We introduce and demonstrate a new approach to measuring coherent electron wave packets using high-harmonic spectroscopy. By preparing a molecule in a coherent superposition of electronic states, we show that electronic coherence opens previously unobserved high-harmonic-generation channels that connect distinct but coherently related electronic states. Performing the measurements in dynamically aligned nitric oxide (NO) molecules we observe the complex temporal evolution of the electronic coherence under coupling to nuclear motion. Choosing a weakly allowed transition to prepare the wave packet, we demonstrate an unprecedented sensitivity that arises from optical interference between coherent and incoherent pathways. This mechanism converts a 0.1 % excitation fraction into a ∼20 % signal modulation.Measuring the motion of valence-shell electrons in molecules is one of the central goals of modern ultrafast science. The last decade has witnessed very fundamental progress in this area with the development of attosecond streaking [1,2] and interferometric techniques [3] to time resolve electronic dynamics as well as transient absorption [4,5] and strong-field ionization [6-9] to probe electronic wave packets in atomic ions. All of these experiments have been performed on highly-excited states, in the continuum or in ionic species. Electronic dynamics involving the ground state and a low-lying electronically excited state of a neutral molecule have not been observed to date.Here, we introduce a new all-optical technique that allows the measurement of an electronic wave packet in the valence shell of a neutral molecule for the first time. In our pump-probe experiment, an electronic wave packet is created through stimulated Raman scattering and probed by the generation of high-order harmonics (orders 9 to 23) of an infrared laser pulse. Figure 1A illustrates the concept of our measurement. High-harmonic emission from a coherent superposition of two electronic states can be described as a superposition of radiation produced in four channels illustrated by arrows in Fig. 1A. Ionization from and recombination to the same electronic state gives rise to two channels (blue arrows) that are independent of the electronic coherence. Ionization from one state and recombination to the other state gives rise to two additional channels (red arrows) that only contribute to an observable high-harmonic signal if the two states are coherently related. These channels are the key to probing electronic coherence and have not been observed previously.The two channels connecting the same initial and final states (blue arrows) emit radiation that is insensitive to the quantum phase of the initial state. The amplitude of the radiation generated in each of these channels is proportional to the population in each state. These pathways have been exploited to time resolve photochemical dynamics [10,11]. In contrast, the two cross-channels (red arrows) read out the relative quantum phases and encode their difference in the phase of the emitted ra...

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant known to cause liver damage; however, the mechanisms of its hepatotoxicity remain poorly understood. In this study, the effects of subchronic exposure in mice to low doses of Cd on energy metabolism and the gut microbiome were evaluated. The exposure of mice to 10 mg/L Cd supplied in drinking water for 10 weeks increased hepatic triacylglycerol (TG), serum free fatty acid (FFA), and TG levels. The mRNA levels of several key genes involved in both de novo FFA synthesis and transport pathways and in TG synthesis in the liver also increased significantly in the Cd-treated mice, indicating that alterations of these genes may be a possible mechanism to explain subchronic Cd exposure induced hepatic toxicity at a molecular level. As for the gut microbiome, at the phylum level, the amounts of Firmicutes and γ-proteobacteria decreased significantly in the feces after 4 weeks of Cd exposure, and the quantity of Firmicutes decreased significantly in the cecum contents after 10 weeks of Cd exposure. In addition, 16S rRNA gene sequencing further revealed that Cd exposure significantly perturbed the gut microflora structure and richness at family and genus levels. The alteration of gut microbiome composition might result in an increase in serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and induce hepatic inflammation, which may indirectly cause perturbations of energy homeostasis after Cd exposure. Taken together, the present study indicated that subchronic Cd exposure caused the dysregulation of energy metabolism and changed the gut microbiome composition in mice.

Hot, dense plasmas exhibit screened Coulomb interactions, resulting from the collective effects of correlated many-particle interactions. In the lowest particle correlation order (pair-wise correlations), the interaction between charged plasma particles reduces to the Debye-Hückel (Yukawa-type) potential, characterized by the Debye screening length D. Due to the importance of Coulomb interaction screening in dense laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, hundreds of theoretical investigations have been carried out in the past few decades on the plasma screening effects on the electronic structure of atoms and their collision processes employing the Debye-Hückel screening model. The present article aims at providing a comprehensive review of the recent studies in atomic physics in Debye plasmas. Specifically, the work on atomic electronic structure, photon excitation and ionization, electron/positron impact excitation and ionization, and excitation, ionization and charge transfer of ion-atom/ion collisions will be reviewed.

Carbendazim (CBZ) has been considered as an endocrine disruptor that caused mammalian toxicity in different endpoints. Here, we revealed that oral administrations with CBZ at 100 and 500 mg/kg body weight for 28 days induced hepatic lipid metabolism disorder which was characterized by significant increases of hepatic lipid accumulation and triglyceride (TG) levels in mice. The serum cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein levels also increased after CBZ exposure. Correspondingly, the relative mRNA levels of some key genes related to lipogenesis and TG synthesis increased significantly both in the liver and fat. Moreover, the increase in serum IL-1β and IL-6 levels by the treatment of CBZ indicated the occurring of inflammation. Furthermore, the levels of bioaccumulation of CBZ in the liver and gut were very low as compared in the feces, indicating that most of CBZ stayed in gastrointestinal tract and interacted with gut microbiota until excreted. At phylum level, the amounts of the Bacteroidetes decreased significantly in the feces after 5 days CBZ exposure. High throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region revealed a significant reduction in richness and diversity of gut microbiota in the cecum of CBZ-treated mice. UniFrac principal coordinates analysis observed a marked shift of the gut microbiota structure in CBZ-treated mice away from that of the controls. More deeply, operational taxonomic units' analysis identified that a total of 361 gut microbes were significant changed. In CBZ-treated groups, the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria increased and that of Bacteroidetes decreased. Our findings suggested that CBZ could lead hepatic lipid metabolism disorder and gut microbiota dysbiosis in mice.

The effects of Coulomb interaction screening on electron-hydrogen atom excitation in the n=2 threshold region are investigated by using the R-matrix method with pseudostates. The interaction screening lifts the l degeneracy of n=2 Coulomb energy level, producing two distinct thresholds for 2s and 2p states. The phenomenon of transformation of ;{1,3}P and 1D Feshbach resonances into shape-type resonances is observed when they pass across the 2s and 2p threshold, respectively, as the interaction screening increases. It is shown that this resonance transformation leads to dramatic effects in the 1s-->2s and 1s-->2p excitation collision strengths in the n=2 threshold collision energy region.

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Health concerns regarding the environmental heavy metals in wildlife and humans have increased in recent years. We evaluated the effects of exposure of mice to low doses of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and their mixtures on oxidative- and ER-stress. Male adult mice were orally exposed to Cd (0.5 and 2 mg kg(-1) ), Cr (1 and 4 mg kg(-1) ) and binary Cd+Cr mixtures (0.25 + 05 and 1 + 2 mg kg(-1) ) daily for 36 days. We observed that the bioaccumulation of Cd and Cr in the liver in a dose-dependent manner, and the Cd and Cr contents in the 2 mg kg(-1) Cd and 4 mg kg(-1) Cr treated groups reached 2.43 and 3.46 µg g(-1) liver weight. In addition, treatments with 2 mg kg(-1) Cd, 4 mg kg(-1) Cr or their mixture (1 + 2 mg kg(-1) ) significantly decreased body and liver weights, increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the liver. Moreover, Cd and Cr exposures also elevated the transcription of the oxidative- and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress related genes including Cat, Gpx, heme oxygenase 1 (Ho-1), regulated protein 78 (Grp78), activating transcription factor 6 (Atf6) and proaoptotic CCAAT/-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (Chop) in a dose dependent manner in the liver. And hepatic cytochrome c levels increased in all Cd, Cr or their mixture treated groups. Furthermore, the transcriptional status and the activities of Caspase 9 and Caspase 3 were increased significantly in the liver when exposed to high doses of Cd, Cr or their mixture. These results suggested that a long period exposure of mice to Cd or Cr has the potential to elicit oxidative- and ER-stress mediated apoptosis in their livers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 693-705, 2016.

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