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Month: November 2022

HKBU research unveils association between plasma metabolites and COVID-19 antibody levels in recovered patients

Posted on by HKBUCPRO

A study led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has revealed the association between rapidly fading antibody levels in some recovered COVID-19 patients and a high plasma concentration of a metabolite called glycylproline (gly-pro) and its producing enzyme.

The researchers also found that the application of an inhibiting agent can counteract the activities of gly-pro and its producing enzyme, and this helped to maintain COVID-19 antibody levels in a mouse model. The findings offer important insights that could aid the development of novel therapeutic and vaccination strategies against the virus.

The research results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a renowned international scientific journal.

Antibody levels drop in some recovered COVID-19 patients

The levels of COVID-19 antibodies among individuals in a community are crucial for herd immunity against the virus. In general, recovered COVID-19 patients have high antibody levels as a result of their natural immune reactions. However, antibody levels in some recovered COVID-19 patients have been seen to drop rapidly over the course of a few weeks, and the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon remains poorly understood.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, research studies have revealed changes in plasma cytokine and metabolite levels in COVID-19 patients. Based on these observations, a research team led by Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, and Dr Yang Zhu, the first author of this paper and a Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry at HKBU, investigated how plasma cytokines and metabolites are associated with antibody levels in recovered COVID-19 patients.

Metabolite gly-pro associated with antibody levels

The research team analysed the cytokine and metabolite profiles in the plasma samples of three subject groups. The first group included 17 recovered COVID-19 patients with steady COVID-19 antibody levels; the second group included 30 recovered COVID-19 patients with rapidly fading COVID-19 antibody levels; the third one was a control group comprising 35 individuals who had not been infected with COVID-19.

A series of quantitative computational analyses that involved the use of machine learning techniques were used to compare the levels of different plasma cytokines and metabolites in the three subject groups in relation to their COVID-19 antibody levels. The researchers then compared the two recovered patient groups with the control group, and any cytokines and metabolites with significantly different levels between the two groups and the control group were shortlisted. Among the shortlisted targets, the levels of seven cytokines and 20 metabolites were seen to differ significantly between the two groups of recovered COVID-19 patients.

The researchers then analysed the association between the selected cytokines and metabolites and COVID-19 antibody levels in recovered patients. From the collected data, they concluded that the plasma concentration of the metabolite gly-pro had increased the most in the two recovered patient groups compared with the control group.

Overall, the levels of gly-pro in the recovered patient group with rapidly fading antibody levels were four times higher than the control group, while the levels of gly-pro in the recovered patient group with steady COVID-19 antibody levels were two-and-a-half times higher than the control group. Based on these results, the researchers investigated the relationship between COVID-19 antibody levels in recovered patients and gly-pro, as well as the producing enzyme of gly-pro which is named dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4).

Inhibiting gly-pro maintains steady antibody levels

The research team set up a four-week mouse model experiment to test the hypothesis that high gly-pro levels are associated with a rapid drop in COVID-19 antibody levels in recovered COVID-19 patients. Four groups of 12 mice were injected with the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus. The groups were then respectively treated with: (1) exogenous gly-pro; (2) an inhibitor that blocks the degradation of endogenous gly-pro; (3) exogenous gly-pro and a DPP4 inhibitor (Sitagliptin, which is also an anti-diabetic drug); and (4) saline.

The serum COVID-19 antibody levels in all groups were similar in the first week of the experiment. The antibody levels of the mice in the first group declined after the second week, suggesting that increased gly-pro levels are associated with a decline in COVID-19 antibody levels. The antibody levels of the mice in the second group, who had relatively steady gly-pro levels, also began to decline in the third week. The slower decline in antibody levels in the second group of mice compared to the first group shows that varying amounts of gly-pro are associated with the amount of time a steady antibody level can be maintained.

Meanwhile, the antibody levels of the mice in the third group remained stable throughout the experiment. This shows that when the activities of DPP4 are inhibited, the negative effects of gly-pro can be neutralised, and a steady level of COVID-19 antibodies can be maintained.

New insights for therapeutic and disease control strategies

Professor Cai said: “Effective shield immunity for a community against the spread of COVID-19 is highly dependent on the maintenance of steady antibody levels in individuals. Our experimental results suggest that DPP4 inhibitors can effectively maintain steady antibody levels in COVID-19-infected mice. As a result, our study offers important insights into how we can develop a similar medical approach to maintain COVID-19 antibody levels in humans, which will contribute to the global fight against the pandemic.”

Dr Yang said: “Further studies based on our research findings are warranted to explore the potential in other areas of therapeutic and disease control, especially in terms of other applications. For example, novel strategies may be developed to enhance the efficiency of vaccination in boosting antibody levels in humans, particularly in diabetic patients, a well-known high-risk population for COVID-19.”

UiTM Negeri Sembilan successfully concludes 2021 with 15 national, international sealed partnerships

Posted on by Naemaa Mohamad, Nor Monica Ahmad, Siti Nor Atika Baharin, Asmahanim Haji Mohamad Yusuf, Eddie Ti Tjih Tan

On 9th September 2022, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Negeri Sembilan (UiTMCNS) held virtual appreciation ceremony to celebrate the success of securing 15 Memorandums of Understanding and Agreements (MoU/MoA) with respected institutions and industry players throughout 2021. Of all the 15 MoU/MoA signed, 10 of them were from international indurstries while the other 5 were from national institutions and industries. The international institutions involved were Yamanashi Gakuin University (Japan), Global University Lebanon, Universitas Pahlawan Tuanku Tambusai Indonesia, Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Palangka Raya Indonesia, Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji Indonesia, Universitas Brawijaya Indonesia, Universitas Padjadjaran Indonesia, Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz Iran.

On the other hand, the national institutions and industry players who signed the agreements were Multimedia University Malaysia (MMU), National Audit Department, Nanyang Dreams International Trading Sdn. Bhd., Genting Malaysia Berhad, Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre Berhad (MaGIC) and South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP). The objectives of these agreements are multifaceted which include elevating excellence in teaching and learning, producing globally recognized graduates, flourish research, innovations and publications activities, stimulates consultation and commercialization, encouraging students’ mobility programs (inbound and outbound), hold mutually beneficial activities together such as international seminars and knowledge sharing, advancing fields such as forestry, agriculture, sports science, food technology, big data analytics and developing human capital among staff and students.

Among activities that have been conducted with the strategic partners were big data analytic course with National Audit Department Malaysia, consultation for MMU athletes, joint international conferences and research activities, students’ mobility program between UiTMCNS and few institutions, food product development competitions with Nanyang Dreams, collaborative teaching, supervising students, joint examination, industrial talk, recruiting graduate students, acceptance of students for research, organization of short courses and meetings with SEARCA, exchange of information on student development and teaching and research innovations. Professor Datuk Ts. Dr. Hajah Roziah Mohd Janor, UiTM Vice Chancellor also congratulated UiTMCNS for securing these new national and international partnerships for UiTM. She asserted in her speech during the ceremony, “I truly hope these MoUs and MoAs will encourage better mobility programs, industrial training and academic visits. We also need to produce a more robust ecosystem that stimulates new research and innovations.” All these efforts are geared to fulfilling UiTM goals of becoming Globally Renowned University (GRU) by 2025 by anchoring on three strategic thrusts which are quality education, global excellence and value-driven performance.

Professor Dr. Yamin Yasin, Rector of UiTMCNS in his speech during the ceremony added, “I am certain that the collaboration with strategic partners have significant contribution in transforming UiTM into GRU. Hence, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the strategic partners and to congratulate the Faculty of Sports Science & Recreation, Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies, Academy of Language Studies, School of Biology, School of Industrial Technology, Faculty of Communication & Media Studies and Faculty of Business & Management of UiTMCNS. They have given solid commitments in initiating these collaborations” Overall, most of the strategic partners mutually agreed that the signed MoUs and MoAs are not only beneficial to UiTM but to their institutions as well. Dr. Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, Dean of Faculty of Communication Science from University of Padjadjaran regarded this partnership with UiTM as an outstanding opportunity to extend the outreach of their university in improving international recognition to their institution.

Scalable, fully coupled quantum-inspired processor solves optimisation problems

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Annealing processors are more energy efficient and quicker at solving mathematical optimization problems than PCs. Researchers at Tokyo University of Science have now developed a new approach to realizing scalable fully coupled annealing processors. These quantum-inspired systems can model the interactions between magnetic spins and use it to solve complex optimization problems. The new method greatly outperforms modern CPUs and shows potential for applications in drug discovery, artificial intelligence, and materials science.

Have you ever been faced with a problem where you had to find an optimal solution out of many possible options, such as finding the quickest route to a certain place, considering both distance and traffic? If so, the problem you were dealing with is what is formally known as a “combinatorial optimization problem.” While mathematically formulated, these problems are common in the real world and spring up across several fields, including logistics, network routing, machine learning, and materials science.

However, large-scale combinatorial optimization problems are very computationally intensive to solve using standard computers, making researchers turn to other approaches. One such approach is based on the “Ising model,” which mathematically represents the magnetic orientation of atoms, or “spins,” in a ferromagnetic material. At high temperatures, these atomic spins are oriented randomly. But as the temperature decreases, the spins line up to reach the minimum energy state where the orientation of each spin depends on its neighbors. It turns out that this process, known as “annealing,” can be used to model combinatorial optimization problems such that the final state of the spins yields the optimal solution.

Researchers have tried creating annealing processors that mimic the behavior of spins using quantum devices, and have attempted to develop semiconductor devices using large-scale integration (LSI) technology aiming to do the same. In particular, Professor Takayuki Kawahara’s research group at Tokyo University of Science (TUS) in Japan has been making important breakthroughs in this particular field.

In 2020, Prof. Kawahara and his colleagues presented at the 2020 international conference, IEEE SAMI 2020, one of the first fully coupled (that is, accounting for all possible spin-spin interactions instead of interactions with only neighboring spins) LSI annealing processors, comprising 512 fully-connected spins. Their work appeared in the journal IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers. These systems are notoriously hard to implement and upscale owing to the sheer number of connections between spins that needs to be considered. While using multiple fully connected chips in parallel was a potential solution to the scalability problem, this made the required number of interconnections (wires) between chips prohibitively large.

In a recent study published in Microprocessors and Microsystems, Prof. Kawahara and his colleague demonstrated a clever solution to this problem. They developed a new method in which the calculation of the system’s energy state is divided among multiple fully coupled chips first, forming an “array calculator.” A second type of chip, called “control chip,” then collects the results from the rest of the chips and computes the total energy, which is used to update the values of the simulated spins. “The advantage of our approach is that the amount of data transmitted between the chips is extremely small,” explains Prof. Kawahara. “Although its principle is simple, this method allows us to realize a scalable, fully connected LSI system for solving combinatorial optimization problems through simulated annealing.”

The researchers successfully implemented their approach using commercial FPGA chips, which are widely used programmable semiconductor devices. They built a fully connected annealing system with 384 spins and used it to solve several optimization problems, including a 92-node graph coloring problem and a 384-node maximum cut problem. Most importantly, these proof-of-concept experiments showed that the proposed method brings true performance benefits. Compared with a standard modern CPU modeling the same annealing system, the FPGA implementation was 584 faster and 46 times more energy efficient when solving the maximum cut problem.

Now, with this successful demonstration of the operating principle of their method in FPGA, the researchers plan to take it to the next level. “We wish to produce a custom-designed LSI chip to increase the capacity and greatly improve the performance and power efficiency of our method,” Prof. Kawahara remarks. “This will enable us to realize the performance required in the fields of material development and drug discovery, which involve very complex optimization problems.”

Finally, Prof. Kawahara notes that he wishes to promote the implementation of their results to solve real problems in society. His group hopes to engage in joint research with companies and bring their approach to the core of semiconductor design technology, opening doors to the revival of semiconductors in Japan.

Make sure to watch out for these groundbreaking annealing processors in the future!

Researchers from Thammasat University adopt interdisciplinarity, increasing production standard of Thai durian

Posted on by Thammasat University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Worapat Wachirayakorn, Lecturer from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University and the manager to the research project on “Developing Thai Farmers toward Smart Farmers (A Case Study of Developing Durian Farmers for Export)” received a research grant supported by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI).

This research project consists of various researchers with a wide range of expertise from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Worapat Wachirayakorn (Research Project Manager), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphet Jirakajornkul, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit Ruangrungchaikul, Asst. Prof. Dr. Rewat Jaisutthi, Asst. Prof. Dr. Wilawan Chueboon and Professor Dr. Pruk Chutimanukul, with Ms. Piyapong Sonkaew and Ms. Thanatcha Chaida, researchers from the Office of Advanced Science and Technology, Thammasat University and a researcher from different institution, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krirk Piromsopha from Chulalongkorn University, thus bringing expertise in distinct fields to integrate across discripinary to focus on research outcomes that project useful results and allow timely problem solving both academically, economically, socially and policy, especially “durian”, which is the main economic fruit of the country.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Worapat Wachirayakorn, Lecturer of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University and the research project manager said that the results of this research is under the framework of research on the principle of increasing productivity through innovation and technology. The aim is to develop research and transform them into a knowledge platform that durian farmers can access and use to increase production quality according to prescribed standards, minimize production costs, and reduce labor usage through the adoption of various innovations and integrated technologies to support standards of good agricultural practice. The main focus is on allowing farmers to access the body of knowledge, and solve production problems which enable farmers to develop quality produce that meets international standards in accordance to the GAP standard.

Thammasat University joins hands with Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, supporting homeless people with psychiatric conditions

Posted on by Thammasat University

Thammasat University led by the Faculty of Social Administration, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences and Thammasat Hospital organized meeting to discuss academic cooperation with Mr. Anukool Pidkaew, Director-General of the Department of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW), Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) to find ways to provide social services, health services, and develop works for the homeless, beggars and those who face social problems. Regarding the current situation of foster homes under the Ministry of Public Health, there are patients with redundant problems including physical illnesses, disabilities, and with the majority of psychiatric conditions, mainly caused by drug use.

In addition, foster homes lack professionals in many fields such as registered nurses, psychologists, social workers, etc., which led to the discussion of cooperation.

The corporation aims to support target groups throughout 3 phases, tackling straight from the cause, namely the initial phase, proposing a preventive project by focusing on working with family and community, and health promotion for vulnerable groups; the second phase, proposing continuous development of care for vulnerable groups in foster home; and lastly, the third phase, working with local administration in the care of vulnerable groups within family or community.

In this regard, the meeting proposed academic cooperation, such as promoting student internships or working with target groups in shelters, arranging workshops and training to enhance skills of MSDHS officers in the field of social welfare, medical services, nursing, public health, allied health sciences, jointly invent innovations to care for target groups, provide medical treatment and rehabilitation services for target groups, etc.

EdUHK EdTech innovations win 26 iCAN Awards

Posted on by eduhk

The Education University of Hong Kong received 26 awards at the 7th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) in 2022, including seven gold medals, three silver, five grand awards and 11 special prizes. It marked a new record high since the University’s first participation in 2018.

Two of the University’s inventions received the Best Invention Awards, including ‘A New Generation of Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Using Replaceable Photo-sensing Film’, which was granted the Top 10 Best Invention Award. The invention was developed by Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun, Advisor (Environmental Science) at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES), and his team. It is a novel device which detects and sends out a permanent record of dissolved oxygen levels using replaceable photo-sensing film. It overcomes the prolonged difficulties of monitoring the marine pollution over large areas of water bodies.

An EdTech invention ‘e-Orch’ developed by Dr Leung Chi-hin, Assistant Professor at the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA), was awarded the Top 20 Best Invention Award. It is a system consisting of an app and cloud-based software specifically designed for music performance and composition. Integrated with the patented Grid Notation, virtual instruments and AI music generator, the invention makes music education accessible and inclusive.

Congratulating the winners, Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin, Vice President (Research and Development), said, “The award-winning innovations cover educational technology, marine conservation, art tech and green construction material, etc. It reflects the broadening scope of our research and knowledge transfer. It is encouraging to see that some of our inventions have been successfully licensed or patented, and are creating a positive impact on society. EdUHK will continue to forge knowledge transfer collaboration with different sectors.”

iCAN is an international competition launched in 2016. This year, the competition received 650 applications from 81 countries and regions. EdUHK’s awarding-winning projects are as follows:

Project: A New Generation of Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Using Replaceable Photo-sensing Film

Principal Investigator: Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun at SES

Award(s): Gold Medal, Top 10 Best Invention Award, Special Award

Project: Reimagining Music Learning with e-Orch

Principal Investigator: Dr Leung Chi-hin at CCA

Award(s): Gold Medal, Top 20 Best Invention Award, Special Award

Project: Upcycling Waste Residuals into Value-added Eco-coasters: From Environmental Facilities to Tables

Principal Investigator: Dr Tsang Yiu-fai at SES

Award(s): Gold Medal, Organizer’s Choice Award, Special Award

Project: Facilitating Emotion Classification Based on Non-Intrusive Learner Data via Deep Neural Networks

Principal Investigator: Dr Zou Di at the Department of English Language Education (ELE)

Award(s): Gold Medal, Jury’s Choice Award, Special Award

Project: Advanced Tai Chi Experience: An Integration of Novel Typefaces and AR Technology

Principal Investigator: Dr Hung Keung at CCA

Award(s): Gold Medal, Two Special Awards

Project: UNISON: Unpaired Cross-lingual Image Captioning

Principal Investigator: Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology

Award(s): Gold Medal, Special Award

Project: Personalised vocabulary learning system based on artificial intelligence techniques

Principal Investigator: Dr Zou Di at ELE

Award(s): Gold Medal, Special Award

Project: iMaze: A Fun Working Memory Training for Pre-school Children from Low-income Families

Principal Investigator: Dr Kean Poon Kei-yan at the Department of Special Education and Counselling

Award(s): Silver Medal, Best Woman Inventor Award, Special Award

Project: CKC Strokes – An Online Practice Tool for Chinese Strokes Writing

Principal Investigator: Dr Tse Ka-ho at the Department of Chinese Language Studies

Award(s): Silver Medal, Special Award

Project: Smart hands: Are you sure?

Principal Investigator: Dr Peggy Or Pui-lai at the Department of Health and Physical Education

Award(s): Silver Medal, Special Award

“Muzikas 2022”: An innovative music circus showcase by UiTM music business students

Posted on by UiTM Conservatory of Music

As Malaysia moves towards the endemic stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UiTM Music Business faculty took up the challenge to produce something special despite the restrictions from holding physical shows in the past two years. The concept began with an independent music concept with the collaboration of Viva Vertical Circus Academy and the sponsorship of Respack Sdn.Bhd. With this unique collaboration, the showcase was successfully held in Publika on the 8th of July 2022. A total of 500 tickets were redeemed rapidly within 72 hours on the Excitix ticketing platform. The tickets were a special edition of the Respack Mask featuring the UiTM logo.

The Muzikas 2022 showcase was kick-started with a special showcase from our very own music faculty Associate Professor, Dr. Soo Wincci. She performed using a circus hoop while singing live. Her act amazed the crowd, which was then followed by a speech from the CEO of Respack Sdn.Bhd, CK Wan. He said, “Respack being one of the new leading mask companies in Malaysia, is willing to support the arts for the future of the younger generation”.

Afterwards, a band from UiTM led by Dian Hashim performed three different songs. This was then followed by a group performance by UiTM Alumni, Margasatwa. Besides the music performance, there were also aerial silk and aerial hoop performances by Viva Vertical. The highlight of the event was the final section of the show, when the famous independent band Budak Nakal performed together with Viva Vertical aerialists.

It was a great opening showcase in Publika, and the audience enjoyed the unique combination of music and circus show immensely.

“One of the most unique showcases I have ever been to!” commented an online local independent media.

This showcase had significantly shown the Music Business’s student’s hard work in organizing and putting together a huge showcase comprising numerous artists and performers to entertain the crowd. The faculty gave support and guidance to perfect the event, yet it proudly acknowledges the capabilities and creativity of its students in broadening their skills in the industry.

Author: Dr. Nur Izzati Jamalludin

Improving medical healthcare service, UNAIR lecturer creates Medical Tourism Indonesia

Posted on by Universitas Airlangga News

Universitas Airlangga lecturer dr Niko Azhari Hidayat Sp BTKV(K) created innovation and a breakthrough in the health sector. The Industrial Engineering lecturer developed ‘Medical Tourism Indonesia’.

‘Medical Tourism Indonesia’ is a platform for medical treatment packaged in tourism activity. Cited from medicaltourism.id page, the platform offers comprehensive health features such as end-to-end services from pick-up service for medical tourists, accommodation, drop-off service to medical facilities, recovery tour trips, and taking them back home.

“Medical Tourism Indonesia is the ‘Traveloka’ of hospitals,” dr Niko said to UNAIR NEWS on Friday, September 9, 2022.

This innovation is claimed to bring in medical tourists from abroad and push down the number of Indonesians who prefer medical treatment abroad. According to the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), approximately 3 million people get medical treatment overseas, which costs more than 100 Trillion Rupiah annually.

“This is how we support the nation’s economy through medical and tourism. People no longer have to get treatment overseas,” said dr. Niko.

Launched in 2021, the platform was initially in the form of social media for providing medical information. However, to offer wider impacts and excellent features—such as price transparency in treatment, dr. Niko and his team started developing the Medical Tourism Indonesia application, which is now available to the public.

“We have already prepared the payment (system, ed), the mechanism is the last feature to be improved,” said dr. Niko.

Innovation Scale-up

The doctor said that Medical Tourism Indonesia is the scaled-up version of his preliminary breakthrough. Previously, the secretary of UNAIR Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) had also launched vascularindonesia.com, a digital platform for treating patients with blood vessel problems.

“My scale-up program is not within the finance sector only. The program I developed was called ‘Vascular Indonesia Health Travel’ in 2020 which eventually transformed into medical tourism. Medical tourism becomes the second platform,” said dr. Niko.

Every platform he builds is a service to the community. The doctor wants to help provide convenience and positive contributions to society.

Thammasat wins “Friendly Design Awards”: An Outstanding Organisation Promoting Equality for All

Posted on by Editorial Team

For the 4th consecutive years, Thammasat University has won the “Friendly Design Awards 2022” and has been appointed as the “Tourism for All” organization of the year from the from the 5th Thailand Friendly Design Expo, 2022. This award honors Thammasat University as an outstanding organization in promoting and leading the implementation of universal design for everyone, especially the disabilities, to have equally and convenient access to all facilities and services.
Sustainable development has always been one of the key focus of Thammasat University, as a university for people.

Thammasat University provides opportunities for all groups of people to have equally access to education. One of them is to provide special scheme to students with disabilities in the admission process. The 1% ratio is set for each faculty for students with disabilities, which is in line with the worldwide mean of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) Goal 10 on reducing inequality within and among countries.

In addition to providing equal access to education and academic services for all, Thammasat University continues to improve its disability support services, access schemes, facilities and buildings as well as implementing universal design to facilitate and unlock the restrictions of students with disabilities which will be more conducive to learning.

From nearly 100 buildings locating around Rangsit Campus, every building consists of wheelchair ramps, elevators, toilets, and parking spaces for students with disabilities. All roads and intersections within the university are equipped with warning signs and signals for deaf and blind students. We are proudly to say that Thammasat is the first higher educational institution in Thailand to fully put these systems in place.

For student dormitory, sport facilities such as fitness centers, swimming pools, and artificial cliffs, Thammasat University has designed these facilities to be accessible for all students with disabilities, complying with international standards. Similarly, all electric buses are with ramps, and all pavements are being renovated with guiding block especially for visually impaired students.

Infrastructure and buildings that facilitate the students with disabilities do have a direct effect on student’s performance. Today, Thammasat has a total of 75 students with disabilities. With the development and renovation of the facilities, the average academic performance of students with disabilities continues to improve, with 80% of students with disabilities graduating are employed.

URL’s article: https://tu.ac.th/en/thammasat-150265-friendly-design-awards-2022

For more information on universal design, please visit:
https://tu.ac.th/en/thammasat-100665-the-winner-of-universal-design-competition-2022

Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffee

Posted on by Editorial Team

Long black, espresso, or latte, whatever your coffee preference, drink too much and you could be in hot water, especially when it comes to heart health.

In a world-first genetic study, researchers from the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia found that long-term, heavy coffee consumption – six or more cups a day – can increase the amount of lipids (fats) in your blood to significantly heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Importantly, this correlation is both positive and dose-dependent, meaning that the more coffee you drink, the greater the risk of CVD.

It’s a bitter pill, especially for lovers of coffee, but according to UniSA researcher, Professor Elina Hyppönen, it’s one we must swallow if we want to keep our hearts healthy.

“There’s certainly a lot of scientific debate about the pros and cons of coffee, but while it may seem like we’re going over old ground, it’s essential to fully understand how one of the world’s most widely consumed drinks can impact our health,” Prof Hyppönen says.

“In this study, we looked at genetic and phenotypic associations between coffee intake and plasma lipid profiles – the cholesterols and fats in your blood – finding causal evidence that habitual coffee consumption contributes to an adverse lipid profile which can increase your risk of heart disease.

“High levels of blood lipids are a known risk factor for heart disease, and interestingly, as coffee beans contain a very potent cholesterol-elevating compound (cafestol), it was valuable to examine them together.

“Cafestol is mainly present in unfiltered brews, such as French press, Turkish and Greek coffees, but it’s also in espressos, which is the base for most barista-made coffees, including lattes and cappuccinos.

“There is no or very little cafestol in filtered and instant coffee, so with respect to effects on lipids, those are good coffee choices.

“The implications of this study are potentially broad reaching. In my opinion, it is especially important for people with high cholesterol or who are worried about getting heart disease to carefully choose what type of coffee they drink.

“Importantly, the coffee-lipid association is dose-dependent – the more you drink unfiltered coffee the more it raises your blood lipids, putting you at greater risk of heart disease.”

Globally, an estimated 3 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day. Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.

The study used data from 362,571 UK Biobank participants, aged 37-73 years, using a triangulation of phenotypic and genetic approaches to conduct comprehensive analyses.

While the jury still may be out on the health impacts of coffee, Prof Hyppönen says it is always wise to choose filtered coffee when possible and be wary of overindulging, especially when it comes to a stimulant such as coffee.

“Our research shows, excess coffee is clearly not good for cardiovascular health, which certainly has implications for those already at risk.”