Predicting the academic underachievement in high school in Spain over the next few years: A dynamic modelling approach

[EN] In this paper we propose a dynamic model to understand the evolution of the academic underachievement in a high school in Spain. This model is based on ideas of Christakis and Fowler where individual habits may be transmitted by social contact. Thus, to build the model we suppose that a student has academic failure when she/he gets into study habits transmitted by students with bad academic habits. From the available academic results of the Spanish high school educational system during the period 1999 2008, we fit the model to the data in order to obtain the parameters of the model. Then, we predict the academic underachievement evolution over the next few years.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish M.C.Y.T. grant MTM2009-08587 and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia grant PAID06-09-2588Camacho Vidal, FJ.; Cortés, J.; Micle, RM.; Sánchez-Sánchez, A. (2013). Predicting the academic underachievement in high school in Spain over the next few years: A dynamic modelling approach. Mathematical and Computer Modelling. 57(7):1703-1708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcm.2011.11.011S1703170857

Usefulness of bone turnover markers as predictors of mortality risk, disease progression and skeletal-related events appearance in patients with prostate cancer with bone metastases following treatment with zoledronic acid: TUGAMO study

Owing to the limited validity of clinical data on the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) and bone metastases, biochemical markers are a promising tool for predicting survival, disease progression and skeletal-related events (SREs) in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive capacity of biochemical markers of bone turnover for mortality risk, disease progression and SREs in patients with PCa and bone metastases undergoing treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA). Methods: This was an observational, prospective and multicenter study in which ninety-eight patients were included. Patients were treated with ZA (4mg every 4 weeks for 18 months). Data were collected at baseline and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months after the beginning of treatment. Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphtase (BALP), aminoterminal propeptide of procollagen type I (P1NP) and beta-isomer of carboxiterminal telopeptide of collagen I (b-CTX) were analysed at all points in the study. Data on disease progression, SREs development and survival were recorded. Results: Cox regression models with clinical data and bone markers showed that the levels of the three markers studied were predictive of survival time, with b-CTX being especially powerful, in which a lack of normalisation in visit 1 (3 months after the beginning of treatment) showed a 6.3-times more risk for death than in normalised patients. Levels of these markers were also predictive for SREs, although in this case BALP and P1NP proved to be better predictors. We did not find any relationship between bone markers and disease progression. Conclusion: In patients with PCa and bone metastases treated with ZA, b-CTX and P1NP can be considered suitable predictors for mortality risk, while BALP and P1NP are appropriate for SREs. The levels of these biomarkers 3 months after the beginning of treatment are especially importantThis study was supported by Novartis Oncology Spai

Running title: Non-toxic broad anti-tumor activity of an EGFR×4-1BB bispecific trimerbod

32 p.-4 fig.Purpose: The induction of 4-1BB signaling by agonistic antibodies can drive the activation and proliferation of effector T cells and thereby enhance a T-cell–mediated antitumor response. Systemic administration of anti-4-1BB–agonistic IgGs, although effective preclinically, has not advanced in clinical development due to their severe hepatotoxicity.Experimental Design: Here, we generated a humanized EGFR-specific 4-1BB-agonistic trimerbody, which replaces the IgG Fc region with a human collagen homotrimerization domain. It was characterized by structural analysis and in vitro functional studies. We also assessed pharmacokinetics, antitumor efficacy, and toxicity in vivo.Results: In the presence of a T-cell receptor signal, the trimerbody provided potent T-cell costimulation that was strictly dependent on 4-1BB hyperclustering at the point of contact with a tumor antigen-displaying cell surface. It exhibits significant antitumor activity in vivo, without hepatotoxicity, in a wide range of human tumors including colorectal and breast cancer cell-derived xenografts, and non–small cell lung cancer patient-derived xenografts associated with increased tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. The combination of the trimerbody with a PD-L1 blocker led to increased IFNγ secretion in vitro and resulted in tumor regression in humanized mice bearing aggressive triple-negative breast cancer.Conclusions: These results demonstrate the nontoxic broad antitumor activity of humanized Fc-free tumor-specific 4-1BB-agonistic trimerbodies and their synergy with checkpoint blockers, which may provide a way to elicit responses in most patients with cancer while avoiding Fc-mediated adverse reactions.This work was supported by grants from the European Union [IACT Project (602262), H2020-iNEXT (1676)]; the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2017-89437-P, CTQ2017-83810-R, RTC-2016-5118-1, RTC-2017-5944-1), partially supported by the European Regional Development Fund; the Carlos III Health Institute (PI16/00357), co-founded by the Plan Nacional de Investigación and the European Union; the CRIS Cancer Foundation (FCRIS-IFI-2018); and the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC, 19084). C. Domínguez-Alonso was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PRE2018-083445). M. Zonca was supported by the Torres Quevedo Program from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, co-founded by the European Social Fund (PTQ-16-08340).Peer reviewe

Revista de educación

Los sistemas escolares europeos han conocido reformas que los han conducido de la segregación de los alumnos a edades tempranas a la unificación del primer ciclo secundario. En general, se ha pasado de la separación de los alumnos, a partir del quinto año de escolaridad, en ramas distintas y conducentes a la educación superior o al mercado de trabajo, a la extensión del ciclo común hasta hacerlo coincidir con el término del período obligatorio. Se exponen las funciones de la escuela en la sociedad capitalista, que por una parte, debe contribuir a reproducir la fuerza de trabajo requerida por la producción y la estructura social y, por otra, debe legitimar ideológicamente este resultado. Las reformas comprensivas consiguen parte de lo que se proponían en términos de igualdad educativa e igualdad de oportunidades escolares. Se destaca el compromiso de los gobiernos y otras autoridades educativas con la reforma, que da lugar a una distribución más equitativa de los recursos. Finalmente, las reformas comprensivas estimulan la demanda de acceso y la matrícula real en los niveles siguientes de educación, desde la secundaria desde segundo ciclo hasta la superior. Se reconoce que las reformas realizadas han supuesto notables avances en dirección a una escuela más abierta, libre y democrática.Ministerio Educación CIDEBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

Desafios para a implantação da Educação Integral: análise das experiências desenvolvidas na região sul do Brasil

Este texto trata da percepção dos gestores municipais, coordenadores pedagógicos e pais de alunos sobre os desafios enfrentados para a implantação da Educação Integral ou do aumento de tempo da jornada escolar em experiências desenvolvidas na região Sul do Brasil: Apucarana, Joinville e Porto Alegre. Essas experiências fazem parte da pesquisa realizada pelas universidades federais: UFMG, UNIRIO, UFPR e UNB, com o objetivo de mapear experiências de jornada escolar ampliada em andamento no Brasil, no ano de 2008 - estudo quantitativo. Em 2009 e 2010 deu-se a continuidade da pesquisa, agora como estudo qualitativo. Na etapa do estudo qualitativo foram selecionadas vinte e uma experiências de todo o Brasil para serem acompanhadas e documentadas in loco. Na região sul foram selecionadas três experiências, uma de cada estado da região sul. Dessa etapa é que foram extraídos os dados coletados em entrevistas com os personagens citados, cujas análises compõem este texto e apontam como principais desafios/dificuldades para a implantação do aumento do tempo da jornada escolar, entre outras, a formação inicial e continuada de professores e a integração de monitores e novos atores na equipe de trabalho escolar. Além dessas aparece, fortemente marcada, no ideário dos entrevistados a concepção de que a Educação Integral é um direito das famílias e não dos alunos, e uma modalidade escolar destinada aos alunos cujas famílias são carentes e não podem atender seus filhos

Entre kronos e kairós: o sentido e as implicações da ampliação do tempo de permanência dos estudantes na escola

Este artigo apresenta um recorte dos resultados de uma pesquisa desenvolvida nacionalmente - Educação Integral em Tempo Integral no Ensino Fundamental: Concepções e Práticas na Educação Brasileira - que analisou as experiências de ampliação da jornada escolar em diferentes regiões do Brasil. Nesse contexto, a análise das experiências escolares desenvolvidas nos estados do Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e Paraná foi a base que permitiu estabelecer um diálogo entre empiria e teoria para a compreensão dos sentidos e das implicações do uso e da ampliação do tempo educativo escolar. Neste diálogo, procuramos compreender o impacto provocado pelas modificações na jornada escolar tradicional, de quatro horas diárias, sem a participação efetiva e constante de outros agentes formativos. O processo de análise dos dados tratou de identificar as mudanças na organização e no funcionamento das escolas, bem como na relação dessas com suas comunidades. Mais do que pensar em horários e rotinas, buscou-se pensar em horas concretas, em períodos de permanência dos estudantes nas comunidades escolares e no sentido que essa presencialidade adquire para os envolvidos nesse processo e para a própria sociedade

The visigothic treasure of Torredonjimeno (Jaén, Spain): A study with IBA techniques

The visigothic treasure of Torredonjimeno (Jaén, Spain) was found by chance in the year 1926 buried in an olive grove. The finding consisted of some hundreds fragments of gold objects and gems coming from several votive crowns and crosses, some of them belonging to an unidentified visigothic king. The treasure may belong chronologically to the same period as the Guarrazar treasure or, possibly, to a somewhat later time, but the pieces are fragmented and of less technological workmanship than the latter. This is the reason why the Torredonjimeno treasure has not attracted as much attention from archeologists and art historians as that from Guarrazar. On the occasion of an exhibition showing together all the objects of the treasure, it is normally kept in three different museums in Barcelona, Cordoba and Madrid, a number of pieces were analyzed, using PIXE, PIGE and RBS, at the external microbeam facility installed at the Center for Micro-Analysis of Materials

Minorities in Spanish Secondary Education: School Segregation, Between Reality and Official Statistics

The deepening of social inequality in Spain during the last decade due to the global financial crisis has brought a growth in residential and school segregation in urban areas. This article analyses ethnic segregation across four public secondary schools in the Northern Area of Alicante (Spain), covering six disadvantaged neighbourhoods with a high concentration of immigrant and Roma populations. To this end, the student bodies were examined according to their national and ethnic composition and their expectations for the future. Field work findings show that official statistics do not reflect the real situation of ethnic diversity in these schools, concealing the worrying dimensions of school segregation in marginalized areas, a phenomenon which has negative impacts on minority students’ aspirations and equal opportunities