Press releases

Researchers from Thailand have pioneered the conversion of waste HDPE milk bottles into high-stiffness composites, utilizing PALF reinforcement for a 162% increase in flexural strength and 204% in modulus. This eco-friendly upcycling boosts mechanical properties while sequestering carbon, presenting a promising path for sustainable materials.

Taiwan: Researchers from National Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan, have made a discovery in the fight against Zika virus. Their study, published in the journal “Communication Biology,” reveals that people who have previously been exposed to dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus may have acquired immunity against Zika virus. This finding may shed new light on vaccine strategies in countries where these viruses are common.

Lingnan University’s Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies (AIGCS) will launch a new series of How to Read Chinese Poetry, on 1 March 2024. This knowledge transfer project promotes Chinese literature and culture globally, narrating Chinese stories through poetry. The new programme is presented in three series: “Chinese Videos: Sounds of Tang Poetry”, “English Videos: From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry”, and “Chinese Videos: From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry”. The first two series were released in 2023, and have been viewed two million times.

With computation potential far beyond current supercomputers, quantum computers are the subject of enthusiastic research and development worldwide. In 2023, Academia Sinica successfully overcame various bottlenecks in the fabrication, control, and measurement of quantum chips. In October, the creation of a 5-qubit superconducting quantum computer developed in Taiwan marked a significant milestone. Starting this week, it will be made available online to project collaborators.

This week sees the launch of the first published content in Sustainable Microbiology, the new open access journal which will apply microbiology to sustainability. The journal is published by Applied Microbiology International.

Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University developed an optical sensor consisting of carbon nanotube photodetectors and organic transistors formed on an ultrathin, flexible polymer film. A wireless system reads the images from the sensor. Experiments showed the sensor has high sensitivity, a wide bandwidth, and robustness to extreme deformation such as bending and crumpling. This sensor has high potential for use in applications such as non-destructive imaging, non-sampling liquid quality evaluation, wearable devices, and soft robotics.

Scientists are eager to harness the unique electrical properties of topological magnets for advancing thermoelectric materials. A collaborative research group has successfully induced positive and negative polarities, unlocking the potential for generating thermoelectric energy from materials with topological magnet properties.

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The Hayabusa2 mission that collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu has provided a treasure trove of insights into our solar system. After analyzing samples further, a team of researchers have unearthed evidence that cometary organic matter was transported from space to the near-Earth region.

To strengthen connections with alumni and showcase the university's rich history and accomplishments, Lingnan University in Hong Kong has initiated a series of alumni interview activities. The first session, led by Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, featured a conversation with distinguished alumnus and renowned economist Prof Gregory Chow Chi-chong in the US.

A water-soluble, luminescent europium complex enables evaluation of malignancy grade in model glioma tumor cells.

We may not think about it while doing it, but our nervous system is directing our bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and more to move as efficiently as possible at varying speeds. Replicating this in robots is notoriously difficult. But now, Tohoku University researchers have created a model that makes this possible, thanks in large part to an innovative algorithm.

Lingnan University held the kick-off ceremony for the 2nd Postgraduate Mentorship Programme on campus today (20 January). About 200 postgraduate students and mentors attended the event, which helps graduating students navigate employment challenges in Hong Kong's rapidly evolving and competitive environment. The programme shows mainland Chinese and overseas non-local students how to adapt strategically to Hong Kong's culture, make smart career choices, and unleash their full potential in the job market.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are watching plants warn each other of danger, how even “harmless” addictions can have a serious side effects, and how to clear roads and railways faster using gold nanorods.

Temperature-controlled, reversible shifting of molecular gear motion in a solid crystal opens new possibilities for material design.

A recent paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics presents new images from the 2018 data that reveal a familiar ring the same size as observed in 2017. This bright ring surrounds a deep central depression, “the shadow of the black hole,” as predicted by general relativity. Excitingly, the peak brightness of the ring has shifted by about 30º counter clockwise compared to its position in 2017, which is consistent with our theoretical understanding of the variability of the turbulent material around black holes.

Lingnan University’s School of Graduate Studies recently invited Dr Miguel Antonio Lim, Senior Lecturer in Education and Research Excellence Framework (REF) coordinator at the Manchester Institute of Education, to deliver a thought-provoking presentation on “Ethical Internationalisation in Higher Education and the Need for Understanding ‘South-to-South’ Student Mobility” at a seminar. Dr Lim is well-known for his extensive research in international and transnational higher education.

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed guidelines for a single-nanometer magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), allowing for performance tailoring to meet the requirements of diverse applications, ranging from AI/IoT to automobiles and space technologies.

A research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University has discovered significant nonreciprocal optical absorption of LiNiPO4, referred to as the optical diode effect, in which divalent nickel (Ni2+) ions are responsible for magnetism, by passing light at shortwave infrared wavelengths used in optical communications. Furthermore, they have uncovered that it is possible to switch the optical diode effect by applying a magnetic field. This is a step forward in the development of an innovative optical isolator that is more compact and can control light propagation, replacing the conventional optical isolators with complex structures

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes. The findings provide insights into the mechanism behind the generation of cell-membrane action potentials.

Non-Heisenberg-type approximant crystals have many interesting properties and are intriguing for researchers of condensed matter physics. However, their magnetic phase diagrams, which are crucial for realizing their potential, remain completely unknown. Now, for the first time, a team of researchers has constructed the magnetic phase diagram of a non-Heisenberg Tsai-type 1/1 gold-gallium-terbium approximant crystal. This development marks a significant step forward for quasicrystal research and for the realization of magnetic refrigerators and spintronic devices.

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University report in Nano Letters how the flexibility of a protein hinge plays a crucial role in the transfer of proteins in key cell processes.

Researchers from Osaka University have discovered a novel treatment to relieve cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a life-threatening inflammation triggered by a serious infection or severe burn. Treatment with a short-acting antibody reduces the inflammatory effects of interleukin-6, a key cytokine in CRS while avoiding the side effects associated with previous longer-acting therapies.

Researchers from Osaka University developed a bio-logger for seabirds that enables long-term observation of rare behaviors. The bio-logger employs low-power depth sensors and accelerometers to identify rare behavior using a light-weight outlier detection model and records the behavior in a 5-min video. Observations using the bio-loggers on Streaked Shearwaters revealed novel aspects of head-shaking and foraging strategies. This approach will enable a wider range of animal behaviors in various environments to be observed.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have improved the efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion in gallium arsenide semiconductor microstructures. By judicious spatial alignment of electrons within a two-dimensional electron gas system with multiple subbands, one can substantially enhance the power factor compared with previous iterations of analogous systems. This work is an important advance in modern thermoelectric technology and will benefit the global integration of the Internet of Things.

7000 forever chemicals (PFAS) and human PPARa binding properties predicted using AI technology

Researchers from Osaka University have simplified the operation of an important class of chemical transformation: synthesis of beta-lactams, the intricate scaffold of many antibiotics. Their experimental protocol minimizes the toxicity that is a common feature of similar Fischer-carbene synthetic methodologies, and was used to synthesize the scaffold of the thienamycin antibiotic in high yield. This work is an important advancement in sustainable chemistry that should benefit drug development and other chemical syntheses.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have helped minimize the cost of an important class of chemical transformations: converting nitriles into primary amines. Their experimental protocol uses a cheap nickel catalyst instead of an expensive noble metal, is convenient to conduct, and works for a broad range of starting materials. This work is an important advance in sustainable chemistry that might help lower the cost of producing nylon and many other everyday products.

Research by Assistant Professor Edison Ang Huixiang and his team from National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University Singapore

The Punjab regions of India and Pakistan bear witness to a centuries-old, laborious tradition of embroidering cloth with silk threads. Called Vari da Bagh and Bagh, meaning “‘garden”’, these textiles are ritually significant and are adorned with geometric patterns or motifs that draw from the everyday life and culture of the region.