Processing and population genetic analysis of multigenic datasets with ProSeq3 software

Motivation: The current tendency in molecular population genetics is to use increasing numbers of genes in the analysis. Here I describe a program for handling and population genetic analysis of DNA polymorphism data collected from multiple genes. The program includes a sequence/alignment editor and an internal relational database that simplify the preparation and manipulation of multigenic DNA polymorphism datasets. The most commonly used DNA polymorphism analyses are implemented in ProSeq3, facilitating population genetic analysis of large multigenic datasets. Extensive input/output options make ProSeq3 a convenient hub for sequence data processing and analysis

Flywheel energy storage system with homopolar electrodynamic magnetic bearing

The goal of this research was to evaluate the potential of homopolar electrodynamic magnetic bearings for flywheel energy storage systems (FESSs). The primary target was a FESS for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites; however, the design can also be easily adapted for Earth-based applications. The main advantage of Homopolar Electrodynamic Bearings compared to more conventional Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) is simplicity and very low power rating of its electronics, resulting in higher system reliability - a critical factor for space applications. For commercial applications this technologies may also be found very attractive due to a potentially lower cost compared to AMB.Center for Electromechanic

Rubisco evolution in C4 eudicots: an analysis of Amaranthaceae sensu lato

BACKGROUND Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) catalyses the key reaction in the photosynthetic assimilation of CO₂. In C₄ plants CO₂ is supplied to Rubisco by an auxiliary CO₂-concentrating pathway that helps to maximize the carboxylase activity of the enzyme while suppressing its oxygenase activity. As a consequence, C₄ Rubisco exhibits a higher maximum velocity but lower substrate specificity compared with the C₃ enzyme. Specific amino-acids in Rubisco are associated with C₄ photosynthesis in monocots, but it is not known whether selection has acted on Rubisco in a similar way in eudicots. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We investigated Rubisco evolution in Amaranthaceae sensu lato (including Chenopodiaceae), the third-largest family of C₄ plants, using phylogeny-based maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods to detect Darwinian selection on the chloroplast rbcL gene in a sample of 179 species. Two Rubisco residues, 281 and 309, were found to be under positive selection in C₄ Amaranthaceae with multiple parallel replacements of alanine by serine at position 281 and methionine by isoleucine at position 309. Remarkably, both amino-acids have been detected in other C₄ plant groups, such as C₄ monocots, illustrating a striking parallelism in molecular evolution. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings illustrate how simple genetic changes can contribute to the evolution of photosynthesis and strengthen the hypothesis that parallel amino-acid replacements are associated with adaptive changes in Rubisco.This research was funded by NERC (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/; grant number NE/H007741/1)

The Models of Strategic Interaction between Network and Generating Companies at Electricity Transmission Market

The paper considers the strategic interaction between network and generating companies at electricity transmission market within the simplest electric power system with two nodes. The four possible variants of the market organization are investigated: guaranteed regulated and non-regulated network monopoly, network monopoly facing potential competition from the independent network company or generating company. The possible consequences and by-effects of vertical unbundling, in particular, influence of such a regulation on the prices and network transfer capabilities, are analyzed. It is shown that the elimination of monopolistic preferences on electric power transmission with the possibility of network objects building and operation by the generating companies is an effective mechanism for electricity price reduction.oligopoly, monopoly, strategic interaction, potential competition, Nash equilibrium, electricity transmission market

Observable effects caused by vacuum pair creation in the field of high-power optical lasers

We consider the possibility of an experimental proof of vacuum e+e- pair creation in the focus of two counter-propagating optical laser beams with an intensity of the order of 10^20 - 10^22 W/cm^2. Our approach is based on the collisionless kinetic equation for the distribution function of the e+e- pairs with the source term for particle production. As a possible experimental signal of vacuum pair production we consider the refraction of a high-frequency probe laser beam by the produced e+e- plasma to be observed by an interference filter. The generation of higher harmonics of the laser frequency in the self-consistent electric field is also investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures; typos corrected, Eq.(16) corrected, reference adde