Magnetic field production during preheating at the electroweak scale

We study the generation of magnetic fields during preheating within an scenario of hybrid inflation at the electroweak (EW) scale. We find that the non-perturbative and strongly out-of-equilibrium process of magnetic field production occurs along the lines predicted by Vachaspati many years ago. The system starts in the false vacuum at the end of inflation, and very quickly the initial quantum fluctuations of the Higgs field get amplified via long wavelength spinodal instabilities. The subsequent nucleation of the random Gaussian Higgs field bubbles (lumps) leads to EW symmetry breaking, and to the creation of $Z$-strings, which soon decay, along with longwave magnetic flux tubes with nontrivial helicity. The intensity and scales in these helical magnetic fields are consistent with their later development into the microgauss fields observed in galaxies and clusters of galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, uses revtex

Phosphorylation-mediated unfolding of a KH domain regulates KSRP localization via 14-3-3 binding

The AU-rich element (ARE)-mediated mRNA-degradation activity of the RNA binding K-homology splicing regulator protein (KSRP) is regulated by phosphorylation of a serine within its N-terminal KH domain (KH1). In the cell, phosphorylation promotes the interaction of KSRP and 14-3-3ζ protein and impairs the ability of KSRP to promote the degradation of its RNA targets. Here we examine the molecular details of this mechanism. We report that phosphorylation leads to the unfolding of the structurally atypical and unstable KH1, creating a site for 14-3-3ζ binding. Using this site, 14-3-3ζ discriminates between phosphorylated and unphosphorylated KH1, driving the nuclear localization of KSRP. 14-3-3ζ –KH1 interaction regulates the mRNA-decay activity of KSRP by sequestering the protein in a separate functional pool. This study demonstrates how an mRNA-degradation pathway is connected to extracellular signaling networks through the reversible unfolding of a protein domain.European Molecular Biology Organization 240-2005Italian CIPE-200

Analysis of the concentration of emissions from the Spanish fleet of tugboats

At present, the sensitivity of society towards emissions in commercial maritime ports is increasing, which is reflected in the large number of studies on the control of emissions in them, perhaps because the most important commercial ports are located in cities with high population density. The objective of this work was to determine the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the activity of the Spanish tugboat fleet, studying the tugboat fleet of the eleven autonomous coastal Spanish communities from 2004 to 2017 and their impact on the carbon footprint of the country?s shipping sector. To do this, the methodology used by the International Maritime Organization for merchant ships to estimate the emissions of a tugboat fleet is formalized, and Gini concentration index methodology was applied to the concentration of emissions from this fleet. This has made it possible to obtain results on the distribution of the concentration of emissions from Spanish ports by region, age, and size, as well as to establish the profile of the tugboat port that pollutes the most and its carbon footprint. One of the results is that in the period analyzed, the concentration of emissions from the Spanish tugboat fleet increased if we looked at its distribution by region, and decreased if we look at its distribution by age and size. This is because tugboat activity was very different by region; however, their characteristics related to age and size evolved in a more homogeneous way

Prospective associations between a priori dietary patterns adherence and kidney function in an elderly Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk

Purpose To assess the association between three diferent a priori dietary patterns adherence (17-item energy reduced Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet), Trichopoulou-MedDiet and Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH)), as well as the Protein Diet Score and kidney function decline after one year of follow-up in elderly individuals with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods We prospectively analyzed 5675 participants (55–75 years) from the PREDIMED-Plus study. At baseline and at one year, we evaluated the creatinine-based estimated glomerular fltration rate (eGFR) and food-frequency questionnaires derived dietary scores. Associations between four categories (decrease/maintenance and tertiles of increase) of each dietary pattern and changes in eGFR (ml/min/1.73m2 ) or≥10% eGFR decline were assessed by ftting multivariable linear or logistic regression models, as appropriate. Results Participants in the highest tertile of increase in 17-item erMedDiet Score showed higher upward changes in eGFR (β: 1.87 ml/min/1.73m2 ; 95% CI: 1.00–2.73) and had lower odds of≥10% eGFR decline (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.47–0.82) compared to individuals in the decrease/maintenance category, while Trichopoulou-MedDiet and DASH Scores were not associated with any renal outcomes. Those in the highest tertile of increase in Protein Diet Score had greater downward changes in eGFR (β: − 0.87 ml/min/1.73m2 ; 95% CI: − 1.73 to − 0.01) and 32% higher odds of eGFR decline (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.00–1.75). Conclusions Among elderly individuals with overweight/obesity and MetS, only higher upward change in the 17-item erMedDiet score adherence was associated with better kidney function after one year. However, increasing Protein Diet Score appeared to have an adverse impact on kidney health. Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN89898870 (Data of registration: 2014)

El aporte de la biomecánica y la Ingeniería en rehabilitación en la Ingeniería Biomédica de la EIA-CES

Cuando el programa de Ingeniería Biomédica del convenio EIA-CES definió sus áreas de énfasis, enmarcadas dentro del contexto social y las múltiples necesidades que se tenían en el campo biomédico, estableció que la línea de Biomecánica e Ingeniería en Rehabilitación sería su prioridad. Es así como surgió un programa que ha buscado, desde sus comienzos, fortalecerse en esta área al involucrar desde el principio a sus estudiantes, docentes y directivos, no sólo en proyectos de investigación formativa y aplicada, sino también en entes que permitan establecer políticas públicas y privadas para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas en situación de discapacida

Catalytic mechanism of human DNA polymerase λ with Mg2+ and Mn2+ from ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical studies

DNA polymerases play a crucial role in the cell cycle due to their involvement in genome replication and repair. Understanding the reaction mechanism by which these polymerases carry out their function can provide insights into these processes. Recently, the crystal structures of human DNA polymerase λ (Polλ) have been reported both for pre- and post- catalytic complexes (García-Díaz et al., DNA Repair, 3, 1333, 2007). Here we employ the pre-catalytic complex as a starting structure for the determination of the catalytic mechanism of Polλ using ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods. The reaction path has been calculated using Mg2+ and Mn2+ as the catalytic metals. In both cases the reaction proceeds through a two step mechanism where the 3′-OH of the primer sugar ring is deprotonated by one of the conserved Asp residues (D490) in the active site before the incorporation of the nucleotide to the nascent DNA chain. A significant charge transfer is observed between both metals and some residues in the active site as the reaction proceeds. The optimized reactant and product structures agree with the reported crystal structures. In addition, the calculated reaction barriers for both metals are close to experimentally estimated barriers. Energy decomposition analysis to explain individual residue contributions suggests that several amino acids surrounding the active site are important for catalysis. Some of these residues, including R420, R488 and E529, have been implicated in catalysis by previous mutagenesis experiments on the homologous residues on Polβ. Furthermore, Polλ residues R420 and E529 found to be important from the energy decomposition analysis, are homologous to residues R183 and E295 in Polβ, both of which are linked to cancer. In addition, residues R386, E391, K422 and K472 appear to have an important role in catalysis and could be a potential target for mutagenesis experiments. There is partial conservation of these residues across the Pol X family of DNA polymerases

Accessibility of Cations to the Selectivity Filter of KcsA in the Inactivated State: An Equilibrium Binding Study

Cation binding under equilibrium conditions has been used as a tool to explore the accessibility of permeant and nonpermeant cations to the selectivity filter in three different inactivated models of the potassium channel KcsA. The results show that the stack of ion binding sites (S1 to S4) in the inactivated filter models remain accessible to cations as they are in the resting channel state. The inactivated state of the selectivity filter is therefore “resting-like” under such equilibrium conditions. Nonetheless, quantitative differences in the apparent KD’s of the binding processes reveal that the affinity for the binding of permeant cations to the inactivated channel models, mainly K+, decreases considerably with respect to the resting channel. This is likely to cause a loss of K+ from the inactivated filter and consequently, to promote nonconductive conformations. The most affected site by the affinity loss seems to be S4, which is interesting because S4 is the first site to accommodate K+ coming from the channel vestibule when K+ exits the cell. Moreover, binding of the nonpermeant species, Na+, is not substantially affected by inactivation, meaning that the inactivated channels are also less selective for permeant versus nonpermeant cations under equilibrium conditions.This work was partly supported by the grant BFU2015-66612-P from the Spanish MINECO/FEDER, UE. CD-G acknowledges support from Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics Doctoral Programme (M2B-PhD) and FCT Portugal (SFRH/PD/BD/135154/2017)

Ensamblaje de anfibios presentes en un bosque seco y en sistemas productivos, Valle Medio del Magdalena, Victoria y La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia

Dado el alto estado de amenaza del ecosistema de Bosque Seco Tropical (BsT), se hace necesario adquirir información sobre la biota que allí se encuentra, esto sin dejar de lado lo importante que es conocer qué se mantiene en las áreas con sistemas productivos. El objetivo fue evaluar la diversidad de anfibios en tres áreas: un relicto de bosque seco, un sistema silvopastoril y una zona de extracción minera. Se instalaron un total de 72 trayectos que fueron recorridos en el día y la noche utilizando la técnica de relevamiento por encuentro visual (VES). Los muestreos abarcaron la época de lluvia y sequia, se registraron  29 especies de anfibios, pertenecientes a 10 familias y dos ordenes. La mayor concentración de la fauna anfibia se reportó en áreas con presencia de bosque y en sistemas con ganadería silvopastoril, disminuyendo en las zonas donde la cobertura boscosa se ha perdido por efecto de la minería a cielo abierto. Esta riqueza representa aproximadamente el 73% de las especies reportadas para las tierras del Valle del Magdalena, lo cual le otorga a esta área un valor importante para la conservación de especies del bosque seco tropical, además de brindar un enfoque estratégico a partir del entendimiento de los patrones de diversidad de estas especies en sistemas productivos, demostrando que la importancia de conservar bosques primarios o de regeneración tardía radica en que estos son hábitats exclusivos para muchas especies de organismos, en especial los anfibios que presentan requerimientos específicos de su hábitat

Brown bear behaviour in human-modified landscapes: The case of the endangered Cantabrian population, NW Spain

Large carnivores are recolonizing parts of their historical range in Europe, a heavily modified human landscape. This calls for an improvement of our knowledge on how large carnivores manage to coexist with humans, and on the effects that human activity has on large carnivore behaviour, especially in areas where carnivore populations are still endangered. Brown bears Ursus arctos have been shown to be sensitive to the presence of people and their activities. Thus, bear conservation and management should take into account potential behavioural alterations related to living in human-modified landscapes. We studied the behaviour of brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain, where an endangered population thrives in a human-modified landscape. We analysed bear observations video-recorded over a 10-year period to try to identify human and landscape elements that could influence bear behaviour. Neither the occurrence nor the duration of vigilance behaviour in Cantabrian bears seemed to be influenced by the proximity of human infrastructures and activity. Our findings suggest that the general pattern of human avoidance by bears is adapted to the human-modified landscape they inhabit. Bears generally avoid people, but close presence of human infrastructures or activity did not seem to trigger an increased bear behavioural response. Coexistence between large carnivores and humans in human-modified landscapes is possible, even when human encroachment is high, provided that carnivores are not heavily persecuted and direct interactions are avoided. Further research should also document the potential existence of other responses to human presence and activity, e.g., hunting, traffic noise, and measuring stress levels with physiological indicators.This research was financially supported by the IBA (International Association for Bear Research and Management) grant project IBA-RG_16_2016 ‘Brown bear behaviour in human-dominated landscapes: the effect of human density and ecotourism’. During this research, G.B. was financially supported by a collaboration contract with the MUSE – Museo delle Scienze of Trento (Italy), J.M-P. was supported by the ARAID foundation and V.P., A.O. and R.G.G. were also financially supported by the Excellence Project CGL2017-82782-P financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, EU)