Researchers have developed a new process that uses microwave flow reaction and recyclable solid catalysts to efficiently hydrolyze polysaccharides into simple sugars. The developed device utilizes a continuous-flow hydrolysis process, where cellobiose is passed through a sulfonated carbon catalyst that is heated using microwaves, resulting in the efficient conversion of cellobiose to glucose.

<Overview>

A research team consisting of the Cognitive Neurotechnology Unit and the Visual Perception & Cognition Lab of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, showed that certain combinations of facial expressions and facial colors increased the event-related potential P3. The human brain emits weak electrical signals (electroencephalogram, EEG), and the event-related potential P3 is a positive amplitude potential that reflects selective attention and is observed in the EEG around the parietal and center at 300–500 ms after stimulus perception. This study showed that the P3 amplitudes for red angry faces are higher than those for red neutral faces, and that the relationship between facial expression and facial color, that is, an angry face and red, changed brain activity reflecting selective attention. The results of this study were published online in the journal eNeuro on January 10, 2025.https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0419-24.2024