Year: 2021

The scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University with colleagues from Keysight company have jointly conducted an experiment with an electron beam at the TPU microtron to study a super-radiant regime that occurs when radiation is generated by a train of electron bunches.

The research findings obtained by a high-precision measurement of a spectral line width proved that about 8,000 electron bunches in a super-radiant regime form monochromatic Cherenkov radiation. This experiment was conducted for the first time. The fundamental research findings are published in the Scientific Reports academic journal (IF: 4.120, Q1) and can be used for further research on the new sources of radiation in the terahertz range.

Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) have jointly developed the Spermine Risk Score which, coupled with the use of a urine test, provides a non-invasive and more reliable method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

In a study conducted by the researchers, about 37% of the patients, who were ultimately found to have no prostate cancer, can avoid undergoing a prostate biopsy procedure. The findings have just been published in the scientific journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases.

In search of a more reliable and non-invasive method for prostate cancer diagnosis, Professor Gary Wong Ka-leung, Professor and Head of the Department of Chemistry at HKBU, and Professor Ng Chi-fai and Dr Peter Chiu Ka-fung, Professor and Associate Professor respectively of the Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery at CU Medicine, have collaborated since 2014 to identify a new biomarker to supplement the PSA test. They found that prostate cancer patients in general have lower levels of spermine, a biogenic molecule in their urine, which offers a clue for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

To investigate the diagnostic performance of spermine, the research team recruited 905 patients between 2015 and 2019 to participate in a study. All of them had elevated PSA levels and/or abnormal DRE, with a prostate biopsy scheduled.

Among the 905 patients, 600 of them who had PSA levels ranging from 4 to 20 ng/mL were included in the analysis. Their urine samples were collected before they underwent a biopsy procedure. The biopsy results showed that out of the 600 patients, 185 (30.8%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

At the same time, the urine samples of these 600 patients were also analysed. The results found that about 49% of the patients with spermine levels in the lowest quartile had prostate cancer, which was nearly triple the number of patients in the highest quartile (17%). The research team then used the urine spermine level figures and three other clinical parameters, namely DRE, PSA level and prostate volume, to develop the Spermine Risk Score, with the objective of offering a more accurate estimation of patients’ prostate cancer risk.

The higher the Spermine Risk Score, the greater the patient’s risk of developing prostate cancer. Only patients with Spermine Risk Scores higher than 6.2 will be advised to undergo the biopsy procedure. Based on Spermine Risk Scores calculated with data collected from the study, about 37% of the non-cancer patients could have avoided the biopsy procedure. Moreover, the negative predictive value of the Spermine Risk Score for significant prostate cancer is 95%, which means the chance of no significant cancer is 95% if the value of the Score is negative.

Dr Chiu concluded the findings by highlighting that, “This study confirms that urine spermine and the Spermine Risk Score are effective at identifying men at higher risk of prostate cancer and the test could help reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies.”

“It is the first prospective study to investigate the efficacy of urine spermine in prostate cancer detection. It successfully demonstrated that the Spermine Risk Score, developed based on patients’ urine spermine levels and other clinical parameters, can serve as a novel and promising approach to address the limitations of the diagnostic methods currently in use,” said Professor Wong.

“Although there are a number of blood and urine adjuncts to guide prostate biopsy decisions in patients with elevated PSA levels, urine spermine is a convenient non-invasive test that doesn’t require another blood test or attentive DRE before specimen collection. Thus it minimizes any potential complications associated with the procedures,” said Professor Ng.

More than 200 participants comprising students from the Faculty of Business and Management (FBM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia together with residents from Maple Hillpark, Puncak Alam took part in a “Gotong Royong Serentak Maple-HEALSS” in December 2020.

The “Gotong-royong” program meaning communal work was done within the neighborhood and aimed not only at physical cleaning but also, more importantly, to strengthen ties among families and neighborhood. This program is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 that calls for cities and human settlements to be inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

This program, a communal wok was organized by the Maple Hillpark Residence Association (MPHRA) and Health Administration League for Students Society (HEALSS), Bachelor of Health Administration (Hons.), UiTM. All the participants were constantly reminded to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to wear masks, wear gloves and observe social distancing during the cleaning activity of both the house and the surroundings.

The organizers also hired a sanitation company to sanitize the Maple neighborhood park which includes a children’s playground, a basketball court, a reflexology center, BBQ area and a multipurpose area.

The program advisor, Mr Mohamad Naqiuddin Md Mansor from Maple Hillpark, a FBM lecturer, and Ms. Aina Insyirah Norazizi, President of HEALSS, organized a few online activities during this program using cisco webex. The exciting programs included Zumba Online, the Snap & Win Contest and a Health Webinar.

Dr Mohamad Mu’izuddin Bin Senin, a medical practitioner with Dr Muiz Clinic, Sri Pristana in his “Stop COVID-19 Spread, Fight Dengue” webinar reminded the audience that both dengue and COVID-19 can cause severe illnesses that can be fatal. He shared crucial information on effective outbreak containment strategies for dengue, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledged the effort of the organizer in organizing this gotong-royong in a new norm.

In the closing ceremony, Dr Noor’ain Mohamad Yunus, Head of Department of International Business and Management Studies (DIBMS), and Mr. Mohd Fuad Awang Kechik, Treasurer (acting President) of MPHRA highlighted a potential collaboration between the community and the educational institution in future projects.

The ceremony was inaugurated by Professor Dr Souvik Bhattacharyya, Vice-Chancellor, BITS, Pilani as the Chief Guest followed by Mr. Suresh Menon, Vice President & General Manager- Eastern Region, TCS and Professor (Dr.) S.P.Singh, Vice-Chancellor, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati as the Guests of Honour.

The energy consumption of a new artificial visual system developed through joint research led by the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) can be reduced by over 90% per synaptic event when compared to synapses in the human brain.

The new system’s low energy usage will be a boon to the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI), helping to perform data-intensive cognitive tasks as effectively as the human brain.

The findings of the research team led by Professor Johnny Ho Chung-yin, Associate Head in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at CityU, have been published in Science Advances titled “Artificial visual system enabled by quasi-two-dimensional electron gases in oxide superlattice nanowires”.

Scientists have been trying to develop AI computers that can be as light, energy-efficient and adaptable as the human brain. Communication between neurons occurs at tiny gaps called synapses in the human brain. An artificial synapse mimics the brain’s efficient neural signal transmission and memory formation process.

To enhance the energy efficiency of artificial synapses, Professor Ho’s research team has introduced quasi-two-dimensional electron gases (quasi-2DEGs) into artificial neuromorphic systems for the first time.

The team has designed quasi-2DEG photonic synaptic devices using their newly developed oxide superlattice nanowires, a kind of semiconductor that allows the electrons to move freely in the superlattice interface.

These devices can achieve record-low energy consumption, down to sub-femtojoule (0.7fJ) per synaptic event. This translates as a decrease of 93% in energy consumption when compared with synapses in the human brain.

Upon exposure to light pulse, a series of reactions between the oxygen molecules in the environment and free electrons inside the oxide superlattice nanowires was induced, changing the conductance of the photonic synapses and resembling that seen in the biological synapse. Hence the quasi-2DEG photonic synapses can mimic how the neurons in the human brain transmit and memorize signals.

“The special properties of the superlattice nanowire materials enable our synapses to have both photo-detecting and memory functions simultaneously. Our device can save energy as there is no need to construct additional memory modules for charge storage in an image sensing chip,” explained Professor Ho.

This artificial visual system could accurately and efficiently detect a patterned light stimulus and “memorize” the shape of the stimuli for as long as an hour. “It is just like how our brain remembers what we see for some time,” said Professor Ho.

He adds, “Our experiments have demonstrated that the artificial visual system with our photonic synapses could simultaneously perform light detection, brain-like processing and memory functions in an ultralow-power manner. We believe our findings can provide a promising strategy to develop bionic devices, electronic eyes, and multifunctional robotics in the future.”

Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thammasat University, Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), and Thai Electrical, Electronics, Telecommunications Association organized the “FTI meets SIIT” event.

FTI meets SIIT is an activity held to exchange information between the academic and industrial sector. The purpose is to produce qualified graduates for the industrial sector and develop industrial personnel to support changing technology in the digital transformation era and Digital IoT Development Academy (DIDA) in the future.

Mr.Supant Mongkolsuthree, Chairman of Federation of Thai Industries, and Assoc.Prof.Gasinee Witoonchart, President of Thammasat University, delivered the opening remarks. Activities in the event include a discourse on “Experience in Working in Collaboration with Various Universities” and “Experience in Building Collaboration between SIIT and Industrial Sector”.

Furthermore, representatives from public and private sectors can attend a Focus Group about various topics like smart technology and innovation to increase construction efficiency and sustainable maintenance, improving productivity with automated manufacturing and Lean IoT systems, technology, material innovation, and production systems that focus on value addition, innovation and computer technology for new industries, and bio-renewable green economy.

SIIT, founded by the Federation of Thai Industries, the Japan Federation of Economic (Keidanren), and Thammasat University in 1992, is dedicated to developing engineers, technology specialists, and senior researchers who are proficient in English and can lead to the development of Thai industries. SIIT regularly collaborates with industrial sectors.

SIIT has built a research center, research unit, consulting center, and training center in order to conduct research work and perform consulting operations.

A joint research team led by the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has successfully achieved elastic straining of the diamond at an unprecedented level, a breakthrough that heralds a new diamond age in the utilization of the gemstone in microelectronics, photonics, and quantum information technologies.

The research results show that microfabricated single-crystalline diamond tensile sample can attain a maximum uniform elastic strain of up to 9.7%, which is close to the theoretical elastic deformation limit of a diamond.

These groundbreaking results were produced by a team co-led by Dr Lu Yang, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MNE) at CityU, in collaboration with experts from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), and others.

Their findings have been published in the prestigious journal Science under the title “Achieving large uniform tensile elasticity in microfabricated diamond”.

With its ultra-high thermal conductivity and exceptional carrier mobility, diamond is not only the hardest material in nature but also a promising electronic material that can tolerate high power and high-frequency applications.

“We microfabricated single-crystalline diamond into bridge-like structures from a solid piece of diamond crystal with a well-defined crystalline orientation, and achieved sample-wide large uniform strains under our tensile platform,” said Dr Lu.

“We also showed that in the process of uniaxial tensile straining, the change in the crystal structure of diamond will reduce its electronic bandgap, making its application in electronic devices possible.”

Experiment results found that diamond bridges of about 1 micrometer in length and 100-nanometer thickness can sustain a highly uniform elastic strain distribution of about 7.5% across the sample, as characterized by Dr Lu’s tailor-made nanomechanical tensile platform in a controllable manner.

By further optimizing the sample geometry according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard, the team demonstrated that some bridge samples achieved a maximum tensile strain of up to 9.7%. “It surpasses the local maximum strain value in our 2018 research,” said Dr. Lu.

To assess the impact of such large elastic strains on the electronic property of diamond, the team performed theoretical calculations according to the applied tensile strains in experiments and found that the bandgap of the diamond generally decreases as the tensile strain increases, with the largest bandgap reduction rate down from about 5 eV (electron volt) to 3 eV at about 9% strain along a certain crystallographic orientation, which would greatly facilitate diamond’s electronics applications and boost a device’s performance.

China has become a popular destination for international students to study because it is a global leader in technology, manufacturing, and economy, and its welcoming gesture for cooperating with most countries.

Many Chinese companies have established offices in overseas locations and in need of hiring graduates who have studied in China, therefore a growing trend of young people interested in coming to China to study has shown.

Fazila Jalil, from Lahore, Pakistan, is one of the international students on full scholarship by China Scholarship Council, studying in the School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University.

“It is true that in the world, China is a sign of ambition, hard work, and achievement. Links between Pakistan and China over the years prove that China is an excellent opportunity for Pakistani students for developing their interest and skills,” Fazila says.

Fazila enrolled in Master of Logistics Engineering, one of the English-taught programs offered in BJTU. Logistics engineering is a field of engineering between technology and management that is closely linked to transport and traffic engineering, management science and engineering, industrial engineering, computer technology, etc.

Being the top major of logistics management in the country, faculty members of Logistics Management of the School of Economics and Management, BJTU, work closely with the logistics industry to keep the program with the most relevant topics in the world.

Beijing Jiaotong University is one of the top national key universities in China with a focus on railway transportation, and graduates of BJTU are widely employed in the transportation and logistics industry in China and worldwide.

Studying in China has built Fazila’s confidence for pursuing career in the fast-growing logistics industry.

“I am convinced that China is the best place for studying engineering, trade, economics, and social exchange for Pakistani students,” she concludes.

The UT MARA Debating Society and student affairs department from Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia (UiTM) organized an international online debate tournament known as Restricted MARA Open (RMO) in July 2020.

This program successfully gathered about 300 participants from established universities in the world including Harvard University and Cambridge Union Society. The RMO aimed to allow the debating circuit to be filled with diversity due to the accessibility and outreach via the online platform.

This online tournament aimed to ensure that debaters were able to debate in spite of physical challenges due to COVID-19. The motion in the tournament was centered around international relations, education, philosophy, and legal issues that require debaters to think the motions critically and rationally.

Apart from that, this tournament offered a training ground for top-notch teams to train for the other international major tournaments.

Our spectacular adjudication core of RMO 2020 comprised Silla Alam from UT MARA, Brian Wong from the University of Oxford, and Inna Fermin from Ateneo de Manila University. The adjudicators from across the globe judged the tournament with diverse feedback.

The tournament ended by having Avinash and Wee Ern from Malaysia’s Worlds School A&W team as the champions for the Open Grand Finals. While Arjun Gunalan and Muikhail Taufiq as the champions from Malaysia’s Worlds School More and More team in the Novice Grand Finals

International participants gave positive feedback regarding the way the whole program was facilitated and smoothly run. Many UiTM participants responded that “the tournament was very beneficial due to different exposure and different points of views from participants who came from various parts of the world uniting for the love of debating”.

“We hope that online tournaments will still be held in the future for great debaters to gain experience, from the comfort of their home as well as making debating an accessible sport,” said Silla Alam, UT MARA adjudication core for RMO 2020.