Xatbots a l'aula: disseny, implementació i prova d'un xatbot com a eina de suport al professorat i alumnat per a una unitat didàctica de Tecnologia de 3r d'ESO

Els xatbots en l'entorn educatiu proporcionen noves oportunitats de suport a l'aprenentatge. Tot i això, hi ha poques experiències d'aplicació d'aquesta tecnologia a aules d'educació secundària. En aquest TFM es pretén dissenyar i implementar un xatbot per a ajudar en l'aprenentatge d'una unitat didàctica de l'assignatura de Tecnologia de 3r d'ESO. Primerament, es mostraran i proposaran exemples de possibles usos de xatbots en entorns educatius. A partir d'aquests usos, es triarà el més adient per a ser desenvolupat i provat en el centre de pràctiques i s'escollirà la unitat didàctica del temari de Tecnologia de 3r d'ESO on s'ubicarà el xatbot. A continuació, es farà un anàlisi de les tecnologies actuals per a crear bots, i s'escollirà la plataforma més idònia per a crear el xatbot, la qual ha de permetre un ús intuïtiu i pràctic pels alumnes, i també ha de ser senzilla per a que un professorat sense coneixements d'informàtica pugui modificar i evolucionar el bot. Tot seguit, es farà una proposta de disseny de xatbot per a la unitat didàctica escollida i se n'implementarà un prototip. Per acabar, es provarà el prototip desenvolupat amb el mentor del centre de pràctiques, i si és possible s'escollirà un grup d'alumnes per a que el testegin

Chemodiversity of dissolved organic matter in the Amazon Basin

Regions in the Amazon Basin have been associated with specific biogeochemical processes, but a detailed chemical classification of the abundant and ubiquitous dissolved organic matter (DOM), beyond specific indicator compounds and bulk measurements, has not yet been established. We sampled water from different locations in the Negro, Madeira/Jamari and Tapajós River areas to characterize the molecular DOM composition and distribution. Ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) combined with excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) revealed a large proportion of ubiquitous DOM but also unique area-specific molecular signatures. Unique to the DOM of the Rio Negro area was the large abundance of high molecular weight, diverse hydrogen-deficient and highly oxidized molecular ions deviating from known lignin or tannin compositions, indicating substantial oxidative processing of these ultimately plant-derived polyphenols indicative of these black waters. In contrast, unique signatures in the Madeira/Jamari area were defined by presumably labile sulfur- and nitrogen-containing molecules in this white water river system. Waters from the Tapajós main stem did not show any substantial unique molecular signatures relative to those present in the Rio Madeira and Rio Negro, which implied a lower organic molecular complexity in this clear water tributary, even after mixing with the main stem of the Amazon River. Beside ubiquitous DOM at average H ∕ C and O ∕ C elemental ratios, a distinct and significant unique DOM pool prevailed in the black, white and clear water areas that were also highly correlated with EEM-PARAFAC components and define the frameworks for primary production and other aspects of aquatic life

The importance of plants for methane emission at the ecosystem scale

Methane (CH4), one of the key long-lived atmospheric greenhouse gases, is primarily produced from organic matter. Accordingly, net primary production of organic matter sets the boundaries for CH4 emissions. Plants, being dominant primary producers, are thereby indirectly sustaining most global CH4 emissions, albeit with delays in time and with spatial offsets between plant primary production and subsequent CH4 emission. In addition, plant communities can enhance or hamper ecosystem production, oxidation, and transport of CH4 in multiple ways, e.g., by shaping carbon, nutrient, and redox gradients, and by representing a physical link be-tween zones with extensive CH4 production in anoxic sediments or soils and the atmosphere. This review focuses on how plants and other primary producers influence CH4 emissions with the consequences at ecosystem scales. We outline mechanisms of interactions and discuss flux regulation, quantification, and knowledge gaps across multiple ecosystem examples. Some recently proposed plant-related ecosystem CH4 fluxes are difficult to reconcile with the global atmospheric CH4 budget and the enigmas related to these fluxes are highlighted. Overall, ecosystem CH4 emissions are strongly linked to primary producer communities, directly or indirectly, and properly quantifying magnitudes and regulation of these links are key to predicting future CH4 emissions in a rapidly changing world.Funding Agencies|European Research Council (ERC) [725546]; Swedish Research Councils VR [2016-04829]; Formas [2018- 01794, 2018-00570]; ERC H2020 [851181]; Helmholtz Impulse and Networking Fund; UK NERC [NE/J010928/1, NE/N015606/1]; AXA Research Fund [426]; Royal Society; Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship [DH160111]; Swedish Research Council Formas [2021-02429]</p

ROCK1 is a novel Rac1 effector to regulate tubular endocytic membrane formation during clathrin-independent endocytosis

Clathrin-dependent and -independent pathways contribute for β1-integrin endocytosis. This study defines a tubular membrane clathrin-independent endocytic network, induced with the calmodulin inhibitor W13, for β1-integrin internalization. This pathway is dependent on increased phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) levels and dynamin activity at the plasma membrane. Exogenous addition of PI(4,5)P2 or phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP5K) expression mimicked W13-generated-tubules which are inhibited by active Rac1. Therefore, the molecular mechanisms downstream of Rac1, that controls this plasma membrane tubulation, were analyzed biochemically and by the expression of different Rac1 mutants. The results indicate that phospholipase C and ROCK1 are the main Rac1 effectors that impair plasma membrane invagination and tubule formation, essentially by decreasing PI(4,5)P2 levels and promoting cortical actomyosin assembly respectively. Interestingly, among the plethora of proteins that participate in membrane remodeling, this study revealed that ROCK1, the well-known downstream RhoA effector, has an important role in Rac1 regulation of actomyosin at the cell cortex. This study provides new insights into Rac1 functioning on plasma membrane dynamics combining phosphatidylinositides and cytoskeleton regulation

Structure and function of methanogenic microbial communities in temporarily inundated soils of the Amazon rainforest (Cunia Reserve, Rondonia).

The floodplain of the Amazon River is a large source for the greenhouse gas methane, but the soil microbial communities and processes involved are little known. We studied the structure and function of the methanogenic microbial communities in soils across different inundation regimes in the Cunia Reserve, encompassing nonflooded forest soil (dry forest), occasionally flooded Igapo soils (dry Igapo), long time flooded Igapo soils (wet Igapo) and sediments from Igarape streams (Igarape). We also investigated a Transect (four sites) from the water shoreline into the dry forest. The potential and resilience of the CH4 production process were studied in the original soil samples upon anaerobic incubation and again after artificial desiccation and rewetting. Bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes and methanogenic mcrA were always present in the soils, except in dry forest soils where mcrA increased only upon anaerobic incubation. NMDS analysis showed a clear effect of desiccation and rewetting treatments on both bacterial and archaeal communities. However, the effects of the different sites were less pronounced, with the exception of Igarape. After anaerobic incubation, methanogenic taxa became more abundant among the Archaea, while there was only little change among the Bacteria. Contribution of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was usually around 40%. After desiccation and rewetting, we found that Firmicutes, Methanocellales and Methanosarcinaceae became the dominant taxa, but rates and pathways of CH4 production stayed similar. Such change was also observed in soils from the Transects. The results indicate that microbial community structures of Amazonian soils will in general be strongly affected by flooding and drainage events, while differences between specific field sites will be comparatively minor.Funding Agencies|CNPq; CAPES; FAPERJ; Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; STINT Sweden [2012-2085]; Swedish Research Council [2012-00048]; ERC METLAKE [2017-2021]</p

Large emissions from floodplain trees close the Amazon methane budget

Wetlands are the largest global source of atmospheric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. However, methane emission inventories from the Amazon floodplain, the largest natural geographic source of CH4 in the tropics, consistently underestimate the atmospheric burden of CH4 determined via remote sensing and inversion modelling, pointing to a major gap in our understanding of the contribution of these ecosystems to CH4 emissions. Here we report CH4 fluxes from the stems of 2,357 individual Amazonian floodplain trees from 13 locations across the central Amazon basin. We find that escape of soil gas through wetland trees is the dominant source of regional CH4 emissions. Methane fluxes from Amazon tree stems were up to 200 times larger than emissions reported for temperate wet forests6 and tropical peat swamp forests, representing the largest non-ebullitive wetland fluxes observed. Emissions from trees had an average stable carbon isotope value (δ13C) of −66.2 ± 6.4 per mil, consistent with a soil biogenic origin. We estimate that floodplain trees emit 15.1 ± 1.8 to 21.2 ± 2.5 teragrams of CH4 a year, in addition to the 20.5 ± 5.3 teragrams a year emitted regionally from other sources. Furthermore, we provide a ‘top-down’ regional estimate of CH4 emissions of 42.7 ± 5.6 teragrams of CH4 a year for the Amazon basin, based on regular vertical lower-troposphere CH4 profiles covering the period 2010–2013. We find close agreement between our ‘top-down’ and combined ‘bottom-up’ estimates, indicating that large CH4 emissions from trees adapted to permanent or seasonal inundation can account for the emission source that is required to close the Amazon CH4 budget. Our findings demonstrate the importance of tree stem surfaces in mediating approximately half of all wetland CH4 emissions in the Amazon floodplain, a region that represents up to one-third of the global wetland CH4 source when trees are combined with other emission sources

Mitochondrial dysfunction governs immunometabolism in leukocytes of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Background & aims: Patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) present a systemic hyperinflammatory response associated with increased circulating levels of small-molecule metabolites. To investigate whether these alterations reflect inadequate cell energy output, we assessed mitochondrial morphology and central metabolic pathways with emphasis on the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in peripheral leukocytes from patients with acutely decompensated (AD) cirrhosis, with and without ACLF. Methods: The study included samples from patients with AD cirrhosis (108 without and 128 with ACLF) and 41 healthy individuals. Leukocyte mitochondrial ultrastructure was visualized by transmission electron microscopy and cytosolic and mitochondrial metabolic fluxes were determined by assessing NADH/FADH2 production from various substrates. Plasma GDF15 and FGF21 were determined by Luminex and acylcarnitines by LC-MS/MS. Gene expression was analyzed by RNA-sequencing and PCR-based glucose metabolism profiler array. Results: Mitochondrial ultrastructure in patients with advanced cirrhosis was distinguished by cristae rarefication and swelling. The number of mitochondria per leukocyte was higher in patients, accompanied by a reduction in their size. Increased FGF21 and C6:0- and C8:0-carnitine predicted mortality whereas GDF15 strongly correlated with a gene set signature related to leukocyte activation. Metabolic flux analyses revealed increased energy production in mononuclear leukocytes from patients with preferential involvement of extra-mitochondrial pathways, supported by upregulated expression of genes encoding enzymes of the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways. In patients with ACLF, mitochondrial function analysis uncovered break-points in the TCA cycle at the isocitrate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase level, which were bridged by anaplerotic reactions involving glutaminolysis and nucleoside metabolism. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence at the cellular, organelle and biochemical levels that severe mitochondrial dysfunction governs immunometabolism in leukocytes from patients with AD cirrhosis and ACLF. Lay summary: Patients at advanced stages of liver disease have dismal prognosis due to vital organ failures and the lack of treatment options. In this study, we report that the functioning of mitochondria, which are known as the cell powerhouse, is severely impaired in leukocytes of these patients, probably as a consequence of intense inflammation. Mitochondrial dysfunction is therefore a hallmark of advanced liver disease

Ancient dental calculus preserves signatures of biofilm succession and interindividual variation independent of dental pathology

Dental calculus preserves oral microbes, enabling comparative studies of the oral microbiome and health through time. However, small sample sizes and limited dental health metadata have hindered health-focused investigations to date. Here, we investigate the relationship between tobacco pipe smoking and dental calculus microbiomes. Dental calculus from 75 individuals fromthe 19th century Middenbeemster skeletal collection (Netherlands) were analyzed by metagenomics. Demographic and dental health parameters were systematically recorded, including the presence/number of pipe notches. Comparative data sets fromEuropean populations before and after the introduction of tobaccowere also analyzed. Calculus species profileswere comparedwith oral pathology to examine associations between microbiome community, smoking behavior, and oral health status. The Middenbeemster individuals exhibited relatively poor oral health,with a high prevalence of periodontal disease, caries, heavy calculus deposits, and antemortem tooth loss. No associations between pipe notches and dental pathologies, or microbial species composition,were found. Calculus samples before and after the introduction of tobacco showed highly similar species profiles. Observed interindividual microbiome differences were consistent with previously described variation in human populations from the Upper Paleolithic to the present. Dental calculus may not preserve microbial indicators of health and disease status as distinctly as dental plaque