DD-optimal saturated designs: a simulation study

In this work we focus on saturated $D$-optimal designs. Using recent results, we identify $D$-optimal designs with the solutions of an optimization problem with linear constraints. We introduce new objective functions based on the geometric structure of the design and we compare them with the classical $D$-efficiency criterion. We perform a simulation study. In all the test cases we observe that designs with high values of $D$-efficiency have also high values of the new objective functions.Comment: 8 pages. Preliminary version submitted to the 7th IWS Proceeding

Unbounded Human Learning: Optimal Scheduling for Spaced Repetition

In the study of human learning, there is broad evidence that our ability to retain information improves with repeated exposure and decays with delay since last exposure. This plays a crucial role in the design of educational software, leading to a trade-off between teaching new material and reviewing what has already been taught. A common way to balance this trade-off is spaced repetition, which uses periodic review of content to improve long-term retention. Though spaced repetition is widely used in practice, e.g., in electronic flashcard software, there is little formal understanding of the design of these systems. Our paper addresses this gap in three ways. First, we mine log data from spaced repetition software to establish the functional dependence of retention on reinforcement and delay. Second, we use this memory model to develop a stochastic model for spaced repetition systems. We propose a queueing network model of the Leitner system for reviewing flashcards, along with a heuristic approximation that admits a tractable optimization problem for review scheduling. Finally, we empirically evaluate our queueing model through a Mechanical Turk experiment, verifying a key qualitative prediction of our model: the existence of a sharp phase transition in learning outcomes upon increasing the rate of new item introductions.Comment: Accepted to the ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining 201

Simulating Ability: Representing Skills in Games

Throughout the history of games, representing the abilities of the various agents acting on behalf of the players has been a central concern. With increasingly sophisticated games emerging, these simulations have become more realistic, but the underlying mechanisms are still, to a large extent, of an ad hoc nature. This paper proposes using a logistic model from psychometrics as a unified mechanism for task resolution in simulation-oriented games

The potential impact of CT-MRI matching on tumor volume delineation in advanced head and neck cancer

To study the potential impact of the combined use of CT and MRI scans on the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) estimation and interobserver variation. Four observers outlined the GTV in six patients with advanced head and neck cancer on CT, axial MRI, and coronal or sagittal MRI. The MRI scans were subsequently matched to the CT scan. The interobserver and interscan set variation were assessed in three dimensions. The mean CT derived volume was a factor of 1.3 larger than the mean axial MRI volume. The range in volumes was larger for the CT than for the axial MRI volumes in five of the six cases. The ratio of the scan set common (i.e., the volume common to all GTVs) and the scan set encompassing volume (i.e., the smallest volume encompassing all GTVs) was closer to one in MRI (0.3-0.6) than in CT (0.1-0.5). The rest volumes (i.e., the volume defined by one observer as GTV in one data set but not in the other data set) were never zero for CT vs. MRI nor for MRI vs. CT. In two cases the craniocaudal border was poorly recognized on the axial MRI but could be delineated with a good agreement between the observers in the coronal/sagittal MRI. MRI-derived GTVs are smaller and have less interobserver variation than CT-derived GTVs. CT and MRI are complementary in delineating the GTV. A coronal or sagittal MRI adds to a better GTV definition in the craniocaudal directio

Kappa free light chain index as a diagnostic biomarker in multiple sclerosis: a real-world investigation

Kappa free light chain (KFLC)-index, a measure for intrathecal production of free kappa chains, has been increasingly recognized for its diagnostic potential in multiple sclerosis (MS) as a quantitative alternative to IgG oligoclonal-bands (OCBs). Our objective was to investigate the sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy of KFLC-index in MS. KFLC-index was prospectively determined as part of the diagnostic workup in patients with suspected MS (n=327) between May 2013 and February 2020. Patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), and MS had markedly higher KFLC-index (44.6, IQR 16-128) compared with subjects with other neuro-inflammatory disorders (ONID) and symptomatic controls (SC) (2.19, IQR 1.68-2.98, pIF and better than for IgG-index. We show that KFLC-index was influenced neither by DMT, nor by demographic factors or other inflammatory or degenerative processes in MS as determined by biomarkers in CSF

Climate, river discharge and suspended sediment transport in the Zackenberg River drainage basin and Young Sound/Tyrolerfjord, Northeast Greenland, 1995−2003

Climate control on river discharge, suspended sediment transport and conductivity was investigated based on high-resolution time series (1995–2003) from a High Arctic drainage basin at Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland. Data from the Zackenberg River drainage basin (512 km2) was extrapolated to estimate the total transport from land of freshwater, sediments and organic matter to the Young Sound/Tyrolerfjord system (3,016 km2). During the investigation period, a 14-day increase in thawing period, a 50-day decrease in snow cover period, an increasing release of meltwater from exposed glacier surfaces and an increasing annual runoff were recorded. The total annual runoff from the Zackenberg River drainage basin ranges between 122 and 306 million m3 (239–598 mm yr-1), while the total annual runoff to the entire Young Sound/Tyrolerfjord system ranges between 630 and 1,570 million m3 yr-1. Suspended sediment discharges from the Zackenberg River drainage basin and the entire catchment area to Young Sound/Tyrolerfjord are 15,000–130,000 t yr-1 and 77,000–670,000 t yr-1, respectively. For organic matter yield the ranges are, respectively, 1,100–11,500 t yr-1 and 6,000–59,000 t yr-1. In 2003 the total transport of carbon was 1,180 t yr-1 and 6,000 t yr-1 and of nitrate 13 t yr-1 and 66 t yr-1, respectively, for the Zackenberg River drainage basin and the entire catchment area to Young Sound/Tyrolerfjord

Finite-Element Discretization of Static Hamilton-Jacobi Equations Based on a Local Variational Principle

We propose a linear finite-element discretization of Dirichlet problems for static Hamilton-Jacobi equations on unstructured triangulations. The discretization is based on simplified localized Dirichlet problems that are solved by a local variational principle. It generalizes several approaches known in the literature and allows for a simple and transparent convergence theory. In this paper the resulting system of nonlinear equations is solved by an adaptive Gauss-Seidel iteration that is easily implemented and quite effective as a couple of numerical experiments show.Comment: 19 page