Press releases

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the discovery that baby stars “sneeze”, how to increase panda reproduction and detect fiddler crab signals, and how being slightly overweight in our older years can be beneficial.

Tohoku University researchers have unveiled a new means of predicting how to synthesize new materials via the ion-exchange. Based on computer simulations, the method significantly reduces the time and energy required to explore for inorganic materials.

When epileptic patients suffer seizures, their brain is undergoing repetitive and excessive neuronal firing. But what triggers this has stumped scientists for years. Now, researchers have used fluorescence calcium sensors to track astrocytes' role in epileptic seizures, finding that that astrocyte activity starts approximately 20 seconds before the onset of epileptic neuronal hyperactivity.

Lingnan University in Hong Kong has participated in the two-day QS China Summit 2024 from 17 to 18 April in Shanghai to explore how universities can contribute to China’s global leadership in higher education. The main theme of the summit is “Remaining Distinct in Global Higher Ed: China’s Place in the New World of Education”. As part of efforts to strengthen Lingnan’s international visibility, the University hosted a President Panel Discussion titled "Fostering Distinction in Chinese Higher Education Through Digital Innovation". The Panel provided an exceptional platform for discussions on Chinese higher education within the rapidly evolving field of digital innovation.

Skilled players show stronger inhibition processes when electing not to pass the ball

Electron spin states can now be probed at much higher resolution and more efficiently, opening new opportunities in materials analysis and data processing technologies.

Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of California, Santa Barbara have unveiled a probabilistic computer prototype. Manufacturable with a near-future technology, the prototype combines a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit with a limited number of stochastic nanomagnets, creating a heterogeneous probabilistic computer.

The Department of Psychology of Lingnan University and the Department of Psychology of Renmin University of China (RUC) signed a new five-year cooperation agreement on 11 April 2024, marking the start of a fresh chapter. The agreement covers teaching exchanges, research collaboration, and professional development, and includes a sub-agreement on the Master's Degree Student Exchange Programme. The agreement will promote academic exchanges between the two departments, and further strengthen their partnership.

Aiming to reduce fracture recovery times, an Osaka Metropolitan University-led research group is focusing on plasma irradiation as a treatment method

Algae, a kind of organism commonly found on the water surface, is a highly efficient carbon absorbent, which can capture more carbon dioxide (CO2) than trees. Alcarbo Technologies Limited (Alcarbo) is a biotechnology company incubated by the Seed Fund and Angel Fund of City University of Hong Kong (CityU)’s HK Tech 300. It cultivates microalgae using genetic mutation technology and uses its self-developed “photobioreactor system” (PBRs) and nanobubble technology to enhance the carbon capture capacity of microalgae. This allows microalgae to capture about 68 times the amount of CO2 of an equivalent area of ​​forest, making them “Super Carbon Capture” species.

Lingnan University’s Teaching and Learning Centre held its annual “Inno-GBA: Empowering education with Generative Artificial Intelligence tools” from 16 to 19 April. The four-day event examined the latest Generative AI (GAI) tools for teaching and learning in higher education, and sophisticated state-of-the-art GAI tools to facilitate academic research and student learning, and assist jobseekers. The first day of the event, which was conducted in hybrid mode, over 200 people came to hear leading professors from the main universities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and industry experts from high-tech companies speak.

Researchers from Osaka University found that tetracycline antibiotics stimulate T lymphocytes in the body’s immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells. The antibiotics work by blocking the action of galactin-1, a protein made by cancer cells that suppresses the immune system. Identification of this new target may lead to the development of novel cancer immunotherapies.

Researchers from Osaka University found that a new activator called L687 induces cancer cells to accept delivery of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) drugs. These drugs can treat cancer by blocking the transfer of messages from genes that encourage cancer growth. Previous methods to deliver ASOs into cells had only limited success. This research will help accelerate the development and delivery of novel ASO cancer therapies.

A recent study by Tohoku University researchers has shed light on the association between dairy product consumption and odd-number carbon chain fatty acids (odd-FA) within the Japanese population, a correlation previously confirmed in Europe and Oceania but understudied in Asian countries.

Once a two-armed attendant to the goddess Tara, over time, Marichi was increasingly endowed with power until she became a deity in her own right. Revered as a warrior and guardian against evil and darkness, Marichi’s imagery reveals myriad symbolisms — from her association with the sun to her role as a fierce protector. Read about the multifaceted nature of Marichi's mythology and imagery, spanning nations, cultures, and time.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have synthesized triarylborane (TAB) compounds that exhibit unusual optical responses upon binding to certain anions. They also synthesized thin polymer films that incorporate the TAB and retain the sensing as well as the light emission properties of the TAB. This work is an important advance in plastic research and has applications in analyte sensing as well as electronic display technologies.

To encourage students to develop interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary skills, Lingnan University held its first-ever Business Case Competition (LUBCC) on 13 April. The competition received strong support from six leading organisations from the government, and the business and charity sectors: the Regional Crime Prevention Office, New Territories North, Hong Kong Police Force (RCPO), Alibaba Cloud, Silence Limited, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas), Vitasoy International Holdings Limited (Vitasoy), and the Wai Yuen Tong Medicine Company Limited. Seventy-one teams of 284 Lingnan students from different academic backgrounds entered the competition.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a floating platform that needs no energy, how shredding your anger can make you feel better, and an automatic lid that can help reduce bacteria in your bathroom.

Zika virus vaccine targets brain cancer, 120-year quest to farm lobsters, Arctic nightlife bursts with sound, Eating a robot, Molecular orientation is key & New treatment for ALS and dementia. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.

Laser-patterned thin films that swell into kirigami-like structures offer new opportunities in hydrogel technology.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, find that providing lab-grown ‘cerebral organoids’ with connections similar to those in real brains enhances their development and activity

- Aiming to localize the development and manufacturing of sensing elements, currently sourced from overseas, to address global supply chain risks. - Expectations for local industry revitalization through the construction of an advanced sensor ecosystem.

- Professor Jaeyoun Hwang’s team at DGIST, in collaboration with Dabeeo Inc., has developed a deep learning technology for object detection using aerial and satellite images. - The technology is anticipated to find applications in various fields, including defense, autonomous driving vehicles, and medical imaging.

Trapping oxygen molecules adsorbed at defect sites in 2D semiconducting crystals offers greater control over the crystals’ electronic and photonic behaviour.

Process that can lead to mass synthesis yields solid sulfide electrolyte with world’s highest reported sodium ion conductivity and glass electrolyte

Duke-NUS study reveals why some pancreatic and colorectal tumours resist targeted anti-Wnt drugs and suggests how to overcome it, offering new hope to patients with fully treatment-resistant cancers

Researchers have identified 14 genes that thale cress express more when responding to five specific stressors, as well as eight genes that the plant suppresses.

Species living in 17 mountains around the world are facing the risk of extinction due to the rapid rate of warming attributed to climate change. However, the establishment of additional meteorological monitoring stations in mountainous areas globally is essential for a deeper understanding of the extent of these threats.

The delegation from the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR visited Lingnan University yesterday (8 April). Counsellor Wang Jian, Director-General of the International Department, delivered a lecture titled "Current International Situation and China’s Diplomacy". Attended by over 100 students and faculty members, the lecture provided a comprehensive analysis of the unprecedented global changes of our time and discussed the four key aspects of China's diplomacy, including its core objectives, basic principles, significant focal points, and cooperative platforms.