Multiple cotrols of community structure and dynamics in a sublittoral marine environment

The structure and dynamics of ecological communities can be determined by both top‐down (e.g., predation) and bottom‐up (e.g., energy inputs) processes, which can act synergistically and across spatial and temporal scales. Here we aimed at understanding the role of multiple controls in a Mediterranean rocky sublittoral marine community that harbors a diverse algal community and strongly interacting herbivores, and which is subject to marked seasonality in energy inputs. We conducted an experiment by manipulating densities of the major consumers of benthic algae (fishes and sea urchins) in ∼100‐m2 enclosures in a marine reserve, and monitored algal assemblages over two and a half years. Most algae showed a marked annual cycle, with a biomass peak in late spring/summer and low biomass in winter, following seasonal fluctuations in resource availability, indicating the existence of bottom‐up processes. Sea urchins reduced the abundance of most algal species, indicating the existence of top‐down processes. The effect of fish grazing on algal abundances was significantly weaker. Sea urchin grazing was inhibited when predatory fish were present. Multivariate analysis showed that the interaction between seasonal resource inputs and herbivory induced the formation of algal assemblages characterized by different species abundances. The organization of algal assemblages was determined by the synergistic interaction between top‐down and bottom‐up processes: top‐down control regulated total algal abundance, while bottom‐up control determined seasonal fluctuations

Test situacional para el diagnóstico de competencias socioemocionales

En la presente comunicación se recoge el proceso de validación, en concreto la fiabilidad a partir de la prueba psicométrica Test-retest, del Test Situacional de Competencias Socioemocionales, creado por el grupo de investigación Grup de Recerca en Infància i Adolescència en Risc Social (IARS) (Sala, Filella, Oriol, Ros, Secanilla y Rodríguez, 2015). Este test permite medir seis competencias socioemocionales en jóvenes entre 12 y 18 años (autoestima, asertividad, comprensión de sí mismo, autorregulación, empatía y regulación emocionales de los demás), a través de sus respuestas a una serie de situaciones presentadas en 5 historias breves. Para la comprobación de la estabilidad temporal se cuenta con una muestra de 106 alumnos y alumnas de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Los resultados muestran correlación entre todos los componentes de la escala, así como en los resultados de la escala global. Se detectan algunas dificultades en el componente asertividad que hacen necesaria la continuación del trabajo en la validación del test

Indicadores de impacto de los sistemas de protección

El desarrollo de un sistema de indicadores para para medir de forma sistemática el impacto que tienen las políticas de protección en los niños y jóvenes tutelados se presenta como un proceso necesario para analizar la intervención. Se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica de los sistemas nacionales establecidos y de las investigaciones internacionales con el objetivo de localizar los indicadores que se usan para evaluar el impacto de las políticas. Se presentan algunos de los indicadores más relevantes organizados por ámbitos con la finalidad de mostrar la necesidad de desarrollar un sistema de indicadores propio estable en el tiempo

Benchmarking recombinant Pichia pastoris for 3-hydroxypropionic acid production from glycerol

The use of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffi) to produce heterologous proteins has been largely reported. However, investigations addressing the potential of this yeast to produce bulk chemicals are still scarce. In this study, we have studied the use of P. pastoris as a cell factory to produce the commodity chemical 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) from glycerol. 3-HP is a chemical platform which can be converted into acrylic acid and to other alternatives to petroleum-based products. To this end, the mcr gene from Chloroflexus aurantiacus was introduced into P. pastoris. This single modification allowed the production of 3-HP from glycerol through the malonyl-CoA pathway. Further enzyme and metabolic engineering modifications aimed at increasing cofactor and metabolic precursors availability allowed a 14-fold increase in the production of 3-HP compared to the initial strain. The best strain (PpHP6) was tested in a fed-batch culture, achieving a final concentration of 3-HP of 24.75 g l−1, a product yield of 0.13 g g−1 and a volumetric productivity of 0.54 g l−1 h−1, which, to our knowledge, is the highest volumetric productivity reported in yeast. These results benchmark P. pastoris as a promising platform to produce bulk chemicals for the revalorization of crude glycerol and, in particular, to produce 3-HP

Paraneoplastic dermatomyositis associated with urothelial cancer: report of a case and systematic review of the literature

BackgroundThe idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a collection of autoimmune diseases that have a substantial impact on the entire body and include conditions such as dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), sporadic inclusion body myositis, and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy. These disorders are characterized by symptoms such as muscular weakness, pain, and dermal rash. This systematic review is intended to explore the potential link between bladder cancer and DM/PM.MethodsWe performed a comprehensive systematic search on PubMed and Scopus until August 2022 to identify relevant research studies. The studies that met our inclusion criteria focused on patients with urinary bladder cancer and dermatomyositis, and/or polymyositis.ResultsThe patients’ median age was 65.5 years (47–79), with the majority being male (15, 39.47%). Bladder cancer manifested before PM/DM in 5 (13.15%) patients, while in the majority of cases occurred after the cancer diagnosis. The stage of cancer at the time of the initial PM/DM diagnosis were mostly locally (11/20, 50%).During the first presentation, the patients had a median creatine kinase level of 2227 U/L, ranging between 44 and 10471. In one case, anti-TIF-1γ antibodies were found to be present. Among the cases with reported medical history (20/38), treatment immediately improved DM symptoms in 16 patients(53.8%) and in 3 patients(15%), symptoms of DM resurfaced during the period after the operation. Death was reported in 14 (36.8%) patients.ConclusionIn conclusion, our study provides knowledge and understanding for identifying specific risk factors in patients with the coexistence of bladder cancer and DM/PM and their management. During the initial and follow-up screening, age, gender, and the clinicopathological subgroup of myositis should be considered to ensure proper management of the condition

Large-Scale Assessment of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Effects on Fish Assemblages

Marine protected areas (MPAs) were acknowledged globally as effective tools to mitigate the threats to oceans caused by fishing. Several studies assessed the effectiveness of individual MPAs in protecting fish assemblages, but regional assessments of multiple MPAs are scarce. Moreover, empirical evidence on the role of MPAs in contrasting the propagation of non-indigenous-species (NIS) and thermophilic species (ThS) is missing. We simultaneously investigated here the role of MPAs in reversing the effects of overfishing and in limiting the spread of NIS and ThS. The Mediterranean Sea was selected as study area as it is a region where 1) MPAs are numerous, 2) fishing has affected species and ecosystems, and 3) the arrival of NIS and the northward expansion of ThS took place. Fish surveys were done in well-enforced no-take MPAs (HP), partially-protected MPAs (IP) and fished areas (F) at 30 locations across the Mediterranean. Significantly higher fish biomass was found in HP compared to IP MPAs and F. Along a recovery trajectory from F to HP MPAs, IP were similar to F, showing that just well enforced MPAs triggers an effective recovery. Within HP MPAs, trophic structure of fish assemblages resembled a top-heavy biomass pyramid. Although the functional structure of fish assemblages was consistent among HP MPAs, species driving the recovery in HP MPAs differed among locations: this suggests that the recovery trajectories in HP MPAs are likely to be functionally similar (i.e., represented by predictable changes in trophic groups, especially fish predators), but the specific composition of the resulting assemblages may depend on local conditions. Our study did not show any effect of MPAs on NIS and ThS. These results may help provide more robust expectations, at proper regional scale, about the effects of new MPAs that may be established in the Mediterranean Sea and other ecoregions worldwide

Ciència escolar per als reptes actuals : esculls en el camí i estratègies per superar-los

Per lluitar contra la desafecció envers la ciència escolar i fer-la atractiva per a l'alumnat, la recerca educativa mostra que cal evitar de topar amb alguns esculls: el de tractar-la com a simple informació, el de confondre-la amb formació d'especialistes, el d'ignorar les idees intuïtives del sentit comú, o el de pre-tendre regular-la amb criteris purament científics. En aquest article descriurem algunes vies -potser innovadores- per evitar aquests esculls i fer possible una veritable Activitat Científica Escolar (ACE). És el que estem intentant cada dia a classe, utilitzant el projecte "Ciències 12-15".To combat disaffection with school science and make it attractive to students, educational research shows that it is necessary to avoid collide with some obstacles: to treat it as mere information, to confuse it with specialist training, to ignore the intuitive ideas of common sense, or to try to regulate it with purely scientific criteria. In this paper, we will describe some ways -perhaps innovative- to avoid these pitfalls and to make possible a true School Science Activity (ACE). This is what we are trying to do every day in class, using the "Science 12-15" project.Para luchar contra la desafección hacia la ciencia escolar y hacerla atractiva para el alumnado, la investigación educativa muestra que es necesario evitar algunos escollos: el de tratarla como simple información, el de confundirla con la formación de especialistas, el de ignorar ideas intuitivas del sentido común o el de pretender regularla con criterios puramente científicos. En este artículo describiremos algunas vías -quizá innovadoras- para evitar estos escollos y hacer posible una verdadera Actividad Científica Escolar (ACE). Es lo que estamos intentando cada día en la clase utilizando el proyecto "Ciències 12 - 15"

The structure of Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems across environmental and human gradients, and conservation implications

Historical exploitation of the Mediterranean Sea and the absence of rigorous baselines makes it difficult to evaluate the current health of the marine ecosystems and the efficacy of conservation actions at the ecosystem level. Here we establish the first current baseline and gradient of ecosystem structure of nearshore rocky reefs at the Mediterranean scale. We conducted underwater surveys in 14 marine protected areas and 18 open access sites across the Mediterranean, and across a 31-fold range of fish biomass (from 3.8 to 118 g m22). Our data showed remarkable variation in the structure of rocky reef ecosystems. Multivariate analysis showed three alternative community states: (1) large fish biomass and reefs dominated by non-canopy algae, (2) lower fish biomass but abundant native algal canopies and suspension feeders, and (3) low fish biomass and extensive barrens, with areas covered by turf algae. Our results suggest that the healthiest shallow rocky reef ecosystems in the Mediterranean have both large fish and algal biomass. Protection level and primary production were the only variables significantly correlated to community biomass structure. Fish biomass was significantly larger in well-enforced no-take marine reserves, but there were no significant differences between multi-use marine protected areas (which allow some fishing) and open access areas at the regional scale. The gradients reported here represent a trajectory of degradation that can be used to assess the health of any similar habitat in the Mediterranean, and to evaluate the efficacy of marine protected areas

Guia per integrar la recerca a la docència a la Facultat de Ciències de l'Educació : claus i estratègies d'aplicació

Aquesta guia s'ha desenvolupat en el marc del projecte d'innovació "El nexe docència - recerca en els graus d'educació de la UAB", finançat per la Facultat de Ciències de l'Educació de la UAB (convocatòria 2021), i coordinat per Laura Arnau Sabatés