ADAR enzyme and miRNA story: A nucleotide that can make the difference

Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes convert adenosine (A) to inosine (I) in double-stranded (ds) RNAs. Since Inosine is read as Guanosine, the biological consequence of ADAR enzyme activity is an A/G conversion within RNA molecules. A-to-I editing events can occur on both coding and non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), which are small regulatory RNAs of ~20-23 nucleotides that regulate several cell processes by annealing to target mRNAs and inhibiting their translation. Both miRNA precursors and mature miRNAs undergo A-to-I RNA editing, affecting the miRNA maturation process and activity. ADARs can also edit 3' UTR of mRNAs, further increasing the interplay between mRNA targets and miRNAs. In this review, we provide a general overview of the ADAR enzymes and their mechanisms of action as well as miRNA processing and function. We then review the more recent findings about the impact of ADAR-mediated activity on the miRNA pathway in terms of biogenesis, target recognition, and gene expression regulation

A first analysis of excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020.

To quantify excess all-cause mortality in Switzerland in 2020, a key indicator for assessing direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using official data on deaths in Switzerland, all-cause mortality in 2020 was compared with that of previous years using directly standardized mortality rates, age- and sex-specific mortality rates, and life expectancy. The standardized mortality rate was 8.8% higher in 2020 than in 2019, returning to the level observed 5-6 years before, around the year 2015. This increase was greater for men (10.6%) than for women (7.2%) and was statistically significant only for men over 70 years of age, and for women over 75 years of age. The decrease in life expectancy in 2020 compared to 2019 was 0.7%, with a loss of 9.7 months for men and 5.3 months for women. There was an excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as this excess only concerned the elderly, the resulting loss of life expectancy was restricted to a few months, bringing the mortality level back to 2015

Mortality in Switzerland in 2021.

To analyze mortality trends in Switzerland in 2021, the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, we compared mortality in Switzerland in 2021 with that of previous years in terms of standardized weekly deaths, standardized (annual) mortality rates (overall and stratified by age and sex) and life expectancy. The latter is a well-known demographic concept defining the average lifespan of a hypothetical cohort living and dying according to the mortality rates of a given year. After a favorable first half of the year and a fairly standard second half in terms of mortality in Switzerland, the year 2021 ended with a wave of deaths of moderate intensity related to the 5th wave of COVID-19. Overall, and after a notable increase in mortality in 2020 (+9.2%, 95%CI: +8.0%; +10.3%, compared to 2019, and +5.1%, 95%CI: +4.3%; +6.0%, compared to 2015-19), the pre-pandemic mortality level was approximately recovered in 2021 (+0.8%, 95%CI: -0.3%; +0.8%, compared to 2019, and -2.9%, 95%CI: -3.7%; -2.2%, compared to 2015-19). Life expectancy, after declining by 10 months for men and 6 months for women in 2020 (i.e. men would have lost 10 months and women 6 months had they lived their entire lives with COVID-19 as it was in 2020), returned in 2021 to 2019 levels for women (85.6 years) and regained 2018 levels for men (81.6 years, still -0.3 years from 2019). The age group responsible for the small remaining loss for men was the 50-70 age group, which had similar mortality in 2020 and 2021. The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland was characterized by an approximate return to pre-pandemic mortality levels, with a faster recovery for women than for men with respect to 2020

Dynamics of two coupled vortices in a spin valve nanopillar excited by spin transfer torque

We investigate the dynamics of two coupled vortices driven by spin transfer. We are able to independently control with current and perpendicular field, and to detect, the respective chiralities and polarities of the two vortices. For current densities above $J=5.7*10^7 A/cm^2$, a highly coherent signal (linewidth down to 46 kHz) can be observed, with a strong dependence on the relative polarities of the vortices. It demonstrates the interest of using coupled dynamics in order to increase the coherence of the microwave signal. Emissions exhibit a linear frequency evolution with perpendicular field, with coherence conserved even at zero magnetic field

Sistemas Agroflorestais - SAF's.

Esta cartilha foi feita com o objetivo de divulgar informações referentes à pesquisa sobre os sistemas agroflorestais, mais conhecidos como SAFs, que são utilizados como uma das soluções para a recuperação de áreas degradadas.bitstream/item/56008/1/doc135-sistemas-agroflorestais.pd

Impacts of forestation on water and soils in the Andes: What do we know?

POLICY BRIEF: This brief summarizes the findings of a systematic review on the impacts of forestation on water and soils in the Andes (detailed in Bonnesoeur et al., 2019). For each finding, we report the confidence level in the evidence found in the literature reviewed. Forestation impacts on water supply, hydrological regulation and soil erosion. The results of the synthesis also helped identify research gaps, which are described at the end

Improved spectral stability in spin transfer nano-oscillators: single vortex versus coupled vortices dynamics

We perform a comparative study of spin transfer induced excitation of the gyrotropic motion of a vortex core with either uniform or vortex spin polarizers. The microwave output voltage associated with the vortex dynamics, detected in both cases, displays a strong reduction of phase fluctuations in the case of the vortex polarizer, with a decrease of the peak linewidth by one order of magnitude down to 200kHz at zero field. A thorough study of rf emission features for the different accessible vortex configurations shows that this improvement is related to the excitation of coupled vortex dynamics by spin transfer torques