El Català mola si mola el que fem en català... o no

Tot i que hi ha àmbits, com la música i la ràdio, en què els joves disposen d'una gran oferta en català, en altres camps, com la televisió, el teatre o el cinema, hi ha hagut, durant molt de temps, un gran buit. En la televisió aquest problema s'ha resolt, almenys parcialment, amb l'aparició del Canal 3XL,1 dirigit a joves d'entre 16 i 20 anys. Amb tot, el ventall de productes encara és molt reduït en els casos del teatre (tot i que els joves tendeixen a assistir-hi poc, sigui en la llengua que sigui) i del cinema (la proporció de pel·lícules en català és molt baixa, si la comparem amb la de pel·lícules en castellà). L 'article parteix de la idea que «el català mola si mola el que fem en català» i en posa dos exemples pràctics: Plats bruts, una comèdia de televisió que, amb una llengua viva i col·loquial (plena, això sí, de paraules no recollides per la normativa), va assolir un gran èxit, i el ball parlat de Dames i Vells de Tarragona, que atrau públic de totes les edats i, especialment, gent jove.Although there are spheres, like music and radio, in which young people enjoy a large offering in Catalan, in other fields, such as television, theatre or cinema, there has long been a void. In television, this problem has been solved, at least partially, with the appearance of Channel 3XL, addressed to young people between the ages of 16 and 20. Nevertheless, the range of available products is still quite small in theatre (even though it is also true that young people don’t tend to go to the theatre, regardless of the language involved), as well as in cinema (the proportion of films in Catalan in comparison to those in Spanish is very low). This paper is based on the idea that “Catalan is cool if what we do in it is cool” and gives two practical examples: Plats bruts, a TV sitcom featuring a lively colloquial language (albeit full of non-prescribed words), which became a big success, and Tarragona’s Ball Parlat de Dames i Vells, a popular festival that draws spectators of all ages and young people in particular

Els papers del Sant

CAPTATIO IEXCULPATIO. Justificació i excuses."Juzgo que tal vez será atrevimiento el trabajo que he emprendido, pero por otra parte no es más que un escrito particular para guardarlo en el archivo sin pretender darlo al público. (...) Mis cortos alcances no pueden llegar a satisfacer a los lectores; pero mi fin no es otro que arreglar los papeles de S. Víctor para que en los tiempos futuros no se pierda la devoción por tan grande Santo."Amb aquestes paraules l'autor anònim del manuscrit que recopila i explica la història de les relíquies de sant Víctor a l'església de Santa Maria de Camprodon s'exculpa davant del seu lector i el convida a llegir. I aquestes mateixes paraules em van cridar l'atenció quan a l'any 1989, i en motiu de l'edició del número corresponent de la Memòria de la processó dels Sants Misteris de Camprodon, se'm va encomanar una nota informativa sobre algun tema relacionat amb la processó

Automatismos eléctricos programables

El presente texto ha sido pensado como una introducción a los automatismos eléctricos que tienen como base al autómata programable industrial (API). Empieza estudiando los sistemes automatizados a nivel general, continua con la descripción de las diferentes tecnologías y termina con el estudio del autómata programable. Se han incluido temas como mantenimiento, redes de comunicación, redundancias, seguridad, averías, etc. a nivel descriptivo. Además, se ha incluido un capítulo sobre metodología de trabajo con autómatas que incorpora ejemplos para empezar a sentar las bases de una aplicación práctica

Traditional plant functional groups explain variation in economic but not size-related traits across the tundra biome

Aim Plant functional groups are widely used in community ecology and earth system modelling to describe trait variation within and across plant communities. However, this approach rests on the assumption that functional groups explain a large proportion of trait variation among species. We test whether four commonly used plant functional groups represent variation in six ecologically important plant traits. Location Tundra biome. Time period Data collected between 1964 and 2016. Major taxa studied 295 tundra vascular plant species. Methods We compiled a database of six plant traits (plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, seed mass) for tundra species. We examined the variation in species‐level trait expression explained by four traditional functional groups (evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs, graminoids, forbs), and whether variation explained was dependent upon the traits included in analysis. We further compared the explanatory power and species composition of functional groups to alternative classifications generated using post hoc clustering of species‐level traits. Results Traditional functional groups explained significant differences in trait expression, particularly amongst traits associated with resource economics, which were consistent across sites and at the biome scale. However, functional groups explained 19% of overall trait variation and poorly represented differences in traits associated with plant size. Post hoc classification of species did not correspond well with traditional functional groups, and explained twice as much variation in species‐level trait expression. Main conclusions Traditional functional groups only coarsely represent variation in well‐measured traits within tundra plant communities, and better explain resource economic traits than size‐related traits. We recommend caution when using functional group approaches to predict tundra vegetation change, or ecosystem functions relating to plant size, such as albedo or carbon storage. We argue that alternative classifications or direct use of specific plant traits could provide new insights for ecological prediction and modelling

La malaltia d’Alzheimer: dels orígens històrics a la prevenció. Actualitat de la recerca

[cat] La malaltia d’Alzheimer, descrita ara ja fa més d’un segle, continua sent un dels principals focus de recerca en l’àmbit de les malalties neurodegeneratives. S’ha avançat en el coneixement de molts aspectes neurobiològics i clínics del que succeeix quan el cervell d’una persona resulta afectat per aquesta malaltia. Ara bé, el desconeixement de les causes i el fet de no disposar encara de cap tractament capaç de curar la malaltia ni d’aturar-ne el progrés continuen sent els principals motors de la recerca. Cal apressarse, ja que les previsions epidemiològiques, lligades a l’envelliment poblacional mundial, apunten a un increment considerable de casos, amb els consegüents costos personals, econòmics i sociosanitaris. Només la recerca científica pot tenir la clau per modificar aquests auguris. Per arribar al punt en què ens trobem a dia d’avui, farem una breu repassada de l’origen històric de la malaltia i veurem com, tot i els avenços realitzats i les fites aconseguides, les qüestions fonamentals de fa més d’un segle encara són plenament vigents en les hipòtesis i els objectius de recerca actuals. Tanmateix, parlarem de les possibilitats de prevenció de l’Alzheimer i es farà una breu exposició de l’estat actual de la recerca en aquest tema, fent especial èmfasi en la investigació que es duu a terme des del BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center i la Fundació Pasqual Maragall.[spa] La enfermedad de Alzheimer, descrita hace ya más de un siglo, continúa siendo uno de los principales focos de investigación en el ámbito de las enfermedades neurodegenerativas. Se ha avanzado en el conocimiento de muchos aspectos neurobiológicos y clínicos de lo que sucede cuando el cerebro de una persona resulta afectado por esta enfermedad. Ahora bien, el desconocimiento de sus causas y el hecho de no disponer aún de ningún tratamiento o intervención capaz de curar la enfermedad ni de frenar su progreso continúan siendo los principales motores de la investigación. Hay que apresurarse, ya que las previsiones epidemiológicas, ligadas al envejecimiento poblacional mundial, apuntan a un incremento considerable de casos, con los consiguientes costes personales, económicos y sociosanitarios. Solo la investigación científica puede tener la clave para modificar tales augurios. Para llegar al punto en el que nos encontramos a día de hoy, haremos un breve repaso del origen histórico de la enfermedad y veremos cómo, a pesar de los avances realizados y las metas alcanzadas, las cuestiones fundamentales de hace más de un siglo aún son plenamente vigentes en las hipótesis y los objetivos de investigación actuales. Asimismo, hablaremos de las posibilidades de prevención del Alzheimer y se hará una breve exposición del estado actual de la investigación en este tema, haciendo especial énfasis en los estudios que se llevan a cabo desde el BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center y la Fundación Pasqual Maragall

Tree Sapling Responses to 10 Years of Experimental Manipulation of Temperature, Nutrient Availability, and Shrub Cover at the Pyrenean Treeline

Treelines are sensitive to environmental changes, but few studies provide a mechanistic approach to understand treeline dynamics based on field experiments. The aim of this study was to determine how changes in the abiotic and/or biotic conditions associated with global change affect the performance of tree seedlings (later saplings) at the treeline in a 10-year experiment. A fully factorial experiment in the Central Pyrenees was initiated in autumn 2006; 192 Pinus uncinata seedlings were transplanted into microplots with contrasting environmental conditions of (1) increased vs. ambient temperature, (2) increased nutrient availability vs. no increase, and (3) presence vs. absence of the dominant shrub Rhododendron ferrugineum. We assessed the performance of young pines on several occasions over 10 years. The pines were removed at the end of the experiment in autumn 2016 to characterize their morphology and to conduct chemical and isotopic analyses on their needles. Both the warming and the fertilization treatments increased seedling growth soon after the start of the experiment. R. ferrugineum facilitated the survival and development of pine seedlings during the early years and affected the chemical composition of the needles. Toward the end of the experiment, the transplanted P. uncinata individuals, by then saplings, competed with R. ferrugineum for light and nutrients; the presence of the shrub probably altered the strategy of P. uncinata for acquiring nutrients and buffered the effects of warming and fertilization. The pines were highly sensitive to all factors and their interactions throughout the entire experimental period. These findings indicated that the interactive effects of several key abiotic and biotic drivers associated with global change should be investigated simultaneously for understanding the contribution of young trees to treeline dynamics

Encroachment of shrubs into subalpine grasslands in the Pyrenees changes the plant-soil stoichiometry spectrum

Aims: shrub encroachment has been reported over a large proportion of the subalpine grasslands across Europe and is expected to have an important impact on the biogeochemical cycle of these ecosystems. We investigated the stoichiometric changes in the plant-soil system along the succession (e.g. increase in encroachment from unencroached grassland to mature shrubland) at two contrasting sites in the Pyrenees. - Methods: we analyzed the chemical composition (C, N,¹⁵N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Fe) in the soil and in the aboveground plant compartments (leaves, leaf-litter and stems) of the main herbaceous species and shrubs at three contrasting stages of the succession: unencroached grassland, young shrubland and mature shrubland. - Results: the plant-soil stoichiometry spectrum differed between the successional stages. Shrub encroachment generally increased the concentration of C and Ca and the C:N ratio and often reduced to concentrations of N, P and K in the leaves and leaf-litter, while several soil nutrient concentrations (N, P, K Ca and Mg) decreased. The stocks of C, N, P, Ca, and Mg in the total aboveground biomass increased with encroachment. - Conclusions: shrub encroachment favored the dominance of long-lived species with low concentrations of N and P in the plant-soil compartments, high C:nutrient ratios in the aboveground biomass and increase the uptake of N through ericoid or ectomycorrhizal fungi. We highlight the role of shrubs in the sequestration of C and nutrients through the allocation to the aboveground biomass. The changes in plant-soil elemental composition and stocks suggest a slowdown of the biogeochemical cycles in the subalpine mountain areas where shrub encroachment occurred

Advances in immunotherapy for cervical cancer

Cervical cancer; Immunotherapy; RadiotherapyCáncer de cuello uterino; Inmunoterapia; RadioterapiaCàncer de coll uterí; Immunoteràpia; RadioteràpiaCervical cancer still represents a major public health problem, being the fourth most common cancer in incidence and mortality in women worldwide. These figures are unacceptable since cervical cancer, an human papillomavirus-related malignancy, is a largely preventable disease by means of well-established screening and vaccination programs. Patients with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic disease unsuitable for curative therapeutic approaches represent a dismal prognosis population. Until recently, these patients were only candidates for cisplatin-based chemotherapy plus bevacizumab. However, the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment landscape of this disease achieving historical overall survival improvements in both the post-platinum and frontline settings. Interestingly, the clinical development of immunotherapy in cervical cancer is currently advancing to earlier stages of the disease, as the locally advanced setting, whose standard of care has not changed in the last decades with still modest outcomes. As more innovative immunotherapy approaches are in clinical early development in advanced cervical cancer, promising efficacy data are emerging that may shape the future of this disease. This review summarizes the main treatment advances carried out in the field of immunotherapy throughout the past years

Plant community composition affects the species biogeochemical niche

Nutrients are essential for plant development, and their availability and stoichiometric ratios can influence the composition of plant communities. We investigated the possibility of the reverse influence: whether the conditions of contrasting species coexistence determine foliar element concentrations and plant stoichiometry, that is, species biogeochemical niche (BN). The experiment was conducted at the Ecological-Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth, Germany. We analyzed foliar element concentrations of two dwarf shrubs (Calluna vulgaris and Vaccinium myrtillus) and two grasses (Holcus lanatus and Arrhenatherum elatius) growing in different community compositions (monocultures and various mixed stands). Foliar nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry (taken as a proxy of species BN) were species specific; each species showed its own BN in all communities. Furthermore, V. myrtillus and H. lanatus species shifted their BN in response to changes in their community, accomplishing the "biogeochemical niche displacement" hypothesis. We conclude that plants can readjust their foliar element concentration if they grow in communities with contrasting plant composition, suggesting a differential use of element resources when the patterns of species coexistence change. These results also support the complementary niche hypothesis