The Geography as a Regulator of Genetic Flow and Genetic Structure in Andorra

The Principality of Andorra is one of the smallest states in Europe. Traditionally its economy has been based on the agriculture and cattle ranch although in the last decades it has developed an important tourist activity that has become a collector of emigrants. The origin of marriage consorts has been analyzed in the six parishes that have traditionally constituted the Principality. In total, there have been 10,208 marriages covering a continuous period from 1606 to 1960. From this information, two migration matrices have been constructed, one general and one intra-population. The study of the first one shows the existence of a male migration to long distance, mainly from the nearby Catalan provinces. It also shows that the main parameter that regulates migration is geography and that it indirectly defines the language’s performance and political boundaries as the genetic filters. For the study of the intrapopulation matrix, two methods have been used. On the one hand, a tree has been constructed and has been linked to Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Different matrices have also been tested by applying the Mantel test. The results indicate that there is no asymmetry in the mobility of men and women in an intra-population level, a result that is justified by the demographic and social structure of the small population centers of the Pyrenees. It is also shown that geography is the main governing factor travel within the Principality. And finally, we can observe the existence of a genetic substructure in the Andorran population marked again by geography

Polarization Switching and Light-Enhanced Piezoelectricity in Lead Halide Perovskites

We investigate the ferroelectric properties of photovoltaic methylammonium lead halide CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite using piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) and macroscopic polarization methods. The electric polarization is clearly observed by amplitude and phase hysteresis loops. However, the polarization loop decreases as the frequency is lowered, persisting for a short time only, in the one second regime, indicating that CH3NH3PbI3 does not exhibit permanent polarization at room temperature. This result is confirmed by macroscopic polarization measurement based on a standard capacitive method. We have observed a strong increase of piezoelectric response under illumination, consistent with the previously reported giant photoinduced dielectric constant at low frequencies. We speculate that an intrinsic charge transfer photoinduced dipole in the perovskite cage may lie at the origin of this effect.Financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) through RyC contracts 2013-12448 and 2011-07726 and projects MAT2013-47192-C3-1-R and MAT2012-3777

The Early Peopling of the Philippines based on mtDNA

Despite the eforts made to reconstruct the history of modern humans, there are still poorly explored regions that are key for understanding the phylogeography of our species. One of them is the Philippines, which is crucial to unravel the colonization of Southeast Asia and Oceania but where little is known about when and how the frst humans arrived. In order to shed light into this settlement, we collected samples from 157 individuals of the Philippines with the four grandparents belonging to the same region and mitochondrial variants older than 20,000 years. Next, we analyzed the hypervariable I mtDNA region by approximate Bayesian computation based on extensive spatially explicit computer simulations to select among several migration routes towards the Philippines and to estimate population genetic parameters of this colonization. We found that the colonization of the Philippines occurred more than 60,000 years ago, with long-distance dispersal and from both north and south migration routes. Our results also suggest an environmental scenario especially optimal for humans, with large carrying capacity and population growth, in comparison to other regions of Asia. In all, our study suggests a rapid expansion of modern humans towards the Philippines that could be associated with the establisment of maritime technologies and favorable environmental conditions

1,4-Dihydropyridine as a Promising Scaffold for Novel Antimicrobials Against Helicobacter pylori

The increasing occurrence of multidrug-resistant strains of the gastric carcinogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori threatens the efficacy of current eradication therapies. In a previous work, we found that several 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP)-based antihypertensive drugs exhibited strong bactericidal activities against H. pylori by targeting the essential response regulator HsrA. To further evaluate the potential of 1,4-DHP as a scaffold for novel antimicrobials against H. pylori, we determined the antibacterial effects of 12 novel DHP derivatives that have previously failed to effectively block L- and T-type calcium channels. Six of these molecules exhibited potent antimicrobial activities (MIC ≤ 8 mg/L) against three different antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori, while at least one compound resulted as effective as metronidazole. Such antimicrobial actions appeared to be specific against Epsilonproteobacteria, since no deleterious effects were appreciated on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The new bactericidal DHP derivatives targeted the H. pylori regulator HsrA and inhibited its DNA binding activity according to both in vitro and in vivo analyses. Molecular docking predicted a potential druggable binding pocket in HsrA, which could open the door to structure-based design of novel anti-H. pylori drugs

Cytochrome c speeds up caspase cascade activation by blocking 14-3-3¿-dependent Apaf-1 inhibition article

Apoptosis is a highly regulated form of programmed cell death, essential to the development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms. Cytochrome c is a central figure in the activation of the apoptotic intrinsic pathway, thereby activating the caspase cascade through its interaction with Apaf-1. Our recent studies have revealed 14-3-3€ (a direct inhibitor of Apaf-1) as a cytosolic cytochrome c target. Here we explore the cytochrome c / 14-3-3€ interaction and show the ability of cytochrome c to block 14-3-3€-mediated Apaf-1 inhibition, thereby unveiling a novel function for cytochrome c as an indirect activator of caspase-9/3. We have used calorimetry, NMR spectroscopy, site mutagenesis and computational calculations to provide an insight into the structural features of the cytochrome c / 14-3-3€ complex. Overall, these findings suggest an additional cytochrome c-mediated mechanism to modulate apoptosome formation, shedding light onto the rigorous apoptotic regulation network

Designflix, un modelo para aprender diseño a través de Instagram

En este texto se recoge la experiencia llevada a cabo en la asignatura Diseño y estética de lo cotidiano, de tercer curso y primer semestre, del título de Graduado/a en Historia del Arte por la Universidad de Málaga (España). El proyecto se tituló DESIGNFLIX y fue una actividad desarrollada en Instagram. El objetivo principal era la creación de contenidos digitales para su difusión en redes sociales contando con lo aprendido en una actividad formativa concreta. En las páginas que siguen, se explica la actividad a través de la descripción y análisis de los alumnos implicados y del docente.&nbsp

PP2A is activated by cytochrome c upon formation of a diffuse encounter complex with SET/TAF-Iß

Intrinsic protein flexibility is of overwhelming relevance for intermolecular recognition and adaptability of highly dynamic ensemble of complexes, and the phenomenon is essential for the understanding of numerous biological processes. These conformational ensembles—encounter complexes—lack a unique organization, which prevents the determination of well-defined high resolution structures. This is the case for complexes involving the oncoprotein SET/template-activating factor-Iß (SET/TAF-Iß), a histone chaperone whose functions and interactions are significantly affected by its intrinsic structural plasticity. Besides its role in chromatin remodeling, SET/TAF-Iß is an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), which is a key phosphatase counteracting transcription and signaling events controlling the activity of DNA damage response (DDR) mediators. During DDR, SET/TAF-Iß is sequestered by cytochrome c (Cc) upon migration of the hemeprotein from mitochondria to the cell nucleus. Here, we report that the nuclear SET/TAF-Iß:Cc polyconformational ensemble is able to activate PP2A. In particular, the N-end folded, globular region of SET/TAF-Iß (a.k.a. SET/TAF-Iß ¿C)—which exhibits an unexpected, intrinsically highly dynamic behavior—is sufficient to be recognized by Cc in a diffuse encounter manner. Cc-mediated blocking of PP2A inhibition is deciphered using an integrated structural and computational approach, combining small-angle X-ray scattering, electron paramagnetic resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance, calorimetry and molecular dynamics simulations

Comparing the microstructure and photovoltaic performance of 3 perylene imide acceptors with similar energy levels but different packing tendencies

[Abstract] While it is widely recognized that microstructure plays an important role in the performance of organic photovoltaics (OPV), systematic studies are often challenging, as varying the molecular packing through typical chemical means (such as sidechain tuning) often affects the molecular energy levels, thus preventing a clear correlation. In this work we present the synthesis of three perylene imide (PI) based electron acceptors with almost identical energy levels, but distinct packing tendencies. We confirm our initial hypothesis by measuring solution and solid-state absorption, and cyclic voltammetry as well as characterizing the films by grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS). In a second step, we repeat the characterization of the three materials in blends with two polymer donors, namely PCDTBT or PBDBT, whose energy levels are well aligned with those of the PI acceptors, and which, additionally, exhibit different degrees of structural order. We show how the initial strong difference between acceptors is partially blurred in blends, but still critical. Finally, we correlate our structural data with OPV devices made with the corresponding six blends. Our data suggest that a good donor acceptor marriage should ensure good energy alignment but also exhibit complementary crystallization tendencies of the two components.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; CEX2019-000917-SMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación; PGC2018-095411-B-I00Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; PID2019-106268GB-C33MInisterio de Ciencia e Innovación; PID2019-110305GB-I00Universidad Complutense de Madrid; INV.GR.00.1819.10759Universidad Complutense de Madrid; CT20/19-CT21/19/PEJD-2018-POST/IND-8661PAIJunta de Andalucía; UMA18-FEDERJA-08