Researchers in AIST, in collaboration with JFE Steel Corporation and Kurita Water Industries Ltd, developed a treatment process for ironworks wastewater containing high concentrations of nitrate by combining nitrogen gas aeration, methanol addition, and the membrane bioreactor.
Nitrate contained in wastewater can cause eutrophication of rivers, lakes, and marshes, as well as contamination of soil and groundwater, thus appropriate treatment is needed to prevent its release into the environment. This research developed a new wastewater treatment process using nitrogen gas aeration as the existing ironworks infrastructure. A demonstration test using a 4,000-L pilot was successful in efficiently treating ironworks wastewater containing more than 6,000 mg/L of nitrate. In addition, microbial analysis revealed that a denitrifying bacterium was involved in the effective nitrate removal. This new process is expected to be used in various industrial sectors where the treatment of wastewater with high nitrate concentrations is a problem.

In collaboration with the University of Tokyo, researchers in AIST have shown that, by removing essential bacterial symbiont from the stinkbugs, infecting fast-evolving E. coli instead, and maintaining the symbiont-replaced stinkbugs continuously in the laboratory, E. coli can evolve into an essential symbiont that supports the survival of the host stinkbugs within a short period of time, ranging from a few months to a year, through a single mutation that disrupts a global transcriptional regulatory system.
This study demonstrated that the evolution of symbiotic microorganisms, which are essential for host survival, can occur more rapidly and easily than previously envisaged. It was groundbreaking that we successfully made E. coli, the best-studied model bacterium in molecular biology, evolve into a symbiotic bacterium. Using this insect-E. coli experimental symbiotic system, it is expected to greatly advance our understanding of the processes and mechanisms of symbiotic evolution in the future.

AIST proposed the general requirements of an international standard for dynamic signs with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and the proposal was adopted as ISO 23456-1:2021.
The more effective sign system will be established by developing individual standards under this international standard. We are expecting for the society sharing with various age groups, cultures, and perceptual and physical characteristics, such as the elderly and wheelchair users under the concept of accessibility for all people.

Researchers in AIST developed a facile fabrication method for transparent nanocomposite films with long-lasting anti-fogging and excellent self-healing properties. This method is based on significant improvements in both the composition and fabrication process of nanocomposite materials originally developed by AIST. Thanks to the development of this method, the self-healing time for severe physical damages can be reduced from 24-48 hours to 3 hours.
The nanocomposite films can suppress fogging on transparent substrates such as lenses and glass for a long period. They are also expected to be effective in improving user visibility and safety and prevent efficiency loss in medical and analytical devices, sensors, and solar panels, etc.

Researchers in AIST developed neural network computing technology that has ultra-low latency and low power consumption and uses a silicon photonic integrated circuit instead of an electronic circuit with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, with the support of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
This technology performs machine learning computations using a photonic integrated circuit. The electrical signals of multidimensional data to be analyzed are input to different input ports of a photonic integrated circuit and converted to optical signals, and computations are performed when the converted optical signals pass through the large number of optical interferometers built into the photonic integrated circuit. The computation results are then output as the light intensity distribution of multiple output ports.
This technology was used to realize neural network computing by only a photonic integrated circuit without passing through an electronic circuit. In this neural network computing, computations are completed simply by propagating light in a photonic integrated circuit with fixed parameters. This means that sequential switching such as with digital electronic circuits is not needed, enabling computations with a latency time of 1/1000 or less and power consumption a few percent of that of an electronic circuit. In addition, photonic circuits can be clocked at speeds ten times or faster than electronic circuits, so the amount of data processed per unit of time can also be increased. With these features, this technology is expected to be applied to AI accelerators that complement digital electronic circuits.

Researchers in AIST developed a measurement method of oleic acid in live cattle by magnetic resonance.
A magnetic resonance experiment was conducted on beef fat samples, and it was found that the length of the proton transverse relaxation time is highly correlated with the content of unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid in beef fat. This was used to successfully estimate the oleic acid content with an error of 2.2 % from the proton transverse relaxation time of beef fat. The application of this discovery to analysis of data acquired by a magnetic resonance surface scanner in separate development will pave the way to enable nondestructive, noninvasive, in-situ measurement of unsaturated fatty acid content in live beef cattle.

Researchers in AIST developed a technology for generating isolated surface acoustic wave pulses jointly with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Institut Néel of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and Ruhr University Bochum, and that technology was used to realize highly efficient transfer of single electrons.
Establishment of a means to transfer information between separated qubits is essential for realization of a general-purpose quantum computer. Research has been promoted on technology to transfer single electrons using surface acoustic waves as a means of transferring the quantum information of electrons. On the other hand, in previous research that transferred electrons using surface acoustic wave bursts of a certain time width, there were issues due to extra waves not involved in electron transfer. The technology developed by this research to transfer single electrons using isolated surface acoustic wave pulses enables to eliminate the adverse effects of extra surface acoustic waves on surrounding electrons. As such, it will contribute to realization of qubit integration as a highly efficient means of transferring quantum information with suppress disturbance to surrounding qubits.