Peer Reviewed

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), this country's first APEX University has been selected to host the Right Livelihood College, which brings together all the winners of the Right Livelihood Award, popularly known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize". The MoU will be signed on 8 January 2009.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Nature goes 3D, How Dark is Your Sky?, Evolution gems, Trapping and transport on a tiny scale, Cell-cycle restriction helps leukaemia stem cells keep going, Squeezed to the limit, Hijacked pathway contributes to cancer spread and power of reputation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) begins a new era this year in welcoming Professor Timothy W. Tong as new President with effect from 1 January 2009.

A unique model may describe the genetic switch that controls whether a T cell becomes a helper or a killer

New work by researchers from RIKEN in Japan has demonstrated the dynamic process of controlling stress responses in plants. To survive, plants must react quickly to environmental hazards such as drought, cold and salt.

Japanese researchers have identified a molecular mechanism by which bacteria found in hot springs can survive hard times. Interestingly, about half the genes involved are similar to those found in humans, but the key regulator gene is not.

Nano-patterning on silicon: a single compound reacts with silicon surface to form perpendicular molecular lines

RIKEN has concluded a comprehensive agreement with US investment firm 360ip Pte Ltd., (360ip) to commercialize and promote the practical use of RIKEN’s intellectual property assets.

Other news from the Asia Media Forum include: Thai Censors on the Prowl Again - Activists; Journalists Protest Maoist Attack via Blank Editorials; How Journalists Can Help Enhance Religious Tolerance; A Killing Puzzle: The Life and Death of a Radio Block-Timer

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Breaking through the barrier, Clearing plaques in blood vessels in Alzheimer’s disease, Agriculture could increase the release of carbon dioxide from rivers, Prions and smell, Rotoviruses stick to sugars, Tropical volcanic eruptions drive cooling in the tropics, The twisted history of snail shells

Structural and electronic rearrangements discovered in the new oxide LiRh2O4 provide hints for improving electricity generation from heat

Genes known as pubs have a negative effect on a plant’s immune system

Also in the Asia Media Forum: Western Media Slip Up in Mumbai Attack Reportage; Iraqi Journo's Infamous Shoes Destroyed; China Blocks Websites Anew; Killing of Journalists Continue in the Philippines; 'Foreign Coverage of Thai Crisis Distorted'; No Beating Around the Bush for Iraqi Journalist

A new type of biological camera can trace several different molecules at once in a live animal

The excited energy state of an oxygen nucleus could consist of a condensate of alpha particles

Summaries of newsworthy papers include An engine for social change, Taking the rough with the smooth and Cancer stem cells leave their mark

The person who did more than any other to build the world's newest and most powerful particle accelerator is named as Nature's newsmaker of 2008 and Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has revolutionized the field of molecular and cell biology.

While current events may not mark the end of capitalism, its golden age is surely over. It is time to allow other systems to emerge and co-exist. Here, the Islamic option, as a whole or in part, must be seriously considered.

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Neuroscience: Loud and clear, Lullaby learning, Neuronal function implicated in obesity risk, Live, fast, die old, A rotating surface shell on Mars, Avoiding overreaction and Vaccine mystery solved

The complex arrangement of spins in a magnetic oxide gives rise to a magneto-electric effect

An analytical survey maps out the genetic connections of the flavonols. Flavonols are health-promoting, dietary antioxidants. In plants, they are involved in defense responses, such as reactions to pathogens and UV radiation.

A color-shifting fluorescent protein allows researchers to observe immune cell migration that occurs in living animals

Magnetic fluctuations may play an important role in the mechanism for superconductivity in the iron-pnictides

Highlights from the Asia Media Forum include Thailand Bans 'The Economist', LEBANON: New Provocative Magazine Defies Norms, INDIA/PAKISTAN: Hoax Call Hyped by Media - Get Hostilities to Brink, Corruption in the Eyes of a Young Journo and Media Complicity in Mumbai Terror

Sandra Blakeslee, a science writer for The New York Times who specializes in the brain sciences, recently interviewed Atsushi Iriki of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI), Wako, Japan.

Journalist and news anchor Tetsuya Chikushi lost his battle with lung cancer in November 2008. He was a lecturer in Waseda University. His colleague and fellow news anchor, Yasuhiro Tase remembers his legacy.

Water vapour in ‘hot-Jupiter’ atmosphere?, Heating far-off oceans, The stage is set for another food crisis, Antibody therapy helps SIV-infected monkeys, Changing its spots, Mirror image molecules made with ease, Melanoma mutation, Solid-state storage device for single photons and Bacterial clean-up job

The Malaysian Solid State Science and Technology Society (MASS) presented this award to Prof. Taufiq Yap Yun Hin from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for his work on using vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) as a catalyst for light oxidation hydrocarbon reaction to produce high value added petrochemical product.

Minister of Higher Education, Dato' Seri Khaled Nordin informed the media that the ministry has allocated grant worth of RM25mil to GSM-UPM with a budget of RM13.5mil for infrastructure and the other RM11.5mil is intended for developing human capital.

Decentralization has sometimes been presented as a magic bullet for both development and democracy. Is successful decentralization making government more accessible, accountable, and responsive to women.