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Computing don David Lo receives double recognition

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Teo Chang Ching

Professor David Lo from the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) at the Singapore Management University has been elevated to IEEE Fellow for his contributions to “synergising software engineering and data mining”. This is the highest grade of membership in the IEEE. It is conferred by the Board of Directors upon a person with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. Each year, less than 0.1% of voting members are selected for this member grade elevation. The number of newly elevated IEEE Fellows under age 40 is very rare, and Prof Lo belongs to this youngest category of new IEEE Fellows this year.

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

Prof Lo has also been included among the Fellows of Automated Software Engineering (ASE). ASE Fellows are deemed to “have rendered significant and sustained contributions to the ASE Community, through their scientific accomplishments and their service to the ASE Conferences, ASE Journal, and to the ASE research community in general.”

Professor Lo said, “I am honoured and humbled to receive these recognitions. I would like to thank my PhD advisor, mentors, mentees, and collaborators for their help, support, and contributions, without which these recognitions would not have been possible. I am grateful to SCIS and SMU for providing me with much support in the last 13 years to allow me to grow as a researcher and mentor. These recognitions are a great encouragement for me to continue contributing to the research community, especially to the software engineering and data science fields, as a member of a vibrant group of researchers at SCIS and SMU.”

Prof Lo’s research is at the intersection of software engineering and data science, also known as software analytics, encompassing socio-technical aspects, and analysis of different kinds of software artefacts such as code, execution traces, bug reports, Q&A posts, user feedback, and developer networks, and the interplay between them. He designs data science solutions that transform passive data into tools that improve developer productivity and system quality, and generate new insights.

Prof Lo has published more than 400 papers in refereed conferences and journals. His research work has created impact in a number of ways. Collectively, they have attracted much interest from the research community and inspired many subsequent studies that push the frontiers of knowledge in the areas of software engineering and data science. This is evidenced by the more than 18,000 citations listed on Google Scholar, corresponding to an H-index of 73. In addition, many of his research work are conducted with industry partners, leading to papers presenting state-of-the-art solutions deployed in practice, as well as unique insights into industrial software systems and processes. For example, in a recent paper, Prof Lo and his co-authors presented a state-of-the-art system that is deployed in practice to detect emerging issues of WeChat app by analysing a stream of user feedback.

Additionally, Prof Lo has successfully trained 12 PhD students, who have secured employment at high-tech companies and world-class universities and research institutions across the globe. Prof Lo’s research work has also created collaborations (including many long term ones) between SMU and other universities in over 20 countries, resulting in works published in renowned conferences and/or journals across various areas of computer science research.

Aside from his research work, Prof Lo has also contributed actively to the research community by co-organising conferences and workshops, and serving in the programme boards, programme committees, steering committees, and editorial boards of many top-tier and leading conferences and journals. For example, he served (or is current serving) as the General Chair / Program Co-Chair of 11 international conferences, including the 31st IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering, which was held at SMU campus in 2016. He is also serving on the editorial board of IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Empirical Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Reliability, Automated Software Engineering, Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, Information and Software Technology, Journal of Software Engineering Research and Development, Information Systems, and Neurocomputing.

Earlier this year, Prof Lo was awarded the 2021 IEEE CS TCSE Distinguished Service Award for his “extensive and outstanding service to the software engineering community in his many roles in major software engineering conferences and journals”. He is the first in Singapore and second in Asia to have received this prestigious award.

Prof Lo obtained his Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in 2004, and his PhD degree in Computer Science from National University of Singapore in 2008. He joined the School of Information Systems (former name of SCIS) as a Lecturer in May 2008. In April 2020, Prof Lo co-founded the Research Lab for Intelligent Software Engineering (RISE) that conducts research in the intersection of Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity with the goal of improving software quality and reducing software cost.

In addition to his current line of research work on software analytics, Prof Lo is keen to solve an emerging problem — how best to adapt software engineering processes and tools that are currently used to design conventional software for AI system development. AI is advancing rapidly and has been, or will be, incorporated into many systems that humans interact with daily, such as self-driving cars. His immediate future goal is to investigate and characterise the limits of current best practices and tools to AI system development, and design novel solutions that address those limitations.

In 2019, Prof Lo was named ACM Distinguished Member for his outstanding scientific contributions to computing. He was among the 62 members worldwide to achieve this recognition in 2019. ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society.

Prof Lo was the recipient of several SMU research awards: the Lee Foundation Fellowship in 2009, the Lee Kong Chian Fellowship in 2018, and the Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship in 2019. He has also received 17 international research and service awards, including 11 best/distinguished paper awards.

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)-Oracle Academy Day 2021

Posted on December 22, 2021 by FSKM Editorial Team

On March 15, 2021, the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences (FSKM), Universiti Teknologi MARA, (UiTM), Malaysia, hosted the UiTM-Oracle Academy Day 2021. This marked another UiTM’s smart partnership with industries for IT expertise to share experiences.

The Dean, Prof Ts Dr Haryani Haron, officiated the live-broadcasted event from the Global Learning Space, FSKM, UiTM Shah Alam. Approximately 1000 participants, nationwide and globally, include those from UiTM’s campuses, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Ipoh, Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya of Indonesia, Universitas Esa Unggul of Indonesia and Bean Search Expert Malaysia. The Dean recapped that “The collaboration between Oracle Corporation Malaysia and UiTM was established since Institut Teknologi MARA days. We have been using the Oracle database in training students to prepare for industry needs, so their training-learning curve is shortened.”

Mr Mohamed Fitri Abdullah, the Managing Director of Oracle Corporation Malaysia presented an overview of Oracle, while Mr Damian Haas, the Regional Director for Oracle Academy Asia Pacific and Japan, provided an insight of Oracle Academy. Mr Jian Li, the Principal Instructor of Oracle Academy for Asia Pacific, talked about data sciences and Java programming.

As the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin emphasized during the launching of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, that “Mastery of digital technology is essential to elevating Malaysia’s economy”, a series of workshops on big data are organised for the B40 students as a strategy to develop local digital talents.

This collaboration intends to provide awareness and exposure of free access to educational resources from Oracle Academy. They are designed with knowledge and skills as demanded in computing-related jobs. Current technologies include autonomous databases, Oracle Cloud, Java programming and AI. The alliance aimed to strategize synergistic benefits for both UiTM and Oracle.

‘Antibody to specific blood types’ for accurate blood transfusions in ‘Patients-Asian Populations’

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Thammasat University

The Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University conducted research on “Innovation of Monoclonal Antibodies Production to the Dia blood type by Phage Display Technology” where the research team was led by Prof.Maj. Gen. Dr. Oytip Nathalang, Director of Graduate Programs and Asst.Prof.Dr. Jeeraphong Thanongsaksakul, Assistant Dean for Administration and Head of the Molecular Diagnosis Laboratory, Health Care Service Center, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, TU.

This technology is the production of “Antibody to specific blood type” that allows the test of an important blood type in Thailand and Asian populations, which is Dia (Diego a), to be more accurate and to prepare safe blood and blood products for patients who require regular blood transfusions.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Jeeraphong explained that the technology is initiated to simulate the mouse antibody library in vitro by Phage Display Technology which antibody genes are deposited into bacterial viral particles called “phages”. Each phage particle acts as a white blood cell to hold an antibody molecule on the particle surface with a variety of antibodies, which is called “antibody-phage library”.

“If antibodies to Dia blood type is required, we just simply match red blood cell molecules containing this blood type with a phage that have the antibody molecule on the particle surface of the specific Dia blood type. Consequently, specific antibodies will be selected to increase the amount of antibodies attached to phage particles in bacterial cells to be sufficient for testing for specificity of Dia blood type by a biotechnological process,”said Asst.Prof.Dr. Jeeraphong.

In addition, the method used by the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University has a procedure to remove antibodies specific to other important and common blood types in Thai population in order to increase the specificity of the production of antibodies against Dia blood type.

Asst.Prof.Dr. Jeeraphong explained that currently the reagents used to test the Dia blood group must be imported. It is produced from the separation of lymph from the blood of people who produce antibodies to the Dia blood group.

“Each batch of the imported reagent is probably obtained from the same donor but at different times of collection or from different donors. This resulted in lot-to-lot variation because the antibodies produced in the human body vary according to the environmental response. However, the production of antibodies against Dia blood group that the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University uses is a technique that produces antibodies in vitro with Phage Display Technology. Thus, the quality of antibodies in each batch is more stable,” Asst.Prof.Dr. Jeeraphong said

In addition, the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University has signed an agreement and transferred technology knowledge with a biotechnology company in Germany in order to develop antibodies against Dia blood group that the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University has produced to be suitable for use in daily diagnostic tests or in automated analyzers for further commercial reason.

“When TU passes on the prototype to them, they must develop it into an acceptable form as a medical device. If the development process is successful, the agreement we have signed will reach the commercial objective and if the formula works well, it can be sold which will allow patients to get an access to reagents and more accurate test that patients will be able to receive the matching blood group. This will reduce the side effects caused by the mismatch of blood,” Asst.Prof.Dr. Jeeraphong said.

Asst.Prof.Dr. Jeeraphong explained further that the production of antibodies benefited patients requiring surgery and blood to support the symptoms – life while losing blood during surgery. But for the group that will receive benefit the most is those who regularly require blood transfusions, such as, thalassemia patients because these patients are at high risk of getting a foreign blood type from each blood transfusion. If the blood group mismatch occurs, it may stimulate the immune system to reject. However, having accurate and easily accessible blood grouping reagents will help reduce the risk for such patients.

A close look into the regulation of CCL17

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Tokyo University of Science

New insight into a key protein could lead to novel treatments for diseases such as contact dermatitis and asthma

The CCL17/TARC chemokine is involved in many immune-mediated diseases, and is a well-known biomarker of atopic dermatitis. However, the proteins that regulate CCL17 expression are not clear. Recently, scientists from Japan conducted experiments on cultures of dendritic cells focusing on PU.1, a key protein regulating gene expression in immune cells. Further experiments on mice showed that externally regulating PU.1 can alleviate certain asthma symptoms, hinting at potential therapeutic targets for hyperimmune diseases.

Allergies and many other types of immune system-related diseases originate from an interplay of complex chemical pathways that affect cell behavior, distribution, and development. One prominent example is the CCL17/TARC chemokine, a protein that contributes to allergy by attracting certain types of white blood cells, such as T cells and eosinophils. Despite the important and proven roles of CCL17/TARC in allergic diseases like contact dermatitis, not much is known about the transcription factors (proteins that regulate gene expression) involved in regulating the expression of the CCL17 gene.

To address this knowledge gap, a team of scientists from Japan conducted a detailed study, the results of which were published in Allergy, focusing on PU.1, a transcription factor known to regulate gene expression in various types of immune cells. Prof. Chiharu Nishiyama from Tokyo University of Science (TUS), who headed the study, explains why they targeted this specific protein: “A long time ago, we discovered that forced expression of PU.1 in certain types of blood cell lineages causes them to change into dendritic cells. Since then, I have developed a deep interest in the fact that PU.1 is a master transcription factor that regulates dendritic cell differentiation and gene expression.”

The team conducted a series of detailed experiments to clarify, at the molecular level, the relationship that exists between CCL17, PU.1, and other associated transcription factors and promoters. They relied on small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), or short chains of nucleotides that interrupt the translation process (making proteins from a copied DNA segment into RNA) of a target protein with great precision, for their study.

After targeting PU.1 with siRNAs in dendritic cell cultures, they observed a decrease in expression not only for PU.1 and CCL17 but also IRF4 and IRF8, two partner molecules of PU.1.

Through further experiments in cell cultures followed by computational analysis, the team found that IRF4 and PU.1 work together synergistically to activate the transcription (copying of a DNA segment into RNA) of TARC in dendritic cells through the regulatory region of the CCL17 gene. Although this regulatory mechanism appears to be preserved across mammals, the scientists also discovered that the human CCL17 gene contains an additional promoter that is activated in keratinocytes, the most common type of cell found in the outermost layer of our skin.

Finally, the scientists tested the effects of PU.1 suppression in vivo using an asthmatic mouse as a model. They found that a simple intranasal administration of PU.1 siRNA helped reduce TARC secretion and the associated infiltration of white blood cells into the bronchioles, effectively reducing the extent of inflammation in the lungs.

These results highlight the importance of PU.1 in inflammatory processes and immune diseases and could pave the way to novel treatments. “I find it encouraging that we were able to report both basic research on genes as well as an applied approach that could lead to treatment for hyperimmune responses, such as contact hypersensitivity and asthma,” comments Prof. Nishiyama.

Hopefully, further research would help clarify the regulatory and transcriptional pathways of CCL17 even more, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex panorama of immune diseases.

***

Reference

Authors: Naoto Ito (1), Fumiya Sakata (1), Masakazu Hachisu (1), Kazuki Nagata (1), Tomoka Ito (1), Kurumi Nomura (1), Masanori Nagaoka (1), Keito Inaba (1), Mutsuko Hara (2), Nobuhiro Nakano (2), Tadaaki Nakajima (1), Takuya Yashiro (1), and Chiharu Nishiyama (1).

Title of original paper: The Ccl17 gene encoding TARC is synergistically transactivated by PU.1 and IRF4 driven by the mammalian common promoter in dendritic cells

Journal: Allergy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15184

CUIET ranked 2nd in Dataquest T-School Digital Index Survey 2020

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Dr K K Mishra

Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology (CUIET) has been ranked 2nd in the Dataquest T-School Digital Index Survey 2020. Dataquest 16th annual survey was based on rankings of the top 100 engineering colleges in India. A survey was undertaken by Dataquest, along with CyberMedia Research (CMR), in Digital Index, Employability Index and Overall Survey across Parameters including Placement, Infrastructure, Industry-Academia Partnership and Academics.

The Dataquest ranking of engineering institutions has been well recognised and much sought after for deep insight into the state of technology education for over fifteen years. DQ-CMR released India’s first digital index survey, showcasing ICT adoption among T-Schools, in response to the pandemic-driven lockdown, which is driving more use of technology by the education sector. The Dataquest Top T-School Survey 2021 provides an in-depth look at India’s top institutes and the fast shifting scene in the post-pandemic period. With its 16th edition, the survey, which is an industry-recognized trademark on technical education and is highly regarded by students, parents and recruiters alike, was released. T-Schools and their contribution to critical skills in the technology industry were the subject of the poll, which ranked them through a thorough evaluation process.

The T-School 2021 Survey drew participants from famous IITs, NITs, IIITs, as well as private and government institutions. At least one T-School from each of India’s main states took part in the poll. With almost 85 percent participation, private T-Schools took the initiative to participate in the exercise. T-Schools in the southern United States led the way in survey participation, accounting for over 56 percent of all respondent institutes. In comparison to the previous year, western institutes took the lead over northern institutes.

A structured questionnaire with over 30 questions was used to capture the Placement, Academics, Campus Infrastructure and Engagement (PACE) Framework. These questions enabled the DQ-CMR team to build a comprehensive picture on the basis of the inputs from T-Schools. The T-Schools were given adequate time to share their completed nominations, either online or in person. The contributions were assessed by the CMR Edutech Practice for completeness and veracity of the information supplied and were subjected to a random check process, with more than 30% of the submissions being cross-checked, in accordance with the market research code of ethics. CMR analysts contacted key stakeholders for further discussion, allowing for a complete picture of the T-School.

In September 2021, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology was featured on the front page of the Dataquest Magazine and was ranked 10th among the top 100 T-Schools (government and private)’, 4th in ‘All India Private Sector T-School Employability Ranking 2021’ and 5th in India Private T-School Employability Ranking 2021 in North Region published by Dataquest Magazine.

Thammasat University joins network partners to develop digital resilience in youth

Posted on December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 by Thammasat University

aculty of Public Health on behalf of Thammasat University signed a cooperation agreement on the promotion and development of comprehensive Digital Resilience for Thai youth under the “Vaccination Program for Digital Resilience and Cyberbullying Prevention for high school students in 5 regions in Thailand” on September 10, 2021 in order to raise awareness of online threats among youth, teachers and parents. This project encouraged Digital Resilience presented through Creative Media in which Digital Resilience assessment tools for youth have been developed, youth has been encouraged to participate in the development of creative media to promote Digital Resilience as well as network and integrated collaborative guidelines to promote Digital Resilience and complaint channels for young people who face online dangers.

The objective of cooperation between media funds and network partners will drive operation on cyberbullying solution as well as digital resilience to promote a safe and creative media ecosystem.

Assoc.Prof. Dr. Sasitorn Taptagaporn, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Thammasat University said that Thammasat University has its own outstanding identity as a model of democracy, anti-violence and anti-sexual harassment. Thammasat University and the Faculty of Public Health focus on issues of harassment or violence which teenagers face online, especially those that affect teenager’s health issues. Therefore, Thammasat University and the Faculty of Public Health are committed to preventing, improving and enhancing the health of teenagers who spend more time online. This is the work we have already worked on and will keep doing it.

This cooperation agreement is considered an important law that brings the cyber resilience as a drive and encourage the Faculty of Public Health’s teachers and researchers to integrate the concept of cyber resilience with teaching and learning approach and in-depth research on innovative health promotion. In addition, the Faculty of Public Health will act as a key player to communicate, promote and persuade Thammasat community including other faculties so that they can participate in this project.

This signing ceremony involves 8 organizations: the Ministry of Culture, Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Thammasat University, Chiang Mai University, the Council of Children and Youth of Thailand, and the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand and the Thai Media Fund together with the launch of comprehensive online platform developed in the project, the lectures on roles and responsibilities and the next steps of operation on Cyberbullying and Digital Resilience by representatives from 9 organizations and a special lecture on “How to build cyber resilience for Thai children”.

Chula research team develops screening strip kit to detect the early stage of chronic kidney disease

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Chulalongkorn University

A Chula research team has developed a screening strip kit to detect the early stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that’s easy to use, yields quick results, increasing the chance of being cured for patients, and helping to cut over 10 billion baht of the ever-increasing annual healthcare costs for CKD patients. The CKD screening strip kits are expected to be released early next year.

CKD poses as a silent threat that chips away at the patients’ quality of life. Each year, 17 percent of the Thai population, or eight million people are diagnosed with kidney disease, most of whom are asymptomatic. So, they do not seek medical attention and carry on with their damaging behavior to worsen the kidneys’ poor condition.

“By the time the body shows the typical symptoms of CKD, like fatigue, lack of energy, and swelling, the patient would have already entered the acute stage, in which only 30 percent of the kidneys are functioning. Therefore, the disease must be detected at the early stage to slow down the degeneration of the kidneys, and to give the patient a better chance to be cured,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai Srisawat, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, explained the possibility of reducing the number of CKD patients in Thailand.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai, at present, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) has spent around 10 billion baht to enable patients to undergo both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. This budget is expected to increase by 500 million baht annually because of the steady increase in the number of kidney disease patients. (Each person has an average cost of 200,000 baht/year). If no measures are taken to stop this upward trend of CKD, there will be shortages of the budget and medical treatment.

With research funding from the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai, in collaboration with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kittinan Komolpis, the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, developed an “innovative self-screening strip kit for an early stage of CKD,” so patients can perform the test by themselves.

“If there is a test kit that is easily accessible, it will raise patients’ awareness about kidney disease, so that they can receive treatment early on without having to wait until they get to the acute stage that requires dialysis. If the test kit is adopted by the government, they will be able to reduce the budget used to aid dialysis patients.”

CKD screening strips – user-friendly with quick results

Generally, there are two methods of CKD screening: blood tests that take a long time and require the patients to travel to the hospital and a urine test for protein, and not the urine microalbumin test, which is more specific to CKD. Though the hospitals do perform urine microalbumin tests, lab results can only be read by medical personnel.

“The innovative screening strips for early-stage CKD screens for microalbuminuria, the clearest indicator of CKD.”

“Patients can perform the screening tests and read the results themselves at home. The painless screening from urine is as simple as a pregnancy test that’s available in the market. The urine can be collected in the morning after one wakes up or before breakfast. Only three drops of urine are needed on the test strip. Wait 15 minutes. If one bar shows, the microalbumin is abnormal, and two bars mean the microalbumin value is within the normal range,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai explained.

*Examples of results on the CKD screening strips*

Based on the trials with CKD patients and people without CKD, the strips had a sensitivity of 86 percent, specificity of 94 percent, and an accuracy of 87 percent. The research findings have been published in a medical journal, and the screening strips will soon be tested in the community with approximately 2,500 patients.

Who are the CKD screening strips for?

Though CKD remains latent in its initial stage, the groups of people who should take screening tests are those suffering from diseases or physical conditions that may affect kidney function, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and the elderly over 60.
“These groups of people should be tested at least once a year to keep informed of the kidney function and find a way to deal with it promptly,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai suggested.

Apart from the above high-risk groups, teenagers and working-age people can’t be careless, especially if they are not mindful eaters.

“Some people may have hidden conditions of CKD. So, they should also get tested given a chance. Normally, as people get older, their kidney function also declines.”

Behavior modification – the key to kidneys care

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai suggests that when diagnosed with CKD, the first thing people should do is to undergo more tests to check the stage of their kidney function with a thorough blood test and urine test. More importantly, patients have to modify their behavior.
“Major behavioral modification is dietary adjustments. Avoid sugary, salty foods, and red meat. If you want to eat protein, opt for protein from egg whites or fish instead. Exercise along with diet control is also necessary,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai suggested.

“If you don’t have kidney disease, the best prevention is to adjust your eating habits as well. Avoid salty foods, because your kidneys have to work harder to flush out the sodium. If the kidneys are unable to excrete salt, it can lead to swelling, and high blood pressure which results in the deterioration of the kidneys.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai also added that “healthy people who want to consume fish sauce should not take more than three teaspoons or one tablespoon per day. The fish sauce that is advertised as having low sodium is not recommended for CKD patients, because low-sodium fish sauce is often high in potassium which is not good for kidney function either. You should also check to see if the brand of low-sodium fish sauce is also low in potassium.

“People who might wish to take whey protein have to be selective as well. Even for healthy people, consuming a lot of whey protein can cause an excess that makes the kidneys work harder as well.”

Currently, the CKD screening strip kit is in the process of being registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and if approved by the end of this year, it can be released early next year. The price of the strips will be comparable to the products available in the market. In the future, the research team will look for ways to increase the local production capacity for the test substance used to detect urine microalbumin, to reduce production costs, which will bring down the price of the strip test.

“Though the test kits are intended for home use, we hope this test will be included in the National Health Security system and made available to everybody, including people in rural and remote areas who may have CKD, but do not have any symptoms, so that they gain easier access to screening without having to travel long distances to the hospital,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattachai concluded.

Indonesian Ambassador to Ukraine visits President University

Posted on December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 by President University

Tuesday (30/11), President University (PresUniv) received a visit from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to Ukraine, Ghafur Akbar Dharmaputra. This visit was welcomed by Prof. Dr. Jony Oktavian Haryanto, Rector of PresUniv, Handa S. Abidin, S.H., LL.M., Ph.D., Vice Rector for Academics and Student Affairs, Dr. Dra. Fennieka Kristianto, S.H., M.H., M.A., M.Kn, Vice Rector for Resources, Ibnu Hadi M.Ec., advisor for rectorate, Dr.-Ing. Erwin Sitompul, M.Sc, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Endi Haryono, M.Sc., Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, and Michael Rino, Head of International Recruitment.

During the visit, Ambassador Ghafur and PresUniv discussed various forms of cooperation that could be implemented between PresUniv and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Ukraine. Among them are opportunities for cooperation in education between PresUniv with universities and educational institutions in Ukraine, including an invitation to Ambassador Ghafur to be a guest lecturer at PresUniv.

Pilot system for the 3 smart sub-district health-promoting hospitals in 3 provinces in the EEC area

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Thammasat University

Thammasat University, Pattaya Campus (EECmd) led by Assoc. Prof. Kammal Kumar Pawa, M.D., Vice-Rector for Administration (Pattaya Campus), and Asst. Prof. Nattadon Pannucharoenwong, Ph.D., Assistant Rector for Administration (Pattaya Campus) discusses with Ms. Tassanee Kiat Phatraporn, Deputy Secretary-General for Area and Community Eastern Region, Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Office in the development of the Smart Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital System to help with disease screening for patients who come to the hospital under the concept of comprehensive medicine in order for the people to gain access to public health services. Initially, the system will be piloted at 3 smart sub-district health-promoting hospitals in 3 provinces in the Eastern Special Development Zone, namely Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong, with Thammasat Hospital, Pattaya Campus as the Command Center. In this regard, the intelligent sub-district health promotion hospital system is a project that responds to the policy of Thammasat Innopolis, an innovative city for health and wellness, elevating Thammasat to be more than a teaching and learning space to the space for living. Initiate innovations that meet the needs of healthcare services and improve the quality of life of patients and medical professionals in Thailand and the world.

Chitkara Data Science 41st in Analytics India

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Dr K K Mishra

Chitkara Business School’s Data Science Program has been ranked 41st in the list of “Top Business Analytics Colleges in India 2021” by Analytics India Magazine. Analytics India Magazine chronicles technological progress in the space of analytics, artificial intelligence, data science & big data by highlighting the innovations, players and challenges shaping the future of India through promotion and discussion of ideas and thoughts by smart, ardent, action-oriented individuals who want to change the world.

Analytics India Magazine has been passionately embracing and promoting India’s analytics ecosystem since 2012. They’ve been a leading source of news, information and analysis for the Indian analytics ecosystem, providing opinions, analysis and insights on significant discoveries and future trends in data-driven technologies, as well as showcasing how they are being used to make a difference in the future.

Analytics India Magazine considered five different parameters for computing the ranking of Analytics or Data Science Programs — Certification Value, Return on Investment, Program Success, Teaching & Curriculum and Student Engagement. To determine this year’s Academic Rankings for Postgraduate Programmers in India, an overall index was derived. The index was calculated using the average score of five sub-indices (based on the aforementioned parameters). The sub-indices themselves were calculated based on the scores given to the answers (of the survey questions) asked by AIM using uniform evaluation criteria. These scores were normalised on a scale from 0 to 1 before the average for the sub-indices was taken. Outliers were capped. The hierarchy to calculate the overall index can be seen in the chart below.

The data science academic rankings by Analytics India Magazine have been celebrated for over six years in the industry. These are the only comprehensive rankings on academic institutions in the analytics and data science domain that judges the best-in-class training institutes and courses across their core offerings. In just a few years, they have become a benchmark for all data science educational needs in India.