National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

About: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology is a government organization based out in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Thin film. The organization has 22114 authors who have published 65856 publications receiving 1669827 citations. The organization is also known as: Sangyō Gijutsu Sōgō Kenkyū-sho.

Thermoelectric Ceramics for Energy Harvesting

Abstract: Metal oxides (Ca3Co4O9, CaMnO3, SrTiO3, In2O3), Ti sulfides, and Mn silicides are promising thermoelectric (TE) material candidates for cascade-type modules that are usable in a temperature range of 300–1200 K in air. In this paper, we review previous studies in the field of TE materials development and make recommendations for each material regarding future research. Furthermore, the R&D of TE modules composed of metal oxide materials and the prospect of their commercialization for energy harvesting is demonstrated.

Tristable nematic liquid-crystal device using micropatterned surface alignment

Abstract: It has long been appreciated that liquid-crystal (LC) devices in which the LC molecules adopt multiple stable orientations could drastically reduce the power consumption required for high-information-content displays. But for the commonly used nematic LCs, which are intrinsically uniaxial in symmetry, no industrially feasible multi-stable LC device has been realized1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Recently we demonstrated how bistability can be robustly engineered into a nematic LC device, by patterning a substrate with an orientational chequerboard pattern that enforces orthogonal LC alignment in neighbouring square domains8,9. As a result of the four-fold symmetry of the pattern, the two diagonal axes of the chequerboard become equally stable macroscopic orientations. Here we extend this symmetry approach to obtain a tristable surface-aligned nematic LC. A microscopic pattern exhibiting six-fold symmetry is inscribed on a polyimide surface using the stylus of an atomic force microscope. The hexagonal symmetry of the microscopic orientational domains in turn gives rise to three stable macroscopic LC orientations, which are mutually switchable by an in-plane electric field. The resulting switching mode is surface driven, and hence should be compatible with demanding flexible display applications.

Transient activation of c-MYC expression is critical for efficient platelet generation from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Abstract: Human (h) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a potentially abundant source of blood cells, but how best to select iPSC clones suitable for this purpose from among the many clones that can be simultaneously established from an identical source is not clear. Using an in vitro culture system yielding a hematopoietic niche that concentrates hematopoietic progenitors, we show that the pattern of c-MYC reactivation after reprogramming influences platelet generation from hiPSCs. During differentiation, reduction of c-MYC expression after initial reactivation of c-MYC expression in selected hiPSC clones was associated with more efficient in vitro generation of CD41a+CD42b+ platelets. This effect was recapitulated in virus integration-free hiPSCs using a doxycycline-controlled c-MYC expression vector. In vivo imaging revealed that these CD42b+ platelets were present in thrombi after laser-induced vessel wall injury. In contrast, sustained and excessive c-MYC expression in megakaryocytes was accompanied by increased p14 (ARF) and p16 (INK4A) expression, decreased GATA1 expression, and impaired production of functional platelets. These findings suggest that the pattern of c-MYC expression, particularly its later decline, is key to producing functional platelets from selected iPSC clones.

Superconductivity at 54 K in F-Free NdFeAsO1-y

Abstract: We have synthesized a series of oxygen-deficient, fluorine-free polycrystalline samples with nominal chemical formula NdFeAsO 1- y using high-pressure technique. The ZrCuSiAs type crystal structure, as expected for NdFeAsO, is formed as the main phase for the composition 0≤ y ≤0.6. Sharp superconducting (SC) transition with their transition temperature ( T c ) as high as 54 K is observed for 0.3≤ y ≤0.8 samples, which is higher than that of F-doped NdFeAsO. While T c does not depend on y , SC volume fraction shows maximum at y = 0.4. Around the same y , the lattice parameters show discontinuous shrinkage. These experimental results suggest the existence of a stable superconducting phase with a fixed atomic ratio close to Nd:Fe:As:O=1:1:1:0.6, presumably associated with a regular array of oxygen deficiency.