Is there a cost at encoding words with joined letters during visual word recognition?

For simplicity, models of visual-word recognition have focused on printed words composed of separated letters, thus overlooking the processing of cursive words. Manso de Zuniga, Humphreys, and Evett (1991) claimed that there is an early 'cursive normalization' encoding stage when processing written words with joined letters. To test this claim, we conducted a lexical decision experiment in which words were presented either with separated or joined letters. To examine if the cost of letter segmentation occurs early in processing, we also manipulated a factor (i.e., word-frequency) that is posited to affect subsequent lexical processing. Results showed faster response times for the words composed of separated letters than for the words composed of joined letters. This effect occurred similarly for low- and high-frequency words. Thus, the present data offer some empirical support to Manso de Zuniga et al.'s (1991) idea of an early 'cursive normalization' stage when processing joined-letters words. This pattern of data can be used to constrain the mapping of the visual input into letter and word units in future versions of models of visual word recognition

Well-Being without Employment? Promoting the Employability of Refugees

There are more than 25 million refugees in the world. Many of them try to reach the Mediterranean in order to enter Europe. Spain is one of the countries that receive refugees and have to integrate them. Many refugees have experienced persecution in their countries, as well as forced migration, rape, diseases, etc. Their integration requires support and coordination from the government, health services, and social agents. The first step in achieving this integration is getting a job, which is currently an important issue. Thus, we aim to analyze the employability of a specific group of refugees in Spain and then develop and implement an intervention program to improve their employability. Our framework is based on the Bioecological Model of Employability. The results obtained show that the program is effective in improving employability, and they highlight the importance of labor inclusion for refugees' well-being. Moreover, the findings reveal the need to create labor market policies and further evaluations, diagnostics, and intervention programs that improve employability and other types of personal-community growth. It is necessary to focus on refugees' needs and develop appropriate services

Self-Determined Goals of Male Participants Attending an Intervention Program for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: A Thematic Analysis

Treatment adherence and motivation to change are among the main challenges in intervention programs for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetrators. Motivational strategies have shown promising results in increasing the effectiveness of intervention programs for IPV perpetrators. One of these motivational strategies is goal setting. The aim of this study was to analyze and categorize the self-determined goals (n = 204) of 227 male participants attending an intervention program for IPV perpetrators. Findings of the thematic analysis suggested three levels of analysis: 4 core categories, 12 categories, and 35 codes. The four core categories were 'interpersonal relationships' (39.7%), 'personal resources for daily life' (29.3%), 'coping strategies' (27.8%), and 'motivation to change' (3.2%). Identifying the main categories of self-determined goals of IPV perpetrators could guide professionals to tailor the intervention to participants' specific needs and implement evidence-based strategies to strengthen goal attainment and improve treatment outcomes

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA repair genes as risk factors associated to prostate cancer progression

Background Besides serum levels of PSA, there is a lack of prostate cancer specific biomarkers. It is need to develop new biological markers associated with the tumor behavior which would be valuable to better individualize treatment. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in DNA repair and prostate cancer progression.Methods A total of 494 prostate cancer patients from a Spanish multicenter study were genotyped for 10 SNPs in XRCC1, ERCC2, ERCC1, LIG4, ATM and TP53 genes. The SNP genotyping was made in a Biotrove OpenArray® NT Cycler. Clinical tumor stage, diagnostic PSA serum levels, and Gleason score at diagnosis were obtained for all participants. Genotypic and allelic frequencies were determined using the web-based environment SNPator.Results SNPs rs11615 (ERCC1) and rs17503908 (ATM) appeared as risk factors for prostate cancer aggressiveness. Patients wild homozygous for these SNPs (AA and TT, respectively) were at higher risk for developing cT2b – cT4 (OR = 2.21 (confidence interval (CI) 95% 1.47 – 3.31), p < 0.001) and Gleason scores ≥ 7 (OR = 2.22 (CI 95% 1.38 – 3.57), p < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, those patients wild homozygous for both SNPs had the greatest risk of presenting D’Amico high-risk tumors (OR = 2.57 (CI 95% 1.28 – 5.16)).Conclusions Genetic variants at DNA repair genes are associated with prostate cancer progression, and would be taken into account when assessing the malignancy of prostate cancer.This work was subsidized by a grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad from Spain), ID: PI12/01867. Almudena Valenciano has a grant from the Instituto Canario de Investigación del Cáncer (ICIC)

Epigenetic clocks in relapse after a first episode of schizophrenia

The main objective of the present study was to investigate the association between several epigenetic clocks, covering different aspects of aging, with schizophrenia relapse evaluated over a 3-year follow-up period in a cohort of ninety-one first-episode schizophrenia patients. Genome-wide DNA methylation was profiled and four epigenetic clocks, including epigenetic clocks of chronological age, mortality and telomere length were calculated. Patients that relapsed during the follow-up showed epigenetic acceleration of the telomere length clock (p = 0.030). Shorter telomere length was associated with cognitive performance (working memory, r = 0.31 p = 0.015; verbal fluency, r = 0.28 p = 0.028), but no direct effect of cognitive function or symptom severity on relapse was detected. The results of the present study suggest that epigenetic age acceleration could be involved in the clinical course of schizophrenia and could be a useful marker of relapse when measured in remission stages

Polymorphisms in DNA-repair genes in a cohort of prostate cancer patients from different areas in Spain: heterogeneity between populations as a confounding factor in association studies

Background: Differences in the distribution of genotypes between individuals of the same ethnicity are an important confounder factor commonly undervalued in typical association studies conducted in radiogenomics. Objective: To evaluate the genotypic distribution of SNPs in a wide set of Spanish prostate cancer patients for determine the homogeneity of the population and to disclose potential bias. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 601 prostate cancer patients from Andalusia, Basque Country, Canary and Catalonia were genotyped for 10 SNPs located in 6 different genes associated to DNA repair: XRCC1 (rs25487, rs25489, rs1799782), ERCC2 (rs13181), ERCC1 (rs11615), LIG4 (rs1805388, rs1805386), ATM (rs17503908, rs1800057) and P53 (rs1042522). The SNP genotyping was made in a Biotrove OpenArrayH NT Cycler. Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Comparisons of genotypic and allelic frequencies among populations, as well as haplotype analyses were determined using the web-based environment SNPator. Principal component analysis was made using the SnpMatrix and XSnpMatrix classes and methods implemented as an R package. Non-supervised hierarchical cluster of SNP was made using MultiExperiment Viewer. Results and Limitations: We observed that genotype distribution of 4 out 10 SNPs was statistically different among the studied populations, showing the greatest differences between Andalusia and Catalonia. These observations were confirmed in cluster analysis, principal component analysis and in the differential distribution of haplotypes among the populations. Because tumor characteristics have not been taken into account, it is possible that some polymorphisms may influence tumor characteristics in the same way that it may pose a risk factor for other disease characteristics. Conclusion: Differences in distribution of genotypes within different populations of the same ethnicity could be an important confounding factor responsible for the lack of validation of SNPs associated with radiation-induced toxicity, especially when extensive meta-analysis with subjects from different countries are carried out

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Gamification in Social Sciences: Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes towards Gamification Tools

[EN] One of the tools that can contribute to enhancing students' learning, motivation, and academic performance is the gamification technique. However, this technique is still not widely implemented in the university context. The aim of this study is to present a teaching innovation strategy based on gamification: the Genially program has been used to create games, quizzes, and escape rooms for students' self-assessment of knowledge in different university degrees related to Social Sciences and Psychology. Additionally, the study presents the results obtained from a previous questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes towards gamification in the classroom. The results indicate that students are familiar with what gamification is, but they perceive that it is not widely used in university classrooms. The most well-known tool is Kahoot (89.4%), while only 11.9% are familiar with Genially. Students indicated that the positive aspects of gamification are fun and clarification of concepts, while the negative aspects are the time required, question formulation, competitiveness, and repetitiveness. The proposed teaching innovation project aims to address some of the perceived negative aspects.[ES] Una de las herramientas que puede contribuir a potenciar el aprendizaje, motivación y rendimiento académico del estudiantado es la técnica de la gamificación. Esta técnica, sin embargo, aún está poco implantada en el ámbito universitario. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar una estrategia de innovación docente basada en la gamificación: se ha utilizado el programa Genially para crear juegos, cuestionarios y escape rooms para la autoevaluación de conocimientos del alumnado en diferentes carreras universitarias relacionadas con las Ciencias Sociales y la Psicología. Además, se presentan los resultados obtenidos en un cuestionario previo de conocimiento y actitudes hacia la gamificación en el aula. Los resultados indican que el alumnado conoce qué es la gamificación, pero perciben que no lo han utilizado mucho en las aulas universitarias. La herramienta que más conocen es Kahoot (89,4%), en cambio sólo el 11,9% conoce Genially. El alumnado indicó como aspectos positivos de la gamificación la diversión y la aclaración de los conceptos, y como aspectos negativos el tiempo empleado, la formulación de las preguntas, la competitividad y que es repetitivo. El proyecto de innovación docente que se plantea pretende incidir en los aspectos negativos y mejorar algunas de los aspectos negativos percibidos.Roldán-Pardo, M.; Arrojo, S.; Marco, M.; Expósito-Álvarez, C.; Castro, A.; Santirso, F.; Gracia, E.... (2023). Gamificación en Ciencias Sociales: Evaluación del conocimiento y las actitudes del alumnado hacia las herramientas de gamificación. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1433-1442. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2023.2023.166761433144

El poder de la retroalimentación: cómo las rúbricas y las píldoras formativas mejoran la calidad de los trabajos en la asignatura de Psicología de la Intervención Social y Comunitaria

[ES] En este trabajo se describe una experiencia de innovación educativa que se basó en el aprendizaje tecnocooperativo en el Grado de Psicología. Se desarrolló un instrumento de autoevaluación y se elaboraron píldoras formativas online. La evaluación posterior indicó que la elaboración conjunta de la rúbrica mejoró significamente el rendimiento académico del estudiantado y mostraron una alta satisfacción con las técnicas implementadas. En función de los resultados obtenidos, en estudios futuros se podría analizar la viabilidad de aplicar estas técnicas en otros ámbitos formativos.[EN] This work describes an experience of educational innovation in the Psychology Degree that was based on cooperative learning through ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). A self-assessment tool was developed, and online training modules were created. The subsequent evaluation indicated that the collaborative development of the rubric significantly improved the students’ academic performance, and they expressed high satisfaction with the implemented techniques. Based on the results obtained, the feasibility of applying these techniques in other educational settings could be analyzed in future studies.Expósito-Álvarez, C.; Castro, A.; Santirso, FA.; Marco, M.; Arrojo, S.; Roldán-Pardo, M.; Gracia, E.... (2023). El poder de la retroalimentación: cómo las rúbricas y las píldoras formativas mejoran la calidad de los trabajos en la asignatura de Psicología de la Intervención Social y Comunitaria. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 485-491. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2023.2023.1669548549

Cadernos para a distancia

Esta publicación es un suplemento a la revista del programa radiofónico de educación a distancia del Instituto Gallego de Bachillerato a Distancia. Se trata de unidades didácticas sencillas, compuestas de contenidos y actividades, que analizan y tratan de dar soluciones a problemas concretos de nuestro contexto sociocultural, enriquecidas con las técnicas del mensaje radiofónico, con objeto de desarrollar en los oyentes valores y actitudes positivas.GaliciaBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín 5 -3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]