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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.

Determination of the diet composition of 15 fish species in the Visayan Sea reveals unlimited food resources and a wide range of habitats available to fish communities.

Researchers at the University of the Philippines have found that mass or individual selection may not be the best method for improving the traits for sea urchin populations. Genetic improvement of performance traits is important for growth, survival and economic gains to the fish farmer.

Three management schemes were applied to mangrove forests in five municipalities in Lingayen Gulf. The schemes were successful in improving the mangrove forest conditions but encountered setbacks due to financial limitations and minimal community participation.

This APDIP e-Note explores the benefits of using FOSS applications in telecentres with case studies from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Warm gas blanket for a baby star, Plants’ contribution to climate change effects, Type 2 diabetes all in the mind?, Volcanoes and the evolution of atmospheric oxygen levels, MicroRNA involved in embryonic patterning, Childhood game lends biodiversity insights, Flies can 'taste' fizzy drinks and The origins of the orchid

Scientists in China have developed a small and robust device for screening genetic mutations, reduced the size of antibodies to effectively target and penetrate solid tumours, and unveiled the process by which pathogens trigger a plant's immune system

Researchers in Universiti Sains Malaysia developed Bio-Coat from oil palm empty fruit bunches as an alternative to commercial geosynthetic and geotextile materials for slope protection, reinforced earth wall and other soil improvement uses.

Researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia have discovered a simple technique to immobilise the enzyme lipase onto a support providing a derivatised enzyme that shows a high capacity to resolve between chiral pairs. This ability aids in the synthesis of specific compounds in its pure form which is very much sought after by the chemical industry

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Developmental biology: New method sets stem cells apart, Human embryonic stem cells do a heart good, Shedding light on animals’ interiors

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic particles are an intriguing puzzle in high-energy physics, and RIKEN is involved in a project to solve it. RIKEN proposal for the second utilization plan of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on board the International Space Station was recently accepted

Researchers hold a key to studying cancer, wound healing and development

During the growth and development of organs, proteins act from outside the organs to direct the movements of cells. Researchers at the RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology in Kobe have identified one such protein that is essential for the development of gonads in the nematode roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers establish a causative link between mutations in a single gene and the pathology of psychiatric illnesses

Thérèse Delpech argues that the chances of stopping Iran in its race to acquire the nuclear bomb through diplomacy are slim: too many opportunities have been missed and too much time has been lost.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Neuropathology: Mouse model of obsessive compulsive disorder, Palaeoclimate: No need for an icy north, Quantum physics: How to measure light and finally… Diamonds really are forever

Highlights from Nature China include - Scientists have developed a non-invasive prenatal detection method for Down's syndrome, Calculations predict that a diamond-like boron-carbon compound could be the hardest known conductor and more

A new kabuli chickpea variety, Gokce, developed by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), in collaboration with Turkish national scientists, has withstood severe drought in Turkey and produced an impressive yield in adverse weather conditions.

Using nanotechnology, researchers have found a way to make tin harder and thus enabling it to be used in the automotive and electrical industries, not just in the food packaging. This may have implications for the future consumption of tin.

The aim of the project is to facilitate electronic and written communication between people in East (Indian) and West (Pakistani) Punjab through the development of a Punjabi Language Transliteration Tool.

TrichoGreen is a Trichoderma-infused compost which is also an effective biological control agent against the basal stem rot disease for palm oil. The production process is entirely organic, eliminates the need for burning, and is an excellent form of environmentally-friendly waste management.

Two devices that help researchers correlate nerve cell activity with behaviour in the living worm are presented in Nature Methods this week.