Neurotheology of islam and higher consciousness states

Generally speaking, human life is characterized by an array of experiences, which, both in health and disease, can have a spiritual/religious dimension. In the last decades, spirituality/religiosity has attracted a huge body of research and neurotheology or spiritual neuroscience is emerging as a modern multidisciplinary field aimed at understanding religious experiences and practices, as well its impact on well-being, with a focus on mental health, and its potential therapeutic implications in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. For this purpose, neurotheology combines a variety of approaches and theoretical frameworks, deriving influences from theology, divinities and religious studies, philosophy, sociology, cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology. Available scientific evidences seem to suggest that Islam and Sufism (prayer and meditation) can contribute to the achievement of higher consciousness states

Lyman Alpha Blobs as an Observational Signature of Cold Accretion Streams into Galaxies

Recent hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation reveal streams of cold (T ~ 1e4 K) gas flowing into the centers of dark matter halos as massive as 1e12-1e13.5 M_sun at redshifts z~1-3. In this paper we show that if > 20% of the gravitational binding energy of the gas is radiated away, then the simulated cold flows are spatially extended Lyman Alpha (Lya) sources with luminosities, Lya line widths, and number densities that are comparable to those of observed Lya blobs. Furthermore, the filamentary structure of the cold flows can explain the wide range of observed Lya blob morphologies. Since the most massive halos form in dense environments, the association of Lya blobs with overdense regions arise naturally. We argue that Lya blobs - even those which are clearly associated with starburst galaxies or quasars - provide direct observational support for the cold accretion mode of galaxies. We discuss various testable predictions of this association.Comment: MNRAS in press. 13 pages, 6 figures. Discussion + references added. Main conclusions unaffecte

Stimulated emission of polarization-entangled photons

Entangled photon pairs -- discrete light quanta that exhibit non-classical correlations -- play a crucial role in quantum information science (for example in demonstrations of quantum non-locality and quantum cryptography). At the macroscopic optical field level non-classical correlations can also be important, as in the case of squeezed light, entangled light beams and teleportation of continuous quantum variables. Here we use stimulated parametric down-conversion to study entangled states of light that bridge the gap between discrete and macroscopic optical quantum correlations. We demonstrate experimentally the onset of laser-like action for entangled photons. This entanglement structure holds great promise in quantum information science where there is a strong demand for entangled states of increasing complexity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX

A mixed-valence diruthenium(ii,iii) complex endowed with high stability: from experimental evidence to theoretical interpretation

We herein report the synthesis and multi-technique characterization of [Ru2Cl((2-phenylindol-3-yl)glyoxyl-l-leucine-l-phenylalanine)4], a novel diruthenium(ii,iii) complex obtained by reacting [Ru2(μ-O2CCH3)4Cl] with a dual indolylglyoxylyl dipeptide anticancer agent. We soon realised that the compound is very stable under several different conditions including aqueous buffers or organic solvents. It is also completely unreactive toward proteins. The high stability is also suggested by cellular experiments in a glioblastoma cell line. Indeed, while the parent ligand exerts high cytotoxic effects in the low μM range, the complex is completely non-cytotoxic against the same line, most probably because of the lack of ligand release. To investigate the reasons for such high stability, we carried out DFT calculations that are fully consistent with the experimental findings. The results highlight that the stability of [Ru2Cl((2-phenylindol-3-yl)glyoxyl-l-leucine-l-phenylalanine)4] relies on the nature of the ligand, including its steric hindrance that prevents the reaction of any nucleophilic group with the Ru2 core. Ligand displacement is the key step to allow reactivity with the biological targets of metal-based prodrugs. Accordingly, we discuss the implications of some important aspects that should be considered when active molecules are chosen as ligands for the synthesis of paddle-wheel-like complexes with medicinal applications. This journal i

TL1A/DR3 axis involvement in the inflammatory cytokine network during pulmonary sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND: TNF-like ligand 1A (TL1A), a recently recognized member of the TNF superfamily, and its death domain receptor 3 (DR3), firstly identified for their relevant role in T lymphocyte homeostasis, are now well-known mediators of several immune-inflammatory diseases, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory bowel diseases to psoriasis, whereas no data are available on their involvement in sarcoidosis, a multisystemic granulomatous disease where a deregulated T helper (Th)1/Th17 response takes place. METHODS: In this study, by flow cytometry, real-time PCR, confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry analyses, TL1A and DR3 were investigated in the pulmonary cells and the peripheral blood of 43 patients affected by sarcoidosis in different phases of the disease (29 patients with active sarcoidosis, 14 with the inactive form) and in 8 control subjects. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated a significant higher expression, both at protein and mRNA levels, of TL1A and DR3 in pulmonary T cells and alveolar macrophages of patients with active sarcoidosis as compared to patients with the inactive form of the disease and to controls. In patients with sarcoidosis TL1A was strongly more expressed in the lung than the blood, i.e., at the site of the involved organ. Additionally, zymography assays showed that TL1A is able to increase the production of matrix metalloproteinase 9 by sarcoid alveolar macrophages characterized, in patients with the active form of the disease, by reduced mRNA levels of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that TL1A/DR3 interactions are part of the extended and complex immune-inflammatory network that characterizes sarcoidosis during its active phase and may contribute to the pathogenesis and to the progression of the disease

Budding yeast ATM/ATR control meiotic double-strand break (DSB) levels by down-regulating Rec114, an essential component of the DSB-machinery

An essential feature of meiosis is Spo11 catalysis of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). Evidence suggests that the number of DSBs generated per meiosis is genetically determined and that this ability to maintain a pre-determined DSB level, or "DSB homeostasis", might be a property of the meiotic program. Here, we present direct evidence that Rec114, an evolutionarily conserved essential component of the meiotic DSB-machinery, interacts with DSB hotspot DNA, and that Tel1 and Mec1, the budding yeast ATM and ATR, respectively, down-regulate Rec114 upon meiotic DSB formation through phosphorylation. Mimicking constitutive phosphorylation reduces the interaction between Rec114 and DSB hotspot DNA, resulting in a reduction and/or delay in DSB formation. Conversely, a non-phosphorylatable rec114 allele confers a genome-wide increase in both DSB levels and in the interaction between Rec114 and the DSB hotspot DNA. These observations strongly suggest that Tel1 and/or Mec1 phosphorylation of Rec114 following Spo11 catalysis down-regulates DSB formation by limiting the interaction between Rec114 and DSB hotspots. We also present evidence that Ndt80, a meiosis specific transcription factor, contributes to Rec114 degradation, consistent with its requirement for complete cessation of DSB formation. Loss of Rec114 foci from chromatin is associated with homolog synapsis but independent of Ndt80 or Tel1/Mec1 phosphorylation. Taken together, we present evidence for three independent ways of regulating Rec114 activity, which likely contribute to meiotic DSBs-homeostasis in maintaining genetically determined levels of breaks