Peer Reviewed

University of Malaya (UM) won three out of five prizes at the National Assistive Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Technology (AR&TTs) Challenge Malaysia 2014 which was held last 30 June to 1 July 2014.

Sendai, Japan - On July 2, Microsatellite Rising-2 succeeded in capturing high precision images of the earth’s surface. Using a High Precision Telescope (HPT), it captured color images at a spatial resolution of 5m, the highest in the world among 50kg-class satellites.

This article published in the Science and Technology of Advanced Materials reports an approach with industrial potential to produce nano-sized composite silicon-based powders as negative electrodes for the next generation lithium ion batteries.

(Okayama, Japan, 10 July) Okayama University researchers seek partners to commercialize a clinically proven non-invasive fluorescence virus-guided capture system of human colorectal circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples for genetic testing. This non-invasive companion diagnostics is important for personalized targeted cancer therapy.

Within the framework of Microsoft Thailand’s global programme “Microsoft Youth Spark”, thousands of young entrepreneurs in Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have been empowered with the necessary ICT skills that will enable them to successfully run small medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University will further participate in the nation’s High-Speed Rail through its PolyU Shenzhen Base.

Biologists at ITbM, Nagoya University have identified for the first time, a key photoreceptor cell deep inside the brain of birds, which takes the role of eyes in humans by directly responding to light and regulates breeding activity according to seasonal changes.

This research focused on making soft clay more stable to facilitate construction. Researchers at the Universiti Teknologi MARA mixed clay with various waste materials to enhance its engineering quality.

CareDroids, which assists elderly folks with their daily needs and communications was awarded second place in the competition.

The formation of electrically conducting ‘nanoroads’ on atomically thin semiconductor nanosheets enables the integration of electronic components.

A simple and inexpensive fabrication procedure boosts the light-capturing capabilities of tiny holes carved into silicon wafers.

An off-center waveguide enables light to be efficiently extracted from nanoscale lasers.

A gas cluster ion beam smoothing produces ultrathin silver films and lithographically patterned structures to enhance plasmonic performance.

The Human Life Advancement Foundation (HLAF) through its evaluation committee has chosen UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), University of Malaya as the recipient of this year’s HLAF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Twenty-four graduating students from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC) displayed their design flair and talent at the 2014 PolyU Fashion Show on 25 June at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Dr. Shahreen Mat Nayan, senior lecturer from the Department of Media Studies, University of Malaya received the Best Journal Article Award (under the Humanities and Social Science Category).

Crops grown on “land-grabbed” areas in developing countries could have the potential to feed an extra 100 million people worldwide, a new study has shown.

Researchers in Malaysia have identified three new strains of bacteria that show good potential as probiotics for poultry production.

(Okayama, Japan, 25 June 2014) Research highlights in the June issue of the Okayama University e-Bulletin include innovative pendulum dynamo for converting tidal energy to electricity; models for breeding plants; unique insights into photosynthesis and Photosystem II; repairing DNA; and developing lithium-ion baterries with help from bacteria.

A collaboration from RIKEN, the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and University College Dublin won top place in the June 2014 Graph 500 supercomputer ranking using the K computer, which is located in Kobe, Japan.

Japanese researchers have established a process for forming organic thin-film transistors (TFTs), conducting the entire printing process at room temperature under ambient atmospheric conditions.

Using a soft X-ray microscope, a Japanese research team has examined the nanostructure of organic solar cells and discovered that different molecules are intermixed in each molecular domain.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo and Japan's National Institute for Materials Science have discovered pure organic substances exhibiting the quantum spin liquid state.

(Tokyo, Japan, 20 June 2014) The June 2014 issue of the University of Electro-Communications e-Bulletin includes research highlights on Raman scattering for laser optical communications; fuzzy control systems; optical signal processing; pharmacophores and future of drug discovery; hybrid dye solar cells.

Researchers at the Synchrotron X-ray Station at Spring-8 and Tohoku University have successfully detected spin-resolved electronic states from a buried ferromagnetic layer, which had been difficult to detect using conventional spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

A Japanese research team has successfully demonstrated a new approach toward a non-precious metal oxygen reduction catalyst for fuel cells.

Adding lime is a cost-effective means of increasing rice production on marginal acidic soils, according to a study published in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science. The study examined the effects of applying lime from various sources on an acid sulphate soil in Merbok, Malaysia.

A theoretical model for vibrations in laptops provides design strategies for reducing hard drive failures

Microspheres and a tiny pipette are all it takes to image surfaces with a resolution below 100 nanometers

Scheduling algorithms based on game theory can make better use of computational resources to reduce the costs of grid computing