Magnetic trapping and coherent control of laser-cooled molecules

We demonstrate coherent microwave control of the rotational, hyperfine and Zeeman states of ultracold CaF molecules, and the magnetic trapping of these molecules in a single, selectable quantum state. We trap about 5 X 10³ molecules for almost 2s at a temperature of 70(8) μK and a density of 1.2 X 10⁵ cm⁻³. We measure the state-specific loss rate due to collisions with background helium

Evolution of Soil Carbon Storage and Morphometric Properties of Afforested Soils in the U.S. Great Plains

The objective of this project was to use detailed soil profi le descriptions and soil carbon analyses to determine the soil C sequestration potential of tree planting across climatic gradients in the U.S. Great Plains. Tree windbreak age ranged from 19 to 70 years and age of cultivation from 22 to ~110 years. At each site, soil pits were prepared within the tree planting, the adjacent crop fi elds, and nearby undisturbed grassland. Windbreak soils had consistently thicker soil organic carbon (SOC)- enriched A or A+AB horizons when compared to the crop fi elds. The thickness of A or A+AB horizons in the windbreak soils were comparable to the undisturbed grassland soils. A linear relationship was detected between the difference in A+AB thickness of soils beneath windbreaks and undisturbed grasslands and a climate index (hydrothermal coeffi cient, HTC). These results indicate that tree windbreaks with more cool and moist climate conditions are more favorable for SOC accumulation in the surface soil. The relationship between SOC accumulation and climate factors enables the estimation of soil carbon stocks in existing windbreaks and the prediction of potential carbon sequestration of future plantings

Mass spectrometric simultaneous quantification of tau species in plasma shows differential associations with amyloid and tau pathologies

Blood phosphorylated tau (p-tau) biomarkers, at differing sites, demonstrate high accuracy to detect Alzheimerʼs disease (AD). However, knowledge on the optimal marker for disease identification across the AD continuum and the link to pathology is limited. This is partly due to heterogeneity in analytical methods. In this study, we employed an immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry method to simultaneously quantify six phosphorylated (p-tau181, p-tau199, p-tau202, p-tau205, p-tau217 and p-tau231) and two non-phosphorylated plasma tau peptides in a total of 214 participants from the Paris Lariboisière and Translational Biomarkers of Aging and Dementia cohorts. Our results indicate that p-tau217, p-tau231 and p-tau205 are the plasma tau forms that best reflect AD-related brain changes, although with distinct emergences along the disease course and correlations with AD features—amyloid and tau. These findings support the differential association of blood p-tau variants with AD pathology, and our method offers a potential tool for disease staging in clinical trials

Dendritic Cell Subtypes from Lymph Nodes and Blood Show Contrasted Gene Expression Programs upon Bluetongue Virus Infection

Chantier qualité GAHuman and animal hemorrhagic viruses initially target dendritic cells (DCs). It has been proposed, but not documented, that both plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and conventional DCs (cDCs) may participate in the cytokine storm encountered in these infections. In order to evaluate the contribution of DCs in hemorrhagic virus pathogenesis, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis during infection by Bluetongue virus (BTV), a double-stranded RNA virus that induces hemorrhagic fever in sheep and initially infects cDCs. Both pDCs and cDCs accumulated in regional lymph nodes and spleen during BTV infection. The gene response profiles were performed at the onset of the disease and markedly differed with the DC subtypes and their lymphoid organ location. An integrative knowledge-based analysis revealed that blood pDCs displayed a gene signature related to activation of systemic inflammation and permeability of vasculature. In contrast, the gene profile of pDCs and cDCs in lymph nodes was oriented to inhibition of inflammation, whereas spleen cDCs did not show a clear functional orientation. These analyses indicate that tissue location and DC subtype affect the functional gene expression program induced by BTV and suggest the involvement of blood pDCs in the inflammation and plasma leakage/hemorrhage during BTV infection in the real natural host of the virus. These findings open the avenue to target DCs for therapeutic interventions in viral hemorrhagic diseases

Circulating lymphocyte number has a positive association with tumor response in neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for advanced rectal cancer

Although neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for advanced rectal cancer (RC), markers to predict the treatment response have not been fully established. In 73 patients with advanced RC who underwent CRT in a neoadjuvant setting, we retrospectively examined the associations between the clinical effects of CRT and blood cell counts before and after CRT. Clinical or pathological complete response (CR) was observed in 10 (14%) cases. The CR rate correlated significantly with the size and the circumferential extent of the tumor. Hemoglobin level, white blood cell (WBC) count and platelet count before CRT did not show a significant difference between CR and non-CR cases. Interestingly, however, lymphocyte ratio in WBC was significantly higher (p = 0.020), while neutrophil ratio tended to be lower (p = 0.099), in CR cases, which was shown to be an independent association by multivariate analysis. When all the blood data obtained in the entire treatment period were evaluated, circulating lymphocyte count was most markedly decreased in the CRT period and gradually recovered by the time of surgery, while the numbers of neutrophils and monocytes were comparatively stable. Moreover, the lymphocyte percentage in samples obtained from CR patients was maintained at a relatively higher level than that from non-CR patients. Since tumor shrinkage is known to be dependent not only on the characteristics of tumor cells but also on various host conditions, our data raise the possibility that a lymphocyte-mediated immune reaction may have a positive role in achieving complete eradication of tumor cells. Maintenance of circulating lymphocyte number may improve the response to CRT in rectal cancer

Theory of Multidimensional Solitons

We review a number of topics germane to higher-dimensional solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates. For dark solitons, we discuss dark band and planar solitons; ring dark solitons and spherical shell solitons; solitary waves in restricted geometries; vortex rings and rarefaction pulses; and multi-component Bose-Einstein condensates. For bright solitons, we discuss instability, stability, and metastability; bright soliton engineering, including pulsed atom lasers; solitons in a thermal bath; soliton-soliton interactions; and bright ring solitons and quantum vortices. A thorough reference list is included.Comment: review paper, to appear as Chapter 5a in "Emergent Nonlinear Phenomena in Bose-Einstein Condensates: Theory and Experiment," edited by P. G. Kevrekidis, D. J. Frantzeskakis, and R. Carretero-Gonzalez (Springer-Verlag

Neurons in the human amygdala encode face identity, but not gaze direction

The amygdala is important for face processing, and direction of eye gaze is one of the most socially salient facial signals. Recording from over 200 neurons in the amygdala of neurosurgical patients, we found robust encoding of the identity of neutral-expression faces, but not of their direction of gaze. Processing of gaze direction may rely on a predominantly cortical network rather than the amygdala

Consumer perceptions of co-branding alliances: Organizational dissimilarity signals and brand fit

This study explores how consumers evaluate co-branding alliances between dissimilar partner firms. Customers are well aware that different firms are behind a co-branded product and observe the partner firms’ characteristics. Drawing on signaling theory, we assert that consumers use organizational characteristics as signals in their assessment of brand fit and for their purchasing decisions. Some organizational signals are beyond the control of the co-branding partners or at least they cannot alter them on short notice. We use a quasi-experimental design and test how co-branding partner dissimilarity affects brand fit perception. The results show that co-branding partner dissimilarity in terms of firm size, industry scope, and country-of-origin image negatively affects brand fit perception. Firm age dissimilarity does not exert significant influence. Because brand fit generally fosters a benevolent consumer attitude towards a co-branding alliance, the findings suggest that high partner dissimilarity may reduce overall co-branding alliance performance

Comparative transcriptomics and proteomics of p-hydroxybenzoate producing Pseudomonas putida S12: novel responses and implications for strain improvement

A transcriptomics and proteomics approach was employed to study the expression changes associated with p-hydroxybenzoate production by the engineered Pseudomonas putida strain S12palB1. To establish p-hydroxybenzoate production, phenylalanine-tyrosine ammonia lyase (pal/tal) was introduced to connect the tyrosine biosynthetic and p-coumarate degradation pathways. In agreement with the efficient p-hydroxybenzoate production, the tyrosine biosynthetic and p-coumarate catabolic pathways were upregulated. Also many transporters were differentially expressed, one of which—a previously uncharacterized multidrug efflux transporter with locus tags PP1271-PP1273—was found to be associated with p-hydroxybenzoate export. In addition to tyrosine biosynthesis, also tyrosine degradative pathways were upregulated. Eliminating the most prominent of these resulted in a 22% p-hydroxybenzoate yield improvement. Remarkably, the upregulation of genes contributing to p-hydroxybenzoate formation was much higher in glucose than in glycerol-cultured cells