Postsynaptic Protein Shank3a Deficiency Synergizes with Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology to Impair Cognitive Performance in the 3xTg-AD Murine Model.

Synaptic loss is intrinsically linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology and symptoms, but its direct impact on clinical symptoms remains elusive. The postsynaptic protein Shank3 (SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains) is of particular interest, as the loss of a single allele of the gene is sufficient to cause profound cognitive symptoms in children. We thus sought to determine whether a SHANK3 deficiency could contribute to the emergence or worsening of AD symptoms and neuropathology.

Multi-gas quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensor for environmental monitoring exploiting a Vernier effect-based quantum cascade laser.

We report on a gas sensor based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) able to detect multiple gas species for environmental monitoring applications, by exploiting a Vernier effect-based quantum cascade laser as the excitation source. The device emission spectrum consists of ten separated emission clusters covering the range from 2100 up to 2250 cm. Four clusters were selected to detect the absorption features of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (NO), carbon dioxide (CO), and water vapor (HO), respectively.