Conversational agent for supporting learners on a MOOC on programming with Java

One important problem in MOOCs is the lack of personalized support from teachers. Conversational agents arise as one possible solution to assist MOOC learners and help them to study. For example, conversational agents can help review key concepts of the MOOC by asking questions to the learners and providing examples. JavaPAL, a voice-based conversational agent for supporting learners on a MOOC on programming with Java offered on edX. This paper evaluates JavaPAL from different perspectives. First, the usability of JavaPAL is analyzed, obtaining a score of 74.41 according to a System Usability Scale (SUS). Second, learners’ performance is compared when answering questions directly through JavaPAL and through the equivalent web interface on edX, getting similar results in terms of performance. Finally, interviews with JavaPAL users reveal that this conversational agent can be helpful as a complementary tool for the MOOC due to its portability and flexibility compared to accessing the MOOC contents through the web interface.This work was supported in part by the FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades-Agencia Estatal de Investigación, through the Smartlet and H2O Learning projects under Grant TIN2017-85179-C3-1-R and PID2020-112584RB-C31, and in part by the Madrid Regional Government through the e-Madrid-CM Project under Grant S2018/TCS-4307 and under the Multiannual Agreement with UC3M in the line of Excellence of University Professors (EPUC3M21), and in the context of the V PRICIT (Regional Programme of Research and Technological Innovation), a project which is co-funded by the European Structural Funds (FSE and FEDER). Partial support has also been received from the European Commission through Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education projects, more specifically through projects LALA, InnovaT, and PROF-XXI (586120-EPP-1-2017-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP), (598758-EPP-1-2018-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP), (609767-EPP-1-2019-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). This publication reflects the views only of the authors and funders cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Industry Collaboration with Large Research Infrastructures : What factors influence knowledge benefits for companies?

Firms' collaboration with large research infrastructure through procurement activities during the construction phase of a large-scale scientific experiment, has been previously shown to enhance suppliers' performance. The present work assesses the industry collaboration with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, for the international study on a future particle accelerator for high energy physics, the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC study). The paper sheds light on the collaboration during the development phase of the CLIC study, while the previous literature has considered collaboration benefits during intensive procurement event – a construction phase of an approved project. In the development phase companies can participate in research, development, and improvement, as well as playing a consulting role for emerging technologies application. Therefore, the aim of the manuscript is to investigate outcomes for suppliers as knowledge benefits from the early-stage collaboration with the CLIC study. The conceptual framework is built on the exclusive dataset using the survey data from 71 industrial partners of the CLIC study. The results confirm positive aspects of early-stage collaboration and shows the roles of main influencing factors by involving multiple regression model.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

CLIC Wake Field Monitor as a detuned Cavity Beam Position Monitor: Explanation of center offset between TE and TM channels in the TD26 structure

The Wake Field Monitor (WFM) system installed on the CLIC prototype accelerating structure in CERN Linear Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) has two channels for each horizontal/vertical plane, operating at different frequencies. When moving the beam relative to the aperture of the structure, a disagreement is observed between the center position of the structure as measured with the two channels in each plane. This is a challenge for the planned use of WFMs in the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC), where they will be used to measure the center offset between the accelerating structures and the beam. Through a mixture of simulations and measurements, we have discovered a potential mechanism for this, which is discussed along with implications for improving position resolution near the structure center, and the possibility determination of the sign of the beam offset.Comment: 16 pages, 20 figure

Fetal Transient Skin Edema in Two Pregnant Women With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Altres ajuts: Funding was provided for the Gesta-COVID19 Study by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PR(AMI)181/2020) (ISCIII's reference: COV20/00188).Fetal skin edema in the second trimester might be associated with maternal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The risk of vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains unknown. Positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results for SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates and placental tissue have been reported, and immunoglobulin M antibodies have been detected in neonates born to mothers with infection. The first case is a woman at 22 3/7 weeks of gestation with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who was admitted to the intensive care unit. In the second case, the patient remained at home with mild symptoms, starting at 20 weeks of gestation. In both cases, fetal skin edema was observed on ultrasound examination while maternal SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR test results were positive and resolved when maternal SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR test results became negative. The RT-PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 in amniotic fluid was negative in both cases. The two pregnancies are ongoing and uneventful. Transient fetal skin edema noted in these two patients with COVID-19 in the second trimester may represent results of fetal infection or altered fetal physiology due to maternal disease or may be unrelated to the maternal illness

Magnetic performance of the main superconducting magnets for the LHC

The field strength and homogeneity of all the LHC superconducting magnets were measured as a part of the production control and qualification process that has taken place during the past four years. In addition to field measurements at room temperature performed on the integral of the production, a significant part of the magnets has been subjected to extensive magnetic measurements at cold. The measurements at cryogenic temperatures, generally performed up to excitation currents of 12 kA corresponding to the ultimate LHC energy of 7.6 TeV, were mainly based on static and dynamic field integral and harmonic measurements. This allowed us to study in detail the DC effects from persistent current magnetization and long-term decay during constant current excitation. These effects are all expected to be of relevance for the field setting and error compensation in the LHC. This paper reports the main results obtained during these tests executed at operating conditions. The integrated field quality is discussed in terms of distribution (average and spread) of the field strength and low-order harmonics as obtained for all the main ring magnet families (dipoles, main and matching quadrupoles). The dependence of field quality on coil geometry, magnet and cable manufacturer is analyzed. A projection of the field quality expected for the critical components in the machine is presented.peer-reviewe

A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Biogeochemistry of Dry Riverbeds Through the Lens of Soil Science

Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) encompass fluvial ecosystems that eventually stop flowing and run dry at some point in space and time. During the dry phase, channels of IRES consist mainly of dry riverbeds (DRBs), prevalent yet widely unexplored ecotones between dry and wet phases that can strongly influence the biogeochemistry of fluvial networks. DRBs are often overlooked because they do not strictly belong to either domain of soil or freshwater science. Due to this dual character of DRBs, we suggest that concepts and knowledge from soil science can be used to expand the understanding of IRES biogeochemistry. Based on this idea, we propose that DRBs can be conceptually understood as early stage soils exhibiting many similarities with soils through two main forces: i) time since last sediment transport event, and ii) the development status of stabilizing structures (e.g. soil crusts and/or vascular plants). Our analysis suggests that while DRBs and soils may differ in master physical attributes (e.g. soil horizons vs fluvial sedimentary facies), they become rapidly comparable in terms of microbial communities and biogeochemical processes. We further propose that drivers of DRBs biogeochemistry are similar to those of soils and, hence, concepts and methods used in soil science are transferable to DRBs research. Finally, our paper presents future research directions to advance the knowledge of DRBs and to understand their role in the biogeochemistry of intermittent fluvial networks

Three-Year Clinical Follow-Up of Children Intrauterine Exposed to Zika Virus

Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Some sequelae, particularly neurodevelopmental problems, may have a later onset. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 799 high-risk pregnant women who were followed up until delivery. Eighty-three women and/or newborns were considered ZIKV exposed and/or infected. Laboratory diagnosis was made by polymerase chain reaction in the pregnant mothers and their respective newborns, as well as Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus, and ZIKV serology. Serology for toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and syphilis infections were also performed in microcephalic newborns. The newborns included in the study were followed up until their third birthday. Developmental delay was observed in nine patients (13.2%): mild cognitive delay in three patients, speech delay in three patients, autism spectrum disorder in two patients, and severe neurological abnormalities in one microcephalic patient; sensorineural hearing loss, three patients and dysphagia, six patients. Microcephaly due to ZIKV occurred in three patients (3.6%). Clinical manifestations can appear after the first year of life in children infected/exposed to ZIKV, emphasizing the need for long-term follow-up

High-Power Test of Two Prototype X-band Accelerating Structures Based on SwissFEL Fabrication Technology

This article presents the design, construction, and high-power test of two $X$-band radio frequency (RF) accelerating structures built as part of a collaboration between CERN and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) for the compact linear collider (CLIC) study. The structures are a modified 'tuning-free' variant of an existing CERN design and were assembled using Swiss free electron laser (SwissFEL) production methods. The purpose of the study is two-fold. The first objective is to validate the RF properties and high-power performance of the tuning-free, vacuum brazed PSI technology. The second objective is to study the structures' high-gradient behavior to provide insight into the breakdown and conditioning phenomena as they apply to high-field devices in general. Low-power RF measurements showed that the structure field profiles were close to the design values, and both structures were conditioned to accelerating gradients in excess of 100 MV/m in CERN's high-gradient test facility. Measurements performed during the second structure test suggest that the breakdown rate (BDR) scales strongly with the accelerating gradient, with the best fit being a power law relation with an exponent of 31.14. In both cases, the test results indicate that stable, high-gradient operation is possible with tuning-free, vacuum brazed structures of this kind

First field test of FiDeL the magnetic field description for the LHC

The start-up of the LHC has provided the first field test for the concept, functionality and accuracy of FiDeL, the Field Description for the LHC. FiDeL provides a parametric model of the transfer function of the main field integrals generated by the series of magnets in the LHC powering circuits, comprising superconducting and normal-conducting main optical elements and high-order harmonic correctors. The same framework is used to predict harmonic errors of both static and dynamic nature, and forecast appropriate corrections. In this paper we make use of beam-based measurements taken on the first LHC beams to assess the first-shot accuracy in the prediction of the current setting for the main arc magnets.peer-reviewe

CLIC: Key technology developments for the CLIC accelerator

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a future electron-positron collider under study. It foresees e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies ranging from a few hundred GeV up to 3 TeV. The CLIC study is an international collaboration hosted by CERN. The lectures provide a broad overview of the CLIC project, covering the physics potential, the particle detectors and the accelerator. An overview of the CLIC physics opportunities is presented. These are best exploited in a staged construction and operation scenario of the collider. The detector technologies, fulfilling CLIC performance requirements and currently under study, are described. The accelerator design and performance, together with its major technologies, are presented in the light of ongoing component tests and large system tests. The status of the optimisation studies (e.g. for cost and power) of the CLIC complex for the proposed energy staging is included. One lecture is dedicated to the use of CLIC technologies in free electron lasers and other applications. &nbsp;</p