Press Release | TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

New complex hydride with both sodium fast-ionic conductivity and high electrochemical stability

2012-05-15T06:57:47Z

A research group led by Lecturer Motoaki Matsuo and Professor Shin-ichi Orimo at Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University has achieved the synthesis of the new complex hydride Na2(BH4)(NH2) with both sodium fast- ionic conductivity and high electrochemical stability. The result suggests that the complex hydride could be a potential candidate for solid electrolyte of the all-solid-state sodium-ion secondary batteries. The result was published in Applied Physics Letters (100, 203904, 2012).

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[Contact]

(About the research)

Lecturer Motoaki Matsuo

Hydrogen Functional Materials Division

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Address: 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.

Tel: +81-22-215-2094

E-mail: mmatsuo*imr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

URL：http://www.hydrogen.imr.tohoku.ac.jp/

Professor Shin-ichi Orimo

Hydrogen Functional Materials Division

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Address: 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.

Tel: +81-22-215-2093

E-mail: orimo*imr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

URL：http://www.hydrogen.imr.tohoku.ac.jp/

(Public Relations)

Administration Division

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Address: 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.

TEL: +81-22-215-2181, FAX: +81-22-215-2184

E-mail: imr-som*imr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

"No children on the Children's Day after 1,000 years due to birthrate declining" - Child Population Web Clock showing birthrate declining in real-time-

2012-05-10T02:02:38Z

A research group led by Professor Hiroshi Yoshida at Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University has developed and released Child Population Web Clock indicating the rate of child population decline in Japan in real-time, by using open source software. The Web clock has been produced in May 5, regarded as the Children's Day in Japan.

Child Population Web clock: http://mega.econ.tohoku.ac.jp/Children/

(1) As a result, the Prof. Yoshida's research team has estimated that there are 16,620,000 children in Japan as of May 5, 2012, decreasing about 300,000 children from last year and 1,550,000 children (equivalent to the population of Fukuoka City) from 10 years ago.

(2) Child Population Web Clock is showing that the child population is declining by one every 100 seconds. This clock gives us a strong impression that the birthrate in Japan is rapidly declining and effective solutions have to be adopted as soon as possible.

(3) Child Population Web Clock has also revealed that Japan would have only one child in May 3011, about 365,000 days from now. By the next year, therefore, there would be no children in Japan. It can be said that "The Children's Day would no longer come in May 5, 3012."

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[Contact]

Professor Hiroshi Yoshida

The Economics of Aging

Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-351-2170

E-mail: hyoshida*econ.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Discovery of biofunctional polycyclic ether molecules

2012-05-09T04:27:36Z

A research group led by Associate Professor Haruhiko Fuwa and Professor Makoto Sasaki at Graduate School of Life Science, Tohoku University has designed and synthesized truncated analogues of a marine polycyclic ether natural product gambierol, and has revealed that these artificial compounds elicited voltage-gated potassium ion channel inhibitory activity equipotent to the natural product, in collaboration with a research group led by Professor Luis M. Botana at University of Santiago de Compostela. Furthermore, in primary cultured neurons of triple-transgenic mice, they have observed that gambierol and its truncated analogues decreased amyloid βpeptides and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins, which are believed to be responsible for Alzheimer's disease. This study is a pioneering work on the design and synthesis of novel biofunctional molecules based on the structural motif of polycyclic ether natural products. This achievement has been published in Journal of the American Chemical Society on May 2, 2012. The paper's title is "Design and Synthesis of Skeletal Analogues of Gambierol: Attenuation of Amyloid and Tau Pathology with Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel and N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Implications".

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[Contact]

(About the research)

Associate Professor Haruhiko Fuwa

Biostructural Chemistry Laboratory

Graduate School of Life Science, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-217-6214

E-mail: hfuwa*bios.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Development of 800°C class forging materials for coal-fired power plants -Expectation for considerable energy-saving and CO2 reduction-

2012-05-09T00:25:58Z

Tohoku University and Hitachi, Ltd. have developed Ni-base and Co-base materials which withstand steam temperature around 800°C as coal-fired power plant materials and have produced trial models of large forgings and equipment. By optimal dispersion of metal compounds (Ni3Al, Co3(Al,W)), the research group has improved high-temperature strength of these materials and has reduced their casing defects. They have produced large forgings and equipment using large castings such as tubes of boiler and turbine rotor blade materials, by utilizing Ni-base materials they developed. They have confirmed that there is no macro segregation in these products and that the products can be produced on the normal production line. In addition, the group has also produced large forgings using Co-base materials, and has found that their manufacturability and high-temperature strength are compatible. Ni-base materials are expected to be applied to large-size components, and Co-base materials are expected to be applied to middle-size and high-strength components.

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[Contact]

Department of Metallurgy

Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University

Address: 6-6-2 Aoba Aramaki Aoba-ku Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579, Japan

Assistant Professor Toshihiro Omori

TEL: +81-22-795-7323

e-mail：omori*material.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Professor Emeritus Kiyohito Ishida

TEL: +81-22-795-3984

e-mail：ishida*material.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Prof. Hideo Ohno received the "IEEE David Sarnoff Award 2012"

2012-05-08T23:00:00Z

Prof. Hideo Ohno (Professor at the Research Institute of Electrical Communication and Director of the Center for Spintronics Integrated Systems) received the “IEEE David Sarnoff Award 2012” for his seminal contributions and leadership in bridging semiconductor electronics with magnetism and spintronics.

The commendation ceremony will be held at IEEE International Magnetic Conference, Vancouver, Canada on May 9.

The link to award winner homepage: http://www.ieee.org/documents/sarnoff_rl.pdf

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[For inquiries]

Laboratory for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics

Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Assistant professor

Michihiko Yamanouchi TEL: +81-22-217-5553

Center for Spintronics Integrated Systems, Tohoku University, Professor

Naoki Kasai TEL: +81-22-217-6115

Launching at Palawan Island and Biliran Island for implementation of the project by Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development

2012-05-01T09:30:16Z

Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine (TU) and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) have just officially started the project entitled "Comprehensive Etiological and Epidemiological Study on Acute Respiratory Infections in Children: Providing Evidence for the Prevention and Control of Childhood Pneumonia, Philippines".

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[Contact]

(About the Research)

Dr. Raita Tamaki

Ms. Sumie Abe

Department of Virology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel：+81-22-717-8211　

Fax：+81-22-717-8212

E-mail:tamaki*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

　　　　 abesumie*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(For the Public Relations)

Associate Professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel：+81-22-717-7908 Fax：+81-22-717-8187

E-mail：f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Nanometer-size crystallization drastically improves conductivity of polymer film -A path toward high-performance flexible printed circuits and rare-metal free transparent electrode materials-

2012-04-27T07:00:00Z

Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), Tohoku University and University of Yamanashi have discovered the nanometer-size crystallization of PEDOT in the PEDOT:PSS film, which is a conductive polymer material attracting attention as an organic electronic material for the next generation, at the first time in the world. This achievement has revealed that the high conductivity originates from the hierarchical polymeric molecular structure of the nanocrystal, and has showed the new guidelines for conductive polymer film production.

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[Contact]

(About the research)

Professor Takahiko Sasaki

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Address: 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan

Tel: +81-22-215-2025 　　

Fax：+81-22-215-2026

E-mail: takahiko*imr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(Public Relations)

Administration Division Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Address: 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.

TEL: +81-22-215-2181, FAX: +81-22-215-2184

E-mail: imr-som*imr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

A huge tsunami worsens diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure more seriously than the earthquake alone

2012-04-27T04:43:33Z

It has been known that natural disasters worsen glycemic and blood pressure control because of changes in the living environment. A research group led by Associate Professor Susumu Ogawa has revealed that the earthquake with a huge tsunami worsens the glycemic and blood pressure control more seriously than the earthquake alone, since not only patients but medical facilities are damaged by a tsunami and medical information of patients has lost. This research has showed that it is important to avoid the damage of medical facilities and the loss of medical information for prevention of worsening medical conditions after the disaster, especially after a huge tsunami strikes.

The research result has been published online in British Medical Journal Open. The paper's title is "Effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake and huge tsunami on glycemic control and blood pressure in patients with diabetes mellitus".

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[Contact]

(About the research)

Associate Professor Susumu Ogawa

Division of Nephrology, Endocrinology and Vascular Medicine

Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-717-7166

E-mail: ogawa-s*hosp.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(Public Relations)

Associate professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel: +81-22-717-7908, Fax: +81-22-717-8187

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Visualization of the relation between the atom motion "rattling" in the cage structure and thermal conductivity -A new path toward the development of power generation materials utilizing atom motion-

2012-04-20T04:04:46Z

WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), RIKEN and Shimane University have successfully visualized contribution of atoms which function in the cage structure at the first time in the world, in collaboration with University of Tokyo. The cage structure is drawing attention as a device material of waste heat power generation, which is highly expected as a renewable energy technology.

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[Contact]

General Affairs Section

WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-217-5971

FAX: +81-22-217-5129

E-mail: outreach*wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

The development in the mass production of amorphous alloy nanowires -New insight into nanotechnology-

2012-04-19T00:03:14Z

The research group of Tohoku University, Associate Professor Koji Nakayama, WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, and Associate Professor Yoshihiko Yokoyama, Institute for Materials Research has succeeded in developing the massive production of amorphous alloy (metallic glass) nanowires by gas atomization. Amorphous alloys exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties including ultrahigh strength and high elasticity, as well as functional properties such as soft magnetic properties and catalytic activities. These superior properties can be inherited into nanowire. This study would provide new insights into practical applications in micro-nano structural components, high-sensitive magnetic sensors, catalysts, and fuel-cell electrodes.

The result will be published in Nano Letters, American Chemical Society shortly.

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[Contact]

Associate Professor Koji Nakayama

WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Tel: +81-22-217-5950

E-mail: kojisn*wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Associate Professor Yoshihiko Yokoyama

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-215-2199

E-mail: yy*imr.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Small-sized wireless pump to pave the way to the fully embedded ventricular assist device (artificial heart)

2012-04-18T07:04:05Z

A research group led by Professor Kazushi Ishiyama at Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University has developed a novel small pump. Since this pump is small-sized, works wirelessly and has a pumping capability as much as the human heart, it will be expected to pave the way to the development of the fully embedded ventricular assist device (artificial heart).

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[Contact]

Professor Kazushi Ishiyama

Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-217-5488

Administration Division

Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-217-5420

Discovery of giant Rashba effect at the semiconductor-metal interface -A significant progress for next-generation energy-saving devices-

2012-04-06T00:47:24Z

The research group, consisting of Akari Takayama (doctoral student) at Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Professor Takashi Takahashi at WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University and Professor Tamio Oguchi at the Institute of Scientific and Industrial research, Osaka University, has discovered a giant Rashba effect, at the interface between a semiconductor (silicon) and a metal (bismuth). The Rashba effect is regarded as a central mechanism to create and control the spin-flow in advanced spintronic devices. The discovery was achieved with a high-resolution spin-resolved photoemission spectrometer constructed by the research team at Tohoku University. The present discovery would open a way to the development of next-generation spintronic devices which effectively utilize the novel function of interface as in electronic devices.

The paper is published in Nano Letters on April 11, 2012. The title of paper is "Tunable Spin Polarization in Bismuth Ultrathin Film on Si(111)".

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[Contact]

Doctoral Student Akari Takayama

Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University

Tel: +81-22-217-6169

E-mail：a.takayama*arpes.phys.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Professor Takashi Takahashi

WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

Tel: +81-22-795-6417

E-mail：t.takahashi*arpes.phys.tohoku.ac.jp

Establishment of Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization - Disaster restoration by launching an advanced medical system based on biobank construction-

2012-04-04T02:56:03Z

On February 1, 2012, Tohoku University launched the Tohoku Medical Megabank, an organization that constructs advanced medical systems for disaster restoration. Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization will create a biobank in which medical and genome information are integrated, while reconstructing community medical services and supporting healthcare in the disaster-affected areas. In addition, through creating new medical systems based on a huge amount of information collected in the biobank and various omics analyses, we hope to increase the centripetal force of Tohoku areas for medical staff, to promote industry-academic collaboration, to contribute to job creation in related fields, and to restore medical services in the affected areas.

Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization Website (English)

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[Public Relations]

Fuji Nagami,

Associate Professor

Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel: +81-22-717-7908

Fax: +81-22-717-7923

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Was the child allowance system in Japan actually effective?

2012-03-30T01:45:32Z

As the child allowance system in Japan, "Kodomo Teate", is going to be replaced another system from April 1, 2012, Professor Hiroshi Yoshida at Tohoku University has conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey among households with children of junior high school or under. The results are below:

1. Most of households (over 70% households) used benefits for their children.

2. However, many households feel that their economic and educational environments actually did not change so much from before the implementation of the Kodomo Teate.

It has been revealed that Kodomo Teate was not accepted as an effective system.

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[Contact]

Professor Hiroshi Yoshida

The Economics of Aging

Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-351-2170

E-mail: hyoshida*econ.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Elucidation of brainstem function of children with gastrointestinal symptoms

2012-03-22T07:01:02Z

A research group led by Professor Shin Fukudo, Professor Emeritus Hiroshi Sato and Professor Kunihiko Nakai at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine has elucidated characteristics of the brainstem function of children with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. This group has been pursuing causes for irritable bowel syndrome, which is especially drawing attention. The group has investigated the auditory brainstem response of 141 children aged seven. They were determined whether they have gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomachache, constipation or diarrhea or not. As a result, it has been revealed that the waveforms of children with gastrointestinal symptoms that reflect signal processing in the brainstem had a shorter latency than those of children without gastrointestinal symptoms. The research results have published in PLoS One. The paper's title is "Enhanced Auditory Brainstem Response and Parental Bonding Style in Children with Gastrointestinal Symptoms".

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[Contact]

Professor Shin Fukudo

Department of Behavioral Medicine

Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-8214

E-mail: sfukudo*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

[Public Relations]

Associate Professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel: +81-22-717-7908 Fax: +81-22-717-7923

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Genes on the X chromosome work twice as much as those on the autosomes -Application for identification of genes cause chromosomal disorders-

2012-03-09T00:44:47Z

A human cell has 22 pairs of autosomes and a pair of sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes and males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Since one of two X chromosomes in female cells is inactivated, only one X chromosome become functional both in male and female cells. This is the dosage compensation mechanism between males and females. However, that means X chromosomes function half as much as autosomes. Assistant Professor Takashi Makino at Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, has compared gene expression levels of X chromosome and those of autosomes, in collaboration with research groups in France and Ireland. As a result, he has discovered that expression levels of dosage-sensitive genes on the X chromosome doubled.

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[Contact]

Assistant Professor Takashi Makino

Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-795-6689

E-mail: tamakino*m.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Development of 5 terabit per square inch HDD element technology

2012-03-09T00:25:34Z

Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University has successfully proved element technologies paving the way toward realization of the next-generation 5 terabit per square inch perpendicular magnetic recording hard disk drives as achievement of the project from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology in Japan, in collaboration with Green IT Project of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) accepting from Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

This achievement increases the storage capacity of hard-disk eight times of current one, and enables us to save storage energy per unit capacity. This achievement will be presented at Surugadai Memorial Hall, Chuo University, Tokyo in March 12, 2012.

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[Contact]

Professor Hiroaki Muraoka

Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-217-5456

Boreal trees in Scandinavia have survived since the ice age

2012-03-07T02:37:25Z

A research group of Associate Professor Yoshihisa Suyama at Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University has revealed that boreal conifer trees in Scandinavia Peninsula have survived since the last ice age, by analyzing ancient DNA from lake sediments and plant residues, in international collaboration with Uppsala University and University of Copenhagen, etc. This result has attracted attention as a research revolutionizing common conventional wisdom about plant distribution from the ice age, and has published in Science on March 2, 2012.

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[Contact]

Associate Professor Yoshihisa Suyama

Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University

Tel: +81-229-84-7359

E-mail: suyo*bios.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Administration Division, Field Science Center

Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-229-84-7312

Can light be perceived on the skin!? -Supersense of ChR2 transgenic rats-

2012-03-07T00:12:50Z

A research group led by Professor Hiromu Yawo at Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University has discovered that transgenic rats which channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), one of photoreceptor proteins of a green unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, was integrated in their genomes express ChR2 in the large dorsal root ganglion cells involved in sense of touch-pressure and deep sense. In addition, ChR2 was also distributed in the sensory nerve endings in the skin. As a result, these rats have obtained "supersense" by which blue LED flashes on the plantar skin are perceived as touch-pressure but not as pain.

More information (Japanese)

[Contact]

(About the research)

Professor Hiromu Yawo

Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences

Tel: +81-22-217-6208

E-mail: yawo-hiromu*m.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(Public Relations)

Associate professor Fuji Nagami

Tohoku Neuroscience Global COE

Tel: +81-22-717-7908 Fax: +81-22-717-7923

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

Production of anti-aging and long-life mice -Application for anti-aging therapies-

2012-03-07T00:05:06Z

A research group led by Professor Hideki Katagiri and Assistant Professor Yutaka Hasegawa at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, has successfully slowed aging of mice and prolonged their life-spans, by suppressing inflammatory responses in vascular endothelial cells.

The research result has been published in Circulation on March 6, 2012.

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[Contact]

(About the research)

Professor Hideki Katagiri

Department of Metabolic Diseases,

Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-8228, FAX: +81-22-717-8169

E-mail: katagiri*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(Public Relations)

Associate professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel: +81-22-717-7908, Fax: +81-22-717-8187

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)