Integrating curriculum-based dynamic assessment in computerized adaptive testing: Development and predictive validity of the EDPL-BAI battery on reading competence

In recent decades, there have been significant changes in the conceptualization of reading as well as in the perception of how this activity should be assessed. Interest in the analysis of reading processes has led to the emergence of new explanatory models based primarily on the contributions of cognitive psychology. In parallel, there have been notable advances in measurement procedures, especially in models based on Item Response Theory (IRT), as well as in the capacity and performance of specific software programs that allow data to be managed and analyzed. These changes have contributed significantly to the rise of testing procedures such as computerized adaptive tests (CATs), whose fundamental characteristic is that the sequence of items presented in the tests is adapted to the level of competence that the subject manifests. Likewise, the incorporation of elements of dynamic assessment (DA) as the prompts are gradually offered allows for obtaining information about the type and degree of support required to optimize the subject’s performance. In this sense, the confluence of contributions from DA and CATs offers a new possibility for approaching the assessment of learning processes. In this article, we present a longitudinal research developed in two phases, through which a computerized dynamic adaptive assessment battery of reading processes (EDPL-BAI) was configured. The research frame involved 1,831 students (46% girls) from 13 public schools in three regions of Chile. The purpose of this study was to analyze the differential contribution on reading competence of dynamic scores obtained in a subsample composed of 324 (47% girls) students from third to sixth grade after the implementation of a set of adaptive dynamic tests of morpho-syntactic processes. The results achieved in the structural equation modeling indicate a good global fit. Individual relationships show a significant contribution of calibrated score that reflects estimated knowledge level on reading competence, as well as dynamic scores based on the assigned value of graduated prompts required by the students. These results showed significant predictive values on reading competence and incremental validity in relation to predictions made by static criterion tests

Identificación de una población de bien dotados

[Resumen] Este artículo recoge la identificación de sujetos bien dotados en los cursos de Primera (6-12 años) y 10 ciclos de ESO (13-14 años) en cinco centros públicos de la comunidad autónoma de España y para ello se construye una matriz de rasgos característicos de la población de bien dotados, que se les ha pasado a expertos de educación para preseleccionar a la muestra del estudio. Posteriorlnente se les aplicará los Test de Matrices Progresivas de Raven y el de AMPE.[Abstract] In this article we have pretended to identificate gifted children in the courses of Prünary (6-12 years old) and 10 cicle of secundary (13-14 years old) in five public centers of the Autonomy Comunity of Spain and for that we have elaborated a matrix to detected caracterist lines in the population of gifteg children. Fot that we have copilated the dates and give them to the exports of Education with the idea of preselection a sampling of our study. Tem we will apply severd tests like Progressive Matrix ofRaven and the AMPE (Secadas, 1961

Síndrome de Rett: identificación de una patología en nuestras aulas

[Resumen] Todavía no se ha establecido una adecuada orientación en el potencial de aprendizaje de los niños con Síndrome de Rett. (A.V.S.R.,1995). Por ello, pretendeInos exponer en este trabajo un enfoque dedicado a las estrategias de intervención u orientación, que ya han sido utilizadas con algunas niñas de forIna experimental en otros paises con relativo éxito. SabeInos que este síndrome afecta a las niñas, esta ligado al cromosoma X, que su reconocimiento y tratamiento como patología data de la década de los 60 cuando el profesor neuropsiquiatra Rett descubrió que en la sala de su consulta había dos niñas, que estaban haciendo el mismo movimiento estereotipado y decidió prestar atención a lo que les sucedía, dándole posteriormente, su nombre al síndrome que estudió tan detenidamente

A combined micro-Raman, X-ray absorption and magnetic study to follow the glycerol-assisted growth of epsilon-iron oxide sol-gel coatings

[EN] Epsilon iron oxide (ε-FeO) coatings on Si(100) substrates are obtained by an easy one-pot sol-gel recipe assisted by glycerol in an acid medium. Glycerol, given its small dimensions, enables the formation of ε-FeO nanoparticles with a size of a few nanometers and the highest purity is reached in coatings after a densification treatment at 960 °C. The structural and compositional evolution up to 1200 °C is studied by confocal Raman microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques, correlating the existing magnetic properties. We report a novel characterization method, which allows monitoring the evolution of the precursor micelles as well as the intermediate and final phases formed. Furthermore, the inherent industrial technology transfer of the sol-gel process is also demonstrated with the ε-FeO polymorph, impelling its application in the coatings form.This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCINN, Spain) through the projects PIE: 2021-60-E-030, PIE: 2010-6-OE-013, PID2019-104717RB-I00 (2020–2022), MAT2017-86540-C4-1-R, RTI2018-095856-B-C21 (2019–2021), RTI2018-097895-B-C43 and RTI2018-095303-A-C52. The authors are grateful to The ESRF (France), MCINN and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, Spain) for the provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and to the BM25-SpLine Staff for their valuable help. A.S.and A.M.-N acknowledge financial support from Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) for an “Atracción de Talento Investigador” Contract 2017-t2/IND5395 and 2018-T1/IND-10360, respectivel

Combined Immune Defect in B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders Is Associated with Severe Infection and Cancer Progression

This research received no external funding. K.G.-H is supported by The European Social Fund (ESF) through a Río Ortega Grant for Health Research Projects by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) (CM20/00098).B cell chronic lymphoproliferative diseases (B-CLPD) are associated with secondary antibody deficiency and other innate and adaptive immune defects, whose impact on infectious risk has not been systematically addressed. We performed an immunological analysis of a cohort of 83 B-CLPD patients with recurrent and/or severe infections to ascertain the clinical relevance of the immune deficiency expression. B-cell defects were present in all patients. Patients with combined immune defect had a 3.69-fold higher risk for severe infection (p = 0.001) than those with predominantly antibody defect. Interestingly, by Kaplan–Meier analysis, combined immune defect showed an earlier progression of cancer with a hazard ratio of 3.21, than predominantly antibody defect (p = 0.005). When B-CLPD were classified in low-degree, high-degree, and plasma cell dyscrasias, risk of severe disease and cancer progression significantly diverged in combined immune defect, compared with predominantly antibody defect (p = 0.001). Remarkably, an underlying primary immunodeficiency (PID) was suspected in 12 patients (14%), due to prior history of infections, autoimmune and granulomatous conditions, atypical or variegated course and compatible biological data. This first proposed SID classification might have relevant clinical implications, in terms of predicting severe infections and cancer progression, and might be applied to different B-CLPD entities.Depto. de Inmunología, Oftalmología y ORLFac. de MedicinaTRUEpu

Conducta sedentaria y metros recorridos en TM6 en preescolares de la escuela San Valentín de Talca

71 p.En los últimos años, la globalización ha favorecido que la conducta sedentaria aumente y la tolerancia al ejercicio descienda, provocando problemas de salud pública en edades cada vez más tempranas, siendo la infancia el momento oportuno para establecer hábitos saludables. Debido a esto, el propósito de este estudio fue asociar la conducta sedentaria con los metros recorridos en el Test de Marcha de 6 Minutos (TM6) en preescolares de la Escuela San Valentín de Talca. En esta institución se reclutaron un total de 16 infantes de entre 4 y 5 años, aparentemente sanos, a quienes se les aplicó encuestas para determinar la conducta sedentaria y TM6 modificado para obtener los metros recorridos. Se hizo un análisis estadístico descriptivo en tablas de frecuencias con media y desviación estándar; y se asoció con F de Fisher. Encontrándose que los preescolares pasaban 318,62 ± 94,00 minutos en conducta sedentaria en un día tipo, siendo los tiempos en el aula y pantalla los mayores. La distancia recorrida en el TM6 fue de 462,4 ± 50,05 metros. No encontrándose asociación entre la distancia recorrida y la conducta sedentaria (p=1). Sin embargo, se apreció una tendencia donde a mayor conducta sedentaria, menor es la cantidad de metros recorridos en este test. // ABSTRACT: In recent years, globalization has favored sedentary behavior increase and exercise tolerance decrease, causing public health problems at increasingly early ages, with childhood being the right time to establish healthy habits. Because of this, the purpose of this study was to associate sedentary behavior with the meters traveled in the 6 Minute Walk Test (TM6) in preschoolers of the San Valentín de Talca School. A total of 16 apparently healthy infants between 4 and 5 years of age were recruited in this institution, who were evaluated to determine sedentary behavior and modified TM6 to obtain the traveled meters. A descriptive statistical analysis was made in frequency tables with means and standard deviation; and partnered with F de fisher. Finding that preschoolers spend 318.62 ± 94.00 minutes in sedentary behavior on a typical day, the times in the classroom and screen being the greatest. The distance traveled in the TM6 was 462.4 ± 50.05 meters. No association was found between distance traveled and sedentary behavior (p=1). However, a trend was appreciated, that the more sedentary behavior, the lower the less meters are recorded in this test

HGF, IL-1α, and IL-27 are robust biomarkers in early severity stratification of COVID-19 patients

© 2021 by the authors.Pneumonia is the leading cause of hospital admission and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to identify the cytokines responsible for lung damage and mortality. We prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided them into four groups according to the severity of respiratory symptoms. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were used for normalization of the results. Multiple cytokines showed statistically significant differences between mild and critical patients. High HGF levels were associated with the critical group (OR = 3.51; p < 0.001; 95%CI = 1.95–6.33). Moreover, high IL-1α (OR = 1.36; p = 0.01; 95%CI = 1.07–1.73) and low IL-27 (OR = 0.58; p < 0.005; 95%CI = 0.39–0.85) greatly increased the risk of ending up in the severe group. This model was especially sensitive in order to predict critical status (AUC = 0.794; specificity = 69.74%; sensitivity = 81.25%). Furthermore, high levels of HGF and IL-1α showed significant results in the survival analysis (p = 0.033 and p = 0.011, respectively). HGF, IL-1α, and IL 27 at hospital admission were strongly associated with severe/critical COVID-19 patients and therefore are excellent predictors of bad prognosis. HGF and IL-1α were also mortality biomarkers.This work was supported by the Carlos III Health Institute (Grant COV20/00491)

HGF, IL-1α, and IL-27 Are Robust Biomarkers in Early Severity Stratification of COVID-19 Patients

Producción CientíficaPneumonia is the leading cause of hospital admission and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to identify the cytokines responsible for lung damage and mortality. We prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided them into four groups according to the severity of respiratory symptoms. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were used for normalization of the results. Multiple cytokines showed statistically significant differences between mild and critical patients. High HGF levels were associated with the critical group (OR = 3.51; p < 0.001; 95%CI = 1.95–6.33). Moreover, high IL-1α (OR = 1.36; p = 0.01; 95%CI = 1.07–1.73) and low IL-27 (OR = 0.58; p < 0.005; 95%CI = 0.39–0.85) greatly increased the risk of ending up in the severe group. This model was especially sensitive in order to predict critical status (AUC = 0.794; specificity = 69.74%; sensitivity = 81.25%). Furthermore, high levels of HGF and IL-1α showed significant results in the survival analysis (p = 0.033 and p = 0.011, respectively). HGF, IL-1α, and IL 27 at hospital admission were strongly associated with severe/critical COVID-19 patients and therefore are excellent predictors of bad prognosis. HGF and IL-1α were also mortality biomarkers.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant COV20/00491

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells as a potential biomarker for recurrent pregnancy loss and recurrent implantation failure: Increased levels of MDSCs in recurrent reproductive failure

[Problem]: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF) represent distinct clinical conditions with established definitions, both of which have been linked to an underlying pro-inflammatory state. This study aimed to explore the levels of monocytic-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) and regulatory T cells (TReg ) in a cohort of RPL and RIF women and their potential contribution to RPL and RIF.[Method of study]: One hundred and eight non-pregnant women were evaluated: 40 RPL, 41 RIF, and 27 fertile healthy controls (HC). A multiparametric flow cytometry approach was utilized to measure and quantify the frequency of M-MDSCs and TReg cells. Cytokine levels in plasma samples were evaluated through a multiplex assay. M-MDSCs levels were significantly higher in RPL and RIF patients compared to HC.[Results]: M-MDSCs levels were significantly higher in RPL (9.4% [7-11.6]) and RIF (8.1% [5.9-11.6]) patients compared to HC (6% [4.2-7.6]). An optimal cut-off of 6.1% for M-MDSCs disclosed a sensitivity of 75.6% and 89.7% and a specificity of 57.7% and 57.7% in RIF and RPL groups, respectively. A significant negative correlation was observed between M-MDSCs and TReg (p = .002, r = -.51).[Conclusions]: Our preliminary data allowed us to build a predictive model that may aid as a potential diagnostic tool in the clinic. These findings could provide a better understanding of these pathologies and a better definition of patients that could benefit from personalized treatments to promote pregnancy. Additional exploration and confirmation in distinct study groups are needed to fully assess the diagnostic capabilities of this biomarker.The project received a research grant from the Carlos III Institute of Health, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain), awarded on the 2019 call under the Health Strategy Action 2019−2020, within the National Research Program oriented to Societal Challenges, within the Technical, Scientific and Innovation Research National Plan 2019−2023, with reference PI19/01450, and was co-supported by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)."Peer reviewe

Can the Cytokine Profile According to ABO Blood Groups Be Related to Worse Outcome in COVID-19 Patients? Yes, They Can

Producción CientíficaSevere status of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely associated to cytokine release. Moreover, it has been suggested that blood group is also associated with the prevalence and severity of this disease. However, the relationship between the cytokine profile and blood group remains unclear in COVID-19 patients. In this sense, we prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided according to ABO blood group. For the analysis of 45 cytokines, plasma samples were collected in the time of admission to hospital ward or intensive care unit and at the sixth day after hospital admission. The results show that there was a risk of more than two times lower of mechanical ventilation or death in patients with blood group O (log rank: p = 0.042). At first time, all statistically significant cytokine levels, except from hepatocyte growth factor, were higher in O blood group patients meanwhile the second time showed a significant drop, between 20% and 40%. In contrast, A/B/AB group presented a maintenance of cytokine levels during time. Hepatocyte growth factor showed a significant association with intubation or mortality risk in non-O blood group patients (OR: 4.229, 95% CI (2.064–8.665), p < 0.001) and also was the only one bad prognosis biomarker in O blood group patients (OR: 8.852, 95% CI (1.540–50.878), p = 0.015). Therefore, higher cytokine levels in O blood group are associated with a better outcome than A/B/AB group in COVID-19 patients.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant COV20/00491)Junta de Castilla y León (grant 18IGOF