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Year: 2021

Sunway University School of Arts joins Cumulus Association

Posted on by Alyna Yong

Department of Art, Design and Media of the School of Arts (SOA) at Sunway University is pleased to be the third member of Cumulus, the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media, in Malaysia.

Cumulus is the only global association to serve art and design education and research. It is a forum for partnership and transfer of knowledge and best practices. Cumulus consists currently of 360 members from 63 countries.

As a member, Sunway University is part of an extensive network of design schools, including the Royal College of Art, Aalto University, Parsons School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), and the University of Edinburgh.

By joining Cumulus, Sunway University is placing itself into a role of being part of the international discussion regarding the future of the arts and design in general and, precisely, the role of art programmes in helping to create that future.

School of Arts at Sunway University is also allowed to join with academics and students worldwide in various forums, conferences, and exhibitions to explore issues of how art and design have a greater social significance. Sunway University hopes to offer undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff the opportunities to work with talented people around the world, creating networks for research and exhibition.

Professor Dr Kenneth Feinstein, Head of Department of Art, Design and Media at Sunway University, said, “As members of Cumulus, we will be part of a network of leading art and design schools. Being a member will allow us to create student exchanges with other members. It will allow other schools to know what we are going through the cumulus website and newsletter. Cumulus also has two annual conferences. Being part of the network, we hope to encourage our students and faculty to take a proactive role in exhibition and publication.”

“By increasing our profile internationally, the school will be able to attract more international students and staff.”

Cumulus aims at building and maintaining a dynamic and flexible academic forum that would bring together top-level educational institutions from all parts of the world. Cumulus collaborates not only with institutions and organizations from the field of art, design, and media; the encouragement of co-operation with industry and business is essential.

The University of Petra wins Tamayouz Excellence Award

Posted on by Dr. Ahmed El Qasem

The University of Petra has bagged awards at Tamayouz Excellence Award for Architecture 2020. The winning projects from the University of Petra were the only winning projects from Jordan in the category “Tamayouz Excellence Award for Iraqi Graduation Projects
2020”.

The first prize-winning project “Behind the Theater” by Layla Al Azzawi was supervised by MA Arch. Yasmine Soudi, and the honourable mention winning project “The Journey of Knowledge” by Toqa Alwan was supervised by Dr Hadeer Merza.

Both supervisors, Dr Hadeer Merza and MA Arch. Yasmine Soudi, were granted an honourable mention of the 2020 Hisham Munir Award. They have been recognized for their supervision and outstanding contribution towards the success of their students in the Tamayouz Excellence Award for Iraqi Graduation Projects 2020.

Furthermore, Dr Merza has been also recognized as “Tamayouz 2017 Iraqi Supervisor of the year” for her role as a supervisor, and for the outstanding contribution towards the success of her student Zainab Ayad in 2017 by “Tamayouz Award for Iraqi Architecture students.”

Tamayouz Excellence Award for Architecture is an international award established in 2012. It runs as an annual competition of about 1000 submissions. The Award grew over the years to include seven categories in 2019, with 100 volunteers and advisers. Every year,
Tamayouz launches a report of all finalists and winners.

Amity University professor honored with the “Ambassadors of Taste of the Global Gastronomy” Award

Posted on by Amity University Jaipur

Dr Saurabh Sharma of Amity School of Hospitality Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur has been presented with the Gold Medal under the category of “Ambassadors of Taste of Global Gastronomy 2021”.

The honorary title of Ambassadors of Taste for the Global Gastronomy is considered to be the highest in the field of gastronomy.  It is an internationally acclaimed institution of the respective field.

Dr Saurabh Sharma is an internationally acclaimed Executive Chef & Culinary Author for India currently serving Amity School of Hospitality at Amity University Rajasthan (Jaipur) and mentoring students in the field of World Cuisines especially in the area of sustainable food choices.

Scientists explore a new strategy for drug design that can help to keep bacteria away

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Scientists at Tokyo University of Science, Japan, engineered a long polymer with copper-containing side units that create regions with locally high copper density, boosting the antibacterial activity of hydrogen peroxide and paving the way to a new drug design concept.

Scientists are exploring a novel approach to boost the in vivo antibacterial activity of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a commonly used disinfectant. In a recent study published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications, a team led by Assistant Professor Shigehito Osawa and Professor Hidenori Otsuka reported their success in enhancing H2O2 activity using
carefully tailored copper-containing polymers.

To understand their approach, it helps to know how H2O2 acts against bacteria in the first place, and the role that copper plays. H2O2 can be decomposed into a hydroxyl radical (•OH) and a hydroxide anion (OH−), the former of which is highly toxic to bacteria as it readily destroys certain biomolecules. Copper in its first oxidation state, Cu(I), can catalyze the splitting of H2O2 into a hydroxyl radical and a hydroxide anion, turning into Cu(II) in the process through oxidation (Figure 1). Curiously, H2O2 can also catalyze the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I), but only if this reaction is somehow facilitated. One way to achieve this is to have Cu(II)-containing complexes get close enough together.

However, when using Cu(II)-containing complexes dissolved in a solution, the only way for them to come close together is by accidentally bumping into each other, which requires an excessively high concentration of copper.

The team found a workaround to this issue by drawing inspiration from cellular chemistry, as Dr. Osawa explains: “In living organisms, copper forms complexes with proteins to efficiently catalyze redox reactions. For example, tyrosinase has two copper complex sites in close proximity to each other, which facilitates the formation of reaction intermediates between oxygen species and copper complexes. We thought we could leverage this type of mechanism in artificially produced polymers with copper complexes, even if dispersed in a solution.”

With this idea, the researchers developed a long polymer chain with dipicolylamine (DPA) as copper-containing complexes. These DPA–copper complexes were attached to the long polymer backbone as “pendant groups.” When these polymers are dispersed in a solution, the Cu(II) atoms in the pendant groups are kept in close proximity and locally high densities, vastly increasing the chances that two of them will be close enough to be reduced to Cu(I) by H2O2. Through various experiments, the scientists demonstrated that the use of these tailored polymers resulted in higher catalytic activity for the splitting of H2O2 resulting in more OH• even for lower concentrations of copper. Further tests using Escherichia coli cultures showed that these polymers greatly enhanced the antibacterial potential of H2O2.

While the results of this study open up a new design avenue for antimicrobial drugs, there may also be useful applications in the food industry as well. “Because copper is an essential
nutrient for living organisms, the antibacterial agent developed in this study holds promise as an efficient food preservative, which could contribute to increasing the variety of foods that can be preserved over long shelf times,” highlights Dr Osawa.

KNU professor predicts the critical temperature of Cuprate Superconductors using machine learning

Posted on by Kyungpook National University ‏‏‎ ‎

Soo Ran Kim, a professor of Kyungpook National University in the Physics Education Department and Harvard University’s research team developed a critical temperature prediction equation for copper-based superconductors using machine learning and first principle calculation and proposed a new copper superconductor.

The results of the study were published in a July 8 cover paper of The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, an international journal of prestigious physics and chemistry. The first author is Dong Geon Lee, an undergraduate in physics education.

Cuprate superconductors are materials with the highest superconductivity critical temperature (the temperature at which resistance becomes ‘0’) at atmospheric pressure, and a clear mechanism of superconductivity has yet to be identified.

Professor Soo Ran Kim’s team developed a formula for cuprate superconductors using data-based machine learning technology without existing mechanisms. A new cuprate superconductor using Ga was proposed as a model developed in conjunction with this. A critical temperature similar to that of cuprate superconductors with the highest critical temperature was predicted for the proposed superconductor.

Professor Soo Ran Kim said, “This study is significant in that it developed a formulation of critical temperature that had never existed with high prediction using machine learning and first-principle calculation. It is also thought that it will help to understand the mechanisms of cuprate superconductors quantitatively and guide the experimental discovery of new superconductors. “We are currently working on another superconductor with machine learning.”

UiTM organizes international i-Talent 2021

Posted on by ASSOC PROF TS DR MOHD NOR BIN MAMAT

Universiti Teknologi MARA through the Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies (ACIS), has successfully organised their first International Islamic Talent (i-Talent) 2021 on 29th-30th May 2021. The large scaled international event was conducted virtually with an overwhelming response given by the public from all over the world as it reached over 7,000 views on Facebook.

The competition captured the competitive spirit of the youths across the globe with 210 student entries received from diverse institutions including 19 Public and Private Higher Educational Institutions. The event was also well received by all over the country, as well as international students with entries from Al-Azhar University, Egypt and Universitas Islam Nahdlatul Ulama Jepara (UNISNU), Indonesia. Throughout the event, students showcased their amazing talent, skills and charismatic personalities through six categories of the competition which were Al-Quran Recitation, Al-Quran Memorisation, Ikon Al-Fateh Discourse, Contemporary Nasyid Art, Jawi Calligraphy Art and Short Films.

Despite being in the Movement Control Order phase due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, i-Talent Competition 2021 was a success due to the collaborative effort by the Sekretariat Mahasiswa Fakulti (SMF), Muamalat Intellectual Society (MIS) and Halal Industry Management Society (HIMS). This kind of programme is specially designed to expose student’s talents and soft skills, in addition to academic excellence to achieve holistic objective of education. The event was sponsored by PDI Publication, Berjaya Land Berhad, Koperasi Islah Malaysia Berhad (KIMB) and Kelab Suri Berdikari Selangor.

I-Talent 2021 represented an opportunity for the students to shine their potential and a chance for them to be seen at their creative best in a global arena. This is inline with the aims of nurturing a holistic and comprehensive human development skills among the youths as it helps build cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills.

The competition received positive feedbacks from the participants as it boosted their self-confidence and further enhanced their leadership qualities and innovative skills. Indeed, as the future leaders of the country such skills need to be further developed among the young generation as they are the aspiration of the country. Their willingness to participate virtually should be applauded as it has shown their resilience as youths in adapting to the changes brought forward by the pandemic.

Due recognition for the success of the event should also be given to the UiTM executive management, in particular the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation, Profesor Ts Dr Mohd Nazip Suratman, who is acting as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs) as he officiated the Closing Ceremony and I-Talent 2021 virtual Prize Award Ceremony.

BOC–HKBU Chinese medicine community scheme offers free rehabilitation services to low-income stroke patients

Posted on by HKBUCPRO

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (HKSKH) Welfare Council have received a generous donation from the Bank of China (Hong Kong) (BOCHK) for the three-year “BOC–HKBU Chinese Medicine Community Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation Scheme”.

The Scheme provides free Chinese medicine rehabilitation treatments to 500 eligible low-income stroke patients and it also offers free preventive treatments and tracking assessments to 1,200 people who have a medium to high risk of having a stroke.

The launch ceremony for the Scheme was held on 29 July on the HKBU campus. Dr Cheung Wai-lun, Project Director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office, the Food and Health Bureau; Mr Jimmy Sun, General Manager of the Institutional Business Department, BOCHK; Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU; and Dr Lee Ching-yee, Director of HKSKH Welfare Council Limited, officiated at the ceremony.

In his speech, Professor Alexander Wai said the School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) at HKBU launched Hong Kong’s first full-time Chinese medicine undergraduate programme funded by the University Grants Committee in 1988. Since then, SCM has been providing Chinese medicine services to the community and promoting Chinese medicine education, research and healthcare services in Hong Kong.

“Apart from reducing public healthcare expenses, improving the quality of life of stroke patients, and increasing the success rate of rehabilitation initiatives, the BOC-HKBU Chinese Medicine Community Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation Scheme can also serve as a good example of how we can construct a community medical service management model based on collaboration between the Chinese medicine sector and the community,” he said.

Mr Jimmy Sun said: “BOCHK has all along taken a proactive approach to its social responsibilities, and it has continuously supported primary healthcare and the development of Chinese medicine. We have maintained a long-term partnership with HKBU in the area of Chinese medicine, including a donation to its School of Chinese Medicine to establish the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Chinese Medicines Centre in 2003, and the offering of Chinese medicine supplements for pneumonia prevention to frontline medical staff in collaboration with the University’s Anti-SARS Action Group in the fight against the SARS outbreak. In the future, BOC will continue to support the development of Chinese medicine so that more Hong Kong citizens can benefit.”

Dr Lee Ching-yee said the HKSKH Welfare Council has worked with SCM through a medical-community collaboration to set up community clinics since 2017. In particular, teachers and students from SCM visited elderly people in the Kowloon City district to follow up and deal with their physical pain problems. “The community clinics set up by this Scheme officially opened in January this year. In just half a year, the project team received more than 100 applications. With professional treatments administered by Chinese medicine practitioners and follow-ups organised by social workers, many successful cases have been observed,” she said.

Mr Wong Hon-kwong, a beneficiary of the Scheme who received half a year of free Chinese medicine and acupuncture services, said: “I could not open my left palm before, but I can now. My friends can see my progress.” His wife also said that he has improved his mobility. As a result,  he can now walk more smoothly, and these developments have boosted his self-confidence.

The BOC–HKBU Chinese Medicine Community Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation Scheme, which started in October 2020 and runs until September 2023, mainly serves people aged 60 or above who are Comprehensive Social Security Assistance or Old Age Living Allowance recipients, or stroke patients from low-income families. Stroke patients under the age of 60 who are in need of support can also join the Scheme after an assessment by social workers or a referral from one of the SCM clinics.

Under the Scheme, experts from SCM will form treatment teams and formulate a six-month treatment programme for stroke patients.

Patients will receive free Chinese medicine, acupuncture and massage treatments two to three times a week, up to 72 times in total. SCM will arrange for Chinese medicine practitioners to visit the patients, or alternatively, the practitioners will invite them to receive their treatments at the elderly centres of the HKSKH Welfare Council. It is expected that about 500 people will benefit from the Scheme. Furthermore, the Scheme will provide counselling and support services for older stroke patients and their family members.

In addition, SCM clinics and the HKSKH Welfare Council’s elderly centres will set up health management stations for stroke patients, with SCM offering training to suitable older people who can then go on and serve as Chinese medicine senior ambassadors for stroke prevention. Using a soon-to-be-launched website, the ambassadors will assess the risk of stroke in other older people in the community and promote stroke prevention messages.

Around 1,200 older people with a moderate to high risk of stroke will be referred to the HKSKH Welfare Council’s elderly centres to undergo a one-year preventive treatment programme and follow-up assessments. The website will also provide recommendations on balanced diets and appropriate exercises for people with a low to medium risk of stroke, and alert high-risk individuals to seek medical treatment.

Those who are interested in participating in the Scheme can call 6533 9972 or 2333 1854 for any enquiries, or they can complete the following online form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCoJwAYWDzOpxXvzkOYkRx0_7xB8GvZeuscb7B98jtiwItGA/viewform

Chula opens Gender Health Clinic to serve the transgender community

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

The King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital of the Thai Red Cross Society has founded a “Gender Health Clinic” in collaboration with faculty members from the Gender Medicine and Menopause, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University to provide a comprehensive health clinic to underline the importance of transgender in Thai society today.

In addition, this Gender Health Clinic is also a specialized learning center for doctors, medical students, and interested medical personnel. It is also an international research centre on transgender health in conjunction with the Center of Excellence in Transgender Health (CETH).

“The establishment of a Gender Health Clinic is meant to provide medical services specifically for transgender patients who previously could find no specialized clinics in this field. Patients use hormones, self-inject hormones, or take birth control pills haphazardly or wrongly do what their friends do.  Some people go to underground clinics and are not treated by specialists which is even more dangerous,” Associate Professor Krasian Panyakhamlert, M.D., Head of Gender Medicine and Menopause, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of  Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and founder of Gender Health Clinic elaborated.

Dr. Thanapob Bampenkiatkul, MD. Special Lecturer in Gender Medicine and Menopause,  Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, and a specialist at the Gender Health Clinic explained,” Consultation depends on the way an individual patient wants to change his/her body to feel good. We provide information on the safest and most appropriate ways to become the person he/she wants to be.”

Regarding Hormone replacement therapy for a sex change, a popular method used by transgender people to transform their physique into their desired gender, Amarin Suwan, M.D., a lecturer of Gender Medicine and Menopause, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, and a specialist at the Gender Health Clinic, opined, “Every person’s body is different and requires different drugs/doses to suit the body. Some people are better suited for pills taken orally, while others are better with topical drugs, or they may get the same drug but at different dosages, which the doctor will recommend the best.”

Most importantly, hormone replacement therapy is not for everyone.  People with breast cancer, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease (CAD), coagulopathy, polycythemia vera, or patients with abnormal liver or lipid profiles, etc. are barred from hormone therapy.

Dr. Thanapob said, “Transgenders have diverse needs.  For instance, most trans men want their ovaries and uterus gone because they don’t belong to their body, while some people don’t mind them as much.  Some may want to get pregnant or have vaginal sex, so they don’t have a hysterectomy, while only 3-4 per cent of all-trans men worldwide undergo penile reconstruction surgery. So, to each his own.”

The Gender Health Clinic offers gender reassignment surgery services for both transgender men and women, by working with a transgender surgery clinic.  The types of surgical procedures include breast reduction and breast enlargement,  hysterectomy, removal of ovaries, and fallopian tubes, penile and vaginal reconstruction, as well as castration, and other surgeries including hips augmentation, Adam’s apple sharpening, jaw sharpening, face shape change.

Adolescents under 18 years of age are treated on a case-by-case basis. The clinic has specialized endocrinologists and child and adolescent psychiatrists from the Integrative Adolescent Health Clinic. All of this is for service recipients to have a better quality of life and mental health.

Among other services, the Gender Health Clinic also offers counselling services for gender-related health problems, such as menopause, vaginal dryness, endocrinological disorders related to sex hormones, and the consequential unsatisfying sex, such as lack of sex drive, pain from sexual intercourse, etc.

Russian Academy of Sciences confers medal on TPU Student

Posted on by Tomsk Polytechnic University

The results of the 2020 Competition for a Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences for Young Scientists of Russia and Students of Higher Educational Institutions of Russia for the Best Research Works have been announced.

According to the results of the 2020 Competition in Physicotechnical Problems of the Energy Industry, Kristina Paushkina, a second-year graduate student of the TPU School of Energy and Power Engineering, was conferred the medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences for her research work “Scientific Rationale of the Application Perspectives of Energetically, Environmentally and Economically Efficient Composite Fuels in Heat Power Engineering”. Kristina’s research supervisor is Dmitry Glushkov, Associate Professor of the TPU Research School of High-Energy Physics.

“The research is the continuation of research works under the supervision of Pavel Strizhak, Professor of the TPU Butakov Research Center. There was conducted experimental and theoretical research of the ignition process and combustion of composite fuels based on waste coal adding combustible municipal solid waste. There were researched not only the characteristics of ignition and combustion but also the ecological ones, such as the concentration of sulphur oxide and nitrogen in flue gases. Based on the obtained data, there was developed a feasibility study of the application of the obtained fuels at the existing facilities of the heat power engineering industry on the example of Kemerovo Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast and Tomsk Oblast,” Kristina Paushkina says.

The Competition is held to identify and support talented young researchers, to contribute to the professional growth of scientific youth, to encourage creative initiatives of young scientists of Russia and students of higher educational institutions of Russia in conducting research.

Annually, the Russian Academy of Sciences confers 21 medals with prizes of 50,000 rubles each on young scientists for the best research works and 21 medals with prizes of 25,000 rubles each on students of higher educational institutions of Russia.

Japanese Consulate meets ITS to strengthen cooperation,

Posted on by ITS Global Engagement

Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) welcomed a virtual visit from the Consulate General of Japan in Surabaya on Wednesday (7/7). The visit was attended by the newly elected Japanese Consulate General, Mr Takeyama Kenichi and his staff. From ITS, the visit was attended by ITS Rector, Prof. Dr Ir. Mochamad Ashari M.Eng., along with other members of ITS Executive Board and staff.

Through this visit, Mr Takeyama intended to strengthen cooperation with ITS and to develop more projects with ITS and Indonesia. Prof. Ashari, in his remarks, stated that ITS
partnerships with Japan, especially with some of the best universities in Japan, have been going very well for a long time.

Considering the major development of Japanese technology and innovation, Prof. Ashari wished to initiate more collaborations with Japan because it is about time that universities become educational centres and enhance entrepreneurship activities. Regarding the opportunities, ITS Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Alumni, Bambang Pramujati, PhD explained that ITS has 10 productive
research centres and is expected to cooperate further with universities in Japan.


Two parties hoped that this meeting would mark the new chapter of relations between ITS and Japan.