Evaluation of the learning. Problems and solutions

Las preguntas clásicas acerca de la evaluación: para qué evaluar, qué evaluar, cómo evaluar o quién ha de evaluar los aprendizajes adquiridos por los estudiantes sigue siendo un tema recurrente y polémico en la literatura pedagógica actual que se reaviva periódicamente con motivo de la publicación de las distintas evaluaciones nacionales o internacionales o las polémicas “reválidas” de la LOMCE. En el ámbito académico coexisten la evaluación formativa y la evaluación certificadora, estableciéndose entre ambas profundas imbricaciones de las que no podemos sustraernos. Ello condiciona, inevitablemente, e incluso polariza todo el proceso de Enseñanza-Aprendizaje. Ambas funciones no son, en absoluto, excluyentes sino complementarias; evaluamos, fundamentalmente, para mejorar; pero, ¿cómo mejorar sin saber de dónde partimos ni adónde hemos llegado? Ciertamente, la mera medición, aislada, descontextualizada, sin consecuencias es un ejercicio estéril que, en el mejor de los casos, solo produce pérdida de recursos y de tiempo, pero también es cierto que no es posible la valoración y consiguiente toma de decisiones en función de esa valoración si no se parte de un conocimiento profundo de aquello que se quiere valorar. De la calidad de la medición: validez de los indicadores seleccionados, validez y fiabilidad de los instrumentos de evaluación elegidos e idoneidad de las condiciones de aplicación va a depender la calidad de la evaluación y por consiguiente la eficacia de las actuaciones que de ella se deriven. Así pues, en este artículo intentaremos aportar, justificadamente, tanto reflexiones de carácter teórico como útiles consideraciones de orden práctico que se debieran tener en cuenta a la hora de recoger y valorar los aprendizajes adquiridos por los estudiantes.The classic questions about evaluation: why to evaluate, what to evaluate, how to evaluate, or who is to evaluate the learning acquired by the students are still a recurrent and controversial topic in the current pedagogic literature that periodically revives due to the publication of the different national or international assessments or the controversial "reválidas" of the LOMCE. In the academic field coexist formative assessment and certification assessment, establishing between the two deep overlapping of which we cannot ignore. This condition inevitably polarizes even entire E-A process. Both functions are not at all exclusive but complementary; we evaluate primarily to improve, but how to improve without knowing where we started from or where we come? Certainly, the mere measurement, isolated, decontextualized, without consequences is a sterile exercise, which in the best case only leads to loss of resources and time, on the other hand it is also true that it is not possible the assessment and subsequent decision making based on that valuation if it is not part of a thorough understanding of what we want to assess. The quality of the measurement-validity of selected indicators, validity and reliability of assessment instruments chosen and suitability of the conditions of application, will depend on the quality of assessment and therefore the effectiveness of the actions that she derived. Thus, in this article we will try to provide, justifiably, theoretical thoughts as well as useful practical considerations that should be considered when it comes to collect and evaluate the learning acquired by the students.Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar. Grupo FORCE (HUM-386

Recursive proof of the Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem in any dimension n>3n>3

We present a method to obtain sets of vectors proving the Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem in dimension $n$ from a similar set in dimension $d$ ($3\leq d<n\leq 2d$). As an application of the method we find the smallest proofs known in dimension five (29 vectors), six (31) and seven (34), and different sets matching the current record (36) in dimension eight.Comment: LaTeX, 7 page

Caracterización de uniones material compuesto-hormigón mediante ensayos de pelado, cortadura, tracción plana y torsión

XI CONGRESO NACIONAL DE MATERIALES COMPUESTOS. Celebrado en Móstoles los días 6, 7 y 8 de julio de 2015El presente trabajo se centra en el análisis de diferentes ensayos que permiten determinar la calidad de la unión entre laminados de material compuesto y hormigón. Los ensayos considerados han sido: Pull Off (ensayo a tracción), Shear Torsion (ensayo de torsión), Lap Shear (ensayo de cortadura) y Lap Peeling (ensayo de pelado). La fabricación de las probetas se ha llevado a cabo siguiendo tres procedimientos: por apilado e impregnación manual del material compuesto sobre el hormigón, mediante pegado de laminados de material compuesto prefabricados y mediante impregnación insitu del material compuesto sobre el hormigón a través de técnicas de infusión de resina líquida. Además, dichos ensayos se han realizado sobre probetas de hormigón con dos tratamientos superficiales: amoladora y lija de grano grueso. Tras la realización de los ensayos se ha constatado que predomina la rotura por el hormigón sobre roturas adhesivas o cohesivas, lo que indica una buena adhesión entre éste y el material compuesto, para todos los métodos de fabricación de la unión y tratamientos superficiales del hormigónCentro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTl) lTC-20131020Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) lTC-2013102

The diet of the first Europeans from Atapuerca

Hominin dietary specialization is crucial to understanding the evolutionary changes of craniofacial biomechanics and the interaction of food processing methods’ effects on teeth. However, the diet-related dental wear processes of the earliest European hominins remain unknown because most of the academic attention has focused on Neandertals. Non-occlusal dental microwear provides direct evidence of the effect of chewed food particles on tooth enamel surfaces and reflects dietary signals over time. Here, we report for the first time the direct effect of dietary abrasiveness as evidenced by the buccal microwear patterns on the teeth of the Sima del Elefante-TE9 and Gran Dolina-TD6 Atapuerca hominins (1.2–0.8 million years ago − Myr) as compared with other Lower and Middle Pleistocene populations. A unique buccal microwear pattern that is found in Homo antecessor (0.96–0.8 Myr), a well-known cannibal species, indicates dietary practices that are consistent with the consumption of hard and brittle foods. Our findings confirm that the oldest European inhabitants ingested more mechanically-demanding diets than later populations because they were confronted with harsh, fluctuating environmental conditions. Furthermore, the influence of grit-laden food suggests that a high-quality meat diet from butchering processes could have fueled evolutionary changes in brain size.This work was supported by the research grants, from the Dirección General de Investigación of Ministerio Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain), numbers CGL2007-60802/BTE, CGL2011-22999, CGL2012-38434-C03-01/02/03 and CGL2014-52611-C2-1-P, as well as by the grant 2009SGR884 Group of Study on the Evolution of Hominins and other Primates and grant 2014SGR900 Group of Analyses on Socio-Ecological Processes, Cultural Changes and Population Dynamics during Prehistory (GAPS) and CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya

A deletion at Adamts9-magi1 Locus is associated with psoriatic arthritis risk

Objective: Copy number variants (CNVs) have been associated with the risk to develop multiple autoimmune diseases. Our objective was to identify CNVs associated with the risk to develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA) using a genome-wide analysis approach. Methods: A total of 835 patients with PsA and 1498 healthy controls were genotyped for CNVs using the Illumina HumanHap610 BeadChip genotyping platform. Genomic CNVs were characterised using CNstream analysis software and analysed for association using the χ2 test. The most significant genomic CNV associations with PsA risk were independently tested in a validation sample of 1133 patients with PsA and 1831 healthy controls. In order to test for the specificity of the variants with PsA aetiology, we also analysed the association to a cohort of 822 patients with purely cutaneous psoriasis (PsC). Results: A total of 165 common CNVs were identified in the genome-wide analysis. We found a highly significant association of an intergenic deletion between ADAMTS9 and MAGI1 genes on chromosome 3p14.1 (p=0.00014). Using the independent patient and control cohort, we validated the association between ADAMTS9-MAGI1 deletion and PsA risk (p=0.032). Using next-generation sequencing, we characterised the 26 kb associated deletion. Finally, analysing the PsC cohort we found a lower frequency of the deletion compared with the PsA cohort (p=0.0088) and a similar frequency to that of healthy controls (p>0.3). Conclusions: The present genome-wide scan for CNVs associated with PsA risk has identified a new deletion associated with disease risk and which is also differential from PsC risk

Multiproxy approach to reconstruct fossil primate feeding behavior: Case study for macaque from the Plio-Pleistocene site Guefaït-4.2 (eastern Morocco)

The genus Macaca belongs to Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys), Cercopithecinae, Papionini. The presence of Macaca in North Africa is well known from the Late Miocene to the Late Pleistocene. However, the diet of fossil Macaca has been poorly described in the literature. In this study, we investigated the feeding habits of Macaca cf. sylvanus (n = 4) from the Plio-Pleistocene site Guefaït-4.2 in eastern Morocco through multiproxy analysis combining analyses of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes from tooth enamel, buccal microtexture, and low-magnification occlusal dental microwear. For both microwear analyses, we compared the macaques with a new reference collection of extant members of Cercopithecoidea. Our occlusal microwear results show for the fossil macaque a pattern similar to the extant Cercocebus atys and Lophocebus albigena, African forest-dwelling species that are characterized by a durophagous diet based mainly on hard fruit and seed intake. Buccal microtexture results also suggest the consumption of some grasses and the exploitation of more open habitats, similar to that observed in Theropithecus gelada. The δ13C of M. cf. sylvanus indicates a C3 based-diet without the presence of C4 plants typical of the savanna grassland in eastern Africa during this period. The high δ18O values of M. cf. sylvanus, compared with the contemporary ungulates recovered from Guefaït-4.2, could be associated with the consumption of a different resource by the primate such as leaves or fresh fruits from the upper part of trees. The complementarity of these methods allows for a dietary reconstruction covering a large part of the individual’s life.This work has been funded by Palarq Foundation, Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport (Ref: 42-T002018N0000042853 and 170-T002019N0000038589), Direction of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture and Communication, Morocco), Faculty of Sciences (Mohamed 1r University of Oujda, Morocco), INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine), Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref: CGL2016-80975-P, CGL2016-80000-P, PGC2018-095489-B-I00, and PID2021- 122355NB-C33), Research Groups Support of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR 836, 2017 SGR 1040, 2017 SGR 102, and 2017 SGR 859) and PDC2021-121613-I00 and PID2020-112963GB-I00 by ERDF A way of making Europe, by the European Union. RS-R, MC, AR-H, and CT research was funded by CERCA Programme Generalitat de Catalunya. IR-P is beneficiary of predoctoral fellowship (2020-FI-B-00731) funded by AGAUR and the Fons Social Europeu (FSE). AA and is beneficiary of a fellowship from the Erasmus Mundus Program to do the Master in Quaternary and Prehistory at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain). CT was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Ramón y Cajal” program (RYC2020-029404-I). The Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) has received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000945-M), including the postdoctoral fellowships of AR-H.With funding from the Spanish government through the "Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence" accreditation CEX2019-000945-M.Peer reviewe

Effectiveness of buccal dental-microwear texture in African Cercopithecoidea dietary discrimination

Objectives: This study compares ISO (ISO/FDIS 25178) roughness parameters, calculated from three-dimensional (3D) molar buccal microtexture surfaces, among African Cercopithecoidea primates with different diets. Materials and Methods: We examined 98 lower second molars from seven African Cercopithecoidea species with diverse dietary regimes and habitat exploitation. Buccal dental surfaces were analyzed using a Sensofar Plu Neox laser scanning confocal microscope. Thirty-eight, areal surface texture parameters were extracted (Mountain 7® software). Uni- and multivariate statistics were used to obtain diet-related patterns of buccal-microwear textures and feeding ecology to differentiate between species. Results: Buccal-dental 3D texture parameters discriminate between Cercopithecoidea diets. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant variation in microwear texture between forest-adapted Mandrillus sphinx, which showed coarse flat features, and grassland forager Theropithecus gelada, whose buccal surfaces were characterized by a high density of thin features. Buccal-microwear textures of folivorous species (Colobus polykomos) were related to a lower density of thicker surface indentations in comparison to Papio anubis and Cercocebus atys which are adapted to the consumption of tough and hard foods. The limited interspecific variation in the buccal-microwear textures of savanna dwellers (Chlorocebus pygerythrus and Chlorocebus aethiops) probably reflects similarities in their foraging diets. Discussion: Significant variations between-species demonstrate that 3D microwear ISO roughness parameters applied to buccal enamel surfaces can distinguish between the diets of Cercopithecoidea.This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Grant Numbers: PDC2021-121613-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union “NextGeneration EU/ORTR”, PID2020-114517GB-I00, PID2020-112963GB-I00 by ERDF A way of making Europe, by the European Union. www.paleobaboonproject.scienc

Early outcome of a 31-gene expression profile test in 86 AJCC stage IB-II melanoma patients

Background: The clinical and pathological features of primary melanoma are not sufficiently sensitive to accurately predict which patients are at a greater risk of relapse. Recently, a 31-gene expression profile (DecisionDx-Melanoma) test has shown promising results. Objectives: To evaluate the early prognostic performance of a genetic signature in a multicentre prospectively evaluated cohort. Methods: Inclusion of patients with AJCC stages IB and II conducted between April 2015 and December 2016. All patients were followed up prospectively to assess their risk of relapse. Prognostic performance of this test was evaluated individually and later combined with the AJCC staging system. Prognostic accuracy of disease-free survival was determined using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. Results of the gene expression profile test were designated as Class 1 (low risk) and Class 2 (high risk). Results: Median follow-up time was 26 months (IQR 22-30). The gene expression profile test was performed with 86 patients; seven had developed metastasis (8.1%) and all of them were in the Class 2 group, representing 21.2% of this group. Gene expression profile was an independent prognostic factor for relapse as indicated by multivariate Cox regression analysis, adjusted for AJCC stages and age. Conclusions: This prospective multicentre cohort study, performed in a Spanish Caucasian cohort, shows that this 31-gene expression profile test could correctly identify patients at early AJCC stages who are at greater risk of relapse. We believe that gene expression profile in combination with the AJCC staging system could well improve the detection of patients who need intensive surveillance and optimize follow-up strategies

A geometric morphometric analysis of hominin upper first molar shape

Recent studies have revealed interesting differences in upper first molar morphology across the hominin fossil record, particularly significant between H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis. Usually these analyses have been performed by means of classic morphometric methods, including the measurement of relative cusp areas or the angles defined between cusps. Although these studies have provided valuable information for the morphological characterization of some hominin species, we believe that the analysis of this particular tooth could be more conclusive for taxonomic assignment. In this study, we have applied geometric morphometric methods to explore the morphological variability of the upper first molar (M1) across the human fossil record. Our emphasis focuses on the study of the phenetic relationships among the European middle Pleistocene populations (designated as H. heidelbergensis) with H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens, but the inclusion of Australopithecus and early Homo specimens has helped us to assess the polarity of the observed traits. H. neanderthalensis presents a unique morphology characterized by a relatively distal displacement of the lingual cusps and protrusion in the external outline of a large and bulging hypocone. This morphology can be found in a less pronounced degree in the European early and middle Pleistocene populations, and reaches its maximum expression with the H. neanderthalensis lineage. In contrast, modern humans retain the primitive morphology with a square occlusal polygon associated with a round external outline.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu