USM to set up ombudsman

USM to set up ombudsman

2011/08/11
By Yiswaree Palansamy
yiswaree@nst.com.my

om·buds·man/ˈämbədzmən/
Noun: An official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against maladministration, esp. that of public authorities

GEORGE TOWN: University Sains Malaysia (USM) will establish an ombudsman office to provide a platform for its academic staff and undergraduates to voice out their dissatisfactions on various issues in the university.

The office will also oversee the safety of whistleblowers who reveal information about issues or academic personnel's involved in unlawful activities which are deemed an offence under USM's law and constitution.

USM Vice-Chancellor Professor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak (pic above) said the setting up of the ombudsman office would be a milestone in democratic practice at the university.

Meanwhile, USM senior deputy legal adviser Khairul Anuar Che Azmi (pic right) said ombudsman officers will be selected from among the university's high-ranking academic and non-academic fraternity.

The ombudsman office will be established by the end of this year and will be in accordance with Section 15 of the University Sains Malaysia Constitution.

The formation of the ombudsman office will add another feather to USM's hat, which is also the country's first and only Apex status accreditted university.

Khairul said the concept of having an ombudsman office within a university was still a novel idea, especially when it came to Asian universities.

"However, it is a very valuable inception in a university's administration," he said when met at USM's first ever senate members election day at the university yesterday.

The election is the first of its kind, after USM gazetted its new constitution in July.

USM is believed to be the first university in the country to select senate members via balloting.

Earlier, Dzulkifli said the formation of the senate marks the beginning of an autonomous driven governance in USM, as the senate will be overseeing policy and academic courses development matters.

He said they were also looking at having an undergraduate in the senate, to enable all quarters to have a representative.

The senate election, will take place once in every three years.

Yesterday's election took place simultaneously at all of USM's campuses including the Health Sciences campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Advanced Medical and Dental Institution in Kepala Batas and the it's engineering campus in Kepala Batas.

A total of 195 candidates will be elected into the Senate and will see votes being cast by 576 voters comprising USM's academic fraternity, namely professors, full-time associate professors and visiting professors.

Koperasi USM Berhad was ranked 37th but I couldn't find it in the list

This was the letter I replied to the the Pentadbir Email of usm.my et.al, but the mail couldn't get through. I guess this new usm.my mail system is depriving us users of access to others through the only means we can get their response. Do check the link, but I couldn't find Koperasi USM there. Okay, even if this is a mistake by any party, this new mail system isn't very friendly and interactive, which is the gist of this blog post. To: Pentadbir Emel; allUsers-Administrative; admin@nav6.usm.my; allstaff@amdi.usm.edu.my; alluser-eng; allusers-academician; lecturer@nav6.usm.my; staff@cs.usm.my Attachments:

Tahniah kpd Koperasi USM Berhad. soalan: saya dok cari dalam senarai ni: http://skm.gov.my/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=12defec7-aa26-401c-ad0a-af678d35ce1e&groupId=68551 tapi tak jumpa pun nama koperasi USM Berhad? ________________________________________ From: Pentadbir Emel Sent: Monday, August 01, 2011 2:55 PM To: allUsers-Administrative; admin@nav6.usm.my; allstaff@amdi.usm.edu.my; alluser-eng; allusers-academician; lecturer@nav6.usm.my; Pentadbir Emel; staff@cs.usm.my Subject: Koperasi Universiti Sains Malaysia Berhad HEBAHAN KEPADA SEMUA KAMPUS USM Y. Bhg. Tan Sri, Puan Sri, Dato’/Datin, Tuan/Puan, Lembaga Pengarah dan Staf Koperasi Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Berhad dengan penuh takzimnya ingin merakamkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan dan terima kasih khususnya kepada Naib Canselor USM, Y.Bhg. Profesor Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak dan amnya, ahli-ahli Koperasi USM Berhad dan seluruh warga kampus di atas sokongan jitu dan kerjasama erat yang diperpanjangkan; sehingga meletakkan  Koperasi Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Berhad tersenarai di tempat ke-37 dalam Indeks 100 Koperasi Terbaik Malaysia seperti yang diumumkan Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM) baru-baru ini. Koperasi USM Berhad sentiasa memberi penekanan untuk menjalankan tadbir urus terbaik dalam aspek-aspek pengurusan termasuk kewangan, pelaburan, inovasi dan dari situ juga kita mahu pihak luar menilai usaha yang kita jalankan untuk penambahbaikan. Koperasi juga akan menumpukan kepada faktor sumber manusia kerana manusia adalah indikator utama dalam menentukan perkembangan sesebuah perniagaan selain dari aspek lain seperti aset, kewangan, logistik pelaburan dan sebagainya, Kejayaan ini menjadi penyuntik semangat kepada pihak pengurusan Koperasi USM Berhad dan warga kampus untuk terus meningkatkan kejayaan dan mengharumkan nama universiti. Sekian, terima kasih dan Selamat Berpuasa, Prof. Madya Mohamad Suhaimi Jaafar Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah Koperasi USM Berhad

Madu lebah penawar ulser diabetes

Oleh HAPIZAH AZIZ

utusankelantan@utusan.com.my

MAFAUZY Mohamed (kanan) menunjukkan contoh ternakan madu lebah di kawasan persekitaran USM Kampus Kesihatan, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, baru-baru ini. - UTUSAN/HAPIZAH AZIZ

 

Kota Bharu 12 Julai - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Kampus Kesihatan mempelopori penggunaan madu lebah bagi merawat ulser diabetes dan mengurangkan masalah inflamasi pada mukosa mulut pesakit kanser nasofarign yang menjalani rawatan radiasi di Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM).

Penyelidikan melibatkan madu lebah untuk kedua penyakit tersebut telah dijalankan oleh pakar perubatan hospital berkenaan kira-kira 20 tahun lalu.

Kini, kajian tersebut diteruskan dengan kerjasama Lembaga Pemasaran Pertanian Persekutuan (FAMA) yang menyumbangkan madu lebah tualang dan gelam bermula tahun 2005.

Berikutan USM dianugerahkan status universiti penyelidikan oleh Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi pada tahun 2005, sekumpulan pakar perubatan mengambil peluang memulakan penyelidikan melibat madu tempatan.

Projek penyelidikan pertama bertajuk Keberkesanan Pengambilan Madu Terhadap Gejala Pernafasan di Kalangan Jemaah Haji Malaysia berjaya dijalankan dan ia merupakan antara 46 penyelidikan madu yang telah dan sedang dijalankan di USM Kampus Kesihatan.

Pengarah Kampus USM Kampus Kesihatan, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mafauzy Mohamed berkata, sebanyak RM2 juta Geran Penyelidikan Universiti dianugerahkan kepada pensyarah bagi menjalankan penyelidikan madu lebah tualang tersebut.

Menurutnya,di samping menjalankan kajian keberkesanan penggunaan madu untuk pelbagai jenis penyakit, penyelidikan tersebut turut membantu meningkatkan pengetahuan masyarakat mengenai khasiat perubatan madu tempatan secara saintifik.

''Pengetahuan yang diperoleh menyebabkan pasaran madu tualang kini meningkat sekali gus memberi pendapatan lumayan kepada pencari lebah dan penternak terlibat," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian semasa berucap di Majlis Menandatangani Perjanjian Persefahaman antara USM Kampus Kesihatan dan Universitas Hasanuddin Makasar serta Syarikat Aifa Health Sdn. Bhd. di Kubang Kerian di sini, baru-baru ini.

Universiti Hasanuddin Makasar diwakili oleh Pembantu Rektor, D.A Suriamiharja, manakala Syarikat Aifa Health Sdn. Bhd. oleh Ketua Eksekutifnya, Aisan Fadhli Ab. Halim.

Mafauzy menambah, kajian yang dilakukan itu juga berbentuk serampang dua mata, di samping mengkaji khasiat madu lebah, usaha itu juga membantu meningkatkan taraf hidup pencari lebah yang rata-ratanya daripada golongan bottom bilion.

USM katanya, prihatin dengan nasib golongan berkenaan dan mendapati hasil kajian membolehkan mereka meningkatkan pengetahuan serta mempromosikan madu lebah yang dicari seterusnya menjadikan ia sebagai sumber pekerjaan.

'Harga madu di pasaran juga meningkat dan menjadi pilihan ramai sebagai makanan kesihatan untuk semua peringkat masyarakat," katanya.

Tambahan pula, katanya, hasil penyelidikan melibatkan herba, madu dikenalpasti berpotensi menurunkan paras gula dalam darah serta meningkatkan kesihatan fizikal .

Katanya lagi, sehubungan itu pensyarah dan penyelidikan di Kampus Kesihatan digalakkan mendapatkan geran penyelidikan dari sumber luar untuk mempelbagaikan penyelidikan mereka dalam meningkatkan kualiti.

''Selain madu lebah, USM turut meluluskan geran di bawah Bahagian Jaringan Industri dan Masyarakat berjumlah RM50,000 bagi projek ternakan madu lebah kelulut.

''Setakat ini usaha membangunkan produk madu lebah kelulut bagi kegunaan merawat penyakit dan pemakanan kesihatan telah dimulakan," katanya.

Dr. Mafauzy menambah, pihaknya juga mengalu-alukan perjanjian persefahaman yang diadakan dengan Universiti Hasanuddin Makasar dalam kajian melibatkan madu lebah serta pembangunan produknya.

Beliau berharap, kerjasama itu mampu menghasilkan suatu modul perawatan yang komprehensif dan dapat ditawarkan kepada pengamal perubatan tempatan dan global.

''Begitu juga, gabungan kerjasama dengan Syarikat Aifa Health Sdn. Bhd. yang secara prinsipnya bersetuju menyumbangkan sejumlah dana untuk mengadakan sebuah Makmal Efikasi Pre-Klinik dalam menjalankan kajian berkaitan," katanya.

Beliau turut melahirkan rasa bangga dengan perhatian ahli akademik, pelajar dan warga USM Kampus Kesihatan yang sensitif dengan keperluan masyarakat dalam membangunkan perubatan tradisional dan komplementari berasaskan madu.

Katanya, kajian berasaskan saintifik itu mampu diintegrasikan dalam sistem perubatan yang sedia ada dan usaha tersebut dapat dilihat sebagai salah satu daripada strategi Blue Ocean yang tidak memerlukan USM bersaing dengan institusi pengajian tinggi yang lain.

Measuring Online Influence with Klout.com

Klout Comes to Facebook Fan Pages

June 22nd, 2011 by Megan Berry
Today, we’re proud to announce that we’re partnering with Involver to allow brands to provide customized experiences to their Facebook fans based on Klout Scores. Besides the number of fans, brands know surprisingly little about who those people are, their potential reach, and have little ability to message them individually. Now, with this partnership, brands can choose to give different offers, promotions, or messaging to fans based on their Klout. We’re excited to have Audi on board as our first partner on their Audi USA fan page.

Read the full press release below:

Klout Comes to Facebook: Brands and Agencies Can Now Engage Facebook Fans Based on Klout Scores
Involver App, built in SML™, allows brands and agencies to customize engagement, promotions, and offers to reward influential fans

SAN FRANCISCO – June 22, 2011 – Involver Inc., the web’s most trusted social marketing platform, and Klout, the standard for influence across the social web, today bring Klout to Facebook, giving brands a new way to engage with their most influential fans, and rewarding consumers based on their influence, as measured by Klout. Facebook has been largely devoid of the ability to filter how brands focus their attention. This integration marks the first time brands can engage with their fans on Facebook using the Klout scoring system.

Audi USA, the brand with the most actively engaged Facebook fans, has deployed the new Klout app to engage with its nearly 4 milion fans in a more customized and personalized way. Live now on Audi’s Facebook fan page, users will receive a customized brand experience, tailored to them based on their Klout score. On Audi’s Facebook page, fans who sign up to get their Klout Score will receive a custom digital Perk.

With this integration the Klout app is fully developed in Involver’s SML™, which means brands and agencies can incorporate a user’s Klout scores to dynamically change the content/interaction with the Involver platform applications. An agency or brand can create highly customized experiences across the spectrum of Klout scores, unlocking the ability to uniquely target connected influencers.

By partnering with Involver, Klout’s Facebook app is easily deployed to more than 400,000 brands and agencies using Involver’s platform. The Klout app is available as a free application and with progressivly more features enabled as a part of Involver’s Professional, Business, and Enterprise offerings with advanced features including deeper customization, and content control based on Klout scores.

How the Klout App Works
● A brand deploys the Klout App and configures it settings
● Once fan interacts with the application the brand is able to show different content based on users’ Klout scores. Like a “fan-gate” on steroids.
● Example: When a user above a certain threshhold interacts, they get access to special, unreleased content (a new trailer, product, coupon, etc.). That person is more likely to share it, and it’s more likely to catch on.

“We identified Klout as a skilled partner to help us recognize and idenfity our Facebook fans with followings and influence,” said Doug Clark, General Manager, Social Media & Customer Engagement, Audi of America whom is currently using the application “We currently have over 3,500,000 fans on Facebook and we see this as a great tool to help manage and work more directly with our fan base.”

“Facebook represents a huge opportunity for brands to connect with their fans and deliver a unique experience,” said Joe Fernancez, founder and CEO, Klout. “The real value for brands comes in being able to personalize and customize that experience based on specific attributes of individuals. Involver helped us make Klout scores actionable for brands and agencies on the most influential social platform out there.”

“The new Klout app is particularly exciting for us because of the deep customization and personalization around fan engagement,” said Rahim Fazal, CEO and Co-Founder, Involver. “Brands like Audi have massive followings, and the logical next step is to empower those brands and their agencies to engage with their fans in specific, highly personalized ways.”

The Klout app is now available directly from Klout and Involver.

About Involver
Involver is the solution of choice for the world’s biggest brands trying to connect with customers on social networks. Over 400,000 brands and agencies — including Nike, Facebook, Cisco, and the NFL — use Involver to power their marketing efforts to a combined audience of over a billion relationships.
Involver pioneered the first social app suite on Facebook and is now leading the industry with SML (Social Markup Language), allowing front-end developers to achieve pixel-perfect application development. Involver’s Audience Management Platform acts as a marketer’s system of record, bringing everything from app management and wall response/moderation to publishing updates and analytics into a single intuitive interface.

Involver is a Facebook Preferred Developer and a technology provider for Facebook’s internal marketing team, with applications like the Involver Leaderboard and Stories. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA with Offices in Austin, TX and New York, NY Involver was founded in 2007 and investors include Bessemer Ventures, Cervin Ventures and WTI. Learn more at www.involver.com.

If you are interested in a similar integration for your fan page, please email partners@klout.com. Note that this is not a way of measuring the Klout Score of your page, but a way to engage with your fans based on their score. Thanks!

Any email that contains "Password_:" will be denied

I just need to post something to this blog. Have been neglecting it for almost 2 months.

I got this email from our 'trusted' communications management team a.k.a. ICT Security at USM -- the PPKT (Pusat Pengetahuan, Komunikasi & Teknologi) entitled: Makluman Berkenaan Aktiviti Phishing / Acknowledgement on Phising Activities.

Not sure yet whether the USM's ICT Security effort to tighten outgoing email by filtering and denying all emails that has the word "password" is a smart idea. 

What if we receive official emails from outside that say something like this: 

After you have sent in your application, we will sent you all the details. You will need to go to our website and log-in with your name and the password given...." or something to the effect in which the other party has to use the word 'password'.

Anyway this was the email sent to all USM staf today:

Good day,

Regarding to recent email scam activities (phising), we like to advice user to:

1. DO NOT reply to email that asked for password or personal information.

2. DO NOT give any password or personal information via phone conversation.

3. DO NOT click on any link directly from email.

4. DO NOT forward scam emails to friends or reply back to sender.

5. DO NOT fill in unvarified online form that asked for password or personal information.

6. DO NOT be greedy to any promises in emails or web sites.

7. ALERT us on any scam emails that you have received.

                               

ICT Security USM, Email services or any other service providers will not ask for password. You should ignore such request.

                               

 Hereby ICT Security USM had tightened outgoing email filter. Any email that contains "Password_:" or "spreadsheets._google._com" (without _) will be denied.

Regards.

Infostruktur Keselamatan ICT

PPKT, USM

USM Hasilkan Pengkumur Mulut Untuk Cegah Kanser

GEORGE TOWN: Sekumpulan penyelidik dari Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) mencipta bahan pengkumur mulut yang berfungsi sebagai agen pencegahan kanser mulut.

Pokok Kesinai (streblus asper) yg dijadikan bonsai

Ketua Penyelidik itu, Dr Azman Seeni Mohamed berkata pengkumur mulut itu dihasilkan menerusi rebusan akar pokok bonsai tempatan iaitu pokok kesinai.

Pokok yang dikenali dengan nama saintifiknya "streblus asper" itu hanya terdapat di utara Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka dan India, katanya kepada pemberita di sini Khamis.

Beliau berkata, menerusi kajian makmal, pokok itu berpotensi untuk membunuh bakteria mulut, menghilangkan bau mulut, mengurangkan dan mencegah bengkak gusi, serta dapat membantu mencegah kanser mulut terutamanya golongan berisiko tinggi seperti perokok.

Daun Kesinai

"Produk yang dikenali SA Cleanse adalah yang pertama dihasilkan menerusi proses merebus akar pohon itu sebelum dimasukkan bahan pewarna adalah lebih baik berbanding dengan produk yang berada di pasaran sekarang kerana ia tidak mengandungi alkohol, dicipta menerusi tiga warna iaitu merah, hijau serta kuning yang mempunyai perisa pudina dan strawberi," katanya.

Azman berkata produk itu juga dapat membantu merencatkan pertumbuhan sel kanser tulang dan kanser lidah dengan merencatkan aktiviti proliferasi sel, meningkatkan proses kematian sel semula jadi dengan mengubah kadar sintesis DNA.

Katanya, produk itu juga tidak mengandungi kesan mutasi untuk jangka masa panjang kepada pengguna dan ia mendapat kelulusan Biro Farmaseutikal Negara.

"Ujian makmal itu dilakukan ke atas sel yang diambil daripada pesakit kanser dan hasil penyelidikan itu didapati berkesan sebagai alat pencegahan kanser," kata Azman.

Beliau berkata, selain akar, penyelidikan akan dilakukan dengan lebih meluas ke atas daun dan ranting pokok itu untuk ujian pra-klinikal haiwan bagi kanser mulut, ujian percubaan manusia (kesihatan mulut), ujian sel manusia (kanser pangkal rahim), penyakit prostat dan kosmetik.

Kajian untuk mencipta produk itu bermula pada 2009 dengan menggunakan geran jangka pendek USM dan Geran Insentif USM berjumlah RM45,000.

Produk yang telah dipatenkan di peringkat tempatan dan antarabangsa itu akan dipasarkan tidak lama lagi dengan harga RM12 hingga RM20 sebotol. - BERNAMA

Vitamin D penghalang buta akibat AMD

Satu kajian yang dijalankan di University of Buffalo yang dilaporkan Xinhuanet mendapati vitamin D adalah agen penghalang penyakit buta/kurang penglihatan akibat degenerasi makula yang berkait usia (AMD). 

Kajian dibuat terhadap golongan wanita yang berusia kurang 75 tahun yang mengambil vitamin D secukupnya. Ia mendapati mereka dapat mengurangkan risiko diserang AMD pada kadar 59% dibandingkan dengan wanita yang kurang mengambil vitamin D.


Bagaimanapun, penyelidik mendapati pesakit-pesakit dalam kajian mereka ini mendapat konsumsi atau dos harian vitamin D melalui diet pemakanan ke atas beberapa jenis ikan, susu, telur dan sayuran hijau, bukan dari pendedahan matahari.

Laporan penuh: Vitamin D may ward off age-related vision loss, study