Relationships between phonological awareness and reading in Spanish: a meta‐analysis

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGPrevious meta-analyses of the relationship between phonological awareness (PA) and reading have been conducted mostly in children who speak English, a language with an opaque writing system. In this study, we present a meta-analysis that examined mean correlations between three PA tasks testing phonemic, syllabic, and intrasyllabic awareness and three reading tasks testing word reading, nonword reading, and reading comprehension in Spanish, a language with a near-transparent writing system. A random-effects model of 47 articles (N = 7,956) was used for a multiple correlation study that showed a significantly moderate correlation between some of the PA subcategories and the reading tasks in Spanish-speaking children. The largest correlation values were found between syllabic awareness and reading, which highlights the importance of syllable recognition during reading acquisition. In addition, we found that intrasyllabic awareness also plays an important role in reading in Spanish. The findings are discussed from a cross-linguistic perspective.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. FFI2017‐82752‐PXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/52Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A‐2018/27

El papel de las características textuales en la comprensión lectora de alumnado de Educación Primaria en lengua española

During the early grades of primary school, texts are mainly narrative and focus on technical aspects such as decoding words and understanding simple syntax. However, from 4th grade onwards, texts become increasingly more difficult and expository texts become the main source of knowledge from which children will have to extract and learn new information while creating their mental model. This article examined the influences of two main text characteristics: text genre and level of representation (text base and mental model), in the reading comprehension scores of 313 Spanish primary school children aged 8 to 11 to study the relationship between these variables as well as the differences between grades. Comprehension of each text genre was assessed through a validated multiple-choice questionnaire and each variable was compared through a series of correlational methods, such as Pearson’s correlation, Spearman’s rho and ANOVAs. The results showed that all grades obtained significant higher scores on the text base than the mental model but only the expository texts exhibited better results when passing from 4th to 5th and 6th grade. This study provides findings that may contribute to the topic of literacy education during primary school.Durante los primeros cursos de primaria, los textos son principalmente narrativos y se centran en aspectos técnicos como la decodificación y la comprensión de sintaxis simple. Sin embargo, a partir de 4º curso, los textos se vuelven cada vez más difíciles y los expositivos se convierten en la principal fuente de conocimiento a partir de la cual los estudiantes tendrán que extraer y aprender nueva información mientras crean su modelo mental. El presente artículo se centra en examinar las influencias de dos características principales de cualquier texto: el género textual y el nivel de representación (base textual y modelo mental) en las puntuaciones obtenidas en las pruebas de comprensión lectora de 313 estudiantes españoles de educación primaria con edades entre 8 y 11 años para averiguar la relación existente entre estas variables, así como las diferencias entre cursos. La comprensión de cada género textual se evaluó mediante un cuestionario de opción múltiple y cada variable se comparó mediante una serie de métodos correlacionales (correlación de Pearson, rho de Spearman y ANOVAs). Los resultados muestran que todos los cursos obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente más altas en la base textual que en el modelo mental, pero solo se apreciaron mejores resultados con el paso de 4º a 5º y 6º curso en los textos expositivos. Los hallazgos de este estudio suponen una contribución relevante para la alfabetización en la educación primaria

Differentiating between fatal and non-fatal mining accidents using artificial intelligence techniques

Using statistical methods for categorical data analysis, namely multiple correspondence analysis and Artificial Intelligence through Bayesian networks, we analysed a database of occupational mining accidents for Spain for the period 2004–2017 to identify the factors most associated with the occurrence of fatal and non-fatal accidents. The results obtained allow to shed light on the hidden patterns present in different work situations where accidents can have fatal consequences. In addition, this study exemplifies the application of statistical techniques suitable for Big Data and data-driven decision making in the mining sector.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2018/4

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Time to Switch to Second-line Antiretroviral Therapy in Children With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Europe and Thailand.

Background: Data on durability of first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are limited. We assessed time to switch to second-line therapy in 16 European countries and Thailand. Methods: Children aged <18 years initiating combination ART (≥2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors [NRTIs] plus nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor [NNRTI] or boosted protease inhibitor [PI]) were included. Switch to second-line was defined as (i) change across drug class (PI to NNRTI or vice versa) or within PI class plus change of ≥1 NRTI; (ii) change from single to dual PI; or (iii) addition of a new drug class. Cumulative incidence of switch was calculated with death and loss to follow-up as competing risks. Results: Of 3668 children included, median age at ART initiation was 6.1 (interquartile range (IQR), 1.7-10.5) years. Initial regimens were 32% PI based, 34% nevirapine (NVP) based, and 33% efavirenz based. Median duration of follow-up was 5.4 (IQR, 2.9-8.3) years. Cumulative incidence of switch at 5 years was 21% (95% confidence interval, 20%-23%), with significant regional variations. Median time to switch was 30 (IQR, 16-58) months; two-thirds of switches were related to treatment failure. In multivariable analysis, older age, severe immunosuppression and higher viral load (VL) at ART start, and NVP-based initial regimens were associated with increased risk of switch. Conclusions: One in 5 children switched to a second-line regimen by 5 years of ART, with two-thirds failure related. Advanced HIV, older age, and NVP-based regimens were associated with increased risk of switch

AI approaches to environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in the mining and metals sector using AutoML and Bayesian modeling

Mining engineers and environmental experts around the world still identify and evaluate environmental risks associated with mining activities using field-based, basic qualitative methods The main objective is to introduce an innovative AI-based approach for the construction of environmental impact assessment (EIA) indexes that statistically reflects and takes into account the relationships between the different environmental factors, finding relevant patterns in the data and minimizing the influence of human bias. For that, an AutoML process developed with Bayesian networks is applied to the construction of an interactive EIA index tool capable of assessing dynamically the potential environmental impacts of a slate mine in Galicia (Spain) surrounded by the Natura 2000 Network. The results obtained show the moderate environmental impact of the whole exploitation; however, the strong need to protect the environmental factors related to surface and subsurface runoff, species or soil degradation was identified, for which the information theory results point to a weight between 6 and 12 times greater than not influential variables

A comparative analysis of health surveillance strategies for administrative video display terminal employees

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to develop a strategy to optimize medical health surveillance protocols for administrative employees using video display terminals (VDTs). A total of 2453 medical examinations were analysed for VDT users in various sectors. From these data, using Bayesian statistics we inferred which factors were most relevant to medical diagnosis of the main disorders affecting VDT users. This information was used to build an influence diagram to evaluate the time and monetary costs associated with each diagnostic test and define an optimal protocol strategy based on occupational risks. Results Musculoskeletal and ophthalmological diseases were identified as the most frequent disorders among VDT users. The Bayesian network inferred age, sleep quality, activity level, smoking and the consumption of alcohol as risk factors. The blood count was the most costly test (5.23 USD/employee) and the second most costly test in time terms (4 min/employee), yet is a diagnostic test that has little influence on the medical decision regarding an employee’s capacity to perform their job. Conclusions Current occupational health surveillance protocols for VDT users may lead to expenditure that is 54% greater than necessary. For many employees and employers, failure to perform a wide range of medical tests for occupational health surveillance purposes is subjectively perceived as a threat to health. Awareness needs to be raised of the appropriate role of different health areas, so as to optimize diagnostic efficiency on the basis of greater flexibility

Children living with HIV in Europe: do migrants have worse treatment outcomes?

International audienceTo assess the effect of migrant status on treatment outcomes among children living with HIV in Europe