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This study introduces an approach for converting the current from a sensor into controllable voltage. To this end, a switched-capacitor structure was integrated to provide efficient current-to-voltage conversion. The generated voltage was further regulated by an operational amplifier current source, enhancing stability and precision. An n-type metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor structure under an H-bridge was integrated into the system to achieve fine-tuned control over current stimulation. This component contributed to voltage regulation and enabled bi-directional control of current flow, offering versatility in adjusting current amplitudes using working and counter electrodes. This dynamic control mechanism was pivotal for effectively controlling the intensity of current stimulation. We applied Verilog-A modeling to simulate the optical characteristics of Si nanowires. The proposed system efficiently converted sensor-derived current into voltage using a switched-capacitor structure. Simultaneously, the precision was enhanced via operational amplifier regulation and n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor-based H-bridge control. The simulation showed a current stimulus amplitude ranging from 2 to 13 µA for a variable photocurrent of Si nanowires (Rex: 10 kΩ, pulse: 100 Hz, 1 ms). The ability to finely control current stimulation intensity holds promise for diverse applications requiring accurate and adjustable current manipulation. This study contributes to the growing field of sensor technology by offering a unique perspective on the integration of nanostructures and electronic components for an enhanced control and functionality.

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The changes in the cell physiology (growth rate, cell size, and cell DNA content), photosynthetic efficiency, toxicity, and sexuality under variable light and nutrient (phosphates) conditions were evaluated in cultures of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum obtained from a red tide in the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain). The cells were grown at low (40 and 150 µE m-2 s-1), moderate (400 µE m-2 s-1), and high (800 µE m-2 s-1) light intensities in a medium with phosphate (P+) and without (P-). Cultures were acclimated to the irradiance conditions for one week, and the experiment was run for ~1 month. The cell size and DNA content were monitored via flow cytometry. Two different clonal strains were employed as a monoculture (in a P- or P+ medium) or, to foster sexuality and resting cyst formation, as a mixed culture (only in a P- medium). A. minutum growth was favored by increasing light intensities until 400 µE m-2 s-1. The DNA content analyses indicated the accumulation of S-phase cells at the highest light intensities (400 and 800 µE m-2 s-1) and therefore the negative effects on cell cycle progression. Only when the cells were grown in a P- medium did higher light intensities trigger dose-dependent, significantly higher toxicities in all the A. minutum cultures. This result suggests that the toxicity level is responsive to the combined effects of (high) light and (low) P stress. The cell size was not significantly affected by the light intensity or P conditions. The optimal light intensity for resting cyst formation was 150 µE m-2 s-1, with higher irradiances reducing the total encystment yield. Encystment was not observed at the lowest light intensity tested, indicative of the key role of low-level irradiance in gamete and/or zygote formation, in contrast to the stressor effect of excessive irradiance on planozygote formation and/or encystment.

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Two saltmarsh locations within Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia were selected to investigate the uptake and partitioning of metal(loid)s Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd and Pb in the Australian saltmarsh halophyte, Sarcocornia quinqueflora and the associated sub-lethal effects of metal(loid)s on plant health, including photosynthetic performance, biomass, and productivity. Metal(loid)s primarily accumulated to roots (BCF > 1). Barriers to transport were observed at the root to non-photosynthetic stem transition (TF < 1) for all metal(loid)s, suggesting this species is suitable for phytostabilisation. Sediment and plant tissue metal(loid) concentrations were significantly correlated with photosynthetic performance and plant biomass. As such, the action of sediment and tissue metal(loid)s on photosynthetic performance and the subsequent effect on biomass of S.quinqueflora appear to be suitable targets for molecular analyses to further elucidate mechanisms responsible for the observed adverse effects and the development of adverse outcome pathways.

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Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) has a high correlation with Gross Primary Production (GPP). However, studies focusing on the impact of drought on the SIF-GPP relationship have had mixed results at various scales, and the mechanisms controlling the dynamics between photosynthesis and fluorescence emission under water stress are not well understood. We developed a leaf-scale measurement system to perform concurrent measurements of active and passive fluorescence, and gas-exchange rates for winter wheat experiencing a one-month progressive drought. Our results confirmed that: (1) shifts in light energy allocation towards decreasing photochemistry (the quantum yields of photochemical quenching in PSII decreased from 0.42 to 0.21 under intermediate light conditions) and increasing fluorescence emissions (the quantum yields of fluorescence increased to 0.062 from 0.024) as drought progressed enhance the degree of nonlinearity of the SIF-GPP relationship, and (2) SIF alone has a limited capacity to track changes in the photosynthetic status of plants under drought conditions. However, by incorporating the water stress factor into a SIF-based mechanistic photosynthesis model, we show that drought-induced variations in a variety of key photosynthetic parameters, including stomatal conductance and photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, can be accurately estimated using measurements of SIF, photosynthetically active radiation, air temperature, and soil moisture as inputs. Our findings provide the experimental and theoretical foundations necessary for employing SIF mechanistically to estimate plant photosynthetic activity during periods of drought stress.

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It has been proposed to implement the >100 Gb/s data-center interconnects using a two-channel optical time-division multiplexed system with multilevel pulse-amplitude modulation. Unlike the conventional four-channel optical time-division multiplexed system which requires an expensive narrow pulse, the two-channel system can be implemented cost-effectively using a wide pulse (which can be simply generated using a single modulator). The two-channel system is expected to be practically available using an integrated transmitter in a chip due to the recent advances in photonics-integrated circuits. This paper reviews the current stage of research on a two-channel optical time-division multiplexed system and discusses possible research directions. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that 200 Gb/s signals can be generated by using modulators with only 17.2 GHz bandwidth. Therefore, the use of the phase-alternating pulse can make the multiplexed signal robust to chromatic dispersion, enabling the 200 Gb/s 4-level pulse-amplitude-modulated signal to be transmitted over 1.9 km of standard single-mode fiber.

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In the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, iron limitation promotes a decrease in the content of photosystem II, as determined by measurements of oxygen-evolving activity, thermoluminescence, chlorophyll fluorescence analyses and protein quantification methods. Thermoluminescence experiments also indicate that iron limitation induces subtle changes in the energetics of the recombination reaction between reduced QB and the S2/S3 states of the water-splitting machinery. However, electron transfer from QA to QB, involving non-heme iron, seems not to be significantly inhibited. Moreover, iron deficiency promotes a severe decrease in the content of the extrinsic PsbV/cytochrome c550 subunit of photosystem II, which appears in eukaryotic algae from the red photosynthetic lineage (including diatoms) but is absent in green algae and plants. The decline in the content of cytochrome c550 under iron-limiting conditions is accompanied by a decrease in the binding of this protein to photosystem II, and also of the extrinsic PsbO subunit. We propose that the lack of cytochrome c550, induced by iron deficiency, specifically affects the binding of other extrinsic subunits of photosystem II, as previously described in cyanobacterial PsbV mutants.

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A high data rate RF-DAC and a power detector (PD) are designed and fabricated in a 250 nm indium phosphide (InP) double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) technology. A communication link using the Tx-Rx over polymer microwave fiber (PMF) is measured. The link consists of a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) modulator and a PD as a demodulator, as well as a one-meter-long dielectric waveguide. The working frequency range of the complete link is verified to be 110−150 GHz. The peak output power of the PAM modulator is 5 dBm, and it has a −3 dB bandwidth of 43 GHz. The PD consists of a parallel connected common emitter configured transistor and a common base configured transistor to suppress the odd-order harmonics at the PD's output, as well as a stacked transistor to amplify the output signal. Tx and Rx chips, including pads, occupy a total area of only 0.83 mm2. The PMF link can support a PAM-4 signal with 22 Gbps data transmission, and a PAM-2 signal with 30 Gbps data transmission, with a bit error rate (BER) of <10−12, with demodulation performed in real time. Furthermore, the energy efficiency for the link (Tx + Rx) is 4.1 pJ/bit, using digital data input and receiving PAM-2 output (5.6 pJ/bit for PAM-4).

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Premise: A novel control technique was developed to mitigate an invasive siphonous green alga, Avrainvillea lacerata (Dichotomosiphonaceae), within a shallow degraded reef flat in O'ahu, Hawai'i. Methods and Results: Replicated treatments of 3% and 10% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were administered into individual basal attachments of the bed-forming invasive seaweed on the Paiko reef, O'ahu. Relative electron transport rate maxima (rETRm) were measured using a Walz Diving Pulse Amplitude Modulated Fluorometer in two replicate 100-m2 plots in 2020. Over the period of this short-term study, rETRm decreased following injections of either concentration of H2O2 in contrast with negative and positive controls. Conclusions: Compared with existing techniques that have used oxidizing agents in the marine environment in localized areas, the protocol described here has the potential to successfully decrease macroalgal carbon gain, potentially leading to loss of biomass at larger scales.

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Plant photosynthetic and mitochondrial electron transfer chains (ETCs) are delicate environmental sensors and active players in stress acclimation. The performance of photosynthetic ETC can be deduced from chlorophyll a fluorescence. This makes chlorophyll fluorescence imaging a powerful tool to study plant stress in vivo. Many stress treatments enhance production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by photosynthetic or mitochondrial ETCs. These ROS affect cellular metabolism and signalling. Generation of ROS can be manipulated in planta by specific pharmacological treatments with methyl viologen (MV), antimycin A (AA), myxothiazol (myx), and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). This chapter describes how chlorophyll fluorescence imaging together with pharmacological treatments can be employed to probe ROS-dependent plant stress reactions in vivo.

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Cell death in plants plays a major role during development as well as in response to certain biotic and abiotic stresses. For example, plant cell death can be triggered in a tightly regulated way during the hypersensitive response (HR) in defense against pathogens or be elicited by pathogenic toxin deployment. Monitoring cell death and its impact on plant health can aid in the quantification of plant disease symptoms and help to identify the underlying molecular pathways. Here, we describe our current protocol for monitoring plant cell death via ion leakage and Pulse-Amplitude-Modulation (PAM) fluorometry. We further provide a detailed protocol for the sample preparation, the measurement, and the data evaluation and discuss the complementary nature of ion leakage and PAM fluorometry as well as the potential of PAM fluorometry for high-throughput screenings.

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The ability to adapt to wide ranges of environmental conditions coupled with their long evolution has allowed cyanobacteria to colonize almost every habitat on Earth. Modern taxonomy tries to track not only this diversification process but also to assign individual cyanobacteria to specific niches. It was our aim to work out a potential niche concept for the genus Cyanocohniella in terms of salt tolerance. We used a strain based on the description of C. rudolphia sp. nov. isolated from a potash tailing pile (Germany) and for comparison C. crotaloides that was isolated from sandy beaches (The Netherlands). The taxonomic position of C. rudolphia sp. nov. was evaluated by phylogenetic analysis and morphological descriptions of its life cycle. Salt tolerance of C. rudolphia sp. nov. and C. crotaloides was monitored with cultivation assays in liquid medium and on sand under salt concentrations ranging from 0% to 12% (1500 mM) NaCl. Optimum growth conditions were detected for both strains at 4% (500 mM) NaCl based on morpho-anatomical and physiological criteria such as photosynthetic yield by chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements. Taking into consideration that all known strains of this genus colonize salty habitats supports our assumption that the genus might have a marine origin but also expands colonization to salty terrestrial habitats. This aspect is further discussed, including the ecological and biotechnological relevance of the data presented.

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Semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is considered an excellent candidate for power amplification at O-band due to its low cost and small footprint. In passive optical networks (PONs), SOA is popular as a booster and pre-amplifier to improve the link power budget. However, whether as a booster or pre-amplifier, SOA will induce different degrees of nonlinearity when the output power is high, which degrades the transmission performance of the system and leads to a limited receiver dynamic range. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of using SOA in both transmitter and receiver sides for power budget improvement in 100 Gb/s/λ four-level pulsed amplitude modulation (PAM-4) time division multiplexed PON (TDM-PON) system at O-band. For compensating the linear and nonlinear impairments induced by transceivers and SOA, a look-up-table (LUT) pre-compensation at the optical line terminal (OLT) side and a simple feed-forward equalizer (FFE) at the optical network unit (ONU) side are adopted for downstream transmission. For upstream transmission, a 2nd-order Volterra nonlinear equalizer (VNLE) is utilized at the OLT side, and no pre-compensation is used at the transmitter of the ONU, which releases the digital signal processing (DSP) pressure of ONUs in a multi-user scenario. For the soft-decision FEC (SD-FEC) threshold (1 × 10−2), the IEEE PR-30 power budget requirement is met, and >18 dB dynamic range is achieved in both 25 km downstream and upstream transmission.

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High-throughput and large-scale measurements of chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) are of great interest to investigate the photosynthetic performance of plants in the field. Here, we tested the capability to rapidly, precisely, and simultaneously estimate the number of pulse-amplitude-modulation ChlF parameters commonly calculated from both dark- and light-adapted leaves (an operation which usually takes tens of minutes) from the reflectance of hyperspectral data collected on light-adapted leaves of date palm seedlings chronically exposed in a FACE facility to three ozone (O3) concentrations (ambient air, AA; target 1.5 × AA O3, named as moderate O3, MO; target 2 × AA O3, named as elevated O3, EO) for 75 consecutive days. Leaf spectral measurements were paired with reference measurements of ChlF, and predictive spectral models were constructed using partial least squares regression. Most of the ChlF parameters were well predicted by spectroscopic models (average model goodness-of-fit for validation, R2: 0.53-0.82). Furthermore, comparing the full-range spectral profiles (i.e., 400-2400 nm), it was possible to distinguish with high accuracy (81% of success) plants exposed to the different O3 concentrations, especially those exposed to EO from those exposed to MO and AA. This was possible even in the absence of visible foliar injury and using a moderately O3-susceptible species like the date palm. The latter view is confirmed by the few variations of the ChlF parameters, that occurred only under EO. The results of the current study could be applied in several scientific fields, such as precision agriculture and plant phenotyping.

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Dehydrins (DHNs) play critical roles in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to characterize DHNs in bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.). CdDHN4 gene was cloned from bermudagrass 'Tifway'. Two CdDHN4 transcripts were detected due to alternative splicing (the nonspliced CdDHN4-L and the spliced CdDHN4-S) and both the CdDHN4-S and CdDHN4-L proteins are YSK2-type DHNs, the Φ-segment is present in CdDHN4-L and absent in CdDHN4-S. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana expressing CdDHN4-L or CdDHN4-S exhibited improved tolerance to salt, osmotic, low temperature and drought stress compared to the wild type (WT). The two transgenic lines did not differ in salt or drought tolerance, while plants expressing CdDHN4-S grew better under osmotic stress than those expressing CdDHN4-L. Both transgenic lines exhibited reduced content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS); and higher antioxidant enzymatic activities than the wild type plants under salt or drought stress. CdDHN4-S exhibited a higher ROS-scavenging capacity than CdDHN4-L.

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Large benthic foraminifers (LBFs) are significant contributors to coral island formation in the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, the population of LBFs has decreased because of the increase in anthropogenic influences, such as wastewater (WW) discharge. To implement efficient mitigation measures, pollution tolerance in LBFs should be understood. However, the effects of WW on LBFs and their symbionts have not yet been demonstrated. This study examined the changes in the photosynthetic efficiency (Y[II]) of Calcarina gaudichaudii and Baculogypsina sphaerulata in response to WW by using a pulse-amplitude-modulation fluorometer. These LBFs were exposed to WW with different dilution levels for 22 days. The Y(II) values of the LBFs were found to deteriorate within 1-2 days. However, the Y(II) values both deteriorated and were enhanced in the experiments, thus indicating that WW contains both harmful and beneficial components. Baculogypsina sphaerulata showed an earlier response and greater sensitivity to WW and a higher epibiont infestation than C. gaudichaudii. This result can be attributed to the differences in the physiological and morphological responses of distinct LBFs. A sequencing analysis of 18S rDNA confirmed that the dominant eukaryotic symbionts in the two LBFs studied were Ochrophyta and Labyrinthulomycetes. These eukaryotic symbionts were released and attached as epibionts onto LBFs that were exposed to WW, thus leading to an increase in inactive LBFs. The Shannon-Weaver and Simpson diversity indices revealed that eukaryotic symbiont communities decreased in biodiversity after exposure to WW because of the abundance of algal symbionts. On the basis of these results, we conclude that WW, even with 10,000 × dilution, causes a decrease in active LBF populations owing to the release of eukaryotic symbionts, the decrease in biodiversity, and the infestation of epibionts even though Y(II) is temporarily enhanced. These responses are more significant in B. sphaerulata than in C. gaudichaudii.

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Thylakoid membranes, the site of photochemical and electron transport reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis, are composed of a myriad of proteins, cofactors including pigments, and glycerolipids. In the non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the size and function of thylakoid membranes are reduced under nitrogen (N) starvation but are quickly recovered after N addition to the starved cells. To understand how the functionality of thylakoid membranes is adjusted in response to N status in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, we examined changes in thylakoid components and the photosynthetic activity during the N starvation and recovery processes. In N-starved cells, phycobilisome content, photosystem II protein levels and the photosynthetic activity substantially decreased as compared with those in N-sufficient cells. Although the content of chlorophyll (Chl) a, total protein and total glycerolipid also decreased under the N-starved condition based on OD730 reflecting cell density, when based on culture volume, the Chl a and total protein content remained almost constant and total glycerolipid content even increased during N starvation, suggesting that cellular levels of these components decrease under the N-starved condition mainly through dilution due to cell growth. With N addition, the photosynthetic activity quickly recovered, followed by full restoration of photosynthetic pigment and protein levels. The content of phosphatidylglycerol (PG), an essential lipid constituent of both photosystems, increased faster than that of Chl a, whereas the content of glycolipids, the main constituents of the thylakoid lipid bilayer, gradually recovered after N addition. The data indicate differential regulation of PG and glycolipids during the construction of the photosynthetic machinery and regeneration of thylakoid membranes. Of note, addition of PG to the growth medium slightly accelerated the Chl a accumulation in wild-type cells during the recovery process. Because PG is required for the biosynthesis of Chl a and the formation of functional photosystem complexes, rapid PG biosynthesis in response to N acquisition may be required for the rapid formation of the photosynthetic machinery during thylakoid regeneration.

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Visible light communication (VLC) systems are inherently signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) limited due to link budget constraints. One favourable method to overcome this limitation is to focus on the pre-log factors of the channel capacity. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques are therefore a promising avenue of research. However, inter-channel interference in MIMO limits the achievable capacity. Spatial modulation (SM) avoids this limitation. Furthermore, the performance of MIMO systems in VLC is limited by the similarities among spatial channels. This limitation becomes particularly severe in intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) systems because of the lack of phase information. The motivation of this paper is to propose a system that results in a multi-channel transmission system that enables reliable multi-user optical MIMO SM transmission without the need for a precoder, power allocation algorithm or additional optics at the receiver. A general bit error performance model for the SM system is developed for an arbitrary number of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in conjunction with pulse amplitude modulation. Based on this model, an LED array structure is designed to result in spatially separated multiple channels by manipulating the transmitter geometry. This article is part of the theme issue 'Optical wireless communication'.

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BACKGROUND: Bacteria routinely utilize two-component signal transduction pathways to sense and alter gene expression in response to environmental cues. While cyanobacteria express numerous two-component systems, these pathways do not regulate all of the genes within many of the identified abiotic stress-induced regulons. METHODS: Electron transport inhibitors combined with western analysis and measurement of chlorophyll a fluorescent yield, using pulse amplitude modulation fluorometry, were used to detect the effect of a diverse range of abiotic stresses on the redox status of the photosynthetic electron transport chain and the accumulation and degradation of the Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 DEAD box RNA helicase, CrhR. RESULTS: Alterations in CrhR abundance were tightly correlated with the redox poise of the electron transport chain between QA and cytochrome b6f, with reduction favoring CrhR accumulation. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence for an alternative, convergent sensing mechanism mediated through the redox poise of QB/PQH2 that senses multiple, divergent forms of abiotic stress and regulates accumulation of CrhR. The RNA helicase activity of CrhR could then function as a post-translational effector to regulate downstream gene expression. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The potential for a related system in Staphylococcus aureus and higher plant chloroplasts suggest convergent sensing mechanisms may be evolutionarily conserved and occur more widely than anticipated.

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Many intricacies of leaf-level photosynthesis can be probed by combining infrared gas analysis with pulse-amplitude-modulation chlorophyll a fluorometry. A key fluorescence yield (ΦF) parameter required for estimating many of the phenomena associated with the light reactions of photosynthesis is referred to as the maximum ΦF, which is termed Fm' when measured on a light-adapted leaf. While ubiquitously used to assess many aspects of photosynthesis, Fm' is problematic because it is prone to being underestimated. This error can be propagated to parameters and phenomena that are based on estimation of Fm'. Theoretical and experimental observations have shown that ΦF increases hyperbolically in response to increasing irradiance, asymptotically approaching the maximum ΦF, or Fm', at extreme irradiances. Importantly, depending upon the convexity of the hyperbolic response, ΦF exhibits a linear and inverse relationship with the reciprocal of irradiance, a relationship previously referred to as a reciprocal plot. Given the negative slope of the reciprocal plot, estimates of ΦF at infinite irradiance can be obtained, even over sub-saturating irradiances, by linear regression and extrapolation of the resultant reciprocal plot to the y-intercept. Here, we show how to obtain data from a dynamic multiphase flash of sub-saturating irradiance, occurring within the time span of ~1 s, to generate a reciprocal plot that subsequently provides an accurate estimate of ΦF at infinite irradiance, or Fm'.

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According to the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), chemical water quality is assessed by monitoring 45 priority substances. However, observed toxic effects can often not be attributed to these priority substances, and therefore there is an urgent need for an effect-based monitoring strategy that employs bioassays to identify environmental risk. Algal photosynthesis is a sensitive process that can be applied to identify the presence of hazardous herbicides in surface water. Therefore, the aim of this study was to employ an algal photosynthesis bioassay to assess surface water toxicity to algae and to identify the compounds causing the observed effects. To this purpose, Raphidocelis subcapitata was exposed to surface water samples and after 4.5 h photosynthetic efficiency was determined using PAM fluorometry. In this rapid high throughput bioassay, algal photosynthesis was affected by surface water from only one of 39 locations. Single compounds toxicity confirmation elucidated that the observed effect could be solely attributed to the herbicide linuron, which occurred at 110 times the EQS concentration and which is not included in the WFD priority substances list. In conclusion, applying the algal photosynthesis bioassay enables more efficient and effective assessment of toxicity to primary producers because it: (i) identifies the presence of herbicides that would be overlooked by routine chemical WFD monitoring, and (ii) avoids redundant chemical analyses by focusing only on (non-)target screening in samples with demonstrated effects.

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