Integrated collinear refractive index sensor with Ge PIN photodiodes

Refractive index sensing is a highly sensitive and label-free detection method for molecular binding events. Commercial implementations of biosensing concepts based on plasmon resonances typically require significant external instrumentation such as microscopes and spectrometers. Few concepts exist that are based on direct integration of plasmonic nanostructures with optoelectronic devices for on-chip integration. Here, we present a CMOS-compatible refractive index sensor consisting of a Ge heterostructure PIN diode in combination with a plasmonic nanohole array structured directly into the diode Al contact metallization. In our devices, the photocurrent can be used to detect surface refractive index changes under simple top illumination and without the aid of signal amplification circuitry. Our devices exhibit large sensitivities > 1000 nm per refractive index unit in bulk refractive index sensing and could serve as prototypes to leverage the cost-effectiveness of the CMOS platform for ultra-compact, low-cost biosensors.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, supporting information with 11 pages and 11 figures attache

COMPARISON OF THE ABUNDANCE OF PREY ANIMALS FOR ORIENTAL STORKS IN A BIOTOPE AND LOTUS FIELDS IN NARUTO CITY, TOKUSHIMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN.

本研究では，鳴門市に造成されたビオトープが，コウノトリの餌場として機能するかを明らかにするため，周囲の飛来回数の異なるレンコン田とコウノトリの餌生物量を比較した．餌生物は，すくい採りとペットボトルトラップによって採集した．調査の結果，ビオトープで採集された餌生物の湿重量は，コウノトリの飛来回数が多いレンコン田より小さかった．レンコン田で採集された生物は，アメリカザリガニやウシガエルといった外来種が大半を占めた．これらの生物はコウノトリの主要な餌となり得るが，在来種を捕食するなど，在来生態系に負の影響を与えることが懸念される．今後のビオトープ管理においては，在来種の生息に適した環境づくりとともに，外来種の侵入・拡大防止を両立する取り組みが重要であると考えられた．In order to clarify whether the biotope created in Naruto City functions as a feeding sites for storks, this study compared the amount of stork prey in a lotus root field and a biotope created with different numbers of storks flying to the field. Prey organisms were collected by scooping and plastic bottle traps. The results showed that the wet weight of prey organisms collected in the biotope was smaller than that in the lotus root fields, where the storks visited more frequently. The majority of organisms collected in the lotus root fields were non-native species such as American crayfish and bullfrogs. These organisms are the main food source for storks, but there is concern that they may have a negative impact on native ecosystems, for example, by preying on native species. In future biotope management, it is important to create an environment suitable for habitat of native species as well as to prevent the invasion and spread of non-native species

Isolation and Phenotypic Characterization of Lotus japonicus Mutants Specifically Defective in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Formation

Several symbiotic mutants of legume plants defective in nodulation have also been shown to be mutants related to arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. The origin of the AM symbiosis can be traced back to the early land plants. It has therefore been postulated that the older system of AM symbiosis was partially incorporated into the newer system of legume-rhizobium symbiosis. To unravel the genetic basis of the establishment of AM symbiosis, we screened about 34,000 plants derived from ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-mutagenized Lotus japonicus seeds by microscopic observation. As a result, three lines (ME778, ME966 and ME2329) were isolated as AM-specific mutants that exhibit clear AM-defective phenotypes but form normal effective root nodules with rhizobial infection. In the ME2329 mutant, AM fungi spread their hyphae into the intercellular space of the cortex and formed trunk hyphae in the cortical cells, but the development of fine branches in the arbuscules was arrested. The ME2329 mutant carried a nonsense mutation in the STR-homolog gene, implying that the line may be an str mutant in L. japonicus. On the ME778 and ME966 mutant roots, the entry of AM fungal hyphae was blocked between two adjacent epidermal cells. Occasionally, hyphal colonization accompanied by arbuscules was observed in the two mutants. The genes responsible for the ME778 and ME966 mutants were independently located on chromosome 2. These results suggest that the ME778 and ME966 lines are symbiotic mutants involved in the early stage of AM formation in L. japonicus.ArticlePLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY. 55(5):928-941 (2014)journal articl

Description and Discussion on DCASE 2022 Challenge Task 2: Unsupervised Anomalous Sound Detection for Machine Condition Monitoring Applying Domain Generalization Techniques

We present the task description and discussion on the results of the DCASE 2022 Challenge Task 2: ``Unsupervised anomalous sound detection (ASD) for machine condition monitoring applying domain generalization techniques''. Domain shifts are a critical problem for the application of ASD systems. Because domain shifts can change the acoustic characteristics of data, a model trained in a source domain performs poorly for a target domain. In DCASE 2021 Challenge Task 2, we organized an ASD task for handling domain shifts. In this task, it was assumed that the occurrences of domain shifts are known. However, in practice, the domain of each sample may not be given, and the domain shifts can occur implicitly. In 2022 Task 2, we focus on domain generalization techniques that detects anomalies regardless of the domain shifts. Specifically, the domain of each sample is not given in the test data and only one threshold is allowed for all domains. Analysis of 81 submissions from 31 teams revealed two remarkable types of domain generalization techniques: 1) domain-mixing-based approach that obtains generalized representations and 2) domain-classification-based approach that explicitly or implicitly classifies different domains to improve detection performance for each domain.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2106.0449

Radiation Response Properties of Tb-Doped MgGa2O4 Single Crystals

Tb-doped MgGa2O4 single crystals (0.3, 1, 3, and 5%) were synthesized by the floating zone method. The synthesized crystals had a single phase of MgGa2O4 confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high transparency in the visible wavelength. Tb3+ acted as a luminescence center in both photoluminescence (PL) and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) processes. In the TSL dose response functions, the minimum detectable dose of the crystals was 0.01 mGy, which was comparable with some commercial dosimetric materials. In the X-ray imaging test taken based on TSL, the spatial resolution of the 1% Tb-doped crystal was estimated to be 8.90 LP/mm (56.2 μm)