Structural and biochemical insights of CypA and AIF interaction

The Cyclophilin A (CypA)/Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF) complex is implicated in the DNA degradation in response to various cellular stress conditions, such as oxidative stress, cerebral hypoxia-ischemia and traumatic brain injury. The pro-apoptotic form of AIF (AIF(Δ1-121)) mainly interacts with CypA through the amino acid region 370-394. The AIF(370-394) synthetic peptide inhibits complex formation in vitro by binding to CypA and exerts neuroprotection in a model of glutamate-mediated oxidative stress. Here, the binding site of AIF(Δ1-121) and AIF(370-394) on CypA has been mapped by NMR spectroscopy and biochemical studies, and a molecular model of the complex has been proposed. We show that AIF(370-394) interacts with CypA on the same surface recognized by AIF(Δ1-121) protein and that the region is very close to the CypA catalytic pocket. Such region partially overlaps with the binding site of cyclosporin A (CsA), the strongest catalytic inhibitor of CypA. Our data point toward distinct CypA structural determinants governing the inhibitor selectivity and the differential biological effects of AIF and CsA, and provide new structural insights for designing CypA/AIF selective inhibitors with therapeutic relevance in neurodegenerative diseases

Banking in California: Some Evidence on Structure, 1878-1905

Doti’s thesis explains the contribution of state banks to nineteenth century financial history in the United States

Review of \u3cem\u3eCreditworthy: A History of Consumer Surveillance and Financial Identity in America\u3c/em\u3e

A book review of Josh Lauer\u27s Creditworthy: A History of Consumer Surveillance and Financial Identity in America

Spanish California Missions: An Economic Success

Starting in 1769, the Spanish established missions in Alta California. A small band of soldiers, Franciscan priests and volunteers walked from Baja California to San Francisco Bay through semi-arid, scarcely populated land stopping occasionally to establish a location for a religious community. Usually two priests, a few soldiers and a few Indians from Baja California settled at the spot. Their only resources for starting an economy were themselves, a few animals and a nearby source of water. They attracted the local Indians to join the community and perform the work necessary to create a strong economy. After only a few years, the missions were almost entirely self-sufficient, and offered reliable supplies of food, clothing and housing to the inhabitants. By 1790, some of these missions had a population of more than a thousand people, including a handful of priests and soldiers. While there were many negative aspects of mission life, virtually all the coastal Native Californians willingly joined the missions and stayed. Their continually increasing skills and trade with military outposts and passing ships created the economic success of the mission

Polarons in P3HT: unravelling vibrational fingerprints of ordered and disordered doped phases in solids and solutions. IR and Raman study of the polymers and oligomers

LAUREA MAGISTRALELa comprensione del meccanismo di doping nei polimeri coniugati riveste un'importanza fondamentale per ottimizzare le loro proprietà di trasporto elettronico. Questo lavoro si focalizza sullo studio del processo di doping del polimero regioregolare poli(3-esiltiofene-2,5-diyl), noto come P3HT, utilizzando iodio e F4TCNQ come droganti, sia in soluzione che attraverso l'esposizione ai vapori di iodio. Il processo di doping in soluzione è stato condotto controllando il rapporto molare dell'agente dopante. La spettroscopia vibrazionale, sia infrarossa (IR) che Raman, è stata utilizzata come strumento per investigare il meccanismo di doping. I dati spettrali vibrazionali acquisiti rivelano l'interazione tra il P3HT e il dopante, mostrando significative differenze quando il sistema è in soluzione o in forma solida. Questa osservazione ha portato all'identificazione di diverse caratteristiche finora sconosciute del processo di doping, contribuendo a una comprensione più approfondita del meccanismo. Inoltre, questo lavoro si concentra sulla caratterizzazione e lo studio dei differenti difetti di carica che possono essere presenti nei sistemi di P3HT dopati: fasi polaroniche ordinate e disordinate e complessi a trasferimento di carica. Poiché il nostro obiettivo è uno studio approfondito del processo di doping, sono stati condotti diversi esperimenti aggiuntivi che coinvolgono molecole modello (oligomeri P3HT) e due polimeri diversi (P3HT regio-random e P3DT), che consentono di comprendere il ruolo del backbone del polimero e delle catene alchiliche nel processo di doping.Understanding the doping mechanism in conjugated polymers is of high importance for optimizing their electronic transport properties. In this work we delve into the study of the doping process of regioregular poly(3-hexyltiophene-2,5-diyl), or P3HT, with iodine and F4TCNQ, both in solution and through exposure to iodine vapours. The doping process in solution was carried out controlling the molar ratio of the dopant agent. Vibrational spectroscopy, both IR and Raman, is used as a tool to investigate the doping mechanism. The acquired vibrational spectra reveal the interaction between P3HT and the dopant showing significant differences when the system is in solution or in solid film. This observation led to the identification of several, and so far unknown features of the doping process, contributing to a richer comprehension of the mechanism. Moreover, this work focuses on the characterization and study of the different charged defects that can be present in doped P3HT systems: ordered and disordered polaron phases and charge transfer complexes. Since our aim is a deep study of the doping process several additional experiments were conducted involving model molecules (P3HT oligomers) and two different polymers (regiorandom P3HT and P3DT), which allow to understand the role of the backbone and of the alkyl side chains in the doping

Nationwide Branching: Some Lessons from California

California provides a case study of a large and diverse geographic area with few restrictions on branch banking. In spite of the lack of restrictions, branching occurred primarily in two periods, the 1920\u27s and 1960\u27s. Large banks took over smaller banks during these periods, but, particularly in the 1960\u27s, new banks opened to fill the gap. Branching without limitation did not result in a few banks dominating the market

Banking in Orange County: Early Years

This article explores the beginnings of banking in Orange County

Review of Frances Dinkelspiel\u27s Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California

A review of Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California

The Impact of Vaccinations on COVID-19 Case Rates at the State Level

This study uses a stepwise regression model to measure the efficacy of vaccination in reducing COVID-19 case rates through 8/10/21. In order to hold other covariants constant, variables like density, poverty, and governmental stringency were also included in the regression tests. The statistical results rigorously show that higher vaccination rates led to significantly lower COVID-19 case rates at the state level. A simulation is presented that estimates the cumulative COVID-19 case rate had vaccinations not been available. With respect to the other variables tested, density was significant in positively affecting case rates in 2021 after not being significant in the last half of 2020. Poverty rates were significant during all periods tested in the study. Surprisingly, governmental stringency as measured by the Oxford Stringency Index was not found significant in reducing COVID-19 case rates in 2021. Finally, no significant evidence of herd immunity was found in 2021