Peer Reviewed

Molecular geneticists in Japan and China have identified a previously unknown gene associated with susceptibility to osteoarthritis, a common disease affecting knee and hip joints through abnormal wearing of the cushioning cartilage.

Since 2000, Malaysian-manufactured exports performance has been declining mainly due to the downturn of the global electronic industry and the rise of China's economy. The competitiveness of Malaysian manufactured exports can be improved by examining the pattern of revealed comparative advantage.

This paper examines how recent increases in offshoring by Japanese firms relates to the changes in the composition of export, the structure of national production, and the international distribution of manufacturing value-added in Japan, China, East Asian countries, the US and Europe

China has been accused of exchange rate manipulation that has caused large U.S. trade deficits, which have reduced U.S. welfare by increasing unemployment and reducing wages.

This paper argues that declining transaction costs in exporting on the one hand and the structural and institutional barriers to importing and consumption on the other hand are the main causes for China's rising current account surplus.

This paper examines U.S. goods trade with China, focusing on the performance of exports. The authors present evidence that the United States underperforms as an exporter relative to a peer group of high-income European countries and Japan.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Pluripotent cells from human testis, Stabilizing the roof of the world, Insight into an early star-forming galaxy, Protein linked to antibody production, Opening the door to thermo-spintronics and The key to sound distortion

The Forest Research Institute of Malaysia announces the publication of 4 new books inlcuding A dictionary of Malaysian timbers, An in-depth look at enrichment planting, Nature's choice to wellness: antioxidant vegetables/ulam, Activities in wetlands and Birds of FRIM

A fragment of the Pacific tectonic plate beneath Tokyo may be the source of recurring large earthquakes. Other newsworthy papers include Crick hypothesis vindicated, Silicon solar cells bent on success, The genetic origins of cleft lip, Linking schizophrenia to neuronal changes, Magnetization switching using only spin and more.

Repetition is essential for acquisition and retention of new information and skills. Researchers uncover a mechanism by which the brain regulates restructuring of neuronal connections during the processes of learning and memory-building

An international team of scientists including Koji Yamanaka and colleagues at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, have found that damage to brain cells other than motor neurons is critical to the onset of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Mapping of electron distribution in highly unusual hypervalent atom will advance our understanding of rare carbon compounds

Each moment that we are awake, our senses are bombarded with stimuli. Focusing our attention on the few stimuli that are important allows us to filter out the ones irrelevant to the task at hand. RIKEN researchers have found that attention does in fact modulate primary cortical responses to both auditory and visual stimuli.

Japanese researchers provide the first large-scale identification of protein control sites from the model plant Arabidopsis

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Biopsy sample sheds light on HIV-1 evolution, Magnetic imaging and sensing using diamond spins, The glaciation threshold, An earlier dawn for microRNAs, Measuring the magnetic field of a distant galaxy, Knock-out blow for Chlamydia and Evolution in action

In Sri Lanka, a grassroots pilot study combines advanced communication technologies with local volunteer networks to alert coastal villages to danger coming from the sea.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, a program to convert sediment from gutters into bricks is transforming a public health hazard into a resource that fills a social purpose while generating income for the community.

Beatriz Barbuy, a Brazilian astrophysicist who has made a major contribution to the study of the evolution of the chemical composition of stars, and Roddam Narasimha, an Indian engineer and physicist whose work in fluid dynamics has increased understanding of turbulence, have been awarded the 2008 Trieste Science Prize.

The books include - Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak, Common Commercial Timbers of Peninsular Malaysia, Timber Technology Bulletin 46, Pocket Check List of Timber Trees and Foresters’ Manual of Dipterocarps

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Thwarting tumour invasion, Glacier acceleration through subsurface ocean warming, Complement enhances tumour evasion, Groundwater levels determine land response to climate and A century of artificial nitrogen fertiliser

Scientists use a theory that exists in higher dimensions to better understand the process by which a neutron decays into a proton

Study obtains protein structures more efficiently using a combination of techniques

New man-made materials could produce unique chaotic motion in electron beams

New experiments reveal detailed physical features of a protein thought to exacerbate the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease

Sign language is the most natural means of exchanging information for the deaf. A project at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak is focusing on developing hand gesture modeling techniques for sign language recognition and presentation. It aims for a prototype that would allow easier communication between the deaf and others in daily communication.

A special issue of Nature this week tackles science in the US election, exploring how John McCain and Barack Obama developed their stances on science; who is advising them on technical issues; and where they might take the country if elected.

A new approach to improving vaccine supplies in the event of an influenza pandemic is reported

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Astronomy: Star light, star bright, Infectious disease: The GILTy party and Quantum Flicks: Now you see them, now you don't

A simple device for assisting in the therapy to regain the range of motion as well as strengthening the motor skills that control the fingers movement are being developed in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. This will offer an alternative rehabilitation activity for post-stroke patients with partial paralysis of one side of the body.

On Saturday, September 20, 2008, Islamabad witnessed one of the most horrific suicide attacks in Pakistan’s history, which targeted the Marriott hotel less than 2 kms away from the Parliament, the Presidency and the Prime minister’s house.