Press releases

To mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Lingnan University held a National Flag Raising Ceremony today (1 October) on campus at the Chan Tak Tai Auditorium. It was attended by the Council Chairman of the University, Council members, Acting President, Associate Vice-President, department heads, staff and students.

The behavior of electrons in liquids is crucial to understanding many chemical processes that occur in our world. Using advanced lasers that operate at the attosecond, a team of international researchers has revealed further insights into how electrons behave in liquids.

Concave, umbrella-like metal complexes provide space to enable the largest molecular rotor operational in the solid-state.

A pivotal breakthrough in battery technology that has profound implications for our energy future has been achieved by a joint-research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU).

Lingnan University celebrated the achievements of 50 faculty members during the Research and Knowledge Transfer Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony 2023 held on 21 September. These awards recognise their outstanding performance in academic research and knowledge transfer in raising quality of life and contributions to society.

An international group of researchers have proposed a new mechanism to enhance short-wavelength light (100-300 nm) by second harmonic generation (SHG) in a two-dimensional, thin material composed entirely of commonplace elements.

Amidst the political tumult of nineteenth-century colonial India, Abanindranath Tagore — an artist from Bengal — set out to invent a new ‘Indian’ visual language, rejecting European artistic ideals. He pioneered a style that combined themes from mythology, history, and rural life, with elements from India’s miniature painting traditions. This would evolve into the Bengal School — a movement that reimagined a distinctly Indian approach to art. Tagore influenced an entire generation of artists and left a lasting impact on the quest for Indian identity during the struggle for Independence.

A group of researchers have unraveled the mysteries behind a recently identified material—zirconium nitride (ZrN) —that helps power clean energy reactions. Their proposed framework will help future designs for transition metal nitrides, paving a path for generating cleaner energy.

A recent discovery in spintronics could potentially transform future electronics. A group of researchers have revealed the key role of cobalt-tin-sulfur in reducing energy consumption, unlocking new possibilities for high-speed, low-power spintronic devices.

Scientists have revealed that the outer part of our brain (the cortex) is skilled at managing all the info it gets from the outside world thanks to special groups of nerve connections called modules, which work together but also independently.

The physical laws of everyday water flow were established two centuries ago. However, scientists today struggle to simulate disrupted water flow virtually, e.g., when a hand or object alters its flow. A research team from Tohoku University has harnessed the power of deep reinforcement learning to replicate the flow of water when disturbed. The replication allowed for recreating water flow in real time based on only a small amount of data, opening up the possibility for virtual reality interactions involving water.

A team led by researchers at SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University has used neutron crystallography to image all of the atoms in a radical intermediate of a copper amine oxidase enzyme. They disclosed previously unknown details, such as precise conformational changes, that help to explain the enzyme's biochemistry. This work might help researchers engineer enzymes that facilitate unusual chemistry or are highly efficient at room temperature that are useful in chemical industry.

An international group of researchers have discovered a previously unknown species of large foraminifer, shedding new light on the ecological evolution and biodiversity of coral reefs in the Ryukyu Islands.

Most research on the association between visual skills and reading has focused on how visual skills facilitate reading. But learning to read Chinese involves both visual skills and mapping between print and sound. It is not clear how their association develops in later stages. This study investigated the association of timed visual processing tasks varying in levels of phonological processing with word reading.

A reanalysis of studies on night shift naps reveals the ideal snoozing schedule that may help combat fatigue and drowsiness when staying up all night.

Researchers led by Osaka University developed a novel genome editing technique known as NICER, which results in significantly fewer off-target mutations than CRISPR/Cas9 editing. The technique uses a different type of enzyme that makes single-stranded “nicks” in the DNA. Repair of these nicks is more efficient and accurate than repair of double-strand breaks caused by the current CRISPR/Cas9 editing. This technique represents a novel approach for the treatment of genetic diseases caused by heterozygous mutations.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a previously unrecorded species of ant found in someone’s backyard, comparing traditional medicine to drugs for indigestion, and how breastfeeding can help babies develop a healthy gut.

- Team led by DGIST Professor Seo Sang-won, in collaboration with IBS Molecular Activation Catalysis Research Team, significantly simplifies complex antibiotic synthesis processes - Synthesizing pharmaceutical raw materials with a 700 times higher market value from hydrocarbons using economical catalysts - Article published in Nature Catalysis, the top international journal in chemistry

- Modeled after a French curriculum; Local talent primed to make a global impact in fragrance industry

- Research team led by Professor Sanghyun Park at DGIST developed a deep-learning technology capable of accurately classifying the brain waves of a subject using only a small amount of data - Contributes significantly to improving the utilization of deep-learning models, which require a large amount of data from subjects to classify brain waves - Research findings have been published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, a world-renowned academic journal in the AI field

This novel technology: - provides potential treatment in relation to restoring aging muscle cells obtained from older adults and remedying sarcopenia in aging animals through bioelectric medicine - presents a new paradigm for treating sarcopenia, for which no drugs are currently available to treat this condition - has been reported in the internationally renowned academic journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

- Grants degrees to 37 PhDs, 39 Masters, and 56 Bachelors, fostering a total of 132 talented individuals in the field of science and technology

- Research team led by Professor Minsik Kim at DGIST discovered the mechanism of autism spectrum disorder caused by the use of valproate in pregnant women through multi-institution joint research - Published in the world-renowned journal “Experimental & Molecular Medicine”

- Research team led by Professor Hongkyung Lee at DGIST developed a manufacturing process for high-quality thin film lithium cathode based on electroplating that can replace commercial lithium foil - Expected to improve battery life and replace existing lithium foil due to simple size enlargement

- Initial research findings from the project led by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, focused on “Advancing Island Wildlife Materials.” - Contributing to securing wildlife and constructing utility information big data.

- DGIST-ETRI joint research team developed high-energy-density, high-stability all-solid-state battery electrode by applying the prelithiation technology to graphite-silicon electrodes - Selected as the back cover study by “Advanced Energy Materials,” the best international academic journal in energy

Lab-based studies reveal how carbon atoms diffuse on the surface of interstellar ice grains to form complex organic compounds, crucial to reveal the chemical complexity in the universe.

- Team led by Professor Choi Hong-Soo at DGIST enhances the effects of magnetic hyperthermia and particle penetration into cancer cells through the chain disassembly mechanism of magnetic nanoparticles induced by magnetic fields and magnetic propulsion. - Expected to play a major role in targeted drug delivery for cancer treatment through research related to magnetic carriers. - The research findings have been published in ACS Nano, a top-tier journal in the field of materials science.

- Team led by Professor In Soo-Il at DGIST develops a titanium dioxide photocatalyst with enhanced optical and electrical properties utilizing silver and ruthenium - 135-fold increase in methane production compared to conventional TiO2 photocatalysts (95% selectivity proven)

Researchers have explored the efficacy of combining solar panels on rooftops with electric vehicles acting as storage batteries in Paris and its surrounding areas, finding some encouraging results.