Edelman Japan President and CEO Meghan Barstow presents highlights from Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2022 research highlighting Japan and contrasting it with the rest of the world.

NOTE: This session will be delivered in English and simultaneous interpretation will be provided in Japanese.

Quantum Gravity group meeting.

Speaker: Mirian Tsulaia.

Title: "On Chiral Higher Spin Gravity"

Speaker: Dr. Daigo Takeuchi The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Department of Physiology

Title: Updating internal models for reward-based sequential choice decisions in the rat cingulate-motor circuits

Title: Dynamic Nature of Memory Representation and the Hippocampal Network

Abstract:

Memories are encoded through long-lasting changes in the network of the brain. These memory traces can interfere with each other and therefore lead to instability of the representations. Indeed, a previous study discovered that instability is preferentially embedded within spatial maps in memory engram cells in the hippocampus even though their activity is still functionally linked to memory-relevant behaviors (Tanaka et al., 2018). Notably, higher instability of place cells is often observed in aberrant network states caused by various factors, including aging, stress, or epileptic seizure, which cause memory impairments (e.g., Yan et al., 2003; Kim et al., 2007; Karnam et al., 2009). These studies highlight two distinct types of instability leading to the opposite outcomes of hippocampal memory. In my talk, I will introduce our unpublished studies aiming at 1) elucidation of neuronal underpinning that survives extreme plasticity yet supports memory and 2) development of a novel approach to reset the aberrant network state. These studies will provide fundamental insight into physiological and pathological instability in the neuronal network.

This seminar is open to the OIST community. Visit https://groups.oist.jp/faculty-lunch

FAO

English-speaking insurance agent Wiltec in Chatan visits OIST. [When]11:00-15:00 [Where]Resource Center in the Center Building(right next to the ATM)

Colonial scientific practices are embedded in current scientific research, policy, education, and outreach. It is therefore necessary to acknowledge and undo colonial structures and processes and change practices and mindsets within science and scientific communities. A keynote presentation and subsequent panel will address colonial scientific practices, the negative scientific developments that are caused by them, and how to move towards an inclusive science system, globally.

Along with OIST president Peter Gruss and assistant professor Paola Laurino, this session will engage participants and viewers in career questions and answers such as: “At the start of my career, am I better off seeking collaborations, avoiding them in the name of independence, or placing myself somewhere on a continuum between the two?”

What is a “good” company, and how can it create the highest possible value for itself and each of its stakeholders?

NOTE: This session will be delivered in English and Japan via simultaneous interpretation.

"Improved models for Alzheimer’s disease; plaques, synapses and a protective role for microglia"

by Prof. Frances A. Edwards, Dept Neuroscience Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London

This is an externally organized event. Please contact the organizers directly for further details. Website: https://sites.google.com/view/roborobo-summer-camp/home

National holiday

Ukulele club is back!

Speaker: Manabu Abe, Ph.D. (Professor, Hiroshima University)

Within the context of Japan, but also balanced against a global view, Dr. Gruss and The Japan Times reporter Tomoko Otake will discuss the importance of investing in research excellence for the benefit of humanity.

Title: Electron Spin Resonance Measurement of a Single Molecule by Combining RF Signal with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Abstract:

The application of magnetic molecules to the materials of the devices for the quantum information process attracts attention. It is critical to make the sharp spin state of the molecule coupled efficiently with the electric current and substrate. The double-decker phthalocyanine complex of bis(phthalocyaninato)terbium(III) (TbPc2) molecule showed intriguing single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior and was examined on the substrates Au(111) and Ag(111). Here, we studied the TbPc ₂ molecule adsorbed on the superconducting substrate of NbSe2 to demonstrate the use of the mix states between the SMM spins and the superconducting state. By combing with the radio frequency microwave injection shown in Figure 1, we can manipulate the qubit system of the SMM molecule.

Experimentally, we show the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) studies at the sample temperature of 400 mK (Unisoku, Japan) for the system of TbPc ₂ molecules. The system is equipped with 10 T magnet and the microwave injection system.

First, we observed Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states formed by the superconductor and the magnetic molecule systems, which appear in the superconducting gap. Figure 2 shows the YSR state induced by the magnetic field of the TbPc ₂ molecule, which can be manipulated with the molecule's structural configuration. Next, we examine the ESR/NMR signals detected by the RF signal injection (Figure 3). This has been achieved by monitoring the YSR signal intensity as the function of the RF frequency. The plot shows the resonance at the frequencies expected for the ESR/NMR resonances of the TbPc ₂ molecule. We anticipate our results can be contributed towards the utilization of SMM as the building blocks of the future spintronics devices as well as fascinating application to the data storage or quantum computing.

[1] Shahed, S. M. F.; Ara, F.; Hossain, M. I.; Katoh, K.; Yamashita, M.; Komeda, T. ACS Nano 2022, 16, 7651-7661

Target audience: Interns, Students, PostDocs, and those who are interested in the same research field.

Language: English

The OIST High-Performance Computing User Group Meeting. Learn all about the newest news. Everybody is welcome!

Language: English

English-speaking insurance agent Wiltec in Chatan visits OIST. [When]11:00-15:00 [Where]Resource Center in the Center Building(right next to the ATM)

Leadership mentor, teacher, and sustainability expert Betsy Reed will speak on the importance of engaging allies, advocates, and partners in the community. She will be interviewed by Heather Young, vice-president of communications at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).

This presentation will share examples of ways Okinawans are addressing local carbon emissions, improving health, promoting employment and industry development, and improving the marine environment.

This session will be delivered in Japanese and simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English.

National holiday

Website | Registration | Scientific sessions are open to OIST members. Pre-registration required. Please contact yoshinori.okada@oist.jp to register.

Neural mechanisms for memory and emotional processing during sleep

The hippocampus and the amygdala are two structures required for emotional memory. While the hippocampus encodes the contextual part of the memory, the amygdala processes its emotional valence. During Non-REM sleep, the hippocampus displays high frequency oscillations called “ripples”. Our early work shows that the suppression of ripples during sleep impairs performance on a spatial task, underlying their crucial role in memory consolidation. We more recently showed that the joint amygdala-hippocampus activity linked to aversive learning is reinstated during the following Non-REM sleep epochs, specifically during ripples. This mechanism potentially sustains the consolidation of aversive associative memories during Non REM sleep. On the other hand, REM sleep is associated with regular 8 Hz theta oscillations, and is believed to play a role in the regulation of emotional reactions and the consolidation of emotional memories (emotional processing). Unraveling the fine neuronal dynamics related to REM sleep, Non-REM sleep and the transitions between states in the hippocampus-amygdala network will further our understanding of the implication of these sleep stages and related brain patterns in emotional processing.

Dr. Leon Loverdige, University of South-Eastern Norway. Language: English (no interpretation). Target audience: General audience / everyone at OIST and beyond. Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration (also via Zoom).

Speaker: Dr Xueyan Shen , Senior Lecturer Aquaculture Institute, James Cook University Singapore.

Hosted by: Dr. Roger Huerlimann, OIST Marine Climate Change Unit

Abstract:

Cobia ( Rachycentron canadum ) is the only member of the Rachycentridae family and exhibits considerable sexual dimorphism in growth rate. Sex determination in teleosts has been a long-standing basic biological question. The molecular mechanisms of sex determination/differentiation in cobia species is completely unknown. We reported high-quality, chromosome-level genome sequences of male cobia with a genome assembly size of 586.51 Mb (contig/scaffold N50: 86.0 kb/24.3 Mb) and female cobia, 583.88 Mb (79.9 kb/22.5 Mb). (...)

Learn about the fundamentals of climate change and climate action in this interactive workshop organized for the OIST community.

Quantum Gravity group meeting.

Speaker: Andreani Petrou.

Title: "General Relativity as a Clifford Gauge Theory"

Dr. Kenji Matsui, Director of Bioethics and Medical Law Research, National Cancer Center Japan, update you about the amended Ethical Guidelines of Life-science and Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. This seminar is open to OISTers. Pre-registration is required.

[Speaker] Dr. Ravindra Gettu, VS Raju Institute Chair Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

Speaker: Professor Dean R. Jerry, Tropical Futures Institute, James Cook University Singapore, Australian Research Council Hub for Supercharging Tropical Aquaculture through Genetic Solutions, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.

Hosted by: Dr. Roger Huerlimann, OIST Marine Climate Change Unit

Abstract: As the farming of aquaculture species matures the industry is progressively adopting innovation to increase productivity and lower risk due to disease and environmental perturbations. Technologies based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, rapid diagnostics, biosensors, and integration of genomic data are being developed in efforts to obtain precise information on the health and well-being of the cultured species, along with allowing finer-scale management of the production system. (...)

Biological Complexity Unit's internal seminar. Leonie Karr, Ludwig Maximilian Universität. Anyone interested welcome. Online and in person.

Dr. Sebastiano Nicolussi Golo, University of Jyväskylä. Language: English (no interpretation). Target audience: General audience / everyone at OIST and beyond. Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration (also via Zoom).

The Innovators Society is back with exciting talks and workshops for the rest of the year!

For the first talk this summer, please join us to listen to Dr. Benjamin Heidt , who is currently a postdoc in Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics at OIST, and Co-founder of a science education-based startup FLUIGO , based in Maastricht, Netherlands.

We will also have some light snacks during the meeting!

To mark R U Okay Day (Thursday 8 ^th September) and World Suicide Prevention Day (Saturday 11 ^th September) at OIST, Ganjuu Wellbeing Service will have a stall at lunchtime at center court where they will be sharing information, leaflets, giving away World Suicide Prevention Day wrists bands and raising money for the Okinawan Lifeline, a charity that provides out of hours telephone support for people in crisis.

Where yellow on Thursday 8 ^th September to support R U Okay Day :)

Title: Inference, control and the cortical circuits

Abstract:

The duality of sensory inference and motor control has recently been recognized as the commonality in computations required for the posterior distributions in Bayesian inference and the value functions in optimal control. Meanwhile, an intriguing question about the brain is why the entire neocortex shares a canonical six-layer architecture, while its posterior and anterior halves are engaged in sensory processing and motor control, respectively. Here we consider the hypothesis that the sensory and motor cortical circuits implement the dual computations for Bayesian inference and optimal control,

Yasha and Akiko (FAO)

"TSVP Teatime": informal discussions and getting to know each other

Speaker: Dr. Maciej Zgirski, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences

Welcome Ceremony for Class of 2022 New Students

Uke Club meeting postponed due to probable typhoon

Language: English

Speaker: Professor Andrew Baird, Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University

Hosted by: Professor Timothy Ravasi, OIST Marine Climate Change Unit

Abstract: Molecular approaches have revolutionised our understanding of the systematics and evolution of most branches on the tree of life, including corals. Over the last twenty-five years molecular research has revealed that few of the 18 families and 111 genera recognised by Veron (2000) were monophyletic. New techniques and vision promise a more robust and consistent species level taxonomy, but it will take time and there is always likely to be some uncertainty. It is therefore important to establish when taxonomy matters and when it does not. (...)

Annual Inspection_Autoclave

ALIFE Workshop 2022. Language: English (no interpretation). Target audience: Invited Guests.

This session will be done in English only. The program will start off with OIST general introduction, PhD & Research Internship admission process, financial support and student life followed by the panel discussion by 2 OIST PhD students.

[Neuroscience Club] Dr. Terufumi Fujiwara, Postdoctoral Fellow, Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal. Language: English.

Speaker: Dr. Sebastiano Nicolussi Golo, University of Jyväskylä Title: BV functions in Carnot groups Language: English, no interpretation.

BeActive OIST Fitness Classes have limited numbers and new safety guidelines.

Visit webpage for more information on available classes and times.

Please visit our website to register!