Integrated Calendar

The mammalian the olfactory bulb (OB) maintains a continuous inflow of new neurons to its circuitry throughout adulthood. The role of these newborn neurons in sensory processing or the bulbs’ function remains completely unknown. We use in vivo imaging and electrophysiology to study the structure and function of these neurons. I will present our studies of the development and plasticity of adult-born interneurons as well as that of their resident counterparts. Specifically we use two-photon imaging of single neurons to probe their morphology and two-photon targeted patch to study their physiology in high spatiotemporal resolution. I will discuss our data showing that newborn neurons mature to become integral elements of the sensory coding machinery during the very early stages of olfactory processing. Furthermore, we argue that our results challenge some basic dogmas in the field of adult neurogenesis.

The ArcturusXT™ is a unique microdissection system that combines Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) and Ultraviolet (UV) Laser Cutting in one instrument. The solid-state IR laser, exclusive to the ArcturusXT microdissection system, delivers a gentle capture technique, maximizing biomolecule integrity and ideal for single cells and small number of cells. The solid-state UV laser delivers unprecedented speed and precision, ideal for dense tissue structures and for capturing large number of cells.

Electronic confinement at nanoscale dimensions remains a central means of science and technology. I will describe a novel method for producing electronic nanostructures at the interface between two normally insulating oxides, LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. These structures and devices are “written” by a conductive atomic force microscope probe in ambient conditions at room temperature, and can be erased and reconfigured. The spatial dimensions of these structures are comparable to the width of a single-wall carbon nanotube (~2 nm). A wide variety of devices can be created, including nanowires, tunnel junctions, diodes, field-effect transistors, single-electron transistors, superconducting nanowires, quantum dots and nanoscale THz emitters and detectors. This new, on-demand nanoelectronics platform has the potential for widespread scientific and technological exploitation.

Water-rock interactions in the Earth's crust often modify the pore space and permeability of rocks, soils, and sediments, changing the way fluids flow in the subsurface. Crucially, such geochemical reactions are often controlled by nano-scale processes. In this study, we use atomic force microscopy to examine dissolution rates of limestone; crucially, our measurements show that the rate of mineral dissolution within micron-size pores is much lower than the rate of dissolution on surrounding polished mineral surfaces. In addition, we use numerical simulations to show that this difference cannot be explained using a diffusion - surface reaction model. We propose that the observed variation in reaction rates could instead be due to the elevated density of reactive high curvature features on the polished surfaces. These features can strongly affect local interfacial free energy, making surfaces more prone to dissolution. As a result, polished surfaces should be more reactive than pore surfaces that have effectively been smoothed during prolonged contact with natural fluids. As standard rate experiments routinely use polished and powdered samples, our findings may help to explain the widely reported discrepancy between lab and field-based dissolution rates.