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Month: July 2021

UiTM and Elsevier BV sign MoU to establish first SciVal lab in Malaysia

Posted on by Saidatul Akmar Ismail

The Faculty of Information Management (FPM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Elsevier BV recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) via an online ceremony on 1 July 2021.

The MoU aims for smart partnership endeavour through the establishment of the first bibliometrics facility, known as “SciVal Lab”, in Malaysia. The Lab establishment is fundamental to maximize the upskilling of professional librarians and information professionals, to enhance their personal capabilities as well as to become the prominent education and training hub while creating a network of cooperation and communication between the two parties.

The “SciVal Lab” as the first UiTM-based bibliometrics facility, is expected to expedite the establishment of UiTM as a Globally Renowned University of Science, Technology, Humanities and Entrepreneurship. The initiative will be the catalyst to the development of cutting-edge curricular, innovative and impactful research and publication in library and information analytics.

Professor Ts Dr Roziah Mohd Janor, Vice Chancellor of UiTM, applauds the move made by the Faculty of Information Management. She strongly believes that the Information Management students and academic staff are able to benefit the most from the Lab training sessions, add value to their information analytics learning experiences, and increase the graduates’ competitiveness and employability.

The moment cherishes the Elsevier Director of Research Intelligence, Ms Yoshiko Kakita. She states, “Elsevier is thrilled to have entered this partnership with UiTM as we believe that the knowledge and skills gained through the study of bibliometric analyses will benefit libraries, institutions, researchers and society-at-large. We’re privileged to be in the position to transfer this knowledge to UiTM and facilitate the responsible use of research analytics using SciVal.”

Mr Alexander van Servellen, Senior Consultant of Research Intelligence at Elsevier, has similar expectations. He expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to help establish the “SciVal Lab,” and plans to train future librarians and information professionals in the core knowledge and skills of “bibliometric research analytics.”

Dr. Zuraidah Abdul Manaf, a Professor of Information Management and a staunch advocate of bibliometrics, emphasized the expanding roles of librarians in assisting scholars across the country by providing quality analytical services using bibliometrics tools.

The signed MOU commits FPM, UiTM and Elsevier BV to develop a data analysis learning module based on the SciVal database. These modules will be incorporated into the curriculum of the library science programs offered by UiTM.

In addition, advanced training modules for working librarians and information professionals will be made available. The two-year collaboration is expected to produce more bibliometric analysis experts.

Thammasat’s Center of Excellence researchers help durian farmers in Nonthaburi, Thailand

Posted on by Thammasat University

Asst. Prof. Dr. Duangrit Benjathikul Chairungruang, Secretary to the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) as the ministry spokesperson has led a team of researchers from MHESI organizations: National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) and Center of Excellence in Agriculture Innovation through Supply Chain and Value Chain, Thammasat University, to visit to help Durian farmers in Nonthaburi, Thailand

The farmers encounter the saltwater intrusion resulting in agricultural issues, and using innovations from NSTDA, TISTR and TU including nanotechnology for water purification, water quality monitoring system with the mobile application will allow the real-time monitoring, seawater desalination system as well as fertilizers that give durians sweet creamy flavour and rich and smooth texture with a floral scent and soluble fibres.

The biggest problem was that local farmers had been affected by the saltwater intrusion causing the agricultural problems and they expected assistance from MHESI to bring technology and innovation to solve this issue.

TISTR will use arbuscular mycorrhiza to help improve salt stress and drought resistance. These fungi also enhance durian productivity, along with their own developed desalination filter to desalinate seawater from freshwater in durian plantations. While NSTDA will set up the water quality monitoring system with a mobile application that can be monitored at all times.

TU will regulate the plant root salinity defence mechanism to desalinate seawater from freshwater and allow the plant roots to find the nutrients from the proper areas which would improve the growth and resistance from drought and salt stress.

MHESI Secretary continued that besides solving the saltwater intrusion, MHESI had other technologies that are beneficial for durian cost reduction, productivity and quality enhancement. To help farmers TU and NSTDA would deploy these technologies.

Some of these technologies are IoT-based smart irrigation systems to manage water distribution in appropriate quantity from root transpiration and absorption that is dynamic in terms of temperature, humidity, transpiration and evaporation rate to save water and energy; Basin-Fertigation to increase the efficient use of water and fertilizers to increase fruit yield and give the sweet creamy flavor, rich and smooth texture with floral scent and soluble fibers to durians; Active bagging technology for the highest quality fruit packaging, Water management forecast for plantation according to Global GAP, Technology for fruit packaging materials that allows air flow through the package and smart irrigation controller and sensor via surrounding factors etc.

Impact with Care research video series by Lingnan University underscores support for UN SGDs

Posted on by Editorial Team

Lingnan University School of Graduate Studies has produced a series of “Impact with Care” videos in which Lingnan professors talk about their research projects and explain how they can directly benefit communities and society at large. The 16 videos are available to view here.

Lingnan’s focus on “Impact with Care” puts the University in a perfect position to promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Guided by the concept of ‘Impact with Care’, professors and students actively engage in identifying problems for research, finding appropriate ways for promoting positive social changes and human betterment,” says Professor Joshua Mok, Vice-President of Lingnan University, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

“Our postgraduate programmes and student learning are well informed by impactful research, fostering a culture of care in support of the UN SDGs.”

The video series features presentations about the University’s research in applied psychology, sociology, history, environment, economics, marketing and business, gerontechnology, conservation, sustainability, and big data.

In his video, Professor Stefan Kühner, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, says that about 50 per cent of children in Hong Kong report experiencing stress and other social problems, and recommends that the government listen to children’s voices when formulating policies.

“Professors should always show a duty of care about social progress in broader society, particularly for those leading less fortunate lives,” says Professor Kühner.

”As my academic interest centres on the critical social services across the life course, caring about children, working families and older adults are at the forefront of my endeavours to produce meaningful research outputs.”

The research of Dr Padmore Adusei Amoah, Research Assistant Professor, addresses global health and wellbeing issues. In his video, Dr Amoah discusses how factors like economic status affect wellbeing.

“The concept of ‘Impact with Care’ brings new meaning and motivation to research,” says Dr Amoah.

“It iterates that research is not for its own sake but as a means to connect the findings to the development of our society. I always ask myself how any research I do can benefit our society, and how the knowledge produced can be shared with the ordinary person.”

Lingnan’s excellence in research has been recognised internationally and locally. In the latest QS World University Rankings 2022, LU is classified as “Very High”, the best benchmark for its “Research Intensity”.

In the latest Research Assessment Exercise 2020 conducted by the University Grants Committee in Hong Kong, over 50 per cent of submitted research outputs were rated either World Leading (4-star) or Internationally Excellent (3-star), while its Sociology and Anthropology came first, and Accountancy, Philosophy, and Social Work and Social Policy came second among all local public universities in terms of the percentage of 4-star research work.

Lingnan scholars have also won important Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) fellowship awards for their outstanding research and achievements.

St. Petersburg Mining University demonstrates potential of plasma technology for producing ultra-pure corundum

Posted on by St. Petersburg Mining University

A research group from Saint Petersburg Mining University has conducted a series of successful experiments to produce corundum with a purity of over 99.999% using innovative plasma technology. With low-temperature plasma used for melting alumina in the reactor, contamination of the final product by electrode materials can be avoided, thereby ensuring its high quality.

Following the results achieved in this work, Mining University obtained a patent for a plasma furnace with multi-layer refractory lining. The invention helps improve the heat-balance control of the plasma furnace whilst enhancing the chemical purity of the corundum produced. To carry out the experiments, the researchers used a plasma torch of the Institute for Electrophysics and Electric Power of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The development of plasma nanotechnologies and new materials for the minerals sector is one of the promising areas of scientific work at the University. Amongst the most significant completed projects are the plasma technologies of manufacturing aluminium for metallurgy and hydrogen energy and the technologies of producing ultra-pure white corundum and sapphire glass.

The relevance of the work done comes from the fact that the current technologies of manufacturing corundum have been in use since the mid-20th century. By now, they have reached their maximum capacity, and a further increase in output within the traditional technology would cause a problem of growing energy intensity and power consumption. Yet, it would not ensure the required purity, hardness, and thermal stability of the final product.

The proposed technology involving the innovative plasma furnace to melt alumina opens up good prospects for industrial use. Victoria Kison, a PhD student in the Department of General and Technical Physics, is writing her thesis based on the empirical data from the experiments. Doctor of Physico-Mathematical Sciences Alexander Mustafaev, head of the department, supervises her work.

Synthetic corundum has numerous uses in a variety of industries. For white corundum, these include sandblasting, treating of hardened and tempered steels; it also serves as refractory and abrasives. Transparent corundum – leucosapphire – is used to make substrates for microchips, in optical devices, lasers, and for the manufacture of ultra-thin medical scalpels. The value of corundum is due to its hardness, which is 9 out of 10 on the Mohs scale. Diamond has the highest value of hardness. Corundum can also be used as a material for producing aluminium by electrolysis.

Chula’s Art4C rebrands, launches environmental exhibitions

Posted on by John.Ch

Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts (FAA) recently rebranded Art4C, its gallery and creative learning space, under the slogan: “Art for Life, Sustainability”. The three-story facility, located on the university’s Bangkok campus, was the venue for a live-streamed discussion, a seminar on marine pollution and fashion show on July 3, 2021, held under the title “RE-SCAPE: Bite Scape, Art Scape, Act Scape”.

The rebranding and launch of several related exhibitions were also held as part of the faculty’s active involvement in the Bangkok Design Week 2021.

The introductory discussion featured FAA Dean Professor Bussakorn Binson and Chupong Wangwattananan and was moderated by ART4C Director Haisang Javanalikhikara, the latter of whom introduced ART4C’s new collaborative partner Mr Wangwattananan, who is the owner of the Dragon Ink company. He has set up a new coffee shop on the ground floor of ART4C, Bite Scape, which is proving very popular with the university’s students.

This talk was followed by a seminar on plastic marine pollution (in 2019 Thailand was the 7th largest marine polluter in the world), which specifically discussed issues related to the exhibition, Plastic Sea, an interactive installation created by activist artist Witaya Junma and curated by Haisang Javanalikhikara. Junma utilised a ‘vortex machine’ to visually present plastic waste data in Thailand’s coastal waters from the Department of Marine Resources. The presenters were the artist Witaya Junma, Pornsri Suthanaruk (Deputy General Director of Department of Marine and Coastal Resources) and environmental activist Chanat Wutwikaikan; the seminar was moderated by Chanat Wutwikaikan of Kong Green Green.

ART4C Director Haisang noted a theme underlying all of these ambitious creative projects: “Artists and activists participated in these events to empower us to see that the environmental issues we face are so severe. They want to engage people in dealing with these issues so that we can all help heal the ecosystem. There isn’t any particular way to do this, so we must be creative and supportive.”

The third session brought together three well-known Thai environmental artists – Teeprang, Wishulada and Nee Fabritt – to discuss how to be creative through sustainable art practices. Teeprang recently held an exhibition, Liberated, at ART4C. Wishulada, a FAA alumni, is known for her use of recycled materials in her artworks. She created clothes and accessories using her distinctive style.

The sessions ended with a fashion presentation that featured a fashion show using recycled Thai fabrics, Recycle Rising by Lalalove and new fashion photography, Anusorn Mah Hua Nau (Memorial Outcast) by Akin Kanjanapokin (Teeprang). From 4 July to 11 July ART4C held related shows on each of its three floors: on the first floor Anusorn Mah Hua Nau by Teeprang, Ecological Expansion by Fabritt and MeClass, and Recycle Rising by Lalalove; on the second floor, Plastic Sea by Witaya Junma and Every Year is the Golden Year by Nin Narin (a collaboration between Narin and Lalalove); and on the third floor, Incarnate, by Wishulada.

Incarnate was inspired by Wishulada’s visit to Khao Yai National Park and her realisation that animals and nature are being destroyed by human behaviour. As with the Plastic Sea exhibition, Wishulada’s aim was to engage with her audience to make them aware of these critical environmental and ecological issues so that they can understand the need for change.

All the exhibitions at ART4C employed sustainable practices in the preparation and display of the artworks in order to reduce their carbon footprints. Due to the current pandemic situation, viewing was by appointment only.

ITS students design an eco-friendly electric car

Posted on by ITS Global Engagement

Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) students have designed an eco-friendly electric car called i-Deora. This innovation recently won 2nd place in the Car Design category at 2021 PLN Innovation & Competition in Electricity (ICE) event.

The students behind this innovation are the member of SACH-MOLINA ITS team. Muhammad Haekal Shafi, Ian Reyhan Junior, Fahreza Aji Taruna, Fikriyubi Fertomo, Rhema Agi Magiza, Muhammad Rumi Latif, Fahri Humaidi, Tengku Rafly Rizqulloh, Riqy Rizqyandra, and Athaariq Ardhiansyah are part of this team.

The leader of the team, Muhammad Haekal Shafi, explained that the development of i-Deora has prioritized not only the engine system but also the exterior and interior design itself, so that the car can become an everyday urban vehicle. Moreover, i-Deora has been designed using V-shape diagram rules.

The first stage was reviewing the existing literature, market needs, and potential ideas. After the first stage, the team continued with planning research on design, models, and engine specifications. Furthermore, i-Deora is expected to be produced for commercial purposes.

COVID-19 low-risk quarantine and treatment center at UiTM Kuala Terengganu campus

Posted on by Ts Dr Rajeswari Raju

Looking at the recent COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, the Malaysia National Crisis Preparedness and Response Center (CPRC) has reactivated the COVID-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Center (PKRC) at the UiTM Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu campus( also known as Chendering), one of the East Coast Education Hub. This is a precautionary measure to face the issue of increasing cases following the expansion of screening and increase in cases in Terengganu.

PKRC UiTM Terengganu (Chendering) was opened in phases with a maximum capacity of 1,128 beds after review and site visit by National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA). The first phase began when PKRC UiTM Chendering started operating on 21st January 2021 and the second phase took place on 12th May 2021. This PKRC is used to place COVID-19 patients in categories 1 & 2 who are not suitable to undergo home isolation after being screened by the COVID-19 Assessment Center (CAC) team.

This was made possible with the full support from the UiTM Terengganu Staff and students, The Rector, Prof Ts Dr Mazidah Puteh and The Deputy Rector, Assoc Prof Wan Dorishah Wan Abdul Manan. UiTM Terengganu is very proud to be together with the nation to support and fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

LCCM remains top UK contemporary music school for Student Satisfaction in NSS 2021

Posted on by Global University Systems

London College of Creative Media (LCCM) has again ranked top by overall student satisfaction amongst contemporary music institutions teaching music performance and music business in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2021.

In a year where COVID-19 has had a significant impact on student experience and satisfaction, LCCM scored above the sector benchmark, and its direct competitors, on overall satisfaction. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, LCCM students felt they had received useful information about challenges to my course from my university or college during the Covid-19 pandemic (85.7% vs 73% sector benchmark).

Elsewhere, the college recorded year-on-year improvement and above benchmark results in listening to the Student Voice (73.43%) and Assessment & Feedback (80.50%)
categories.

 Anthony Hamer-Hodges, Principal at LCCM, says: “Undoubtedly it has been a testing and
difficult time for third years, particularly on practical subjects like music. We did everything in our power to support our students in the last 18 months. This is reflected in the NSS results, with excellent feedback on teaching & assessment keeping us as sector leaders for a third year running with our overall Student Satisfaction score holding up well at 76.47.”

LCCM went above and beyond to support its students’ learning in a variety of ways during the pandemic including shipping drum kits, microphones and other equipment across London to students’ flats for assessments, innovating online teaching methods and re-opening for practical teaching as soon as permitted under government guidelines.

Elsewhere, students felt that their feedback on the course had been acted on, moving from just over 70% in 2000 to more than 82% in 2021, while they have said that they have received helpful comments on their work (85.29%).

The college is known for its expert tutors, which is reflected in the students’ comments, saying that staff are good at explaining things (91.18%) and made the subject interesting (85.29%). The practical nature of the courses is also reflected by students stating that my
course has provided me with opportunities to apply what I have learnt (88.24%).

Every year, the National Student Survey provides colleges, universities and other institutions with the opportunity to receive feedback from their students on key aspects of the learning experience.

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) and is carried out by the OfS on
behalf of the UK funding and regulatory bodies. NSS 2021 collected responses from
more than 332,500 students from 397 higher education institutions in England,
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Scientists from St Petersburg University discover at the Dead Sea a mineral previously only known in meteorites

Posted on by Alina Perevizintsova

Scientists from St Petersburg University, in cooperation with researchers from Germany, USA and Italy, have discovered terrestrial allabogdanite, (Fe,Ni)2P. It is a mineral that, until now, has been found only in the extraterrestrial substance of meteorites. The discovery was made in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, in the historical region of the South Levant in the Middle East. The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation and published in American Mineralogist.

The general view of the rock with allabogdanite-barringerite association. © Mineralogical Society of America.

Allabogdanite was first reported in the early 2000s from the Onello – a small iron meteorite recovered from the gold placer at the Bolshoi Dolguchan River in Eastern Yakutia. Chemically, the mineral belongs to phosphides – the compounds containing phosphorus in a negative oxidation state. It was named in honour of the crystallographer Alla Bogdanova. Since that, allabogdanite was identified in several iron meteorites.

The recent discovery at the Dead Sea is the first confirmation of the mineral on Earth. Allabogdanite was detected in the course of a systematic study of terrestrial phosphides from the Dead Sea region.

“Our research included the experiments on phase transitions of terrestrial allabogdanite at high pressure and high temperature at the DESY synchrotron light source in Germany,” said Sergey Britvin, the main author of the article, Professor in the Department of Crystallography at St Petersburg University.

“It has been found that terrestrial allabogdanite could be formed at pressures exceeding 25 gigapascals that corresponds to ca. 250 kbar. Such high pressures on Earth can be attained during catastrophic collisions with large meteorite impactors, or at the Earth’s mantle conditions, at a depth of more than 500 kilometres. However, the discovery of terrestrial allabogdanite is associated with the surface rocks of the Hatrurim Formation (also known as the Mottled Zone) in the Negev Desert in Israel. This is the area where natural cyclophosphates have been recently discovered, ” added Professor Sergey.

The Mottled Zone, or the Hatrurim Formation. (a) Areas of outcrops of the Mottled Zone (brown spots) in the South Levant. The largest territories are the Hatrurim basin (Israel) and the Daba-Siwaqa complex (Jordan). (b) The Hatrurim Basin in the Negev Desert, Israel, and the Halamish bed – the location of associations containing allabogdanite. © Mineralogical Society of America

Professor Sergey Britvin added that the discovery of allabogdanite in the historical region of the South Levant in the Middle East raises many questions related to the formation conditions of surficial rocks in this region.

Despite the fact that allabogdanite was discovered in meteorite almost 20 years ago, it was only in 2008 that it was shown that the mineral belongs to the indicators of high pressure. The results of current research evidence that terrestrial allabogdanite is a metastable high pressure phase. It was formed as a result of transformation from another mineral – barringerite, and was preserved under normal conditions as a result of quenching – an abrupt release of temperature and pressure.

East view of the Hatrurim Basin, Israel. © Mineralogical Society of America

‘This way excludes the possibility of allabogdanite formation as an intermediate phase from the elements under atmospheric pressure. This, in turn, raises a number of key questions regarding the origin of rocks in the Mottled Zone. Until now, no evidence for the large meteorite collisions or the rocks having Earth’s mantle origin has been found in the South Levant. However, such evidence might have been ‘erased’ from the Earth’s surface as a result of later processes of geological erosion. The discovery of allabogdanite justifies the necessity of further research in this direction,’ said Professor Sergey Britvin.

The research is supported by the grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project No 18-17-00079).

TUS scientists identify mefloquine as a promising drug against COVID-19

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

In the fight against COVID-19, scientists have been scanning their arsenals of previously used drugs in hopes of finding any that can be used to treat the disease. One of the contenders under scrutiny, an anti-malarial drug called mefloquine shows great promise, according to a new breakthrough study by a team of Japanese scientists, perhaps giving us a better fighting chance.

In a breakthrough study, a team of scientists—comprising Dr. Koichi Watashi, Kaho Shionoya, Masako Yamasaki, Dr. Hirofumi Ohashi, Dr. Shin Aoki, Dr. Kouji Kuramochi, and Dr. Tomohiro Tanaka from Tokyo University of Science (along with scientists from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Kyushu University, The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, and Science Groove Inc.)—have identified an anti-malarial drug, mefloquine (which is incidentally a derivative of hydrochloroquine), that is effective against SARS-CoV-2. Their findings are published
in Frontiers in Microbiology.

Detailing their modus operandi, lead scientist in the team Dr. Watashi says, “To identify drugs with higher antiviral potency than existing antivirals, we first screened approved
anti-parasitic/anti-protozoal drugs. We found that mefloquine had the highest anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity among the tested compounds. Upon testing it against other quinoline derivatives, such as hydrochloroquine, in a cell line mimicking the cell-based environments of human lung cells, we found it to be better.”

The team further explored mefloquine’s mechanism of action. Dr. Watashi explains the process, “In our cell assays, mefloquine readily reduced the viral RNA levels when applied at the viral entry phase but showed no activity during virus-cell attachment. This shows that mefloquine is effective on SARS-COV-2 entry into cells after attachment on cell
surface.”

Thus, to bolster mefloquine’s anti-viral activity, the scientists looked into the possibility of combining it with a drug that inhibits the replication step of SARS-CoV-2: Nelfinavir. Interestingly, they observed that the two drugs acted in “synergy” and the drug combination showed greater anti-viral activity than either showed alone, without being toxic to the cells in the cell lines themselves.

The scientists also mathematically modelled the effectiveness of mefloquine to predict its potential real-world impact if applied to treat COVID-19. What they predicted was that mefloquine could reduce the overall viral load in affected patients to under 7% and shorten the ‘time-till-virus-elimination’ by 6.1 days.

This study must of course be succeeded by clinical trials, but the world can hope that mefloquine becomes a drug used to effectively treat patients with COVID-19.