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Taka-aki Yano

Publications and source records attributed to Taka-aki Yano.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Drift Correction of Scan Images by Snapshot Referencing

Reliable quantitative analysis in scanning (transmission) electron microscopy (S(T)EM) is often hindered by image drift during long-duration spectral mapping for elemental analysis or for various material functions. We here present snapshot-referencing (SSR) drift correction, a retrospective approach to eliminate spatial distortion based on the temporal nature of the scanning process. A continuous drift vector for every pixel is calculated for a normalized time-field of the scan pattern (e.g., serpentine or raster) utilizing a high-signal, fast-scan "snapshot" as a drift-free reference to guide the correction of simultaneously acquired analytical maps. To describe the drift, we employed Bezier basis functions to model smooth thermal or mechanical drifts and piece-wise linear basis for high-frequency "spiky" shifts such as those caused by charging. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach on experimental cathodoluminescence (CL) datasets, showing that it effectively restores spatial integrity to hyperspectral data cubes without the need for specialized hardware. This flexible, software-based solution is broadly applicable to any probe-based analytical technique where a fast imaging signal can be recorded alongside slow spectroscopic data.

physics.ins-det↗

Rapid, high-sensitivity detection of biomolecules using dual-comb biosensing: application to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein

Rapid, sensitive detection of biomolecules is important for improved testing methods for viruses as well as biomarkers and environmental hormones. For example, testing for SARS-CoV-2 is essential in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the current standard for COVID-19 testing; however, it is hampered by the long testing process. Shortening the testing process while achieving high sensitivity would facilitate sooner quarantine and thus presumably prevention of the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we aim to achieve rapid, sensitive detection of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein by enhancing the performance of optical biosensing with a dual-comb configuration of optical frequency combs. The virus-concentration-dependent optical spectrum shift is transformed into a photonic RF shift by frequency conversion between the optical and RF regions, facilitating mature electrical frequency measurements. Furthermore, active-dummy temperature-drift compensation enables very small changes in the virus-concentration-dependent signal to be extracted from the large, variable background signal. This dual-comb biosensing technique has the potential to reduce the COVID-19 testing time to 10 min while maintaining sensitivity close to that of RT-PCR. Furthermore, this system can be applied for sensing of not only viruses but also various biomolecules for clinical diagnosis, health care, and environmental monitoring.

q-bio.QM↗

Cysteine and cystine adsorption on FeS$_{2}$(100)

Iron pyrite (FeS$_{2}$) is the most abundant metal sulfide on Earth. Owing to its reactivity and catalytic activity, pyrite has been studied in various research fields such as surface science, geochemistry, and prebiotic chemistry. Importantly, native iron-sulfur clusters are typically coordinated by cysteinyl ligands of iron-sulfur proteins. In the present paper, we study the adsorption of L-cysteine and its oxidized dimer, L-cystine, on the FeS$_{2}$ surface, using electronic structure calculations based density functional theory and Raman spectroscopy measurements. Our calculations suggest that sulfur-deficient surfaces play an important role in the adsorption of cysteine and cystine. In the thiol headgroup adsorption on the sulfur-vacancy site, dissociative adsorption is found to be energetically favorable compared with molecular adsorption. In addition, the calculations indicate that, in the cystine adsorption on the defective surface under vacuum conditions, the formation of the S-Fe bond is energetically favorable compared with molecular adsorption. Raman spectroscopic measurements suggest the formation of cystine molecules through the S-S bond on the pyrite surface in aqueous solution. Our results might have implications for chemical evolution at mineral surfaces on the early Earth and the origin of iron-sulfur proteins, which are believed to be one of the most ancient families of proteins.

physics.chem-ph↗