Sequencing of learning activities oriented towards reuse and auto-organization for intelligent tutoring systems

Three have been the main contributions of this thesis. First, a platform for the deployment of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) with a modular architecture has been designed. This platform, called SIT, focuses on the adaptation of the sequencing of learning content, not adaptation of the content itself. This separation permits specialization of pedagogical experts and encourages reuse of learning resources. Second, a tool for the adaptation of the sequencing of learning units has been presented: Sequencing Graphs. It is a specialization of the finite automata paradigm, adapted for the specific needs of learning. Sequencing graphs focus on reuse, both of learning units and of adaptive sequencings definitions. They are hierarchical to prevent scalability problems. Two ITS have developed using sequencing graphs for SIT. Experimental results support the hypothesis that sequencing adaptation has a good influence on learning and that Sequencing Graphs are a useful tool to achieve this objective. Finally, the thesis analyzes the current initiatives in the emerging field of swarm intelligence techniques in education. Apart of the theoretical overview, three results are presented: an experimental study performed on the Paraschool system, a system of pedagogical alarms based on learning pheromones on the same system, and a swarm paths information module for SIT. This module synthesizes the best results from swarm-based adaptation sequencing and collaborative filtering for providing an additional level of adaptation to the content sequencing in SI

Affective learning: improving engagement and enhancing learning with affect-aware feedback

This paper describes the design and ecologically valid evaluation of a learner model that lies at the heart of an intelligent learning environment called iTalk2Learn. A core objective of the learner model is to adapt formative feedback based on students’ affective states. Types of adaptation include what type of formative feedback should be provided and how it should be presented. Two Bayesian networks trained with data gathered in a series of Wizard-of-Oz studies are used for the adaptation process. This paper reports results from a quasi-experimental evaluation, in authentic classroom settings, which compared a version of iTalk2Learn that adapted feedback based on students’ affective states as they were talking aloud with the system (the affect condition) with one that provided feedback based only on the students’ performance (the non-affect condition). Our results suggest that affect-aware support contributes to reducing boredom and off-task behavior, and may have an effect on learning. We discuss the internal and ecological validity of the study, in light of pedagogical considerations that informed the design of the two conditions. Overall, the results of the study have implications both for the design of educational technology and for classroom approaches to teaching, because they highlight the important role that affect-aware modelling plays in the adaptive delivery of formative feedback to support learning

Machine-Learning based analysis and classification of Android malware signatures

Multi-scanner Antivirus (AV) systems are often used for detecting Android malware since the same piece of software can be checked against multiple different AV engines. However, in many cases the same software application is flagged as malware by few AV engines, and often the signatures provided contradict each other, showing a clear lack of consensus between different AV engines. This work analyzes more than 80 thousand Android applications flagged as malware by at least one AV engine, with a total of almost 260 thousand malware signatures. In the analysis, we identify 41 different malware families, we study their relationships and the relationships between the AV engines involved in such detections, showing that most malware cases belong to either Adware abuse or really dangerous Harmful applications, but some others are unspecified (or Unknown). With the help of Machine Learning and Graph Community Algorithms, we can further combine the different AV detections to classify such Unknown apps into either Adware or Harmful risks, reaching F1-score above 0.84.The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the national project TEXEO (TEC2016-80339-R), funded by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of SPAIN through, and the EU-funded H2020 SMOOTH project, Spain (grant no. H2020-786741). Similarly, the authors would like to remark the support provided by the Tacyt system (https://www.elevenpaths.com/es/te cnologia/tacyt/index.html) for the collection and labeling of AV information. Finally, Ignacio Martin would like to acknowledge the support granted by the Spanish Ministry of education through the FPU scholarship he holds (FPU15/03518)

Study of radiactivity on Arctic marine seaweed from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard)

Levels of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides have been determined in six brown and red seaweed species from Arctic coasts (Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Islands) in order to characterize the radioactivity in this ecosystem. Samples were collected in September 2014, August 2017 and July 2019. Levels of 7Be, 40K, 208Tl, 210Pb, 226Ra and 228Ra were measured by high-resolution gamma spectrometry. While anthropogenic radionuclides (1 4 C and 1 2 9 I) were determined by low-energy accelerator mass spectrometry (LEAMS). The activities of 129I are two orders of magnitude higher than those found in algae collected on the Spanish Atlantic Coast and presents more variability than the 14C results, indicating their different affinity to this element depending on the species. Radionuclide tracers discharged from Sellafield and La Hague are transported into the Arctic Ocean where they circulate at different depth levels, marking water of Atlantic origin (Karcher et al., 2012).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Proyecto CGL2015/67014

In which journals can I publish my research on martial arts and combat sports? An up-to-date approach

Introduction There is evidence that research in martial arts and combat sports (MA&CS) has boomed since the late 1990’s [see e.g., Green and Svinth 2010; Gutiérrez-García et al. 2011]. This has led to the birth of several scientific/technical journals specific to MA&CS. These journals are nowadays sharing a common scientific publication space with more traditional scientific field-oriented journals, which also publish studies on MA&CS. The aim of this study is to provide a general and up-to-date overview on the MA&CS publication space referred to journals, as a tool for helping authors decide where to publish their MA&CS studies. Methods This study followed a bibliographic approach. Scopus and the Web of Science (WoS) core collection databases were screened for journal retrieval as these are, arguably, the most relevant global and multidisciplinary scientific databases nowadays. SportDiscus and PubMed databases were also included due to their relevance in the physical activity and sport sciences field. In addition, the authors provided information of current MA&CS scientific/technical journals not indexed in these databases. In order to rate how many MA&CS papers were published in specific MA&CS journals we used data from several bibliometric studies. The interpretation of the results was based on the authors’ knowledge and included variables such as impact, visibility and accessibility, the latter both for authors and readers. Results and discussion Up to four specific MA&CS journals were indexed in the WoS. These were Archives of Budo (Science Citation Index Expended, category Sport Sciences, no Impact Factor in 2017 due to anomalous citation patterns – overuse of self citations, Impact Factor 2016=1.506; Q3), Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology, Archives of Budo Science of Martial Arts and Extreme Sports and Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas (Emerging Sources Citation Index). Archives of Budo (category Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, Cite Score2017=1.59; Q2) and Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology (categories Philosophy, and Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, Cite Score2017=0.80; Q1 and Q3 respectively) were also indexed in Scopus. SportDiscus provided one more current title: Journal of Combat Sports and Martial Arts. PubMed did not index any MA&CS journal. Titles not indexed in these databases include Research Journal of Budo, Martial Arts Studies Journal, Acta Taekwondo et Martialis Artium, International Journal of Wrestling Science, International Journal of Martial Arts, Chinese Wushu Research and Journal of Martial Arts Research – JOMAR (still not publishing any issue). These data must be considered as they are usually linked to authors’ research evaluation. Nevertheless, the specific states’ policies regarding the evaluation of researchers’ scientific production must be carefully taken into account, as they can be very different among countries. All cited journals but Chinese Wushu Research are electronic and free, open-access, which means important advantages for their visibility and accessibility. They publish papers in English but JOMAR (also in German), Research Journal of Budo (also in Japanese), Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas (also in Spanish and Portuguese) and Chinese Wushu Research (only in Chinese). Publishing papers in other languages but English may allow easier accessibility to authors and readers not fluent in this language, which is an important point to avoid language bias in scientific publication. On the contrary, this trend seriously limits the accessibility to some contents of the aforementioned journals, as no other language but English has turned nowadays into the lingua franca for scientific communication. Therefore, it is suggested that authors try to publish their studies in English, provided their papers reach an acceptable English-as-a-lingua-franca level standards. Another aspect that may limit accessibility for authors is publication fees/article processing charges (APC). Four MA&CS journals charge publication fees: Archives of Budo (€1210/US$1400 per article), Archives of Budo Science of Martial Arts and Extreme Sports (€260/US$300 per article), International Journal of Wrestling Science (€173/US200 per article) and Journal of Combat Sports & Martial Arts (€70/US81 per article). This can be specially limiting for independent researchers and/or authors from institutions from developing countries wanting to publish their findings. Authors must be aware of this fact before submitting their manuscripts, as APCs are not applied upon submission but when the manuscript is accepted for publication. Finally, it is obvious to say that studies on MA&CS can be found in non-specific MA&CS journals. Studies rating the contribution of specific MA&CS journals to the whole output of MA&CS articles used the WoS databases. The specific MA&CS indexed journals – mainly Archives of Budo – were placed in top positions but contributing scarcely to the whole output: 4.4% [Gutiérrez-García et al. 2011], 10.9% [Peset et al. 2013], 4.5% [Pérez-Gutiérrez et al. 2015], 10.6% [Pérez-Gutiérrez et al. 2017], and 10.6% (9.05% from Archives of Budo and 1.55% from Archives of Budo Science of Martial Arts and Extreme Sports) [Franchini et al. 2018]. This means that studies on MA&CS are attractive to many scientific journals, which may increase the authors’ opportunities for getting their papers published. Conclusion There are, at least, twelve scientific/technical journals specific to MA&CS. These are diverse considering their impact, visibility and accessibility. We encourage potential authors to be aware about these journals and their characteristics before submitting their papers. References 1. Franchini E., Gutiérrez-García C., Izquierdo, E. (2018). Olympic combat sports research output in the Web of Science: a sport sciences centered analysis, “Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology”, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 21–27; doi: 10.14589/ido.18.3.4. 2. Green, T.A., Svinth, J.R. (2010), Introduction [in] T.A. Green & J.R. Svinth [eds.], Martial Arts of the WORLD. An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara – California, pp. xvii-xix. 3. Gutiérrez-García C., Pérez-Gutiérrez M., Calderón-Tuero P. (2011), Bibliometric Analysis of the scientific production on martial arts and combat sport articles in the Web of Science databases (SCIExpanded, SSCI, A&HCI) (2000-2009) [in] A. Figueiredo and C. Gutiérrez-García (Eds.), Scientific Congress on Martial Arts and Combat Sports. Proceedings, IPV de Viseu, Viseu – Portugal, pp. 54-55. 4. Pérez-Gutiérrez M., Valdes-Badilla P., Gómez-Alonso M.T., Gutiérrez-García C. (2015), Bibliometric analysis of taekwondo articles published in the Web of Science (1989-2013), “Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology”, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 27-34; doi: 10.14589/ido.15.3.4. 5. Pérez-Gutiérrez M., Valdés-Badilla P., Gutiérrez-García C., Herrera-Valenzuela T. (2017). Taekwondo scientific production published on the Web of Science (1988-2016): Collaboration and topics. “Movimento”, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 1325-1340. 6. Peset F., Ferrer-Sapena A., Villamon M., Gonzalez L.-M., Toca-Herrera J.-L., Aleixandre-Benavent R. (2013), Scientific literature analysis of Judo in Web of Science, “Archives of Budo”, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 81-91

Ancient landscape changes of mining origin in León (Spain): location and morphometric features of the Roman gold pit lakes

[ES] Las minas a cielo abierto producen cambios drásticos en el relieve y en los paisajes donde se asientan. Esos cambios dependen de la magnitud de las explotaciones, de los sistemas de explotación y del tipo de mineral extraído. Las explotaciones auríferas realizadas por los romanos en la provincia de León requirieron la movilización de grandes volúmenes de roca para extraer las bajas concentraciones de oro que contenían. Esto generó numerosos cambios en los paisajes primigenios siendo uno de ellos la aparición de lagunas mineras. Estas surgieron en minas que excavaron profundamente la superficie del terreno interceptando las aguas subterráneas que, a partir de ese momento, se acumulan en el fondo de la explotación dando lugar a la laguna. También se deben a la acumulación de escombros mineros que obturaron la escorrentía superficial de los cursos de agua. Aquellos cambios en los paisajes antiguos fueron de tal magnitud que aún hoy persisten algunas lagunas creadas por la minería aurífera romana después de dos mil años. El presente trabajo localiza y analiza los caracteres morfométricos de 12 lagunas con agua permanente que aún perduran.[EN] The open pit mines produce drastic changes in the relief and in the landscapes where they are located. These changes depend on the size of the exploitations, the exploitation systems and the type of mineral extracted. The gold mining carried out by the Romans in the province of León required the mobilization of large volumes of rock to extract the low concentrations of gold they contained, which generated great changes in the primitive landscapes, one of which is the appearance of pit lakes. The gold pit lakes appeared in mines that deeply excavated the surface of the land, intercepting the aquifer that, from that moment, accumulate at the bottom of the exploitation originating to the open pit; or they are due to the accumulation of mining dumps that blocked the surface runoff. In any case, those changes in ancient landscapes were of such magnitude that some open pits created by Roman gold mining more than two thousand years ago still persist today. The work locates and analyzes the morphometric characters of 12 pit lakes with permanent water that still exist

Experience with Artificial Neural Networks Applied in Multi-object Adaptive Optics

The use of artificial Intelligence techniques has become widespread in many fields of science, due to their ability to learn from real data and adjust to complex models with ease. These techniques have landed in the field of adaptive optics, and are being used to correct distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence in astronomical images obtained by ground-based telescopes. Advances for multi-object adaptive optics are considered here, focusing particularly on artificial neural networks, which have shown great performance and robustness when compared with other artificial intelligence techniques. The use of artificial neural networks has evolved to the extent of the creation of a reconstruction technique that is capable of estimating the wavefront of light after being deformed by the atmosphere. Based on this idea, different solutions have been proposed in recent years, including the use of new types of artificial neural networks. The results of techniques based on artificial neural networks have led to further applications in the field of adaptive optics, which are included in here, such as the development of new techniques for solar observation or their application in novel types of sensors

Long-Term Changes of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Individuals on Suppressive Three-Drug or Two-Drug Antiretroviral Regimens

Background: Because inflammation is associated with mortality and has been linked to HIV transcription in lymphoid tissues during ART, it is necessary to address the long-term effects of switching 3-drug (3DR) to 2-drug regimens (2DR) on inflammation. Methods: Nested study in the Spanish AIDS Research Network. We selected PWH ART-naive initiating 3DR who achieved viral suppression in the first 48 weeks and either remained on 3DR or switched to 2DR (3TC+bPI; 3TC+DTG; DTG+RPV). We assessed the trajectories on inflammatory markers during ART using multivariate piecewise mixed models. Results: We analyzed 619 plasma samples from 148 patients (3DR, N=90; 2DR, N=58), the median follow-up was 4.6 (IQR 3.2-6.2) years. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients with 3DR experienced a slow decline of IL6, hs-CRP, sCD14, sCD163, and D-dimer over time. In contrast, compared to 3DR, switching to 2DR was associated with increases in IL-6 (p=0.001), hs-CRP (p=0.003), and D-dimer (p=0.001) after year 3 from virologic suppression. 2DR was associated with a higher risk of hs-CRP quartile increase (aOR 3.3, 95%CI 1.1-10) and D-dimer quartile increase (aOR 3.7, 95%CI 1.1-13). The adjusted biomarker trajectories did not reveal a distinct pattern according to the type of 2DR used (bPI vs DTG). Conclusions: In this study in virally suppressed individuals, maintaining 3DR was associated with a more favorable long-term inflammatory profile than switching to 2DR. The potential clinical implications of these findings on the development of non-AIDS events deserve further investigation.The HIV BioBank, integrated in the Spanish AIDS Research Network, is supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Health Ministry (Grant n° proyectos RD06/0006/0035, RD12/0017/0037 and RD16/0025/0019) as part of the Plan Nacional R + D + I and co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund ‘‘A way to achieve Europe’’ (ERDF). The RIS Cohort (CoRIS) is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en SIDA (RIS C03/173, RD12/0017/0018 and RD16/0002/0006) as part of the Plan Nacional R+D+I and cofinanced by ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluacion and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)”. This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III projects AC17/00019, PI18/00154, ICI20/00058, CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, and Gilead Sciences (Investigator Sponsored Research ISR-17-10192). The funders had no role in the study design, data analysis, or in the interpretation of the results.S

The origin and collapse of rock glaciers during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial: A new study case from the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain)

.During the Late Pleistocene, the main mountain ranges of the Iberian Peninsula were covered by small icefields and cirque and alpine glaciers. The deglaciation triggered paraglacial processes that generated landforms, mostly within the ice-free glacial cirques. In this research we analyse the deglaciation process in the Muxivén Cirque (42°15′N – 6°16′W), in the upper Sil River Basin, which includes some of the largest relict rock glaciers of the Cantabrian Mountains. We addressed this objective by means of accurate geomorphological reconstructions, sedimentological analysis, Schmidt-hammer surface weathering measurements and a dataset of 10 10Be Cosmic-Ray Exposure ages. Results reveal that after ~16 ka, glaciers retreated to the bottom of the cirques at the headwaters of the valley, leaving the walls free of ice and triggering rock avalanches onto the remnants of these glaciers. This paraglacial process supplied debris to a small glacier within Muxivén Cirque, which transformed in two rock glaciers. These debris isolated the ice inside the rock glaciers only for a very short period of time and ended up melting completely before the Younger Dryas. The lower sector of the largest one stabilized at 14.5 ± 1.5 ka, while the upper sector remained active until 13.5 ± 0.8 ka. Previous to the stabilization of the lower sector of the northern rock glacier, at its margin a high-energy debris avalanche occurred at ~14.0 ± 0.9 ka. These data agree with previous research, corroborating the paraglacial origin of most Iberian rock glaciers during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial.S