Qdai-mail Tsushin #034

The e-mail magazine "Qdai-mail Tsushin" delivers campus news
every month.

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Friday, November 27, 2020

◆Notes on infectious disease control related to the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) are posted on the University website.
https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/crisismanagement/riskmanagement/coronavirus

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**Research


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*Understanding mentality and behavior in Japan in response
to COVID-19
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In the first systematic research exploring the psychobehavioral
status of the general public in Japan during a public health emergency,
researchers at Kyushu University have revealed how personality,
morality, and ideology altered mental health status as well as
preventive behaviors toward COVID-19.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/172


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*Formation mechanism of record-breaking rainfall clarified
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Record heavy rainfall exceeding 600 mm over 6 hours from
around noon to the night of July 5, 2017, in the Asakura
region of Fukuoka Prefecture triggered a number of landslides
and flash floods that resulted in a severe disaster.
Researchers at Kyushu University now have new insight into
what caused this record-breaking precipitation through
the first high-resolution numerical simulations to reproduce
this weather anomaly.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/173


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*Mysteries hidden in hepatic reprogramming
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Researchers in Japan have elucidated the molecular mechanisms
of a process to turn cells called fibroblasts into those displaying
functions similar to liver cells in mice, providing new insights
for using such cells in medicine and for understanding liver
diseases related to the disruption of cell formation.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/174


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*Uncovering COVID-19’s impact on the energy transition
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Exploring the unique set of scenarios put into motion by
the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers from Kyushu University
have identified short and long term impacts it may have on
achieving global carbon emission targets and the Sustainable
Development Goals along with lessons that can be learned
to help advance these global initiatives.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/175


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*Biocompatible and second only to diamond in hardness
~~~~~~~~~~
An international team of researchers has reported for the first
time the biocompatibility of the second hardest known material,
opening the possibility for a new ultrahard coating material for
biological and biomedical applications.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/176


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*Converting body heat to electricity efficiently
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Thermo-electrochemical cells newly developed by researchers
at Kyushu University offer a promising route to flexible and
inexpensive devices that can convert heat from sources such
as your body or the sun directly into electricity, providing power
just about anywhere.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/177


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*Higher-resolution imaging of living, moving cells using
plasmonic metasurfaces
~~~~~~~~~~
Now, researchers in Japan have shown that a glass surface
embedded with self-assembled gold nanoparticles can improve
resolution with little added cost even using a conventional
widefield microscope, facilitating high-resolution fluorescence
microscopy capable of high-speed imaging of living cells.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/178


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*Specific personality improves odds of identifying depression
with blood tests
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A research team led by Kyushu University Hospital now reports
that analysis of previously known blood biomarkers to identify
depression performs dramatically better in populations with
specific personalities, providing new leads for understanding
these relationships.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/179


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*Researchers develop ultra-fast polymer modulators that
can take the heat
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Employing a polymer they designed to exhibit superb
electro-optic properties and a high glass transition temperature
of 172 °C through the incorporation of appropriate chemical groups,
the research team achieved ultra-fast signaling at elevated
temperatures in a silicon-polymer hybrid modulator based
on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration,
which is less sensitive to temperature changes than some
other architectures.

https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/researches/view/180


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**Events


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*Virtual Graduate Study Week in KU
Date:2020.11.26 [Thu] 14:00 - 2020.12.04 [Fri] 15:00
https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/events/view/168
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"Virtual Graduate Study Week in KU" will give prospective
graduate students the opportunities to learn Kyushu University
through meeting our faculty staff and international students remotely.
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** Stay Connected
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https://www.facebook.com/KyushuUniv.en/
https://twitter.com/KyushuUniv_en
https://www.youtube.com/user/KyushuUniv
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