La formació inicial del mestre en la Facultat d’Educació de la Universitat de les Illes Balears

L’article presenta una anàlisi de l’evolució que, a grans trets, han sofert els diferents plans d’estudis en la formació inicial dels mestres d’educació primària i educació infantil en les darreres dècades, fent una especial menció a com han afectat els canvis de la unificació de l’Espai Europeu d’Educació Superior en la formació dels futurs mestres. Així, es realitza una breu descripció dels plans d’estudis de 1993 i del 2002, per desprès mostrar una fotografia del què ha suposat l’EEES en el món universitari. Finalment, s’exposen els trets més significatius del Grau en Educació Infantil i del Grau en Educació Primària de la Universitat de les Illes Balears

Plant Functional Diversity, Climate and Grazer Type Regulate Soil Activity in Natural Grasslands

Global change modifies vegetation composition in grasslands with shifts in plant functional types (PFT). Although changes in plant community composition imply changes in soil function, this relationship is not well understood. We investigated the relative importance of environmental (climatic, management and soil) variables and plant functional diversity (PFT composition and interactions) on soil activity and fertility along a climatic gradient. We collected samples of soil and PFT biomass (grasses, legumes, and non-legume forbs) in six extensively managed grasslands along a climatic gradient in the Northern Iberian Peninsula. Variation Partitioning Analysis showed that abiotic and management variables explained most of the global variability (96.5%) in soil activity and fertility; soil moisture and grazer type being the best predictors. PFT diversity accounted for 27% of the total variability, mostly in interaction with environmental factors. Diversity-Interaction models applied on each response variable revealed that PFT-evenness and pairwise interactions affected particularly the nitrogen cycle, enhancing microbial biomass nitrogen, dissolved organic nitrogen, total nitrogen, urease, phosphatase, and nitrification potential. Thus, soil activity and fertility were not only regulated by environmental variables, but also enhanced by PFT diversity. We underline that climate change-induced shifts in vegetation composition can alter greenhouse gas—related soil processes and eventually the feedback of the soil to the atmosphere.This work was funded by the Spanish Science Foundation (FECYT) through the projects CAPAS (CGL2010-22378-C03-01), BIOGEI (CGL2013-49142-C2-1-R) and IMAGINE (CGL2017-85490-R). H. Debouk was supported by a FPI fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2011-047009). L. San Emeterio was funded by a Talent Recruitment grant from Obra Social La Caixa—Fundación CAN

Balanç de carboni: els embornals a Catalunya

28 pages, 3 figues, 5 tablesEn aquest capítol es determinen els estocs i els embornals de carboni (C) dels diferents sistemes terrestres i marins. El bosc és el sistema terrestre que manté en estoc més quantitat de carboni per hectàrea, 149,5 Mg Cha−1 (en una proporció vegetació/sòl [v:s] de 60:100). Els prats ocupen la segona posició, amb 121,4 Mg Cha−1 (v:s d ’11:10 0 ), i a continuació trobem els conreus llenyosos i els matollars, amb 104,0 Mg Cha−1 (v:s de 12:100) i 112,1 Mg Cha−1 (v:s de 15:100), respectivament. En la darrera posició, hi ha els conreus herbacis, amb 100,8 Mg Cha−1 (v:s d’1:100). La mar catalana ha anat augmentant l’estoc de carboni des del 1750 fins al 2001, amb un còmput acumulat de 12 Mg Cha−1. Les praderies de fanerògames, que acumulen 330 Mg Cha−1 (en una proporció planta/sediment de 4:100) són molt destacables. Les aigües continentals mantenen 47,9 Mg Cha−1, però una part molt elevada és carboni inorgànic dissolt del sistema carbònic-carbonats, que es calcula que pot ser trenta vegades superior al carboni orgànic. [...]Peer Reviewe

Management and site effects on carbon balances of European mountain meadows and rangelands

We studied carbon balances and carbon stocks of mountain rangelands and meadows in a network of 8 eddy covariance sites and 14 sites with biomass data in Europe. Net ecosystem exchange of pastures and extensively managed semi-natural rangelands were usually close to zero, while meadows fixed carbon, with the exception of one meadow that was established on a drained peatland. When we accounted for off-site losses and inputs also the carbon budget of meadows approached zero. Soil carbon stocks in these ecosystems were high, comparable to those of forest ecosystems, while carbon stocks in plant biomass were smaller. Since soil carbon stocks of abandoned mountain grasslands are as high as in managed ecosystems, it is likely that the widespread abandonment of mountain rangelands used currently as pastures will not lead to an immediate carbon sink in those ecosystems

Axillary lymph node dissection versus radiotherapy in breast cancer with positive sentinelnodes after neoadjuvant therapy (ADARNAT trial)

Introduction: Breast cancer surgery currently focuses on de-escalating treatment without compromising patient survival. Axillary radiotherapy (ART) now replaces axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with limited sentinel lymph node (SLN) involvement during the primary surgery, and this has significantly reduced the incidence of lymphedema without worsening the prognosis. However, patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) cannot benefit from this option despite the low incidence of residual disease in the armpit in most cases. Data regarding the use of radiotherapy instead of ALND in this population are lacking. This study will assess whether ART is non-inferior to ALND in terms of recurrence and overall survival in patients with positive SLN after NST, including whether it reduces surgery-related adverse effects. Methods and analyses: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial will enroll 1660 patients with breast cancer and positive SLNs following NST in approximately 50 Spanish centers over 3 years. Patients will be stratified by NST regimen and nodal involvement (isolated tumoral cells or micrometastasis versus macrometastasis) and randomly assigned 1:1 to ART without ALND (study arm) or ALND alone (control arm). Level 3 and supraclavicular radiotherapy will be added in both arms. The primary outcome is the 5-year axillary recurrence determined by clinical and radiological examination. The secondary outcomes include lymphedema or arm dysfunction, quality of life based (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires), disease-free survival, and overall survival. Discussion: This study aims to provide data to confirm the efficacy and safety of ART over ALND in patients with a positive SLN after NST, together with the impact on morbidity. Ethics and dissemination: The Research Ethics Committee of Bellvitge University Hospital approved this trial (Protocol Record PR148/21, version 3, 1/2/2022) and all patients must provide written informed consent. The involvement of around 50 centers across Spain will facilitate the dissemination of our results

Using linkage studies combined with whole-exome sequencing to identify novel candidate genes for familial colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex disorder for which the majority of the underlying germline predisposition factors remain still unidentified. Here, we combined whole‐exome sequencing (WES) and linkage analysis in families with multiple relatives affected by CRC to identify candidate genes harboring rare variants with potential high‐penetrance effects. Forty‐seven affected subjects from 18 extended CRC families underwent WES. Genome‐wide linkage analysis was performed under linear and exponential models. Suggestive linkage peaks were identified on chromosomes 1q22-q24.2 (maxSNP = rs2134095; LODlinear = 2.38, LODexp = 2.196), 7q31.2-q34 (maxSNP = rs6953296; LODlinear = 2.197, LODexp = 2.149) and 10q21.2-q23.1 (maxSNP = rs1904589; LODlinear = 1.445, LODexp = 2.195). These linkage signals were replicated in 10 independent sets of random markers from each of these regions. To assess the contribution of rare variants predicted to be pathogenic, we performed a family‐based segregation test with 89 rare variants predicted to be deleterious from 78 genes under the linkage intervals. This analysis showed significant segregation of rare variants with CRC in 18 genes (weighted p‐value > 0.0028). Protein network analysis and functional evaluation were used to suggest a plausible candidate gene for germline CRC predisposition. Etiologic rare variants implicated in cancer germline predisposition may be identified by combining traditional linkage with WES data. This approach can be used with already available NGS data from families with several sequenced members to further identify candidate genes involved germline predisposition to disease. This approach resulted in one candidate gene associated with increased risk of CRC but needs evidence from further studies

The stable isotope ecology of terrestrial plant succession

We review the relevance and use of stable isotopes for the study of plant community succession. Stable isotope measurements provide information on the origin of resources acquired by plants, the processes governing resource uptake and transformation, and the physiological and environmental conditions of plant growth. When combined with measurements of the stable isotope ratio values of soil microbial biomass, soil organic matter and plant litter, isotope measurements of plants can indicate effects of successional changes on ecosystem processes. However, their application to questions of plant succession and ecosystem change is limited by the degree to which the underlying assumptions are met in each study, and complementary measures may be required, depending upon the question of interest. First, we discuss the changes that occur in the stable isotope composition of plants and ecosystems with ontogeny and species replacements, as well as their potential evolutionary significance. Second, we discuss the imprints of plant competition and facilitation on leaf and wood tissue, as well as how stable isotopes can provide novel insights on the mechanisms underlying plant interactions. Finally, we discuss the capacity for stable isotope measurements to serve as a proxy record for past disturbances such as fire, logging and cyclones

Identification of a Novel Candidate Gene for Serrated Polyposis Syndrome Germline Predisposition by Performing Linkage Analysis Combined With Whole-Exome Sequencing

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL accompanies this paper athttp://links.lww.com/CTG/A114OBJECTIVES: Serrated polyposis syndrome (SPS) is a complex disorder with a high risk of colorectal cancer for which the germline factors remain largely unknown. Here, we combined whole-exome sequencing (WES) and linkage studies in families with multiple members affected by SPS to identify candidate genes harboring rare variants with higher penetrance effects. METHODS: Thirty-nine affected subjects from 16 extended SPS families underwent WES. Genome-wide linkage analysis was performed under linear and exponential models. The contribution of rare coding variants selected to be highly pathogenic was assessed using the gene-based segregation test. RESULTS: significant linkage peak was identified on chromosome 3p25.2-p22.3 (maxSNP = rs2293787; LODlinear = 2.311, LODexp = 2.11), which logarithm of the odds (LOD) score increased after fine mapping for the same marker (maxSNP = rs2293787; LODlinear = 2.4, LODexp = 2.25). This linkage signal was replicated in 10 independent sets of random markers from this locus. To assess the contribution of rare variants predicted to be pathogenic, we performed a family-based segregation test with 11 rare variants predicted to be deleterious from 10 genes under the linkage intervals. This analysis showed significant segregation of rare variants with SPS in CAPT7, TMEM43, NGLY1, and FBLN2 genes (weighted Pvalue > 0.007). DISCUSSION: Protein network analysis suggested FBLN2 as the most plausible candidate genes for germline SPS predisposition. Etiologic rare variants implicated in disease predisposition may be identified by combining traditional linkage with WES data. This powerful approach was effective for the identification of a new candidate gene for hereditary SPS.M.D.-G. was supported by a contract from Agencia de Gestio d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (Generalitat de Catalunya, 2018FI_B1_00213). S.F.-E., C.A.-C. and J.M. were supported by a contract from CIBEREHD. Y.S.L. was supported by a fellowship (LCF/BQ/DI18/11660058) from "la Caixa" Foundation (ID 100010434) funded EU Horizon 2020 Programme (Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 713673). LB was supported by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract (FJCI-2017-32593). CIBEREHD and CIBERONC are funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. CT, BJO, and JMF were supported by Australian National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) Project Grants 1063960 and 1066177. This research was supported by grants from Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria/FEDER (16/00766, 17/00878), Fundacion Cientifica de la Asociacion Espanola contra el Cancer (GCB13131592CAST), PERIS (SLT002/16/00398, Generalitat de Catalunya), CERCA Programme (Generalitat de Catalunya), and Agencia de Gestio d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (Generalitat de Catalunya, GRPRE 2017SGR21, GRC 2017SGR653). This article is based on work from COST Action CA17118, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). www.cost.eu.Potential competing interests: None to report