An international research group led by The University of Osaka has developed scODIN, a novel computational tool to classify cell types from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Existing methods struggle to balance speed and accuracy, often misclassifying rare or transitional cells. scODIN overcomes this limitation by combining a hierarchical classification system (Tier system) with k-nearest neighbor inference. This approach allows for the rapid and accurate classification of large datasets, processing 650,000 cells in just six minutes. The tool's improved accuracy stems from its ability to identify cells at varying levels of detail, recognize intermediate phenotypes through double labeling, and recover cells affected by dropout events. scODIN promises to accelerate biomedical discoveries by enabling more precise and efficient analysis of complex biological processes and disease mechanisms.

Exoskeletons typically work by implementing motions programmed in advance and having the user call for them, making it difficult to use them for a wide range of motions in real-life environments. Now, in a notable example for wearable robotics, published in npj Robotics, researchers from the RIKEN Guardian Robot Project in Japan have used artificial intelligence to better assist users, by designing an exoskeleton that functions based on inputs regarding the user’s status as well as a view of the environment based on the user’s perspective.

    Led by Assistant Professor Kou Li, a research group in Chuo University, Japan, has developed a synergetic strategy among non-destructive terahertz (THz)–infrared (IR) photo-monitoring techniques and ultrabroadband sensitive imager sheets toward demonstrating in-line realtime multi-scale quality inspections of pharmaceutical agent pills, with a recent paper publication in Light: Science & Applications.

    While non-destructive in-line monitoring at manufacturing sites is essential for safe distribution cycles of pharmaceuticals, efforts are still insufficient to develop analytical systems for detailed dynamic visualisation of foreign substances and material composition in target pills. Although spectroscopies, expected towards pharma testing, have faced technical challenges in in-line setups for bulky equipment housing, this work demonstrates compact dynamic photo-monitoring systems by selectively extracting informative irradiation-wavelengths from comprehensive optical references of target pills. This work develops a non-destructive in-line dynamic inspection system for pharma agent pills with carbon nanotube (CNT) photo-thermoelectric imagers and the associated ultrabroadband sub-terahertz (THz)–infrared (IR) multi-wavelength monitoring. The CNT imager in the proposed system functions in ultrabroadband regions over existing sensors, facilitating multi-wavelength photo-monitoring against external sub-THz–IR-irradiation. Under recent advances in the investigation of functional optical materials (e.g., gallium arsenide, vanadium oxide, graphene, polymers, transition metal dichalcogenides), CNTs play advantageous leading roles in collectively satisfying informative and efficient photo-absorption and solution-processable configurations for printable device fabrication into freely attachable thin-film imagers in pharmaceutical monitoring sites. The above non-destructive dynamic monitoring system maintains in-line experimental setups by integrating the functional thin-film imager sheets and compact multiple photo-sources. Furthermore, permeable sub-THz–IR-irradiation, which provides different transmittance values specific to non-metallic materials per wavelength or composition, identifies constituent materials for pharmaceutical agents themselves and concealed foreign substances in a non-contact manner. This work finally inspects invisible detailed features of pharmaceutical pills with the non-destructive in-line dynamic photo-monitoring system by incorporating performances of CNT imagers and compact optical setups.

Flow cytometry, a widely used technique for single-cell analysis, often relies on fluorescent tags and lasers. While impedance-based flow cytometry avoids these drawbacks, they suffer from low sensitivity. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a low-cost adaptive platform that dynamically adjusts the microchannel height based on analyte size. Their approach significantly improved signal strength and quality, paving the way for accurate research findings which could result in clinical applications of impedance flow cytometry.

Flexible pressure sensors can detect subtle mechanical stimuli, making them suitable for use in wearable sensors for human health monitoring and motion analysis. However, current sensors suffer from insufficient sensitivity, poor durability, and subpar stability. In a new study, taking inspiration from cat whiskers, researchers developed novel biomass fiber/sodium alginate aerogel (BFA)-based sensors that demonstrated excellent pressure sensitivity, durability, and rapid response, while being suitable for human physiological monitoring and motion analysis.

The gap between people’s intention and behavior in separating household waste is not adequately explained by existing behavioral frameworks such as the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). By analyzing studies from around the world, researchers have expanded the TPB framework to include external factors and demographic differences. This expanded framework can help researchers and policymakers accurately identify factors that will bring the greatest improvement in waste separation compliance in specific regional contexts.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that the radial spoke protein CFAP91 is crucial for flagellum formation in sperm, and that the proximal protein EFCAB5 is important for sperm motility. Loss of function of either of these proteins impairs spermatogenesis, suggesting that their mutation or loss can lead to male infertility.

As the saying goes, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." Our eyes reveal what we feel and help us see the world. We use two eye movements: smooth pursuit, to follow moving objects, and saccades, to quickly shift our gaze. Using functional MRI and the Human Connectome Project’s advanced preprocessing/analysis pipelines, we compared the brain networks supporting these movements. This study, published in Cerebral Cortex, identified both shared and distinct brain activity patterns.