A research team from Kumamoto University has developed a promising deep learning model that significantly enhances the accuracy of subgraph matching — a critical task in fields ranging from drug discovery to natural language processing.

    Led by Assistant Professor Kou Li, a research group in Chuo University, Japan, has developed an all-printable device fabrication strategy to resolve the existing technical limitations of multi-functional image sensor sheets for non-destructive inspections, with a recent paper publication in npj Flexible Electronics.

　While photo-thermoelectric (PTE) sensors and their ultrabroadband monitoring facilitate non-destructive testing, their conventional fabrication is insufficient for high-yield integration. Specifically, PTE devices faced challenges in their crucial spatial-misalignment for separate fabrication processes per constituent. Herein, this work demonstrates mechanically alignable and all-dispenser-printable integration of carbon nanotube (CNT) functional PTE sensor devices by designing them with solution-processable ink-materials. This technique first accurately prints CNT channels, essential in PTE conversion, using higher-concentration inks, and integrates remaining constituents (dopants and conductive pastes) into single device structures at high-yield. This work further demonstrates that employing higher-concentration CNT inks, suitable for mechanical channel printing, also designs sensitive PTE sensors. These sensors serve stably as integrated devices on diverse functional substrates, facilitating ubiquitous non-destructive monitoring depending on features. Therefore, this work designs such CNT PTE integrated devices and the associated functional inspection appropriately for structures, sizes, and external environments (e.g., temperature and humidity) of monitoring targets.

Researchers report on ionospheric sporadic E layer (Es) activity during the Mother’s Day geomagnetic storm. The team found that the Es layers were significantly enhanced over Southeast Asia, Australia and South Pacific, as well as the eastern Pacific regions during the recovery phase of the geomagnetic storm. They also observed a propagation characteristic in the Es enhancement region wherein the clouds were first detected in high latitudes and detected successively in lower latitudes as time progressed.

Kyoto, Japan -- Stifling heat and sticky air often make summertime in the city uncomfortable. Due to the heat island effect, urban areas are significantly warmer than nearby rural areas, even at night. This, combined with more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change, often render the city an unpleasant environment in the summer.

Urbanization and climate change modify the thermal environment of urban areas, with an expectation that urban disasters from extremely hot weather and heavy rainfall will only become more severe. Mitigating potential damage involves reducing the intensity of the heat island effect and adapting to climate change.

Motivated by this problem, a team of researchers at Kyoto University set out to investigate how the reduction in urban heat release could help mitigate and control the rapid development of thunderstorms and local rainfall.

The genome structure — how genes are organized within DNA sequences in an organism — is fundamental to the processes and functions of organisms. A team at the University of Tokyo has developed a system to control and accelerate the evolution of changes in bacterial genome structure, targeting small “jumping genes,” or DNA sequences known as insertion sequences.

Innovative technology using liquid metal tin can simultaneously purify water and recover valuable metals from desalination brine—as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Their method, which consists of spraying brine onto liquid tin heated by concentrated sunlight, distills freshwater while extracting elements like sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Through controlled cooling, these metals precipitate at different temperatures, allowing for separate recovery. Notably, this technique also effectively removes arsenic from contaminated groundwater.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that mass photometry can accurately distinguish full and empty rAAV particles in cell lysates and conditioned medium, without prior purification. This convenient and rapid approach is likely to improve manufacturing of rAAV-based gene therapy products by accelerating the screening steps.

Lebanon’s democracy faces severe challenges due to political rivalry between parties. A recent study has revealed that the political communication strategy of Hezbollah—a major party in Lebanon—has significantly evolved during recent years. While the party became increasingly critical of rival parties during national crises and confrontations with Israel, it became more cooperative after diplomatic normalization of Iran–Saudi relationship and expressed more positive view of rivals during electoral campaigns.

Photocatalysis is limited by either the charge supply or the charge transfer process. Identifying the correct rate-limiting step is crucial for optimizing reactions. Researchers from JAIST have developed a novel diagnostic method that uses variations in reaction temperature and light intensity to pinpoint the Onset Intensity for Temperature Dependence, a key bottleneck metric. This approach effectively distinguishes between charge supply- and charge transfer-limited regimes.

Vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) is a nonlinear spectroscopic method widely used to investigate the molecular structure and dynamics of surface systems. However, in far-field observations, the spatial resolution of this method is constrained by the diffraction limit, which restricts its ability to resolve molecular details in inhomogeneous structures smaller than the wavelength of light. To address this limitation, we developed a tip-enhanced VSFG (TE-SFG) spectroscopy system based on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Using this system, we detected VSFG signals from molecules adsorbed on a gold substrate under ambient conditions. Phase analysis of the interferometric VSFG spectra provided insights into the molecular orientation. Furthermore, the observed VSFG signals were confirmed to originate from a highly localized region within the gap between the STM tip apex and sample substrate. Thus, this method offers an innovative platform for nonlinear optical nanospectroscopy, enabling the investigation of surface molecular systems beyond the diffraction limit.