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.

Ultrasonic micromixer for microfluidic systems

Abstract: This paper describes the design, fabrication and evaluation of an active micromixer for continuous flow. Mixing occurs directly from ultrasonic vibration. The intended use of the device is for integrated microchemical synthesis systems or for micro total analysis systems. The patterns of inlets, outlet and mixing chamber were formed in glass. The entire flow path was encapsulated by anodic bonding of a Si wafer to the glass. A diaphragm ( 6 mm ×6 mm ×0.15 mm ) was etched on the Si side to prevent ultrasonic radiation from escaping to the other parts of the device. The ultrasonic vibration originated from a bulk piezoelectric lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) ceramic ( 5 mm ×4 mm ×0.15 mm ). The PZT was adhered on the diaphragm and was excited by a 60 kHz square wave at 50 V (peak-to-peak). Liquids were mixed in a chamber ( 6 mm ×6 mm ×0.06 mm ) with the Si oscillating diaphragm driven by the PZT. A solution of uranine and water was used to evaluate the effectiveness of mixing. The entire process was recorded using a fluorescent microscope equipped with a digital camera. The laminar flows of the uranine solution (5 ml/min) and water (5 ml/min) were mixed continuously and effectively when the PZT was excited. The temperature rise of our device was 15°C due to the ultrasonic irradiation.

A novel hybrid carbon material

Abstract: Both fullerenes and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exhibit many advantageous properties. Despite the similarities between these two forms of carbon, there have been very few attempts to physically merge them. We have discovered a novel hybrid material that combines fullerenes and SWNTs into a single structure in which the fullerenes are covalently bonded to the outer surface of the SWNTs. These fullerene-functionalized SWNTs, which we have termed NanoBuds, were selectively synthesized in two different one-step continuous methods, during which fullerenes were formed on iron-catalyst particles together with SWNTs during CO disproportionation. The field-emission characteristics of NanoBuds suggest that they may possess advantageous properties compared with single-walled nanotubes or fullerenes alone, or in their non-bonded configurations.

TransCom 3 inversion intercomparison: Impact of transport model errors on the interannual variability of regional CO2 fluxes, 1988–2003

Abstract: Monthly CO2 fluxes are estimated across 1988–2003 for 22 emission regions using data from 78 CO2 measurement sites. The same inversion (method, priors, data) is performed with 13 different atmospheric transport models, and the spread in the results is taken as a measure of transport model error. Interannual variability (IAV) in the winds is not modeled, so any IAV in the measurements is attributed to IAV in the fluxes. When both this transport error and the random estimation errors are considered, the flux IAV obtained is statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05 when the fluxes are grouped into land and ocean components for three broad latitude bands, but is much less so when grouped into continents and basins. The transport errors have the largest impact in the extratropical northern latitudes. A third of the 22 emission regions have significant IAV, including the Tropical East Pacific (with physically plausible uptake/release across the 1997–2000 El Nino/La Nina) and Tropical Asia (with strong release in 1997/1998 coinciding with large-scale fires there). Most of the global IAV is attributed robustly to the tropical/southern land biosphere, including both the large release during the 1997/1998 El Nino and the post-Pinatubo uptake.

Nonlinear phononics as an ultrafast route to lattice control

Abstract: Light can interact with the electrons in a crystalline solid, which in turn generates lattice vibrations or phonons. A related phenomenon was proposed 40 years ago in which it is the ions in the crystal rather than the electrons that mediate the interaction. This effect, known as ionic Raman scattering, is now observed experimentally.

Comparison of the methods for profiling glycoprotein glycans--HUPO Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative multi-institutional study.

Abstract: Mass spectrometry (MS) of glycoproteins is an emerging field in proteomics, poised to meet the technical demand for elucidation of the structural complexity and functions of the oligosaccharide components of molecules. Considering the divergence of the mass spectrometric methods employed for oligosaccharide analysis in recent publications, it is necessary to establish technical standards and demonstrate capabilities. In the present study of the Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) Human Disease Glycomics/Proteome Initiative (HGPI), the same samples of transferrin and immunoglobulin-G were analyzed for N-linked oligosaccharides and their relative abundances in 20 laboratories, and the chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis results were evaluated. In general, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight MS of permethylated oligosaccharide mixtures carried out in six laboratories yielded good quantitation, and the results can be correlated to those of chromatography of reductive amination derivatives. For underivatized oligosaccharide alditols, graphitized carbon-liquid chromatography (LC)/electrospray ionization (ESI) MS detecting deprotonated molecules in the negative ion mode provided acceptable quantitation. The variance of the results among these three methods was small. Detailed analyses of tryptic glycopeptides employing either nano LC/ESI MS/MS or MALDI MS demonstrated excellent capability to determine site-specific or subclass-specific glycan profiles in these samples. Taking into account the variety of MS technologies and options for distinct protocols used in this study, the results of this multi-institutional study indicate that MS-based analysis appears as the efficient method for identification and quantitation of oligosaccharides in glycomic studies and endorse the power of MS for glycopeptide characterization with high sensitivity in proteomic programs.