Objectifying processes: The use of geometric morphometrics and multivariate analyses on Acheulean tools

Nowadays, the fruitful discussion regarding the morphological variability of handaxes during the Middle Pleistocene has reached a decisive moment with the use of more accurate statistical methods, such as geometric morphometrics (GM) and multivariate analyses (MA). This paper presents a preliminary methodological approach for checking the utility of these new approaches on the analysis of the tools’ shape. It goes beyond the simple description of morphology and isolates the variables which define the final morphology of a tool. We compared two Middle Pleistocene sites, Boxgrove and Swanscombe, which are morphologically very different. Then, we applied the GM analysis on 1) 2D images, with two semi-landmark distributions: 28 semi-landmarks, specially concentrated on the tip and butt, and 60 equally spaced points; and 2) on 3D models using new software (AGMT3-D Software) including 5000 semi-landmarks. The more points used to define the tool’s outline, the more accurate will be the interpretation of the variables affecting shape. On the other hand, if the semi-landmarks are localized on specific sectors of the tool, a bias is created, by concentrating on those sectors, rather than the general tool shape. The 3D models offer a new dimension on the shape analysis, as their results mean the combination of plan-shape, profile-shape and the tool’s topography

Evaluación del trabajo colaborativo en Iniciación a la Investigación en Biología

Tras el trabajo previo de diseño de la asignatura Iniciación a la Investigación en Biología, el equipo multidisciplinar de profesores y profesoras de la Red Docente INVES ha desarrollado una metodología propia de trabajo en equipo, no sólo entre el diferente profesorado que la compone, sino también con el profesorado de la asignatura Estadística, con la que se comparten objetivos de aprendizaje comunes. Se ha optimizado el sistema de evaluación del trabajo colaborativo del alumnado, mediante el uso de rubricas y auto-evaluación. Dicho trabajo consiste en el diseño y desarrollo de un proyecto de investigación bibliométrico de temática biológica realizado por los estudiantes, propiciando la adquisición de competencias transversales mediante una dinámica de trabajo en grupo que culmina en la edición de unas Jornadas Científicas. Por otra parte, se han consensuado criterios comunes de evaluación continua, mejorando en la eficiencia de la evaluación, y determinado un incremento de la capacidad de aprendizaje del alumnado a lo largo de los cursos 2010-11 al 2013-14. La oferta formativa se completa mediante la formación de un grupo de Alto Rendimiento Académico con docencia en lengua inglesa. Esto permite al alumnado implementar el objetivo general de compresión de lengua extranjera inglés en lo relativo al ámbito científico

Avances en el trabajo colaborativo en Iniciación a la Investigación en Biología

Un equipo multidisciplinar de profesores y profesoras que componen la Red Docente INVES e imparten docencia en la asignatura Iniciación a la Investigación en Biología, ha desarrollado una metodología propia de trabajo en equipo, en coordinación con el profesorado de la asignatura Estadística, con la que se comparten objetivos de aprendizaje comunes. El sistema de evaluación del trabajo colaborativo del alumnado se ha optimizado mediante el uso de rúbricas y auto-evaluación. Se ha propiciado la adquisición de competencias transversales mediante una dinámica de trabajo en grupo. El diseño y desarrollo de un proyecto de investigación bibliométrico, de temática biológica, es realizado por los y las estudiantes, y culmina con la edición de unas Jornadas Científicas. Con el fin de mejorar la eficiencia de la evaluación, se han consensuado criterios comunes de evaluación continua entre el profesorado. Ello ha determinado un incremento de la capacidad de aprendizaje del alumnado a lo largo de los cursos 2010-11 al 2013-14. La lectura y compresión de textos científicos en inglés junto a la formación de un grupo de Alto Rendimiento Académico con docencia en lengua inglesa completa la oferta formativa, permitiendo al alumnado implementar el objetivo general de compresión de lengua extranjera inglés en lo relativo al ámbito científico

Comparative Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Two MSF Surgical Trauma Centers

INTRODUCTION: There is a dearth of data on cost-effectiveness of surgical care in resource-poor countries. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières; MSF) is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) involved in the many facets of health care for underserved populations, including surgical care. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was attempted at two of their surgical trauma hospitals: Teme Hospital in Nigeria and La Trinité Hospital in Haiti. CONCLUSION: At $172 and$223 per Disability-Adjusted Life-Year (DALY) averted, respectively, they are in line with other reported CEAs for surgical and nonsurgical activities in similar contexts

Development of a VR application for binge eating treatment: identification of contexts and cues related to bingeing behavior in spanish italian patients

The objective of this study was to identify frequent situations and specific cues that produce the craving to binge in Spanish and Italian samples of patients with eating disorders (ED). There were two main aims: to assess transcultural differences in the contexts and cues that elicit food craving; and to develop valid, reliable VR environments for effective cue-exposure therapy (CET) for patients from both countries. Twenty-six Spanish and 75 Italian ED patients completed an ad hoc questionnaire to assess contexts and cues that trigger the craving to binge. No differences between groups were found. All patients reported experiencing higher levels of craving in the afternoon/early evening and in the late evening/night, between meals, when alone, and more frequently at the end of the week. Being in the dining room, the kitchen, the bedroom, the bakery and the supermarket were the specific situations that produced the highest levels of craving to binge. We used the questionnaire results to develop a virtual reality application for CET

Gender differences in attentional bias after owning a virtual avatar with increased weight

Introduction: Eating Disorder (ED) patients selectively attend to appearance cues in preference to other information, in a phenomenon known as Attentional Bias (AB). The latest VR Head Mounted Displays (HMD) offer the chance to include Eye-Tracking (ET) devices, and thus provide more objective measures of body-related attention. This study aims to combine VR and ET technologies and use a VR-based embodiment technique while measuring real-time attention patterns. Specifically, we assess gender differences in eye-gaze behaviors towards specific weight-related or non-weight-related body parts when participants own a virtual avatar with different body sizes. Method: Thirty-five college students (25 women and 10 men) were exposed to an immersive virtual environment in which they were embodied in three avatars with different body sizes: first, one with the same body size as the participant; second, one larger than the participant; and finally, repetition of the avatar with the same body size as the participant. To analyze the gaze data Weight-related Areas of Interest (WAOIs) and Non-Weight-related Areas of Interest (NW-AOIs) were defined. Fixation points and complete fixation time on each AOI were recorded at the three different assessment times. Raw data from the Pupil Labs eye tracking add-on for the HTC-Vive headset were subsequently transformed into percentages for further analysis. Results: Mixed between (Gender)-within (Time) analyses of variance showednon-statistically significant interaction between gender and time (p>.05) and a non-statistically significant difference in fixation points and complete fixation times (p>.05), over the three assessment times. However, a statistically significant gender difference was found in fixation points (F (1.33) =10,030, p= .003, η2 = 0.233) and complete fixation time (F (1.33) =13,017, p= .001, η2 = 0.28. Overall, women reported significantly higher levels of fixation points and complete fixation times in W-AOIs than men. Women showed an increasing gaze pattern towards W-AOIs at the three different assessment times, while men showed an opposite gaze pattern towards NW-AOIs at the three different times. Interestingly, the greatest differences between men and women were found at the third assessment, when they once again owned an avatar with the same body size as themselves. Conclusion: This study provides useful information about gender differences in gaze pattern behaviors while participants owned a virtual avatar with different body sizes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare gaze pattern behaviors between women and men using VR-based embodiment techniques and ET attentional bias assessment. The use of these two technologies opens a promising new area in the assessment or treatment of Eating Disorders and body image disturbances

External eating as a predictor of cue-reactivity to food-related virtual environments

The objective of this study was to assess the association between external eating style and food craving experienced during exposure to food cues in virtual reality (VR) environments in both clinical and non-clinical samples. According to the externality theory, people with external eating experience higher reactivity when exposed to food cues, which in turn increases the probability of overeating. Forty patients with eating disorders (23 with bulimia nervosa and 17 with binge eating disorder) and 78 undergraduate students were exposed to 10 different food cues in four VR environments (kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and café). After 30 seconds of exposure to each VR environment, food craving was assessed using a visual analog scale. External, emotional and restrictive eating styles were also assessed using the DEBQ. The results showed a strong association between external eating and cue-elicited food craving. After controlling for the presence of eating disorder diagnosis, external eating was the best predictor of reported food craving. The results lend support to the externality theory but highlight the need for further research in specific patterns of functioning in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder

INVES: Docencia en Iniciación a la Investigación en Biología

Un equipo multidisciplinar de profesores y profesoras que imparten docencia en la asignatura Iniciación a la Investigación en Biología, constituyen la Red Docente INVES con el fin de desarrollar una metodología propia de trabajo en equipo, en coordinación con el profesorado de la asignatura Estadística, con la que se comparten objetivos de aprendizaje comunes. Durante el desarrollo de la asignatura, el alumnado diseña y ejecuta un proyecto de investigación bibliométrico de temática biológica sobre un tema actual y de interés. Con ello se favorece la adquisición de competencias transversales del módulo básico del título de grado. La dinámica de trabajo en grupo culmina en la edición de unas Jornadas Científicas, donde los estudiantes exponen los trabajos realizados. Se han consensuado modificaciones en las metodologías y actividades de aprendizaje, mejorando en la eficiencia de la experiencia de enseñanza-aprendizaje

Eating behavior style predicts craving and anxiety experienced in food-related virtual environments by patients with eating disorders and healthy controls

Eating behavior style (emotional, restrictive, or external) has been proposed as an explanation for the differences in response to food-related cues between people who overeat and those who do not, and has been also considered a target for the treatment of eating disorders (EDs) characterized by lack of control over eating and weightrelated (overweight/obesity) conditions. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between eating behavior style and psychophysiological responses (self-reported food craving and anxiety) to food-related virtual reality (VR) environments in outpatients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) and to compare them with healthy participants. Fifty-eight outpatients and 135 healthy participants were exposed to palatable foods in four experimental everyday real-life VR environments (kitchen, dining room, bedroom and café). During exposure, cue-elicited food craving and anxiety were assessed. Participants also completed standardized instruments for the study purposes. ED patients reported significantly higher levels of craving and anxiety when exposed to the virtual food than healthy controls. Eating behavior styles showed strong associations with cue-elicited food craving and anxiety. In the healthy group, external eating was the only predictor of cue-elicited craving and anxiety. In participants with BN and BED, external and emotional eating were the best predictors of cue-elicited craving and anxiety, respectively

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline