Gestión del área protegida del Parque Nacional Cotopaxi mediante la generación de cartografía digital a escala 1:5000 según el Acuerdo ministerial 010 "metodología para la zonificación de las áreas protegidas" emitido por la máxima autoridad ambiental el Ministerio del Ambiente, agua y transición ecológica en el 2020

El presente estudio genero un Mapa de Zonificación del Parque Nacional Cotopaxi cumpliendo parámetros establecidos dentro del Acuerdo Ministerial 010; además y el uso de cartografía en escala 1:5000. Uno de los problemas posterior al establecimiento y declaratoria de un Área Protegida es el desconocimiento del límite físico lo que ha generado un problema sobre el avance de la frontera agrícola. Otro factor importante que afecta es el uso de escalas grandes (1:200.000) no permiten una ubicación real de hitos, rótulos o trochas. Estos problemas se relacionan con las diferencias de los límites establecidos en las declaratorias de áreas protegidas, con la cartografía existente y los límites reales en el territorio; esto genera conflictos, dificultando su gestión y conservación. En la actualidad con el avance de la tecnología se trata de subsanar inconsistencias de límites al momento de declarar Áreas Protegidas. El objetivo principal de nuestro proyecto se fundamentó en el análisis del cambio de uso de suelo por el avance de la frontera agrícola por lo cual se utilizó un dron que permitió la obtención de la información geográfica y recopilar datos necesarios para la generación del mapa, además se priorizo condiciones climáticas favorables para realizar el vuelo, para procesar las imágenes obtenidas se utilizó el software PIX4D. Mediante el estudio realizado se pudo observar que el Área Protegida cuenta con una zona de protección de 90,43%, de esta manera cumpliendo con los objetivos de la creación del Área Protegida, en cuanto a la zona que se encuentra en recuperación abarca 4,99%, posterior a la generación de este mapa de zonificación se pretende que esta zona disminuya el porcentaje de superficie afectada por las actividades no controladas al no existir una debida zonificación previa.The present study generated a Zoning Map of the Cotopaxi National Park complying with parameters established within Ministerial Agreement 010; in addition and the use of cartography on a scale of 1:5000. One of the problems after the establishment and declaration of a Protected Area is the lack of knowledge of the physical limit, which has generated a problem regarding the advance of the agricultural frontier. Another important factor that affects is the use of large scales (1:200,000) do not allow a real location of milestones, signs or trails. These problems are related to the differences between the limits established in the declarations of protected areas, with the existing cartography and the real limits in the territory; This generates conflicts, making their management and conservation difficult. At present, with the advancement of technology, it is a matter of correcting inconsistencies in limits when declaring Protected Areas. The main objective of our project was based on the analysis of the change in land use due to the advance of the agricultural frontier, for which a drone was used that allowed obtaining the geographic information and collecting the necessary data for the generation of the map, in addition Favorable weather conditions were prioritized for the flight. PIX4D software was used to process the images obtained. Through the study carried out, it was possible to observe that the Protected Area has a protection zone of 90.43%, thus fulfilling the objectives of the creation of the Protected Area, in terms of the area that is under recovery, it covers 4, 99%, after the generation of this zoning map, it is intended that this area decrease the percentage of surface affected by uncontrolled activities as there is no proper prior zoning

Radionuclides in arctic marine macroalgae from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard)

Seaweeds are known to be useful environmental bioindicators since they bioaccumulate radioisotopes at very low environmental concentrations. Levels of natural radionuclides in six ecologically relevant brown and red seaweed species from Arctic coasts (Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Islands) were analysed in the present study, in order to characterise the levels of natural radioactivity in this ecosystem and to compare this with previously published data in coastal areas from other latitudes. Thalli were collected by SCUBA divers at different depths in Hansneset in September 2014 and transported immediately to the laboratory. Young thalli, free from macroscopic epibiota, were dried, powdered and confined in a standard geometry before gamma spectrometry measurements. Then, the radioactivity of 7Be, 40K, 208Tl, 210Pb, 212Pb, 226Ra and 228Ra was measured by high-resolution gamma spectrometry using high-purity germanium detectors for 172800 s. Detectors were calibrated using a traceable multi gamma standard source and results are on a dry weight and fresh weight basis and are decay corrected to the date of sampling. Our results revealed the influence of cosmogenic radionuclides in the intertidal zone, as shown by the unique presence of 7Be in the brown macroalga Fucus distichus, the only analysed species inhabiting the intertidal. High concentrations of 40K were observed in all species, as this is one of the essential elements in biota. Remarkably is the high content of 210Pb in the red seaweeds Phycodrys rubens and Ptilota gunneri, suggesting that these species might possess a higher capacity for heavy metals bioaccumulation than the analysed brown seaweeds

Selective expression of the neurexin substrate for presenilin in the adult forebrain causes deficits in associative memory and presynaptic plasticity

Presenilins (PS) form the active subunit of the gamma-secretase complex, which mediates the proteolytic clearance of a broad variety of type-I plasma membrane proteins. Loss-of-function mutations in PSEN1/2 genes are the leading cause of familial Alzheimer's disease (fAD). However, the PS/gamma-secretase substrates relevant for the neuronal deficits associated with a loss of PS function are not completely known. The members of the neurexin (Nrxn) family of presynaptic plasma membrane proteins are candidates to mediate aspects of the synaptic and memory deficits associated with a loss of PS function. Previous work has shown that fAD-linked PS mutants or inactivation of PS by genetic and pharmacological approaches failed to clear Nrxn C-terminal frag-ments (NrxnCTF), leading to its abnormal accumulation at presynaptic terminals. Here, we generated transgenic mice that selectively recreate the presynaptic accumulation of NrxnCTF in adult forebrain neurons, leaving unaltered the function of PS/gamma-secretase complex towards other substrates. Behavioral characterization identified selective impairments in NrxnCTF mice, including decreased fear-conditioning memory. Electro-physiological recordings in medial prefrontal cortex-basolateral amygdala (mPFC-BLA) of behaving mice showed normal synaptic transmission and uncovered specific defects in synaptic facilitation. These data functionally link the accumulation of NrxnCTF with defects in associative memory and short-term synaptic plasticity, pointing at impaired clearance of NrxnCTF as a new mediator in ADMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RTI2018-101886-B-100)Junta de Andalucía (PY18-823)Junta de Andalucía (P11- CVI-7599)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (BES-2016-076579)Garantía Juvenil contract from Universidad de Sevill

Enhanced anti-tumour immunity requires the interplay between resident and circulating memory CD8(+) T cells

The goal of successful anti-tumoural immunity is the development of long-term protective immunity to prevent relapse. Infiltration of tumours with CD8(+) T cells with a resident memory (Trm) phenotype correlates with improved survival. However, the interplay of circulating CD8(+) T cells and Trm cells remains poorly explored in tumour immunity. Using different vaccination strategies that fine-tune the generation of Trm cells or circulating memory T cells, here we show that, while both subsets are sufficient for anti-tumour immunity, the presence of Trm cells improves anti-tumour efficacy. Transferred central memory T cells (Tcm) generate Trm cells following viral infection or tumour challenge. Anti-PD-1 treatment promotes infiltration of transferred Tcm cells within tumours, improving anti-tumour immunity. Moreover, Batf3-dependent dendritic cells are essential for reactivation of circulating memory anti-tumour response. Our findings show the plasticity, collaboration and requirements for reactivation of memory CD8(+) T cells subsets needed for optimal tumour vaccination and immunotherapy.We are grateful to N. Anandasabapathy, J. Pardo and members of the D.S. lab for discussions and critical reading of the manuscript. We also thank R.A. Mota for the contribution to the development of animal models. We thank the CNIC facilities, personnel and to K. McCreath for editorial assistance. We are indebted to all the scientists who have shared reagents with us, as indicated in Methods. M.E. is the recipient of a CNIC International PhD Programme fellowship `La Caixa'-Severo Ochoa, 2013 Call (OSLC-CNIC-2013-04). S.I. is funded by grant SAF2015-74561-JIN. I. M. is supported by Asociacion Espanola contra el Cancer and Fundacion BBVA. A.H. is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MEIC) and European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER) (SAF2015-65607-R). D.S. lab is funded by the MEIC and FEDER (SAF-2013-42920-R and SAF-2016-79040-R), and the Fondation ACTERIA. D.S. and I. M. lab are funded by the European Commission (635122-PRO-CROP H2020). D.S. and A.H. lab are funded by the CNIC. The CNIC is supported by the MEIC and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505).S

Effect of rare earth additions on the critical resolved shear stresses of magnesium alloys

An inverse optimization strategy based on crystal plasticity finite element simulations of polycrystals was used to obtain the critical resolved shear stresses of two Mg?1%Mn alloys containing neodymium from macroscopic experimental data. It was found that, with respect to pure Mg, the presence of Nd increases the CRSSbasal, CRSStwinning, and the CRSSbasal/CRSStwinning ratio and decreases the CRSSnon-basal/CRSStwinning ratio. Additions of neodymium as high as 1 wt% result in similar CRSSs values for all deformation modes and, thus, in an isotropic yielding behavior

Subfunctionalization of Paralog Transcription Factors Contributes to Regulation of Alkaloid Pathway Branch Choice in Catharanthus roseus

Catharanthus roseus produces a diverse range of specialized metabolites of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) class in a heavily branched pathway. Recent great progress in identification of MIA biosynthesis genes revealed that the different pathway branch genes are expressed in a highly cell type- and organ-specific and stress-dependent manner. This implies a complex control by specific transcription factors (TFs), only partly revealed today. We generated and mined a comprehensive compendium of publicly available C. roseus transcriptome data for MIA pathway branch-specific TFs. Functional analysis was performed through extensive comparative gene expression analysis and profiling of over 40 MIA metabolites in the C. roseus flower petal expression system. We identified additional members of the known BIS and ORCA regulators. Further detailed study of the ORCA TFs suggests subfunctionalization of ORCA paralogs in terms of target gene-specific regulation and synergistic activity with the central jasmonate response regulator MYC2. Moreover, we identified specific amino acid residues within the ORCA DNA-binding domains that contribute to the differential regulation of some MIA pathway branches. Our results advance our understanding of TF paralog specificity for which, despite the common occurrence of closely related paralogs in many species, comparative studies are scarce.</jats:p

The desegregating effect of school tracking

This paper makes the following point: “detracking” schools, that is preventing them from allocating students to classes according to their ability, may lead to an increase in income residential segregation. It does so in a simple model where households care about the school peer group of their children. If ability and income are positively correlated, tracking implies that some high income households face the choice of either living in the areas where most of the other high income households live and having their child assigned to the low track, or instead living in lower income neighbourhoods where their child would be in the high track. Under mild conditions, tracking leads to an equilibrium with partial income desegregation where perfect income segregation would be the only stable outcome without tracking

Gcn5 facilitates Pol II progression, rather than recruitment to nucleosome-depleted stress promoters, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

In the fission yeast, the MAP kinase Sty1 and the transcription factor Atf1 regulate up to 400 genes in response to environmental signals, and both proteins have been shown to bind to their promoters in a stress-dependent manner. In a genetic search, we have isolated the histone H3 acetyltransferase Gcn5, a component of the SAGA complex, as being essential for oxidative stress survival and activation of those genes. Upon stress, Gcn5 is recruited to promoters and coding sequences of stress genes in a Sty1- and Atf1-dependent manner, causing both an enhanced acetylation of histone H3 and nucleosome eviction. Unexpectedly, recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is not impaired in Δgcn5 cells. We show here that stress genes display a 400-bp long nucleosome depleted region upstream of the transcription start site even prior to activation. Stress treatment does not alter promoter nucleosome architecture, but induces eviction of the downstream nucleosomes at stress genes, which is not observed in Δgcn5 cells. We conclude that, while Pol II is recruited to nucleosome-free stress promoters in a transcription factor dependent manner, Gcn5 mediates eviction of nucleosomes positioned downstream of promoters, allowing efficient Pol II progression along the genes

High incidence of clinical fragility fractures in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis. A case-control study.

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of clinical fragility fractures in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and analyze risk factors for fracture. Methods: Incidence of clinical fragility fractures in 330 postmenopausal women with RA was compared to that of a control population of 660 age-matched postmenopausal Spanish women. Clinical fractures during the previous five years were recorded. We analyzed associations with risk factors for fracture in both populations and with disease-related variables in RA patients. Results: Median age of RA patients was 64 years; median RA duration was eight years. Sixty-nine percent were in remission or on low activity. Eighty-five percent had received glucocorticoids (GCs); 85 %, methotrexate; and 40 %, ≥1 biologic DMARD. Fifty-four patients and 47 controls had ≥1 major osteoporotic fracture (MOF). Incidence of MOFs was 3.55 per 100 patient-year in patients and 0.72 in controls (HR: 2.6). Risk factors for MOFs in RA patients were age, previous fracture, parental hip fracture, years since menopause, BMD, erosions, disease activity and disability, and cumulative dose of GCs. Previous fracture in RA patients was a strong risk for MOFs (HR: 10.37). Conclusion: Of every 100 postmenopausal Spanish women with RA, 3-4 have a MOF per year. This is more than double that of the general population. A previous fracture poses a high risk for a new fracture. Other classic risk factors for fracture, RA disease activity and disability, and the cumulative dose of GCs are associated with fracture development

Non-productive angiogenesis disassembles Aß plaque-associated blood vessels

The human Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain accumulates angiogenic markers but paradoxically, the cerebral microvasculature is reduced around Aß plaques. Here we demonstrate that angiogenesis is started near Aß plaques in both AD mouse models and human AD samples. However, endothelial cells express the molecular signature of non-productive angiogenesis (NPA) and accumulate, around Aß plaques, a tip cell marker and IB4 reactive vascular anomalies with reduced NOTCH activity. Notably, NPA induction by endothelial loss of presenilin, whose mutations cause familial AD and which activity has been shown to decrease with age, produced a similar vascular phenotype in the absence of Aß pathology. We also show that Aß plaque-associated NPA locally disassembles blood vessels, leaving behind vascular scars, and that microglial phagocytosis contributes to the local loss of endothelial cells. These results define the role of NPA and microglia in local blood vessel disassembly and highlight the vascular component of presenilin loss of function in AD