Fabrication and characterization of an L3 nanocavity designed by an iterative machine-learning method

Optical nanocavities formed by defects in a two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) slab can simultaneously realize a very small modal volume and an ultrahigh quality factor (Q). Therefore, such nanocavities are expected to be useful for the enhancement of light-matter interaction and slowdown of light in devices. In the past, it was difficult to design a PC hole pattern that makes sufficient use of the high degree of structural freedom of this type of optical nanocavity, but very recently, an iterative optimization method based on machine learning was proposed that efficiently explores a wide parameter space. Here, we fabricate and characterize an L3 nanocavity that was designed by using this method and has a theoretical Q value of 29 x 10(6) and a modal volume of 0.7 cubic wavelength in the material. The highest unloaded Q value of the fabricated cavities is 4.3 x 10(6); this value significantly exceeds those reported previously for an L3 cavity, i.e., approximate to 2.1 x 10(6). The experimental result shows that the iterative optimization method based on machine learning is effective in improving cavity Q values

Message from Gokei

This is the document of an assigned speech delivered in the Katsurahama Conference of Clinical Pathology (in Kochi, 1989) which was presided by Prof. Masahide Sasaki of Kochi Medical School. The speaker emphasizes the importance of arrangement of laboratory tests to be carried out in sets and facilitation of clinical diagnosis by use of a computer which enables the diagnostic interpretation of test results (CALD: computer-assisted laboratory diagnosis). The laboratory will be able to make a service by CALD to the extent that possible disease groups relevant to each patient are mentioned on a report sheet

Instability of Hemoglobin Molecule : A Review. Part I.

The stability and solubility of hemoglobin (Hb) molecule depends upon an ordered tertiary structure and requires that each globin chain undergoes a minimum conformational changes. There are several processes by which the stability of hemoglobin molecule can be affected. Of many, the most common involves the replacement of those amino acids which are either in direct contact with heme group or in the viscinity of heme pocket. Substitution at the α1β1 contact can result in weakening of the linkages. Deletion of certain amino acids residues from a polypeptide chain of hemoglobin is known to disrupt the secondary structure of the molecule itself. The subunit structure can also be affected due to replacement of helical residue by a proline residue. In many cases the stability of the molecule is also associated with oxidative changes in the molecule producing methemoglobin. There are also examples in which the instability of Hb molecule is self-causing due to the change in size of the substituted amino acid residue. The present review deals with molecular basis of instability of 109 unstable hemoglobins reported to date and comprehensive hematological data has been presented on these variants in various tables for ready reference. Also an attempt has been made to classify these unstable hemoglobins according to their clinical manifestations. It will be noticed that many of the mutant exhibits a mild instability of the hemoglobin molecule but, there are examples in which the hemolytic process is severe and this can be directly correlated to a given substitution to its particular site or kind of amino acid substitution in the Hb molecule

Studies on Lipid of Red Cell Membrane in Patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia by the Use of Iatroscan

Studies on red cell membrane lipid composition in patient with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) disclosed the possibility of abnormal metabolism of cellular membrane. Inversion of the SM/PC ratio (SM, sphingomyelin and PC, phosphatidyl choline, are the lipids of the outer lamella of erythrocyte membrane) might be responsible for the poikilocytosis seen in this anemia. In IDA patients, phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidyl serine (PS), which are the lipids of inner lamella of the membrane decreased, but they returned to the normal range with increase in reticulocytes which were produced in accordance with the beneficial effect of the iron therapy

Homologous p35 proteins of baculoviruses show distinctive anti-apoptotic activities which correlate with the apoptosis-inducing activity of each virus1The last author, Professor Maeda, has passed away after the acceptance of the paper. The rest of the authors would like this paper to be a memorial to him.1

AbstractThe anti-apoptotic activity of p35s from two baculoviruses, Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcNPV) and Bombyx mori NPV (BmNPV), was compared in mammalian cells. AcNPV p35 efficiently blocked apoptosis induced by caspase overexpression, but BmNPV p35 did so very poorly. Analysis of chimeric p35s and in vitro cleavage of wild type p35s suggest that the cleavage efficiency of p35 correlates with the blocking activity. Single amino acid substitutions of BmNPV p35 with those observed in AcNPV p35, however, resulted in significant loss of its anti-apoptotic activity. We speculate that sequences flanking the cleavage site have uniquely evolved during baculovirus evolution