Student Modeling and Analysis in Adaptive Instructional Systems

There is a growing interest in developing and implementing adaptive instructional systems to improve, automate, and personalize student education. A necessary part of any such adaptive instructional system is a student model used to predict or analyze learner behavior and inform adaptation. To help inform researchers in this area, this paper presents a state-of-the-art review of 11 years of research (2010-2021) in student modeling, focusing on learner characteristics, learning indicators, and foundational aspects of dissimilar models. We mainly emphasize increased prediction accuracy when using multidimensional learner data to create multimodal models in real-world adaptive instructional systems. In addition, we discuss challenges inherent in real-world multimodal modeling, such as uncontrolled data collection environments leading to noisy data and data sync issues. Finally, we reinforce our findings and conclusions through an industry case study of an adaptive instructional system. In our study, we verify that adding multiple data modalities increases our model prediction accuracy from 53.3% to 69%. At the same time, the challenges encountered with our real-world case study, including uncontrolled data collection environment with inevitably noisy data, calls for synchronization and noise control strategies for data quality and usability

Pre-anesthetic use of butorphanol for the prevention of emergence agitation in thoracic surgery: A multicenter, randomized controlled trial

BackgroundEmergence agitation (EA) is common in patients after general anesthesia (GA) and is associated with poor outcomes. Patients with thoracic surgery have a higher incidence of EA compared with other surgery. This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-anesthetic butorphanol infusion on the incidence of EA in patients undergoing thoracic surgery with GA.Materials and methodsThis prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in 20 tertiary hospitals in China. A total of 668 patients undergoing elective video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy/segmentectomy for lung cancer were assessed for eligibility, and 620 patients were enrolled. In total, 296 patients who received butorphanol and 306 control patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Patients in the intervention group received butorphanol 0.02 mg/kg 15 min before induction of anesthesia. Patients in the control group received volume-matched normal saline in the same schedule. The primary outcome was the incidence of EA after 5 min of extubation, and EA was evaluated using the Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale (RSAS). The incidence of EA was determined by the chi-square test, with a significance of P < 0.05.ResultsIn total, 296 patients who received butorphanol and 306 control patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The incidence of EA 5 min after extubation was lower with butorphanol treatment: 9.8% (29 of 296) vs. 24.5% (75 of 306) in the control group (P = 0.0001). Patients who received butorphanol had a lower incidence of drug-related complications (including injecting propofol pain and coughing with sufentanil): 112 of 296 vs. 199 of 306 in the control group (P = 0.001) and 3 of 296 vs. 35 of 306 in the control group (P = 0.0001).ConclusionThe pre-anesthetic administration of butorphanol reduced the incidence of EA after thoracic surgery under GA.Clinical trial registration[http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=42684], identifier [ChiCTR1900025705]

Studies on the Crystal Growth and Characterization of Large Size Sr:LCB Single Crystals

Extending the shortest second harmonic generation output wavelength of nonlinear optical crystals into the deep ultraviolet (UV) range is important for their application as frequency conversion devices for an advanced laser. The doping of ions with a large atomic number is believed to be an effective way to realize a shorter SHG output wavelength. In this work, large-sized Sr2+-doped La2CaB10O19 (Sr:LCB) crystals with nominal ratios of 10%, 15% and 30% were grown by the top-seeded solution growth method. The measured lattice parameters of the grown Sr:LCB are nearly the same as that of the LCB crystal, and the rocking curves reveal that the grown Sr:LCB crystals are of high quality. Sr: LCB crystals have a UV cut-off edge of 168 nm. The refractive index of the Sr:LCB crystals was measured, based on which the Sellmeier equations of the Sr:LCB crystals were fitted. The calculated shortest SHG output wavelength for Type I phase matching is 270.5 nm, which is 17.5 nm shorter than that of LCB crystals (288 nm). The characterization results demonstrate that Sr:LCB is a potential nonlinear optical crystal for the deep UV range

Student Modeling and Analysis in Adaptive Instructional Systems

There is a growing interest in developing and implementing adaptive instructional systems to improve, automate, and personalize student education. A necessary part of any such adaptive instructional system is a student model used to predict or analyze learner behavior and inform adaptation. To help inform researchers in this area, this paper presents a state-of-the-art review of 11 years of research (2010-2021) in student modeling, focusing on learner characteristics, learning indicators, and foundational aspects of dissimilar models. We mainly emphasize increased prediction accuracy when using multidimensional learner data to create multimodal models in real-world adaptive instructional systems. In addition, we discuss challenges inherent in real-world multimodal modeling, such as uncontrolled data collection environments leading to noisy data and data sync issues. Finally, we reinforce our findings and conclusions through an industry case study of an adaptive instructional system. In our study, we verify that adding multiple data modalities increases our model prediction accuracy from 53.3% to 69%. At the same time, the challenges encountered with our real-world case study, including uncontrolled data collection environment with inevitably noisy data, calls for synchronization and noise control strategies for data quality and usability

Suppression of Th17 Cell Response in the Alleviation of Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis by Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides

Background. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Dysregulated immune responses are involved in the pathogenesis of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. The aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of GLP to alleviate DSS-induced colitis. Methods. The mice were administered with GLP by intragastric gavage daily for two weeks prior to the DSS treatment. Mice were orally administered with 2.5% DSS dissolved in drinking water with GLP or water treatment for 6 days. The mice were killed on day 7 after induction of colitis. Survival rates, body weight loss, colon lengths, histological changes, and disease activity index scores (DAI) were evaluated. Results. GLP significantly improved survival rates, colon length shortening, body weight loss, histopathological score, and DAI scores in mice with DSS-induced colitis. GLP markedly suppressed the secretions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-4 and significantly affected populations of Th17 cells, B cells, NK cells, and NKT cells in the lamina propria lymphocytes. Conclusions. GLP prevented inflammation, maintained intestinal homeostasis, and regulated the intestinal immunological barrier functions in mice with DSS-induced colitis

IL-33 Aggravates DSS-Induced Acute Colitis in Mouse Colon Lamina Propria by Enhancing Th2 Cell Responses

Interleukin- (IL-) 33, a member of the IL-1 cytokine family, is an important modulator of the immune system associated with several immune-mediated diseases. IL-33 was expressed in high level on epithelial cells of intestinal tract. It suggested that IL-33 plays a potential role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We investigated the role of interleukin- (IL-) 33 in dextran sulphate sodium- (DSS-) induced acute colitis in mice using recombinant mouse IL-33 protein (rIL-33). We found that DSS-induced acute colitis was aggravated by rIL-33 treatment. rIL-33-treated DSS mice showed markedly reduced levels of interferon- (IFN-)γ and IL-17A in their colon lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL), but the levels of Th2 cytokines, such as IL-5 and IL-13, in these cells were significantly increased, compared to DSS mice treated with PBS. Our results suggested that IL-33 stimulated CD4+T cells and caused the cell to adopt a Th2-type response but at the same time suppressed Th17 and Th1 cell responses. Therefore, IL-33 may be involved in pathogenesis of DSS-induced acute colitis by promoting Th2 cell response in intestinal mucosa of mice. Modulation of IL-33/ST2 signaling by monoclonal antibody (mAb) could be a novel biological therapy in DSS-induced acute colitis