Computer-Based Training in Math and Working Memory Improves Cognitive Skills and Academic Achievement in Primary School Children:Behavioral Results

Student academic achievement has been positively related to further development outcomes, such as the attainment of higher educational, employment, and socioeconomic aspirations. Among all the academic competences, mathematics has been identified as an essential skill in the field of international leadership as well as for those seeking positions in disciplines related to science, technology, and engineering. Given its positive consequences, studies have designed trainings to enhance children's mathematical skills. Additionally, the ability to regulate and control actions and cognitions, i.e., executive functions (EF), has been associated with school success, which has resulted in a strong effort to develop EF training programs to improve students' EF and academic achievement. The present study examined the efficacy of a school computer-based training composed of two components, namely, working memory and mathematics tasks. Among the advantages of using a computer-based training program is the ease with which it can be implemented in school settings and the ease by which the difficulty of the tasks can be adapted to fit the child's ability level. To test the effects of the training, children's cognitive skills (EF and IQ) and their school achievement (math and language grades and abilities) were evaluated. The results revealed a significant improvement in cognitive skills, such as non-verbal IQ and inhibition, and better school performance in math and reading among the children who participated in the training compared to those children who did not. Most of the improvements were related to training on WM tasks. These findings confirmed the efficacy of a computer-based training that combined WM and mathematics activities as part of the school routines based on the training's impact on children's academic competences and cognitive skills

Development and Diagnosis of a Teaching Experience Using Participatory Methods: Towards an Ecosystemic Learning in Higher Education

The redefinition of the objectives of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) generates novelty in the teaching design developed by universities. The constructivist perspective encourages the use of methods that promote teamwork, an interest for information searching, autonomy and an increased motivation for learning, among others. Currently, the acquisition of the established curricular content receives feedback thanks to information and communication technologies (ICTs). This research describes the implementation of an experience related to the use of teaching/learning participatory methods with first- and second-year students in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education bachelor’s degrees. This experience is based on flipped classrooms and role-playing and is supported by ICTs. A questionnaire was delivered to a total of 100 individuals on their perception of participatory methods and their assessment of the methods used for the described experience. After performing the analysis, the conclusions showed that higher education students considered that classroom implementation of emerging methods helped them at a theoretical, practical and professional level as well as motivated them, which allows us to advance towards the goals of the EHEA

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Mathematical Abilities in School-Aged Children: A Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis With Radiomics

This research was supported by grant PSI2017-84556-P funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe,” and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement number 825903 (euCanSHare project).Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies have shown that children that differ in some mathematical abilities show differences in gray matter volume mainly in parietal and frontal regions that are involved in number processing, attentional control, and memory. In the present study, a structural neuroimaging analysis based on radiomics and machine learning models is presented with the aim of identifying the brain areas that better predict children’s performance in a variety of mathematical tests. A sample of 77 school-aged children from third to sixth grade were administered four mathematical tests: Math fluency, Calculation, Applied problems and Quantitative concepts as well as a structural brain imaging scan. By extracting radiomics related to the shape, intensity, and texture of specific brain areas, we observed that areas from the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, basal ganglia, and limbic system, were differentially related to children’s performance in the mathematical tests. sMRI-based analyses in the context of mathematical performance have been mainly focused on volumetric measures. However, the results for radiomics-based analysis showed that for these areas, texture features were the most important for the regression models, while volume accounted for less than 15% of the shape importance. These findings highlight the potential of radiomics for more in-depth analysis of medical images for the identification of brain areas related to mathematical abilities.PSI2017-84556-P funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033“ERDF A way of making EuropeEuropean Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement number 825903 (euCanSHare project

Gender-Based Performance in Mathematical Facts and Calculations in Two Elementary School Samples From Chile and Spain: An Exploratory Study

Gender differences in mathematical performance are not conclusive according to the scientific literature, although such differences are supported by international studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). According to TIMSS 2019, fourth-grade male students outperformed female students in Spanish-speaking countries, among others. This work approaches the study on gender difference by examining the basic calculation skills needed to handle more complex problems. Two international samples of second and third graders fromChile and Spain were selected for this exploratory study. Tests on basic mathematical knowledge (symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparisons, fluency, and calculation) were administered. The tests did not show significant difference or size effect between genders for mean performance, variance in the distribution of performance, or percentiles. As noted in the existing literature on this topic and reiterated by these findings, great care should be exercised when reporting on possible gender differences in mathematical performance, as these can contribute to low self-concept among female students.Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico 1190945Universidad de Sevilla VIPP PRECOMPETI 2020/1333Junta de Andalucía US-126309

Gender-Based Performance in Mathematical Facts and Calculations in Two Elementary School Samples From Chile and Spain: An Exploratory Study

This study has been supported by the Chilean national projects Fondecyt Regular 2018 ID1181472, Anid/Fondecyt Regular ID1210172 and Fondecyt Regular 2019 (ref. number 1190945) and by a fellowship for residencies abroad of young researchers from Mare Nostrum (2017). Also, this research has been supported by the ERDF Andalusia Operational Program 2014-2020, government of Andalusia, Spain (ref. US-1263096); the VI Own Research and Transfer Plan (VIPPITUS), Universidad de Sevilla, Spain (ref. VIPP PRECOMPETI 2020/1333).Gender differences in mathematical performance are not conclusive according to the scientific literature, although such differences are supported by international studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). According to TIMSS 2019, fourth-grade male students outperformed female students in Spanish-speaking countries, among others. This work approaches the study on gender difference by examining the basic calculation skills needed to handle more complex problems. Two international samples of second and third graders from Chile and Spain were selected for this exploratory study. Tests on basic mathematical knowledge (symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparisons, fluency, and calculation) were administered. The tests did not show significant difference or size effect between genders for mean performance, variance in the distribution of performance, or percentiles. As noted in the existing literature on this topic and reiterated by these findings, great care should be exercised when reporting on possible gender differences in mathematical performance, as these can contribute to low self-concept among female students.Chilean national project Fondecyt ID1181472Anid/Fondecyt Regular ID1210172Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT) CONICYT FONDECYT 1190945Fellowship for residencies abroad of young researchers from Mare NostrumERDF Andalusia Operational Program 2014-2020, government of Andalusia, Spain US-1263096VI Own Research and Transfer Plan (VIPPITUS), Universidad de Sevilla, Spain VIPP PRECOMPETI 2020/133

Revista de logopedia, foniatría y audiología

Título, resumen y palabras clave en español e inglésResumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe evalúa el impacto de un nuevo método educativo diseñado en la Universidad de Barcelona para dotar a los profesionales de material y herramientas para estimular la lectura en el alumnado de primer curso de Educación Primaria. Se realiza un diseño pre-post con niños separados en 2 grupos: experimental y control. El método es aplicado en el grupo experimental de noviembre a abril. Tres veces por semana se administran desde la escuela sesiones grupales en las que se trabaja mayoritariamente la descodificación, el vocabulario y la comprensión. Por otro lado, de una a 4 veces por semana, según el nivel de eficiencia lectora detectado en cada alumno, se llevan a cabo sesiones individuales online desde el domicilio de los participantes completamente adaptadas al nivel de cada alumno para trabajar la descodificación. Se muestra que el grupo experimental obtiene mejores resultados en fluidez lectora (velocidad y precisión) en todas las pruebas administradas comparado con el grupo de control a final de curso.Biblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

THE MANDARIN TRIPLOID BREEDING PROGRAM IN SPAIN

Production of seedless citrus fruits is required for the fresh market because consumers do not accept seedy fruits. Development of new seedless mandarin cultivars has a high priority for many citrus industries worldwide. The recovery of triploid hybrids is the most promising approach to achieve this goal, since triploids have a very low pollen and ovule fertility. They are seedless or produce very low numbers of seeds and do not induce the formation of seeds in other cultivars by cross pollination. In Spain we are carrying a triploid breeding program since 1996 based on 2x × 2x, 2x × 4x and 4x × 2x sexual hybridizations followed by embryo rescue and flow cytometry, together with the use of different approaches to produce new tetraploid parents. The objective is to obtain new high quality easy peeling and seedless mandarin cultivars. More than thirty spontaneous autotetraploid apomictic genotypes to be used as male parents have been selected from seedbeds by flow cytometry. Also nine autotetraploid non apomictic genotypes, mainly to be used as female parents, have been obtained by chromosome duplication with treatments of micrografted shoot tips with colchicine or oryzalin. Symmetric protoplast fusion is also being used to produce allotetraploid genotypes. So far, we have obtained more than 5,500 triploid hybrids from 130 parental combinations by 2x × 2x pollinations, more than 4,300 triploid hybrids from 100 parental combinations by 2x × 4x pollinations, and more than 5,600 triploid hybrids from 103 parental combinations by 4x × 2x pollinations. In 2008 we released the first cultivars originated in the program, the seedless late maturing mandarins ‘Garbí’ and ‘Safor’, obtained from 2x × 2x crosses. More than 400,000 trees of these cultivars have been planted by growers during the last three years

Acta Horticulturae

Production of seedless citrus fruits is required for the fresh market because consumers do not accept seedy fruits. Development of new seedless mandarin cultivars has a high priority for many citrus industries worldwide. The recovery of triploid hybrids is the most promising approach to achieve this goal, since triploids have a very low pollen and ovule fertility. They are seedless or produce very low numbers of seeds and do not induce the formation of seeds in other cultivars by cross pollination. In Spain we are carrying a triploid breeding program since 1996 based on 2x × 2x, 2x × 4x and 4x × 2x sexual hybridizations followed by embryo rescue and flow cytometry, together with the use of different approaches to produce new tetraploid parents. The objective is to obtain new high quality easy peeling and seedless mandarin cultivars. More than thirty spontaneous autotetraploid apomictic genotypes to be used as male parents have been selected from seedbeds by flow cytometry. Also nine autotetraploid non apomictic genotypes, mainly to be used as female parents, have been obtained by chromosome duplication with treatments of micrografted shoot tips with colchicine or oryzalin. Symmetric protoplast fusion is also being used to produce allotetraploid genotypes. So far, we have obtained more than 5,500 triploid hybrids from 130 parental combinations by 2x × 2x pollinations, more than 4,300 triploid hybrids from 100 parental combinations by 2x × 4x pollinations, and more than 5,600 triploid hybrids from 103 parental combinations by 4x × 2x pollinations. In 2008 we released the first cultivars originated in the program, the seedless late maturing mandarins ‘Garbí’ and ‘Safor’, obtained from 2x × 2x crosses. More than 400,000 trees of these cultivars have been planted by growers during the last three years

Mathematical Abilities in School-Aged Children: A Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis With Radiomics

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies have shown that children that differ in some mathematical abilities show differences in gray matter volume mainly in parietal and frontal regions that are involved in number processing, attentional control, and memory. In the present study, a structural neuroimaging analysis based on radiomics and machine learning models is presented with the aim of identifying the brain areas that better predict children's performance in a variety of mathematical tests. A sample of 77 school-aged children from third to sixth grade were administered four mathematical tests: Math fluency, Calculation, Applied problems and Quantitative concepts as well as a structural brain imaging scan. By extracting radiomics related to the shape, intensity, and texture of specific brain areas, we observed that areas from the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, basal ganglia, and limbic system, were differentially related to children's performance in the mathematical tests. sMRI-based analyses in the context of mathematical performance have been mainly focused on volumetric measures. However, the results for radiomics-based analysis showed that for these areas, texture features were the most important for the regression models, while volume accounted for less than 15% of the shape importance. These findings highlight the potential of radiomics for more in-depth analysis of medical images for the identification of brain areas related to mathematical abilities