Hokkaido University
北海道大学

Japan

Hokkaido University originates from Sapporo Agricultural College which was established in 1876 as Japan’s first modern institution of higher education to grant bachelor’s degrees. It is one of Japan’s top national universities and has 12 undergraduate and 21 graduate schools covering a wide range of disciplines. Boasting one of the biggest campuses in Japan, the university houses cutting-edge research facilities, a university hospital, and one of the world’s largest research forests.

In 2014, the university adopted the “Hokkaido Universal Campus Initiative (HUCI)” — a reform program which aims to further internationalize the university as a whole to foster more world leaders who can contribute to the resolution of global issues. These leaders will be able to address contemporary issues, represent the frontier spirit as they forge new ways ahead, and contribute to the development of human welfare and society. The initiative will be in effect until 2024, approaching the university’s 150th anniversary in 2016.

As part of the efforts, the university has established the “Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE)” which brings together world-class researchers from around the world and within the University to promote international collaborative research and education. It consists of six Global Stations covering Soft Matter (GSS), Quantum Medical Science and Engineering (GSQ), Zoonosis Control (GSZ), Food, Land and Water Resources (GSF), Big Data and Cybersecurity (GSB) and Arctic Research (GSA). The university also offers a number of degree programs in English for international students.

1 August 2017 - 31 July 2018

Region: Global
Subject/journal group: All

The table to the right includes counts of all research outputs for Hokkaido University published between 1 August 2017 - 31 July 2018 which are tracked by the Nature Index.

Hover over the donut graph to view the FC output for each subject. Below, the same research outputs are grouped by subject. Click on the subject to drill-down into a list of articles organized by journal, and then by title.

Note: Articles may be assigned to more than one subject area.

AC	FC
255	101.26

Outputs by subject (FC)

Subject	AC	FC
Chemistry	116	48.94
Physical Sciences	70	27.14
Earth & Environmental Sciences	47	18.05
Life Sciences	60	19.51

Highlight of the month

Chipping away at a new antifreeze protein

Scientists have observed how proteins inhibit the growth of ice crystals in organisms, which could lead to a wider range of antifreeze applications.

Organisms living in cold climates avoid freezing by producing ice-binding proteins, which attach to ice. Such proteins come into two varieties: a hyperactive type that lowers the freezing point by up to 6 degrees Celsius by attaching to the basal faces of ice crystals, and a moderate type that lowers the freezing point by around 1 degree Celsius by attaching to the prism faces of ice crystals.

Now, researchers from Hokkaido University in Japan have discovered a moderate ice-binding protein outside this classification. It attaches to both the basal and prism faces of ice crystals.

This work sheds new light on how protein molecules interact with ice and could result in new antifreeze applications in the food and medical industries.

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