Advances in Engineering and Application of Optogenetic Indicators for Neuroscience

Our ability to investigate the brain is limited by available technologies that can record biological processes in vivo with suitable spatiotemporal resolution. Advances in optogenetics now enable optical recording and perturbation of central physiological processes within the intact brains of model organisms. By monitoring key signaling molecules noninvasively, we can better appreciate how information is processed and integrated within intact circuits. In this review, we describe recent efforts engineering genetically-encoded fluorescence indicators to monitor neuronal activity. We summarize recent advances of sensors for calcium, potassium, voltage, and select neurotransmitters, focusing on their molecular design, properties, and current limitations. We also highlight impressive applications of these sensors in neuroscience research. We adopt the view that advances in sensor engineering will yield enduring insights on systems neuroscience. Neuroscientists are eager to adopt suitable tools for imaging neural activity in vivo, making this a golden age for engineering optogenetic indicators. Keywords: optogenetic tools; neuroscience; calcium sensor; voltage sensor; neurotransmitter

Search and exploration of X-Rated information (SEXI 2013)

Adult content is pervasive on the Web, has been a driving factor in the adoption of the Internet medium. It is responsible for a significant fraction of traffic and revenues, yet rarely attracts attention in research. We propose that the research questions surrounding adult content access behaviors are unique, and we believe interesting and valuable research in this area can be done ethically. The workshop on Search and Exploration of X-Rated Information (SEXI) addresses these issues for information access tasks related to adult content

Experimental Tests of Charge Symmetry Violation in Parton Distributions

Recently, a global phenomenological fit to high energy data has included charge symmetry breaking terms, leading to limits on the allowed magnitude of such effects. We discuss two possible experiments that could search for isospin violation in valence parton distributions. We show that, given the magnitude of charge symmetry violation consistent with existing global data, such experiments might expect to see effects at a level of several percent. Alternatively, such experiments could significantly decrease the upper limits on isospin violation in parton distributions.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure