Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology, in collaboration with the National Institute of Technology, Nagano College, and the Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, have evaluated the deformation behavior of tools and sheet using a digital image correlation method in V-bending of sheet metals with plastic tools manufactured by a 3D printer.

This method clarifies the deformation of the plastic tools during thin sheet metal bending, opening possibilities for design of plastic tools for stamping sheet metal products, particularly in small-lot production.

Current optical and electron microscopy imaging techniques are not suited for measuring the dynamic characteristics of living microorganisms at tiny scales due to complex sample preparation methods or resolution or speed constraints. To address this issue, a team of researchers adapted the high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) technique to capture nanoscale physical and mechanical data at a faster rate to accommodate living samples. The new technique, high-speed in-line force mapping (HS-iFM) has been used to characterize the mechanical properties and appearance of dividing E. coli cells at both high resolution and speed.

Japanese collaborators detected all five nucleobases — building blocks of DNA and RNA — in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. 

Food allergies can be life-threatening due to the rapid and exaggerated immune response. While mucosal mast cells (MMCs) are excessively proliferated during food allergies, the precise mechanisms that cause the overproduction of MMCs remain undiscovered. Now, a new study by scientists from Juntendo University, Japan, reveals the role of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII)-expressing mucosal mast cells in IgE-mediated food allergy.