Announcement

In Nature China this week - Comparative mapping between closely related cucumbers and melons reveals changes in centromere positions during evolution

Drawing from the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) experience in Africa and Asia, the authors present recommendations for policymakers, donor agencies, and researchers. They also present guidelines for developing and implementing poverty monitoring systems in other regions of the world.

The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) arranged a visit to FRIM for members of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) on 6 August 2009, in response to a request by FMM Council Member Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Soong Siew Hoong.

Edited by Ineke Buskens and Anne Webb Zed/IDRC 2009 ISBN 978-1-84813-192-7 e-ISBN 978-1-55250-399-7 320 pp.

The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) has successfully organised the Seminar on Wooden Furniture Industry 2009 from 4 till 5 August at FRIM, Kepong, attracting 145 participants.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Y.B. Tan Sri Joseph Kurup officially launched the National Workshop on Improved Tools and Methods for Integration of Biodiversity into Forest Planning, held at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, on 10 August 2009.

The fifth RCAI–JSI International Symposium on Immunology, hosted by the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI) in conjunction with the Japanese Society for Immunology (JSI), was held in Yokohama on July 9–10 of this year.

In Nature China this week - An eight-year study carried out by researchers in Hong Kong reveals the molecular mechanisms of myosin dimerization

The Research Management Institute (RMI) has helped UiTM secure research and business partnerships with four organizations, Messrs Perfect Triangle, Messrs Multi Cipta Engineering, Messrs Halalgel and Messrs Lintah Royal Park to market products researched by its academics.

An International Phenome Integration Meeting, sponsored by RIKEN and co-sponsored by the Society for the Study of Mammalian Genetics, was held in Kyoto, Japan, on July 12–13 of this year.

In Nature China this week - A genetic association study reveals the key to exceptional longevity in a Chinese population

A total of 30 researchers benefited from an in-house training workshop on “Understanding the Media” held at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) on 30 July 2009.

In Nature China this week - Researchers in Beijing demonstrate that induced pluripotent stem cells derived from mouse fibroblasts are capable of generating live mice

10 August 2009, UiTM signed a memorandum of agreement with four organizations. The signing was organized by the Research Management Institute of UiTM and witnessed by Dato’ Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, Deputy Minister of Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Tan Sri Prof Ibrahim Abu Shah, Vice Chancellor of UiTM.

In Nature China this week - Composite fibres reinforced with a reticulate network of carbon nanotubes are ten times stronger than conventional composite fibres

FRIM organized a second seminar on karas (Aquilaria spp.) plantation and agarwood (gaharu) production in Miri, Sarawak on 14 July 2009

Penang, July 30, 2009 - Malaysia's USM will sign a MoU with Thailand's EUMT tomorrow.

IDRC's The Think Tank Initiative invites applications from eligible organizations in Latin America and South Asia that are committed to using research to inform and influence social and economic policy.

In Nature China this week - Researchers in Beijing have identified the first multi-component sex pheromone in spiders

The new center, one of the Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARCs), will act as a space for joint collaboration among researchers attempting to understand the intelligence that makes us human.

This week in Nature China - Researchers in Beijing have developed an efficient method for preparing large graphene sheets

Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation Sdn. Bhd. had organised a visit for a delegation comprising 25 entrepreneurs and scientists from Korea led by the Korean Research Institute in Biotechnology and Biosciences (KRIBB) to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia on 8 July 2009

A delegation of seven from the Forest Research Institute Nigeria (FRIN) paid a two-day visit to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong on 7 July 2009

A total of around 200 people, including 24 members of RIKEN, attended the event, which showcased cutting-edge research and technology in chemical and materials science.

In Nature China this week - A colorimetric sensor based on hydrogen bonding could allow on-site, real-time detection of melamine in dairy products

The QuEST Bioherba programme was initiated in 2006 to strengthen the capacity, understanding and scientific knowledge of aspiring entrepreneurs in herbal industry, as well as to assist them in enhancing the quality, safety and efficacy of their products through use of safe technology.

RIKEN has implemented significant changes since the previous external evaluation in 2006 by the RIKEN Advisory Council (RAC). At the seventh meeting, held in April 2009, the RAC made several new recommendations. RIKEN President Ryoji Noyori and RAC Chair Zach Hall discuss RIKEN’s progress and future directions.

Universiti Sains Malaysia recently hosted two programmes on national television, the Gen Y TV1 Programme on Green Technology for a Sustainable World and a Forum on Islamic Issues on the topics 9 Doors to Good Fortune and Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Ummah.

According to the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omar Osman, USM is providing this service in view of the fact that some of the participants at the Asia Pacific Regional Symposium (APPS 2009) held in one of the hotels in Penang from 26 June till 1 July 2009 were confirmed positive for the H1N1 flu virus last week.

In Nature China this week - A novel class of nanoparticles formed by the self-assembly of antimicrobial peptides is extremely effective against brain infections