Japan

Osaka University researchers described a novel effect in which the voltage generated by photovoltaic devices can change based on the color of incidence light. They show how this feature is due to random energy states that exist inside the antimony sulfiodide devices. This work may lead to more robust renewable energy generated by solar cells.

Scientists from Hokkaido University have reconstructed the climate of Hokkaido over the past 4400 years and have revealed that changes in the climate influenced changes in historic cultures during that time.

Researchers from Osaka University have described a case of clinically typical Parkinson’s disease with unusual changes in the brain. As well as the expected findings of cell loss and inflammation in disease-related brain regions, there were accumulations of the protein TDP-43 instead of the usual alpha-synuclein inclusions. This report suggests that TDP-43 accumulation can cause Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms and brain changes, which may be important for developing new treatments for this currently uncurable disease.

Researchers report a new, minimally invasive, antibody-based detection method for SARS-CoV-2 that could lead to the blood sample-free detection of many diseases

A research team led by Osaka University realized magnetic reconnection driven by electron dynamics in laser-produced plasmas and measured the pure electron outflows. Their findings will be applied not only to space and astrophysical plasmas, but also to magnetic propulsion and fusion plasmas.

Researchers analyze the collapse of the Misasa Railroad Bridge in Japan — an infrastructure failure caused by unprecedented flooding back in 2018 — to inform future flood-resistant designs.

The skin’s top layer contains a diverse set of hundreds of lipid molecules called ceramides with varying chain lengths that play a vital role in its barrier function.

Rie Makiura, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University has published a review article on the facile synthesis of nanosheet materials with precise regular nanoscale pores. In 2010, Professor Makiura’s research group succeeded in fabricating the world's first MOF (metal-organic framework) nanosheets on the surface of water using a simple low-energy process. The procedure, which involved adding drops of suitably chosen molecular components to the water surface took advantage of the same phenomenon that causes the formation of oil films and led to the creation of nanosheets of exceptional integrity and stability. In the present review article, Professor Makiura describes the MOF nanosheets developed by her group so far and provides a detailed description of their characteristics and comparison with other MOF nanosheets reported around the world. In addition, she describes the formation mechanism of the MOF nanosheets on the water surface.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Biophysics and Physicobiology how to optimize high-speed atomic force microscopy experiments on live cell membranes, so that moving objects like molecules can be properly followed from frame to frame.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, find that organic vapors can induce dissolution of molecular salts (i.e., organic deliquescence), similar to water vapor-induced deliquescence

Hokkaido University (Location: Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) have concluded a collaborative agreement to promote the realization of a “safe and secure society through spatial sensing" that helps to prevent the spread of illness.

Osaka University researchers studied the effect of the “attitudes” of a semi-autonomous telepresence robot on its human operator. They found that when a person controlled only a part of the body of a semi-autonomous robot, its expressed opinions affected him or her. This work may help assist in the development of new semi-autonomous robots to perform labor more efficiently.

Understanding the structural origin of the anomalous properties of SiO2 liquid and glass is of great interest in a wide range of scientific fields. The fraction of the S state with tetrahedral symmetry structure is considered to be the controlling parameter of the anomalous properties of SiO2 liquid in theoretical studies. However, it has not been well identified in experiments. In this work, we find experimental evidence of tetrahedral symmetry breaking in SiO2 glass under pressure.

Researchers from Osaka University have found that infection with SARS-CoV-2 activates the expression of IRF1, a key regulator of insulin/IGF signaling in multiple tissues, leading to disruption of blood sugar metabolism and, in some cases, new onset of diabetes. Treating infected cells with hormonal factors that decreased IRF1 expression enhanced insulin/IGF signaling, suggesting that this approach could be used to mitigate some of the more severe side effects of COVID-19 in the future.

Osaka University researchers develop a novel microfluidic chip that can detect very small concentrations of dissolved contaminants using just 100-picoliter sized samples. By using a terahertz point source, the detection area can be made very small. This work may lead to lab-on-a-chip technology for environmental and health care monitoring.

The formation of cell membrane pores is a major mechanism by which cancer-inducing proteins are released and hasten tumor development in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated liver cancer.

Osaka University researchers used sputtered silver to bond copper electrodes as part of 3D integrated circuits. By gently annealing the silver layers, enough surface roughness was created to connect the layers without added pressure. This work may lead to cheaper and smaller electronic devices that use less energy.

An international team led by Osaka University used experimental measurements and theoretical modeling to better understand the shape formed by the protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus of calcium-40. They found that destructive interference affects the mixture of elongated and spherical states. This research may help shed light on the reasons for the relative stability of atomic nuclei and how they are formed.

Researchers from Osaka University have found that nematodes can be coated with a protective hydrogel sheath that can be engineered to carry functional cargo. This system could potentially be developed to deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumors using worms with a natural predilection for human cancer cells.

Researchers in Japan outline preliminary research that could pave the way for a future test to diagnose ALS, a progressive disease of the nervous system.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have developed a model to explore carbon storage in mangrove forests.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, find that the risk of human–elephant conflict in Thailand is likely to shift with climate change

Osaka Metropolitan University scientists detected, for the first time, collective resonance at remarkably high and broad frequency bands. In a magnetic superstructure called a chiral spin soliton lattice (CSL), they found that resonance could occur at such frequencies with small changes in magnetic field strength. The findings suggest CSL-hosting chiral helimagnets as promising materials for future communication technologies.

The molecule is unusual and has ‘great potential’ in catalysis, conduction and other applications.

Commercially available transparent face masks allow for the perception of facial expressions while suppressing the dispersion of respiratory droplets that spread the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and thus have a clear advantage over surgical face masks.

A research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University and Panasonic Corporation Living Appliances and Solutions Company discovered how nano-sized electrostatic atomized water particles disinfect SARS-CoV-2. The nano-sized electrostatic atomized water particles developed by Panasonic Corporation have an electron rich nano-sized water shell that contains reactive oxygen species. The researchers showed that the water particles damage the viral envelope, protein, and RNA. They also revealed that the damaged virus did not bind to host cells. These phenomena are considered the main inactivation mechanism of the nano-sized electrostatic atomized water particles on SARS-CoV-2.

A research group led by Professor Yoshio Teki of the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Engineering has succeeded in developing a new pentacene derivative that is more than 100 times more photostable than TIPS-pentacene, a photostable pentacene derivative. Additionally, the team has further clarified the ultrafast excited state dynamics in this system. In the pentacene moiety of this system, we were able to demonstrate that the transition from the excited singlet state to the excited triplet state occurs ultrafast in the time region of a 10-13 seconds. In purely organic materials without heavy atoms such as rare metals, such intersystem crossing usually occurs on time scales longer than 10-9 seconds. The empirical results of this study are expected to be applied as a method for stabilizing and developing light-unstable materials in the future.

Scientists have revealed the genetic structure and diversity, and inferred the population history, of the wild house mouse across Europe and Asia.

An international team of researchers, including former Kavli IPMU Project Researcher Oscar Macias (currently at the University of Amsterdam), have found that old and fast spinning neutron stars called millisecond pulsars could be responsible for an unexplained signal from the center of our Milky Way.

Researchers at The University of Tokyo create vertical field-effect transistors that can be used to store information in a 3D array, which may lead to faster and more energy-efficient data storage