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Biofilms, mainly comprised of bacteria, form on materials' surfaces due to bacterial activity. They are generally composed of water, extracellular polymeric substances (polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids), and bacteria. Some bacteria that form biofilms cause periodontal disease, corrosion of the metal materials that make up drains, and slippage. Inside of a biofilm is an environment conducive to the growth and propagation of bacteria. Problems with biofilms include the inability of disinfectants and antibiotics to act on them. Therefore, we have investigated the potential application of alternating electromagnetic fields for biofilm control. We obtained exciting results using various materials' specimens and frequency conditions. Through these studies, we gradually understood that the combination of the type of bacteria, the kind of material, and the application of an electromagnetic field with various low frequencies (4 kHz-12 kHz) changes the circumstances of the onset of the biofilm suppression effect. In this study, relatively high frequencies (20 and 30 kHz) were applied to biofilms caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus epidermidis ( S. epidermidis ), and quantitative evaluation was performed using staining methods. The sample surfaces were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy using a Laser Raman spectrometer to confirm the presence of biofilms on the surface.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on education. As a result of this crisis, instructors world-wide had to quickly adapt and shift to remote teaching. This paper presents and describes technologies (such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Virtual Worlds, etc.) to promote active student learning during a pandemic. It also provides general information about the coronavirus and the learning environment that it created., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.)

During the COVID 19 pandemic, the importance of global academia-industrial alliances has increased. It is hoped that the alliances will help us to solve the current problems caused by the pandemic. In this paper, we introduce the application of IT tools and communication skills utilized in a special educational project for an academia-industrial collaboration. Some concrete examples from 2020 are provided from the viewpoint of the national alliance project in Japan. A discussion is included that describes the plans available to increase and strengthen the national project in the future., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.)