Peer Reviewed

The world’s first database storing 3D head and face measurements of ethnic Chinese has come into use, after 18 months of dedicated efforts by pioneering researchers of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. As a result of this important ergonomic data, industrial designers will now be able to design products that fit Chinese people properly.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) also known as Gumboro disease is the second most important poultry disease after Newcastle disease. In this study, we reported for the first time the use of Sybr Green I based real-time PCR to differentiate different strains of IBD virus.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Biochemical pay dirt in Nature Chemical Biology, Delicate and dynamic immunological equilibrium in Nature Immunology and Many targets – one tube in Nature Methods

Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of shrimps, yet its share of the world largest shrimp market - the European Union - is proportionally far lower. This project aims to understanding the problems and devise solutions and training to boost the incomes of many poor farmers and improve access to the European Union market.

Japanese scientists describe crystal structures at the heart of antitumor compound synthesis

A RIKEN-led team of researchers from Japan and the US has used an innovative combination of genome survey techniques in live Drosophila fruit flies to reveal a previously unknown master gene involved in setting circadian rhythms.

"Biotechnology has the potential to produce more food to meet the increasing demand in developing countries, but it must be nutritionally and environmentally safe." Representatives and scientists from 16 countries and three international organizations met in Syria to develop an integrated regional framework on biotechnology and biosafety.

A young Russian biologist taking samples to a collaborative institute in France has been accused of attempting to smuggle bioweapons by Russia’s federal security service, the FSB.

One-sixth of the world’s population is affected by tropical diseases, yet the drug ‘pipeline’ for these diseases is almost dry. Other newsworthy papers include Planet survives the red-giant phase, Pinpointing the end of Neanderthals, Two-score ice ages for Mars, Universities and the money fix and Pulsed model for continent growth

Smart surfaces can be switched between water-loving and water-repelling states in response to temperature, pH and glucose changes

Producing food for the increasing human population generally results in increased use of pesticides, which is finding its way into drinking water supplies. This research is proven to filter up to 85 % of dimethoate and more than 95% of atrazine.

This e-primer introduces policy makers and development practitioners to the application of different information and communications technology (ICT) for disaster management, with case studies from the Asia-Pacific region.

In rice-producing Malaysia, rice bran is a rice-milling by-product that is normally considered wasteful. However, researchers at University Putra Malaysia have developed antioxidant neutraceutical formulations from rice bran oil and palm oil.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Adding a pinch of sugar, Watching protein-cutting enzymes in action, Muscle metabolism and human evolution, The political brain, Dialling up damage responders and Stem cells have nervous impulses

Two researchers from RIKEN’s SPring-8 Center in Harima have demonstrated the conversion of x-rays into longer wavelengths that preserves some of their useful properties, such as high spatial resolution.

A three-component catalytic system enables the formation of carbon–fluorine bonds at precise positions in organic molecules

Researchers find superconductivity in a material typically used as cement

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Killer asteroid shower identified, Protein duo make up tip links, Clue to HIV vaccine success, Materials: Tickle me!, SYNERGY sheds light on gene evolution, Symbiotic evolution: Host genes incorporated and finally… Jaws II

As the economical and technological growth of China increases exponentially, the country has a great opportunity to become an environmentally clean society.

Information from distant seismic events is revealing a complex picture of the tectonic plate boundary in southeast China

This APDIP e-Note intends to give a brief introduction to government interoperability frameworks (GIFs), explain how they are classified and provide details of their common features. It also discusses the importance of open standards in GIFs and why governments should consider open standards seriously when designing or evaluating their GIFs.

Asian Institute of Technology aims to focus its work on six areas : information and communications technology for development; food and aquatic systems (bio-resources); urban and rural sustainability (climate change); the Asian model of management; water; and robotic and sensor networks for an intelligent environment.

The eBario’s project won international acclaim for the innovative application of ICT to sustain social and economic development in rural communities. The research team was recently awarded a RM4 million grant to replicate the eBario project in five remote sites in Malaysia.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Neurodegeneration: Prion structure unfolds, New drug to treat schizophrenia, Adult stem cell with muscle, The genetics of human height, Stop that itch!, Restraining allergic responses

Researchers from NTU have come up with a new nanotechnology process that enables smaller and faster computer chips to be built.

Information and Communication Technologies have revolutionised our lives in many ways and promise to continue doing so. This section will highlight ICT research and experts featured on ResearchSEA including the latest technologies and ICT for Development

Neurobiologists from Japan and the US have identified a signaling system functioning during vertebrate development that controls the proper positioning of cells giving rise to future olfactory neurons, and their eventual correct wiring to the brain.

Researchers from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Harima and from the universities of Tsukuba and Tokyo have demonstrated that laser light of a single wavelength can induce reversible transformations in the molecular bond, leading to changes in a material’s magnetic properties.

Japanese researchers may have found a simple solution to the problem of keeping human embryonic stem (hES) cells alive after dissociation of the embryo into individual cells.

Nineteen species of arrow worms (chaetognaths) belonging to 3 genera were identified from samples collected along the Pacific Coast and the internal waters of the Philippines. The distribution of the species indicates that strong currents flow from the Pacific Ocean towards the Visayan Sea.