ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9532-0856
Current Organisation
Curtin University
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2003
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 09-2004
DOI: 10.4049/JIMMUNOL.173.5.3084
Abstract: A number of laboratories have reported cord blood T cell responses to ubiquitous environmental Ags, including allergens, by proliferation and cytokine secretion. Moreover, the magnitude of these responses has been linked with risk for subsequent expression of allergy. These findings have been widely interpreted as evidence for transplacental priming and the development of fetal T memory cells against Ags present in the maternal environment. However, we present findings below that suggest that neonatal T cell responses to allergens (and other Ags) differ markedly from those occurring in later life. Notably, in contrast to allergen-responsive adult CD4+ T cell cultures, responding neonatal T cell cultures display high levels of apoptosis. Comparable responses were observed against a range of microbial Ags and against a parasite Ag absent from the local environment, but not against autoantigen. A notable finding was the appearance in these cultures of CD4+CD25+CTLA4+ T cells that de novo develop MLR-suppressive activity. These cells moreover expressed CD45RA and CD38, hallmarks of recent thymic emigrants. CFSE-labeling studies indicate that the CD4+CD25+ cells observed at the end of the culture period were present in the day 0 starting populations, but they were not suppressive in MLR responses. Collectively, these findings suggest that a significant component of the reactivity of human neonatal CD4+ T cells toward nominal Ag (allergen) represents a default response by recent thymic emigrants, providing an initial burst of short-lived cellular immunity in the absence of conventional T cell memory, which is limited in intensity and duration via the parallel activation of regulatory T cells.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-09-1998
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 31-07-2007
DOI: 10.1108/14691930710774894
Abstract: The paper seeks to investigate the key drivers and level of voluntary disclosures in biotechnology company annual reports. The paper uses an intellectual capital disclosure index score of voluntary disclosures in a large s le of listed biotechnology companies, and tests the relationship between voluntary disclosures of intangible firm value with traditional agency theory variables. The relationships are tested statistically using correlation and multiple‐regression analysis. The key drivers of voluntary intellectual capital disclosures were the level of board independence, firm age, level of leverage and firm size. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that board independence, leverage and size had a significant relationship with the level of voluntary intellectual capital disclosure. Separate regression controlling for large‐sized and small‐sized firms demonstrated that voluntary intellectual capital disclosure was only driven by board independence and the levels of firm leverage in large firms. Small firms did not demonstrate this relationship. The implications of this research are that smaller biotechnology companies' managers are not motivated by external debt‐holder demands to make voluntary disclosures about intangible firm value. In addition, large biotechnology companies, which are better able to establish independent board oversight, appear more effective at driving voluntary intellectual capital disclosures, perhaps in response to greater demand by owners. A limitation of this study is its Australian context and that data is analysed only from 2005 financial year annual reports. To the authors' knowledge this is an original paper whose findings have valuable implications for managing intellectual capital at the firm level. The paper clearly demonstrates that disclosures about intangible firm value is being driven by traditional agency theory variables and more contemporary corporate governance issues, and that small firms may be ignoring the importance of disclosing more about their intellectual capital.
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 15-03-2002
DOI: 10.4049/JIMMUNOL.168.6.2820
Abstract: IFN-γ is a potent pleiotropic Th1 cytokine, the production of which is tightly regulated during fetal development. Negative control of fetal/neonatal IFN-γ production is generally attributed to the Th1-antagonistic effect of mediators produced by the placenta, but evidence exists of additional and more direct transcriptional regulation. We report that neonatal (cord blood) CD3+/CD45RO− T cells, in particular the CD4+/CD45RO− subset, are hypermethylated at CpG and non-CpG (CpA and CpT) sites within and adjacent to the IFN-γ promoter. In contrast, CpG methylation patterns in cord blood IFN-γ-producing CD8+/CD45RO− T cells and CD56+/CD16+/CD3− NK cells did not differ significantly from those in their adult counterparts. Consistent with this finding, IFN-γ production by stimulated naive cord blood CD4+ T cells is reduced 5- to 10-fold relative to adult CD4+ T cells, whereas production levels in neonatal and adult CD8+ T cells are of a similar order. Evidence of significant CpA and CpT methylation was not discovered in promoter sequence from other cytokines (IL-4, TNF-α, or IFN-γR α-chain). We additionally demonstrate that overexpression of DNA methyltransferase 3a in embryonic kidney carcinoma cells is accompanied by CpA methylation of the IFN-γ promoter.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 02-05-2017
Abstract: This paper aims to measure mean voluntary intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) quality score for a s le of Australian Stock Exchange-listed biotechnology firms in the 2003, 2006 and 2010 reporting periods. The aim was to use data for the same companies over the whole period to discover whether the quality of voluntary reporting practice was improving over time, measuring lagged-mean ICD quality score against possible determinants of management disclosure practice. Mean ICD quality score, and associated frequency data, was measured against possible determinants of managers’ disclosure practice. The dependent variable was an 18-item classification of ICD based on Sveiby’s Intangible Assets Monitor (Sveiby, 1997). Data collected from S& P Capital IQ database were used to compare ICD disclosure quality with possible drivers: competition (capital intensity) performance (profit and market returns) monitoring (audit firm and ownership) and control variables (revenue and leverage). Mean voluntary disclosures of internal capital and external capital lower the quality over time using paired s le t -test comparison against 2003 as a base year. The lowest quality disclosure was about human capital, and the highest quality was about internal capital. In idual disclosure items within internal, external and human capital classification showed that internal capital items (intellectual property, corporate culture, management processes and financial relations) and external capital item (customers) were the significant contributors. Investigation of drivers using Spearman’s correlation against lagged ICD data showed that performance (relative market returns) and monitoring (ownership diffusion) were significant drivers of voluntary ICD, both in expected and unexpected ways. Voluntary ICD quality and quantity are rarely measured in the same paper. The findings are unique and interesting especially for innovative Australian R& D firms when compared to recent findings for a larger s le of French companies.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 19-10-2010
DOI: 10.1108/14691931011085669
Abstract: The purpose of this research project is to compare the nature and extent of voluntary intellectual capital disclosures (ICD) by UK and Australian biotechnology companies. The motivating research question was whether the nature and extent of voluntary ICD by preparers of financial report data in these countries reflected the relative maturity of the UK, compared to Australian industry. ICD was measured in annual reports and financial statements published on the company websites. A Danish disclosure index was used to evaluate voluntary disclosures by 156 companies about customers, employees, IT, strategy, R& D and processes (78‐items scored for each company). A significant leverage effect was demonstrated in relation to the “nature” of ICD by UK and Australian biotechnology companies. Interestingly, mean customer ICD were higher in annual reports from high‐leveraged compared to low‐leveraged Australian firms. In contrast, UK firms showed higher mean R& D ICD for low‐leveraged firms than high‐leveraged firms. With regards to the “extent” of ICD measured, the study demonstrated a significant country effect. Potential limitations or bias may exist from the use of the disclosure index: binary scoring of disclosure versus non‐disclosure reduces the richness of data otherwise obtainable by limited case study or interviews and data collection is limiting – narrative with managers actually preparing ICD is not possible. Australian company financial accountants and managers preparing and/or including ICD information could be in danger of underestimating the importance of information asymmetry existing with lenders. This finding contrasts the legitimate R& D focused ICD of low‐leveraged UK firms namely to attract stakeholder attention to their expanding intellectual property base, with the findings from Australian firms' with a relatively predictable and naïve customer focus.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1016/S0165-2427(00)00260-9
Abstract: Sheep immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy-chain (V(H)DJ(H)) and lambda light-chain variable region (V(lambda)J(lambda)) nucleotide coding sequence was isolated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from abomasal lymph node (ALN) B cells of immune sheep challenged with the gastrointestinal nematode parasite Haemonchus contortus. Single-chain antibodies (scFv) were then constructed with the purified V(H)DJ(H) and V(lambda)J(lambda) Ig gene region DNA using oligonucleotides to PCR and join the variable regions to a central [Gly(4)Ser](3)-linker. In a similar fashion 5'-SfiI and 3'-NotI restriction endonuclease sites were added for cloning into a phagemid expression vector. Expression of sheep scFv from pHFA phagemid in an amber-suppresser strain of Escherichia coli, after infection with filamentous phage, resulted in 10(9) sheep scFv antibodies displayed as a library on phagemid particles. Western blot analysis demonstrated sheep scFv gene expression in E. coli cell lysate and on purified library phage. In addition, four rounds of scFv-library selection against H. contortus surface antigen resulted in a 300-fold increase in the elution titre of phage recovered from parasite surface antigen. Nearly 1000 of the selected and eluted scFvs were expressed in an attempt to identify monoclonal sheep scFv against parasite antigen. Only low affinity clones were isolated during screening of this sheep scFv-library, suggesting different strategies will be needed for isolation of specific high affinity recombinant antibody in future studies.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-04-2008
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-06-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AUAR.12249
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2002
No related grants have been discovered for Gregory White.