suttner’s views across the Anglophone world, and contributed to the growth of the peace movement in the period before the First World War
Cancerpharmacogenomics: the relevance of genetic profile in optimization drug therapy for azathiopurine and 5-Fluorouracil / Teh Lay Kek And Mohd Zaki Salleh
No full textIntroduction: Pharmacogenomic studies contribute to genetic information in preventing severe side effects of drugs. Genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes such as dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) had been associated with variable clinical outcomes in many commonly prescribed chemotherapy drugs including 5-Fluorouracil and irinotecan. Objectives: The review of literature had shed lights to the importance and possible impact of genetic polymorphism of DPYD and TPMT in individualization of drug therapy for 5-FU and thiopurines. However, there were no data reported for Malaysian. Current study thus aimed to explore the role of pharmacogenetics in personalized medicine in our own population. Materials and methods: Genotyping methods for DPYD and TPMT were developed using dHPLC and allele specific PCR respectively. 5-FU levels were measured in colorectal cancer patients using developed method. DNA from healthy volunteers and patients were screened. Results: Genotyping of DPYD had detected one reported mutation DPYD*5, two new mutations in exon 14 1823 T>C and 1827 G>A and one intronic reagion of exon 13, 13 IVS-11G>A with allele frequencies of 14.5%, .9.1%, 9.1% and 0.9% respectively. Genotyping for TPMT revealed 7 (7%) to be heterozygous for TPMT variant alleles. The predominant allele detected is TPMT*3C and is in concordance with previous studies done on Southeast Asian populations
Cancer pharmacogenomics: the relevance of genetic profile in optimization drug therapy for azathiopurine and 5-fluorouracil / Prof Madya Dr Teh Lay Kek and Prof Dr Mohd Zaki Salleh
No full textIntroduction: Pharmacogenomic studies contribute to genetic information in preventing severe side effects of drugs. Genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes such as dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) had been associated with variable clinical outcomes in many commonly prescribed chemotherapy drugs including 5-Fluorouracil and irinotecan. Objectives: The review of literature had shed lights to the importance and possible impact of genetic polymorphism of DPYD and TPMT in individualization of drug therapy for 5-FU and thiopurines. However, there were no data reported for Malaysian. Current study thus aimed to explore the role of pharmacogenetics in personalized medicine in our own population. Materials and methods: Genotyping methods for DPYD and TPMT were developed using dHPLC and allele specific PCR respectively. 5-FU levels were measured in colorectal cancer patients using developed method. DNA from healthy volunteers and patients were screened. Results: Genotyping of DPYD had detected one reported mutation DPYD*5, two new mutations in exon 14 1823 T>C and 1827 G>A and one intronic reagion of exon 13, 13 IVS-11G>A with allele frequencies of 14.5%, .9.1%, 9.1% and 0.9% respectively. Genotyping for TPMT revealed 7 (7%) to be heterozygous for TPMT variant alleles. The predominant allele detected is TPMT*3C and is in concordance with previous studies done on Southeast Asian populations
Genetic polymorphism of drug metabolizing enzymes and estrogen receptor in pharmacogenetics of tamoxifen: implication for optimization of breast cancer treatment / Teh Lay Kek and Mohd Zaki Salleh
No full textIntroduction: Tamoxifen has been used as a hormonal therapy in breast cancer patients who are positive for estrogen receptor. The drug is metabolized by Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) into several metabolite. Variation in CYP2D6 activity has important therapeutic consequences and can play a significant role in the development of adverse events or therapeutic failure in susceptible individuals. Beside, variation of drug transporter such as MDRl may alter the accumulation of the drug and cause toxicity in patients. Furthermore, the different expression of receptor-a and estrogen receptor-P may be associated with different therapy outcome. Materials and methods: In subject recruitment, patient samples were collected from HUKM, Hospital Selayang and HTAF. Patients who have received tamoxifen for treatment of breast cancer were recruited according to exclusion and inclusion criteria. Genotyping method for CYP2D6 and MDRl were developed using multiplex allele specific PCR (ASPCR) approach. DHPLC method was developed to detect existing and new alleles in CYP2D6 and estrogen receptors. The expression of estrogen receptor-a and estrogen receptor-p from samples would be quantitated using Real-time PCR. Result: The most common variants detected is CYP2D6*10 with 50% of heterozygous CYP2D6*1/*10 and CYP2D6*5 with 7.8% was detected high in breast cancer patients. Furthermore CYP2D6*l/*4 and CYP2D6*l/*4 was detected but at low frequencies
Evaluation of the VKORC1 haplotypes in individualising warfarin therapy / Mohd Zaki Salleh, Teh Lay Kek and Fazleen Haslinda Mohd Hatta
No full textCoumarin derivatives such as warfarin are the therapy of choice for the long-term treatment and prevention of thromboembolic events. Warfarin is administered orally as a racemic mixture of two enantiomers. It has very narrow therapeutic windows and large individual variability. The amount of dose needed to achieve therapeutic efficacy varies across the population due to differences in the genetic makeup of individual patients. Polymorphism of the VKORCl gene is one of the genetic factors that caused altered sensitivity to warfarin or warfarin resistance. Ten common SNPs have been identified, at positions 381, 861, 2653, 3673, 5808, 6009, 6484, 6853, 7566, and 9041 of the VKORCl reference sequence (Gen Bank accession number AY587020). Five major haplotypes were derived and haplotypes HI and H2 were assigned to group A which requires low warfarin dose while haplotypes H7, H8 and H9 were assigned to group B and require high-warfarin dose. Objective: To develop genotyping method for detection often variants of VKORCl gene and establish the distribution of VKORCl haplotypes among patients prescribed with warfarin and study the relationship of haplotypes and warfarin dose, INR and bleeding
The Recruitment and Role of Lay Members
No full text The use of lay members on research ethics committees has for some time been felt to be an example of good practice in ethical review processes. In this paper, written by a lay member, the author considers what the recruitment process for lay members might be and argues how this process should largely be shaped by what role the lay member is recruited to undertake. In considering the advantages and disadvantages of lay members, the author shows that defining the role of a lay member is not straightforward but is necessary to the good working of a research ethics committee. </jats:p
Tailoring open government data portals for lay citizens: A gamification theory approach
No full textGovernment policies focused on Open Government Data (OGD) often aim to stimulate the provision of public, interoperable data towards any user, including lay citizens, through online portals. However, these OGD portals are mostly developed for expert users. This hinders the realization of critical values such as transparency, empowerment, and equality of access. Following a Design Science Research approach, this study aims to examine how gamification can help tailor OGD portals for lay citizens. As a pre-condition to this goal, we identify requirements toward OGD portals through twenty interviews with experts and lay citizens. Compared to expert users, lay citizens expect an OGD portal with a more playful interface, vulgarized content, customized visualizations, and transparency-related datasets in a human-readable format. Second, we develop our research artifact, the OGD portal prototype, implementing fifteen design propositions using gamification theory to address lay citizens’ requirements. Third, the evaluation with ten lay citizens reveals the perceived usefulness of the design propositions. Badges were evaluated as most useful to highlight portal relevance. This study contributes to OGD theory development by identifying lay citizens' requirements towards OGD use. Furthermore, this study is the first to reveal the usefulness of implementing notions from gamification theory into OGD portal design. Finally, practitioners can use our findings to make OGD portals more inclusive and thus contribute to attaining key OGD policy objectives.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Information and Communication Technolog
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