Cooling a micro-mechanical resonator by quantum back-action from a noisy qubit

We study the role of qubit dephasing in cooling a mechanical resonator by quantum back-action. With a superconducting flux qubit as a specific example, we show that ground-state cooling of a mechanical resonator can only be realized if the qubit dephasing rate is sufficiently low.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Multiple interfaces between a serine recombinase and an enhancer control site-specific DNA inversion.

Serine recombinases are often tightly controlled by elaborate, topologically-defined, nucleoprotein complexes. Hin is a member of the DNA invertase subclass of serine recombinases that are regulated by a remote recombinational enhancer element containing two binding sites for the protein Fis. Two Hin dimers bound to specific recombination sites associate with the Fis-bound enhancer by DNA looping where they are remodeled into a synaptic tetramer competent for DNA chemistry and exchange. Here we show that the flexible beta-hairpin arms of the Fis dimers contact the DNA binding domain of one subunit of each Hin dimer. These contacts sandwich the Hin dimers to promote remodeling into the tetramer. A basic region on the Hin catalytic domain then contacts enhancer DNA to complete assembly of the active Hin tetramer. Our results reveal how the enhancer generates the recombination complex that specifies DNA inversion and regulates DNA exchange by the subunit rotation mechanism. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01211.001

Design of Plasma Generator Driven by High-frequency High-voltage Power Supply

In this research, a high-frequency high-voltage power supply designed for plasma generator is presented. The powersupply mainly consists of a series resonant converter with a high-frequency high-voltage boost transformer. Due to theindispensable high-voltage inheritance in the operation of plasma generator, the analysis of transformer needconsidering not only winding resistance, leakage inductance, magnetizing inductance, and core-loss resistance, butalso parasitic capacitance resulted from the insulation wrappings on the high-voltage side. This research exhibits asimple approach to measuring equivalent circuit parameters of the high-frequency, high-voltage transformer with straycapacitance being introduced into the conventional modeling. The proposed modeling scheme provides not only aprecise measurement procedure but also effective design information for series-load resonant converter. The plasmadischarging plate is designed as part of the electric circuit in the series load-resonant converter and the circuit modelof the plasma discharging plate is also conducted as well. Thus, the overall model of the high-voltage plasmagenerator is built and the designing procedures for appropriate selections of the corresponding resonant-circuitparameters can be established. Finally, a high-voltage plasma generator with 220V, 60Hz, and 1kW input, along witha 22 kHz and over 8kV output, is realized and implemented

Ecogeographical variations of chromosomal polymorphism in Hawaiian populations of Drosophila immigrans

Reports were scanned in black and white at a resolution of 600 dots per inch and were converted to text using Adobe Paper Capture Plug-in.Eighteen samples from twelve populations of Drosophila immigrans in the islands of Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii in the Hawaiian archipelago were analyzed for inversion polymorphism in 1125 females and 206 males. Three kinds of second chromosome inversions, which appear to be identical with those previously reported by other workers, were present in all of our populations; two other new inversions of the same autosome were detected from the Hawaii collections, but their origin, whether natural or laboratory, could not be assured. The average proportion of inversion heterozygosity per individual of the populations from Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii was about 34%, 32% and 65% respectively. The frequencies of heterozygous inversions Here similar between different populations within islands (with one notable exception on Hawaii). In contrast, the frequencies were significantly heterogeneous from one island to the next. The results of gene arrangement frequency analysis consolidated the above findings. It is suggested that the inter-island differentiations are due to natural selection and probably maintained by the isolation by oceanic channels. Two near-by localities on Hawaii were inhabited with significantly heterogeneous populations. Such a microgeographic differentiation has been interpreted as being due to the presence of highly localized, differential selection forces in the two localities, and the difference seems to be maintained due to isolation by the lava flows. Our data suggest that the breeding units of Hawaiian populations of D. immigrans are not so small as to allow for genetic drift to significantly affect the populations. Inversion polymorphism was similar between females and males taken at the same time in the same localities

Cloning and Expression of the PHA Synthase Gene From a Locally Isolated Chromobacterium sp. USM2

Chromobacterium sp. USM2, a locally isolated bacterium was found to synthesize poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), P(3HB-co-3HV) copolymer with high 3HV monomer composition. The PHA synthase gene was cloned and expressed in Cupriavidus necator PHB¯4 to investigate the possibilities of incorporating other monomer. The recombinant successfully incorporated 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx) monomer when fed with crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) as the sole carbon source. Approximately 63 ± 2 wt% of P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer with 4 mol% of 3HHx was synthesized from 5 g/L of oil after 48 h of cultivation. In addition, P(3HB-co-3HV-co-3HHx) terpolymer with 9 mol% 3HV and 4 mol% 3HHx could be synthesized with a mixture of CPKO and sodium valerate. The presence of 3HV and 3HHx monomers in the copolymer and terpolymer was further confirmed with +H-NMR analysis. This locally isolated PHA synthase has demonstrated its ability to synthesize P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer from a readily available and renewable carbon source; CPKO, without the addition of 3HHx precursors