Latest news with #UniversityofOsaka
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Universities Eye U.S. Researchers Amid Trump's Science Budget Cuts; Money Earmarked for Recruitment
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Tohoku University In response to cuts to scientific research by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, Japanese universities have strengthened efforts to acquire researchers who are finding difficult to continue their work at U.S. universities and other institutions. The University of Osaka has earmarked ¥600 million to ¥1 billion for accepting up to 100 U.S. postdoctoral researchers at its Graduate School of Medicine. The university will call for international applications in a few months and expects to receive some from young researchers in the medical field. 'We would like to see excellent researchers from the United States fully demonstrate their abilities at the University of Osaka,' said Masaru Ishii, dean of the Graduate School of Medicine, at a press conference Thursday. 'This would help boost Japan's national strength, too.' The initial employment period is expected to be one year, with continuation beyond that undecided. In order to make this a permanent initiative, Ishii said, 'We hope for support from the government.' Kyoto University has also begun its own preparations to accept U.S. researchers. The Institute of Science Tokyo will soon set up a contact point for inquiries from foreign researchers belonging to U.S. universities. Tohoku University held recruitment events for young researchers and others in the United States from May 19 to May 23. About 180 people participated in the events at institutions including Stanford University and hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School. At the events, the university provided consultation regarding research and the living environment. 'The difference in salary levels between the United States [and Japan] is significant. We will also need to provide support for researchers' families,' a Tohoku University official said. The university is said to be earmarking several billions of yen to attract excellent researchers. Tohoku University is an accredited 'University for International Research Excellence,' and aims to become a world-class research institution. It received ¥15.4 billion in government subsidies this fiscal year. 'We would like to strengthen our research capabilities by continuously attracting outstanding researchers from leading universities, including Harvard University,' said Hideo Harigae, executive vice president of Tohoku University.
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Kansai schools invite Harvard researchers, students
The main entrance of the University of Osaka in Suita, Osaka Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Three major universities in the Kansai region will assist international students and researchers facing difficulties in the United States because of the Trump administration's attacks against Harvard University. The University of Osaka in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, announced on May 28 that it is considering specific support measures, such as helping Harvard students and researchers with the necessary procedures for travel to Japan and waiving tuition. The university's Graduate School of Medicine said it has secured financial resources of 600 million yen ($4.12 million) to 1 billion yen to establish a system to accept up to about 100 researchers, regardless of nationality. 'In the United States, where outstanding researchers gather from all over the world, something terrible is happening,' Masaru Ishii, who heads the Graduate School of Medicine, said in a statement. 'The inability to continue excellent research is a loss for humanity as a whole.' The statement continued: 'Support is important for future academic and international development. We will provide an environment where they can engage in cutting-edge research with peace of mind.' On the same day, Kansai University, also in Suita, announced its policy to accept international students and researchers from U.S. universities, regardless of their country of origin. The university has accepted Ukrainian students and researchers by providing travel expenses and scholarships after Russia's invasion of their country. The school will use this experience to work out details of support for those looking to leave the United States. Kyoto University, in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, announced on May 27 that it plans to accept international students from Harvard University if the Trump administration forces them to give up their studies there. The university said it has also started preparations to accept young researchers from the prestigious Ivy League school. The education ministry that day asked Japanese universities to consider accepting international students from Harvard. (This article was compiled from reports written by Yasuji Nagai, Takuya Asakura and Ippei Yaoita.)
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
World-First Study Reveals How Lightning Sparks Gamma-Ray Flashes
The very moment two electrical currents slam together to form a lightning bolt has been captured, revealing for the first time the role this process plays in generating powerful gamma rays right here on Earth. The observation confirms the hypothesis that the terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, or TGFs, associated with lightning are the result of a powerful electrical field accelerating electrons to nearly the speed of light. In observations conducted in Kanazawa City in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, a team of researchers led by physicist Yuuki Wada of the University of Osaka used a cutting-edge, multi-sensor setup to capture colliding lightning in slow motion across multiple wavelengths. "The ability to study extreme processes such as TGFs originating in lightning allows us to better understand the high-energy processes occurring in Earth's atmosphere," Wada explains. Although cloud-to-ground lightning formation is fast, it's not instantaneous, and requires a path to be cleared by a lightning leader. Air is naturally not very conductive, but the buildup of charge in the atmosphere as a result of storm activity can generate an ionized channel of air along which electric currents can flow. This is a lightning leader, and they can emerge downwards from the clouds, or upwards from the ground. TGFs are thought to be the result of the acceleration of electrons to near-light speeds in strong electric fields generated by thunderstorms. These cascades are known as relativistic runaway electron avalanches, and they're widely accepted as the explanation for TGFs. When the electrons decelerate suddenly, deflected by collisions with atomic nuclei in the atmosphere, the loss of energy manifests as gamma rays – a form of deceleration radiation known as bremsstrahlung radiation. The researchers set up a ground-based apparatus to monitor lightning across radio, optical, and high-energy wavelengths, able to capture details on microsecond timescales. Fascinatingly, their results showed that TGFs and lightning are not simultaneous; rather, the TGF occurs before the lightning bolt. But we're talking about absolutely minuscule increments of time; to our eyes, it would absolutely seem simultaneous. Only with state-of-the-art equipment can we see the reality. The team observed two lightning leaders, one negatively charged and streaking down from a thundercloud to a ground-based television broadcast tower, the other positively charged and snaking upwards from the tower. Just before the two oppositely charged leaders met, a highly concentrated electric field emerged between them, in which electrons were accelerated to relativistic speeds. The first gamma-ray photon was detected just 31 microseconds – 31 millionths of a second – before the leaders collided. The full TGF burst lasted until 20 microseconds after the leaders met to form the lightning strike. This is the first time scientists have observed and recorded this process, offering new and highly detailed insight into how lightning storms can produce enough energy to create gamma radiation – the most energetic form of light in the electromagnetic spectrum. "The multi-sensor observations performed here are a world-first," says physicist Harufumi Tsuchiya of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. "Although some mysteries remain, this technique has brought us closer to understanding the mechanism of these fascinating radiation bursts." The research has been published in Science Advances. The Universe Is 'Suspiciously' Like a Computer Simulation, Physicist Says Seismic Waves From Intense Storms Can Ripple Through Earth's Core New Theory Suggests Dark Matter Is Frozen Relics of Light-Speed Particles
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Eight universities apply for Japan's ¥10 trillion research grant program
The education ministry said Tuesday that eight national and private universities have applied for grants from the government's ¥10 trillion university fund, aimed at promoting world-class research projects, in the second-round selection process. The applications for the grants under Japan's Universities for International Research Excellence program will be screened from July through the winter. Selected universities are expected to begin receiving the grants by next March. The eight universities are the University of Osaka, Kyoto University, Waseda University, the University of Tokyo, Kyushu University, the Institute of Science Tokyo, the University of Tsukuba and Nagoya University. Friday was the deadline for submitting applications in the second-round. All eight had filed applications in the first-round selection process, in which Tohoku University was chosen as the first recipient of the grants last November. Tokyo University of Science took part in the first round, but did not submit an application in the second round. The ministry is set to select a few schools as recipients under the program, which provides selected universities with grants for up to 25 years. Tohoku University was given about ¥15.4 billion in February this year as its grant for the first year. For the second-round screening, the ministry set up a new advisory board of 11 experts, including Andrew Hamilton, honorary president of New York University.
The Mainichi
08-05-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Japan must quickly commercialize iPS-based treatment by overcoming challenges
Research into treatment using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has been generating positive results one after another. Amid high expectations among patients struggling with intractable illnesses and their families, it is hoped that progress converting the technology to practical use will be quick. A clinical trial conducted by a team of Kyoto University researchers targeting Parkinson's disease patients has found that the conditions of some of the subjects administered with nerve cells generated from iPS cells have improved. Another trial on Type 1 diabetes patients triggered the cells to secrete insulin, responsible for lowering blood sugar levels. In a world first, Keio University led a clinical study using iPS cells on patients with spinal cord injuries and saw some of the subjects' motor functions improve. In April, a startup launched at the University of Osaka applied for approval from the health ministry to manufacture and distribute heart muscle sheets prepared from iPS cells for treating heart disease, marking the first application of its kind for regenerative medicine products derived from iPS cells. These are epoch-making results for diseases that were previously difficult to treat. There arose no safety issues during the research phase, implying that these achievements have brought us a step closer to getting the technology into practical use. With their ability to develop into a variety of tissues, iPS cells have been under the spotlight for their potential to recover functions lost to illnesses. Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka, who developed iPS cells, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. There remain, however, challenges that must be overcome. Increasing the number of iPS-derived cells administered to patients to boost efficacy raises carcinogenic risks. Unlike medicinal compounds, quality may vary among living cells used in the treatment. Careful checks are indispensable. Further confirmation of the efficacy of the iPS-based treatment is also essential. So far, clinical trials and studies have turned up different effects among individual patients. Due to the high development cost, patients undergoing the treatment are expected to face hefty bills. As there are fewer patient samples compared to those given general new drugs, it won't be easy to collect data. Companies seeking to commercialize the regenerative medicine products are likely to use a system allowing them to hit the market for a set period on condition that the firms acquire additional data on their efficacy, among other requirements. The system is unique to Japan, enabling applications for marketing drugs once their efficacy can be estimated. Even though approval for such products is considered a mere "provisional permit," it can lead to treatment in the very near term. It is hoped that Japan will continue to steadily resolve challenges and make its world-leading technology flourish as a medical revolution.
