Login
Register

Month: May 2022

Taipei Medical University, Yokohama University of Pharmacy reveal coriander effects on aging

Posted on by Taipei Medical University

Aging is a common problem faced by many societies around the world, and in Taiwan and Japan, issues around aging are pressing more than ever.

The health problems caused by aging also lead to the resource burden derived from long-term care, of which dementia constitutes the largest need for care with no effective drug treatment at the moment, and researchers are in search of ways to prevent aging related cognitive dysfunction, nutritional supplements, and effective dietary patterns.

Coriander as a natural spice for both medicinal and culinary use is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is also rich in polyphenols and is a powerful antioxidant. Taiwan produces an abundance of coriander each year, while in Japan, coriander is representative of healthy vegetables.

The academia and industry have jointly established the Japanese Coriander Society, which focuses on coriander-related research, including the methods of planting, eating and processing coriander, and its functional development.

In 2018, Professor Suh-Ching Yang from Taipei Medical University, School of Nutrition and Health Sciences began an international joint research with Professor Yasuo Watanabe, president of the Japanese Coriander Society and director of General Health Medical Center of Yokohama University of Pharmacy, on “Evaluating the Effects of Coriander in Improving Cognitive Dysfunction in Aging.”
Using SAMP8 aging mice as the animal model, the research team found that, with alcohol extraction, the extract from coriander seeds can improve the antioxidant capacity of the prefrontal lobe of the aging mice and delay memory and learning ability decline. The research teams in Taiwan and Japan jointly published a paper and were invited to share their research findings with the wider scholarly community, which is the demonstration of successful international research collaboration between both parties.

Green campus concept relaunched at KazNARU

Posted on by Rafis Abazov

A team of young scholars, teachers, and students at KazNARU presented the preliminary concept of the green campus project as a part of a series of lectures and public presentations about youth initiatives and innovations on sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The brainstorming and discussions started in early 2022 and included the development and integration of new ideas, the startup pitches, and the innovations into the concept of the green campus. Young scholars and students have analyzed not only the theoretical aspects of ‘greening’ partnership and action plans but also the practical aspects of integrating the results of innovative students’ research studies and startups into the implementation process of sustainable development goals.

This project envisions the relaunch of the idea of a green campus that unfortunately received less attention and effort during the COVID-19 pandemic and related to the closures of universities around the world. Indeed, the concept of the green campus has a long history and has been implemented over more than three decades mainly in developed countries in the west.

In 2015, this concept receive a significant additional push with the introduction of sustainable development goals as a UN agenda until 2030. With the introduction of SDGs, many universities especially student organizations not only in developed countries but also in the developing world started rethinking the ways how they can implement more effectively the concept of greening their campuses. This is especially essential for achieving the implementation of sustainable development goals, increasing the contribution to the reduction of pollution, energy consumption, and mitigating the negative aspects of climate change.

The Rector of KazNARU Tlektes I. Yespolov highlighted that the universities in the region have been already for many years working on implementing the concept of green campus in many localities with the aim to make the campuses more user-friendly for students and educators by using new technologies and new innovative approaches. In this context, KazNARU has a unique advantage, which is related to the fact that this university intensively works on experimenting with various vegetations and selecting plants, bushes, and trees for urban habitat. Students and faculty focus on identifying plants that are more effective in absorbing heat, and air pollution, sustainable in surviving in the modern urban environment, and improving their steadiness through the selection process.

Indeed, some principles of the concept of the green campus are very simple and include familiar elements and steps. At the same time technical development, innovations, and creative thinking allow for integrating the latest technologies and ICT achievements into improving life on the campuses and making them greener and more sustainable.

The creativity initiatives of students allow finding new approaches and ideas to solving old problems. For example, during the 2021–2022 academic year, the students of KazNARU developed more than 15 small and not-so-small startups and innovations.

For example, they initiated planting and replanting flowers, bushes, and trees inside and outside their campuses. They also promoted switching from plastic to reusable bottles and created dynamic video presentations about their visions of green campuses for national and international competitions and events, such as the international “Creative spark – big idea challenge”. There is also a plan to integrate ideas of teaching about sustainable development into KazNARU’s MBA/EMBA programs.

Professor Rafis Abazov, Director of the Institute for green and sustainable development at KazNARU highlighted that the future of a green economy and green development starts not only with large plans and agendas but also with the implementation of concrete sustainable development goals in the concrete localities. For example, many small but concrete green campus actions at universities and innovative green projects developed by young people and students will take us hundreds of small steps forward in saving our planet. He quoted great traveler and naturalist Roberts Swan “The greatest threat to our plant is the belief that someone else will save it for us!”

The photo is courtesy of Rafis Abazov, Institute for green and sustainable development, KazNARU

New biomaterial to heal wounds discovered by HITK alumnus and team

Posted on by Partha

The utility of antibiotics to heal bacterial infections suffered a damage with the advent of multi-drug resistant pathogens, and it was high time for the researchers to develop other ways of curing such bacterial infections.

In this context, few scientists had developed a new biomaterial that can be used to heal the wounds and accelerate the process of healing. The same was used in mouse models for a trial run that proved to be successful. The research findings were published in the journal ‘Biomaterials Science’. The research work was done by a group of scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, IIT Delhi and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar.

Proud to state that Dr. Amit Jaiswal, Associate Professor, IIT Mandi and an alumnus of Heritage Institute of Technology (HITK) B.Tech-Biotechnology, 2008 Batch had been a part of this research team which discovered such a wonderful way to disinfect wounds.

The newly made Biomaterial discovered by the scientists had been derived from polymer pullulan which is secreted by the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans. As told by Dr. Jaiswal that the use of biomedicine as an antimicrobial biomaterial had not been explored much.

Pullulan as a biomaterial is commercially used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry for its non-toxic, non-mutagenic and non-immunogenic properties. Moreover it is easy to manufacture as well.

The newly discovered biomaterial can be used in gel form as well. To get optimum result, the same can be used to make hydrogel-based wound dressings.
Visit us : www.heritageit.edu

Canadian College of Technology & Business launches six new programmes to develop tech talent

Posted on by Global University Systems

Canadian College of Technology and Business (CCTB) announced the launch of six new programmes designed to address the growing skills gap in the technology sector, as well as provide a potential pathway for international students to immigrate to Canada.

The new programmes are: Diploma in Cybersecurity Risk Management, Diploma in Data Engineering and Analytics, Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Diploma in Software Quality Assurance Engineering, Diploma in User Experience and Interactive Design and Diploma in Business Management.

The programmes provide students with a paid CO-OP component. CCTB’s CO-OP work placement experience represents 50% of the total programme duration. Students will be given the opportunity to apply their newly acquired skills within the industry through a guaranteed paid work experience provided by CCTB’s Career Development Centre’s professional network.

Reviewed and approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training, the programmes are currently available for intakes in May and September 2022. The programmes also align with the Government of British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program Tech, also known as BC PNP Tech programme. It was introduced in 2017 to assist BC employers in finding international tech talent to fill positions in in-demand occupations across the province. The CO-OP component of the programmes offered by CCTB gives students with tech and IT skills a unique pathway to immigrate to BC.

Commenting on the launch, Chris Velasco, President of CCTB said: “I am very excited to offer these new programmes to Canadian and international students alike. It is a reflection of CCTB’s continued academic investment to help meet the growing talent needs of an evolving technology sector and prepare a talent pipeline that will drive economic growth in the region and beyond.

“Furthermore, work placement experience offered via these programmes offer students with the practical skills required in the workplace to be able to kickstart their journey and successfully thrive in their chosen career paths. I look forward to welcoming students onboard.”

For more information on the admission requirements, please visit https://www.canadianctb.ca/.

UNAIR’s lecturer receives award of Golden Squirrel Tail in the Netherlands

Posted on by Universitas Airlangga News

A lecturer from Universitas Airlangga Department of English Language and Literature, Dewi Meyrasyawati SS MA M Hum, never thought would receive the Golden Squirrel Tail award from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Netherlands because the previous recipient of the award was a local staff from the Netherlands.

Golden Squirrel Tail is an annual award by the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The department is the place where Dewi is currently studying for her doctorate education. Dewi is deemed to have given a significant contribution to the department.

Thus, she received the award.

From her colleagues’ viewpoint
Many staff from her department consider Dewi a hardworking person. One of them was the Research Manager of the Department, Dr Marina de Regt.

In her speech, Dr Marina saw Dewi as a hardworking woman. Almost every day, Dewi always came to the campus. “Perhaps to the board members, this is an amazing work ethic. Especially for women,” Dewi revealed.

Besides taking her doctorate, Dewi must divide her focus along with her attention to family. Both of her children came along to live in the Netherlands, while her husband stayed in Indonesia with one other child.

Cultural differences between Indonesia and Netherlands also brought Dewi to achieve the award. Indonesians are known to be friendly.

Indonesian-ism
“One time, one of my supervisors came to Indonesia to join fieldwork of my research about women wearing hijab. In our culture (Indonesia, ed), if there is a guest, we must treat them well. He then was happy with the kind hospitality, which became a positive assessment for him,” explained Dewi.

Furthermore, Dewi often introduces and shares Indonesian food with the campus staff. “Netherland foods are usually minimalistic. While our food is more flavorful, they were delighted to taste it,” Dewi added.

Dewi said that the staff loved the fried rice and fried noodles. Moreover, because the Netherland people are vegetable lovers, Dewi often added vegetables to her cooking.

Dewi also actively participated in the deep democracy (consultative, ed) forum held in her department. Dewi expressed the importance of unity and a warm sense of kinship in the forum, just as her first impression when she became a part of the department. Furthermore, in the forum, Dewi shared her experience when she was a victim of racism in Australia.

“That time, I was taking a master’s study in Australia. I responded to that racism by looking through different perspectives so it will not cause a never-ending conflict,” she explained.

HKBU joint research reveals gut microbial enzymes reactivate triclosan which induces colitis

Posted on by HKBUCPRO

A Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) collaborative research study has revealed that certain gut microbial enzymes mediate the reactivation of triclosan (TCS) from its inactive glucuronide metabolite. TCS is an antimicrobial agent commonly used in a wide range of consumer products, and it is associated with the development of colitis.

The research results have been published in Nature Communications, an international scientific journal.

Mechanism of TCS exposure leading to colitis previously unclear

TCS is widely used as an antimicrobial agent in consumer products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, hand sanitisers, cosmetics and toys. It is a major environmental contaminant, and it has been shown that TCS exposure increases the risk of colitis.

Once TCS enters the human body, it is rapidly metabolised to form the biologically inactive metabolite TCS-glucuronide (TCS-G), which is easily eliminated from the body. Due to this characteristic, the mechanism of how environmental exposure to TCS leads to gut toxicity in the human body has previously remained unclear.

To answer this question, a research team co-led by Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis at HKBU; Professor Matthew R Redinbo from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Professor Zhang Guodong from the University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted a research study based on the hypothesis that certain gut microbial enzymes act on TCS-G in the gut, leading to the reactivation of TCS and the subsequent development of colitis.

TCS concentration uniquely high in the gut

To begin with, the research team sought to determine whether the gut has a different TCS metabolic profile compared to other body tissues. A group of mice were fed food that contained TCS. After four weeks, it was found that the biologically inactive TCS-G was dominant in their liver, bile, heart and small intestine, while the colitis-inducing TCS was dominant in the gut (cecum and colon). The results showed that the gut has a uniquely high concentration of TCS compared to other body tissues.

The research team then analysed the relationship between TCS-containing products and the concentration of TCS in the human body. In a group of human subjects who used TCS-containing personal care products for four months, both TCS and TCS-G were detected in their stool and urine samples, with TCS being dominant in stool and TCS-G being dominant in urine. However, TCS and TCS-G were not detected in the control group who used TCS-free personal care products. The results showed that the use of TCS-containing products leads to a high level of TCS, specifically in the human gut.

Gut microbiota significant in TCS-G conversion

The question remains why the human gut has a uniquely high TCS concentration. To answer this, the research team put forth the hypothesis that gut microbiota participate in the conversion of TCS-G to TCS, leading to the accumulation of TCS in the gut.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers observed that in an in vitro setting, cultured gut bacteria from both mice and humans were able to catalyse the conversion of TCS-G to TCS. To investigate whether the same phenomenon appears in an in vivo setting, the research team found that the inhibition of gut bacteria from mice by applying an antibiotic treatment almost reduced the concentration of TCS in their guts by half, and it increased the concentration of TCS-G by six-fold. The results affirmed that gut microbiota play a significant role in the conversion of TCS-G to TCS in the gut.

Specific enzymes catalyse TCS-G conversion

To investigate the mechanism by which gut microbiota catalyse TCS-G conversion, the research team focused on the intestinal β-glucuronidase (GUS) enzymes produced by gut bacteria in both mice and humans, because they have been shown to catalyse a wide range of metabolite conversions. Using a series of screening techniques, two types of GUS, namely “Loop 1” and “flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-binding” GUSs, were found to be most effective at converting TCS-G to TCS in vitro.

The research team then applied a GUS inhibitor, a drug that inhibits the function of Loop 1 and FMN-binding GUSs, to TCS-exposed and TCS-free mice. It was found that the GUS inhibitor could curb the conversion of TCS-G to TCS by the GUS enzymes. Colitis in TCS-exposed mice was also relieved after the application of the GUS inhibitor. The results support the notion that specific microbial GUS enzymes drive the conversion of TCS-G to TCS, and as a result, the chance of developing colitis is increased.

More stringent TCS controls needed

Professor Cai said: “Our research results clearly defined the mechanism by which gut microbiota are involved in the metabolism and toxicology of TCS, and the study offers a way to prevent the development of colitis following environmental exposure to chemicals.

“Regulatory bodies should consider imposing more stringent controls on the use of TCS. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the marketing of TCS in over-the-counter antiseptic products in 2016, the chemical remains approved for use in a wide range of products. Transparency on TCS ingredients in product labelling and illustrations should also be improved so that consumers can be aware of the potential risks and make informed choices.”

Filipinos, Singaporeans ponder on aging, sustainability, tradition

Posted on by Office of External Linkages and International Affairs

Demographic changes have pushed countries to reevaluate their fiscal resources to respond to shifts in the healthcare and insurance sectors. Even infrastructures must be suited to respond to the specific needs of an aging population.

Higher Education Institutions, especially those from graying economies, are urged to lead nations in their preparations for such a future. To explore how Singapore and The Philippines can address these concerns, Temasek Polytechnic (TP) launched Befriender’s Program and collaborated with Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU).

The e-community project benefited 15 elderlies from Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre. Students from TAU and TP engaged the beneficiaries in a series of virtual meet-ups. TAU’s global ambassadors namely: Junerene A. Pontanilla, Jose Zalde B. Samson Jr., Colleen Joy A. Seril, Bren Noah M. Nieto, Wendell S. Cabico Jr., and Arjay A. Aguinaldo interacted with them by conducting discussions on aging-related concerns, sustainable development, Filipino culture and geography, and prospects in Filipino-Singaporean relations.

Ms. Seril, an editor of the university’s student organ, The Golden Harvest, recalled enjoying the activities facilitated by TP’s translators. “We felt the appreciation of our lolos. It seems that even our simple smiles made them happy already,” Ms. Serial remarked. Mr. Cabico, councilor of the Supreme Student Council, attributed this to their isolation from their families and friends. “I can’t help but tear up every time I’m talking to them. The experience made me value my grandparents more,” he added.

The TAU delegation also expressed their desire to adopt the program in Tarlac and to promote Gerontology, particularly among TAU students. TP is a post-secondary institution in Tampines, Singapore that implements an industry-focused curriculum.

The latest data from Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook reveals that while the ASEAN remains to be a young region, some Southeast Asian countries are facing a looming demographic crunch due to rapidly aging populations and low birth rates.

Thailand and Singapore had the highest median age in ASEAN with 39.0 and 35.6, respectively. Although this is relatively lower than Japan’s 48.6, one of the world’s highest, both countries are still expected to feel the pressure of decreasing productivity and augmenting social protection expenditures in a few years. Thus, reforms are needed in many key areas.

London School of Business and Finance launches new executive miniLLM in International Business Law

Posted on by Global University Systems

London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) has launched an Executive miniLLM in International Business Law.

The executive short course provides a broad overview of topics that are offered in a traditional LLM, making it an ideal stepping-stone to further law studies for legal practitioners, junior lawyers and working professionals. Certified by LSBF UK, the miniLLM runs for either 14 weeks, including one evening class a week or the option to study for a continuous period of five days at LSBF’s Central London campus.

Shane De Fonseka, Academic Director for LSBF Executive Education, said: “The course covers a wide range of content including an overview of Corporate Governance, International Commercial Litigation and Arbitration, International Trade Law, Intellectual Property Law and an Introduction to International Competition Law.

“Our course is taught by UK-based practising lawyers and lecturers who teach law at some of the most prestigious universities in London.”

The new programme aims to significantly enhance delegates’ knowledge of business law and affiliated fields through an extensive curriculum covering the fundamental aspects of International Business Law.

Introduction to Corporate Governance

This part of the programme looks at the theoretic aspects of corporate governance alongside the development of corporate governance codes and governance in continental Europe. Students in this area can also look at corporate governance in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, South Africa, India or Brazil as an alternative to Europe.

Introduction to International Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

International commercial litigation, arbitration, parallel proceedings and Lis pendens are covered in this section of the programme. Additionally, students investigate anti-suit injunctions, recognition and enforcement of judgements under the common law and the effect of repeal of the Lugano Convention.

Introduction of International Trade Law

This area highlights the introduction of trade law and the basic characteristics compared to national and regional trade as well as exploration of international rules and institutions that govern international trade law.

Introduction to Intellectual Property Law

Intellectual property law, the rights it relates to and the introduction to copyright, patents, trademarks and designs are covered in this section. Students are invited to explore the international rules and institutions that govern intellectual law such as WIPO.

Introduction to International Competition Law

This aspect of the course explores the challenges faced by international businesses and the understanding of horizontal and vertical agreements. It highlights the cartel offence in the UK and enforcement powers, as well as the role of the Competition and Markets Authority and antitrust laws in the USA. It is also an introduction to the UK enforcement of the Competition Act 1998/2001 and company director disqualification.

Delegates on the Executive miniLLM will acquire the practical, day-to-day skills required in the legal profession, explore the general frameworks of law and assess their impact on businesses.

EdUHK researcher builds corpus to support learning, teaching of Cantonese

Posted on by eduhk

Hong Kong is a multilingual society, but nearly 90% of the population speak Cantonese as a first language. Cantonese is used in both formal and informal settings. Many non-local people living and working in Hong Kong therefore need to learn Cantonese in order to integrate themselves into the local community.

Despite its dominant status, however, Cantonese has never been formalised and implemented into the school curriculum. Consequently, learning and teaching materials and teaching methods vary considerably.

Dr Andy Chin Chi-on, Head and Associate Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), proposed a research programme adopting a more scientific and objective approach to promote the learning and teaching Cantonese.

Studies in the past five decades have enriched our understanding of the lexicon, phonology and grammar of Cantonese; yet some deeper issues, such as pragmatics, semantics and discourse, remain to be explored. This kind of research requires a significant amount of authentic and natural language data. The research team thus proposed the construction of a Cantonese corpus to expand the scope of Cantonese linguistic research.

One major advantage of using corpus in language studies is the provision of objective, unbiased quantitative and qualitative data for research and other applications, including the compilation of language materials and natural language processing, such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech algorithms.

The research project started in 2011 with the support of an EdUHK internal research grant and the Early Career Scheme of the Research Grants Council. Dr Chin constructed the corpus in two phases with a size of about one million Chinese characters. The corpus data was collected by transcribing the dialogues of 80 black-and-white movies produced between the 1950s and 1970s, and is now available online.

The corpus won the Gold Medal and Special Award at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival in 2019. Dr Chin has also developed mobile apps containing the corpus data.

The CanPro app, which enables learners to practise Cantonese pronunciation through commonly used expressions in the corpus, won a Silver Medal at the 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days.

Another mobile app called ‘Learn Cantonese with Big Data’, supported by the Language Fund of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, was launched in March 2022. One major feature of this app is the provision of linguistic information that Cantonese learners might find relevant and useful, such as the collocation of verb-noun, classifier-noun structures, which cannot be obtained without corpus data.

Role of chemical engineers in water conservation highlighted at Chemspark 2022

Posted on by Partha

On 29th April 2022, Department of Chemical Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology organized its annual student programme on innovation & expert interaction ‘Chemspark 2022’ in association with Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering (IIChE), Student’s Chapter.

The inaugural session of the programme was addressed by Prof. Sekhar Bhattacharjee, Former Dean, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, University of Calcutta as the Chief Guest followed by Mr. S.K.Roy, Council member, IIChE and former GM, Balmer Lawrie as the Guest of Honour.

During the inaugural session, Prof. Bhattacharjee spoke about the interdisciplinary aspect of engineering where progress in chemical engineering is aligned with other streams of engineering. ‘A similar progress that of chemical engineering is witnessed in mechanical engineering as well,” said Prof. Bhattacherjee during his inaugural address.

“Chemical engineering is nothing but the alphabets of applied science. Today chemical engineers should be able to find solutions to the crisis we face daily like shortage of water. What water conservation measures can be taken to minimize the wastage of water even from the use of water filters should be the subject matter of study for today’s engineering education. Equipment daily used by us works on the principles of Chemical Engineering and how we can merge the theoretical aspect with the practical knowledge is all that matters,” said Mr. S.K.Roy, Former GM, Balmer Lawrie during his address at the inaugural session.

The session was also addressed by Prof. Basab Chaudhuri, Principal, Heritage Institute of technology and it was followed by a workshop on ‘Process simulation’ addressed by Prof. Sekhar Bhattacharjee.

“Every year we organize such events to give the students practical knowledge from the experts,” said Prof. Sulagna Chatterjee, Head of the Department, Department of Chemical Engineering, Heritage Institute of technology. The inaugural session was also contributed by Prof. Pinaki Bhattacharya, Dean, Research & Development, Heritage Institute of Technology and Prof. Sujit Kr. Barua, Registrar, Heritage Institute of Technology.

“The event is an eye opener to the practical field for the students,” said Mr. P.K.Agarwal, CEO, Heritage Group of Institutions, Kolkata