Tokyo Institute of Technology

About: Tokyo Institute of Technology is a education organization based out in Tokyo, Tôkyô, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Thin film. The organization has 46775 authors who have published 101656 publications receiving 2357893 citations. The organization is also known as: Tokyo Tech & Tokodai.

Recent advances in bacterial cellulose production

Abstract: Bacterial cellulose (BC), which is produced by some bacteria, has unique structural, functional, physical and chemical properties. Thus, the mass production of BC for industrial application has recently attracted considerable attention. To enhance BC production, two aspects have been considered, namely, the engineering and genetic viewpoints. The former includes the reactor design, nutrient selection, process control and optimization; and the latter the cloning of the BC synthesis gene, and the genetic modification of the speculated genes for higher BC production. In this review, recent advances in BC production from the two viewpoints mentioned above are described, mainly using the bacteriumGluconacetobacter xylinus.

Electric Dipole Tracing in the Brain by Means of the Boundary Element Method and Its Accuracy

Abstract: A method of localizing an electrical dipole in the brain from the scalp potential distribution has been developed with the aid of the boundary element method, in which a real geometry of the head is exactly taken into account and homogeneous electrical conductivity is assumed. Accuracy of the method was evaluated through animal experiments with a cat in which a current dipole was artificially generated in the brain. Deviation of the estimated dipole location from the true one was not random, but rather systematic (probably due to in-homogeneous conductivity distribution). It is numerically found that cavities in the skull disturb the inverse solution especially when the dipole is oriented toward the cavities. In vivo tests of the method were also done for primary somatosensory evoked potentials as a response to median nerve stimulation of a cat and myoclonic EEG. Although the homogeneous approximation was made, it does not change the significance of the results obtained by the present method.