Peer Reviewed

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Treating Lou Gehrig’s disease with glial stem cells, Excess fatty acid in Alzheimer’s disease, A sweet surprise and Carbon storage by typhoons?

While Westerners do not expect robots to have human emotions, Japanese want them more human-like. Japan has greater number of humanoid robots and precedent researches in robotics than any other nation does. Unlike conventional bipedal humanoid robots such as Honda's ASIMO, Waseda University's WABIAN-2 can walk while keeping its knees straight.

This is a new concept espoused by Waseda University towards becoming a next-generation information society. The foremost goal of the project is the realization of a gigascale system including a 100-million-gate circuit and 1-million-step software as a chip which consumes an ultra-low amount of power.

Assoc. Prof. Iwasaki was part of the team that generated the 24 hour "biological clock" in a test tube. "Biological clocks" are internal, and are said to regulate our sleeping and daily rhythms. The concept first appeared in Germany at the start of the 20th century. He elaborates more on his current research.

Until now, the focus of war experience has been experiences during actual wartime where the bullets were flying. The memories and emotional scars of survivors after the war is a theme that has been slow to surface. On the other hand, the very factuality of war experiences which are talked about has become the focus of discussion.

Two RIKEN researchers, Yasunobu Nakamura and Jaw-Shen Tsai, have jointly won the prestigious 2008 Simon Memorial Prize for their ground-breaking contributions to the development of low-temperature physics, in particular quantum computing.

Ripples in the structure of graphene could be the key to understanding its unusual characteristics

Identification of a novel protein involved in embryonic development leads to new insights into the first stage of neural development

An investigation into the pathway by which bone-remodeling cells differentiate has yielded information about an unexpected, parallel development pathway

A RIKEN-led international research group has puzzled out details of the intricate mechanism by which the immune system in the gut can respond rapidly to changes in its bacterial environment. Eventually, the work could lead to better treatment and control of gut infections and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Following in the footsteps of the United States, Japan seems to gradually challenge lifestyle centers. In spite of the depressed state of the economy, Japan has a considerable number of wealthy people who establish and respect their own life style.

The election for Japan’s highest governing body, the House of Representatives, will be held for the first time in recent years. The Abe and Fukuda cabinets were not tested by the Japanese public but were merely regime changes within the Liberal Democratic Party.

The constellations we are currently familiar with originate from “Ptolemy’s 48 constellations” compiled from ancient Greek constellations by Claudius Ptolemaeus (from 90 A.D. to about 168 A.D.).

Newsworthy papers include Braincase modification during the fish-to-tetrapod transition, Neuropsychiatric disorders, Cleaner fish twosomes make better valets, Stem cell polarity linked to ageing?, Bottoms up!, Anomalously hot Archaean mantle spawned enigmatic rocks, Diatom sequence reveals dynamic history and finally Fish swim to the beat

As part of its participation in the awareness campaign on the global issue of climate change, the U.P. College of Law conducted an experts dialogue to enlighten people about climate change in general and to update them on the steps the local and international leaders are doing to prevent its damaging effects to people and the environment.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Hair follicle stem cells identified, Susceptibility to male-pattern baldness, Peatland carbon loss, Seeking promiscuity, New risk factors for basal cell carcinoma

Rikidozan was proclaimed the "hero of the Japanese race." However, he was actually born on the Korean Peninsula to Korean parents. Today he would be called a "Korean resident of Japan." This led me to think about the relationship between sport, race, and nationality.

Chemical biology is a study that uses chemistry to explore life phenomena. This article reports on what is happening at the forefront of chemical genetics and chemical genomics, which are currently hot topics for both basic and applied research.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced whenever fossil fuels are burned. RIKEN chemists have developed a catalyst that should allow carbon dioxide to be used as a versatile synthetic chemical.

Researchers in Japan have developed a design concept for a device that allows imaging at scales previously impossible for optical instruments.

Researchers in Japan have identified part of the mechanism responsible for preventing prolonged—and potentially dangerous—activation of immune cells called T lymphocytes .

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.