Integrating ground source heat pumps and energy piles is a promising approach to address the issue of energy efficiency for developing smart cities in the future. Recently, a team of researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology has comprehensively reviewed this dual technology, highlighting its features and benefits. The proposed technology not only reduces electricity consumption and operating costs but also mitigates the urban heat island effect.

Food allergies affect millions of people worldwide, and flavonoids are promising natural compounds to help modulate the immune response and treat inflammation caused by these allergies. In a recent study, researchers from Japan have identified that kaempferol, a flavonoid, produces an anti-inflammatory effect through regulatory T-cell development. This occurred through increased RADLH2 expression in dendritic cells via AhR-mediated and PU.1/IRF-4 dependent mechanisms. Additionally, kaempferol suppressed several allergic symptoms in mice with food allergies.

Image-to-image translation models, powered by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), can transform images into different styles. However, these models are computationally intensive, limiting their use to high-end devices. Researchers at Sophia University have developed a Single-Stream Image-to-Image Translation (SSIT) model that significantly reduces computational requirements. By using a single encoder and innovative techniques like Direct Adaptive Instance Normalization with Pooling (DAdaINP), the SSIT model can perform style transformations efficiently on various devices, including smartphones.

Craniopharyngiomas are brain tumors that negatively impact the hormonal function of the nearby pituitary. The tumor location often prevents necessary surgical intervention. Alternative pharmacological therapy requires an in-depth understanding of the tumor molecular characteristics. To address this gap, researchers from Japan analyzed gene expression within individual tumor cells. This study reports the molecular features and interactions of tumor and immune cells associated with two craniopharyngioma subtypes that will help identify future targeted therapeutics.

When analyzing artworks, understanding the visual clarity of compositions is crucial. Inspired by digital artists, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) researchers from the Mechanics and Materials Unit have created a metric to quantify clarity in digital images. As a result, scientists can accurately capture changes in structure during artistic processes and physical transformations.  

This new metric can improve analysis and decision-making across the scientific and creative domains, potentially transforming how we understand and evaluate the structure of images. It has been tested on digital artworks and physical systems. The research is published in the journal PNAS.  

This bioengineering breakthrough has found a way to make neurons grown in a dish react just like the real thing

Excited state dynamics are essential for understanding fluorescence properties in molecules, impacting their application in technologies. Recent research at Shinshu University explores how molecular structure and geometry influence light emission in aggregation-induced emission molecules. The study reveals that changes in molecular shape affect emission behavior in both solution and solid states. These insights are crucial for advancing applications like organic light-emitting diodes and bioimaging, enabling innovations in material design and energy interactions.

An Osaka Metropolitan University research team has discovered proteins with emulsifying action that can be readily released from yeast cell walls. One of them exhibited emulsifying activity comparable to that of casein, a milk-derived emulsifier.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have made tungsten disulfide nanotubes which point in the same direction when formed, for the first time. They used a sapphire surface under carefully controlled conditions to form arrayed tungsten disulfide nanotubes, each consisting of rolled nanosheets, using chemical vapor deposition. The team’s technique resolves the long-standing issue of jumbled orientations in collected amounts of nanotubes, promising real world device applications for the exotic anisotropy of single nanotubes.