Press releases

Researchers at Jilin University, China, reviewed recent progress in the study of Salvinia leaves and their artificial replicas.

Researchers from The University of Tokyo assimilated satellite observations of water vapor isotopes into a weather forecasting model and found that forecast accuracy was improved by several percentage points

The Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI) of Lingnan University has received two Gold awards at the MUSE Design Award in the category Conceptual Design for their “CREW Wheelchair Control System” and “12° Mask” respectively.

Similar to a magnet that always has both south and north poles, a kind of special quasiparticles in condensed matter called “Weyl Fermions” always appear in pairs with opposite chirality. There had been no experimental report that unpaired Weyl points exist in condensed matter until recently, a City University of Hong Kong (CityU) physicist observed the first unpaired singular Weyl magnetic monopole in a specific kind of single crystalline solid.

Cochlear implants help deaf patients in hearing, yet the current technology remains far from perfect. A research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has shown that neonatally deafened rats could be trained with cochlear implant stimulation to restore the ability to locate the directions of sound origins. The finding implies that shortcomings in current cochlear implant technology, rather than the lack of auditory experience in early childhood, maybe the reason why cochlear implant patients usually have poor spatial hearing performance.

Would you feel depressed if it has rained for several days? Sunshine affects our mood. The medical sector generally believes that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is related to shorter sunshine duration in autumn and winter, as sunlight affects the activity of the brain. A study participated by an accounting scholar from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) found that if the weather is sunny immediately before releasing an earnings forecast, firm managers tend to issue more upwardly biased forecasts. The study results provided insight into the role that transient emotional states play in shaping managerial judgment.

Social media makes it easy for us to know how friends are doing recently, and even give us clues about our friends’ social networks. But in order to know the social networks of people of the past, you may have to bury yourself in countless ancient books and put in a lot of effort to figure out their actual relationships. A historian from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) who actively promotes digital humanities research uses digital tools to study the history of the Song dynasty. For example, he is drawn to the “circles of friends” from the letters written by historical figures from the Song dynasty in China. He has been sharing his experience in applying computer and information technology to the humanities in recent years. In addition to revolutionalising the humanities research model, he hopes to gather scholars from different fields to conduct joint research initiatives.

iCeMS scientists and colleagues have designed a molecular code that powers up cancer-fighting immune cells.

The MSME sector in Sri Lanka amounts to 1.017 million establishments, employing approximately 2.25 million persons. This approximates to more than 90% of total establishments in the country and 45% of total employment.

Abnormally high levels of DNA methylation have been identified in dogs exposed to high levels of lead near a mining area in Kabwe, Zambia, by a team of scientists from Japan and Zambia.

Giants in History: Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping (7 September 1930 – 22 May 2021) developed the first varieties of the high-yield, hybrid rice that brought food security to multiple countries including China, which had been ravaged by food shortages as recently as the mid-20th century.

Giants in History: Gloria Lim (born 1930) is a retired mycologist from Singapore who studied tropical fungi. One of the first students to attend University of Malaya when it was founded in 1949, she graduated as one of the two Botany Honours students from the inaugural class.

A recent study conducted by the Science Unit of Lingnan University in Hong Kong (LU) shows that concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from incense burning both inside and outside temples could be 6 times and 4 times of the recommended levels respectively. In addition, the more temples there are in the same district, the higher the respiratory mortality rate. The research team suggests that alternative measures, such as installation of automatic mist sprayers to reduce smoke dispersion, as well as using incense made with non-toxic substances to minimise health risks to worshippers and neighbours, should be considered.

Magnetic patterns in meteorites, Treating mitochondrial diseases, underwater sensors and a broad COVID-19 vaccine in the September Editor's Choice. Plus, what's it like to communicate vaccine research in a pandemic and Asia Research News 2022.

Researchers have identified a potential reason why lower numbers of COVID cases have appeared amongst smokers compared to non-smokers, even as other reports suggest smoking increases severity of the disease.

Researchers succeed in the direct bonding of diamond and gallium nitride (GaN) at room temperature and demonstrate that the bond can withstand heat treatments of 1,000℃, making it ideal for the high temperature fabrication process of GaN-based devices. GaN-on-diamond semiconductor material will allow for the next generation of high power, high frequency devices.

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan show that low metabolic flexibility is associated with reduced fat metabolism during sleep.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Kyoto University find that capillary blood flow in the brain, which is important for delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products, is increased in mice during the dream-active phase of sleep.

Researchers from University of Tsukuba in collaboration with Yamagata University scientists find that exposure to light with less blue before sleep is better for energy metabolism. Extended exposure to light during nighttime can have negative consequences for human health. But now, researchers from Japan have identified a new type of light with reduced consequences for physiological changes during sleep.

A research team led by Hiroshima University Professor Satoshi Okada has determined that enhanced bone resorption activity due to a faulty immune response may underpin multifocal osteomyelitis — painful, chronic bone infections — in children with MSMD, a rare genetic condition resulting from a range of immune system mutations.

Miyagi Prefecture and Tohoku University Hospital have set up an Antibody Cocktail Therapy Centre in Sendai. The treatment, which involves artificial monoclonal antibodies administered through an intravenous drip, is aimed at preventing patients with mild COVID-19 from becoming seriously ill.

A research group has discovered an interorgan network between the mammary glands and the small intestine that plays an essential role in transferring antibodies via breastfeeding.

Unprecedented declines in merchandise trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, tourism and cross-border migration have all been hallmarks of the economic fallout of COVID-19. As a result, growth expectations for countries worldwide dimmed. Nonetheless, thanks in part to substantial expansionary monetary and fiscal policies being rolled out to achieve pre-COVID economic recovery levels and the development of vaccines, the contraction in global trade and economic output are less than what was anticipated. The Sri Lankan economy too has been impacted by these external developments, witnessing fluctuating fortunes in its external sector performance. This blog discusses the impacts of global economic developments on Sri Lanka’s external sector and suggests ways to cushion them.

Hundreds of educators, policymakers & technology leaders assemble to discuss the future of education in Thailand

Recreating major pathological features of Parkinson’s disease in a lab-grown, human mini-brain will help researchers to explore new treatments. This is the first time that Lewy bodies, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease in patients’ brains, have been produced in the laboratory, offering new insights into the disease.

A synthetic CDK4/6 inhibitor exerts antitumor effects by forcing RB1 tumor-suppressor into an active status, but its single administration is not sufficiently effective. We find its combinatorial administration with an IKKβ inhibitor is significantly more effective in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment. Also, blockage of the IKK-NF-κB or AKT pathway enhances its effects on RB1-intact K-Ras mutated lung and colon cancers. CDK4/6 inhibitors have potential to treat various RB1-intact cancers when combined with an appropriate kinase inhibitor.

A comprehensive, systematic meta-analysis conducted by HKBU scientists found a significant association between exposure to PM2.5, i.e., fine particulates with equivalent diameters of less than 2.5 microns suspended in the air, and neurological disorders. These include stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, posing serious challenges to global health.

Professor Toshifumi Satoh of Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Engineering has taken up the challenge to create “Smart synthetic method.” Satoh and his colleagues proposed the idea of “Smart synthesis,” which aims to minimize the use of harmful chemicals and solvents for cleaner and more sustainable polymeric synthesis.

Neuroscientists develop a new approach to better understand the neural mechanism underlying deductive and inductive reasoning

Using data from 1,107 patients dating back over 30 years, researchers have connected prognostic impact to poorly differentiated tumor size in hepatocellular carcinoma. Data confirmed previous findings that after resection, <2 cm sized tumors had excellent long-term outcomes. However, ≥2 cm and ≥5 cm sizes shared a risk of early recurrence with the latter size also at risk of early extrahepatic recurrence.