Why make an academic poster?
On 25-9-2019 the director of AVC e-learning center Dr. Ismail Musa Murad presented a general seminar on scientific poster presentation allows you to summarize your project into a concise and aesthetically pleasing format. It is one of the main ways you will present your work when at conferences. For this reason, you need to make sure your poster is of good quality. In this seminar he focuses on the following topics as follow:
1. How to prepare a poster
There are many computer programs you can use to create your poster. Many use Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint. It is important that you are comfortable using these programs as you will likely be doing a lot of editing.
Design
The information should be minimal, as in a slide presentation, stating only key points rather than complete sentences. The color system should have effective contrasting backgrounds (e.g. blue and yellow, black and white) to ensure the text is easy to read.
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Introduction
This should include a short background of the topic to set the context and state the main aims and objectives of your piece of work. What differentiates your work from your competition? Why is your work novel in the field?
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Methods
The methods section (poster space permitting) should include basic parameters including target sample, setting, duration of study, inclusion/exclusion criteria, statistical techniques, key interventions assessed and primary outcome measures.
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Results
The results section should include data analysis and stratification and should only include the results which answer the stated hypothesis. Moreover, essential to the results section is the inclusion of pertinent and key graphs, graphics, images and tables. These need to be large enough for the audience members to see and be as attractive and clutter-free as possible.
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Conclusion
The conclusions must derive directly from the results section and answer solely what has been proposed at the start of the paper. Obvious co-founders and limitations should also be acknowledged. Key improvements as well as potential for project expansion should also be considered.
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References
Only cite key references integral to your study, as references are wordy and space consuming. Use a smaller font to the main body text to reduce this.
2. Tables and figures
It is a good idea to include graphs/images/tables as this will make your poster look more aesthetically pleasing. They can also provide more information without crowding the poster with text. Make them colorful, though avoid colors that clash with the text color. Tables and figures can add new information or graphically present what has already been said in the poster. The arrangement of figures and tables varies and there is no universal rule, however figures interspersed within text is popular and looks attractive. Furthermore, ensure that the figures and images chosen are of a good resolution to avoid blurring when printed and presented.
3. Font size
The conference may specify this, however, generally for the main body, size 24 is used for text and size 32 for titles. The introduction section at the top of the poster should have a larger font than this.
4. Color
It is a good idea to stick to one or two colors for main text; anymore and your poster may look too busy. It is also important to check colors in advance at the place you wish to print your poster, as certain colors may come out in a different way to that expected.
5. Electronic posters
A growing number of conferences are using electronic posters (e-posters), which are screens that display an electronic copy of your poster, rather than a paper version. These can either be static images which are laid out similarly to a paper poster, or they can be slide shows of your work, which are displayed like a PowerPoint presentation which then go on rotation at the conference. They may also include videos and animations, so bear this in mind when you are selecting content for your post.
6-Helpful references:
1-http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/poster design
2-http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/
3-http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html
4-http://www.youtube.com/watch?
5-http://www.neco.edu/library/PPP-6-6-Templates/Poster/Poster_Template_In…
7-http://www.neco.edu/library/
EYE HEALTH and SAFETY
On Dr. Isamil Musa, presented a seminar on eye safety and health. In this seminar he points out that under the Health and Safety at Work Act, employers are required to provide appropriate personal protective equipment, such as eye protection, where there is a risk of eye injury. They must also ensure workers are trained in when and how to use their eye protection, as well as how to maintain it. Workers must wear eye protection if required to by their employer and the request is reasonable.
How do eye injuries happen to workers?
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Striking or scraping: The majority of eye injuries result from small particles or objects striking or scraping the eye, such as: dust, cement chips, metal slivers, and wood chips. These materials are often ejected by tools, windblown, or fall from above a worker. Large objects may also strike the eye or face, or a worker may run into an object causing blunt-force trauma to the eyeball or eye socket.
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Penetration: Objects like nails, staples, or slivers of wood or metal can go through the eyeball and result in a permanent loss of vision.
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Chemical and thermal burns: Industrial chemicals or cleaning products are common causes of chemical burns to one or both eyes. Thermal burns to the eye also occur, often among welders. These burns routinely damage workers’ eyes and surrounding tissue.
The type of safety eye protection you should wear depends on the hazards in your workplace:
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If you are working in an area that has particles, flying objects or dust, you must at least wear safety glasses with side protection (side shields).
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If you are working with chemicals, you must wear goggles.
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If you are working near hazardous radiation (welding, lasers or fiber optics) you must use special-purpose safety glasses, goggles, face shields or helmets designed for that task.
It’s imperative to wear eye protection when working around equipment or exposure to chemicals and other materials,
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1. A pair of safety glasses, ideally made with impact-resistant lenses, are necessary for jobs that present an eye safety risk. If there are chemicals present, safety goggles should be worn.
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2. Get to know your work surroundings. Identify the primary health hazards in your line and location of work. By being more aware of the risks present, you can take the appropriate precautionary measures.
Protecting the eyes from injuries
There are four things you can do to protect your eyes from injury:
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Know the eye safety dangers at your work
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Eliminate hazards before starting work by using machine guards, work screens or other engineering controls
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Use proper eye protection
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Keep your safety eye-wear in good condition and have it replaced if it becomes damage
An eye emergency?
Seek medical attention as soon as possible following an injury, particularly if you have pain in the eye, blurred vision or loss of any vision. Several simple first aid steps can and should be taken until assistance is obtained.
First aid for chemicals in the eye:
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Immediately flush the eye with water for at least 15 minutes. Place the eye under a faucet or shower, use a garden hose, or pour water into the eye from a clean container
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If you are wearing contact lenses, immediately remove them before flushing the eye
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Do not try to neutralize the chemical with other substances
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Do not bandage the eye
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Seek immediate medical attention after flushing
First aid for particles in the eye
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Do not rub the eye
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Try to let your tears wash the speck out, or irrigate the eye with an artificial tear solution
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Try lifting the upper eyelid outward and down over the lower eyelid to remove the particle
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If the particle does not wash out, keep the eye closed, bandage it lightly and seek medical care
In general conclusion more than 2,000 people injure their eyes at work every day but with the right eye protection, most of these injuries could have been prevented or the severity lessened. Whether you work in a manufacturing plant, an office or as a mom taking care of little ones, it’s important to protect your eyes, statistically about one third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments, and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days away from work.
Paperless Office
On 23-1-2020 the director of AVC e-learning center (Assist.prof. Dr. Ismail Musa murad) introduce a seminar on Paperless office for staff center and he points on the following:
1-An overview
A work environment that is designed to reduce or eliminate the use of paper. More than a decade into the 21st century, one would think we would be closer to the "paperless society" information.
1-The term “paperless office” goes as far back as the 1970s.
2- As far back as 1974-1975 there was a mention in the organization about the “office of the future” that would include computers, electronic mail and online information.
3- All the tools are in place these days to make the paperless office a reality all over the world.
2-Reasons for converting to a paperless enterprise:
1-Easy Storage1-Automatic Audit Trail: Storing documents electronically makes them much more accessible for future use. In addition to smoothing out editing and updating processes, electronic documents also ease audit processes.
2-Time Savings
3-Simplicity
4-Accessibility
5- Business Development
3-Some basic truth on paper
The on-going use of paper in some offices:
1-The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year.
2-5% of the paper printed in offices ends up trashed by the end of the day – accounting for more than a trillion sheets of paper per year, worldwide.
3-In most countries the in the world, companies spend more than $120 billion a year on printed forms.
4-A typical employee spends 30-40% of their time looking for information locked in email and filing cabinets.
5-The average document is copied 9 to 11 times and every 12 filing cabinets require an additional employee to maintain.
6-More than 70% of businesses today would fail within the first three weeks if they suffered a catastrophic loss of paper-based records due to fire or flood.
4-Why is it good to go paperless?
Here we can summarized part of the main benefits as follow;
1-Customers will like it.
2-Employees will like it.
3-Save money.
4- Easier to manage
5-Save space.
6-Data security.
7-Reduce your environment impact
5-Electronic files vs paper files
A decision has to be taken when we are going to use paperless office as to how involved each department/section will be; . it must be clear as to what information needs to be created and kept; . the decision has to be taken as to what format this information will be kept in, decide who will be responsible for the information created, who should keep it after creation and decide how long each piece of information will be kept.
6-In conclusion
We can say that the concept introduced in the 1980s, going paperless is actually a great way of saving money. As well as not needing to splash out on equipment for printing your documents, the sending and delivery of documents tends to be much lower when done without using paper and the following can be summarized in this regard as follow:
1-No longer are we limited by battery power, or large heavy screens. Battery and display technologies are now thinner and lighter than ever.
2- There are many portable devices that allow persons to access, send, read and even mark documents as if it were in paper format.
3- Instead of paper, the paperless office would use modern technology to accomplish all of the same goals.
4-Going paperless can make documentations and information sharing easier, keep personal information more secure and help the environment.
5-Technology has always promised to be the vehicle which would allow organizations to operate in a paperless environment.
6-Using less paper is important for obvious reasons, and we’re fully behind reducing paper-based processes in this erra.
And lastly we recommended for paperless office at SUE and the timeline for progression should be taken and needs supporting this project by all IT experts inside the university as soon as possible.
Seminar on Corona virus ( COVID 19)
Overview
On 27-2-2020, the director of AVC E-learning Center (Dr. Ismail Musa Murad) present a general seminar on Coronaviruses (COVID 19). In this Seminar the presenter Dr. Ismail Musa Murad gives a detailed review about the illness and also how human beings should protect themselves from this virus. This dirty virus was discovered in the 1960s.
The earliest ones discovered were infectious bronchitis virus in chickens and two viruses from the nasal cavities of human patients with the common cold that were subsequently named human corona virus 229E and human corona virus OC43 . Other members of this family have since been identified, including SARS-CoV in 2003, HCoV NL63 in 2004, HKU1 in 2005, MERS-CoV in 2012, and SARS-CoV-2 (formerly known as 2019-nCoV) in 2019; most of these have been involved in serious respiratory tract infections.
Prevention & Treatment
Recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
- Wash your hands frequently
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub if your hands are not visibly dirty.
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Practice respiratory hygiene
When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – discard tissue immediately into a closed bin and clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
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Maintain social distancing
Maintain at least 1 meter distance between yourself and other people, particularly those who are coughing, sneezing and have a fever.
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Avoid close contact with people who are sick
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Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
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Stay home when you are sick
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Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
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Clean frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
When to use a Face mask
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If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection
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Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing
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Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
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If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly
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Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
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Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask
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Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
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Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks
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To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
Public Health Response
Kurdistan ministry Health has deployed a group of experts to Wuhan City to support the local response.
Public Health Response
Kurdistan ministry Health and the government has deployed a group of experts to Erbil City and other all Kurdistan region to support the local response and to follow the main recommendation and precautions against the corona virus.