An Ensemble Method to Predict Student Performance in an Online Math Learning Environment

ABSTRACT The number of e-learning platforms and blended learning environments is continuously increasing and has sparked a lot of research around improvements of educational processes. Here, the ability to accurately predict student performance plays a vital role. Previous studies commonly focused on the construction of predictors tailored to a formal course. In this paper we relax this constraint, leveraging domain knowledge and combining a knowledge graph representation with activity scopes based on sets of didactically feasible learning objectives. Specialized scope classifiers are then combined to an ensemble to robustly predict student performance on learning objectives independently of the student's individual learning setting. The final ensemble's accuracy trumps any single classifier tested

Inflammatory and fibrotic responses of cardiac fibroblasts to myocardial damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)

Cardiac fibroblasts (CF) are well-established as key regulators of extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover in the context of myocardial remodelling and fibrosis. Recently, this cell type has also been shown to act as a sensor of myocardial damage by detecting and responding to damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) upregulated with cardiac injury. CF express a range of innate immunity pattern recognition receptors (TLRs, NLRs, IL-1R1, RAGE) that are stimulated by a host of different DAMPs that are evident in the injured or remodelling myocardium. These include intracellular molecules released by necrotic cells (heat shock proteins, high mobility group box 1 protein, S100 proteins), proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1α), specific ECM molecules up-regulated in response to tissue injury (fibronectin-EDA, tenascin-C) or molecules modified by a pathological environment (advanced glycation end product-modified proteins observed with diabetes). DAMP receptor activation on fibroblasts is coupled to altered cellular function including changes in proliferation, migration, myofibroblast transdifferentiation, ECM turnover and production of fibrotic and inflammatory paracrine factors, which directly impact on the heart's ability to respond to injury. This review gives an overview of the important role played by CF in responding to myocardial DAMPs and how the DAMP/CF axis could be exploited experimentally and therapeutically

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Meaning-making in delayed-return cultures: the case of personal uncertainty

The large majority of humans nowadays live in cultures in which there is often a delay between the efforts they exert and the feedback they receive regarding the outcome of their efforts. As a result, individuals may experience uncertainty between their efforts and outcomes, leading them to pay special attention to uncertainty information. In particular, we propose that when people feel uncertain about themselves, this may be alarming to them as it may signal that their personal contract with their delayed-return culture may be in jeopardy. Therefore, under conditions of personal uncertainty, people are looking forward to events that bolster their cultural worldviews and detest events that violate these worldviews. We review research findings that show that personal uncertainty indeed has a special role in the social psychology of meaning-making and worldview defense, sometimes even yielding a better explanation of worldview defense reactions than terror management theory

'The Queen (Mother) and I': Assimilation, contrast, and attitudes toward social groups

A survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of spontaneous social comparisons in people's ingroup descriptions and to investigate factors involved in the choice of an outgroup comparator. The intel group context was that of different countries within the European Community (EC). Two hundred and ninety-three respondents from six countries provided open-ended descriptions of their own country, rank ordered the twelve EC countries, and selected two other countries for comparison purposes. Social comparisons were made spontaneously by 20% of the sample; temporal comparisons less frequently (11%). There was a general tendency for respondents to choose higher-status comparators. These were still generally somewhat similar to own country except in the case of the two lowest-status countries where the preference was for dissimilar (and superior) outgroups. Regression analysis revealed that threat to national identity was also correlated with comparison choice. The findings are related to classic and contemporary theories of social comparison process. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Social Psychology and the study of politics

The application of social psychology to the study of politics is at the heart of the discipline called political psychology. Political psychology has been defined as the ‘application of what is known about human psychology to the study of politics’ (Sears, Huddy & Jervis, 2003, p. 3). Social psychology has been a more influential source of inspiration for the study of politics than any other subfield of psychology. Insights from social psychology have been of paramount importance in the study of both political elites and mass political behaviour. The many topics that have thus been studied include political socialization, public opinion, voting behaviour, collective political action, ideology, prejudice, political campaigns, presidential performance, policy making, conflict resolution, terrorism and genocide (see Jost & Sidanius, 2004). By providing insights about the psychological processes involved, social psychology has contributed to our understanding of all these aspects of politics. Several of those insights have been used in attempts to change political attitudes and political behaviour that are considered undesirable, such as racial prejudice, low voter turnout and political violence. In this chapter we focus on three topics that have been central to political psychology: political leadership, voting behaviour and ideology. We discuss how different types of psychological studies have contributed to understanding these crucial aspects of politics. The field of political psychology comprises at least four different types of studies. First, some psychological studies are not directly about politics but contribute significantly to our understanding of political processes