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.

Olivine LiFePO4: development and future

Abstract: In view of the limited oil storage and the global warming threats, it has been a worldwide topic to build a low carbon society supported by sustainable energy. As an effective energy storage device for the sustainable energy, the lithium-ion battery has been attracting wide attention. Olivine LiFePO4 has been considered as the most promising cathode candidate for the next-generation large-scale lithium-ion battery used for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs), because of its inherent merits including low toxicity, potential for low cost, long cycle ability and high safety. From 1997 to present, continuous efforts have been made to understand and improve the performance of LiFePO4. Now, it seems that olivine LiFePO4 is ready for its big time. In the present paper, we review the development of LiFePO4 in the past years, and discuss some remaining problems for LiFePO4 in the future based on our current study.

Corrosion resistance and durability of superhydrophobic surface formed on magnesium alloy coated with nanostructured cerium oxide film and fluoroalkylsilane molecules in corrosive NaCl aqueous solution

Abstract: The corrosion resistant performance and durability of the superhydrophobic surface on magnesium alloy coated with nanostructured cerium oxide film and fluoroalkylsilane molecules in corrosive NaCl aqueous solution were investigated using electrochemical and contact angle measurements. The durability of the superhydrophobic surface in corrosive 5 wt % NaCl aqueous solution was elucidated. The corrosion resistant performance of the superhydrophobic surface formed on magnesium alloy was estimated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The EIS measurements and appropriate equivalent circuit models revealed that the superhydrophobic surface considerably improved the corrosion resistant performance of magnesium alloy AZ31. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D 3359−02 cross cut tape test was performed to investigate the adhesion of the superhydrophobic film to the magnesium alloy surface. The corrosion formation mechanism of the superhydrophobic surface formed on th...

Mode analysis of spreading of partially coherent beams propagating through atmospheric turbulence

Abstract: The spreading of partially coherent beams propagating through atmospheric turbulence is studied by use of the coherent-mode representation of the beams. Specifically, we consider partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model beams entering the atmosphere, and we examine the spreading of each coherent mode, represented by a Hermite-Gaussian function, on propagation. We find that in atmospheric turbulence the relative spreading of higher-order modes is smaller than that of lower-order modes, whereas the relative spreading of all order modes is the same as in free space. This modal behavior successfully explains why under certain circumstances partially coherent beams are less affected by atmospheric turbulence than are fully spatially coherent laser beams.

BDNF and its pro-peptide are stored in presynaptic dense core vesicles in brain neurons.

Abstract: Although brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates numerous and complex biological processes including memory retention, its extremely low levels in the mature central nervous system have greatly complicated attempts to reliably localize it. Using rigorous specificity controls, we found that antibodies reacting either with BDNF or its pro-peptide both stained large dense core vesicles in excitatory presynaptic terminals of the adult mouse hippocampus. Both moieties were ∼10-fold more abundant than pro-BDNF. The lack of postsynaptic localization was confirmed in Bassoon mutants, a seizure-prone mouse line exhibiting markedly elevated levels of BDNF. These findings challenge previous conclusions based on work with cultured neurons, which suggested activity-dependent dendritic synthesis and release of BDNF. They instead provide an ultrastructural basis for an anterograde mode of action of BDNF, contrasting with the long-established retrograde model derived from experiments with nerve growth factor in the peripheral nervous system.