Maternal fluoxetine exposure alters cortical hemodynamic and calcium response of offspring to somatosensory stimuli

Epidemiological studies have found an increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in populations prenatally exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Optical imaging provides a minimally invasive way to determine if perinatal SSRI exposure has long-term effects on cortical function. Herein we probed the functional neuroimaging effects of perinatal SSRI exposure in a fluoxetine (FLX)-exposed mouse model. While resting-state homotopic contralateral functional connectivity was unperturbed, the evoked cortical response to forepaw stimulation was altered in FLX mice. The stimulated cortex showed decreased activity for FLX versus controls, by both hemodynamic responses [oxyhemoglobin (Hb

Entry pathways of herpes simplex virus type 1 into human keratinocytes are dynamin- and cholesterol-dependent

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) can enter cells via endocytic pathways or direct fusion at the plasma membrane depending on the cell line and receptor(s). Most studies into virus entry have used cultured fibroblasts but since keratinocytes represent the primary entry site for HSV-1 infection in its human host, we initiated studies to characterize the entry pathway of HSV-1 into human keratinocytes. Electron microscopy studies visualized free capsids in the cytoplasm and enveloped virus particles in vesicles suggesting viral uptake both by direct fusion at the plasma membrane and by endocytic vesicles. The ratio of the two entry modes differed in primary human keratinocytes and in the keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. Inhibitor studies further support a role for endocytosis during HSV-1 entry. Infection was inhibited by the cholesterol-sequestering drug methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, which demonstrates the requirement for host cholesterol during virus entry. Since the dynamin-specific inhibitor dynasore and overexpression of a dominant-negative dynamin mutant blocked infection, we conclude that the entry pathways into keratinocytes are dynamin-mediated. Electron microscopy studies confirmed that virus uptake is completely blocked when the GTPase activity of dynamin is inhibited. Ex vivo infection of murine epidermis that was treated with dynasore further supports the essential role of dynamin during entry into the epithelium. Thus, we conclude that HSV-1 can enter human keratinocytes by alternative entry pathways that require dynamin and host cholesterol

Positionally dependent ^(15)N fraction factors in the UV photolysis of N_2O determined by high resolution FTIR spectroscopy

Positionally dependent fractionation factors for the photolysis of isotopomers of N_2O in natural abundance have been determined by high resolution FTIR spectroscopy at three photolysis wavelengths. Fractionation factors show clear 15N position and photolysis wavelength dependence and are in qualitative agreement with theoretical models but are twice as large. The fractionation factors increase with photolysis wavelength from 193 to 211 nm, with the fractionation factors at 207.6 nm for ^(14)N^(15)N^916)O, ^(15)N^(14)N^(16)O and ^(14)N^(14)N^(18)O equal to −66.5±5‰,−27.1±6‰ and −49±10‰, respectively

Spin resonance in the superconducting state of Li1−x_{1-x}Fex_{x}ODFe1−y_{1-y}Se observed by neutron spectroscopy

We have performed inelastic neutron scattering measurements on a powder sample of the superconductor lithium iron selenide hydroxide Li$_{1-x}$Fe$_{x}$ODFe$_{1-y}$Se ($x \simeq 0.16, y \simeq 0.02$, $T_{\rm c} = 41$\,K). The spectrum shows an enhanced intensity below $T_{\rm c}$ over an energy range $0.64\times2\Delta < E < 2\Delta$, where $\Delta$ is the superconducting gap, with maxima at the wave vectors $Q_1 \simeq 1.46$\,\AA$^{-1}$ and $Q_2 \simeq 1.97$\,\AA$^{-1}$. The behavior of this feature is consistent with the spin resonance mode found in other unconventional superconductors, and strongly resembles the spin resonance observed in the spectrum of the molecular-intercalated iron selenide, Li$_{0.6}$(ND$_{2}$)$_{0.2}$(ND$_{3}$)$_{0.8}$Fe$_{2}$Se$_{2}$. The signal can be described with a characteristic two-dimensional wave vector $(\pi, 0.67\pi)$ in the Brillouin zone of the iron square lattice, consistent with the nesting vector between electron Fermi sheets

A quantum phase transition from triangular to stripe charge order in NbSe2_{2}

The competition between proximate electronic phases produces a complex phenomenology in strongly correlated systems. In particular, fluctuations associated with periodic charge or spin modulations, known as density waves, may lead to exotic superconductivity in several correlated materials. However, density waves have been difficult to isolate in the presence of chemical disorder, and the suspected causal link between competing density wave orders and high temperature superconductivity is not understood. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to image a previously unknown unidirectional (stripe) charge density wave (CDW) smoothly interfacing with the familiar tri-directional (triangular) CDW on the surface of the stoichiometric superconductor NbSe$_2$. Our low temperature measurements rule out thermal fluctuations, and point to local strain as the tuning parameter for this quantum phase transition. We use this discovery to resolve two longstanding debates about the anomalous spectroscopic gap and the role of Fermi surface nesting in the CDW phase of NbSe$_2$. Our results highlight the importance of local strain in governing phase transitions and competing phenomena, and suggest a new direction of inquiry for resolving similarly longstanding debates in cuprate superconductors and other strongly correlated materials.Comment: PNAS in pres

Exact Performance of Concatenated Quantum Codes

When a logical qubit is protected using a quantum error-correcting code, the net effect of coding, decoherence (a physical channel acting on qubits in the codeword) and recovery can be represented exactly by an effective channel acting directly on the logical qubit. In this paper we describe a procedure for deriving the map between physical and effective channels that results from a given coding and recovery procedure. We show that the map for a concatenation of codes is given by the composition of the maps for the constituent codes. This perspective leads to an efficient means for calculating the exact performance of quantum codes with arbitrary levels of concatenation. We present explicit results for single-bit Pauli channels. For certain codes under the symmetric depolarizing channel, we use the coding maps to compute exact threshold error probabilities for achievability of perfect fidelity in the infinite concatenation limit.Comment: An expanded presentation of the analytic methods and results from quant-ph/0111003; 13 pages, 6 figure

VOCALS-CUpEx: the Chilean Upwelling Experiment

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/2015/2011/acp-11-2015-2011.html.The VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) was a major field experiment conducted in spring of 2008 off southern Peru and northern Chile, aimed at better understanding the coupled climate systems of the southeast Pacific. Because of logistical constrains, the coastal area around 30° S was not sampled during VOCALS-REx. This area not only marks the poleward edge of the subtropical stratocumulus cloud regime (thus acting as a source of transient disturbances) but is also one of the most active upwelling centers and source of surface ocean kinetic energy along the Chilean coast. To fill such an observational gap, a small, brief, but highly focused field experiment was conducted in late spring 2009 in the near-shore region around 30° S. The Chilean Upwelling Experiment (CUpEx) was endorsed by VOCALS as a regional component. CUpEx included long-term monitoring, an intensive two-week field campaign and off-shore research flights. Our goal was to obtain an atmospheric/oceanic dataset with enough temporal and spatial coverage to be able to document (a) the mean diurnal cycles of the lower-troposphere and upper-ocean in a region of complex topography and coastline geometry, and (b) the ocean-atmosphere response to the rapid changes in coastal winds from strong, upwelling-favorable equatorward flow (southerly winds) to downwelling-favorable poleward flow (northerly winds). In this paper we describe the measurement platforms and sampling strategy, and provide an observational overview, highlighting some key mean-state and transient features

Cohomology of Line Bundles: Applications

Massless modes of both heterotic and Type II string compactifications on compact manifolds are determined by vector bundle valued cohomology classes. Various applications of our recent algorithm for the computation of line bundle valued cohomology classes over toric varieties are presented. For the heterotic string, the prime examples are so-called monad constructions on Calabi-Yau manifolds. In the context of Type II orientifolds, one often needs to compute equivariant cohomology for line bundles, necessitating us to generalize our algorithm to this case. Moreover, we exemplify that the different terms in Batyrev's formula and its generalizations can be given a one-to-one cohomological interpretation. This paper is considered the third in the row of arXiv:1003.5217 and arXiv:1006.2392.Comment: 56 pages, 8 tables, cohomCalg incl. Koszul extension available at http://wwwth.mppmu.mpg.de/members/blumenha/cohomcalg

VOCALS-CUpEx: the Chilean Upwelling Experiment

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/2015/2011/acp-11-2015-2011.html.The VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) was a major field experiment conducted in spring of 2008 off southern Peru and northern Chile, aimed at better understanding the coupled climate systems of the southeast Pacific. Because of logistical constrains, the coastal area around 30° S was not sampled during VOCALS-REx. This area not only marks the poleward edge of the subtropical stratocumulus cloud regime (thus acting as a source of transient disturbances) but is also one of the most active upwelling centers and source of surface ocean kinetic energy along the Chilean coast. To fill such an observational gap, a small, brief, but highly focused field experiment was conducted in late spring 2009 in the near-shore region around 30° S. The Chilean Upwelling Experiment (CUpEx) was endorsed by VOCALS as a regional component. CUpEx included long-term monitoring, an intensive two-week field campaign and off-shore research flights. Our goal was to obtain an atmospheric/oceanic dataset with enough temporal and spatial coverage to be able to document (a) the mean diurnal cycles of the lower-troposphere and upper-ocean in a region of complex topography and coastline geometry, and (b) the ocean-atmosphere response to the rapid changes in coastal winds from strong, upwelling-favorable equatorward flow (southerly winds) to downwelling-favorable poleward flow (northerly winds). In this paper we describe the measurement platforms and sampling strategy, and provide an observational overview, highlighting some key mean-state and transient features