As global climate change exacerbates water scarcity, understanding how grapevines respond to water deficit stress is vital for ensuring the sustainability of vineyards. 

In two recent studies, University of Texas at Dallas researchers demonstrated how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can be used to address a variety of issues from a social science policy perspective.

A research team in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has conducted a pioneering study that found an association between walking speed and cancer risk. The researchers found that individuals who walk faster have a markedly lower overall risk of developing cancer, particularly lung cancer. This association was consistent regardless of whether walking speed was self-reported or objectively measured.

In a study published in Reports on Progress in Physics, research teams led by Academician GUO Guangcan and Prof. LIU Biheng from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Origin Quantum Computing Company Limited, achieved device-independent characterization of genuinely entangled subspaces (GESs) in both optical and superconducting quantum systems, completing the self-checking of the five-qubit error correction code space.

A team led by Prof. DONG Chunhua from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in collaboration with Prof. BO Fang's group from Nankai University, has successfully developed a self-locked Raman-electro-optic (REO) microcomb on a single lithium niobate chip. By synergistically harnessing the electro-optic (EO), Kerr, and Raman effects within one microresonator, the microcomb has a spectral width exceeding 300 nm and a repetition rate of 26.03 GHz, without the need for external electronic feedback. The research was published in the Nature Communications.

A research team from the Department of Pathology at the University of Hong Kong’s LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) has made a major breakthrough by discovering that atorvastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug could become a powerful new weapon in the fight against liver cancer. The findings demonstrate how this safe, affordable medication can exploit a hidden weakness in liver cancer cells and boosting the effectiveness of current treatments. This research was published on the Journal of Hepatology.

A study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts explores the potential of converting pineapple peel waste into nanocellulose fibers to enhance sandy soils. Using mechanochemical processes, researchers obtained fibers that improved soil water-holding capacity, reduced evaporation, and increased nutrient retention. Tested in United Arab Emirates desert sands, the amendments enhanced soil mechanics and supported tomato plant growth at optimal concentrations. The findings highlight a scalable and sustainable strategy to repurpose food waste for soil restoration and agricultural productivity in arid environments.