Brown adipose tissue thermogenesis rhythms are driven by the SCN independent of adipocyte clocks.

Circadian misalignment has been associated with obesity both in rodents and humans. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis contributes to energy expenditure and can be activated in adults to reduce body weight. Although previous studies suggest control of BAT thermogenesis by the circadian clock, the site and mechanisms of regulation remain unclear.

Qubit analog with polariton superfluid in an annular trap.

We report on the experimental realization and characterization of a qubit analog with semiconductor exciton-polaritons. In our system, a polaritonic condensate is confined by a spatially patterned pump laser in an annular trap that supports energy-degenerate vortex states of the polariton superfluid. Using temporal interference measurements, we observe coherent oscillations between a pair of counter-circulating vortex states coupled by elastic scattering of polaritons off the laser-imprinted potential.

Stochastic Single-Shot Polarization Pinning of Polariton Condensate at High Temperatures.

We resolve single-shot polariton condensate polarization dynamics, revealing a high degree of circular polarization persistent up to T=170  K. The statistical analysis of pulse-to-pulse polariton condensate polarization elucidates the stochastic nature of the polarization pinning process, which is strongly dependent on the pump laser intensity and polarization. Our experiments show that by spatial trapping and isolating condensates from their noisy environment it is possible to form strongly spin-polarized polariton condensates at high temperatures, offering a promising route to the realization of polariton spin lattices for quantum simulations.

Considerations for the Safe Operation of Schools During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

During the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, providing safe in-person schooling has been a dynamic process balancing evolving community disease burden, scientific information, and local regulatory requirements with the mandate for education. Considerations include the health risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its post-acute sequelae, the impact of remote learning or periods of quarantine on education and well-being of children, and the contribution of schools to viral circulation in the community. The risk for infections that may occur within schools is related to the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections within the local community.

Nitecap: An Exploratory Circadian Analysis Web Application.

Circadian omics analyses present investigators with large amounts of data to consider and many choices for methods of analysis. Visualization is crucial as rhythmicity can take many forms and -values offer an incomplete picture. Yet statically viewing the entirety of high-throughput datasets is impractical, and there is often limited ability to assess the impact of choices, such as significance threshold cutoffs.

Diurnal rhythms and obesity.

Purpose Of Review: This review will discuss the recent studies that implicate disturbed diurnal rhythms with the development of obesity. The second part of the review will discuss studies that use feeding time to restore diurnal rhythms and rescue obesity.

Recent Findings: Studies in patients with obesity and diabetes reveal attenuated circadian and metabolic rhythms in adipose tissue.

Polariton condensate trapping by parametric pair scattering.

Spatially confined, trapped polariton condensates have been shown to exhibit strong stochastic on-site spin polarization and in longer polariton condensate chains, distance controlled ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spin couplings. Until now, little is known, on how such polariton condensates spatially separated from their exciton reservoirs are trapped and formed. Here, we investigate the properties and formation dynamics of two main families of polariton condensates, those overlapping with the pump reservoir and those in confined geometries, under pulsed nonresonant excitation.

Circadian and Sleep Metabolomics Across Species.

Under normal circadian function, metabolic control is temporally coordinated across tissues and behaviors with a 24-h period. However, circadian disruption results in negative consequences for metabolic homeostasis including energy or redox imbalances. Yet, circadian disruption has become increasingly prevalent within today's society due to many factors including sleep loss.

Circadian expression of Fabp7 mRNA is disrupted in Bmal1 KO mice.

The astrocyte brain-type fatty acid binding protein (Fabp7) gene expression cycles globally throughout mammalian brain, and is known to regulate sleep in multiple species, including humans. The mechanisms that control circadian Fabp7 gene expression are not completely understood and may include core circadian clock components. Here we examined the circadian expression of Fabp7 mRNA in the hypothalamus of core clock gene Bmal1 knock-out (KO) mice.

Comparative evaluation of RNA-Seq library preparation methods for strand-specificity and low input.

Library preparation is a key step in sequencing. For RNA sequencing there are advantages to both strand specificity and working with minute starting material, yet until recently there was no kit available enabling both. The Illumina TruSeq stranded mRNA Sample Preparation kit (TruSeq) requires abundant starting material while the Takara Bio SMART-Seq v4 Ultra Low Input RNA kit (V4) sacrifices strand specificity.

Hypothalamic mTORC2 is essential for metabolic health and longevity.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an evolutionarily conserved protein kinase that regulates growth and metabolism. mTOR is found in two protein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, that have distinct components and substrates and are both inhibited by rapamycin, a macrolide drug that robustly extends lifespan in multiple species including worms and mice. Although the beneficial effect of rapamycin on longevity is generally attributed to reduced mTORC1 signaling, disruption of mTORC2 signaling can also influence the longevity of worms, either positively or negatively depending on the temperature and food source.

The circadian clock control of adipose tissue physiology and metabolism.

The circadian clock organizes the timing of physiological processes in anticipation of diurnal environmental changes that originate from the rotation of the Earth. Several of the metabolic functions of adipose tissues are under regulation by the circadian clock to achieve temporal coordination and whole body homeostasis. Adipose tissues, once believed to only express physiological phenotypes that are downstream of central nervous system regulation, are now well described to communicate not only to other peripheral tissues, but also to the central nervous system for temporal orchestration of metabolism.

Cold-Induced Browning of Inguinal White Adipose Tissue Is Independent of Adipose Tissue Cyclooxygenase-2.

Previous studies using genetic mouse models have implicated COX-2 in the browning of white adipose tissues (WATs) in mice during cold exposure. However, COX-2 is important during development, and conventional knockouts (KOs) exhibit many defects, conditioned by genetic background. Similarly, the physiological relevance of transgenic overexpression of COX-2 is questionable.

An exciton-polariton bolometer for terahertz radiation detection.

We experimentally investigate the feasibility of a bolometric device based on exciton-polaritons. Initial measurements presented in this work show that heating - via thermal expansion and bandgap renormalization - modifies the exciton-polariton propagation wavevector making exciton-polaritons propagation remarkably sensitive to thermal variations. By theoretical simulations we predict that using a single layer graphene absorbing layer, a THz bolometric sensor can be realized by a simple exciton-polariton ring interferometer device.

Author Correction: Hybrid organic-inorganic polariton laser.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Hybrid organic-inorganic polariton laser.

Organic materials exhibit exceptional room temperature light emitting characteristics and enormous exciton oscillator strength, however, their low charge carrier mobility prevent their use in high-performance applications such as electrically pumped lasers. In this context, ultralow threshold polariton lasers, whose operation relies on Bose-Einstein condensation of polaritons - part-light part-matter quasiparticles, are highly advantageous since the requirement for high carrier injection no longer holds. Polariton lasers have been successfully implemented using inorganic materials owing to their excellent electrical properties, however, in most cases their relatively small exciton binding energies limit their operation temperature.

Circadian Clocks and Metabolism: Implications for Microbiome and Aging.

The circadian clock directs many aspects of metabolism, to separate in time opposing metabolic pathways and optimize metabolic efficiency. The master circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nucleus synchronizes to light, while environmental cues such as temperature and feeding, out of phase with the light schedule, may synchronize peripheral clocks. This misalignment of central and peripheral clocks may be involved in the development of disease and the acceleration of aging, possibly in a gender-specific manner.

Protozoan indicators and extracellular polymeric substances alterations in an intermittently aerated membrane bioreactor treating mature landfill leachate.

A membrane bioreactor was operated under intermittent aeration and various organic loading rates (OLR: 0.070, 0.159 and 0.

Timing of expression of the core clock gene Bmal1 influences its effects on aging and survival.

The absence of Bmal1, a core clock gene, results in a loss of circadian rhythms, an acceleration of aging, and a shortened life span in mice. To address the importance of circadian rhythms in the aging process, we generated conditional Bmal1 knockout mice that lacked the BMAL1 protein during adult life and found that wild-type circadian variations in wheel-running activity, heart rate, and blood pressure were abolished. Ocular abnormalities and brain astrogliosis were conserved irrespective of the timing of Bmal1 deletion.

Molecular clocks and the human condition: approaching their characterization in human physiology and disease.

Molecular clockworks knit together diverse biological networks and compelling evidence from model systems infers their importance in metabolism, immunological and cardiovascular function. Despite this and the diurnal variation in many aspects of human physiology and the phenotypic expression of disease, our understanding of the role and importance of clock function and dysfunction in humans is modest. There are tantalizing hints of connection across the translational divide and some correlative evidence of gene variation and human disease but most of what we know derives from forced desynchrony protocols in controlled environments.

Circadian clocks, feeding time, and metabolic homeostasis.

Metabolic processes exhibit diurnal variation from cyanobacteria to humans. The circadian clock is thought to have evolved as a time keeping system for the cell to optimize the timing of metabolic events according to physiological needs and environmental conditions. Circadian rhythms temporally separate incompatible cellular processes and optimize cellular and organismal fitness.

A metabolomic study of adipose tissue in mice with a disruption of the circadian system.

Adipose tissue functions in terms of energy homeostasis as a rheostat for blood triglyceride, regulating its concentration, in response to external stimuli. In addition it acts as a barometer to inform the central nervous system of energy levels which can vary dramatically between meals and according to energy demand. Here a metabolomic approach, combining both Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, was used to analyse both white and brown adipose tissue in mice with adipocyte-specific deletion of Arntl (also known as Bmal1), a gene encoding a core molecular clock component.

Knockout of Adamts7, a novel coronary artery disease locus in humans, reduces atherosclerosis in mice.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have established ADAMTS7 as a locus for coronary artery disease in humans. However, these studies fail to provide directionality for the association between ADAMTS7 and coronary artery disease. Previous reports have implicated ADAMTS7 in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell migration, but a role for and the direction of impact of this gene in atherogenesis have not been shown in relevant model systems.

Integrative genomics identifies 7p11.2 as a novel locus for fever and clinical stress response in humans.

Fever predicts clinical outcomes in sepsis, trauma and during cardiovascular stress, yet the genetic determinants are poorly understood. We used an integrative genomics approach to identify novel genomic determinants of the febrile response to experimental endotoxemia. We highlight multiple integrated lines of evidence establishing the clinical relevance of this novel fever locus.