Decoherence suppression by uncollapsing

We show that the qubit decoherence due to zero-temperature energy relaxation can be almost completely suppressed by using the quantum uncollapsing procedure. To protect a qubit state, a partial quantum measurement moves it towards the ground state, where it is kept during the storage period, while the second partial measurement restores the initial state. This procedure preferentially selects the cases without energy decay events. Stronger decoherence suppression requires smaller selection probability; a desired point in this trade-off can be chosen by varying the measurement strength. The experiment can be realized in a straightforward way using the superconducting phase qubit.Comment: 4 page

Particle acceleration in axisymmetric pulsar current sheets

The equatorial current sheet in pulsar magnetospheres is often regarded as an ideal site for particle acceleration via relativistic reconnection. Using 2D spherical particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate particle acceleration in the axisymmetric pulsar magnetosphere as a function of the injected plasma multiplicity and magnetization. We observe a clear transition from a highly charge-separated magnetosphere for low plasma injection with little current and spin-down power, to a nearly force-free solution for high plasma multiplicity characterized by a prominent equatorial current sheet and high spin-down power. We find significant magnetic dissipation in the current sheet, up to 30% within 5 light-cylinder radii in the high-multiplicity regime. The simulations unambiguously demonstrate that the dissipated Poynting flux is efficiently channeled to the particles in the sheet, close to the Y-point within about 1-2 light cylinder radii from the star. The mean particle energy in the sheet is given by the upstream plasma magnetization at the light cylinder. The study of particle orbits shows that all energetic particles originate from the boundary layer between the open and the closed field lines. Energetic positrons always stream outward, while high-energy electrons precipitate back towards the star through the sheet and along the separatrices, which may result in auroral-like emission. Our results suggest that the current sheet and the separatrices may be the main source of high-energy radiation in young pulsars.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA

Men of God Homosexual and Catholic Identity Negotiation, Through Holland‟s Catholic Priests

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how the Dutch gay Catholic man negotiates his seemingly contradictory sexual and religious identities. Homophobic interpretations of Catholic doctrine and belief often leave the gay Catholic man distanced and isolated from his faith. The current study expands on previous psychosocial literature by providing a more fluid and humanist theoretical framing of identity negotiation; as well as a historical, political, and psychological understanding of the gay Catholic men in Dutch context. Three life stories of Dutch Gay Catholic priests were collected and critically engaged to comment on the larger issue of religious and sexual identity negotiation in general. Celibacy was not found as a solution for the cognitive dissonance experienced by the gay priests (and in general), as sexual identity was found to be a core identity, not simply defined by physical coitus. The complete acceptance or rejection of Catholicism or homosexuality in the gay Catholic man‟s life was found to be an inappropriate and un-realistic solution to identity conciliation, as said conciliation was found to be a: fluid, highly individualistic, constant negotiation depending on environmental variables (religious upbringing, urban/rural geographic area, conservatism of parish and peer group, etc…) spanning the gay Dutch Catholic man‟s lifetime. Future research in this area should examine differing sexual orientations, gender, religious and ethnic expressions to broaden the understanding of the process of identity negotiation

Making Sustainability Affordable in Parlier

As climate change continues to threaten everyday life on Earth, humans from every corner of this planet struggle to keep up with changes due access, attitudes, and most importantly affordability. Over the past decade, governments around the world have invested billions into renewable power. Private investors followed, hoping to cash in on what looked like a transformational shift in the way the world produced electricity and lived sustainability. It felt as though it was a way to add jobs, manage fossil-fuel prices, and curb the impending affects of global warming. Unfortunately, a sustainable world will not happen overnight and requires a sustained effort on all fronts, but are there communities that are more at risk than others? According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, most North American studies have shown that areas where low socioeconomic status (SES) communities dwell experience higher concentrations of criteria air pollutants (Hajat, Hsia, & O’Neill, 2015). This has put a disproportionate burden on low income cities around the world placed pressure on public and private entities to deliver a sustainable future. However, as many low income families struggle to put food on their tables, the last thing on many of their minds is the environment, and the ones that do want change struggle to make a lasting effect due to a lack of affordability, education, and motivation. According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, an organization that establishes comprehensive global standards for greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting, cities are responsible for more than 70 percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (Global Energy & CO2 Status Report). Addressing climate change at the local level is imperative to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by cities. Through the incorporation of resilient and sustainable adaptation strategies, cities can reduce their GHG emissions as they work towards a cleaner, more resilient future. The purpose of this project is to spread affordable sustainability to lower income communities so that every resident can make a difference, no matter where they live or what they carry in their wallet

Antimicrobial compounds from tropical rainforest plants

Tropical rainforest plants represent a potential source of novel antimicrobial drugs since they have adapted to their humid, septic environment by synthesising such compounds as a means of self defence. Similarly, people who inhabit rainforests have adopted certain species to treat infectious diseases, and by investigating such plant medicines it may be possible to find novel compounds with therapeutic potential. With this is mind, ethnobotanical fieldwork was carried out in New Guinea, an area of the world little investigated for indigenous plant medicines and rich in endemic flora. An antibacterial field assay kit was developed using freeze-dried strains of S. epidermidis and E. coli which allowed plants used in traditional medicines to be screened in situ without having to take them back to a laboratory. This approach identified Lunasia amara (Blanco) as a candidate species; the use of its bark by tribes of the Whitman Range to treat tropical ulcers, supported by clear zones of inhibition with S. aureus. Samples of the bark were collected for analysis and through activity-guided fractionation, the anti- S. aureus activity of the bark extract was pinned down to a single well resolved HPLC peak (MIC S. aureus NCTC 6571 64μg/ml) which subsequent NMR analysis revealed to be the quinoline alkaloid lunacridine; 2'-<9-trifluoroacetyl lunacridine was found to be a more stable derivative however. Lunacridine's planar cationic structure suggested it might act as a DNA intercalator; 220μM giving 50% binding in an ethidium bromide displacement assay. This in turn suggested DNA topoisomerase II as a likely target for the compound which was confirmed with a kDNA decatenation assay revealing complete inhibition of the enzyme at 5μM. Cell viability assays with MRC-5, H226 and HELA cells showed the compound to be cytotoxic in a time dependent manner producing non-linear dose response curves indicative of a topoisomerase poison mode of action. Activation of the apoptosis pathway enzymes caspase 3/7 was also detected, reaching maximal activity between 24 and 48 hours for the H226 cell line. Thus, lunacridine does not represent a selective antibiotic but with the right structural modifications could be developed as an antineoplastic agent