Ultraviolet Superradiance from Mega-Networks of Tryptophan in Biological Architectures.

Networks of tryptophan (Trp)─an aromatic amino acid with strong fluorescence response─are ubiquitous in biological systems, forming diverse architectures in transmembrane proteins, cytoskeletal filaments, subneuronal elements, photoreceptor complexes, virion capsids, and other cellular structures. We analyze the cooperative effects induced by ultraviolet (UV) excitation of several biologically relevant Trp mega-networks, thus giving insights into novel mechanisms for cellular signaling and control. Our theoretical analysis in the single-excitation manifold predicts the formation of strongly superradiant states due to collective interactions among organized arrangements of up to >10 Trp UV-excited transition dipoles in microtubule architectures, which leads to an enhancement of the fluorescence quantum yield (QY) that is confirmed by our experiments.

Identifying Māori perspectives on gene editing in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Māori perspectives on gene technologies are evolving, and traditional cultural constructs continue to inform a wide diversity of views. Here we summarise a series of research activities aimed at identifying evolving Māori perspectives on gene editing and how these inform engagement at the co-innovation interface.

Is the North Atlantic Geodia barretti (Porifera, Tetractinellida, Geodiidae) present on the Southwest Indian Ridge?

There are currently 163 species of Geodia Lamarck, 1815 described worldwide, many of which are found in deep waters, but none of which have been recorded from the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). Spicule morphology and barcodes (Folmer COI, 28S (C2D2), partial 18S) suggest that a specimen of Geodia collected on the SWIR at a depth of 2236 m is closely comparable to Geodia barretti Bowerbank, 1858. Geodia barretti is the most studied and thus well-known deep-sea Geodia species, due to its wide North Atlantic distribution and key role in boreal sponge grounds.

Second quantization of many-body dispersion interactions for chemical and biological systems.

The many-body dispersion (MBD) framework is a successful approach for modeling the long-range electronic correlation energy and optical response of systems with thousands of atoms. Inspired by field theory, here we develop a second-quantized MBD formalism (SQ-MBD) that recasts a system of atomic quantum Drude oscillators in a Fock-space representation. SQ-MBD provides: (i) tools for projecting observables (interaction energy, transition multipoles, polarizability tensors) on coarse-grained representations of the atomistic system ranging from single atoms to large structural motifs, (ii) a quantum-information framework to analyze correlations and (non)separability among fragments in a given molecular complex, and (iii) a path toward the applicability of the MBD framework to molecular complexes with even larger number of atoms.

Examining the origins of observed terahertz modes from an optically pumped atomistic model protein in aqueous solution.

The microscopic origins of terahertz (THz) vibrational modes in biological systems are an active and open area of current research. Recent experiments [Phys Rev X. , 031061 (2018)] have revealed the presence of a pronounced mode at ∼0.

Two new deep-water species of squat lobsters (Crustacea: Anomura: Galatheoidea) from the Central and Southwest Indian Ridge.

The high diversity and endemism of benthic species on seamounts are extensively documented. Although the number of squat lobster species from seamount habitats has increased, species from the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) and Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) systems remain largely unknown. The hydrothermally active Indian Ridge system harbours potential sites for future Seafloor Massive Sulphides (SMS) mining.

A new deep-water coral species Telestula ridgensis sp. nov (Scleralcyonacea: Sarcodictyonidae) from the seamount of the Central Indian Ridge.

Telestula ridgensis sp. nov. is a deep-sea octocoral species collected from the Central Indian Ridges (CIR) seamount.

From Micro to Macro: A Relativistic Treatment of the Chiral Energy Shifts Caused by Static Electromagnetic Effects on Free Electrons.

Free electron systems are ubiquitous in nature and have demonstrated intriguing effects in their collective interactions with weak electric and magnetic fields, especially in aqueous environments. Starting from the Dirac Hamiltonian, a fully relativistic expression is derived for the electron energy shift in the presence of a spatiotemporally constant, weak electromagnetic field. The expectation value of this energy shift is then computed explicitly using the Fourier transforms of the fermionic fields.

A Chirality-Based Quantum Leap.

There is increasing interest in the study of chiral degrees of freedom occurring in matter and in electromagnetic fields. Opportunities in quantum sciences will likely exploit two main areas that are the focus of this Review: (1) recent observations of the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect in chiral molecules and engineered nanomaterials and (2) rapidly evolving nanophotonic strategies designed to amplify chiral light-matter interactions. On the one hand, the CISS effect underpins the observation that charge transport through nanoscopic chiral structures favors a particular electronic spin orientation, resulting in large room-temperature spin polarizations.

Impact of foliar application of fungicides on tomato leaf fungal community structure revealed by metagenomic analysis.

Fungicides are commonly used to manage plant pathogens. However, little is known about their effects on the non-target fungal communities that inhabit inside and outside the plant. These fungicides may have adverse effects on beneficial microbial communities with possible consequences for plant health and productivity.

Molecular identification of deep-sea blind lobster (Crustacea: Decapoda: Polychelidae) from the Central Indian Ridge.

The deep-sea blind lobster A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 was collected at a water depth of 3433 m and is reported for the first time from the Central Indian Ridge (CIR). The species was identified based on morphological examination and supported by mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (mtCOI) gene.

Complete genome sequence and comparative genome analysis of Alcanivorax sp. IO_7, a marine alkane-degrading bacterium isolated from hydrothermally-influenced deep seawater of southwest Indian ridge.

Genome of Alcanivorax sp. IO_7, an alkane degrading deep-sea bacteria isolated from hydrothermally-influenced Southwest Indian Ridge was sequenced and analysed. Genomic data mining revealed gene clusters for degrading n-alkane and cycloalkanes, including biosurfactant production.

Complete genome sequence of Alteromonas pelagimontana 5.12, a marine exopolysaccharide-producing bacterium isolated from hydrothermally influenced deep-sea sediment of eastern Southwest Indian Ridge.

The whole genome of Alteromonas pelagimontana 5.12, a psychrotolerant deep-sea bacterium isolated from the sediment sample of eastern Southwest Indian Ridge, was sequenced and analysed for understanding its metabolic capacities and biosynthesis potential of natural products. The circular genome contained 4.

Activity and pharmacology of homemade silver nanoparticles in refractory metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) show efficacy in cancer cell lines. We present the first in-human outcome of AgNP in a cancer patient.

Methods: Homemade AgNP solution is manufactured using online instructions by a 78-year old male.

Water-mediated correlations in DNA-enzyme interactions.

In this paper we consider dipole-mediated correlations between DNA and enzymes in the context of their water environment. Such correlations emerge from electric dipole-dipole interactions between aromatic ring structures in DNA and in enzymes. We show that there are matching collective modes between DNA and enzyme dipole fields, and that a dynamic time-averaged polarization vanishes in the water dipole field only if either DNA, enzyme, or both are absent from the sample.

Stem Cell Differentiation Stage Factors and their Role in Triggering Symmetry Breaking Processes during Cancer Development: A Quantum Field Theory Model for Reprogramming Cancer Cells to Healthy Phenotypes.

A long history of research has pursued the use of embryonic factors isolated during cell differentiation processes for the express purpose of transforming cancer cells back to healthy phenotypes. Recent results have clarified that the substances present at different stages of cell differentiation-which we call stem cell differentiation stage factors (SCDSFs)-are proteins with low molecular weight and nucleic acids that regulate genomic expression. The present review summarizes how these substances, taken at different stages of cellular maturation, are able to retard proliferation of many human tumor cell lines and thereby reprogram cancer cells to healthy phenotypes.

Oxidative species-induced excitonic transport in tubulin aromatic networks: Potential implications for neurodegenerative disease.

Oxidative stress is a pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative tauopathic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease-related dementia, which are characterized by altered forms of the microtubule-associated protein (MAP) tau. MAP tau is a key protein in stabilizing the microtubule architecture that regulates neuron morphology and synaptic strength. When MAP tau is degraded in tauopathic disorders, neuron dysfunction results.

Anesthetic Alterations of Collective Terahertz Oscillations in Tubulin Correlate with Clinical Potency: Implications for Anesthetic Action and Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction.

Anesthesia blocks consciousness and memory while sparing non-conscious brain activities. While the exact mechanisms of anesthetic action are unknown, the Meyer-Overton correlation provides a link between anesthetic potency and solubility in a lipid-like, non-polar medium. Anesthetic action is also related to an anesthetic's hydrophobicity, permanent dipole, and polarizability, and is accepted to occur in lipid-like, non-polar regions within brain proteins.

Draft Genome Sequence of sp. Strain 5.13, a Highly Stress-Resistant Bacterium Isolated from the Southwest Indian Ridge.

sp. strain 5.13, able to produce biopolymer and exopolysaccharide, was isolated from a sediment sample collected from the Southwest Indian Ridge, Indian Ocean.

Mobilising culture against domestic violence in migrant and ethnic communities: practitioner perspectives from Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Studies on domestic violence in ethnic minority communities highlight that social norms, family structures and cultural practices are among the key triggers of violence against women. Not surprisingly, most anti-violence interventions in these communities aim to redeem women from the oppressive features of these cultures. More recently, however, emergent scholarship advocates mobilising, rather than erasing, culture within existing anti-violence strategies.

The Role of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Neuroinflammation and reactive oxygen species are thought to mediate the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting that mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodromal stage of AD, may be driven by similar insults. Several studies document that hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is neuroprotective in the setting of neuronal insults, since this transcription factor drives the expression of critical genes that diminish neuronal cell death. HIF-1 facilitates glycolysis and glucose metabolism, thus helping to generate reductive equivalents of NADH/NADPH that counter oxidative stress.

How quantum entanglement in DNA synchronizes double-strand breakage by type II restriction endonucleases.

Macroscopic quantum effects in living systems have been studied widely in pursuit of fundamental explanations for biological energy transport and sensing. While it is known that type II endonucleases, the largest class of restriction enzymes, induce DNA double-strand breaks by attacking phosphodiester bonds, the mechanism by which simultaneous cutting is coordinated between the catalytic centers remains unclear. We propose a quantum mechanical model for collective electronic behavior in the DNA helix, where dipole-dipole oscillations are quantized through boundary conditions imposed by the enzyme.

A morphological and morphometric study of jugular foramen in dry skulls with its clinical implications.

Objective: Jugular foramen of human skull is one of the most interesting foramina. It is a complex bony canal, numerous vital structures, including nerves and vessels are transmitted through it. Most of the intracranial and extra cranial lesions of posterior cranial fossa might affect the structures in jugular foramen in addition to intrinsic abnormalities.