< Overview >

A research team from the Urban and Transportation Systems Laboratory, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, conducted research on the impact of digital services alternative usage on equity and sustainability in cities. The study reveals how the use of digital services, such as online shopping and remote work, interacts with social networks and demographics to affect residential location choice and urban structure. The results of this research were published in the international academic journal "Sustainability".

Microplastics (MPs) and freshwater acidification jointly threaten aquatic ecosystems. This 21-day study on Eriocheir sinensis revealed synergistic toxicity: combined low pH (6.5) and MPs exacerbated oxidative stress and immune suppression, disrupted the TCA cycle and arginine biosynthesis, and altered gut microbiota function. While MPs alone affected pyrimidine metabolism, acidification amplified MPs' toxicity via immune-metabolic crosstalk. The findings underscore the need to evaluate multiple stressors under climate change, providing critical insights for aquatic risk assessment.

A Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) research team led by Prof. SUN Jianwei and Prof. LIN Zhenyang from the Department of Chemistry has developed a catalytic enantioselective type II [5 + 2] cycloaddition method to address the challenges of synthesizing chiral bridged polycyclic structures, particularly those with a bridged seven-membered subunit. This innovative approach utilizes 3-oxidopyrylium ylides to create the desired complex shapes, paving the way for more applications in the rapid synthesis and diversification of other valuable complex molecules, including important natural products and drug molecules.

Dr. Lee Seongsoo’s research group at the Honam Regional Center of the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) successfully observed and quantitatively analyzed the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR-bacteria or superbacteria) in real time using three-dimensional holotomography (3D HT*) technology.Dr. Lee Seongsoo’s research group at the Honam Regional Center of the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) successfully observed and quantitatively analyzed the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR-bacteria or superbacteria) in real time using three-dimensional holotomography (3D HT*) technology.