Research Topics

Sociological Solution to the Super-Aged SocietyJapan is at the forefront of a super-aging society. An "aging society" should be a social success. However, more and more people think that it is a failure because the burden of medical care and welfare. Isn't this a "spell" that makes us think so? We need “sociological imagination” to transcend these views.

Silica glass guitar pick jazzes up UN International Year of Glass 2022An academic-industry partnership developed a glass guitar pic with unique acoustic characteristics

Green InfrastructureBuilding Social Common Capital with the Natural Environment

The spillover effects of rising energy prices following 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Measles virus 'cooperates' with itself to cause fatal encephalitisResearchers find a new mechanism for how the measles virus can cause a rare but fatal neurological disorder, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

An ecofriendly way to convert blue light into UVBResearchers from Japan and Germany develop a new sustainable way to upconvert blue LED light to UVB

Evening hot spring soaks lower cases of hypertension in older Japanese adultsResearchers from Kyushu U's Beppu Hospital find that bathing in Japanese 'onsen' in the evenings lowers prevalence of hypertension in Japanese adults over 65

Scholar Creator: Academic knowledge informs creative worksProf Britton Brooks experiences have informed the trajectory of his research: the realization that everything is interconnected

Small solar flares in large laser bodiesResearchers use high-powered lasers to make small solar flares to study magnetic reconnection

Toward early detection of pathological social withdrawal, HikikomoriResearchers develop a questionnaire that may identify hikikomori in its early stages

3D flora and fauna at your fingertipsRepository of over 1,400 highly detailed 3D models of animals and plants captured with ‘Bio-photogrammetry’ publicly available

In the wake of fire, authenticity in the spotlight: Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and Shuri-jô CastleThe fire in the heart of Europe provided a breakthrough in the discussion of authenticity of cultural heritage after traumatic events

Scientists count electric charges in a single catalyst nanoparticle down to the electronTenfold improvement in the sensitivity of electron holography reveals the net charge in a single platinum nanoparticle with a precision of just one electron, providing fundamental information for developing future catalysts

A little strain goes a long way in reducing fuel cell performanceSmall changes in crystal structure at the interface between materials in ceramic fuel cells linked to drastic changes in conductivity that must be overcome to improve performance

Small molecules, giant (surface) potentialResearchers create organic molecules that spontaneously align on a surface to generate controlled electric fields that could improve OLED performance and lead to new devices

Indigenous dancers in blue jeansDiscovery of oil, Indigenous dance, and two different paths to tradition taken in Alaska

Digging through patents to make mining greenerResearchers identify R&D strategies for greener tech in the mining sector

Listening to the people results in a more sustainable future energy systemEnergy plan for 2050 based on consumer preferences and future demographics of the US population includes 50% more electricity derived from renewable sources than current projections

Breaking AIs to make them betterResearchers investigate ways to make AIs more robust by studying patterns in their answers when faced with the unknown

Sniffing out your identity with breath biometricsResearchers develop an olfactory sensor for biometric authentication using your breath