Social media based system that predicts dengue

NTU develops social media based system that predicts dengue

Researchers at the Nanyang Technological University have developed a new social-media based system that could go some way in Singapore's battle against dengue.

Known as Mo-Buzz, the web system can predict where and when dengue may occur potentially weeks in advance.

Researchers said it could potentially predict dengue outbreaks weeks in advance and will also enable users to help health authorities monitor the spread of dengue.

Users can snap a picture of a mosquito breeding site on their mobile device and the report will be geo-tagged to their location. It is then shown live on Google Maps in the system.

By also tapping on historical weather data and information of previous dengue incidents, the system can highlight potential hotspots forming.

This information can then be swiftly disseminated.

Associate Professor May O Lwin who is the principal investigator of Mo-Buzz said: "Health authorities can warn the public in advance so Mo-Buzz will allow the public to be forewarned about any potential dangers that's coming their way. And at the same time, it is a source of information that they can get real time and be part of the civic engagement where information about the different types of dengue breeding grounds can be fed back to the public."

She added that Mo-Buzz can also be a source of information and health communication to help the public to be aware of the dangers of dengue and how they can take preventive and precautionary measures.

Users can also receive customised health information that they can share with their family and friends using social networking tools, like Facebook and Twitter. Researchers hope this will encourage the community to adopt behaviours that will reduce their risk of contracting dengue.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

NTU now 10th-best university in Asia

NTU now 10th-best university in Asia

The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has climbed seven spots to break into the Top 10 list in the latest global ranking of Asian universities to be released today.

In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings: Asia, the university takes 10th position, together with Japan's Kyoto University. It is the NTU's highest position since the first edition of the annual rankings was published in 2009.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) maintained its spot as the second-best university in Asia, sharing the position with the University of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the top spot for the third year running went to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The ranking exercise by London-based education and career consultancy QS lists Asia's top 300 universities based on criteria such as academic reputation, number of papers per faculty and ratio of students to faculty.

QS head of research Ben Sowter said: "Singapore's universities are embracing the new possibilities of today's globalised higher-education landscape in innovative ways, and are now clearly established as international centres of excellence.

"The influx of international campuses, tech start-ups and multinational investors means Singapore is well placed to become Asia's Silicon Valley."

NTU president Bertil Andersson said in a statement: "NTU has become a talent magnet, attracting more top students and some of the world's best professors."

He said that the university saw an increase of 60 per cent of top A-level students enrolling this year, over 2011.

NTU also performed well in another QS ranking of international universities under 50 years old - it came in at No. 2, after Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Meanwhile, NUS also ranked first in Asia for employer reputation and second in Asia for academic reputation.

The provost and deputy president of academic affairs at NUS, Professor Tan Eng Chye, said: "This is firm recognition of the high-quality education and research work by our faculty, staff and students.

"We will continue our pursuit of transformative advances in education and research to bring about a lasting impact in Singapore, Asia and the world."

~News courtesy of Omy~

Playing games on your smartphone 'a good move'

Playing games on your smartphone 'a good move': NTU study

Playing smartphone games an hour a day can improve brain performance. Researchers from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have found playing action games can boost spacial awareness while memory games enhance visual search tasks.

Just like building muscles in the gym, playing these games regularly can train the brain, said Dr Michael Patterson, assistant professor at NTU.

Though previous studies established that playing action games can boost cognitive skills, this is the first that compared multiple games and shows how different skills can be improved by playing different games.

The study was published in US scientific journal PLoS ONE in March. It was done in part because Singapore has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world and many people play games on their phone while commuting, said Dr Patterson.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~

Nanyang Lake 南大湖

New stroke rehabilitation system

NTU develops new stroke rehabilitation system

The Nanyang Technological University has developed a new stroke rehabilitation system to accelerate a stroke patient's recovery.

To do that, it brings together the mind and body, helping stroke patients further recover muscle control in parts of the body that have stopped seeing progress -- even after extended periods of rehabilitation.

The system is known as SynPhNe, which stands for Synergistic Physio-Neuro Platform, and it monitors signals from the patient's brain and muscles as they mimic instructional videos.

These signals, in the form of simple visual cues allow the patient to know if the right muscle is activated. This is known as associative learning, whereby the patient finds out the link between cause and effect, or intent and physical result, so that they can self-correct movements to match intended actions.

The people behind SynPhNe said it takes advantage of the disconnect between muscle and brain post-stroke.

Banerji Subhasis, a PhD student at Nanyang Technological University, said: "For stroke patients, when you ask them to activate one particular muscle, they activate some other muscle, which really does not relate to the action at all. And this happens because they are trying to compensate one way or the other, building up these habits."

The system also provides feedback on stress, attention and relaxation levels in real time. This allows the patient and therapist to better manage the intensity of the rehabilitation.

Ang Kok Tong, a stroke patient using the system, said: "Last time my fingers were closed, now they can open. Now I can do more things, like holding a bottle, turning the pages (of a book). You can know what is happening to your brain and your muscle, because you can get a feedback from there. So you feel encouraged."

As patients become more confident and grow more independent, therapists can tend to more patients at one time.

The system can also be used by a wide spectrum of stroke patients -- even those showing little promise of recovery.

Mr Subhasis added: "In some cases, the signals are very weak. However our system amplifies it to such an extent that it becomes visible and obvious to the patient. And we know that once the patient gains control over even small movements, through repetitive trianing, it can be made stronger and stronger."

The team behind SynPhNe is still carrying out patient trials in hospitals, before getting approval to conduct a large scale clinical trial. They intend to commercialise the system in three years.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

New medical school to pioneer use of plastinated bodies

NTU's new medical school to pioneer use of plastinated bodies



The Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) new medical school will be pioneering the use of plastinated bodies for medical education in Singapore.

They are real human bodies donated to science, and preserved using a method called plastination.

In these models, water and fat are replaced with certain plastics to produce specimens that can be touched and do not smell or decay.

The bodies are from Germany, and will be used to teach anatomy at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, which has been jointly set up by Imperial College London and NTU.

The school will no longer need to rely on traditionally-preserved cadavers, which are in short supply.

Assistant Professor Dinesh Srinivasan of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine said: "(Plastinated bodies) can be used to demonstrate difficult structures and dissection areas in high definition, such as the blood vessels in the brain or the nerves in the spine. And there is no need for special chemicals, unlike traditional cadavers."

～News courtesy of Channel Newsasia～

南大首批医科生 真人标本“高清”上课

南大首批医科生　真人标本“高清”上课



李光前医学院解剖部主任万胜说，比起一般的防腐尸体，人体塑化标本更持久，预计可用上十年。（图／南大提供）

南洋理工大学李光前医学院投入近100万元，从德国购入由遗体塑化成的标本，让即将在8月开学的首批医科学生，可通过更持久、高品质，且能更清晰呈现人体细节的真人标本，深入了解人体构造。

由南大和伦敦帝国理工学院合办的李光前医学院昨天召开记者会，向记者介绍人体塑化标本。

塑化人体是在人死后，使用塑化技术把尸体保存起来，体内的脂肪和水分会由硅聚合物取代。这些经塑化的人体，来自生前已表示希望在死后将身躯捐出，作为医学教学与科学发展用途的公众。

国大也考虑购买人体塑化标本。

《联合早报》