Peer Reviewed

Cloning efficiency is undermined by widespread disruption of genomic regulation resulting largely from defective expression of a single gene

An effective method for generating cerebellar neurons could lead to new treatments for movement disorders

A specific genetic variant puts individuals of Asian ancestry at risk of developing diabetes—but not their European counterparts

Tokyo, 5 Nov - A new analysis technique for the design and optimization of beam optics has successfully been used to model the group behavior of electron beams over a linear accelerator, paving the way for its use at linear accelerator based light source facilities around the world.

Tokyo, 4 Nov- Researchers at RIKEN have successfully developed a revolutionary new polymer film that changes shape upon irradiation with UV and visible light.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include: Early galaxies and the reionization of the Universe; Deep ocean reversal in the last ice age; The workings of a microbial immune system; Asymptotic freedom for the electric charge; Cryptic escape at the ocean surface; Holographic display gathers speed

Singapore, 3 November 2010: The National Metrology Centre (NMC) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) have jointly set up a national Metrology in Chemistry (MiC) infrastructure.

Mohamad Hafiz Mamat’s winning innovation is a UV photoconductive sensor, the Grand Prize won in the Innovation and Design 2010 – Special Edition, 12 – 14 October 2010 at the Sri Budiman Hall, Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam

New Delhi, India, October 31, 2010: The Think Tank Initiative (TTI), a partnership of major donors, has awarded 21 Million USD in grants to 16 independent policy research institutions in South Asia. The long-term funding will help strengthen the think tanks’ role as influential players in national policymaking in the region.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include: A habitable microenvironment on Mars? Unfolding the story of an anthrax toxin; Autophagy defect in muscle disease; Brain control of insulin sensitivity; Selective inhibition of immune responses; Geoscience: Million-year-old sand in the Namib

A small-molecule screening method helps scientists probe mysteries of protein function

A naturally occurring back-up system in plants to produce metabolites compensates for experimentally induced gene loss

Close collaboration between developmental neurologists and clinical researchers could one day find the genetic answer to what it means to be human.

Singapore, 28 Oct - Total of S$17.5 million committed to date for 10 research projects that will redefine communications and safety, energy efficiency, as well as materials and electronics in future transportation

The pilot phase of a project that seeks to catalogue human genetic variation explores the rich genetic diversity that exists between individuals.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include: A new brain–machine interface; A record-breaking neutron star; Single-molecule magnets line up; Probing individual spins in a semiconductor host; Geological history of the marine phosphate reservoir

HONG KONG, 26 Oct - Working in collaboration with industry partners, researchers of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have successfully developed a Solar-powered Air-conditioning System for vehicles and completed a series of testing on the road.

Shigeki Nakauchi at Toyohashi Tech in collaboration with Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., Japan, has developed a technology enabling the quantification and visualization of the ‘quality’ and finish of foundation applied to the face.

Dr Tsetserukou and Dr Neviarouskaya have designed iFeel_IM! to intensify the communicators' own feelings or simulate the partner's emotions in order to enhance social interactivity and provide an emotionally immersive experience for real-time messaging.

Using state of the art microfabrication technology to create periodic structures with high accuracy, Dr Baryshev and colleagues report the existence of so-called optical surface (Tamm) states at the interfaces of magnetophotonic crystals.

Dr Kawano and colleagues successfully demonstrate the neural recording capability of micrometer sized VLS-silicon wires—'Toyohashi Probe' using the retina of a fish (Fig.1 and Animation).

Using monkey electrophysiology, Dr Koida and Dr Komatsu found that task demand altered the response of the inferior temporal neurons.

Dr Minami and colleagues investigated the P3 component using an oddball paradigm.

Dr Misawa and colleagues focused on a chemical sensor composed of living cells from frog eggs and compact fluidic devices integrated with glass capillary electrodes.

Dr Numano and colleagues have been investigating the dynamics of ion channels and efficiently manipulating them for optical control of neural activity.

Dr Park and colleagues report on a new biosensing protocol based on monitoring changes in optical transmittance of a solution containing self-assembled chains of functionalized magnetic beads being rotated by an external magnetic field.

Dr Tero and colleagues found unique phase separation forming triangular domains to occur in a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) consisting of GM1, sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol (Chol) at 20:40:40 molar ratio.

This inaugural Toyohashi Tech e-Newsletter includes an interview with President Yoshiyuki Sakaki—internationally renowned molecular biologist who led Japan’s International Human Genome Project—about his ambitious plans on enhancing the university’s research and education infrastructure.

Tokyo, 24 Oct - Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine (CGM) have uncovered hundreds of thousands of previously unknown variations in the human genome using new massively parallel sequencing technology.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include: History of Haitian earthquakes; Rupture of an unmapped fault in Haiti; Genetics: Genetic variants associated with bladder cancer