WEBINAR “2023 NCKU OVERSEAS WEEK - VIETNAM-NCKU JOINT RESEARCH PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS”

Webinar's Poster

Joint Research Program (JRP) is one of the four categories for directing activities of NCKU Overseas Hub in Vietnam (NCKU OH) which mainly focuses on developing NCKU’s partnerships and cooperation among institutions in terms of academy collaboration. With an aspiration to build up a wide academic network in Southeast Asia, NCKU OH collaborating with the sister hubs in Thailand and Malaysia organized a Webinar “2023 NCKU Overseas Week” at the year-end annually to record remarkable research achievements from various fields by JRP conducted by NCKU and international institutions.

Viewer’s Occupation of the Webinar

In 2023, to encourage the research spirit of the young generation and allow the research groups to showcase their achievement on their project. The Webinar of Vietnam Hub with the title “2023 NCKU Overseas Week – Vietnam-NCKU Joint Research Program Achievements” took place on December 5th with five joint research group in purpose to enhance more international collaboration including study, exchange, and research between National Cheng Kung University and Vietnamese universities; Encourage international students/researchers to study at National Cheng Kung University and Vietnamese Institutions.

Since the beginning of registration, the Webinar has drawn a wide range of occupations, including 28% Graduate Students, 26% Undergraduate Students, 24% University Staff, 9% Industry, 5% Hospital, 5% Government and 3% others.

Group photo

With the desire to bring critical insights to participants, the Webinar featured a panel of experts from various fields and backgrounds: Moderator Dr. Ngo Thi Minh Hien (Director of NCKU Overseas Hub in Vietnam); Group of Prof. Ching-Hsia Hung (College of Medicine, NCKU) and Dr. Bui Diem Khue (Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City); Group of Prof. Meng-Hsun Tsai (Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, NCKU) and MSc. Tran Van Lic (Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Da Nang, University of Science and Technology (DUT); Group of Prof. Hsin-Yi Hung (Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, NCKU) and Dr. Ta Ngoc Ly (Faculty of Chemistry, DUT); Group of Prof. Pai-Chun Wei (Dept. Materials Science and Engineering, NCKU) and Dr. Le Dai Vuong (School of Engineering and Technology, Hue University (HUET)); Group of Prof. Guan-Da Syu (Dept. Biotechnology and Bioindustry Science, NCKU) and MSc. Huynh Thi Thuy Linh – HUET). Besides the research presentation from Speakers, the Q&A sessions also engaged the learning curiosity of the audience.

At the beginning of the Webinar, Dr. Ngo Thi Minh Hien introduced the NCKU-HUET and NCKU-DUT joint research program pacts and endeavor of NCKU OH to deepen the NCKUs’ cooperation and partnership between Vietnam local universities. She also gave thanks to all audience who joined that day and hoped participants could benefit from new methods, knowledge and specific case studies from the Speakers, followed by engaging the participants 

Dr. Minh Hien at the Opening Remark

The first presentation was the topic “PT for sleep apnea: a smartphone application for home-based physical therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnea” which was executed by Dr. Bui Diem Khue. The application, named “PT for Sleep Apnea”, incorporated an exercise program from NCKU to train the upper airway and respiratory muscles and improve the breathing capacity of the patients.

The application also offered video and in-text tutorials and a schedule function for users and was expected to enhance the effectiveness of home-based physical therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. The limitation of the research mentioned was that it did not assess the clinical outcomes of the application. At the end of the session, Dr. Khue also received questions from participants such as how the patients self-track their training process; the limitations of home-based physical therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnea are supposed to be; more information about how the lesson reduces accumulative fat in the oropharynx for the users,... The presentation was informative and comprehensive, and it showcased the collaboration between NCKU and UMP in developing a mobile health solution for OSA patients.

Dr. Bui Diem Khue shared the topic “PT for sleep apnea: a smartphone application for home-based physical therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnea”

Continuing with the novel research for detecting White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) “A Highly Sensitive Immunosensor for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Envelope Protein VP28 Detection Based on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Technique” presented by Prof. Guan-Da Syu and MSc. Huynh Thi Thuy Linh. The presenter stated that WSSV is a virus that infects shrimp and causes white spot disease, which can result in huge economic losses for the aquaculture industry. 

The immuno-electrochemical sensor used a specific antibody that can bind to the WSSV envelope protein VP28, which is a key factor for viral infection. The research also analyzed the change in charge transfer resistance caused by the antibody-antigen interaction. They revealed that the method is simple, fast, and cost-effective, and does not require any labeling or amplification steps. Finally, the JRP group claimed that the method had potential applications in the shrimp industry, as well as in the fields of biotechnology, medicine, and environmental monitoring. At the end of the session, Ms. Linh received questions from the audience of the sensitivity and specificity of the Immunosensor; the sensor electrode retains the detection activity; dataset used for the study,...

MSc. Huynh Thi Thuy Linh shared her next orientation for the research “A Highly Sensitive Immunosensor for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Envelope Protein VP28 Detection Based on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Technique”

Prof. Guan-Da Syu and MSc. Huynh Thi Thuy Linh shared experience in conducting research between NCKU and HUET

The next research topic is “Fabrication and research of electrical properties of textured (K0.48Na0.48Li0.04)(Nb0.95Sb0.05)O3 lead-free ceramics” conducted by Dr. Le Dai Vuong. He initially expressed his delight in sharing his recent research achievement in the field of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics incorporated with Prof. Pai-Chun Wei from NCKU.

The research has successfully fabricated and investigated the electrical properties of textured (K0.48Na0.48Li0.04)(Nb0.95Sb0.05)O3 lead-free ceramics. The textured ceramics were proved to exhibit excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties. Lastly, he concluded the potential of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics for various applications in microelectromechanical systems, sensors, and actuators.

Prof. Pai-Chun Wei and Dr. Le Dai Vuong enthusiastically shared their research “Fabrication and research of electrical properties of textured (K0.48Na0.48Li0.04)(Nb0.95Sb0.05)O3 lead-free ceramics”

Having researched procedure and defined new method for the topic “Inhibitory Effects of Sterculia lychnophora Hance Ethanol Extracts on Biofilm Formation and Virulence Factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa”, Prof. Hsin-Yi Hung and Dr. Ta Ngoc Ly could have delighted to share their study in conclusion: high feasibility of employing bioinformatics tools to accurately predict the activity and mechanism of natural compounds and SLHe exhibits inhibitory effects on biofilm formation and virulence factors secretary of P. Aeruginosa, potentially through its binding to anthranilate-CoA ligase and subsequent regulated pyocyanin production. 

Overall, the study was conducted smoothly between two researchers and the results were significant. Prof. Hung and Dr. Ly also received questions such as the possible mechanisms or pathways involved in the inhibition process; the potential applications of your study for the prevention and treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections; the future directions and recommendations for your further research,...

Dr. Ta Ngoc Ly and Prof. Hsin-Yi Hung presented their significant results in topic Inhibitory Effects of Sterculia lychnophora Hance Ethanol Extracts on Biofilm Formation and Virulence Factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Last but not least, MSc. Tran Van Lic gave a clear vision of the topic “Patient Tracking Based Lorawan Wireless Networks”. The topic showcased new wireless technology, LoRa/LoRaWAN has been effectively tested for many IoT applications with the main advantages of long-range and low power consumption, suitable for patient location monitoring and monitoring systems that can be used in large hospitals, helping to reduce the human load for patient monitoring and ensuring safety and efficiency of treatment. Questions for MSc. Lic are reasons to choose Random Forest Regression algorithm for the Machine Learning model; the LoRaWAN network infrastructure ensures the security and privacy of the patient data transmitted over the wireless links; the advantages and challenges compared to other IoT solutions such as Bluetooth or cellular,...

MSc. Tran Van Lic demonstrated his study “Patient Tracking Based Lorawan Wireless Networks”

After the last session, JRP groups were asked to share their research experience with researchers from other institutions, particularly countries. Prof. Guan-Da Syu was glad to share their experience working with Ms. Linh and stated that the most important thing was that they discovered an excellent match in ideas and expertise and that they could work in distinct areas but with the same backgrounds. Prof. Hung and Dr. Ly shared that they chatted online and discussed together frequently, following the JRP period strictly and learned from each other’s expertise. Finally, NCKU OH hopes that participants can understand that there is no limitation in researching if you know what you’re doing.

The Webinar was streamed on Webex Cisco and Facebook livestream of NCKU OH and received 527 viewers from various countries, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, the United States, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The Speakers' and participants' feedback was very favorable. Participants enjoyed the diversity and expertise of the panelists, the clarity and relevance of the content, and the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with other professionals, according to the post-webinar survey.

Viewer’s nationality from NCKU Overseas Hub in Vietnam survey

NCKU OH thanks all supporters from communities on Facebook that spread out the webinar: NCKU Overseas Hub in Thailand, NCKU Overseas Hub in Malaysia, VietPhD.org, VSATW, HUET’s Facebook Fanpage, Free Webinars, Học bổng du học Đài Loan, Free Live Webinar,...