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Technology has become invaluable and digital competence has turned into a necessity for students. The research presented here aims to propose mediation models that explain the influence of attitudinal, technology use, and family factors on the level of digital problem-solving skills of compulsory education students (12-14 years old). A quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional design was used. We worked with a sample of 772 students from 18 Spanish educational centres according to a stratified random sampling method. For data collection, an objective assessment test was used for knowledge and skills, and a Likert scale for attitudes. Regression analyses were carried out by creating theoretical reference models based on the bootstrapping technique. The results showed that students who expressed a favourable attitude towards digital problem solving demonstrated a better level of competence, which was also positively influenced by the possession of technological devices and the frequency of their use for school and non-school activities at home.

The main objective of the research described here was to learn how young learners self-evaluate their digital competence. A non-experimental and descriptive quantitative methodology was employed, an electronic survey being used to collect the data. Among the main results, we can highlight that these learners self-evaluate their attitude towards Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as favourable, their handling of them as moderate and their knowledge of them as scarce. It became clear that they do not have a level of digital competence suitable for being called 'digital natives', nor sufficient ability to use ICT in their academic life or in their professional future.

Digital competence, the ability to use and understand technology effectively, is fundamental in today's society. For this reason, several programs have been launched in recent years to develop and improve it. DigiCraft, an educational program of the Vodafone-Spain Foundation that aims to give Spanish children access to quality training in digital literacy, is one of the most important initiatives to develop this skill among students aged 6-12 in Spain. In addition to developing digital competence, it contributes to meeting the challenges of educational sustainability, which is particularly in line with Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all". The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the results of the DigiCraft educational program, taking into account the perspective of the different agents who participated in it, after three years of development. In this research, a qualitative methodology was chosen, using a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions as a tool to collect the evaluation of students and teachers involved in the program. Sixteen centres from different contexts and Autonomous Communities were selected. The results obtained show the success of this program in developing digital competence in children aged 6-12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of computer programming in K-12 has become mainstream in the last years, as countries around the world are making coding part of their curriculum. Nevertheless, there is a lack of empirical studies that investigate how learning to program at an early age affects other school subjects. In this regard, this paper compares three quasi-experimental research designs conducted in three different schools (n = 129 students from 2nd and 6th grade), in order to assess the impact of introducing programming with Scratch at different stages and in several subjects. While both 6th grade experimental groups working with coding activities showed a statistically significant improvement in terms of academic performance, this was not the case in the 2nd grade classroom. Notable disparity was also found regarding the subject in which the programming activities were included, as in social studies the effect size was double that in mathematics.

Copyright of Revista Complutense de Educación is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The technological advance of mobile devices has significantly changed the way students communicate and interact. The purpose of this research is to analyse the level of digital competence in the area of communication of Spanish schoolchildren aged 12-16 years and to determine whether the use of WhatsApp and email influence this competence. A quantitative methodology was used, working with a sample of 807 students and a problem-solving test was used for data collection. The results show that the use of these communicative tools does not improve students' level of competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the different biomarkers predicting response in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most influential parameters are the mutational status of the IGHV genes and the presence of TP53 gene disruptions. Nevertheless, these important assessments are not readily available in most centers dealing with CLL patients. To provide this molecular testing across the country, the Spanish Cooperative Group on CLL (GELLC) established a network of four analytical reference centers. A total of 2153 samples from 256 centers were analyzed over a period of 30 months. In 9% of the patients, we found pathological mutations in the TP53 gene, whereas 48.96% were classified as IGHV unmutated. Results of the satisfaction survey of the program showed a Net Promoter Score of 85.15. Building a national network for molecular testing in CLL allowed the CLL population a broad access to complex biomarkers analysis that should translate into a more accurate and informed therapeutic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational thinking (CT) is being located at the focus of educational innovation, as a set of problem-solving skills that must be acquired by the new generations of students to thrive in a digital world full of objects driven by software. However, there is still no consensus on a CT definition or how to measure it. In response, we attempt to address both issues from a psychometric approach. On the one hand, a Computational Thinking Test (CTt) is administered on a sample of 1,251 Spanish students from 5th to 10th grade, so its descriptive statistics and reliability are reported in this paper. On the second hand, the criterion validity of the CTt is studied with respect to other standardized psychological tests: the Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) battery, and the RP30 problem-solving test. Thus, it is intended to provide a new instrument for CT measurement and additionally give evidence of the nature of CT through its associations with key related psychological constructs. Results show statistically significant correlations at least moderately intense between CT and: spatial ability ( r = 0.44), reasoning ability ( r = 0.44), and problem-solving ability ( r = 0.67). These results are consistent with recent theoretical proposals linking CT to some components of the Cattel-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence, and corroborate the conceptualization of CT as a problem-solving ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RED - Revista de Educación a Distancia is the property of Universidad de Murcia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background We aimed to assess baseline inter- hemispheric perfusion differences, before carotid artery stenting (CAS), of severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis, and to evaluate perfusion changes over time after CAS by means of perfusion weighted imaging (PWI). Methods Dynamic susceptibility contrast PWI was performed in 33 patients with severe ICA stenosis 1 day before and 1 day after CAS, and repeated in 23 patients 30 days after CAS. Cerebral blood volume, cerebral blood flow, arrival time (T0), mean transit time, and time to peak (TTP) relative values comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic hemispheres before CAS were obtained. Pre- and post-CAS values were also compared in the treated hemisphere and middle cerebral artery (MCA) territories. The influence of collateral circulation and contralateral ICA stenosis were evaluated. Results Before CAS, TTP was significantly increased in the affected hemisphere and MCA territory in all patients (p=0.007 and p=0.021, respectively). After treatment, normalization was observed for TTP and T0 30 days after CAS in all patients, mainly in patients with any grade of contralateral stenosis and with one or both functioning communicating arteries (42.4% of patients had both, and 42.4% showed only one — anterior communicating artery=11 patients (78.6%) and posterior communicating artery=3 patients (21.4%)). Conclusions Inter-hemispheric perfusion differences in patients with severe ICA stenosis normalize after CAS in the long term, up to 30 days after the procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ginecología y Obstetricia de México is the property of Federacion Mexicana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main objectives of this paper are to define the design parameters and operational features for new fishing vessels in order to increase their economic profitability. Thus, an economic model of their activity has been developed by taking into account the activity of the Galician fleet (Spain) for the last 7 years. Subsequently, the influence of each variable has been evaluated through the application of Monte Carlo simulation for each type of fishing vessel. Once the controllable and market variables in the model have been identified, the quantification of their influence on the economic result has been carried out. From data provided by the shipowners using the Port of Celeiro, this study also identifies a large oversize both in the hold and in the fuel capacity of the current fleet.According to the results obtained, new main dimensions and operational features for the vessels are proposed, with the objective of improving the economic feasibility of these vessels.The analysis shows the great importance of the market parameters and the initial investment in the final economic results. The longliner is the vessel that is the most sensitive to the solutions proposed, obtaining the largest improvements through smaller vessels operating at a lower speed during the trip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined fluctuating asymmetry (FA) levels in fourth-instar larvae of Chironomus riparius (Diptera, Chironomidae) collected monthly from a polluted site in Galicia (NW Spain) where pollutant inputs are known to be roughly constant throughout the year. The site was selected because, despite this constancy in pollutant inputs, deformities in fourth-instar larvae were previously found to be more frequent and severe during cold periods and less frequent and severe during warm periods of the year, in accordance with the ‘time-of-exposure’ hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that short-term climatic variations occurring throughout the year influence the frequency and severity of larval morphological alterations, by means of the control they exert on developmental time and, as a consequence, on the time larvae remain exposed to pollutants. We investigated whether FA levels in larvae were likewise in accordance with this hypothesis, but, contrary to our expectations, no significant differences in FA levels were detected either among months or among seasons, suggesting that FA is not influenced by normal climatic variations. However, climatic influences may be masked, and the observed constancy in FA levels over the sampling period may be a consequence of the action of a mixture of stressors which compensate each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed knowledge about differentiation syndrome (DS) has remained limited. There are 2 large studies conducted by the Spanish workgroup PETHEMA (Programa Español de Tratamientos en Hematología; Spanish Program on Hematology Treatments) and the European group trial (LPA 96-99 and APL 93) in which the incidence, characteristics, prognostic factors and outcome of patients developing DS are evaluated. Both have described the median time of DS development between 10 and 12 days. The severity of the DS has been evaluated in the study conducted by PETHEMA, and severe DS usually occurs at the beginning of the treatment (median of 6 days), as compared with moderate DS (median of 15 days). We report here in two cases of late severe DS, with late diagnosis due to both time and form of presentation. We discuss the physiopathology, clinical presentation, prophylaxis and treatment of DS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]