Preliminary evidence on machine learning approaches for clusterizing students’ cognitive profile

Assessing the cognitive abilities of students in academic contexts can provide valuable insights for teachers to identify their cognitive profile and create personalized teaching strategies. While numerous studies have demonstrated promising outcomes in clustering students based on their cognitive profiles, effective comparisons between various clustering methods are lacking in the current literature. In this study, we aim to compare the effectiveness of two clustering techniques to group students based on their cognitive abilities including general intelligence, attention, visual perception, working memory, and phonological awareness. 292 students, aged 11–15 years, participated in the study. A two-level approach based on the joint use of Kohonen's Self-Organizing Map (SOMs) and k-means clustering algorithm was compared with an approach based on the k-means clustering algorithm only. The resulting profiles were then predicted via AdaBoost and ANN supervised algorithms. The results showed that the two-level approach provides the best solution for this problem while the ANN algorithm was the winner in the classification problem. These results laying the foundations for developing a useful instrument for predicting the students’ cognitive profile

Enhancing the Potential of Creative Thinking in Children with Educational Robots

This observational study analyzes the effectiveness of the non-humanoid robot Ozobot as interactive-tool for school- children to enhance their potential of creative thinking. Based on the socio-constructivist theoretical background, referring to the zone of proximal development and the socio-cognitive conflict, the study compares three experimental condition (Ozobot Single Work, Ozobot Pair Work, and Control Group) of a problem-solving task with a robot (programming the robot to perform a given route in a preconfigured labyrinth). 171 children (85 females, 86 males), aged between 9 (IV class) and 10 years (V class) of two centralnorthern Italy primary schools, participated in the study. Children were randomly assigned to one of the three group conditions. Results show that children who performed the task alone with the educational robot (Ozobot Single Work) significantly improved their potential of creative thinking, compared both to those who perform the task in pair with the educational robot (Ozobot Pair Work) and to the control group. No gender differences occur

True and false DRM memories: differences detected with an implicit task

Memory is prone to illusions. When people are presented with lists of words associated with a non-presented critical lure, they produce a high level of false recognitions (false memories) for non-presented related stimuli indistinguishable, at the explicit level, from presented words (DRM paradigm). We assessed whether true and false DRM memories can be distinguished at the implicit level by using the autobiographical IAT (aIAT), a novel method based on indirect measures that permits to detect true autobiographical events encoded in the respondent's mind/brain. In our experiment, after a DRM task participants performed two aIATs: the first aimed at testing implicit memory for presented words (true-memories aIAT) and the second aimed at evaluating implicit memory for critical lures (false-memories aIAT). Specifically, the two aIATs assessed the association of presented words and critical lures with the logical dimension "true." Results showed that the aIAT detected a greater association of presented words than critical lures with the logical dimension "true."This result indicates that although true and false DRM memories are indistinguishable at the explicit level a different association of the true and false DRM memories with the logical dimension "true" can be detected at the implicit level, and suggests that the aIAT may be a sensitive instrument to detect differences between true and false DRM memories. © 2012 Marini, Agosta, Mazzoni, Dalla Barba and Sartori

Learning Landscape in Gamification: The Need for a Methodological Protocol in Research Applications

In education, the term “gamification” refers to of the use of game-design elements and gaming experiences in the learning processes to enhance learners’ motivation and engagement. Despite researchers’ efforts to evaluate the impact of gamification in educational settings, several methodological drawbacks are still present. Indeed, the number of studies with high methodological rigor is reduced and, consequently, so are the reliability of results. In this work, we identified the key concepts explaining the methodological issues in the use of gamification in learning and education, and we exploited the controverses identified in the extant literature. Our final goal was to set up a checklist protocol that will facilitate the design of more rigorous studies in the gamified-learning framework. The checklist suggests potential moderators explaining the link between gamification, learning, and education identified by recent reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses: study design, theory foundations, personalization, motivation and engagement, game elements, game design, and learning outcomes

Budget impact analysis of universal rotavirus vaccination in the Local Health Unit 11 Empoli, Tuscany, Italy

Background. Rotavirus (RV) infection is the first cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in children under five years of age all over the world; it mainly affects children between six and 24 months of age and can cause serious acute diarrhoea and dehydration. The aim of this study is to perform the budget impact analysis of universal rotavirus vaccination in the Local Health Unit (LHU) 11 Empoli, Tuscany, Italy.Methods. An ad hoc mathematical simulation model was developed to evaluate the budget impact analysis of 5-years universal rotavirus vaccination. Particularly, incidence of rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE), hospitalizations, nosocomial diarrhoea, medical consultations, prescriptions and accesses to emergency department were taken into account in the analysis. The direct medical costs due to RV diarrhoea and the costs of vaccination campaign were considered as the main outcome measures in the study.Results. The adoption of universal rotavirus vaccination campaign for five years in the LHU 11 Empoli results in relevant savings due to the health cares avoided. These savings would overlapped the costs of vaccination yet from the second year after the introduction of vaccination. The saving for the Health Service would be 1.5 million Euro after five years of campaign.Conclusions. Universal vaccination against rotavirus results clinically and economically favourable for both the Health Service and the Society perspectives

Smartphone addiction through age and gender during Italian lockdown for COVID-19

Background: Nomophobia (no-mobile-phobia or Disconnection Syndrome) is the fear of not being able to consult your mobile phone, not being connected or traceable. This is an addiction to excessive smartphone usage related to the constant need to consult it to view notifications and updates. Like other forms of addiction, nomophobia is associated with excessive behaviors that lead to an increasing use of the phone to the point where it cannot do without it and the need to take it with it to any place or circumstance. The fear of not being connected consequently evokes reactions of excessive anxiety with specific physiological related (e.g., breathlessness, sweating, tremor, heart acceleration, sweating etc.). Nomophobia, however, is not included in anxiety disorders but is part of the pathological addictions to which it responds adequately. In fact, there are many behavioral and emotional analogies with other forms of addiction (including gambling) so the hypothesis that the abuse of the smartphone should be categorized as a real addiction can be accepted. The dependencies associated with the Internet and technologies that can be defined Dependencies 2.0, include the smartphone. During the Italian lockdown caused by COVID-19, the use of technologies has been the fundamental basis of adaptation for smart working, school and professional training, which has led to a change in the population lifestyle. Objective: The purpose of this work is to document the level of smartphone dependence that has occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Material and Methods: The NoMobilePhobia-Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was presented online to 1264 participants between the ages of 15 and 60. With regard to the selection of participants, approximately between the ages of 15 and 60, we used the method of random numbers: in fact, one participant for every hundred inhabitants was chosen in a randomized way. Finally, it was necessary for all participants to have access to the Internet. These dynamics have been acquitted in order to give us a valid representative sample. Results: The results show no significant main effects for the two factors taken into account (Gender and Age of participants). However the significant interaction shows that female participants reported on average higher scores on NoMobilePhobia-Questionnaire (NMP-Q) than males , for the younger age group (15 to 44), while for those over the age of 44, the average highest scores were for male participants. The main effects of the "Sex" factor [F(1,1256)= 3.179 and p=0.75] and "Age_class" [F(4,1253)=1.82 and p=0.12] are not significant; the interaction between the Sex-Age_class factors is significant with F(4,1253) =7.06 and p<.001 and an observed power close to 1 (0.99). The correlation between the Variable "Score" and the measure of the "Age" was found to be significant (negative) linear relationship (r of Pearson =-.093 and p<.001) considering the whole sample. Conclusions: One of the "positive" aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of the Internet and smartphones, and our analysis aimed to document the frequency of use in the Italian context with the NoMobilePhobia-Questionnaire. The results reveal the risk in some parts of the Italian population to develop forms of smartphone dependence, especially in circumstances that prohibit direct social interactions

ARIANNA: A research environment for neuroimaging studies in autism spectrum disorders

The complexity and heterogeneity of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) require the implementation of dedicated analysis techniques to obtain the maximum from the interrelationship among many variables that describe affected individuals, spanning from clinical phenotypic characterization and genetic profile to structural and functional brain images. The ARIANNA project has developed a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment that is easily accessible to the community of researchers working on ASD (https://arianna.pi.infn.it). The main goals of the project are: to analyze neuroimaging data acquired in multiple sites with multivariate approaches based on machine learning; to detect structural and functional brain characteristics that allow the distinguishing of individuals with ASD from control subjects; to identify neuroimaging-based criteria to stratify the population with ASD to support the future development of personalized treatments. Secure data handling and storage are guaranteed within the project, as well as the access to fast grid/cloud-based computational resources. This paper outlines the web-based architecture, the computing infrastructure and the collaborative analysis workflows at the basis of the ARIANNA interdisciplinary working environment. It also demonstrates the full functionality of the research platform. The availability of this innovative working environment for analyzing clinical and neuroimaging information of individuals with ASD is expected to support researchers in disentangling complex data thus facilitating their interpretation

A straightforward multiparametric quality control protocol for proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Validation and comparison of various 1.5 T and 3 T clinical scanner systems

Purpose: The aim of this study was to propose and validate across various clinical scanner systems a straightforward multiparametric quality assurance procedure for proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods: Eighteen clinical 1.5 T and 3 T scanner systems for MRS, from 16 centres and 3 different manufacturers, were enrolled in the study. A standard spherical water phantom was employed by all centres. The acquisition protocol included 3 sets of single (isotropic) voxel (size 20 mm) PRESS acquisitions with unsuppressed water signal and acquisition voxel position at isocenter as well as off-center, repeated 4/5 times within approximately 2 months. Water peak linewidth (LW) and area under the water peak (AP) were estimated. Results: LW values [mean (standard deviation)] were 1.4 (1.0) Hz and 0.8 (0.3) Hz for 3 T and 1.5 T scanners, respectively. The mean (standard deviation) (across all scanners) coefficient of variation of LW and AP for different spatial positions of acquisition voxel were 43% (20%) and 11% (11%), respectively. The mean (standard deviation) phantom T2 values were 1145 (50) ms and 1010 (95) ms for 1.5 T and 3 T scanners, respectively. The mean (standard deviation) (across all scanners) coefficients of variation for repeated measurements of LW, AP and T2 were 25% (20%), 10% (14%) and 5% (2%), respectively. Conclusions: We proposed a straightforward multiparametric and not time consuming quality control protocol for MRS, which can be included in routine and periodic quality assurance procedures. The protocol has been validated and proven to be feasible in a multicentre comparison study of a fairly large number of clinical 1.5 T and 3 T scanner systems