Okayama University e-Bulletin: Excellence in Research on Artificial Photosynthesis

OKAYAMA, Japan, Dec. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This issue includes a feature on "Jian-Rena Shen research on artificial photosynthesis." Other contents include news on "Okayama University Integrated Reporting Forum 2019" and "Kickoff meeting held for "Okayama University SDGs Ambassadors" to enhance public awareness of SDGs and promote SDGs; and research highlights include "Death feigning is controlled by dopamine in a beetle," recently published in Scientific Reports.

Okayama University, Japan publishes the December 2019 issue of "Okayama University e-Bulletin"

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/

Okayama University e-Bulletin highlights news and views from one of Japan's largest comprehensive universities internationally recognized for its dynamic and innovative approach to interdisciplinary scientific research and pioneering educational programs.

Feature

Okayama University excels in research on photosynthesis: Jian-Rena Shen and colleagues open up a bright future on artificial photosynthesis

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/feature/vol26/feature_001.html

News

Okayama University Integrated Reporting Forum 2019: Release Okayama University's First Integrated Report "Pay it Forward"

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/news/vol26/news_001.html

A Side Event for the G20 Health Minister's meeting held on the theme "Life-Cycle/ Course Approaches to Promote Healthy and Active Ageing and Economic Implications"

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/news/vol26/news_002.html

Student representatives attended the One Young World (OYW) 2019 Japan delegation send-off party held at the JT Art Hall Affinis, Tokyo

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/news/vol26/news_003.html

Kickoff meeting held for "Okayama University SDGs Ambassadors" to enhance public awareness of SDGs and promote SDGs

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/news/vol26/news_004.html

Research Highlights

Novel production method of the lowest energy nuclear state Thorium-229 nuclear clock isomer

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/research_highlights/vol26/highlights_001.html

Here, a research team comprising of members from Okayama University, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Osaka University, Kyoto university, Tohoku university, TU Wien, RIKEN, and Japan Synchrotron have developed a novel method for producing the Th-229 isomer via the second excited state near 29 keV using X-ray beams (Fig.1). The method is based on a nuclear resonant scattering technique (NRS) using the strong synchrotron X-ray facility, SPring-8.

Non-plume hypothesis for the genesis of passive continental margin ocean island basalts

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/research_highlights/vol26/highlights_002.html

Iyasu G. Belay and colleagues at Okayama University measured isotopic data on Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb for basaltic samples from the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) volcanoes and found that they were generated by a mixture of the refertilized subcontinental lithospheric mantle and the asthenospheric mantle.

Death feigning is controlled by dopamine in a beetle

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/research_highlights/vol26/highlights_003.html

Now, Takahisa Miyatake at Okayama University, Ken Sasaki at Tamagawa University, and Yajima Shunsuke at Tokyo University of Agriculture and their colleagues have compared the gene expression profiles of strains exhibiting different behaviors, that is differing durations of death feigning, in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. Beetles artificially selected for short and long durations of death feigning for many generations were compared thoroughly by RNA sequencing.

Topics

Okayama University Dance Sport Club

http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/topics/vol26/topics.html

Currently, Okayama University Dance Sport Club is brisk club which consists of more than 100 members, as indicated by the fact that the club has long continued to win the overall championship in the division of groups in a competition held in the Chugoku and Shikoku region.

About Okayama University

Okayama University is one of the largest comprehensive universities in Japan with roots going back to the Medical Training Place sponsored by the Lord of Okayama and established in 1870. Now with 1,300 faculty and 14,000 students, the University offers courses in specialties ranging from medicine and pharmacy to humanities and physical sciences. Okayama University is located in the heart of Japan approximately 3 hours west of Tokyo by Shinkansen.

Website: http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html

Further information

Okayama University
1-1-1 Tsushima-naka , Kita-ku ,
Okayama 700-8530, Japan
Public Relations and Information Strategy Division
E-mail: www-adm@adm.okayama-u.ac.jp