Strong atom-field coupling for Bose-Einstein condensates in an optical cavity on a chip

An optical cavity enhances the interaction between atoms and light, and the rate of coherent atom-photon coupling can be made larger than all decoherence rates of the system. For single atoms, this 'strong coupling regime' of cavity quantum electrodynamics has been the subject of many experimental advances. Efforts have been made to control the coupling rate by trapping the atom and cooling it towards the motional ground state; the latter has been achieved in one dimension so far. For systems of many atoms, the three-dimensional ground state of motion is routinely achieved in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). Although experiments combining BECs and optical cavities have been reported recently, coupling BECs to cavities that are in the strong-coupling regime for single atoms has remained an elusive goal. Here we report such an experiment, made possible by combining a fibre-based cavity with atom-chip technology. This enables single-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments with a simplified set-up and realizes the situation of many atoms in a cavity, each of which is identically and strongly coupled to the cavity mode. Moreover, the BEC can be positioned deterministically anywhere within the cavity and localized entirely within a single antinode of the standing-wave cavity field; we demonstrate that this gives rise to a controlled, tunable coupling rate. We study the heating rate caused by a cavity transmission measurement as a function of the coupling rate and find no measurable heating for strongly coupled BECs. The spectrum of the coupled atoms-cavity system, which we map out over a wide range of atom numbers and cavity-atom detunings, shows vacuum Rabi splittings exceeding 20 gigahertz, as well as an unpredicted additional splitting, which we attribute to the atomic hyperfine structure. We anticipate that the system will be suitable as a light-matter quantum interface for quantum information.     

Melanoma biology and new targeted therapy

Melanoma is a cancer that arises from melanocytes, specialized pigmented cells that are found predominantly in the skin. The incidence of melanoma is rising steadily in western populations--the number of cases worldwide has doubled in the past 20 years. In its early stages malignant melanoma can be cured by surgical resection, but once it has progressed to the metastatic stage it is extremely difficult to treat and does not respond to current therapies. Recent discoveries in cell signalling have provided greater understanding of the biology that underlies melanoma, and these advances are being exploited to provide targeted drugs and new therapeutic approaches.     

Dense genotyping identifies and localizes multiple common and rare variant association signals in celiac disease

Using variants from the 1000 Genomes Project pilot European CEU dataset and data from additional resequencing studies, we densely genotyped 183 non-HLA risk loci previously associated with immune-mediated diseases in 12,041 individuals with celiac disease (cases) and 12,228 controls. We identified 13 new celiac disease risk loci reaching genome-wide significance, bringing the number of known loci (including the HLA locus) to 40. We found multiple independent association signals at over one-third of these loci, a finding that is attributable to a combination of common, low-frequency and rare genetic variants. Compared to previously available data such as those from HapMap3, our dense genotyping in a large sample collection provided a higher resolution of the pattern of linkage disequilibrium and suggested localization of many signals to finer scale regions. In particular, 29 of the 54 fine-mapped signals seemed to be localized to single genes and, in some instances, to gene regulatory elements. Altogether, we define the complex genetic architecture of the risk regions of and refine the risk signals for celiac disease, providing the next step toward uncovering the causal mechanisms of the disease.     

The effects of forest fragmentation on the population ecology and natural history of a funnel-web spider

Habitat fragmentation strongly affects the abundance, distribution, body size and population genetics of invertebrates. Urban growth in Brazil has led to severe fragmentation, especially in the Atlantic Forest and savannas. The effects of this fragmentation on the common funnel-web spider Aglaoctenus lagotis were examined in two forest fragments within the interior savanna: a smaller fragment within an urban environment and a larger fragment within a rural environment. The reproductive period occurred in October, coinciding with the beginning of the rainy season, when the species was aggregated in the two forest fragments. The smaller fragment contained a larger population, and the spiders had a larger average prosoma size and web area. The presence of a larger population in a smaller area within the urban centre may reflect a limited dispersal ability, reduced predator abundance or low interspecific competition. The larger prosoma length and web area in the smaller habitat fragment suggest greater resource availability and a higher probability of capturing prey in the urban environment. In both areas, a larger number of capture threads was positively correlated with the presence of inquiline spiders in the webs. The genetic data indicate close similarity between and within the two areas, indicating that the species has low genetic variability or that the areas studied, consistent with their proximity, have separated only recently. Most savannas and forests in midwestern Brazil have recently undergone severe fragmentation, and further studies of this nature are needed.     

Immunohistochemical demonstration of corticotrophic cells concentrated in the rostral zone of the pars intermedia of the mouse hypophysis

Résumé La nature corticotrope des cellules constituant la partie rostrale de la pars intermedia de l'hypophyse de souris est établie par la microscopie électronique et la cytoimmunofluorescence. Cette zone réagit positivement avec les anticorps anti-ACTH et négativement avec les anticorps anti-MSH.     

Immunocytology of alpha-endorphin positive hypothalamic fibers of Carassius auratus L. and Cyprinus carpio L.]

An immunocytological study of the basal hypothalamus of Carassius auratus and Cyprinus carpio with an alpha-endorphin antiserum shows the different nerve processes belonging probably to the immunoreactive cells of the lateral part of the N.L.T. According to their pathways, two main fibre tracts have been distinguished: many fluorescent fibres converge towards the pituitary gland into which they enter, other fibres run caudally through the tuber towards the nucleus tuberis inferior (Baumgarten and Braak) where they could not be followed further.