A new study of over 3,000 Japanese firms reveals that companies often set overly ambitious earnings targets after previously missing their goals—an effort to restore investor confidence. This strategic move, known as “organizational impression management,” helps firms manage market perceptions despite the risk of repeated failure. The research also finds that institutional investors, analysts, and board diversity can temper this behavior, offering fresh insight into corporate communication and investor relations.

A Nagoya University team has overcome one of the key limitations of X-ray technology by making the mirror using only a single-crystal piezoelectric thin wafer instead of the usual two-part structure. Using this technique, they changed X-ray beam size by more than 3,400 times. This improved dynamic range massively improves both imaging and analysis, improving the efficiency of advanced techniques and massively enhancing workflows.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have demonstrated that the strength of synaptic connections in the cerebral cortex varies during sleep, influenced by synaptic learning rules and neuronal activity. Using simulations, they identified conditions under which “sleep learning” may occur. These findings could deepen our understanding of the relationship between sleep and learning/memory and help elucidate the mechanisms of brain disorders linked to sleep disturbances.