Radiation Modulated Spin coupling in double-stranded DNA model

The spin activity in macromolecules such as DNA and oligopeptides, in the context of the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) has been proposed to be due to the atomic Spin-Orbit Coupling (SOC) and the associated chiral symmetry of the structures. This coupling, associated with carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms in biological molecules, albeit small (meV), can be enhanced by the geometry, and strong local polarization effects such as hydrogen bonding (HB). A novel way to manipulate the spin degree of freedom is by modifying the spectrum using a coupling to the appropriate electromagnetic radiation field. Here we use the Floquet formalism in order to show how the half-filled band Hamiltonian for DNA, can be modulated by the radiation to produce up to a tenfold increase of the effective SOC once the intrinsic coupling is present. On the other hand, the chiral model, once incorporating the orbital angular momentum of electron motion on the helix, opens a gap for different helicity states (helicity splitting) that chooses spin polarization according to transport direction and chirality, without breaking time-reversal symmetry. The observed effects are feasible in physically reasonable parameter ranges for the radiation field amplitude and frequency.

Scintillation and optical properties of xenon-doped liquid argon

Liquid argon (LAr) is a common choice as detection medium in particle physics and rare-event searches. Challenges of LAr scintillation light detection include its short emission wavelength, long scintillation time and short attenuation length. The addition of small amounts of xenon to LAr is known to improve the scintillation and optical properties. We present a characterization campaign on xenon-doped liquid argon (XeDLAr) with target xenon concentrations ranging from 0 to 300 ppm by mass encompassing the measurement of the photoelectron yield Y, effective triplet lifetime τ 3 and effective attenuation length λ att. The measurements were conducted in the Subterranean Cryogenic ARgon Facility, Scarf, a 1 t (XeD)LAr test stand in the shallow underground laboratory (UGL) of TU-Munich. These three scintillation and optical parameters were observed simultaneously with a single setup, the Legend Liquid Argon Monitoring Apparatus, Llama. The actual xenon concentrations in the liquid and gaseous phases were determined with the Impurity DEtector For Investigation of Xenon, Idefix, a mass spectrometer setup, and successful doping was confirmed. At the highest dopant concentration we find a doubling of Y, a tenfold reduction of τ 3 to ∼90 ns and a tenfold increase of λ att to over 6 m.

Unusal Presentation of Dengue Fever as Pyomyositis

Dengue is the most common and widespread arthropod-borne arboviral infection. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle, and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash. Although viral myositis is common, myositis caused by the dengue virus is not commonly reported. The case of serologically confirmed dengue fever complicated by pyomyositis associated with a tenfold increase in serum creatine phosphokinase is presented.

Photoassisted Electrodeposition of Cuprous Oxide Thin Films

Well-defined cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin films can be electrodeposited from an electrolyte containing copper (II) sulfate, lactic acid and sodium hydroxide. As Cu2O is a p-type semiconductor, it is possible to accelerate the process through illumination with light of sufficient energy (>2.1eV). Cyclic voltammetry and transient potentiostatic measurements were performed in a three-electrode setup with copper metalized wafers as a working electrode. Illumination was performed through the electrolyte, therefore absorption of light by the electrolyte had to be taken into consideration. Potentiostatic measurements with a blue LED as a light source have shown an tenfold increase in layer thickness in comparison to depositions without additional illumination. The deposited films were investigated with SEM analysis.

Expanding the Russian allele frequency reference via cross-laboratory data integration: insights from 6,096 exome samples

The frequency of a genetic variant in a population is crucially important for accurate interpretation of known and novel variant effects in medical genetics. Recently, several large allele frequency databases, such as Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD), have been created to serve as a global reference for such studies. However, frequencies of many rare alleles vary dramatically between populations, and population-specific allele frequency can be more informative than the global one. Many countries and regions (including Russia) remain poorly studied from the genetic perspective. Here, we report the first successful attempt to integrate genetic information between major medical genetic laboratories in Russia. We construct an expanded reference set of genetic variants by analyzing 6,096 exome samples collected in two major Russian cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. An approximately tenfold increase in sample size compared to previous studies allowed us to identify genetically distinct clusters of individuals within an admixed population of Russia. We show that up to 18 known pathogenic variants are overrepresented in Russia compared to other European countries. We also identify several dozen high-impact variants that are present in healthy donors despite either being annotated as pathogenic in ClinVar or falling within genes associated with autosomal dominant disorders. The constructed database of genetic variant frequencies in Russia has been made available to the medical genetics community through a variant browser available at http://ruseq.ru.

Morphology and Anatomy of Branch–Branch Junctions in Opuntia ficus-indica and Cylindropuntia bigelovii: A Comparative Study Supported by Mechanical Tissue Quantification

The Opuntioideae include iconic cacti whose lateral branch–branch junctions are intriguing objects from a mechanical viewpoint. We have compared Opuntia ficus-indica, which has stable branch connections, with Cylindropuntia bigelovii, whose side branches abscise under slight mechanical stress. To determine the underlying structures and mechanical characteristics of these stable versus shedding cacti junctions, we conducted magnetic resonance imaging, morphometric and anatomical analyses of the branches and tensile tests of individual tissues. The comparison revealed differences in geometry, shape and material properties as follows: (i) a more pronounced tapering of the cross-sectional area towards the junctions supports the abscission of young branches of C. bigelovii. (ii) Older branches of O. ficus-indica form, initially around the branch–branch junctions, collar-shaped periderm tissue. This secondary coverage mechanically stiffens the dermal tissue, giving a threefold increase in strength and a tenfold increase in the elastic modulus compared with the epidermis. (iii) An approximately 200-fold higher elastic modulus of the vascular bundles of O. ficus-indica is a prerequisite for the stable junction of its young branches. Our results provide, for both biological and engineered materials systems, important insights into the geometric characteristics and mechanical properties of branching joints that are either stable or easily detachable.

Widespread bacterial diversity within the bacteriome of fungi

Knowledge of associations between fungal hosts and their bacterial associates has steadily grown in recent years as the number and diversity of examinations have increased, but current knowledge is predominantly limited to a small number of fungal taxa and bacterial partners. Here, we screened for potential bacterial associates in over 700 phylogenetically diverse fungal isolates, representing 366 genera, or a tenfold increase compared with previously examined fungal genera, including isolates from several previously unexplored phyla. Both a 16 S rDNA-based exploration of fungal isolates from four distinct culture collections spanning North America, South America and Europe, and a bioinformatic screen for bacterial-specific sequences within fungal genome sequencing projects, revealed that a surprisingly diverse array of bacterial associates are frequently found in otherwise axenic fungal cultures. We demonstrate that bacterial associations with diverse fungal hosts appear to be the rule, rather than the exception, and deserve increased consideration in microbiome studies and in examinations of microbial interactions.

Loading Rate Dependence of Rock Strength Under Triaxial Compression

Knowledge regarding the time-dependent behavior of rocks is essential to estimate the long-term deformation and stability of underground structures. The rock strength increases with the increasing loading rate. However, the loading rate dependence in postfailure regions under confining pressure remains unclear. In this study, triaxial compression tests were conducted on four types of rocks to examine the loading rate dependence in both peak and postfailure regions. Results demonstrate that an increase in residual strength with a tenfold increase in the strain rate was approximately proportional to 4% of the residual strength. Furthermore, the increase in peak strength with a tenfold increase in the strain rate increased at a rate of approximately 4% of peak strength. The obtained results were applicable to all the sample rocks and can be easily employed for improving the constitutive equations. Finally, the effect mechanism of the confining pressure on the loading rate dependence of rock strength is discussed.

Edge-Trimmed Nanogaps in 2D Materials for Robust, Scalable, and Tunable Lateral Tunnel Junctions

Lateral tunnel junctions are fundamental building blocks for molecular electronics and novel sensors, but current fabrication approaches achieve device yields below 10%, which limits their appeal for circuit integration and large-scale application. We here demonstrate a new approach to reliably form nanometer-sized gaps between electrodes with high precision and unprecedented control. This advance in nanogap production is enabled by the unique properties of 2D materials-based contacts. The large difference in reactivity of 2D materials’ edges compared to their basal plane results in a sequential removal of atoms from the contact perimeter. The resulting trimming of exposed graphene edges in a remote hydrogen plasma proceeds at speeds of less than 1 nm per minute, permitting accurate control of the nanogap dimension through the etching process. Carrier transport measurements reveal the high quality of the nanogap, thus-produced tunnel junctions with a 97% yield rate, which represents a tenfold increase in productivity compared to previous reports. Moreover, 70% of tunnel junctions fall within a nanogap range of only 0.5 nm, representing an unprecedented uniformity in dimension. The presented edge-trimming approach enables the conformal narrowing of gaps and produces novel one-dimensional nano-trench geometries that can sustain larger tunneling currents than conventional 0D nano-junctions. Finally, the potential of our approach for future electronics was demonstrated by the realization of an atom-based memory.

Quantitation and optimization of β-carotene and α-tocopherol in emulsion prototype with reversed-phase chromatography

Emulsion products that are rich in pro-vitamin A, vitamin E and antioxidants have been successfully formulated from red palm oil (FO-MSM), pumpkin (SLK), and dragon fruit (SBN). This study was aimed to determine the concentrations of β-carotene and αtocopherol in the prototype products of FO-MSM, SLK, and SBN by reverse phase chromatography and to determine the optimal deodorization time for FO-MSM on βcarotene and α-tocopherol levels. Optimal conditions for analysis of samples was with the mobile phase methyl dichloride: methanol: acetonitrile (2: 1: 3). The injection volume was 10 μL for β-carotene and 20 μL for α-tocopherol. Isocratic elution was carried out at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at room temperature (25±2°C). The mobile phase was first eliminated for 45 mins. The β-carotene and α-tocopherol peaks were identified by matching the peak retention times (Rt) of β-carotene and α-tocopherol in the sample with the standard Rt of β-carotene and α-tocopherol. The reverse-phase chromatography successfully determined β-carotene and α-tocopherol in prototype products of FO-MSM, SLK, and SBN. The developed emulsion prototype had 2044.5±196.1 ppm of β-carotene and 38.8±0.4 ppm of α-tocopherol. The content of β-carotene in the developed emulsion prototype was more than tenfold increase from the original prototype without sacrificing the product's taste. β-carotene showed no significant difference in reducing the deodorization time from 5 hrs to 1 hr, while the 2.5-fold increase of the α-tocopherol content was observed. Therefore, the optimal deodorization time for FO-MSM was determined based on the value of α-tocopherol and not by β-carotene. RP-18 was successfully used to determine β-carotene and α-tocopherol in FO-MSM, SLK, and SBN emulsion prototype products