On-line tools to improve the presentation skills of scientific results

[EN] In experimental sciences and engineering it is essential to communicate and present the results effectively. The authors have participated in several educational innovation projects since 2016, aimed at developing of materials to improve the communication skills of scientific results. An exhaustive and updated compilation of the international rules that constitute the basis for the writted and oral scientific presentations was carried out. The good teaching practices in these fields were also identified. The results of those previous projects have shown the need to incorporate web questionnaires and other interactive content into the educational program. These are adapted to the demands of the students and provide a training feeback. In this contribution, the new materials that are being developed within the innovation project UV-SFPIE_PID19-1096780, funded by the University of Valencia, are presented. They are devoted to facilitate the acquisition of communication skills of scientific results. In particular, these tools combine ICT self-learning environments with traditional classroom teaching (blended learning). The project methodology includes educational data mining aimed at identifying the most effective materials and activities to achieve its objectives. The aim of these mixed learning tools is to facilitate the acquisition by the students of the necessary skills of oral and written communication, improve their presentation skills and, consequently, also their employability as university graduates.This work has been supported by the University of Valencia through project SFPIE_PID19-1096780.Campos-Taberner, M.; Gilabert, M.; Manzanares, J.; Mafé, S.; Cervera, J.; García-Haro, F.; Martínez, B.... (2020). On-line tools to improve the presentation skills of scientific results. IATED. 4907-4910. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2020.1342S4907491

Effectiveness, safety/tolerability of OBV/PTV/r ± DSV in patients with HCV genotype 1 or 4 with/without HIV-1 co-infection, chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage IIIb/V and dialysis in Spanish clinical practice – preliminary data Vie-KinD study

Poster presentatio

Non-motor symptom burden in patients with Parkinson's disease with impulse control disorders and compulsive behaviours : results from the COPPADIS cohort

The study was aimed at analysing the frequency of impulse control disorders (ICDs) and compulsive behaviours (CBs) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and in control subjects (CS) as well as the relationship between ICDs/CBs and motor, nonmotor features and dopaminergic treatment in PD patients. Data came from COPPADIS-2015, an observational, descriptive, nationwide (Spain) study. We used the validated Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) for ICD/CB screening. The association between demographic data and ICDs/CBs was analyzed in both groups. In PD, this relationship was evaluated using clinical features and treatment-related data. As result, 613 PD patients (mean age 62.47 ± 9.09 years, 59.87% men) and 179 CS (mean age 60.84 ± 8.33 years, 47.48% men) were included. ICDs and CBs were more frequent in PD (ICDs 12.7% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.001; CBs 7.18% vs. 1.67%, p = 0.01). PD patients had more frequent previous ICDs history, premorbid impulsive personality and antidepressant treatment (p < 0.05) compared with CS. In PD, patients with ICDs/CBs presented younger age at disease onset, more frequent history of previous ICDs and premorbid personality (p < 0.05), as well as higher comorbidity with nonmotor symptoms, including depression and poor quality of life. Treatment with dopamine agonists increased the risk of ICDs/CBs, being dose dependent (p < 0.05). As conclusions, ICDs and CBs were more frequent in patients with PD than in CS. More nonmotor symptoms were present in patients with PD who had ICDs/CBs compared with those without. Dopamine agonists have a prominent effect on ICDs/CBs, which could be influenced by dose

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues

Think Aloud Protocol Analysis in secondary students: innovation at physics subject

Introducción: Recientes investigaciones sobre metacognición revelan que el uso de los métodos de evaluación on-line (protocolos de pensar en voz alta) permiten extraer información más precisa sobre las estrategias metacognitivas que los estudiantes emplean durante la resolución de problemas que los métodos de evaluación off-line (cuestionarios, escalas). El análisis de protocolos de pensar en voz alta facilita el estudio de la calidad de las respuestas metacognitivas en relación a cuatro criterios: 1) Orientación (proceso de resolución y activación de los conocimientos previos), 2) Planificación (secuenciación en pasos del proceso de resolución), 3) Evaluación (evaluación de los pasos de resolución y de su efectividad) y 4) Elaboración (relación de los pasos con la sentencia del problema y conclusiones encontradas). Método: El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar si existía relación entre la información sobre el uso de estrategias metacognitivas obtenida con métodos on-line vs. métodos off-line. Se trabajó con 10 alumnos de 4º de la ESO en la asignatura de física y se analizaron 499 protocolos de pensar en voz alta en 10 unidades de trabajo. Resultados: No se encontraron correlaciones significativas entre las estrategias metacognitivas medidas con métodos on-line y las medidas con métodos off-line. Lo que implica que la percepción que los alumnos tienen del uso de las estrategias metacognitivas no coincide con su utilización en contextos reales de resolución de problemas. Los estudiantes utilizaron de forma real, en las 10 unidades, estrategias metacognitivas de planificación y de auto-evaluación. Estos datos se extrajeron del estudio de los protocolos en voz alta (100% de uso). Si bien la auto-percepción que los estudiantes tienen de su utilización fue de un 47 % a un 53%, respectivamente. Conclusiones: Por ello es preciso orientar la instrucción hacia la auto-regulación metacognitiva lo que previsiblemente facilitará en los alumnos la adquisición de la autoconciencia metacognitiva.Background: Recent researches on metacognition reveal that the use of on-line assessment methods (protocols think aloud) allow to analyse better students´ metacognitive skills use during solving problems than off-line assessment methods (questionnaires, scales). The analysis of think aloud protocols facilitates of the quality metacognitive outcomes by four criteria 1) Orientation (resolution process and activation of prior knowledges), 2) Planning (sequencing step of resolution process), and 3) Assessment (assessment steps in problem solving and their effectiveness) and 4) Elaboration (relationship between sentence problem and found conclusions). Method: The study aim was to analyse if there are relationships between on-line vs off-line information about metacognitive skills use. We worked with 10 4th ESO students in the physics subject. We analysed 499 think aloud protocols in 10 subject-matters. Results: We have not found significant correlations between metacognitive skills to on-line methods and off-line methods assessment. This involve that students perception about their metacognitive skills use does not match with its application in real environments. Students have used in 10 subject-matters planning and self-assessment metacognitive skills. These results came from the study of protocol analysis (100% use). However students´ self-perception was 47% and 53% respectively. Conclusions: For this reason it is necessary to guide teachers to self-regulation metacognitive training. This will improve students´ metacognitive consciousness acquisition