Structural Phase Transitions of Hybrid Perovskites CH₃NH₃PbX₃ (X = Br, Cl) from Synchrotron and Neutron Diffraction Data

Methylammonium (MA) lead trihalide perovskites, that is, CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br, Cl), have emerged as a new class of light-absorbing materials for photovoltaic applications. Indeed, since their implementation in solar-cell heterojunctions, they reached efficiencies above 23%. From a crystallographic point of view, there are many open questions that should be addressed, including the role of the internal motion of methylammonium groups within PbX6 lattice under extreme conditions, such as low/high temperature or high pressure. For instance, in MAPbBr3 perovskites, the octahedral tilting can be induced upon cooling, lowering the space group from the aristotype Pm3¯m to I4/mcm and Pnma. The band gap engineering brought about by the chemical management of MAPb(Br,Cl)3 perovskites has been controllably tuned: the gap progressively increases with the concentration of Cl ions from 2.1 to 2.9 eV. In this chapter, we review recent structural studies by state-of-the-art techniques, relevant to the crystallographic characterization of these materials, in close relationship with their light-absorption properties

Looking twice at the gender equity index for public health impact.

Background: It has been shown that gender equity has a positive impact on the everyday activities of people (decision making, income allocation, application and observance of norms/rules) which affect their health. Gender equity is also a crucial determinant of health inequalities at national level; thus, monitoring is important for surveillance of women’s and men’s health as well as for future health policy initiatives. The Gender Equity Index (GEI) was designed to show inequity solely towards women. Given that the value under scrutiny is equity, in this paper a modified version of the GEI is proposed, the MGEI, which highlights the inequities affecting both sexes. Methods: Rather than calculating gender gaps by means of a quotient of proportions, gaps in the MGEI are expressed in absolute terms (differences in proportions). The Spearman’s rank coefficient, calculated from country rankings obtained according to both indexes, was used to evaluate the level of concordance between both classifications. To compare the degree of sensitivity and obtain the inequity by the two methods, the variation coefficient of the GEI and MGEI values was calculated. Results: Country rankings according to GEI and MGEI values showed a high correlation (rank coef. = 0.95). The MGEI presented greater dispersion (43.8%) than the GEI (19.27%). Inequity towards men was identified in the education gap (rank coef. = 0.36) when using the MGEI. According to this method, many countries shared the same absolute value for education but with opposite signs, for example Azerbaijan (−0.022) and Belgium (0.022), reflecting inequity towards women and men, respectively. This also occurred in the empowerment gap with the technical and professional job component (Brunei:-0.120 vs. Australia, Canada Iceland and the U.S.A.: 0.120). Conclusion: The MGEI identifies and highlights the different areas of inequities between gender groups. It thus overcomes the shortcomings of the GEI related to the aim for which this latter was created, namely measuring gender equity, and is therefore of great use to policy makers who wish to understand and monitor the results of specific equity policies and to determine the length of time for which these policies should be maintained in order to correct long-standing structural discrimination against women

Diversity of HLA Class I and Class II blocks and conserved extended haplotypes in Lacandon Mayans.

Here we studied HLA blocks and haplotypes in a group of 218 Lacandon Maya Native American using a high-resolution next generation sequencing (NGS) method. We assessed the genetic diversity of HLA class I and class II in this population, and determined the most probable ancestry of Lacandon Maya HLA class I and class II haplotypes. Importantly, this Native American group showed a high degree of both HLA homozygosity and linkage disequilibrium across the HLA region and also lower class II HLA allelic diversity than most previously reported populations (including other Native American groups). Distinctive alleles present in the Lacandon population include HLA-A*24:14 and HLA-B*40:08. Furthermore, in Lacandons we observed a high frequency of haplotypes containing the allele HLA-DRB1*04:11, a relatively frequent allele in comparison with other neighboring indigenous groups. The specific demographic history of the Lacandon population including inbreeding, as well as pathogen selection, may have elevated the frequencies of a small number of HLA class II alleles and DNA blocks. To assess the possible role of different selective pressures in determining Native American HLA diversity, we evaluated the relationship between genetic diversity at HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 and pathogen richness for a global dataset and for Native American populations alone. In keeping with previous studies of such relationships we included distance from Africa as a covariate. After correction for multiple comparisons we did not find any significant relationship between pathogen diversity and HLA genetic diversity (as measured by polymorphism information content) in either our global dataset or the Native American subset of the dataset. We found the expected negative relationship between genetic diversity and distance from Africa in the global dataset, but no relationship between HLA genetic diversity and distance from Africa when Native American populations were considered alone

Uso de los modelos 3D de los corazones fetales en la docencia multidisciplinar del diagnóstico tratamiento y pronóstico de las cardiopatías congénitas

Depto. de Salud Pública y Materno - InfantilFac. de MedicinaFALSEsubmitte

The mitochondrial negative regulator MCJ is a therapeutic target for acetaminophen-induced liver injury

Acetaminophen (APAP) is the active component of many medications used to treat pain and fever worldwide. Its overuse provokes liver injury and it is the second most common cause of liver failure. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to APAP-induced liver injury but the mechanism by which APAP causes hepatocyte toxicity is not completely understood. Therefore, we lack efficient therapeutic strategies to treat this pathology. Here we show that APAP interferes with the formation of mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes via the mitochondrial negative regulator MCJ, and leads to decreased production of ATP and increased generation of ROS. In vivo treatment with an inhibitor of MCJ expression protects liver from acetaminophen-induced liver injury at a time when N-acetylcysteine, the standard therapy, has no efficacy. We also show elevated levels of MCJ in the liver of patients with acetaminophen overdose. We suggest that MCJ may represent a therapeutic target to prevent and rescue liver injury caused by acetaminophen

Search for a W´ boson decaying to a τ lepton and a neutrino in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

A search for a new high-mass resonance decaying to a τ lepton and a neutrino is reported. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at √s = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The search utilizes hadronically decaying τ leptons. No excess in the event yield is observed at high transverse masses of the τ and missing transverse momentum. An interpretation of results within the sequential standard model excludes W boson masses below 4.0 TeV at 95% confidence level. Existing limits are also improved on models in which the W´ boson decays preferentially to fermions of the third generation. Heavy W bosons with masses less than 1.7–3.9 TeV, depending on the coupling in the non-universal G(221) model, are excluded at 95% confidence level. These are the most stringent limits on this model to date

Concepciones de escritura de estudiantes de tres especialidades del Máster de Formación de Profesorado de Secundaria y propuesta de un taller de escritura académica y profesional

El proyecto explorará las concepciones predominantes sobre enseñanza y aprendizaje de la escritura en alumnos de distintas especialidades (Lengua Castellana y Literatura, Ciencias Naturales y Ciencias Sociales) del Máster de Formación del Profesorado