The Implementation of Learning Analytics in Assessing Course Redesigns for College Level Statistics Courses

Includes bibliographical references (pages 44-46)Estimating the efficacy of different instructional modalities, techniques and\ud interventions is challenging because teaching style covaries with instructor, and the typical student only takes a course once. We introduce the individualized treatment effect (ITE) from analyses of personalized medicine as a means to quantify individual student performance under different instructional modalities or intervention strategies, despite the fact that each student may experience only one ???treatment???. The ITE is presented within an ensemble machine learning approach to evaluate student performance, identify factors indicative of student success, and estimate persistence. A key element is the use of a priori student information from institutional records. The methods are motivated and illustrated in two learning analytics problems: 1) comparing an online and standard face-to-face offerings of an upper division applied statistics course that is a curriculum bottleneck at San Diego State University; 2) evaluating a new supplementary instruction component to a large enrollment introductory statistics course recognized as presenting an undesirably high repeatable grade rate. The ITE in particular allows us also to characterize students that benefit from pedagogical innovations (e.g., online or traditional course offerings) and intervention strategies (e.g., supplemental instruction). We discuss the general implications of this analytics framework for assessing pedagogical innovations and interventions strategies, identifying and characterizing at-risk students, and optimizing the individualized student learning environment

Optimized 3D Segmentation Algorithm for Shelly Sand Images

There is much to be gained from analysing and studying calcareous sediment, with applications ranging from the study of climate change, rock dating, and even building offshore oil rigs and wind farms. One way of performing this analysis is to obtain a µCT scan of the sediment, allowing scientists and engineers to automate much of their analysis using software. Many existing and prospective analysis techniques require handling individual grains. Thus, fast and effective segmentation is an essential first step for any such analysis. Segmentation is non-trivial; these scans hold a lot of information, exhibit ambiguous boundaries between objects, and many objects are hollow, making it even more difficult to apply traditional watershed segmentation. Addressing these issues, in this paper we propose an optimized 3D segmentation (O3DS) algorithm based on watersheds. We make use of branch recursion, partition the image by height prior to segmentation, artificially reducing the size of the largest connected objects. These and additional changes are extremely effective in optimizing performance; O3DS reduces the time to segment a 659x925x932 scan of sediment by 95.4% and produces better or comparable results when compared to similar implementation by our co-author

Should we teach linear algebra through geometry?

AbstractCan geometry help students learn linear algebra? I study this question and demonstrate that there is no obvious clear answer: geometry can be an obstacle to learning linear algebra; or it can be helpful. Geometry is helpful only under certain conditions and with a specific use of drawings. These special requirements for using geometry are apparently not much recognized in our teaching of linear algebra courses, at least in France, where my educational studies have taken place

Communication in cancer genetic counselling: does it reflect counselees' previsit needs and preferences?

This study sought to describe counsellor–counselee interaction during initial cancer genetic counselling consultations and to examine whether the communication reflects counselees' previsit needs. A total of 130 consecutive counselees, referred mainly for breast or colon cancer, completed a questionnaire before their first appointment at a genetic clinic. Their visit was videotaped. Counselee and counsellor verbal communications were analysed and initiative to discuss 11 genetics-specific conversational topics was assessed. The content of the visit appeared relatively standard. Overall, counselees had a stronger psychosocial focus than counsellors. Counsellors directed the communication more and initiated the discussion of most of the topics assessed. Counselees did not appear to communicate readily in a manner that reflected their previsit needs. Counsellors provided more psychosocial information to counselees in higher need for emotional support, yet did not enquire more about counselees' specific concerns. New counselees may be helped by receiving more information on the counselling procedure prior to their visit, and may be advised to prepare the visit more thoroughly so as to help them verbalise more their queries during the visit

Overt Cleft Palate Phenotype and TBX1 Genotype Correlations in Velo-cardio-facial/DiGeorge/22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Patients

Velo-cardio-facial syndrome/DiGeorge syndrome, also known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is the most common microdeletion syndrome, with an estimated incidence of 1/2,000 – 1/4,000 live births. Approximately 9–11% of patients with this disorder have an overt cleft palate (CP), but the genetic factors responsible for CP in the 22q11DS subset are unknown. The TBX1 gene, a member of the T-box transcription factor gene family, lies within the 22q11.2 region that is hemizygous in patients with 22q11DS. Inactivation of one allele of Tbx1 in the mouse does not result in CP, but inactivation of both alleles does. Based on these data, we hypothesized that DNA variants in the remaining allele of TBX1 may confer risk to CP in patients with 22q11DS. To test the hypothesis, we evaluated TBX1 exon sequencing (n = 360) and genotyping data (n = 737) with respect to presence (n = 54) or absence (n = 683) of CP in patients with 22q11DS. Two upstream SNPs (rs4819835 and rs5748410) showed individual evidence for association but they were not significant after correction for multiple testing. Associations were not identified between DNA variants and haplotypes in 22q11DS patients with CP. Overall, this study indicates that common DNA variants in TBX1 may be nominally causative for CP in patients with 22q11DS. This raises the possibility that genes elsewhere on the remaining allele of 22q11.2 or in the genome could be relevant

Ubiquitous presence of gluconeogenic regulatory enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, within layers of rat retina

To shed some light on gluconeogenesis in mammalian retina, we have focused on fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), a regulatory enzyme of the process. The abundance of the enzyme within the layers of the rat retina suggests that, in mammals in contrast to amphibia, gluconeogenesis is not restricted to one specific cell of the retina. We propose that FBPase, in addition to its gluconeogenic role, participates in the protection of the retina against reactive oxygen species. Additionally, the nuclear localization of FBPase and of its binding partner, aldolase, in the retinal cells expressing the proliferation marker Ki-67 indicates that these two gluconeogenic enzymes are involved in non-enzymatic nuclear processes

Social responsiveness scale-aided analysis of the clinical impact of copy number variations in autism

Recent array-based studies have detected a wealth of copy number variations (CNVs) in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Since CNVs also occur in healthy individuals, their contributions to the patient’s phenotype remain largely unclear. In a cohort of children with symptoms of ASD, diagnosis of the index patient using ADOS-G and ADI-R was performed, and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was administered to the index patients, both parents, and all available siblings. CNVs were identified using SNP arrays and confirmed by FISH or array CGH. To evaluate the clinical significance of CNVs, we analyzed three families with multiple affected children (multiplex) and six families with a single affected child (simplex) in which at least one child carried a CNV with a brain-transcribed gene. CNVs containing genes that participate in pathways previously implicated in ASD, such as the phosphoinositol signaling pathway (PIK3CA, GIRDIN), contactin-based networks of cell communication (CNTN6), and microcephalin (MCPH1) were found not to co-segregate with ASD phenotypes. In one family, a loss of CNTN5 co-segregated with disease. This indicates that most CNVs may by themselves not be sufficient to cause ASD, but still may contribute to the phenotype by additive or epistatic interactions with inherited (transmitted) mutations or non-genetic factors. Our study extends the scope of genome-wide CNV profiling beyond de novo CNVs in sporadic patients and may aid in uncovering missing heritability in genome-wide screening studies of complex psychiatric disorders