Annual
Science
Conference
2020 Goes
VIRTUAL
Introduction Dear All,
On behalf of all the organisational committee, I would like to thank you all for joining us for this year’s Annual Science Conference. As you already know, this year’s conference has been designed as a completely online webinar due to the current health situation in Malta with the COVID-19 epidemic. Perhaps one of the most influential by-products of scientific discovery and progress over the last century has been the invention of computers and, consequently, the internet. The internet is easily one of the most potent tools ever created by man, giving us the capability of not only reaching an unprecedented level of global connectivity, but has also greatly hastened the scientific progress, allowing easier and quicker exchange of scientific ideas as well as providing the processing power needed to further push the frontiers of scientific knowledge. This has been well demonstrated by scientific knowledge on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which through the power of the internet has rapidly exploded over a few months.
Albeit the general shutdown imposed as a result of the spread of the virus, scientific progress has not only not been impeded, but on the contrary has accelerated. This is not only crucial from a medical and epidemiological standpoint, but also suggests that as scientists we must adapt to this new situation and not let it hinder the scientific process. Hence the reason why we felt it important to find a means of still organising our yearly conference virtually, as a way to show that the scientific research carried out within our Faculty cannot be negated by adverse situations.
Once again, I would like to thank all of you for attending Malta’s first ever virtual science conference and hope you enjoy the talks prepared by our speakers.
Regards, Justin Cauchi Head of Organisational Committee
Organisational Committee Head of Committee:
Justin Cauchi
(Social Policy Officer)
Other Committee Members:
James W. Caruana
(President)
Gianni Ciappara
(Vice-President)
Rachel Attard Chase
(Secretary General)
Rebekah Caruana
(Financial Controller)
Francesca Camilleri
(Public Relations Officer)
Owen Cuschieri
(Leisure Officer)
Matteo Giorgino
(Leisure Officer)
Stephanie Buttigieg
(Education Officer)
Noelle Micallef
(Environmental Officer)
Martina Busuttil
(International Officer)
Julia Balzan
(Internal Secretary)
Advisory Committee:
Yacopo Baldacchino
(Department of Biology)
Rebekah Attard Trevisan
(Department of Chemistry)
Francesco Pavia
(Department of Chemistry)
Kurt Darmanin
(Department of Statistics and Operations Research)
Samuel Zammit
(Department of Statistics and Operations Research)
Programme Programme 09:00 - 09:20
Introduction
09:20 - 09:40
Andrea Francesca Bellia Biologoy Martina Cutajar Biology Dr. Alessia Massa-Gallucci (AquaBioTech Group) Marine Biotechnology Renato Camilleri Geosciences
09:40 - 10:00 10:00 - 10:20 10:20 - 10:40
10:40 -
11:00
Break
11:00 -
11:20
11:20 -
11:40
Andrew Finch Astrophysics Maria Aquilina Physics Nicky Evans Physics Mirko Consiglio Physics Talk by PwC
v11:40 - 12:00 12:00 - 12:20 12:20 - 12:40
Abstracts Andrea Francesca Bellia ____________________ Department of Biology
A Drone’s Eye View: Mapping Shallow-Water Benthic Assemblages
High altitude true colour images (TCI) were obtained for various bays, and an estimated number of benthic cover classes (BCCs), representing benthic habitats was determined. This was done to determine consumer-level drone efficacy for shallow water (0-5m) benthic surveys. Mapping benthic assemblages using a drone was hypothesised to reduce duration, cost, and manpower requirements, while increasing accuracy, relative to manual survey techniques. Image analysis was carried out using k-means clustering, to generate a pseudocolour image (PCI) to distinguish between BCCs. The k value used for clustering corresponded to the predicted number of BCCs and was dependent on benthic complexity. This resulted in a different k value for each site. PCI accuracy was subsequently verified via ground truthing. Relative BCC rank cover for each bay was subsequently analysed across all sites using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify specific BCC variation between PCIs and TCIs. Results indicated a statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.941; p = 0.015) between TCI and PCI BCC ranks. The entire process varied depending on the size of the area to be surveyed, approximating ca. 24 hours per bay. This value is inclusive of drone surveys, PCI construction, and ground truthing. The use of such automated surveys greatly reduces time and manpower required when compared to manual survey methods, which may otherwise take days or weeks. This suggests that automated surveys making use of drone images and their processing to PCIs give results of comparable accuracy, but in a much shorter time, and without bias.
Martina Cutajar ____________________ Department of Biology
Coast to coast: An Aerial Vegetation Approach?
Coastal vegetation is subject to the ecological filters which operate in this region. The predominant filters are wave action and soil salinity. These filters select a relatively small group of tolerant species and if the plant is able to overcome them it is able to adapt to living in these conditions.
The first few metres perpendicular to the shoreline, where conditions are harshest, are devoid of vegetation. Following this bare zone, the highly-specialised halophyte Arthrocnemum macrostachyum appears to dominate for a few meters. Further away from the coast, the cost of high specialisation actually becomes redundant and represents a competitive disadvantage for this plant. As such, different plants are dominant in different zones of the shore, creating a distinct zonation.
The boundaries created by vegetation relate to the species optima and tolerance to environmental stresses. Thus, there is a relationship between the species composition and the gradient of abiotic stressors. Such relationships can be identified through ground-based field surveys and also by analysing orthophotos obtained through drone photography. The latter approach allows much larger tracts of land to be surveyed than ground-based methods.
Alexia Massa-Gallucci1 ____________________ AquaBioTech Group Central Complex Naggar Street Targa Gap MST 1761 Mosta, Malta
Valorisation of fish by-products to achieve zero waste for sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture
amg@aquabiotech.com
Marine organisms represent a repository of bioactive molecules that can affect a wide range of biological activities (Kim et al. 2006). The effects of these natural compounds have been targeted by the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical industries to create innovative products for human health.
Wild caught and farmed fish are one of the main sources of animal protein in many countries (FAO SOFIA, 2018). The fisheries and aquaculture industries are currently generating between 35% to 50% of waste product due to the lack of adequate infrastructure and services to ensure proper handling and preservation of the fish produce (Gustavsson et al., 2011). The fish waste generated is mostly made up of by-products (viscera, skin, bones, etc.). All these by-products can be further processed into products with commercial value like fish meal and fish oil and collagen, that can be used in both food and health industries. The use and valorisation of fish waste also promotes the sustainable management of natural resources and cleaner production in the fishing industry, contributing to achieve a zero-waste approach and circular economy goals.
Valorisation of fish by-products and zero waste are among the main goals of the Interreg Italia-Malta V-A project BYTHOS. AquaBioTech Group is part of this project along with Italian and Maltese partners and is currently testing the fish feed produced using processed fish waste in aquaculture.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the BYTHOS partners: Universita’ degli Studi di Palermo (Italy), Comune di Lipari (Italy), Distretto Turistico Pescaturismo e Cultura del Mare (Italy), University of Malta (Malta), Ministry for the Environment Sustainable development and Climate change (Malta). Funding: We acknowledge the financial contribution of the project BYTHOS funded by the European Union’s Interreg V-A Italia-Malta Programme under project code C1-1.1-9.
References: 1. S.K. Kim, E. Mendis. Bioactive compounds from marine processing by-products—a review. Food. Res. Int. 39 (2006):383–393. 2. FAO. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 - Meeting the sustainable development goals, Rome, 2018. 3. J. Gustavsson, C. Cederberg, U. Sonesson, R. van Otterdijk, A. Meybeck. Global food losses and food waste – extent, causes and prevention. Study conducted for the International Congress Save Food! Düsseldorf, Germany, 16–17 May 2011. Rome.
Renato Camilleri ____________________ Department of Geosciences
A study on indoor airborne fine particulate matter in Malta
Several air quality studies have been carried out in Malta, but these have exclusively focused on outdoor air quality. This study focuses on the sampling and analysis of indoor and outdoor airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Malta to account for any seasonal changes in airborne particulate matter and to identify and quantify local and transboundary sources using receptor-oriented models.
This study also aims at identifying how fireworks affect the outdoor and indoor air quality. This is of considerable significance to the Maltese Islands due to the large number of fireworks displays that take place during the summer months. Since many people spend a significant amount of their time indoors, pollutants that reside indoors can have substantial effects, even at low concentrations.
A yearly sampling campaign has been carried out at a residence in B’Bugia where indoor and outdoor PM2.5 samples have been analyzed gravimetrically and for elemental content, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC). Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that fireworks contribute to the deterioration of indoor air quality at the sampling site during the summer months.
Andrew Finch ____________________ Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy
Gravitational Waves in Alternative Theories of Gravity
In this talk, some of the most energetic events that happen in the known universe and their origins will be presented. We will start with the death of stars and the remnants they leave behind with an emphasis on neutron stars and black holes. We will then discuss the binaries of these objects and how they form. The resulting effects on the space-time fabric during the merger of these binaries, gravitational waves, will then be presented. These mergers are some of the biggest and most spectacular events that happen in space and since 2015 we have been able to observe them here on our own planet. At this point, the method of detection will be presented leading to the current work being carried out at the university. Throughout my work I intend to formulate the necessary mathematics to generate computer simulations of gravitational waves in various theories of gravity. This will allow us to determine which theories agree with observation and lead to a better understanding of how our universe functions.
Maria Aquilina ____________________ Department of Physics
Studying the effects of radio irradiation on genomic mutation rates for E. coli
Terrestrial life is shielded from harmful radiation originating from space by Earth’s magnetosphere and atmosphere. Nonetheless, certain organisms on Earth are observed to harbour genetically determined features which allow them to withstand high levels of radiation without harm. The investigation of such organisms, called extremophiles, provides deeper insight into their characteristics as well as potential applications they may have.
This research project was such an investigation, carried out conjunctly between the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy, the Electromagnetics Research Group and the Department of Applied Biomedical Science. The primary aim was to investigate the impact of electromagnetic waves at a particular frequency known to originate outside Earth’s atmosphere, in this case, from the Sun, on molecular-level changes to a genetically modified sample of DH5 alpha (E. coli).
The procedure consisted of irradiating multiple samples of DH5 alpha with radio waves at a frequency of 2.8 GHz i.e. a wavelength of 10.7cm for samples exposed for time periods of 24 and 48 hours respectively, inside an anechoic chamber. The irradiated samples together with control samples were then further analysed using basic molecular biology tools. These included bacterial DNA extraction, quantification by spectrophotometry and analysis by whole genome sequencing carried out at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. The data were then used for comparative genomics in order to obtain a list of variant DNA sequences between control and irradiated microorganisms. The bioinformatics analysis is currently an ongoing exercise undertaken by the collaborating groups and preliminary data will be discussed.
Nicky Evans ____________________ Department of Physics University of Surrey
Optimising the Laser Patterning of Organic Photovoltaic Devices
Organic photovoltaics (OPV) devices are solar modules fabricated using carbon-based materials. This technology has a huge freedom of design and offers a lot of choice to consumers, while also having an aesthetic advantage over other solar energy alternatives.
Laser patterning is a technique used within the organic photovoltaics (OPV) industry in order to separate an OPV module into individual cells to be interconnected. This is necessary for reducing the series resistance of these devices, whilst also providing a way to organise the cells into specific designs for a customisable product. Although satisfactory laser patterning can be achieved easily when using slow laser scanning speeds, thus allowing for a more gradual thermal ablation of material, this results in much slower patterning processes. In order to achieve a high throughput of devices with good quality of patterning, the laser parameters that control the quality and speed of the cut for a nanosecond pulse infrared laser were optimised to accelerate the speed of patterning. The three patterning processes used within the fabrication of OPV devices, known as P1, P2 and P3 respectively, each were to be individually optimised to produce a satisfactory removal of specific material layers within the OPV stack. P1 and P3 remove certain areas of conductive layers in order to isolate the cells within the device, whilst P2 provides a connection path between the two electrodes.
Mirko Consiglio ____________________ Department of Physics
Decoherence Effect on Quantum Information Processing Protocols
Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum computers are fervently accelerating the capacity of Quantum Information Processing (QIP) tasks. The launch of the IBM Quantum Experience (IBM-QE) provided publicly available quantum processors which can be accessed remotely. As a result, many quintessential open quantum system models have been simulated successfully on IBM-QE processors, establishing solid groundwork in realising robust quantum computation. Nevertheless, we are far from attaining fault-tolerant quantum computation. The loss of qubit coherence generates noise in a quantum system, effectively destroying encoded quantum information. Our primary objective is to show the effect of decoherence on quantum teleportation protocols, by implementing the standard teleportation and secret sharing protocols, as specific QIP tasks on IBM-QE processors. Indeed, we show that implementing a phase damping channel as a collisional model on the entangled state used in teleportation, results in the decay of entanglement, diminishing its capability as a quantum resource. We also show that decoherence, resulting from the inherent dephasing and thermal relaxation processes occurring during quantum computation, is indeed amplified by increasing circuit depth.
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