Effect of Decoherence for Gate Operations on a Superconducting Bosonic Qubit

High-quality-factor 3D cavities in superconducting circuits are ideal candidates for bosonic logical qubits as their fidelity is limited only by the low photon loss rate. However, the transmon qubits that are used to manipulate bosonic qubits result in the emergence of additional relaxation and dephasing channels. In this work, a numerical study is performed to elucidate the effect of the various loss channels on the performance of logical gates on a bosonic qubit. A gate error model is developed that encapsulates the loss mechanisms for arbitrary gate operations and predicts experimentally achievable gate errors for bosonic qubits. The insights gleaned from this study into loss mechanisms suggest more efficient optimization algorithms that could reduce gate errors on bosonic qubits

Development of a method to rapidly assess resistance/susceptibility of Micro-Tom tomatoes to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus via agroinoculation of cotyledons

Objective: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the pathogens severely damaging tomato crops. Therefore, methods to treat or prevent TYLCV infection need to be developed. For this purpose, a method to conveniently and quickly assess infection of tomatoes by TYLCV is desired. In the present study, we established a quick method to evaluate TYLCV infection using cotyledons of Micro-Tom, a miniature tomato cultivar. Results: First, we constructed a binary plasmid harboring 1.5 copies of the TYLCV genome and transformed Agrobacterium with the plasmid. By injecting agroinoculum from the resulting transformant into the branches of Micro-Tom, we confirmed the susceptibility of Micro-Tom to TYLCV. To shorten the evaluation process of TYLCV infection further, we agroinoculated cotyledons of Micro-Tom 10 days after sowing seeds. We consistently observed typical symptoms of TYLCV infection on true leaves 10 days after agroinoculation. Molecular analysis detected TYLCV progeny DNA in all leaves demonstrating symptoms 6 days after agroinoculation. Therefore, our new protocol enabled assessment of TYLCV infection within 20 days after sowing seeds. Thus, agroinoculation of Micro-Tom cotyledons will accelerate the process of screening TYLCV-resistant Micro-Toms and enable screening of larger numbers of plants more quickly, contributing to the development of TYLCV-resistant tomatoes

Naphthalene diimide carrying two cysteine termini at both imide linkers as a molecular staple

Naphthalene diimide (1) carrying cysteines at the termini of amide substituents were synthesized to act as a molecular staple of double stranded DNA. Since 1 is able to bind to double stranded DNA with threading intercalation, the complex of 1 with double stranded DNA can be topologically immobilized on a gold surface through the S[BOND]Au linkage as confirmed by cyclic voltammetric experiment. Ferrocenyl-double stranded 23-mertic oligonucleotide, dsFcODN, was immobilized on gold electrode with 1.0×1012 molecules cm−2 when electrode was treated with 2.0 µM dsFcODN and 4.0 µM 1 for 1 h at room temperature. The coverage density was similar to that obtained for the terminal thiol-modified oligonucleotide. Compound 1 was applied to detect the 321-meric PCR product of P. gingivalis, which is important in the diagnosis of periodontal disease. This experiment, coupled with the use of ferrocenylnaphthalene diimide, FND as electrochemical indicator for double stranded DNA, resulted in quantitative detection of PCR product within the range of 10 pg µL−1–10 ng µL−1 (15 nM–15 µM). The 1 and FND established a simple and rapid detection method of double stranded PCR product with a detection limit of 10 pg µL−1 (15 nM)

Behavior of snow monkeys hunting fish to survive winter

Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, of Kamikochi in the Japanese Alps endure one of the coldest and harshest environments during winter when scarcity of food puts them at risk. However, various behaviors have evolved to mitigate potential mortality. These macaques typically eat bamboo leaves and the bark of woody plants in winter, but our previous study using the feces of Japanese macaques collected in the winter and DNA metabarcoding analysis revealed conclusively for the first time consumption of riverine benthos and brown trout. In this paper, we investigate how Japanese macaques hunt fish and collect these riverine biota by extensively observing their behavior, including the use of infrared sensor cameras. Many researchers have tracked Japanese macaques as part of behavioral and ecological studies, but previously the techniques by which Japanese macaques capture swimming fish has not been documented. Herein, for the first time we consider how novel macaque foraging behavior traits have evolved to secure valuable animal protein for winter survival when food resources are scarce

Improving bonding strength by non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma-assisted technology for A5052/PEEK direct joining

The direct bonding of A5052 aluminum (Al) alloy to the engineering polymer poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) using an atmospheric pressure plasma-assisted process was demonstrated. The effect of plasma irradiation on the bonding surface of metal resin on the bonding strength following thermal press fitting method was investigated. Specimens bonded by plasma irradiation on the PEEK surface only showed a high tensile shear stress of 15.5 MPa. With increasing plasma irradiation time, the bond strength of the samples bonded to the PEEK surface by plasma irradiation increased. The increase in the bond strength between metals and polymers following direct bonding is caused by the addition of oxygen functional groups on the polymer. In contrast, specimens in which only the Al was exposed to the plasma showed a decrease in bond strength compared with unirradiated samples. This reduction in bond strength is attributed to the forming magnesium oxide, which forms in the early stages of participation due to plasma irradiation.The version of record of this article, first published in International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12747-

Electrochemical Assay for deoxyribonuclease I Activity

A thiolated oligonucleotide having three ferrocenes was immobilized on a gold electrode through the sulfur–gold linkage. This electrode showed a current response based on the redox reaction of the ferrocene moieties and this response was decreased after treatment with deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I), suggesting the disappearance of the ferrocene moieties on the electrode by the DNase I digestion. A linear correlation between i0 and i, which are current peaks before and after DNase I treatment, respectively, was observed and this slope was decreased with increase in the amount of DNase I. No current decrease was observed in the presence of EDTA or RNase A instead of DNase I. These results suggested that the current decrease responded specifically to the amount of DNase I and this electrode could be used for an electrochemical DNase I assay. Under the optimum conditions of DNase I digestion at 37 °C for 30 min, a quantitative analysis could be achieved in the range of 10−4–10−2 units/μl of DNase I

Electrochemical Assay for deoxyribonuclease I Activity

A thiolated oligonucleotide having three ferrocenes was immobilized on a gold electrode through the sulfur–gold linkage. This electrode showed a current response based on the redox reaction of the ferrocene moieties and this response was decreased after treatment with deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I), suggesting the disappearance of the ferrocene moieties on the electrode by the DNase I digestion. A linear correlation between i0 and i, which are current peaks before and after DNase I treatment, respectively, was observed and this slope was decreased with increase in the amount of DNase I. No current decrease was observed in the presence of EDTA or RNase A instead of DNase I. These results suggested that the current decrease responded specifically to the amount of DNase I and this electrode could be used for an electrochemical DNase I assay. Under the optimum conditions of DNase I digestion at 37 °C for 30 min, a quantitative analysis could be achieved in the range of 10−4–10−2 units/μl of DNase I

Applicability of radiocolloids, blue dyes and fluorescent indocyanine green to sentinel node biopsy in melanoma

Patients with primary cutaneous melanoma underwent sentinel node (SN) mapping and biopsy at 25 facilities in Japan by the combination of radiocolloid with gamma probe and dye. Technetium-99m (99mTc)-tin colloid, 99mTc-phytate, 2% patent blue violet (PBV) and 0.4% indigo carmine were used as tracers. In some hospitals, 0.5% fluorescent indocyanine green, which allows visualization of the SN with an infrared camera, was concomitantly used and examined. A total of 673 patients were enrolled, and 562 cases were eligible. The detection rates of SN were 95.5% (147/154) with the combination of tin colloid and PBV, 98.9% (368/372) with the combination of phytate and PBV, and 97.2% (35/36) with the combination of tin colloid or phytate and indigo carmine. SN was not detected in 12 cases by the combination method, and the primary tumor was in the head and neck in six of those 12 cases. In eight of 526 cases (1.5%), SN was detected by PBV but not by radiocolloid. There were 13 cases (2.5%) in which SN was detected by radiocolloid but not by PBV. In 18 of 36 cases (50%), SN was detected by radiocolloid but not by indigo carmine. Concomitantly used fluorescent indocyanine green detected SN in all of 67 cases. Interference with transcutaneous oximetry by PVB was observed in some cases, although it caused no clinical trouble. Allergic reactions were not reported with any of the tracers. 99mTc-tin colloid, 99mTc-phytate, PBV and indocyanine green are useful tracers for SN mapping.ArticleJOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY. 39(4):336-338 (2012)journal articl