Peer Reviewed

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has partnered with Beijing Normal University's GaoZhong Shu-Li-Hua Magazine (高中數理化雜誌) to launch its Secondary School Science and Mathematics Competition (SSSMC) for mainland students across the country.

Latest news ftom Nature 25 December 2011

Latest Results of the Large Hadron Collider and the Participation by 15 Organizations in Japan, Including Waseda University and the University of Tokyo

The Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, NIMS, and Kyoto University confirmed for the first time that it is possible to achieve ultra-high speed switching in a time of 200 nanoseconds with a new piezoelectric thin film which possesses micro regions called “nanodomains.”

First Detailed Elucidation of Heat Generation Mechanism.

The Tissue Regeneration Materials Unit of the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science succeeded in developing a matrix material which can control the differentiation of stem cells for regenerative medicine.

A high-pressure growth technique creates single magneto-electric crystals useful for future generations of electronic memory

A new spectroscopy technique enables the investigation of two-dimensional electron states both at the surface and within crystals

Infectious agents released from the late blight pathogen use a sticky patch of amino acids to adhere to potato plant cells

Identification of genetic variations that increase the risk of adult asthma will lead to better understanding of this disease

Planetary science update from Nature

Novel polymers release their drug cargo in response to body temperature

Plasmonic nanocrosses that heat up when illuminated can be used to kill cancer.

Vertical silicon nanowires prove to be an excellent platform for nonvolatile memory devices without the need for doped junctions.

Bamboo and rattan plants are at the centre of major initiatives in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that are combatting global warming, fighting soil erosion, protecting forests, and enhancing communities’ access to water.

The research team of Associate Professor Koji Arimitsu at Tokyo University of Science has developed photobase generators capable of highly efficient production of strong bases. This will enable the practical use of photopolymers that utilize photobase generators - something which has hitherto not been considered possible.

News from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Latest news ftom Nature 22 December 2011

A tree-planting activity at the back of the Carillon Plaza on December 14 launched the Washington SyCip Garden of Native Trees (WSGNT), a project between University of the Philippines Diliman and Bridgebury Realty Corporation (BRC, developer of the Zuellig Building in Ayala Avenue, Makati City).

A young scientist from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)'s Food Safety and Technology Research Centre (FSTRC) has successfully prepared highly stable selenium nanoparticles by using the polysaccharide-protein complex extracted from the African Tiger Milk mushroom.

Professor Fujishima, President of Tokyo University of Science talked about experience in photocatalysts

Latest news from Nature journals 18 December 2011

Ichiro Taniuchi at the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology is carrying out research to understand the mysteries of organism evolution by investigating the mechanism responsible for the differentiation of T cells.

Insights obtained from a structural and functional analysis of an ion-pumping protein could benefit future drug discovery efforts

Modifications to chromosomal proteins help ensure that brain-specific sugars are produced only in the appropriate tissues.

Tax cuts and a streamlined registration process are just some of the measures that reflect a new attitude toward small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt. Support from IDRC and the Canadian International Development Agency have helped Egypt’s Ministry of Finance pave the way for these improvements.

Latest news from Nature 14 December 2011

Breaking news from Nature Neuropsychopharmacology

The pilot shipment of silicon optic device fabricated using novel MEMS technology developed by A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) for LinkStar Microtronics Pte. Ltd. (LinkStar), a one year old company which is a spin-off from IME, has been qualified by LinkStar’s customers for mass production.

Local startup develops handheld plug-and-play file sharing device in A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research laboratories