Okayama University of Science (OUS) in Japan and Minghsin University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Taiwan have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to establish a double degree program in semiconductor studies. The agreement, building on a 40-year partnership between the two institutions, will allow students to earn bachelor’s degrees from both universities. Under the program, students begin at OUS to learn semiconductor fundamentals and language skills before advancing to MUST, home of the world’s first Semiconductors School. The initiative aims to cultivate globally minded engineers and strengthen industry–academia collaboration in Okayama and Taiwan. At the signing ceremony held on October 23 at OUS, leaders from both universities and semiconductor companies expressed strong support for developing a joint talent base that will contribute to regional and global semiconductor innovation.

Researchers have developed miniature magnetic robots that mimic fish behavior, working together as coordinated swarms to deliver drugs precisely and efficiently to tissue. The breakthrough could transform treatment of conditions where individual tiny robots lack sufficient coverage area for effective therapy.

With the rapid advancements in computer technology and bioinformatics, the prediction of protein-ligand binding sites has become a central component of modern drug discovery and development. Traditional experimental methods are often constrained by long experimental cycles and high costs; therefore, the development of accurate and efficient computational methods is of paramount significance for conserving time and cost. This review comprehensively summarizes the methodological advancements and current applications in the field of screening for druggable protein target sites, systematically comparing the fundamental principles, advantages, and disadvantages of four main categories of methods: structure- and sequence-based methods, machine learning-based methods, binding site feature analysis methods, and druggability assessment methods. Subsequently, by integrating classic case studies, this paper elaborately discusses the technical support and theoretical guidance afforded by the screening of protein druggable target sites for drug discovery and drug repositioning. Finally, this paper thoroughly explores the current challenges inherent in the field of protein-ligand binding site prediction, with a particular focus on future technological trends, systematically elucidating the developmental prospects and potential applications of these predictive methods.

Writing in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, researchers describe a continuous, glue-assisted winding line that converts flattened bamboo splits into 8-, 10- and 12-mm drinking straws with compressive strength (16–19 MPa) and wet strength (15.6 N vs 3.6 N for paper) that out-perform polypropylene, PLA and coated paper rivals. Soaking plus 60 °C ultrasonic treatment leaches colour bodies and starch, cutting later mould risk by >90 % and water absorption by roughly 40 %. Consumer acceptance among 1 500 café users topped 90 %; raw-material cost per straw is US$0.0007 and factory-gate price US$0.014—about half that of commercial paper straws. Life-cycle data suggest 0.32 g CO₂-e per straw, one-tenth the burden of PP. Authors say the route is ready for 100-million-piece annual lines serving bubble-tea chains and airlines under new plastic-ban timetables.

Writing in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, a Berkeley researcher has synthesised a decade of global data to show that engineered strains of Synechocystis, Synechococcus and Anabaena already deliver gram-per-litre titres of ethanol, 620 nmol H₂ mg⁻¹ chlorophyll h⁻¹, 1.24 g L⁻¹ isobutanol and 0.5 % dry-weight alkanes—outputs that beat maize fermentation on carbon efficiency but lag E. coli by 5- to 20-fold on volumetric productivity. The review identifies magnetic-nanoparticle flocculation, CRISPR-evolved alcohol-tolerant mutants and internally-illuminated photobioreactors as the three levers most likely to push the technology past the 10 g L⁻¹ threshold demanded by refiners, while warning that open-pond escape of transgenic strains and photo-inhibition inside large reactors remain unresolved ecological and engineering risks.

From copper-oxide rods to silver/chitosan coatings and in-situ zinc-borate cubes, nanotech outperforms CCA, ACQ and thermal modification while cutting leaching, claim researchers.

Engineers have long compressed wood to mimic steel, but the gain is usually one-directional and rebounds with moisture. Writing in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, researchers report a chemical-only protocol—partial delignification followed by LiCl/DMAc swelling and room-temperature drying—that drives cellulose fibrils to collapse inward and lock solidly by hydrogen bonds. The resulting 1.25 g cm⁻³ timber shows 496 MPa tensile strength, 392 MPa flexural strength and 75 kJ m⁻² impact toughness, values that rival aluminum alloys and out-perform earlier densified woods along and across the grain. Because no hot-pressing or synthetic resin is required, the material keeps its shape in humidity and can be whittled into nails that hold >300 N. The work offers architects and automakers a lightweight, carbon-negative alternative to metals and concrete.