A research group from Osaka Metropolitan University has examined a bacteria called Bacillus subtilis var. natto, and its’ effect of consumption on the lifespan of its host, the Caenorhabditis elegans. The researchers found that nematode worms fed Bacillus subtilis var. natto had a significantly longer lifespan than those fed the standard diet. They also examined stress tolerance, which has been shown to correlate with lifespan, and found that resistance to UV light and oxidative stress was enhanced.
Osaka Metropolitan University scientists elucidated the molecular structure of anionic Pt(0) complexes for the first time in collaboration with co-researchers at Paul Sabatier University - Toulouse III. The key to success is the stabilization of anionic Pt(0) complexes (which are usually unstable owing to their electron-donating nature) by the electron-accepting properties of boron compounds. The results of this research allow us to elucidate the properties and functions of highly active chemical species and provide new guidelines for their creation. The research is expected to lead to the development of innovative catalytic reactions mediated by these chemical species.
Researchers dream of employing tiny molecules as building blocks to build things, like how people construct things with mechanical parts. Nevertheless, molecules are extremely small approximately one hundred millionth the size of a softball and they travel aimlessly in liquids, leading to difficulty in manipulating them in a single form.
A joint research group at Osaka Metropolitan University has succeeded in regulating the flow of single molecules in solution by opening and closing the nanovalve mounted on the nanofluidic device by applying external pressure. The research group fabricated a device with a ribbon-like, thin, soft glass sheet on the top, and at the bottom a hard glass substrate having nanochannels and nanovalve seats. By applying external pressure to the soft glass sheet to open and close the valve, they succeeded in directly manipulating and controlling the flow of individual molecules in solution. They also observed an effect of fluorescence signal amplification when single fluorescent molecules are confined in the tiny nanospace inside the valve. The effect can be ascribed to the nanoconfinement, which suppresses the random motion of the molecules.